dlee's briefcase

July Recap

2011-07-28T21:48:00.000-05:00

Well so much for having a purpose drive me to keep my blog up-to-date. So in short, here is a summary of my July. It has actually been very good for training and achieving my sub 80 round despite the onslaught of heat hovering over the midwest.

In late June I traveled with the Levings family and Trevor to El Dorado for a spontaneous tri to battle some demons. The tri was a success for all and helped me overcome my struggles on the swim which I encountered my previous tri.
Since then, my training has picked up considerably. I finally feel like I have reached a good level of fitness in all 3 disciplines and should hopefully be able to tackle the trials of Branson. There is one more stop in Illinois prior to the half that will give me a good feel for where I stand.
Swimming in SMP over the last month has been a good test for swimming long distances in the open water.

And now golf...

My last couple of weeks on the golf course have also been good to me. Starting with a couple good rounds at the Tarkio 2Day, I carried the momentum forward and had two sub 80 rounds back to back. My ball striking has improved as well as my putting allowing me to post a 79 and 75 in consecutive rounds. 2011 Goal 1 of 2 complete!

Father's Day Golf

2011-06-19T20:05:00.000-05:00

For Father's Day, Mike and I treated my Dad to a round of golf. It was a scorcher, but it was a fun afternoon. Looking back on my round, I was actually closer to breaking 80 than I realized. 2 holes pretty much destroyed my score from careless tee shots resulting in 8 over for those holes alone. Basically, I shot par on 6 of the last 7 holes on the front nine and was only 2 over on the back with 3 holes to play. Of course I had an errant tee shot, poor bailout and approach shot, and horrible putt. Eliminate that lapse in play and I was right on the cusp of my goal. With the half ironman training taking up a lot of my time, it might be tough for me to get in the necessary practice to really improve my golf game, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make this year.

On my drive home from the golf course, I just put into perspective how long my mile swim is going to be. Look at a stretch of road you know to be a half mile long and imagine it lined with orange buoys and swimming. It doesn't seem so long in the pool, but when you visualize it like that it seems a bit more daunting.

Week in Training

2011-06-19T19:51:00.002-05:00

Good week of training. I'm not sure what is different about this week than the past couple of weeks, but my body felt pretty good even though I packed in a lot the last couple of days. Perhaps I'm finally getting over some of my soreness from various corporate challenge events or I'm finally reaching a certain level of fitness. Whatever the case, I hope it continues.

During Thursday's ride, I had a bout of misfortune followed by fortune. I was following another cyclist who I should have easily stayed up with, but all of a sudden, my bike started pulling hard. Looking down, I notice a flat rear tire. At this point, I'm about 5 miles from home. I don't have my cell on me nor my CO2 pump and it's a long walk in cycling shoes. Thankfully, I do have a spare tube and wouldn't you know, a bicycle shop is right around the corner less than a quarter of a mile. I change my tire and grabbed some air from the shop. I will now carry my cell and a credit card should anything happen again.

Saturday, I finally worked in my first 40 mile ride and some hill work. I'll need many more of these preparing for Branson.

Still have work to do on the swim, but feeling better. Will hopefully have my first open water swim on Tuesday. I think these will be crucial.

Wake up call

2011-06-15T20:12:00.000-05:00

I participated in my first tri of the year on Sunday and it was a success but also a failure. I wouldn't even call this a sprint tri, but more like a mini tri as you don't bike more than 10 miles and run less than 3. First, the success. I set my goal to finish under 1 hour which I did at 59:48 thanks to a strong performance on the bike, but it was well off my previous time from 6 years ago by over 3 minutes. Leading into my failure. The swim was a disaster and I completely panicked in the open water not being used the to low visibility of the water. I was prepared from past experience, but I let my emotions take over and had no breathing rhythm resulting in a very tiring and slow swim. It was a huge wake up call for my training if I want to get through a 1.2 mile swim. After Sunday's experience that seems like an impossibility. My run was satisfactory, but not where it should be. I've kind of been coasting through training and have now recommitted to working harder.

I gained a little confidence today as I had a good run this morning and a good swim this evening.

Cracked!

2011-06-05T19:36:00.000-05:00

I cracked! To use a cycling term, that is the best way to describe my golf and training this weekend. It was a hot but pleasant evening on the golf course last night, but my game never showed up to join us. Based on my first tee shot, I thought I was in for a very enjoyable round. Everything was going good enough until my putter (a different one I was trying) decided to catch the yips and caused a 5 putt. To putt that many times, you pretty much aren't trying. As you can imagine, that set the tone for the rest of the round and made my sub 80 seem like an impossible feat. I did manage a birdie and somehow still only shot a bogey round, but much work is to be done.

After playing flag football all afternoon in 100 degree heat followed by a round of golf, I somehow believed I could put in a good 40 mile ride today with temperatures again in the 90-100 range. From the start, my legs were questioning that decision. One day I'll figure out I'm not as young as I used to be. Regardless, I gave it my best effort and CRACKED at mile 25. If you every watch cycling, you'll understand that term. Basically, I had nothing left to give and was pedaling with no energy or power. As I was slowing laboring along, I realized, Branson will have no sympathy for my shortcomings on the bike. Of course that was not enough to motivate me to push through the full 40. I was spent at 33.

With cracking being the theme of this post, on top of everything else, I "cracked" my foot on the last play of the last football game yesterday. With a tri coming up this weekend. It better be nothing more than a bruise. So I've got that going for me...

Not a great start

2011-05-30T16:43:00.001-05:00

I was really hoping my first post was going to be more uplifting, but sometimes you have to take a step back and reassess before you can move forward. Today was the Annual Amy Thompson Run to Daylight 8k which I try to race in most years. And as in most years, it is the start of the hot and muggy season in KC. Evidence 1 that today might be a tough day. Despite some good mileage this past week, I woke up feeling pretty good and fast. Sometimes you just feel fast in certain running gear. As I parked and made my way to the start, I realized I had forgotten my race chip. Evidence 2 that the race may not go as planned. Indecision immediately took over...do I have time to run back and get the chip or not...yes, no, yes, no. I could probably make it, but that would just cause too much pre-race anxiety. I walked to the start as the unknown runner. The gun sounded and I took it at a quick but easy pace and by the time I reached mile 1 and heard the times called, I knew it was going to be a long 5 miles. It was a fight the entire way against tired legs, nausea, and what felt like constant uphills. It is an up and down course, but usually doesn't seem quite as bad. I pushed through the finish and was thankful to be done and very perplexed by the poor performance. I can do that time on a training run and ran a faster 5 a few weeks ago with a 12 mile bike ride stuffed in the middle. I feel like I'm in much better shape, but apparently I have a ways to go.

where have all the posts gone???

2011-05-28T21:06:00.001-05:00

I decided to get out the defibrillator and jump start this blog again. While being dormant, I'm sure I've lost all my viewers, but in time maybe they'll return. Since I rarely feel my daily snippets of life are worth sharing, I decided this blog needs a purpose. Earlier in the year, I set two athletic goals for myself. First, I'd like to break 80 in a round of golf again. Preferably on a par 72, but since the club I joined is a par 71, that is going to have to do this year. Secondly, I plan to complete my first half ironman in Branson in September. For the remainder of the year or until I complete each of these, I will be blogging about my struggles and successes in these pursuits.

Please visit Tri fr Tasha and Stacie to kick start my tri training posts.

Snowboarding in KC

2011-02-05T18:09:00.002-06:00

NEW from AMU!

2010-10-05T13:57:00.003-05:00

Pretty ingenious book from a division of the company I work for.

Seven 7 VII

2010-05-31T13:19:00.002-05:00

I recently traveled with my cousin to Eugene, OR to compete, scratch that, participate in the Eugene Marathon. It was an incredible event and one of my favorite marathons thus far. Getting there was a little costly, but beyond that, we couldn't have asked for a better weekend. This being my 7th marathon and 77th race, I thought I'd give you a little statistical breakdown of my running over the last several years.

I casually began running in 2001 running 3 local races and proceeded to do the same in 2002. In 2003 when i ran my first marathon, I ran a total of 9 races followed by 15 in both 2004 and 2005. Since then I have averaged around 8 races a year.

7 marathons
21 half marathons
12 4 milers
19 5ks
5 8ks
2 10ks
4 duathlons
4 triathlons
and some others

I've traveled to Chicago, Huntington Beach, Virginia Beach, Seattle, Eugene, Milwaukee, San Jose, Phoenix, Nashville, Fayetteville, Tulsa, and St. Louis. I've been to a few of these places more than once, so it seems like I've traveled more than what is listed. It has been a fun ride and hopefully I'll have visited most states before I'm done. Not sure I'll run a marathon in every state, but I see no reason not to run a half marathon in every state.

Rock the Parkway Half Marathon

2010-03-27T14:10:00.001-05:00

The past two weekends have probably been the two worst conditions in which I have run. A snow pelting sloshing saturday last week and then a cold rain soaking half marathon today. Luckily, having been through the severe conditions last week, this week actually seemed like a breeze or perhaps the norm. My cousin Mark smoked today's half marathon in 1:23 and I was a good distance behind if you just want to reverse the last two digits. Our tried and true parents again braved the weather for some much appreciated support.

Below is a recap of the race.

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Untitled

Extreme 20

2010-03-20T14:04:00.000-05:00

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for 20 miler

Scraps

2010-02-07T14:49:00.004-06:00

You never know what you'll find in the basement and what you can build from those scraps or discarded items. Look around and you'll be amazed at what winds up in the trash that could have been salvaged into something else. It only took a few pieces of plywood and some angle iron to come up with this little stand.

I did have to buy the spray paint, bolts, and casters to put it all together.

500 Days of Winter

2010-02-02T22:21:00.002-06:00

I realize this is not likely to make sense to most of you, but it is always a bit eye opening when you see a tiny reflection of your life bottled up in a movie. Unfortunately I'm lost in 500 days of a cold winter. Anyway, I just watched what seemed in the moment a fantastic movie.

Wii are the World

2010-01-27T21:41:00.002-06:00

Finding myself with a little extra cash in my pocket, I splurged and bought myself a Wii. For many it is been there done that, but for me it is a new adventure. I'm still in the development stage playing only Wii Sports, but having a blast jumping around my living room! I can't wait to figure how to challenge friends online and stream my Netflix. My Mii has been created and my console appropriately nicknamed DWii.

Spiritual Running

2010-01-10T13:26:00.003-06:00

It has been said before that runners are generally spiritual creatures and this is certainly the case for me. How else do we make it through those long runs alone? For whatever reason be it less distractions or something else, I often find myself more spiritually discerning on long runs. Perhaps because I'm more focused. At any rate, I found a little truth today running on a snowy path.

With the sun finally revealing itself again, I set out for a 10 miler along one of my normal routes. Part of the route takes me along a trail for a couple of miles and not having too many other options I hopped on the snow filled trail. Luckily, the snow was packed down nicely from many other pedestrians making their way along the trail and it made for a nice relief from the dodging of traffic. But later down the trail, my luck ran out and I had to make my own way through the snow.

From just that little stretch of trail, I discovered a couple simple truths. First as I was following the path already packed down and set out before me I realized how good it can be to follow along a path already laid out by others who have come before. However, from running on this trail many times I knew from experience where the path was leading, so I confident following along. Similarly as we follow Christ we may find ourselves following along with the Church or certain beliefs revealed to us through others, but we know it is the correct path to follow because from our personal relationship and experience with Him we know this is a trustworthy path.

Secondly, I was reminded that someone first had to create the path along which I was running and shortly thereafter, I found myself in the role of the path maker. While I couldn't see the trail below me, I knew the path was there and would ultimately lead me home. Similarly in our pursuit of God, we have to become the path maker sometimes deviating from the worn down path of others or taking over where they have left off. And, through our experiences and faith in the truth God has revealed to us through Jesus Christ, we can feel confident we are running in the right direction and making a path for others to follow. Even though we can't always see the path we're taking, we know it is there and ultimately leads to Him.

I also found that it is neither good to always be the path maker nor the follower. If you are always the path maker, you'll become so focused on what lies immediately ahead of you or your next step that you'll forget to look up to see where you are going and if you are always the follower, you'll become too complacent that you'll follow the path regardless of where it leads. In either case you'll likely find yourself walking off the side of a cliff.

I find it fascinating that as I'm about to begin a study on various religions and cults who claim themselves to be Christians that this is revealed to me today.

Cell Phone Pocket

2009-12-19T06:46:00.002-06:00

For several years I've been longing for the best way to carry my cell phone. Do I just carry it in my hand? Put it in my front pocket where it bulges out? Put in my back pocket where it is uncomfortable? Or, wear it in a holster? For me none of these options are ideal. I want a comfortable way to conceal it while having it on me at all times. Finally a couple of years ago, I found shorts with a cell phone pocket and couldn't believe it took so long for someone to incorporate it into their product line. However, I find it rather unusual that this hasn't made it mainstream or even into a pair of pants. The pocket sits perfectly on the outside of the leg just below the hip and even on the hip would be a great place. We see cargo pants everywhere and a cell phone pocket is a much more fashionable look. It would likely go unnoticed by most. Didn't your jeans pockets come about for a reason. The back pocket for your wallet and the front pocket for coins and even a pocket for a "pocket" watch that no one carries anymore. So why not add something practical for the 21st century? The pocket does not have to be stitched on the outside of the pant, but just provides a nice little opening you can slip your cell phone into. Seriously, fashion designers come up with the wildest ideas all the time that I'd never wear, so you'd think someday they'd incorporate something practical. If I knew how to sew, I'd make my own.

Without wax...your fellow blogger.

Meow!

2009-12-15T20:49:00.004-06:00

Other than being the greatest golfer to ever play the game, Tiger has lost my respect for his extra marital affairs, but with time hopefully that will be restored. With regards to the ties to this supposed doctor and speculation of performance enhancing drugs, I really don't put much emphasis on it. In sports like swimming, cycling, football and even baseball, where speed, strength, and endurance are vital to success, doping has serious implications to the sport and I consider cheating. However, golf can humble even the strongest of players and is a game of precision. In golf you have to be creative, accurate, and sometimes delicate and if you are not mentally tough, you'll be left at the tee box. Tiger has made more amazing putts, left-handed shots, wedge shots, and monstrous hooks and fades that rely solely on technique and concentration than any other player. Granted, hitting the ball a long ways has its advantages and if you can hit a shorter club a lot farther you naturally become more accurate from a greater distance increasing your chances of success. Regardless of how strong you are, you still have to be able to hit pure shots which requires much more than strength. I believe Tiger is clean (although he has become a more angry and aggressive player) for the pure fact that he has dominated the field from the beginning and would have no need for such performance enhancers. If certain substances were used for recovery, I would not be surprised and I'd be okay with that scenario as long as it was minimal and for a specific medical purpose and time. Those are my two cents on Tiger and the only two I plan to offer.

It always comes down to a chip and a putt...

Maybe not as valuable as gold

2009-12-12T11:02:00.002-06:00

Running gives me (mostly) uninterrupted time to think and this morning I formulated a few of my own personal nuggets of truth which I'm sure most of you will likely think absurd.

The definition of an alien to someone who doesn't believe in God - an evolved human being that travels in time.
In the next congressional election I will not vote for a single incumbent whether Democrat or Republican.
I only see flip flopping as derogatory if it is done purely for appeasement. Otherwise, changing one's mind or policy when needed is a good sign one is willing to better themselves and their nation. (And no, I do not support John Kerry)

There is actually a logical explanation for each of these popping into my head regardless of how illogical the thought may be. I normally don't think about time traveling aliens.

Google Who?

2009-11-21T19:41:00.001-06:00

Is there anything Google can't do?

Two apps coming soon that you might like.

Google Power Meter
Google Voice

Are you smarter than a politician?

2009-11-21T18:40:00.003-06:00

I have enough confidence in my intelligence to make good decisions and basically succeed in whatever vocation I choose, but when it comes to figuring out a new health care system, running Google or managing a nation, I generally believe the person capable of that sort of decision making has an intelligence far superior to mine and one I can't even grasp. I still believe that is the case for the President and those who run Google and other large corporations. But, your average politician I have less faith in. If decisions were made out of civil service and not by those filling their pocketbook or purely in spite of the opposing party line, maybe a successful health care plan could be conceived. That's why I love being a moderate. The vocal ones on each end fight and claw for their position, but the moderate always has the swing vote.

So really the whole purpose of this blog is to pose the question of how do you define health care. Is providing universal health care providing the insurance coverage for affording health care or providing the hospital and facilities where health care can be received?

If you want to understand how the current health care system came to be just follow the history of the tax code...and the advances in medicine, I suppose. Either way, just follow the money.

What will I find within 100 miles? Plenty!

2009-11-16T19:59:00.002-06:00

Are you up for a 100 mile challenge? I am! I think. And no, I'm not going to try to run 100 miles or anything like that...not yet anyway. My mission and yours if you so choose is to only eat naturally produced food within 100 miles of where you live plus Tarkio. My own caveat.

Lately I've been captivated by a reality show on Planet Green - Channel 1226 for TWC subscribers. The premise of the show is that the authors of the 100 Mile Diet presented their idea to the citizens of Mission, BC. A small group of families accepted the challenge and the show follows their journey through 100 days of eating local.

While I'm not sure I can survive 100 days, I hope to last at least 30 days this summer when local food is more plentiful. For now I'm making preparations like pricing freezers and finding a good place for a small garden. Beyond the health benefits of the challenge, I'm drawn by the adventure of going to local markets and exploring surrounding areas as well as learning to become more creative in the kitchen.

Having watched Food, Inc. this past weekend, I'm even more convinced the 100 mile challenge is a good idea.

Additionally, it should make for some interesting blog posts which I realize have been lacking as of late.

Humble Pie

2009-10-20T21:32:00.003-05:00

Ever since the distance of the first marathon was established, it has come to measure the perfect distance for which the body can sustain a steady effort before reaching its maximum physical and mental thresholds. 20 miles would be much too short while anything beyond 26 would find the average man completely broken (sans ultra-marathon runners).

Last Saturday morning I toed the line (albeit hundreds of feet away) for my 6th marathon opting for a hometown race in KC. I use the term "race" very loosely as a marathon is anything but a race. It's more like survival.

After a threat of rain and some delay at the start, we were off. I had never seen so many runners in KC which was a great feeling. While dodging all the runners to find a pace is aggravating, being part of such a large body of runners is exciting which is part of the reason I enjoy running.

We took it rather easy the first several miles and finally found a little freedom as the half marathoners and marathoners parted ways on the Plaza. Now let the mental and physical games begin. Eric and I cruised up sunset hill with little trouble and soon passed the halfway point. I felt good and fell into a comfortable pace. Unfortunately, as I steered into mile 16 and 17, I knew I was going to be in for a long finish. I was far from hitting the wall, but felt the fatigue starting to creep in. 20 miles passed and then the pace started to slow. I vowed to not quit on this race and could not wait to see familiar faces at miles 22-23. "Just make it that far," I kept telling myself.

Nearly dazed and confused I heard a shout urging me on and shaking me out of my trance. Thankfully it was my cousin who had just finished the half in lightning speed and was kind enough to run alongside me up the looming hill into 23. We were soon joined by my uncle. My cousin set the pace and I fell in line. My cousin peeled off and my uncle paced me through the final miles.

Without the help of my uncle and cousin and my faithful supports, I would have never pushed through the tough miles. Once again I faced the battle of wanting to quit over persevering. It is so easy to quit and find relief from the pain, but finding the strength to push through for just a little bit longer is so much more rewarding at the finish.

Cheers Mate

2009-09-27T11:21:00.005-05:00

Before every trip there is a certain apprehension for the unknown, but that is also what draws you in to the excitement of the discovery of what lies beyond your comfortable borders. Ever since my trip to France, I've always wanted to return to Europe, particularly to London and Rome. And the opportunity happened to present itself this year for a trip to London.

I am fortunate that our company has an office in Bristol handling our UK Distribution because that really setup my entire trip. So upon arriving in London, I immediately took a train to Bristol for a short visit with my UK colleagues. Stopping by to see them first, made for a much easier transition into the English culture. Europe presents such a magnificent history, and one we are just unable to capture in the US because of our youth. And the density of its cities has a certain energy about it that we rarely experience here in the Midwest with our sprawling landscape. After a delightful stay in Bristol, I returned to London for the remainder of my vacation.

My stay in London was pretty much a whirlwind of tourist attractions. And I was completely content with such an itinerary. Since my work in Bristol was wrapped up in one day, I had more time in London than I expected. So I hopped on one of the double-decker tour buses to see the city from a bird's eye view. Looking back, I'm really glad I went this route because I had a much better understanding for the layout of the city and the sights I wanted to see.

My hotel was perfectly located only a half mile from Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, so I started each morning with a run through the park. There are so many paths, I could run to my heart's content (see my training links to the right). After my morning run, I would venture out for the remainder of the day and return to my hotel just an hour or so before dinnertime. I couldn't have asked for better weather during my visit giving me the freedom to walk everywhere.

London is a busy city and lived out on the streets and I thoroughly enjoy that type of culture where walking is one of the main modes of transportation and everything else is just a short tube ride away. There were times when I sensed they weren't completely thrilled that I was American. Because in certain cases, as soon as I spoke, revealing my identity, the demeanor of the person helping me seemed to stiffen. Overall though, I felt very welcome and everyone was courteous and friendly. I much prefer the way the British dress over most of America and I think we could probably revert to a more refined or proper form of English. I am still reminding myself to look left at the curb rather than right now that I'm back in the states. I truly had a fantastic time and will hopefully return again with someone with whom I can enjoy the city.

Here are a few of my favorite pics from the trip:

Knowing wine

2009-09-05T13:23:00.002-05:00

My recent experimentation with wine making has caused me to marinate on nature's perfect system and the hidden Christian symbolism in the wine making process. I feel like I was mildly successful in my first attempt at making wine, so I've picked and am currently fermenting year 2 in the basement. So while I was out on the farm picking the recently ripened elderberries, I couldn't help but be reminded of how perfectly God laid out the entire ecosystem. While plants have been flourishing all summer, it is not until the end of the summer as the cold season approaches that they mature and bear fruit providing plenty to pick and store for the winter. With so much available to us at the grocery store year round, I often forget how nature provides.

Now the symbolism in wine making. I haven't quite worked through the whole process and this can be used in both a positive and negative light, but often times in the Bible yeast symbolizes sin or is at least used in the context of sin or evil. Now yeast is a key ingredient in wine making. Like sin, once it is poured into the mix, the yeast immediately begins consuming all the sugars (or sweetness) from the fruit juices until it leaves the alcohol toxin. Yet, if I have this correct, the alcohol kills off the yeast and ultimately purifies the mixture leaving a clean wine that can be stored and will remain healthy for years to come. Like I said, I haven't quite worked through the whole symbolism, but it was just something that came to mind as I was preparing my next batch.

3rd Annual

2009-08-23T19:48:00.003-05:00

I spent the weekend in Tarkio and you know it is a good weekend when you spend 3 out of 3 days on the golf course. Many of us gathered for the 3rd Annual M. David Palmeiro golf tournament to raise money for his foundation. We had our highest turnout yet with 21 teams, so all in all a very successful outing. No need to mention names, but the winning team shot a ridiculously low round of 20 under par.

I know this foursome looks like it could shoot that low, but due to a few missed shots and in and out putts, we fell only 13 shots back.

I also enjoyed the first fantasy football draft of the season without even being a part of the league. Now that just tells you how much fun we can have in Tarkio.

Update

2009-07-29T20:41:00.002-05:00

Since I'd rather spend more time outside and less time at the computer, I've been rather lackadaisical in maintaining my blog, so here's a quick update.

I've spent much of July on the golf course with a weekend in Tarkio for the 4th and the 2 Day golf tournament the following weekend.

I just recently spent a week on one of the 10,000 lakes with half the family and continued to play much more golf and made an attempt at fishing, but had no luck. Luckily the weather was much better for waterskiing this year.

Of course since I've been gone, this crazy crew finally found some fish.

Lastly, I might be spending the next week or so riding my bike more often since I just remembered to renew my tags for my car which expire Friday. What are the odds I'll get a ticket next week for driving with expired tags?

GPS Seattle

2009-06-30T20:48:00.002-05:00

A gps link of my recent half marathon including box scores by mile.

This has definitely been one of my most enjoyable half marathons to date. The weather was perfect and the course was challenging, but at just the right level to push you without destroying your goals and pace like some others have done.

The morning started with some urgency as we approached the start. We were right on schedule, but pre-race hydration nearly caused me to jump into highway traffic for relief. Usually this is not an issue for me, but started the race with some excitement.

I was a little sluggish in the beginning and my legs were a little tight, but I found a reasonable pace and stuck with it. I thought I'd try and pick it up about mile 7, but decided to stay in my pace as we had a nice long flat along Lake Washington. Once I hit a slight incline and tunnel at mile 9, I was feeling great and kicked it up a notch. I continued to feel great right through the finish.

As I finished, they announced my name (which is common at races, not announcing my name per se, but announcing runners' names as they cross the finish line) and where I was from and once the guy in front of me heard, he turned around and said, "Hi, I'm from Lawrence." Pretty amazing considering there were more than 15,000 finishers.

Where My Pitches At?

2009-06-30T20:44:00.001-05:00

We are currently 6-0 heading into the all-star break!

Royal Tri-fecta

2009-06-19T15:51:00.006-05:00

I just saw 3 Royals games in the last 8 days. And to make it even better my team won each game!!

Besides catching the game with the family, the highlight of game one was experiencing an 80 pitch game by Royals' pitcher Luke Hochevar. And, we saw my cousin Mark on the CrownVision for some between inning entertainment (if only I had thought to take a photo). Oh yeah, it just so happened that some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins happened to be at the same game as well without really planning it. Quite a night at the park.

Grandma and Natalie preparing for the game...

Father and daughter...

The Girls...

Good times at the park...

I don't have any pictures of the next two games, but after Friday's game, I made it back out to the park for the Royals/Diamondbacks game. The highlight of this game was stopping by LC's BBQ on the way. That is some of the best BBQ around. Also, Meche pitched a complete game and the Royals won again.

The third game was on Sunday against the Cardinals. And when the Cardinals are in town the energy goes up exponentially with all the red in the stadium. You might even think we're playing in St. Louis. So for me, it is like experiencing a game in STL without actually going. A huge bonus for a not so well known St. Louis fan. This game was brutally hot and we spent the first inning right behind home plate in the intense heat, but soon retreated to the much cooler Diamond Club for the remainder of the game (it pays to know the right people). Seeing Pujols hit a grand slam and the Cardinals pulling out another victory were the highlights of this game.

I don't imagine I'll catch another 3 game run for awhile, but it made for an enjoyable week.

2009-06-11T19:46:00.004-05:00

I know the suspense of what's in the packages is killing most of you, so behold the Garmin Forerunner 405 and Callaway Big Bertha 460 driver. See, like I said both have a unique way of measuring my manhood by how far and fast I can run and by how long and straight I can hit my drives off the tee. Both are vast improvements over my previous Forerunner 201 and Great Big Bertha II.

As you can tell, the new one is much less like a satellite and more like a running watch, but with all the same features and more...like transferring data through walls. It can connect wirelessly to my computer and download my daily runs as long as it is in range. I placed the watch on my dresser after a run the other day and later turned on my computer. After awhile I heard noises from my watch in the bedroom and noticed the activity on my computer. Obviously my dresser is in range despite the wall in between.

Still needs some work on the range...

Packages

2009-05-29T19:50:00.003-05:00

I love when important mail arrives, but even more than that, I love it when packages arrive. Today at work, I was happily surprised to have my first package delivered and when I pulled into my drive I was happy to see that my second package had arrived. It is great when all things come together at once. Neither of these were necessarily surprise gifts, I placed the order for both, but nevertheless, it is still exciting.

I'll leave what's inside a mystery, but each has a way of measuring my manhood.:)

Marathon or Half Marathon?

2009-05-13T20:52:00.002-05:00

Thursday afternoon at the office

2009-05-08T12:48:00.003-05:00

sometimes you just need to move the office outside...

Quote for Earth Day

2009-04-22T22:00:00.001-05:00

I'm learning to have hope without expectation and to appreciate small victories, second by second, minute by minute, and hour by hour.

Happy 100

2009-04-21T19:45:00.005-05:00

My grandma turned 100 on Sunday and is living a uniquely kind, loving and abundant life as a follower of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She embodies what it means to live a christian life and has been rewarded for the fruits of her labor. It is quite remarkable to think about what she has seen and experienced in her 100 years and the transformations she has witnessed in our culture.

It is amazing to think about what has happened throughout the last century. While many things like cars and airplanes were actually invented prior to 1909, it has been in the last 100 years that they really revolutionized our way of living. Look at television and the introduction of the computer and telephone and where they have advanced. How about experiencing two World Wars among many other conflicts and sending a man to the moon? The Great Depression and the Civil Rights movement. While we have lived (and she as well) through 9/11 and the election of the first African American president the changes seem subtle in comparison to what my grandma has experienced in her 100 years.

My grandma is incredible and has blessed so many!

The verse of the day seems very fitting - John 10:28-30.

On ABC

2009-04-05T19:22:00.000-05:00

As you should have seen us on tv.

What happens in Dallas...

2009-04-05T13:11:00.010-05:00

I think you know how the rest of it goes. And the reason no pictures will be posted. Kind of on a whim, Levings and I got a call from Brett to fly down to Dallas for a quick overnight trip for a backyard 2 on 2 tournament, barbeque and final four party. The prize - 3 courtside tickets to the Mavs/Suns game today.

The feeling of bringing home a championship was quickly apparent as we were boarding the airplane at KCI and fell in line right next to a proud obese and completely out of shape individual with a huge heavyweight championship belt slung over his shoulder. He was eating it up as we boarded and all kinds of people were commenting and impressed with the hardware and the opportunity to ride with a celebrity. Of course, come to find out he had purchased the belt online at some WWF or whatever site.

Now onto the weekend tourney. I was teamed up with Brett, and Levings managed to find himself a partner on a last minute change. As Brett and I (a skinny guy and a short guy contradicting the everything is bigger in Texas theme) stepped on the court you could tell the native Texans thought we had no business being out there. But we quickly made a statement with a win and went on to rout our pool 3 games to none by Brett's excellent outside shooting. Levings and his partner managed to do the same.

So with all members of the Tarkio Triad making it to the final four and clear favorites after the previous domination, we were clearly making plans to change our flight and sit courtside at the game today. So in our own little final four, Levings' team goes down first with the help of a questionable substitution and then the Smith and Lee team hit the court and get up big 6-2 (by 1's and 2's). We quickly go ice cold, but still manage to maintain the lead with 9 points only needing a 2 to put us in the championship. After several in and out attempts, the other team catches fire from the outside and ends up making a huge comeback to defeat the last hope of sitting courtside. Which is where we should be at this moment wearing the Dirk + Nash = Championship t-shirts. If the game is televised be on the lookout for those green shirts.

As you can imagine with Brett and Eric, we enjoyed the rest of the evening and got a little rowdy Texas-style. And considering the time we turned in, I'm very proud of Brett for making it to Sunday school after dropping us KC boys off at the airport.

I'm so happy to be back to a cold and wet KC.

Secret Agent Man

2009-03-24T21:46:00.003-05:00

While being a secret agent in a deep sleep dream early this morning, I completely overslept and surprisingly was only about 15 minutes late for work. You see, I woke up at the time I'm normally leaving for work. Apparently, I considered my blaring alarm clock rapid gunfire rather than the all important wake up call. The dream itself was very real and while I love living like 007, I was serving against my wishes. I'm guessing this stemmed from my recent readings of John Grisham's new novel The Associate.

It's a little sad being so irresponsible at my age, but I'm blaming it on daylight savings. For some reason my body still hasn't adapted to the time change.

The great thing about it, is that I actually felt refreshed after a night's sleep for once.

Where's Phil

2009-03-19T21:09:00.002-05:00

What are the odds of this happening...apparently pretty good. For those who don't know, Phil the guy next to me in this photo is a fraternity brother of mine. And funny enough, I had no idea he was there until after the race. I know some of you will find the humor in this post.

Tour de Garmin

2009-03-19T20:52:00.003-05:00

I'm becoming an avid cycling fan and am pumped about my new Garmin-Slipstream cap that will be my golfing hat for the season.

I'm an Armstrong fan, but I'm going to have to root for the Garmin team during the Tour.

In other sports news, I've been so bummed out that I didn't make it skiing this year that I've called the Potters twice and have at least texted once for updates this week.

YO!

2009-03-15T22:45:00.004-05:00

It went like this...

"Yo! What up Uncle D!"

"What up Nat!"

...at least in my mind that's how it went. She doesn't exactly speak yet...

Beards for Bowling, Broads, and BBQ

2009-03-14T14:46:00.006-05:00

From the persuasion and influence of my brother-in-law and a gal who likes scruff, I'm attempting to grow my first beard. Mike has been growing a beard for a couple weeks for his BBQ contest in NKC and I being the only guy on our bowling team without facial hair, decided to step up my game.

Bowling and Broads - so far the beard hasn't helped my game in either respect.

BBQ - it actually helped on a cold night at the BBQ.

The beard is a bit washed out in these pictures, but really, there is some decent growth.

Running - I think my beard weighed me down today creating drag and causing me to run a slower race.

Maybe it will help my golf game tomorrow. It will be gone by Monday...maybe...

Westport Run

2009-03-14T12:25:00.003-05:00

It was a beautiful morning for a race and I was highly anticipating a quicker course since they reversed the route avoiding the brutal hill right before the finish. However, rather than one huge hill at the end the new route felt like one gradual uphill battle for 4 miles. Not what I was hoping for at all! I finished close to my normal time for this race, but was expecting something better as I always do.

I'm back to posting my race links, so check it out in my training log. The elevation chart says it all...

Investigating God

2009-03-11T22:32:00.002-05:00

Primetime TV is the last place I generally expect to be preached at, but I was presently surprised to grab a little nugget from CSI:NY tonight. God was actually mentioned in a good spiritual way rather than taken in vain. It was then followed by this great quote, "You can choose to live in a place of fear or you can believe in the best version of yourself."

The DVR has its benefits...

Sorry I haven't been posting many pictures lately. Maybe I'll have some from this weekend between basketball, BBQ, running, and golfing.

First Chainsaw Chix Friday

2009-03-07T16:32:00.002-06:00

Last night was a perfect night to take in one of Kansas City's First Fridays and I enjoyed walking through the Crossroads District gazing upon foreign objects worth $45,000 or should I say asking $45,000 to be purchased. Worth that much might be a stretch. Who really prices this stuff and who really buys some of this stuff (excuse me, art)? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy art and find quite a bit that I'd consider buying if I had some extra cash. But, I think some people buy it because A) they think they understand something the rest of us don't (maybe they do) or B) they can't explain it, however it makes them unique and sets them apart. Don't we all want to be different and unique in some way? It is fun though to stare at something with your hand on your chin having no idea what inspired someone (but acting like you do) to mix fruit and animal bones and place it on a wall.

Walking back to the car, we passed through the P&L and happened upon Chainsaw Chix These gals were master crafts(wo)men at forming a tree trunk into some fabulous work of art. You might say the chix were a bit intimidating. Boy did she have some guns!

Redo

2009-03-02T22:42:00.004-06:00

Do you ever have those days you just want to start over? Today, a Monday above all else, was one of those days. It started off bad with my computer crashing not once but 4 times throughout the day. Luckily data was lost only the first time. I got smart after that. So basically I accomplished about 30 minutes of work in 4 hours and then headed to lunch. Upon settling down in the booth with my paper, I open my lunch bag and discover NO sandwich. ARE YOU SERIOUS!?! Time to pack up and go home! I stayed for a mediocre afternoon and was anxious for bowling. We got rocked at bowling, but at least we had fun!

MIZ...ZOU

2009-02-24T18:55:00.003-06:00

It appears my niece is being brainwashed...

I will not stand for this!!

Oscars take pause

2009-02-22T21:57:00.004-06:00

In the most bizarre of ways tonight, I truly learned what it means to put others before yourself with a simple yet profound gesture of kindness. I and imagine most of us always look for the angle of self promotion or making the situation benefit us. What would the world look like if you actually asked yourself how can I help this person or that person with no thought of recognition or how their circumstance will better or worsen your own life? And sometimes there's nothing to say or do, but rather just be available.

So first consider with everyone you encounter what could I do to make their day just a little brighter and determine am I doing this for them or for me.

Seems I fall victim to this even in my own post.

spotless mind

2009-02-11T18:44:00.003-06:00

We are going through a series on the beatitudes at church and I thought I'd give you my brief interpretation or paraphrase of the one's we have been through thus far.

Humilty - you are never as good as you think you are. No matter what you do there is always someone else who can do it better unless you are Tiger Woods on the golf course.
Authenticity - your heart never lies no matter what you say or do.
Gentleness - you can obtain a lot of things in life by force but you'll never be able to retain it without gentleness.
Hunger - no matter how much you hunger or crave for something if you seek nourishment in something empty, you'll never be filled.
Mercy - revenge causes the hot coals to burn on your head whereas acting with mercy places the hot coals on your enemy's head. Let them simmer with kindness.

Like my grandma always says, "Be kind and loving."

On another note, there are too many cars like mine on the road. I walked up to my car in the parking garage last night having unlocked it with my remote or so I thought. Lifted the handle with no release. I tried a second time, nothing. That's funny. I turned to my left and saw an identical car. Light bulb went on and I proceeded to my car and unlocked it without a problem. That's why you should never change parking spots in the middle of the day.

Oil, Balls, and Friction

2009-02-04T21:16:00.005-06:00

A fitting name for a bowling team don't you think. Our team is anything but couth and quiet and we enjoy every minute of it. The Monday night league has been a nice addition to my weekly routine. If I remember correctly, we have won our last 12 points meaning we have won every point the past 3 Mondays. Handicaps are a great thing. I've decided to start posting my bowling statistics in the right-hand margin.

Here's the team.

Please forgive the KU gear.

Blaaahhhh...sick turkey.

Cold is a four letter word

2009-01-24T09:26:00.002-06:00

In case some of you locals aren't aware it is cold in KC topping out at about 6 degrees earlier this morning when I hit the roads for my run. I expected to run into maybe one other runner, maybe, but to my amazement, there were many runners out in this severely cold weather. It is good to know I'm not the only one living on the edge of insanity. And yes, there were tracks in the snow ahead of me. Even though I wanted to stay in, I'm glad I didn't.

Life Lessons

2009-01-21T20:26:00.002-06:00

I have two life lessons to share with you.

Don't say anything behind someone's back because they might be standing right behind your back. (No matter how innocent the comment or how lead into it you were.)
Don't run sockless on the treadmill. The humiliation of wearing dress socks is far less severe than running with a gigantic blister.

blog on my friends...

An IncredaBOWL Experience

2009-01-13T22:17:00.003-06:00

I've decided to spend some quality time with my sister and brother-in-law on a weekly basis and have joined them in a bowling league at Incred-A-Bowl. Incred-A-Bowl is owned by none other than the legendary Danny Jackson of the Kansas City Royals whom I met on Monday and also happens to have a team in the league. So I asked myself what are the odds I have his baseball card?

In MINT condition!! Right next to Jerry Don Gleaton. Who?? Exactly. Now the question is, should I take it and ask for an autograph?

The Plan

2009-01-03T20:42:00.000-06:00

The Mess

2009-01-03T19:51:00.003-06:00

Econo-Christmas

2008-12-29T20:32:00.004-06:00

As you can see, Christmas was not tremendously affected by the slow economy. However, next year might be different once we're all in the habit of being frugal with our money.

But the real joy of Christmas comes from this...

I prefer a grilled PB&J

2008-12-15T08:59:00.002-06:00

AMU makes the local news.

Fit To Be Tied

2008-12-14T20:06:00.002-06:00

I don't recall where I learned to tie my shoes, but somewhere along the way I picked up a bad habit because I've had to double-knot my shoes for years to keep them tied. In reading this month's Runner's World, I've discovered I've been tying my shoes incorrectly. Hence, the continual loosing of my laces. So tomorrow I'll begin a new chapter in my life using only a single knot rather than a double-knot to keep my shoes tied.

I'm curious to see how long it will last.

Sketch Up

2008-12-08T19:59:00.000-06:00

If I intend on developing my woodworking and furniture making craft (which I do), then Google's SketchUp will have to become an essential design tool. I had heard about it sometime ago, but hadn't really experimented with it. Now I'm hooked! The downside or maybe it is really an upside is that I'll need to upgrade my computer to really run the application effectively.

Financially Fit

2008-11-29T19:48:00.000-06:00

Be on the look out at your next marathon expo. You just might see a brochure like this for USA Fit.

Route 66

2008-11-23T17:00:00.000-06:00

Last time I visited Tulsa, temps topped 100 with high humidity and I walked countless miles chasing the top golfers in the world through Southern Hills. Temps were much more pleasant this trip and rather than walking, I ran a quarter of a marathon chasing a little kid in an orange shirt about half my size on old Route 66.

I spent a weekend in Tulsa for a reunion of sorts with a few pledge brothers and their families as we all gathered for the route 66 half marathon. Unfortunately, a couple of us were nursing injuries or training limits and had to jump down to the quarter marathon leaving our two Colorado friends to run the half on their own. Luckily the majority of our quarter was on the half route, so we enjoyed each others company for most of the run and then we helped the half runners through their final 2 miles once we slackers finished our race.

Although I failed to make good on my post run beers, we had a great time catching up and reminiscing on old memories.

It's all relative

2008-11-05T18:21:00.000-06:00

My cousin is great at finding family history and discovered this picture while voting yesterday. What are the odds that both my grandpas' families would be represented in this WWI picture? Considering my dad is from the east coast and my mom is from the midwest, it is pretty fascinating if you ask me. If my parents would have grown up in the same town, it wouldn't seem so unusual, but the full circle of our family history is pretty remarkable.

I've been told I have a slight resemblance to my grandfather.

New Digs

2008-10-29T08:20:00.001-05:00

We just moved into our new (100 year old) building on Monday and are still getting settled in. It is quite a transition from our old space.

Obama or McCain?

2008-10-24T12:09:00.000-05:00

And I hope you will do the same! I took advantage of the advance voting option hoping to avoid the long lines on election day. Apparently the rest of Johnson County had the same idea because when I approached the polling line at the first site, I walked into a longer line than any I've encountered on election day. So I went on to the next polling place and walked right in and voted.

Everyone has their own idea about politics and who would best represent their own views. Unfortunately too many think only their opinion is right and everyone in disagreement is somehow blind to their more highly intelligible truth. I try to stay relatively moderate and objectively listen to each candidates views and policies and then try to deduce which one I tend to favor more than the other. If you blended both the Democratic and Republican parties together you'd probably find my ideal candidate. I have friends on both sides and you'd be surprised by how much they more or less want the same thing, but just have different solutions for getting there. And yes, most times totally different, but the great thing about where we live is they both have an equal say.

The government reflects the culture the culture doesn't reflect the government.

Road Race Log

2008-10-19T14:32:00.000-05:00

Even though I haven't been able to add to my race log lately, I wanted to go ahead and share with those of you who are avid runners and those of you who are just beginning your racing careers a race log I put together a month or so ago. If you are like me, you like to log your race times comparing one race to the next year over year. Rather than just doing the basic log in a spreadsheet, I enhanced the spreadsheet to track PR's, pace, total races, etc.

You can download a copy of the race log from my public folder in the upper right-hand corner of this site just below the 'About Me' section.

Once the file has been downloaded, open the log and enable the macros as prompted. To begin, change the title and DOB in the upper left-hand corner and click the add race button. The entry form as shown below will appear.

Enter your race data and click OK. Your data should automatically appear in the race log and record book.

Give it a try and hopefully you will find it an easy way to log your races.

1 is the loneliest number

2008-09-29T21:32:00.000-05:00

My right arm is getting lonely not having the left arm to carry its share of the load these days. You won't believe this, but the most frustrating part of having to use one arm is putting on socks especially dress socks. Try it sometime with your other arm pinned to your body. A close second is trying to work on a computer all day with only one hand. And the weirdest thing about having a separated shoulder is pushing your collar bone into place and then watching it move out of place again. Hours of pure enjoyment as a lame duck.

Time to Retire

2008-09-23T15:23:00.001-05:00

Apparently I don't have Brett Favre's durability to continue playing football in my thirties. Like Favre I came out of retirement to feed my competitive hunger. Unfortunately, I've lost some of my 20-something speed and rather than beating the receiver to the ball, we tied and I ended up with this.

When it should look like this...

And no, he didn't catch the ball either.

Ironically today's Bible verse is Rms 5:3-4...

No. 1

2008-09-16T21:36:00.000-05:00

Look who just turned 1!

2nd Annual Tour of Missouri

2008-09-08T20:58:00.000-05:00

The first stage of the Tour of Missouri finished in Kansas City today. I was a little disappointed with the low spectator turnout. Hopefully the weather and fan support will continue to improve as the week goes on, so the tour will continue to be an annual tradition.

The finish was incredible and yet another successful sprint finish for Team Columbia's Mark Cavendish.

The older berry

2008-09-01T15:38:00.000-05:00

Now that I know what an elderberry is, it appears as though I have some growing in the backyard.

Weekend Project

2008-08-30T21:04:00.001-05:00

Project of the Day - building wooden carboy crates. Okay maybe these aren't officially carboys, but it's the best I have at the moment. First one should be filled tomorrow with some delicious elderberry must.

Learning a new trade

2008-08-27T19:18:00.001-05:00

Having not had my first drink of alcohol until 29, you might find it unusual that I spent the latter part of this weekend learning the art of wine making. But, I've become more sophisticated (or rebellious) as I've aged. I ventured north to God's country and found myself in the depths of nature searching for ripe berries and found them to be plentiful. My fruits of choice, elderberries and wild grapes. (They are fruits aren't they?) As my uncle and I waded through the vegetation, I did my best to document the process.

Only 1 year to taste the fruits of our labor

Beijing 2008

2008-08-20T21:49:00.001-05:00

I've been hooked on the Olympics this year staying up well past my bedtime not to miss another Michael Phelps world record or Usain Bolt glide through a 9.69 100m with ease. But what has really captured me is the site of this year's Olympics, Beijing, and the excitement and pride the Chinese have in hosting the Olympics. This was ever present as I visited China and Beijing 3 years ago. Even then the Olympics were at the forefront of many conversations and I even have a Beijing 2008 Olympic t-shirt from the street vendors of Beijing. My experience came rushing back as I read a cover article in the KC Star by Joe Posnanski. Through the article I could relive my experience at the Great Wall and could relate to all the different experiences he was having like climbing the stone steps, looking out the house-shaped windows, riding the gondola, and being accosted by vendors. It was a thrilling experience. But again what stood out the most to me and what the columnist has observed is how friendly, caring and helpful the people of China are.

And yes, I did ride the slide down from the Great Wall.

Who says size matters?

2008-08-12T08:51:00.001-05:00

Okay...so maybe in fishing.

Cycling to a celebrity

2008-08-10T18:16:00.003-05:00

There's been a complaint that I haven't posted anything to my blog in nearly a month and rightfully so. A celebrity sighting this weekend has given me the perfect opportunity to jump back into the blogosphere. I know celebrity sightings in LA and Dallas are commonplace, but in KC it is a rare event.

To mix things up on my bike I decided to do a circuit ride rather than one big long ride, so I created a nice little 3+ mile course through Mission Hills. A small section of the route is pretty obscure and a great place for someone famous to hide out. On one of my last loops, I came upon an athletic looking man walking his dogs. As I approached, I soon realized who it was..GEORGE BRETT! He ducked his head slightly not to be noticed, and I gave him his peace, but still I was excited to see one of the greatest third basemen to ever play the game.

The Tour of Kansas City was going on this weekend and I spent most of my afternoon watching the Overland Park Grand Prix.

Now, back to the Olympics...

I tend to be persuaded more by logic than emotion

2008-07-10T15:08:00.001-05:00

Ever since my favorite web host left the wallstrip show, I've been in withdrawal. The new host is great, but it is just not the same. Well today, I discovered Lindsay is now hosting another web show called MobLogic.tv. Rather than giving a daily financial report this one focuses on a variety of issues from politics to pop culture.

With shows like these and coverage of events like the US Open and the Tour de France all online, it is a wonder we even need tv at all.

Innocent until proven guilty...

2008-06-26T21:36:00.000-05:00

I'm taking care of some friends' dogs this weekend and on most nights a very innocent task. I dropped by this evening to let the dogs out, refill their food and water dishes, and settle them in for the night. Now keep in mind I've had several encounters with their alarm system and I was ensured it would remain off for the weekend. As soon as I opened the front door a blaring alarm went off and for all good purposes is piercing to the ears. For whatever reason I had this hope that it would just shut itself off. Idiotic I know. It stops for an instance and let's me know I have entered through the front door. Brilliant, I did not know that. I called my friend and left a message and then an incoming call was coming in from the alarm company. I told them my name and explained my situation hoping they'd shut the darn thing off. Ummm, no. I finally get a hold of my friends and safely turn off the alarm. All is good. No sirens, no police raids. I finish up with the dogs and lock up the house. As I walk towards my car a couple of uniformed men approach one from the front and one from the rear (they had the house surrounded). I give them a warm hello and explain to them my purpose here. They took down my name although they probably had already traced my plates and sent me on my way. An exciting close to my evening.

Dinner Rush

2008-06-22T21:00:00.000-05:00

Every now and again I like to create my own concoctions in the kitchen. After watching the movie Dinner Rush (an outstanding movie by the way), I decided to test my culinary skills. A little of this and a little of that and voila, a delicious balsamic cream sauce.

If you think your stomach can handle it, here it is:

1/2 Cup heavy cream
1/3 Cup choice of cheese (I used parmesan)
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic
Mix with a few vegetables if you desire and pour over the pasta of your choice. I don't need a lot, so this is only good for about two servings.

Enjoy!

Hospital Hill

2008-06-09T22:00:00.000-05:00

I had an awesome weekend with the Stratmans who came up for the Hospital Hill half marathon. We toured the city and had a blast which is more than I can say for the actual marathon. As the seasoned runner, I expected to be the one to push Jake beyond what he thought was capable, but instead it was he who pushed me through the last few miles of the race as I dragged through the heat and hills of exhaustion. We finished a respectable 29th and 30th in our age group, but it was some of the toughest conditions I've encountered in my short running career. Was it really that hot or that hilly? Probably not, but the combination all the conditions made it a difficult run. Nevertheless, Jake improved on his last half marathon time and will no doubt improve again in his next. The weekend wouldn't have been complete without Ben's excitement and Julia delighting us all. (Topped with a chocolate pudding dessert.)

Blog on my friends!

Movie Mania

2008-05-25T16:24:00.009-05:00

I just signed up for Netflix and thought I'd share my all-time top 50 movies compared to that of Netflix. The only reason I even have a top 50 is that a few years ago I met with some friends at the Peanut and each of us shared our top 50 movies. You'd be surprised how fun such a gathering can be.

DLee	NetFlix
Top Gun Seven Primal Fear Ferris Beuler's Day Off Raiders of the Lost Ark Silence of the Lambs Saving Private Ryan The Lost Boys Empire Strikes Back et al Shawshank Redemption Secret of My Success Sound of Music Caddyshack Christmas Vacation Hoosiers Goodwill Hunting Crash Pretty Woman Gladiator Green Mile Sling Blade Sixth Sense Thirteen Days Goonies Remember the Titans Tombstone The Matrix Man on Fire Outsiders Blood Diamond The Kingdom I Am Legend Groundhog Day Juno Three Amigos Stranger than Fiction ET Swingers Pulp Fiction Braveheart Rocky Pan's Labyrinth Real Genius The Natural Rounders A Few Good Men Glory Dead Poets Society Rudy The Passion of the Christ	Crash The Departed The Pursuit of Happyness Little Miss Sunshine Walk the Line Mr. and Mrs. Smith The Devil Wears Prada Blood Diamond Hotel Rwanda The Notebook Babel Casino Royale The Da Vinci Code Million Dollar Baby The Aviator The Illusionist Click The Holiday Deja Vu Syriana Failure to Launch Wedding Crashers The Bourne Supremacy Inside Man The Queen The Lake House The Guardian Stranger than Fiction Finding Neverland Firewall Knocked Up Memoirs of a Geisha The Prestige The Break Up Ray The Constant Gardener Flightplan Night at the Museum Mystic River The Last King of Scotland Rumor Has It Hitch Pirates of the Caribbean: DMC Pirates of the Caribbean: BP The Good Shepard Sideways Man on Fire Good Night and Good Luck Talladega Nights Ocean's Twelve

DLee

NetFlix

Top Gun
Seven
Primal Fear
Ferris Beuler's Day Off
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Silence of the Lambs
Saving Private Ryan
The Lost Boys
Empire Strikes Back et al
Shawshank Redemption
Secret of My Success
Sound of Music
Caddyshack
Christmas Vacation
Hoosiers
Goodwill Hunting
Crash
Pretty Woman
Gladiator
Green Mile
Sling Blade
Sixth Sense
Thirteen Days
Goonies
Remember the Titans
Tombstone
The Matrix
Man on Fire
Outsiders
Blood Diamond
The Kingdom
I Am Legend
Groundhog Day
Juno
Three Amigos
Stranger than Fiction
ET
Swingers
Pulp Fiction
Braveheart
Rocky
Pan's Labyrinth
Real Genius
The Natural
Rounders
A Few Good Men
Glory
Dead Poets Society
Rudy
The Passion of the Christ

Crash
The Departed
The Pursuit of Happyness
Little Miss Sunshine
Walk the Line
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
The Devil Wears Prada
Blood Diamond
Hotel Rwanda
The Notebook
Babel
Casino Royale
The Da Vinci Code
Million Dollar Baby
The Aviator
The Illusionist
Click
The Holiday
Deja Vu
Syriana
Failure to Launch
Wedding Crashers
The Bourne Supremacy
Inside Man
The Queen
The Lake House
The Guardian
Stranger than Fiction
Finding Neverland
Firewall
Knocked Up
Memoirs of a Geisha
The Prestige
The Break Up
Ray
The Constant Gardener
Flightplan
Night at the Museum
Mystic River
The Last King of Scotland
Rumor Has It
Hitch
Pirates of the Caribbean: DMC
Pirates of the Caribbean: BP
The Good Shepard
Sideways
Man on Fire
Good Night and Good Luck
Talladega Nights
Ocean's Twelve

My list may lack a little humor and some classics, but these are the one's that have entertained me time and again. Let me know if I'm missing any. I know my list is not above some tweaking.

Only 4 of my movies make the Netflix top 50 and 7 make imdb's top 50.

Roaring Memorial Weekend starts with a BANG!

2008-05-23T15:11:00.002-05:00

I had high hopes of going camping this weekend at Roaring River state park in southern MO. I aired out my tent, bought a couple bags of goodies including all the fixins for smores, and picked my campsite, plot #142. The only problem, NO VACANCY. Not that I couldn't have picked one of the other hundreds of campsites in Missouri, but I decided it might be best that I postpone my camping adventure for another weekend. Although, I was really anxious to hit a few hiking trails, nap along the riverbank, catch up on some reading and last but not least play one of the nearby rural golf courses.

Instead, I woke up early and went straight to Swope Park to improve my golf game. They have a nice little executive course that I hadn't played so I gave it a try. I was the first one there and the only one to play all morning. I played one round at 8 over, hit the range between rounds to fix my swing; then went even (bogeyed the last hole) and +2 the next two rounds. (Hopefully progress is being made towards reaching the afternoon flight of the annual Tarkio 2-day.) As I teed-off the 8th hole on my last round, I heard BANG! BANG! BANG! in the background followed by a couple more BANGS. I'm not 100% certain, but it sure sounded like gunfire. And Woo wasn't around so I knew it wasn't an errant M80. Considering my surroundings and knowing that bodies have surfaced in the nearby woods, I don't think my assumption was way off. Don't get me wrong I still felt completely safe, but I was a little surprised and it gave me a good excuse for bogeying the last hole.

golf...a simple game

2008-05-17T22:40:00.000-05:00

Golf is one of my passions and although I struggle from time to time my drive to become better is never ceasing. Every now and again you get the feel of a perfect ball strike and it gives you hope and a yearning to find that sense of perfection again and again. There's nothing like walking the golf course as the sun sets in the west with the sharp aroma of freshly cut grass and watching your ball take flight towards the heavens. it is not a precondition to discovering peace and relaxation on the golf course but when you are striking the ball well it sure helps. When you stop and think about it, you discover a lot about yourself on the golf course maneuvering your ball from hole to hole. I found myself in this "thin place" yesterday evening as I rehearsed my golf swing at Blue River.

Since much of my blog has been devoted to running lately, I thought I'd share a little bit about one of my other hobbies. The great thing about both is that you can do them most of your life.

Koka Kora

2008-05-16T21:25:00.000-05:00

Now that my marathon is over I've unfortunately fallen back to drinking a Coke a day again. As I reached for my Coke today, I was thrown for a loop and wasn't sure were I was.

Enjoy Koka Kora!

What are the odds of winning the lottery?

2008-05-10T16:28:00.001-05:00

The odds of winning powerball are like a bazillion to 1, but still we play. Why? Because there's a chance. I will buy a lottery ticket on occasion when the jackpot is around $200 million because $10 million just isn't enough as some of my friends and I joke. But on this occasion I played a different kind of lottery where the odds were more in my favor. I put my name in the St. George Marathon lottery for a spot in the upcoming marathon this fall. Unfortunately, I didn't win the jackpot (or a spot in the race) and may have to try my luck another time.

Congratulations David! I see you made it!

And the winner is...

2008-05-04T22:16:00.001-05:00

PHOTO FINISH! Thanks to all of you who provided your input. I think it was Brett's idea that the 3:58 doesn't represent my marathon time, but my mile time of 3 minutes and 58 seconds that sealed the deal. I've saved electronic copies of the other two photos in case I change my mind.

Hopefully you like the new look of my blog. I've been struggling with what to do with it for awhile now and finally found something I kind of like. Someday I'll create my own look when I learn a little more html and some javascript. In the meantime I've been checking out the following sites and even tried following some instructions in Spanish. Now that is entertainment!

Marathon Photos

2008-04-30T16:47:00.002-05:00

After each marathon, I usually purchase a photo from the race. It makes for a nice record of all my marathons. However, I need some help deciding which one to buy.

Should I buy

Photo Finish
High Five
Can you feel the PAIN? (no, I'm not buying this one, but it is funny)

Country Music Marathon

2008-04-27T15:51:00.002-05:00

The week leading up to a marathon can be pretty tense not to mention the fact that my legs were unusually sore and tired throughout most of the week. So you can imagine, I was a little apprehensive going into Saturday's marathon. For this reason, I took it fairly easy for the first half of the race even though I was feeling pretty good. I tried to keep it relaxed through 18 and if I was still feeling good at that point, then I'd try and kick it in a little. Which I did! I felt great through miles 18 - 22.5 (as you'll see in the picture below...all smiles) which were my fastest miles and thought I was actually going to finish strong, but then the worst happened. Just after mile 23 I ran into a huge brick wall both mentally and physically and I was done. I ran to the 24 mark and then it was a combo run/walk from there. I still finished under 4 hours which is always my goal and was very thankful to be done with my 5th marathon.

Relive the magic here. See official race results.

Even though Eric couldn't make the marathon, I did carry along his entry receipt, so you could say he indirectly ran his first marathon. And yes, it was pretty much shreds by the end for both the receipt and me.

Who's cute?

2008-04-21T19:51:00.001-05:00

Call me selfish, but I take full advantage of my niece's cuteness.

How could I resist?

One Week To Go

2008-04-20T18:01:00.001-05:00

Running by yourself is very refreshing for the mind and soul, but it is always more enjoyable running with someone else and sharing in the agony...I mean joy. I sure found a cute running partner this weekend.

Come next week I'll have about 20,000 to run with...

Even though we had quite a birthday celebration this weekend, you can imagine who stole the show. Check out the running shoes!

Last Long Run

2008-04-13T13:55:00.002-05:00

Thank goodness today's run is over because it was terrible and I hit the wall pretty hard just after 13 miles. Not a great sign going into a marathon, but it really showed me how important nutrition is to maintaining your endurance and a high energy level. I definitely didn't eat near enough yesterday or hydrate and for sure didn't fill my body with the right stuff throughout the week. So I'm going to sulk in my defeat with a big juicy burger (why stop now) and crash on the couch and watch the Masters the rest of the afternoon.

Stupid Is as Stupid Does

2008-04-12T15:20:00.002-05:00

Today was the annual Pig Dinner golf tournament and let's just say our golf was not played in perfect Augusta, GA conditions. First off, if you bundle up like your are going skiing it may not be a good idea to hit the links. Secondly when only a handful of golfers show up to play it is never a good sign. But, given our dedication to the fraternity and the sport of golf we would not be denied a chance to chase a little white ball around a large grassy pasture. So with temps in the mid 30's and a strong arctic wind out of the north, what are the chances that Eric and I would birdie the first hole? Pretty FREAKING good if you ask us! I placed a decent drive just off the fairway. Eric hit a wedge shot just short of the green and then proceeded to tell me he was going to chip in for birdie. So what happened? Eric chipped in for birdie. As we finished the first hole a car slowly drove by looking at us. Yes, we are playing golf! When the snow started pelting us on 7 and we could no longer feel our fingers we discovered we really aren't that smart and called it a day.

Hogeye Half Marathon

2008-04-06T17:41:00.007-05:00

I traveled to Arkansas this weekend to visit friends and run the Hogeye Half Marathon in Fayetteville. This is by far the hardest course I've run and yes, that includes Hospital Hill. If you want to relive the race with us click Hogeye.

This is not the kind of elevation chart you really want to see for a half marathon.

Thanks Jake and Julia. As always, I had a blast!

Click here for a race summary.

Running 2.0

2008-03-29T13:16:00.003-05:00

It always feels good finishing a 20 miler, well not physically, I'm beat, but it does give you a boost of confidence going into the marathon knowing you've already made it through 20 and just have to go a few more. Although, those last 3-6 are by far the toughest.

Ski bums

2008-03-25T20:42:00.000-05:00

Who says once you graduate college you can't continue to go on spring break? I spent a large portion of last week driving through Kansas and skiing the slopes of Beaver Creek and Vail. Until this year I didn't know acrobatics and snowboarding went hand in hand, but after some cartwheels and tumbling I soon found out the versatility of the sport. I took some hellacious falls, but it was all in good fun and soon the snowboard will become an extension of my legs on the mountain.

A couple of unruly ski bums.

Tired and out of breath

2008-03-19T20:31:00.000-05:00

Vacation

2008-03-19T20:16:00.000-05:00

A ski trip to Colorado tends to trump running, but I still had to get in my long run before leaving on vacation.

Geared up to run

2008-03-08T17:41:00.001-06:00

The reward for running 18 miles...lunch at McDonald's. Not exactly a runner's diet, but then again I have committed to running so occasionally I can indulge and feel good about it.

My route today took me by some peculiar places...relatives.

Miniature size it...please.

2008-03-04T19:06:00.000-06:00

I thought genetic enhancements were to make things bigger, faster, stronger and not the opposite. I was quite amazed to discover you can now buy miniature bananas or maybe they're called baby bananas like baby carrots. May I suggest bite-sized seedless apples. Now that would be awesome!

This is kind of how I felt standing next to this 7ft exec in the elevator today.

Caramel Delight

2008-03-01T11:52:00.000-06:00

I'm to the point in my training where I'm constantly hungry particularly at 8, 10, 12, 3, 5, and 8, and recently I received a bag of homemade caramels from my aunt. I started off taking a few to work at a time, but Thursday, I decided to take the whole bag. As you might expect, I indulged myself. Before I knew it, I only had a couple left and then I looked in the trashcan to see a pile of wrappers. Out of curiosity I had to count and I ate 15 of these caramel candies. That may not seem like a lot, but these are not the tiny little caramels you find at the store. You could say sugar is a weakness. Thanks Aunt Susan for the delicious caramels! There are none other like them.