My new pet

No, we did not get another Boxer. I ripped out some bushes and cleaned out an area of landscaping that opened up a downspout......so I decided Manfred needed a friend......so I ordered this guy today and he should be here in a week!
I collect gargoyles. Manfred is on the other side of the house...

Those are our outdoor gargoyles....inside we have.....
Gaston.....

and the hopping gargoyle...
Gargoyles are clearly much cooler than yard gnomes......

Mayor's Marathon

We had 10 people from KC and 18 from Springfield do the race in Anchorage. Everyone finished and we had some pretty good times for that course. We also had a marriage proposal......
Congratulations to Michelle and Greg. Greg had these signs out near the end of the 1/2 marathon course and Michelle held up the "yes" sign as Greg finished the marathon...We also were treated to a lunch at Cindy's house. Her parents live in Anchorage and we had a pre-victory party there.

The weather was perfect...there was a light drizzle but the temp was perfect. I had loaded up my I-pod with a lot of Moody Blues tunes and just ran nice and easy. I came in at 5:16:50 and felt pretty good. The tank trail was in great shape....no large round rocks covering it like 2 years ago. The medal was much nicer also....

Athens 2009

We are starting to sign up an alumni team for Athens, Greece. I signed up and I am already excited about running the original marathon.......All I have to do is sell 125 bottles of wine!!!

Next up.....Anchorage

I leave for Alaska on Thursday morning. TNT has a team going there and I am going as a pseudo-coach. Our chapter includes Springfield and they have a large group going, so the Springfield coach will be the official coach and I fundraised so I can go and hang out with my runners and actually run it with them. I am a little concerned about this race....my lungs just haven't been the same since Wyoming and the altitude sickness. I have been congested and just have not been able to run very far. If it does not get better by the time I get back, a trip to the doctor will be scheduled....I guess if I have to walk, I will walk.

Tag

1- How would you describe your running 10 years ago?

I was just getting started....my first marathon was 5/99 and my first 1/2 was 11/98

2-What is your best and worst run/race experience?
Worst....my Ironman....all 17+ miserable hours.....nothing quite as humiliating as walking your bike up Ozark hills because your legs are so cramped that you can't go fast enough to keep the bike upright. Best....I would go with my PR marathon....RNR-Az...not the nicest course, but it was for me that year.

3- Why do you run?
I started to run to get back in shape and found I enjoyed it.....then I made a lot of friends running and it just became my favorite thing to do.

4- What is the best or worst piece of advice you've been given about running?
Altitude won't bother you that much (I told myself this before Fort Collins and then again a few weeks later at Wyoming).

5- Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.
I am bald by choice, I never played the accordion as a child, and ABBA is not one of my favorite groups.

Here are the rules guidelines:If you have been tagged, you will find your name at the end of this post. You should then, copy the rules (or your version of them), and the set of questions onto your blog post, provide your own answers, and then tag 5 new people.Just to be sure that everyone tagged knows they have been invited to play, go to their blogs and leave them a special comment letting them know, and refer them to your blog for details.One more thing, once they've answered the questions on their own blog, they should come back to yours to tell you.

Addendum.....if you are tagged by more than one person within 24 hours with the same questions, you are thereby not required to forward these questions on to 5 other people.

Sauvignon Blanc

We spent Sunday evening bottling and labeling my latest batch of fundraising wine. We ended up with 29 bottles......it is a dry white wine and I tasted the raw product and it was good. It should improve in the bottles over the next couple of months....

Our Biggest Team Ever.....and more San Diego Pix....

The fall season for TNT had its kick off meeting tonight....and it is off to a great start. 95 runners and counting, the biggest Mid-america team yet. When the tri and cycle people are thrown in, we are over 100 for the fall events. Official numbers later.....


San Diego shots....


The Mission....

The race.....

San Diego

I am approaching 1 year as as a coach for TNT. One thing I have found during this time is that I get caught up in the details of the day-to-day training minutiae that I stray from the reasons I am really here. Then, there is always someone you meet that brings you right back into focus. On this team we were fortunate enough to have Molly and her family. She lost her sister, Yona, last November. It was an honor to have all of you there and to be part of your weekend......the bibs say it all.......

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I wanted this to be my first post....pictures of the race will follow later this week.