Today and everyday...

This mornings ride reminded me just what to be so thankful for. Life. I felt great, was in good company and was smiling the whole time. I am only able to enjoy life because of so many who have helped me. I need to thank my mom and dad, Karen, my brothers and significant others, family, my health care teams, friends, and Kristi. I am sure the very closest to me know my struggles are still constant but it is in their support and patience that I can keep recovering. It has been an amazing recovery and I owe so many people so much! Life is not easy...ever, but it sure can be a lot of fun. Which is what we are here for...fun. It is surely what you make of it. So today and every day, I will be thankful for everything...

mark

After a fairly luke warm performance at the state single speed championship race and the following days cx race I decided to hang the bikes up. I decided to start retraining my body more like I did years ago trying to feel better again. Still has not worked. Not sure what to do. Surely eating everything in sight is not working. The bad days have crept up with the cold and settled in bearing their ugly heads far too often lately.

Figure out something. Maybe the bikes need to be dusted off and go round two! I wish for those summer days of work-ride-eat/rest and work again. Maybe a few cx races if I can get up the anger to train again... Maybe some hockey. Starts in two weeks.

The girls rock. I wrestled Kylie for the first time in seven months-just glad she knows when to go easy on me. So very cool. Gave Addie her first 'horse-back' ride around the living room a few days ago...now it is an every night thing. I am happy to oblige. Really happy to be here. Yard is winterized. Firewood is stacked. Life is getting better.

Still completely amazed at what really good doctors can do...

The girls are great. Kylie is all first grader. She amazes me with what she is able to do. For instance, on Friday she came home with site words and sentences that she needed to work on. She insisted that she did not need to read them because she knew them (to which I responded:read them to me!) She did. Three times. I then gave her the parent letter (thinking this will challenge her) which she read fluently and missed only one word. Damn...I don't think I could read that good in middle school! Now its just the attitude we need to work on. Addie is nuts! Just NUTS! Sneaky, quick, naughty but so lovable! She is really starting to talk a lot and really likes to ride her bike. Very independent and busy. She will diffidently be more of a challenge than Kylie in many ways. But she listens so well!!! I will take that.

So the race to the races began a while ago. I had a couple ideas pocketed for this fall. One being a back-door attempt at the SS championship race. I have had 3rd and 4th place finishes in the past so I should compete. The other competing in the cyclocross season. My training has been constant and the legs are feeling very fatigued. So it is time to lay off a bit. The races begin next Saturday so I need to recover a lot. I have gotten a few laps in at the Jail Trail, some good some bad, some with crashes. The best was last night while attempting a full sprint lap. I was good until the last 50 meters where I carried far too much speed and found myself in a heap trying to figure out what happened. Result: bent handle bars and front flat tire. Road rash on all of the right side of my face, both arms, left knee(not good) and took a huge shot to the left side of my ribs and chest where I landed on the handle bars. Oh, and I need a new helmet. But I feel amazingly good this morning so either pain no longer bothers me or my body has developed fast ways of healing. Either is fine. I will ride again today to regain some confidence.

The cyclocross training has been good. I have paired it with road rides to try and combat the influx of roadies competing and it seems to help. I have set a coarse up and time myself three times a week. What started as mid four minutes laps has decreased to a mid three minute lap. This is a lot faster than the times I was getting last year so I might be able to compete this year. I have no UCI license so I will be in the cat4/5 division but I think I can hang with the 3s. Nothing like losing weight and restructuring your muscle mass. I guess the illness has helped in that aspect.

My recovery is good. The bike stuff above might be better than ever, however the healing of the body is a bit less 'great'. I finally had a relapse into my past through a dream and it was crazy! I think it was one of those memories that the anesthesia was suppose to suppress forever but somehow snuck its way back to me. I hope for no more(but it gave me an idea of one of the procedures performed on me). The ribs are still nasty sore all the time but I seem to not care anymore. I just do and they are along for the ride. I pay but I like to play. The neck is good and the trach site(I call it the 'hole') still trips my swallowing and breathing at times but its fine. If I could help one aspect along it would be my lung capacity. It is still not close to before. I noticed it last week when I went on a fifty miler with some road riders who pinned the ride for long miles at a time. I struggled to get enough oxygen in and that in turn gave them the upper hand in a few sprints. So I hope that can come around. Other than that life is good.

until next~mark

It is August and life is good.  Days always seem to be too short.   As does summer.  Soccer and Soft pitch have just ended and life seems to swing into the relaxing days ahead.  

Kylie and I just completed our first kayak around the lake.  A bit sketchy at first but she really got the hang of it.  I think there were times when I noticed the constant pull relax as she started in on the paddling(I tied her kayak to mine with a rope).  We stayed dry just in time to take a dip at the cabin and chill out. 

Addie and I have been enjoying early morning bike rides, walks and trips in the truck.  She is growing up really fast!  She loves time to think and play and especially to watch big sister.  I am amazed at how independent she is. 

I am back to biking and working.  These are getting me back in shape.  They also wipe me out by the end of the week.  I have just finished both patios and am tending lots of vegetables from the gardens.  The hope is to race a few this fall in the cyclocross season.  I am handling the road miles...now I have to try the XC bike.

All and all things are good.  It is summer and everyone is well.  

Mark

Summer!

Today marks the beginning of the summer sports programs.  Kylie's first soccer game is tonight and then we head to baseball Tomorrow.  An every other day thing that will most likely pass the summer quickly.  Plans for this summer are limited.  Just try to enjoy it.  Addie is really into anything outside...water, dirt, anything so outside will be a staple.  Kylie is entering that stage of life where she is very independent.  Most definitely challenging but fun if the balance can be found.  She loves to do everything on her own and is a very proud person when she does. It is amazing to watch.  She just finished Kindergarten and had a wonderful experience.  WOW! I have been doing some work around the yard and gardening.  It helps pass the time.

   

I wanted to thank everyone that has supported my most recent journey through this illness...it has been long!  And still is.  To update everyone I just finished my therapy at the Sports Center on Friday which leaves me to finish my physical recovery.  I am a little surprised at how fast parts of my body have recovered to very to close to where I was before I got sick and how other areas do not seem to make progress at all.  Time I guess.  I started riding a little but the jarring and bumps really set my ribs off.  I have regained more of my lung capacity, however I am still only at about 70% of a full breath.  I did peg the spirometer however which helped me retire it for good!!!  Still further ahead of planned but far from recovered.

Enjoy~mark

Just a quick update.

Hola-I think i am finally back!   It has been a difficult journey but one that has to be made.  I still have months of 'recovery' ahead of me, however better that than the other possible outcomes they had looked at.  I am completely bored!!!!!  If you know me at all you know that this SLOW recovery phase is as painful as laying in the hospital bed!  As the ribs hurt less I think this will turn into more of a light 'training phase'.  Right now i just hope that what I do today does not kick my butt tomorrow!  This tends to happen a lot.  They promised good days and bad days and that is what I am getting.  However those bad days are not as bad as they were, just mentally demeaning.

Other than that the family is in good shape and the girls are as crazy as ever.  Kylie is still tearing up kindergarten and is ready for 1st grade. She does her first 1K this Friday for the Earth Day Half Marathon and is excited for the soccer season to start!  Addison has a case of the 'little man's syndrome'.  Or shall I say little women's syndrome.  She does not realize that she is so small.  It is a necessity to do everything that her sister and big cousin does.  It is actually quite entertaining!  She is a gem and most definitely will not be left behind!  Kristi hung in well for all that happened and she is in need of a 'mental health day' which really should be a week or more!   Soon enough I will be able to help at home and then that day will come.  

My goal for being 'normal' is may 1.  This means the remnants of the surgeries and all of the poking and prodding will finally be a distant memory.  It also means that I will only be capable of the basic things...hopefully this is when I can remount the steed and start 'training' once again.  I am bummed because this winter was one of my best off-seasons for biking and most definitely the best year of hockey I have had in ten years.  We took several tournaments and really enjoyed this year of hockey.  I think I was most bummed when my brother turned up at the hospital with the championship trophy from the super tournament in Blaine only because I was so ready to play at that level!  But damn I was proud!   Next year.

Well, I guess the good news is that this recovery is going faster than anticipated and much better than anyone expected.  For me it is too slow.  But I am here so cheers to that!!!!  Until next~enjoy everything!!

Mark

At the U!

Hello friends of the Mondloch Family Bog!

Mark is currently recovering from a serious medical situation, to learn more, visit:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/markmondloch

And so it goes.

We just returned from conferences and I cannot express how proud I am of Kylie.  It always amazes me what a teacher(I am usually doing this when I sit down with parents) tells about at conferences.  Most parents are surprised at how polite or quiet or helpful their children are at school because they see a different person at home.  Children really do a great job of being good kids at school.  And this just proves it.  We found out just what a great job Kylie does at school.  She loves to read.  Kylie is approaching mid-first grade reading levels.  She writes fluently and is excellent at math.  But what I am most proud of is how her teacher talked about her being a positive leader, helper and a very kind person.  Nice Job Kylie!

Addison amazes me everyday.  There are so many silly things she does that all I can do is enjoy and laugh.  She has to be one of the most independent little creatures out there.  I think the most ridiculous thing she did lately is faking that she wants to give her sister a kiss and gets her with a right hook to the face.  Every time!  She is crazy!  She also loves kicking the ball around.  Looks like she might be a little soccer player.  Her favorite activity lately has been going on walks in the stroller.  Last night I was out for an hour just cruising the neighborhood.  She just chilled out.  Talk about decompression time.  She is also very into being read to.  Her favorite books right now are 'Who Stole the Cookie', Brown Bear, Goodnight moon, and a farm book. She is talking but really seems to like to listen more.  Her favorite words are yes, this, that, please, Kylie and no(which is more a violent head-shaking with an open mouth making the 'O' sound).

I am playing a lot of hockey.  The skills are returning (with help from the weekly schooling at the park from my younger brother) and the legs are getting faster.  We were invited to play in the Red Bull Hockey tourney in the cities at the end of Feb.  We went undefeated at the local Red Bull event in St. Cloud.  Myself, my brothers John and Dan, and local Craig really had fun.  Dan and I went 6-0 on the weekend.  It was inspiring playing real rink hockey again against some good teams.  It was what hockey should be.  A lot of fun!  

I am getting back into lifting weights.  I have set some goals in hopes of regaining some of that mid twenties strength I once had.  However the body is much slower to recover but it will come(at least that is what I tell myself).  I am also getting ready for bike season.  

Kristi is still busy at work.  Her store is doing well through the turmoil of our economy which is good.  And she still enjoys it.  Which is also good.

Until next,

mark

Happy New Year and other ramblings...

Happy New Year!  I hope yours was great.  I gave in and made a new years resolution...be faster!  That is right.  Faster.  A lot faster.  Now I just have to get on the bike.  I used the Cross bike again, this time Kylie and her friend.  Just wish I would not have ran out of gears half way round the block!  

Our Christmas was wonderful.  Our families are so generous that I feel a little overwhelmed at times.  They are so giving.  The one memory that will stick with me this year was the girls passion for the hallmark dancing snowmen and Money Mark's Stuck at The Airport song.  They danced and danced and danced to both until they fell over!  

One more day and we are back to school.  I think we could all use another week to catch up.  My time during winter break is usually spent finishing a project or staring one, however this year I laid low and just hung with the girls.  I had a blast.  I learned so much about them that the daily grind would never allow.  I will have to remind myself that when I feel like there is no time left in that day that I need to make a little extra to enjoy what I have to the fullest.  

Anyhow, Best to all.

mark