Grappling With PD

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...

Here is the link to the new page:  https://give.michaeljfox.org/fundraiser/5990361

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...

. . . 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 ...

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...

When I write my blog entries, I try to be as unbiased and accurate as possible.  Sometimes events make me look good, sometimes bad, but it's never about beating myself up, and it's never about bragging.  Except today.  I'm feeling really good about this particular event, so I'm gonna brag.  Just a little. First the background.  This part of the continuing saga of the injured left little finger, begun in previous entries.  I have been trying to make progress on diagnosis and treatment, but it has been difficult and slow.  Who knew the little finger could present such a big challenge?  In spite of the fact that it never was broken, it has been splinted virtually nonstop for over two months.  In that time I have used three different types of splint: 1) the traditional "tie or tape it to something stiff" variety; 2) the thermal-molded plastic or fabric variety; and 3) the sprin-mechanism variety.  The goal at this point is not to keep it str...