Jon was all smiles this morning knowing it was his party day. We had a small family only gathering to celebrate Jon turning two. We love you Jon, happy birthday.
Jonathan Turns Two
2
My Parents’ Retirement
The other day I asked my parents who are both retired what they do, besides watching the grandkids from time to time, to make their days interesting. My Dad replied:
“Well, for example, the other day your mother and I went into town and went into a shop.
We were only in there for about 5 minutes. When we came out, there was a cop writing out a parking ticket.
We went up to him and I said, ‘Come on man, how about giving a senior citizen a break?’
He ignored us and continued writing the ticket. I called him a Dumb *ss. He glared at me and started writing another ticket for having worn tires.
So your mother called him a sh*t head. He finished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first. Then he started writing a third ticket.
This went on for about 20 minutes. The more we abused him, the more tickets he wrote.
Just then our bus arrived and we got on it and went home.”
Glad to see my folks enjoying their retirement.
The Race That Even Marathoners Fear
Ok, so the title of this post is taken from an article in the Wall Street Journal. As I am now into the last two weeks before The San Francisco Marathon, I was intrigued to read what race the WSJ found so scary. Turns out the nightmare of a race is The San Francisco Marathon. The marathon that Lena and I will be running in just under two weeks. The marathon that I am hoping to join club 26.2 by running.
The article goes on to talk about how hilly the course is and how it lacks big sponsorship like the Chicago and New York marathons have. It also talks about how some runners tend to shy away from it because they cannot get a PR (personal record/personal best) time on this course. I say “don’t be such a wuss”. I’m the first to admit that I love using technology with regards to running. GPS watch, special hydration formulas, and easily absorbed nutrition have all played a part in my training for the upcoming race. But when I am out there running 15, 18, or 20+ miles at a time, I simply enjoy the run. My pace per mile is more of a “sanity check” for me. If my legs start feeling like they weigh 20 pounds heavier than when I started, it’s usually because I have increased my pace-per-mile. As I mentioned above, this is my first marathon attempt. I’m not really concerned about how long it takes me to cross the finish line..but that I do.
For all those runners out there obsessed with their finish time, don’t you think you can still feel you had an accomplished run by merely completing one of the toughest (and arguably most scenic) urban marathons in North America?
Happy Anniversary
Happy anniversary Lena. It’s been a great six years and I’m looking forward to the next sixty. Love you.
Batting Practice
Lena and the boys at the neighborhood park. Jon is getting the hang of baseball.
Still Running – 6 Weeks Down, 10 To Go
Finished week 6 of my training program this morning. Felt pretty good and pleased with my pace considering I climbed almost as much as I’ll do in The San Francisco Marathon. Big difference is the elevation gain was crammed into 11 miles instead of 26.2. Lena had breakfast waiting when I got back home. Awesome!
As nice as it is running around the lake, it’s getting old. I like it for the elevation training but really need something new to look at.
OC Half Marathon
Had a great run today as I participated in the 2010 OC Half Marathon. Great support on the course and plenty of nice views. Had family waiting for me at the finish which is always great motivation. Looking forward to seeing photos that my friend Oscar took of us all at the end.
**UPDATE – Chip/Tag time was officially 2:03:08.
According to my GPS/watch I ran 13.2 in 2:03:09 (avg. 9:19 miles). The extra tenth was most likely due to the lines I took trying to move around other runners and get over to the water stations. Chip times will not be published until later today. Once I get that information I’ll update the post with my official time.
This is definitely an event I would do again. Maybe Lena and I can run it together next year. By together I mean start together…and watch as she pulls away from the start.