Oct 152011
 

Because my brother had his appendix removed the day before The San Luis Obispo Triathlon, he could not complete our second triathlon.  Fortunately, the Triathlon course took me right by the hospital my brother was staying at and I was able to complete it and still be close enough to my brother in case he needed me. 

My brother was hoping he would be released on the day of the Triathlon, but unfortunately the anesthesia they gave him made it impossible for him to pee.  The doctor’s needed to make sure that he could pee before they could release him from the hospital.

When I came to visit my brother the next day, he was proudly displaying his urine for all to see with a huge grin on his face.  He was going to be released from the hospital.  After a wild and adventurous weekend The Running Brothers left San Luis Obispo with one 60th CSPA Anniversary under their belt, one completed Triathlon and one less appendix then they came with.

Aug 232011
 

Just one day before my brother had surgery to get his appendix removed.  And today was the San Luis Obispo Triathlon.  I was without my other half . . .

It was a beautiful day in San Luis Obispo and I headed to the race early to check in.  The check in was easy and I was able to inform the race officials my brother had his appendix removed and would not be able to enter the race.  We asked if a refund was possible and they kind of shrugged me off.  I thought having an appendix removed was a bigger deal than they seemed to think it was.

My sister and I went for breakfast after I checked in to the race to this nice little Mexican restaurant and I ordered a breakfast burrito.  My Dad suggested I order something light for the race and when I ordered the breakfast burrito my sister reminded me of my Dad’s advice. 

I explained to her that running is a lot like golf.  I used to be a really good golfer and when I was playing golf every day, I needed to maintain my focus through the entire round and practice between rounds.  Since I can not play golf every day anymore, I am not as good as I used to be.  Now, when I go out and play golf, I do it for fun.  I don’t concentrate or focus on my game, I just go out, hit shots, hang out with friends and have a good time.  Running is a lot like golf, sometimes you do it competitively and sometimes you do it for fun. 

Today, since I knew I wasn’t in peak physical shape, it was going to be for fun. 

The breakfast burrito tasted great!

I drove to the hospital my brother was staying at, just two blocks from the check-in area. 

Were my eyes seeing what I thought they were seeing???

They were!  The racers in the SLO Triathlon were running right past the hospital my brother was staying at.  What are the odds, I thought to myself. 

I went in to visit my brother who was eager to be released from the hospital, but it didn’t look likely that he would be able to.  The doctor told him he had to pee on his own in order to be released.  He could not. 

We talked strategy about the race and I headed for the check-in area, ready for my race to begin.

 

Aug 202011
 

The last time I saw my brother, I whispered in his ear, “Just in case . . . I love you.” 

You never know what could happen in surgery after all.

The surgery went extremely well and Rocky seemed to be doing just fine.  The doctor assured us his appendix came out smoothly and that night we sat by Rocky’s side until visiting hours were over. 

The next day was the San Luis Obispo Triathlon and to be honest, I didn’t really want to do it without my brother.  But my Dad encouraged me to do it anyways and, deep down, I knew my brother would have wanted me to continue on without him.

I had one of the latest start times and knew I could get a good nights sleep in order to rest myself before the race.