Help! There's a fat man chasing me.

2010-09-28T11:40:00.002-05:00

Yesterday (Monday) was a very nice day for a run. The temp was down and scattered clouds, slight breeze. PERFECT. Unfortunately, my run was not perfect. In fact, I woke up hurting this morning. BUMMER. However, I know the problem and could have prevented it. Sort of like sticking your tongue in the toaster-you know it's not a good idea but you just have to know for sure. Let me 'splain . .

Sunday morning I did a very sweet four miles in the rain. Didn't care . . it felt great. I finished up, took my orthotics out of the shoes and took them in the house. I put the dripping wet shoes in the laundry room (no, not in the dryer) to air dry. I figured they'd be dried out by Monday afternoon. Wrong. So, I pulled out an old, old, old pair of shoes I had retired and a very comfortable. Well, at least they are comfortable for knocking around in. Not so good for running in anymore. My ankles and knees hurt the whole time I was running. Ain't doing that again.

Since my B'day is coming up, I am going to get me some new shoes. I normally keep two pair in rotation but since I was not doing that many miles, I had let myself get down to one pair. I will be getting back into my favorites-Brooks Beast. I love my Mizuno Wave Renegades but they just don't hold up like the Beast.

Hopefully my present shoes have dried out and I'll be able to get in a four miler this afternoon.

2010-09-27T11:45:00.002-05:00

Wow . . . . it has been soooooooo long since I've posted here. Like others, I moved over to FB world but it is just not the same for logging my thoughts and experiences of being a fat man running.

Yes, I have been running. Granted during the last six months or so I have sort of been "running on empty", not really having any motivation and just slipping by with no real plan. I know that is no way to do anything in life, especially running. Seems if there is no plan, there is no goal and no motivation and the running quickly becomes tedious and ultimately gets moved to lower priority activity.

Not anymore. I have a goal. Therefore, I am working on a plan. I have been increasing my mileage, trying to get a decent base. I've been hitting 14-16 mile weeks for a while now, losing weight, and am ready to start increasing my mileage (SLOWLY). I am wanting to run the Mercedes half marathon here in B'ham in Feb. I know I won't break any records but I think that I am up for it and use that as a spring board to move on to greater things.

I hope you join me on journey to Feb 2011.

2010-02-16T11:22:00.002-06:00

Had one of "those" runs last night. No, not a bad one, but a good one. They seem so few nowadays. I still have not got a handle on my life as a married man with kids but working on it. I have taken easy scheduling so much for granted. Now I realize, more than ever, that time is a premium and I have to save some for myself.

anyway . . . Had a couple of tough runs last week. Just didn't feel good, legs sore, pushed for time, lots of junk on my mind. Nothing seemed to groove. Ran Sunday afternoon and swore that I was going to just quit running altogether-it was awful. I didn't quit but slogged through an awful three miles. Ran right after church and the weather was pretty but it just didn't work.

However, last night was like magic. You know what I mean? I didn't get started until after dark. It was cold and getting colder by the minute. Stiff breeze from the west. Should have been tough for a run but I had a blast. I did wear lightweight tights (such a wuss), a windshirt and windvest, thin gloves and ear protection. Also wore my little red flashy lights to I wouldn't get run over or so Susan could find my body laying in a ditch, whichever came first. After a cuople of hundred yards, my breathing grooved, my legs didn't hurt, good running and breathin cadence . . . . could it be that the runner inside of me had been hiding? Decided to come out and play in the dark of a cold, snowy night? Yep, that is what made it really fun-it was snowing like crazy and the feel of the cold ice crystals hitting my face was so invigorating. I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment.

worked out after getting back home and that went well also.

Did somebody flip a switch in my head?

just thinking

2010-01-21T19:54:00.002-06:00

I was able to squeeze in a nice, quick three miler this evening. Still trying to adjust to our new schedule. Most of my afternoon was running car pool, taking to tutors, picking up from extended care, doing laundry. So three miles between the whites and taking MA to soccer practice made me happy.

I've run three out of four days and planning on one a little longer sometime Saturday. Nothing spectacular but getting back into a routine.

While running tonight, it occurred to me that I have been such a slug since getting married. One of my weekend activities is to move my weights to Susans house. I have a few dumbells here (not the kids and wife) and do some light stuff but nothing to amount to much. I think the dust on the dumbells is getting thicker than my muscles. Pretty dang embarrassing.

So Jim is going to take care of Jim. I am retrieving my weight machine and setting it up in MY room and start using it.

My plan is to get back into my old routine of four days running and two days lifting. Eventually add bicycling in as a cross training.

I'll start off simple and light with the weights. Even when I was going full bore with it, I could get a workout in inside an hour. Here's how I'm starting and your feedback is welcome.

Bench Press (narrow, normal, wide, reverse gripped). That is four sets. 10-12 reps with a manageable weight.

Behind the neck seated press (narrow and wide grip) Four sets, 10-12.

Chin lifts or upright rowing(varying grips). Three sets 10-12.

Lat pulldowns behind the neck, three sets 10-12

Bent over rowing with dumbbells, three sets 10-12

Dumbell curls 2 sets of 10 concentrated, 1 set of 10 power.

Laying dumbell over the head curls 3 sets of 10-12

Leg press 3 sets of 15-20

Leg curls 3 sets of 15-20

leg extensions 3 sets of 15-20

After several weeks of just getting my body used to the added stress, I'll try to group my lifts into opposing muscle groups as much as possible and try to work two exercises concurrently, alternating the lifts (sort of similar to super-sets).

I refuse to be a wuss any longer!

2010-01-17T17:29:00.002-06:00

June?
are you kidding me? Has it been that long since I've posted. Wow, what a slug.

Actually, I have been doing some running but nothing serious. I have been trying to get in at least 4 days a week but it's tough. Especially with my modified schedule. However, I am proud that I've had several good weeks and yesterday's run was a confidence booster.

Last night was the first time in a long, long time I actually had a "running dream". Some you have no clue but some of you do. Isn't it a great feeling to dream about it? And to really top it off, I also dreamed about biking. Got me to thinking that maybe I need to set up my stationary bike and start trying get in better shape . . . maybe plan on doing some 30-50 mile rides later on this summer. I guess my primary goal is to be in shape enough to run Peavine Falls run on July 4th. Locals know this as the crazy man's run early in the morning at Oak Mtn State Park. Approx miles up the mountain and then 4 miles down the mountain. I've done this race many times before and love the comradarie. Plus it justifies the pork, potato salad, cole slaw intake later on in the day. I'm hoping that MA will run it with me. She says she wants to run it but she will be in the middle of soccer season and not sure if she'll feel like it. Anyway, stay tuned-I am trying to get back in the saddle and do a better job of running and documenting it!

2009-06-17T11:35:00.002-05:00

wow . . . two weeks since last post.

I have been running. Honest.

I have actually been able to work my schedule into the family's schedule and get in four runs a week for the last several weeks. None of them were spectacular but each one builds on the previous and is helping me to get back into the swing of things.

I am planning on running this afternoon, against advice from all our local weather goobers. High 90s with index around 105. Did I mention that I am FAT? The heat combined with the hills in my 'hood combined with the excess baggage attached to my waist will make for a nice, slow, sweaty workout or put me in the hospital!!! Actually, I do enjoy the heat. I just hate that it takes me so long to get cooled off. Nothing like standing in the shower and sweating at the same time.

I ran Sunday afternoon . . . it was rainy and somewhat cool (mid 70s). Had a pretty fun time on that run though I didn't do great. I had worked in the yard for several hours beforehand and had expended lots of energy. I ran Monday in the heat. I did the Locksley loop which throws in a couple of extra hills. Very bad idea. I completed the run am embarrassed to say that I had to walk one of the last hills. Susan and MAC rode their bikes. They gave me about a 10 minute head start and were going to try to catch me. Actually, that wasn't much of a challenge. They caught me at about 2 1/2 miles of my 3 1/2 mile run. It was hot and sweaty but fun with family involvement.

We are starting to gear up for vacation. We're heading to Hilton Head Island next week. I know that it is 3 hours further than going to the gulf coast for us, we enjoy it and the girls love the island. As far as "beauty" goes, I do like the gulf coast, especially South Walton beach between Destin and Panama City. However, that nice white fluffy sand does not encourage biking and running on the beach. Bikes will sink to the axles and unless you're superman, the super soft sand will ruin your knees. I prefer eastern beaches with the harder packed sand-much more functional. Plus HHI has all kinds of bike/running trails all over the island, through the trees, around lagoons . . . fun for spotting wildlife and sharing a smile with other bikers and runners.

other exciting things going on . . . root canal on Tuesday morning. Went well with no problems (so far). Susan and I are having dinner tonight at The Club with B and Carl (friends from CT). Walking 9 holes tomorrows with my buds. I played well last week and hope to keep the streak going-it may even force me to take my clubs to HHI. That's about it for now.

Get out there and do something. Anything. Just enjoy it!

Just call me Mr. Sensitivity

2009-06-03T11:34:00.004-05:00

Okay, okay. I've been remiss in keeping the two people who read my blog updated (my wife and my mom). Susan reads it to keep me honest and to make sure that I don't tell any embarrassing stories about her. My mom reads it because she knows how much I hate to talk on the phone.

First things first-running. Yes I have been . . . some, but not enough. I noticed the other day that the pants were starting to get a little snug again. I accused Susan of drying them too hot. She wouldn't buy it and I knew better. Going to be spending the summer trying to push back from the table. I have realized that I cannot hold myself accountable without a goal so I will be looking at the race calendar over the next year and try to get my butt in gear. I told MAC, my 12 year old step-daughter, that we would do a sprint triathlon next spring. That is some sort of commital, isn't it?

Life. It goes on. Too quickly sometimes. It seems that I have no time to do anything. I realize that I just have to take a deep breath, focus on priorities and take care of business.

Seems that E has become unfamiliar with her body. She is not old enough to doing the puberty thing or at least I hope she's not. Over the last week she has managed to inflict multiple injuries on her nine year old body. She has been running into things, scraping protruding joints, and adding to her collection of "boo boos" on a daily basis.

The latest episode was Monday evening. I was going for a run and E wanted to ride her bike with me which I encouraged. Afterall, exercise is so much better than watching the tube, right? She's been growing like a weed and her legs have been cramped on her bike. She asked me to raise the seat. I told her we only needed to adjust it a little at a time so she could get used to the difference. That was unacceptable so instead of arguing about it (Susan has done a good job in telling me about picking my battles) I raised the seat about 1 1/4 inches. Well . . . MAC and Susan decided to join us also. My nice little run was quickly turning into a family outing. Okay . . . I can deal with that. Of course the girls argue the whole time, but that's another story for another day. The girls asked if they can ride on ahead and we warn them about staying to the right hand side, to stop at all stop signs, and to not get out of sight. Okay, go. It was like they were shot out of a rifle-legs furiously pumping, bikes wobbling . . . whish-they were gone. Susan decided to pedal a little faster to catch up to them. Cool . . . I'm running and not parenting. That is until I round the bend at the bottom of the hill.

I don't recall if I saw the bike in the street or heard the bellowing first but regardless, I knew something was askew and my nice run was going to be transformed into social work. Now I know what my parents went through as I was growing up. I am still thankful that they chose to put up with me instead of drowning me! MAC was standing there saying "I didn't do anything!". E was laying on the side of the road next to her bike, alternating between screaming, sobbing, and blaming MAC. Susan was off her bike and trying to get information from E. For a brief moment I truly thought about running on past them and pretending like I didn't know them. However, the consequences of such an action would be horrific, similar to the shock and awe air-strikes of Bagdad. Okay . . . I'll be a parent, but on MY TERMS. I stop and ask . . . "what happened?" E screams, "Mary Alice made me fall off my bike!". MAC again pleads her case of innocense. My guess is that is was probably a little bit of both. "Okay. Calm down. Let me see." I have E hold up her hands. I say, "you're supposed to have ten fingers . . . looks like they're all there." Then I check the head- "two ears, two eyes, all the teeth you started with . . . look up" she turns her head up and down and side to side. "Good . . . now you know why we are so mean and MAKE you wear a helmit". "Two legs, two knees, two ankles, two feet, no blood." I then ask the question that always gets me in trouble-"So why are you crying?". "IT HURTS!!!" E yells. "Okay, calm down. Yeah, I do see some gravel and scrapes on the palm of your hand but not enough for that much crying."

She finally realizes that is about as much sympathy as she's going to get from me. I know we have to blame something or somebody to appease her anger, embarrassment, and pain. Aha! . . . I raised the seat. "E, it's probably my fault because I raised the seat too high" I volunteered, laying my pride and manhood on the alter of parenthood. She found this an acceptable sacrifice and the crying became more of a subtle whimper. "Okay . . . standup" I said. "But it hurts" she said. "Hmmmm. Well, you can stay here and hurt and maybe get run over or eaten by crows. Or you can buck up, take it to the house and hurt there. Regardless, you are going to hurt", I try to explain. It is at that time that I get THE LOOK. All family members, including the dogs, the cat, the hamster, know THE LOOK. Cool, now she can focus on her anger instead of the pain.

She gets up and trys to get on the bike. Whether she's scared or actually hurting, I don't know but it took her a couple of minutes to start pedaling. She and Susan pedal along at a very slow pace while MAC and I go on ahead and do another mile while Susan and E take it home. We go inside when we're done and I can't help but chuckle at the ice on the wrist and all the bruises and scrapes on E. I apologize to her and explain that it all part of being a kid and growing up. She settles down and we all sort of discuss and laugh about it. Susan serves dinner-Thai noodles and shrimp. Homemade. Let's see . . . authentic Thai food if pretty hot . . . . E takes a bite, sticks out her tongue and says "GREAT, now I have a boo boo on my tongue!!!"

We'll see what adventures await us when we go for a run this afternoon.

Monday

2009-05-11T12:07:00.002-05:00

yep . . . another one. And thanks to my buddy Phil (AZ Phil), I found out that I am about 40% of the way through my 4160 Mondays that I'll have to live through. So far so good.

Last week was not a great week for running though I did walk 9 holes twice and that has to count for something doesn't it? I mean, carrying 30 lbs of golf clubs, bag, balls, beverages for about 2 1/2 miles in 80 plus degree heat counts as exercise in my book.

I ran Monday, golfed Tuesday, ran Wednesday, golfed Thursday. After that, I was a total slug. Between lack of uuumph, out of town soccer tournament, and this gosh awful depressing grey sky/rain we get every weekend, I just didn't manage to get in any miles over the weekend. I will, however, try to squeeze in some mileage this evening after taking E to dance and then from dance to soccer practice. I may just throw on my running clothes and run while soccer practice is going on.

Soccer tournament-
No repeat state championship. Our team is about speed and technique. Not good things to rely on when the fields are ankle deep in muck and it's raining the entire time. MAC played well . . . she is fortunate in that she understands how to switch from speed to power. It's great that she takes coaching so well. We've been working with her about shortening her stride and no quick turns on wet fields. It payed off . . . several times she easily outmanuevered players from the other teams as they slipped down or lost their footting. Our first game ended in a 4-4 tie. We originally thought that we'd smoke this team since we jumped out to a 3-0 lead and seemed to have things under control. However, our defense just didn't clear the ball as effectively as in the past and our goalies just were not on their game. MAC had two goals and an assist. Once goal should go on the highlight reel-she intercepted a pass while playing mid-center, gave a head fake and she was off to the cleaners. She ended up with a clear field outside the goalie's box and set the goalie up perfectly. Great fun to see it come together like that. Our second game was against a team that got slaughtered by the team we had tied so we sort of expected a win which we needed to get into the playoffs. Unfortunately, the other team scored two quick goals and our girls couldn't seem to recover. We had a few decent shots at goal including MAC slamming one into the post. The game ended up getting called a few minutes into the second half due to lightning and under Alabama Youth Soccer rules, the game was done. A tie and a loss sent us into a consolation game late Sunday morning. We ended up playing against our sister team that MAC plays with sometime. All the girls and parents know each other and most are friends and it made for a fun and interesting game. The other team scored in the first minute of the game and rest of the game was a defensive struggle ending in a 0-1 loss for us. Basically, we stunk it up with 0 wins, 2 losses, 1 tie. We now get a short respite from soccer and try outs begin in about three weeks.

that's about it for now.

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there . . . and you know who you are!!!

2009-05-04T11:53:00.002-05:00

Hey all. Long time, no see. I never had any clue that being a family man would change my life and priorities so much. Lots of things since my last post several weeks ago.

I have been running. That's the important thing. For the most part, I've been running at least three days a week and normally try to get four in, even if they end up being rushed, short runs. I still have not become the time manager that I thought I was so I still struggle balancing yard work for two houses, two daughters (I hate calling them step) and their soccer practices, games and the accomanying comings and goings involved, running, and helping Susan with routine house stuff. I hate to run in the mornings but it is looking more and more like I'll have to adopt morning running to achieve any quality results.

On other fronts-
MAC continues to enjoy soccer and has some pretty good games the past month. We were in Destin, FL last weekend for a tournament. MAC was invited to guest play with a sister team from the same soccer association. She and two other players were asked to play since their normal team wasn't not going to this tournament. Needless to say, you can cherry pick and cobble together a pretty good team when you can take good players from different teams. We were lucky in that our condo was across the street from the fields where our age group was playing. Wow! what a break. Last year, we had to drive 45 minutes to get to the fields. The first game was more like a scrimmage. No insult intended to the team we beat. They were a local team from Emerald Coast Soccer Assocation. MAC score the first goal within about 30 seconds of the start of the game. We had a corner kick that was actually executed fairly well, MAC got the cross and boomed it in, just like it's drawn up on the marker board. We ended up winning that game 4-0 with our coach electing to play a lot of the second half with different player combinations and positions and just experimenting.

The second game was a couple of hours later that afternoon and it was blazing hot. I had gone for a 6 mile run between games while the girls just lazed around the condo. There was a nice breeze as I was running along the road parallel to the beach and that made it SEEM cooler than it was. The first 5 miles went pretty well and was on my way to my normal goal-a negative split on my out and back runs. However, mile 6 hit me. Something about seeing the condo in the distance, the black asphalt soaking in the 1:00 afternoon soon and the 87 degrees, and my general lack of being in shape caught me. I'm not sure what you may call it in your running circles but we call it "THE ELECTRIC HEADBAND". You know the sensation that you get while you're running when all of a sudden your scalp starts tingling, you start getting tunnel vision and see monkeys dancing off the hot asphalt? Well, I was there, and though scarey, it is strangely exhilirating. Finished up my run, covered in salt, got back to the condo and took a quick shower. Timed perfectly to take MAC to her second game. OMG-it was a great game. Two totally different styles ended in a zero zero tie after an hour of play. MACs team is built more on speed and execution. The team we played from Cobb county near Atlanta were brutes. These girls were a bunch of amazons. Before the game we all swore that this was a 14 or 15 year old team that had gone to the wrong field. Nope . . . this was the right team. Those girls must eat a lot of chicken (growth hormone). The Cobb team was not exceptionally fast but they were big and powerful and just seemed to plow through our defense. Thank goodness our fullbacks are decent size and our goalie is quick as a cat because Cobb probably had shots on goal that outnumbered ours at least 5-1. When we would advance the ball and get near their goal, they would simply just knock us off the ball. We did get a couple of penalty shots but all in all it was a clean, physical game they played and fun to watch. MAC had a good shot on goal and had the goalie totally out of positiong but hit the top bar with it. We went back to the condo wondering if we were going to play consolation game on Sunday or actually be in the semi-finals. We found out later that evening that we finished third out of ten for the day and made it to the finals.

Sunday we got up and headed to the fields after all the consolation games were played. I could tell the girls were tired and beat up from the physical game the afternoon before. Several of the girls, including MAC, had big, ugly black banana bruises on their arms and thighs. We played a team from Florida and they were good. They were the #2 team and with good reason. Very well coached and relentless. We held our own in the first half and had things tied up 1-1 at halftime. The second half was a different story. The difference in good coaching and great coaching is the ability to make changes and adapt. The FL team came out playing a different game at a different level and quickly scored a couple of goals. Our girls quickly became demoralized (along with tired and beat up) and everyone could tell their hearts were not in it. Our coach moved girls around and tried different attacks but we just couldn't get the ball in the net. The team didn't score anymore but they essentially did what we did in game #1-sort of just practiced their passing and keep away game. I guess their coach knew they still had another game to play so he lightened up. It could have been much uglier. Thank you for having mercy on our girls.

The good thing about losing the first semi is that we get to get on the road quicker. MAC slept most of the way home.

okay. lunchtime is over. I'll try to do better at posting.

just quickly

2009-04-13T20:07:00.002-05:00

Seems the world has turned to Facebook and fewer and fewer folks are blogging. I'm old fashioned and try to continue updating my blog. After all, a lot of my friends and family have just gotten used to blogspot. FB would probably be the last straw and push them into caves with open fires and chasing wild animals.

Bottom line- good week last week. However, though excited about my run today and starting off another good week, I had one of those days. You know? I never really was comfortable. Legs were tired and I felt like I was 20 pounds heavier. In fact, I have to admit that I walked the last 1/4 mile of my 3 1/2 mile loop . Yuck . I hate that feeling. Just when you thought you were starting to make a little progress, reality comes back and smacks you in the uh huhs.

On a lighter note, I took E to soccer practice (mind you, she's really just a first year) and stayed there and watched. She's improving and actually able to move the ball with both feet. A big improvement from several weeks ago.

Maybe tomorrow's run will be better.

What was that?

2009-04-05T18:45:00.004-05:00

Something went buzzing through me this evening as I was cooking chicken fajitas on the grill. I've done lots of things, some good, some not so good in my 49 years, 6 months of breathing the air that God has freely provided our little rock that whirls around the sun every 365 (give or take) days. Some have been pretty stupid and some were almost brilliant. Now I sit here pondering, wondering. I feel sort of like the Grinch talking to his dog Max moments before he figured it out.

Susan was asking me what I might want to do for my 50th birthday. Six months away. In all honesty, I have never even thought about it. Really. Until now. The question, asked in total innocense and utmost sincerity, buzzed through my head, doubled back and drilled right down into my gut. What was that? was that my pride quickly being wiped away like a dry erase board? Wow-50. I believe that in most likelihood that number puts the majority of us on the down hill side. If my life were a work week, I'd probably be about Wednesday afternoon, maybe getting close to quitting time.

I guess the thing that struck me was I quickly realized that I still feel like a teenager at times. I'm having too much fun to be 50. Maybe I should act more my age? Susan hates it when I say that. Or maybe I should just start buring the candles at both ends. Damn 50, full speed ahead! I guess I have six month to decide how to approach it. I am in dire need of some wisdom out there so if you have anything to contribute, let me know.

On the running front-
Glad to see Amy ripped off a new PR . . Congrats girlfriend!

I had a couple of good runs on Monday and Tuesday then went out of town. Headed to Milledgeville, Ga (not too far from Amy) to look at an upcoming job at one of our fossil plants. It rained almost entire time I was there on Wednesday and Thursday, walking around in the coal yard and ash trench. Yuck! I got home Thursday evening but didn't feel like running. I had to come home from the plant in soaking wet clothes (already checked out of hotel), soaking wet socks and steel toe boots, listening to one of my riding companions babble on about some trivial BS about the batting order of the LA Dodgers. Not in mood to run, needless to say. Friday was a wierd day. I know that I needed to run but sort of had a don't give a rip attitude. Strange how it comes and goes. Saturday, I did something that I HATE to do. There is something inherently wrong with driving your car somewhere so you can go for a run. However, Susan and I went to one of our local trails, Jemison Trail, where it is nice and shady and the path runs parallel to a nice size creek. There were lots of folks out and once we got going I was happy that I did so. Today (Sunday) we seemed to waste the day away. We got home from church, ate a quick lunch, went grocery shopping, came home and paid bills, cleaned house, did laundry, and did a quick easy two miler in the misty rain. That's it for the week.

50 . . . . man that sucks.

The good, the bad, and the ugly

2009-03-28T17:53:00.004-05:00

Just got in from my Saturday afternoon run. It's almost dinner time but I think that I will probably shower first. Got that runner's stink going, you know what I mean?

The good- Four days this week. Not a record by any stretch and I know some of you scoff at four days but I enjoyed each day and for once in a long while, I was consistent and not finding excuses to skip.

The bad (started off good)- We had a statewide competition to lose weight over the last ten weeks. We formed up into teams of four and the goal was for each person to lose 10 pounds. For every person losing 10 pounds, his (or her) name will be entered into a drawing for $250. If the entire team lost 10 pounds each, each team member's name is entered into a drawing for an addtional $1000. We did great! All four of us lost our 10 pounds and then some. I was the weakest link of the team but lost 13 pounds in 9 weeks (early weigh in due to being out of town for spring break when the official weigh in occurred). The other three team mates lost anywhere from 17 pounds to 29 pounds! I know-you ask yourself what is bad about that. Well, I've sort of lost focus and though have not gained any back, I haven't lost any either. But I will be working on that!

Ugly-my running. Well, maybe not my running. My running if fine. It's the stupid road's fault. You see, where I live here in B'ham is a lovely little community called Mountain Brook. One of those places where you are either "old" money or "new" money. Or as in my case, NO MONEY! Anyway, the city planners must have missed their 10th grade geometry class. They either forgot or didn't know that the straightest distance between two points is a straight line. Now I am not going to argue semantics with you . . . line, line segment, ray, polyline. The bottome line is that in this area you can get from point A to point B 10 different ways and they all SUCK! There is nothing straight in this town. There are also no flat spots. NONE. We have a one mile loop around the house that isn't bad but I do occassionally venture out like I did twice this week. I did a four miler on Thursday and today (Saturday) that took me through billy goat country here in the "brook". Thank goodness I do not have a Garmin . . . I'd hate to know how many elevation changes I went through. When I used to go to a lot of local races, I always wondered why the Mtn Brook folks always did so well. Now I know-they train over here in these hills. I guess it will make me tough or it will kill me. Time for some Balvenie and Advil.

I'm going to enjoy my evening of watching basketball and being a slug. Looking forward to Sunday School where we are doing a study of the parallel passion stories in the gospels. Thanks to Bret for undertaking this and doing a great job. Go visit his blog if you have time. He is an excellent writer and has that . . . hmmmm . . . .weird(?) sense of humor.

2009-03-17T17:14:00.003-05:00

Hey there. Yep, I'm back. Nothing big. Weeks of short runs and just building base..

You may or may not know, Susan and I are at the beach this week. L.A. (or lower Alabama) as most southerners know it. It is spring break in Alabama. However, we don't have the girls. Their father has them this spring break so we are kidless. We were originally supposed to be going to Vegas this week for our official "honeymoon". However, with the economy the way it is, we decided to save some money, skip Vegas, and just head to the beach for our alone time.

Facebook followers already know that it rained the first day we were down here. I'm not talking about an off and on sprinkle. We're talking about pouring down, toad strangler, rain. We spent several hours in Fairhope Alabama trying to go in and out of the antique shops but after several hours of just getting wet, we took a vote and decided to go to a local restaurant and have oysters and adult beverages. I think that was a much better choice.

We got up this morning to a much nicer day. We got out for a run-9ish, sort of late, but hey, it is our honeymoon after all. Susan ran for about 10 minutes with me. Actually I ran for 10 minutes with her and then she was ready to turn around and head back. I gave her the key and I kept going. I think she was relieved that she didn't have me tagging along with her and she could run/walk at her own pace. I went on for another 12 minutes and then turned around. I ran back in less time since I had run with Susan so I ended up with a round trip of about 39 minutes. Nothing fabulous but it was fun running in the sun and looking at the early morning scenery. Like all the spring breakers staggering out of their rentals, all hung over.

We decided that today would be our beach day. The clouds are non-existant, the breeze is mild, the sun warm. Beautiful day. Unfortunately, the water was COLD. Shrinkage cold (for you Seinfeld fans out there). Needless to say, we did not go past knee deep, thank goodness.

It occurred to me while on the beach, that this was a great equalizer. There was everything from young, pretty (and handsome) school kids throwing frizbees and footballs to an elderly couple that was fully clothed and just walked to the water's edge holding hands. There were also lots of folks like me-somewhere in the middle. Not young, not old. Not pretty, not ugly, not a hard body, not a fatty. The amazing thing is that with all the different people, body types, ages, races, nobody seemed to mind the next one being there. Thank goodness they let me on the beach! Just an observation.

Tomorrow we are going to Ft Morgan, taking the ferry to Dauphin Island and then heading up to Bellingrath gardens. After that, we are heading west to spend the night in Biloxi at Beau Rivage.

I'll keep you updated!

2009-02-24T19:40:00.003-06:00

Okay, okay. I am a very bad person. I never knew how different life would be with a family. I went from having all the time in the world (and being lonely) to having small snippets of time that I try to mend together (and have a family). Not complaining-just sharing observation about my life. Busy best describes it. Priorities have definitely changed. Normally, Saturdays were reserved for long runs, working in the yard (which I love to do), grilling out with my neighbors and having one too many of whatever we are drinking at the time. Now Saturdays are about soccer, dance pictures, splitting time with the father, and numerous other things that have somehow become more important. I am still searching for a balance. I'm I'll figure it out eventually.

I know I cannot catch up since my last post. I will talk about this week so far. Susan has not been running regularly and just tries to catch a mile here and there. Sunday afternoon we went for a three miler that turned into a three mile run/walk. We had fun and stopped in several open houses along the way just to be nosey neighbors. The father had the kids so we were able to enjoy our time together and come back to the house, sit on the screened in porch (with propane heater) and read. Monday I did a quick 3 miler. Felt good and Sunday made me sort of hungry for more. Today I went out and did a 4 miler on my hilly course. The weather was slightly warmer (high 50s) and a tee shirt was plenty. Of course I also wore shorts and shoes. I am civilized after all. The run was enjoyable. I know that I was not fast but I did push and it felt good to do it. I'll take off on Wed. and then run on Thursday and hopefully on Saturday or Sunday. We are supposed to go to Atlanta for a soccer tournament but I may stay in town with E to get her picture made with dance class. Of course if we stay in town, we are going to stay in town the whole weekend and work in my yard in Eagle Point. It may be a weekend where we divide and conquer . . . Susan and MAC at soccer tournament and E an myself staying in B'ham. As typical with my new life, chaos is the norm and we don't have a plan yet.

2009-02-11T11:46:00.003-06:00

Hey all. It's Wednesday lunchtime and I'm eating my can of solid white Albacore Tuna and fistfull of pretzels and drinking my third giant cup of water. Yes . . . doing weight watchers (Jim style) again. Now you may ask "what do you mean Jim Style?" We all agree that weekends are tough. That is when we party, go out to eat, and generally let go just a wee bit. I really hit the WW method hard on week days. However, if I way the same on Monday morning as I did on Friday morning, I count that as a win. I have had a good week so far. I have dropped 3.6 lbs since Monday morning. I know that's a bit much for a 48 hour period but that's just the way my body works. Sometimes it may be a couple of days of holding steady and then WHAM! I lose a couple of pounds.

Running. Let's see . . . I did a nice 5 miler on Saturday. Still not ready for any long runs but I can tell I'm starting to get stronger. I ran Monday afternoon. That was a fun run. Four miles, pushing it just a little. I was definitely winded when I finished but my recovery was quick and I regretted not having gone further. I walked eleven holes of golf Tuesday afternoon. It was first I have played since November and I was surprised that I was able to hit fairways and an occassional green. My score wasn't that good but I was happy with the contact and had mucho fun walking with my buddy Larry.

I am supposed to run 4 or 5 after work today but we'll have to see how it goes. There are storms about to blow into the B'ham area and supposed to last until sundown. Hopefully I'll find a gap so I can get out and get in some exercise.

The big social event of the week happens tonight. I'm taking Susan and girls to The Club for dinner and dancing. Tonight is the Father/Daughter dance and I know that E is going to try to dance my legs off. MAC may dance with me but she is bashful about getting on the dance floor. I'll post pictures later.

question for runners out there-
does anyone use the measure tool on Google Earth? If so, have you found it accurate. I do not use a GPS and I'm just too plain lazy to ride my bike or car along all my different running routes. It seems to be fairly accurate but just curious if anyone uses the tool.

YUCK

2009-02-02T18:15:00.004-06:00

yes, yuck-
never mind. I have managed to contract some kind of stomach bug. Actually this feels more like a St Bernard or something of quivalent size. Not sure where it came from-perhaps the circus last Friday night. I felt good on Saturday and went for a nice 5 miler Saturday afternoon. E had a friend over to spend the night so I guess she could have introduced this dibolical biological threat to human kind. Doesn't matter. I have felt like (insert your own word here)and continue to feel like whatever word you chose.

I felt fine Sunday morning. MAC was sickly so Susan stayed home with MAC and I took E to Sunday school (kicking and screaming, it's not fair!!!). I had to remind her that she stayed home several weeks ago when she was running a temperature. About halfway through my SS class, I started feeling nauseated. I mean stomach flip flops, not finishing coffee, breaking into a sweat kind of thing. We skipped church and headed home. We were supposed to eat brunch at my parents' house but I had to bail because
1-I don't like puking on the side of the road.
2-I don't like puking into Wal-Mart bags while pulled over to the side of the road.
3-I prefer to be sick at home.

By early afternoon, the "D" word got me. You know, loosey goosey. And then the purge really began. For those of you who prefer not to read about or discuss bodily functions, you should skip to next paragraph. We've all been there-sitting on the head with your head stuck in a garbage can. Awful. And it wasn't even from a wild night of partying. Probably from a kid. I have done some tough things in my life but nothing compares to being exposed to the germ carriers 24 hours a day. It's an absolute miracle that any kid makes it out of school alive. Okay, back to bodily functions. I think I managed to clear everything out from the last 2 months. Remember the Seinfeld episode with the black and white cookie? Remember how he fought to retain his puke free streak. I was sort of fighting it. But once I gave into just a little gag, it was all over. And the body aches.

I thought it might be the flu but I had a flu shot and I really didn't have a fever. Maybe gall stones? All I know is that I was down for the count. I spent the rest of Sunday in the horizontal position, half awake, half asleep with the TV on, not caring what I was listening to. At least the TV sort of drowned out the sounds of my grunting and whimpering. I also had chills. Big shivering, quaking, uncontrollable shakes. I took Tylenol and that helped a little bit with the body ache. I went to bed just knowing that it was my last day on earth.

I awoke Monday (today) morning feeling a wee bit better. However, not good enough to go into work. Now, if you know me, you know that I don't like to skip work, unless golf or travel is involved. Body aches were gone but stomach was still not right. Susan had me try some oatmeal before they left for school. It stayed down. Yippee. I had soup and sweet tea for lunch. Mistake. Got to see the noodles for a second time. Yuck. I've sort of been bouncing between feeling okay to feeling bad. We just had tacos (I never said I was smart) for dinner. Plain. Flour torts and hamburger meat. Still trying to decide if I'll keep it. I'll keep you posted.

MAC is trying to read over my shoulder and wants to use the computer to listen to some hiphop or whatever it is kids listen to on Youtube. Got to watch them. Check you later.

hugs

2009-01-29T11:57:00.002-06:00

It's lunchtime on Thursday and I am finally taking enough time to catch up. Funny how I thought I could better control my routine once I was married and stopped all the back in forth involved with dating. Wrong, fish face. My life has never been busier and more out of control than it has the last two months. Not complaining, just sharing the realization that having 3 girls in my family is truly like herding cats. Of course there is nothing more rewarding than teaching a lesson, sharing an experience, holding hands with my daughters, or any one of a hundred other things that make me realize that maybe, just maybe, I am a father.

Running. Yes I am. I've been building base the last several weeks, trying to run at least four days a week. I really haven't done anything more the 5 miles at any one time but it is running. This week was sort of a breakthrough week. I had a good run on Monday and on Tuesday I went for a hilly workout and pushed the pace. It felt great!

I cannot run the half at Mercedes which is only a couple of weeks away but I will likely run on a relay team. I won't be fast but I won't be last. Maybe that should be my new motto.

Happy New Year and a lesson learned

2009-01-07T11:40:00.005-06:00

Wow. I cannot believe that it has been a month since my last post. Holidays and new family definitely affect what was once expendable time.

The question is, have I been running? Yes. Some. Not enough to be considered in shape but enough to know that I need to be doing more. I am not going to try to capture the last month worth of running. Probably averaged 12-15 miles a week-terrible, I know. Plus the week after Christmas I was fighting a head cold and didn't do much. Plus it seems that it has been raining in Alabama since Thanksgiving. I try to hit the days when it's not storming outside and that has affected my schedule also.

I will tell the story of this past weekend. Even though this actually belongs on my other sight (formerly My Hot Girlfriend and will probably be renamed My New Family), there is physical exertion involved so I'll just write about it here.

The girls, like most school kids around the nation, have had close to two weeks off from school. As such, their schedules have been all hosed up. After getting the girls back from their dad, we noticed the ability of the girls to sit up much later than usual. Not good. Not being used to kids I always assumed that most folks could get by on 6 or 7 hours of sleep. Nope. It seems kids like 8, 9, or even 10 hours. That being said, this past Saturday Susan and I decided that we needed to do something with the girls on Sunday that would wear them out and force them to go to sleep early Sunday night. We decided a nice challenging hike would do everyone good. Get out of the house, exercise, see nature and all that stuff.

After church and lunch on Sunday we headed out to our local state park-Oak Mountain State Park (http://www.alapark.com/OakMountain/). Great place for all kinds of activities. Lots of trails (http://www.alapark.com/parks/feature.cfm?parkid=9&featureid=15). The shortest trail is the Peavine Trail. It is about 1.9 miles to a parking lot and another 1/2 mile to the waterfalls located in the park. Now anyone who knows the park knows that though this is a short trail, it is probably the toughest climb. The elevation change from the trail head to the highest point is about 550 feet and that occurs in the first 1 1/2 mile. Very good . . . that will make the girls sleep. We discussed this with the girls and they were excited about it. Told them it was a tough hike . . . that there are probably no other kids in there class that have done this hike. Even more excitement. I guess they are like me and love a challenge. I figured that since MAC practices/plays soccer continuously and E is slender, rides her bike and climbs like a monkey, they could handle it.

We parked near the trail head. I strapped on my day pack with two water bottles, a couple of Oat Meal to go snacks, a lighter, a flashlight, trail map, cell phone. Should be good enough for what I anticipated to be 3 hours of hiking. The key word here is ANTICIPATED. I forgot to factor in the kid factor. The first half mile is a very steep climb. The girls immediately came to the realization that there was to be no running ahead on the trail. This was fun to watch as they realized this . . . . hands on knees and breathing like fish out of water. Susan and I looked at other, pleased with our plan to "wear out" the girls. We stopped for a few sips of water. At the end of the first half mile, the trail levels off and then drops down through a bottom (or hollow, as we say here in Alabama). This is one of the easy stretches on the trail and lasts for maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 mile. The next 1/2 mile is all uphill. I have to admit that it is a good climb so I know the girls were really working hard. About halfway up, E wants more water. DANG. We can't keep stopping every few feet, it will slow us down. She also wants a snack. We stop and get into the day pack. Not part of my plan. I figured a few sips of water along the way and then split the snack bars once we got to the waterfalls. I also didn't count on E slurping and gulping down the first bottle of water halfway to our destination. Okay. Explain to the girls that we only take sips and we need to concentrate on moving. I quietly decide to give up my ration of water for the hike.

We hit the high point of trail, about 1 1/2 miles from the trail head. Guess what? Yep. Need to stop, eat and drink again. Not good. Now mind you, I am not an avid hiker but I know enough to realize that the farther you go, the longer you have to come back and I also realize that on a cloudy day, mid-afternoon can turn into nightfall quickly. I tell everyone that we are closer to the falls than the car but we have taken too much time. I tell them that the last mile is reasonably flat and faster. However, we may need to turn around now before we all get tired and before it gets dark. Yells of "NO!!!! we want to see the falls" encouraged me and warmed my heart. Yes, these girls will tough it out (I thought). I silently take note of the mist and fog that is rolling in on us-not good. However, we plow on.

We had to stop a couple of other times along the flat, fast part of the trail. MAC was doing fine and enjoying it. E, to her credit was tough and determined to make it to the falls but she was slowing exponentially and wanting more water than we brought. We finally get to the parking lot and breath a sigh of relief. We are now only a 1/2 mile from the falls. I check my watch and we have spent twice as long as I planned just getting to the parking lot-CRAP. E is now in a pseudo whiney stage . . . "my legs hurt", "we've been here for hours", "we've walked 10 miles", "I'm thirsty". Things I should have anticipated but didn't. This is turning out to be a good lesson for me.

I start talking to Susan as we approach the falls. I inform her that we will almost have to run back down the trail just to beat dark. We both realize that E can't do it. We're screwed. We go ahead and go to the falls, noting that there are several cars on the parking lot-this means 1) that the gate on the road is open and 2) we can beg for a ride back if need be. After 15 minutes or so at the falls I decide that I will high tail it back to get the car. I know it is not smart to split up but this is a state park in Alabama, not the middle of the wilderness of Montana. We hike back from the falls to the parking lot and E is about to quit. Susan is walking with E and they are falling farther and farther behind MAC and me. I tell MAC about everything in the day pack-lighter, flashlight, cell phone. Once to the parking lot I have a decision to make- should I go back on the trail which is about 1.9 miles down hill but rocky and shrouded in fog or should I run back down the road which is about 4 miles down hill to the trailhead but decently paved road. I opt for the road. Even though it is a longer run, it is a steady downhill grade, will have traffic on it, and I am not likely to get lost on a twenty foot wide strip of gravel and asphalt. I check the time and know that it will be dark in 1 hour. The fog makes it seem like nightfall is already on us. I tell MAC that I figure I can be to the car in about 35 minutes and it will probably take another 10 to drive back up (15 mph speed limit due to the curvey road). I give Susan the day pack and my hat. I roll up my sleeves and take off down the hill.

Those of you who know me know that I wear orthotics when I run. Guess what? I am in hiking boots with NO orthotics in them. I also wearing heavy cotton shorts with a thousand pockets and not wearing nice, light weight running attire. I don't know if I should credit my somewhat physical conditioning, the fear of losing my new family in the dark to a mountain lion, the downhill grade, or just plain old fear of failure but I made it to the car with no problem and back up the mountain in 39 minutes. Credit the girls . . they decided to start walking down the road towards me so I met them about a mile down from the upper parking lot. Better still, there was no crying and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Once we got back down to the lower elevation, the fog broke and though it was twilight, things didn't seem quite so ominous. My legs and ankles are sore but I did survive. I think that I was the first one asleep that night.

I think the next time we want to "wear out" the girls, we'll just make them do jumping jacks in the driveway!

Whew!

2008-12-10T12:11:00.001-06:00

It has been a week. Where does the time go?

First, running. Yes, I am making time to sneak in a few runs. Even enough to put a very slight lead over the FAT MAN! I ran Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday last week. Nothing farther than 4 miles but I have now re-established a four day running routine. This week I have run Monday. Did not run Tuesday for assorted reasons, none of which is a good excuse other than Susan and MAC had to run for a while so I was watching E who is 8 years old and not quite at that point where you can trust a child so I stayed in with her. My modified schedule has me running tonight, Friday night and Saturday (or Sunday).

So I've been married for 2 weeks and 4 days. As expected, it has been a trip. A few things done and many more to get accomplished. Finally got the plumbing problems fixed . . . let's just say that the 30" diameter red oak that is invading the drain line will have to go next year. I have finally got "my" room sort of settled though it still needs painting. The baby blue fit what was formerly E's room but tends to make the male gender feel a little . . . unmanly. Gonna paint that sucker over the Christmas holidays. I have moved out a few extraneous things from MY room-the air hockey table is out. The sofa and end table have been rearranged for maximum TV watching. I have moved out the 27 inch console TV and replaced it with my 43 inch Sony HD flat screen from my other house (men, insert grunting sounds here). We have also dumped Charter and I have moved my DirecTV service to Susan's house . . . no charge. Very cool. I have also been fighting with Bellsouth. Sorry if any of the readers work for ATT or Bellsouth but I have to say that I am livid. It seems that my ID cannot be reused when I cancel my internet service and go under Susan's ID. Yes, I can create a second mailbox and account with Susan as primary but I am not allowed to reuse my jhambham@bellsouth. The other choice would be for Susan to cancel and change her ID but then I get stuck with a "relocation" fee. I guess I'll end up just canceling my internet service with Bellsouth and just use a webmail account. I have set up another address . . . jhambham@gmail.com . I will send out a notice to everyone in my address book of the change. Feel free to use either for now but you may as well change over to gmail and get used to using it.

Let's see . . . what else??? Oh yeah, it seems that there has been rash of break-ins in my neighborhood and in Susan's community. The thing about it is that both our communities are very nice communities with traditionally very low crime rates. Don't know if it's the fact that it is Christmas time or that times have gotten hard enough to drive the low life scum of our society into nicer environs. In any case, we have now enabled the security system at Susan's house AND we are installing a safe. As I told the sheriff in my community, if I catch someone in my house and they don't haul ass, somebody is leaving in the horizontal position. He gave me the thumbs up but cautioned me the culprit needs to be in the house and not shot in the back. Cool.

Another thing . . . I need to rename and refurb the "my hot girlfriend" blog. I'm open for suggestions.

a) eliminate that blog altogether and just keeping personal stuff on this blog.

or

b) keep my blog here for runners only and move the personal stuff to the renamed blog.

I will be posting wedding photos by the weekend.

A brief aside

2008-12-02T19:57:00.002-06:00

Yes, those of you anxiously awaiting to hear about the remainder of my first week as a married man must stand to the back of the line.

Running. Relative to the first week of marriage-next to nada. A couple of miles here and there and that was it. However, I did run 2 on Monday afternoon and 3 this afternoon. Have to get back in the groove, you know.

Okay. It seems I've been tagged by Amy (http://www.amysrunninglife.com/) to list SIX (6) things that make me happy. I've been thinking about it for a while and this is actually tougher than it sounds. I guess I am a simpleton because there are lots of things that make me happy. However, if you're talking about deep, deep down inside, the things that I wouldn't trade, I think I can narrow it down somewhat. I am also taking Amy's advice as well (you'll have to read her blog to see what she said to me). Thanks Amy . . . I never would have thought of that!!!!!

1. My new life with Susan. She is a nurturer by nature so she's always ready to serve. That is not why I am here. I am also a serving person and I guess that sort of makes up disgusting in the fact that we are trying to do things for each other. I cannot imagine her not being in my life. I love her.

2. My new life with Susan's girls. I know, I know . . . that is two things that technically fall in the same category but it is somewhat different. Mind you, I was in my mid 40s before I even got exposed to being around kids for longer than a few minutes. I never really had the paternal instinct . . . until now. I find myself being stepdad to two daughters-12 and 8. Lovely girls and each has certain attributes from their mom-some good and some, well, not quite so good but all in all great girls. I never realized how meaningful a hug, a kiss, or holding hands with a child could be. Wouldn't trade it for the world.

3. Like my tagger, Amy, I am a little bit anal retentive. That being said, I am very happy when a plan falls into place. There is nothing better than thinking through an objective, plotting and planning (and maybe doing a spreadsheet as well!), and executing a plan. Doesn't matter the objective . . . just achieve something that you created. Of course, we runners love to schedule and plan our runs, whether a 10k or a marathon. Nothing like knowing your splits before you run them!!!

4. Hard work. I know, sounds stupid but it does make me happy. I'll have to give my parents the credit for this one. They were not slave drivers but they led by example. I learned so much from them both and I find myself applying lessons from my childhood into everyday things. I am always so shocked when I hear guys talking about sleeping until lunch, sitting around watching ballgames all day, just goofing off on the weekends. HERESY!!!! I realize that there are times for playing and fun but I am so happy when I have a weekend of work planned (#3 above) and can get up early on a Saturday morning and work until dinner time. Very satisfying.

5. Friends. I don't mean aquiantances. I mean REAL friends. The kind that will do anything for you and you'll do anything for them. The kind of folks you can call up at a moments notice and have them meet you at the hospital or invite them to dinner and you know that they'll be there. Priceless.

6. Breakfast at my parents. Yep, simple. Of course you haven't been there so don't be so quick to blow this one off. I promise that if you ever come to visit me, I'll include you on an excursion to my parents' house for the MONSTER BRUNCH. How many ways can you eat pork???? just ask my parents. Nothing better than sitting around the table for a couple of hours, eating and sharing stories. Hmmmmm . . . maybe it's the company and not the breakfast?

There you have it. Six things that make me happy.

Part II - if I were a toilet

2008-12-01T19:18:00.009-06:00

Okay . . . didn't mean to leave you hanging.

I'll see if I can quickly recap the remainder of my first week as a married man.

Sunday, after having breakfast at Embassay Suites with Susan's sister's family, we headed home. Well, we headed to Susan's home which is now my surrogate home. We spent the remainder of the day just chilling out. MAC had to go to the church that afternoon to help deliver food but other than that, we just hung around.

Monday. First day back at work. Everyone was surprised to see me. They all assumed that we were honeymooning. Incorrecto, fish face! We decided to hit the ground running. We are going to Disney (the Orlando flavor) for 4 days the week before Christmas . . . we're calling that the "kid honeymoon". Our actual honeymoon is going to be spring break. Susan and I are heading to Vegas and plan on going to all the local sights, including Grand Canyon. We'll be in touch with Phil to discuss hiking opportunities later!

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were fairly uneventful with the exception of suspicious behavior exhibited by the toilets. Hmmmmmm . . . wonder what that bubbling is all about. Monday afternoon the toilets decided to rebel. I mean think about it . . . if you were a toilet would you let people put their butts all over you without kicking up some kind of fuss? Anyway, they weren't exactly backing up; they just weren't draining. Being handy, I decided that this fell within my realm of "do-ability". All toilets slow to drain. Tubs and showers slow to drain. Has to be one of several things-clogged main line going to the septic tank (yes, the kingdom, for all it's glory, does not have a sewer system), or a blocked vent (possible bird nest, wasp nest, skunk . . . whatever decided to get down in there). Or it could be more serious . . . like a full septic tank or damaged field lines.

Okay, let's think it through. Susan said the tank was last pumped in spring of 2006, so it is highly unlikely that is the problem. I've seen field line problems before. Usually, this kind of problem is evidenced by soggy ground with the putrid odor of sewage (poopy for the commoner out there reading this). Again, the field line area is dry as a bone so I moved that possibility down the list. Okay . . . vent or drain to the septic tank. Easy to eliminate the vent-climb up on the roof with a flash light and do a visual exam. DANG!!! Vents were clear so that meant it was highly likely that there is something in the line between the house and the tank. Since the problem started rather quickly, my guess was that is was some kind of clog and not necessarily tree roots. Maybe one of the girls flushed a doll or a toothbrush or some other inanimate object that couldn't quite find it's way all the way down to the tank. Not a problem!!! I can handle this!

Tuesday at lunch I ran to (cheap, unsolicited plug) Home Depot to rent a power snake. Yes . . . A POWER TOOL (men can insert loud grunting sound here. Maybe even open a beer). I didn't really need the super duper one . . . one hundred feet of 5/8" cable with SIX (count them) cutting heads. No . . . . not that tough a job. I'll take the 75 foot of 1/2" cable with four cutting heads and slightly smaller motor. That should get the job done! Nothing makes you feel more manly than loading a POWER TOOL on the truck and grunting all the way home watching all the jealous men driving past my truck knowing that I was about to . . . . . . play in poop with a POWER TOOL!!!!!

I have been under Susan's house many times doing assorted manly things and in my ventures in the itty bitty crawl space I had noticed that there were no cleanouts in the waste lines. For those of you who do not know what I am talking about, most homes, as required by plumbing code, have to have a pipe that connects to the main drain with a removable plug so you can do what I was wanting to do . . . run an ELECTRICALLY POWERED TOOL INTO THE MUCK AND FILTH of the sewer the line. However, Susan's house ain't got no stinking cleanout. CRAP!!! No pun intended. I could try to snake it from the vent on the roof but that would shorten my snake (again, no pun intended) and I didn't want to get the tool on the roof. An alternate path of entry is easily achievable-take up a toilet and snake through the closet hub (the pipe where the toilet sends all the goody through the floor). No problem. This is still within my realm of my manlihood.

Turn off water. Flush. Try to dip out any reaming water in the bowl. Loosen up the closet (another name for toilet) bolts. Disconnet the water supply. Give it bump and a yank and up she comes! I put an old towel in the tub and lifted the toilet over into the tub. Okay . . . I have a hole in which to now put my snake (more grunting and beer sips by the manly readers here). Move the POWER TOOL into position adjacent to the hole, plug it up, bump the foot pedal to make sure it's working. Yep . . . . good to go! I put a smaller head on the snake for exploratory purposes and started feeding the cable into the pipe. The first couple of feet are no problem-straight pipe with no obstructions . . . . at least that's two feet of pipe that is not the problem. Okay fist bend and the snake makes the turn with no problem. I continue pushing the cable down, down into the darkness of the 4 inch sewer line. Okay another bump and some resistance . . . . another fitting. A slight turn and twist and the snake is free and I continue pushing. Another 18 inches or so of cable and then it stops. Hmmm . . . must be a 90 degree sweep and the snake is having trouble turning it. Back it up and jam it again. Still, dead end. Okay . . . I know the problem-I don't LOOK like a plumber. I pull my pants down slightly so there is some butt crack showing. I also wipe some of the dirty toilet wax on my arms for effect.

Now the snake and pipe will think I belong and we will all become one. Give it another quick hard jam. CRAP . . . . no luck. Back it up and go again. I twist and turn the snake and give it some POWER. It's just banging and not moving. I know I am not into the main line yet. I only have about 6 or 7 feet of cable fed off the reel. I spend the next 30 minutes trying to get the snake to move further down the line but it won't budge.

I gave up. Yes, I gave up. I pulled the snake out of the hole and back onto the reel. I pulled up my pants and I drug the stinking thing outside, pulled out about 10 feet of cable and chloroxed it and hosed it off and loaded it back on my truck. My manlihood has been tested and I have failed. I go back to the bathroom and reset the toilet, hook it up, test it out and everything is operating as before. I run to Susan's bathroom to take a quick shower but first I have to exercise what is left of my manlihood. I flush the toilet and WHOOSH!!!! Water is running everywhere. What the heck is going on? I look behind the toilet and there is a big hunk of china laying on the floor with water running out of it. I quickly turn off the water and realize what happened. My POWER SNAKE ended up making a wrong turn. There must have been a cross in the main line where the back to back toilets are instead of sanitary fittings and the snake went into the other bathroom and up the toilet where it seems all my banging ended up breaking the toilet. Lovely.

After dinner, I ran the snake back to Home Depot, my problem unresolved and my manhood greatly damaged. However, now I get to buy a new toilet. A middle of the line toilet with elongated bowl (every man likes the elongated bowls ladies . . . . you may want to consider buying one for your man for Christmas) and 2 inches taller. awwwwww . . . nice high seat with elongated bowl. Almost worth all the trouble for comfort. I haul it home and it's 9 ish by now so I put it off until Wednesday afternoon.

The office generally empties out Wed afternoon around 1:00 the day before Thanksgiving so I have plenty of time to get home and replace the broken one. The lines are draining slow and are somewhat functional but I still have a plumbing problem. I replace the toilet with no problem and we eat a Thanksgiving eve meal with the girls since their dad gets them over Thanksgiving. Susan and I decide to go to my de facto home in Eagle Point where the toilets flush.

Out of time. Now you'll have to wait for Part III . . . . .

My first week as a married man . . . Part 1

2008-11-28T15:34:00.003-06:00

Well, almost a week. It will be a week tomorrow but I am taking some liberty with clock.

As you know, Susan and I decided to tie the knot on November 22. That's last Saturday for the calendar challenged amongst you. The week leading up to the big event was a whirlwind and full of activity and work. No time for running. Besides, my back has been bothering me a bit and though I know I need to be out there, my back is grateful for the respite.

Not sure how much detail you want to know-Last Saturday started with a bang. I had planned on sleeping in a little. Now mind you, sleeping in for me is 7:30 . . . maybe 8:00 tops. I even took a couple of Tylenol PM when I went to bed and had sat up and watched a movie just so I could sleep in. No such luck. I was wide awake by 6 and my mind was racing with all the stuff that needed to be done. So I got up, stripped the bed and started the first of four loads of laundry I was to do that morning. I did manage to get in 3 1/2 miles while the first load was running and the coffee was making. Perfect time to get my thoughts together for the upcoming day.

Man! Did I have a lot to do before getting married or what? I still had not brought any clothes to Susan's house yet. In fact, I had little idea of what to bring with me. After choking down a bagel and doing another load of clothes, I started organizing my clothes. Not all of them. Just essentials . . . things that I know that I will wear and can still fit my big old fat katucus (sp?) into. Let's see . . . underwear. Check. Socks . . . . colored and white. Check. Shoes . . . dress shoes, work shoes, Merrills, Keens. Check. Wait . . . I almost forgot-RUNNING SHOES. Big Check! Okay . . . shoes, socks, underwear. Essentials. If the house were to burn down or if someone started chasing me, I could get away with minimal embarrassment.

Real clothes next. Let's see . . . it's almost winter time so I'll need long sleeve shirts for daily wear at work. I'll grab maybe 7 or 8 of my favorites. Check. This is Alabama and we do end up with a few warm days during the winter . . . maybe 8 or so golf shirts. Check. Tee shirts. OH YEAH, have to have them. All my favorites. Wait . . . all my tee shirts are my favorites. CRAP. Closet isn't that big. Okay, don't panic. All my Life Is Good tees have to make the journey. A couple of my favorite race tees need to go too. Oh yeah, some of my odd shirts that make people laugh or mad . . . have to have them. You know the ones . . . . Three fingered Franks fireworks, PETA (People for the eating of tasty animals), Bite Me Live Bait (because size matters). Okay. Shirts squared away. WAIT!!!!! Dress shirts for eating out and church. Okay-whites, blues, yellow, stripes. Check. Not really cold natured but I'll also throw in a sweater and a couple of sweat shirts.

Pants. Wow, this is going to be tough. Dammit, think Jim!!! Okay calm down. Just think through you're normal week. Work clothes-Dockers. Khakis, green, blue, black, clay. Check, I'm covered for Monday thru Friday. Slacks . . . only four or five pair I can get into so that is no problem. Check. Jeans. Need 'em. Good old 505s. Check. Several belts. Check.

Another load of clothes in the laundry. Sweating profusely as the clock is running and the morning is getting away from me. Susan and the girls are out so I'll make a run to her house and stick my stuff in the closet and chest of drawers.

One hour later-another load of laundry. Okay . . . now I need to gather up "bathroom stuff". I know men should be able to get by on a toothbrush and razor but I need more than that. Deordorant, foot powder, gold bond medicated lotion, contact stuff, medicine and assorted other goodies that I use throughout the week. I think I've got most of the stuff I need to start my new life. Throw it in the car. Last load of laundry is done, bed is changed and made. Tux is at Susan's house. I'll run back to her house to drop off a few more items I've grabbed from around the house. I hustle out to the Tiny Kingdom (http://www.mytinykingdom.com/) and finish setting up shop.

Done at Susan's house for now . . . lunchtime. Go get a burger bomb at Mickie D's and run through Wal-Mart for a few items. I am supposed to be meeting my former neighbor, good friend and photographer for the wedding after lunch. He and his family came into town for the wedding and we decided to have a cigar and an adult beverage on the back porch of my house. His timing is perfect and he calls as I'm leaving wallie world. I go and pick Todd up and we hit the cigar shop where he proceeds to take one of their wooden indians. Yes, just pick it up and walk out with it. Of course, this is where Todd always did business and everyone in there knew him. He said something along the lines of "I always wanted one of these and you sorry SOBs never gave me a going away present . . . I'm taking this back to Atlanta with me!" Nobody stopped him so off we went with some good smokes and a wooden indian. I'm looking at the clock and time is running out. Gosh . . . we only have maybe an hour or hour and a half to bond and then I have to hit the road. Back to my house, light 'em up, have a scotch. Wow, LIFE IS GOOD. I'm on my back deck with two of my very best friends (Larry joined us), the sun is shining, the temperature is perfect and I'm marrying the greatest girl in about 4 hours. I regret that I had to leave Todd and Larry at my house but it was getting close to 2:30 and I still had lot's to do!!!

Back to Susan's house. Hoofing it. Quick shower. Feels good. I shaved in the morning so I don't have to deal with that. Should I take the tux to the church or go ahead and wear it??? I'll minimize the chance for screw ups and put it on now. 3:15 . . . tick tock tick tock. Yikes, I have to get going. I pack an overnight bag. We're planning on spending our first night together at Embassay Suites. I grab Susan's overnight bag that she had ready to go and throw it in the car along with mine. I grab all the other stuff that I'm supposed to take with me and I'm off to the races.

Go by The Club. We're having our guests to The Club for dinner and dancing. However, we know that it would be best to not let everyone sit where they want so we have a seating arrangement. We don't trust the wait staff to get it right so I run up there and set out the place cards and make sure everything is in order. Yep . . . spot on. Cool

Next, swing by the hotel and check in and unload the bags. Done with minimal hassle and on to the church! Arrive just smidge past 4:00. Getting hitched at 5:30. Susan's dad is there. Todd is there. No Susan. Where is Susan? WHERE IS SUSAN?????!!!!!! I'm pretty sure she isn't ducking out on me. I just know that she is not the first one to look at a clock. I text and she texts back. Okay. Whew, on her way. Her dad keeps wandering around in a circle saying "she's not coming". Great for the confidence booster there dad!

Susan, girls and the enterouge arrive and we jump through all the hoops getting pictures done. Thanks Todd. Very nice job. I'll be posting some pictures later.

Guess what???? It's 5:20 and in walks the minister. Way cool. I think we're going to pull this off! After taking a couple of deep breaths and relaxing, we are all ready. Though small and simple, it was something that will be remembered. E came down the aisle first. Then MAC came down and went to the piano and played Ode to Joy. Susan and her dad came down while MAC was playing. VERY VERY COOL. MAC finished playing and came and stood by me . . . she was my Best Man. After some some scripture, vows, "I do's", prayers, we were married. Just like that.

Afterwards, everyone came up to talk to us and then we all headed to The Club. We had a cocktail hour and dinner (filet and grilled shrimp). We had a great time visiting with our family and friends and dancing. Afterwards, we retired to the hotel, pooped but smiling. Little did I know what the week held for us . . . . . .

tick tock

2008-11-21T12:36:00.002-06:00

It's Friday lunch time. 29 hours to go. Wow. Almost feels like a countdown to a marathon. Getting nervous, excited, worried about little details. I'm very AR but thank goodness I'm not as AR as Amy! and she pulled off her wedding even with the bad weather. I'm sure everything will be fine with ours.

I will be a husband in 29 hours. What more can I say? I'm happy and look forward to all the excitement that lies ahead. I'm excited and scared at the same time. A new page in the storybook of my life. I just hope that I can make her as happy as she has and will make me.

I will be a father (of sorts) in 29 hours. Two daughters. YIKES! I guess I had better clean my guns to keep the boys away. That's the scary part-I was a teenaged boy at one point. It gives me an advantage in knowing what they are thinking but it scares me silly!

A plus about all of this is that after the wedding, I'll be able to get back into a more steady routine. I really have not been doing much running over the last several weeks, working on getting our act together. No more trying to run between houses. I can now go home, strap them on, and get my big old hooha outside and start putting in some miles.

2008-10-15T12:03:00.002-05:00

Wednesday. This seems to be the best day for me to catch up on things including my blog. Many things to talk about but I really don't want to bore you too much.

Running-
Yes, I've been running. After getting over my cold and back pains, I have crawled back out onto the pavement and re-started dragging my sorry butt around the 'hood and Susan's 'hood.

I ran 4 miles Saturday morning before cutting the grass and heading to Macon for Amy's wedding. More about that later and go check out her site.

I did a quick two miler at Susan's house on Monday. Wanted to do more but was pressed for time.

I did a three miler at Susan's house on Tuesday. It felt nice to be out there though it was a tad bit warm-low 80s.

Off today but will run Thursday and Saturday.

Okay. Other things-
We finally got around to getting started on painting MAC's new bedroom. She picked out the color. Dill pickle. Does that describe it well enough? Of course the girls wanted to help Monday. I was cutting in around the trim and ceiling and told them that they could roll the walls after I was finished cutting in. They wouldn't take no for an answer so I gave them a couple of brushes and told them to paint the corners. They also wanted to try their hand at painting UP TO the trim. Can you guess what happened? Yep, door trim now has some dill pickle on it. Oh well, we were going to repaint the trim anyway. Obviously, I'll do that!

Last Saturday I went to Macon for Amy and Troy's wedding. The weather was nice on the drive from Birmingham to about 20 miles north of Macon. I was in the convertible enjoying my ride when all of a sudden on the horizon I saw this big gray wall of water. Yep-rain. Pulled over in time and put up the top and plunged into the weather for the final 20 minutes to Macon. All along the way I kept hoping it would stop since the wedding was scheduled to be outdoors. No such luck. Poor Amy. Of course being AR type, she had plans for the rain and everything pretty much went without a hitch. In fact, it probably made things easier. Her alternate location was the Red Cross House in Macon where her reception was to be so we didn't have to drive from the wedding site to the reception. Lot's of folks I didn't know. Actually, the only ones I knew was Amy and Troy. Thanks guys for inviting me. I truly feel honored to have been there. Very handsome couple and Amy looked beautiful and happy.

I spent the night in Macon and Sunday I drove to Atlanta and spent the afternoon and night with my friends Todd and Kathy who recently moved to Kennesaw. Beautiful home off the beaten path. Thanks for the invite! Todd is going to be the photographer for Susan and my wedding.

That's about it for now.
Have a super day!

2008-10-08T11:58:00.002-05:00

awwwwwwww . . . .
finally. RAIN. Glorious rain. It has been almost a month since we've had any appreciable rain.

Wednesday lunchtime. Chewing on a salad and about to get back to work but thought I'd just chat for a minute.

I ran a mile Saturday and about 2 miles on Sunday. Did those with Susan so they were easy jogs. I ran 2.5 miles on Monday afternoon and it felt pretty good to get out there. No blazing speed by any stretch of the imagination but good to get back out there after what ended up being several weeks layoff. It felt good to just run relaxed with no real expectations.

My back is feeling better and the cold is gone. Pretty much all systems are go . . . just need to get off the lazy keaster and get to it!

I'm getting fired up about my trip to Macon for Troy and Amy's wedding. I'm also going to swing thru Hot Lanta on the way home and visit with friends. Should be a great weekend.

Hello?

2008-10-01T06:30:00.002-05:00

Hello?
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone at home?

There is no pain you are receding.
A distant ship's smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.
When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown, The dream is gone.
But I have become comfortably numb.

I am here. I would like to say something neat like "I've been on sabbatical" or "I spent the month in Tuscanny". No such luck. Truth be known, I have been lazy. Well, I won't blame my absence entirely on sloth. I'll also let a series of aches and pains take some of the blame. Let's see . . . since we last spoke I managed to screw up my back, run just little, screw up my back again, run just little, go to a conference in Biloxi, have my GI problems arise (accompanied by a trip to hospital and again found out that there is NOTHING wrong with my heart . . . just my esophagus), and now I am battling a head cold that Susan and E tried to give me earlier this week. That's about all the excitement you have missed over the last 6 weeks.

On a more upbeat note . . .
We have decided that Nov. 22 is going to be the big day (you can read more about that on the other blog). I have been losing weight but how can I help but not lose weight when I am back on a somewhat restricted diet. The really neat thing is that I've been losing WITHOUT running. Once the cold is over and I can breathe again, I plan on hitting the pavement with a vengeance. I know, I know-don't over do it. The plan is to ease back into my routine . . . I'll run 2-3 miles 4 days a week for a few weeks and then start building back up.

Also, I am enjoying Autumn. Though we still have the occassional day in the high 80s, we are getting into the 70s regularly with cool nights. Perfect from riding around in my 99 'Stang GT convertible. I must admit that I miss my Miata. Or as Dom calls it- Me Otter. I saw Dom last week behind me at a redlight. We both had our tops down and both looked like middle aged men going through mid-life crises!

This month is going to be busy for me. Next weekend I am heading to Macon for Troy and Amy's wedding. I am also going to swing back through Hot Lanta to visit my friends and former neighbors, Todd and Kathy. The original plan was to take Susan with me but the girls' schedule would not allow it. The following Friday I am going to Lafayette, GA to see my best friend's football team play. My buddy Perry retired from the Alabama School system as the third most winning active football coach. However, he couldn't stand it so he took a job with the Georgia school system in the NW corner of Georgia. He's doing well and mid-way through the season they have more wins than any the've had for entire seasons the last several years.

One more note . . . .
Today I turn 49.

OUCH!

2008-08-20T12:10:00.002-05:00

Just a quick break from lunch in order to update.

So far, it's been a great week. I've been on a downward trend with my weight, albeit slow. But the experts say that's the way to do it-no big crash diets . . . slow and steady. Sort of applying WW methods. Eat what I want, to a point, just watch portion size.

Monday was warm and humid. I did a 3 1/2 miler and the legs and joints are improving. I guess a new, second rate shoe (Asics Foundation are better than worn out top shelf Brooks Beast. Anyway, the run was good and believe it or not, I actually chased down and passed a runner in our 'hood. Boy, did that feel good!

Tuesday was warmer . . . low 90s. I did a 3 miler over at Susan's house. I wanted to do 4 but I know I need to build/recover slowly. I'd rather walk away wanting more than regretting it the next day. Afterwards, I got to play sitter/dad . . . . Susan had an open house at school she had to attend so I stayed with the girls. Guess what-I survived!

2008-08-18T11:33:00.002-05:00

It's Monday lunch time and I'm catching up.

I think I may have figured out why I've been having trouble focusing. You'll need to go to My Hot Girlfriend to follow that train of thought ;-)

I ran 3 miles last Thursday and then played 9 holes of golf. The new shoes felt pretty good and the legs are coming around. The golf was okay . . . shot 44 (bogey golf).

I ran 4 miles Saturday morning. It was fairly cool but humid. New shoes are feeling better and legs aren't gimpy..

Did I mention that you need to go to the other website??????

2008-08-14T12:02:00.002-05:00

wow. Time flys. Period. I need to catch up.

Last week was not a good running week. Really couldn't figure it out until the weekend when I started backtracking. The shoes. Yep. The shoes.

I had been noticing the last several weeks that the knees, ankles, thighs were hurting. Not normal for me. Even when I'm at my fattest, joint pain has never really been a big issue. Saturday, I actually had to stop and walk because my legs were hurting so bad. Being the engineering type, I try to keep track of miles run on each pair (yes I run in multiple pairs-it's better on the shoes). The shoes I've been slogging around in were bought in April of 07. Wow-that's pretty old. The mileage was the killer-400+ miles in each pair. No wonder my legs were killing me.

I've been in Brooks Beast 9 for awhile and I recently read where Brooks is discontinuing the 9 and bumping it up to the 10. However, I need shoes NOW. I went in the local running store, TrakShak, just to see what they had. I love Saucony . . . they feel good but wear out quickly. Same for Mizuno. Love the feel and my marathon PR was run in Mizuno Wave Renegades. However, I felt like a change. How about Asics Foundation 8. Let's give 'em a try.

I ran Monday in my old Beasts and barely finished 3 miles. Ran to TrakShak on Tuesday and bought the Foundations. Ran 3 miles in them on Wednesday. Initially, the legs were hurting but felt better by the end of the run. I'm planning on 3 or 4 miles this afternoon and then walking 9 holes. We'll let you know how it goes.

On a side note, I went to the Dr. last week. My neck and left shoulder have been killing me. No, not heart attack kind of pain. This is that stiff, hard to roll the head, feels like something is tearing kind of pain. My Doc took a series of neck and skull x-rays. I was concerned that I may have done some damage from a nasty spill I took about a year ago. Don't ask. Anyway . . . Tim called today and said that there are no signs of cracks, leissions, or disc damage. However, he did see signs of progressing cervical arthritis between 3, 4, 5 discs. Not much to do in way of treatment. He has put me on Robaxin (muscle relaxer) for a while. He has also said that anti-inflammatories would help. However, with GERD, I am not supposed to take anti-inflammatories. It sucks getting older. I think I'll call my GI and ask him about taking Motrin for a while. the main thing is to come up with a long term plan to limit the pain. Anybody out there ever done accupuncture?

2008-08-06T11:32:00.002-05:00

just a quickie . . .

Ran 3 miles late yesterday afternoon. The temp was 94 when I started and again I did not want to know the heat index. Running in this heat is tough and I can tell I did the four miler on Monday. The legs aren't really sore . . . Just tired, I guess.

What doesn't kill you . . . .

2008-08-04T19:07:00.002-05:00

will make you stronger? Not too sure about that one but I do know it will make you sweaty!

Very tough afternoon. Got home around 4:15 and was mowing the lawn by 4:30. According to my thermometer it was 96 degrees. I didn't even want to know the heat index. After mowing, it drank about 1 pint of water, laced up my shoes and started off on my 4 miler. I took a wet rag and turned on sprinkler. Very much needed. I completed the 4 miler and checked . . . still 96 degrees. YUCK.

The important thing is that I did it!

2008-08-04T11:59:00.002-05:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Way too short for me.

Down to business-
I ran 4 miles Thursday afternoon. Temperature wasn't too bad (low 90s) but the humidity was high and it just "felt" like hell. Wet rag and sprinkler time!

I was bad, bad, bad. I did not run this weekend. I normally try to get a run in on Saturday but passed in hopes of running on Sunday. Susan and I went to my parents for the "BIG BREAKFAST" on Saturday morning. Needless to say, we didn't have to eat the rest of the day. Seriously. I ended up going to bed without feeling hungry or eating lunch or dinner or even a snack.

Sunday, we went to church and worked in Susan's yard. It was so hot and after about 3 hours of digging, raking, etc. I just didn't feel like running.

I am planning on going for a run this afternoon. It should be interesting. Temps are in the high 90s with indices between 105-110. Definitely a damp rag and sprinkler day. I deserve the punishment for skipping my weekend run. I'll post results . . . if I survive!

2008-07-30T11:36:00.002-05:00

It's Wednesday lunchtime and I'm sitting here glad that today is an "off" day for me. My legs and butt are stiff and sore. I really haven't kicked up my running so it's tough to figure out why the soreness . . . maybe the fact that I bowled at lunch AND last night. Not that bowling is a demanding game but it does bring into play different muscles. Anyway, all I have planned today is to help Susan cut her grass, if it doesn't rain.

okay-let's talk running.

Monday was a hot, humid day. Duh. It's Alabama and the end of July. Of course it's hot you big dummy! I went home straight after work and cut grass. I figured that would let me acclimate a little bit to the heat and maybe let it cool down a couple of degrees. No such luck. Regardless, I did a 4 miler and felt pretty dang good about. It did take me about an hour to cool off afterwards. Susan came over and we went to one of our favorite local Italian eateries for dinner.

Tuesday was oppressive. Fortunately, there were lots of clouds and thunderstorms popping up afterwork which meant shade and wind. The downside is that these storms pop up quickly and you can get caught in lightning if you're not paying attention. I started out wanting to get in 4 miles but it was thundering and the temp was dropping . . . sure signs a storm was coming. I made it about 2 1/2 miles before the lightning got close enough to chase me home. So be it . . . 2 1/2 miles and survive to run another day.

2008-07-28T11:49:00.003-05:00

Hey all. Monday lunch and just catching up on the blogging. I was out of town on vacation at the beach since last Wednesday. The vacation is detailed on MY HOT GIRLFRIEND site.

I am proud that I kept up with my running while at the beach. Thus I have completed three weeks of 4 days a week running! woohoo! an accomplishment!

I ran 2 1/2 on Tuesday afternoon prior to going to the beach on Wednesday.

I ran about 4 1/2 miles Thurday morning. 1 mile with Susan and then 3 1/2 at my pace. While at Seaside, I normally run to Grayton beach and back but decided to go in search of a loop through Water Colors. Since my last visit Water Colors resort has opened up the road between 1st and 2nd sector which means there is a very nice loop with lots of scenery. There is also a good water stop at the tennis complex in Water Color about half-way which is also very good since it was HOT!

I repeated Thursdays run on Saturday morning though it was much hotter and I ran a little slower. However, I was very happy with the outcome.

Also, while at the beach, Susan and I did some recreational biking.

I am now back in town and ready for another week of running and plan on adding a mile or two total for the week.

Scorcher

2008-07-21T21:15:00.002-05:00

Oh yeah. It's July in Alabama and it's only going to get hotter. Summer has finally settled in on B'ham and we really got to see what is in store for the next 4-6 weeks. It was hot this weekend but we decided to kick it up a notch today. Depending on sources, we were either at 98, 99, or 100 and that is air temp. I think I saw an index of 104 and 105 late this afternoon. My handy dandy atomic clock/thermometer told me it was 99.6 in the shade right before I went out for my run. For the fun of it, I put an oven thermometer on the road in front of my house (asphalt) and by the end of my run it was over 115 degrees on the pavement. Beautiful time to go for a run, don't you think?

God is truly merciful . . . he takes care of children and morons. I think I fall in the second category. Of course, so does Dom "the Dominator" and Marc "the Animal" because all three of us were running around 5:30 this afternoon in this heat. I never had to call 911 and never heard an ambulances which means we all survived . . . I think.

Yep. Another notch in my belt-4 miles in some very hostile conditions. I turned on a small sprinkler on my dying flowers and ran through it each time I passed my house and unashamedly stood in it when finished. For the first time this year, I also carried a washcloth soaked in cold water which I rewet each time through the sprinkler. I know it sounds sort of wimpy but I'm glad I had the wet rag to squeeze over my very hot skull this afternoon. I ran about 1 1/2 miles with Animal and finally told him to go on . . . I could not hold his pace. I do not have a problem with that! I was strictly in survival mode and I won.

It's almost 9:30 and at last glance the temp was still well over 90 degrees. Maybe this means it will be another great, hot run tomorrow!

Horrible

2008-07-20T15:31:00.002-05:00

Horrible. That's how it felt to me watching Greg Norman once again self-destruct. How can a man who was once the greatest player in golf let the demons inside his head banish him again to the realm of perennial losers? I have watched golf for many years and I have always admired his game and his swashbuckler style but today that played against him. And what about his caddie? Gosh, these guys are supposed to help keep their players head screwed on straight! It appears that Greg is an older version of Phil Mickelson . . . a basket case when the game depends on steadfastness. Congrats to Padraig Harrington for being repeat winner of the Open Championship.

Okay . . . running.

I competed my second week of 4 days a week. My mileage wasn't important but the pattern is once again being set. I ran 4 miles Saturday around lunchtime. Yes, when the temp was really soring into the low-mid 90s. Afterwards I cut the grass and worked around in the yard. I got WAY TOO hot and should have known better. I was drinking lots of water and even had a Gatorade but couldn't keep it down. Yuck . . . nothing like warm Gatorade coming from the wrong direction. However, I kept sipping water and took it easy for a bit and ended up feeling okay. Went bowling with Susan and the girls late in the afternoon.

I am looking forward to my third week of full schedule running.

My buddy Dom noticed the absence of the NYC Marathon countdown timer. Yes, I am going to bail for several reasons- I am not in shape enough to even begin a 16-20 week program, I am really reluctant to travel with the economy being the way it is, I am trying to save vacation days because I've been using them too loosely and I like to make sure I keep a few extra free, just in case.

Everyone have a great week!

2008-07-18T11:28:00.002-05:00

Friday lunch. Not too much longer to go until another brief weekend rolls by. I was in early today (5:45 am) so I'm blowing this joint by 3. That will let me run by Wally world to pick up dog food, trash bags, and other miscelaneous items.

I am starting to establish a pattern in my running once again. Since vacation I've managed to get four days in last week and should be able to get four days in this week. I ran a 4 miler on Monday and it felt pretty good. Wednesday was a quick 2 1/2 miler to avoid rain and to have dinner with Susan. Thursday I did another 2 1/2 miler and then walked 9 holes so my legs got a good workout. Until I get stronger, my two days in a row will be comprised of shorter runs just to get the body used to it. Don't worry . . . I'll be bumping the mileage up in another couple of weeks. My plan is to do at least 5 miles sometime tomorrow. I'd prefer to do it in the morning but I promised that I'd go with Susan to pick MAC up from camp in the morning. Either I'll have to do it EARLY or later in the day when it is hot. We'll figure something out.

Random thoughts-
The Open Championship is this weekend (the British Open for those of us in the US). Very fun to watch since this is more what God intended golf to be. It's fun to watch the primadonna country club boys get frustrated with the wind, rain, and chilly temperatures.

Speaking of the Open, at 52 years young, Greg "the shark" Norman is atop the leaderboard after two rounds. Some of my friends are goofy and do not like international players. Personally, I am glad to see the shark doing well and playing as if he were 20 years younger. I figure the golf gods owe him this once since he's been robbed by the fates on so many other occasions. 52 years old-goes to show that we should never give up.

Susan has gotten orthotics. Now all she has to do is get back to running! Maybe I can get her out this weekend.

Everyone have a great weekend!

Weekend is almost over

2008-07-13T17:32:00.002-05:00

and I have not accomplished a whole lot. Let's see- I ran3 miles Wednesday afternoon at Susan's house. It was a hot and humid afternoon. Nothing spectacular, just a easy, sweaty run. It took me an hour to cool off before we went out for dinner. Another one of those summers where I just stand in the shower and sweat. I hate that.

Thursday my legs were killing me and I wanted to can the run. However, I toughed it out and did 2 1/2 miles before the thunderstorms hit. 3 days in a row . . . quite an feat for the fatman but I was definitely feeling it.

Friday was a rest day, thank goodness.

Saturday morning ran 4 mile and Susan biked the same. We're both struggling to get back into it and it's helpful to have someone who will hold you accountable. After the run, we worked in Susan's yard most of the day-cutting grass, cleaning out flower beds. The big feat of the day was digging out an old stump of a tree in one of her flower beds. Not a small one either. Fortunately, it was half rotten and once I got dug down around the base, the roots chopped rather easily. After much grunting, prying, cussing, sweating, we got the stump out of the ground and rolled it down to the road.

Sunday was a rest day. My back was feeling the yard work and was grateful for a good night's sleep. We went to church and then I headed home to work in my yard. I cut grass, cleaned flower beds, pulled weeds, etc. A pretty good days work until the rain set in. It was nice to have an excuse to shower up and sit down in front of the idiot box for a little while. Susan is coming over later with her youngest, E. She's bringing some s'ghetti and I'm ready for it! All I've had to day is a bowl of cereal and I am HUNGRY.

I know that I have to finish up posting about our trip to Williamsburg and hope to complete that tomorrow during lunch.

Hope you've had a great weekend!

Home at last

2008-07-09T12:06:00.002-05:00

Don't get me wrong . . . I like vacations. However, 8 days away from work is enough. I like order and structure and after 8 days of disorder and sloth, I was ready to become a bum. Nothing against bums, I just don't want to be one. The problem is that I don't want to come home when I'm gone this long. And I don't want to work anymore! I start thinking about career changes . . . . maybe I can sell tie-dye shirts or run a slushy stand. You know, that kind of stuff. Now I'm back at my desk, happily working in my structured world.

I failed to do any running while on vacation. However, we walked everyday . . . lots of walking. My guess is at least 2-3 miles every day. I know it's not running but it is exercise and I actually found little time for my selfish indulgence.

I did get back on the horse yesterday. I only ran 2 1/2 miles. It was around 6:30 and the temperature was still in the low 90s. Rumor was that it close to 100 degrees in parts of B'ham yesterday. It felt like it-whew! My plan is to just do some short jaunts during this week just to get reaclimated to the weather since it was cooler in Virginia.

Trip details will be or are on My Hot Girlfriend site.

end of the week

2008-06-29T09:46:00.002-05:00

End of the week or the start of the week . . . depends on if you start your week with Sunday or Monday.

I have gotten good feedback from my friends about new battle with the FATMAN. Thanks to all of you. Phil has even threatened to come kick my butt . . . now that is what I call friendship!

Let me catch you up-
I played golf on Thursday and walked 9 holes in 90+ degree weather. For those of you who say golf is not exercise, I challenge you to carry 25-30 pounds for 2 1/2 miles in 90 degree 60% humidity AND try to play well! I count it as exercise.

I was going to run on Friday but I was still worn out from my run with "Animal" and the previous day's golf. Plus I've been having headaches. Not sinus. Not migraines (I don't believe). Not high blood pressure (I check that). This is in the back. lower left area of my skull and hurts down into my neck. I'm going to go to the doc when I get back from vacation. Oh yeah, I'm heading to Williamsburg, VA with Susan and girls this coming week for Independence Day. I am taking running clothes and hope to get in at least 3 runs.

I did run Saturday around lunchtime after I cut the grass. There was a nice breeze and it felt good after cutting the grass so I thought I'd get in a quick 3 miler. Tough. The humidity was up and it go my headache going. Anyway . . . I got in a quick run.

I'm taking my laptop with me to VA and hope to post a little bit after the kiddos go to bed.

Hope you have a great week!

Ravings and lunacy

2008-06-26T11:36:00.005-05:00

I started this week with a new attitude. I HAVE to.

As you know, I tend to yo-yo with my weight and recently it's only been in the yo mode. You know when you cast the spinning piece of plastic downward and expect it to return to you . . not so this time around. The "Fatman" has again reared his ugly head. He was devious this time. It's not like I heard him panting and pounding as he was approaching me from behind. No. This time I swear he came in like a Ranger paratrooper. Silent. Deadly. He leapt on my back before I knew he was there. Very tricky, this Fatman. You know how it goes . . . an extra snack here, dessert there. Skip a run. I mean, I've been doing some running but not hardcore, stay in shape kind of stuff. The whole time knowing that you're losing control but justifying the behavior. I am now paying the price- repeat it with me . . . .

JIM IS FAT (again).

So . . . . I started war on the Fatman beginning this week. Back to doing 100 situps each day. Promise. Back to counting WW points. Back to a healthier lifestyle. I even wrote it on my mirror in the bathroom- "YOU ARE FAT". Of course I can get out of the shower and see it but it helps to have the extra reminder. I guess the realization came while getting ready to go on vacation next week. I was trying to start pulling stuff together for the trip and was pulling some of my nicer shorts out. I held them up and thought . . . these can't be mine. Maybe Susan left these here. I'm not going to tell of the embarrassment of trying to put on a pair of size 34 shorts (which were comfortable 2 years ago). I've slowly crept my way into and out of 36 and now reside in the 38 range. OUCH!

I cannot afford to go buy new clothes. I cannot afford to become any more unattractive in fear of Susan realizing she's got a porker on her hands (not that fat people can't be attractive . . . I just happen not to be one of those).

okay. Here's the deal. Everyone who reads this is responsible for holding me accountable. I hate to burden you with that but I tend to lose my spine on occassion. Promise me that you'll help. PLEASE??????

I ran 3 miles Monday. It was so blinking hot. Low 90s.
I ran 4 miles Wednesday. Same thing-low 90s. This was a run that was supposed to be a "get back into it, you know you can survive it" kind of runs. However, my neighbor "Animal" was out prowling around looking for fat people to embarrass and he joined me on my run. I told him to get away but he wouldn't leave. It's not like I could outrun him. I told him I'd spray him with 100% Deet and he just laughed. So I huffed and puffed my way through 3 1/2 miles of excessive speed for my weight to temperature ratio. I crashed last night and slept hard. I awoke this morning "stove up". I think most of you know that expression. After mucho coffee and Arthritis strength Tylenol, I've started feeling better. I'm supposed to walk 9 holes with my neighbor "Basement Boy" and my buddy Larry. Should be a good workout. Nothing like luggin 30lbs of golf equipment for 2 1/2 miles in 90+degree heat.

I hope you have a great day.

very weird day

2008-06-17T22:27:00.002-05:00

Yes, it was a weird day today. A day of highs and lows. It's 10:30 pm and I'm still trying to sort through some of it.

Worked just an 8 hour day. That meant that I was off by 3:00. My buddy Larry T and I planned to play 9 holes and everything was on track. I got home from work and ran a quick 3 miler, just to break a sweat and get loose before playing golf. Everything was in tune. However, today was the day that my neighbors across the street moved. Officially. He had taken a job months ago in Atlanta (yuck) and had been commuting for several months. They finally sold their house a couple of weeks ago and had closed on one in Atlanta. Prior to my run, I stopped by and spoke with them for a while, trying to keep it light hearted. We sort of said our good byes and see you laters and I headed to the golf course. My legs were a little weary but I was still in better shape than the other two guys I was playing with. It's always fun to realize that you're in better shape than your friends, even when you're in (what we consider) bad shape. Anyway . . . I played fairly well and finished shooting a 42 for 9 holes. Should have been 40 or 41 but I blew up and took a double bogey on a par 5, the 8th hole. I headed back home only to find my moving neighbors in the street, about to load up and leave. My next door neighbor, Karen, who is also very close with Todd and Kathy, was in the street crying. CRAP. I hate this kind of stuff. I parked my truck and walked out to say goodbye (again). This time there was lots of crying. Even Todd was sniffling as he went to Karen's house to change shirts. Kathy and her two girls, E and C, along with Karen were all red eyed and drug me into the estrogen pit with them. Thanks, all . . . I HATE YOU!!! We said farewells again and all made promises to visit. We'll see how that goes.

So, so sum it up . . . I ran 3 miles, walked 9 holes and played decently. I lost two very close friends. How does one balance the emotions in one's life?

Tomorrow is a rest day and I'm planning on going to Susan's to sand sheetrock and get ready to paint. She'll have leftovers from her party tonight and I'm fine with that.

As Forrest Gump would say . . . "That's all I have to say about that"

BYE

2008-06-16T11:35:00.009-05:00

My running the past week has been non-existent. The couple of days I decided to drag my sorry butt out there, it decided to rain and thunderstorm. I really did want to run . . . I needed it. I've been on temporary assignment at one of the job sites and we've been working 10 hour days for a couple of weeks and I just need to relaz and blow off some steam. I am planning on getting in some runs this week. I'm sure it will be slogs (slow jogs) but it should help out. As Christy pointed out in her comment, it is hot here in B'ham. Not as bad as Phil has it but, hey, he's the one who decided to live in freaking AZ! The afternoons have been in mid-90s and sweat is in abundance. I'm looking forward to it (right).

It is Monday afternoon and I did two measely miles. Terrible. It was hot and I was covered in drywall compound dust. I am helping Susan get her bedroom ready for painting and there were some wall board repairs that were needed. Susan road her bike with me while I ran and I appreciated the company more than she realized. It's nice to have someone to dial 911 just in case you decide to pass out while running in 90+ degree heat. I'm sure we were a funny sight in the neighborhood, like "pigpen" from Charlie Brown, with all the dust flying off of us as we meandered down the street. 2 miles is a start and I'm planning on 4 miles tomorrow while Susan and her peeps are going to see the trash movie, Sex In The City. I mean really . . . Sarah Jessica Parker? Not exactly desirable in my book. To each, their own.

This past Saturday evening, Susan and I took our fathers out for supper for Father's Day. I have recently joined a private supper club here in town (yes, I am snotty about some things) and we took them there. Very nice view of the city from the top of the mountain, cordial wait staff, "normal" clientele, a nice band and dancing-very 50s! That's why I like this place-no hippies with tattoos and nose rings handling my food and the folks at the next table are similar to me. That may make me a bad person but when I want to go out for a nice supper, I want a nice supper, not some freak show. Sorry to all you hippies and liberals out there. Get over it. You don't like being with my kind and vice-versa, so we're even!

Okay. Amy "tagged" me and I promised to answer the questions and "tag" five others. Here is how it is supposed to work-

Copy the rules (or your version of them) and the set of questions onto your blog post, provide your own answers and then tag 5 new people. If tagged, you’ll find your name at the end of this post. To be sure everyone tagged knows they’ve been invited to play, go to their blogs and leave them a comment notifying and referring them to your blog for details. Lastly, once the chosen have answered the questions on their own blog, they should come back to yours to tell you.

Here we go with my responses:

1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago?

hmmm . . . 10 years ago. 1998. Probably not too different than where I am today, I'm ashamed to say. I always have good intentions and occassionally I'm able to follow through with a plan without injury or distractions but truth be known, more often than not, I'm a simple 15-20 miler per week kind of guy. Let's give me the benefit of the doubt and say that I was probably training for a marathon that I probably didn't compete in because somewhere along the line, I got sidetracked.

2. What is your best and worst run/race experience?

Boy . . . this is tough. There are so many that could fall into both categories.

Worst experience (besides being bitten by dogs and having hamburgers and bottles thrown at me from passing cars): The time I DNF'd the Rocket City Marathon. Come to think about it, that may have been roughly ten years ago. I love the race course-it's flat, fast, not too crowded. Perfect, except for the weird weather we can get the first weekend in December here in Alabama. We toed the line that Saturday morning. It was in the mid-30s. Great temperature for running a marathon. Unfortunately, it was raining. HARD. Not a passing shower. No. This was one of those set in, frog strangling, ankle deep rains. However, I thought ahead and had dry clothes, socks, towels, shoes, and Vaseline in the car and told Mona that I'd change at mile 20. I figured the last 10K in fresh clothes would do the trick. I, along with about 700 other crazies sloshed, slogged, waded, swam through the course. Mona was a trooper and was waiting for me every 5 miles, taking pictures and giving me a thumbs up which I reluctantly returned. However, I toughed it out and made it to the 20 mile mark in around 3:15. There was a middle school where the car was pulled under a canopy. Perfect. I ran to the car, sat down (uh-oh, not a good idea) on the open trunk opening, pulled off the soggy socks and shoes. Toweled off my feet. changed singlets, vaselined my toes, pulled on fresh socks and shoes. By now, I'm sure you guessed it. As the rain continued relentlessly and wind was whipping, I made a decision that I regret to this day-"TAKE ME TO THE HOTEL. I'M DONE'. After a few minute of encouragement from those around me and Mona, I said "SHUT UP AND TAKE ME TO THE HOTEL". The worse running experience of my life!

The best is easy. Two years ago this past May, I was in the best shape of my life. Hadn't felt that good since high school. Susan and I had really just started seeing each other and I had planned on doing the Flying Pig in Cincinnati. I asked Susan if she wanted to go. She said yes and she was planning on doing the 10k. WOW. Very cool. Not only did she want to go on a trip with me, she was going to run the day before the marathon. How cool is that? We got to Cincinnati without a hitch. Found the hotel without a hitch. Found the expo . . . yes, without a hitch. I went with Susan Saturday morning for the 10k. Normally, I'd be chilling, resting up for the marathon. Me? No. I wanted to support Susan in her run and ended up jogging at least 2 miles around the 10k course so I could take pictures and see her at the start and finish line. Probably not a good move. Sunday morning, I got up about 3 hours before the race and went through my usual routine. Strangely, I was not nervous. I made it to the starting area with no problems and ran the race of a lifetime. I PR'd by 24 minutes and finished 3:48 and change! Great trip-PR, fun, and had Susan with me! What a great way to start a new life!!! A PR and a girl I'm absolutely crazy about!

3. Why do you run?

c'mon . . . look at the title of my blog! I do it first, to stay in shape. Secondly, to keep my sanity. Finally, I do it to stay looking good (yes, you are allowed to snicker or openly laugh at this point!)

4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you’ve been given about running?

Lots of advice out there. Everything from breaking long runs into a series of shorter runs, doing Yasso 800s, don't get shoes to tight. I think the best one that I really apply every day-take smaller strides and don't look up when going up MONSTER hills! Another good one is to run just slightly slower than the prettiest girl in the race (Susan just THINKS she's faster than me).

5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.

Most people who know me know most of my secrets. I'm sort of a wear it on my sleeve kind of guy. One thing that might surpise some people-I secretly listen to country music. That's not a "biggie" though. oh, how about this? I got suspended from high school for a day after several of my football teammates and I got busted skinny dipping with some of the cheerleaders. Is that juicy enough?

Hope everyone has a great week.

I guess I need to tag some folks. Okay folks, spill your guts!

Dom

Susan

Dawn

Javanmom

Robert

Tag you’re it:

just another day

2008-06-05T20:34:00.002-05:00

Hey all. It's 8:30 Thursday evening and I'm sitting here at home, watching 300 for at least the 10th time. Thought I'd update. Several things to discuss.

First-
Running. Yes, I am selfish and my blog is still about my running, even if there is very little. Sunday, Susan and I went out for what should have been roughly a 5 miler. We ran in her neighborhood which very hilly. She has been running less than me and it started showing up after about 3 miles. The last couple of miles ended up being a series of run/walks. That's okay. We had fun and we even used the time to shop for houses. Lots of houses for sale and it's a buyer's market!

Monday I ran 3 miles. Wanted to do more but it was HOT and my legs were tired from Sunday's run through the hills. I'll take it.

I skipped Tuesday (dinner with Susan's dad) and Wednesday (helped serve dinner at homeless shelter).

I ran this afternoon and it was HOT again. I mowed the lawn and then for a run around 6. It was still in the low 90s when I ran. Needless to say, I sweated like a pig.

Second-
Wednesday night I went with Susan and the Sunday school class to Firehouse Shelter in B'ham. We fed about 70 people, give or take. I spoke with several of the men and one of them, Joshua Brown, made an impression on me. We had a nice discussion and I'm reminded that we are all just a hearbeat away from being in the same predicament. It makes me more grateful for the blessings and gifts I've been given and I will say a prayer for Joshua everyday from now on.

Third-
I've been a real SOB around Susan lately. My guess is that I'm struggling with drug withdrawal. I abandoned my Zoloft a couple of weeks ago and find myself very moody about little things that do not matter. I am trying hard to adjust and I apologize to Susan has been nothing but supportive of me. I need to find things to be happy about and quit looking for things to bitch about.

Fourth-
We've made plans for summer vacation. We may even go if I can fix item 3 above. We're planning on spending a week in the Williamsburg, VA area. This should be really cool because we'll be there during Independence Day. Hopefully the girls will enjoy it and use it as a learning experience about the founding of our nation.

Finally-
MAC is in try outs this week. Soccer season ended last month with them winning the State Championship. However, the teams don't always stay together and BUSA (B'ham United Soccer Assoc) rules require tryouts at the beginning of each season. She didn't get picked up on the first night of tryouts so we're a little anxious. She had tryouts again tonight and I have not heard from Susan yet. Hopefully she'll get picked up by her old coach and team. If not, she has one more tryout on Saturday morning. Say a prayer for an eleven year old girl who is trying her best.

Enough for tonight!

2008-05-30T12:21:00.002-05:00

Hey all.
it's Friday at the end of a short week. Funny how a holiday week seems to drag on longer than a normal week. Of course I guess it depends on how you define normal. I'm choking down a turkey, lettuce (no cheese), on wheat sandwich. Yummy.

I did something this week I haven't done in a while-I ran three consecutive days. Not long runs but enough to get my legs going. Tuesday I ran 3 miles. Would have gone further but the thunderstorms and rain forced me inside. Wednesday I ran 4 miles and felt great. I grabbed my neighbor's dog and took it for a mile. Not sure who had the most fun on that one! Thursday I ran another 3 miler. Wanted to do more but the legs were saying . . . "HEY FAT MAN, what do you think you're doing?! You don't run 3 days in a row. STOP IT NOW!" I had planned on 4 miles but 3 was enough. Today the legs feel okay but will take off and run 5 or 6 tomorrow.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

2008-05-19T19:11:00.002-05:00

Good evening to all. I know, I know. I've been remiss in keeping you informed of my life and the sometimes bizarre happenings that seem to accompany me.

First things first- I ran a nice four miler at Susan's this afternoon. Nothing spectacular but it felt good . . . different scenery from my normal route and there are lots of shade trees which came in handy since it was in the high 80s today. One of those runs where I just sort of quit listening to my body and got some thinking done. You know the kind?

I still have not posted my new hair cut. Yes, Susan's daughter, MAC was on the soccer team that won the AYSA Alabama State championship. Pretty cool. And as promised, I let her cut my hair. The original promise was a shave but since the coach sort of backed out and only took a buzz, MAC did the same to me and no shave (I know . . . nice lesson to teach 11 year old girls about keeping your word)Her team is the U11 girls (age group) A competitive traveling soccer team with the Birmingham United Soccer Assoc (BUSA). The thing that is even more amazing is the fact that club soccer allows 12 full time players and her team only had ten the last couple of months of the season. There were only six teams that made it to state in their division with the six split into two groups and each group playing round robin with the top two of the three going to semi-finals. Her team lost the first game 1-0. We all thought it was over. However, we handily won the second game of the round robin and the team that beat us lost by much worse so based on points scored/points allowed, we took the tie-breaker for second place making it into the semi-finals. Sunday morning we found ourselves playing at 8 on a cold blustery day. Bad storms and tornados came through Saturday night, dragging a strong cold front behind them. The temp was high 50s/low 60s with guts in the 30-40 mph range. We were playing the #1 team from the opposite bracket. The team we were playing was an all-star team from Auburn made up from several of the local traveling teams in the area. I guess the AYSA rules allow this. We thought we were doomed since we had lost last fall to one of the Auburn teams and this team was made up of the best of the best from that area. It was a great game- the girls came out with no fear and jumped on the other team from the get-go. We won it 3-1 and moved on to the finals in the afternoon. For 11 year old girls, they stayed surprisingly focused but not uptight. The coach gave them a good speech and kept them relaxed during the day. You could tell that they were ready to play when we took them to the field for warm-ups. If I recall, we won 3-0 and the game was never really in doubt. In all we only allowed 2 goals in four games. We have a great goalie with trememdous speed and quickness and one of the two goals scored was a roll in fluke after she lost her footing. So the bottom line is I got a clipper cut with #2 clipper. Personally, I love it but the girls do not like it at all. TOO BAD-I may just keep it this way during the summer. Pefect for running and riding in the convertible!

Enough for now.

2008-05-08T11:33:00.003-05:00

Hey all. I'm sitting here eating lunch and thought I'd post.

I ran a 4 miler yesterday after work. It was in the mid 80s and felt warm but there was a nice breeze blowing and made the overall experience rather pleasant. It was the first time in a while that I actually wanted to do more and that my legs didn't feel that they were made of lead.

I will be trying to get another 6-10 miles in over the next several days. Probably won't run today since we are expecting bad weather this afternoon. I'll probably do 4 miles tomorrow afternoon-I'm taking a half day off to get grass cut, run, pack for a trip to Decatur, AL over the weekend. I'm going to Decatur with Susan and her girls. MAC is playing in the Alabama Youth Soccer State Cup tournament. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to run while up there or I'll run when we get back Sunday evening.

Speaking of the soccer tournament, several of the dads/significant men have told the girls that they can shave our heads if they win state. I may be posting pictures of my noggin if it happens. I'll definitely keep you posted.

NAKED!

2008-05-07T12:21:00.001-05:00

Sort of has to do with running . . . .

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071221/MULTIMEDIA/283841756

Inspired Yo-Yo

2008-05-05T11:42:00.002-05:00

The beginning of another week. Another do-over. Another chance.

I did better at running last week than in the previous weeks this spring. After reading Phil's blog, I was inspired. Or should I say I connected. Phil has been having some apparent motivation problems and his conditioning has been showing it. HEY . . . THAT'S JUST LIKE ME. I've been searching for reasons not to run instead of looking for reasons to run. Isn't that screwed up. The "fatman" has been hot on my heels and I can feel him breathing (actually wheezing) down my neck. Thanks Phil for your sharing-it has got my brain to working.

Susan informed me that she's going another round with WW and that I am going to do it with her. No, not that-get your minds out of the gutter. I'm going to do another session of WW with her. She's been looking better and better and I've not really been making much progress. I better watch out or she'll get scarfed up by some buff, good looking guy. Thanks Susan for giving some inspiration to me to get back on the weight loss band wagon.

Running this afternoon after work and then going to Susan's for dinner. Actually, we're going to go out (so much for the inspiration!) for Cinco de Mayo. We'll split an entree' and try to control ourselves.

talk to you later!

Furious!

2008-04-24T06:21:00.002-05:00

Yes. I am.

I hate socks that slide down my legs. Even worse, I hate throwing away something that is still in good shape. That's why I'm furious. I have a pair of wonderfully comfortable, perfectly green socks. I looked for these for weeks until I found just the right color. Now they have reached the end of their useful life. Or at least the elastic has. I've even thought about using garter belts or thumbtacks. However, I have now accepted the fact that they are no longer acceptable as they slide down my legs and gather around my ankles. I must say adeiu to my old green socks. I HATE IT! Enough ranting about my socks. Now we can talk about my underwear . . . it doesn't get comfy until you can read the newspaper through it!

I ran yesterday afternoon. HOT. It was 85 degrees when I started at 4:30 and it never cooled as I slogged through 4 miles. It wasn't fast. It wasn't pretty. It was, however, 4 miles and that's what counts!

Yes, I know-I have not updated the other site about the beach trip. I'll try to get around to it soon.

Quick update

2008-04-22T06:43:00.003-05:00

Good morning to all. I've only a few minutes before work cranks up so this is quick.

I ran yesterday afternoon. 4 miles. In the heat. I know that Phil laughs when I say that but it was unseasonably warm for Alabama. It was in the low 80s when I ran at 4:30. That is Alabama. Last Monday we barely got out of the 40s and one week later it's 80+ degrees. It just means more water to drink, more sweat pouring off my body, and longer time to cool off. As long as I plan for it, I guess it's okay. In addition to the run, I walked 9 holes after the run. So in addition to 4 miles in the heat, I toted (yes, a southern word) 30 pounds of clubs, bag, balls, beverages for approximately 2 1/2 miles. People always forget that not only are you walking the distance of the holes but you're also walking from green to next tee which can be a lenghty distance at times. Overall, pretty good day yesterday.

I didn't run over the weekend. Didn't have time-I went to the beach. Susan's oldest, MAC, played in the Emerald Coast Soccer tournament in Destin. I'll post details about that trip on "My Hot Girlfriend" website (link on the right).

2008-04-11T11:45:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday to all. I've managed to make it through another week. and that in itself is a blessing!

I was supposed to run on Wednesday but blew it off in order to go play golf with a friend who retired several years ago and had just gotten into town. We had a good time and I really don't feel guilty about having taken the day off. It's funny . . . the older I get, the more I realize my parents are right-there are some things that are more important. Like reconnecting with old friends! So there-no guilt trip!!!

I ran 4 miles yesterday afternoon. The temperature was up in the high 70s but it was breezy so it wasn't unbearable. Afterwards, I cut the grass and edged. Did I mention how much I love the longer days?

Oh yeah . . . . this is Masters weekend so I hope you golfers out there have your supply of beverages, chips, salsa, and whatever else you need to camp out on the sofa for the final round!

have a great weekend.

Tired Tuesday

2008-04-08T11:44:00.002-05:00

Hey all. It's lunch time. Decided I needed to catch up.

Tired today. Ran a couple of hilly runs on Thursday and Saturday that beat my legs up pretty good. I ran 4 miles yesterday in my neighborhood and couldn't keep up with Marc "The Animal". My legs were shot and I just did a survival type of run. Even though I ran easy, there was great effort put into it so I guess is did some good. Also, the temperature was up around 80 so I'm sure the heat slowed me down a little bit.

I'm also tired because I sat up past my bedtime. Yep, watched the NCAA men's b'ball championship. I'm not a big hoops fan but since it was the championship and Memphis was playing, I figured I'd watch it. My buddy Larry and neighbor "basement boy" came over and we watched the game and drank adult beverages.

I'm not running today but will run on Wednesday and Thursday.

2008-04-04T17:26:00.002-05:00

Hey all. It's Friday. Enough said!

I ran last night over at Susan's. I did the "hard" loop. We have about a 3 1/2 mile loop through Mountain Brook (lift your pinky when you say that). For those of you who know the area, it is appropriately name . . . . MOUNTAIN (BIG hills everywhere . . . not flats) and BROOK (creeks and streams between the mountains). Anyway. We normally run it in a direction where the hills are longer but less grade and the downhills are steep . . . not easy but manageable. I ran the loop in reverse. WOW . . . I never knew you could blow your lungs and heart through your nostrils. The normal gradual uphills and steep downhills, when reversed, give a heck of a workout. I had to walk uphill twice. This is embarrassing because 1) I like to think of myself as a runner, not a walker (not that there is anything wrong with that) and 2) People driving and working in their yards just snicker at me as I trudge past.

I survived the run and surprisingly, my legs don't feel that bad.

Busy weekend-I have a yard sale Saturday morning and I'm hosting three table of canasta at my house tonight. I'll try to get a run and bike ride in this weekend and Susan is supposed to be joining me.

Have a great weekend!

2008-04-03T12:01:00.002-05:00

Nothing too exciting going on.

I ran a couple of miles with Susan on Monday. We ran in her neighborhood. Probably would have gone further but it was almost dark and rain was moving in.

I ran 4 miles Wed afternoon. It was warm . . . mid 70s. Not too bad but was warm enough to let me know the seasons are changing and to get me sweating.

2008-03-27T12:04:00.003-05:00

Yes-I am still alive. I know that some of you have been wondering about that. It's been a busy last few weeks . . . I just can't figure out what I've been busy with!

I am running and that is a good thing. I'm also still on my quest to continue losing weight and have been somewhat successful but still working on it.

Let's see . . . .
I ran Monday this week. 4 miles. Nothing fabulous. Sort of a welcome home run after being on vacation last week. See "My Hot Girlfriend" for vacation info.

I ran 3 miles last night. A short run but a run none the less. That's the important thing.

Planning on a 4 or 5 miler this afternoon. Will let you know how it goes.

Snow?

2008-03-07T17:34:00.002-06:00

You've got to be kidding me. Everyone is talking about snow. You can't swing a dead cat and not hit a newsperson who isn't talking about it. Phoooey! It's 52 degress at 5:30 pm and there is not enough moisture in the air and the radar is showing everything north of B'ham. However, I do believe it will be cold tomorrow. Cold and windy. That is why I'm doing my long run on Sunday instead of Saturday.

Let me see . . . I ran a nice 5 miler on Monday. Ran about 3 1/2 miles of it with my neighbor Shelley. She's working really hard and is training for the Nashville half-marathon in April. I can tell that she's getting stronger and her pace is faster than in the past. I enjoyed the company and that always makes a run go by quickly.

Wednesday. I did 4 miles. A reasonably hard 4 miler. My guess is about 80 percent effort. I was breathing hard, sweating profusely, and it just felt good. You know?

Thursday. Legs were tired from Wed run. I managed to do an easy 4 miler but I honestly think I was breathing harder on my recovery run than on the hard run on Wed.

Tomorrow (Saturday) is a busy day. MAC, Susan's daughter, is in a soccer tournament starting at noon. I'm taking my car to the dealer for some discounted maintenance. They open at 7 and it's first come, first served so I'll be there by 6:30 to get in line. After that, I have my weekly grocery shopping to do and I need to get a new belt for the vacuum. I'll meet Susan and got to the soccer game at noon. Then I plan on going to the Home and Garden show at the civic center. After that, we go back to the soccer field around 5:30 for another game.

Sunday is almost just as busy. Church (of course) and then to the soccer field for another game. After that I'm planning on running 6-8 miles. That isn't enough to do though. Susans girls have a piano recital later in the day and then we all come back to Susan's house. Her youngest, E, is turning 8. That means a bunch of little girls running around the yard, playing and then on to Kobe, a Japenense steakhouse. It is E's favorite restauran and that was her request. Susan and I, Ed (Susan's ex) and his squeeze, and 16 little girls at a restaurant together. Needless to say, I'll be drinking lots of Sake'!

Pray for me!

about time

2008-02-29T11:34:00.003-06:00

Yes, it's about time I catch up on my blogging. I've layed off my blogging for several weeks and I apologize.

A lot has happened since my last whine session. I had gone to the Dr several times trying to figure out what was going on. I had been HURTING for a couple of weeks. To the point where I could not run and I could barely function at work. I haven't told some of my fan base this but I did end up going to the ER a couple of weeks ago on a Tuesday night. The usual routine . . . of course I wish it wasn't a routine. I feel stupid going to the ER but when you're hurting that badly, you have to go in. I took an aspirin (just in case) and got my neighbor to take me to the ER. After telling triosh that I was having chest pain, they got me back quick. However, after blood enzyme test (negative), x-ray (negative), heart rate (<60), blood pressure (110/50), and review of my history (I've done this before and had nuclear stress test back in Sept of 07), they decided it wasn't my heart. Well I figured that much. Of course when you don't become an emergency anymore, you sort of get left alone. Two days in for observation, not eating, and endoscopy, and I started feeling better and my GI doc said that my esophogus was inflamed and doubled my nexium. Like I said . . . same old thing.

I'm now back to running and being very careful about following the "do not eat" list. No tomato (well, just a little), no citrus (I can accept that), no caffeine (VERY TOUGH), no or limited alcohol (a glass of wine or two is okay), no peppermint (I love peppermint), no chocolate (I ADORE chocolate). I just have to pick and choose. BUMMER.

After an almost 3 week layoff, I got back on the street feeling better. Unfortunately, three weeks is long enough to detrain slightly so it took my legs a few runs to get back to normal. I'm back to building base for the next several weeks, trying to run 4 days a week between 15 and 20 miles per week.

Hope your running is going well!

Post Marathon Monday

2008-02-11T12:08:00.000-06:00

I'd love to be reveling in the glory (and pain) of having run in the Mercedes half marathon yesterday but as you know, I'm a wimp. I'm still having something going on with my body and Doctors still have not got it figured out yet. I had an ultrasound Friday but haven't heard back results yet . . . gonna be calling them this afternoon!

Susan I and went to the Expo on Saturday after her eldest daughter ran in a 1 mile kids run. She ran it in 7 minutes and some small change. She could have done better but she started off slow with one of her friends who she eventually had to dump during the race. The expo was fun. I just wish there was more participation from the community. There are lots of sponsors and it goods decent press but the expo always seems just a little weak. If you're not buying stuff, you can walk through it in less than an hour.

The worst part of Saturday was when we picked up our race packets and handed our chips in and told them that we were DNS (did not start) for the race. Very embarrassing. I hated it. I was just too afraid of having a (fill in the blank because I have no clue what to say here) _______ attack. I could just see myself doubling over in the middle of the race and being removed from the course. That would be more embarrassing than being DNS.

Congratulations to those of you who ran in Mercedes! Amy (who PR'd but as of yet, has not posted) and Troy, Christy, Dom. I am envious of all of you and I plan to be back on the road as soon as we get things figured out.

Friday . . . about time

2008-02-08T06:56:00.000-06:00

It has been a very LONG week. It's Friday morning and I've got lots to do at work today and that's good . . . the day will go quickly.

I tried running Wednesday afternoon and had to stop after a couple of miles . . . the body rebelled again. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I've been researching this like a madman trying to figure out what the heck is wrong. I'm a believer in the adage that when you hear hoofbeats look for horses, not zebras. But I've talked to several folks who have had similar symptoms and been keeping notes the past week. It is starting to look more like gall bladder problems or gall stones. I went back to the Dr on Thursday afternoon and told him that I had to have some kind of answer. He made me pee in a cup, took four tubes of blood for lab work and I'm scheduled for an ultrasound this afternoon. We'll see how things go.

I woke up early this morning. I was awake at 4:30 and finally got out of bed at 5:00. No problems, just woke up. Surprisingly, I woke up feeling good, no pain to mention, and feeling refreshed. I'm not complaining about it!

The bad news is that I am afraid to try the 13 miles I've promised to run. I'm sure that I could probably jog the half-marathon but not sure it would be the smartest thing to do at this point. I guess Susan and I will go to the expo Saturday morning, pick up our packets and turn in our chips as DNS (did not start). I hate doing that but I'd rather be a DNS than a DNF. I'm trying to decide if I should do as Dom suggests . . . . go to the post race party and rub elbows and drink beer. I really don't feel I've earned the privilage to be there and as most of you runner out there know, it really hurts emotionally to be around a race you planned on running and not being able to participate. My guess is Susan and I will go to church and then maybe head up the road to visit with my folks (I haven't called them yet to warn them but I will call them tonight to see if they want a visit).

I hope everyone has a good weekend and that your races go well. Think of me when the gun goes off. For the really brave folks running Mercedes . . . stop at mile 11 for a donut and draft and have one for me!

cuss words!

2008-02-06T11:45:00.000-06:00

Yes . . . cuss words. Lots of them. Lots of four letter words.

I went to the Dr. yesterday after 10 days of "just not feeling right" after eating the suspect tuna and spending the better part of my weekend on the sofa or in the bathroom. Told him of the incident and my symptoms. Run down, stomach not right, upper abdominal and chest pain. Of course the upper abdominam and chest pain complaint automatically gets you an EKG. I'm really not worried about heart problems. I had a nuclear stress test last fall and had an echo cardiogram (routine stuff at my cardiologist's request). Not a heart problem though some out there would say I just don't have on at all! Based on my history of GI problems, the Dr. felt that perhaps the violent, acidic weekend may have aggravated my esophagus. Of course without going to my GI Dr and being scoped, it's just a guess. I did tell him that I've slowly been feeling better and that made him feel more confident in his GI diagnosis. He gave me a prescription for a medicine that helps coat and told me to take it along with my nexium over the next week. I asked him about being tired and he (along with my MOTHER) said that being that sick just takes it out of you and rest is all that can be done. His suggestion is not run for the rest of the week and just take it easy.

I guess it seems as if my body has once again overcome my spirit. I really do want to run the half this Sunday but right now, I'm not sure I could do it. I am planning on doing a couple of easy miles this afternoon just to see if it wipes me out or not.

I've made up my mind that I will not be bummed out about this. There is plenty of time and plenty of miles yet to be run. Plus, my weight loss program is in progress and I'm heading the right direction with that. In the overall scheme of it, things are looking up.

Other items of interest . . . .

On a sad note, my neighbors across the street (Todd and Kathy) have had an offer made on their house and it looks like they'll be moving to Atlanta sometime this spring.

politics . . . hate 'em and against every old saying, we have to discuss it. Am I the only person out here who feels like this election is a no win situation? Why are the Repulicans putting up liberal canidates? I voted in the primaries yesterday and there is nothing out there to look forward to. I'll withhold my opinion about the Obama and Hillary show. Enough said there. John McCain? War hero, maybe, but he's LIBERAL. Mitt Romney? A governor from Mass (the most liberal state in the union). I like Fred Thompson who I felt was the closest thing to Reagan but he could never muster any interest. Our country is being hijacked by special interest groups and n'er-do-wells. As always, I'm interested in your opinions . . . no flaming though!

Superbowl. The good guys won. I loved seeing Tom Brady getting slammed to the ground on multiple occassions. It was a good game to boot and exciting finish. Anyone who took the Giants and the points made money, I'm sure.

Best commercial (imho) was the Bridgestone tire commercial with Alice Cooper and Richard Simmons.

Hope you have a great day!

SuperBowl Sunday

2008-02-03T15:57:00.000-06:00

Hey all. It has not been a very good or productive weekend. BIG BUMMER. It seems that whatever tore me up last Saturday really took its toll on me and I'm still not right. Of course those of you who know me would say that I haven't been right in a long time! I have to laugh and joke because next Sunday is the Mercedes Marathon (and half) and I am not sure if I'll be able to do it.

I had decided to so my 10-12 miler Saturday instead of Sunday. I figured it would give me and extra day of rest. I worked around the yard and felt okay most of the morning. I did have to take some of my GI cocktail (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GI_Cocktail) that I keep around for days like these. My gastro has given me prescription for this and it is helpful most of the time. I've been having lots of belching and abdominal and chest pain since last weekend's episode with the bad tuna. I strapped on the shoes, grabbed my MP3 player (note the lack of APPLE or IPOD anywhere that statement . . but that's another story), put on the shades and set out to get my run in. I was keeping the pace deliberately slow and made it through 5 miles without a hitch. Then all of a sudden, my body just seemed to rebel and say "I'm not doing this anymore . . I'm tired!" I tried to press on but I just didn't have it in me. My back and shoulders are sore, my GI tract is still screwed up. I just said "screw it" and took it into the shower.

I'm sitting here whining to you Sunday afternoon prior to heading to my neighbor's house for the Superbowl.

I need advice, help from anyone out there. I'm hoping that tomorrow I turn the corner and I can still run/walk the half next Sunday.

If things don't improve in another day or two I guess I'll be heading to the doctor.

by the way, Go Giants! Be sure to watch the commercials . . . that's usually the best part.

Thanks for the comments on my new blog about Susan (my hot girlfriend)!

For better or for worse

2008-01-30T18:03:00.001-06:00

It's Wednesday evening and I have just showered up after my run. I'm feeling a little better than I did this past weekend when I think I got food poisoning from a dead, pissed off tuna used for sushi. My body has just gotten back into a rhythm, if you know what I mean. For some strange reason, I'm still sore all over (stomach bug vs poisoning?). Additionally, it seems the acid I so freely deposited to the porcelain bus, must have done some damage to my esophagus and I'm taking Prilosec on top of my morning Nexium. Things seem to be straightening out.

Based on feeling better today, I went and ahead and signed up officially for the Mercedes Half. I was planning on running it in Susan's place but decided to register . . . I am not a big fan of "bandits", even in smaller races like ours here in B'ham. So as I have titled my blog tonight-For Better or for Worse, I will be running 13.1 miles in 11 days.

So tonight I did 4 miles. I did not fartlek as I had wanted. Body just wasn't into it. I did feel decent throughout the run and that was much better than the pitiful 2.5 miles I did on Monday. I plan on doing 4 miles on Friday and doing somewhere between 10 and 12 miles on Sunday afternoon before the Super Bowl.

In case you didn't notice, I have added a new link on the right hand side of my blog. The "Mushy Stuff". Enjoy!

2008-01-28T22:39:00.000-06:00

It is past my bedtime and I'm sitting here trying to decide what to say.

I ran 2 1/2 miles and felt terrible the whole time. I guess the weekend took more out of me than I thought. My body ached the entire time-from my neck to my butt, I was sore. I hope tomorrow brings a better day.

I've sort of lost my "zip" and I know I need to get it back since I have less than two weeks to run a half-marathon.

Fartleks on Tuesday. Maybe that will help.

Set back

2008-01-28T06:49:00.000-06:00

Yep. Two very bad words if you're training. I had a short set back but enough to make my head spin and set me into pseudo panic mode. Story follows:

I had a good run on Friday afternoon after work. I really didn't press the pace but it was a good effort and I recovered quickly. A 4 miler run at about 80 percent effort. As I spent Friday evening eating and watching a movie with Susan, I kept thinking . . . I cannot wait for my 10 miler on Sunday!

Saturday was one of those days. You know the kind of day where you don't do anything physical and you're more tired than if you had gone for a long run or worked in the yard all day? Susan and I enjoyed the lesson with Dr. Louis Markos (http://fc.hbu.edu/~lmarkos/) who spoke on CS Lewis and his works Mere Christianity and The Problem of Pain. Very good lectures and enlightening. Susan got a call and found out here dad was in the hospital. Gall bladder. Fortunately, the hospital was less than 10 minutes from church. Her dad was somewhat sedated due to pain meds and nausea medicine. He had had a gall bladder attack the previous evening and went to the hospital in the middle of the night, never contacting anyone. Fortunately, somebody from his church got to calling and Susan and her sister both were told about it. We hung around the hospital while they did an ultrasound and got him somewhat comfortable for the evening. We left after he ate and decided to change our plans. We had previously planned on making fajitas at my house but we were both tired and decided to eat out. I wanted some pasta or mexican to prepare for my 10 miler the next day. However, I offered Thai Emerald as an option and Susan wanted to go there. BIG MISTAKE. I don't want Susan to feel guilty about her decision but it affected the training schedule!

First, before everyone starts yelling at me, let me say that I have eaten at this restaurant in the past and I've eaten sushi here before (actually, I think the smoked and cooked sushi is not actually sushi). We had double shrimp rolls and tuna crunch. Susan only nibbled at the tuna crunch so I will blame the next 24 hours on the tuna crunch. We did not over induldge . . . I had one Stella Artois so I know it wasn't that. Within the hour, I started feeling "funny". You know the feeling-not bad but your body is letting you know that something isn't quite right either. I was belching a lot and had some upper GI distress, which isn't unusual if I eat to much of the wrong thing. We went back to Susan's house so she could be close to the hospital in case her dad needed her. We played scrabble and I just couldn't focus. A little Gaviscon and I felt a little better. However, by the time we played a couple of games of scrabble, I was definitely in a downward spiral. Susan's girls were with her dad and I was feeling bad so Susan was kind enough to let me stay. The intent was to get up feeling better and go to church and then to go see her dad. Believe me . . . no romancing happening. Let's just say when I say I was up all night, it was nothing to brag about! Between diarreaha, vomiting, delirium, sweating, neither of us got much sleep. A miserable night. I think I "woke up" around 7:30 and decided to make a mad dash home. No sense in messing up Susan's day and if I'm going to die, I'd rather do it in the privacy of my own home, on my own sofa.

I spent most of the day Sunday sprinting to the powder room (which is now off limits to guests until the HazMat team arrives later this week). Susan came by in the afternoon to let me know her dad had had his gall bladder removed and should be going home on Monday. My diet for the day consisted of Gatorade, sprite, half-can of chicken soup, and a WW dinner dinner around 6 when I started feeling halfway normal. I went to bed around 7:30 and slept straight thru until the alarm went off at 5:30 this morning. I feel better now but can tell my body had been through it.

Needless to say, I did not get in my 10 miler. Now what do I do? Do I try to get the 10 in tonight? Personally, I don't think it would be beneficial at this point. I know my body is still recovering and the strain might do more harm than good at this point. Plus I've read in several places that if a run is skipped for reasons such as this, the thing to do is just pick up as the normal schedule falls. I'm thinking I'll adjust my weekly schedule slightly but let the 10 miler pass. However, that means 12 might be tough next weekend. I guess I'll play next week's long run by ear. BTW, I've lost almost 6 pounds in the last two weeks. Of course my spell with food poisoning helped out!

here's progress and this week's adjusted schedule-

Thurs 1/17 4 m (done)

Sat 1/19 8 m Weekly mileage 20 (done)

Mon 1/21 4 m (done)

Wed 1/23 4 m (done)

Fri 1/25 4 m (done)

Sun 1/27 10 m (skipped due to bad tuna) Weekly mileage 12 not 22 as wanted

Mon 1/28 4 m

Tues 1/29 4 m fartleks

Thurs 1/32 4 m

Sat 2/2 10 to 12 m Weekly mileage 22 to 24 miles

Mon 2/4 4 m

Tues 2/5 4 m

Thurs 2/7 4 m

Sunday 2/10 is Mercedes Half-marathon 13.1 miles Weekly mileage 25

Feeling pretty good

2008-01-23T19:12:00.000-06:00

Hey all. It's Wednesday evening and I'm sitting here typing to you and watching Hunt for Red October for the 118th time. Goes to tell you how good network TV is nowadays.

First, let me tell you some touchy feely junk and get it out of the way. My cousin, Courtney and her husband Bobby had a baby boy today. For the women out there I can provide statistics if you want but the important thing is that everyone involved is healthy. I'd give you a name but as I've been reminded many times, pictures and names of children posted on the internet without permission is a no-no. So for right now we'll leave it at that.

I'm upping my weekly mileage this week and I'm trying to do it carefully. However, I am also wanting to get back into a pattern that includes more than just slogging around. My midweek runs are fartleks. Tonight I did 4 miles with 2 1/2 mile of the 4 being fartleks run at about an 80% effort. I felt much better than I did on Monday and that is a good sign. Body is recovering quicker. The fartleks felt good and I'm looking forward to my Friday run and my Sunday 10 miler. Bottom line is that I'm feeling pretty good.

Saturday is my normal running day but Susan and I are going to a day long conference at her church on C. S. Lewis. We're both looking forward to the time together and the opportunity to learn more about one of the most highly regarded lay theologians in recent history. Of course we will do something fun for dinner at the end of the day . . . just need to figure out where to go.

Progress towards Mercedes Half-Marathon:

Thurs 1/17 4 m (done)
Sat 1/19 8 m Weekly mileage 20 (done)
Mon 1/21 4 m (done)
Wed 1/23 4 m (done)
Fri 1/25 4 m
Sun 1/27 10 m Weekly mileage 22
Tues 1/29 5 m
Thurs 1/31 5 m
Sat 2/2 12 m Weekly mileage 22
Mon 2/4 4 m
Tues 2/5 4 m
Thurs 2/7 4 m
Sunday 2/10 is Mercedes Half-marathon 13.1 miles Weekly mileage 25

2008-01-22T08:54:00.000-06:00

It's Tuesday morning, 9:00. Taking a break at work to eat my Total bran flakes. I've lost a little over 2 pounds since last week which absolutely amazes me considering I really did not count points (Weight Watcher Flex Plan) over my long weekend. In fact, I ate chicken wings and pasta Sunday during the Green Bay-NY Giants game. I also indulged in the beverage department and fully expected a zero sum loss on the weight loss battle. Definitely a moral victory!

As you already know, I successfully completed my 8 miler on Saturday. I did a 4 mile recovery run Monday afternoon. It felt a little sluggish. Legs were a little sore but not bad plus I had been sitting in a theater, eating popcorn and watching the movie Water Horse with Susan and her girls Monday afternoon (yes, I got MLK Jr holiday off). Bottom line is that I got the run in even though I didn't feel like it.

Progress towards Mercedes Half-Marathon:

Thurs 1/17 4 m (done)

Sat 1/19 8 m Weekly mileage 20 (done)

Mon 1/21 4 m (done)

Wed 1/23 4 m

Fri 1/25 4 m

Sun 1/27 10 m Weekly mileage 22

Tues 1/29 5 m

Thurs 1/31 5 m

Sat 2/2 12 m Weekly mileage 22

Mon 2/4 4 m

Tues 2/5 4 m

Thurs 2/7 4 m

Sunday 2/10 is Mercedes Half-marathon 13.1 miles Weekly mileage 25

another one done

2008-01-19T15:59:00.000-06:00

Yep. It's Saturday afternoon and I have showered and taken my arthritis strength Tylenol after completing my 8 miler. Here in Birmingham, it was supposed to snow 2-4 inches but as usual, it was a flop. It snowed for about two hours-just enough to make the unfrozen ground muddy. Susan's girls have been out playing in the snow. At least it started off that way. Now they're playing in the muck and (bless Susan's heart) they keep tracking in everytime Susan gets the mess cleaned up from the previous trip in. The patience of Job. I on the other hand cringe when I see them tracking in. However, it is not my business so I just sit and huff like the old man I am. I know I need to loosen up around the kids but I have to admit it is tough. Right now the girls are outside in the mud with a couple of the neighbors' kids climbing on the fort (treehouse) and dragging up all manner of boards, bricks, and just about anything that isn't nailed down or is so large that they simply cannot pick it up. Thank goodness the dogs can out run them . . . otherwise, there would be doggy missiles being launched from the fort.

Okay, back to my run. I waited for the snow/sleet to stop before heading out. It was about 1:00 and the temperature is hovering just about freezing. The snow started melting as soon as is stopped so there are a few small remnants but mostly everything is wet and messy. I wore shorts, a long sleeve heavy coolmax, a wind vest, thin poly gloves. I also started out with a poly headband to cover my ears but immediately put it in my vest pocket as I broke a sweat right away and my head was overheating. I try to practice the old adage "if you're comfortable when you start then you are overdressed". Gladly, after removing the headband, I was dressed just about right. The plan was for me to do 4 miles and stop back at Susan's house where MAC would join me for the final 4 miles. Well it didn't quite go that way. I stopped in after 4 miles to get some water and pick up MAC and she was hovered in front of the fireplace, still in her play clothes. Yes, the normally corageous, dependable one fagged out on me. She whimpered about it being cold which really didn't make sense since she had been outside all day playing. Regardless, I am dissing her. I owe that to her since I also brag on her. My philosophy on kids . . . cut 'em no slack! You do good, you get praise. You pull a bonehead stunt, you get dissed. That's the way it is in Jim's world. Maybe a little bit AR but that's what I believe.

I went back out for my second 4 miles and realized that the temp was dropping and the wind was picking up. I guess it's a good thing that MAC fagged out . . . otherwise she wouldn't have had much fun and chances are I'd have to drag her back home. I finished the second 4 miles without incident and did it in a negative split.

I am not going to recap each mile. However, I am glad to say that I did the run in 1 hour, 18 minutes and change. Faster than the 10 minute average I had planned. Plus the negative split that I actually planned on helped me build a little confidence. LONG SLOW RUN. Repeat it with me. LONG SLOW RUN. I felt good afterwards and have enough confidence that I am looking forward to the 10 miler next weekend!

2008-01-17T22:15:00.000-06:00

It's Thursday night and I'm sitting here about to hit the hay. I am taking off tomorrow to just goof off, pay bills, cut some firewood (which I will share with Susan), clean the basement, ready myself for the winter storm our local yahoos are saying we will get. I may also walk 9 holes later in the afternoon.

I ran today. It really did feel good and my knee has seemed to adapt to the increased stress of the maniacal mileage increase. I did 4 miles. I included fartleks and spent several stretches of 80-90% effort in my running. The body was reluctant but the mind sort of grasped hold of the idea and I enjoyed it. I also lifted weights afterwards.

The weatherman says that we should be gettting between 1-3 inches of snow Friday night-Saturday morning. Blah, Blah, Blah. We'll see. I am still planning on doing 8 miles, regardless.

I am having a long weekend. Off tomorrow, weekend, and MLK day on Monday. A four day weekend. I've already told you about Friday. Saturday, I am going to be over at Susan's (if the roads don't get iced over). I'm going to help out with a couple of things over there and will run in the afternoon. Her oldest daughter, MAC, is planning on running 6 miles with me during the half marathon, so she is going to run a four or five miler with me on Saturday. I told her that she needs to run in the cold just in case it is cold on race day. She's up for it and quite the trooper. If I were to ever have "fruit of my loins", MAC would be it!

Sunday. It is a rest day. It is also the NFL conference championship games. I will be parked in front of the TV after church. I normally abhor pro sports but this is the playoffs and I HATE the Patriots so I have to watch.

Monday . . . who knows what adventure waits. I'd like to do something with Susan and the girls but we have no plans right now. I could play golf or WE could go for a hike if the weather cooperates.

Here's a recap . . .

Thurs 1/17 4 m (DONE)
Sat 1/19 8 m Weekly mileage 20
Mon 1/21 4 m
Wed 1/23 4 m
Fri 1/25 4 m
Sun 1/27 10 m Weekly mileage 22
Tues 1/29 5 m
Thurs 1/31 5 m
Sat 2/2 12 m Weekly mileage 22
Mon 2/4 4 m
Tues 2/5 4 m
Thurs 2/7 4 m
Sunday 2/10 is Mercedes Half-marathon 13.1 miles Weekly mileage 25

2008-01-16T07:05:00.000-06:00

It's Wednesday morning and I'm about to start doing what "they" pay me to do . . . work. However, I thought I'd take a moment to update.

Monday. I ran 4 miles at about a 70% effort. Not a hard run but not an easy run by any stretch of the imagination. The knee felt fine but the back is still stiff from my tumble down the hill last weekend. I also lifted weights. Actually felt pretty decent when all was said and done. Monday also started my "official" restart on Weight Watchers. I need some accountability and I'm very goal motivated . . . that's just the way I am wired. For those of you who may know the system, I am using the Flex plan . . . counting points. I find this method the easiest way for me to track what goes in my mouth. I will be updating my progress on a weekly basis. My "official" weigh-in is on Monday morning. The system worked for me in the past. I just was not disciplined enough to stick to it.

Tuesday-I ran an easy 4 miler. The legs were a little sore. My thinking is this . . . since I am trying to build for a "survival" half-marathon next month where I am going to run in Susan's place for her fund raiser for the Bell Center (HINT), I am more interested in building my long runs. The mid-week mileage will not be varying much since I don't want to pile too much on too quickly. Of course you input is appreciated. Here's what I'm thinking-

Thurs 1/17 4 m
Sat 1/19 8 m Weekly mileage 20
Mon 1/21 4 m
Wed 1/23 4 m
Fri 1/25 4 m
Sun 1/27 10 m Weekly mileage 22
Tues 1/29 5 m
Thurs 1/31 5 m
Sat 2/2 12 m Weekly mileage 22
Mon 2/4 4 m
Tues 2/5 4 m
Thurs 2/7 4 m
Sunday 2/10 is Mercedes Half-marathon 13.1 miles Weekly mileage 25

2008-01-12T17:08:00.000-06:00

It's late Saturday afternoon and I've taken my Arthritis Strength Tylenol, rubbed my left knee with Blu Emu, and I'm having a toddy. I'm sitting at Susan's house updating my blog. We're both trying to improve our running and lose weight, though I have a much longer way to go than she does. Anyway . . . we're waiting on dinner to heat up. We are splitting a baked potato and we are splitting a filet that was left over from last night. We're also going to have small salads and Susan just informed me that she wants to put frozen peas in hers. YIKES! None for me, thanks. I eat almost anything but peas and brussel sprouts are on my yucky list.

I ran 3 miles Thursday afternoon. I wanted to go farther but
1) it was raining and the lightning started getting bad; and
2) my knee was hurting: and
3) I just didn't feel like it!

I did lift weights after the run and then I jumped on the trainer (stationary bike) and pedaled for 15 minutes. No ridicule please-at least it's something.

Today I did a six miler. SLOW. PAINFUL. but I did it. Trying to do what I know I shouldn't be doing-I'm trying to get where I can do 13 miles for the upcoming Mercedes Marathon. Stupid I know but what the heck. I deserve all the punishment I can deal out to myself for letting myself get out of shape. Additionally, Amy and Troy are entered and she has specifically called me out on it (gulp). I have asked them to come over the last couple of years and they decided to pick a year when they know they can beat me. BIG BUMMER. I'm looking forward to the next month of pain, pills, whining, etc. What I need to do is get Troy and Amy to go out the night before and get them wasted to give myself a chance!

Susan, who had signed up for the half, is now thinking about joining a relay team and doing a 5k leg. There are two 5k, two 10k, and one 7.6 mile leg (final leg). One of her friends is putting together a team and she's thinking that she might be interested in doing it. I think that she's in the same boat as I am-undertrained but even less enthusiastic!

I have lifted twice this week and run four days for a total of 17 miles. Boy do I have a long way to go.

Susan and I are going to my parents for brunch after church tomorrow and visit them for a while. That's about it for the weekend. Enjoy the rest of yours!

2008-01-08T21:04:00.000-06:00

It's Tuesday evening around 9:00 and I'm winding down. It's thundering and lightning and raining pretty hard. We have storm warnings but the radar does not look too bad. I'm about to wash face, brush teeth, read a little bit, and hit the hay. I'm 48 going on 88! I'm reading a pretty neat little book I picked up called PEACE-The words and Wisdom of Mahatma Gandhi. Here's a great quote . . . "There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no causes that I am prepared to kill for". That's your thought of the day.

I ran four fairly quick miles yesterday afternoon. I'm still running without a watch. All things are relative at this point and I am just running by feel. I felt good about the run and the weather was perfect-70 degrees, beautiful sunset, running along the ridge on top of the mountain I live on. My body did tell on me somewhat last night . . . a little sore but that's okay. By the way . . . How about those LSU tigers? National champs! I'm an Auburn fan but anytime the SEC does well, I'm satisfied. Sorry for you PAC 10, Big 10, Big 12 folks . . . that's just the way it is.

This afternoon I ran another four miler but much slower than last night. Legs were sluggish and my back still hurts from falling down the hill behind my house over the weekend.

I have relatives that like the touchy feely stuff so here's a little something for them-Susan came over and watched the ball game last night. She brought dinner . . . Italian roast and polenta. Yummy.

Monday-fleeing the fat man

2008-01-07T11:38:00.000-06:00

Greetings to all.

I've decided to try to run the Mercedes Half here in B'ham about a month from now. I will be doing it in survival mode. Susan has not been able to train adequately and I am going to run in her place since she is raising money for the Bell Center (see link at right). Of course, I have not been training for a half marathon so we'll just see how it goes. This is a hilly course and I may resort to walking on the uphills. The best part of the race is that every finisher in the half and full marathon qualifies for a chance to win a new mercedes SUV. And there is one heck of a party afterwards with BBQ and mucho fluid replacement.

I actually lost 1 pound over the weekend. I know it doesn't sound like much but considering the weekend is when I do my "heavy" eating, I'm pretty pleased about it! I've been watching my intake and trying to control portion size based on my WeightWatcher training. I am sitting here at my desk at work during lunch hour eating my small can of tuna, 2 dozen pretzels, 5 ginger snaps, and diet soda. That's about a 6 point lunch for those of you familiar with counting points.

I ran last Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Monday was tough because it was New Year's eve and I had lots of things on my mind but I did 4 miles.

Wednesday was the kind of day when you really want to stay inside. We had been having normal weather for Alabama-low to mid 50s. Well, old man winter struck with fury on Wednesday. The temp never got over 30 and there were 20-30 mph winds. By the time I got home from work, stretched and headed outside, the temp was 28 degrees and the wind was NASTY. It was doubly tough since I live on top of a ridge and the wind just seems to cut you in half. I managed a measely 3 miler and called it quits.

Thursday was almost the same as Wednesday except the wind wasn't quite so bad. I did a 4 miler but still wished I was indoors! Also lifted weights after I ran.

Saturday was a very nice day. It was warming back up and it felt like running weather. I did about a 5 miler. I did 3.1 mile loop with my neighbor Dom. He calls it his super loop and includes the big hill in the 'hood. I did a mile before and after the loop.

I am looking forward to my run this afternoon. The temp is near 70 today, the sun is shining and I actually feel pretty good considering I took a tumble down the hill behind my house this weekend.

Thank you Susan for the kind words, the patience, and the trust.

Happy New Year

2008-01-02T12:01:00.000-06:00

Greetings to all and wishes for a blessed, prosperous new year. For the runners out there-I wish you a year of achieved goals and minimal injuries.

2007 is gone. I spent a few days at the end of the year reflecting and reading back through my posts, comments, and assorted emails. 2007 was not my most stellar year. However, something about January 1 (or Jan. 2 in this case) provides a mental and emotional demarcation. Can't explain it. That being said, I, like most folks, have decided to turn things around in 2008. SERIOUSLY. Stop laughing!

You will be seeing more running posts, biking posts, progress on weight loss (gulp!) and less of the touchy feely emotional stuff that defined 2007. I really haven't made any resolutions for 2008 though I guess goals and resolutions go hand in hand. That being said, (drum roll please), here are my main goals for 2008-

1) lose weight. I have to lose weight if I'm going to achieve goal #2
2) Run NYC marathon. I am already in on the lottery since I delayed last years entrance to this year.
3) I'd like to get the 1000 miles this year but that's a stretch . . . let's make it easier and say 900 miles (17.3 miles per week vs. 19.2 miles per week). If I'm going to achieve goals 1 and 2 above, I will be having to put in some miles!
4) Do a Century ride . . . this means saddle time during the spring and summer. I have not done a Century ride yet and it's time I do so. I need encouragement from my biking buddies on this one.

Simple things to do but they will require focus and attention. I hope you help to hold me accountable for these.

2007-12-21T17:54:00.000-06:00

okay . . . . everyone has said their peace. Enough of that. Past is past. This is now. I didn't mean to bum people out with my last post and it appears that is what has happened.

Did you know that I RAN Thursday morning before driving to Tupelo? Yep . . . this is ABOUT ME and RUNNING. Did you know that despite being fed WAY TOO MUCH FOOD by Helen, I am going to run on Saturday? I may be puking my guts out but I'll run just the same.

Reminder for self and others . . .
I have more opportunites now than ever before. I am going to retire rich (rich is a relative term) and enjoy myself. Life is not over . . . I'm just simply in another chapter.

I am not diminishing the memories. Just know that there are lots more to create.

I love you all.

2007-12-19T22:14:00.000-06:00

I am continuing to do my four days a week and lifting twice a week.

Sometimes I find myself motivated beyond description and other times I couldn't care less. I'm sure that work and personal life has lots to do with it. Plus the fact that it is that time of year . . . those of you who "know" me know what I am speaking about. I am just ready for the year to be over and to get on with next year. There is nothing I can do except to keep my chin up and head through it . . . there is no dodging it.

I am going to Tupelo to visit Helen (Mona's mom) for the next couple of days. There are some heirloom type of items that I need to give her. Things that belong in the family and not with me. This is my decision and not Helen's. She's told me to keep things but it just isn't right. Paintings by Mona's grandmother, antiques from her grandmothers home . . . those things should stay in the family and go to Mona's brothers. I guess after two years I am starting to realize that I need to let go. I am saddened by it but as a friend of mine says . . . "thems the breaks".

I plan on running Thursday and Saturday while in Tupelo.

Be sure to keep me in your prayers over the next week.

losing

2007-12-10T11:45:00.000-06:00

No, not losing a race . . . that always happens because technically unless you cross the line first, you lose. Second place IS the first place loser.

No, not losing my car keys. Though I do that from time to time, I found it much easier just to have four cars in case I do lose my keys.

No, not losing my mind. Hmmmmm, well maybe just a little bit.

I am talking about losing weight. Not vast amounts . . . yet. But enough to get excited about it. This time of year is so tough to buckle down and behave . . . I figure if I can just hold my own over the next couple of weeks, I'll be okay.

I'm still running 4 days a week and varying between 3 milers and 6 milers. No big mileage but consistency is the goal. I'm also still lifting 2 days a week and that is starting to pay off as well.

I have not decorated for Christmas. I haven't even thought about it to be honest. I'm not having any parties or guests over . . . what's the point? Chances are that I'm not going to be home during the holidays anyway. If I want Christmas cheer, I'll go next door and look at my neighbor's tree. Are there any other Scrooges out there?

gobble, gobble, gobble

2007-11-28T06:56:00.000-06:00

It is Wednesday AFTER Thanksgiving and I am finally coming off my turkey high. Or was it a turkey low? L-Tryptophan and carbs tend to do that. http://chemistry.about.com/od/holidaysseasons/a/tiredturkey.htm Whatever the case, my body has finally recovered and is properly functioning. I spent the day with my parents, my aunt Susan, her daughter LC and s-i-l Bobby. I love my family. They put the "FUN" in dysfunctional. I am so grateful for all the support they have provided and continue to provide.

I'm continuing to run and lift, though I did miss a few days during my turkey high, I have managed to get back out there and pound out a few miles since last Thursday.

Susan and her girls went to Manhatten for Thanksgiving and I am sure that she'll eventually post their experience of eating street vendor hotdogs for Thanksgiving dinner.

Note that Susan is running to raise money for the Bell Center. I have done this in past for the Mercedes Marathon here in town. The Bell Center is a worthwhile cause for children with developmental delay, Downes, and other challenges. I've decided to make my donation directly to Bell Center and defer any donations that you would have been kind enough to give me to Susan. You can go to her blog and find the link to make a donation. Also, you can go directly to http://firstgiving.com/susancorcoran to make a donation. I am also putting a link to the fund raising page in my margin area. If you live in the area, this is a great cause. I'd suggest you go to Homewood and go to the school and ask the staff to show you around. Amazing.

Have a great day!

200th post- Am I growing up?

2007-11-14T12:15:00.000-06:00

Interesting . . . my 200th post. I thought it would be a milestone but to be truthful, it's just another day on the calendar. One more spin of the third rock from the sun.

It has been several weeks since my last post and I am almost AR enough to let it bother me.

I've been running at least four days a week and Phil has pointed out that I need to get out of the habit of running the same mileage everyday. I knew that but have taken it to heart. It's okay to run a short, quickie 3 miler. It's okay to run a slow 6 miler. It's okay to listen to my body and to adjust as needed. I've seen my friends in the 'hood as they have almost completed their preparation for the Rocket City Marathon. They are fast and slim and I'm sure they will be setting PRs. I realize that is where I once was, and that is where I will be again.

I've been regaining some strength, stamina, and desire over the last month or so. My running has become routine and I am once again finding happiness in the solitude of my footfall. I've been able to clear my head and be introspective and pray during my runs. Not praying to be able to catch my breath but praying for peace and wisdom. Sometimes God actually listens. Basically, it has once again become my refuge and not my torment. I have also started back to lifting light weights twice a week. The downside to being endomorphic is I am constantly fighting the FAT MAN battle. The upside is that if I just look at weights, my shoulders, arms, pecs will grow and firm up nicely.

I have spent the last couple of weeks pouring back over all my posts from the end of 2005 and into 2006 when I was preparing for my last marathon. I am amazed at the stuff I was doing back then. That little trip down memory lane has sort of rejuvinated me. The trip to the past also brought tears and chuckles. That being said, I don't think that I would have or could have done anything any differently. It has also helped me realize that my past is my past and there great things yet to come for me. I have loved and I was loved. I think that I have finally figured out that it will all happen again. It is not something that can be forced or put on a schedule. I'll just wait and see what the next day holds.

Today is nothing special other than a sign that God is merciful and has given us all another chance to improve someone else's life. Go out and find someone to help.

Simplify

2007-10-29T11:55:00.000-05:00

Everyone's advice is to "simplify". I fully realize that at times my life is pretty much the beast that I have created and I agree that I have to simplify. I've had my GI and my cardiologist both tell me this past month that my body is not adapting well to stress. DUH. I wouldn't say that it is out of control but I've been letting too many outside things influence me. Working on changing that. Tougher to do than running. Speaking of which-

I've been running since my last post. averaging about 4 miles a day at least 4 days a week. I'm still not having fun doing it . . . can't figure out why my inner man is fighting with what usually brings me comfort and security. I'll just keep plowing through and I'm sure I'll have that break through eventually. The weather here is finally fabulous . . . afternoons in the highs 60s and low 70s with evening getting down into the 40s. Typical of Alabama . . . it's 90 degrees one, a front blows through and the temp is 60. We don't get our fair share of spring and fall. I'd prefer a more temperate climate . . . maybe I'll find somewhere to go that better supports my pursuit of outdoor activity.

I went to my neighbor's house for a cookout last night. Last week, my dear friends and neighbors, Todd and Kathy, announced that they are leaving us . . . moving to Atlanta for Todd's work. Big bummer. We decided to get together along with my other friends and neighbors, Jim and Karen, who were celebrating their anniversary. When I got over there, Karen and Kathy were attempting to untangle this horrible mess of yarn (they both knit) at the island in the kitchen. Apparently, the normally nice and neat skein (sp?) was not so nice and neat and Karen refused to take the loss on $40 worth of yarn. Personally, I'd chunk it and have a do-over but you know how women are. Anyway, after a couple of hours of messing with the yarn and slowly getting it untangled and balled up, they were victorious just as I was bringing the steaks in from the deck. We all sat at the table and had a great time laughing and cutting up. My dog Kelsey always goes to visit with Todd and Kathy and she was under the table begging for food. After a while she got quiet and then she started growling and tumbling around. We all figured she gave up begging and found a toy to play with. Well, that is sort of what happened. Somehow, she managed to get the ball of expensive yarn and had commenced to undue all the work that Karen and Kathy had accomplished earlier in the evening. Fortunately for Kelsey's health and Karen's sanity, it was only unrolled and not tangled. No blood, no foul.

I've been debating on keeping this blog going. I've also been thinking about a total revamp and renaming. My neighbor Jim said something that struck me as funny and deep on many levels and I asked him if I could use it. While he was playing with the fire in the chiminea, he so very obviously burned himself. His qoute was simple . . . "I'm a man, I'll cry later" struck a chord in me. I'll let you know if and when I decide to start my new blog under my neighbor Jim's mindset.

just the facts, ma'am

2007-10-16T17:36:00.000-05:00

Today is Tuesday. wow. Notice the lack of capitalization. I've been in a bit of a funk for a while and I'm really needing to get over it. Probably because I have not run in several days. The headcold I was complaining about last week hung on through the weekend. Amazing that something that I used to plow right through now takes a toll on me. I'm sure it's more a state of mind than anything else. However, I did have a fever one day. 101 degree to be exact.

On another front . . . . I had an endoscopy done yesterday morning. I had been having some problems similar to my past history (don't ask) so my GI suggested "we" take a look. "We" were not involved with it. My half of "we" was fast asleep thanks to good drugs. Karen, my next door neighbor was kind enough to haul my sorry butt to the hospital at 6:15 yesterday morning after she got in late from a weekend trip to Chicago. Susan offered to take me but she had teacher stuff and meetings to do so I didn't want to take from her time. Karen is an executive so it really doesn't matter what she does (sorry to all you executives out there).

After getting prepped and the Dr and nurse telling my bye, I magically ended up in a wheelchair in a room full of recovering patients. Very surrealistic . . . . I woke up long enough to look around and having this strange dream that I was in the movie Saw 3! Somewhere between my brief conciousness in recovery and my sofa at home, I remember getting in a car and staggering up my sidewalk. I have to trust Karen's word but she told me that I did and said things I don't remember. Don't know if that is a good thing or bad thing. It's just good to know that she is a good enough friend that she won't tell a soul!

I finally started waking up around 5 ish when the phone started ringing. I had several friends call to check on me and Karen and her husband Jim brought dinner over. Very much appreciated . . . THANKS! After eating and dozing through the first half of Monday night football, I crawled in bed and slept straight through until the alarm went off. Lots of good, drug enduced sleep. Just what the Dr ordered. According to Karen, the Dr said everything was fine and that I need to relax. Most of my problems are probably stress induced. Imagine that.

I didn't run tonight simply because I didn't feel like and I was pushed for time. Susan had some volunteer work to do for the "rich ladies of unnamed community" so I agreed to keep the girls. Another effort to hone my pseudo parenting skills. That's a whole new subject all by itself . . . I'm sure Phil knows where I am coming from. Let's just say that we're working on sorting out our skill sets and trying to figure out where we are going.

My plan is to run an easy one tomorrow and Thursday. Hopefully, Susan and I can run and play tennis on Saturday before we become couch potatoes watching UAT vs UT and AU vs LSU.

I also noted that I approaching my 200 post. Wow, hard to believe that I have bored you all that many times. Maybe I'll do something special . . . maybe not.

2007-10-11T12:21:00.000-05:00

Greetings to all. I know it's been awhile since I've blogged . . . does that give you a hint about my ability to commit? ;)

The last several weeks have been so-so. I've been running when I can but have failed to keep my promise to myself of getting my a$$ in gear and getting back onto schedule. I'm still a limp wristed girlie man who is too easily swayed from my "training" schedule. It's not like I have other commitments to live up to . . . I just find it too easy to find reasons to blow off my runs. Somebody PLEASE tell me to toughen up.

I have not run since Monday. Somehow, somewhere, I managed to catch a cold or at least something mimicing a cold. Started off with a sore throat, then headache, then fever. As of this morning, the fever is gone but the congestion has moved into the chest so now I have a nasty cough. My body tends to do this to me. I'd rather have all the symptoms at once and get it over with but fate would prefer to drag it out over time, one symptom at a time. I'm not going to run until this weekend. No sense in challenging my body just yet.

I am chomping at the bit to get out there . . . the weather has broken (again) and we are finally getting some more seasonal weather. The last couple of weeks we were still hitting high 80s and low 90s. More like September weather than October weather. I love this time of year . . . there is no better smell than that of leaves burning and fresh mown grass . . . I LOVE that smell. I also love that slight chill in the air as the sun goes down and the breeze picks up. I am so looking forward to the next couple of months!

Last Saturday, Susan and I ventured into new territory. We played tennis. Actually, we just volleyed some ground strokes just to get the feel of it. We ran a couple of miles and then walked to the tennis courts near her house. I used to play, ages ago. She played a little bit, ages ago. Surprisingly, we did not kill anybody else on the adjacent court nor did we injure ourselves . . . AMAZING! Since it was in the low 90s, we only hit and chased balls for about 45 minutes. I think we're going to start working this into a weekend routine as the weather cools.

2007-09-26T19:48:00.000-05:00

couldn't think of anything funny or smart to title my blog today so I just left it blank.

I didn't run Tuesday. My legs were a little weary after running on Sat, Sun, Mon. Since I am not really training for anything in the near future I figured I'd take the day off.

I ran this afternoon. Only 4 miles but at least it's something. I ran a couple of miles with my neighbor Dom who is training for Rocket City Marathon in December. Lucky for me he was doing a recovery run and moving slow enough that we could run together. Afterwards, I did some yardwork. A very nice relaxing evening. Susan invited me over for dinner but it was after 6 when I finished running and figured by the time I got showered and drove across town, it would be bedtime for the girls, so I decided to stay home.

I'm back

2007-09-24T12:14:00.000-05:00

Wow . . . . Sept 4th was my last blog. Today is Sept 24. Boy, am I ever red-faced over that!

I have been running during my MIA for the last three weeks. I have been trying to keep the mileage in the high teens and under 20. I had a week near 20 several weeks ago and my hips and knees hurt for a week so I decided to tune it down by a couple of miles. I know you'd think that a couple of miles would not make a difference but it does. This is just the painful exercise of "building base". The last three weeks have been a blur and I really don't recall all my runs or anything specific about them to brag on.

This past weekend, Susan and I ran on Saturday and Sunday. She picked the route on Saturday. It was a very hilly run in the neighborhood of 4 1/2 miles, give or take. I don't think that there was ever more than a 1/4 mile stretch where we running on flat land and though I didn't admit it to her, my legs took a pretty good pounding on the downhills. Running uphill is tough but not that bad on my legs. It's the downhill that kills me. I try all the tricks that I know to minimize the pounding . . . . keeping the knees bent and run in sort of a squatted position (this makes me look funnier than I already look), running with my body perpendicular to the slope (this forces me to pick up speed and will eventually lead to me achieving terminal velocity), tacking (zig zag) to reduce the angle of the hill (this leads to running hundreds of extra miles). Regardless of method, I still take a beating. Anyway, we survived the run and she took me out for an early Birthday dinner (Oct. 1) to a very nice restaurant.

Sunday after church, we did a recovery run of 3 miles in the light drizzle. I enjoyed running in the mist and cooler weather. It was a good run to make the legs recover from the hills on the previous day.

I am planning on running this afternoon. I'll let you know how it goes.

How was your weekend?

2007-09-04T21:19:00.000-05:00

Labor Day. The last day off of work until Turkey Day and Christmas holidays. Unless you're a government worker which means you probably get Columbus Day, Veterans Day, and whatever other holiday is on my calendar. I'm surprised the government does not take off for Ramadan. Enough spouting about that. Sorry to all my blogger buddies who happen to be employed by the US government.j

Mine was sort of so-so. Susan and the girls were in Atlanta and I stayed home to tend to chores. I was a bad boy and did not get a run in over the three day weekend except for my Saturday morning run. I did work most of the day in the yard on Saturday and I also did yard work after church on Sunday. I got on the bank behind my my house to do some clearing. A couple of trees had gotten so big that they were shading my roses and that just won't do. So I climbed down the 12-12 slope with my chainsaw to cut trees. I was victorious over the viscous trees that were hurting my roses. However, I did do a back flip down the hill. Fortunately, I had enough presence of mind to throw the running chainsaw away from me. I'm just glad my neighbors were out of town, otherwise I'd be hearing the story the next couple of years. Monday, Susan, the girls, and I went to my dad's house for his birthday. What do you get a man who has every tool ever known to mankind? Wine, top shelf cigars, cheese, olives, crackers. I just hope that when I'm that age, someone will contribute to my delinquency! After getting back to Birmingham, we went to one of Susan's friends for a light dinner and to let the kids play in the pool. Overall, it was a nice, relaxed weekend.

Oh yeah . . . . this is supposed to be about running. I did run this afternoon. I finally bumped it up from my routine 4 miles and actually did a 5 miler. Still no watch. Just building base. I felt pretty good about it. I think that I sped up each mile or at least the perceived effort was increasing every mile. I think the weather is about to break back to normal. The temperature was in the low 90s instead of the low 100s. It's amazing what 10 degrees difference makes. I cannot wait until the 50s and 60s roll around in December.

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday. I'm planning on another 5 miler!

Long weekend

2007-09-01T20:37:00.001-05:00

It is Saturday night and I'm sitting here watching my Auburn Tigers stink it up agains K State. Not taking anything away from K State but everyone expected a little bit more than what we're seeing. It's half time and I wouldn't be surprised to see my Tigers get beat. For some strange reason, they never start good out of the blocks.

At least the good thing is that I'm watching it by myself and if I let a blue word slip, it's okay. Susan and the girls are in Atlanta this weekend. MAC is playing in a soccer tournament . . . the Atlanta cup. With the age groups and the boys and girls, there are over 400 teams playing. They won their first two games today and one to play in the morning. If they win in the morning, they make it into final rounds and play on Monday. I had planned on going but decided to stay home. We figured it would be a mad house with all the little girls and soccer parents running around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off.

It was a good week this week as far as running goes. I ran Sunday and Monday. I also ran 4 miles on Wed. I was going to run 4 on Thurs but lightning chased me in after 2 1/2 miles. I ran 4 miles this morning.

Total week is 18.5 miles. I know it's not much but more than I have been doing. My hips and knees are feelig it a little bit so I'll probably do the same mileage over the next couple weeks and let my body adjust. As much as Susan wants to run a marathon on New Years Day, I don't think that she can get ready in time and I'm trying to convince her of that. With the soccer schedule eating up her Saturdays over the next 8 weekends, she will not be able to do due diligence.

I might play golf tomorrow after church and then get a run in tomorrow evening. Not sure yet, but I might either go to my parents or invite them to dinner or Monday since it is my dad's birthday.

Hope everyone has a nice holiday weekend.

More life changes . . .

2007-08-27T17:59:00.000-05:00

I know that the title will get my parents all cranked up so I just did it for fun!!!

I ran four miles yesterday afternoon and four today. We've finally been getting a little rain and pop-up thunderstorms. This helps to cool the temps into the 80s but the humidity is very high. A real test for the deodorant!

Today was a very good. So strange. Yesterday I struggled from the very first step and couldn't wait to finish. Today I was scared to get back out there but after a few hundred yards, I caught a rhythm and finished wanting more . . . a good sign on the road back to becoming a runner.

Today was day 1 of week 3 of my new job and things are starting to come together. I'm still coping with going from big fish little pond to little fish big pond syndrome but I've been told that I will move up quickly . . . they just want to get my feet wet with the different technology.

Okay, for the life change-

I am selling my toy.

This is my 2000 MX-5 LS. Great little car. Fun to drive but not good for long trips. One set of golf clubs and a toothbrush is about all it can carry. I love this little beauty but I have decided to move up in the world. I am going to get a 99 Mustang GT convertible. Red with white top. Very neat car and lots more go-go and lots more room. If you know anyone looking for a well kept sweet ride for autumn, tell them to give me a buzz!

P.S. I almost forgot to mention that Dom & Debi didn't like the orange-brown background and let me hear about it this past weekend. Thus, another color change.

not much to talk about

2007-08-23T22:19:00.001-05:00

When have you ever known me to have something to say. Not often.

I am taking Friday off to complete pricing and putting together stuff for the neighborhood yard sale. I went over to Susan's and we ran 3 miles together and E rode her bike. MAC had soccer practice and so it goes.

I am happy to say that I think that I am starting to get back in the groove a little bit. I have run Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and I will probably do four miles tomorrow and something on Sunday. I can tell that I am starting to feel better running and my recoveries aren't nearly as bad. Heck, I may actually start liking running again.

I have added two new links on the right hand side. Javamom who is a "friend" of Phils. She's got a good blog going and is getting ready for a triathlon. I have also added a B'ham local, Christy (and her husband Miles). Please welcome them onboard and be sure to check out their blogs and encourage them in their endeavors. Heaven knows we all need encouragement time to time.

too stinking hot

2007-08-23T07:18:00.001-05:00

Just a quick update. IT IS HOT IN ALABAMA. I know it's not like AZ but yesterday was the 13th day in August where we've gone over 100. A new record and it appears that we're going to have another week's worth of the same. Very tough to run in.

Having completed my whining . . . . I ran 4 miles yesterday afternoon after work. I waited for it to cool off to 99 degrees. I cannot believe that I'm running in this kind of heat but I just don't like running in the morning. I can't get cooled off and I sit in the office and sweat all morning. I guess I haven't had a heat stroke yet so I guess I can keep it up for another few weeks.

Amy "introduced" me to another blogger that lives here in B'ham. Hello to Christy and her hubby Miles. Christy is a marathon veteran and Miles is a cyclist. I'll be putting up a link to her blog over the next day or two. Welcome aboard!

Two days in a row

2007-08-21T06:57:00.000-05:00

Two days in a row of blogging. Wow. Either my life is getting exciting or it is getting boring.

On the running front . . . . I did a 4 miler yesterday after work. Worked a little late so it had actually cooled off to 96 degrees by the time I had started. The shadows were getting long and there was a very slight breeze. Just enough to make it almost enjoyable.

After running, I spent some time in the garage going through boxes and collecting "stuff" for this weekend's upcoming neighborhood garage sale. C'mon by. I normally have coffee and donuts for as long as they last. All you have to do is buy something.

Not running today. Too much going on. Dentist appointment for the standard cleaning. Then I get to play Mr. Mom. Susan has to be at school for open house and MAC has soccer practice so I'm helping out with the taxi service. Pretty scary that she trusts me with her most valued things in life-her girls. I can barely keep a houseplant alive and she leaves me in charge of a 10 and 7 year old girl.

If you haven't been checking some of my friends blogs, Amy and Troy are teasing me with the idea of coming to B'ham for Mercedes in Feb. I invited them last year but they had other plans. Maybe they'll come this year. You guys know that you are welcome anytime. Also, they were fired up after hearing me describe my parents breakfast and want to take part in it when they're in town. We just can't do it before the race!

Monday

2007-08-20T11:45:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a good weekend. Mine didn't go exactly as planned but I survived. Seems strange how that happens. Just when you think the ship is righted and on course, the great white whale (no, I am not discussing my belly) rises from the depths and sets the ship off course.

Not a lot to brag about on the running front. I had planned a Saturday morning and a Sunday afternoon run. I only got in the Saturday morning run. Not far . . . just 4 miles. It was warm and humid but there was a very nice breeze blowing.I would have liked to have gone further but several issues were pressing. I had to work. I made the mistake of beginning my new job in the middle of their crisis. Additionally, Susan and I got into a bit of a brew ha ha and I found that very distracting also. In a 12 hour span we had gone from planning on running a marathon together to trying to decide if we were going to speak again. An awfully silly way for a 47 year old man and a 29 (always the correct answer) woman to behave. We've both decided it wasn't worth sacrificing our friendship and relationship just to win the battle. Besides, there's the entire war to be fought and I hope that we are on the same side.

Sunday I went to my parents house for breakfast. Yes, I skipped church and had decided not to see Susan. I took my neighbors, Jim and Karen and another couple who happen to be friends, Randy and Martha. My parents are the greatest. They would fix breakfast for an army if I asked. I mean a KILLER breakfast. Eggs, sausage, two types of bacon, cat-head biscuits (you have to be from the south to understand that one), hash browns, gravy, fruit. You name it, they either had it on the table or it was within arms length. After a couple of hours of gorging and socializing, we loaded up and headed back home and I don't believe anyone ate anything else the rest of the day. I felt so stuffed that I decided not to run on the chance that I might be showing my neighbors what a semi-digested "cat-head" biscuit would look like.

I did call Susan and she and girls came over and we went out to dinner. I think we're heading back on the right direction.

I am about to sit down with a calendar and the Higdon Novice plan and figure out Susan's schedule for her marathon. I'll markup a calendar for the days remaining. I'll also mark one up for myself but I'll be putting in more miles and some added speed work. I am not going to run off and leave her, but I want to be strong enough to make sure that I help her through.

Another scorcher and a goal

2007-08-15T19:59:00.000-05:00

Wow folks. In case you have not been keeping up with Alabama weather, we are setting records every day. We hit 105 in the B'ham area and if I'm correct that is the hottest day on record for this date AND is 9 days in a row over 100 degrees, another record. We have not been getting any rain either. The trees are going dormant and starting to drop leaves. It's amazing to drive down the road and see all the brown trees. The grass is also going dormant due to lack of rain. My lawn which is usually a very nice green and cut to a very nice height looks like it is January. The bermuda which normally thrives on the heat is turning brown. This is a very tough summer. I hope things break soon.

Yes, I am running in this heat. I am crazy, I know. Crazier is Susan . . . she has decided that she wants to do a marathon on New Years Day. Of course I have to run it with her. It will be her first and I know that she'll be needing the support and advice. She's the kind that will definitely run her race in the first 18 miles and suffer the last 8. I'm planning on running it with her to help keep her in check. She has not set a goal yet but it is too early to start thinking about time. Personally, a 5 hour first marathon isn't a bad goal but we'll see what she thinks.

I ran 4 miles tonight after work. I worked over so I got a late start and it had cooled off some. Like 98 degrees. I felt better when I finished because it had cooled to 97. I'm still running without a watch. I am not running fast but at least I'm doing it. I do feel good about running Sunday, Monday, and today. I'll try to get a Friday run in and get back on a 4 day a week schedule.

7 days in a row

2007-08-13T19:50:00.000-05:00

Not 7 days in a row of running . . . I wish. 7 days in a row of 100+ degrees. Wow, it is HOT. See Dom's comments about the heat. I like to think that I am tough but HE IS THE MAN. I know that Arizona Phil loves his heat but I'm not a big fan. However, I have not started running in the morning. I'm still doing it in the afternoons.

I ran 4 miles today. I waited for it to cool down to 99 degrees before I started. At least there was a breeze. Or was that me breathing heavy?

Today was the first day at my new job. It seems that most of the guys are pretty nice and willing to answer questions. After a morning filled with administrative garbage, I actually did some productive work. The main thing is that I have to learn a lot and learn it quickly. I don't want to come off as arrogant at work but I need to show them that I'm not just another joe passing through.

Sunday evening

2007-08-12T20:09:00.000-05:00

Good evening to everyone. Or at least anyone who cares.

It has been a long, strange couple of weeks.

On a personal level, Susan and I spent a few days last weekend in Wyoming at a friend's wedding. I had never been to that part of the country and it was beautiful. We flew into Jackson Hole and spent most of our time between the Grand Tetons and a ranch about 60 miles to the east. One of those kind of trips that no matter how many pictures you take, you just can't capture the moment.

I have finally completed my job change. Friday was my last day working for my previous employer. I'd love to tell you the name of the company but I figure I'd better not. These are very vindictive, nasty people. Let's just say that I used to work for a nuclear subsidiary of the southeast's largest electric utility. Enough said. I start my new job with a subsidiary of the same parent company. I'll be working on design of scrubbers for coal plants. Scrubbers remove sulfur dioxide from coal plant emissions. Anyway, it's an exciting and scary time for me. I know I have the skill set to do the work. I just need to learn a different technology. Afterall, they don't have reactors and all the support systems at a coal site and nuclear plants don't need coal or use limestone in scrubbers. I'll learn.

I have been running. Slowly and sweating the whole way. Birmingham has been caught in the same heat wave that half the county has been in. Yesterday was the 4th or 5th straight day with over 100 degree temps and heat indeces between 110 and 120. I've been keeping my runs in the 4 to 5 mile range. Most of my runs have been after work. The temperature has usually been 97, 98. Today when I ran after watching the PGA, the temp was 99 degrees. Needless to say it was a slow grind. Afterwards I cut grass. I came in for my shower and it was 7:00 and temp had dropped to 97 degrees. This really makes me miss less weekend and the high 60s in Wyoming and the high 30s at night. Of course since the ranch was at 10,000 feet, the running would have been pretty tough due to thin air.

Wish me luck this next week as I learn my new job and make new friends. I'll definitely be running this week to help deal with the stress!

Geez . . . has it been a week?

2007-07-26T06:41:00.001-05:00

Yep. A week since the last time I talked to you. Time flys when you're having fun. Or something like that.

I have not cycled this past week. Too many other activities going on. I am still amazed at how poor I am at managing my time. I have been selfish the last several weeks and have been playing golf Thursday afternoons after work with a group of guys from my office. One of my buddies who plays with us lives out of town so I've been letting him crash at the house Thursday nights.

I have been doing some short runs. The upside to this blogging thing is that I use it as my diary and log. The downside is that if I don't update it daily, I tend to lose track. Either I need to go back to keeping a log or do a better job keeping this updated. I ran Sat, Sun, Tues. I was supposed to run last night but a thunderstorm decided to park on top of my neighborhood yesterday afternoon. Not complaining-we need the rain. I'd normally run in the rain but it was accompanied by vivid lightning and ground strikes so I figured it would be better to stay indoors. A chance to catch up on laundry, etc.

I am not sure what has happened to Susan's blog. I'm just getting a blank screen. Either she has taken it down or she hosed something up trying to update it with photos of MA's new puppy.

I'll see if I can help her figure out what is going on. Golf this afternoon if it doesn't rain. I'm going to try to get in several runs over the weekend . . . I'll let you know.

Lunchtime thoughts

2007-07-19T11:47:00.000-05:00

I am sitting here at my desk, eating lunch (turkey and lettuce wrap . . . no mayo and no cheese) and talking to you. Whoever you are.

I'm still trying to run and bike and get the fatman under control. I am officially out of the jeans I wore during the 06 marathon season and I am pissed at myself for letting it happen. No excuses. I definitely have some kind of self-destruct character flaw that I have not been able to get my hands around. It seems the only way I can motivated is to be self-denegrating. It may take a while, but I will get it back.

I was talking to one my neighbors last night and he is building nicely towards marathon season. He is on his 8th 30 mile week and will be bumping up to 35 miles next week. He is nice and trim and helps me want to get it back.

Last Saturday I did a 51 mile bike ride with the normal group. I averaged 15.9 mph. That sucks! Last year I would have been riding with the lead pack. Now I am riding in the "slow" group. The ride did not totally wipe me out but I knew I had been working.

I ran 4 miles Monday afternoon and it felt pretty good. It was hot and slow but I had my MP3 tuned into Aerosmith and that got me through. I also ran 3 miles on Tuesday. Would have liked to have done more but I had schedule restraints. Besides, my legs were dead from the bike ride.

Wednesday afternoon I did a 35 mile bike ride with some of the group after work. The first 15 miles or so was very hot and we couldn't seem to find our way out of the sunshine. However, the second half started cooling off (to the high 80s) and we started finding some shade along the way. I didn't ride strong but I can tell my legs are finally startnig to come back and my riding is improving. Maybe by the end of summer I'll be back in some kind of decent shape.

Jim gets a do-over!

2007-07-11T12:04:00.000-05:00

No, not a make over, though I probably need that also. A do-over. Remember when you were a kid and struck out because it was somebody else's fault . . . you got a do-over. Or if you couldn't perform some supernatural feat on your first try . . . you got a do-over. If you've been following my rantings over the last several months you know that my situation at work is far from ideal. The Dilbert executives that I work for have decided to relocate engineering to the plant sites . . . . very lonely remote areas in the southeast. I didn't have a problem so much with the thought of relocation . . . it was the way they went about informing (or not informing) us. As I have said, it is the fourth realignment or reorganization that I have been caught up in in the last five years. ENOUGH ALREADY . . . LET ME DO MY FREAKING JOB!!! Needless to say, I have been disheartened with the thought of having to sell my house, relocate, move away from family and my relationship with Susan and her girls. It has been so much fun at work that we all started a new game . . . we kept a running list of verbs, adjectives, and adverbs regarding this latest realignment on a large marker board. Here's a list of words that I have contributed. I chose to use "dis" words . . .

disband

disconnect

disimprove (yes . . it is a word)

disorganize

disunite

disperse

dislimb

dislocate

disassemble

disrupt

dissolve

disintegrate

disjoin

dismiss

disown

All that being said, I got a phone call regarding a do-over. I had applied for a job next door with another subsidiary of the same parent company but felt that my present employer might try to block my exit since they are losing people left and right. Prayers are answered because I was offered a position doing what I do now for the same pay. Good enough for me. I wasn't exiting for more money or fame-I just wanted to be able to do my job. Now I get a chance to "do-over" my career. I am officially leaving nuclear and will be working on environmental projects.

Now that this has happened, it feels like a thousand pounds have been lifted off of me. I still have to deal with the actual weight I have gained due to my emotional eating but my professional do-over also leads me into a running do-over. I feel so much better and relaxed and I can now focus on a somewhat normal life and routine.

Vacation does not mean lazy

2007-07-03T19:29:00.000-05:00

Hey. Yes, I am blogging during my vacation in Hilton Head, SC.

We had a fairly uneventful trip over and Susan's girls did surprisingly good for a 7 hour trip. I guess it helps to let them out of the car to pee after they've begged for 15 or 20 minutes. Seems to make 'em happy :). Just kidding. We left B'ham at 6 am and stopped between Atlanta and Macon for breakfast (about 2 1/2 hours). Then we drove to Soperton on I-16 (only locals would know about this place) and stopped for gas ( another 1 1/2 hours). After that, we pushed all the way to HHI with a 3 hour leg. We arrived in HHI about 3:00 local time and went straight to the villa. We made it all in one piece.

Sunday morning I awoke to a VERY stiff back. Nothing worse than a bet that is too soft. Instead of running, I went for a short bike ride. I took Susan's girls along and we did about 4 miles. Of course I could have (and should have) done more but the young one, E, was starting to fade and getting a little bit bored with the whole thing.

Monday morning I got of bed, did lots of stretches and gathered Susan and the girls together so they could ride while I ran. I ran a very quick 3 miler with all three girls riding my tail. It was cloudy, warm and 100% humidity. It had rained all night and the lagoon next to our villa was up by about 8 inches. We timed it perfectly and after parking and locking the three bikes and getting inside, the bottom fell out. It rained all morning and we spend the better part of the day going to local shops and outlet malls just to get out. Monday evening we took the bikes to the beach and rode for several miles.

Tuesday morning . . . . not rest! I am on vacation and that means that this is MY time and I am going to enjoy as much of it as possible. After reading and doing a little work, I rousted the three girls who think that vacation is for lounging. We all jumped on the bikes and got in a nice 7 miler. This was good for E and she seems to be improving with every ride (remember . . . she's only been off her training wheels for a couple of months).

Tomorrow morning I'm going to get up early and try to get in 6 miles before anyone gets up. Then I'll ride bikes with the girls.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Early morning

2007-06-30T04:27:00.000-05:00

Good morning. I've been awake since 4:00 this morning. I typically beat the alarm but this was by a full hour. I guess my body clock has already reset getting ready for eastern time and the trip to Hilton Head. I am taking Susan and her girls with me. We've rented a 3 bedroom villa near the beach. Yes . . . we keep it on the up and up. Honestly. Susan has a room, I have a room, and the girls have a room. This will be the first extended stay I've had with all three of them. We'll have to see if it is hit or a bust. I am going to try to use this time to also reflect on my options concerning work. I know that I shouldn't be thinking about it but if it is there, I may as well take advantage of the time.

I ran an easy 3 miler Friday afternoon between thunderstorms. E and MAC rode their bikes with me. That keeps me on my toes having to make sure that they are obeying the rules while I am trying to breath!

Thanks to my mom and dad for loaning me their GIANT vehicle for the trip. It's a Ford Expedition and it has seemed to swallow everything that we have wanted to put in it. My largest vehicle is a Toyota Highlander. I love the Highlander but it does not have the room to carry all the luggage and other stuff that three needy girls seem to require. All I need are my golf clubs, some clothes, and and a cork screw. We now need food, snacks, drinks (two coolers full), two baskets full of beach toys (I always thought a towel and book did fine), multiple bags of clothes, and whatever else Susan is putting in there this morning before we leave. I have a big transition to make going from a single man trip to a family man trip. Not complaining . . . just having to learn. You know what they say about old dogs. Wish me luck!

I am taking my laptop and hopefully will find access and time to post.

Life changes?

2007-06-27T20:43:00.000-05:00

Good evening all.

I just finished having Mexican dinner with Susan and the girls. It is Wednesday evening and I am sitting here watching Jurassic Park. Susan, the girls, and Kelsey (my turncoat Cairn Terrier) have gone back to Susan's house. Good thing that they are watching here tomorrow. I am heading to Vidalia tomorrow. I'll be catching the corporate plane early in the morning. The good thing is that I'll be home tomorrow evening.

Yesterday I did not intend to run. The last several Wednesday bike ride have been tough because I have run the day before and I had planned to take a rest day but I ended up doing an easy 2 miler. I was over at Susan's and E was wanting to ride her new bike. She is finally off her training wheels and on two wheels. Considering that we are wanting to ride bikes while on vacation next week, I figured E would need to get all the practice she needs. Susan and E rode their bikes and I ran. E is doing very well and has finally gotten used to using her coaster brakes.

Today I did 26 miles on the bike . . . again. I know it sounds boring to do the same thing every week but until I really get strong on my bike, I'm sticking to shorter rides. Maybe I'll kick it up to 35 miles in another couple of weeks. It was a good ride this afternoon. There were only three of us. Other than miles 5 thru 9 (steep rolling hills), I felt reasonably strong and was not the weakest link. I actually got in a couple of good sprints and took my turn pulling on the flats. Larry M is still unbelievable . . . . he can separate at will and is very strong. I hate him! (just kidding). My legs are tired but not sore . . . a very good feeling.

Now on to life changes . . . .
I had a job interview on Tuesday morning. I really beleive that it went well and the committee that I had to perform for was cordial and I already knew half of them. It was very relaxed with some light joking interjected between the serious questions. I felt very relaxed and was charming, if I say so myself.

I appreciate the feedback and opinions all my family and friends are giving me. I appreciate all the prayers and thoughts.

As an aside, we have had several meetings the last couple of days so the executives (ball-less wonders that they are) can try to convince us how good this is going to be and how we need to appreciate the opportunity. They can take their "opportunity" and put is where the sun never shines. I guess my opinion would be different if I earned what they make. Half million dollar salary plus bonus . . . Yeah, I could move to Vidalia, GA for that. I hate having to learn new technology but I'd rather do that than have to start life anew 350 miles away. I guess I am just getting old. It is so sad . . . . I've been talking to some of my clients, warning them that I may be leaving. They cannot believe it. They ask who they can go to . . . . my response is "I'm sorry . . . I'm the last one . . . . call the vice president of engineering with your questions". It has really gotten to that point. Relationships that I have grown over the years adn all the trust between peers and clients is going to be thrown away. So sad. However, I have accepted the fact that I am turning a page in my life and I look forward to building new relationships and breaking in new bosses. I do not wish my company ill but it is upsetting that business in my old company will never be the same . . . . and the pricks that have ruined it will waltz off in retirement with their millions of dollars. I am sorry for my friends and collegues at Plant Hatch. Life for everyone is changing.