Om att bli en "smutsig gammal man" - framlagt av Paul Lachance
"År 2014 började en idé om vad jag ville göra när jag blev vuxen att gro och den slog äntligen igenom... jag ville bli en 'Dirty Old Man'. Japp, jag ville bli den snuskigaste, smutsigaste och mest illaluktande "Dirty Old Man"!
Det kan vara bra med en liten bakgrundsinformation. I april 2006, vid 65 års ålder, drabbades jag av en allvarlig hjärtinfarkt som resulterade i en femdubbel bypass. För de flesta människor skulle det vara tillräckligt för att avsluta en aktiv livsstil. Jag vägrade dock att ge upp och var fast besluten att aktivt leva mitt liv och inte sitta i soffan och vegetera. Jag började på ett lokalt gym (med välsignelse från både min personliga läkare och min kardiolog) och tittade på och härmade vad de yngre gjorde. Jag sökte också på Internet efter olika metoder för att förbättra mig själv när jag kom på något som kallas "Spartan Race". Jag såg människor som gick över olika hinder och slingrade sig under taggtråd helt täckta av lera och sa till mig själv: "Jag kan göra det!".
On Saturday, May 3, 2014 I competed in my first Spartan / OCR event at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, CO. Now I had no allusions of coming out on top…I just wanted to cross the finish line…and if I did then I will have achieved my goal of becoming a “dirty old man”.
The race is not a race in the truest sense…although it is a timed adventure from the very beginning to the very end; it is what goes on from start to finish that test every bone and muscle in my body….but most of all test my mental capacity to endure. It is a 3 to 5-mile course of mud, ropes, walls, barbed wire crawl, and whatever other physical challenges the event organizers have in mind. The Spartan website states their goal is simple, get you off the couch, throw you in the mud and trails and the result will be the adrenaline rush of a lifetime.
My Spartan partner (and oldest son) decided that in 2015 we would try to complete a Spartan Trifecta: 1 Sprint (3-5 miles); 1 Super (8-10 miles); and one Beast (12+ miles) …all in one calendar year. Back to Ft Carson we went to complete the Super on Saturday and then the Sprint on Sunday. Not bad for this old man…but I still needed the Beast. In August we traveled to Breckenridge, CO to take on the mighty mountain. Starting point is just at 9500’ elevation and simply goes uphill from there (and hills are my nemesis!). After a grueling 8 hours on the mountain, a 220# tired and dirty old man finally emerged from the brush and crossed the finish line…I DID IT! Trifecta #1 was in the books.
I slutet av 2015 började min första riktiga kamp mot hudcancer... Jag hade utvecklat en mycket stor tumör i min underläpp, så hudläkaren beslutade att ta bort läppen. Ja, det var så enkelt...en vass skalpell och några snitt och läppen var helt borta. Nästa dag träffade jag en plastikkirurg och gick ut från hans kontor med en helt ny läpp (formad med hjälp av vävnad från insidan av munnen). Den moderna medicinens underverk!
2016 came and saw us completing three Trifecta’s. Along the way we went to Atlanta to complete a Sprint and Super with family members. I was a proud daddy when we crossed the finish line as three generations were there: one daughter, one son, one son-in-law, 2 grand-children, and myself.
The year 2017 was full of high hopes as my son and I decided to go for four Trifecta’s. With a little planning we mapped out our year and it included a trip to Hawaii to do three events in one weekend. Being the nice guys that we are, we even brought the wives with us and made a mini vacation. The State of Hawaii is beautiful and the venue was beyond belief…and it also proved more than I could handle. I grew up in a home where both my mom and dad chain smoked and the house was always full of smoke. That contributed to poor lungs and the island air was do dense once we got into the forest that I had trouble breathing so I took myself out of the race. There went my Trifecta weekend. By the way, we did get our four Trifecta’s in 2017.
Hösten 2017 präglades återigen av återkomsten av hudcancer på vänster sida av min underläpp/käke. Den här gången var det allvarligt. Tumören hade lindat sig runt en nerv som gick från käken hela vägen till skallbasen. Även om patologin visade att tumören var helt avlägsnad tog läkarteamet inga risker med att en vilsekommen cell skulle färdas längs den nerverna, så både strålning och cellgiftsbehandlingar beställdes för att påbörjas i januari 2018. De första veckorna gick lätt ... inga problem.
I slutet av januari och början av februari bröt helvetet lös... jag förlorade alla smaklökar, kunde inte äta eller dricka normalt och började gå ner i vikt. De egentliga behandlingarna upphörde i slutet av februari, men biverkningarna fortsätter än idag. I skrivande stund har jag tappat ungefär 35 pund och 6 tum runt midjan. Min garderob håller långsamt på att bytas ut för att passa min nya kropp.
My Spartan goals had evolved to where I was hoping to add one Trifecta per year until I completed 8 in one year…which coincidentally would be the year I turn 80. This radiation/chemo thing was putting a cramp in my plans for earning five Trifecta’s in 2018. After many discussions with my medical team, it was determined that I could start back on the trail in April (if I felt up to it physically). Challenge accepted! In April I traveled to Jacksonville, FL and completed a Super and Sprint; in May I was back at Ft Carson for another Super and Sprint; also, in May I was in Austin, TX for another set of Super/Sprint events but the Sprint was cancelled due to heavy lightning in the area. I know that I am not at 100% of what I can do but I also know that sitting around and whining is not what I want to do. I may be the slowest guy out there but I am giving 100% of what I have and with each step forward I am getting a little bit stronger.
För närvarande tar jag flera veckor ledigt från Spartan för att få styrka och uthållighet för andra halvan av året... och det är en hektisk fem månader som jag har planerat: att vända 77, 2 Supers, 3 Sprints, och 5 Beasts är planerad... Jag kommer att få min 5X Trifecta i år!
Along this journey I have been blessed with many supporting friends and family. I won’t specifically name any, except one, as I know that I would forget several and then I would feel bad. Let me group my support groups: Spartan participants – always encouraging and living up to the motto of “you never race alone”; Facebook friends who are so positive; gym goers for being there at 5AM and pushing me to be better; my oldest son for pushing me up the hills (literally); American Warrior Initiative for believing in me; Boost Oxygen for all they have done to keep me breathing; and most of all, my # 1 support – my wonderful wife, Davida, for encouraging me along every step of this ‘Dirty Old Man’ journey.
Vi ses på vägen..."
Boost Oxygen was recommended to Paul by an aviator pilot friend; we are very proud to have heard his story and to know that we support his intensely active and physical goals; even during this current and most epic battle. Everyone here at Boost Oxygen has had the opportunity to meet Paul and his wife Davida in-person – and they are both amazing and inspirational people. We are honored to know them. You can follow Paul on his journey and his adventures at his Facebook page: Paul Lachance.
Boost Oxygen is the #1 trusted worldwide brand of portable and convenient 95% pure oxygen. Trusted by professional teams and athletes, as well as everyday athletes, you can learn more about Boost (and the interesting people who integrate it into their healthy lifestyles) by following on social media: Instagram (@boostoxygen), Twitter (@BoostO2) and Facebook (@BoostOxygenUSA).
