Sub 11 Here I Come!

Training for me this summer has been pretty hit or miss. Like my twin brother Franz, I've had some health complications that have really interfered with my training process.

It all started in May when I decided to have a vasectomy. You see, my wife and I have two incredible and beautiful boys, Soren (age 3) and Aidan (age 6). You can see there pictures below in their new Halloween Costumes. Star Wars, as you can tell is a big hit in my house! Anyway, we felt that two boys was enough for us so off I went for the snip-snip!

All in all the procedure was not that big of a deal. A little valium before and I was pretty much out of it. After the procedure though, I stayed inflamed and in pain for three weeks; It basically felt like I had kicked in the sack all day and all night! I was in so much pain that my doctor put my on Naprosyn, which is basically prescription strength Aleve. I took it for 2 weeks to help with the pain The day after I stopped taking it I started feeling an incredible fullness and tightness in my upper stomach and esophagus area; I actually thought I was getting sick!

A month later (it was July now), I couldn't take the pain and pressure in my chest (and mid-back as well) that I went into my regular doctor (a D.O.) . She told me that I most likely had an a acid reflux problem (aka GERD) caused from the prescription Naprosyn. GREAT!!!

So then I started taking Prevacid to help with the acid reflux problem...it never helped. Two weeks later I was back in my Doc's office and off she sent me to a GI doc for a scope down my esophagus and stomach. I got this procedure done in August and was diagnosed with BILE REFLUX. Apparently, there was a large pool of Green Bile in my stomach (which shouldn't be there-big connection with esophageal cancer). The doc put me on an Ulcer medication (Sucrulfate) which has actually helped. He also put me on another acid reducer (Aciphex). My chest discmofort and back pain have improved by about 60-80% depending on the day but the side effects have been distressing.

Since taking the drugs I have had problems with sleep, headaches, shortness of breath, constipation, bone pain (achy all over), and just feeling exhausted all the time; not a great recipe for training. Needless to say my training has suffered. In the last 2 weeks however, I 've decided I've had enough and started training anyway, regardless of how I feel. I have goals to run in the 10's again for the 100 meter dash and at 33 (34 in November), I know I can still reach it. But I gotta train if I want to improve. So slowly and surely I'm beginning my fitness process agan.

Here was my training for today: (sprints done with my 58 year-old client Pat V. at her house)

AM Sprints:
Warm-up and dynamic stretch
3 x 10, 20, and 30 yards respectively with farily short rest periods since sprints were performed on a slight incline grass field; perfect for off-season training!

Weights: in the afternoon

Power Snatch and Overhead Squat- light weights up to 95 lbs; used mostly as a dynamic stretch and warm-up. I'm also trying to learn and get more comfortable with the full versions of the Olympic lifts.

Clean pulls- triples and doubles up to 205
Deadlifts- 3 @ 225, 2@ 255, 1@ 275, 1 @300.

Basically I was just trying to work up to an easy single without a lot of emotional strain.

No upper body work today as right shoulder had been tweaky for the last week; need some soft-tissue work. Did a little High-Volt EMS on it which has seemed to help.

Asafa Powell runs 9.74 in the 100m!

Coming off a dissapointing 3rd place finish in the 100m at the recent World Track & Field Championships in Osaka, Japan, people were starting to right off the 24 year-old Jamaican sprint sensation Asafa Powell. He just hasn't been able to win in the big events.

So what does Asafa go and do at a IAAF Grand Prix meet in Italy? He smashes the world record by 3 hudredths of a second in a wind legal 9.74seconds!

Check out the race: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeCdXaKVgIU

Record Del Mundo!
Record Del Mundo!
Record Del Mundo!

It's scary how easy that race looks for him after 50 meters; like a walk in the park! And imagine this, he ran this time without Z-Health! Sorry guys, had to throw that in! With Z-health, 9.0 seconds flat for sure:)