Birthday

So, a few thoughts on this, my last day on earth as a 42 year old. I have to say, as you get older, birthdays really do lose their lustre.

Anyway:

-- I am thankful to be alive
-- I am thankful to be alive and healthy
-- I am thankful to be alive and healthy with a wonderful family
-- I am thankful to be alive and healthy with a wonderful family and some amazingly great friends
-- I am thankful to be alive and healthy with a wonderful family an some amazingly great friends and a terrific job
-- I am thankful to be alive and healthy with a wonderful family and some amazingly great friends and a terrific job and some awesome new people that I've met through this blog
-- I am thankful. Very, very thankful. And I recognize that every day.

Oops I did it Again

The pain from Boston is finally receding from my legs (though they are still pretty cooked) and already I have done something very, very stupid: I signed up for this. I went for the 50 mile version, not the 100.

Don't ask me why because I have no good rationale. I will admit that I succumbed to peer pressure on this one: Coach Phil signed Up and I've long wanted to do a trail race with him. And so, it's in the books. This is the race Payro did last year (and I crewed for) and it's literally in my backyard, so the upside is that I get to train on the course. And it's quite a beautiful course, too. I figure it will be a long, slow slog. If any of you NorCal folks are interested in helping crew, I'm all ears.

I'll repeat it again: man, am I an idiot. That being said, I'm also kind of stoked.

In other news -- well, there isn't a lot to report. Crazy busy with work (and things on that front seem to be taking a positive turn, which is very good thing), we are recovering from the big party this past Sunday (which once again, was awesome. Mad props to the wife) and I am getting ready to be Mr. Mom for the weekend. That's right: The Wife is getting set to head to Florida to see our new nice, leaving me with the two animals. First time I have had the two kids alone for a long, long while. Maybe ever come to think of it. I might have to live blog this experience. Stay tuned for some good stories.

Spectacular Night

We had a killer party at the manor tonight; it was a combination 43rd birthday party (actual birthday is Thursday) slash"thank you" party for all the Livestrong supporters slash Boston marathon celebration. According to the Wife, we had about 90 people up at the house, including Kids. The Wife did an amazing job; party featured a taco truck (which was excellent); a massive jumpie for the kids; a keg of Racer Five (best beer of all time), good music and tons of great friends. Thank you all who were able to join; hope you all had half as good a time as I did.

The was the cap on a fantastic weekend. Yesterday featured swimming time trials (the little girl is showing signs of being a hek of a swimmer) and a baseball game, which the Rangers won with 2 outs in the bottom of the sixth.

Wins all around, coupled with great friend + solid weather= one amazing weekend.

Southland

Anyone watching Southland? Seems pretty good to me, though this is my first episode. Which leads me to this: I haven't been watching quite as much TV as year's past. I'm not sure what's gotten into me. Could be that I have been running a lot these past few months (fortunately, that's over) and reading tons on my Kindle (I will save the review of my newest book for another post). And so, I haven't been as focused on TV.

One show I HAVE been watching however if American Idol. I think this is actually a pretty good season talent wise. I am predicting that the final two comes down to Danny and Adam. I think Adam is the best singer the show has ever seen, but I predict, as of the last show, that Danny wins. His story -- being widowed at such a young age -- will push him over the top.

One relatively new show I have gotten into is Fringe, though this second season has been a little lame. Anyway -- anything else out there that I should be paying attention to? The new Amy Poehlner show perhaps?

Man Am I High

This is the highest I have ever been while typing a blog post: 30,000 feet to be exact. Virgin recently introduced on air wifi and I am in absolute heaven. I'm sitting here, doing email, iming with staff, typing a blog post. This rules! I could do it all day. COme to think of it, with a six hour flight I WILL be doing this all day!

What did NOT rule was waking up at 6:00 pm EST and dragging my sorry and sore ass (and legs) to the airport. I am hurting pretty badly but that's the price you pay for having fun. Last night I went downtown and grabbed a quick bite to eat and a drink with the Livestrong folks. They have an amazing staff and are doing great work and I am very proud to have done my part in helping raise funds. Though I don't feel particularly good about my marathon time (not that I am dwelling all that much on it) I feel GREAT about the fundraising aspect and thank you one more time for the support.

Anyway, after a week in Mexico and now this it's time to get back to real life. I have a ton of work to get to, and I am happy for the first time in a long while to not have a marathon hovering over my head like damocles sword.

I am not sure what my future holds in store for me athletics wise, but I will going to spend a week doing absolutely nothing during which time I plan to contemplate "what's next."

I am pretty serious though in that I am done with road marathons for a long while. I'm definitely going to take it back to the trails. And the pool. And maybe even the bike.

Super Tough Day

First; thanks for all the well wishes everyone. Much appreciated. I felt your good vibes all day.

It wasn't quite the day I had hoped for: I finished in 3:41, which I guess is respectable, but I had hoped for a bit better. A few quick things before I run off to meet with the Livestrong folks:

1. the weather was tough (low 40's, headwind the entire way) and the course way even tougher (hills, hills and more hills. None are particularly egregious but they get you in the end.

2. they stage you in Hopkington for 2.5 hours before the race starts. Although I brought food I started to get hungry and as a reslt I started downing GU's at a fast pace. As a result fo that, I threw up said GU's at around mile 19.

3. I think this was my biggest issue: I literally started at he back of the race; the 26th corral out of 27. the roads were narrow and I couldn't get any pacing going until literally mile 7. After that, I was never able to get into a good groove.

SO, that's that. I am not complaining; it was a spectacular experience overall. The women of Weslyan are the best and this Yankee fan will dare say that Bostonians were awesome. Glad I did it, glad I'm done, glad to be going home.

over and out for now. And thank again, y'all, for all the support. Oh, and huge, special, most awesome props to my parents, for making the trip for the weekend. That really meant a lot.

Live From Boston

Well, I am here. Let's see: Mexico to SF, SF to Boston. A bit more travel than I'd care for and I'm feeling it a bit, but I am hear and ready to rock and roll. There is definitely a pretty vibrant energy in this town, no question, and that is not entirely due to the fact that my parents are in town.

I am just back from the expo, which was a complete madhouse. My favorite part was finally getting to meet the great folks at Livestrong.com. Big ups to Colleen Wilson, who is the coolest. After that, toured Harvard with my folks and our cousins who live in the area, one of whom attends harvard. Pretty impressive campus, I must say. Now I am just hanging out, trying to stay off my feet.

If you want to track the action tomorrow, here's how:

FRIENDS AND FAMILY CAN TEXT RUNNER TO 41234 TO GET ALERTS AT 10k, half marathon, 30k and finish line.

Note that I am number 25272, which needs to be placed in body of the text.

I'm going to give it my best shot tomorrow and let the chips fall where they may. I might run great, the stress of the last week might get me, but do know that I will give it my all. I always do in marathons. While I'd like to do well, this one I am running as a cancer survivor (I picked up a "surviror" tag at the Livestrong booth and just might wear it) and I am going to try to enjoy every minute of simply being out there.

Lastly: I want to once again thank everyone who has supported my Livestrong effort. I am absolutely humbled and incredibly grateful - and awed -- by the support I have received. I've emailed many of you personally, and many I haven't (yet), but will certainly do so once I get back home. But truly, from the bottom of my heart: thank you to each and every one of you. I am truly blessed to have such terrific friends and family.

Vacation

Funny think about vacation: 9 times out of 10, I'm generally not terribly excited about leaving and oftentimes, as was the case just last week, seriously on the precipice of cancelling due to work. Then, I get where I am going ... and want to stay forever. Or at minimum, a very long time. That best describes this little jaunt to Mexico. I left the family behind so I could get back early, go to work tomorrow and then head to Boston (more on this in a moment) and was so sad to leave. Part of this is due to the fact that Mexico, like Hawaii, is just so easy going, but I think the other part is that I'm at a stage in life where my kids are really fun. They don't have to be watched/entertained every moment (though they still have their moments and are far from perfect, trust me), they can keep themselves occupied and they are fun to hang out with, whether it's playing in the pool, playing baseball, reading together, etc. Nine and six; it's a nice age.

But reality beckons and here I am. All good things do indeed come to an end. Now I am sitting in front of the TV (something I refuse to do while on vacation), looking at the weather for Boston and trying to figure out what in the hell I am going to pack. 47 and rainy? Oh boy. That there is hypothermia weather. I am going to have to man up for this one; I have a sense its going to be absolutely epic. The scary thing? I am totally stoked.

Greetings from MExico

Sorry been so quiet: we are on our annual sojourn to Puerto Vallarata. I'm here but for two more days and then headed home -- and then to Boston, while the family will stay here until Saturday. All is good in MExico though I am astonished by how few American tourists there are compared to years past; a sign of the times I guess.

WIsh I could tell you something interesting about this trip, but it's all about hanging my the pool, reading and swimming. And eating. Lots of eating too.

For all you avid readers out there, check out The Tourist; it's been getting rave reviews and it's a terrific vacation book.

The Little Boy is pulling me out of this sketchy Internet cafe so that's it for today; a super short one.

Hope all is well int he good old US of A and more tomorrow if I can find a damn wifi connection in this country that doesn't hang after ten seconds.

Random Thoughts

Too busy night to coalesce my thoughts into one cogent posting, so a few random thoughts:

-- I realized today that I will be running the Boston Marathon - on behalf of Livestrong -- on the third anniversary of my diagnosis. There is something weirdly karmic about that and I hope it translates into a good race for me. I've hit a good block of training but am very cautious and am making no predictions

-- If you like war/military books and/or books on leadership, than I very highly recommend Joker One, by Donavan Cambell. It is an astonishingly good read. It's received in viritually all reviews. I've now completed five books for hte year, which puts me on target for my goal of 15.

-- And on that subject, we are headed to Mexico next week (I'm coming home several days earlier than the family so that I can get ready for Boston) and I am planing to read The Tourist (fiction), House of Cards (non-fiction; it's about the fall of Bear Stearns) and probably Once a Runner, which is considered one of the greatest running books of all time. If there are any other suggestions hit me up, pronto. Also, for whatever it's worth, I am loving the Kindle. No regrets whatsoever on that purchase.

-- Listening to some great music these days, including the new Silversun Pickups (amazing), St. Vincent (haven't listened quite enough to render an opinion), Cymbals Eat Guitars (very Pixies-ish), Flobots (fun), Harlem Shakes (pop-ish) and Passion Pit (weird electronica but very catchy). 2009 has thus far been a very good year for music. Next one I am gearing up for is Eminem.

-- The Little Boy's baseball team won last night, coming back from a 7-1 deficit. It was a real nail biter and a very well played game. They won with 1 out in the bottom of the sixth. The lLIttle Boy was on deck and having already gone 0-2 (and one walk) I was really nervous. Despite his hitting slump (and boy, what a slump) he is proving to be a very solid fielder; he made four great plays, including a great catch in center field.

-- Speaking of winning baseball, I'm hoping that the Yankees wake up and decide to win a game this year. These first two games of the season have been a disappointment.

Great Sports Day

If you are a sports fan, today is a near holy day: NCAA national championships (congrats UNC on a well deserved national title) and first official day of baseball (get it together CC; not the performance we were hoping for).

The Little Boy pulled a great scam today. He's been feeling a tad under the weather of late, but nothing major at all. The Wife took him to school and as they were entering, he declared that he really didn't feel well and wanted to go home. The Wife is generally pretty strong but in this instance, for reasons I have yet to ascertain, she relented (probably because we are gong away next week).

On the car ride home, the Little Boy asked permission to watch the Yankees game if he did his homework. Not knowing today was opening day, the lights went off and the Wife quickly called me up. We both realized that we might have been a bit had, but I confess to not being all that dismayed. This will go in lore and will be worth the story: the time he scammed his mom to catch the Yankees opening game. I came home and we had a nice congenial conversation. I told him he got his one, and never to do that again. Then we quickly segued into a discussion of the game, which he dissected like a talmudic scholar. Anyway, funny stuff and again, as the father of a nine year old, I can't help but be a tad bit proud.

All that said, I'd never in a million years have been able to pull that off on my old man -- right dad?

California Weekend

This was a pretty prototypical California weekend: yesterday featured baseball game (Rangers won, 9-6, to put them at 2-1-2) and swimming lesson. Today, while the Boy was at baseball practice, The Girl, The Wife and I hiked up a new trail, Horse Hill, which is basically exactly as it sounds. The wildflowers were out in full effect and the horses, which apparently belong to someone in town, are equally beautiful. The Little Girl dug this hike. In the afternoon, the Little Boy and I played baseball (anyone noting baseball as a recurring motif?) at a local field until he waved the white flag and said he was too tired to go on. Which was a good thing because I felt the same way. That's saying something for him. Afterwards, I took both Kids to the beach, where we waded in the Ocean, climbed big rocks (monster rocks, actually), and checked out the tide pool. I have to say: when the weather is nice here, as it was this weekend (I think the low for the weekend was 68), there is very little idle time in this household. Come to think of it, there's little idle time in this household even when the weather is bad.

In other news, I ran my last quasi-long run before Boston. While it was only 13 miles, I felt pretty lousy and am fearful that I am on the verge of a stress fracture on my right foot. could be the taper messing with my head but as stated previously, I'm looking forward to this being over. While it certainly won't mark the end of running for me, I expect that this will be my last road marathon for quite some time. These things are just too stressful on my soon-to-be 43 year old body.

Over and out for tonight.

What's on my ......

What's on my ipod you may ask? This is what I am listening to, currently:

-- the new Silversun Pickups. This one hasn't been released quite yet, but oh boy is it good. Best album of the year in my humble opinion. Get this when it comes out pronto

-- Tool. For a guy who likes ricking music, I'm surprised they haven't been in my repetoire. I am definitely late to the game with them but they are awesome and it's terrific running music.

-- Passion Pit. I'm not exactly certain who these guys (guy?) are, but it's pretty interesting. Takes a little getting used to though

-- Royksopp. Whoever thought Norwegian (I think it's Norwegian, anyway. Scandanavian maybe. Sam difference, right?). Anyway, pretty danceable, infectious beats and another one that's great for running.

There's more -- a lot more -- bt these are the ones that are high up in my current rotation. I'll say one thing about long distance training; it gives you a good opportunity to catch up on music.

What's on my Kindle you ask? This is what I am reading, currently:

-- Joker One, which received a great review in the NEw York Times Book Review. Great book on what it was like to be on the street Marine in Iraq and surprisingly, I'm finding a great leadership book as well.

Next up, I think: House of Cards (about the downfall of Bear Stearns) and The Tourist (fiction thriller in the spirit of John LeCarre). I am definitely open to other suggestions as well.

What's on my gadget list you ask?

-- Well, most certainly the Palm Pre, as I have written previously. My conundrum, though, is though I have major issues with Cingular (recpetion sucks in the Bay Area), I'm pretty locked in to my contract and can't rationalize a move to Sprint. So, we'll see. I might let this one go a generation similiar to what I did with the Kindle. In the interim, I really need a smart phone with keyboard (for work purposes this is becoming a big issue) and am impressed by the new Samsung Impression. I'm anxious to check that out in a week.

So, that's my current "list."

Missing anything?