Sweet 16 & Happy Halloween!

This is my scary, spooky and super sweet 16 guy. Austin is the best! He is just the greatest kid. It's my blog and yes I'm gonna brag all I want. Austin is the kind of kid that comes into a room and makes people laugh. He is easy going, smart and fun to be around. Happy Birthday Austin!!!

Say Chee

Well, I finally ran today. After screwing up my back again I am now feeling pretty much back to normal....yes, I know, I know...that's relative for me. But even in my usually abnormal state, I am not a normal runner. Did that make sense? I have crappy form, gasp for air, am prone to injury and I'm not even talking about when I fall on trail runs! Since TriHawg runs with me on occasion, he has seen the scary running form...not a pretty sight. In fact he just recently pointed out how bad it all is and mentioned the funny way I point my toes too. To be completely fair he is just looking out for my well being....he thinks mobility in old age is a good thing.
So, he brings home a book for me called CHI RUNNING (pronounced chee). Now I believe in the whole mind/body thing, really, I do....I even do yoga....and I picked up on when my appendix was going bad really fast...and I usually can predict when I am going to throw my back out (this usually involves a lot of stress). So what does all this have to do with running and running better?....cuz, I really need some help or my knees are going to completely disintegrate one of these days! According to the book (I'm halfway through it) we must focus, body sense and relax. Sounds easy right? Riiiiggghhhtttt. I know that there are plenty of people out there that are great at multi-tasking.....and they love to toot their own horn about it too...."I closed five deals, read the paper and had outpatient surgery and THEN I went to lunch, what did you do today?"....I really don't like these people. I am not a multi tasker, but I digress....that would probably make a great blog post though.
So, since I'm not great at multi tasking, focusing, being aware of body sense, and trying to relax while running is downright hard.
First I would get down the focus part....I'm leaning and my body is going forward (physics at work here). Now I am trying to sense what my body is telling me. Pain somewhere, what...is that my ankle? Do I need to relax that a little? Now I've lost my focus! That's just great, back to focusing. There we go, just concentrate....I think I'm finding a groove here. Now I've forgotten what pain I was having! Jeez, I need to be relaxing here people!
Okay, If I can just get my legs and arms to feel like cotton and my core to be the steel that moves my body I just might fly. That's what the book says...I may not ever be a gazelle, but then again, I just might find my Chee.

My Baby

My baby is 10 today. Happy Birthday!!!
Arianna is second from the right in the picture. She is in the fourth grade and has more energy and stamina than anyone I have ever met in my entire life....I hope that never leaves her! I am so lucky to have such a beautiful daughter.
I love you Puggo!

Weather PR....SNAIL

I keep telling TriHawg that this winter is going to be a cold one...just a hunch I have. Well, today we have our first official snow of the season...the fall season that is. Today was a weather record breaking day. Snow records that is and nearly half an inch. The weather guys were probably giddy with frontal boundry excitment.

It is what I have dubbed "SNAIL". An absolutely biting mix of snow and hail that whipped up and around off of the great Lake Michigan to sting cheeks and freeze the little fingers of elementary school children eager to see winter's first sign.

I like the snow. I don't mind the cold weather, as long as I'm prepared. A long coat, gloves, scarf, hat...all the necessities to keep one comfortable. I love the rosey cheeks and the steaming breath that winter brings. I love sking and tubing. I love walking in the snow at night with TriHawg...that is one of my favorite things.

While I do love winter and snow, I probably could have waited another month or two until its descent. But, since that's not a decision that I got to make this year, I guess I'll just have to be happy with what's been dealt....Sometimes, even in the throes of winter, we should just stop and smell the roses.

More Football

We had a great time at the game. The weather was perfect, so nice and sunny that we had to ask to borrow some sunscreen. Notre Dame, as predicted, trounsed Stanford. But it was still a fun game to watch. We ate far too much junk food and just kicked back and relaxed...a nice way to spend a Saturday.

TriHawg is home for a couple more days and that means workouts together, yeah. If the nice temps hold out we may hop on the bikes tomorrow....I'm just not ready to take every workout indoors yet.

Notre Dame Football

So, Tri Hawg is at the local supermarket with the Boy Scouts selling popcorn this morning and up walks a gentleman with Notre Dame tickets that he wants to give away. Since none of the other scouts wanted them Tri Hawg snagged them up thinking he would give them to a friend...someone who actually likes Notre Dame. Said friend already had tickets and is going to the game with his son and now we are going with them too.

It should be a fun game, even though Notre Dame will probably beat the pants off of Stanford. We haven't been to a college game since we lived in Colorado and used to go to all the Air Force Academy home games....Tri Hawgs alma mater.

Sometimes things just seem to fall into your lap....so unexpectedly. It's a treasure when they are the good things in life...like a game with the one you love...not a bad way to spend a Saturday!

It's a good life.

140.6

I've been working on goals lately. That M-dot really intrigues me. I have a tattoo on my foot, a Japanese character that means love. What do all of these things have in common??
I've written down my goal....Ironman Florida '08.
After I've completing that goal.....said M-dot to be tattooed on my @ss, or very close to it....actually lower back, so that when you see me get out of the pool you can't help but notice the little guy right there just above my suit. Why do I think about these things??? Maybe because I have felt for so long that I can't do it, and by "it" I mean anything athletic. This year I have finally put that notion to bed, kicked it to the freaking curb and said "leave me alone, I can do it because I am strong!". I want a visible remembrance after I have traveled those 140.6 miles, something to remind me that my lungs were strong enough, my arms were strong enough, my legs were strong enough....my mind was strong enough. I want people to ask "what is that?" so I can tell them how incredible this sport is, how it feels to be free, to feel pain and be happy with it.
I'm in. Florida 2008.

Cancer

My Dad's birthday was the 28 of September. He would have been 58 years old. He died when he was 55. Hodgkins Lymphoma. I still find it depressing. I don't think there will ever be a cure in my lifetime. I am just too skeptical when it comes to cancer. I've seen what it does to people....it's just not right...just not fair!
I run to get away, to beat the odds, to laugh in the face of a disease that is horrifiying and prolific. I run and I pray.