Great Open Heart Surgery Story!

Now that track season has started again, I am enjoying coaching again after my open heart surgery last year!  This is my second year back!  Last year I was 3 months our from surgery & a little weak and tired after practice!  This year I feel a lot better when I get home from practice!

While surfing the net I found a great story about a young track athlete that is running great after open heart surgery!!  Take a look at the story!

Four years after open-heart surgery, Verona's Anderson a title contender

She sounds like a great athlete & running 2:17 in the 8oo meters is great for any you lady in high school!  She was lucky to have an electrocardiogram that saw the heart issue.  There are a few kids that have issues and never know it from birth!  She was a lucky one!!!

Blueberries and Heart Health

Lately I have been eating blueberries with my cheerioes and oatmeal in the morning.  I found this article online about blueberries:

Eating Blueberries May Prevent Artery Damage

This is exactly what I need!  And I like blueberries!  As the article says:

This is because the fruit is a high source of antioxidants, or nutrients that remove free radicals from the body. And free radicals can lead to several health complications, including cardiovascular problems.


Antioxidants! Remember what they are?

Antioxidants are substances that may protect your cells against the effects of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules produced when your body breaks down food, or by environmental exposures like tobacco smoke and radiation. Free radicals can damage cells, and may play a role in heart disease, cancer and other diseases.


Hate those Free Radicals!  And during the experiment in the article on mice, the control group with the artery damage did better on the diet including blueberries.  What is good enough for the mice and their hearts is good enough for me!

Eat more blueberries!!

An Exciting 15 Months!

The past 15 months have been very exciting!  And the next 6 months should add to the excitement!  So what is so exciting?

15 months ago - Open Heart Bypass Surgery
9 months ago - Retirement
5 months ago - Oldest Son - Jared marries Erliza!
And today we find out a new baby on the way - Jamina Joyce!

Great news - for Sue & I our first grandchild!  Look close - she has my eyes!
And my daughter-in-law, Erliza says, "She has a beautiful nose!!"

And what is next?

Baby coming this summer!
Another wedding in October - Josh (our youngest son) & Kristin!

More reasons to be thankful!

Cardiac Rehab & Trout Stocking

Part of my cardiac rehab is stocking trout in the local stream!  It is a great way to exercise & enjoy the outdoors!!

Walking down to the stream with a loaded 5 gallon bucket of trout & back up the hill!!

Showing off a big trout!!!

Local High school kids help!!

My buddy Dick giving direction to the kids!

Great day!  Great exercise!  And 2000 trout in local streams!!!!

Exercise and PVC's

Today I wore my Polar FT1 Heart Monitor during my walk to see how my heart rate was doing and if I had any PVC's during my exercise.  I had NO PVC's!  That is a good thing!

My starting heart rate was 74.
The heart rate for my walk was between 86-97.
I did my neighborhood walk which is a combinations of flat terrain & uphill and downhill.
My resting heart rate 5 minutes after the walk was 81.
The total time of the walk was 50 minutes.

So, the PVC's seem to be under control for now.  Will need to experiment with heart rates over 100, with a goal of reaching 120.

If you are looking for heart rate monitors take a look at the website:

Bodytronics - The Fitness Superstore

Symptom Checker

I found another interesting section that is part of one of my favorite medical website - WebMD.

The section of the site WebMD - Symptom Checker

Try it out!  I should used this October of 2010.  During the session, the computer told me: "Stop now and call your doctor, you may be having heart issues!"  Not bad, a computer new I was stupid!  I'm lucky I did not wait any longer!

Coaching, What Makes Me Do It?

Of all the things I have done in my life, coaching is probably my first love.  I can see why people like Joe Paterno, Bear Bryant, John Wooden, Casey Stengel, and other coaches in all sports have trouble letting go.

First, the force of competition never leaves you!  It is something that drives me each day.  My poor young sister never won a game of cards, Risk, Monopoly, or anything without her big brother showing no mercy!  Sorry Ginny!  My childhood friend Bill & I compete at everything, fishing, golfing, March Madness, anything sports!  Even after our heart surgery we are preparing to race 40 yards! (May need an ambulance at the finish line!)

The planning, strategy, workouts, drills, are always in our minds!  Coaches are always looking for a new drill, a new play, a new way to improve!

How about seeing people reach goals they never new were possible?   A League Champion!  A State Champion!  Records!  For me it was high school kids.  They come to you as young adults and leave as young men and women!

Competition is an adrenaline rush!  As the Wide World of Sports would say:  "The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat!"  If you coach long enough you get both ends of the spectrum  And I have had both, with my athletes and with my own two boys, and yes even with myself!

Coaching & sports something that for me has warmed my heart.  At times has broken my heart.  But, in the end, it is a part of my heart!