Event Update

So I have neglected to update things for a month, but that by no means indicates how much training has been going on.
After the brain injury, I was put on the couch for approximately 3 months. During that time my fitness totally retarded.
My marathon pace was 7 min 59 seconds on December 2, 2007. My three-mile pace on February 27, 2008 was 11 min 36 seconds.
That is what happens to your fitness when move into ICU for an extended period of time. I’m back to cruising my training EZ runs around 8 minute pace, and creep into the low 7’s when I want to push it a bit. No speed work as of yet, because Coach Dave told me it isn’t necessary yet.
The psychology of returning from nearly dying is interesting, especially from the inside looking out. My observations may not be ground breaking, but I can guarantee that I will never miss a workout again. Don’t read that as I will chronically overtrain. I was told that the only reason I survived a sub-fatal hyponatremia due to my head trauma was my core fitness and ability to handle dramatic chemistry shifts. It became a situation where the hyponatremia (a serum-sodium level of 106) was so far gone that the doctors were pushed into uncharted territory. None of them had ever seen something so severe, and initially thought it was a statistical error.
Now that I am fully ambulatory and prepping for my 2009 Ironman quest, I can personally guarantee that I will never miss a chance to enhance or fine tune my fitness. In the spirit of full disclosure, I am deathly afraid to not be as fit as I can be.
June 1st is my first event since the injury. I’m swimming the Hagg Lake 2.4 miler out of pure curiosity to see how it will feel. Beyond that, I’m helping my wife reach her goal of a 5k, 10k, and a Half Mary this summer. There is also a dirty rumor that I will run the NYC marathon this year, but that has yet to be confirmed. Stay tuned.