Nice to hear from you John! Yes, it certainly has been a long time since we saw each other. Bob Nelson and Eric Williamson have kept me somewhat up to date with your achievements, but they hadn't mentioned your new joints. However, very glad to hear you keep yourself active and moving. As God once said to Abraham "Lech Lecha" or "keep moving", applies to all of us. As I tell people, "as long as you keep moving, Grim can't catch you!"
Too bad your local skating group didn't snag you as a skating coach. They are missing out on a wealth of knowledge and experience. But you did the right thing; just walk away from it. Their loss.
Mt. Baldy was one of my favorite places. Certainly are some nice summits around LA and I am always thankful that my parents made the sacrifice on their part so I could grow up right on the southwest boundary of Angeles National Forest. That entire range of mountains hold a special place in my heart.
Yes, Dick Hunt keeps on rolling. He was like a big brother to me for several years. All of us were extremely fortunate to have the peer group we had in skating. Bill and Jack Disney, Stan, Buddy, Dick, Bob Olson, Roy, Jack....dear me, the list goes on. I consider myself very fortunate, very lucky to have those great people around me, you included, that encouraged me and supported me, either through word or deed, to strive to be better. Those were not easy years for me, and I am so thankful to God for the group of people I had to look to and at times, to lean on. I am one lucky sob. If you can pdf and email the picture mentioned of Bill Sedwick and me, I would really appreciate it. After my Mom passed away, my Dad remarried a couple years later to a woman who's picture appears in several encyclopedia's under "Two Faced Lying Bitch". When my Dad health began to rapidly decline she destroyed most all the old skating pictures, ISU-US record documents, etc. . I was able to salvage a few things but most of it was lost. It been reported that the TFLB was last seen circling above San Diego on a broom spelling out "Surrender Dorothy" across the horizon.
After returning stateside in 1980 it took several years of hard work to get myself reestablished and not much time for anything else. Once settled, I began running and cycling a bit. A cycling accident in San Diego (stressed out single mother in a Toyota sedan hit me head on) put me in the hospital for 2 weeks and that's the last time I had a road bike under my ass. To many crazy effers on the road. I still ride a bit on the mountain trails and forest roads in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I like the odds better when trees and rocks don't move. But running is my real passion and I do plenty of that. Boston Marathon three times and about 20 other marathons total; several AG wins and a best time of 3:05. Not bad for an old bastard. The trails here are awesome so I do mostly trail ultra's (anything longer than the marathon distance) and off road events. Did several years of backcountry skiing and mountain climbing but gave both up when Eve and I began going together. She worried to much about such shenanigans and rightfully so. Had a couple of close calls; an avalanche during a ski trip to the top of Mt. Charleston, then an asshole short-roping me on a repel during a descent on a climb in the Spring Mountains. Eve merely confirmed what the great outdoor Buddha was trying to tell me.
Otherwise, thoroughly enjoying life in the mountains of North Carolina.
Please keep me posted on your ride in Tibet. A real epic it sounds like to me. Avg 16,000 ft! That's total badassedry John. Nutrition wise your are going to need a bit more cals at first but it will subside the more time you spend up high. You may want to double the recovery drinks at the end of the day. The S-Caps will really help, figure one per hour on the tough climbs. After a while you will figure out what your body needs; becomes like second nature. Be patient and go easy on yourself. Be careful of the migraine type headaches and the feeling of confusion. I've had cerebral edema once and it sucks and it's nothing to mess around with. Keep me posted. Proud of you John!!
Cheers,
Bart
No comments:
Post a Comment