Koti's Banter

Anger toward runners

2011-03-17T06:30:00.002-04:00

All I can say is that I hope Karma is a bitch.

I'm out for a nice 10 mile run. Pushing a good clip and feeling great. At 7.5 miles I get hit by a water bottle thrown from a pick-up truck. Knocks the wind out of me and I go down. No one right behind the car bothers to stop and help. It hurts tremendously.

A car does eventually turn around to see if I'm okay. There's little she can do to help. She offers me a ride home which I decline. I thank her and she goes on her way.

I thought I'd be over getting bullied when I left high school. Apparently not. It still hurts more than physical.

I get home, call the police who stop by and I give them all the information. The officer really didn't seem to care since I did not have a licence plate number and was not seriously hurt.

I'm thankful to my family for being supportive and to the lady that stopped. They keep me moving.

The happiness I felt from the lady stopping to check on me was far more than the anger I felt toward the two cowards that tried to hurt me.

Make Running Fun

2011-03-03T07:29:00.000-05:00

We all get fried from either running the same route around the neighborhood or putting the miles in on the treadmill. What we need and hunger for is variety. And, frankly, we need it. Not just to keep our sanity, but because it's good for our running! Don't let yourself get stuck in a rut. Mix it up! Take a read of this article. Great information!

Make Running Fun

That's the answer I give to new runners when they ask me how to get better at running. When they ask how they'll ever be able to run a marathon or an ultra when it kills them to run six miles now, the answer is that simple.

It's like the 10,000 hour rule. The more you run, the better your body and brain learn to do it. It doesn't have to be every day, and it doesn't have to involve awful workouts that leave you sprawled out on the track by the time they're done.

But it does have to be consistent. Every time you get burnt out and take three or six months off from running, you miss hours upon hours of opportunity to build those neural pathways that help you run efficiently, even effortlessly.

The trick then, is to keep your training interesting. Here are 63 ways to do just that.

Bored with the roads? Try trail running. For help getting started, check out the Beginner's Guide to Trail Running I wrote for Zen Habits, or the slightly lighter-in-tone Indoorsman's Guide to Trail Running on this site.
Try an "alternative" running form. The Pose method and Chi Running both offer what they claim to be more efficient ways of running than the traditional form.
Kill your legs in the gym. Front squats, cleans, and deadlifts were the lifts we all hated when we were trying to beef up in college, but they're the ones that will do the most to help you get more power from your legs. There's an obscure routine called Curtis P's that I really like because it blends several of these lifts and can help boost endurance.
Go to a local high school track once a week. If you've never done any speedwork before, you'll likely see big returns on your track workouts almost right from the start.
You'd have to live in a cave to have missed the swelling barefoot running movement. But it's not just barefoot—there are all kinds of minimalist shoes to simulate barefoot running. From Vibram Fivefingers to Newtons, it seems every shoe manufacturer is paying more attention to the minimalist running movement. Runblogger has a good guide to minimalist running shoes. (But before you buy in, check out this interesting anti-barefoot site.)
Are you carrying around some extra weight? As long as you're not dipping below what's healthy, you can expect to shave two seconds off every mile for each pound lost. If you were to lose those extra 10 pounds, imagine what mile splits that are 20 seconds faster would do for your motivation to run.
Our bodies naturally produce some creatine, a compound which helps supply energy to muscle. We can get a lot more of it from meat, but since we're not about that, supplementing is one option. Supplementing with creatine has been shown to increase strength in athletes, and most people now believe it's perfectly safe (you should do your own research, of course).
Heart rate training is a fun way to incorporate biofeedback into your runs. Rather than simply guessing at your threshold training intensity or the proper pace for a long run, for example, you can determine the heart rate zones that correspond to these intensities and shoot to stay in those zones for prescribed amounts of time.
You don't see much written about breathing exercises for runners, but I've found them to be a great way to pass the time when the miles aren't ticking off quite as fast as you'd like them to. My favorite is one borrowed from Chi Running—breathe out for three steps, in for two steps. Out for three steps, in for two steps… Another one is described in a post about a 30-mile training runI did.
Throwing money at the problem isn't a good habit to be in, but forking over some cash for a good pre- and post-workout drink may help you get out of a rut. Performance benefits aside, I find myself obligated to work out harder because I want to get the most out of what I spent my hard-earned money on. Check out Vega Sport, my favorite pre-workout drink.

Poor Little Girl...she's got the flu

2011-02-28T11:37:00.003-05:00

102 temperature. Tired and not very hungry. I'm so happy that she's got a Mom that takes such good care of her! I was relieved to learn that she does not have strep-throat. I used to get it all the time as a kid and it sucked! It's rest and fluids for our little girl. I hope this passes soon!

New Career at Ford Motor Company

2011-02-27T10:29:00.003-05:00

Martin Frania saved my family. I can't understate that. Marty stuck his neck out and got my name to all the right people. He helped me touch base with these folks. He talked me up more than he needed to. He coached me to make sure I was ready when my time came to interview. And when I did interview...it went GREAT! I got the job! I will starting a career with Ford Motor Company! Security, benefits, good pay, great people to work with, upward mobility, health care!!!! I could not be happier! And I owe so much to Marty! Thank you my friend!

I will be working at the Van Dyke Transmission Plant. I will be the controls engineer for the FN line. The FN is the 4 speed front wheel drive. We ship it all over the world. It's been around for 12 years and still going. I'm dealing with some seriously old equipment! This is going to be a challenge. I'm all over it!

Detroit Marathon 2010

2011-02-27T10:26:00.002-05:00

Not as cold as last year! Rode down with Michelle on a bus from Lifetime Fitness. Got there in plenty of time.

Had an okay race. 3 hours 46 minutes. Not what I hoped for...but still better than last year. I know I'm going to have to revamp my training for next year.

We all went to Pizza Popalus afterwards. I had a beer and then spent the remainder of the time in the bathroom. Did not feel good! :(

Detroit Marathon 2009

2011-02-27T10:20:00.003-05:00

Cold! Cold! Cold! Drove downtown with my friend Herb. It was 28 degrees! Herb wore shorts and a singlet! BRRRR!

Had a good race. 3 hours 47 minutes. I was really happy with that. Got a little light headed afterwards, but I expected that.

Can't wait for next year!

Wow did that run feel good

2009-01-26T09:46:00.003-05:00

I hit the road for the first time since my dismal run with friends. I went 6.5 miles in 16 degree weather. It was a GREAT run! Felt good the whole time. I wish I could have felt like that when I was running before. Focused on just a good steady pace, listened to my body, didn't try anything new...When I was back home I felt like I could have kept going. Great run!

Beware of offering advise

2009-01-19T09:45:00.004-05:00

Doing laps at the pool.

Older guy next lane doing laps. Up breast stroke, down free style

His left arm had great form; high elbow, hand entrance into water by ear...

His right arm barely made it out of the water.

I tried to explain what I saw and he blew up at me telling me to mind my own business.

He was just an angry old man.

Why are some people like that? They most live miserable lives.

Mountain Biking on Snow....Wow

2009-01-19T09:43:00.002-05:00

No studs on tires.

streets only partially scraped

slushy where not

front tire going everywhere

going downhill is scary

but silent...peaceful.

let go of wanting to go fast

Enjoy the moment

Awesome

No Power sucks

2009-01-05T07:38:00.004-05:00

I wish I were talking about physical power, but I'm not. We lost our electricity Sunday Morning Dec. 28th at 6:00 A.M. It didn't come back on until Wednesday afternoon. Constantly running the generator, stoking the fire, had to buy a kerosene heater (1-K kerosene is flippin expensive!!). Got tired of being cold! Lost some of my fish! Grrrr! I should have wired up the generator to the furnace. Perhaps next time. I guess the only silver lining I can find is that I now own a nice heater for the garage. Meh.

Being a stud

2008-12-18T11:16:00.004-05:00

I want to ride my bike. I miss commuting to work. But it's winter. There's snow and ice on the road and sidewalks. So what do I do? Put studded tires on my bike! But I can't afford them. Their about 75 each. So let's make a pair! All I need is studs, liners and a couple of old tires. Now here's the funny part. I can't find a pair of old tires. No one has any. I'm tempted to used my existing ones, but I think Erica would not be happy if I scrapped my one pair of good tires. But I'm so tempted....

Stay tuned...

Winter Winter go away

2008-12-18T11:13:00.003-05:00

I love winter. I'm a Yooper! I ski, snowmobile, snowshoe... But why do I dispise it so this year? I just don't seem to be able to warm up. I'm achy all the time. I'm not enjoying this season. I'm wondering if it's stress related or due to my lack of training or the fact that Erica has been in such pain lately. I just don't know. Regardless, I look forward to spring, being out on my bike, sun, warmth, sweating during a run, taking my girls to Dairy Queen! Where is summer?!!!

Ironman 2012??? We'll see

2008-12-18T10:52:00.006-05:00

I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to get to do the Whirlpool Ironman 70.3 this coming summer. They are SO expensive. This one event is as expensive as all of the events I ran this year!!! Grrrr! Saving my pennies with the hopes of getting in. But if I don't I won't fret about it. I'll be happy to run all the same races I ran this year. Perhaps if I save my $$ I can afford something else; like a family trip rather than a race.

New shoes

2008-12-18T10:45:00.006-05:00

For the last several years I've ran on Asics and loved them. But this last pair just didn't work for me. They were the 2030's. I ended up with sore ankles, knees, calves...you name it. Time to move on, try something new. I went to Running Fit and worked with one of their sales people for over an hour trying on different kinds. Of all things I ended up with Saucony. They feel great! I've only run in them a few times, but they are amazing. They are the most expensive shoes I've over bought. Let's see how they last over the long run.

Update: 300 miles later these shoes are AWESOME!!!! Just wish there weren't so darn expensive!

Lacking drive to train

2008-12-18T10:41:00.003-05:00

Lacking the drive. Yup, just not feeling it. When I do get to the gym I'm loving it. I feel good, strong and like I did earlier this summer. But getting to the gym is the hard part. I guess one reason is that I'm REALLY enjoying being home with the family. Another thing is that running hurts. Ever since the marathon I physically hurt after the run, be it a heel spur, sore knee...Grrrr! Not enjoying that part of getting old. I just got some new shoes so I'm hoping they will help.

Someday I'll figure out what it is inside me that I can tap into to keep the fire alive. But right now it eludes me. For now, it's new shoes. My Lord...I sound like a diva!

Ericas Surgery

2008-12-18T10:32:00.004-05:00

My wife had surgery to fix a ruptured disc in her lower back. She's in recovery right now. The doctor said it went well. She'll be in the hospital for at least today. We're hoping to get her home tonight since it's going to snow like nuts tonight, but I'm not going to stress about that. I just want to make sure she's okay. She'll be on lots of drugs for a little while; just to help with the pain. Doctor said that she won't have any restrictions and recommended lots of short walks. Essentially, let pain be her guide. But I still try to keep her from going nuts with tons of activities. No lifting, no driving for a while, no surfing. It's the whole surfing thing that's going to driver her insane. That girl was meant to be on the beach!

Detroit Marathon is in the books!

2008-10-19T20:35:00.005-04:00

Race start: 7:10 am

Arrive at 5:10 a.m.

Time: 3:57

Felt great until mile 22. things started to hurt. Last few miles were pure willpower.

Left knee REALLY hurts!

Got tunnel vision after race and had to rest for a while.

I quickly ate the banana and juice that was in the food bag they gave me at the end of the race. I also made sure to take one of the foil blankets they provided so I stayed warm. Note that it was only 57 degrees when I finished the race so getting a bad chill was a real possibility. I sat on the curb for about 15 minutes and then started to feel like I was tightening up. I got up and walked around for a bit and made my way to the gear check-in to pick up my bag. As soon as I got it I put on my sweats and a dry shirt and mixed up a batch of Recoverite. That stuff is awesome!

Next was to get my medal picture taken. *smile* *click* yippee.

Then I went of to the line to get a message. LONG line, to heck with that. I just walked around for about 30 minutes taking in the event and all the happenings. Went over to the wearables tent and oggled the merchandise. Damn that stuff is expensive. I just couldn't bring myself to pay that much for a t-shirt. As I wondered around I took in Detroit. It was nice to see so many people downtown enjoying themselves. I'd like to think the town is making progress to become a place people WANT to go to. I only had one regret for the day and that was that my family wasn't with me to enjoy the moment with me. Like I've said before. Nothing is worth enjoying if you can't share it with those you love. *sigh* Perhaps next year they will be able to join me.

Time is counting down

2008-10-15T08:09:00.004-04:00

I did a short three mile run last night. I wasn't planning on going fast. Just an easy run. But I kept catching myself almost running. My legs just wanted to move! I liked it! I've never felt in such good shape. My body wants to always be like this. I just wish my head would stay in the game. Grrrr! Too much on the mind. Too much stress. Too little relief. I need to figure this out...after the marathon of course. hehe

Not much to add

2008-10-13T07:18:00.003-04:00

This past week was an easy one as far as running is concerned. I'm really enjoying this taper down part of the training. The marathon is in 6 days and I'm ready for it! I can't wait to get this under my belt! This past week I've put in a couple of 4, 6 and an 8 mile runs. All of them felt good. The weather has been unusually warm for this time of year, but I'm not complaining. The forcast for this coming weekend isn't pretty. It's supposed to be VERY cold. Not looking forward to that part of it!

Still enjoying the taper

2008-10-08T15:33:00.002-04:00

Haven't run more than 4 miles this week. It's amazing how easy that distance is! I'm liking this! I'm just hoping that I don't forget that I need to pace myself for the marathon. With these short runs it's too easy to start to go fast.

Weekend Wrap-up

2008-10-05T19:42:00.005-04:00

Friday - Rest day! Love it!

Saturday - 4 miles fast. 31 minutes. Happy with the time. Ooooof! I hustled!

Sunday- 12 miles. Not bad, but body was not up for it. Muscles sore, joints stiff. But my energy levels were good so I just pushed through it. Glad I got it over with in the morning. It turned out to be a beautiful day! Worked on my daughters play structure the whole time. Almost done!

Zoom, 8 miles

2008-10-02T07:49:00.004-04:00

I haven't had a run feel this good in a LONG time! And I made good time. I tried something different with my fueling and it worked pretty good. About 25 minutes before my run I drank about 20 oz. of Heed. I didn't carry anything with me on the run (more on that later). I didn't try to push myself, but focused on staying relaxed and maintain a steady pace. The result was that I felt like a million bucks the whole way and was ready to go again when I was done. Now, it must be noted that the temp was about 55 degrees and I wore my tights and tuque. I stayed warm, but didn't overheat. I think the tights helped with keeping my legs loose and my knees from stiffening up from the cold. I can only hope that the marathon has these same conditions!

First time back in gym

2008-10-02T07:45:00.008-04:00

I wasn't able to hit the road today before it got dark so I headed to the gym. I haven't ran on a treadmill in months and I've forgotten how much I sweat in the gym. I was scheduled for 5 miles today so I figured I push it and try to get it over with quickly. I ran it in 40 minutes. Not too bad. I felt good the whole way, sweated my brains out and was home in good time. I may have to do this again just for good measure.

Monday xtraining

2008-10-02T07:45:00.005-04:00

Does working on a playstructure count?

Got my daughter a tube slide for the play structure. Actually, I found it. During one of my runs I came across a couple of guys hauling it out to the side of the road. I asked them if they were throwing it away. They said yes and I could have it if I wanted it. Hell yeah! I sprinted back home, snagged my neighbor Jeff and his truck. Next thing I know, I got a big 'ol tube slide laying next to our play structure. Of course, I just planned on attaching it to the existing structure. NOT. After taking the measurements and I found the existing set-up would not work. So I designed a new platform that will attach to the existing one, just three feet higher.

I gathered up all my spare lumber laying around, one trip to Lowes, and a lot of late nights and the kids now have one very cool addition to the playset! Happy Days!

Didn't end well

2008-09-29T05:14:00.005-04:00

Friday was a day of rest. No workout. And it felt great!

Saturday was 10 miles. I did it in the afternoon after mowing the lawn. Temp right around 68-70. The whole run felt great!

Sunday, same temp, spent the morning and early afternoon working on my daughters playstructure. Around 3 started my 20 mile run. Felt okay for most of it, but the last part started to struggle. My right shoulder hurt quite a bit. My knees and feet were a little sore. But that's to be expected. It's 20 miles! But afterwards, when I got home I started to feel bad. I was light headed and wanted to throw up. I layed down for about an hour, drank some water and ate a banana. Took a shower and layed back down. Erica brought me a energy bar and some watered down oj. I drank the oj and later the bar. around 9:30 I got up and made a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of milk. I was feeling pretty good by then. Erica was ready to give me hell for this and I can't blame her, but I just can't figure out why I felt this bad. I fueled right and didn't push my speed. No idea. But I got it down and it was my last one before the marathon.

Hoofin it for 5 miles

2008-09-25T05:31:00.001-04:00

Wednesday and Thursday were both 5 mile days for me. And on each occassion I pushed it. Not race pace, but I kept the HR up. Each day felt pretty good. The start was the most painful because nothing was warmed up yet, but after three miles I started to hit my stride and was able to kick it in. I like that part of the run. I just wish it started earlier and lasted longer. I really need to throttle that in on my long runs. Pacing myself at the beginning can be tough. I have my last 20 miler coming up this weekend and I want it to go well. 10 miles tomorrow and 20 on Sunday. The marathon is coming up quick!

Feel the burn!

2008-09-24T08:04:00.009-04:00

I only wish I were referring to muscle strain and the feeling you get from a great workout. But no, this would be likened to the rush felt by a person standing at the front of a line of rioters facing police with tear gas and pepper spray. Let's start with my wifes garden. It's got the full contingency of veggies; lettus, zuchini, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, and jalepano peppers. For dinner I thought it would be tasty to chop one of the jalepanos and put it on my sandwich. I chopped it up, washed my hands right afterwards (these peppers are potent), had my sandwich (Yummers), washed the dishes. Later that night I, just before bed I took my shower ( saves time in the morning) and then we retired for the evening. Nice day.

The next morning I got up. Washed my face, brushed my teeth, combed my hair and put in my contacts. That's when the gun began. I put that first contact in and I thought my eyes were going to bleed!!! There must have been some pepper still on my fingers and I put it in my eye. My eyes watered uncontrollablly, my sinus started to evacuate. And I still have one eye to go! It took 20 minutes for the burn to subside. Note to self, Erica chops peppers from now on.

A Good 10 Miles

2008-09-24T05:06:00.002-04:00

My wife pointed out to me earlier today that I should do my 10 mile run today and my 5 mile run tomorrow since I have the time for 1.5 hours of daylight today that I won't have tomorrow. So off I went. And it felt great. Well, the last 5 miles felt great. The first 5 were spent warming up and loosening up.

Getting on the plane with my parachute

2008-09-23T08:16:00.003-04:00

I haven't made the jump yet, but I atleast took the first step. I had an interview yesterday with a company outside the auto industry. A glass company. The interview went well. I suppose it would have went better if my contact lense hadn't fallen out the minute I walked in the door. Not a good way to start. I spoke briefly with the manager who gave me a quick rundown of the company and it's operation. I then met with two of their engineers who got into the nitty gritty of what they do and asked me a collection of questions. We had some good dialogue going. The manager then gave me a tour of their facility and showed me each step of the processes. After this I met the president who spoke to me in length about his business, his philosophy on it and how he approaches compensating people. He impressed me quite a bit with his drive and passion for what he does. He really seemed to thrive on it. I was also impressed by his hands-on approach to his job. He's in there just like everyone else. It was good to see.

Monday was a day of rest

2008-09-23T05:34:00.003-04:00

I know I was supposed to cross-train today. I should have hit the weights or jumped on the bike. Hell, I could have push mowed the lawn. But I didn't do anything. I got home, ate dinner with my family, helped my daughter with her homework, cleaned up the kitchen, got my breakfast & lunch ready for Tuesday and sat down with my wife for a little while to veg infront of the tv. Heros season opener was on. We watched the pre-show and got teased with all the great episodes that will be on during the season, but we did not actually watch the episode. We resisted. So we got to bed early and got a good nights sleep. It felt great!

Today is 5 miles. No biggie. I look forward to it. It's supposed to be quite nice out today so this'll be fun. I hope to get my daughter onto her new bike today too. Let's hope this works out this time.

The Sunday 12

2008-09-21T20:01:00.000-04:00

I had planned on running in the morning, but since I got very little sleep that evening I didn't bother. Sleep is too important. So I decided to get it done in the afternoon. The weather was perfect and I kept a pretty good pace. I worked on form and tried a could of new ways of running; some high kick back, lifting knees high, bounding off toes...mixed it up a bit. I think my legs appreciated the variety. No particular way of running changed my time, but I felt a lot better at the end of the run than I did Saturday. Gawd I felt miserable after that 17. Today though, much better.

Owww Owww f$@#*! OWWWW

2008-09-20T15:17:00.002-04:00

I hit the road at exactly 6:00 A.M. 20 miles or bust! Had all my fuel set, cool weather, properly dressed. And away I went. Everything was good until 15 miles. Then my right knee started to hurt. I can normally just alter the way I run, but not this time. I even stopped to stretch it out, but nothing helped. I just trotted along stopping occassionally to walk off the pain. I have no idea what was going on, but it sucked! I decided to cut the run short and just get home. I put in 17 miles in 2.5 hours. Not a bad time, but still disappointed that I didn't get my whole run in. Perhaps next weekend will be better. (crosses fingers).

Go Go Gadget Dad!

2008-09-19T23:11:00.000-04:00

Erica still not feeling well and can barely move. I make my way home a little early to help out. Mowing, cleaning, doing wash, running around, and rest. No workout tonight. I'm planning on 20 miles tomorrow so I want to take it easy today. Around 10:30 i call it quits. That's enough fun for one day. Work was okay. My client sent me a reference package to use. Much of it doesn't work with our application, but I can salvage the overall architecture. That's a good thing. I still have a bunch of ordering to do too, but let do some design first. Novel idea.

Just a simple run tonight

2008-09-18T22:31:00.003-04:00

Hurried home and got dinner fixed, changed and off we went to dance class. Got the little one in her studio and I was off. Put in a good six miles. Felt fine the who way. No muscle or joint pain and having contacts was real nice! Got back to the studio, stretched and had my recovery drink. Yummers. Changed at the studio just so I could get out of my wet clothes just in time for the Peanut to exit class, buy a couple of tootsie rolls, and we were on our way home. We quickly got her into her pj's and finished her homework. Then it was up to bed with her. Tuckered out and tucked in she was done for the night. Me, I went downstairs, finished dishes, got lunch ready for the next day, prep'd the coffee, layed out breakfast and took a much needed shower. Erica was in bed watching Gone in Seconds (some great wrecks on that show). I headed back downstairs to make a little dinner. I hadn't eaten yet. Made a sandwich, glass of milk and went up stairs to watch the show too. About that time Erica's meds started to kick in and she was ready to crash. I was pretty wooped too and happy to join in on that affair. Good night.

Falling behind!

2008-09-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

I've got to stay focused! Sooo much to do, so little time. Work, yard work, helping around the house, getting the little to dance class, cleaning, home projects, soooo much! Oh yeah! I'm training for a marathon too. No, wait, I haven't been doing too much of that lately. I have to get my 6 miles in tonight. No rest day tomorrow, another 6. I hope to get a 20 in on Saturday and then 12 on Sunday. I should be back on track then. Let's hope.

New eyes

2008-09-17T12:01:00.003-04:00

Today is my first day wearing contacts at work. It's a trip. My left eye has been bugging me all day. I finally went out to my car (the lighting in here is terrible) and found that the contact was way to the inside of my eye. I tried to push it to the center only to have the darn thing pop out. Now I had to scramble and find someone with saline solution so I could wash it out and put it back in. Eventually I was able to get this done and it feels a lot better. Now I just have to stop rubbing my eyes. Everytime I do I can't see until they reallign themselves. Grrrr! Damn my bad vision.

Making the most of Dance

2008-09-17T08:21:00.007-04:00

No, I do not dance. Short of taking a ballroom dance class with Erica a long time ago, I'm not twinkle toes. But Sarah on the otherhand is a very good dancer. She is wonderful. I really enjoy seeing her out there. And during her dance classes I am given 90 minutes to get a run in. Well, I run for half that; just 5 miles (Route). Yesterday I booked it! Did the run in just under 40 minutes. Felt good. Didn't even get through half my Heed. This made Sarah very happy since she loves the stuff!

We're back

2008-09-15T19:04:00.002-04:00

from Kalahari Resort and not too soon. We had a great time, but we're all exhausted. Ooof! The girls never stopped! Our friend Mike and I were on the Flowrider entirely too much. It's such a blast! And me and girls were in the wavepool quite a bit. I was pulling them around on the tubes or carrying them into the deep end and riding the waves. It was soooo much fun! My sister and Erica seemed to have a good time too. It was good that they were able to just chit chat while the girls were occupied trying to drown me in the wavepool! haha

We also had some fabulous meals! Dinner was grilled salamon and steamed veggies with a side order of gin&tonic. Breakfast was a giant buffet that we could have grazed on for hours. But the girls had to get back out to the waterpark and we weren't about the stop them. It was also time for me to continue honing my skills on the Flowrider. Someday, perhaps, I'll be brave enough to try surfing on that thing.

I kinda feel bad

2008-09-14T18:58:00.007-04:00

...about not running my 20 miles (route) today. But we're leaving for a short vacation around noon and after my last long run I was pretty toasted for the rest of the day. The wife was not going to have any of that! I needed every bit of energy I had to keep up with my daughter and niece at Kalahari waterpark. And it's raining too. Guess I'm just not up to getting soaked again, just for we leave. I'm brining my gear with me just in case I do fit in a run, but it's not likely. Last time we went to this place we were all exhausted when we got back. Let's hope that history repeats itself so I don't feel too bad about not running 20 miles.

Soggy bottom runner

2008-09-13T20:46:00.002-04:00

It's been raining all day. I was scheduled for ten miles today, and ten miles I did. I waited until this afternoon in the hopes that this rain would disapate a little. It didn't. So I sloshed my way thru it. I actually felt good on the run. If I had prepared my fuel correctly I would have tried to get my 20 mile run out of the way. but I didn't. Oh well, tomorrow. Rainy and in the 70's will no wind. I'll take it. Kept me cool, but not chilled. Muscles felt good after 3 miles and was able to cruise pretty well. I'm hoping I feel this good tomorrow for the long run...I hope my shoes are dry too.

I love rest days

2008-09-12T20:41:00.000-04:00

I worked at the office. Put in nine hours and called it quits. One of our vendors was having an open house. Great time. Food, drink, casino games and boatloads of prizes. Unfortunately for me this is a long run weekend so I could imbibe on the free spirits. AND, their food was so far from my dietary guidelines that I could only have a few samples. There wasn't a single veggie in the place, but if you wanted something fried!!! You ate like a king. I learned how to play craps and did pretty good. Came out a little ahead. This let me put my name in for some great prizes, but to not. I didn't win anything. But it was still a good time. No complaints. Nice way to spend a rest day.

I think I scare them

2008-09-12T06:11:00.002-04:00

...or it's just repulsion. Since I take the little one to dance on Thursdays I get to sneak my run in while she's in the studio. I've got an 1.5 hours to workout. Fortunately the schedule has me only running 5 miles on Thursdays. I get my run done in about 40 minutes. This let's me stretch out and scarf down a post workout shake. Of course, I'm still a sweaty mess when I walk back into the studio and I most likely smell less than appealing. The girls and mom's all sorts give me a lot of room. I get those polite smiles that say "I know you're doing a good thing, but DAMN you stink." I try not to touch anything and will go back outside to cool down. I bring a change of clothes that I put on after most of the sweating is done and I'm mostly dry. Now I can sit down and relax while Sarah finishes her class. This is the part where I'm just hangin with the moms. It's a hoot. They'll never make me a part of the conversation and I think that's a good thing. All they seem to talk about this the diets they're on. I smile politely thinking "I know you're trying to do a good thing, but GET ON A TREADMILL!"

Ten Miles??? I don't need no stinkin Ten Miles

2008-09-11T06:45:00.002-04:00

Okay, I bailed on the ten miles I was scheduled for. I admit it. I wimped out. I got 6.5 in and called it quits. But ya gotta cut me some slack here. It was my daughters birthday. I got home right after the run, changed clothes (sans shower...ewww!), jumped in the car and drive to Novi, picked up Olive Garden breadsticks and alfrado sauce, headed to Costco and picked up Mike's, protein, milk and yogurt (forgot to pick-up peanuts...damn it). Got home about 10 minutes after Erica and Sarah got home. We ate a great birthday meal, opened the remaining presents, and went to bed (sans shower again....2 x ewwww!). Ooooof! Okay, so I didn't run my 10 miles... you got an issue with that?

Happy Birthday Bubbles

2008-09-10T05:06:00.003-04:00

I joke that my daughter is 7 going on 21. Well, today she turns 8. Where does the time go? She's becoming a little lady in right in front of me. She is gathering up every great attribute of her mother each and every day. Before I know it I'm going to have a woman in front of me. I wish I could slow time down just a little bit. Savor each day, each event, each triumph and tragedy. Share everything with her and help her grow...cuz that's what Daddies & Mommies do.

Easy runnings

2008-09-10T05:01:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was just a five miler. The first two were pretty slow paced. As I headed out my neighbor, Jeff was just leaving to run his dog. His son Clay was with him too. The three of us, and Lucy, jogged for two miles with occassional stops for Lucy. At the two mile mark we parted ways and I finished my run. It was real nice out, sunny and in the high 60's. Leg's felt pretty good with just a touch of soreness still lingering from the 10 rainy miles the previous day. Not bad at all.

I'm supposed to run 10 tonight, but I have an appointment to get fitted for contact lenses tonight and then I have to head to Novi to pick up a few items. The main thing is stopping at Olive Garden to pick up bread sticks and alfrado sauce. Today is Bubbles 8th birthday. And she gets what she wants today!

Route: URL for this route is: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2251567

Worlds Toughest Athlete

2008-09-09T12:38:00.005-04:00

Verus (the cable channel) is holding a contest for the worlds toughest athlete. They're in the final round and I just voted for Team Hoyt. If you're not familiar with them it's a father & son triathlon team. So what makes them special? Look here: Teamhoyt.com

To be an Ironman is one thing. To pull your son, who's in a boat, 2.4 miles, to bike 112 miles with your son in a seat attached to the front of your bike, to push your son in a wheelchair through a 26.2 mile marathon... That's Team Hoyt.

I beg you to vote for them. They deserve it.

Rain Rain Go Away

2008-09-09T08:04:00.004-04:00

12 miles. That's all I wanted to run yesterday. There was a light drizzle and it was cool. Perfect. By mile 3 the rain was coming down steady and I was starting to get chilled. Finally at mile 6 I warmed up a bit and the muscles started to loosen up. I was able to pick up the pace and start to stride out a bit. But at mile 9 my joints started to ache and the temp was dropping and the rain was coming down harder. At mile 10 I was all fun'd out. I walked into my house achy and drenched. But I wasn't tired or winded. Grrrr! A good recovery meal and a nice hot shower and I was feeling better. Thankfully I feel good today. Ready for a nice run tonight. Let's hope the rain holds off for a little while.

2 x http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2248008

Weekend wrap-up

2008-09-08T07:03:00.002-04:00

What a gorgeous weekend! Saturday morning I had to work and the afternoon was filled with yardwork and helping a friend with his computer. Later we had friends and family over to celebrate Sarah's birthday. Good times were had by all! I was able to squeeze a quick run in later that evening, but had to cut it short by about a 1/2 mile due to darkness. It was still a good run though. No issues with the calves or ankles.

Sunday morning was cold and rainy. I headed out to watch the Michigan Multisport Championship. Those poor folks froze they buns off! I'm sure once they got moving they were fine, but beforehand, while they were waiting for their wave to start they just stood around shivering! I had hoped to see my friend Mike Muha run, but he wasn't able to due the previous week workload and not being able to train. Myself, I was able to get a run in later that day. I had planned on doing 12 miles, but at mile 1 I came across someone throughing away a perfectly good tube slide from their kids play structure. Their kids were grown and it wasn't wanted anymore. I asked the owners if I could take it and they said Sure. I sprinted home, snagged my neighbor Jeff with his truck, headed over there, loaded it up and hauled it back to the house where we sat it next to the play set. I then went and did my run. But because of time contraints I was only able to get another 4 miles in for a total of 6. Oh well, better than nothing I suppose. The rest of the evening was spent helping around the house and relaxing with the wife. It was a nice way to finish the weekend.

On the Big Lake

2008-09-06T10:29:00.002-04:00

Lake Superior is just that...superior. It's huge, it's clear, it's insanely cold! Oh how I love it!

A New Bike

2008-09-06T10:26:00.006-04:00

Have I ever mentioned that I have one of the greatest Brothers in the world! Steve, you are awesome. I love you!

I am now the proud owner of a carbon fiber road bike. It is beautiful. It is light. It is mine! Watch out world! Here I come!

Sarah's Success

2008-09-06T10:26:00.005-04:00

She rode her bike all the way around the culdasack! Her pride was very apparent. She tries so hard to impress me. And she does all the time. She impresses me the most though when she gets up from falling down. It's not easy to do. Not everyone does it. But she can...can sometimes...she does. And I'm in awe of her! She is an amazing little girl!

Open Water Swimming

2008-09-06T10:24:00.003-04:00

My first open water swim. Ryan Robinson and I went out to Orchard Lake for a short swim. I was going to try out my new wetsuit. I think that was a good call because then I saw that bottom drop away and saw the nothingness that was down there...well, let's just say, my reaction is less than ideal. I ended up on my back, hyperventilating, and utterly freaked out. Yup, that wetsuit provided me with the buoyancy I was needing at that moment.

Guess I need to work a little more on that whole open water thing.

My First Triathlon

2008-09-06T10:23:00.002-04:00

I didn't know I could be this nervous. I wasn't this nervous at my wedding!

But when that gun went off I forgot about everything. There was no nervousness...just a rush. Swim! Swim fast! Stay on course. Get out of the water. Into T1. Find my bike while stripping off my wetsuit. Helmet on. Shoes on. Grab bike and off I go. Pedal fast. Don't draft. Off the bike. Into T2. Rack bike. Helmet and shoes off. Running shoes on. Legs feel like bricks! 3.1 miles. Super stiff. Feel VERY slow. Loosening up. Hear the crowds at the finish line. Sprinting now. There's the finish line! I'm almost there. I'm a triathlete!

He's a running madman

2008-09-06T06:19:00.002-04:00

Last year I got a friend of mine to start running with me. Tony started running with much trepidation. But slowly he came to like it for all the same reasons most running love to hit the pavement; the exercise, the 'me time', the sense of accomplishment, being with friends that also enjoy it...and the list goes on. Tony has always been in good shape, but had never really been a big runner. At first his pace was a little slower than mine but still pretty good. Today, he has no problems keeping up, if not leading! His stride is refined, he's more confortable and relaxed. He's a runner. His HR is still through the roof (roughly 20BPM higher than mine), but that's just the way the man's body operates. There's no way I could function that way. I'd keel over in a second!

Last night he and I went for a six mile run. We kept a decent pace even though I would have slowed it down a little bit to nurse my left achiles. I know...'rub some dirt on it Nancy!' Regardless, it was great to run with him and afterwards, back at his place, we enjoyed a great meal the wives had prepared, imbibed on some damn good brew, and chewed the rag for a good long time. Quality times with quality friends. Life is good...and that's what it's all about.

I am MAN. Stare and be bewildered.

2008-09-04T13:30:00.005-04:00

I saw this and had to share. Just too funny.

I try not to take messages too often for just this reason. I'm terrible at it. I can't wait until my daughter is a little older and her friends are calling. It's not going to be pretty. Oh, and when boys start calling. hehe... That'll be when the REAL fun begins. Mwhahahaha!!!

Motivation

2008-09-04T06:06:00.002-04:00

It's too easy to say "It won't hurt to take just tonight off." And while it is true that quality recovery time is beneficial... it takes great descipline to stay on schedule, stay focused, keep with the program. But here's the funny part. If I don't stick with the program, if I start to lax on my workouts, I get depressed. I'm all bummed out, for no apparent reason. When I am working out hard and training my tail off, my mood is great! I'm happy, energetic and overall in a good mood! So, why do I even bother taking days off when I know I'll only regret it later? If anyone has any ideas I'll be glad to hear them. In the meantime, I'm going to focus on getting a good run in tonight...if it's not raining & thundering again.

Teaching her to ride a bike

2008-09-03T20:49:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to teach my daughter to ride a bike. Oooof! That little girl can be SOOO stubborn! She can ride a bike. She's made it around the culdasack a number of times. But she had so little confidence in herself that if there is the slightest wobble she gives up right away. It can be quite frustrating because I know she can do it.

I just recently bought her a new bike. One that is more her size. She outgrew her old one, and it was barely used. Oh well. The new one has six speeds, brakes on the handlebars (she didn't like the brakes where she had to press backwards on the pedals). She has yet to try this bike out. I'm hoping this weekend we can give it a go. There are times when she wants to ride her bike, but those are few and far between. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this weekend will be one of them. I look forward to when she can ride next to me while I go for my runs. I think that would be a lot of fun for both of us.

Ryanman 2008

2008-09-03T18:55:00.004-04:00

First, the pictures in the slideshow are from this years Ryanman 70.3... enjoy.

This years installment of the Ryanman 70.3 was an event to be behold. Four of us did the swim portion. It was in a lake close to Ryan house. The day started beautifully, but the moment we hit the water it started to rain. Then it started to pour. I guess mother nature didn't think we were wet enough. After completing the swim we headed back to Ryan's house to start the bike. There was quite a group of us. Unfortunately, the rain resulted in some seriously wet roads. By the 17th mile we were all soaked and caked in dirt and road grime, but the rain was stopping and the sun was starting to peek through the clouds. On the way the main pack of riders started to pull away from me and John (fellow triathlete and friend). We knew the route so we were not too concerned. At mile 37 I look back and I see John headed in the other direction. I took a left, he took a right. What gives? I knew I was headed in the right direction so I continued by myself. I finally make it through the ride about 10 minutes behind the main pack. They're just leaving for the run. I had made the decision not to run due to a sore achiles. Wise choice I think. I stay put and cheer the runners on as they complete their four loops. The Ryanman ended with sunny skies, happy faces, and one hell of a good party. Next year I'm doing the whole thing!

P.S. I learned later John took a short cut. Wish I would have thought of that!

My Support

2008-09-03T16:33:00.003-04:00

When I decided to change my lifestyle, to start doing triathlons I first gathered all the information I could on what would be involved. I wanted to get an idea of time requirements, nutritional needs, equipment, event and fuel cost. Once I had that all in hand I approached my wife and explained what I wanted to do. I told her that I wasn't going to start if I didn't have her support. I wanted this to be a family endeavor. She read through everything, she thought about it, we discussed it a bit and in the end she decided to support me. That was two years ago. And she's never faltered. It's awesome knowing that I have her support and blessings. And ya know what, she likes the results too!

I love you Erica! Thank you!

Seen at a running store

2008-09-03T15:57:00.001-04:00

T-shirt seen recently at a running store:

Marathoner's Check List

Carbo load.
Drink water.
Avoid embarrassing untimely bowel evacuation.
Refrain from sobbing breakdown at mile 21.
Feign lucidity at finish line.

Too Early

2008-09-03T07:42:00.004-04:00

Since I took yesterday evening off I decided I'd make up for it by getting my run in this morning. I hit the pavement at 5:00 A.M. It was still very dark and the air was cool and crisp. Not too bad really. But WOW, there was a serious lack of energy. I couldn't really get into a rythm or loosen up. It may have been that it was so dark that I had a difficult time seeing the road and was being overly cautious. I think I'll reserve my morning runs for the weekend when I can go out a little later when the sun is just coming up.

The silver lining in this is that I got the run in, felt good when I was done, and had a lot of energy when the day started at the office.... and it's pizza day so I won't feel too bad about having that extra slice. haha

The Ryanman

2008-09-02T20:14:00.003-04:00

Sure, there's a 1/2 ironman length triathlon I do each year called the Ryanman. But the title here refers to the man that started it. Ryan Robinson. He's the man who inspired me to take up the multi-sport lifestyle. He's the master I try to keep up with on the long rides, on the open water swims, and during the winter runs when it's -4 degrees fahrenheit. From the sounds of it you'd think he's a sadist that only lives to workout, train and compete. But that's only half of what makes him 'The Ryanman'. He's also a good friend, a doding husband and father. He's showed me that this lifestyle is NOT one's life, but just a part of it. Finding the balance is harder than any workout will ever be. And he does it. To that I look to him as an inspiration. Don't sweat the small stuff, enjoy the training and competing, if it's not fun figure out how to make it fun. Then enjoy.

Thanks Brother! You are the RyanMan!

Quality Time

2008-09-02T20:11:00.003-04:00

Tonight I'm skipping my workout. I was scheduled to run 5 miles and strength training afterwards. But I promised my wife I would watch a movie with her tonight. I'm going to enjoy tonight. I feel good that my priorities have swayed too far. I'll run in the morning.

Great Surprise

2008-09-02T15:55:00.001-04:00

Friday I got a call from my wife telling me that a present had been left on our porch for me. It was from my friend and chiropractor. I've been egging him for a while for some type of sponsorship and I also did some computer for his office and at his house. I had started to lose hope that I would get anything for my efforts, but that didn't mean anything to me. Him and his wife a great friends and I'll always help them in any way I can. But the fact that they actually got me something was VERY cool. After work I rushed home to see what I got. There in the family room was this HUGE bag. Inside it was a complete set of bicycle tools with their own case!!! Every tool you can imagine is in this setup! I couldn't be more happy!

Soooo... To my friend Dr. Rich Sadowski and his wife Staci I say, Thank You!

I'll alway keep pushing people I know to Commerce Chiropractic Clinic!!! You guys do great work and it's a pleasure to help you in anyway I can.

1st Marathon Training

2008-09-02T15:47:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I did my farthest run ever; 20 miles. I felt good most of the way, but at mile 13 my quads started to tighten up. Not a lot of fun. Also had an issue with a hot spot on my right foot. Not a big deal. Ran through it as soon as I determined that the hot spot was not a blister forming. My shoes are still relatively new so a little breaking in is not unexpected. Start the run at 6 A.M. The first lap of my 6.5 mile loop went well. It was still dark and cool. On the second lap it was a bit more light out and people started to make their way out onto the roads. Couldn't run in the middle of the street anymore where it's fairly level. On the last lap, the sun was out, the heat was starting to come on and the soreness was kicking in. Yup, it felt like 20 miles. Finished the run in just over 3 hours. No heel or ankle problems...YEAH! Got home, stretched, had a great breakfast, showered and took a little nap. Woke up in time for lunch. It was a great way to start the day!

Mmmmm, Chlorine

2007-09-06T10:34:00.001-04:00

There is one drawback to swimming a lot in the pool at Ballys. They use a lot of chlorine. I normally don't notice it. Others that come close to me sometimes catch a whiff of it though. But when it really kicks in is when I go to get my hair cut. As soon as the hairdresser wets my hair the smell of chlorine is almost overwhelming! haha The last time I was there they sold me some special shampoo that's supposed to remove the chlorine from my hair. We'll see how it goes, but all I care about is that my hair doesn't turn green!

My ride with Steve

2007-08-06T10:28:00.001-04:00

My brother Steve and I FINALLY got to go for a bike ride together. Okay, before you go "Whoooo! That's impressive! No one EVER gets to go on bike rides with their brother! That's amazing!". YOu have to understand that Steve and I see each other maybe once a year. Also, Steve hooked me up on the fabulous bike I now ride; a Schwinn Peloton. This really was a special ride. Just me and him doing what we love to do. The ride was from Chassell to Calumet! Wide shoulders, cool breezes and good friends. It was a great ride! We headed into Houghton buzzing through downtown like nothing. Then across the lift bridge to Hancock. Like Houghton, not a big deal. But then came the hill. It's a doozy, about a mile of steep never ending hell. Steve cruised up it like nothing. I, on the other hand, wheezed my way up. I'm sure I left a lung somewhere on that hill! After we got to the top is was pretty flat to Calumet. One section of the road had a very narrow shoulder and Steve was a bit aprehensive about continuing. I told him to just stick to the side and we'll be fine, it widens in a bit anyway. We got to Calumet in no time chatting the whole way. I was a bit bummed when we got there because that's when I realized I had forgotten my camera. Oh well. The way back was no big deal. More cruising with some good conversation. But when we got to the hill, just before Hancock, the ride got a lot more exciting. We got into our tuck positions had bolted down the hill. 40 mph, eyes watering, wind blowing, it was great!!! We also learned that some people do not like be followed by bicycles at 40 mph. Weird huh? As before, we meandered through Hancock, Houghton on made our way back to Chassell. It was a great day. I truly look forward to when he and I can ride again.

Oh how I love da U.P.

2007-08-06T10:27:00.000-04:00

In northern Michigan time stops. Or at least it moves substantially slower. My folks live in Chassell which is a small town outside of Houghton. They built a beautiful home on Portage Lake. Just an amazing place. When we go there it's as if we never left. Everything seems to be the same as it was last we were there. If there is one thing I notice when we go there is that no one is in a hurry. Everything is VERY slow paced. No sense of urgency. This is a good thing! I really learn to relax when I'm there. When I was in school there was no relaxing. Houghton was a place of anxiety for me. Now I can go there and not worry about anything. Just take in the fresh air and great scenary. Oh how I wish I could go there more often!

To be an Ironman

2007-05-01T08:28:00.001-04:00

Why not start with a half marathon, or a full marathon, or a duathlon??? But no, I had to go for a full Ironman. Swim 2.4 miles, Bike 112 miles, Run 26.3 miles. Why? What in the heck is wrong with me? Before I started training, before I was diagnosed with high cholesterol, before any of this I weighed in at 201 lbs. I was a pasty doughboy. I now weigh 168 lbs, cholesterol is kinda in control, I train 10+ hours a week. I can finally swim (that'll be it's own blog), I can now bike (Thank you Steve!!!), and I can now run (Thanks Rich for the inserts!). And most importantly, I can now train (Thank you to my Wife!!!). The rest is all up to me. I can do this. I have the tools and support. I just need to do this.
July 15th is the date. I have a lot of work to do until then. More swimming. More biking. More running. I can do this. I just need to focus, train, stay healthy and dedicated.

Been a while...One Year

2007-05-01T07:43:00.000-04:00

Lot's has happened. Some good, Some not so good. But with all that, an end. A fresh start. A new horizon for which to look to. And with some patience and planning, a bright horizon it will be that we strive toward...for me, my wife...and especially, our Sarah.

In this time, I've lost 32 lbs, 3" from waistline, 1 court case, and about 1/4" of hairline.
Of all that the court case caused the most pain. But like the girth, it's behind me... I hope.

What I bring to the table

2006-05-08T06:54:00.000-04:00

I took a look at my marriage. The wife, daughter, house, our life. I took into consideration all the things my wife does; work from home for the lab, chauffer our daughter here and there, pay the bills, manage our accounts, cook, clean, decorate, organize, streamline, police, delegate, shop, supply, manage, wash, repair, mend, consol, reprimand, encourage creativity and risk taking, teach, nurture, doctor the booboos, plan for the future... the list goes on. Then I took into consideration all the things I do. Ummm, I bring home a paycheck every couple of weeks. I generate an amazing amount of dirty close. I pinch my wifes butt a lot. I cut the lawn, plant shrubbery, clean the litter boxes, pick up large object, occassionally fix things, do dishes sometimes, and, well, do what my wife tells me to do... just not always when she wants me to. I really don't contribute too much do I. *sigh* This isn't a good thing. I do ask her how I can help. And I try not to take for granted everything she does. And I do try to think of what needs to be done so that I don't need to pester her (try to show a little proactiveness). But not too often. I found that I don't do whatever I did the way she would have wanted me to do it and I often have to redo it to her specifications. *sigh* So I just ask her.
I guess what this boils down to is communication. Her and I. She does what she knows needs to be done. She does it her way. I stay out of the way and try to help where I can. Seems to work pretty good.
Now I do put a lot of thought into how I can make her life easier. I will try to remove or lessen the strain on her schedule. I'll take the little one way to give her peace and quiet. I pick up things around the house. I try not to be a nuisance.
All I can say is that I try to help. I hope that is all that counts.
Well, and I love her dearly too.

The Playset

2006-05-05T07:07:00.000-04:00

My wife and I wanted to get the girl a playset. Guess there's been some fueding going on between some neighbors wives and it's getting taken out on the kids. Ridiculous crap. This kid can't play on the other kids playset cuz his mom pissed off this other kids mom....blah blah blah... crap like that. Anyhoo, we're not going to be a part of it. Soooooo, we buy a play set that ALL the kids can play on. Not too big. Not too complicated. Sturdy and well designed. We like it. My job, put it together. Right, just put a playset together. Sounds easy. Sounds fun. Throw it together in a few hours....
A few weeks pass...
When the semi backed into my driveway with nine...NINE FRICKIN CRATES!!!!!! I knew I was in trouble. When my wife told me I need to prep an area of the yard 31' x 24' I knew I was in trouble. When I rented the sod cutter and started leveling the area where this thing was supposed to go I knew I was in trouble. But when those NINE FRICKIN CRATES got dropped onto my driveway, I knew I was screwed!

I took a day off work to put this thing together. One full day for construction. No problem. I started at sun-up. At sun-down I still was not done. The two main structures were up and the cross beam for the swings was attached. No roof yet, no ladders, no climbing wall, no ramp, no slide, no firemans pole, no rope ladder, and no swings. Not even walls. What the hell did I accomplish today? I was tired, sore, and the backs of my ears were sunburned. I went to bed knowing my daughter would be disappointed that her daddy didn't get the job done. *sigh* Perhaps she would grow to forgive me. (I say this with tongue in cheek, she really didn't care that it was not completed)

Tonight I hope to finish. My cordless drill will be recharged. The aircompressor and airtools I were using will be ready again. This ediface will be complete. I have yet to finish leveling the area. I still need to order the mulch to go over the area. I'm just happy to be at the office where I can relax and recooperate.

The littles tooth 100205

2005-10-03T16:59:00.000-04:00

My little girl lost her first tooth today. It was so small. And she held it like it were a precious gem. There, in that tiny little hand, was the tinest tooth I had ever seen. Oh she was soooo proud! A right of passage to being a big person. She was now on her way to being a "big girl". My wife had planned for this a while back. She had made a special purse for the tooth inwhich the tooth fairy would place a gift in exchange for the tooth. My daughter was very excited about this part. Getting presents for loosing a tooth was great! She couldn't wait!

The next morning she got up and looked in the purse. There she found a $1 coin! What a haul! Put a tiny little tooth in and get a big shiny coin out! And she was showing it to everyone. But not just the coin was she showing off. She now had this hole in her gums that she wanted to show the world! "I lost a tooth! See!" and she would grab her bottom lip and pull it out to show off her missing front tooth. This went on for about 2 weeks until the novelty had run its course. And you'd have thought that was the end of the saga, but no. A couple of weeks after that tooth #2 made its exit. And thus, another $1 coin. But there wasn't so much showing off the the missing tooth this time. I wonder why. Oh well, who am I to understand the motivations of a little girl.

A couple of months have passed and a new saga has begun. The emergence of her grown-up teeth. Now this was something to be excited about. Real grown-up teeth! Just like mommy and daddy! And once again we've got the pulling of the bottom lip to show the world! She bubbles over with pride as she recieves Ooooo's and Ahhhh's from friends and family.

So what does this really boil down to? It's more than the losing and gaining of teeth. It's about the human experience for a family. The proud parents, the excited child, all growing up in their own way. Perhaps it's the fact that I'm experiencing all this for the first time along with my wife and daughter that makes this exciting. Or perhaps I'm just elated to see the joy in the eyes of these girls. Either way, I'm enjoying it and trying to remember it as much as possible, because it will be gone before I know it.

Being Outback Mike

2005-06-16T12:01:00.000-04:00

They call me Outback Mike. I even have my own theme song; which will not be recited here. They took to this like stink on a hockey jersey. They went so far as to put it one the Welcome Sign in the plant lobby. Am I offended? Am I bothered by this attention? Not really. Ya know why? Because it's attention I wasn't getting before. Before I was Outback Mike they wouldn't get the time of day. Now, Outback Mike gets conversations and dialog. It may seem trivial that I needed attention, and you're right, it is. But if I don't have a relationship with them, some type of dialog, I would have a very difficult working for them. I had no idea what they thought of me or my work. They didn't know anything about me. Too bad it took a silly story to get the ball rolling, but I'm happy to say that since then they have started to appreciate what I bring to the table. Sure, they give me a ton of grief and love to make me the butt of most jokes. But I can deal with that. It's being ignored that was difficult.
Oh, you're wondering what the story is. Well, here's the scoop. I had made a trip to my customers plant in North Carolina one weekend. I was alone and arrived the night before I was scheduled to be in the plant. It was late, around 9:00 P.M., and wanted to grab a quick meal. I went to the Outback Steakhouse close to the hotel and had a seat right at the bar. Two bartenders were working that night, both female. Cute, but nothing to write home about. I order a martini and start looking at the menu. I quickly ordered a grilled chicken salad just at my drink arrives. My salad arrives as I finish my martini and the bartender asks if I'd like another drink. I decline and ask for a glass of water. I tell her I had to be in the plant early in the morning and didn't want to start drinking. Truth is, I didn't want to spend my whole days per diem on liquor at the bar. She informs me that it would be on the house. Well, I accept the offer and order a gin & tonic. I also ask for my glass of water. I finish my meal and drink and ask for my check. She asks if I'd like another drink. Well, I'm not going to turn down a free drink and settle down to enjoy my third while I scan the restraurant for someone that might be buying me drinks. Can't see anyone. All couples in sight. Have to admit, being bought a drink is kind of flattering. Never happened before, so I was enjoying this. Now I finish my drink and ask who I should thank for the drinks. She ignores my question and asks if I'd like another. I decline. I have to get back to the hotel and am starting to feel pretty good after three drinks. I ask her again who I should thank. She says that they would prefer to stay anonymous. Hmmmm. I tell her to thank them for me and I leave.
So the next day I tell one of the maintnenace guys this same story, but instead I tell them that the bartender told me that "he'd like to stay anonymous." Well, you can imagine the brewhaha that erupted over this. And thus, Outback Mike was born.

The complicated pillow

2005-06-08T06:52:00.001-04:00

Yes, a pillow can be complicated. No, not like setting up a ftp site or programming a vcr kind of complicated. No, I'm talking about a level of complication that is far outside the realm for a typical pillow. A pillow should be soft and firm with no buttons or zippers. A pillow-case is acceptable, but not required. The fabric of the pillow (or pillow case) should be soft and smooth, but not slippery (thus silk is out). The one in question has several buttons that run down the middle of one side, course fabric, a large border edge of the same material, and no function other than to cause me severe frustration whenever I am stuck with the argonous duty of putting the God-forsaken thing back together after my wife has washed it. So you might ask, What has this pillow ever done to me? It's not its fault it's complicated. It's only doing what it was designed to do; lay ontop of the the other pillows and match the comforter cover (which, in itself has a level of complication I'd rather not think about). Well, I do dislike this pillow. I don't like the fabric, I absolutely hate the buttons, and the large border edge...well, it just drives me nuts. And don't think I haven't given it its far shake. I have...on a number of occassions. The pillow that is inside this case is actually quite nice, but alas, it's outter shell was spawned in the ninth level of hell. It's course and anything but soft and worse yet, it leaves you with the worst head-lines if you sleep on it! Arrrgh!
Now, as a married man and one that doesn't take for granted the things my wife does around the house I shall not ever imply that she get rid of these pilllows. By no means! They match the decore of the room perfectly. But now I really must address the pillow count issue. I need three pillows for proper rest. One behind my back, on under my head, and one to hold onto and smother like a security blanket. And the complicated pillow will not be allowed to fill any one of those applications. I demand a supplimental pillow to be made available to me each evening. And in the meantime I will anex one of yours. hehe

Bubbles Rock

2005-06-08T06:52:00.000-04:00

It was just a tiny stone in a tiny hand, but to the little girl it was a jewel. It sparkled, it shined, it was smooth and fit nicely in her little hand. And she had found it all by herself. Yes, Bubbles had a rock. It was Bubbles rock. Now this wasn't the first rock Bubbles had ever found. In fact, she often found many rocks while helping her mommy in the garden. But today, while playing with her friends in the back yard, this rock caught her eye in a special way. She normally looks for interesting rocks forwhich to share with her mommy and daddy. But today she hadn't been looking for a rock, today was the day to play with friends. But then, out of the corner of her eye she saw a glimmer of something. A jewel-like shimmer by some of her mommys flowers. And when she went to investigate what it was, there she found her rock. Or maybe, the rock found her.

Another piece of past

2005-06-08T06:39:00.000-04:00

This I wrote not too long ago. It's one of my favorites.

Good Morning Everyone, it’s 46 degrees here in Motown with no chance of precipitation today. High around 69 degrees with partly cloudy skies. Got up at 4:30 this morning and after kicking the cat and downing some joe (coffee you sickos), I made may way to the gym. After a vigorous 50 minute workout and 700 calories later I made my way to the office. There I made a bee-line to the coffee machine for my second cup of joe. While imbibing on my caramel-colored-caffinated-sludge-of-glory (ya…that’s still coffee) I struck up a conversation with one of my coworkers. He was reminiscing about his glory days in the army and the adventures he had abroad. That brought me back to my days in the Salvation Army when I was commissioned to teach the poor children in Guatemala how to be ventriloquist. Oh the joy of seeing their faces light-up when they finally mastered the art of drinking from a glass of water while keeping their puppet talking in perfect English. Brings a tear to my eye. Or the time I was sent to El Salvador to assist in the rescue of a professional midget wrestling team that thought they could take on a live lion in a pay-per-view cage match. We saved all but 14 of those little guys, and after pumping the stomach of the lion we were able to recover most of the limbs of the survivors. My heart swells with pride with those memories. And now, with those days far gone, and with a family of my own I look forward to new adventures. Adventures that rival those of yesteryear. I revel with the anticipation of taking on my daughters first suitor. The joys of watching him try to figure out why it’s raining on a clear night while I pee on him from the roof. Or the look on his face after I invite him in the help me clean my shotgun. Ya, it’s not professional-midget-wrestling, but it’s just as gratifying. Yet now, I sit in my office squandering away a perfectly good 15 minutes of someone else’s time writing a complete paragraph of bunk. I’m melancholy as I look around and realize that today will be the same as yesterday as will be tomorrow. What adventures lie before me on this day? What is there to get my heart racing and the adrenaline pumping thru my veins? I foresee nothing of the sort. So what are we to do, we – the working stiffs of the world? Where might we find such adventures in suburbia??? I’ll tell you. In the imaginations of our children. Go home and play with them. Play with them and their friends. Teach them ventriloquism and watch them laugh. Who cares if you can’t do it. They surely don’t. Even try to do it while drinking water. All the better if it runs down the front of you. They will squeal delight. And if ever there was a lion in your heart, they are the midget wrestling team that will vanquish you. And the only thing anyone will have to worry about are those that have to scrub the grass stains out of the knees and elbows of the pants and shirts. Our adventures are there for us…everyday. Go and be a part of it!

With that I have made my way thru my first cup of coffee and am ready for another. Have a good day and I pray all of you have an adventurous day with your children.

And the Banter played on

2005-06-07T08:56:00.000-04:00

Did you know that Bamboo is a grass? Yup, that stuff in your frontyard is a cousin to bamboo. Do you know how I found this out? Well, bamboo is the world TALLEST grass. And I've got a yard full of it!!!! Last night, with machette in hand, I hacked a path to my daughters play area. As Jeff Foxworthy may have eluded to, I didn't find any cars in the yard, but I think I scared up a couple of silver back gorillas and a panda or two. It's a jungle out there!

As you may have noticed from my previous rant I am working too much. And in an effort to keep myself in the good graces of my neighbors I hired a lawncare company to cut my lawn. The grass had been getting a little high, but nothing too bad. We haven't gotten much rain lately and I didn't have time over the weekend to cut it and the service said they would be coming out on Monday to cut it anyway. No worries. Then Sunday comes, and with it a deluge. Then lots of sun again. Then Monday...more sun. The grass is now over 6" in height. And guess who lives next to the most emaculate yard in the world...me. Next to my neighbors yard I might as well have three broken down cars in the front yard and a couch on the porch. I can only wish I could afford the time they do on their yard!

Now this is a Rant

2005-06-07T08:37:00.000-04:00

It's crazy. Life that is. Here it is, Tuesday, and I'm trying to keep it all together. My head hurts, I'm overwhelmed with work, seriously stressed over a plethera of issues, and little hope of improvement before my next cup of coffee. Is this the total of my life? Is this what I have to look forward to for the foreseeable future? I certainly hope not.
I thought I was starting to get a grip on things. I thought I had matters well in hand. Two projects on my plate, yard looking good, working just enough overtime to allow me to take my family out to dinner on occassion. Not too bad. Little did I know that it was all going to change in the blink of an eye. Sure, the same old stuff is there; taking care of the house, owning the business that I'm trying to dump, traveling for work more than I should, not making the money I want...blah blah blah. But then Kent left. Yes, the other half of my department left me. Here I was, 50% of a two-man controls show and now I'm it. The whole kit-n-kaboodle. And guess who inherited his three projects? Yours truly. Dayum! What have I gotten thrust into? Five projects and no time. I knew Kent had been looking for a new job. I knew he wanted to go into management. But I thought he'd atleast have the curtiousy to finish one or two of his projects prior to leaving. Grrrrrr! This past Sunday was my last day off for 1.5 months. I shake my head and wonder how this happened.
I'm trying to find the silver lining. Bear with me while I do some soul searching on this one! Until then, I'm going to get back to work. Wish me luck.

Past Banter

2005-06-07T07:30:00.000-04:00

Here are some writs I did recently. Take a read and enjoy...

The forecast said “cloudy with a slight chance of rain, high around 72”. At 5 this morning that was stellar news. That meant people would be staying inside today. People that stay inside watch movies. I rent movies. This was going to be a good day. Get to the gym and get a nice workout in. Sweat my gajeebers off (don’t ask me what a gajeeber is, but I know I don’t want it on me.) Now it’s 7:00 A.M., I’m sitting at my desk sipping my coffee…and I’m steamed. I’m downright fuming right now. Grrrrrr! It’s sunny out. Not a cloud in the sky. High is expected to be in the mid 70’s. Where the hell did the rain go? Where’s the clouds I was told would be here? Damn… I’m going to slap the next meteorologist I meet cuz he’s got some splainin to do! I guess I will succumb to the will of Mother Nature. So now what do I do? Nothing to do. Suck it up and move forward. It’s going to be a busy day anyway. Got in the office just before 7, go to a seminar from 9 to 3, get home and mow the lawn, iron some shirts, give my daughter a bath, maybe barbeque, drink a few brews…and hopefully go to bed early (that means before 11). But wait…something is missing. I’ve been feeling this strange sense of freedom all morning. Something is wrong. I never feel this way. There’s something missing. Why would I feel so unleashed today? Could it be that I’m not going to be in the office all day because I’m going to a seminar in an hour? No, that’s not it. Damn, this is weird. Anyway, I have a cute story for you. A couple of nights ago I was asked to read my daughter some stories for bedtime. I often do this so it was no big deal. She gets three books a night. She had recently gotten some new ones so this was going to be fun for both of us. So she comes to me with an arm full of books, got her pj’s on, and her hair in pigtails. Damn she’s a cutie!!! I follow her into her room and she places the books on her bed, crawls up there and starts rearranging her animals. They always get the best seating for storytime. I crawl up there too and start reading to her. As I’m reading I catch a glimpse of my daughter picking her nose…and eating the booger. I stop reading. I quietly tell her that she shouldn’t eat her boogers. And in the cutest and quietest of whispers she says “But I like it.” Hehe. I stay composed. I tell her that she shouldn’t because it’s not good for her and she could get sick from eating them. She looks at me with her Precious Moments eyes and says “But not very sick. Right?” I wanted to cry. God she is cute. I tell her that she wouldn’t get very sick, but she still shouldn’t. I continue reading. I catch her again picking her nose, but this time she is stops with this little bit of crusty on her finger trying to figure out what to do this it. She then wipes it on the side of the bed. She makes me sooooo proud! Hehe. I’m so happy I was there for this step in her life. I know, it ain’t a big one, but I’ll take what I get.
Now back to this sense of liberation that I’m experiencing. I figured it out. And it’s not good. I forgot my cellphone at home. Hmmmm, I wonder if this will be a good thing or a bad thing. Especially since I won’t be in the office today. I’m leaning toward good. Hahaha. My leash has been severed! I’m untethered for a day! Whoo hoo!

I often consider Mondays to be curse on society. Gods little way of letting us know that He’s in charge and that He can make our lives pretty damn miserable if He wanted to. Well yesterday seemed to be the exception. I got up early feeling pretty damn good. Got to the gym and got a great workout in. Clocked in at the office right at 7:00. Computers were playing nice, emails were flying, the debug on my machine went perfect…nice. Sure, it was a cold and rainy day, but that’s a good thing; from a sales standpoint. The day was shaping up to be pretty damn good. That is, until later that evening when I went to make my coffee. Just before I turn in for the evening I make my coffee for the next day. I pour the freshly brewed java into a thermos so that it’s nice and hot for my trip to the gym. Well, on this occasion I decided I’d grind the remainder of my bag of beans so I didn’t have to do it later. I also decided to pour the small amount of instant coffee in with it. I figured why have two containers of coffee when all I need is one. And the instant coffee was chocolate flavored so I thought it might be a nice little something for the remaining pots. Well, I learned something about instant coffee last night. Did you know that instant coffee, even in its smallest amount, will clog a paper coffee filter with amazing efficiency? And do you know where water goes when it can’t go thru the paper filter. You guessed it, over the top of the coffee maker, away from the coffee pot, onto the counter, down between the counter and stove, into to cupboards below, onto the shelves in the cupboards below….everywhere. As soon as I see this I rush to the coffee machine and pull the holder for the coffee and filter. I thought I would rather have the hot water going into the coffee pot rather than onto the counter. Now I want you to note a word from the previous sentence. The word “hot”. Oh yes, this coffee was HOT! I pull that holder out, get hot water on my hand, YELP!, drop the holder onto the floor (which just so happens to be where my feet reside), burn the top of my left foot with the water, splash hot wet coffee grounds all over the kitchen thus increasing the magnitude of the mess by a factor of 10. The kitchen looked as though my coffee maker had a violent case of diarrhea. And I happened to be the proctologist doing the inspection. Sooooo, after ruining about 10 towels, dismantling every cupboard, and filling both sinks with freshly soiled dishes, Erica finally decided to see what all the raucous was upstairs. I was just putting the bottom of the stove back in when she strolled up. I quickly thought of a story so she wouldn’t be too upset with me. I say “I pissed off the coffee machine and it puked on me.” She didn’t buy it. I told her what happened. She rolled her eyes and went to bed. So there I was, wet, burned, and without coffee for the morning. Did I forget to mention that it was a Monday.

Good Morning Ya'll. How's everyone doing this bright and beautiful day! Ain't it great to be alive! Nice warm morning, the birds singing, the sun rising in all its spender. Life is good!

Now, with that said, let me start on my typical early morning banter. Once again, got up at 4:30 A.M., but no...it wasn't 4:30, it was 3:00 A.M. Why was I awake at 3:00 in the morning you ask. I don't know. All I knew was that I wasn't happy about it. My pillow was on the floor next to me, the blankets were shoved to the side and I was cold. I reach down to retrieve my pillow from it gravity induced location only to get a thorough scolding from Tiffany; our cat who had decided that my pillow was actually manna from heaven and was now using it as a bed. Next I go to pull over the blankets to help warm myself. Well, this time I had to deal with a different cat... Erica. Sure, she's a cute little kitten, but at 3:00 in the morning it's best not to disturb her, and the pull from her the blankets that she had annexed sometime during the night would only serve to stoke a fire that lay smoldering in blissful slumber. But I was able to get a couple square feet of sheet for which to cover myself with. With pillow and sheet I snuggled in to catch that remaining 1.5 hours of well deserved sleep. NOT. I was awake and awake I was to stay. But I was tired. Too tired to get up. My mind kept rationalizing why or why not to get up, how much time I need to get going that morning, how long my workout was now going to be, and how late to work would I be. Finally at 5:00 I get myself out of bed and get ready. Coffee in tow and the car packed with my book bag, gym bag, lunch bag I start my day. And halfway down the driveway I stop. I look at my neighbors driveways. Yup, it's garbage day. I get out of my car and get the garbage to the curb; including the recyclables (cursed by I for marrying an environmental engineer...damn tree huggers [luv you hunny]). Now I get to the gym and get my workout in. Not as long as I would like, just 40 minutes on the elliptical. Had to change machines once since the first one I was on was not balanced properly. The left leg was traveling half the distance as the right. If I did that for 40 minutes I was afraid I'd be walking in circles all day! But today I decide that after my workout I'm going to treat myself to a protein shake. I have a 5 in my wallet; I can do this. I order a small Mocha Madness with chocolate protein. Ask the clerk how much. She answer $5.04. I tell her I have only a 5 spot. She asked me if I have any change in my bag. I don't... it's a gym bad, not a purse. I leave with no shake. So now here I am, in my office squandering away someone else's time to tell my family how I've spent the past three hours. Do I take into consideration that you may have better things to do? Not really, I just hope that if you read this and I make you smile even just once, I did what I aimed to accomplish. And by the way, can I borrow 4 cents from someone. I still want my shake.