Chomp chomp

I've come to the conclusion that Lindsay has a valid point. Damn, I hate to admit that! She doesn't know it yet, but I'll agree with her that the kids should move from the school district they're in now (New Prague) to Farmington (her choice, the one she lives in). Taking everything into account it just makes sense and from everything I've heard and been able to find Farmington is a good district.

Conner was slated to be in an advanced program this year in 3rd grade. That was my biggest holdup regarding moving him, I didn't want him to miss out on that. It turns out Farmington uses the same assessment tests to evaluate their students so they'll accept his results without needing to re-evaluate him for themselves. Kayli's fine with moving and starting middle school and Devon's just starting Kindergarten so this is as good of time as any to move them I suppose.

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Got together with "the guys" last Saturday night for a few drinks - Wade, Souk, Mesch . Always fun. We did our best Siskel & Ebert analysis and talked about a few movies. I saw Wanted a couple of weeks ago, I'd recommend it. Still wanna see Hancock and The Dark Knight. Usually I can wait for movies to come out on DVD, but lately I have the itch to watch these in the theater. Maybe I can take out a loan to go to the theater and splurge on some popcorn and a drink too. $9 just for a movie ticket, unreal.

One movie that was highly recommended (insert sarcasm) from 1 of the other 3 is Teeth. Check it out, hehehe. After being told what it was about we got quite a few laughs out of the concept. We have the sequels all lined up, or at least the names for 'em. Where do screen writers come up with some of these ideas?! Real life experiences? I hope not, especially now that I'm back out in that dating world scene (kind of, available to be anyway).

Speaking of, no, I'm not dating anyone and no, there aren't any potentials on the horizon. Thank you all for asking though quite often.

I'm fine with that. In fact, I'm not even really looking. If "she" were to fall into my lap I'd probably act on the opportunity, but I don't think I really want to be proactive in that realm right now. Occasionally I do long for someone to snuggle with or wake up next to, but for the time being I enjoy being selfish with my time and doing only the things I want to do, when I want to do them. Dating someone wouldn't necessarily allow for that. Besides, I'm not sure I could afford a date now anyway, my money's being funneled elsewhere, what little extra there is of it.

One of those funneling places is going to be for my next run, the RAGNAR Relay (http://www.ragnarrelay.com/). I'm really looking forward to this on 8/22-8/23. I'm on a 12 person team (7 gals, 5 guys) and we take turns running over pre-set distances, 1 at a time and then hand off to the next person, from La Crosse, WI to Minneapolis. A total of 205 miles, 178 different teams! Our team starts at 8:00 on Friday morning and we'll run all day, through the night and following morning until we reach the finish line. It should take us approx. 30 hours, give or take 2-4 hours. It's gonna be a hoot! I'm one of the co-captains for our team and am helping organize things. This particular race is in its 4th year I think and there are other Ragnar events throughout the country at different times. I think it would be fun to do some of the other destinations some year too.

Our team name is The Babes And The Boys and we're going to decorate our 2 support vehicles with bras, boxers and jock straps. This race highly encourages you to have fun with it and gives out awards for best team name, best van decorations, best costume, etc. It's more about the fun than the run. They also mention not to plan on getting any sleep and if you do it's a bonus. It'll be interesting to run my 5 mile leg on day 2 with sleep deprivation. If I remember I'll have to keep track of my splits.

Well, I better hit the hay. Before I do though, I think I might as well call Lindsay and tell her now. I'm sure she'll appreciate the 1:00 a.m. call. Hey, she's getting her way! I should at least be able to call when I want to, right?!

Where'd it go?

Lost my motivation to do anything today. I think that happened sometime this morning between rolling out of bed and walking across the hall to the bathroom. Not quite sure why.

It's not like this week has been stressful. Haven't had any major life moments. Work has only been work. Haven't worn down because of working out (can't if you don't work out). In fact, I need to get serious about running again if I'm to do another marathon in 14 weeks. Hopefully this is the lull before the training storm.

Lately I can't hold myself accountable to working out. I'm used to the group dynamic and having a schedule come from someone else. That needs to change since I'm doing this marathon alone. I know what needs to be done, I'm just not doing it.

Hopefully that'll change this weekend, as early as tonight. I told someone I'd be at a group bike ride tonight and it looks like the weather's going to cooperate (I'm not a rainy weather rider (say that 3 times fast!)) and then on Sunday I'm heading out to a tri to cheer a bunch of teammates on. Many of them are doing a 1/2 Ironman distance tri (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run). For a couple of them this race is only a training day! They're doing a full Ironman tri in Sept. If watching them doesn't inspire me to take training seriously, uh oh.

I haven't been accountable to my housework either. It isn't fun coming home to dishes that need to be washed and laundry that needs to be folded, but I can't find the gumption to get those things done. I'd say getting a wife might be helpful, but the one I did have didn't do those things either. D'oh! Hey, that was kinda funny and made me feel a little better, put a smile on my face anyway.

Watch out, I'm in one of those vindictive, sarcastic moods. Maybe I should call up Lindsay and see if there's anything we need to "discuss". hehehe

So That's What E Coli Tastes Like

Just found out today that the lake/beach that I did my latest triathlon in is now closed due to an e. coli outbreak. That doesn't leave the best images in one's mind about what we were swimming and breathing in. All's well though, the outbreak came after the race. Rumor is someone tipped over a porta-potty or 2 at that lake and that "stuff" made it into the water. The Parks Dept. does a pretty good job with the recreational areas in my mind. They check the water quality every couple of days for situations like this and maintain the overall cleanliness of the beaches.

After a few emails back and forth with some training partners we found a suitable option for our open water swim workout tonight. This lake was pretty clean too for a metro lake, despite the first few steps through the weeds. I didn't think they were that bad, others (who shall remain nameless) did. This new spot could easily become the lake of choice, but it would help if it were closer. Is it possible to relocate a lake? Do you think they'd do that for me?

Despite my newfound affection for said lake, I'm currently sitting here in the middle of sneeze attack. One thing I've found out this year is that my lake allergies are back, from the algae, something that hasn't affected me in about 2o years. Pretty annoying. A couple of more good sneezes and my screen should be pretty much covered. Can't stop typing just to cover a sneeze! :)

Okay, that's it for tonight. Time to take some non-drowsy sinus pills that make me tired anyway.

Until the next outbreak...

The Week That It Was

I have a few things to catch up on during this post so we might be all over the board with some of this stuff. Buckle up and I hope you enjoy the ride!

My final post about my "hair experience". Here are some pictures of the end product:
This first one is the view from behind after the first successful coloring using temporary hair spray paint.
That coloring washed out the next morning in the shower so below is what they came up with for the final go-around and what I raced with. Yup, neon green with a pink star on the top.

I'm now bald by choice (as of shortly after the race) and I have to admit I kind of like it. I'll probably stay a cue ball for the summer and then let it grow back this fall/winter.

Last Wednesday was Nan's funeral. It was a nice service. Her grandsons were the pall bearers and I also had the honor of doing the readings for the service. Public speaking isn't my forte, but I didn't think twice when I was asked the night before.

The (my) kids were marvelous during the whole thing. I wasn't sure how they'd handle it, this being their first funeral they've been to. The boys went up to the casket with me, by choice, during the wake and were very respectful. I kept waiting for Devon to say something "honest", but he didn't. He usually says something only a kid would be allowed to get away with (go figure, he's a kid) in situations like that, but he passed on the opportunity. No nightmares since either so I think we're all clear. Most of the relatives haven't seen the kids lately either, so it was nice to catch up on that front as well.

This weekend was a pretty good one. 1 of my neighbors put together our 1st annual block party. I have to admit I'm kind of a hypocrite because I've always wished our neighborhood would do more together, but I've never taken the initiative. It was fun. Wandered right across the street about 2:00 and didn't come home until 11:00ish. Ate, drank, ate, played yard games, drank and ate a little more. Gonna have to do some double workouts for awhile to justify my intake from that night!

Today was a busy one outside (once we made it out there). The boys slept in!! Woo Hoo, that's always a weekend bonus. Devon did wake up about 8:00, but just came in to my room to ask if he could watch cartoons. Absolutely I said as I rolled over. He later came back to my room and crawled into bed with me and we both fell asleep until 10:30!

He's so cute and adorable. He sleeps with "Horsey", a stuffed animal horse (unique name, I know). A lot of the nights I kid him that I'm going to take it from him when I go to bed so I can sleep with it and he always so no, not to. Well, this morning (and this has happened before) when he crawled into bed with me he had 2 stuffed animals with him and gave me Horsey to sleep with. I just smiled at him and took it. Such a sharer!

Once we got outside for the day none of us went back in until dinner around 6:30! Gorgeous day. The boys wanted to play inside a couple of times, but I made them stay out. Get some fresh air and be active! Such a slave driver I am. They'd complain for 5 seconds after asking each time, but they kept finding things to do.

I finally got some landscaping done (1/2 done I guess, technically) - dug up some bushes in the front of my house that are/were dying. I didn't have any intention of doing that today, but after I mowed the yard I decided today was the day. It was something I've been putting off all season. It wasn't fun digging up the whole root ball, and I'm sure my back will be barking at me tomorrow, but it feels good to get that done. I say 1/2 done because now I have 3 holes in my yard that need to be filled with new plants or something. That might be tomorrow night's project.

And the final topic for tonight is one I've spent pondering since Tuesday at Nan's wake. 7 years ago my older sister opted to remove herself from our family, for reasons I won't go into here. I had seen and talked to her once, 4 years ago at Grandpa's funeral, until last week. I figured she'd probably come back for Nan's because Nan had always stayed in touch with Kristin as much as anyone could/did. It turns out Kristin came down Tuesday for the wake and stayed through Thursday with my parents. She made it known that she wants to reconcile things and started explaining herself and her actions these past years to them. I'm not too keen on the timing of it all and using this event to take those first steps back, but it is a first step.

I have to admit I'm hesitant about the whole thing. I had feelings of indifference when I first saw her. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. After 7 years of negative reasons for not seeing each other I wasn't sure what to think. Kayli vaguely remembers having an Aunt Kristin, Conner was too young to remember anything the last time he saw her and this is the first time she's seen Devon and he's 5 now!

We did part with a hug and her saying she'd like to get together to talk. I said I'd be willing so we'll see where it goes from here. I got a synopsis of the conversation Mom and Dad had with her. A couple of questions were answered, a few more raised. Hmm, I'll leave it at that. Only time will tell how this one's going to play out.

The Nickname Crash Is Already Taken

How 'bout a race recap? Here it is regarding my LifeTime Fitness Triathlon this past weekend?

It all started extremely early, a little too early, but who am I to say? I wasn't in charge. We were instructed to get to the race site at 4:30 a.m. to check in and secure as good a site in Transition as possible. The transition area opened at 4:30 with the race not starting until the 1st wave at 7:00. I got there on time and did get the best spot on my rack, at the end, so at least the early morning alarm was justified.

I need to back up here for one note and acknowledge someone. Amy saved me A TON of hassle by agreeing to let me commandeer her house as my house for the weekend. She lives a mile and a half from the race start whereas I live 40 minutes away driving 75 mph. Can you say Lifesaver regarding the much needed sleep?! I moved into her house the night before and then just rode my bike to the race the morning of. Perfect! And, oh, she was out of town for the weekend and didn't think twice about letting me stay. Do it again next year Aim? :)

Back to the race. They had the race times staggered randomly by age and gender group after the Pros started. This race is a HUGE magnet for the professional triathletes and with this being an Olympic year it was a perfect warmup for them with the games only 4 weeks away. They are impressive to watch fly by in all disciplines!

My wave started about 36 minutes after the pros. Into the water we went, 1 at a time, 1 every 3 seconds for a 1.5k swim. I much prefer this time-trial start vs the group wave start so many other triathlons have. The first portion of the swim started out rather well. I got into my rhythm quickly and was feeling comfortable. Then we hit the first turn. It was somewhat calm when we started or at least I didn't notice the wind, but I knew it was going to pick up throughout the day. It wasn't exactly windy once we made that turn, but there was a noticeable breeze and we had to swim straight into it and its waves for the longest portion of the swim. Once I make it to the last turn on the swim course there's always a little celebration mentally because at that point every stroke I take I'm getting closer to shore rather than swimming away from or parallel to it. I usually try to swim that portion a little harder. I think I was able to during this race as well, but the wind/waves were still an issue as it was now a crosswind. This caused me to alter my breathing a little so as to not breathe as much on the up wind side. I thought of all my teammates going after me and how much worse it could be for them if/when the wind picked up even more. I empathized for them. A few strokes later and I was on the sandy beach. Swim down, bike and run to go.

I rocked through the transition, despite wanting to puke (I think I drank too much Lake Nokomis green water) and headed out on the 40k bike route. See my results below for this transition time, fastest time in my Male 40-44 category (gotta brag about something!)! Now, if I could only find a race that only has transitions w/o the swimming, biking and running. The bike portion was pretty uneventful, feeling pretty good, heard/saw the TNT cheering sections along the route (Thanks everyone for coming out! You really do help motivate us participants!!).

Uneventful that is until the final corner on the whole course. Coming up to that corner is a long straightaway. At this point in the race you're supposed to get in a low gear so you have a high cadence to help your legs transition from biking to running. I was focusing on this a little more than I should've been and went into the corner too fast. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal as the roads are usually wide enough to take a wide angle around the corners. The problem with that line on this corner though is that there were bikers coming from the opposite direction just starting their bike portion so we only had 1/2 the road to work with, with only some plastic cones separating the opposite going flows.

I was applying just enough brakes to keep from flipping ass over handle bars and just barely, somehow, avoided clipping someone's back wheel. We're talking hair-widths here people. I think it was more his maneuvering out of the way than mine! After missing him I somehow made it all the way across that wrong lane cutting in front of a group of 3 others without getting hit by them. It could've been a bruiser, but I ended up against the far curb, caught my composure and got back into the proper lane. Have I mentioned yet that this is a popular spectator area and the corner was pretty crowded? Almost gave them a good show. Wowser! What a way to end the bike portion!

The run was as expected. It hurt and sucked the first mile until I somewhat got my running legs under me. I think I still need to practice more bricks to get used to this sooner. The first lap went better than the 2nd, slowed down quite a bit.

Once again, the TNT cheer station on the run course was awesome, as were all the other individuals cheering for us specifically - Kimmi, Jenna, Coach Mike, Courtney, Coach Bob - I heard or saw you all so thanks! Another bonus to the run was this is where I saw my kids cheering for me. That was a nice boost! I was able to see them on the first lap and let them know I had 1 more so they were then able to make it closer to the Finish Line and see me come in.

All in all, it was a pretty decent race for me. I'm content with it. I didn't quite get the time goal I had in mind, but I improved on last year's time by a couple of minutes so it's a new PR. Next year I'll just have to shave a couple of more minutes off!

Here are the results:

Results For:
Jon McCarthy
Olympic Course Bib #: 746
Age:40
Gender:M
City, State: Lonsdale, MN
Race Category: Olympic Age Group - Men 40 to 44

Triathlon Results - Olympic Course

Finish Time: 2:45:28.9
Category Place: 47 out of 100 Men 40 to 44 finishers
Overall Place: 382 out of 1147 Olympic Course finishers
Gender Overall Plc: 325 out of 802 Male finishers

Triathlon Splits

Swim 1.5K
Time: 33:03.2
Pace: 2:12 /100m
Category Place: 52
Overall Place: 507
Gender Overall Plc: 388

Transition #1
Time: 1:42.9
Category Place: 1
Overall Place: 13
Gender Overall Plc: 12

Bike 40K
Time: 1:14:17.3
Pace: 20.6MPH
Category Place: 38
Overall Place: 278
Gender Overall Plc: 260

Transition #2
Time: 1:29.4
Category Place: 14
Overall Place: 113
Gender Overall Plc: 92

Run 10K
Time: 54:55.9
Pace: 8:51/M
Category Place: 66
Overall Place: 586
Gender Overall Plc: 468

Where Do We Go From Here?

TNT is done for the year. I hate that it has to end. For the past 5 1/2 months I've spent 3 times per week with the same people, doing the same thing I'm doing, for the same purpose(s). You get to know people when you do that. And then, before you know it, the race you're all training for is here, you race, you're done, and you say goodbye to everyone not really knowing yet who has become a potentially new lifelong friend or who was just there for a brief time.

This is my 3rd go-around with TNT. My first experience I did everything on my own and only got to know a couple of people briefly during the event weekend. That's the way I was back then, '97. In '06 I signed up for my 2nd stint and decided I was going to train with the group both for the social outlet as well as for the coaching I'd receive. It worked, I'm hooked.

From that '06 marathon team I now know I have some lifelong friends. We talk, we've cried, we've drank and believe it or not we still run together. I hope this 3rd time's the charm as well and I become that way with some from the triathlon team. I've had a lot of fun getting to know my teammates, athletically and socially. It sucks that it all ends with some once you pack up your bag on race day and head home.

We say goodbye, God says Hello

Nan passed away over the weekend. Thankfully she had been resting and mostly sleeping for the past week so she was as comfortable as could be these final days.

I was able to make it down to Owatonna last Wednesday to say my goodbyes. She was sleeping when I was there, but I had a few minutes alone with her. Just held her hand, talked briefly to her, told her my kids and I love (present tense, not past, never past) her. She briefly, barely opened her eyes, but it was hard to tell if she was even awake or if it was just an involuntary thing.

She lived a good life here and now is experiencing a better one with God and back with her husband.

Thank you to those who have expressed your care, even before the final day.

The deed is done

Here's what they did to me. This picture is from Wednesday. They switched things up on Thursday so I have to get a picture posted of that one yet. They used the same colors, green and pink, but changed the design a little.

The race is tomorrow morn. C'mon out and cheer all 120 of my teammates (and me) on! If you can't make it, check out the results later in the day. The race's website is http://www.ltftriathlon.com/. I'm doing the Olympic distance.

Off to pick up my race packet. Later....

What's the over/under on nicknames?

So how many nicknames can one person receive and who gets to choose what sticks or not? CC seems to think she can willy nilly just start using new ones. Do I have any say in the matter? If I don't like it, do I get veto power and get to say try again? I don't think a person should be allowed to come up with their own nickname, but they should be allowed some leverage in the discussion. Maybe not. More than likely, probably not in this situation. Oh well, call me what you want. If I can't laugh at myself I don't have any right to laugh at you and I do enjoy doing that on occasion.

Got my new haircut today. It's supposed to be a star. I guess it kind of looks like one from what I can tell, maybe better from above. The back of my head is the strangest, glad I can't see that. As long as I wear my hat backwards it pretty much covers everything up. They tried to dye it hot pink, but I think my hair's too short to hold the color, it rinsed right out. I'm not sure if they'll try something different yet this week. Got some pix, but they aren't digital so you'll have to wait until they get developed and then I'll get them posted.

Have I mentioned how much I like the triathlete body? Well, I do. There's something about an athletic build that does it for me, not just triathletes I suppose. This topic might sound a little (a lot) raunchy, but it's not meant that way. It's just what I like. The supermodel, rail thin, walking sticks have never done anything for me. Give me a woman with some muscle, some athletic endurance and I'll show you a happy Jon. Just as long as she doesn't have cankles! Nope, don't like those. My next relationship will possess the appropriate athletic/physical qualities. Cripes, I might even let her beat me in some races. The view might be just as good from behind! ;)

On that note...Starbright just doesn't seem to fit.

Toll Bridge

I think this week is going to be a doozie. It already has more packed into it than any I can recently remember with the potential for some more that is as far from pleasant as you can get.

What's already on the docket:

-There are some work deadlines. I have to get some reports out by Friday a.m. because I'm taking that afternoon off. We're in the beginnings of integrating a company we just bought into our system and way of doing things. That alone is bringing extra requests on top of the normal workload.

-This Saturday is our big triathlon so there's a "travel" meeting tomorrow evening to discuss last minute details, a final team workout on Wednesday, a pasta/carbo-load dinner on Thursday, packet pick-up sometime on Friday and a walk-thru at the race site on Friday evening and then wanting to be at the race around 5:30ish Saturday morn. The week will end nice though with our Victory Party Saturday night, at an Irish pub no doubt!

-It was Conner's bday this past weekend (he's 8), but we're not having his party until this Friday afternoon. 1 piece of cake shouldn't be too bad the day before a race, right?

-The winners of my hair decorating fundraiser have to do that yet. They're planning on doing a little bit each day. I got a 1 day reprieve today as they didn't pick up the hair coloring over the weekend. It sounds like it's going to start tomorrow though.

All of the above might be thrown out the window though if things turn for the worse on another front. Over the weekend my grandma (Dad's side) had a major stroke. She's in the hospital, still hanging on and somewhat responsive, but she was given her last rites and they're giving her "comfort remedies" I think is how my mom put it. Basically meaning they won't do anything extraordinary to try to "fix the ailment" (is how I'll put it), but just make her as comfortable as possible for what inevitably seems like her short time left.

I was never really as close to her as much as I thought or wished I would be. That's not for any particular reason, just the way it is. It's obviously tough losing any family member, and even grandparents whose "time has come" (please don't take that as sounding cold), but from a selfish standpoint, she's my last grandparent. I haven't talked to Dad yet, but talking with Mom they seem to be pretty accepting of it all.

I just got this picture back last week. This shot was from Conner's 1st Communion 2 months ago. That's Conner, Nan and Devon (l to r).

Depending on when she passes I might be missing the triathlon. I have a fairly good idea what my parents would say, but it would take a pretty good argument from them to get me to change my mind. It was a fairly quick and easy decision to make. It just came down to thinking that if I were to go to the funeral I'd admit my head and thoughts might drift to the race occasionally, but my heart would be with my family. If I go to the race, both my head and my heart would be with my family. No brainer after drawing that conclusion. There are other triathlons this summer and this particular one is run every year so I can always do it next year. You only get 1 chance to attend a funeral to honor and celebrate someone's life.

I'm getting ahead of the situation though, let's cross that bridge when we get to it.

We love you Nan!

Out of the closet

So I was finally able to run again tonight. Woo Hoo!! Big deal, you say? Well, for me it kind of was. Last week, Wednesday night, during my team's swim workout I got a major calf cramp 5 minutes into the workout. Worst one ever! I spent the next 45 minutes massaging and stretching it, but to no avail. I woke up the next morning - couldn't walk. Got a 15 minute "quickie" professional massage just on that calf during lunch - was able to walk, but could still feel it. Tried running on the treadmill that evening prior to the team run - no go. Friday brought walking normally (with slight discomfort not to be confused with pain), but still not able to run. The extra pounding running brings was aggravating this problem somehow. That following Saturday morning I was able to swim and bike, but not run. I was really hoping to this day because it was our final mock tri before the real deal. I decided to not even try running until I could no longer feel any discomfort. At this point, only 2 weeks before the triathlon, I figured I could really screw things up if I did too much too soon and then not have time to recover. I've been known to be stubborn and to try to workout through the pain (see Phoenix marathon training with a groin strain for example), not the best idea. So tonight I got up the gumption to try it again. The first few steps were a little hesitant and my calf was growling at me, but I ignored it like an Ex and kept going. I'm glad I did too, the longer I went, the more it loosened itself up and the better it felt. The calf felt better during the run, the rest of the body necessarily didn't. It had been 8 days since I ran last and I could tell, I still kept a decent pace tonight though (I hope). I'm sure my next run will feel better though, it's just that first one back that usually sucks. Only 10 days until the tri though, not much time to recoup lost workouts.
I'm a mentor on this season's TNT tri team. A couple of my mentees hadn't reached their fundraising minimum with the deadline fast approaching so I threw a quick event together to raise some money for them and now I'm beginning to get nervous about it. What I did was hold a drawing - buy some tickets to get to do something fun. The drawing was today and the winner wasn't necessarily who I was hoping for. Here's the deal, the winner gets to decorate my hair - cut/shave/dye/color/etc. - however they want to next week sometime and I have to keep it that way through the race. A group of coworkers who went in together won the drawing and now I'm leery about what they have in store for me. I could hear them plotting and laughing all afternoon. There are some guidelines they have to adhere to, but very few. I'll try to get a picture posted next week. This was actually a fun thing to throw together at the last minute, I only wish I had thought of it sooner and had more time to sell tickets. It's something I'll keep in mind for the next time I fundraise and will promote it at the beginning of the season and sell tix throughout. Maybe not cut my hair the whole time to give whoever more options and really get some crazy designs. I'll let you know.
I've been outed. It took all of 3 days for this blog to become known to others. It could've taken 2 had someone put the pieces together of all the clues they were given (pratically every letter spelled out for them!) That was of my own accord though. A few conclusions went into reversing my initial thought of waiting to tell. First, I guess I always knew this wasn't going to remain hidden forever and people would eventually read it anyway so I might as well tell them upfront. Second, after the first post or two, not that those posts go into anything deep and personal, putting my stuff "out there on the web" wasn't as big of a deal as I thought. Third, if I'm going to type something, someone else besides me might as well read it to make it worth the effort. Fourth, I read other people's blogs so I guess I thought it was only fair to return the favor and let them read mine. You're welcome! ;) One of these days I'll play around with my blog and get links set up to their's and other sites of interest. Don't hold your breath though. I guess I'll need to ask them what blogging etiquette there is - can I just go ahead and do that on my own or is it proper to get their permission first to link to them? What say ye Captain Cartwheel?

I40 is just down the road

So I alluded to 40 being right around the corner. It's actually 4 months away. Holy crap, now that I write that that's only 4 months from now! I didn't realize it was that close until just now! I didn't think turning 40 would bother me. I don't think "bother" is the right word, but it's having more of an impact on me than I thought it would even 1 year ago. I guess jumping up into that next age bracket of 40somethings has a psychological effect to it. When I think of myself I don't think of me as a 40 year old. What is a 40 year old supposed to be anyway? Sure, I have some gray hairs, growing kids and a stack of bills, but does that mean I have to get old? I don't know if I've ever really wanted to give up on what it's like to be in my 20s. My mid to late 20s were probably the best handful of years of my life socially. The group I was hanging out with was a ton of fun day in and day out, active participating in marathons, triathlons (some Ironman caliber, not me (not yet)), softball leagues, happy hours, etc. Just single people being single people.

A couple of years ago in the valley of divorce I opted to start exercising again and train for another marathon (that would be #6). My training time became my therapy. It allowed me to escape the stress, the depression and all the negativity of what a divorce is about. I've seen some people turn to the bottle and a reckless lifestyle to "escape", but not only was that so not who I am, but I also had my kids to think about. Just because I was going through the big D didn't mean I could stop being a parent. I try to always set a good example for my kids so being able to clear my mind through running, getting in shape and all the subsequent positives that can come from that was the only option. Running worked - it saved me mentally, physically and emotionally. Another thing it also did though was take me back to my 20s when I was running and working out on a regular basis. That's when I did my first 4 marathons and dozens of triathlons. I got back into triathlons last year and am doing more this year along with 2 marathons this calendar year. It makes me wonder if I'm trying to avoid growing up, or in other words, getting older.

I'm currently part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training (TNT). I've done 2 marathons with TNT and am now on the triathlon team. A large majority of my teammates are younger, many still in their 20s. For whatever reason, I feel more comfortable with them than I do with those closer to my age. Why? Am I not growing up? Am I not letting go of my carefree days? Am I reverting back to those days now that I'm single again? Is this even a bad thing? I don't think it is. It's not like I'm shunning those closer in age, I'm just around the younger ones a lot more.

1 thing that was kind of a fun game for myself being on this team and with 40 knocking on the door was/is to try to guess people's ages. The young ones were younger than I thought (hoped), but the more interesting thing is the ones I thought were older are closer to my age than I ever would've guessed. There are some people a year or two younger than me that I would've guessed were 5 or 6 years older! It makes me wonder how old do I look. I'm not sure I want to know that answer. I think that's also a part of my unwillingness to feel my age. I guess there isn't much I can do facially, short of plastic surgery, to make me look younger, but I can try to keep the body in shape. At some of these triathlons I see guys in their 50s and 60s who are still in great shape and I never would've guessed they were that old. 20 years from now I want to confuse the 30somethings the same way.

Exactly to the day on my 30th birthday I ran a marathon (#4) and set a PR (4:08) that's still my best. This past May, 6 weeks ago, I ran my 8th marathon and recorded my 2nd fastest time (4:14). My 40th this year falls on a weekend and I was able to find another marathon on that day. Wouldn't it be sweet if I could set another PR, 10 years later? That would make a great bday present to myself and make turning 40 a little easier to swallow.