A great birthday present

I turned 50 last week. That day was like almost any other. My wife was still in Canada for work, my youngest still needed to go to school, and I still needed to show up and work my 8 - 10 hours at my cubical before taking our daughter to her violin lesson at UConn. Not having my wife here pretty much stunk, but it would have still been work for her, school for our daughter, and work for me, then the drive to UConn for the hour lesson. I wouldn't even get to talk to my wife until after 9 that night.

When I first got home, I noticed that I had a box from Virginia friends on the counter. It was probably the highlight of my day, at least at that point. Seeing the return address from our friends Heather & Dave made me know that it was special. We've been friends with them for 11+ years now and Sue and Heather were pretty much joined at the hip for most of the last 8 years we were in Richmond. I have always thought of Heather as a little sister - sometimes a pain in the butt but most of the time just there to make me smile and laugh. After opening, I found out that this box was not just from Heather but from other friends as well. All the more to smile about.

Contents (click here for pictures):
50 Hershey Kisses
8 fancy blowers
A pack of birthday napkins and a pack of birthday cups
An easy to identify birthday boy pin
An office decoration party kit
A kiss and a promise package of candy (private story)
50 Hershey Hugs
50 life savers
50 pennies (for my thoughts?)
a 50 Post It Note heart
One Ode to Steve poem from Heather
and birthday cards from a few other great friends

Thank you ladies. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the effort to help me celebrate my 50th birthday remotely!

Keeping Tabs on the Dog

Our dog, Brewster, has started wandering. He’s not a very bright dog, just curious as he can be. We have a pond (ironically called a lake) about 100 yards from our property. On occasion, it becomes the temporary home for ducks and geese. Of course, those creatures are not the quietest of birds, so they are easy for Brewster to hear. He just wants to go visit, I suppose. That means that we have to keep an eye on him at all times - and becomes more of a challenge as he gets older and his attitude becomes bolder. The joys of owning a male dog, I presume. Seeing as we simply adore him, we needed to find a way to keep him both in our yard and safe.

We had toyed with getting an invisible-style fence for a while, but not thinking it would actually keep a Golden Retriever in our yard. However, Sue did her research and we decided to go for it. Yesterday, the installation technician came out and installed the wire that surrounds our yard (including through the driveway), and the control panel in the garage. Other than the obvious mistake that he made by connecting it to the circuit that turns off with our garage lights (doh!), he did an excellent job.

We now have the month-long task of working with Brew to make him aware of the perimeter that has been established for him. The collar that he wears has a beeper (first warning) and a mild shock mechanism if he walks through the initial warning. Right now, the collar has a rubberized cover over the connections, so that he will just have the audible clues. In another week or two, we will remove that protection so that he can get the shock if he gets too close. There are flags that are inside of the wire now, also providing a visual cue as to where the safe zone is located. In about 3 weeks, we remove every other flag, then a week later, remove the flags altogether.

My biggest concern is that Brew gets it, and doesn’t freak out the first time he gets shocked. He has established some routines very well in the past (like walking beside someone on the stairs, not pushing past them), so I have hope of this working.

There you have it, puppy. Be safe and enjoy the yard!

Winter Has Settled In

After a week of spring like weather, it looks like winter has it’s firm grip on New England. We have been quite lucky this winter, only a few weeks of cold and only a few snowstorms. Thursday, I decided to work from home since I had to get my annual physical. The snow came that afternoon and made for a terrible commute from what my co-workers told me on Friday. Springfield, MA has a terrible reputation for managing their roads during the winter, so I was not expecting any changes this year. The Friday commute was very easy, right up to the point where I left I-91 and turned onto Springfield streets.

It was at that moment that my commute turned to more of an ice dance. While I have driven on many icy roads in my life, this was, by far, the worst. I settled in quickly, but continued to worry about someone else sliding into me. There was a full inch or more of ice over the entire road surface - clear indication that Springfield did nothing since the snow had started. Happily, I made it to work unscathed (both me and the car). Fortunately, the city workers had cleared the roads by the time I headed home. I’m certain that there were a few angry calls to the city that day, likely from accident victims.

There are times like this that I feel fortunate to live in a small town, where roads are cleared before I get out of bed, and continuously throughout an winter weather event. We made the right choice to move here - and this is just one more reason!

Finally, a smartphone

Later today, I will be ordering a new Motorola Droid from Verizon. My old phone is not a smartphone, although it has a descent camera and is a fine phone. It is 3+ years old, so I’m eligible to upgrade with a $100 credit. I waited until there was an actual device I wanted since I’m not thrilled with the BlackBerry devices. I have used a BlackBerry through work for almost five years. I’ve installed a few apps on them to test some items for work, but they are pretty crippled in function and not overly usable. When the Droid came out, it was finally the device I was looking for. Not wanting to be a first adopter, several months of use have occurred and several co-workers have used them. After listening to the co-workers thrilling reports, I was convinced.

I’ve ended up putting several apps on my iPod Touch lately, but they are pretty useless unless you have connectivity (and it’s Wi-Fi only). With my continued use of twitter and facebook to connect with the “Run Net” community, having a device that can utilize this full time is key. Our family is a Verizon one, and I have a pretty decent discount on the primary line (mine) which includes a discounted data plan. So, for under $100 up front, and under $30 per month, I’ll be officially connected.

Ready to go in 2010

Today is Monday, the day that we have set aside to honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As such, both the kids and I are home. Some people have called this a national day of service, but we're not performing service today. After a long day on Saturday, and robotics both days for Jake, we're enjoying some downtime and homework time for the kids. I have Pandora playing in the background on my iPod - a jazz station that is very upbeat, and decided today was a good day to update some long overdue blogs.

We have a new contest at work. It is called the Biggest Winner, fashioned, of course, around the TV show with a similar name. It is not a 1-on-1 competition however. We are on teams of our own choosing, or on assigned teams if we joined as an individual. I am the captain of our four-person team that consists of a husband and wife, a manager in another part of our IT group, and me. All we have done to date is pick a team name, then a captain. I volunteered so I could hold everyone, including myself, accountable. I can't be a slacker if I have to ask others about their goals, now can I?

Since the first half of the first month of 2010 is past, it's time for me to get serious on my goals. I have only a few goals, mostly health related. While I remain in good to excellent health, I have a few things within my grasp before I hit 50 in October. Losing the 20 pounds will likely be the most challenging, but I would love to go into my next decade without the stigma of being classified as obese. I certainly don't feel obese, but according to the standard, I am. My legs, for example, are significantly stronger than most. I can run further and, for the most part, faster than almost everyone I know outside of the running community. Not many obese people can run 4 miles non-stop at 9 miles per hour. So, while I think the standards are not quite right, they are goals for which I will aim. If I lose the 20 lbs., I will be at or just under 200. When I graduated from college, I was at about 180, but was what my wife refers to as too thin. I really didn't eat much (or have much money to eat, for that matter), and I ran non-stop from early each morning until late each day with my low-pay job. I wasn't sitting at a desk like I do now, and didn't have a cafeteria with whatever I really want to eat a few floors down.

I have been eating much better until the past few days. My wife is an excellent cook, and is very conscious of fats, proteins, fiber, and so on, at least 5 days per week. We do splurge at home on occasion, but never two meals in one day. For example, this morning's relaxed breakfast had the kids playing with breakfast pizzas (including plopping a raw egg for one edition), and Sue and I had waffles. For one, I put a piece of bacon on top of the batter, then flipped the maker over (it's like the ones you find in many hotels). It was way better than I thought it would be!

 

So tomorrow, I head back to the gym and get serious about getting back in shape. I've been doing it right along, so am not starting as a couch potato or anything. But, I will be eating better, working more on my core and not just running, and leading the team at the contest at work. The waffle shown here will be the last one I eat for a while, so I wanted to be sure I would enjoy every last bite. The recipe for this is actually in the book that came with the waffle maker, and is just below the one we used. Since we had cooked bacon for the kids, it was only logical to try it! As Emeril Lagasse says, pork fat rules!

Christmas season in Georgia

It’s two days after Christmas, and the family is all in Georgia visiting my mother in law. We’re in Northwest Georgia, basically we are about 10 miles south of the Tennessee border. We arrived via an 18-hour drive from New England. I believe that this is the single longest drive I’ve ever taken in a single, non-stop trip. Certainly, I have driven further over a multiple-day drive, but 18 hours in one day is very draining. The worse part was that I slept for only a few hours the night before leaving, then almost none in the car. I don’t sleep well (or at all) in cars or on planes. You’d think that I could find a way to get comfortable, but it doesn’t happen. So, we arrived exhausted, ready to collapse. We did, and after a solid night’s sleep, were refreshed and ready to start visiting.

It’s been cold here, as should be expected in late December in the mountains of Georgia — no snow, just a heavy frost on the car windows each morning. Sue got to see all three of her brothers this weekend, including David who lives in Florida and whom she hasn’t seen in many years. Late yesterday, my nephew showed up with his kids – peers of my own kids. They were instantly having fun. Today, after most got a good night’s sleep, they should have the opportunity to burn off some much needed energy. They haven’t see this family in several years, although the eldest (Alex) and my daughter have started chatting quite a bit via Facebook. It was an instant bond when they saw each other – and the hug was quite genuine!

We had quite a meal last night – 9 adults (ranging from 45 to 87) and 6 children, ranging from (3) 17-year olds to 12. I was glad to neither be the eldest nor the youngest! I had never eaten beef wellington before – it was very well prepared, but didn’t end up sitting with me well. I think the combination of very heavy foods and lack of salad-like substances, that my body is rejecting my holiday-eating patterns. We have eaten very well over the past year, so changing that pattern for more than a few meals in a row evoke havoc!

So far, the vacation has been a good bit of work, but all worth while getting in some visiting that has been long overdue, and never knowing when it will be the last time, is being embraced. At least my dog is getting spoiled with all of the attention!

Apparently, I’ve been busy…

So, I haven’t posted in a long while. I have been blogging on my running blog (http://neversitstill.com), but that is mostly about the running I have done in the past year. As a very high level review, I completed two half marathons. They were completed within 5 weeks of each other, and all of the training was by myself on the back roads of northern Connecticut – plus a couple of runs at the gym at work.

Speaking of work – it’s been a difficult year, but the year is almost done with a single day of work standing between me and the new year. I am taking the longest break from work I have ever taken, but feel that it is both deserved and very much needed. I’ll mostly be offline for the duration, although will be trying to keep up my blogs and email while offline. Work, however, will not be touched for the entire break other than during one of the trips and only to break up the drive (and of course, when I am NOT driving!).

One other event that happened this year was that I lost 25 lbs between August and October. While the majority of that was due to cranking up my distance, but also watching what I was eating thanks to my wife following the biggest loser quick start diet for dinners. There were a number of really delicious meals, so it has expanded our array of meal choices while reducing our waistlines!

Fall running efforts

I had a busy fall, running two half marathons and one 4.75 mile race on Thanksgiving day. The two half marathons were numbers 2 and 3 for me, and included 100% solo training. Running through the back roads of Connecticut was very interesting - and a great way to put running into perspective. The fact that the training was all done by myself, with no one asking if I would be there, or if I could go faster or slower,  or if I minded if they walked some. Those decisions were all mine. I was proud of the effort I put forth this year, and surprised myself at how many times I got up early and headed out for what I knew was going to be a very difficult effort. All in all, I enjoyed the overall experience, but am not sure I am ready to do that all over again anytime soon.

The last race was done with the entire family - a great way to start the day on Thanksgiving. Kaite started running with me, and stuck with me for over a mile. She put forth a great amount of effort - and knew when to pull up and wait for her mom and brother. At that point, I was able to put my head down and power through the rest of the first hill. After that hill, there was a very long downhill run - and I so enjoyed that! I just let my body flow down the hill, and ended the race with a 10:15 pace which is the best I've done on any run that long. Next year, I am shooting for a 9:30 pace for the race, but the crowd and my prep will be the things to determine if that is realistic. I loved the fact that the entire family participated - and that was the very best part about the race when all is said and done!

College, here we come...

It is really hard to believe that our son is starting to visit colleges. As a high school senior, the time is now. This weekend, he is visiting two colleges in Vermont, and stopping by a third to get a good view of the campus of a much larger university (my wife’s grad school). Jake and his two closest friends have come a long way since they started in kindergarten together. There is so much for him to do, and so much for us to do. We need to look at finances, logistics, and to help guide him into making the best decision he can.

School Starts Again

The summer has seemingly come to an end. School started for the kids this week, and Sue and I went to our first College Info meeting for Senior parents. Lots of great information was presented by two of the school counselors, and we got to meet the new high school principal. Jake’s main counselor is very familiar with Sue, but I finally got to put a face to the name I’ve heard for over a year. She is just as nice as I have heard.

The information was presented in a very organized way, making the overwhelming info into a sensible format. That said, I am really glad that Sue is the organized one that will be helping Jake get the paperwork completed. I’ll input the financial information, but Sue will get the rest done with Jake’s input.

A Quick Trip to Pennsylvania

Some of our best friends from Virginia visited recently. We spent two days relaxing, talking, and just getting back in touch. Then, last Saturday, both of our families headed to Pennsylvania. The three families are all great friends, and that really came through as soon as we got a chance to relax. I have a great deal of respect for Bill, for multiple reasons I won’t go into here. We always have a great time together - totally laid back with lots of laughs.

Debbie is just amazing. She came up with games, variations that we have played previously but always with twists that were only Debbie created. Take a ton of adults, most drinking, and the games are always a great deal of fun. For example, the first game started with two teams (partners were always on opposite teams), and each person had to pass the string with clothes articles attached through their clothes. It was interesting, and a great ice breaker for those of us from out of town.

The trip was relaxing, fun, full of friends, and very hard to end. Monday when the Ps headed back to VA and we headed back to CT, and the T’s headed to an appointment in Phila., it was the hardest goodbye we have said in a long time.

Wrapped up in Work

Work has been very interesting lately. And when I say interesting, I really mean a great deal of time is spent cranking through the increasingly overwhelming volume of work. I currently have 30 projects assigned, and am dealing with many things outside of projects as well. To top it off, August is my month to cover for the the team for many different topics - collecting and reporting the weekly metrics, attending the weekly Monday morning meeting to discuss those metrics, and both preparing for and attending the project “triage” meetings. I’m simply not sure how I can get this done.

To add icing to the cake, life at home has been somewhat challenging as well. Because of the number of hours I’m working, I come home stressed every single day. Knowing I have more than I can possibly accomplish at work means that I’m really thinking about work almost 24x7. Sue has been managing everything around the house - all cleaning, cooking, and kid duty. She has been doing a fantastic job as what has basically turned into being a single Mom. Sure, I’m there occasionally and do mow the law on weekends, but she’s really the captain of the household ship. I don’t give her nearly enough credit for all that she does.

To help keep my sanity, I continue to run and train for the two fall half marathons. Perhaps this is the one area that I am doing okay. The running actually does clear my head (even though it hurts the body), and has allowed me to continue my 5 - 6 hours of sleep most days. The problem is that I need to be up at 4:15 many mornings to get in my run and get to my desk by 7:15 - 7:30. So, when I stop at night, I drop. If I sit in front of the TV for a few minutes, I am asleep in minutes. I have to get my work clothes out for the next day, so I have things to do. While I know that the running / training takes a good amount of time, I understand that this is the only real way to keep my brain from just exploding.

Is it September yet?

Quick Trip to Maine

This weekend, we headed to visit my Mom and husband in Maine. They were up there for two weeks, we got to visit for three short days. Fortunately, it was a quick, less than 4 hour drive with places to stop on the way.

We stopped in New Hampshire, in South Portland on the way up. We found a great restaurant (a dive, but with really great burgers), then headed out to Bug Light, a local lighthouse. We walked around, took a few pictures, and then headed up to Crystal Lake where my Mom was staying. It was a great house, with one bedroom upstairs and 2 - 3 downstairs. We slept downstairs (Kaite in one room, us in another, and Jake on the downstairs living room futon in his sleeping bag. We had a great weekend, and did a bit of kayaking, driving, and eating some great food! That and family, what more could you ask for.

A Great Vacation

We just spent a week with fantastic friends who came to Connecticut from Virginia for a week of fun and relaxation. We did many things, including visiting Mystic (for pizza, of course), hiking at Kent Falls, canoeing or kayaking down the Housatonic River, taking a steam train and riverboat ride on the lower Connecticut River.
The week was relaxing and I feel somewhat disengaged from work for the first time in a year. Having adult conversation and catching up on life in Richmond helped us move past moving north. Life down south is crazy, and significantly more calm up here. While we sometimes question the move, those discussions helped to cement the fact that this was the right place and at the right time. We’ve been here almost a year now and are finally starting to feel at home.

My Other Blog

I have started a separate blog, trying to capture the running experience without so much non-running or training related discussion. That blog is appropriately named Never Sit Still, and located at http://neversitstill.com
I’ll try to keep the non-running discussion here down, unless it’s appropriate!

There is *no* Easy Path...

Saturday, I start the “official” training for the October 10th Hartford half marathon. My training for Richmond, a short 5-weeks later, will have to wait for the Hartford half training, although much of the training coincides (12 miles in my taper for Hartford is the same week that getting cranked up to 12 for Richmond occurs, and 13 for Richmond is the same day as the Hartford half). The only conflict is in the weeks between the races, when I am cranking up the mileage after completing the Hartford half. That plan has injury spelled all over it... so I will need to see how I feel.

It’s a good, 18-week program that basically has you running each Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Tuesday and Thursday are short runs (3 miles for the first few weeks), Wednesday cranks it up a bit (4 miles for a few weeks, then 5 and eventually 6), and the Saturday runs are the longest and the ones that I fear.

I don’t fear the first long run since I’ve been already covering more than 5 miles while building my base mileage. It’s the 7, 8, 9+ mile trips that I fear. I’ve actually been having a difficult time figuring out where to run without subjecting myself to too many hills and being in a place that I could get picked up if all goes poorly and I get injured. I know I shouldn’t be worried about these things, but I’m running solo. I do carry my charged cell, my RoadID with my contact info, and a fuel belt with enough to make it through about 10 miles without replacement liquid. That means I’m prepared physically - I will need to get tough mentally to pull through. I have planned the work, and now I just need to work the plan.

My second and third half marathons this fall should fear me... at least that’s what I keep telling myself...

Summer Visitors

Heather and Dave are two of our closest friends. They have chosen to spend part of their summer vacation with us this year. I simply couldn’t be happier! We will do a bunch of day trips to places like Mystic and hiking in the nether regions of Connecticut (that we haven’t explored yet), and are coming in less than a month. I am more excited than I have been in a long, long time. I am taking the entire week off, including the day prior so I can start to get in the vacation mindset. I also know that this will be the most laid back week I have all summer, not thinking about work, having some heart to heart talks with both of them, and enjoying the company of their girls as well.

Their eldest is one of my daughter’s best friends. They have known each other since kindergarten (that’s 10 years now), and their relationship is the reason that we got to know Heather & Dave in the first place. Heather is affectionately known as my church wife, since Sue sang in the choir and Dave didn’t attend church often. Several people at the church thought we were married since we always sat together with “our” four children. It was funny, but I really miss sitting next to her in church, in a place where she made me feel comfortable, even though we sometimes spoke little during the service.

Dave has an excellent work ethic, and I think this is one of the reasons why we connect like we do. He’s genuine, says what is on his mind, and does all that he needs to so as to take care of his family. We’re similar that way. Heather always has a smile on her face and her hugs -- they are to die for. When I say I need a fix of Heather, I mean that I need one of her genuine hugs that can make me forget about all of the problems in the world.

When Sue and I told our friends that we were leaving Richmond, Heather and Dave couldn’t deal with it. I was mad at first, then accepting that she (they) were in denial. After all that we had been through together, I had to know that it was as tough on her as it was on us. I will be glad to reconnect to them this summer, if only for a week. It will be sad to say goodbye, but it will be easier knowing that we will see them again and be able to pick right back up with our friends next time around.

2nd Half scheduled!

Well, I scheduled my second fall half marathon on Friday. I am now scheduled for the Hartford Half on 10/10 (coinciding with the World Wide Festival of Races that weekend), and the Richmond Half just 5 weeks later on 11/14. It will be a fun filled summer, starting on June 20th for my official training schedule!

Confirmation Complete

I received the confirmation of entry for the Richmond half marathon today. So, the goal is set for the fall and the plan laid out for the summer running! This morning, I headed out for a nice long run. I had run on Wednesday, although just a quick 2-miler on the treadmill at the gym. I had a 7:30 conference call to make and a water main break had increased my commute by about 15 minutes. I have not run back to back in a long while, so I had no clue how I would feel.

I started down the road with little more than “run as far as you feel like” plan. I ended up going on a new route, feeling really good for most of the run (finally) and ended with a 5 1/4 mile run under my belt. Of course, it took about an hour to cool off so I was somewhat late leaving for work but I finally felt good about a run. I knew it was bound to happen. Now if I can kick this apparent cold, I’ll head out for another run this long weekend. I did stop on the way to snap the attached photo. The sun was just starting to peak through as it was a bit after 5:15.

A Year in New England

It is really hard to believe that it has been a full year since I’ve left Richmond. We spoke to a bunch of our friends last night who were at the pool, enjoying a cookout and drinks with friends. It’s not the area at all. It is the people that I miss the most. The daily interactions have slowly turned into an occasional chat as time permits. Losing that constant connection with the people who have been such an important part of my life is still the hardest part about leaving.

On a much more positive note, this May has been much more relaxing than last May was. The most important part is that I am here with my family. We still don’t have many friends in the area, but that will eventually come. The kids have found a home and a caring environment - definitely very important.

This weekend last year started a very lonely couple of months for me. I was in a hotel room, starting a new job, and in an area where I knew absolutely no one. I am not sure I’d like to do that again, but it did allow me to get firmly entrenched in my new job.

Twelve months - hard to believe.