Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Nathan, Trace, and Jarvis

Hello to all that are following. My name is Nathan and I am fortunate to call Trace Sherer my friend.

Trace and I are again in full triathlon training mode. We had laid off for about 2-3 weeks for several reasons but we were both eager to get out last Sunday. We started our walk at Northshore Park in the Woodlands at 6:00 a.m. For those of you who do not know, Northshore Park is the site of the transition area for the CB&I Triathlon that Trace will be doing in early May, 2011. We walk from Northshore Park to familiarize Trace with the course he will be competing.

Prior to last Sunday, it would take us approximately 40-50 minutes to walk an out and back 1.5 mile. Last Sunday, Trace blazed the 1.5 mile walk in 31:30. I have this habit of not telling Trace how he is doing until after we are done with the morning walk. Trace's performance Sunday was awesome!

I think we both determined that control of Trace's body temperature is critical when he is pushing himself. The addition of the cold vest last Sunday had an obvious positive impact. Jarvis appears to behave better the longer Trace is able to limit his body temperature increase.

Sunday morning is pretty much the best time of the week for me. Looking forward to our next walk.

Nathan

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Sundays with Jarvis (6/27/10), eureka and WOW AM I BLESSED!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bear with me. I am in a rambling mood. First, after a 2 week hiatus, Jarvis went for his Sunday stroll this morning! I think I have found a combination of things that really help me. (Hence the “eureka” part!) I have noticed during my time on the bike that at about the 6 or 7 mile mark, Jarvis gets lazy and uncooperative and starts something akin to foot drop. I can get him back in position. I just have to think about it. Not to let Jarvis get his way, I bought a brace at the drug store which helps him stay in place. He did not know what hit him and cooperated. Try this if you have this problem as well.

People with MS are usually very severely hampered by the heat. I found a company called Stacool Vest with great vests that really work. Their website is www.stacoolvest.com. The vest is made of a light material that feels like a wetsuit and is not at all difficult to move in. There are 4 panels of frozen gel packs that go on the two front sides and two back sides. Each is wide and long enough to cover the whole “quarter” of the body. I was AMAZED at how it kept my core cool. I LOVED IT. Whether working out in the heat or just being outside, this is a real find.

And now some really great news. (Insert drum roll here.) The combination of my workouts, the ankle brace and the awesome vest cut my walking time today IN HALF!!!! Nathan and I walked about a mile and a half and I did fairly well. Nathan said my pace was strong and I did not start having a problem until much later than previously.

It has become more and more obvious how Blessed I am. Whether you get your strength in religion, spirituality or whatever, getting a positive source to wrap yourself in is profoundly beneficial to beating your challenge, whatever it may be. It has become abundantly clear to me that I have been so Blessed with the people that have been put in my life. Trisha deals with me patiently and encourages me every step of the way. She also has promised to throw something at me when I start singing out loud in the gym. Nathan unselfishly walks with me and gives me more encouragement than he will ever know. He makes a HUGE deal about tiny victories that for many folks would be inconsequential. These make me want to work harder. Jim constantly encourages and supports me. He even texted me greetings immediately before he started his IronMan this morning from Idaho. I mean, it was 10 minutes before he put on his wetsuit for his swim! WOW!!!! The selflessness of the people around me is truly mind-boggling. I can not fathom the fact that I did not even know these people at the beginning of April and it feels like they have all been my best friends my whole life. I will never be able to express my gratitude to and love for these three.

But this is not about me. This is about people helping people. I hope that I help my heros in some way and that all of these posts help others. None of us will understand what we are doing in this life. Honestly, we don’t need to and should not even waste the time time trying to figure it out! We just need to spread hope and support to anyone and everyone that needs it. My tip for the day: get yourselves a Trisha, Nathan and Jim. It sure makes life a lot better!

Good luck and my best,

Trace

Monday, June 21, 2010

Don’t Sleep With Dogs

Okay. Before I talk about that, I have had several people asking about or commenting on yesterday’s Sunday with Jarvis. I am truly AMAZED that people actually read this. As I told Bob yesterday, I am reminded of Gene Wilder’s comment in Young Frankenstein about the nonsensical ravings of a lunatic mind! I am flattered, though, that this is being read and I sincerely hope someone, somewhere benefits from my lunatic ravings. While Jarvis has been hard at work on the bike and in the gym at odd hours, Sundays with Jarvis has been postponed for a couple of weeks. Nathan has been in trial and I have been tending to Mom after her heart bypass surgery. I think things will soon get back to normal.

I have heard the expression that if you sleep with dogs, you wake up with fleas. It applies to us in that we benefit or suffer from the people we choose to be around. If we are around people who are positive, we stay positive and that helps us to meet or exceed our goals. That helps us to fight any adversity that comes our way. If we hang around negative people, they just drag us down. Frequently, those people actually (maybe subconsciously) want us not to succeed. My point….

DON’T SLEEP WITH DOGS!

Please join me in sending a lot of positive energy, prayers and well wishes to Jim who is doing an Iron Man in Idaho this Sunday. While Jim obviously has a serious genetic flaw which would push him to do this, we are very proud of him and I am lucky to have him as a hero and to enjoy his friendship and inspiration. Safe travels and good luck my friend. YOU ROCK JIM!

Good luck and my best,

Trace

Thursday, June 17, 2010

In Honor and Celebration of Alex Smith

Alex Smith passed away early this year. He was the son of a friend of mine. Alex was 19 years old and died of a type of cancer called adrenocortical carcinoma, a disease that he had been diagnosed with at the age of 12. Alex is an example to all of us. He was not imprisoned by his illness. He embraced it and lived a full life in 19 years. Alex fought the bravest of fights and refused to have cancer define his life. Never once did he complain or become embittered by his fate. Instead, he inspired others with his quick wit and kindness. Alex has vividly reminded us that life is about quality and not quantity. Regardless of what your challenge is, live a life full of quality.

I am doing the CB&I triathlon next year in honor and celebration of Alex. He has inspired me to not be defeated by a mere disease. Like Alex, I choose to live and enjoy life and to make each day a HUGE event and celebration. No one can say that Alex “lost his battle” with his disease. He beat it. And he beat it in a big, bad, ugly way. I want to do the same. Thank you for your inspiration Alex. God bless you. Let's all learn from Alex and celebrate every moment we have. That kind of living will allow us to control our challenges and not let them control us.

Good luck and my best,

Trace

Monday, June 14, 2010

DON'T GET FRUSTRATED ... EVER...SERIOUSLY

Thursday night I got in a car and drove my son to camp in Missouri. Three days of solid driving. I got home Sunday morning at about 1 am. In the meantime, my mother had a melanoma removed Friday, developed some heart issues and I am sitting with her now in the hospital waiting for her heart surgery today. Last night Nathan and his family took me to dinner. I was having a very hard time walking and functioning and I was beyond exhausted. Given the amount of working out and training I have been doing, it was VERY frustrating to not function last night. Nathan and his wife kept encouraging me to chill out and to not get frustrated. I thought based on how I was moving that the last two months of training was for naught. Not true. Before I came to the hospital this morning, I did a full workout. I rode about 10 miles on the bike and did an hour of core and weight work.

My point is do NOT get frustrated at any point. The negative energy created is not healthy and takes too much time to overcome. You will have speed bumps on your journey. Ignore them and get back to full speed when you can.

I missed my Sunday with Jarvis yesterday but it will make the next one even greater.

My best,

Trace

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

The Wii Fit Police

I got a Wii Fit for Christmas. Amazingly, I took it out of the box and, instead of playing games, I actually used it. Okay, I played games too but I digress. One of the daily events is the Body Test. After it tells you your weight and BMI, the real shocker comes. Two tests are given to you. One is a balance/coordination test and the other incorporates these skills with cognitive thought. The Wii Fit Police (I call her much worse but am trying to keep this clean) then gives you a drum roll and tells you what your Wii Fit age is. The first time I tested, my Wii fit age (I am completely ashamed to admit) was 72. Yes. 72! I am 47!!!! I thought that the machine was most certainly mistaken. (Again I am making this clean. I actually wanted to throw it all in the trash after cursing at it, stomping on it and showing that machine what 72 could do.) So I tested 12 or 15 more times and got about the same result. The rude awaken came that the machine actually would make me accountable to myself. I now find myself getting on the Wii Fit every morning to check my weight and BMI AND my Wii Fit Age. I am happy to report that my Wii Fit age is now regularly in the 20’s. You can also put your outside training in the log and keep up with that.

Whether you have a Wii Fit or not, find some way to be accountable TO YOURSELF. Maybe you time yourself balancing on one leg. Maybe you set your goal to walk one length in the pool. If you set SMALL goals and achieve them, you will start making your goals A LITTLE bigger each time. Do not set goals that are too big. You need to set goals that you WILL achieve. Success is a great motivator to do a little more the next time. My goal as far as the Wii Fit age was to decrease it by one year every day. If you do not make your goal it can be discouraging. The key to beating MS, losing weight, whatever your challenge is is to set and beat achievable goals. Then do a little more the next day.


Good luck and my best,


Trace

Monday, June 7, 2010

BABY STEPS BABY!

I do not want anyone who reads this to think that I was doing ANY of this activity overnight. A couple of things you should know about me: I may be the least athletic person you will ever meet and I was always the last one picked for any team and that was AFTER kids who were absent, had moved to other countries, etc. When I got diagnosed with MS in 1999, I started walking one length in a pool, then two, adding a length each day. Eventually, I changed that to swimming. I have been somewhat active since 1999, but at the beginning of this year, I had just allowed life to drag me down and I was tired. Tired of having MS, tired of fighting, tired of everything. Nathan, Trisha and Jim were put in my life at just the right time for a reason and I started fighting again.

What I am saying to you is to just start doing SOMETHING but DO NOT OVERDO IT and DO NOT GET FRUSTRATED. Start small. VERY SMALL. Whatever activity is easiest to do, do it but don’t over do it. Tomorrow do A LITTLE more and increase it every day. Eventually (and not overnight) you will start to feel better and will be able to take on more. I am HORRIBLE about over doing things. That is not wise, as then you have to waste time to recover. I can not stress this enough. BE PATIENT, RELAX and watch and document your own miracles. Send them to me if you need or want a "congrats." Sometimes just having someone recognize your accomplishments no matter how small you think they are gives you the energy to push it a little more the next time. And trust me - there is no such thing as a small accomplishment.

So you do not get bored with my ramblings, I am probably going to try to limit my blogs to twice a week. I will try to post mid week and will likely post "Sundays with Jarvis" every Sunday. That is kind of how I am gauging my progression and I have become quite fond of my Sundays with Jarvis. I am going to ask Trisha, Nathan and Jim and whoever else wants to to share their wisdom as well as they see fit.

I have been blessed with an AMAZING team at VillaSport and the trainers all have more wisdom than I can ever hope to have. I call them Yoda or Yodette as the case may be. We can all benefit from their advice.

Just keep trying. Remember - "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying 'I will try again tomorrow.'" Just don't stop trying. Eventually, and it does not matter how long it takes, you will not be trying anymore everyday. You will be doing.

Good luck and my best,

Trace

Sunday, June 6, 2010

SUNDAYS WITH JARVIS - 6/6/10

Okay. Yesterday I mentioned "Sundays with Jarvis" and told you that I would explain today. Bear with me. I am a lawyer. We can't say anything quickly. One of my main three heroes is Nathan. Nathan gave me the challenge to do the CB&I tri with him next year. So far, swimming and biking have not been an issue. I am biking about 5 miles a day on a stationary bike and swimming a third to half a mile. 7 days a week! Amazing! (Tomorrow we will talk about baby steps to get there). Walking (I am not near running yet) is a MAJOR challenge. Nathan took it upon himself to agree to walk with me every Sunday morning. (I do not think he had been drinking but I can not be sure.) We walk the CB&I course, or as much of it as I can handle. It very quickly became evident that my right leg was not listening to my brain so Nathan named my right leg Jarvis and he and Trisha (another hero and my trainer) are whipping Jarvis into shape. So instead of Tuesdays with Maury we have Sundays with Jarvis! I get very frustrated when Jarvis poops out but Nathan and Trisha both keep encouraging me and assuring me that we will get him where he needs to be. The lesson to be learned is to be patient (three of my now many heroes-Nathan, Trisha and Jim will all tell you that I am NOT a patient man), surround yourself with people that tell you that you CAN do it and just keep trying. Jarvis is learning that lesson thanks to some amazing people! I actually look forward to my Sundays with Jarvis. Secretly I think Nathan does too.

You will also find that this mentality is contagious. I get texts from Branden, another trainer, challenging me on my walking and encouraging me to keep fighting. He takes great pleasure in doing the leg strength test that I failed so miserably for my doctor a few months ago and seeing the now MIRACULOUS results. EVERYONE is supporting this endeavor, many joining us and this all creates a HUGE amount of incredibly positive energy. It is great for ALL of us.

Good luck with whatever your challenge is and know that YOU CAN DO IT.

Regards,

Trace

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Staying Cool

For those of you that can not stand to be outside in the heat, I found something called Frogg Toggs at Sports Authority. It is a cooling towel. I do not know how it works but if it is damp, it is COLD. They have hand towel sizes and bandanas which I can wear on my bald head. You do not have to freeze or refrigerate them for them to work. Just slightly dampen them. I do not know how they work but it is pretty amazing. And the best news is they are about $12.00. Since they always stay cold they do not "wear out." Just keep them damp. I ordered a cooling vest that comes in next week. I will let you know how that works. Tomorrow is "Sunday with Jarvis" (I will explain tomorrow) so we will see how the Frogg Toggs work.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO OFFER ANY SUGGESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE THAT WILL HELP US ALL WITH THIS ADVENTURE.

Friday, June 4, 2010

My First Blog

Dear Friends and Family,

As I begin training for the CB & I Triathlon in 2011, I thought that you might be interested in following my progress. For those of you that last saw me a few months ago, you will be FLOORED at my progress in just two months. It is my hope that this blog can be an inspiration to anyone with MS, any debilitating disease, or otherwise (the healthy but unwilling).

The brain is a powerful thing. We can overcome anything if we have a desire and surround ourselves with positive people. I hope you will embark on this journey with me. I also ask that you send this link out to the world so that someone somewhere may find inspiration.

Regards,
Trace