Stepping up in relief...

I am not even sure that I am doing on Saturday is "kosher" but I am doing it anyway...

If you remember from my previous post at the Clot Buster household we have been dealing with Mrs. Clot Buster FIRST EVER injury that has her going to PT sessions and away from her beloved running for a while. You can imagine that she is disappointed/frustrated and the rest of in the house are disappointed as well. We don't like to see Mrs. Clot Buster not doing her time running. You have not seen true pleasure in someone's face if you have not seen my wife return home from an early morning run either with fresh snow on the ground or with a beautiful sun rise... that face of pleasure and enjoyment we hope to see back very soon as she battles this injury and gets back in business.

So, because of this injury she will not be running in the Capital City Half-Marathon this coming Saturday. However, given the fact that I am able and wanting to see how fast I can run a half-marathon right now we decided that I would take Mrs. Clot Buster's entry and I would run the race on Saturday... people may wonder about my wife's name on the bib as the see me running by but I am sure they will get distracted by the polka-dots and the STOP THE CLOT message that they will soon forget all about the bib number...

We think that we should not let the entry got to waste. Of course, if I happen to place we will respectfully decline and make the person after us get the goods. I think that on those grounds we are safe from causing any major heart-burn to anyone... What do you think?

So, if you are in Columbus running the half then be in the lookout for the polka-dots...

If you think that you can challenge my time then go ahead and challenge me. If you beat me fair then you can win one cool prize... if I beat you then I would like for you to donate to NATT the value of the prize (should be no more than $25.00). Are you up for the challenge? Try me!

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster.

Very Quickly...

As the hours of the day fly pass me and I can't seem to find time to post anything here is a quick rapid fire summary..
Mid April - HAPPY BIRTHDAY Clot Buster... you are getting old!

Mrs. Clot Buster is learning to deal with HER FIRST EVER prolonged injury. She is been having some issues with her knee and now after getting checked she is gearing up for her first ever Physical Trainer session. Hang in there Mrs. Clot Buster... we feel for you!

Junior Clot Buster changing by the day... top teeth out, pulling up to stand no sweat, enjoying walking with assistance, eating more and more solids... he loves anything crunchy at first and once wet soft, and of course talking and smiling far more than crying and being cranky.

Ran one of the hardest 10K course in Ohio... the ECOTHON at The Wilds conservancy park. Back in 2006 I did race and I stopped the clock on a respectable 50:18... fast forward to last weekend and I crushed my previous time but 2 minutes as I crossed the finish line in 48:18 which was good enough for 7th Place overall and 2nd in my age group.Very cool that after the race I introduced a physician to NATT and our STOP THE CLOT effort. He noticed the polka-dots and we got talking. Never under estimate the power of the polka-dots regardless of where you are... Please wear your polka-dots and help us spread the word.Stay tuned for another update in which I will let you know the Clot Buster's racing schedule and see if I can see you out there at the races. Checkout the schedule carefully because I would love to challenge anyone out there to race against the polka-dots. If you think you can race me and believe you can beat me then issue me a challenge and we will battle it out. You can have the potential of winning some really sweet prizes that we will negotiate prior to the race... so train away and let me know @ polka40@hotmail.com

Thank you for reading,

The Clot Buster

Hard to believe...

that it is been almost a month since I competed in the 2009 edition of the Shamrock Marathon.

It is been a while since I had the chance to write anything.

Time gets away from you when you are having fun and Clot Buster Junior is starting to find the real use of this two legs... he is pulling up on things and just having a grand old time holding on to us as he is learning the way of the up right.

Since the marathon is well past it is time to start thinking about the summer and where I will be able to go to show off the STOP THE CLOT polka-dots. This afternoon I got to take polka-dots out for a nice 20+ Mile ride during the most beatiful day of the year so far. I am a sucker for 70 degree weather and nothing but blue skies.

There are some races I want to do as usual but this year I will have the chance to race as a team with my younger brother and wife in a race in early June. I still remmeber how much fun my brother would make of me for wearing the spandex and racing. Now he will be racing in our team and also he considering doing his very first, very own sprint triathlon as well. I very much look forward to see that materialize.

Slowly I am getting more time in my two wheels and doing some more swimming as well. I feel as if I am a long ways away from being ready but I am actually in very good shape thanks to the marathon training. However, I still need to get the biknig/running combination dialed in for this yaer.
For now I am working on the riding... 40+ Miles of riding between Friday and Saturday... not bad if you consider baby feedings and diaper changes. Mrs. Clot Buster and I make up a FANTASTIC Team that takes care of Junior without a hitch and gives us the chance to still do what we want in terms of working out.
Time to get to bed... Junior could wake up any moment so I need to catch some Zzzz's... yikes!

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster

April Athlete of the Month

What a great opportunity I have through my blog to show case people who can inspire all of us regardless of what we do. Slowly I am putting together a nice network of clot survivors that a story to tell. I am very excited to continue to extend this network and include as many people as I can. Who knows how many of this posts I can do but as long as I learn about a come back story I am going to post it for everyone to see.

April's Athlete of the month is a great example of this network expanding. Someone I knew from the early start of the Clot Buster told me about this person and after a couple of emails I was able to have him on board, answering my favorite questions that I know all of you out there are looking forward to read...

Please let me introduce to you Mr. QUINN WILLIAMS the Clot Buster's April Athlete of the Month. Let's read on to learn more about Quinn and how he as returned to do what he loves.

1) What is you sport/activity of choice? Why do you enjoy it?

My sport/ activity is time trials, dualthons and cyclocross. I am not sure why I enjoy it. I just do and it feels right when I am doing it.

2) How did you get started in that sport?

I was a runner, but I developed stress fractures in my legs. My Doctor recommend that I try biking for cross training. I stared Biking and I fell in love with it.

3) What is the latest milestone you achieved or plan to achieve? (Long bike ride, some race coming up or that you did)

My goal for this coming season is to become a better racer, and finish in the top of my category.

4) Tells about your clotting episode. Are you on blood thinners now? How long were you out of commission?

In July 2008, I was competing in a dualthon. It was a very hot day, and the race was brutal. It was a 3.5 mile trail run, 25 mile bike with very steep climbs, followed by another 3.5 trail run. After the race I jumped in my car and drove 3 hours to a cabin that my in-laws had rented for the weekend. ( this was a bad Idea) The next day I went for a nice log recovery ride. The ride went well but I was a bit tired, but after all I just had a race the day before. As the weeks went on I noticed that my runs and bike rides were getting slower and slower. So I figured I was over training again. I took a few day off and I noticed that my calf muscles felt like I had pulled them. That struck me as odd, because I had taken the last few days off. I returned to my training with a 5 mile tempo run, and I struggled to make it through the workout. I decided to go to the doctor, and as luck would have it my primary Doctor was on vacation, so I had to see someone else. I describe my symptoms, as shortness of breath and feeling fatigued during my training. I did not mention my sore calf because it went away after I started exercising. The doctor diagnosed me with exercise-induced asthma. She sent me home with an inhaler and the next day I continued my training. The inhaler helped a bit but I knew something else was wrong.I took a few more day off and during this time my leg began to swell, and it was hard for my to stand up. I decided to check out web MD and diagnosed myself with a DVT. I then went to the ER and had a cat scan to confirm it. They found multiple DVT in my legs. They sent me home with some warfin and told me to see my primary Doctor the next day. I got an apt. the next morning and my Doctor was outraged that they did not check my lung so he ordered me to get another cat scan. The cat scan should that my lung were covered with pulmonary embolisms. Again they sent me home, and told me to rest for a few days. When I got home it was very painful to stand up, and If I was up to long I would feel like I was going to pass out. So I went back to the ER and they admitted me.I spent 6 day in the hospital, while the got my INR numbers in the right range. My Doctor told me that I could start biking again once I was able to stand up. When I left the hospital I still was unable to stand up and If I did it was very painful.

5) When were you able to get back into your activity? How did it feel that first time?

I laid low for about a week, and I decided to jump on my bike. I hooked up my bike to my fluid trainer and did an easy 20 min workout. ( at this point I still could not stand)The next day I went 25 min and noticed that it seemed to be helping my legs. Soon I was up to an hour at an easy pace. I returned to racing just before the first cyclocrooss race, and I did awful. It was very hard to breath and my recover rate was horrible. I finished the season off at the back of the pack in every race. But I was racing, and alive.

6) What is your favorite piece of gear for your favorite activity? (Bike brand, running shoes, perhaps a running singlet or the Clot Buster's Running Polka-Dot Technical Shirt...)

My favorite gear is my fluid trainer, hart rate monitor and my spinervill DVDs.My favorite bikes are my Salsa El Go Go time trail bike and my Jamis Nova Pro cyclocross bike.

7) How much are you getting out doing your sport?

Right now I am in my off season, right now I am doing lots of strength training with kettlebells, yoga, kickboxing, and aerobase bike rides on the trainer. ( to much snow to be outside). I typically workout 6 days a week, around 2 to 2.5 hours per workout.You can view my log at http://www.mapmyfitness.com/user_training?u=53261

8) What is your favorite food? Either generally or after a workout. For me there is nothing better than a Chipotle Burrito...

After workout shake, Whey protein, banana and a bunch of peanut butter mixed in a blender.

9) If you could go some place to visit and explore, where would like to go?

Europe

10) What would like to say to someone who is going through a clotting episode, perhaps very similar to yours? How can people return to do what they enjoy? Tells about your concerns and what you look out after as you got back.

My only advice is get back in the game. Listen to your body and be prepared to take it slow

Well it is clear that a blood clot will not stop Quinn from doing what he enjoys. It is remarkable that after being competitive he went out there to race, once he was able, and although he did not finished well in the races he was out there enjoying the chance of being there.

Quinn, THANK YOU so much for sharing your story with all of us. I know that you will get back to your peak performance and place well within your age group in every race that you do.

THANK YOU for inspiring others in the same boat as you and for showing them that it is possible to return to do the things that you love.

I know that you love the Clot Buster's polka-dot jersey and although I don't have any available right now you will be one of the first ones to know when they become available... you need to have the polka-dots to spread the word out there in sunny California!

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster

P.S.= If you have the chance please checkout Quinn's website @ www.xtraining.info pretty cool stuff he has on there to help you track you training.