A UNEXPECTED DETOUR....
Well, there I am in the Trauma Care Unit, at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City. About to become awaken and told that I've got a broken left eye socket, with a crack going up the skull off of that break. Both bones holding the upper jaw to the skull are broken completely in two; the lower jaw is popped out of the socket and then broken again about 3 inches towards the chin, as well as a "closed" fracture at the base of skull/ beginning of spine. The nose was broken. Top 4 front teeth chipped up and pushed back against the roof of the mouth. Plenty full of road rash, and lots of hitchhikers in the form of pebbles from my slide down the freeway.
HOW DID YOU WIND UP THERE ?
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| See that red Mdot in the picture? It has LOTS to do with this :) |
Ok, so a year ago in May I wrote about my Journey To Ironman, which told of my "Journey" from 230 lb and being totally out of shape, to running 12 marathons and then doing some triathlons, catching Ironman fever then attempting to do a 140.6 mile race , only 54 weeks from my 1st triathlon. At that Ironman Texas race a year ago I stopped at mile 120, which is mile 6 of the run portion, due to severe dehydration, and did not finish. In that blog, The training for this event had helped and caused me to deal with my fears of open water swimming, road biking and that people usually learn more from their defeats than their victories.
GETTING A COACH....
About a month after my disappointing nonfinish at Ironman, my friend Seth Cooke, recommended getting in touch with William Ritter, who was working with him at Cobb Cycling in Tyler, Tx. William was starting Fly Tri Racing, specializing in coaching/helping the triathlete and endurance athletes swim, bike, or run to their goals. We had a good visit, and he agreed to help get me dialed in. To me, this was very encouraging because I felt like I was close, and with some adjustments, hydration, training, and more hydration. That Ironman was most doable. He started working with me in the next month July 2015.
GOING FOR THE TRIPLE CROWN....
The triathlon season pretty much winds down by October, due to cold water and the approaching holiday season. A year is a long time to wait for redemption, so I began the hunt for a 140.6-mile race to do before the season's end. Right at the end of July, I pitched the idea of a "Triple crown in 30 Days" to William. It would be HotterN Hell 100 miles @ Wichita Falls, TX on August 29th, a 70.3 @ Lake Livingston, TX on September 13th, and finishing with a 140.6 @ Oklahoma City on September 26th....All in 28 Days.
Finished Hotter N Hell 100 miles in 5hrs 51 min...then went and ran for an hr....Did the 70.3 @ Lake Livingston in 6Hrs 43 Min....Arrived in OKC on a Wednesday night and was delighted how cool it felt an the low humidity....Met Jeff and Julie Adams 2 girls on Thursday night at the event host hotel. Jeff was from the Dallas area was also a member of Fly Tri Racing Team.
I felt good that morning. Jeff and I left @ 5:30 am to drive to the event in my car from the hotel. Julie was going to come later with their two girls who were both under 5. There were 2 events that day, a 70.3 and the full 140.6. Jeff had done Ironman Texas in May and was doing the 70.3 race, as I got out of the car, I handed him my car keys and said "I'm gonna be too tired tonight to drive, you hold on to my keys "
The 2.4-mile swim went well, time was 1:34 and hopped on the road bike. Things were going very well. I got to mile 100 of the bike portion which is a total of 112 miles, filled up my water bottles and was excited that I was at 6 hrs on the bike . If I just rode 12 miles in an hour, then I would come off the bike at 7 hrs total on the bike portion which was my goal. Then at mile 108 of 112 of the bike route, my front tire fell into a crack in between 2 concrete pour lines. The front tire hung in this crack as it dropped down, and did not pop out, or give. I was laying in the aero position hanging out over the front handle bars when this happened. No other riders were around me, at that time. This crack was NOT marked by the race in any way form or fashion. This is odd because all previous cracks in the roadway along the course were marked with an orange cone at their beginning, and road bumps had orange spray paint on them. At this part of the course we were conned into half a road lane, and this crack began dead center in the half lane we were directed into. It is my guess that a previous racer had possibly bumped the signal cone at the beginning of this crack and a volunteer decided to move the signal cone. Who knows... for whatever reason it wasn't marked. So the front tire dropped down and jammed in this crack holding the front tire rigid, and the bike slung over a forward slamming me face first into the concrete. At this moment, the Lord Jesus had Mercy on me because it destroyed my helmet. When they took off my helmet the inner foam lines, several of them were just hanging down in loose strips. I don't have a picture of it because it was so bloody that it made me sick, and I threw it away. Impact was hard enough to snap 5 spokes on the front 404 wheel. I slid face first down the freeway, and that is a picture of my sunglasses. That is concrete etched into the left lens....That lens was all that was between my eye and the concrete...I want to take a moment and thank the Lord Jesus for protecting that eye, and that I don't have brain damage today, an as I write this , that I'm not sitting in a wheelchair paralyzed from the neck down, but can do Everything today that I could that morning :) Praise The Lord !!!!
GOING FOR THE TRIPLE CROWN....
The triathlon season pretty much winds down by October, due to cold water and the approaching holiday season. A year is a long time to wait for redemption, so I began the hunt for a 140.6-mile race to do before the season's end. Right at the end of July, I pitched the idea of a "Triple crown in 30 Days" to William. It would be HotterN Hell 100 miles @ Wichita Falls, TX on August 29th, a 70.3 @ Lake Livingston, TX on September 13th, and finishing with a 140.6 @ Oklahoma City on September 26th....All in 28 Days.
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| Jeff and I, after finishing the Friday morning practice swim. |
Finished Hotter N Hell 100 miles in 5hrs 51 min...then went and ran for an hr....Did the 70.3 @ Lake Livingston in 6Hrs 43 Min....Arrived in OKC on a Wednesday night and was delighted how cool it felt an the low humidity....Met Jeff and Julie Adams 2 girls on Thursday night at the event host hotel. Jeff was from the Dallas area was also a member of Fly Tri Racing Team.
September 26th...2nd ATTEMPT AT IRONMAN 140.6
The 2.4-mile swim went well, time was 1:34 and hopped on the road bike. Things were going very well. I got to mile 100 of the bike portion which is a total of 112 miles, filled up my water bottles and was excited that I was at 6 hrs on the bike . If I just rode 12 miles in an hour, then I would come off the bike at 7 hrs total on the bike portion which was my goal. Then at mile 108 of 112 of the bike route, my front tire fell into a crack in between 2 concrete pour lines. The front tire hung in this crack as it dropped down, and did not pop out, or give. I was laying in the aero position hanging out over the front handle bars when this happened. No other riders were around me, at that time. This crack was NOT marked by the race in any way form or fashion. This is odd because all previous cracks in the roadway along the course were marked with an orange cone at their beginning, and road bumps had orange spray paint on them. At this part of the course we were conned into half a road lane, and this crack began dead center in the half lane we were directed into. It is my guess that a previous racer had possibly bumped the signal cone at the beginning of this crack and a volunteer decided to move the signal cone. Who knows... for whatever reason it wasn't marked. So the front tire dropped down and jammed in this crack holding the front tire rigid, and the bike slung over a forward slamming me face first into the concrete. At this moment, the Lord Jesus had Mercy on me because it destroyed my helmet. When they took off my helmet the inner foam lines, several of them were just hanging down in loose strips. I don't have a picture of it because it was so bloody that it made me sick, and I threw it away. Impact was hard enough to snap 5 spokes on the front 404 wheel. I slid face first down the freeway, and that is a picture of my sunglasses. That is concrete etched into the left lens....That lens was all that was between my eye and the concrete...I want to take a moment and thank the Lord Jesus for protecting that eye, and that I don't have brain damage today, an as I write this , that I'm not sitting in a wheelchair paralyzed from the neck down, but can do Everything today that I could that morning :) Praise The Lord !!!!
An OKC police officer, Lt. Gamille Hardin was cruising by with her son who was an OKC firefighter, Blair Shockley. They saw the accident and stopped to help me. I was crawling around on the pavement. I would crawl a few steps and stop , blood would pool up from all my leaks on the concrete and this bothered me. I would crawl a couple more steps, watch blood pool up, and repeat process.
Blair Shockley, the firefighter came over and got down on his knees and crawled beside me ...He said " Hey buddy, why don't we go to the squad car an wait for the ambulance, you can sit in the backseat in AC " this sounded a LOT better than crawling on hot concrete.
I want to take a moment and give a Shout of THANKS to our First Responders, Police, Fire, EMS who ALL helped me that afternoon, & provide a critical service that goes largely unnoticed or under/appreciated. Thanks again to Lt. Gamille Hardin and Blair Shockley! May your kindness be returned many times over.
So NOW we are back to the opening photo,.... where I am TKO'd an out cold. Was awakened and the ER doctor @ Mercy hospital came in and gave me the scoop after pictures were taken. In total, I had 6 major broken bones and 5 cracked bones. All in the face or head area. 10 out of 11 of the breaks or fractures were on the front of the face. The 11th was a closed fracture at the base of my skull and right at the beginning of the spine, which was a real concern because it was in an area that was full of nerves and very hard to work on with a knife. He said that I was going to need a Micro Facial Surgeon. In simple terms, you need a Plastic Facial Surgeon who is also a Surgeon of Dentistry. He went on to say that these were rare and that the hospital did not have any on call that night, and by law and due to the seriousness of my injuries they were required to send me to a hospital that did. He said that they were fixing to send me by ambulance to another hospital in OKC that had such a surgeon on call. He went around to my right side, my left ear was full of blood, leaned over to me, squeezed my right hand and whispered:
Paul: Squeeze hand and nods yes
Dr: This is a 1 shot surgery.... it's very difficult and takes great precision. They're going to have to use a lot of plates and screws to put your face back together, and YOU are going to live with that look for the Rest of Your Life. They only get 1 shot at this !!!...You need a Very Experienced Surgeon attempting this ....NOT a rookie...The hospital that I'm having to send you to is a student hospital...and it's Saturday night....None of the Good Dr's will be on call...it's gonna be a bunch of inexperienced interns....You HAVE to hang on till Monday when the Good Dr's return....do you understand me ???
Paul: Raises up an eyebrow and looks at Dr with one good eye, the right one...the left hand was closing shut due to broken eye socket ,...mumbles..." Do I have the right to refuse surgery ?? "
Dr: "Yes , as long as you don't start bleeding out ...as long as your stable ...You...HANG ON till Monday....Don't let those interns try this... Don't "
Paul: " Thanks for telling me this.....Thanks, Doc "
Dr: "I Didn't tell you this, and we did not have this talk "
Dr: "I Didn't tell you this, and we did not have this talk "
Paul: "I got it "
I am eternally grateful to that Doctor, who had compassion on someone he didn't know and did his best to advise me. Obviously, he must remain anonymous. However, as we are about to see , Boy was he the Prophet Moses. Want to pause and say thanks to Mercy Hospital for contacting my family members, stitching me up, giving me some much needed painkiller, making a assessment of my breaks, and doing their best to advise me.
Just before they loaded me on my 2nd ambulance of the day, a nurse said that a Jeff and Julie Adams were outside Trauma Care asking to see me. Jeff had noticed that I never started the run, but went through the timing loop at mile 100, he walked over to the bike corral and walked over to my bike # area an saw my bike.
I am eternally grateful to that Doctor, who had compassion on someone he didn't know and did his best to advise me. Obviously, he must remain anonymous. However, as we are about to see , Boy was he the Prophet Moses. Want to pause and say thanks to Mercy Hospital for contacting my family members, stitching me up, giving me some much needed painkiller, making a assessment of my breaks, and doing their best to advise me.
Just before they loaded me on my 2nd ambulance of the day, a nurse said that a Jeff and Julie Adams were outside Trauma Care asking to see me. Jeff had noticed that I never started the run, but went through the timing loop at mile 100, he walked over to the bike corral and walked over to my bike # area an saw my bike.
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| JEFF AND JULIE ADAMS |
Race crew had brought my bike from the wreck scene and racked it. In his words, it was destroyed. He then found out from race crew that I was at Mercy Hospital. He and Julie were True Good Samaritans to me. Someone they knew very little. I believe Julie shot the photo of me TKO'd , the opening photo, she also got in touch with my sister and told her where I was, and which hospital I was about to be taken to. After visiting with me, they went back to the race an got all my gear. At a 140.6 event is a massive undertaking, wetsuit, bike , shoes, change of clothes bag...took my bike apart, loaded ALL the gear in my car....Remember my line to Jeff at 5:30 am that morning , that I was going to be too tired that night to drive, an gave him my car keys....Exactly! They brought ALL of it an my car back to the 2nd hospital the next morning. People, that was Insane Good Samaritan...They were both whipped! Jeff got up at 4:30am and did a 70.3 event. Julie was up all day chasing their 2 girls which at that time were both under 5 ....Yea, try that out of town in the heat all day...And their girls are crazy energetic. I call them the Doublemint Twins. Then the next morning they came back to the 2nd hospital to check on me, before driving back home. They were a HUGE HELP to me, and I am forever grateful.
My friends if you EVER have a day where you swim 2.4 miles in open water, ride 108 miles eating Oklahoma wind, sit in the back of a squad car an then ride in 2 ambulances an go to 2 hospitals in 1 day ...Well You Have Had A Day of IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Plan....There Is No Plan.... Hospital # 2....
During the ambulance ride to the 2nd hospital, I passed back out and woke up freezing in a observation room with only a hospital sheet. In a spirit of Graciousness this hospital shall remain unnamed, but it was a bizzar place. No one came in for hours on end until my dad and sister entered the room, about 1am Sunday morning. What a welcome relief and comfort it was to see and hear them! Joy thanks for getting me a blanket !!!...Hallelujah...
That is a picture of dad an Joy a few weeks later when Joy was running a half Marathon in Tyler..... After their arrival a few medical staff came by, and each time my dad would ask them "What the plan was ???" No one knew anything. Around 7am that morning a woman who I shall assume was a nursing supervisor, entered the room an screamed at the nurse that " This is not how you do this ". Was immediately moved to another area of the hospital. Have never seen anything like that at any medical facility before an hope I never do. Shortly after this a Dr. came by and said that their instructor was out of town until Tuesday, but that they were going to try an schedule surgery for Wednesday, as I listened to him the words of warning from the Dr @ Mercy rang in my ears. If you don't get anything else out of this story, then get this, don't let you family or loved ones have surgery on the weekends, the seasoned Dr's are spending it with their families, just like you!
Unbelievable....Reader track closely now, because this is a Amazing chain of events. Around 9am that Sunday morning Jeff and Julie returned to my room and brought my cell phone, which was in my change of clothes bag at the event. They handed it to my dad and the second I saw it a idea came to mind. I asked dad for the cell phone, pulled up a contact, handed the phone to him and said, "call that # ." It was Dr. Doug Flanders in Tyler, TX. Neither dad nor Joy had his cell #, but I did on my phone. Dr. Flanders answered which was amazing to me, because I hate getting calls on Sunday morning, and will usually not respond to them until after I have had lunch. Dr. Flanders told us that there were several experienced micro facial surgeons in Tyler that could do this surgery. Reader you can laugh at this, but later an right before surgery in Tyler , I learned that Dr. Flanders was the Chief of Staff, of East Texas Medical Center in Tyler. Months later after I healed up Dr. told me, " I was just about to walk into church, and saw your call, and thought , what is he calling for at this time of day." :) In this photo I am Thumbs Up, cause I have just told the nurse that I'm checking out of Jokelahoma ER. A few minutes after this phone call I motioned for Jeff to come over to me and said something to him, he shook his head that he couldn't understand, then he leaned closer, an I rasped out ...
Paul: By God's Grace I'll Finish Ironman next year.
Jeff: Long Pause....Looks me dead in my good eye .... The day you enter... I will do as well.
You have to BELIEVE IT.......LONG before anyone else will!
You have to BELIEVE IT.......LONG before anyone else will!
TOTALLY Unbeknownst to me, Jeff then goes and posts that on my facebook page, and then my coach, William Ritter does as well. My page is public, and if you look at September 27, 9:37 and you will see those 2 post, back to back, with the Thumbs Up photo below.
Let's Put Him Back Together...Hospital #3
Because of Jeff and Julie's hard work my car was at the hospital with ALL my gear, and Joy drove me back in my car to Tyler, TX. I want to say thanks again to Joy and dad because I was a whining passenger on that drive back.
Let's Put Him Back Together...Hospital #3
Because of Jeff and Julie's hard work my car was at the hospital with ALL my gear, and Joy drove me back in my car to Tyler, TX. I want to say thanks again to Joy and dad because I was a whining passenger on that drive back.
I was checked into East Texas Medical Center @ Tyler. My surgeon was Dr. Charles Stone who received his doctorate from Baylor and then served his country in the US Army as a Oral/Maxillofacial Surgeon @ Walter Reed Army/Navy Medical Center, Bethesda, MD specializing in Facial Trauma an Reconstruction, and Facial Cosmetic procedures. Where in his words, he worked on many, many broke up soldiers.
Reader, what are the odds of that kind of experienced Dr being in Tyler, TX ???
Praise God He Was !!!!
During a 4 and half hour surgery they put my face back together with 5 titanium plates, 20 titanium screws, straightened up my nose, shortened up my right jaw which was shredded on impact when it blew out of socket, plated my left eye socket, and placed my top 4 front teeth back into position. The pictures you see in this blog are just as they were shot, nothing has been shaded, altered or edited. This is a shot of me just after I left the surgery recovery room. The room is darkened because my eye could not handle any light. They worked very hard to save that left eye, and today it vision test just a little stronger than the right eye, which is how the they tested before the accident....HALLELUJAH !!!
Dr. Stone would continue to monitor my healing process for the next 90 days from his clinic, Southern Surgical Arts. I want to give a HUGE Shout of Thanks to the medical staff and team that worked on an took care of me at ETMC @ Tyler, in my opinion the Governor of Texas couldn't have had Better or Faster care...Thanks Again !!!
Healing UP.....
After being checked out of ETMC , I was moved to my parents house until I could drive, and see the cars around me :) , and until I was strong enough to move to my house. At this time I was Bombed with Heavy Antibiotics, since they had just put 25 pieces of metal in my face and were Very concerned about possible infection. I remember just being so ridiculously weak. This time was both Humbling an Very Comforting to me. My dad had retired from AT&T after 36 years an he would drive me where I had to go. My mom would rub a soothing cream on my road rash, which was abundant, and blend up anything I ate, as my jaw was wired up for 8 weeks to give the jaw joint time to form up. During that 8 weeks I was on a liquid diet. I want to share a incident that happened in the pre surgery room @ ETMC that I think shows the heart of my parents an good parents everywhere. Dr Flanders came in the room an looked at my dad an said " Ed, how old do these kids have to get before we quit having to deal with them ? " ... Dad " I don't know Doc "...Dr " Well, when you figure it out, you let me know " ...Laughter from everyone in the room except me. The gift of a Good Family is a Great Blessing from God .
Do Not Roll To The Right & Do Not Roll To The Left
During a 4 and half hour surgery they put my face back together with 5 titanium plates, 20 titanium screws, straightened up my nose, shortened up my right jaw which was shredded on impact when it blew out of socket, plated my left eye socket, and placed my top 4 front teeth back into position. The pictures you see in this blog are just as they were shot, nothing has been shaded, altered or edited. This is a shot of me just after I left the surgery recovery room. The room is darkened because my eye could not handle any light. They worked very hard to save that left eye, and today it vision test just a little stronger than the right eye, which is how the they tested before the accident....HALLELUJAH !!!
Dr. Stone would continue to monitor my healing process for the next 90 days from his clinic, Southern Surgical Arts. I want to give a HUGE Shout of Thanks to the medical staff and team that worked on an took care of me at ETMC @ Tyler, in my opinion the Governor of Texas couldn't have had Better or Faster care...Thanks Again !!!
Healing UP.....
After being checked out of ETMC , I was moved to my parents house until I could drive, and see the cars around me :) , and until I was strong enough to move to my house. At this time I was Bombed with Heavy Antibiotics, since they had just put 25 pieces of metal in my face and were Very concerned about possible infection. I remember just being so ridiculously weak. This time was both Humbling an Very Comforting to me. My dad had retired from AT&T after 36 years an he would drive me where I had to go. My mom would rub a soothing cream on my road rash, which was abundant, and blend up anything I ate, as my jaw was wired up for 8 weeks to give the jaw joint time to form up. During that 8 weeks I was on a liquid diet. I want to share a incident that happened in the pre surgery room @ ETMC that I think shows the heart of my parents an good parents everywhere. Dr Flanders came in the room an looked at my dad an said " Ed, how old do these kids have to get before we quit having to deal with them ? " ... Dad " I don't know Doc "...Dr " Well, when you figure it out, you let me know " ...Laughter from everyone in the room except me. The gift of a Good Family is a Great Blessing from God .
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| This photo was shot on October 10th, Exactly 12 Days after surgery and is of the plated left eye which is in the previous photo .....Is that not a AMAZING an MIRACULOUS change in 12 Days ...WOW |
After 2 weeks of healing at my mom and dads, I was able to move back to my house. One of my biggest challenges during my time of healing was getting some sleep due to having to lay dead straight on my back at any time I slept. Ok, reader next time you lay down in your bed, lay on your back and turn your head slightly to the right until the jaw joint touches the pillow....It isn't much !!! ...Now turn your head to the left until the outside of your eye socket touches the pillow...Not much either...If during sleep I made the critical error of turning my head to either side... The second any pressure was applied to those plated areas intense pain would streak thru my head, waking me up immediately !! It would then take a while for sleep to return. I HATE sleeping on my back and had to be totally exhausted to go to sleep in this position. So I slept with pillows under my hips an shoulders to keep me from turning in my sleep. Even after my jaw was unwired these areas were still hypersensitive . It was Christmas before I could put any pressure on the right jaw joint, and it was February before I could sleep on my left side or have any pressure on the left eye socket. So for 75 DAYS I slept flat on my back...Exactly
My friend, Ben Easling had sent me a package that was leaning on my front gate when I first arrived back at my house. It was this picture of the Spartan with a quote from Theodore Roosevelt, which I put in my bedroom. Would read this every morning when I first woke up, first medicine of the day, or many times at night when I couldn't sleep or had rolled onto one of those plated areas.
My friend, Ben Easling had sent me a package that was leaning on my front gate when I first arrived back at my house. It was this picture of the Spartan with a quote from Theodore Roosevelt, which I put in my bedroom. Would read this every morning when I first woke up, first medicine of the day, or many times at night when I couldn't sleep or had rolled onto one of those plated areas.
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I drank this...I ate it....
IT was me and I was IT
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The Calendar Waits For No One....During the last week of October I learned that Ironman TX 140.6 on May 14th 2016 only had a few hundred entries left, and that they expected to be full by early November. This event was going to be 7 an a half months from my wreck. Reader if you think I Wanted to go back that quickly, then you are crazier than I am, and that takes some Real doing! I was losing weight every week. I had almost another month left to be wired up, was ridiculously weak due to heavy rounds of Antibiotics, got very little sleep, and wasn't medically cleared for any kind of exercise. Desperately, I wanted to heal up for six months and then have a full six months to train for Ironman, but this was the only event of this length in the state of Texas all year...Period... Geographically the next closest Ironman 140.6 events are Tampa FL to the east and Arizona to the west. I wasn't interested in going back to OKC. There just are not that many totally insane triathletes per state or in the world for that matter.
People, I do not expect you to understand why I signed up. I'm simply telling you why I did.
I knew by May 14th I would be healed and at that event, and knew that as I watched people cross the Finish line that I would wonder in my head....
Could I have been one of them ???...It's that Simple!
Could I have been one of them ???...It's that Simple!
This card was a close 2nd.... My coach William, his wife Calley, and the Fly Tri Team had brought a large amount of meals, food, and gifts, over to my parent's house when I was there and left me this card. I highlighted the part that really stood out to me...
Reader, You Can Not END a Story with the line... WE WERE SO CLOSE.....AAARRRGGHHHH !!!
I signed up for Ironman TX on Halloween, and only 33 days after reconstructive facial surgery. When I clicked enter for the 3rd Ironman , I groaned within my spirit because I had just bought a Ticket to Hell..and nothing was for certain. Entering that race at that time was a act of Faith and Believing. True to his word, Jeff Adams entered a few hours later . They unwired my jaw right before Thanksgiving an I weighed 161 lbs, had lost 19 pounds, an did not have 19 pounds to lose.
5 Months till Ironman......
It took a couple of weeks to get going, but on December 14th, 5 months out, I began training in earnest. My medical team had stressed that I did not need to strain my skeletal system during the first 60 days. I was amazed at how much I had lost in the 80 days since my wreck. My wind and stamina had disappeared. It was probably a good thing that I had already entered the race, cause if I knew how weak I was, or would be at 5 months out, I don't think I would have entered. To me it was stunning. Due to these factors. Coach William drew up a large amount of cardio and pool work during that first 45 days of training. Spent lots of time swimming at the Trinity Fitness Center pool @ Lake Palestine, this pool was 25 meter, indoor, salt water, no chlorine, heated 86 to 89 degrees at all times, and 4 feet deep. If I got tired swimming, I could just walk a lap. In the winter months, this pool was a huge blessing, and helped build back my wind and loosen up my neck which had a very limited turn radius to the right, in December and January. I want to say big thanks to Jeff Dietrichson, physical therapist @ TFLP an Angela Kaminsky the general manager an personal trainer @ TFLP, they always had a Encouraging word for me in those early days of the return.
In this video clip, Fly Tri teammate Kevin Roberts in the orange cap, an I in green cap, are practicing drafting at the pool. Special Thanks to Jenny Brown, swim instructor @ TFLP for shooting this video.
Hey When Are You Gonna Get Back on That Bike....YEEAAA !!!
People that's Nuts! That bike was road kill and nothing on it is cheap! I rode it in my other 2 attempts at Ironman, and really wanted to ride it and Finish a Ironman with that bike. The bike shop owner, Sport Prater knew this. Even though they've given me a lot of shoulder shrugs and blank stares about the bill, I'll never know what all they did to bring it back. I'm very grateful....Thanks men.
Getting a Bike Fit....
My friend Seth Cooke and my coach, William Ritter both worked at Cobb Cycling in Tyler. Which was started and run by John Cobb aka. "Mr Wind Tunnel," who is a cutting-edge aero specialist and helped develop the Rudy Project helmet, advised and tested several winners of the Tour De France. They work to position a rider to gain speed an comfort...thus their slogan..."Comfort Equals Speed."
I was fitted in January and you see Seth Cooke and Rachel Olson working to take the " hunch " out of my back an get rid of any "bowleg" out of the legs, thus creating a shorter crank. The fitting helped tremendously! The pain between the shoulders left during long rides and allowed me to stay more aero on 100 mile rides. If your reading this and your rear end hurts after your ride or you struggle to ride comfortably longer than a hour or two...google them an then give them a call....or keep hurting....your choice... Seth Cooke is the Texas State Champion in Road Biking last 3 years....Something is working.
Saturday Morning Spin....
In January and February, I would usually go over to William's garage on Saturday morning and spin with the Fly Tri Gang. We would amuse one another with storytelling, not sure how much of it was true, but it certainly helped a 3 or 4-hour spin go by faster :)
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| In this picture Calley Ritter has fixed us pancakes anD bacon an I am telling William that if he doesn't finish soon, no bacon will be left, anD he is asking me why I cut practice short again ?? |
Forging The Iron....60 Days Out
March 14th arrived, and Ironman was only 60 days away, and the practices were ratcheted up in a big way. These are the practice sets I did in the last three days of the next four weeks.
March 17-19 Thursday swam 1.8 miles, Friday ran 18 miles; Saturday rode 93 miles.
March 24-26 Thursday ran 18 miles, Saturday rode 100 miles, and ran 6 miles, 106 Brick.
April 1-2 Friday swam 2.4 miles, Saturday rode 102 miles an ran 6 miles, 108 Brick.
April 10th Did the Galveston 70.3 Half Ironman...prep for full Ironman.
If your reading this and getting a little Ironman fever, just realize these are the kind of Big Waves you have to swim through just to get to the takeoff beach at D-Day.
Many Thanks to a Phenomenal Medical Team ....
There is a Bible verse, Romans 13:7 that says " Give Honor to those whom Honor is due "
I wanted to take a moment and thank the Doctors who worked on putting me back together so that I could live a normal life, much less do an Ironman.
March 14th arrived, and Ironman was only 60 days away, and the practices were ratcheted up in a big way. These are the practice sets I did in the last three days of the next four weeks.
March 17-19 Thursday swam 1.8 miles, Friday ran 18 miles; Saturday rode 93 miles.
March 24-26 Thursday ran 18 miles, Saturday rode 100 miles, and ran 6 miles, 106 Brick.
April 1-2 Friday swam 2.4 miles, Saturday rode 102 miles an ran 6 miles, 108 Brick.
April 10th Did the Galveston 70.3 Half Ironman...prep for full Ironman.
Many Thanks to a Phenomenal Medical Team ....
There is a Bible verse, Romans 13:7 that says " Give Honor to those whom Honor is due "
I wanted to take a moment and thank the Doctors who worked on putting me back together so that I could live a normal life, much less do an Ironman.
While waiting to see Dr. Matthew " Bones " Jones at Azalea Orthopedics, I saw this picture in his waiting room. He got the nickname " Bones" from President George W. Bush, and yet in his waiting room I saw no pictures of powerful men or women, but this depiction of Jesus guiding the surgeon's hand, I Love that picture an it says it All.
This is Dr. Charles Stone, the facial reconstruction artist who " pieced " me back together. When he finished checkups he had told me, " After Ironman, I want to see you and that bike, Both in 1 piece !!! " This picture was shot three days after Ironman, and you can see I brought the bike in for Inspection.
After being released from the care of Dr. Stone around the first of January, I was turned over to Dr. James Hooper, my dentist, who began the process of repairing my top 4 front teeth. Remember now both bones right above there, that hold the upper jaw to the skull had been broken completely in 2, and the right lower jaw had been shortened, and was also broken closer to the chin.
On March 8th they finished the "repair job" on those 4 teeth. You can laugh at this, but it was late March before I was able to chew food properly on the right side of my jaw or put any real bite pressure on it. During one visit I remember telling Dr. Hooper that this healing process needed to speed up. His dad was a lifelong dentist and he has over 30 years of dentist experience. He grinned at me leaned back in his chair and said, " Paul, healing does not read a calendar....yours or mine....nor does she seem to show much interest in learning of such things " Thanks again to Dr Hooper and Mrs Jan , his dental assistant.
Retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel, Dr. Doug Flanders the Chief of Staff at East Texas Medical Center showed the heart of a good Samaritan by going out of his way to help guide me along my path of medical care an recovery. This man was the MVP, and we'll just leave it at that..... See the Smiley face on the end of the stethoscope...Exactly :)
17 Days to Ironman...
Rode 114 miles with Sam Flanders on a final long ride 17 days before Ironman. Proverbs 14:11 says " Each heart knows it's own bitterness & no one else can share it's Joy " This photo says that to me... I knew how much I had Endured & Overcome to get back to this point in this short time frame, and with these kind of serious injuries. When we finished the ride, I knew I was Ironman ready.
Back before Thanksgiving when they unwired me William had called an asked " How much weight did you lose?
Paul: 19 lbs, I weigh 161
William: I want you to put on 20 pounds of clean, lean muscle if you just go put on 20 lbs of fat then all you did was make this harder.
William: " One's Quest to reach a Great Moment Requires, FOCUS, RESOLVE, & the Ability to GRIP the Moment "...." It's in your hands...Go Get IT "
I want to thank Coach, William for Believing IT. At a time when Nothing looked good. This was shot with William 3 days before Ironman, and the black an yellow Felt F6 looked ready to roll. Thanks to Ryan Moore for the speedy 404s, a brave man considering what happened to the last set =:0
While triathlon is an individual sport, it takes a Great Team around you to have a shot at this. Want step back an thank those who took time out of their weekends to ride or swim with me, every person listed is faster than I, but they took time to help an encourage me along. William Ritter, many winter weekends at his garage... Kevin Roberts, Great swimmer and would pace me on 2.4 mile swims ....Bo Jackson, 2016 Ironman TX Finisher...Mike Hanson, 9 Time Hotter -N-HELL 100 Finisher, ..Crystal Self, 2015 Ironman TX Finisher an Good Luck at Boulder Ironman, Jeff Adams 2015 & 2016 Ironman TX Finisher...Candidly, at the Ironman level you very rarely see a faster rider, slow down their pace to let a weaker rider keep up...Jeff Adams was almost 3 hours faster than me at Ironman and yet on practice rides of 100 miles he never rode more than 20 yards ahead of me...Special Thanks to those listed above who dragged me along, lol.
After being released from the care of Dr. Stone around the first of January, I was turned over to Dr. James Hooper, my dentist, who began the process of repairing my top 4 front teeth. Remember now both bones right above there, that hold the upper jaw to the skull had been broken completely in 2, and the right lower jaw had been shortened, and was also broken closer to the chin.
On March 8th they finished the "repair job" on those 4 teeth. You can laugh at this, but it was late March before I was able to chew food properly on the right side of my jaw or put any real bite pressure on it. During one visit I remember telling Dr. Hooper that this healing process needed to speed up. His dad was a lifelong dentist and he has over 30 years of dentist experience. He grinned at me leaned back in his chair and said, " Paul, healing does not read a calendar....yours or mine....nor does she seem to show much interest in learning of such things " Thanks again to Dr Hooper and Mrs Jan , his dental assistant.
Retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel, Dr. Doug Flanders the Chief of Staff at East Texas Medical Center showed the heart of a good Samaritan by going out of his way to help guide me along my path of medical care an recovery. This man was the MVP, and we'll just leave it at that..... See the Smiley face on the end of the stethoscope...Exactly :)
17 Days to Ironman...
Rode 114 miles with Sam Flanders on a final long ride 17 days before Ironman. Proverbs 14:11 says " Each heart knows it's own bitterness & no one else can share it's Joy " This photo says that to me... I knew how much I had Endured & Overcome to get back to this point in this short time frame, and with these kind of serious injuries. When we finished the ride, I knew I was Ironman ready.
Back before Thanksgiving when they unwired me William had called an asked " How much weight did you lose?
Paul: 19 lbs, I weigh 161
William: I want you to put on 20 pounds of clean, lean muscle if you just go put on 20 lbs of fat then all you did was make this harder.
William: " One's Quest to reach a Great Moment Requires, FOCUS, RESOLVE, & the Ability to GRIP the Moment "...." It's in your hands...Go Get IT "
I want to thank Coach, William for Believing IT. At a time when Nothing looked good. This was shot with William 3 days before Ironman, and the black an yellow Felt F6 looked ready to roll. Thanks to Ryan Moore for the speedy 404s, a brave man considering what happened to the last set =:0
While triathlon is an individual sport, it takes a Great Team around you to have a shot at this. Want step back an thank those who took time out of their weekends to ride or swim with me, every person listed is faster than I, but they took time to help an encourage me along. William Ritter, many winter weekends at his garage... Kevin Roberts, Great swimmer and would pace me on 2.4 mile swims ....Bo Jackson, 2016 Ironman TX Finisher...Mike Hanson, 9 Time Hotter -N-HELL 100 Finisher, ..Crystal Self, 2015 Ironman TX Finisher an Good Luck at Boulder Ironman, Jeff Adams 2015 & 2016 Ironman TX Finisher...Candidly, at the Ironman level you very rarely see a faster rider, slow down their pace to let a weaker rider keep up...Jeff Adams was almost 3 hours faster than me at Ironman and yet on practice rides of 100 miles he never rode more than 20 yards ahead of me...Special Thanks to those listed above who dragged me along, lol.
So does he ever get to this race or what ???
May 14th....3rd Attempt at Ironman
Got up around 4 am and knelt down to ask the Lord Jesus for three things.
#1. A Smooth swim with no kicks in the face. I have been kicked hard enough to where the googles lifted them up onto my forehead, at these events.
#2. An accident and incident free bike ride, with no mechanical failure or flat tires or wrecks ;)
#3. A Finish...To bring a Happy Ending to this story.
Ok, people I only hit 10 or 12 of the people in this picture and they ALL hit me first...Stop laughing!! I've still got more than a mile to go before I get back to shore...Our swim course was changed 2 days before the event due to the finishing canal testing too toxic for us to swim in. Due to this, the 2.4-mile course was reshaped in the lake, and it seemed to me that we were hemmed in tight between the course buoys and the shoreline during the first half of the swim with no place to spread out. Once we made the turn at the halfway point, it seemed to thin out somewhat. Still, sending 2700 people out for a swim all within 15 minutes is gonna be messy, any way, you do it. If I was in a thick pod of swimmers, I did not fight it , but just cruised at their speed until an opening appeared. Finished this swim in 1:37 , and without incident. When I got out of the water, I felt very good, had not strained or really pushed at all during the swim.
Prayer #1. Answered.
Ride Smart and Stay Hydrated !!!
This course had LOTS of turns 81, and I did see some flats and mechanical issues on the bike route. However, it was a Smooth an Uneventful ride for me; ALL those LONG HOT practices had paid off. You can only imagine how thrilled and relieved I was to get thru the bike portion and hand off my bike to the transfer volunteer.
A Victory Lap..Well, Hold on. Let's add some Rain n Hail, and Lightning for side effects.
Hallelujah !!!...Prayer #2 Answered
Came off the bike at 2:51 and was just full of relief, had plenty of time to do the marathon and not feel rushed or pushed. I still felt pretty good, had not pushed the pace at any time that day. The run course is three loops, and I imagined that everyone on the sideline was cheering for me, you learn to play a lot of mind games during the long practices and events :)
In this photo the temp is 88 degrees, humidity was very high, cloud cover rolled in shortly afterward. At a water station, they told us heavy rain was coming. Someone in the group I was running with laughed and said, " Tell It To Hurry."
Came off the bike at 2:51 and was just full of relief, had plenty of time to do the marathon and not feel rushed or pushed. I still felt pretty good, had not pushed the pace at any time that day. The run course is three loops, and I imagined that everyone on the sideline was cheering for me, you learn to play a lot of mind games during the long practices and events :)
In this photo the temp is 88 degrees, humidity was very high, cloud cover rolled in shortly afterward. At a water station, they told us heavy rain was coming. Someone in the group I was running with laughed and said, " Tell It To Hurry."
It Did.... some light hail followed....after which it just poured with lots of lightning, depending on where you were on the course racers were stopped during the lightning.
Over the next 2 hours, the temperature dropped 18 degrees and when the 2cd rain and wind rolled in we were freezing. You would run by a skinny female runner and they would be just shivering in the cold. None of us ever dreamed we would be cold that day. They began to offer garbage bags to put on shortly after that. The first 10 to 13 miles I did pretty good, but after I passed the halfway point of the marathon I was tired, my back was hurting, and I began to do the " Ironman shuffle ". I walked the last 13 miles for the most part. 5 hours is a long time to run/ walk on wet feet.
Prayer #3 Answered :)
Praise The Lord Jesus & Hallelujah
This photo of me coming into the Finisher's chute captures the essence of my journey back to Ironman. My eyes are focused on the goal. I am continuing to move Forward. I have not given up or fainted under adverse conditions and trials
I was an overcomer with HIS help. He surrounded me with an Army of many helpers and encouragers.
This is a short video clip of me coming thru the Finisher's lane...Big Thanks to Mike Hanson for shooting this video.
7.5 Months Later
An Overcomer or Overcome....It's Your Choice
It seems most popular in our country at this time to be the victim, I'd even go so far as to say it seems to be encouraged. Yet most, if not all of our forefathers and mothers overcame insane obstacles to get to this country, learn a new language, or new skills, new culture, and surroundings. They were not in a habit of always making the easiest choice. They did not shrink in fear but embraced the new challenges. They had an ability to not be held back by their past but were looking to their future.
We are ALL writing a story with our lives ...Like it or Not.
My challenge to you is to GO and write a good one...It may have nothing to do with physical fitness...That's Great :).... Be Inspired... Go climb YOUR mountain, ... In the process, you will conquer your fears.....It may take multiple attempts... The journey may be longer than you planned on.... This probably means getting help or a team of helpers around you....And after you Overcome... Go help someone else do the same....That's the best reward.... Create your Happy Ending.
Special Thanks to Kat Vann Hammers for formatting and polishing this story, and
Good Luck at Boulder Ironman in August !!
If anyone reading this knows someone in the United States who has swum the English Channel and can make contact with that person, please private message me their info, Thanks Paul
3 Questions I get asked a lot....and the answers....Sort of :)
1. Do you think you have brain damage from your wreck?
Answer: " I don't see Any".......Classic Line from Rocky II
2.Will you do another Ironman or are you 1 and done?
Answer: Yes, I will, possibly one next fall, or in 2017.
3. Whats the next Big challenge?
Answer: After 13 marathons, I'd like to qualify for the Boston Marathon, but that will take some Real work from multiple angles....Not starting up that mountain yet....but am looking at it...lol
Prayer #3 Answered :)
Praise The Lord Jesus & Hallelujah
This photo of me coming into the Finisher's chute captures the essence of my journey back to Ironman. My eyes are focused on the goal. I am continuing to move Forward. I have not given up or fainted under adverse conditions and trials
I was an overcomer with HIS help. He surrounded me with an Army of many helpers and encouragers.
This is a short video clip of me coming thru the Finisher's lane...Big Thanks to Mike Hanson for shooting this video.
7.5 Months Later
An Overcomer or Overcome....It's Your Choice
It seems most popular in our country at this time to be the victim, I'd even go so far as to say it seems to be encouraged. Yet most, if not all of our forefathers and mothers overcame insane obstacles to get to this country, learn a new language, or new skills, new culture, and surroundings. They were not in a habit of always making the easiest choice. They did not shrink in fear but embraced the new challenges. They had an ability to not be held back by their past but were looking to their future.
We are ALL writing a story with our lives ...Like it or Not.
My challenge to you is to GO and write a good one...It may have nothing to do with physical fitness...That's Great :).... Be Inspired... Go climb YOUR mountain, ... In the process, you will conquer your fears.....It may take multiple attempts... The journey may be longer than you planned on.... This probably means getting help or a team of helpers around you....And after you Overcome... Go help someone else do the same....That's the best reward.... Create your Happy Ending.
Special Thanks to Kat Vann Hammers for formatting and polishing this story, and
Good Luck at Boulder Ironman in August !!
1. Do you think you have brain damage from your wreck?
Answer: " I don't see Any".......Classic Line from Rocky II
2.Will you do another Ironman or are you 1 and done?
Answer: Yes, I will, possibly one next fall, or in 2017.
3. Whats the next Big challenge?
