How much more can we wait...?

37 Weeks last Thursday... Nothing to report other than we continue to wait and wonder.

6 weeks ago we were hoping that he would stay in there just a little longer so that he can develop strongly to where he needed to be...

Well, I guess that our wishes have come true... he is still in the oven and by all accounts happy to stay in there for some more time... We are VERY LUCKY to be at this point we are very thankful.

Allow me to change the subject and ask you who is the better looking bald...

Yours truly... The Clot Buster

Or Miss Cameron Diaz...? (Wow, her head is HUGE!!! I am blown away...)

I think that I am just on the principle that my head seems proportional to my body...

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster

What would he be like?

That is a question that continues to run through our minds as we wait for the moment of his arrival. Yes, I know soon enough but not knowing really eats away at you with every day that goes by. We are walking on egg shells everyday making sure whatever we are doing is close to home and easy to get to the hospital just in case.

Tomorrow we round 37 weeks and continue to count. Every day that he is in there he is growing stronger and stronger but it is hard to believe that it was about 6 weeks ago when we first started this process of contractions and the fear that he could come way earlier than he should have... well, now we are pretty muh full term and Mrs. Clot Buster is hanging in there masterfully!

Did I tell you that she looks very cute with her belly and all... WE ARE VERY LUCKY!!!

Check out some photos from the marathon I just ordered. You can see the effort as I make my way through the hardest part of the course...

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster

The anticipation continues to kill us...

Funny how this works... for about a week now we thought that our son was due to arrive. But after 36 weeks and 3 days Liz's contractions continue but we are not at the point where we are to deliver him. We don't what to do with outselves...

House is clean - check

Nursery is ready - check

Baby clothes need to be washed - check

Car seats installed - check

Stock up on food - check

Sit around and wait - check... not being able to plan anything beyond 4 hours is something we are getting used to. We are starting to think that our little one is toying with us... I have to say then that he is doing a fine job keeping us on the edge.

Well, what else can I say? I've been very lucky to have the chance to go riding here and there the last couple of days. Always a treat to go beyond 20 Miles given the circumstances. In fact, yesterday was the first time this year that I got my black bike out for a spin. Let me tell you that it felt STRANGE riding "La Bestia" for the first time in so long. Of course it did not take very long to get familiar with it again. My legs felt pretty flat this second day in a row that I got to ride. Let's call it a building phase as I am getting my legs ready again for the requirements of triathlon. I have plenty of time to get ready for possibly my only race of the year at the Greater Cleveland Triathlon the weekend of August 9th and 10th. We are going to be doing some special things for NATT that weekend so PLEASE if you are in the area take some time and come out and check out this fine event. This is one race you should definitely consider doing as a part of your racing schedule.

A year ago I participated in Two Olympic Distance Events the same day. I cannot believe I did such an insane thing...

I hope all of out there get to enjoy the Memorial Day Weekend. We are enjoying it as much as we can given the circumstances...

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster

The anticipation is killing me...!

Amazingly we are about to reach 36 weeks in this incredible adventure. The last 5 weeks have been very interesting with an array of events that kept us on the edge of our sits. We have the bags packed and everything that we can think of ready just in case. We are incredibly excited about the possibility of his arrival and whenever that comes I and Mrs. Clot Buster will be way too happy to even be able to describe.

2008 is turning out to be a fantastic year for us. Full of fun adventures and challenges. I can't wait for what we have ahead of us.

If I stop posting for a while I am sure you can imagine why. However, I have to peak your interest about a shipment that is due to arrive at my door step either at the end of this week or the first part of this week. This is something I've been "cooking" for a while now. I wish that I could tell you more but I am afraid I will have to leave in your dark just a little bit longer...

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster

Still enjoying the success

It is been a couple of weeks since the marathon and I am still enjoying the feeling of success I had after completing the event. I am still on cloud nine and I don't think I will break out of it any time soon. At times I think about the possibility of running another marathon very soon but my real interest is in triathlon. I want to take what I learned from my marathon training and put it towards my triathlon training.

Of course, this will be adjusted as the arrival of our son is coming very soon. We are not sure when but he will be here before we know it. For now, I have to focus on being ready to be a parent and possibly include some workouts here and there. For sure I know that I will be racing the Greater Cleveland Triathlon in August. This year once more we are planning on having another raffle and hopefully the same degree of success as last year. So, if you are looking for a race give the Greater Cleveland Triathlon a good consideration because this one race I highly recommend.

So, although it is been a couple of weeks now I still remember a thing or two about the marathon I fought so hard to finish. The first part of the race was very similar to the course we get to run during the Thanksgiving Day Race in November. Right from the start we had to contend with several "hills" more like overpass bridges to get from downtown Cincinnati over to the Northern Kentucky side and back over to Cincinnati. One really great thing was to be running along Seventh St right in downtown. The noise from the people linning this street was incredible. I've never felt anything like that before and it was something I really enjoyed. It inspired me a great deal to see so many people out there cheering you on. Interestingly enough right about the point before we made the turn on to Seventh St. I was starting to feel some discomfort from the 7 minute mile pace I was keeping at this point. But once I heard the noise it really got me going again just ahead of the hardest part of the course going into Eden Park and a constat uphill for the better part of 2 miles maybe even more. That was really brutal on the legs but once beyond this point I could get my act together and continue to keep pace.

I was really blown away at the half way mark and the time I clocked at this point... 1:34.01... my fastest half-marathon time to date. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT!!! This milestone helped me to stay with it but I was starting to feel the pain of my effort. I was able to keep my 7 minute per mile pace all the way to mile marker 18 where I really started to struggle. This is where the group being paced for the 7 minute mile goal passed me. I tried as hard as I could to stay with them. But the legs here did not want to have anything to do with that sort of pace. So, slowly I had to take off my foot from the gas pedal and attempt to hold until the end.

Due to a fire on mile 23 the course had to be extended for about 0.25 miles and really at this point my customary cramps started all over my legs. I think that I even felt the muscles of my face and neck strain from the effort. It was a strange feeling but I was hurting all over the place.

I remember the most the last 200 yards with the crowds in full force cheering all of us in. My legs were about to shot down as the cramps were strongest at this point. But my brain was not going to let me stop in front all of this people. There was people on both side and above you which made the noise that much more intense. So, instead of stopping I shuffled my way in to the finish with an official time of 3 Hours 29 Minutes and 52 seconds.

All together this was great experience. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!

For this fundraiser we were able to raise a GRAND TOTAL OF $1325.59 that will go a long way to help NATT continue their work to STOP THE CLOT. There is a lot we need to do to spread the word about blood clots and blood clotting disorders.

I don't know when I will be able to do one of this marathons again but now I know that I can push myself hard enough to get the time that I need to qualify for Boston. Who knows, I may have to wait a couple of more years so that I can have a little cushier qualiying time. However, the 3:10 that I need at this point it is still within my grasp... at least I really think so.

So, this is a long post. I very much appreciate your attention.

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster

This is why we do what we do...

Please take a moment or two to read about the links below...

http://mattlogelin.com/

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/18224714.html

http://www.mattlogelin.com/archives/2008/03/

tears were streaming down my face when I was reading the content of the links above. My heart is broken for this guy and his little girl. This is a terrible tragedy that puts a lot of things in perspective... all of the sudden the succes of the marathon seems very silly. Especially when I think about the similiaries of the Logelin's situation and ours. We are very lucky that Mrs. Clot Buster knows what she knows about blood clots and blood clotting disorders, I just wish that more people out there would know more.

How come this death could not be prevented in a hospital of all places? The more reason for me to continue spreading the word as much as possible along with NATT because this sort of thing CANNOT and SHOULD NOT happen.

Although this is a terrible tragedy it is also one of those circumstances in which I can draw inspiration and continue to do what I do to spread the word about blood clots and blood clotting disorders.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO HELP US STOP THE CLOT!!!

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster

P.S.: I hope to write some more about the marathon soon. As you can see the above mentioned topic is far more important than any race report can be.

3 Hours 29 Minutes and 52 Seconds...26.2 Miles (Sort of)

Wow!

I think that I am still enjoying the runner's high two days after the race. Although, I am feeling incredibly sore and going down the stairs hurts like you would not believe I am thrilled with being able to cross the finish line and put my fear of the 26.2 Miles to rest. In fact, our race on Sunday ended up being 26.45 Miles due to a three alarm fire that caused one of the roads to be closed so they had to re-route the course and the organizer had no other choice but to live with a longer course. At mile 23, where the detour took place, you really don't care anymore at least I didn't.

CONGRATULATIONS to the city of Cincinnati for coming out to the course and just make it an experience that I will never forget. People lined up along the course on almost every mile. It was great to hear the cheers and even better when they called NATT's name out. I have to tell you that the polka-dots were recognized in more than one instance. That was really exciting to me.

I don't even know where to begin to talk about the race. I need to gather my thoughts some more and I will come up with some posts to talk about this in length. My friends, this is no small potatoes for me... I just finished a MARATHON... I cannot believe it!!!

More on the race when sitting for a long periods of time will not make me cramp...

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster

More Anticipation ahead of Sunday...!

Friday night and I am all over the place...

I am definitely ready to take on this race once and for all. It is been a long way since January when I started my three day per week training program. This type of training program really worked for me to keep the pounding to a minimum and allow me to continue doing my other two sports just so that I would not lose my fitness in either the swimming or the biking. Of course I would not have had the chance to get this point without the support of Mrs. Clot Buster and all of her endless wisdom in the running department. THANK YOU Mrs Clot Buster!!! You are and always will be my foundation.

Also I am most greatful for everyone's donations to this fundraiser during my FIRST EVER MARATHON. Your support will continue to help NATT in their mission to spread the word about blood clots and blood clotting disorders.

If you have not donated yet here is your chance by CLICKING HERE.

You know my primary goal is to finish the race standing up. After that everything is gravy. I will be thrilled to run under 3:30 but secretely I want to push it all the way to be under the required time that I need to qualify for Boston 3:10.59. I know that this a LONG SHOT but I am going for it in part to honor all of you out there donating to this crazy proposition.

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster