Transplant Athlete
Monday, November 20, 2006
  You'd Better Start Swimming Or You'll Sink Like A Stone

My parents invited us down to Chincoteague for the weekend. The hotel had a "quasi-"indoor pool, so my dad and I took the little ones for a swim...RJ was fearlessly jumping into the water, and even jumping away from us as we waited to catch him. He kept wanting us to bring him out to the ladder at the deep end, so we did, he would climb up and sprint down to the shallow end and then jump in again - no amount of yelling 'slow down' works when he's that excited and forget about the stop or wait command before jumping in, we were speaking Swahili as far as he was concerned. So, he's got the swimming motions down for the dog paddle, he just doesn't do it frequently enough to keep himself up.

My dad stepped out of the pool to sit with my mom. I brought RJ to the ladder, he climbed up and then sprinted for the shallow end, so I went into my best freestyle stroke to catch up. I got two strokes down the pool when I heard a splash, I immediately surfaced and spun towards the sound. By the time I was facing the bubbling water, my father was already breaking the surface with RJ in his arms. RJ ran a post pattern, jumped in, and went straight to the bottom. Once up, we got him out of the pool and he was shocked for about 10 seconds before he was back jumping into the water. The kid definitely needs private swim lessons.

The Best Part Of The Weekend

ABL (da wife) and I rented a tandem, it was a fat tired (sand tires with low pressure), laid back (beach cruiser), flexible monstrosity, and we loved every minute of it. We were out for an hour and I didn't once worry that I left her behind, she was happy with my cadence, and I could stand and pedal even when she stayed seated. She liked the speed...in moderation, she only told me to slow down twice; although, I think she'd flip-out if I was bombing down a hill at Chuck & Crista speed (or Ed & Mary or Steve & Lin speed). Most importantly, we could talk the whole time.

We'll probably get a tandem in the spring and she only put one condition on a purchase - she would not do tandem RAAM...

Labels: , ,

 
Links to this post
(0)Leave a Comment
Email This Article
In 1986, doctors discovered that my Kidneys were failing, they gradually got worse until September 25, 2000 when my mother donated a kidney.

After the transplant, I felt like I needed to prove something to myself, so I took a bicycle tour(PACTour) across the US. I've competed at the US and the World Transplant Games as well as in Ultra distance events. My transplant will likely fail in the next couple of months and I'm currently preparing to go on dialysis.

View My Training Calendar

ARCHIVES
January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008




Google


If you decide to be an Organ Donor:
1) Tell your family your wishes.
2) Sign an Organ Donor Card.

You can make a difference!

Warning Signs for Kidney Disease:

  • High Blood Pressure
  • Burning or Difficulty when Urinating
  • Frequent Urination at Night
  • Blood in your urine
  • Cola or tea colored urine
  • Swellig of the eyes, ankles, or feet
  • Lower back pain unrelated to physical activity


Send Me Email:


Blogs I Read:
The Prophets of PACTour
Ultra Rob
Love2Ride
The Vicious Circle
Up In Alaska
Fat Cyclist