Suwanee Day and Other Stuff

Oh the fun life training for a marathon! I have wanted to write for over a week now, but this time it is not my fault. I ran a 10k on September 13th and I have been waiting for the official results to be posted to put up a race report. Based on the organization of the race I should have known it would be a long wait. So here I am, 10 days out, still no results, but how can I withhold my writing any further and deny all of you the pleasure of reading about my… sweating?

First, the race. With all of my focus (obsession) with running this summer, some of it finally wore off on my wife. As I wore on about how a good race is "the validation of all your hard work"… blah, blah, blah… I finally talked her into signing up for a race. The perfect opportunity came in a local town’s annual carnival affiliated race, the Suwanee Day 5k & 10k Classic. I call it perfect because it is the first race I have seen where they run the two races an hour apart allowing Jamie to run the 5k and me to run the 10k.

First let me say that I am WAY proud of my wife. I think she obsessed about her training schedule more than I do. Of course she was more obsessed about running etiquette than the actual running I think. You can read about her view of the experience HERE, but my view of the experience was one of awe and pride. I can tell you that she did way better than I would have done decorating a cake or the million other crafty things she does! Although she missed her goal but roughly a minute, a post race drive of her roller coaster coarse made me wonder why they didn’t suggest a Sherpa for the runners. Holy Hills Batman!

It was during her race that I had my first signs of the lack of organization. About 300 yards from the finish line the runners crossed a set of railroad tracks. The leaders had come across but somewhere around 25 minutes, a looooooong train came by holding up every runner that would have finished in the 26 to 30 minute window. In a 5k, that’s probably your largest group. When the train passed, a slug of roughly 50-60 runners all sprinted to the finish making a nightmare at the finish line where they couldn’t hand out slips fast enough and the line backed up to where people were waiting in line to cross the finish line… almost comical. Of course, with the train interruption, its not like they were setting any PR’s anyway! I also noticed that the only thing they had for the runners finishing was a bottle of water, no fruit, no food, no other drinks. All of which is fairly common at most races. Jamie also reported that they only had 1 water stop during the 5k and although I have seen that for some 5k’s, the better-organized ones usually have two.

Thankfully, the 10k course went the other direction and other than one big hill (½ mile) down to start and the same hill up at the end, was almost completely flat. As usual I started out a bit further back than I should have as there are a lot of runners who feel like they have to be at the front despite the fact they know they are not fast enough to be up there. I spent the first ½ mile passing people. With the steep downhill gradient and my push to get past these slower runners that first mile was FAST. As they didn’t have mile markers, I don’t know how fast, but I knew I was going out faster than normal.

When we reached the bottom of the hill I slowed some but still tried to push it. The interesting thing about the course was that it was held on a popular local jogging route on a Saturday morning so there were almost as many non-racers as racers out there. At about the 2 mile mark one of the non-racers pointed at me and said "You’re number 22". It was great feedback that I don’t often get in a race. With that as motivation I pushed to see if I could break into the top 20.

I soon discovered that the 10k only had one water stop as well. That was a first for me and it was really not enough on a warm and very humid morning. The water stop was at the turnaround point (more of a small loop than point), I assume somewhere around the 5k mark. After drinking, I glanced at my watch and it read 23:15. I had caught and passed 2 runners by that point moving me to 20th. Pushing back the other way it was odd to pass runners going in the opposite direction. I have only raced loops or point to point courses in the past so an out and back course was a different sensation.

I could tell I was slowing somewhat but not too much. In my mind I wanted to save something in the tank for that last ½ mile climb at the end. On the back half though a few runners did catch me, 3 or 4. I still felt good about my running though. My PR for the 10k was 48:00 set on Memorial Day. I had about the same 5k split then but then really tailed off to finish at 48:00. Since that race I had run over 400 miles. I had confidence that that training would prevent the much slower 2nd half split.

When I reached the hill at the end I pushed into it with full vigor. I did catch one runner on the climb and I was closing on 2 more when we crested. With that I thought it was just a short sprint to the finish but one of the volunteers yelled out, "not yet, you have one more". I thought he meant one more hill and if we did a lap around the park we would indeed have one more hill so I delayed my sprint as I scanned the horizon for indications of the course. It had been as I thought originally, I kicked anew and was closing fast on the two runners I had almost caught on the hill but ran out of course before I got there. Maybe that volunteer meant one more sprint or one more tenth, who knows, and who knows if I actually could have caught them if I had started my sprint where I intended too. But I later discovered that one of those gentlemen were in my age group, and not catching them would hurt.

In the confusion of the finishing area I accidentally cleared my watch before I saw the time. I had vaguely seen the finish clock at the line in the rapidly approaching 47:30 so that is what I put on my finishing card, a new PR by 30 seconds. I glanced at the other cards in my age group, I was the 5th card in with the 4th card listing a time of 47:27. A volunteer was writing down the top three for each age group and I saw the 47:27 time written in the third place slot. This meant that the top finisher in my age group had finished in the top 3 overall. So instead of giving that person an award for both overall and age group they are removed from the age group pool to determine those finishers. So long story short, I missed the podium and a medal by 3 seconds, one of those runners I didn’t catch… 35-39 M is the most competitive age group out there. To put it in perspective, I would have finished on the podium in every other age group!

Of course the organization woes continued. Not only did they not have food for the 10k runners either, they had run out of water after the 5k and hence had NO WATER for the 10k finishers. They had hastily set up 2 coolers (well away from the finish line) with Powerade but had no volunteers working with the runners so you were on your own to get a cup and fill it. The delay posting the results was just the icing on the cake. I’ll let you know the official results when I get them.

My facebook friends also know I completed a 20 mile run on Saturday. This was my best long run to date by far. It has given me the confidence that I will meet my 4 hr (9:05/mile) goal for the marathon. I ran the 20.06 miles in 2:59:24 which works out to 8:56/mile. I felt great the whole way and after an ice bath, I was good to go about 2 hours later. I will repeat the 20 miles this coming Saturday, hopefully with the same results.

I also have to say how proud I am of Caleb who is now running a bit and will complete a 1 mile fun run on October 4th, the date of my next race. I will run the Stonemill Race for Autism 5k while Jamie and Caleb do the 1 mile fun run a little later. Hopefully that will be a better experience for my wife. Caleb is also running the "Jr Marathon" that is part of my marathon. For that he is required to log 25.2 miles of running before the November 8th race day, then he runs the last mile on race day, while I am doing my marathon, to complete his 26.2. He will get a medal just like the full marathon finishers.

I’m also proud of my twin brother who has been running in the morning for 2 weeks now. Although I am the only person on the planet that he has the desire to be competitive with, I think it is killing him to know I am 20 lbs lighter than him after spending 35 years as "the skinny one" of the two of us. Eventually he will get used to it. He can always fall back on being "the bald one" now. ;o)

Running States

I was reading a thread on a message board the other day that asked what states have you ever run in. It reminded me of a post of mine 2 years ago about what states I have ever been in. I know that at least Maine is new to the states visited list since that 2006 post. That was in response to a similar post on my sister-in-law’s blog. When I pulled that up I realized I could generate the same map, just for my run-in states. So here it is:

Now mind you, some of these are nothing more than a couple miles on a hotel treadmill, but, I was in the highlighted state at the time. If I were to generate one where I had participated in official races, that would just be Arizona and Georgia. Not much fun there! So the rule I used was the states where I made a concious decision to go for a run of at least a mile. This kicked out states like Colorado and South Carolina where games of kick the can at Grandma's house or capture the flag at my cousin's house, just don't count.

Another fun graphic would be to show how far my 920 miles over the last year would take me from my house. Some places at the outer edge of an "as the crow flies" ring include: Boston, Ottawa, Minneapolis, Lincoln, Abilene, San Antonio, and Cancun (not to mention a goodly portion of the Bahamas).

FAILURE - Overcome

I wanted to put up a follow-up post to my previous FAILURE post. I said at the time that I would re-run the 18 miler on September 6th, correct the errors I made the first time, and pray for a better result. By all accounts, I think I succeeded in my efforts. It was not perfect, but it was good enough to keep me motivated to continue. So what did I do differently?

The first big change I made was being hydrated to start with. I can't tell you how much I drank on Friday, but based on the fact that I had to get up in the middle of the night... it was enough. If anything, too much.

The next change was the time of day. Instead of the 9:30 start time in 75 degree weather that had me finishing after noon in 85 degrees, this time I started just a little after 6:30 in 65 degrees and finishing by 9:30 in 75 degrees... BIG DIFFERENCE.

I also changed the course slightly. To get 18 miles the first time I ran 2.3 miles to the shaded "Greenway" which is a 6 mile trail, .7 miles past the far end, and the the same course back. While the Greenway is shaded for 95% of its length, the 2.3 and .7 mile stretches are not. Some of the hardest running was that final 2.3 miles in noon day sun. To avoid the additional heat I overloaded the front end of the run to 4.39 miles by running around my neighborhood more, cut out the 1.4 miles in the middle of the run, and took the shortest path back from the Greenway at the end of the run, 1.65 miles.

The last and I think very important part of my success was including my wife. She ran the first 4 miles with me. We went at a relaxed (for me) 12:40 pace. That allowed me to warm up slowly and really break my run into two parts. At the 4 mile mark she turned for home and I continued to the Greenway. She was a great trooper and I was impressed by just how far she has come in a few short months. The first time we ran she walked most hills and we stopped several times over the 1.5 miles we covered. This time we cut several minutes per mile off and we stopped only twice the entire run. She is ready for her 5k... IMHO.

So how did it go? Strong. After separating from Jamie I pushed hard with a goal of running the last 14 miles at 9 minute pace. After I logged the next 7 miles at 8:30-8:40 pace I decided that perhaps I was pushing too hard and should slow down to ensure my success of finishing. Tapering off to 9 minute pace I cruised comfortably all the way through the Greenway portion of the course. When I emerged onto the road portion I noted some slight discomfort in one of my calves but not enough to slow me down. I pushed hard and ran the last 1.65 miles in easily under 9 minute pace.

All in all it took me 2:56:57 to run 18.04 miles. That averages out to 9:48 pace. It was :40 slower per mile than my goal time for my marathon, but still a successful run. I didn't stop a single time the last 14 miles, no cramps, no walking, no near death experience. Guess I have to keep going with this foolish plan...

I'm running a 10k race this weekend (Jamie is running the corresponding 5k), but my next distance is 20 miles on the 20th... wish me luck!

End of August Running Update

Despite my last post, the month in general was successful. I ran at least 30 miles in each week of the month. The last week was my highest mileage to date, over 38. I only missed 3 of the 26 "running days" in the month. I started the month stuck in a weight range between 196 and 198 that I have been in since May. I ended the month on a 15 day average of 193.7, progress at last and I have been 192 for several weigh-ins. I had hoped to reach 183 by my marathon, that may be out of reach but under 190 definitely isn't...

I started tracking my running during the last week of August last year. Since then I have logged over 800 miles. Here is my chart as of the end of August this year. Still climbing, but not by much.

Just over two months to go for my Marathon, assuming I don't have many more days like today between now and then. As for the Diabetes Fundraising, I'm at $190 in hard donations with another ~$160 "pledged" based on my mileage run by November. I don't know if I have told you on this blog but my goal is $1000. So donations to date only bring me to 35% of my goal. For those of you who have given, thank you!

FAILURE - It doesn't always go according to plan

Just had to post what a terrible long run I had today. (All those who revel in my failures, read on. All those who think I'm superman, don't be too disappointed.) I haven't had a run that went this bad for almost a year and it was a tough pill to swallow.

I have been building longer each weekend in preparation for my first marathon in November. Today was my first 18 miler. When I did 16 two weeks ago it went GREAT. Today, I think I made some mistakes that cost me.I didn't do my run in the morning yesterday so I had to do it last night. So, I did a 5 mile Tempo run that finished around 9pm last night. I don't think I ever fully rehydrated from that considering my daily weigh in this morning was down quite a bit. Instead of fully hydrating, I just drank my usual pre-long run amount.

My next mistake was that due to the fact that I have been getting my wife to run lately, I let her go first this morning while I watched the little ones so I didn't even get out until 9:15 and in Georgia this morning it was already 75 on its way to 85 by the time I finished. I've done heat, never that much heat.

By mile 10 I knew it wasn't a "great" run, but I was still feeling okay. By mile 13 it all went to you know where in a hand-basket. My pace dropped off by over 2 min/mile and I even walked a few .5 mile increments. I started mild cramps with 4 miles to go. With 1.5 to go, the gig was up, I walked the rest of the way in. With 100 yds to go both legs locked up in 100% cramps from toes to groin. I had to stand with my house in sight for almost 5 minutes before I could even walk the rest of the way.

I spent the next 3 hours in an ice bath, getting an icy-hot rubdown from my wife, eating bananas, and screaming in pain as my calves cramped periodically. It was the first time since I made my mind up to do this in March that I found myself considering that I may not be able to do it... I will repeat the 18 miles next Saturday, fixing the mistakes I made this week, I'm sure it will go better.

Thank you to those who have donated to my fundraising efforts. Your sacrifice is the fuel that keeps me going after a run like this, even more so than after good runs.

Getting Washed Out by Tropical Storm Fay

First off, this post is in no way meant to deminish the gut wrenching impact and flooding that some have suffered as a result of Fay!

It is odd to think that over the course of my marathon training I have had very little weather to work around. Perhaps that is a function of the drought we have been suffering for close to two years here. I encountered my first weather obstacle this week.

What was left of Tropical Storm Fay dropped close to 4 inches of rain on North Georgia (over 8 inches in spots) over the last 3 days. Getting out of bed at 5am can be hard enough. Getting out of bed at 5am to run in the rain is more than I was able to rise too (ok, pun intended). So where has that left me?

Monday night I ran on the treadmill - yuck! Once you have tasted running through nature, running on a treadmill is BORING! (but doable in a pinch) Last night I went for a run through slight drizzle (I didn't have to wake up and do it). The river that runs by the wetlands I run in had overflowed its banks and was actually flooding the wetlands, instead of the other way around. An 1/8th of a mile section of trail I run was under water. It was IMPRESSIVE. As I didn't run again this morning, drizzle, I may have to do another evening run.

With my trip last week and the rain this week, I actually haven't gone for a 5am run for almost 2 full weeks now. The longer I go, the harder I know it will be to get back into that routine. Ironically, by running at night to make up for the missed morning run I actually make it harder to wake up less than 8 hours later and go out to run, continuing the cycle...

We really did need the rain here so I can tolerate the impact I guess... just so long as Gustav doesn't derail me again! Happy running to all!

BTW, just 2.5 weeks to my next 10k and Jamie's 5k. She is going to do great!

Beaches, Bigfoot, Books, and Shoes

It has been a week or two since my last post. I seem to do this in waves. I wish I could do a post a day type theme but lets just face it, my life is just too boring to fill that much space. Since I last wrote much has happened with our family, part of which is responsible for me not writing for a while.

My brother David planned and took his family to Ocean Isle Beach North Carolina for vacation. A couple weeks back he called and invited us since the beach house he rented since it was capable of sleeping 13 people. We gladly joined him for 5 days 4 nights of fun, sand, and surf. Who cares if we shoved 14 people into that house right? When we rolled out on Wednesday afternoon we were very jealous that they got to stay another 3 nights. I want to publicly tell my brother THANK YOU. We enjoyed his family and our beach visit immensely! So while my twin was hanging out with my sister in a mountain cabin, we hung out in a beach house. Who wins that one? Could argue both sides really.

Caleb loved the boogie board and spent most of his time doing that. Of course the waves were so big that trying to get out into the surf to where they were breaking was quite the task for him and we frequently found ourselves going down the beach a couple hundred yards to retrieve him and return him back to our section of the beach. His most successful rides were when I went out with him and pushed him into the ride. When I did that he frequently rode the wave all the way to the beach. By the end of our trip he had boogie board sores on his stomach and thighs but I don’t think that deterred him one bit.

Mischa tried the boogie board a few times and it was only on the last day she learned that if I pushed her she could ride the waves as well. She was most content playing in the surf and helping me dig for shells. Joshua was a bit timid at first and preferred staying at the beach house if given the option but by the end of the trip he really enjoyed the shallow surf quite a bit. He tried the boogie board once but nose-dived and barrel rolled on his first attempt "nearly drowning", after that, I couldn’t convince him to try again.

Liesie LOVED the beach, but wasn’t too thrilled about going anywhere near the surf if it got water on her head (her mother’s daughter). She loved the shallows and loved playing in the pits I dug at the water’s edge. Here she is playing while I dig.

What can I say, I’m a geological engineer that works for a mining company. I like to dig looking for hidden treasure. I found several shells I was quite proud of. I would also like to confirm that despite reports of Bigfoot being found in the North Georgia Mountains, this is not a picture of him on vacation in North Carolina! Perhaps my next marathon could be run to raise funds for laser hair removal for my back? Maybe that will be more successful than my significantly slowed marathon fundraising efforts for Diabetes… (there is your dose of passive begging for the post)

This last Monday the older 3 started school. Continuing the tradition of taking each kid to his or her first day of Kindergarten I dropped of Joshua and gave a high 5. I had been worried that he might be a bit to timid and not ready to be away from Mama just yet but after the first three days of the week, all concerns are gone. That kid is having a blast. Mischa also rode with me while Caleb opted to ride the bus. Based on the end of the day, maybe I should have picked them up as well.

The other mini-event, was that my first pair of really good running shoes logged their 500th mile this week. You may be thinking "Wait, I thought he bought new shoes?" Or, "Does he really track that?" But more likely you are thinking, "Why the heck should I care?"

I did buy new shoes when these ones reached 400 miles. When I went to find the post I could have sworn I did to mark this occasion in June, I couldn't find one. Maybe I never put one up... huh? Anyway, I just upgraded from the Saucony Omni 6 the current year's model, the Omni 7. They may look quite similar to my first pair, but they took some getting used to. They are almost an ounce lighter but rub ever so slightly on my right forefoot. Since June I have worn each pair alternatively to transition into the new shoes which now have around 180 miles on them (I have been wearing them for the long runs hence they get almost twice the mileage each week).

I track the mileage to help avoid injury. The cushioning (even in a $100 shoe) is only good for so much stress and depending on the shoe, type of surfaces you run on, and the size of the runner, most books (not just the shoe companies) will tell you that you have anywhere from 300-500 miles in a shoe before it should be replaced. It is probably not as important for the casual runner logging 5-6 miles per week running 2-3 times per week. But for marathon training, logging 30+ mile weeks running 6 days a week, the body needs all the cushioning it can get. The last thing I want to do is derail my marathon training with 3 months to go. I definitely notice a difference in the cushioning from when I first bought them, still, $100 bucks is quite the pill to swallow and despite the fact that I have my cost/mile down to $0.20, I may keep running in these for a while more (600 miles?). If nothing else, I have a GREAT pair of regular everyday shoes now.

As for why should you care? You shouldn’t. Just another insight into the running world for your gee whiz collection. Also, I like to pad my blog post length with worthless filler. Maybe I should have broken this into it’s own post but then this wouldn’t be a "catch-up" post, now would it?

Anyway, with school begun and vacations over, the summer is all but over. I would argue that this was one of the more enjoyable summers I have had for a while now. My family brings me so much joy and it was nice to spend almost two full weeks (separated by a month) with them instead of at work. All good things come to an end so they say.

100 Days to Chickamauga

I just did the math and discovered that today marks exactly 100 days until my Marathon. That made me ponder the state of my preparation. Where am I meeting my goals and where am I still lacking? Besides running a marathon, many of you may not know what my goals in relation to it are. For the sake of accountability, I will share my Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) with you. (Yes, I am a geek engineer, with a MBA to make matters worse...)

1. Miles per Week: 35 – Many of the books I have read on the subject have indicated that this is the minimal level of training required to run a "successful" marathon. To date my highest mileage week has been 34.5 miles. As my long runs get longer I should reach this goal. I may have to start adding a second run a couple days a week or come to grips with the concept of rising EVEN EARLIER to get more than 3.5-5 miles in each morning. Especially after school starts and I will be pinched for time in the morning.
   
2. Weight: 183 – This was established as my goal long ago based on the significance of that being the weight at which my body mass index (BMI) would fall below 25. I would then no longer be classified as overweight, which is where I am now with a BMI just over 26, or obese, which is where I started with a BMI over 37. My 15-day moving average weight is currently 196.0. After my half marathon last fall I weighed 199 but then "took a break" over the holidays and drifted back up into the 202-203 range. Putting in the miles I am, this one is harder than it sounds as the hard training makes me HUNGRY, but I am still hopeful as that really only works out to 1 lb per week going forward. Problem is, I have been in the 196-198 window for about 3 months now…
   
3. Run Sub-4 hour Marathon – This one is a little hard to measure without running the full distance. If you do the math, 4 hours to run 26.2 miles works out to just over 9 minutes and 9 second per mile. I ran my half marathon at 9:05 pace to come in under 2 hours but somehow I know I couldn’t have kept that pace for the next 13.1 miles… back then. Since then, my 10k times have improved from 53 minutes to 48 minutes. Plug a 48 minute 10k into various prediction calculators that account for slowing over the course of the longer distance and they predict I should run somewhere in the 3hr45min range for a Marathon. The other observation I made looking at my running data since March though, is that my average pace is SLOWING each month. Starting in March my average pace per mile has gone 8:43, 8:45, 8:45, 8:52, and 8:53. Although this was a bit of a surprise to me at first, there are some explanations. Since March my monthly mileage has tripled from 42 to 132 increasing the wear and tear on this poor body. Since March the morning temperatures have doubled from a refreshing and dry 35 to a hot and steamy 70+ (some scientists say to expect add 30 seconds for each 5 degrees over 60). Lastly, since March more of my miles are now coming from my Saturday long runs which are generally run at a slower pace ~9:00/mile. I’m not in panic mode on this one yet.
   
4. Run 6 days a week – This one is based on knowing that the key to my success is consistency. I always take a rest day on Sunday for the Sabbath of course but it also works well that my long runs are on Saturday. I’m not saying I won’t backslide, but this, with the loving support of my wife, is the metric I’m doing best with for now. In the month of July I only missed 3 days (not counting the 4 Sundays of course). One was the day we went to Six Flags and I would contend I walked a good 20 miles that day. The next was the Monday following my week of vacation where getting myself out of bed at 5 am… just didn’t happen. The last was pure and simple laziness last Thursday. There have been a few evening runs to make up for missed morning runs but for the most part, it is now part of my morning routine. Over the month of July I averaged 5.5 miles for each day I ran or 4.9 miles per available running day.
   
5. Raise $1000 for Diabetes Research/Treatment – This is one that is a bit out of my control. As you all know I chose to join a fundraising group, the Diabetes Action Team, as part of my marathon training. After an initial flurry of donations, I haven’t seen anything for a while. To date I have raised $170 through the good graces of some of my friends and family. I hope I have been true to my word to not harp on you and drown you with emails and solicitations but if you haven’t donated yet, please consider donating as you read this. I am truly humbled each time I get one of those "A donation has been made in your name" emails and it always drives me to rise each morning. Some of my best runs have been the day after a donation as they push me to be my best. So I ask you again, to share in my joy and help me reach my goal. If I can run 500 miles year to date with probably another 400 or so over the next 100 days, is a donation to a worthy cause too much to ask? Either way, I love you all and hopefully, if nothing else, I have your thoughts and prayers.

Roswell 500

GENTLEMEN, START....YOUR....ENGINES!!!

OK, so they aren't quite ready to introduce that as the next event on the NASCAR series but I thought I would drop a quick note celebrating that with my run this morning I eclipsed the 500 mile threshold for 2008. By the end of the week I will pass 700 miles since I started tracking last August. I don't think I will reach the 1000 mile mark for 2008, but I may get close... I think it will all depend on how much I slack off after my marathon in November. If history is followed from last fall, I have no shot of reaching 1000 (see chart below), but perhaps if I sign up for a spring marathon I will be motivated to push through the cold months as well. We will see. Got to get the first marathon under my belt first...

The Pirates of Penzance

Over the weekend I was watching TV and came across a movie that I hadn’t seen for quite some time. From the title of the post you already should know that the movie was The Pirates of Penzance. It was the 1983 production with Kevin Kline, Angela Lansbury, and Linda Ronstadt. If you haven’t seen it, MAKE THE TIME. It truly is one of the great musicals, if not movies, of all time. Gilbert and Sullivan plays have stood the test of time wonderfully but perhaps none more so than this one.

While I was enjoying the movie I thought it was funny that every time Mable (Linda Ronstadt) and her sisters came on screen I almost half expected to see my sister Coleen. Every little line or common quip I could hear her quoting even before they said it onscreen. Perhaps it is because of her years of theatre that I associate more movies with this one sister than anyone else I know. EVERY time I see or hear any of the songs from any of countless musicals, i.e. Oklahoma, 7 Brides for 7 Brothers, the first thing in my mind is my dear sister. Due to the time difference I was quite certain my sister was still in church when the movie came on or I would have given her a call. By evening, the moment had passed and I never got a chance to give her a call.

One of the nice things about running is it gives me the free time to just let my mind wander. As I pondered about my sister and these associations I began to think of my other siblings and other family and if any of them have similar associations. With some I thought of movies, others songs or bands, but in each case the movies below trigger immediate thoughts of one of my siblings for various reasons. I hope no one takes offence as none is intended… So here is my list:

Mom – Pride and Prejudice – The black and white, not the new one.
Dad – October Sky (also Short Circuit – I have never seen him laugh so hard at a movie before or since)
Lorin – Rain Man – You would think this ties into the autism thread but really it stems from my childhood view of my eldest brother as the smartest man on earth!
Keith – Any movie with John Candy but particularly Uncle Buck. For some reason I can just see him making snow shovel pancakes. It is more than just the similarity in looks, it is his demeanor and his non-verbalized expectation of the best from other people.
Diana – Along with Dave, one of the harder to come up with something from "Pop-culture" to associate with her. Although I have many fond memories of her, they don’t really tie to movies or songs. From those memories, various objects remind me of her: model paint, birch beer, Breyer horses, and children’s storybooks, particularly "My Turn on Earth".
Coleen – See Above…
David – I thought hard on this one and I really couldn’t come up with a movie but what kept coming to mind was early 80’s rock, Journey, Loverboy, Rush, etc. I can’t get through "Come Sail Away" without picturing Dave at some point.
Oliver – You would think the obvious "Oliver" but the first movie that came to mind was Tron. Of course the other one that instantly brings Oli to mind is Rock Horror Picture Show. I’m sure he’ll wear that with a badge of honor… much to my mother’s chagrin.
Pat – The obvious would be Twins with his DeVito to my Schwarzenegger, but in reality it is all things from the 80’s. As no one was closer to me during that time, just about everything from that decade remind me of him.
Jamie – Although most everything is seen through the light of how I experienced it with her, I’m going to have to go with a song, I’m guessing she knows which one already… Whistling in the Dark by They Might Be Giants. Yes there is a story there.

So what I want to know is two things, am I the only one that associates particular movies with a single individual or is that common for all of you? Secondly, do any of you associate particular movies with me? Other than the obvious of course… Superman, The Incredibles, The Incredible Hulk… Of course, I could also be The Very Model of a Modern Major General...?

Stepping It Up

I had a good week of running this week. I reached several milestones that based on my last post I have decided to celebrate. If you look at my training log (I know you are all watching it SO closely) you will see that every week I always had one weekday that I had managed to miss in EVERY week... before now. This week I managed to run every day (except Sunday of course). I had to do a few of them in the evenings to make up for missed morning runs, but still, every day. The next goal will be to actually do all my morning runs.

I am also to the point in my training program where my Saturday long runs are finally longer than 13.1 (half marathon). This morning I ran 14.46 miles. For anyone who knows what the heck I'm talking about, I ran the entire 6 mile length of the Alpharetta Greenway, then an extra 1.23 miles to Lake Winward, and back. It took me 2:10:30, which works out to 9:02 per mile.

This all added up to my highest mileage week to date at 34.5 miles. With any luck July should end up upwards of 130 miles. And FYI, I'm at 194 today although my weighted average that doesn't fluctuate as much is higher around 196. Still headed to 183, that's the plan anyway.

Oh, I almost forgot, we also picked up a Wii Fit this week. So far, pretty fun. I think I have a second career as a ski jumper...

Increased Expectations?

I noticed something today. Where I used to celebrate and crow about every milestone reached with my running, I noticed I haven’t done it as much lately. Examples for this include: I posted when I crossed the 100 mile mark on my log but I haven’t really celebrated the century marks the 5 times since then (ok, looking back I marked the 200 miles this year point). I posted about my first 80 mile month and my first 100 mile month, but when I repeated the 100 mile month in June, I didn’t rush here to write about it. I have almost 100 miles on my "new" shoes (below) I got over a month ago but I didn’t write about them at the time like I did the first time I spent $100 bucks for a pair of shoes… (FYI, I just moved from the Saucony Omni 6 to the Omni 7 which is this year’s version – I like the 6’s more). So, the question is, how fast does something move from monumental to mundane? If I didn’t run 100 miles in a month I would feel like I am letting myself down but I now EXPECT to reach that threshold each month. Reality is that to prevent injury when running as many miles as I am I have to replace shoes after around 500 miles on them so big whoop if I got a new pair. I was excited somewhat, but why should you be excited? Of course, that question could be applied to the entire blog concept I guess.

Perhaps I am jaded by the lack of comments and say, "Wow, I didn’t get a single comment on my 100 miles post, why should I point out 200, 300, etc…." Maybe celebrations are not meant to be linear and I will be as excited about crossing the 1000 mile mark as I was about 100. Logarithmic Joy? It used to be that some of my runs were so exciting to me that I transformed them into fictional stories to glorify them further, where now, other than races, the only way I write about the events of individual runs is when something other than running occurs. So there may be a combination of dynamics here as to why I write about something one time but not another but the question is, does it even matter? I think you would be even MORE bored to read that this morning I ran 3.7 miles in the dark and saw 1 deer, 5 frogs, and countless dried worms on the sidewalk.

Maybe the constant droning about running gets stale. Maybe that is why my wife had to throw in a picture of an 18 year old (at the time and time since) backside. Running posts can only convey so much enthusiasm and dynamics. Of course, my life is not exciting enough as it is to support a blog. Other topics from the last few months I could write about? Movie reviews: Indiana Jones, C+ - IMHO, too much unrealistic reliance on CGI, Kung Fu Panda, B - I saw with a screaming 3yr old but a bit predictable, WALL-e B+ - funny and original but a bit too heavy on the anti-corporate/lazy human propaganda. Swimming Pool Maintenance: balancing pool chemistry is harder than you would think, no wonder pool boys would rather be doing something else… I’ll try to put up video of Caleb and me on a roller coaster when I get a chance, but other than that, I got nuthin…

Of course, I’m still doing better than my parents and 7 siblings combined who either don’t or RARELY blog and hardly ever comment!

P.S. - Many Many Thanks to my sister Coleen and her Husband and my High School Friends Ryan and Deanna who are my most recent donors toward my marathon fundraising efforts. I am truly humbled by every contribution! I am 17% to my goal with 4 months to go… I also only recently found out about another person in my life now taking Type II Diabetes medication but I will leave it to HER to tell others as she sees fit as she has decided not to broadcast it but yet not keep it a secret either.

Blog Hijack

This was discussed in the comments section of this post, and I was going to post it on my blog and link back, but we all know that Perry gets way more traffic than I do and I didn't want it to languish away all alone, lol.






Now you can all discuss what a lucky woman I am (as well as marvel at Real's mad photography skillz). -jamie

Peachtree Road Race - Report

I know you all are on pins and needles awaiting the report for my 4th of July race, right? Okay, so most of you probably didn’t even know I was running a race on Independence Day. Now that I live so close to Atlanta and running has become a larger part of my life, I think it would be a bit of a crime to not run the annual PEACHTREE ROAD RACE. This race is the largest 10k race in the world with 55,000 allowed slots that sell out in 2-3 days. (The Bolder Boulder is fast approaching with just over 54,000 runners this year but they don’t cap their runners and even allow same day registrations. Bib numbers are bought and sold on places like Craig’s List and the race T-shirt is a status symbol in this town.

Some of this may be old news to you but the story really starts at the registration process. The Atlanta Journal Constitution prints the entry forms in a Mid-March Sunday Newspaper which you have to buy and then mail in the form and a check (if you want a seeded time group you also send in a copy of an official race result). The story starts when I forgot to get that Sunday paper and didn’t realize my oversight until I was at work the next day, which also happened to be my birthday. I hastily called my wife and had her track down a form, print out my race results, and mail off my entry form. On her way home from the mailbox, she turned left out of the shopping center and clipped a glass truck, totaling our mini-van. So you can say that my Peachtree entry cost me several thousand dollars!

A few weeks later I noticed my check had cleared giving me the heads up that I was accepted into the race. In late June I got my race packet in the mail with my race bib and timing chip. I was placed in group 1B as I expected. The field is so large that they try to seed the runners as best they can. First are the elite runners and invitees, they are followed buy the "sub-seeded" group who have times faster than 42 minutes, group 1A runners have official times between 42 and 50 minutes, and group 1B have official times between 50 and 55 minutes. Although I logged a 48 minute 10k on Memorial Day that was after my registration went in in March with my previous PR of 51 minutes and change. So next year, should I run it, I will be eligible to move up to group 1A. For runners slower than 55 minutes or with no official time you are assigned groups 2-9 and for those in the back the race is long over before they take their first step.

That is the groundwork, here is race day. I awoke at 5 am and showered. I immediately noticed that the 30-40% humidity we had enjoyed all week had been replaced by 85% humidity that morning. I dressed and kissed my wife goodbye and headed downstairs. I really wasn’t in the mood to make anything so I grabbed two pop-tarts and a Diet Mt. Dew. Not exactly the breakfast of champions but I have run further on less and pop-tarts have never bitten me before. I drove to the train depot to take MARTA to the race rather than deal with traffic in and around 55,000 runners.

I arrived at the start area about an hour before the race started. This was according to plan so I could use the facilities prior to running. The portables had a 30-minute wait but it was well worth it. I watched the wheelchair runners start while I waited in line. The line was twice as long when I finished as it was when I started so I don’t know what those runners ended up doing… From there I made my way to my coral. Each group is herded into fenced areas that you can only enter with an appropriate bib. Once in I moved as far forward as I could without feeling rude for cutting in front of other people. This does not mean others wouldn’t do it however. MANY people pushed and shoved as the start approached to get that extra 5 feet closer to the Kenyans… I understand competitiveness but if it is that important to you, get there earlier!

After the race started it took me a good minute and a half of shuffling before I finally crossed the start line and started my watch. The only thing I remember about the first mile was just the sheer throng of runners. Winding past slower ones, giving way to faster ones, and more than anything, enjoying the spectacle. This was the first race that I have run that I would also call an "event". There was more to it than just a bunch of runners trying to brake their personal records. That hit home when we passed the priest throwing "Holy Water" on all of the runners!

At the end of the first mile I noted my first mile was 8:41. Far slower than I had hoped but also a lot better than it could have been considering the throng of people I was engulfed in. It is hard to say that the crowd thinned out as that is relative to other races I’ve run, but at least I could make my way around slower runners by this point. My second mile time of 7:44 was not blistering but fast enough to keep my sub 50 minute goal alive after the slow start.

As I moved into the third mile the coarse took a slight downhill trend and the spacing became even more generous. I decided that if I had any chance at 50 minutes, I had to make my move now, before the uphill portions closer to the end of the course. As I noted my third mile time of 7:15 I began to believe my goal was reachable, especially considering the running space I was now enjoying. Somewhere during my 4th mile I was given a Waffle House headband which I strapped on. I had skipped the first few water stations due to runner congestion and the sweat was really starting to pour down off of me. The headband helped, as did my first water station. My fourth mile time of 7:45 was a bit slower than I had hoped after the third mile but still acceptable.

Then I hit Cardiac Hill! In the fifth mile you run up a hill that has been lovingly named "Cardiac Hill" due to its proximity to a downtown hospital and due to the many heart attacks that a hill this large this far into the race causes. I was passing quite a few people up the hill and felt strong. I think this is due to the many hills in and around my neighborhood that I run on a daily basis. You can imagine my disappointment when at the end of the mile I noted an 8:46 split. How is it that I ran even slower than with that mass of people at the start line? With 1.2 miles to go I had just under 10 minutes to do it. I gave myself 2 minutes for the last .2 miles and knew I had to run sub 8 for the 6th mile if sub 50 was going to materialize.

That final mile is a series of ups and downs and I tried my best to push into each one. The heat and humidity were definitely taking their toll on me but my breathing was not overly labored. It quickly became so as I kept telling myself that if you are still breathing well, your not running hard enough! I passed the 6-mile mark with a 7:42 mile and 2:06 for the final .2 miles to make my goal. I knew I had it then and sprinted as hard as I could to the finish line. With a 1:52 for that last stretch I crossed the finish line in 49:46 for my official "Chip Time". Now the clock read 51:17, but that was my "Gun Time". The chip time represents the amount of time it takes to go from start to finish, netting out the wait I had as those ahead of me started the race.

From there we were funneled through the chip return lines, and then the T-shirt collection lines, and then the try my new sports drink lines, then I finally followed the signs back to MARTA for the train ride back to my car. I will not even begin to describe how gross a commuter train packed with a couple thousand sweaty runners is. I’ll just say I was glad to get back to my car…

Final results, I came in 2218th out of 55,000 registered entrants. That is based on the "gun time" as they follow the rule of "first to cross the finish line". If you look at the results you will see several people ahead of me that have slower chip times but had the good fortune of starting earlier than me. I guess that is the value of moving up to 1A next year and then rudely elbowing my way to where I can grab an Ethiopian… As for my age and sex rank, they only do male/female and over/under 40. So, for the under 40 males, I came in 991st! Been there, got the T-shirt, unless something changes, I most likely will be doing it again next year.

Memories of Me? / Comment "Fishing"

I got this from my SIL and Real and more than anything I was jealous of the amount of comments it generated on their blogs. Hopefully it will have the same effect on mine...


Here are the directions:


1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!


2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

My Wife, the Turtle

At her "request" in her comment to my last post I had to throw this post up for my wife. In an effort to support my wife in her recent running efforts I suggested an idea to her. I said that I would love to go on a run around the neighborhood with her. I have mapped out several 1.4 to 1.7 mile courses just running around our neck of the woods. I told her that I felt that the kids could behave themselves for 20 minutes and in the event of an emergency I could be home in far less than 10 minutes from anywhere we might be on our run. I told her that I could carry her cell phone and that we could pre-dial the number from our home phone so the kids would only have to hit the redial to get us. We have done this same practice when she goes shopping and I am on the roof cleaning our gutters. After some initial hesitation, she agreed to give it a try.

We decided to take the shortest loop on our first run that is only 1.39 miles to the kids school and back. I told her to go her own pace, and I would jog along for moral support and conversation. I wore my hydration belt so she could have water when she needed it. Although it was warm, it was not unbearable at around 80 degrees or so. She would run for several minutes and then walk/drink every so often. She had tried to say, while arguing why the plan wouldn’t work, that I would be walking along side of her running but I assure you that I couldn’t have kept up just trying to walk the whole way.

Our neighborhood is somewhat hilly but I was quite impressed that she chose to run up the hills. I don’t remember a single significant hill she walked up. We completed the loop and reached home in 19:40 or 14:09 / mile pace including the walking and running – never stopping. This was the fastest pace Jamie has gone since getting her new shoes and when you consider the hills and that the other ones also included full stops and breaks not included in her time, it is extra impressive. For the record, that is fast enough that if she were running a 5k and me a 10k, she would still finish first… I know there were several runners at my last race who couldn’t make that claim.

The run was extra fun for me as well. I did most of the talking but I enjoyed the conversation that I rarely get on my solo runs. The run also functioned as an EXCELLENT warm-up run for me as I went back out for another 3.73 miles that I ran at a pace much faster than I had run for several weeks in training. I rarely get the luxury of a separate warm-up run.

I am sad to report that she is having some shin pain after that run that she didn’t have with her home treadmill runs. I hope she didn’t push too hard because she felt pressure from my presence at her side. I guess some breaks for stretching are needed if I can talk her into doing it again. She may not realize it but her 4.4 miles so far are actually a big motivation for me as I see her try to find joy in my hobby. I wonder if she gets the same emotion watching me play with her stamps at Christmas time or helping her frost a cake?

She may have suggested the title to this post but if I’m the hare, EVERYONE knows the end of that story…

What Goes Bump (or Pop) in the Night

My Long Run on Saturday included an event that I wanted to write about and get your opinion/feedback on. Usually I run in the mornings on the Alpharetta Greenway for my long runs. Last Saturday I had a change in plans, or more correctly, my plans were changed for me. Friday night I spent the night in the Hospital Emergency Room with Joshua getting 4 stitches in his forehead. That is a whole other story but suffice it to say he was one of the monkeys jumping on the bed and we know what happens to each of them in turn… Getting home at 4 am, I slept until noon. So following a full day of activity I finally got out around 9pm for my long run.

Instead of running at the Greenway, which has convenient markers each half mile, I decided to run a double loop around my neighborhood and adjoining wetlands/park. I plotted out a course that would be just over 9 miles and headed out the door. Due to the late hour I wore my headlamp that I usually wear on my early morning runs. Fairly early in my run I heard a noise in the distance, from the general direction of an apartment complex next to our neighborhood. Pop-pop-pop…pop-pop….pop-pop-pop…pop… I didn’t get an exact count on the pops but there were several. From that distance it really is impossible to distinguish between firecrackers (they have started selling them for the impending 4th of July) and gunfire. As it was so far in the distance, I just filed it away and continued my run.

About an hour later I was well into my run and was now in the park running around some of the man-made wetlands and ponds. As it was after 10, the sun had fully set and I was depending on my headlamp for lighting. I rounded a corner and approached a loop around another pond and noted what looked like a light from a flashlight about 1/8th of a mile off, just off the trail. This park is a favorite of mountain bikers and the first thought that went through my head was "wow, that is one dedicated biker." As I continued to run I noticed that the light wasn’t moving, it was staying in the same general area, just off the path. My mind tried to explain this as "maybe he has a flat tire" but that, or any other explanation I was thinking, just wasn’t feeling right. Then, as I continued to run around the loop in that direction, when I got about 120-150 yards away, the flashlight all of a sudden turned off.

My mind went into overdrive. Why would they turn the light off? Did it correspond to when they saw me? Maybe it was a bike and it went around a corner? In the dark, not a house within a half-mile, the mind and its natural defense mechanisms can do amazing things. Fairly quickly my mind retrieved the memory of the popping noise. Then I realized that where I was I was actually closer to the apartment complex than to our neighborhood. It was through a tree line and a fence but where that light was is only 250 yards from the closest apartment building… Could this be thugs disposing of "something"? Or is this just some kids out messing around in the woods after dark? So many questions with ZERO answers.

That’s not entirely true. I was getting an answer but I was choosing to ignore it. My "gut" and the Holy Ghost were YELLING at me, turn around NOW and run back the way you came. Three things betrayed me. One, my feet, they just kept moving. In a world of maintaining pace and stride, the unnatural act of stopping and turning around, just didn’t compute in my head. Two, my planned run, I knew the exact distance of the route I had mapped out but if I turned around I would have to go on to Google Earth and re-measure that segment of my run. And even then, it would be a guess as to my exact turn around point. And third, my biggest hurdle, my ego. I can’t be afraid of a flashlight or noise or anything while I’m out running… If I let this one win, what would I do the next time I heard a howl early in the morning, or the crashing of some bushes? Where do you draw the line when your mind’s imagination takes over?

For good or bad, I kept running. As I approached that stretch of the trail my heart rate peaked, and not because I was already 7.5 miles into my run or because I had picked up the pace. This was different, this was pure adrenaline from the fear and concern that I had made the wrong decision. As I ran past the area I made a point of not shining my light off the trail, I just ran straight ahead, looking straight ahead, like I never saw the flashlight in the distance. Just as I convinced myself that there was nothing there I heard a small rustle and a distinct "Shhhh Shhhh Shhhh" from the bushes. Sweat soaked hair on the back of my neck still found a way of freeing itself from the moisture and sticking straight up. My ears perked, straining to hear more. The bullfrogs droned from the adjoining pond but my heightened senses functioned like noise cancelling earphones finding a way to filter the frogs out to listen to the bushes more intently. But there was nothing but silence from the grassy knoll. Somehow my mind started developing exit strategies and contemplating the question of what a bullet to the back would feel like. Would I go down with the first shot? How many could I take and still run? I reached up and turned off my head-lamp thinking "I’m not giving them a target, let them shoot in the dark!" As my eyes quickly adjusted to the tree filtered moonlight I kept a focus on the white concrete path, I quickened my pace, lengthened my stride, and never looked back.

It was a good quarter mile before I slowed down, if only slightly, and turned my light back on. Even then I wouldn’t turn around and my ears strained to listen for running feet other than my own. I ran straight home from there (that was my designated course anyway). I debated whether or not to tell my wife and decided to share the experience with her. Not a mistake, but I took my scolding and her point about 5 people back at the house that depend on me making the right decisions and listening to the Spirit when it is talking did not fall of deaf ears. I debated whether or not I should tell the Police but I settled on the argument of "it still could have been your imaginations, lets see if there was any crime reported in the news before I get the police chasing random flashlights". Watching and searching the news for the next two days, nothing showed up.

It could have been, and most likely was, nothing nefarious. But what would you have done? Have you ever been in a similar situation? What did you do? Inherently I think that late night in a park is far more dangerous than early morning in a park or late night around the neighborhood. I think I have decided that if I have to run after dark again, I will stay on the neighborhood roads and not loop into the park. That is sad because the park is nice and I often see wildlife but ultimately I don’t want to have to make this decision again and my family IS more important than any enjoyment I get from running.

My Kids

If you want to see some really nice pictures of my kids, wander on over to the blog of a photographer friend of ours who is doing a series of kids photo's. Check 'em out:

1. My oldest doing Karate
2. My second, drawing a picture
3. Mixed shots of all of them

Dang - those 4 kids are the best Father's day gifts I could ever ask for!

Tucson Arizona - Bear Down Baby!

It sure was nice last week to get a taste of the old stomping grounds. Of course in writing the title of the post I'm reminded that my school slogan sounds like something an OB/GYN might say... As part of an expansion of my job responsibilities at work I am adding our facility south of Tucson, Arizona to the list of facilities I take care of environmentally. As part of that, I visited Tucson last week. For those of you not aware, I attended the University of Arizona in Tucson for my undergraduate degree where I met my wife. Of all the places I have lived, Tucson ranks third, for now, only behind Salt Lake City and Silver City for duration. Kearny may beat it out if you add in a few summers here and there but I don’t think so, I’ve never done all the math…we could call it a tie for third…

Anyway, I flew into Tucson late on Monday and back to Georgia early on Friday. If I was smart I would have booked my return flight for Saturday or Sunday and used the company paid flight for a trip up to Kearny as well, but I guess I can do that next time. As it was I was able to arrange dinner on Tuesday night with my twin as he stopped en route from Silver City to Phoenix with a co-worker headed to a training conference. I also met up with my parents on Wednesday night as they drove down to Tucson for dinner. My brother Ollie, who lives in Tucson for another month or two, joined in for both occasions. Living on the East Coast with only one sibling within driving distance makes me appreciate those rare chances to see family all the more.

I can’t have a post without a nod to my running of course. Oh how nice it was to run in Arizona. I could get used to that in a hurry! Each morning I would go out for my runs at the usual 5 am but due to Arizona’s insistence on ignoring daylight savings time the sun came over the horizon within 15 minutes of the start of my run each day. The desert may get hot in the day (103 last week) but the morning cool in the mid 60’s with what felt like single digit humidity was PERFECT running weather. My 70-degree runs with 90% humidity back in Georgia this week have felt oppressive in comparison!

For all the old acquaintances I wasn’t able to hook up with this go around, I’m sorry, I’ll try to catch you next time. As it was, I was with my boss who had rented the car for us, so getting the car for my own use on two of the three evenings was pushing it as it was. The trip reminded me of all the things I enjoyed about Arizona not to mention the proximity to family, but for all that, I love life in Georgia as well. But don’t worry, that doesn’t mean I cheer for the SEC over the Pac-10, that doesn’t mean that I don’t read the Kearny, Tucson, Silver City, and Salt Lake City online newspapers at least weekly, it just means I follow NASCAR now as well…

Interesting Observation...

I have absolutely no evidence that the two are correlated but I noticed something today and find it extremely interesting...

Since I started my blog I have had 77 total posts. I have received at least 1 comment on all but 9 of them. Quite interestingly 4 of the 9 with no comments have occurred in my last 6 posts. So what was 6 posts ago? The announcement of my Diabetes fundraising efforts and the link to my donation site.

Is it coincidence that the comments dry up when I ask for more than a quick read and update on my life? Maybe my running exploits are just not that fascinating and hence people are not motivated to comment? Or maybe, just maybe, people don't want me to know that they have visited since I put that info up so they can plead ignorance when I ask them if they know about my fundraising?

OK, guilt trip over. Like I said in the original posts and emails, I'm not the in your face type of fundraiser. But that doesn't mean I don't rely on passive aggression for just about everything in my life... Hey, I've got to do something, I sent out the email and had my big announcement and got 1 co-worker and 1 college buddy I hadn't seen in 12 years as the only two people to make a donation! That only got me 5% of my goal! I've promised not to send out another email but that won't stop me from making frequent reminders here on my blog. I have faith in you, I'm sure my observation is nothing more than coincidence... I won't really start getting depressed for another couple months, so you have some time I guess.