Happy Thanksgiving!!!

A good trip becomes a great one when the right people are bombing down the hills with you!!!

Character

  Disciplines, practiced over a period of time, become habits or lifestyles- habits and lifestyles, repeated over a period of time, become character- and character over time shapes a life! So, it follows that if you want to change a life- start by establishing an appropriate discipline which will lead to a habit/ lifestyle which will develop new character which will change how life is lived.

Saw this on another blog today. I thought it was great. We have been talking to Tapp about establishing good study and organization habits recently. She has started to adapt a few things. Everyone is pitching in to help her.

I decided I need to establish a solid exercise habit. The blog I stole the quote from just began a 40 day quest to run at least 30 min per day. I am going to adopt a swim/run habit everyday until the end of the year. At least one day of swimming will be lost due to the club being closed for Christmas holiday. Thanksgiving may be the same.

Part two of the habit is to do all I can to remind my dad that he is measured by the depth of his life not the length of it. Just two months after being told he was essentially NED (no evidence of disease) his melanoma has spread to his lower spine. It was a tumor that could not be completely excised by surgery. He also has a new occurence of mets in his lungs. Small ones that are not the same as previously treated. He is will begin radiation after Thanksgiving. Back to the fight.

Part three is helping my mom out with her current health issues. She needs some tests run and some back surgery. My parents are independent stubborn people. Challenges to there mobility does not make them happy, especially my mom. She always saw after me when I was sick. She is one of the heroes of my children. I owe it to her to make sure she gets to celebrate her life. Again depth not length of life. If you want to the depth of her life, just hang with one of my daughters for a day. You will see my mom in both of them.

Langley out!

Ironman?? Missed it and I don't care

tWednesday I was supposed to be on the road for Louisville. Earlier this year I was looking forward to completeing this Ironman. In January my father was diagnosed with Stage IV melanoma. He had skin cancer that had moved to his lung.

He immediately started treatments through clinical trials in January. The chemo was too hard on his body and had to be stopped after 8 weeks. I was training regularly at that time and feeling pretty good about the approaching summer. He was switched to a brand new drug that had showed great results in some patients. The problem was it only worked in 20% of the receipients. When switched, the scans showed his cancer was maintained but no tumors had shrunk.

This medication was much milder to Dad's system. However, the mental side of the situation was catching up to him. He was struggling to see that a positive result was possible. As time passed, I began spending more time assisting him and dealing with this internally. As a result the training suffered. At the beginning of July he had an event that appeared to be a stroke. Adding a new medical condition was not a welcome option. Turns out it was a side effect of the cancer medication. If his body had not sounded the alarm with a seizure, he wouldn't be with us today.

After a round with the Dr's and hospital stays, he found out all side effects could be managed with medication. However the cancer medication had to be stopped and he had not completed the initial 4 treatments. He won't admit it but he was very discouraged. He was sure this medication was going to be the thing that saved his life. Now he couldn't have it anymore, ever. We had to wait 6 weeks until the Dr. was willing to do the scans. By this time I was pretty sure the ironman was out of reach this year because I had let myself become distracted from training.

Turned out the scans were yesterday, the Friday before the ironman. Couldn't be at the Dr's. office and make it to Louisville in time to check-in for the race. Dad's day started about 5 am with drive to Little Rock. That is followed by hours of waiting, a few minutes of tests then a visit with the Dr.

The Dr's main nurse came by to take some information. Dad was immediately convinced this meant he was going back into clinical trials and the medication had not worked. In reality she just wanted to take his history to make sure it was accurate after the last hospital stay. The Dr. came in for her visit. She went through all the tests except the scans. They had not been posted to the computer yet. She went to check on them She came back and said they had not been read yet. We needed to stay in the examining room and wait until she came back. Needless to say the modo was very tense. Dad and his wife were very nervous.

Dr. shows comes back in with a great poker face. Dad's tumors had disappeared or shrunk from 4cm to 1.2 cm. Almost within acceptable levels. It was amazing three doses of medication had almost completely erradicated his cancer. I am pretty sure the magnitude of the event is still settling in everyone. Lots of speechless people.

Missing Ironman Louisville to be in the room when my Dad realized his life had been handed back to him was well worth it. I will definitely be in Louisville next year celebrating the anniversary of this momentus day. Hopefully he will come and watch me finish my journey since his is going to be a lot longer than he thought.

Langley Out

March Madness

March is here and the training is going on in earnest. Not much new to report there. Working to be in racing shape by June with a strong final Race at the end of August. Weather is wonderful for training. Running from the house is a new experience as a result of all the hills that surround me now. Great work out once a week for 6 miles. Training and the girls are my baseline these days.

The legislature is the first item of March Madness. The partisanship is strong around the drinking tables. The talk is bland in the capital. Each side is waiting to see who will blink first over how the money is spent. Bill filing ends tomorrow and the real fights can begin. I have never seen a session this late with so little business. Some committees don't have more than a couple of bills to consider. More on this as the days progress.

Charlie Sheen is a 50 car pile up in the opposite lane on the interstate. I want to hurry up and get past it but not until I slow down and get a complete view. Everyone should go to http://www.ustream.com/ and check out Sheen's Korner. I cannot say he is on drugs but I can say he has fully liberated himself from the expectations of society. I think he will make more money while his show is on hiatus than the 2 million he would make from his sitcom. I know at least one person in this world who could reach Sheen's levels if he ever lets himself out of his straight jacket.  There are flashes when enough liquid permission has shot through his system.

Hogs lack the discipline in basketball to grow. The talent is obvious but the dedication is not there. While the coaching is suspect at times, a player has to hold his teammates accountable. This team doesn't have that person. Darrell Hawkins taught the national championship team how to be great. This team isn't interested. What a shame.

Time to hang with Hank and Runkel.

Langley out

Why I do it!!

This is the best example of why I am trying to complete an Ironman that I can find. Enjoy it.

Langley Out

Let it begin

Got in a solid one hour run today while Tapp was at swim practice. Felt great to start a long base period. Much fitter than I expected bit o have a long way to go. Race season begins with the Little Rock half marathon and builds into New Orleans then Memphis in May then Louisville. I may run the hogeye half again if the urge hits. The fundraising call will come later this year. Those who gave last year get a pass due to my shortcomings. Those who committed but I didn't din will be getting a call plus a few more. Littlest one, Wesley, is home with Strep throat. She looked pitiful this morning. She had a hard weekend in Paragould to boot. She is getting the short end of the stick right before she turns 6. She is so pumped for it!! Tapp has found fun in swim team. Her competitive spirit is still hiding from her but she gives great effort and never misses a day of practice unless her parents make her. That kind of consistency is going to make her a solid triathlete in the future. So proud of my girls. The coolest chicks I know!! Hog talk tomorrow. WPS!!! Langley out

I love October. College football is in full swing. Fall is trying to assert itself in Arkansas. Runs are fantastic in the middle of the day. School activities are rolling too. Tapp and Wesley have the fall festival on Saturday. It will be big fun at Forest Park. Then on to watch the Hogs!!! at Dugan's.

Dugan's is a new pub in downtown Little Rock that opens this week. It is owned by a lifelong friend. It looks amazing inside. Everyone should come down, have a cold adult beverage and eat some fantastic food. Donald runs a great place. He has been operating Markham Street Pub for years. This is a great step up.

I add another year of life tomorrow. Last year was about change, learning and adapting.

I am looking forward to a year of growth, completion, satisfaction and success. Spent a weekend in Fayetteville at a motorcycle rally. All makes and models of people came from all over the world.   It was amazing to see people sharing something they are passionate about. You could tell from their expressions and the tone of their voices how much love they had. It was really cool. I want that. Great to have goals.

Birthday dinner with Tapp and Wesley tomorrow. Cannot wait to spend my birthday with the coolest chicks I know. Gotta get 5 miles in at lunch. I am in a 90 day run bloc. I am planning to run at least 4 miles six days a week until new years. Riding will be less but swimming is going to get a kick up in intensity too.

Langley out.