The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. Life throws changes your way all the time. The changes themselves aren't necessarily good or bad, however our perceptions of them tends to be. You can take an unforeseen change as an awful occurrence and let it ruin your outlook for some amount of time or....you can accept it, make the best out of the situation and use it as an opportunity. Such is the case with me right now. I did a little of both.
Life threw me a curve ball and I took my medicine. I took it hard at first, but then accepted it. I've spent the last few days using it as an opportunity. This may be somewhat vague, but I intended it that way. Things are changing but I'm OK with it and looking forward to a bright future. Hopefully all those affected will do the same.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Concert Time
It's been a while since I've been to a concert. Actually, the last one was my first blog post... so that was June of 2008. Although that Pearl Jam concert was awesome, this one had to top it.
We headed to Charlotte last Sunday afternoon to hear Metallica live. I really wanted to catch them twice already, but as life tends to pull us many different directions at once, I was unable to see them perform with Godsmack and with Linkin Park. I'm sure both of those bands would have been incredible live as well. This time around Metallica had two bands I've never heard up opening for them. No biggie. I was there for Metallica anyway.
I went in knowing that they have such a catalog that they could fill a few hours with all great songs and I'd still have a few favorites that they missed. At the end of the night I was blown away. They rocked all night, with both their old and new tracks. It was obvious that the crowd favorite is Seek and Destroy. I wouldn't rate it in my top ten, but experiencing live is pretty awesome. My personal favorites of the night were Sad but True, and The Day that Never Comes. I would not have expected The Day that Never Comes to be a favorite, but they totally rocked it.
I hope to hear them again one day. If that kind of music is your thing and you've never seen Metallica live, I highly suggest to get out to see them!
We headed to Charlotte last Sunday afternoon to hear Metallica live. I really wanted to catch them twice already, but as life tends to pull us many different directions at once, I was unable to see them perform with Godsmack and with Linkin Park. I'm sure both of those bands would have been incredible live as well. This time around Metallica had two bands I've never heard up opening for them. No biggie. I was there for Metallica anyway.
I went in knowing that they have such a catalog that they could fill a few hours with all great songs and I'd still have a few favorites that they missed. At the end of the night I was blown away. They rocked all night, with both their old and new tracks. It was obvious that the crowd favorite is Seek and Destroy. I wouldn't rate it in my top ten, but experiencing live is pretty awesome. My personal favorites of the night were Sad but True, and The Day that Never Comes. I would not have expected The Day that Never Comes to be a favorite, but they totally rocked it.
I hope to hear them again one day. If that kind of music is your thing and you've never seen Metallica live, I highly suggest to get out to see them!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Big Baby
I cant believe it. My baby is 6. Jackson is getting old way to fast. There is no way his little brother, the baby of the family, should be six years old. Time is flying! I dont know what else to say.
For his birthday he wanted to take a second trip to the fair so we did that. Also, we stocked him up on art supplied: crayons, markers, paper. He loves to do art, so he was very happy about new tools to work with. Also, we gave him his own basketball and he later told us that was his favorite present. Nice thought by Stacy to add that into the mix.
After getting the ball on his birthday, the following day he added to the stash. Within 20 minutes of arriving at the fair, both Alex and Jackson won mini-basketballs. That was awesome except the part about me carrying them for the next 3 hours. Not to mention an hour later Jackson won another, full sized basketball. The Owings' house is now fully stocked for basketball season!
Happy Birthday to Alex, my very BIG baby.
For his birthday he wanted to take a second trip to the fair so we did that. Also, we stocked him up on art supplied: crayons, markers, paper. He loves to do art, so he was very happy about new tools to work with. Also, we gave him his own basketball and he later told us that was his favorite present. Nice thought by Stacy to add that into the mix.
After getting the ball on his birthday, the following day he added to the stash. Within 20 minutes of arriving at the fair, both Alex and Jackson won mini-basketballs. That was awesome except the part about me carrying them for the next 3 hours. Not to mention an hour later Jackson won another, full sized basketball. The Owings' house is now fully stocked for basketball season!
Happy Birthday to Alex, my very BIG baby.
The Final Countdown!
No, not the eighty's hair band Europe's big hit. I'm talking about Stacy's training countdown. Back in April training began. She skipped the half marathon and jumped in with a crew from Tampa training for the Marine Corps Marathon. It has been a huge goal in her (and our) lives for the past 7 months. All that training has finally came to fruition! The race is this Sunday morning. Three days and counting!
I have no doubt that she'll do great. I've been shocked at not only how many long runs (as far as 22.5 miles) she has run in preparation, but also the ease that she seemed to do it in. I'm sure it wasn't easy but she tackled it like a champ. I have all expectations that she'll do awesome. I cant wait to talk to her afterward and hear all about it. Although I'll be awaiting that post-race call, I wont have to wait until then to see how well she performed. One of the coolest things about this particular marathon is the ability to track runners progress. All long races may have this, but this is the first I've heard of it. Anyway, I signed up, so I'll receive both emails and texts of her progress every 5K of the race. I cant wait. If I'm this excited, I cant imagine how excited she is!
Oh, and once more, 3 days and count. It's The Final Countdown!
I have no doubt that she'll do great. I've been shocked at not only how many long runs (as far as 22.5 miles) she has run in preparation, but also the ease that she seemed to do it in. I'm sure it wasn't easy but she tackled it like a champ. I have all expectations that she'll do awesome. I cant wait to talk to her afterward and hear all about it. Although I'll be awaiting that post-race call, I wont have to wait until then to see how well she performed. One of the coolest things about this particular marathon is the ability to track runners progress. All long races may have this, but this is the first I've heard of it. Anyway, I signed up, so I'll receive both emails and texts of her progress every 5K of the race. I cant wait. If I'm this excited, I cant imagine how excited she is!
Oh, and once more, 3 days and count. It's The Final Countdown!
The Fair
The Fair was another great time this year. We did the family trip on Saturday morning. They didn't have the pay-one-price deal that day (wrist bands), but they did have buy-one-get-one, which basically means the boys could both ride for the price of one. They rode for about 2 hours and had a blast.
Since Alex just turned 6 on Tuesday (hurray Alex), he said that he wanted to go back to the fair. Last night we headed back. Stacy had to do some last minute packing for her trip (first marathon. Go Stacy!), so I took the boys. It was a pay-one-price night so we got wrist bands and had a blast. I kept up with it and they boys rode so much that it covered the price of the wristbands 3 times over... and they enjoyed every second of it. Only the first line was long. After that we realized that there was a backlog of people near the entrance. Once we ventured farther away, they flew from one ride to the next... for 3.5 hours. Also, a small milestone; they rode their first adult ride. They insisted on riding "the spaceship". They were both tall enough so I let them give it a shot. By the way, the spaceship is the Gravitron. I was hoping they wouldn't come out of it looking like the one guy I saw that probably had a few too many beverages before entering. The mix of his late night drinks and the spinning ride made his attempt at walking hilarious. But I digress. The boys came out having a blast and screaming for more, so I let them do it once more. Isn't it fun to be a big boy!
Also, a trip to the fair is never complete without stuffing one's self with fatty foods. The boys and I split a foot-long corn-dog and a turkey leg. They were both spectacular. Also, we hit up the fried dessert stand on the way out. Fried Snickers for me and fried Oreos for the boys. If you've never heard of fried desserts, as crazy as they sound, they are incredible. They freeze the candy bar and dip it in donut batter and fry the thing up. By the time you eat it you have a donut stuffed with a melty candy bar. Incredible!
Since Alex just turned 6 on Tuesday (hurray Alex), he said that he wanted to go back to the fair. Last night we headed back. Stacy had to do some last minute packing for her trip (first marathon. Go Stacy!), so I took the boys. It was a pay-one-price night so we got wrist bands and had a blast. I kept up with it and they boys rode so much that it covered the price of the wristbands 3 times over... and they enjoyed every second of it. Only the first line was long. After that we realized that there was a backlog of people near the entrance. Once we ventured farther away, they flew from one ride to the next... for 3.5 hours. Also, a small milestone; they rode their first adult ride. They insisted on riding "the spaceship". They were both tall enough so I let them give it a shot. By the way, the spaceship is the Gravitron. I was hoping they wouldn't come out of it looking like the one guy I saw that probably had a few too many beverages before entering. The mix of his late night drinks and the spinning ride made his attempt at walking hilarious. But I digress. The boys came out having a blast and screaming for more, so I let them do it once more. Isn't it fun to be a big boy!
Also, a trip to the fair is never complete without stuffing one's self with fatty foods. The boys and I split a foot-long corn-dog and a turkey leg. They were both spectacular. Also, we hit up the fried dessert stand on the way out. Fried Snickers for me and fried Oreos for the boys. If you've never heard of fried desserts, as crazy as they sound, they are incredible. They freeze the candy bar and dip it in donut batter and fry the thing up. By the time you eat it you have a donut stuffed with a melty candy bar. Incredible!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Dam Run Results
Not a bad race. It turned out to be a great day for a run. It had rained all night, but cleared off before the race. It was cool and slightly misted both before and after the race.
I fell short of my goal, but I knew up front that my goal was a tough one. I'm still happy with my time. Rather than averaging 6:59 per mile, I achieved a 7:09 pace for a 44:21.
At this point, I'm enjoying all of my runs but I see them all as practice for the Bridge Run. One day I'll venture into longer events, but for now I'm really enjoying the 5Ks and 10Ks that I've been doing.
Oh, for the record, here were my splits:
Mile 1: 6:30
Mile 2: 6:49
Mile 3: 7:10
Mile 4: 7:06 (still nearly 25 seconds ahead of my goal at this point)
Mile 5: 7:35 ( It was obvious @ mile 4.5 that I didn't have enough left in the tank)
Mile 6: 7:25
last .2: 6:10 pace
I fell short of my goal, but I knew up front that my goal was a tough one. I'm still happy with my time. Rather than averaging 6:59 per mile, I achieved a 7:09 pace for a 44:21.
At this point, I'm enjoying all of my runs but I see them all as practice for the Bridge Run. One day I'll venture into longer events, but for now I'm really enjoying the 5Ks and 10Ks that I've been doing.
Oh, for the record, here were my splits:
Mile 1: 6:30
Mile 2: 6:49
Mile 3: 7:10
Mile 4: 7:06 (still nearly 25 seconds ahead of my goal at this point)
Mile 5: 7:35 ( It was obvious @ mile 4.5 that I didn't have enough left in the tank)
Mile 6: 7:25
last .2: 6:10 pace
Friday, September 25, 2009
Dam Run
Tomorrow morning is the Dam Run. I feel unprepared, but I'd still shooting for a goal. I broke the 7 minute mile pace for my last 5K. It's time to shoot for that pace in a 10K. To reach a 6:59 pace, I'll have to post a 43:23. That is no easy task, but goals aren't supposed to be easy now are they?
Wish me luck!
* results to come after the race.
Wish me luck!
* results to come after the race.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
To be a South Carolinian
I actually like where I live. There are a lot of great things about South Carolina. I have a great job at Southeastern and I love the workplace, including both the work and the people. My kids attend Satchel Ford elementary school, and to be honest I am very impressed with education that my kids have received thus far. I enjoy South Carolina beaches and Myrtle Beach specifically is a huge draw, having more golf courses in one area than any other place in the country.
South Carolina has it's high points, but why is it that we tend to look so bad?
(1) Education: South Carolina is 42nd in Academic Achievement (this may have changed. that was based on the 2007 Report Card of Academic Achievement)
(2) Unemployment: 11.8%, ranked 46th overall
(3) Governor in the news - Sanford and his affair was not favorable in the media, but even worse was his handling of the situation after the news came out. You all know the details so I wont bother elaborating, but it made him and us by association look pretty bad.
(4) Joe Wilson - the latest of the SC bad points. There are certain rules to follow according to the situation.
In sports, if you're at a football game you can cheer all you want. However when you watch golf, there are times to cheer (after a great shot) and times to be quiet (during a shot). In much the same fashion, in the political arena there are rules or norms to follow. At a town hall if you don't like what is said, by all means, speak up. However, during a presidential address hold your tongue. It's not the right venue to bring attention to yourself. When Joe Wilson shouted "You lie!" at Obama when he disagreed with the accuracy of a statement that was made, he made himself look bad and once again made SC look bad. No, he didn't throw a shoe at the president, but were just as inappropriate. Why did the person making the comment have to be someone else from SC? ugh.
How about we start making South Carolina look good for a change?
South Carolina has it's high points, but why is it that we tend to look so bad?
(1) Education: South Carolina is 42nd in Academic Achievement (this may have changed. that was based on the 2007 Report Card of Academic Achievement)
(2) Unemployment: 11.8%, ranked 46th overall
(3) Governor in the news - Sanford and his affair was not favorable in the media, but even worse was his handling of the situation after the news came out. You all know the details so I wont bother elaborating, but it made him and us by association look pretty bad.
(4) Joe Wilson - the latest of the SC bad points. There are certain rules to follow according to the situation.
In sports, if you're at a football game you can cheer all you want. However when you watch golf, there are times to cheer (after a great shot) and times to be quiet (during a shot). In much the same fashion, in the political arena there are rules or norms to follow. At a town hall if you don't like what is said, by all means, speak up. However, during a presidential address hold your tongue. It's not the right venue to bring attention to yourself. When Joe Wilson shouted "You lie!" at Obama when he disagreed with the accuracy of a statement that was made, he made himself look bad and once again made SC look bad. No, he didn't throw a shoe at the president, but were just as inappropriate. Why did the person making the comment have to be someone else from SC? ugh.
How about we start making South Carolina look good for a change?
Monday, September 7, 2009
Labor Day Fitness Challenge - Results
The races this morning went well.
Stacy enjoyed hanging with us and cheered us all on. She had a good morning.
Alex was in the 6 and under race (1/4 mile). He ran/walked it and enjoyed it. The field events after the race appeared to be his favorite part.
Jackson was in the 7-9 year old race (1/2 mile). He started out very slow. I didn't realize at the time that he was pacing himself, but it was evident during the second lap. He went from near the back to bust through the crowd and ended up finishing in third place. He is very fast. Oh, and he also really enjoyed the field events.
My race offered a few challenges. First off, let me say that Ben Lipen ran a well organized event. That being said, they used Strictly Running for their timing and such and that was NOT done well. Not only were all the times for the 5K reported incorrectly, but the course was not set. Those of us in the front group (top 15 or 20 people) ran too far. There is one point that the route doubles back on itself and the dude on the bike that tells you where to turn around was in the wrong place. After a group of us went too far, he realized it and cut the course back off to it's regular length for the rest of the group. What a SNAFU. In the end, the extra distance turned my 3.1 mile race into a 3.31 mile race (proved by my GPS watch). No biggie, but it did effect my goals.
Ok. Enough rambling. How did I do? Well, I didn't finish in 21:41, but my course was longer so that worked out ok. I finished in 22:50.... which comes out to a 6:54 mile pace! Awesome! Not only that, but when it came time to award the age group awards, I was happy to find out that I WON the 30-35 males division! Double Awesome!!
Success!!!
Stacy enjoyed hanging with us and cheered us all on. She had a good morning.
Alex was in the 6 and under race (1/4 mile). He ran/walked it and enjoyed it. The field events after the race appeared to be his favorite part.
Jackson was in the 7-9 year old race (1/2 mile). He started out very slow. I didn't realize at the time that he was pacing himself, but it was evident during the second lap. He went from near the back to bust through the crowd and ended up finishing in third place. He is very fast. Oh, and he also really enjoyed the field events.
My race offered a few challenges. First off, let me say that Ben Lipen ran a well organized event. That being said, they used Strictly Running for their timing and such and that was NOT done well. Not only were all the times for the 5K reported incorrectly, but the course was not set. Those of us in the front group (top 15 or 20 people) ran too far. There is one point that the route doubles back on itself and the dude on the bike that tells you where to turn around was in the wrong place. After a group of us went too far, he realized it and cut the course back off to it's regular length for the rest of the group. What a SNAFU. In the end, the extra distance turned my 3.1 mile race into a 3.31 mile race (proved by my GPS watch). No biggie, but it did effect my goals.
Ok. Enough rambling. How did I do? Well, I didn't finish in 21:41, but my course was longer so that worked out ok. I finished in 22:50.... which comes out to a 6:54 mile pace! Awesome! Not only that, but when it came time to award the age group awards, I was happy to find out that I WON the 30-35 males division! Double Awesome!!
Success!!!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Labor Day Fitness Challenge
Tomorrow is the race. I posted after the Hot Summer's Night race that I was torn as to whether to run the 5K or 15K on Labor Day. I opted for the 5K. After all, I did fall short of my goal last time. Let's give this thing another shot!
A year ago I sat watched Stacy run the Labor Day Fitness Challenge 5K. She did very well and is now totally hooked on road races (as you may have gathered from my previous posts). Last year I kept the kids during the race and then we let them run the kids race, as well as some other "fun races", like a 3-legged race etc... They loved it and actually walked away with some medals from the fun races. Tomorrow the shoe is on the other foot. Stacy is keeping the kids and I'm doing the race. Of course the boys are back for more, hoping to repeat as champs in the 3-legged race. It should be a very fun day. I know the boys and I will enjoy it. I just hope Stacy has a good time too. I know it's tough sitting and watching!
My race goal is once again to break a 7:00 mile pace. A 6:59 pace comes out to a final clock time of 21:41 or less. I want to keep a stady pace again, but this time I wont stop at water stations. Instead I'm taking my hydration belt. That should really help. Wish me luck!
Another thing - I'm going to steal this from Stacy's blog. My running play list.
Tomorrow's list is below. Keep in mind that although I'll only be running 20-22 minutes, my list is about an hour long. That is because when I loose interest mid-song, I scan for a good song to get me pumped up. Anyway here is tomorrow's list:
Enter Sandman - Metallica
Nookie - Limp Bizkit
One Step Closer - Linkin Park
Boom - P.O.D.
Stupify - Disturbed
Lord Give Me a Sign - DMX
Anything, Anything - Dramarama
Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger
O.P.P. - Naughty By Nature
Bullet With A Name - Nonpoint
Bodies - Drowning Pool
Smack My Bitch Up - The Prodigy
Becoming the Bull - Atreyu
I Get Off - Halestorm
Between Angels And Insects - Papa Roach
Gives You Hell - The All-American Rejects
What Do I Have to Do? - Stabbing Westward
Results to come after the race...
A year ago I sat watched Stacy run the Labor Day Fitness Challenge 5K. She did very well and is now totally hooked on road races (as you may have gathered from my previous posts). Last year I kept the kids during the race and then we let them run the kids race, as well as some other "fun races", like a 3-legged race etc... They loved it and actually walked away with some medals from the fun races. Tomorrow the shoe is on the other foot. Stacy is keeping the kids and I'm doing the race. Of course the boys are back for more, hoping to repeat as champs in the 3-legged race. It should be a very fun day. I know the boys and I will enjoy it. I just hope Stacy has a good time too. I know it's tough sitting and watching!
My race goal is once again to break a 7:00 mile pace. A 6:59 pace comes out to a final clock time of 21:41 or less. I want to keep a stady pace again, but this time I wont stop at water stations. Instead I'm taking my hydration belt. That should really help. Wish me luck!
Another thing - I'm going to steal this from Stacy's blog. My running play list.
Tomorrow's list is below. Keep in mind that although I'll only be running 20-22 minutes, my list is about an hour long. That is because when I loose interest mid-song, I scan for a good song to get me pumped up. Anyway here is tomorrow's list:
Enter Sandman - Metallica
Nookie - Limp Bizkit
One Step Closer - Linkin Park
Boom - P.O.D.
Stupify - Disturbed
Lord Give Me a Sign - DMX
Anything, Anything - Dramarama
Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger
O.P.P. - Naughty By Nature
Bullet With A Name - Nonpoint
Bodies - Drowning Pool
Smack My Bitch Up - The Prodigy
Becoming the Bull - Atreyu
I Get Off - Halestorm
Between Angels And Insects - Papa Roach
Gives You Hell - The All-American Rejects
What Do I Have to Do? - Stabbing Westward
Results to come after the race...
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Motivation or Lack Thereof
I am a motivated person... however, that motivation changes day to day. Lately, I have been totally unmotivated to blog. Hence, this lackluster post. So what motivates me these days? Well, to be honest I am really focusing on two things right now: (1) trying to get better at golf! and (2) making my transition to my new job. Despite the promotion happening weeks ago, I'm still in the transition period. Maybe 4-6 more weeks of training Renee to be my replacement, then on to a new world for me? Perhaps. Then again, it may take longer. Until then, I'll focus on my other motivation - golf. Today was not what I would call a stellar performance. In fact, I struggled awfully. Hopefully next time will be better.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Lame Duck or Transition?
I have to be honest. I am attempting to wrap up my current projects and to train my replacement for my old job, while also doing some reading to prepare for my new job. I feel like I'm in limbo or something. Totally weird. To accept and job and then have a "transition period"... Is this what they call the lame duck session? Perhaps.
I'm going to do my best to tie up all loose ends and learn as much as possible to fully prepare for the real transition... when will that be? Soon. Patience is a virtue, right?
I'm going to do my best to tie up all loose ends and learn as much as possible to fully prepare for the real transition... when will that be? Soon. Patience is a virtue, right?
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Running Hot
It had been a while since I'd run a road race, so I decided to participate in the Hot Summer's Night run in Columbia on August 1st. Stacy brought the kids and they did the fun runs which consisted of a 100 meter dash, a 400 meter run, and a 800 meter run. My kids did great and the ever confident Jackson lived up to the hype and won the 100 meter, defeating what appeared to be a 4th grader. He was pretty happy... even after that "4th grader" kicked his butt in the next two races. I was proud of both of the kids. Alex right in there too. They had a great day and received 3 medals for completing each race. Awesome.
On to my race. Oh, but first, while the boys and I were stretching we heard a number of people talking. One conversation was a group of 3 high school kids. One of them sounded like he was really a deep thinker. Get this. He says, "you know, the thing about this race, this Hot Summer's Night, is that since it is at night, it's really hot." With brains like that, he is sure to be his class's valedictorian.
So anyway, in case you're not up to date on my running pursuits, I tend to go out way to hard to start a race and then crap out with some really slow splits to finish up. My goals for the Hot Summer's night were:
(1) Keep a steady pace.
(2) Break 7:00 per mile.
And the results:
(1) Steady Pace? Booya! I kept my pace better than ever before. My watch (GPS enabled if you are just catching up) was my guide. I kept an eye on it better than I usually do. When I noticed I was speeding up beyond a 6:50pace, I slowed a bit. When it crept above 7:15, I kicked it up a gear. The only exceptions were the two water stations. Perhaps I should have skipped out on the refreshments for a mere 3.1 mile race, but it was refreshing so I slowed to partake. Anyway, I kept a good pace and was very happy about that.
(2) Break 7:00 per mile? As you might have imaged due to my mentioning the slowing down for the water stations, I actually fell short of my 7:00 mile pace. I finished with a 22:00 race time, which comes out to 7:05 per mile. Close. Very close but this is neither horseshoes, nor hand grenades, so I get the big thumbs down for this one.
Goals - 1 of 2 achieved is not bad, but I want to keep improving. Next running goal? hmmm, time to pick a new race. About a month from now is the Labor Day Fitness challenge. The only question; 5k or 15k? There is no doubt that Stacy will do the 15k, but then again, she reps out miles on the pavement like that every weekend. No big deal for her. For me, however 9+ miles is a long way. More than I ever run. So back to the question? 5k to improve on the 7:05 pace?... or... test my endurance with a 15k? I'll ponder that one for a while.
While I ponder, I'll leave you with that gem from the modern day Einstein. Try to wrap your head around it. "you know, the thing about this race, this Hot Summer's Night, is that since it is at night, it's really hot."
On to my race. Oh, but first, while the boys and I were stretching we heard a number of people talking. One conversation was a group of 3 high school kids. One of them sounded like he was really a deep thinker. Get this. He says, "you know, the thing about this race, this Hot Summer's Night, is that since it is at night, it's really hot." With brains like that, he is sure to be his class's valedictorian.
So anyway, in case you're not up to date on my running pursuits, I tend to go out way to hard to start a race and then crap out with some really slow splits to finish up. My goals for the Hot Summer's night were:
(1) Keep a steady pace.
(2) Break 7:00 per mile.
And the results:
(1) Steady Pace? Booya! I kept my pace better than ever before. My watch (GPS enabled if you are just catching up) was my guide. I kept an eye on it better than I usually do. When I noticed I was speeding up beyond a 6:50pace, I slowed a bit. When it crept above 7:15, I kicked it up a gear. The only exceptions were the two water stations. Perhaps I should have skipped out on the refreshments for a mere 3.1 mile race, but it was refreshing so I slowed to partake. Anyway, I kept a good pace and was very happy about that.
(2) Break 7:00 per mile? As you might have imaged due to my mentioning the slowing down for the water stations, I actually fell short of my 7:00 mile pace. I finished with a 22:00 race time, which comes out to 7:05 per mile. Close. Very close but this is neither horseshoes, nor hand grenades, so I get the big thumbs down for this one.
Goals - 1 of 2 achieved is not bad, but I want to keep improving. Next running goal? hmmm, time to pick a new race. About a month from now is the Labor Day Fitness challenge. The only question; 5k or 15k? There is no doubt that Stacy will do the 15k, but then again, she reps out miles on the pavement like that every weekend. No big deal for her. For me, however 9+ miles is a long way. More than I ever run. So back to the question? 5k to improve on the 7:05 pace?... or... test my endurance with a 15k? I'll ponder that one for a while.
While I ponder, I'll leave you with that gem from the modern day Einstein. Try to wrap your head around it. "you know, the thing about this race, this Hot Summer's Night, is that since it is at night, it's really hot."
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Life Lessons
After having such a wonderful high from the anticipation of my new job and the announcement of my promotion last week, we hit a new low today. Well, actually late last night and dealing with that low today we've run into many life lessons. What am I talking about?
24 hours ago all was fine. We had experienced a good day; Stacy had a nice long run, we got some work done around the house and started a family movie marathon (Harry Potter, the plan was to do all the movies this week). During family movie night, we decided to watch in the bed and even let the dogs on the foot of the bed while we watched. In retrospect, I was glad we did. That was the last quality time we had with Athena.
She was fine after dinner. Later that night wasn't doing well and before the night was over, she was gone. It's hard to believe. Athena suffered from the same thing Marley did from Marley in Me: basically the Bloat. Enough about that.
2 of the Life lessons...
(1) Dealing with death. Death is hard enough to deal with, but seeing a child deal with it is another story all together. Jackson is taking it hard. We tried to have a fun day and both the boys enjoyed the fun stuff, but any time there is quiet time, Jackson is upset again. It's understandable, but it breaks my heart.
(2) It's ok to cry. This morning we were all upset. Hours later, out of nowhere Jackson told me that today was the first time he saw me cry. I think that was very important. I want him to know that it's ok to cry, even "tough guys" as he sees me to be. That was very important.
Ok, let's move on. Athena. We loved and love her. Here are some great pics of her over time; from baby Jackson dropping scraps for her to the recent gray bearded Athena.
24 hours ago all was fine. We had experienced a good day; Stacy had a nice long run, we got some work done around the house and started a family movie marathon (Harry Potter, the plan was to do all the movies this week). During family movie night, we decided to watch in the bed and even let the dogs on the foot of the bed while we watched. In retrospect, I was glad we did. That was the last quality time we had with Athena.
She was fine after dinner. Later that night wasn't doing well and before the night was over, she was gone. It's hard to believe. Athena suffered from the same thing Marley did from Marley in Me: basically the Bloat. Enough about that.
2 of the Life lessons...
(1) Dealing with death. Death is hard enough to deal with, but seeing a child deal with it is another story all together. Jackson is taking it hard. We tried to have a fun day and both the boys enjoyed the fun stuff, but any time there is quiet time, Jackson is upset again. It's understandable, but it breaks my heart.
(2) It's ok to cry. This morning we were all upset. Hours later, out of nowhere Jackson told me that today was the first time he saw me cry. I think that was very important. I want him to know that it's ok to cry, even "tough guys" as he sees me to be. That was very important.
Ok, let's move on. Athena. We loved and love her. Here are some great pics of her over time; from baby Jackson dropping scraps for her to the recent gray bearded Athena.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Promotion?
In an earlier post I mentioned that I'd talk more about work soon:
Actually I said:
"Work - I'm really enjoying what I'm working on and have more exciting work coming down soon. I wont bore you with details, but I have to touch on this one."
So what did I mean? Well, first off the database projects that I've been working on are really worthwhile. I've enjoyed working on them, but more more importantly than that was what I knew was on the horizon.
A few months back I was called in and told about an opportunity. I had high hopes and effective Monday, July 20th... the opportunity will be realized. It's an amazing opportunity; not even really a promotion as much as it is a career change. As much as I enjoy my job as a Database Administrator, I cant wait to transition to my new role as...... Assistant Director of Corporate Planning and Development. Thant has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?
There will be a huge learning curve and according to management, it will take years to get up to speed. It's a big jump but I'm ready for it and I'm certain that I'll enjoy the work. But first I'll be spending some time training my replacement as DBA. It should be a fun, but crazy next couple of months in me training someone else and me starting my own training. I cant wait!
Anyway, that is the big news that has me totally ecstatic. Now you know!
Actually I said:
"Work - I'm really enjoying what I'm working on and have more exciting work coming down soon. I wont bore you with details, but I have to touch on this one."
So what did I mean? Well, first off the database projects that I've been working on are really worthwhile. I've enjoyed working on them, but more more importantly than that was what I knew was on the horizon.
A few months back I was called in and told about an opportunity. I had high hopes and effective Monday, July 20th... the opportunity will be realized. It's an amazing opportunity; not even really a promotion as much as it is a career change. As much as I enjoy my job as a Database Administrator, I cant wait to transition to my new role as...... Assistant Director of Corporate Planning and Development. Thant has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?
There will be a huge learning curve and according to management, it will take years to get up to speed. It's a big jump but I'm ready for it and I'm certain that I'll enjoy the work. But first I'll be spending some time training my replacement as DBA. It should be a fun, but crazy next couple of months in me training someone else and me starting my own training. I cant wait!
Anyway, that is the big news that has me totally ecstatic. Now you know!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)