What a week...

This week I found out I would be going to India in January. To make a long story short, I had to get my passport renewed to get my Indian visa. Luckily, since I live in Houston, this wasn't a big deal. I did manage (stupidly) to nearly lose both my passport and my drivers license. Since I'm flying to my parents on Sunday, I can only imagine how bad that could've been.

Training has been a bit haphazard this week. I've had to work long hours, both getting up earlier than usual and going to bed later than I would like. Plus, I just didn't feel like running. My marathon training group is supposed to do a 21 mile run this week and I didn't feel up to it. I got two vaccinations today, and I have one in the fridge for later (oh joy). Thank goodness one of my running buddies from church called and said he didn't feel like running the full distance either and how did 10 miles sound? So that's what I'll be doing tomorrow.

I guess I'll go to bed so that I can get up and do my run...

Craving Something Sweet?

I went out today for a 6 mile run with my kids, and that was nice. It's the first time I've been outside the house running during the week since my wreck.

I told my wife I was craving something sweet, and she reminded me about our recent trip to Anderson, Texas. We were out with some friends and when they suggested dinner at a local eatery, I had to explain about my gluten-free diet. Well, after going to great lengths to explain to the staff about how I couldn't have any wheat, barley, rye or oats, or any of the derivatives, I settled on a steak and potato. That went well, and once dessert time rolled around, I asked them if they had any gluten-free desserts. Imagine my surprise when they said that the strawberry cake wouldn't have any wheat in it! My wife ordered one, and when it came out, it was pretty clear that it was cake.

Not one to pass up a dessert, I asked her what kind of flour they used to make the cake. She replied, "Oh, there's no flour in there. She used cake mix." It was everything we could do to not bust out laughing.

My Sunday ride

Here in Houston, it's about 50° and raining, which makes it the perfect day to go for a ride on a Computrainer. I didn't want to do too much, again because of my wrist and because I'd been off my bike for a while (because of my wrist).

I wrote for about an hour and a half, watching my son play Kirby and a little bit of football. I'm happy to report that having the Computrainer set up next to the TV seems to work just fine.

There is no real celiac news report today, so I guess I'll just give the website for that National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA). It's http:/www.CeliacCentral.org/

Working back into it...

Last night one of my friends invited me out for an 8 mile morning run. The group she runs with is usually substantially slower than me, but I figured I was going to be running slowly anyway. I needed to test out my wrist to see how it would feel on a long run.

It was supposed to be pretty cold this morning, so I layered up pretty good. We started before dawn, but by the time we finished the run it was pretty warm. By the end of the run, I felt good enough to try my normal training pace, and my wrist felt fine, so that's a blessing.

Later we went out to Starbucks and I got a chance to talk to her running partner about celiac. So it felt like a pretty successful day overall, and it wasn't even nine o'clock yet.

Tonight I took on the project of drilling a hole through my wall and routing a cable from my TiVo to the playroom. Of course, it took longer than I thought although I was finally successful. Now I'll be able to ride my bike, watch the Computrainer screen and watch TiVo at the same time. I figure that one place I can really pick up training time is riding my bicycle while I'm watching TV.

Speaking of TV, it was really nice to see the Ironman championship on TV today. Last year, the local television station didn't run the programming. It was nice that they ran two hours of it this year. It's always so inspirational, even when you know the outcome.

First Posting

I don't usually celebrate the completion of the three-mile run, but today is something special. About three weeks ago I went over the handlebars of my bike, landed on the asphalt and really hurt my wrists. One wrist was hurt so bad I went to the urgent care facility, then the orthopedist. I had a cast on my arm for two weeks, but they cut it off yesterday (not my arm, the cast). The MRI showed that my wrist wasn't broken after all, it was just really bruised and needed a wrist brace for support for the next month. I was thrilled.

You see, I'm training for the Ironman Wisconsin race in September 2007. Even three years ago, a race that distance was inconceivable to me even though it has been my goal to do the Ironman in Kona for nearly 25 years. I had been suffering through the training for marathon after marathon until three years ago I was diagnosed with celiac. Now my body takes up training much better and I feel I can tackle the distance.

So why a blog? Partially, I'd just like to keep a training log. I'd also like for it to be a source of tips and tricks for people who are considering doing an Ironman race. (Although I've done lots of marathons, I'm an Ironman newbie). Mostly, though, I'd like for it to be an avenue where people become more aware of how common celiac is and maybe help some of their sick friends get diagnosed. So I plan to talk about celiac, Ironman training, and then whatever else comes up.