A PR with a bad wheel...

Well Louisville turned out to be a very nice race after all. After not knowing if I would run at all I'm very happy with my time in the end. I started out just trying to not hurt myself anymore. By mile 9 or so I decided that my leg was going to hold up OK so I picked the speed up and tried to make up some ground at the end. When it was all over I had a new 1/2 PR @ 1:55:38. My old 1/2 time from VA Beach was 2:00:??.
As far the race itself, Louisville has plenty to be proud of. The city itself was clean and very nice. What few hills there were all but gone after mile 5. The hills were gradual and through a park so the whole ascent was shaded and cool. My only real concern was the descent. I was really concerned that the jarring would further hurt my hamstring so I tried my best to hold back and land on the balls of my feet.
The real highlight of the race was the section of the race that went through Churchill Downs. It was really nice to run inside the track area and look at the horses going through their paces. The Kentucky Derby runs this coming weekend. So there were many horses there.
I was able to finish the race with plenty left in the tank so I felt pretty good. My leg did hurt a little after the race but after a few Advil and many beers I was feeling pretty good. I also had the chance to meet a very nice online friend after the race. My buddy Mr. Green drove over an hour to come and say "hello". He and his wife are very nice people and it was a pleasure to meet them.

That's about all I can say. For anyone who is looking for a nice Spring time half Louisville is one to consider. Very nice town and the race itself was pretty organized as a whole. I give it a 'A' grade.

Feeling pretty good..

I have taken it very easy the last few days and it seems to be paying off. I won't test my leg until race day. Worst case, I'll trot/walk the race. I just want to finish. I look forward to possible meeting RGreen while I'm down in Kentucky. I know Ray from the RW Masters Forum. I'd like to give a shout out to Kati, "Happy Birthday" and BigMan, "Congrats on the Wedding this weekend."

Lillie, thanks for checking on me regularly. I need all the adult supervision I can get.. :) I hope to have some good pictures when I get back on Sunday...

I'm such a dumb ass....

What was suppose to be a nice easy run yesterday went bad. Instead of taking it easy and doing the right thing, I push myself too hard and tore my hamstring. Right now it's at the point were I don't know if I'm going to be able to run the 1/2 marathon this Saturday. I'm going to rest it and eat the right foods and hope for the best... This year I've been pretty much injury free so I guess I was due.... :(

Taper baby, taper......

I'm being kinda lazy this week but it's all part of the plan. I'll only be doing 3 or 4 miles today.
Yesterday was very stressful. After picking the kids up from school we were greeted by the sweet smell of crap... The young dog apparently got into something again and made a terrible mess in his cage again. I've just about had it with cleaning up dog mess. It's not like I need anymore stress in my life. The DW just doesn't get it.. OK, I feel better now.. :D

No run on the docket today....

I only have a couple of short runs scheduled for this week. I'm going to rest up for the half this weekend. It looks like summer is here.. I feel like a chronic complainer. When it's cold I'm wishing for warmer weather. When is warmer I'm wishing for cooler weather. I just have to get acclimated to the heat.

Should've run a few less miles...

My buddy Ray tried to tell me not to run that many miles today. I headed out before I read his post. My body was letting my know that it was not very happy. I put in almost 14 and I definitely felt the heat. I'm out of gas. I took the kids to swimming lessons then mowed the grass. Diane and I went out to dinner for our 10 year anniversary. We had some great sushi. I just want to go to sleep. :)

It's good to be home...

I just got back from travel. Although the weather is starting to get nice up in New England it's nice to get back home. I got at the airport real early. I tried to get on the early flight but it was totally booked and there was 2 others on standby. Only one got on...
So,,, I watched two movies on my laptop. "The King of Scotland" and "Smoking Aces". They were both good movies, if you don't mind blood and guts. I only get to watch these movies when I'm on the road. Diane doesn't care for them and they are obviously not what you want the kids to watch.

I can't wait to run tomorrow. It's suppose to be in the 80's so I'll get out early. I'm going to try and get in 12 or 14. I've noticed my achillies is a little sore. I'll have to keep an eye on it.

On the road again...

I'll be heading out of town again for a couple of days. I have to get a good run in today at lunch because I'll probably miss a couple days. I'm glad I'm only doing a half next week because my mileage is down the past couple of weeks. The weather should start getting nicer and I will be a little more motivated to run early in the morning before work. Cold dark mornings are just not my cup of tea.

Just wanted to post a new picture of Cody....

This was taken about a month ago in Washington D.C.

My next race will be...

Kentucky Derby Marathon and mini Marathon on April 28th

I'll be doing this race mostly for fun. I have to run just under 2:00 for a PR. I've never run this race before so I'm just going to take it easy and enjoy myself. We have some 12oz. weight lifting scheduled for after the race.

Let's see if I can figure this out...

I'm not quite sure what I will write about on this blog. I guess I'll tell a little about myself to start off.
I'm a happy father of 6 kids. I know, I know, I didn't plan it that way, thats just the way it turned out.
I'm a Western Pennsylvania boy who has lived many places since leaving for the Navy in 79. Just in case there was any question, I bleed Black and Gold! I'm a Steeler, Pirate, Penguin and Pitt fan. I now live in Northern Virginia and work as a Systems Security Manager for a small defense contractor. I love my job and the people I work with.
Within the last year I've started running again. I've completed two marathons in the past 6 months. My first was the Richmond Marathon which I completed in 4:44:44. Kinda freaky huh? :D My second was the Wirefly National Marathon in D.C. I completed that one in 3:50:13. I never entertained the thought of doing marathons until I started frequenting the Runners World Masters Forum. There are many great people there, a wealth of knowledge and support for runners young and old. I decided after my last marathon that I'm going to try my best to qualifying for Boston. I turn 45 next month so I have to knock 20 more minutes off my time. I've already signed up for Philly in the fall. It boasts the most BQs of any qualifying race. For those of you who don't run, you can't just sign up for Boston you have to run one of the certified Boston Qualifier races. Depending on your age group you must meet a specific time. For me, that will be 3:30:00.
Besides running my life is a full as it can be. My three oldest children are from my first marriage. The oldest two Mickey Jr. and Corie are now grown and on there own. My third child is Joshua who lives with his mother in Jacksonville NC. He will be starting to drive soon so she will have her hands full. My youngest three are from my present marriage. Justin, Daniela and Cody. These three keep my wife and me going nonstop. As crazy as they make us, we love them with all our hearts.... I'm also now a grandfather. Corie had a beautiful little girl and named her is Mackenzie.

On September 4th 2004 our lives changed forever. Cody, our youngest then two was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma.


I would hope that not even my worst enemy would have to watch their child go through this. Cody had a stem cell transplant on 3/14/05.

Christmas 2005

Above is a picture of the best Christmas ever. We didn't think he would be with us a year earlier. We thank God everyday for what he has given us. Cody will be turning 5 on September 11th and is doing great. (knock on wood!) He is the strongest person I know. He will always be my hero. I will never have a thing to complain about again.

This is my favorite picture ever...