It was Thursday, August 8th when "g" mistakenly concluded he was experiencing acute exercise induced asthma. While running on the treadmill at the Y, he had been experiencing a progressive problem with breathing for about 3-months. A quick trip to his doctor on the August 8th resulted in a follow-up appointment on the 9th, a stress test on the 12th, a nuclear stress test on the 16th, and on the 19th the diagnosis of a blockage in his circumflex artery - the day before the Boys were scheduled to leave for backpacking in Rocky Mt National Park. Clearly... "g" would be staying home.

It was a strange thing. 3 days after using a steroid inhaler for an initial (mis)diagnosis of exercise induced asthma, "g's breathing had dramatically improved. So (naturally), on the 4th day... the day before his stress test... The Hat and "g" climbed Wright Mt. Without any breathing distress on the hike,"g" was happily convinced his "exercise induced asthma" was now under control. So... one can easily understand why "g" felt bonked-on-the-head-with-an-ice-pick when his stress test results indicated a blockage to his heart... not exercised induced asthma.

On Monday, August 19th, "g's" proposed treatment intervention included medication, a change in his diet, and increased exercise. (What? Not angioplasty? Not by-pass surgery? No stent? Just medication? OK! Cool! Very cool!)

The push to get healthier began quickly. On Thursday August 21st, shortly after the Boys flew to Colorado, "g" began cardiac rehabilitation in Saratoga Springs (NY). The label, "cardiac rehabilitation", is somewhat of a misnomer because "g" never had a heart attack and there was no indication he had damaged his heart. Cardiac rehabilitation became the vehicle in which "g" developed the confidence to resume exercising... hiking... canoeing... in a controlled and supervised setting.

On August 22nd, having dumped his old primary care doctor like a ton of saturated fat on a diet farm, "g" met with his new physician, Dr. F - a long term marathoner. One thing for sure... "g's" life had just taken another change for the better!

By October 1st, improvement had occurred."g" was kicking butt on his trail to wellness. 3 weeks of cardiac rehabilitation concluded: (1) his heart was not damaged; (2) medication was effectively managing his heart under strenuous exercise; (3) he was not symptomatic for having heart disease; and (4) he was in excellent physical condition.

In "g's" first 7 weeks of high intensity aerobic training and dieting, he lost 13 pounds. As a result of taking a staten, dramatically changed his diet, jogging 45 minutes a day, his total cholesterol dropped from 260 to 138 (HDL 45; LDL 79). Moreover, a Dexi-scan (full body x-ray to determine bone mineral density, body mass, and body fat, etc.) indicated his body fat was down to 22% (12-22% is the range for a healthy, non-obese, male). Cool. Very cool.

"g" was in the best shape of his life. After several weeks of cardiac rehabilitation, The Hat and "g" cruised up Dix Mt. - 3800 foot accent; 14 miles in 8 hours. Then, on September 26th, Axe and "g" paddled for two days on Lower and Upper Saranac Lakes (NY). "g" was in the fitness groove, again!

Mid-October, "g's" cardiologist startled him. Since "g" was active, in very good shape, and a very youthful 50 year old, it was recommended that he have a catheterization to fully determine the extent of his coronary artery disease. The next thing "g" knew, he was sporting a medicated stent in his circumflex artery. Three weeks after this procedure, he was back on the treadmill and considering his first road race... the Troy Turkey Trot 5K (NY). No one could have predicted (least of all, "g") that his huge commitment to run the incredibly long and time consuming 3.1 miles of a 5K race would unintentionally and accidentally bloom into ultra-running. But, that's a story yet to unfold. Nevertheless, one thing was for sure:

"g"-Force was back!