Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Had a great Christmas and was really one of the greatest ones that I have had. One of my best friends and his wife visited with us for 3 days and left yesterday morning for the return home to Florida. It was the first time that a friend of mine has visited with me and I hope it is a start of more to come. We both played 9 holes of golf on monday and we took my big boy son and his wife with us and it was one of the best times I have ever had. I let my son play on a couple of holes and he drove the cart a couple of times and he loved it. We hung out the rest of the time and enjoyed good food and really enjoyed some good stories and each others company.
Santa came during the night of Christmas eve and left some of the best gifts I have ever seen under the tree. We all enjoyed all of the gifts and the little guy loved all of his especially his bike. I was amazed that my wife suprised me with a ipod nano and the nike+ kit to go with it. I am so excited to use it during my next run and I need to get a holder for the sensor very soon. I will post some recent pics soon. I was not expecting anything this holiday and have feeling very happy and blessed with what I already have. I know that I am the luckiest man alive and I hope everyone feels the same way!

I did a 6 mile trail run on saturday and it was awesome. I have been working really hard on getting stronger and it better shape by doing 100 push-ups, 40 sit-ups, and other core exercises everyday. I have been working out at home at least once a week using my weights and I love it. I started this back in November and I really notice a big difference in several things. I think this is a new habit for me and I am planning on keeping it up for as long as I can.

Love and hug the ones you love today and everyday! Spend as much time as you can with them and enjoy every second!

motivation

This is how my training has been feeling lately! Great clip and love the kids in the hospital part!

busy bee

I have been a busy bee for the past two weeks. Work has been swamped and the big boy turned four on sunday. We had a big birthday party for him at a place called Monkey Joe's which has 6 or 7 of those big blow jumpy things with a couple of them being mazzes and a couple of slides. We had 14 kids and they all had nonstop fun. The party was a great success and will be hard to top. The big boy made sure everyone said happy birthday to him when they showed up, it was very cute.

I did get a couple runs in lately but nothing consistent. I have been doing some exercises at home and am seeing some progress. My aunt passed away last week after a long battle against breast cancer. I will not go to the memorial service but will go to my church tomorrow for some pray. I am going to grow a tree and plant in her honor in my yard.

Love and cherish every second available with all of your loved ones!

Tagged

I was tagged by my good friend Jason.

Rules:-- link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog-- share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird-- tag 2 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs-- let them know they are TAGGED by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. My family called me "the living garbage disposal" cause I would eat everything that was leftover from dinner. The fact that I couldn't get my weight above 150 for years (until I met my wife) has always amazed people that see me eat. I am the 4th kid in a family of 10 and I am the only one that is not finicky about eating anything.

2. I was forced to stop surfing when I was 15 1/2 and was not allowed to be with or talk to my friends. My dad hated surfing and thought it was the devil sport (I would leave the house house before the sun rose to go surfing all day) and beat me up one night after I went surfing all day (good surf 5-7 feet). The friends dad called the cops and when they showed up, they said I had a choice, to press charges and all of us probably would be affected or suck it up for a couple more years and obey him. I sucked it up and my life has been very different since that day. The next day my parents took me shopping for MY OWN CLOTHES for the first time cause anything having to do with surfing was thrown away. My parents were scared and we never discussed that time frame again. My dad has taken my younger siblings surfing since then while I was in the military.

3. My best friend at that time who called the cops was my best man in my wedding and we were inseperable through high school and after the military. I would walk 3 blocks over to where my friends would be waiting to pick me up and we would hang out. We both still surf on occassion and he is more of a brother to me then my 6 brothers. He and his family is the one and only thing that would make me move back to florida.

4. I was in the perfect storm when I was in the Coast Guard and that is the only time that I didn't think we were going to make it home. We left Charleston before the storm and were headed to Portsmouth Va when the storm caught us off of Cape Hatteras NC. We were in 50' seas and I remember looking out the back windows of the bridge and seeing waves break above the bridge. I don't know how we really got through it but when we entered into Chesapeake bay we were listening to a sailboat in trouble talking with the local CG and navy, although they would not be able to send any vessels out to assist them, we informed them that we were about a mile away and we would help them. We got the sailboat in tow and their whole crew had hypothermia. We towed them into the marina and the next day as we were sitting at the dock, 4 men in dress suits walk down the pier and come on board informing us that we had saved the boat of the lawyer for President George Bush (daddy). They handed us thank you letter already framed and took pictures and then were gone. We did recieve medals for that but we didn't think much of it.

5. I start to think of what I am going to eat 2 meals before I eat them. Drive's my wife nuts. I will get very excited and will start to look forward to the meal as it gets closer. That was one of the best things about the military, meals are planned out weeks at a time.

I tag....
Lana
Michele

Have a great Turkey day and enjoy the time with loved ones!

5.5 for Ryan Shay

I did a 5.5 mile run on saturday morning in honor of Ryan Shay and thought of his situation during the whole run. It was around freezing when I started and warmed up some during the run. Was busy the rest of the weekend with a birthday party for a neighbors daughter at Chuck E. Cheese and had a good time. It helps that they serve beer at that place. It was suppose to be a hour and half long party and it lasted for double that and we still had to give away extra tokens. Beautiful weather all weekend and really enjoyed the time with family and looking forward to more this weekend.

Love and cherish our loved ones every chance we get!

tgif

We had a great weekend and the trip to Atlanta was awesome. All the kids played non stop and really enjoyed spending time together. I wish my family would spend more time together and would visit us. I love the fact that I come from a big family and I have always made time to visit my siblings. My siblings on the other hand have only spent a couple of hours visiting us. It makes me sad. My brother was away working when we were there but we had a great time with my sister-in-law. They have a young but big dog that I took for a little run on sunday around the neighborhood. I think she enjoyed the run as much as I did. I have no idea how far I ran but I ran for over 30 minutes and even ran fast a couple of times. I really enjoyed as well and wish I could run with a dog sometimes.

We got a security system installed when we got back and we love it. We like having a little bit of security in this crazy world we live, not that an alarm will stop things but it may make the bad guys to think twice about doing something. I am so happy that today is friday as work has been absolutely crazy. I plan on running tomorrow and dedicate my 5.5 mile run to Ryan Shay.

Love and hug your loved ones every chance you get and MAKE MORE CHANCES!

Tric or Treat

Nothing new and overly exciting to post about. I didn't get a run in this past weekend but I did go for a real nice trail run on halloween day. I was feeling great thru the whole run and the last mile I even picked it up and finished strong. It was a beautiful day and I really enjoyed the run. My thought is to run on the trail every 2 weeks. I had a long list of things to get done around the house so I went home and got the things I needed to accomplish done. I picked the son up from school and we started to get ready for trick or treat. We carved our pumpkin and off we went down the street to party. We hung out with our neighbors for a while until we walked by our house and a friend of my wife and her son showed up to walk with us. It was absolutely beautiful weather and all the kids were having a great time. We walked thru our whole community and hit every house. Good time and the big boy can't wait for next year already.

I watched the NY marathon on sunday and enjoyed watching the excitement of the womans race. It was a battle until the last 500 yards. I had more stuff to do around the house so I didn't get a chance to run. We are headed to Atlanta this weekend to visit my brother and his family and go to my niece's birthday party. Looking forward to that and will enjoy hanging out with family and letting the kids all play.

Hug and love your loved ones every chance you get!

slow down weekend

We decided to take it nice and easy this weekend and only thing planned to do was to get haircuts. Woke up saturday morning and the big guy got his "spikeyboy" haircut. It was still cloudy on saturday but it wasn't raining anymore and the afternoon actually cleared up and was a very nice evening. We had a nice dinner at home and then decided to go thru months of paperwork that was all over our desk. There was nothing on tv and we all hung out in our loft area and listened to the music on the computer.

On sunday we wanted to look into a place to have our big guy's 4th birthday party and we went to Monkey Joe's where they have nothing but those big blow-up bouncy things for kids to run around and slide down. It is pretty cool and he didn't want to go on the big ones at first, but after I went down them he wanted me to take him and we were non-stop after that. We ran around that place for the next hour and half and the wife got everything all planned out to have his party there. We are all very excited and looking forward to having a big party for him. He has only had family parties in the past so this will be lots of fun. When we were done we went home and he and I took a nap together as we were wiped out. We finally woke up and I went for a very nice 4 mile run with no watch on, just a nice easy and steady run. I put him to sleep in his bed that night and I woke up what I thought was around 4:30, but it was only 1am. I went in my own bed and was soon followed by the big guy and I couldn't go back to sleep. I think I finally nodded off around 3 and didn't really pay the price to bad at work the next day. I'm off on wednesday and plan on going to run on the trail.

Make sure we all give lots of love and kisses to our loved ones every chance we can!

I saw puddles

We are finally getting some rain and I am so grateful for any kind of rain we can get. I was so happy to see the rain on my way home last night that I was a little excited to be driving thru some puddles. I was hoping to get a run in tonight but it looks like the wife and I are gonna watch "Blades of Glory" as it is due back tomorrow. I can run any night but a chance to watch a movie alone with my wife is not something that comes along to much. I didn't get a run in this weekend as I had hoped but I am thinking I will get back on the right track this weekend.

Funny thing happened the other day as my son and I were at the library. We were leaving the library when my son sees a display of military figurenes. As I let him look over all the different characters from all the different branches, I notice a Coast Guard figure doing exactly what I did when I was in. That was the coolest thing as I have never seen one before and was excited to tell my son that that was what his daddy used to do. That's right, I haven't always been sitting behind a desk. Seeing that figurine has made me want to put together a collection of pictures and memoriablia from my Coast Guard days.

running buddy

I was thinking the other day that I need some running friends. Not that I need to have companionship with someone to accomplish races with, but just an occasional conversation with. I don't feel a need to run any races for a couple of reasons but the biggest reason is the money. I really enjoyed the running friends I had in greenville and the push we always gave each other. There is a couple of running groups here in Charlotte but it is tough to work all day and then pick the big guy up from school and get home, changed and meet someone somewhere. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy running though my development but I am thinking of a occassional run somewhere different.

small peek at fall

Finally got a small look at cooler temps this weekend and we enjoyed every second of it. We opened all the windows in the house all weekend and we all enjoyed it. We played at the local park on saturday for several hours with our neighbors and the kids had a blast. We spent the rest of the day saturday resting and relaxing at home. I finished doing yard work on sunday and it started to get warm again. I finished the yard work and went for a 4 mile run and could of used a water bottle for the first part of it for sure. I was struggling for the first half of the run but was feeling better after the turnaround. It was hot and no clouds in the sky so I tried to pick up the pace between shades. I kept a 10 min pace and I am starting to fell like I am almost back in the groove.

nice run

Had a great run last night and really felt like I could keep on running. I did my 6 mile loop and the weather was perfect, completely different than just a couple of days ago. I didn't run last weekend cause it was insanely hot and humid, and I'm glad I didn't after reading about the issues with the chicago marathon and the DC army 10 miler. The weather is suppose to be perfect this weekend and I'm gonna try to do my 6 mile trail run loop.

A local 14 year old boy passed away last week and I discovered kickin cancer also passed away last week. I have been spending most of my time thinking and praying for both of them, both putting up a great fight against cancer. Brandon and Nils, rest in peace!

great weekend

Was very busy with work last week and decided to camp out with my son in the backyard on friday. We slept in his fort and we both really enjoyed it. He fit very comfortably in his fort but I was a little too big. He worked his way into my sleeping bag which made my tuff sleeping arrangements impossible. I didn't get much sleep but I don't care about that and would do that again in a heartbeat. I woke up at 5 in the morning and the temperature had dropped to around mid 50's and it was cold. Our sleeping bags worked perfect though and only the parts outside of the sleeping bags were cold. We spent all day saturday together and didn't do much. I did go for a 6 mile run and had a hard time due to my legs were hurting a little. We stayed around the house all day and played in the yard and a neighbors yard. Yesterday was my birthday and wanted to play golf. I haven't played golf since we moved to charlotte so when the opportunity arose, I was very excited. We spent all morning together and then I played golf and had a good time. I played pretty good considering I haven't played in over 2 years. I missed playing and I hope I get more chances to play. It was absolutely beautiful weather this weekend and glad I was outside for most of it. Yesterday was also the birthday of Jason, Happy Birthday!

what weekend?

It looks like everyone had a busy and crazy weekend filled with bad runs. I worked saturday on installing under cabinet lights in our kitchen and it took me all day. The beautiful sexy wife and I went to see Superbad and then out to dinner afterwards. That movie is hilarious, we will be buying that when out on DVD. Woke up sunday and went for a run. It was so hot and I didn't bring my water bottle with me. I stopeed at the 3 mile mark and walked the rest of the way home. It was only 9:30 in the morning and hot as hell already. After a quick run to the store with the wife, spent the rest of the day finishing painting our stairwell. Looks great and glad to be done.

I am looking forward to the fall and especially the cooler weather that won't kill any more runs. This summer has been very hot and very dry, I'm not sure how the leave changing colors is going to happen but the cooler temps will help. It is suppose to be a little cooler this weekend.

troubled run

Went for a 4 mile run last night and ended up with a 2 mile run ending with a mile and half walk. Was doing good all the way to the turn around and then I started to have a nose bleed. I stop running and was walking while I squezzed my nostrils and making the bleeding stop. About a quarter mile later it stops and I think lets try running again, my left knee starts bothering me and about a 100 yards later it is to the point of I couldn't even walk. I kept walking and hoping that the pain would go away or supside. I walked the whole way home and thankfully the knee pain did go away and I will try again tomorrow morning for a complete run.

I was thinking during the walk that I am very lucky to be able to do the things I do and again I was thinking how lucky I am to be heathy and outside. The weather people are calling for cooler weather this weekend and all next week. I am hoping so as this summer has been dangerously hot to enjoy anything outside.

A day we will always remember where we were

I will always remember where I was on this day 6 years ago. The sad and fearful feeling that we all had was great and I didn't know what was going to happen or what I needed to do to make life meaningful. My wife and I were just newly married and living in the bonus room of her brothers house, I was interning at a computer learning center and had no money. We were both very sad and were very limited on what we could do to help. It is sad to see the images on tv and remember all these feelings again. Having served four years in the Coast Guard 15 years ago and remember thinking that this is the least I could do for my country, standing proud of all the things we did, who we saved, and who we protected. I am very lucky to live where I live in the freedom that is allowed to me in this great country. God Bless America!

Shamu rocks

Had a great trip down to Sea World and lots of fun. The big boy loved the dog and cat show the best. While we were waiting for the Shamu rocks show, the big biy and I went for a walk around the Shamu section of the park and I took him to the underwater viewing area for Shamu. There was no one there and no whales in the tank. We played around for a little and all of a sudden the gate in the tank opens up and in comes Shamu. The big boy gets so excited and starts running between glass windows and Shamu is following along. It was the coolest thing. I don't believe in keeping animals in cages or tanks but I do appreciate when they help troubled animals. I was explaining to the big boy that these animals are in the wild but Shamu and his friends were sick and Sea World is helping them get better.

As I left work Thursday looking forward to starting my vacation, I was rear ended by a 16 girl driving 4 or 5 boys around. I was stopped and knew she was going to hit me as she was looking down in the passenger seat. We were all ok and I had some neck issues from the whiplash. My car is in the shop getting repaired and I was hoping for it to be totaled. I have a POS dodge neon that is so unsafe and we hate it. I am driving a rental car and don't want to trade it in. A 2007 dodge charger that is nice and roomie and fast. I am pretty sure I will be driving this for at least 2-3 weeks and know that come time to return it I won't want to. My son likes it better also.

I haven't had any runs this past week but am planning on starting back up tomorrow morning. My neck is still a little sore and I am hoping that the run will help relax the muscles.

close to back to a routine

Had a good 4 mile run last night and kept the pace under 10 minutes. I was feeling a little tight in the calf mucles so I decided to take it easy and just keep running. I finished the run and was soaked to the core with sweat. I had a bottle of water with me on the run and finished it before I went inside. Had another bottle of water while strecthing and then took a bath with the big guy. I am looking forward to tomorrow as I am off for the next 6 days and going to Sea World for 3 of the days. I haven't been to Sea World in Orlando in almost 15 years and wanted to get a job with them after the Coast Guard. The big guy will have a blast and will make up for the 8 hour drive with my in-laws in the car. I have a good friend and his wife as well as 2 brothers in Orlando that I get to see so should be a great weekend. I am planning on a 6 mile trail run tomorrow and hope to not be hurting for it.

Thank you

Another good base run last night and I am very grateful for not only the ability to run but also the great conditions during the run. It was humid and hot but not the agonizing scorcher we have in the south. I was thinking during the last mile just how awesome I was feeling and how thankful I am to be running. God is amazing and I am very lucky and thankful to be alive. Thank you all.

weekend run and workout

I did a 3 mile good run on saturday morning and the last .25 mile was tuff as the sun came out full force. I stayed in the 10 minute pace and was enjoying being out in the morning air while listening to my mp3 player. I did a cross training day yesterday and worked out with my weights after painting another hallway. I got a ton of small things done around the house as I was all by myself.

I went to a guy only bar-b-que at one of my bosses house on saturday afternoon and we all grilled a sampling of our grilling abilities. I did buffalo wings and they were ok, but the others had some amazing eats with the ribs and tequila lime chicken winning hands down. Was a great day with fun had by all. I am looking forward to my runs this week and am going to try to pick it up to 3 days, monday, wednesday, and friday. We are headed to Sea World on saturday with my inlaws and we should have a good time.

Have a good week!

On the road again

Went for a nice 3 mile run and I enjoyed every second of it. I didn't go fast and I didn't go far. I even walked some of the run. But I was so happy to believe alive and able to enjoy everything including the heat. I couldn't find my watch so I don't have a clue what my splits and I don't care either. I could tell that I have alot of rust in my legs that will take some time to work out and I am still happy!
Before I went for my run I wrestled with the big guy for a couple of minutes and he said "no wrestling after running cause you stink too bad!" The night before he wanted me to take a bath with him cause we were playing around and he wanted to play some more in the tub. He chased me around his room and bathroom saying he wanted to smell my feet. "Stinky daddy, get in the tub!" I think the wifey has been feeding his mind cause he blames all the smells in the house on me.
We finally got some rain last night even though the first 10 minutes were very nasty and someones trash can is against my fence. It has rained since 7/28 and all of the grass and trees are burnt and dead. Isn't it interesting how the southeast is in a very bad drought and 3 states over is having the worst flooding. Mother nature is so confused and extremely forceful. I will always respect all that mother nature has to offer and don't take anything for granted. I have been in all that she has to offer and barely escaped a couple of her major offerings. I was in the 50' seas during the perfect storm saving boats and sailors, was in at least 30 hurricanes and both Andrew and Hugo and surfed Gilbert. I was stuck on a mountain for 3 days during a blizzard and hid in a closet during a tornado. I love all of it and thank the lord I was one of the lucky ones to make it through. I pray for all those suffering cause of her though.

Thank you Miles

I have been amazed and always enjoyed reading Miles Levins thoughts and the way he was able to express his thoughts and beliefs for all to read on his blog. Thank you for expressing your feelings, thoughts, and courage for all of us to admire and grow on. I will try in my daily life to be half the man you were. Rest in Peace. http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2007/08/in-memory-of-miles.html

Good to go

Got the test results from all my heart test and doc says all is good and I can continue with my exercise and activities. Was planning on doing a calebration run saturday morning but woke up late which I never do. The little guy was over the in-laws and I slept in. I don't know the last time I did that. I had a full schedule the rest of the day and didn't eat any lunch friday and saturday to fuel a welcome back run. Sunday was slammed with moving my brother into his college dorm and then the family all went to race go-carts. We let the little guy drive his own little go-cart and he lasted 15 feet, ran right into the guard rail and smashed his face into the steering wheel padding and bit his lip. He has a motorized jeep at home and does good driving that but I am right next to him so he has a good safety net. Not at this place. We then went on the big track and he rode as a passenger with me and we beat everyone and he really enjoyed that. It was 100 out so we retreated afterwards inside the outlet mall. We have had the pleasure of my wife's best friend staying with us all weekend and she wanted to go to Carraba's for dinner since she has never been there. I knew at that point that my run for sunday was out of the question also. No problem, I will start back up this week.

I like inside right now!

I was thinking of sneaking out for a light run but when it is 80 something degrees when you wake up at 5:30, no thank you. I don't believe in complaining but I also don't believe in killing yourself. I am in my 4th week of no running or exercising and I look forward to getting back into it. I did do lots of hiking and enjoyed the time with family so no complaints. I have my follow up next friday with the cardiologists, although I am sure I am good and no need to worry. I have been enjoying all the other bloggers and there adventures (Jason) during my downtime. Good luck to all who are braving the heat and humidity out there, be careful and drink lots of water.

weekend to remember

Had a great weekend and one that I will remember always. My son and I went up to the mountains to spend time together and with my parents and 2 youngest bros and sis. We were planning on camping out in the yard of the cabin they stay in, but because of lots of rain we stayed inside and still had a great time. It was one of those amazing bonding times that I remember having with my family. We went on a couple of small hikes and we loved it. We spent a couple hours at the indoor pool in town and we didn't stop laughing and playing the whole time in the pool. After the pool we went to a big playground that was really cool with everything there. The weekend was all fun except for 1 minor incident, the big boy fell like 7 feet through a big tire swing they had and landed on his back. He had a couple of scratches on his lower back but he shook it off and was off. We went to church after the playground and he fell asleep instantly in my arms for the whole mass. On the way back to our house on sunday, my family was behind us and they stayed the night. My one brother goes to college here in town so he is staying with us for a month until school starts and my big boy is so happy to have his uncle here.

I had a couple of doctor appointments on monday and everything should be good but I have more test and appointments in the next couple of weeks. I will get back to running in the next week or so and just take it easy for a couple of weeks. I decided to not do the half marathon next month and just get back to a more consistent running regime. I will try to do more shorter runs and build up my fitness core again. I am not in any race or am out to prove anything to anyone and just want to enjoy all that I have around me. I am a very lucky man to have all that I do have and I don't want to take advantage of anything.

Have a great day!

Blessed and Blessings

We had an amazing time at the B&B and really needed the time together relaxing and enjoying ourselves as a couple. I was planning on running while there but the wife informed me that I was not going to run cause we were having quality time together. I had brought my stuff but decided she was right and didn't go for a run. We did go for a great hike in the national park on a 2.7 trail up a mountain to a waterfall (not much rain and waterfall did not have much water falling) which we enjoyed to the fullest. We met a couple with a 7 month old girl that also hiked to the waterfall with the baby in a carrier on the dad's back. They were a very nice couple and the little girl was soo cute and happy that we enjoyed the time at the top. We ate lunch at the waterfall and tried to keep the wildlife (my wife thought it could be a rapid squirrel) out of our lunchs. I feed the chipmunks and squirrel some of the leftovers (calzone with almost a pound of jalepenos), and enjoyed seeing the confidence and courage of the little guys getting eye to eye with me. We really loved our 6th anniversary dinner and the fact that we brought mixed drinks to dinner in our own plastic tumbler cups. Needless to say we were feeling real good! I will post pics soon.

We came home and have been very busy getting back in the swing of things. I worked for 2 days and then had a colonoscopy for my second time in 3 years. Went well as they only found 1 polyp but they noticed I was having an irregular heartbeat. I have a doctor appointment next monday with a cardiologist and will have several tests to see what is up. The colonoscopy was done by the doctor my wife is the nurse for so she was in there to enjoy the joy of me being wacked out on some good drugs. I kept trying to tell jokes through the whole procedure and wouldn't shut up, so the crew upped my drugs. Was a good time!! I decided to not do anything until after the doctor appointment to make sure everything is ok and no need to push anything as the result could be death. We are hoping that it was just my electrolytes off balance and I don't need more medicine. I will definetely miss running but I know the important thing is making sure I am there for my wife and son for many years to come. I certainly know that I am very blessed and hope and pray that whatever the results, I am able to be there for my son and wife so we can live the great lives we are meant to live and are living!

Have a great week! Go for the stars and have confidence in your abilities!

Big miles and big time hurt

Another great weekend filled with many activities and fun. I spent pretty much every minute with the little guy except for yesterday morning for a 12 mile run. Saturday night I was not feeling to great and think it was something I ate during the day. I didn't know I was going to run in the morning until around 8 at night. Woke up again before the alarm and was feeling ok, but I didn't feel like eating anything which is not good. Had a good run and we were going pretty good for most of the way. We ran on the greenway and stopped at the turnaround at the 4 mile mark and I had a GU. Not bad and it gave me a good boost for the next 4 miles. At this point we had to back track a couple of miles and I was starting to hurt, the guy I am running with had some clif shots again but this time he had pina colada flavor I think and wasn't as bad. It gave me a good boost for a couple of miles and then at the 11 mile mark I was spent. I had nothing in me and was hoping he would run on and I would meet him at the cars.
One thing I have learned about the Mike the guy I run with, he is a good motivator even though it is all marine related. See he is training for the marine corp marathon in October and has a friend or two that were/are in the marines. I did lots of training with the marines before and during my enlistment with the Coast Guard. I finally got him to run on and I slowly jogged the last mile or so and was completely spent. I didn't feel that bad once we stopped and stratched and drank more gatorade but when on the drive home and when I got home I was not feeling to great again so I took a shower and discovered that I had chaffed all of the sking in my private area, WOW!!! It hurt so bad that I didn't even think about my stomach issues. Spent the rest of the day with the big boy and wife and brought the big blow-up water slide to the back yard and big boy and his friend down the street played for hours on it and had a blast. Where were these things when we were growing up?

The wife and I are going away this weekend to a B&B in the mountains for our anniversary and plan on doing some good hiking. I am going to keep my running in the 4 to 6 mile range and more consistent in the next 2 weeks. Hope everyone has a good monday!

Great Weekend

Very busy weekend and enjoyed every single second. Woke up early Saturday morning at 5:30 and waited for the co-runner who was picking me up to run 10 miles. I was waiting in my garage and a little rabbit came running up to me sitting there and looked at me like "Whatcha doing?" I told him/her that I was about to punish myself and he took off. We got to the greenway at 6:30 and met another guy Mike that was going to run with us also. We walked about a quarter of a mile and then started to run. We started slow at around a 10 minute pace and we were all struggling with the high humidity. We walked for a minute at the 4 mile mark and then picked it up a little at the turn around. I tried a margarita flavor clif shot and thought I was going to puke on the first bite. I think it did help though as I felt great through the rest of the run. As we were getting closer to the end it was getting very busy on the greenway and we finished strong. My calfs were sore and no matter how much I stretched them they will not get loose. We talked for a couple minutes and tried to remove the 8 gallons of sweat from our clothes. Was an amazing run and I think we are planning on 12 miles there again this weekend. Count me in.

We then had a birthday party to go to and it was outside for all the kids to run around in the heat. It was fun and I tried to take it easy and walked to the sections of the park that my son wanted to play in. It was nice to talk to all of the parents of the kids in our son's class about a not so good teacher we have now. The party lasted for 2 hours and then everyone was ready to go so it was perfect timing. We dropped our son off at the in-laws and waited for a little so he would take a nap. My calfs were tight and my knees started to ache so I took a 800mg of ibuproferin, and in 5 minutes I could of ran a marathon. I felt like a champ for the rest of the night and never felt any pain or suffering. We went to a comedy club that night with several of the neighborhood parents and had an amazing night with no kids and LOTS of alchohol. The wife and I woke feeling real rough and decided to get as much rest as we could and it payed off as when we went over the inlaws for dinner and to pick up our son, I did 10 miles on my bike. I felt great and am going to keep riding the bike on sundays to get a good cross training going.

Hope everyone has a good week and a safe holiday!

Good run

I think waiting an extra 30 minutes in this heat and humidity is the best thing to do. Went for a run around 7:30 last night and the sun was going down so it wasn't as hot but the humidity was very high still. I ran a good first mile and half with a 9 minute pace and then slowed it down to a 9:30 pace. I didn't bring my water bottle with me and it wasn't bad with out it. I was having a little stomach issue that made me walk a little but I worked through it. I am planning on doing 10 miles tomorrow morning on the greenway.

We are planning on going to the comedy club tomorrow night with all the neighborhood parents and it should be a good time with lots and lots of cold beer. I am wanting to run an easy 4 miles on sunday to help"earn" the cold beers.

Burning Rubber

I went for an easy run last night at 7 and in the second mile I started to get a couple of whiffs of what smelled like burning rubber. I didn't much of it and kept on chugging along. It was very hot and humidity was in the upper 90%. I stopped for a water break at the 2 mile mark and then started up again at a slower pace. I smelled the burning rubber again and then noticed that my feet and shoes were melting. I was born and raised in south Florida and am very experienced in the dangerous effect that heat and humidity have on a body, so I knew that I was not going to break any records and needed to take it easy and relax. I relaxed my shoulders and stopped focusing on the pain from my melting feet and took it very easy. When I became overheated I would stop and drink water and find some shade. I got home and looked like I went swimming, was happy to get the run done and over with.

4 miles
38:32

event filled weekend

I worked a half day on friday and was hoping to get some stuff done around the house. We had a retirement dinner to go to friday night and by the time we got home from the store, it was time to get ready for the dinner. We were late for the cocktail hour (which I am glad cause it was cash bar) and got there just as dinner was starting. We ended up having 2 drinks which I was happy with and wanted to get a run in in the morning. I had a lot of things to do to get ready for a dinner party at our house so I decided to get things ready first and then if I had time I would run. Well I never did get things done and never got a chance to run. We had lots of fun with the 5 other families and drinking cold beers and good food was making me forget about the missed run. The party lasted til 10:30ish (which is early for our group) and I cleaned up the house inside and out as the back yard was trashed. I did go for a run on sunday afternoon but was not able to finish as I didn't eat anything and the heat was too much. I am planing on trying again this evening. I am ready to pick up training and would like to do a 10 mile run on sunday.

winning the lottery and scuba running

Its been a couple years since I put all my scuba gear on and went for a dive on a reef. Now that we live in Charlotte and are hours away from a good dive, it seems to me that I have been wanting to don my gear and hit the streets. The first 3 miles felt like I had the whole ensomble with me, fins, knife, booties, weight belt, and pack with tank. Somehow when I stopped for a quick water break at the 3 mile mark, I lost all of the gear and really enjoyed the rest of the run. I forgot I was running and started to think about what a great day today is for me to be able to go for a run and everything I have in my life. I sometimes wonder what would it feel like to win the lottery. I have everything I could ever want and am the luckiest man alive. I am healthy and able to do things and see my family every morning and evening. I thought of the firefighters, all the people (military and civilians) away from their families, and all the people that have to travel for work and don't get to see their families. Thinking of all these people I really became focused and picked up the pace and felt great. I don't care if I win any money from the lottery cause I have everything that money can't buy!

7 milesish- 60 minutes

Charleston fire fighters

Having spent 4 years in Charleston and worked with all of the law enforcement and fire departments there while in the Coast Guard, it is very sad and hard to hear about the 9 heroes that lost their lives doing what they do best. I had the option and opportunity to join the fire department after serving my 4 years but decided to not stay in Charleston. I will keep the families and friends of the 9 firefighters in my prayers.

Weekend fun

Had a good weekend and a great run saturday morning. We did a different 6 mile loop with hills the last 2 miles that were not fun. We ran a 9:22 pace for all 6 even though he is a 8:30 pace runner. We started out with the first 4 miles around a 9:10 pace but the hills got the best of me. I usually hit the hills first and the rest of the run hurts, but having the hills at the end of the run was not fun either. I am going to run this again wednesday or thursday evening and hope we can do 8 miles on saturday. It was nice running with someone as he definetly helped push me to finish strong.

We went to the baseball game saturday night as a family and really had a good time. The setup they have there is real nice and there is a kid section with a merry-go-round and bouncy house that the kids can play on and my son had a blast. He stayed up all night and we watched the fireworks after the game. I didn't get to spend any time with him cause of the in-laws were taking him to the play area. I think in a couple years he will want to watch the game more and the guys will enjoy the game.

I set up a spiderman slip and slide yesterday and the big boy and I played on it for a little bit. He ended up with cuts and scratched all over his feet and legs and he doesn't even slide, he runs down the slide and drops in the landing area. We are having a neighborhood party on saturday at the house and he and all his neighborhood friends will be playing with it and his play set.

Have a great monday!

15 minute explosion

I had a great interval run last night and picked the pace up to around 9:30 as a core. I wanted to see if I could keep up with a faster pace as tomorrow I am running with someone from the neighborhood and he runs a 8:30 pace. I timed the intervals to coincide with hills and then decided to extend the distance to include the uphills as well. It has been a couple years since running a 8:30 pace and I don't know if I kept that pace for 6 miles. I was happy with my performance last night and am glad to see I still have some kick.

The little guy had an explosion as I was putting him to sleep last night and was uncontrollable for about 15 minutes. The last 5 minutes I spent trying to calm him down and when he finally did calm down, he was like it never happened. He laid down next to me in his bed and we talked about the cars he has and then he grabbed me for a big hug and kiss. He was out for the rest of the night about 30 seconds later and BSW(beautiful sexy wife) and I discussed the resemblance he has with her. Like a little version of her. By the way, the cause of the explosion was I turned his TV off as a commercial for a ice skating movie was coming on Disney channel.

We are planning on going to a minor league baseball game tomorrow night as a family and invited my in-laws to come also. They live about 10 minutes from us and help out tremendously with everything. I am looking forward to going to the game and letting my son experience a baseball game as my dad did with me and my brothers. Being from south Florida and having all the spring training camps close by was great and know the big boy will enjoy it as well as all of us will.

Happy Fathers day!!

The move to Charlotte

Had a good run last night of 4 miles that started out a little rough. By the 2 mile mark was feeling a little better and the last 2 were stronger. It was stormy around the neighborhood and it started to rain when I started, but it was only my street and once I was on my way it cleared up nice. I am planning on another 4-6 mile run thursday in hopes of running saturday morning 8 miles with a neighbor.

Before we moved to Charlotte, I was running everyday during lunch at work with a good group of coworkers. We had a some strong runners in the group and I was always in the back. My boss was a 100 mile runner and could do a marathon in under 4 hours. He is an amazing runner and really got all of us into running. We had several routes we could take through downtown Spartanburg and they all had hills, some were the worst I have ever seen. After running for over a year and half with my coworkers, we moved to Charlotte and I got a different job that is in downtown Charlotte and does not have any of the luxeries I had in Spartanburg (locker room, shower, and time) to run during my work day. We moved in to our house in September and in October I had the phase II melanoma removed and off the chart cholesterol counts. I was right on target weight wise and was a pretty healthy "specimen", but my Dr. told me that he wasn't worried about the skin cancer but we had to get my cholesterol down or I was going to die young.

I became a case study with a group of doctors cause of my cholesterol count. I was started immediately on Vytorin and it has helped lower my cholesterol but I still had a high count of tiny particles of cholesterol. He then started me on Niaspan and it helped lower my particle count a little. I have not had any side effects from my medicine except when I up the dosage of niaspan, I have a flush feeling the next day. Nothing that has slowed me down. The skin cancer has been the thing to slow me down in that I have to take precautions when ever I am going to do something outside. I have to go to both doctors office every 3 months and get blood drawn and my birthday suit checked out. When I get my blood drawn I can't eat or drink anything before I do so I usually go first thing in the morning. For my dermatology doctor I let her look me over over head to toe, inside all crevices included, which takes about 5 minutes and then pay my $45 copay. The derm. appt. goes to every 6 months once I hit the two year mark in October with no other melanoma. On top of all this, I have my second colonoscopy coming up in July and have to get one done every three years unless there is no other history of colon issues in my family.

All of this is very manageable and "easy" compared to others out there and I am very aware of how lucky I am to have it this easy. It does however make you think of how short life is and how important it is to Carpi Diem. Coming from a family of ten, I am very lucky to have the good health and good life that I have and I try not to take advantage of that. Fathers day is this weekend and I can't wait to be with the family all weekend and enjoy our great times together.

No run weekend

I didn't get a run in friday night cause of lightning striking trees in the back yard. I can handle rain but I know what damage lightning can do. We didn't get a drop of rain even though it was black as night all around us. I had family things to do saturday and then spent sunday doing chores around the yard. I have been asked to run with someone from another subdivision in my community, who is training to run the marine marathon in october and is looking to have company on long runs. I have run alone since moving to Charlotte 2 years ago but ran with a group everyday before that. I hope to pick up this training and take to the next level. Hoping to do 4 miles tonight but there are storms in the area again. We need the rain though.

Busy Bee

This is the play set we built in our backyard and part of the reason for my busy schedule with the honey-do list. It is awesome and the little guy has a great time playing in "his" backyard. I am at the point where I don't have to spend all day working on things and hope to pick up on weight training and running. I did go for a good run last night on the demand from Jason.

4 miles
9:30 pace

Congrats go to Jason on a great duathlon last weekend and I am very impressed with the big change he has made in his life. We worked together for a while and everything I know with computers I owe to him. He is a great guy and an amazing instructor that does a really good job no matter what he does. His wife and daughter are great also and wish we were still around greenville to hang out with them. The greatest thing about Jason in my mind is we have the same birthday (even though I am one year older). I would love to run the Richmond marathon with him but not sure at this point, we shall see.

Have a great wednesday!

I need to get out and run!

I have been very busy lately working on things around the house and with the family that my running has been very bad and almost nonexistence. We have been in our new house now for about almost 2 years and this spring and summer is time for the outside projects to be completed. I had to clear out about 40 very small trees and overgrowth and then dig up the root balls and lay some dirt down to grow grass. We kept 10 trees and I will plant more in the fall. We then had a fence installed last month and then a huge playset for our son. It is all very awesome now and still needs lots of work but I want to get back into running more. I think I will start running and then doing some more yard work, especially since most of the stuff is weeding and establishing plant beds.

The hardest part of getting out and running for me is that I had a melanoma skin cancer removed almost 2 years ago and have a hard time spending lots of time in the sun. I have been in the sun my whole life and never really thought to much on the damaging effects it has on the largest organ of the human body. It has never really bothered me and was very easy to have removed (during my lunch break) so I don't really consider myself a survivor. I have to continue with check ups and can't donate blood for 5 years. The fact that the removal of the cancer was so easy does the opposite for the mind and all of the thoughts that run through your head. I have always had the mindset that cancer will not define me and limit my life, but it definitely affects my lifestyle.

I plan on doing a 4 mile run again today or tomorrow and I'm ready to get this show on the road!

greenway run

I had a great 4 mile run last night at the local greenway. Was a slow run but was great to get out and run on a flat course. My Aunt Pat donated to my relay for life donation site in memory of my mom and I think I thought of the the lose she went threw of her only sister. For 24 years I have only thought of the lose of a mother and how I know she is watching over me and my siblings. I never thought of what it would be like to lose your only sister. I came home to an empty house and enjoyed eating my dinner in my back patio and thinking of my mom and praying. I Love You Mom. Thanks for watching over us and always being there for me.

weekend run

Relay for Life was a great event and I am going to do the relay again next year and plan on staying the whole night. A co-worker and I did 10 miles walking around the high school track and we were both hurting around the 5 mile mark. He was thinking of calling it quits at the 7.5 mark and I was motivated to do the 10 miles so we did and felt great afterwards. The event istself was great and really moving when you think of all the illuminated bags as a person being affected by cancer.

I took my son to the race track here in Charlotte to meet my oldest brother who was working with the Speed channel and we had a great time. My son got to sit in a race car that was half open to see what a race car is made of. He loved it and wanted to see the cars race but there was no way I was taking him in there. The place was packed with the most interesting of people and I think each and every person had a beer and a cooler.

I ran 3 miles on sunday at a 10 minute pace and really enjoyed getting out in the afternoon heat. I run in the community I live in and have several small hills that make any walk or run good and challenging. Since we have moved here almost 2 years now I run alone. When we lived in Greenville SC, I ran during lunch at work with a group of people through Spartanburg and really miss the people and time I was able to run. It is hard to find time to run now as I don't want to take away from family time, but I still am able to run at least twice a week. I want to run a marathon and I know I will need to pick up the training to do that but I am really focused on my family first and foremost.

Relay For Life

I am not sure of how much thought i am going to put into blogging, but if you don't try, you'll never know. So here goes nothing. I am going to try to keep track of my thoughts and memories from my runs and hopefully try to motivate others to do something positive at the same time.

I am doing the Relay for Life on friday night in memory of my mother who passed away from cancer almost 24 years ago when I was 11. The only thing I have done in the past to help fight cancer has been to discuss it with friends and others. I decided to do something about it and this is just the beginning. My mother brought 7 amazing and very special children into this world and was always there for us and IS still always there for us. I feel her watching over me and my family each and everyday, and I want to thank her in anyway possible. I try to live each and everyday to the fullest and wake up every morning thinking "Carpe Diem".

I am also doing the RFL in honor of my Aunt Pat and in memory of Dickie Montalbano (Mr. M). Mr M was father to one of my best friends Pete and was always there for us. Pete and I were unseperable growing up and the M's would help us do whatever it was we wanted to do. Mr M helped make me into the man I am today and I hope to be half the family man he was. I lived with the M's a couple of times and will always think of them as my family. Mr M is where my nickname "streak" came from as well as the "useless brigade" that I was vice president of. I remember the day I met the M family like it was yesterday, I was 6 years old and my dad had to go over their house for some soccer business. Pete and I went in his room to play and ever since then we were family. Through all these years, I do not have one bad memory or experience , we all lived life to the fullest.

I also want to do the RFL for all the many people that have fought or are fighting cancer and will think of them as I experience this relay. I have read many blogs of different cancer experiences and remember feeling the same way when my mom was battling cancer. I remember the amazing support we had from the local community of friends and family as me and my siblings all had to deal with losing our mother. My brothers and sisters have been there for each other and not sure what would of happened had there not been 7 of us.