First free weekend in ... Can't recall

With my time as a volunteer at Tuscobia (150 mile and 75 Mile ultra) last weekend, I had this weekend as the first one in so long that I was free from any obligation.  It was something I looked forward to...  Since I quit tennis two weeks ago my last two work weeks are closer to 50 hour weeks as opposed to the 72 I had averaged for the first 50 weeks of 2011.  Shelley was going to Nebraska and my son is in Chile (yes the country) so it was just me and a dog.  Not even my dog, but one who is aging like me and we are bonding...

Tuscobia was great to see these super humans.  The guy move is from Texas and unlike other, he dressed light.  (Note no gloves!)  Hell, I was cold out there.  But he was walking/jogging and I was standing... I started the volunteering at 1:00 PM Friday and left about 1 PM Saturday.  Did get about 45 minutes of sleep between 6:45 AM and 7:30 AM, other than that, time flew being around great people and good friends.
With shorter work weeks, I have been able to get workouts in on a regular basis.  That is good as I have been so stressed and time was short.  I have worked out at least 30 minutes a day average with today being 2.5 hours.  I feel fatter, but better.  I always tend to feel worse for the first few weeks of working out, until it becomes a habit.  So I am hoping that at the turn of the year I will have three regular weeks under my belt and be able to form the habit.

Since I have not posted on this blog much in 2011, I think a synopsis would be appropriate.  Here are bullet points highlighted:

• January, realized my son brought bedbugs back from his trip earlier in the year...  That was a fight...  Nothing for 9 months now so I conquered that beast.  Really sucked at the time!
• February I moved to Apple Valley.  As many have known, I had many medical issues and decided it may be the place I lived?  So I moved in with my girlfriend (I actually am not living in sin, I live in the basement of the dwelling.  But then, does that really matter to anyone?)  But she had wedding and other big expenses coming so it was a great benefit for her as well...
• April, due to the 18+ mile one way bike ride to work, I added a Bionx Electric Assist Kit to my Cannondale Quick 5.  It really allowed me to bike commute daily as opposed to needing a day rest between the 36+ daily miles.
• Without running since Grandma's 2010, my son took my out for a 3 mile training run the week before Grandma's 2011 and then we ran it together.  So my streak is now 27 consecutive years as an official finisher.  He was a lifesaver and stayed with me the whole way and we had fun.  What a cherished memory that will always be!
• Moved my son (twice) in Golden, Colorado in July.
• My girlfriend was distant as she was so busy planning a wedding (no, not me - he daughter) and that was shortly followed by a two week trip to Italy - to visit her other daughter. (See picture below - what a beautiful couple)
• Volunteered at the ST 100 at the 42 mile mark.  Great weather for the spectator but the poor runner had the hear to beat the crap out of them.  My aid station looked more like a M.A.S.H. unit, but only smiles!
• I interviewed in a few location far from here and had an offer in Idaho.  I ended not accepting the offer, but since I have regretted that a few times.  When life is hard and relationships are strained, sometimes a new start is always the way to go, but then I have not been one to run from issues.  There were 100 reasons to go and a few to stay.  Today, I regret the decision, tomorrow I may be glad I made that decision.  That is the way it has been for the past month since turning down the lateral move, professionally.
• December 9th - the end of USTA for me.  I bid farewell to the USTA forever.  Just like when I left baseball unpinning, I knew I would never look back and I was ready to hang it up.  Over 10 years and it was getting to be 35-40 weekends a year, I no longer enjoyed that hobby!  I learned the phrase "you can not put a price on passion but it only takes one idiot to take it away.  In this case, it was an administrator or two and a few parents, but they sure made it miserable to volunteer or try to be a part of the organization.
• Finished the year with 2,265 bike miles, 645 elliptical miles and 29.2 running miles.  Did not track walking miles, but must have a few hundred?

After my last tennis event, Shelley took me to the Holiday Lights Benefit Concert at the Brave New Workshop.  It was a great time and we saw a local performer I knew nothing about.  She is Keri Noble.  IMPRESSED WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT.  Check her out as she is a great songwriter with heart and soul in the music.

As some may know, we have been four staff members short at the office.  With the down economy, we could survive with two less, but four has been hard.  We are getting a new staff member soon (Mid to Late January).  That will help, although as usual, this is the time of year we are less busy so we can train them before the storm hits in March...

All in all, it seems that the body and life is changing very fast as I near 50.  I think I have experienced more change in the past 18 months than the decade prior.  Almost felt like I was getting divorced all over again, but the changes were not related to other humans, just me.  If that makes sense.

So now I look at 2012.  Looking ahead I need to get the weight down.  The right knee I had surgery on feels OK with an occasional painful twinge.  I will continue to nurse and care appropriately for the body to get me back into shape.  I have no aspiration of running any races next year but do plan on volunteering at ST 100 again.

I will keep you all posted and until then, Carry on....

Tuscobia - here I come to volunteer

I have had very little time to workout this year but have been real thrilled and enjoyed volunteering to aid those who can run, and want to run.  Tuscobia is a 50K, a 75M and a 150M.  Not sure how many runner there will be, but there Bill and I will man a station.  Should be fun, as long as I do not give Bill's coffee away like I did in Superior...  Oops.

Anyway, took Friday off from work.  That means this week is only a 36 hours work week, almost half of the average for the year...  I almost feel like a slacker for not getting a workout in this week.  I did plan, but even the best plan are nothing is I do not get off my oversized bottom!  I know excuses are not a good idea, but it has been a very depressing week!  Tennis officiating has been a very huge part of my life and this is the first week of letting that go.  It is kind of like a 12 year relationship that I broke up with and as strange as it sounds, it is not easy.

Getting a workout in in the Holiday is even harder when it is not a habit.  Will do what I can!

Did watch the Biggest Loser Finale.  The at home winner looked kind-of scary.  It was really a boring season and missed over half.  Anna K. was not a very good trainer, in my opinion.  Bob is still the king!

So lets see what next week can hold.  Crap, that is the week before Christmas and I think there is something I am supposed to do.  What could that be?  Mmmmm?  Oh crap, buy presents.  Do you think if I believe in Santa hard enough the tree will have presents and i will not have to do anything.  I will think about it...

When I was married, someone else always did a great job taking care of those things...  Been a long time and I still have not broke the habit of having it done for me.  This is brought back to mind as I go through so many hours of home video's as I convert them to DVD...  Like I need another thing to bring me down...  Actually, it was a good time and things just went different ways.  I was a father and that shows...  Something no one can take away...  I guess it may be time to grow up...  but a run sounds better!

As stated by Socrates  "As for me, all I know is that I know nothing."


Carry on...

My 3rd post in 2011...

Been a long time.  After the surgeries and other things, I am back.  This has been a very hard year.  So what has happened the past 14 months:

• My son brought bedbugs back from Germany, that was a big bummer.  If you want to know, I got rid of the problem by freezing everything I own.  I put it outside in January for 3 weeks and moved...  No more issues!
• I moved in with my girlfriend (kind-of)...  We really do not live as a couple... I live in her basement.
• I am finishing the third year in a row of working at least 65 hours a week and volunteering more than 10 hours a week average...  No wonder I have gain weight...  This year I have averaged 76 hours a week for 2011.
• I am only 29 pounds below my 302 weight in 2005...  I gained an average of 1.4 pounds a month since 2006.
• Logger my first 2,500 bike miles year ever.  Only ran about 30...
• Finished my 27th consecutive grandma's marathon.
• Worked or volunteered 46 out of the last 56 weekends.
• All done with tennis after this weekend.  Bitter sweet...  But I have come to the point I despise the sport...  To many good old boys who claim to be leaders but are only egomaniacs doing what they can to please their elite friends and little care for the sport overall.
• Looking forward to next weekend and volunteering at Tuscobia 50, 100, and 150 mile ultra.  Friday away from the office and a weekend of fun!  These ultra directors, runners and friend are all great people who do not know what the work ego means...

Looking forward to  45 hour week to start 2012 and getting a little bit of my life back that has been almost gone for so long just finishing off so many responsibilities and promises in my life...  

Carry on my friends, carry on...

Blog Time Off

Blog posts are further and further in between. Life is so busy. So many changes coming in the next few months!

We are all busy and life is hard for many. I have no reason to complain as I have been blessed in so many ways. But there are so many changes that will happen in the coming months. First off, I am moving from Bloomington to Apple Valley. I have looked ahead and I will not have a weekend free from Tennis or work until late May, the way it looks...

But the biggest issue is my health and wellness. I thought I was going to improve after my surgery in May. But the infection I have been fighting since late 2008 (which is the reason for my May 2010 Surgery) has come back many times or maybe never went away. I have been on strong Black Box Warning Medications (Fluoroquinolone plus others) and then weeks later, a visit to the Doc and I get the news, IT'S BACK!

I just finished a round of four different medication 5 days ago. While on them, my chest is clear, I feel solid and my head feels fine. After a few days without, I feel the all the negative impacts return. So right now, I have decided I do not want to bother friends and followers with my "bad" time. In reality, I am fine, just limited...

I am going to continue to work with the Doc's and try to beat this, what ever it is... I know that being 2 weeks on heavy duty anti-biotics then 3 week off then 2 weeks on and another 3-4 off... Just been that cycle for 8 months and end is not clear.

Anyway, that is an update and for the time being, a sign off from posting on this Blog. May we get through this winter and may my spring be filled with success in beating this infection, which just will not go away. Of course, one side of me says if I worked a 40 hour week for a month and reduced the stress, I would improve. But I have commitments, just like was all do, that result in more than 75 hours each week. At my full time job, where I am just happy to be employed, we are in the hiring freeze and the stress of missing three (of 8) important staff members, I am killed at work and if i miss a day, I go from being a week behind to even more and then I work a few 15 hours days to get things done...

Anyway, may we all be blessed with good health and wellness as we get through what is a difficult time.

Carry on my friends... Signing off and hope to be back in a few months...

New year... More photo's

Here are some photo's I found that can express the way life feels for so many people right now:

Recent Dr. Visit found the following (At least that is the way the brain feels... gone):


When I come home and try to relax on the couch... even the couch overtakes me ...


Then I find the dogs have taken the credit cards... and a good life!


Actually had a nice two days of 2011. Looking forward to a good workout and a nice week. I have five straight weekends of tennis so it will be hard to get in the flow, but will try and not stress out about it!

Carry on...