Jackie and Darrell - CONGRATULATIONS!!!

So, you probably think that The Clot Buster spent most of the weekend racking up the miles in training just preparing the body for the upcoming races of the season... Well, only part of that statement is true for this weekend. My wife and I sure racked up the miles but they were mostly driving to and from St. Louis to attend the wedding of my good friend Darrell.

It was a lovely wedding on the grounds of Washington Univeristy in St. Louis. This is the place were, according to my parents, the stress of engineering school prompted for all of my hair to fall out. I would like to agree with that but my Gentic Counselor wife would not let me have it. But, it was very nice to be back on campus seeing all the buildings I once occupied attempting to get through school. Darrell "The Man of Action", as his brother called him during the best man's toast, seemed to just cruise on and just make it look so easy. I guess that was because all of his hair was already gone so he did not have to worry about it... see, I think that this theory does work... it makes perfect sense.

We got the chance to do some running on Saturday before the shin dig and on Sunday just let the body rest after the night of celebrating and dancing. You should see the blister Liz had on her feet from breaking it down all night long...

So, only a few days to go before the fourth race on the series.

BIG THANKS to the FAT RABBIT RACING people for letting the Clot Buster include his flyers on the race packets for the upcoming race. 1300 of them have been produced and ready for people to read and learn about NATT.

So, that is all for now. I think that my rear end still flat from all the sitting while driving back from St. Louis. I need to go and walk around some more...

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster 

Rebounding…2nd place in 25-29 Age Group…

Not a bad come back to racing after the Morgantown meltdown two weeks ago. The Caesar Creek Triathlon turned out GREAT!!! I think that it had to do with the support I got from Liz and Kath coming out to watch me race. I sure missed their cheering when I raced in Morgantown… but enough of going back to that race in WV. It’s behind me and now I need concentrate on the races left on The Clot Buster’s schedule.

On Sunday, the weather was perfect for racing. I could not ask for anything more. The swim I was able to complete in about 23 minutes and some change. Attempting to take off the wetsuit is always a show. So, my transition times from the swim to the bike are pretty high compared to races without wetsuits. But, it does not matter because once on the bike I put my head down and went at it. I tried to keep the fastest pace that I could and on the end I averaged 20.6MPH. From there, we headed out in the run. Believe it or not, the legs felt good and I was able to press a little and actually pass some people instead of getting passed by everyone else. I was very happy on how my body was reacting to the run and how I was able to keep it together with a time of 47:11 for the 10K. All together, The Clot Buster completed the third race of the season in 2 hours 24 minutes and 40 seconds for a second place in the 25-29 Age Group.

If you got the chance to read my post before the race, I wrote about having the opportunity to put The Clot Buster’s flyer (700 of them) in the race packets. Well, I have to say that the flyer along with the polka-dot outfit worked as I got to meet some people who suffered from blood clots or knew of someone who did. They were interested and glad to know about NATT and what they are doing to spread the word about blood clots and blood clotting disorders. Giving people the opportunity to know that NATT is out there for them is the best result I can ask for. We have made contact with a few people let’s see how many more we can bring into the fold. Let’s keep it going!

So, we continue to drive forward. 121.8 Miles of racing finished… 133.7 Miles left to go! Three races down – Three more races to go.

Keep an eye out for the guy in the polka-dot outfit out there. He just may come around you and leave behind on his wake… or you could come around and leave me on your dust. It could go either way…

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster

P.S.: I have some more picutres to post from the race so keep an eye out for more pictures from the race coming up. 

Saturday Fun...

How many people can say that on a Saturday afternoon you went down to the banks of the Ohio River, by downtown Cincinnati, and climbed over the top of the Purple Bridge connecting southern Ohio and northern Kentucky?
Well, I can tell you that The Clot Buster and his wife did…!

Yes, close to my birthday my mother in law found out about the Purple People Bridge attraction opening and thought that it would be something I would be interested in doing. Well, she was correct!

It was an experience to climb over the profile of the bridge while below you have the river and everything associated with it. The views from the bridge were unique. It was a great perspective to be up there just to take in the skyline of downtown Cincinnati and surrounding areas. We went in the afternoon but while talking to the guide we learned that dusk and dawn climbs are really a treat. After being up there I would have to agree with that. A beautiful sunset would be that much more impressive while on top of the bridge.

At any rate, the experience was unique and I to admit that I enjoyed it a great deal. I could do without the guffy suits but all in all it was a good time. I think that Liz’s mom did a fine job getting this gift for us. This is something I will always remember.

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster 

Caesar Creek Triathlon - 07/09/2006

Dear Friends,

This weekend once again, I am looking forward to the opportunity to line up at the start line wearing the “polka-dot” outfit and hopefully let some more people know about NATT and the work that they do. I am very excited to be able to include The Clot Buster flyer into all of the 700 race packets to be given out on Saturday and Sunday morning before the race. It is been a challenge to prepare all of the flyers on time but somehow Liz and I were able to pull it off. I will let you know what kind of results we will receive from this effort.

I would like to give a very big THANK YOU to HFP Racing for allowing me to incorporate The Clot Buster flyer into the race packets. This people do a very fine job organizing triathlons all over the region. I enjoy very much participating in their events.
So, we are heading out to Caesar Creek Sate Park in Waynesville, OH. This will be my first time in this area. At this point I don’t know much about this course other than it features a two loop bike and run sections so there should be plenty of photo opportunities throughout the race. I understand that Liz will be ready to snap some pictures so that we can post them for your viewing pleasure.

I believe that at this point I am fully recovered from the Mountaineer Triathlon. I am definitely hoping for a better showing on Sunday. I need to swim the 1500 meters, bike the 38.2 Km, and run the 10 Km as fast as I can so that I can make it home to watch the final game of the World Cup. It should be a good one. I would have never predicted France and Italy to be on the final. Both teams have what it takes to win so it should be fun to watch.

So, stay tuned for my next post when I let you know how things went during the Caesar Creek Triathlon. Be sure to know that The Clot Buster is ready!!!

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster

Random Picture of the Clot Buster's Adventures - Can you guess where this picture was taken?

 

Living “THE AMERICAN DREAM”

Believe it or not I have to confess to all of you out there that I AM THE LUCKIEST person on the face of the earth. Lucky to have the chance to enjoy the 4th of July celebrations once more. I truly appreciate the opportunity to live in this country every day that I woke in the morning at the start of a new day. I really wish that everyone would have the chance to go abroad and experience a different culture for an extended period (specially if the country of choice is an under developed country). Only then, people can start to appreciate and cherish what this country has to offer. Regardless of all the problems that we face in economical, political, educational, and environmental issues this country continues to be, in my opinion, a place in which with hard work and dedication you can make a lot of things happen.

Did you know that the Declaration of Independence was NOT actually signed on July 4th 1776? I could not believe it either but while reading John Adams’ biography I learned that the actually signing of the declaration took place on the 2nd of July and actually on the 4th nothing happened. The book goes on to explain that several years later several of the people involved in the signing believed that the 4th was the day so after some debate congress decided to settle on the day we know today. How do you like that piece of history trivia?

After taking three days completely off from training I got back on the saddle to resume my workouts and continue my preparation for the third race of the season. Taking those days off was the best thing I could have ever done. My body felt refreshed and ready to take on some more workouts. Listening to your body is very important. I need to make sure I am following the plan in order to complete the 255.5Miles of racing I’ve set out to do this summer for NATT.

The NATT volunteers are working very hard these planning all of the upcoming activities. The fall newsletter should be very interesting. Your support of this organization is paramount! Please consider donating if you have the chance…Here are some donation alternatives if you would be interesting in matching your donation for every mile that I race:

$$ Nickel per mile = $12.78
$$ Dime per mile = $25.55
$$ Quarter per mile = $63.88
$$ Double Quarter per mile = $127.75

Have a very safe and enjoyable 4th of July!!!

Thanks for Reading,

The Clot Buster 

!...Race Schedule Change...!

Dear Readers,

Due to some conflicts in July the Clot Buster will be making an adjustment on his race schedule for the season.

Instead of participating in the Buckeye Lake Triathlon on 7/16/2006, I am making arrangements to take the starting line at the Caesar Creek Triathlon in Waynesville, OH on 7/09/2006.

Fortunately this will not have any effect on my goal for the season so I am still on track to complete my 255.5Miles of racing for NATT.

The recovery after last weekend’s race is going well. For the past 3 days I have done nothing other than allow my body to rest and get back to feel normal before I start training again. I think that taking these last three days off from any meaningful physical activity is the best thing I could have done. Today I will ease back into things and tomorrow we will back in business.

Thanks for reading.

The Clot Buster

MedExpress Mountaineer Triathlon 1 :: Clot Buster 0

In honor of the ongoing World Cup, I wanted to post the final score from the Clot Buster’s race on Sunday. There were no yellow or red cards on this game just a hard fought battle from the start line all the way to the finish line.
The swim started off really well. It was one of my best swims ever in a triathlon. I surprised myself on how fast I was able to get through the 1.2 Mile course. I posted a time of 33:31.49 which includes a run over a steep hill from the water to the transition area. This swim time was good enough to be the third fastest in my age group and 18th fastest overall.
Unfortunately, after that came the bike and run portion of the race in which my performance was less than stellar. This is where I learned that the city of Morgantown is really beautiful if you come as tourist. The landscape is really amazing when you are watching from a car… let me tell you that on the bike the hills are not all that fun at all. Wow, the bike course had one hill that I could never be prepared for. It was long, steep, long, steep, long, steep... I became very good friends with that hill over our 2 encounters during the race. Here in Columbus, OH we don’t have hills like that and no amount of hill repeat workouts would prepare me to how hard that hill was. So, factoring in the rain, the wet roads, my conservative approach on the down hills, and cramping legs my time of 3:04.36 over 56 Miles at an average of 18.2 mph is not that bad.

But the story does not end there, after the bike came the run and I have to tell you that as soon as I started running I could feel that this was going to be a long half marathon. I think that the bike took the better part of me and left me completely empty for the run. I ran the first 5 miles to the best of my abilities but after that I was reduced to a 5 minute walk, 5 minute jog the rest of the way. I never felt like that before. My legs could not go anymore not matter what I did. I think I was at my limit during the run. I struggled big time all of the 13.1 miles for a total time on the run of 2:40.39 and a total time for the race of 6:24.39.
I had big hopes to finish this race somewhere around the 5:15.00 mark but as you can see I was well off the mark. I am proud about being able to finish the race. I would never be able to describe accurately what I was going through during the 70.3Miles that I raced on Sunday. But no matter what I kept going even when I thought that I could not do it anymore. Just like I have written many times before, the goal is to cross the finish the line and anything else is just bonus.

However, this year there is one more goal and that is to spread the word about NATT and of course get some green backs for this superb organization. I am very excited to let you know that the “Clot Buster” outfit caught the eye of one participant at the race on Sunday (this person kicked my butt when I found her finishing time…) who emailed me today after remembering the jersey. I look forward to write her back to see if she can give me some pointers on how to race half-iron distance races… but most importantly to see if she was able to find NATT’s website.
So, 89.7 Miles down… 165.8 Miles to go!!! How much are you willing to donate for the miles I have covered and I have left to go? If you can please consider helping NATT…!

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster 

70.3 Miles = 1st Half Iron Distance Triathlon of the Clot Buster's Season

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The time is finally here. Early on the morning of Sunday June 25th, I will be preparing to line up at the start of the MedExpress Mountaineer Triathlon Half Iron Distance Race. I have a duanting task ahead of me that day but one that I am very eager to take on.

I am very excited about participating in this race. The Clot Buster's colors will be flying high spreading the word about blood clots and blood clotting disorders. Every person that I blow by should be able to notice the polka dots and of course NATT's logo and website information. I just hope that while I pass them they don't think that the guy in the funny outfit is an illusion of their suffering minds.

The goal as always is to finish the race. Anything else is a bonus. This will be a great test to see how my training has prepared my body for the challenge.

So, on Sunday morning think about polka dots and send some positive thoughts my way. It is going to be a great time and I can't wait to share my experience with you all.

I don't want to get ahead of myself but after Sunday my quest will have 89.7 Miles covered! 165.8 Miles to go! If you have the opportunity to donate to NATT please consider doing so. They need it to continue helping others who need to know more about blod clots and blood clotting disorders.

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster 

Cheryl and her ride across America!

Dear Friends,

Please keep my friend Cheryl and her husband Tom on your thoughts as she is making her way across this great land of ours for the next 35 days. She is truly a remarkable story and I wish her nothing but the greatest success in this journey.

I am looking forward to the opportunity to get to meet this great women once she makes it to Ohio later on in July. If you have the opportunity please go to her site and read about her. Blood clots can't stop her... they can't even slow her down.

http://www.nwclotbusters.org/


You know, I think I recoginze those jerseys from some place... Where did I see them last...!?!?

Cheryl and Tom RIDE ON!!! I look forward to reading about the journey.

BEST OF LUCK!!!

Thanks for Reading,

The Clot Buster 

Loveland's Amazing Race

TEAM GUANABANA - Almost home, come on let's finish strong!

TEAM GUANABANA - The sweet reward!

TEAM GUANABANA - The sweet rewards go both ways!

 

Loveland's Amazing Race

TEAM GUANABANA - Final station going through the obstacles.

 

LOveland's Amazing Race

TEAM GUANABANA - "Ah, Push it...!"

TEAM GUANABANA - "Push it real good!"

TEAM GUANABANA - That is not the Clot Buster but I wanted to show how it look when Liz was handling the hose and I was at the other end. It was refreshing!

 

Loveland's Amazing Race

TEAM GUANABANA - The Clot Buster in action choosing climbing over the mental challenge.
TEAM GUANABANA - I rather be kayaking...I like more than the canoe.

Loveland's Amazing Race

TEAM GUANABANA - Flipping the tire. Make sure you always wear a helmet when doing this. Safety First!

 

Loveland's Amazing Race

TEAM GUANABANA @ the Start - We are ready to roll!

 

Buckets of Fun in Loveland, OH

Loveland’s Amazing Race was a real treat for Liz and I this past Saturday. She and I took part on this event that was very unique on its format. Before I say anything else I can assure you that we had BLAST!!!

It is safe to say that nobody knew what to expect before the race got underway. All we knew was the location of the Start/Finish line and the bike corral. We had no idea about the challenges that were waiting for us ahead.

But soon after 12:39PM we started to find out… after a quick run to the bike corral we rode about 2 or 2.5 miles to the Loveland High School where we encountered the start of the stations…
Station #1: Flipping a semi-truck tire end to end for 40 yards out and back – Back breaking to get things started.
Station #2: Bike handling skills (kicking a soccer ball while riding and aiming it to a goal; throw bean bag into bucket while moving; winding course through traffic cones; maintain balance on plank) – Kicking the ball riding is much harder than what you think!
Station #3: Lego house building – Liz nailed the roof, I completed the rest…team work in action.
Station #4: Run two laps around a parked car – We are not sure what was that all about… later on we found out that in the car’s trunk there were a set of envelopes with challenges in them and whoever drew before us drew for us to run around the car… don’t ask don’t tell…
Station #5: Choice between Rock Climbing and Mental Challenge – Can you guess which one we did?
Station #6: Fence building – That was an unexpected challenge. Lucky for us we got to see some people struggle with it so we got through it quick.
Station #7: Canoeing – Nothing to it…Liz has the guns and got us through it no problem.
Station #8: Paintball Target Range – Liz is a sensational sharpshooter, she got us out of there in no time with some accurate hits. I could barely catch my breath…
Station #9: Fire Department Water Challenge – My personal favorite, while Liz controlled the water hose I had to try and attempt to catch water in a small bucket and transport it to a bigger bucket until it was full. That was a ton of fun just standing in the water arch getting soaked to the bone…but on a hot day like that there was nothing better!
Station #10: Pitcher filling blindfolded – Thanks to Liz’s guidance I was able to gather all glasses and fill up the pitcher all while not being able to see a thing…
Station #11: Grocery cart challenge – At the Kroger parking lot Liz and I had to use all of out strength and coordination to get the carts through this figure eight field. I have a new appreciation for the people hauling the long line of grocery carts out there.
Station #12: 100 pennies – Can you estimate 100 pennies from a jar during the heat of competition… well we couldn’t…our estimate was way to high so we had to serve a 2 minute penalty in the sin bin.
Station #13: Dunk Tank – After a long run up the hill we arrived to the dunk tank station. Liz sat on the plank and I attempted to aim for the target. I missed all my tries so Liz thought she was off the hook…not so fast my friend! One of the volunteers was there ready to make her fall in the water… I was surprised and I am sure she was too!
Station #14: Bowling Challenge – Being soaking wet we made our way to the bowling alley to attempt our luck at a strike, or spare, or two nines… after slipping and falling Liz had the steady hand to get us two nice throws and I finished them up.
Station #15: Mental Challenge – I could barely tie my shoes do you think we could solve some math problems…? I think we copied the result from someone else doing it next to us…shhhh! Don’t tell anyone!
Station #16: Pizza Delivery – Have you ever seen motorized coolers…? Some how we had to ride these things around this course. Surprisingly enough they were fast, I could not believe it.
Station #17: Curves – We had to go through and use every single machine in the joint while collecting a set of letter to spell out a secret word. The ladies at curves had some serious enthusiasm. Great to see!
Station #18: Washers – After another long run we made it to the washers station. Each of had to put the washer in the box. We got through this with flying colors. Did not spend much time there at all.
Station #19: Move a Mountain – We had to move 300 lbs. worth of weights from one end of the parking lot to the next. Between the two of us it was not trouble. I am telling you my wife was some guns!
Station #20: Three legged challenge – Finally the last station! We had to go through a set of challenges and race to the finish line. The coordination factor at this point was a the biggest challenge but we got through it somehow.

TEAM GUANABANA completed the course in 1:48:00 good enough for 3rd place amongst all coed teams. If I remember correctly there were over 130 teams in the competition so Liz and I are more than pleased with out performance. It was a really good time. I would recommend this race to anyone willing to try something different and unique. For a first time event the organization was right on and I am sure a lot of people had a great time.

Thanks for reading.

The “Amazing” Clot Buster

Change is always good...

Ever since the Amazing Race TV show aired for the first time a couple of years ago my wife and I have wished could participate and travel around the world like the teams in the race do. Liz and I have been fortunate to travel to many places around the world during our short lives but the truth is that there is so much more to see and experience. After watching some of the places the participants get to visit we can’t help to wish that someday the restriction imposed on me will allow me to sign up and hopefully be chosen to participate. But, if that does not work then Liz and I will just have to save up and make our own Amazing Race of sorts.

But this weekend we are making our first attempt to make ourselves ready when our time comes. Liz and I will be participating in Loveland’s Amazing Race to be held on Saturday. The organizers of the race are former winners of the Amazing Race Family Edition and natives of Cincinnati, OH. The description of the race sounds like a ton of fun and an excellent way to spend a lovely mid-June Saturday afternoon. As far as I know most of the challenges are being kept a secret from the participants so we don’t have any idea about what we are going to be doing. For that reason is really hard to come up with a game plan. But one thing is for sure, Liz and I will be throwing down the hammer to best that we can to see how we finish. Of course, getting to the finish line in one piece is always the goal. Anything after that is just icing on the cake!

Checkout the races’ site at the following link:
http://www.historicloveland.com/lovelandsamazingrace.html

I am looking forward to taking part on this race. It is a great opportunity to do something different and take my mind away from the upcoming challenge next weekend in West Virginia. The Clot Buster is almost ready to take on the hills… next week I will be just taking it easy to allow my body the best possible preparation before the event.

Stay tuned for a full report from the Amazing Race. Cross your fingers for us because if Liz has to do a hand-eye coordination challenge we will need all the positive energy we can get from all of you out there…!

Thanks for reading.

The Clot Buster

Clot Buster's Jerseys NOW AVAILABLE!!!

Dear Friend or Reader of the Clot Buster Blog,

I am pleased to announce that the snazzy Clot Buster Jersey is now available for you to have. All the proceeds from this sale will be provided to NATT so that they can continue the great work that they do in educating about blood clots and blood clotting disorders.

Check out the sensational design below…

The jerseys are running at $75.00, which will include the shipping. But if you feel like you can give more please do. The money from your “purchase” will be given to NATT as a donation on your name.

You will almost look as good as the Clot Buster while out the riding but in the end you will be helping a very worthy organization that needs your support.

If you are interested on a jersey please contact me at polka40@hotmail.com or irvarga@aep.com to place an order. The sizes run from Small to XL. Make sure you get yours before they are all gone!!!

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster

USA! USA! USA!

The time is finally here for the US team to make their debut in the greatest show on earth. Today at 11:55AM the American National team will be stepping on the field to start their journey in this World Cup.

I have football coming out of my ears. Since Friday, I have watched every single match and I loved every minute of it. Because we had some rain around here on Saturday morning I did my workouts inside. One hour and a half on the trainer watching the England vs. Paraguay game…that is the longest I have ever been on the trainer at one time. I don’t know how I did it. Probably because I was so shocked to see England play so poorly. They won with an own-goal (which by the way is a first in World Cup history). My admiration goes to the Trinidad and Tobago team this weekend. They put up a show against Sweden even with a man down… which I thought was the biggest officiating flaw of the tournament. I am glad to see that they pulled off a draw against Sweden. I got the chance to watch the game while running on a treadmill at the gym. This is the first time in a long time, say about 4 months, that I ran on the treadmill. It was a nice change of pace but 7.5 Miles is a long time to run on a machine. I was glad to be done when I did.

So, as you can see I am merging the World Cup watching with my long workout. I just need to find a long enough extension cord and I will be able to watch some more of the games from my beloved hammock… now that would be sweet!

This week I am hoping to complete a few more intense and long workouts before I start to taper down for the MedExpress Mountaineer Triathlon in Morgantown, WV. 70.3 Miles of racing are awaiting for me in the hills of WV. I almost dropped my jaw when I saw the profile of the bike and run portions. I am trying to do as many hill-repeats as I can just to be a little prepared to what is coming in 2 weeks time. This is very exciting. I am looking forward to the challenge!

Thanks for reading!

The Clot Buster