Statue of Liberty #4

Statue of Liberty #3

Statue of Liberty #2

Statue of Liberty #1

New York Harbor #2

New York Harbor #1

World Trade Center Memorial, Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City, New Jersey

Empire State Building, New York

Ellis Island, New York

Newport Liberty Half Marathon
Jersey City, New Jersey
Sunday, September 27, 2009

I race walked the Newport Liberty Half Marathon in Jersey City, New Jersey On Sunday, September 27, 2009. The temperature remained almost constant at 61 degrees with some wind and a steady light rain. The course was flat, utilizing about 5 miles of roads, 6 miles of bike paths, and 2 miles of boardwalks, offering views of the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. Water from the rain formed puddles everywhere which couldn’t be avoided. The volunteers were wonderful as they remained at their station despite the steady rain. Enthusiastic students manned the water/Gatorade stations which were located every two miles. School crossing guards and motorcycle police controlled the intersections and kept traffic off the course. Other adult volunteers were located at every turn. The event was well organized and enjoyable. The only surprise was that race materials could only be picked up on the morning of the race and no finisher’s medal were awarded.

Colorado Prairie Dog #2

Colorado Prairie Dog #1

Colorado Magpie

Colorado Elk #7

Colorado Elk #6

Colorado Elk #5

Colorado Elk #4

Colorado Elk #3

Colorado Elk #2

Colorado Elk #1

Boulder Backroads Half Marathon
Boulder, Colorado
Sunday, September 20, 2009

I have recovered enough from my pulmonary embolism to be able to walk the Boulder Backroads Half Marathon on Sunday, September 20, 2009 in Boulder, Colorado. As expected I took it easy; however, it was nice to begin to fell normal. The half marathon course was almost entirely on rural, sand, gravel, and dirt roads which remain open to a sparse amount of traffic. The course was out and back that mainly climbed 350 feet to the turn around and then was mainly downhill to the finish. Water/Gatorade stations were located every 2 miles and were manned by plenty of enthusiastic volunteers. Unfortunately the station at mile 6 ran out of water before I got there on the way out so naturally there was no liquid on the return. The mile 2 station had no Gatorade on the way back. Since the temperature varied from 65 to 75 degrees during the event, several runners suffered heat and dehydration problems as a result. The day was mainly sunny and fortunately there was some wind to help it not seem so warm. The half marathon started at 9 AM even though the sun rose before 7 AM. Overall I enjoyed the event even though it could have been managed better.

Vermont Scene #6

Vermont Scene #5

Vermont Scene #4

Vermont Scene #3

Vermont Scene #2

Vermont Scene #1

Bracket Fungus

Vermont Marble Quarry

Vermont One Room School #2

Vermont One Room School #1

Vermont Covered Bridge

New York Scene #3

New York Scene #2

New York Scene #1

Hudson River, New York Lock

New York Covered Bridge

Guinea Fowl

Erie Canal, New York #7

Erie Canal, New York #6

Erie Canal, New York #5

Erie Canal, New York #4

Erie Canal, New York #3

Erie Canal, New York #2

Erie Canal, New York #1

Maple Leaf Half Marathon
Manchester Center, Vermont
Saturday, September 12, 2009

When my wife, Gerda, finished the Maple Leaf Half Marathon in Manchester Center, Vermont on Saturday, September 12, 2009, she has done a half marathon in 45 different states. My recovery from clots in my lungs has progressed to allow me to participate in the associated 5K. The events saw a temperature that remained at about 60 degrees and saw heavily overcast skies with intermittent rain and light winds. The half marathon was a challenging hilly course along roads that remained open to traffic. There were numerous water/Gatorade stations manned by plenty of enthusiastic volunteers. Volunteers also were stationed at each of the turns. There were almost no spectators. The finisher’s medal was not much to talk about. All and all we had a nice time at the event.

I’d like to make a different kind of report. When your body tries to talk to you, please listen. On Monday, August 24, 2009, I was out for my usual morning workout. When I was reaching the halfway point, something did not feel right. I was having trouble breathing. As a result I stopped and began walking slowly. Was I too hot or too dehydrated? No, this was something else. However, the slow walking did help me be able to breathe better and I was able to return home. There I decided that it was time to go to a doctor as this was the second change in what is normal for me. For the past few days I had noticed that my resting heart rate was 8 beat more than usual. I was convinced that there was something wrong in my circulatory system. When I arrived at the doctor’s office, I found that the next available appointment would not be until September 14. I insisted that that would do me little good as I was having serious problems now and there was tightness in my chest. Finally Physician’s Assistant Arthur Powell talked to me. He agreed that I needed help now. I was given an EKG and was examined by Cardiologist Michael McIvor. As I did not appear to be having a heart attack or a stroke, Dr. McIvor decided to have me undergo several blood tests, as well as an Echo Cardiogram and a Nuclear Stress test on August 31. In the mean time I decided that I should cut back on my exercising and only do leisurely walks which did not seem to stress me. When I did the Nuclear Stress Test, I was able to perform the exercise reasonably well; however, the recovery produce labored breathing. On September 3, the day to discuss the result of my tests, I went for a leisurely walk. I had much trouble breathing and had to sit down several times. It was obvious that my condition had gotten worse. Later I sat down with PA Arthur Powell and began going over the results of the tests. Everything was normal with the exception there was a somewhat elevated pressure in the flow to my lungs. After checking my lungs and noticing that my breathing was a little labored, he said that he wanted to do a blood test that would check for clots. It would be done right away and the results would be ready in 15 minutes. Of course I agreed. A normal result would have a number of 400 or less. My value was 5000. I definitely had a clot somewhere, most likely in my lungs that came from somewhere else in my body, such as my right calf, a place where I had experienced a strange pain a few days before this all began. To confirm the diagnosis I was sent to the Keys Diagnostic Center for a dye injected computer scanning test. Later in the afternoon when the results confirmed the diagnosis, I was told that I needed to begin the treatment immediately as clots could be life threatening. If I had not listened to my body and insisted on being seen, I could possibly have died.