Posts

2025 Las Vegas Spartan Sprint

I had planned to skip the Las Vegas Spartan races this year due to a lingering finger issue from my previous race in July 2024, but then I got a unique opportunity to participate with my daughter, so of course I jumped on that.  We finished in just under 2 hours, at 1:58:24 and 1516 and 1517/1963 for the Open and 996/1225 for men, 521/738 for women.  Here is a breakdown of the obstacles: 4 ft wall - passed hurdles - passed barbed wire crawl - passed monkey bars - failed slip wall - passed plate drag - passed spear throw - passed sandbag carry - passed Atlas carry - failed; I was able to roll the ball up onto my thigh as in the past, but then unlike those past races, I could not stand up with it. multi-rig - failed Z wall - failed inverted wall - passed; I actually got stuck at the top and asked the guy next to me for help after he got over.  He asked me why I was shaking--I didn't realize that I was--and he was suprised to hear that I have Parkinsons. bucket carry - passe...
Post a Comment
Read more

DBS part 1

Image
DBS stands for deep brain stimulation. It is a well-established surgical treatment option for Parkinson's Disease.  For more details, see https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21088-deep-brain-stimulation My DBS journey began nearly a year ago, in the spring of 2024.  Prior to that I had heard about it, talked about it, and learned about it for a few years, but that is when I began to have serious discussions about it with my neurologist.  There are several steps to complete in order to determine if you are a good candidate for DBS.  Some of them can be completed just by looking at medical records--for example, determining how long it has been since diagnosis. Others require action, and we began to plan those action items in May 2024.  Among other things, I had to be tested for cognitive decline and get an MRI of my brain.  The final check was a series of standard PD tests--walk, stomp your feet, stand up from a chair, etc--without and then ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hyrox #2 - Vegas, Baby!

Image
Hyrox Las Vegas, Feb 1-2, 2025 Just like in Anaheim in December, my initial registration was for the men's open division, but it needed to be Adaptive.  I had changed it for the race in December, but I did not know whether that change was saved in some central database, or if I would have to make it again.  I did have to change it for Las Vegas, since each race stands on its own.  No problem--just a quick trip to the Puma Flagship store near Planet Hollywood. I was in and out of there in less time than it took to park :) They really were quite efficient at that store, and while I was there I learned that the race director was Yusuf Jeffers, the same guy I worked with in Anaheim two months ago.  Talk about a class act . . . he has a hundred things going on all at once during an event, and he still took time to meet with me, answer all my questions, prepare his coaches for my appearance . . . you name it, and it got done.  On top of that, there was the award Sund...
Post a Comment
Read more

Team Fox 2025 Fundraiser Donations

Here is the link to the new page:  https://give.michaeljfox.org/fundraiser/5990361
Post a Comment
Read more

Hyrox

When I registered for the 12/7/24 Hyrox in Anaheim, I asked if they had an adaptive division.  They did not.  Nothing was said about changes that were in the works, but when I looked at the rules in the days leading up to the race, I saw that they had separate rules for athletes with disabilities.  Not just one division had been added, but six (nine if you count the subdivisions).  They are (a) Lower Limb Impairment (b) Upper Limb Impairment (c) Short Stature Impairment (d) Visual/Hearing Impairment (e) Neurological Impairment (broken down to the following sub-divisions) i.  Neurological Major ii. Neurological Minor (f) Seated Impairment (broken down to the following sub-divisions) i.   Seated With Hip Function (SWHF) ii.  Seated Without Hip Function (SWOHF) iii. Seated Without Core Function (SWOC) I assumed that I would be either neuro minor or neuro major due to Parkinsons, but I reached out to the race organizers to...
Post a Comment
Read more

It's easy when you're fresh . . .

Image
. . . and running downhill. Today I ran the inaugural Las Vegas Marathon--and by "ran" I mean ran some and walked some. Ok, I walked a lot, but that's ok.  My goal was simply to finish, crossing the finish line before the cutoff.  Races that shut down the strip, like the Rock'n'Roll marathon, back when that was offered in the series, tend to have shorter time limits.  I recall 5 hours, the one time I ran it (in 2013).  This new course today had a longer window--and a better opportunity for me to finish--at 6.5 hours. First, prep.  When I was brainstorming a list of items I would need for the race, I went a little overboard.  I was certain that I would need my cane toward the end, and the one cane soon morphed into a pair of trekking poles.  An emergency blanket (included in the race package distributed with the bib and shirt) and warm clothes.  The usual food and medication.  Maybe some water and Gatorade, but not much since the race is ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Back to Square One

Image
The inaugural Las Vegas marathon is one week from today. I signed up for it a year ago. I must accept the very real possibility that I may be unable to finish. How did I get here? I worked pretty hard from May through September this year to prepare.  Toward the end of summer I had begun to feel some persistent pain in my left heel. In mid-September I took a week and a half off to take my daughter to college, during which I walked a lot but did not run at all.  That inactivity left me well-rested upon my return, and I had a pretty good long run that Saturday.  However, succeeding Saturday morning long runs were characterized by decreasing performance.  This result came from running less to allow my heel to heal.  I was willing to accept being a little out of shape in exchange for pain-free feet, but surprisingly, the pain in my heel did not decrease. I had long been planning to take a week off before the marathon, but having taken far more than just a week, I als...
Post a Comment
Read more