Second Annual Coldwell Banker Day of Celebration, Lake Tahoe

WOW! What a wonderful time Jilly and I had last week out in the Lake Tahoe area! We flew into Reno and then drove the 40 miles and stayed in Truckee, CA, what a great little town with some incredible areas to run at 6,000+ ft. altitude!

Kris and Kellie Vogt were our hosts and are two of the nicest folks I've ever met!

Kris is the President of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Sacramento/Tahoe Region and invited me to be the Keynote Speaker at the Second Annual Coldwell Baker Day of Celebration.  I spoke to 350+ Coldwell Banker real estate agents and guests.

What a super group of people and my talk went really well and we all had a great time! After my talk I signed lots of Duel in the Sun and my autobiography Staying the Course and was able to visit with alot of the attendees.

Afterwards, Jill and I had a day and a half to tour the Tahoe area. Jill had never been to the area before so we drove the 72 miles around the lake and stopped and took many beautiful pictures!

Saturday morning I met Kris, Kellie, and others for a fun run in Donner Lake State Park, GORGEOUS! Those are some super fast runners!

That evening we met Kris and Kellie for supper and had a wonderful time, Jilly and I made a couple of great new friends! After a early morning Sunday run we drove back to Reno and flew back to Austin.

I can't begin to thank Kris and Kellie enough for the incredible time we had! After spending time with them I can see why they and the rest of the Coldwell Banker Realtors are such a successful bunch!

2012 Knee(s) update

I get asked alot about my knees and my running, so I thought I'd make it easier for people to have some information.

I've had 2 TKR's the first one on my right knee in January of 2009 and my left one done in the summer of 2010. They are both doing great! I run 70-80 miles/week and I could not be happier on how they are doing!  Both knees were put in by Dr. Heinrich and another great resource via Dr. Heinrich is Texas Institute for Hip and Knee Surgery. 

Now saying all that, I am taking a chance that they could wear out a little quicker but for me it is worth the risk.   I have a couple of things going in my favor. I don't carry any excess weight and I have always been a mid-foot/fore foot runner.  Not landing on my heels takes some of the shock away from going up into the knees. If you’re not a mid-foot/fore foot runner you can easily learn how to do it and most people actually also end up running faster with less chance of injury.  My orthopedic surgeon has also mentioned many times, that my bone density is amazing and that helps a lot.  Could it be from all of the milk I drink?  I was a dairy farmer for many years and milk is just part of my everyday routine.  Especially after running, for recovery, chocolate milk is the best for me.   

The toughest part of a TKR in my opinion is the rehabbing of the knee after surgery! Those first 6 weeks or so are brutal in working on getting your leg to straighten and to bend back as far as possible. It’s difficult, painful, sleeping is a challenge because of the pain, but it is worth every effort you put into it! Once you get over the hump you will understand why you work so hard at it!

What I found really beneficial in my rehabbing was water physical therapy at least 3 days/week. I was in the pool the day after my surgery with the therapist and it’s amazing how much more bending you can do in the water with less pain. The water also feels really good.  I did lots and lots of walking right off the bat and that helped my knee and my mind! Doing quad strengthening exercises really help also as you start to atrophied quite quickly!

Just about every orthopedic surgeon you talk with will tell you they won't want you to run again because of the chance of wearing out quicker, but like I said earlier I felt the risk was worth it and so far so good! I have the DuPuy Rotating Platform Knees made by Johnson & Johnson.

Best of luck to you, if you are thinking of TKR.

Dick

I'd love to hear from you!

Email me anytime at info@dickbeardsleyfoundation.org

13 month TKR update

Hello everyone! As you can see I'm not the best blogger but figured I would update ya'll about my new left knee. It has now been 13 months since I had my new knee put in and it's doing great! I did have a little mishap back in early July but thank goodness it was not my new knee itself! My family and I were on a fishing vacation back in my hometown of Detroit Lakes, MN, I was out on a 10 mile run about 7 miles into the run I felt this sharp pain in my new left knee. I had to stop, I could not run another step! I had to limp back to the hotel. I thought for sure I had broken something in the new knee! As soon as I got back to Austin I got right into my orthopedic surgeon. They took x-rays and the knee itself was fine, but I partially tore my quad tendon that attaches to the top of the knee! So for the next 6 weeks I was in a brace and could not bend my knee. It worked! The last 8 weeks I've been back training hard for the 2012 Boston Marathon and my knee feels better then ever! I'm back running 70-80 miles/week and really enjoying the training to get ready for next April 16 in Boston! It's hard to believe it will be the 30th anniversary of what is now known as the "Duel in the Sun" the race Alberto Salazar and I had against one another in Boston. I can hardly wait! I will try to keep this blog a little more up to date and let you know how my training is progressing. Take care everyone and have a great day!

Dick :-)

6 month Total Knee Replacement (TKR) Update

It's been 6 months today since I had a TKR on my left knee, it's doing super! My new right knee is now 2 years old and I don't even think about it anymore, my left one is almost to that point! I'm back training hard and running about 70 miles/week. I still have a long way to go to get where I'd like to be but it's coming! I've had incredible support from my wife Jill, friends, and Dr. Matt Heinrich! I know I may be pushing the envelope a bit but I'm listening to my body and back it off a bit when I need to. My hope God willing is to be ready to run Boston in 2012, it will be the 30th Anniversary of "Duel in the Sun" which excites me to no end!

14 years of sobriety

Febuary 12 is a very special day for me and my family as I've been blessed with another year (14 years) of sobriety! It has not always been easy and the past couple of years with 2 knee replacements and 2 back surgeries I've been tested! But the good Lord has given me this incredible faith, my wife Jilly has been there every step of the way to make sure I didn't go backwards, my family and friends who have supported me from day one, the doctors who helped me through these past couple of years, to all of you and your prayers and well wishes, it really helps! The disease of addiction is like nothing else a person can go through. There are times when you wonder if you will ever get better, there are times when you think it would be better to go back to your old ways. This is the disease talking, it's always right there to jump on your back in the slightest moment of weakness. This is where your faith, your support system, your attitude, you remembering the hell you went through can really help! But know this, taking it " one day at a time" or even one minute at a time, you can get your life back and it can be better then ever before! Will it be easy? Are you kidding! It will be the hardest thing you ever do, but it's worth every ounce of energy you put into it! Thanks to all of you who support the Dick Beardsley Foundation, it is greatly appreciated! Take care and have a GREAT day!

Dick :-)

1 month post TKR

Today i'm 4 weeks out from my total knee replacement and things are going well! In the past week I've been able to ride the stationary bike without any problems and yesterday I actually went out for a 30 minute ride on my road bike! I can also go up and down stairs like normal people do! Don't get me wrong it's not like it has been a walk in the park so far! I still have trouble sleeping at night as my knee tends to throb during the night. And if I'm up on it for too long or over work my physical therapy it gets sore and swells up a bit. The hard work is paying off though! My range of motion is getting more and more and I'm able to walk faster and farther now. I really feel the pool therapy has helped me a lot in getting my range of motion back! Hopefully I will continue to get stronger and stronger each week! Have a great day all! :-)