Introduction and About Me

If anyone is reading this, welcome! 

I had previously blogged for a short while and have grown to miss it.  Writing things down is quite therapeutic.  You'll notice that I am not the strongest writer, but you can never improve your weaknesses if you never work on them.  I have a beautiful wife of over 16 years and a 7 year-old baby girl.  My ladies are my world and the reason that I work so hard every day.  Having the ability to be active with them is PRICELESS. 

Photo courtesy of our friend Jenni at Jenni M. Photography

My personality:  I am sarcastic, cynical, a realist, my language could use some work, I like to laugh and make others laugh as well.  I prefer someone to be honest with me and piss me off than to blow smoke up my ass and question my intelligence.  I return that same honesty in kind -- this does not put me at the top of everyone's Christmas card mailing list and I'm not very popular.  I honestly don't care; I'm not on this Earth to impress anyone and I sleep perfectly fine at night.

I am an Electrical and Computer Engineer by education and a Software Engineer by..  well..  I pretty much got stuck there.  I have no complaints at all and I enjoy what I do for a living most days :).  I've spent several years designing and developing Modeling and Simulation software for new and existing systems as well as radar analysis software to verify proper functionality.    I would love to go back to college to finish my Master's Degree and PhD, but life happens, medical issues happen, and I am in no hurry to take time away from my family right now.  Family time is invaluable to me. 

I was a "military brat" and have lived in WAY too many places to list. I currently live and work in Huntsville, Alabama but I really miss living in several parts of Florida.  I despise racism, bigotry, and prejudice in all forms and have a zero tolerance policy for it.  This made me really unpopular going through high school in the small town of Cullman, Alabama :).  Good times.

** Caveat -- none of the information below is in any way seeking sympathy.  It is what it is and shit happens.  Most importantly, it's the truth.  Hopefully, my suck story can help someone who is having, or has had, a similar set of circumstances thrown at them.

While it may sound like everything is perfect in my little world, that hasn't always been the case.  My wife of 16 years is actually my second wife.  I was the idiot who got married directly out of high school when I thought that I knew everything.  That divorce not only cost me everything I owned, but it also cost me my college scholarship.  My career?  Well, that's a funny one.. depending on how you classify it, this is actually either my second or third career.  Life happens..  

My first career was building and installing chicken house equipment (cages, motors, plumbing, etc.) for the "family business".  I started working for my father when I was 10 years old.  We were not well off and needed the money.  If you want a REALLY hard and crappy job, look no further!  I have one for you!

In my previous (2nd) career, I was an auto and diesel mechanic for about 10 years:  eight years on passenger cars/trucks and the final two years on tractor-trailers and heavy equipment (industrial forklifts, tractors, etc.) while taking random college classes to eventually finish my degree.  During this time I was EXTREMELY active.  My work days were usually 10-12 hours and afterward, I would either go to the driving range and hit a few hundred golf balls or go to the gym and lift heavy.  Also, I usually ran (jogged) 5-6 miles per night.  I was always busy.  UNTIL..

One day at work (2004), I was installing a clutch kit in a Peterbilt (18-wheeler) and it slipped.  I had to twist and catch a 180 pound clutch assembly really quick or it would have landed on my leg, crushed my femur, and I probably would have bled out in the shop that day (I was alone).  The good news is that I'm alive to tell about it.  The bad news is that it cost me three discs in my back, damaged two others, and stole 10 years of my life.  Activity has officially reached a screeching halt.  It took four full months to re-learn to walk after this.  As a result of this injury, I had gained a lot of weight over the years due to immobility, medication, and several other related factors.  At its pinnacle, I had ballooned up to 295 pounds! 

Fast forward to 2009:  I was formally diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Osteoarthritis, and Degenerative Disc Disease.  The hits just keep on coming here at W-SUK -- home of Embracing the Suck!  Degenerative Disc Disease is fairly straight-forward, but if you are not familiar with the other three, let's just say that they are not very enticing.

Fast forward to 2011:  the pain became too unbearable to maintain sanity.  By this time, I had lost two inches in height.  Back rebuild #1 was inevitable.  For this procedure, my doctor went in through my stomach, pulled my insides out and put them on a tray like you would receive your food at Sonic, stretch me back to normal, and install two implants at L4 and L5 (with two plates and 5 screws).  Not only did this procedure SUCK, but I had to re-learn to walk AGAIN.  My wife took me outside every day to help me learn to walk 1/10th of a mile at a time with a walker halfway to the STOP sign and back incrementally adding more distance.

Fast forward 7 months:  my back was still not right.  After a MRI and CT scan, my doctor found that my fusions did not heal completely, my L3 disc was still bulging, and the S1 disc in my tailbone was not there.  At all.  Nothing.  Here comes back surgery #2, three discs repaired, one disc installed, two more rods, and six more screws.  Yay!  I'm bionic!  This procedure was also not desirable and my wife was once again helping me to re-learn to walk..  1/10th of a mile at a time with a walker.

Fast forward to March 2014:  I had already lost 60 pounds, but the pain in my back was still REALLY bad -- even with spinal epidurals every 3 months.  My doctor had found scar tissue and nerve damage from all the years of..  well..  everything.  Time for back surgery #3.  I requested that he remove the rods and screws installed with back surgery #2 if they were not longer needed and he had no problem with this.  After this surgery, the difference was between night and day.  I could move again!  This was when I started running -- I had missed it so much.  I honestly never appreciated mobility until I was immobile and/or intermittently bedridden for about 10 years. 

Running has revived me and has given me hope.  In my opinion, every run is a gift and I appreciate the hell out of it.  Due to the nature of my medical issues, I am ALWAYS in pain -- the only question is "how much"?  Despite this, I will continue to run and appreciate every moment of it.  I will never be the fastest, but I will continue to try.  I'm a glutton for punishment and I do not believe in the word "quit".  It's not in my nature.

Happy running everyone!  Enjoy and appreciate every opportunity you have to step out of the door and put one foot in front of the other -- it is a GIFT!

- Randall

Loss, Adversity, and Therapy

Hello everyone.  It has been quite crazy the past couple of weeks.

There has been so much going on lately that I really have no clue know where to start.  I guess it would make the most sense to begin in chronological order.

At the Huntsville XC races on 6/16, I suffered a moment of Busch-League stupidity.  During the three-mile race, I was pacing with racers ahead of me, zoned out mentally, and temporarily ignored rule number one of trail running:  don't get lazy with your stride.  My shoe caught a root and I went FLYING -- landing on my left quad, hip, and shoulder.  With my back issues, I've had to "learn" to fall this way to protect my back.  As a result, my left quad was toast.  The shoulder and hip soreness worked its way out a couple of days later, but my quad still is not right.  If you follow me on Strava or Garmin Connect, this is why my running numbers are so low.  For some reason, the quad does not bother me at all while cycling..  It's odd.

Fast forward almost a week and my back had been intermittently locking up on me.  I knew it was time for yet another epidural.  On June 23rd, my back finally went on full lock down and sentenced me to the bed all day.  

This wasn't "that" bad considering that my epidural was scheduled for the next day!  So, June 24th was the magic date for epidural #13.

June 25th hit me like a freight train.  I received news that my grandfather had passed away.  He lived outside of Gulfport, Mississippi -- the city where I was born.  Due to the distance between us, we were not able to see each other very often.  We always had a great time when we were able to arrange a visit.  

 Grandpa and my daughter shortly after her birth

Grandpa and my daughter shortly after her birth

Even though my Grandpa was a Type-I diabetic, nobody had a clue that he was "sick".  From my understanding, he had a touch of the flu, went to bed, and never woke up.  Even if he was really sick, most people would never know it -- Grandpa never was a complainer about how he felt.  It actually brings me peace to know that he went painlessly in his sleep and did not have to suffer.

My Grandpa was a good, kind-hearted man who loved kids, sailing his boat, playing golf, relaxing, and smiling; his smile was contagious.  My best memories with him are either when he took me out sailing on his boat when I was a kid or playing golf with him when I was an adult.  I will miss him dearly.

The Fayetteville Firecracker Chase 10.2 mile race on June 27th was supposed to be a goal race for me.  Between losing my Grandpa, the quad injury significantly impacting my training, my back lockdown, and spinal epidural, I had ZERO desire to even go.  To be honest, my wife had to kick me in the ass a few times to convince me to go race.  I cannot say that I am glad that I did, but I went and did the best that my body and mind would allow.

Fayetteville Firecracker Chase Elevation Map

I really wanted to quit after the first mile, but I had too many voices in my head screaming at me to keep going and not quit.  When my quad became too painful to run continuously about mile 5-6, I switched to the Galloway method and started doing intervals to finish up.  This was also when I made a conscious effort to stop, thank all of the volunteers, and shake their hands.  I'm not going to post my exact time -- it's indifferent.  My true time is on Strava and the most important thing that I finished the race despite all of the circumstances.

After all of the week's events, I needed to get lost for a little while on Sunday and take a ride to remember my Grandpa and incorporate his rules:  go out for a while, find somewhere scenic, relax, and take some time to smell the roses.  I decided on an 86 mile ride through several areas I had never ridden through.  It was a very therapeutic and relaxing, but it could not possibly replace a genuinely great man. 

View from Butler Mill 

Ten miles outside of Cathedral Caverns 

Entrance to Cathedral Caverns -- about 50 miles from Home 

Ride Elevation Map

At the Crossroads..

As the title suggests, I am at a training crossroads..

Since recovering from December's knee fracture, I have been working to get my running fitness and times back to normal while improving my cycling fitness in parallel.  Even after three months of training, I am still not "feeling it" with my longer distance running paces.  It is a very odd feeling..

For example:  at last year's Huntsville Half Marathon, I was comfortably and consistently holding a 7'20" to 7'30" per mile splits until a back flare-up (about mile 10) forced me to slow down and interval myself to the finish.  As of yesterday, the same 7'20" per mile pace has consistently been around the pace that I've held in my last few 5k races.  While this may be good enough for age group awards, it is not good enough for me.  I am a perfectionist..  I can't help it.

In parallel, I can seemingly run 9' to 9'30" miles perpetually with zero pain at all; which is a very respectable pace for ultra-marathons.  I love to run long, so this is a good sign!  Also, I have ZERO pain or issues when cycling regardless of distance or intensity -- this is also great news!

My in-between running paces are currently what is suffering.  When I try to hold my full race pace for distances longer than 5k, my back starts to give me trouble and flares up.  My only guess about why this happens is that my cadence is higher for a longer period of time -- forcing the quick-twitch muscles around my rebuilt spine to spasm.  Other than this, I have no explanation for what is happening.  My back and arthritis are very weird creatures and offer no explanation at all.

This has forced me to make a decision regarding my running regimen.  After next weekend's 10.2 mile race, I am going revamp my training plans for running while continuing my cycling routine.  My new running focus will be gaining speed for the 5km and shorter distance events while gaining endurance in preparation for ultra-marathon season.

After enough miles on this regimen, I think my other running paces will fall back into place.  I sure hope so..

Until next time, happy racing!

-Randall

It's official.. I have a Sponsor!

Hello everyone!  I hope that you are all doing well.

As many of you know, 2015 is the year that I will be adding cycling races, duathlons, and triathlons to my racing schedule.  I am working hard to get back to race weight, exceed my cycling goals, and have currently logged over 1,800 miles this year.  I am really looking forward to my first cycling race/event and I will do everything in my power to ensure that I am prepared to race hard and be competitive!

Since my recent cycling addiction, I have done 100% of my business with one of our local small businesses, Bicycles Etc., in Huntsville, Alabama.  Bicycles Etc. is a premium dealer of Trek bicycles, has a large in-store supply of gear and accessories, and has a TOP NOTCH service department.  

The owner, John Price, provides excellent service after any sale and I want to bring his dog Christopher home with me each time I am there.  The Service Manager, Brooke Pate, is a top notch bicycle mechanic who performs excellent work at VERY reasonable prices.  He does all of this with a quick turnaround time too!

As if this wasn't a good enough situation for a cyclist to be in, it gets even better..  Bicycles Etc. is now my official sponsor!  Thank you John for trusting me with your brand; I will do everything possible to represent your business with integrity and hard work!

My training / race kit!

I couldn't resist wearing one of my new kits on my 24 mile training ride today and only one word describes this kit:  WOW.  The kit is premium Louis Garneau shorts / jersey and is all-day comfortable.  The shorts in this kit are the real showstopper.  After 24 miles, I felt as if I could ride 100 more miles, moisture wicking was phenomenal, padding was top notch, and with the padding design, you do not need to lubricate to avoid chafing!  I had to refrain from riding longer because I have a cross-country race tomorrow.  But.. I can't wait until my long ride on Sunday!

Check out a plain version of these shorts here or if you like the Bicycles Etc kit shorts, you can email John directly at:  johnp@bicyclesetc.us. 

Until next time, happy racing!

-Randall

My Improbable Return to Racing and 2015 Season Opener

My 2014 racing season ended rather abruptly in December after I fractured my right knee.  This was painful for multiple reasons.  First, it hurt!  Worse than this was that I could not race the rest of the season.  To add insult to injury, I would not be able to complete the Huntsville Grand Slam.  I had already finished the Dizzy 50's 50k, but the Rockey City Marathon, the Recover from the Holidays 50k, and the Mountain Mist 50k were out of reach for me to even walk them.  Walking the Mountain Mist is not even an option due to time cutoffs at select checkpoints.  I had trained to perform well in these events and all of this was being flushed down the drain.

Worst of all, my doctor told me at this time that I would not be able to run again.  My knees have been shot for over 10 years, but I am being told that I cannot run again now??  You.  Have.  Got.  To.  Be.  Kidding.  Me.  

This injury led to two months of almost zero activity; the third month, I began "kneehab" by cycling at the gym.  It was pretty amazing that my back could actually handle the saddle again, so I was stoked!  I am still stoked and I cycle as often as I can now (on road).

By March of this year, I had already decided that I would return to running or get knee replacements trying.  They have been shot for this long -- making them do their job a little longer isn't going to kill them.  What's the worst that could happen?  Knee replacements?  They already need to be replaced!  I am going to run until I can no longer do it (again).

By April, I was building my mileage base steadily and a little speed was starting to come back (fast for me).  I started scouting for an opening race and decided it would be..

The Kiwani's River Run 7km

A 7km race?  That's an odd distance..  Why not add one kilometer to make it a 5-Miler?  But, they never asked my opinion :).

This race is part of the Run Lincoln County Grand Prix series and the Race Director is a very nice, cool guy who hosts well organized events.  This is the main reason why I chose this event as my season opener.

The course itself was a mystery though.  I could never find a route or elevation map for the event - probably because it was being held on private property.  I knew that this was a hybrid style race on asphalt, pavement, and cobblestone sections -- that was about it.  My last speed workout before the race went really well:  1.5 miles x 1.0 mile x 0.5 mile fast finish instead of the normal 3 x 2 mile 10km workout.  I was able to split this workout at 6'42"/mile, 6'44"/mile, down to 6'29"/mile respectively without frying my system and this was actually pretty fast for me.  This workout gave me the confidence to believe that I could reasonably hold a 7'-7'05"/mile pace for the duration of 4.35 miles.

On race day, I remained true to my routine and did nothing different.  My lovely wife drove me to Fayetteville, TN to watch me race, we arrived early, and I got a two mile warmup in prior to the start.  I was feeling pretty good.  I still had NO CLUE what to expect from the course though!

We lined up for race start and were off shortly afterward.  I was using my normal strategy by trying to get out of the pack to choose my lines wisely.  Then, the race route was no longer a mystery!

As soon as we started climbing and I was able to see what I would be facing, I knew my 7'/mile plan was not realistic.  I normally LOVE to climb hills, but I hadn't been able to train enough of them by this time.  From the elevation graph below, you can probably understand why I had to change my pace plan for the race considering that I had only returned to running one month before.

I started to adjust accordingly and everything was going fine until a cobblestone section twisted my ankle about halfway in.  My ankle rolled and almost came out from under me!  This did not feel good!  From the pace chart below, you can see my pace slowing and eventually having to interval myself in.  My ankle was killing me!

The good news is that I finished pretty strong and my ankle did not take long to heal up afterward.  The bad news is that I missed out on my expectations for my opening race with respect to time.  Final results:

Kiwanis River Run 7km; Fayettevillle, TN

• Time:  32' 24"
• OA Placement: 12th of 106, Top 11.32%
• AG Placement:  4th of 8

I cannot really complain considering the circumstances.  You race and learn.  I learn something new from every race that I participate in and I believe that this will be the case for every race in the future.  You can always learn from the events, but you can never improve unless you go race again and implement the lessons learned from previous races.

Until next time, happy racing!