4-3-2009

4-3-2009

"I am also training… not for the Tour de France, but to return to the Tour de Holmes faster than anyone else!" 

The third inning began with some good news and some not quite as good news.  I met with my team of doctors Monday, March 31 following some lab work that had been done.  The good news is that my neck and throat tumors are softening and beginning to get smaller after one week of treatments.  That was uplifting news!  I then went in for my weekly chemo treatment and had a very bad reaction to the taxol and its delivery agent.  Took around 60 minutes to get that under control and they again “slowed the delivery” making it an 8 hour session of chemo.  Hung tough there, and it reinforced my philosophy over the years of respecting your opponent, staying focused and not drifting when you get a lead in a game. Stick to the game plan! My training team has developed a good game plan and it seems to be creating some dissention in the visitor’s “dugout” as they seem to be wanting to escape the “dugout” at all hours of the day and night.  Some intense coughing going on attempting to clear my throat.  Had a meeting Thursday with my team of doctors again and did some baseline testing of swallowing and met with a speech pathologist and discussed a possible food peg in the next week or so.  All part of the plan to defeat the visiting team! 

As I continue to read, I came across another interesting point made by Lance Armstrong in his book It’s Not About the Bike, My Journey Back to Life.  In his comeback training regimen following cancer, he made the following statement that I think applies in all our lives with regard to education and it’s relevance in our lives.  Many times I get asked at school, “so… when am I ever going to use this?”  Here is Lance’s quote:

“I geeked out. I tackled the problem of the Tour de France as if I were in math class, science class, chemistry class and nutrition class all rolled into one.  I did computer calculations that balanced my body weight and my equipment weight with the potential velocity of the bike in various stages, trying to find the equation that would get me to the finish line faster than anyone else.  I kept careful computer graphs of my training rides, calibrating the distances, wattages and thresholds.”

“Even eating became mathematical.  I measured my food intake.  I kept a small scale in the kitchen and weighed the portions of pasta and bread.  Then I calculated my wattages versus my caloric intake so I knew precisely how much to eat each day, how many calories to burn, so that the amount coming in would be less than my output, and I would lose weight.”

Now for me, that is “relevant learning”!  I am also training… not for the Tour de France, but to return to the Tour de Holmes faster than anyone else!  I am using many of the same equations with my doctors as I plan my daily diet to keep weight on, and keep up my strength throughout all nine innings.  Have fun at the dance tonight, I’ll be thinking of you and will miss being there. I had some good ideas on how to dress up for the Luau! Remember, get the most out of each day and make it productive!

The score at the end of 3 full innings of play is:  HOME team 3, VISITOR 0.
Love you all!