My First Skydive video....

I posted this here because FB wouldn't work and YouTube claimed some copyright infringement, so they disabled the audio. Let's hope this sticks.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled...

posting to talk about...

SKYDIVING!!!!

I did my first jump yesterday and now when I hear a small plane fly over, I look to the sky, not necessarily expecting jumpers, but still looking nonetheless. And for the rest of my life, whenever I see jumpers, I'm going to be jealous I'm not with them.

Chicago Marathon plans are scrapped...

Hip problems have pulled me up short on all of my runs lately. I am now going to focus on training for Disney. First a visit to a sports physician will be necessary.

Yesterday's easy 3 mile run had my left hip and right hamstring feeling like they were going to snap. That must be related. I can't see how those two issues are coincidental.

The week in review...

Tuesday was supposed to be 15 miles, but ended up being 10.5 - chalk it up to poor diet and lack of rest the days prior. I felt like going fast on Wednesday, so I benchmarked my mile.

6:12!!!!

That's a full twelve seconds off my PR for the mile. I am totally stoked!

Today was 17 miles and I forgot how hard that can be to bounce back. Oy!

Here's my splits (first 5 2.5 mile "laps"):

1 - 22:45 avg 150 bpm
2 - 23:51 avg 148 bpm - 9:32 pace
3 - 23:20 avg 150 bpm - 9:20 pace
4 - 24:35 avg 146 bpm - 9:50 pace - long uphill
5 - 23:44 avg 146 bpm - 9:29 pace

The next 3 splits are 1 mile in length as I hit the end of my route where I had discrete 1 mile lengths I could use. These were done as part of the last 4.5 miles of the course:

1 - 8:33 avg 150 bpm
2 - 8:19 avg 148 bpm
3 - 8:25 avg 153 bpm (that's just weird)

So, I'm pretty pleased. The overall time was 2:40:13 for 17 miles which makes it a 9:25 pace.

Chicago Rock N Roll Half Marathon

My diet sucked the day before and I only had about 4 hours of sleep....

I happy that there's such a thing as Powerbars.

Overall time was 2:00:06. I'm too tired to share thoughts about the run right now. It's time for a nap.

Picked up my race packet today...

And am getting set. No big deal really, I mean, c'mon, it's 13.1 miles....whoop-dee-frickin-doo...

Let's call it practice for setting up for the marathon in October...

Bib# 12085. Corral 12, which is 2:15. I don't think I'll be that slow. I do have a strategy which is to stay in my lower zone for the first 9 or so miles and then pick it up.

I'm going to have an insanely tough time reining it in.

While I'm here and not that I won't be thanking everyone through other means - but a sincere and heartfelt thank-you to everyone that has donated to my cause so far. If you're reading this and haven't done so, please give your consideration to it and use the link in the column to the right of this post.

Now I have something to write about...

I sent a message out via Facebook asking my friends to donate to my cause. One of my friends did something completely unexpected, and posted an article on Associated Content here. In that article, he used the word "inspiring". I was immediately humbled.

While it's my life's goal to become a positive force for change, I at times feel that I am missing the mark. Call it getting bogged down in the pettiness of life. What does this make me other than "human", but I can't help but feel convicted by this word "inspiring".

Before I continue to wax rhapsodic, it's important to note that this effort isn't about me, but if one bleats too often about how they are part of something so much bigger than they are, are they not resorting to puffery. I'll endeavor to stay down-to-earth in my musings going forward.

So, in feeling convicted, I am called on not only to persevere, but to excel. It is in that effort that I give honor to my father's memory and provide an example to my children, which I hope they carry with them for the rest of their lives.

It's been a long time...

But today was 8 miles in prep for the Chicago Rock n Roll Half Marathon. I've gotten myself down to an 8:58 pace for 8 miles and I ran the first mile in 7:20. I had some hills to contend with, so I'm hoping the flatter Chicago course will give me a faster time.

BTW - I topped my 5 mile pace the other day, and brought that in at 40:10.

No cerebral musings for now - I'm too hungry.

See ya out there!

Long time...no posts...

But the runs have continued...I've posted a 5, 8, 5, 10 and 5 mile run respectively. The last 5 miler was done in 45:26 IN ZONE!!!! That just rocks on many levels!!! I'm turning the corner on cardio health.

On another note - I foolishly asked the thought of an English Lit major(who happens to be smarter than I) about the blog. Not my brightest moment, because what has this been but fodder for an Excel spreadsheet? That said, I am going to take the time to post my musings from my runs. I'll preface those with the actual technical information from my runs on the off chance that no one really cares what I think, which I stipulate is highly probable. One hopes that hours in my head might actually lead to some interesting distinctions. Anything that speaks directly to private individuals will be censored...

Nothing for today, sadly(or is it happily?)...but you've been warned.

IT'S ON!!!

Just a quick update - the knee feels great! Time to kick fundraising into gear!

I shouldn't bitch....

But I am going to anyway....THAT SUCKED!

I did 5 miles today starting at 9am. I wanted to get a sense for the humidity that I know I am going to be dealing with in the Rock & Roll Half marathon on August 2nd. It also didn't help that it's been six weeks since I've run and I am dealing with the last vestiges of a cold (all the sinus crap that lags behind).

5 miles in 52 min and some change. After about 30 minutes, I really didn't care how long I took. I just wanted to stay in zone and finish.

I really need to make sure I do this right. Time to get back in touch with my running coach!!!

Have fun out there! Stay hydrated runners!!!

Wisdom won out...

And I decided to get some rest this week. I also took note of the fact that I passed out on the couch after eating dinner. Methinks I'm a smidge tired.

So, I am going to rest and try to beat out this cold.

Have fun out there runners! My thoughts are with you!

Bagged the workouts after Friday

I did my 900yds on Friday and then took over a different mode of living for a couple of days, so I bagged the workouts. Feel a cold coming on but am going to ignore signs that I should take a break and swim 1250yds tonight.

I must be an idiot.

On another note, provided I can beat the cold, I start running on Saturday!!!

900 yds in the pool again...

Wow...this is kinda tiring. I gotta make sure I stay fueled.

Today is another two workout day. Thinking that maybe I need to up my caloric intake so as not to scavenge my body.

Here's the workout if you missed it in a previous post:

1x200
4x100
4x50
4x25

I try to "sprint" the 50's and 25's to some degree to push myself. The 200 was dog slow, but the point right now is aerobic conditioning.

My knee is getting better. I'm finding that I respond well to exercise. Maybe it's psycho-somatic or I'm just plain psychotic...

The telling day will be August 2, when I run the Chicago Half.

See ya out there!

Leg workout...

I'm taking a count of people that REALLY like having to climb stairs after a heavy leg workout. A show of hands please? Yeah...that's what I thought. Today was:

Leg Press
Calf Raises
Hamstring Curls
Leg Extensions
Hip Adductor

I'm tired!

more swimming....

I'm using a program that would get me to the swimmer's mile, which is 1650 yds. This is done assuming that I would not be able to run, but since that isn't the case, I don't imagine myself getting there in six weeks.

Today was:

1x200
4x100
4x50
4x25

For a total of 900 yards...

Tonight is a leg workout. I do upper body at home, consisting of pull ups, push-ups and ab work. I'd like to see this program stick to some degree. The upper body stuff is no problem, but when I start putting distance on, I'd still like to lift.

Much better...

I swam last night and did a leg workout today. The workout only took about 25 minutes, but we're not talking about anything complicated here.

The one muscle group in my legs I failed to work today was my calves. Other than that it was simply leg press, extensions and curls.

According to the physical therapist, I should stay away from running for about 2 weeks. At this point I think I will take her advice.

Swimming...

Still swimming for another week or two and going to incorporate lifting to get some strength into my legs...

Tonight was:

4x100
4x50
4x25

For a grand total of 700 yards again. I'm tired!

See ya out there!

BTW - The half marathon and full marathon? THEY ARE ON BABY!!!!!

YES!!!!

No meniscal tear, so no surgery.

Turns out it was a bone contusion caused by poor tracking of my patella. Time for PT.

The physical therapist's name is Usha. Wish me luck on that one.

Silly....

Today I get to find out the prognosis on the knee. Good vibes...I'm looking for good vibes.

I ACTUALLY swam 700 yds on Wednesday night. Not like Monday where I only put in 525 yds. I need to check the math on that program I downloaded. I was exhausted after that.

Swimmers? Y'all ROCK!!!

I'll be swimming later tonight.

See y'all out there!

HOLY SWEET JESUS!!!!

I'm exhausted!!!

700 yards of swimming...not including warm-up or cool down. I need my Mommy. I'm tired. The knee felt pretty good yesterday and then today - errant clicking and what-not...joy and rapture.

Scheduling the MRI today. Wish me luck.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!

First week's plan...

I found this online and it looked good. I think I need to stay focused on being in zone.

WEEK one (Three Days):
100 yards...rest for 12 breaths...repeat 3 times.
50 yards...rest for 8 breaths...repeat 3 times.
25 yards...rest for 4 breaths...repeat 3 times.
total: 700 yards

I'd say "See ya out there" but unless you're going to be at the Indian Boundary YMCA...

And the hits just keep on comin'!!!!

It might be a meniscus tear. From playing tennis.

So now I need to schedule a MRI scan and then talk to the doc about possible arthroscopic surgery. The marathon is still on...I'll just be slower. I'll still run Disney, but if I can't qualify for Boston at Disney, I'm going to skip it. Ironman is more important to me. If I miss the cut at Disney, I'm doing the Chicago Accenture Triathlon. Heck, I may still do the tri if I do make the cut...but if it interferes with Boston, it will wait.

Time to swim for fitness.

This has been one helluva year...and it's just barely half over. Good thing I have a sense of humor, 'cuz this is damn funny.

See ya out there!!!

I RAN!!! I FINALLY RAN!!!

Only 5 miles today. Decided to take it easy. I am going to ease into it. I have no qualms about doing 26, I just wanna do it FAST!

My pace was 8:57 per mile. My first half was at 8:46. Resting tomorrow and back to it on Wednesday.

See ya out there!

Feelin' it today...

Wanted to push it a little so I only biked 15 miles and some change. My average speed was 15.7 mph, so I was able to get faster!!!



The knee is feeling pretty good. I think I may actually run on Saturday!

See ya out there!!!

Saturday's ride - 25 miles

The knee is feeling better. It doesn't hurt when going downstairs - it only clicks.

Yesterday's ride was 25.59 miles in 1:39:57. That's a rate of 15.23 mph. Today is calisthenics - pullups, pushups, and leg lifts.

It's been rather quiet eh?

The doc's instructions were to stay on the bike for a couple of weeks...so I've started finding that the Runkeeper app on my iPhone is working better (strong work by the folks at FitnessKeeper Inc.).

My ride on Wednesday, June 3rd was 10.23 miles at a rate of 14.94 mph. Not too shabby!

OOF! That smarts a little!

I think I've danced on the edge of going off-topic on this blog. Well, now I am going completely off-topic.

I have 9 weeks to find a job. NINE WEEKS!

This should be fun. I'm actually excited about what could be in store for me. THANK GOD FOR EXERCISE!

Now returning to our regularly scheduled irrelevant drivel.

Bike again today...

I biked at or around threshold for an hour. Threshold on a bike is about 140bpm.

I only did 15.4 miles in that hour, so I guess I'm a little slow?

I'm exhausted. The knee is starting to feel better.

See ya out there!

Outcome of the visit with the Doc

Turns out I did a number on the cartilage in my knee. So it's the bike for the next couple weeks. The knee feels better and Doc has me on Mobic for anti-inflammatory purposes.

Just trying to figure out when to ride. 4:30am is a little dark so I'll have to figure something out...

I rode for 45 minutes while trying to hit threshold. THAT WAS INSANE! I couldn't do it. Apparently threshold on a bike is alot lower than when running. I'll be trying to figure out what that is.

See ya out there!

The knee isn't better...

I have a doctor's appt. tomorrow, so I didn't run this morning. No use in pushing it.

I was supposed to do 12 miles on Saturday, but I don't think it's in the cards.

SPEEDPLAY!!!!

Yesterday...

Here were my splits...

1. 10:03 warm-up
2. 1:16.35 sprint
3. 2:20.67 jog
4. 59.98 sprint
5. 2:06.3 jog
6. 1:00.45 sprint
7. 2:58.18 jog
8. 1:00.88 sprint
9. 10:17.04 cooldown

Total time was 32:03.52. Total distance was 4 miles.

Tweaked my knee playing tennis with the kids

So I am going to give it a day of rest...so much for cross-training.

Speedplay tomorrow!!!

6.5 miles - beautiful day!!!

Saturday's pace was 8:16 per mile - so 53:45 total time...

The knee feels a little tight, but I think I'm good enough to go on training. My coach wants me to take an extra day off, so I will move to a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday schedule.

See ya out there!

The knee is already feeling better...

Maybe the combination of glucosamine chondroitin, rest, ice, and Sam Adam's Light did the trick!

Today is another rest day and I run tomorrow with my running coach. Looking forward to it.

Runner's knee....

Hobbled by runner's knee now.

I post a 6:24 mile on Tuesday and now it's runner's knee. One step up, two steps back.

Time to rehab and dial back on the training a little.

What a difference 10bpm makes...

I did a recovery run today which was 5 miles in one of my lower zones. I decided to stay between 150-155bpm anyway and managed an 8:43 pace.

My splits:

First half - 21:32/8:36 pace
Second half - 22:03/8:49 pace

Tomorrow I'll probably be doing a base run and calisthenics.

My comment about 10bpm? At 144bpm, I am putting in about a 9:15 minute pace. Averaging 150bpm over the entire run shaves 30 seconds off. This is pretty exciting stuff!

See ya out there!

SIX MINUTES, TWENTY FOUR SECONDS!!!!

A 6:24 MILE!!!! I ran 1 mile splits today with the following:

1 Mile warm up: 10:44
1 Mile sprint: 6:24
1 Mile cool-down: 11:29

Recovery run tomorrow! See ya out there!

The air had a little snap to it today

Which was awesome to run in. If it weren't a recovery run, I could have spent another couple of hours out there. Today's run was supposed to be a nice and easy pace, so I did my 5 miles in 44:52 which is an 8:58 pace - just what I was shooting for.

Could have used the run today...

Today was a rest day. I would've like to have had the endorphin rush to give me a mental boost.

By the way, to my reading public, my kids rock. All I need to do is stay in the moment with them and the other stays outta my head.

Ah well.

Tomorrow is a nice and easy 5 mile recovery run. Gonna run below threshold, probably at about 144bpm. That will be the boost I need.

7.5 Miles in 1:01:40...

That's an 8:13 pace!!!! I am so dang stoked!!!

We ran at Springbrook Preserve in Naperville. It looked like rain, but it seemed nice enough. The weather held out though, which was great.

I don't have enough adjectives to adequately describe just how awesome the run was. It does turn out though that I've been holding back.

See ya out there!

hehe...what did I get myself into?

My running coach said "Let's get you to a 6 minute mile, that way you can do 7:20 per mile easy for a marathon."

This should be fun. I'm really interested in seeing how I come out on the other side of this.

wOOt!!!! 5 miles today

What a gorgeous day! Getting up to see the sun rise over God's creation (I'm an intelligent design kinda guy all because of one word - causality - but that's for another blog). It's just beautiful out there.

I didn't have the wherewithal to do the exercises that my coach suggested and I was short on time, so I decided to do one better and just run faster.

5 miles in 43:08 - that's an 8:37 pace!!!! I am so stoked.

If I am going to qualify for Boston, I have to sustain at least a 7:38 pace for 26.2 miles. There's loads of work to be done.

Tomorrow is a day of rest and Saturday I have my first coaching session.

See ya out there!

Must stretch better

My calves felt like taut rubber bands on the verge of snapping, so I didn't do my recovery run today. Back to it tomorrow.

See ya out there.

SPEEDPLAY!!!!!

4x1 minute pickups bookended by 10 min warm ups...

1. 10 min warm up
2. sprint for 1 min
3. 3 min jog
4. sprint for 1 min
5. 3 min jog
6. sprint for 1 min
7. 3 min jog
8. sprint for 1 min
9. 3 min jog
10. 9:20 cool down

I covered about 3.8 miles, so it went pretty well, except for almost spewing my guts out after the last sprint. Good times!!!

An easy five....

Today's was a recovery run. 5 miles nice and easy. It was supposed to be a 10:00 pace, but I ended up having a 9:16 pace. I played around with form a little, which may have given me some speed.

This week is allegedly supposed to be easy, but since I took off last week, I will do the speed play and strength drills that I missed out on.

See ya out there.

Tomorrow - an easy 5 miles

The ankle is healing nicely. I'll be continuing to ice it until it's 100%.

The time in my head has been nice. An hour and almost 40 minutes on Saturday gives one time to think. Do martyrs create their own hell on Earth while looking towards a reward in heaven? What is a martyr? "One who suffers for the sake of principle"? Won't this only matter if there is positive change that comes of the actions or inactions of the martyr? I say yes. What's the point of being a martyr for a principle if it does not change the situation and allow the principle to actually take effect. Why sacrifice needlessly?

I welcome arguments to the contrary.

See ya out there.

TEN!!!!

Great day for a run, if only a little windy.

I felt pretty good starting out, so I went 10 miles today. It was a 9:43 pace, for a grand total of 1:37:09. Not too shabby for 10 miles after having taken a week off to rest my ankle. I'm feeling pretty good. I think I'll still ice the ankle tonight and tomorrow just to make certain it's healing.

Hey, be certain to check out my fundraising campaign page. I haven't really kicked off my efforts but I will soon.

Tomorrow is a day of rest and Monday is recovery.

See ya out there.

It's Friday....last day of resting the ankle

And time to hit it tomorrow morning...I was thinking about going for 10 miles, but that would be kinda stupid. No point in pushing it, right? I'm gonna go on feel. If its good, I'll do 6, nice and easy.

Icing it has worked pretty good. Oddly enough, so do a few beers on Thursday nights at Rizzo's in Naperville. Gotta love $2 cheeseburgers!

The ankle is getting better...

Slowly - looks like Saturday will be in the cards. I am so stoked....

See you out there.

Another day off....

That ankle still isn't quite right, so I am going to rest it for a couple of days. Hoping to make my 10 mile run on Saturday.

No run today...

Did something weird to my ankle. No recovery run for me.

Where the hell have I been!?!?!

It's been what - a week?

Well there's been alot of crap I have been dealing with and those close to me know - and I thank them all. They have earned and deserve my gratitude.

On to it...so..

Monday I did a recovery run - 4 miles. Unfortunately I forget the time.

Tuesday was speed play. 4x1 minute sprints separated by 2-3 minutes of jogging. This is bookended by 10 minutes of warmup/cooldown. This was allegedly supposed to cover 5 miles. I did 3.5 miles in 30:35. According to a couple of more experienced runners, I was bookin'. It sure felt like it though. I almost spewed after the 3rd and 4th sprints!

Wednesday - I was supposed to do 6 but ran 4 on accident. ah well...

Thursday - 5 miles which I ran in a 9:34 pace!

Today (Saturday) was 9 miles. I did it in 1:25:05. That's a 9:27 pace. I'm pretty stoked!

I'm gonna see if I can qualify for Boston at the Disney Marathon!

See ya out there!

8 miles today....

Finally got my heart rate monitor fixed and used it. Pace is a hard thing to determine without discrete markers, so the HRM will need to do.

I ran 8 miles in 1:20:58. That's a 10:07 pace. Dunno if I was pushing it or not but it felt pretty good. In fact, I am not feeling that tired and it's now 4 hours later when I am posting this.

Tomorrow's a rest day and Monday is for recovery...using my running coach's plan.

See ya out there.

Posting yesterday's run...

3 miles in 26:52!!! But I was playing with speed, so... that was a 8:57 pace.

But all in all, I feel pretty good. Getting set now to run 8 tomorrow. I must be NUTS!!!

See ya out there.

More runs - but why not keeping up with posts?

I'm busy - 'nuff said.

Today was a shortened run - and for a damn good reason. I ran 2.5 miles in 23:10 which is a 9:16 pace. I can deal with that.

Tuesday was 3 miles in 27:50. That's a 9:17 pace. There's some hills on my route, so I'd really be interested in running some flats to see what kind of pace I can keep.

All in all, I am pretty happy with how things are going. I am probably pushing things a little, but we shall see. VO2 Max testing is in the near future.

Missed a few posts but...

I didn't miss any runs!

My times increased on Wednesday and Thursday, but I won't complain...

Wednesday was 3 miles in 28:21 which is 9:27 per mile. Thursday was the same thing at at a 9:30 per mile pace.

Today was 6 miles - but I did two 3 mile splits. I ran the first with my best friend :-) and we took it nice and easy. It was a beautiful day for a run and only made better by the company, but that's for another blog.

When I got back to my place, I ran another 3 and this I did in 29:21 which is a 9:47 pace. Not too shabby. And I actually pushed it a little. It's a beautiful day...

See you out there....

Not liking how the tech aspect went this AM

For whatever reason, I accidentally bumped my iPhone while running which STOPPED the Runkeeper app. . I had to restart with another "run" while finishing my loop so it would time me.

Well, I think I need to increase the GPS accuracy, because it said I ran 2.71 miles while the US Track and Field route planner says my loop is 3 miles. I'm gonna go with that, since it felt fast, but not so fast that I shorted myself.

I did 3 miles in 38 degrees and drizzle (not bad) in 27:57. That's an 9:18 pace. Not too shabby!

The route is the same one I ran on Saturday. Please see my previous post...

Three miles on a gorgeous day...

The temp said 48 degrees, which I don't believe for a minute. It was absolutely beautiful - clear sky, slight breeze.

Today was 3 miles. I used the Runkeeper app on my IPhone, which is pretty cool.


Three miles at a10:38 pace. This was a little slow, but there are hills. The important thing was to get out there. Next week I start training with John, my running coach.

Didn't feel like 2.74...

More like 3...so there.

This one was done for two reasons - to get started again and to clear my head. The second reason was the most important. To any runners reading this - I know, I know - why did I stop in the first place?

This ain't the place for a mea culpa. This is about my training.

It was about 36 degrees out there and a little windy. Ah well...time to hit the shower.

The Doc's orders...

Because I am such a genius, I knew better than to put an orthotic in each right shoe of all my pairs of shoes. Well, it took Doc about 2 milliseconds to basically say "ummm yeah...do that."

So I will go ahead and get this taken care of. And we shall see.

Dude..where ya been?

Running once a week? What's up with that?

I have an appointment with the doc about my hip. This way I can head this off at the pass as it were.

Wish me luck.

A little cooler today...

3 miles again...wanted to do five, but about a mile in I realized - duh, no water. So I decided to stick with three and just push a little at the finish.

For whatever reason, I flubbed the button on my iPhone when I started so the tracker came up a little short. I did run a full three and I would say that it was right on the same pace as what the tracker showed. I ran at a 9:49 pace. Not too shabby....wondering if I should keep pushing for speed and then kick into the endurance training...



And HA! I just re-read my post from Race Day in '07 where I said there is no way I was going to do another marathon. Bullshit!

Another 3 miles...on a cool, rainy evening...

It was a great night for a run and what a run! I hope they all leave me feeling like this, but I have the sense that it may not happen. Ah well, one can hope.

I am using new app on my iPhone called Runkeeper Pro. It is REALLY cool. Can't think of any other word for it. It uses the GPS on the iPhone to track your progress and calculates your time, pace, speed. How cool is that?

Tonight was 3 miles in 29:33. That's a 9:51 pace. Not too shabby for the second run in over a year.

3 miles on a gorgeous cool day...

I think I over-dressed! But it was fine.

Readers of this blog (I think there's been 5 - hey everybody!) will not be surprised when I wax rhapsodic, but I'll ask new readers' forgiveness.

It was as if road was waiting for me. If it could have talked it would have said "Hey, how you been?" - like a long-lost friend you meet at a reunion. Today was AWESOME!

I'm posting my times here only so that there is evidence of improvement. I will be tracking them in a tool, whenever I find that tool. So 3 miles in 32:38.7. That's a 10:52 pace per mile, which I will take after a year of relative inactivity.

A quick note from an accused sesquipedalian - EAS Myoplex premade shakes SUCK! I mean - is the flavor actually CHALKLATE?

See you out there!

It's Official!!!

I registered for the 2009 BofA Chicago Marathon!!!

So, tonight I celebrate with pizza, and then it's on to a healthful diet! And I just realized by looking at pictures that towards the end of my training, I should get my ears pinned back. Those things are SAILS!!

I'm planning on running again for the excellent people at the National Hospice Foundation. I've extolled the virtues of hospice nurses and support staff before, but it simply remains understated. What these folks have to deal with is in some cases absolutely horrid and hopefully, in more, fulfilling to the soul. Blessings on you all for the work that you do, because it is not just for the patient, but for the family as well. And families can the WORST on good days, so imagine how bad they could be under these circumstances.

But, dude, it's cold outside...

So here goes...

2008 is when I got lazy. I didn't run...no major projects...nothin'.

2009 is gonna be different. And I think there's another marathon in the foreseeable future - this year even. My wife asked that I run it for the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention in honor of her father Joe. I will see if they have a team for the Chicago Marathon.

So, if you're asking why my wife isn't going to get her butt out there and run, it's a fair question. Me - 6'6" and skinny - distance runners build. Her - 5'6" with a gymnast's build - not so much distance running. She's the powerhouse in this couple of ours.

So, assuming someone is actually reading this...IT'S ON!!!