Sunday Ride

Here is a screen shot of my Garmin page showing the data and map for a 73.5 mile ride I took over to a family reunion on Sunday, July 11th. Click on the image to enlarge it or go to my page at http://connect.garmin.com/activity/40108167. Garmin says that I burned over 5200 calories though I fueled the trip with just 3 packs of Gu gel -the stuff must be potent -more sugar than I typically eat in a month. I stopped at my Mom's just past Canfield for about 45 minutes late in the morning and my quads felt pretty tight when I climbed back on my Trek 5200 for the last leg over to the picnic grounds where the reunion was held. I've had the Trek since 2001 though I recently added Speedplay pedals which work great with my new Sidi shoes. Much of the trip was on route 224 between Akron and Youngstown which wasn't too busy on a Sunday morning though the traffic that was present was flying. At one point, I was passed by a convoy of wide load trucks that were using about 2/3 of the pavement and all of the berm. Fortunately, they swung over for me so that I didn't have to bail into the ditch bordering the berm. Near Youngstown, there were some sections of teeth rattling washboard asphalt. The weather was wonderful - low 60's when I left the house just after 6 a.m. and low 80's by the time I arrived around 1 p.m.

Here are a couple of scanned pages from a booklet titled Outcomes which was handed out at a recent Grand Rounds session at Fairview Hospital which is where I had my bypass surgery. Click on the image to enlarge it to readable size. The picture is me dancing with my daughter at her wedding which was in a beautiful outdoor setting near Chagrin Falls, Ohio. The article is a fairly accurate rendition of what happened to me on June 3 last year. I was told, however, that it was more like 15 minutes between the time my heart stopped and when it was restarted. There is no mention of my adoption of a plant-based diet in a quest to keep my vein grafts patent. Also, well-before the 12 week mark (sternum healed rock-solid), I was back to limited weight lifting. I have been progressing my workouts, and the spinning class that is mentioned is now up to two hours and is very intense. Many of my workout mates are triathletes. I run trails with my pooch, Casey, and lift heavier weights than the typical 20-40 year old at the place where I workout. I have been lifting 2 or 3 times a week, spinning twice a week, doing yoga a couple of times in between, and playing tennis several times a month. Not bad for a guy whose ER report listed the diagnosis as "Sudden Clinical Death." Both my cardiologist and surgeon (identified in the article) say that I suffered a plaque rupture which is an acute (sudden) event where a narrowed portion of a coronary artery splits and results in formation of a clot which acts effectively as a cork in the particular artery (in my case, the trunk of the left main -not good!). How fortunate (blessed) was I to have a cardiologist and pediatric intensivist within a few yards?

Hiking at Sunrise

Here are a couple of shots taken by my hiking buddy, John Shaffer, at River Styx Park a couple of weeks ago. We meet for a sunrise hike once a week no matter the weather. This day, it was about 5 degrees when we started. I'm carrying my pooch, Casey, after he came up limping with ice balls between his toes for the second time. The first time, I thawed his foot with my ungloved hand. The hand stayed cold so the second time he limped, I figured the over the shoulder carry was better than frostbite. He didn't seem to mind!

My New Way of Eating

After my cardiac "event" last summer (more on that in a subsequent post), I investigated what I could do to improve my lot. My search led to Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, http://www.heartattackproof.com, a Cleveland Clinic surgeon who resolved to find a way to prevent disease rather than default to surgery and/or heavy medications. He emperically proved that a vegan diet not only prevents heart disease but reverses existing pathology.

Many people have asked me about the tradeoffs resulting from such a strict approach to diet. Other than the inconvenience of having to explain special requests when eating out, I don't consider any of the effects a negative. My weight has stabilized near what it was during my college years, and I have the same strength measured by resistance training that I had on my formerly omnivorous diet. My wife and I have discovered and invented dozens of new recipes and our meals at home have more variety than ever. The foods have also had a miraculous effect on my blood lipid and glucose levels.

Check out Dr. Esselstyn's website. His son, Rip, an Austin, Texas firefighter and former national swim and triathlon champ, also has a book out, The Engine 2 Diet, that explains how he transformed the health of several of his workmates with a vegetarian approach to their firehouse meals.

Steph and Matt's Wedding Day

My daughter, Stephanie, and new son-in-law, Matt Corbett, were married on Saturday. It was a beautiful ceremony and the reception was on a huge outdoor terrace. Here is one picture of Matt and Steph dancing and I will post one by the official photographer as soon as his are available.

Time to Get Out on the Lake

I haven't had my sailboard out yet this year. This shot as I am just working away from shore is from the upper deck of a rented house on the Sound side of Cape Hatteras near Avon. Here in Ohio, we sail on local lakes. Windsurfing is a great sport calling for balance and strength, and balance in the context of appreciation of the cues of the shifting elements is the primary factor. The sport is all about planing- the point at which the bottom of the board pops up and skims the surface. As I am slogging upwind in this picture to "get out," I am not yet planing. A windy day here in NE Ohio provides the opportunity to move in the elements. It doesn't require a trip to the coast.

Red-headed Woodpecker

This is the only eastern woodpecker with an entirely red head. Beautiful. We had a pair at our feeder for a few days. They are relatively rare around here. We have red-bellied, hariy and an occasional pileated as well. The crow-sized pileated are not seen at our feeder but rather ripping large holes in rotting trees as they dig for ants.

The woodpeckers depend on the life cycle of the forest. The trees succumb to insect, fungus and other predatory life forms. Some are just touched up and used; others lose the battle and begin to return the carbon and minerals to the forest floor. The woodpeckers thrive on the middle stage when insects and their larvae inhabit the dying or dead wood.