Mont’s Full Fledge Weblog

Things kids say the cutest things (satire included):

Savannah: “Dang, did the power go out?”

Me: “Whatever would give you that thought?” 

Savannah: “My light is off and the air conditioner isn’t running.”

Me: “Yes, and the radio is also off, as is the fan that was blowing in the corner of your room towards your closet for no apparent reason.  No sweetie, the power isn’t off, but if you keep running every electrical device available to you 24-hours a day for no reason then the power will be off because we can’t pay the bill.”

Savannah (smiling akwardly): “That wasn’t the best question I have ever asked huh?”

Me: “nope, not really.”

On a different note, this weekend I became a Godfather to Anna Ruth Reeves.  It was a really cool day in general.  The baptism was moving, I should stop being surprised by the power of the Holy Spirit when I open myself to its presence.  It is a good thing our God is a patient and loving God.  After the baptism we went back to the parents house and played some ultimate frisbee.  Speaking of spirit, I felt the spirit of a friend named Vince while racing through my parent’s field after a frisbee.  It was just the sort of envrionment he would have enjoyed - friends, family, beer, and frisbee!  It is kind of cool how my siblings spouses have rounded out a small ultimate frisbee team that includes my children.  What used to be a family of six is now sixteen people at family gatherings.  We can always count on six to nine being up for some sort of game.  I don’t know what I find more intriguing, the size of the family or the fact that Joe and Savannah held their own in the games after much practice this Spring.  Good times indeed.

Can’t have a post without some sort of running reference!  I ran in the Claremont Moody Park “All Out Trail Run” on Saturday and had the most fun running ever.  Yes more fun then Boston!  The Boston Marathon is an experience that cannot be matched by any other running event (I’m guessing).  I think a future post may include a scale on what makes a run spectacular.  I’m not sure that I know all the element off the top of my head, but I’m guessing Boston would be tops in many of the categories.  However, for straight up fun – the trail run is where it is at!!!

It rained the past freaking week – that sucks – but it left mud through out the entire run.  After 0.3 miles you stop worrying and just try not to break an ankle.  It is something primal, or child like, dashing through the woods and mud.  By the end I had taken an impressive digger into a mud/rock pile that cost me a finger nail and a variety of scrapes/bruises, was totally covered in mud, breathless after climbing a grade that literally required utilization of hands at one point to get up, and exhilirated!  That was a fun run…

It is now onto vacation and sometime to blog about the good, bad, and hopeful for the coming summer.   The Fourth is coming up, a quick visit from Steve, and Deep Sea fishing over the next two weeks.  Lot’s to write about without even getting into the other musings that I wanted to put on the blog, but didn’t have time over the last month. 

It has been an incredibly challenging month since Christina graduated, but I’ll save those thoughts for another post.  There has been a few things that I rely on for sanity and perhaps the biggest is running.  When I say running I mean the all encompassing parts of heading out for some exercise therapy.  Some days this is a run with no one, and not even a time clock; at other times this has been events like the Skip Matthew’s Memorial Father’s Day Run the fam + Matt, Danielle, and Anna.  Today will be church then a run home where there will be time to pray and think along the beautiful Sugar River. 

The great thing about all of this has been the longer days, T-shirt and shorts then go, and nearly endless choices of races to say “let’s go here today, hit the race, then go do…”  Of course, we have been blessed with gorgeous running conditions in the Northeast (realtively speaking).  Other then a few soul sapping 90+ days, we have been “stuck in a persistent low that has kept temperatures down and the daily threat of thunderstorms and showers around” (still working on my Weatherman).  Speaking of Weatherman, I finally saw the new to video Will Farrell flick “Semi Pro” and I don’t think the best 20 minutes of that movie beat the worst 20 minutes of “Weatherman.”  Just not very good.  Whew, talk about flight of ideas, time for the meds again.

I am finally getting better about bringing a camera and taking pictures at various events.  These are from the Skip Matthew’s run.  This was a really great run.  There was a one mile fun run before the four mile race.  Savannah ran this with “Aunt” Danielle in just over 10 minutes.  This was Savannah’s first run off the track and out in a “race like” environment.  She learned a valuable lesson that comes with running in races – where to line up.  She and Danielle became very frustrated because they wanted to run the whole mile, and they ended up in the middle of the pack where some people where pushing baby strollers, others were helping their 18-month old walk, pick up rocks, point at the birds, and so on.  Very enjoyable if you are a spectator as I was, but not as much fun when you are Danielle and Savannah trying to “run.”  At any rate, they finally made their way around the walkers and ran about 3/4 of a mile.  They had a lot of fun, and Savannah learned her first race-day lesson: line up where you plan to finish up.  Granted, this is not the easiest thing in the world on a fun run, but we’ll know next time not to get caught behind those who are just learning to walk

I ran the four mile run with Matt, we’ll not technically with Matt, but on the same course.  We talked about it before hand and decided there is nothing worse then running and struggling while someone coast along next to you.  This was supposed to be a chance to get together, hang out, and have fun – not look for reasons to want to kill someone.  I ran at my 5K race pace and held it over the 4 mile course for the most part (I was about 2 seconds per mile off at the end).  What was great is how I felt at the end – tired, but not “Someone call the ambulance cause I’m going down tired.”  I’ll be interested to see where my training takes me by the end of the summer.  Matt finished in 6:50 miles and fourth for his age division.  Really remarkable considering he is an avowed running “hater.”  However, the Marines and his own ambition to stay healthy drive him to exercise and he ran a great race.  It was so fun to watch him come up the small hill at the end and see Danielle with Anna run up the hill saying “let’s go meet Daddy.”  It was really a cool snapshot in time.  I’m glad I was there.

Speaking of Anna, it is a good thing we can’t have babies anymore – after watching Christina play for two solid hours with Anna and give her the first Chocolate Chip cookie of her life, I’m sure the gears were turning.  I love babies, but don’t want anymore!  No matter how cute they are with chocolate from head to toe and a big smile like “that beats breast milk, by a thousand miles!”

Pictures…

Danielle and Savannah doing a little pre-fun run stretching.  Two things about this picture: yes they did get a few odd looks, and this was an occasion for me to realize that my daughter officially became “embarrased” in a pre-teen way even though (or perhaps because of) her Aunt’s gleeful participation.

Not to be outdone…  Yes, more odd looks only we didn’t have the advantage of a cute child smiling akwardly to take some of the attention from our ridiculousness.

Lining up, notice the stroller?  There were plenty more in front of them.

While they ran, I got to play with my beautiful Niece, pre-cookie!

Streaking to the finish.  I wanted to get them together, but the split up to get around the woman in the picture.  Sorry Danielle you were cut out a little…

Finishers ribbon and good memories

Start of the 4-miler.  I arrived to the starting line and could not find a way to move up, so I got caught in the pack for the first 1/4 mile. 

Matt charged out at a 6:25 mile and said “no way!”  Looks strong enough here…

Easily one of my most cherished memories will be Joe taking off at a dead sprint to help me cover the last quarter mile.  He is fast, crossing the finish line with him on Father’s Day… yeah. 

Matt making it up the last hill.  This is the part of the run where he really started to push – amazing what a cheering section can do for you at the end of a run.

I’ll spare you the award ceremony pictures.  It was a blast!  A real break from all the chaos of the past month.  At the end of the day we enjoyed a barbecue and Matt won a free beach towel, can’t beat that!

So I just got out of my car to walk back into work after a thrilling meeting.  It is freaking hot here, I mean like San Antonio in the middle of July hot.  95 degrees with a 101 heat index – not pleasant when air conditioning is “not really necessary save for a couple times a year” according to many a New Englander.  Maybe that is true, but those times when you want it – you really freaking want it.  At any rate, I listened to the weatherman talking about the coming severe thunderstorms and he sounded as giddy as my kids talking about Christmas presents.  I guess if you live in New England, and are a weatherman, the threat of severe hail, tornado’s, and thunderstorms is something to get geeked up about.  Kind of like a weatherman in Atlanta talking about the coming Blizzard.  I’m not sure I would be happy about life if I was a weatherman and this was exciting to me.  I just think ”man I hope it cools off” and “man I hope the hail doesn’t dent my car.”  But, what do I know – I think a lot of things are cool that others are sure is lame.  To each their own

I meant to post these earlier, but just remembered while blog surfin’ that I had them.  These are from the covered bridges half marathon.  Great run, I highly recommend this 1/2 for the quintessential New England run if you are coming from outside the area.  Results here: http://www.coolrunning.com/results/08/vt/Jun1_17thAn_set1.shtml  (yes I posted them because I PR’d in the half!) 

It was a cool afternoon on Wednesday – the type that is perfect for running.  Not much of a breeze, slight chill in the air, and damp.  It almost felt like late April, which is a whole other complaint.  However, we are supposed to swell into the 90’s this weekend so I’ll complain about the cool softly knowing I’ll be whining about the heat on Sunday.  At any rate, everything was set up for one glorious run.

At the outset of the race the pace was a little slow and quickly resulted in looking at the back of the pack.  However, there was a goal in mind, a pace was chosen, and now was not the time to get carried away trying to keep up with the cheetah’s.  So, around the track for the first time and everything is as it should be.  By the second trip around the track some of the blazers have lost a step and everyone is settling into a more steady pace.  At the end of lap three, with one to go, it is time for a gut check.  The pace that may have been to slow to start is now hard to maintain, this is really about accomplishing the goal and achieving something that didn’t seem possible.  With about 200 meters to go the wind, breath, and air seems to have evaporated, and now it is running in a vacuum – nothing, but guts for the final stretch.  Faster, Faster, Faster – pulling into 2nd place and blazing across the finish for the first compete mile in a race – 9 minutes flat!!! 

I ran over to Savannah to tell her how proud I was.  She had just finished her first competitive mile in 9 minutes flat.  She looked up at me and said “I don’t think I can breathe!”  I told put my arm around her, told her to hold her head up and back to let as much air in as possible while we walked it off.  In about 20 seconds she said “I did it Dad!”  I really don’t think I could have been more proud.  There were four schools out on the track that day with 50+ kids in the event.  Only 5 kids would run the mile and Savannah was one.  Among her age group and gender she was 2 out of 3.  There were two older boys who ran it as well, but they don’t count (more on them later).  All of that is really secondary to the fact that she set out to achieve the goal (run a mile in less then 10 minutes) and blew it away.  Just like her neurotic running Dad, as soon as she could catch her breath she wanted to know when we could start working on the 5k (coincidentally that would be tomorrow).  That was the sweetest mile I’ve ever been blessed enough to watch!

One quick gripe – to the little dweeb boys and the obnoxious parents who started yelling for the two older boys to lap the girls running SHUT UP!!!  Two things – 1. they all ran the mile together because they didn’t want to tie up the track for 30 minutes running all the different age groups – especially when only 5 kids were competing.  So, they weren’t competing against each other just sharing the track.  No wonder girls hate being around boys sometimes they are so obnoxious, and I had the first moment where, as a dad, I wanted to pound the crap out of some little boys – but had to be the adult.  2. That being said, to the parents who neither told there punk kids to shut it, and even more so to the ones cheering (yes cheering) for the boys to lap the girls – until you can get your butt around the track and keep up with the girls putting it all out there (at the age of 9 and 10) you can’t say a word.  SHUT IT!  Really this causes me to want to rant and rave like no other.  I can’t pound the little boys, but you mister three chin, suckin’ on a cigarette, and complaining about the lack of a comfortable chair guy that is a different story.  I’m not a big man, 5′7″ 138#, but I’m guessin’ on an open field as long as I don’t let him get a hold of me in the first 30 seconds he’s going to get a whoopin’ when he’s suckin’ air.  Just unexcusable.  Good thing my outspokin wife was at the other end of the track while this occured or I’m sure there would have been something explosive happening.

All right, I feel better – I didn’t end up in jail and even think I used the opportunity to teach our kids a valuable lesson.  I told Savannah after the race, when she asked me why some people cheered that way, that there would always be nimrod’s in the world.  She couldn’t always change them, but she could change how she responded to them.  Use it as motivation.  Now here is where I think there are some differences in gender or something about my kids in general.  Savannah said she wasn’t going to let them lap her next year, and really who cares what a couple of dumb boys do.  Joe said that he hopes he gets a chance to run next year so he can beat their…

Good day!

So the Covered Bridges half marathon was an absolute blast.  I’m finding that I look forward to meeting some of the people who I see frequently running these various races as much as I look forward to running.  Well, not quite that much, but a lot more so then I thought – and this is a pleasant revelation.  It is nice to spend some time catching up with a familiar face.

I really can’t get into race details without first mentioning (again) that this race was for a charity.  For more on the charity check out www.teamalzheimers.com.  You simply can’t imagine the challenges and heart break some of the fellow team Alzheimers runners have faced watching a loved one slowly slip away.  I think I have mentioned before that I am less concerned with no longer being able to run then I am with no longer being able to remember any of the truly transcendent memories running has blessed me with over the past two-years.  For some reason I feel as though I should state to the cynical crowd that I am truly and overwhelmingly humbled to have been a part of this team.

The race was great.  Beautiful course, good crowd support, and just enough hills to make it challenging without being a killer.  I ran it in 1 hour 18 minutes and 34 seconds.  This was the first time I broke 1:20 on a half marathon, and right on the pace I set out for.  As I got closer I realized I could break the 6 minute mile barrier and finished strong, but get this: my pace was exactly 6 minutes per mile.  All I had to do to break the 6 minute mile barrier was knock ~3 to 4 seconds off my time.  Christina laughed when I looked at the results and said that I should have sprinted out the last 15 feet instead of raising my arms.  Oh well, there is always the CHAD Half in September.

I will not go into the painful mile by mile recap like Boston, but there were a few neat things along the way.  Of course, most of the coolest parts involve covered bridges and my family.  The first leg of the race finishes up when you emerge from the Woodstock covered bridge to a roaring crowd on the green.  I knew Christina and the kids were planning on hanging out here and I was not going to miss them like Boston.  Just beyond the bridge I saw them with their signs jumping up and down.  I went over slapped high fives, cheered and continued on.  That was neat – it was almost like completing the missing part of Boston.

I enjoyed the part where the course loops back and you have runners going in both directions by Billings Farm.  It is such a lift to have fellow runners cheering for each other.  This is an absolute must keep portion of this race.  The run from mile 5 to 8 along the river is the most peaceful and serene experience you could have in a race.  By this time I was running all alone.  The Cheetah’s of the group were about 3 minutes ahead, and the person behind me was a full minute to minute and 30 back.  It is no hyperbole to say you are running with the trees, river, and family of ducks floating by.  If that experience doesn’t get you then I suggest another read of Walden by Thoreau.

What a cool surprise to see Christina and the Kids by the Taftsville bridge.  Just the boost I needed to make my way up the steepest and hardest hill of the run.  The transcendent memories I talk about with running – one thing always strikes me – how much my wife and kids cheering lifts my entire being.  It is like floating.  The hill is over and now it is downhill to the finish.  I don’t know why I am consistently surprised by how tired I get towards the end of a race, but I have found a mental tool that helps.  Once I hit that point I ask myself why I’m surprised.  I’ll then gauge how much distance is left (2 miles at this point) and just try to hang onto my pace until I can leave it all out there on the final mile.  It worked well this time.

The end of the race is really cool because you can see it for about a 0.4 miles.  This is so crucial when you know the race is about done and you are really just holding on.  To see the finish line is a 4th or 5th wind that carries you to the end.  Once across the finish line I see some of the runners I talked with at the beginning of the race who already finished or were just behind me.  More stories and celebration with them and the family, then back with signs for Team Alzheimer’s and some loud cheering – what a great early summer day!

So far as pictures – hopefully there will be some soon.  I don’t want to give my wife to hard of a time, but if her fantastic support is yin then her picture taking in yang.  I’ll take support over photos, but wow – need some work on those skills! 

Next up is a Father’s day run with Matt (brother-in-law and brand new Daddy), I can’t wait for that one – it’ll be the first time running with someone since the 5K with Vaughan!