CrossRoads Blog

Thirty years ago when a night was going to be about getting all dressed up and hitting a show it meant my favorite pair of jeans and maybe a Pink Floyd Concert shirt and heading to see The Boss at The Spectrum. Man, how times have changed…

We have such a great time every chance we get to spend a night with Sister Kerry and Brother-in-law Mike. A couple of our favorite nights out over the last few year was spent hanging with them. One in particular that included a Six Foot Six Inch Blue Bunny in high heels, but alas that was before the days of Blogs (thankfully) so we will leave that story alone. The rub is always finding the time to get together on a night that works out for everybody and of course we are in town. So sometimes we just have to plan ahead and make it happen. The other night we got to reap the reward of that planning and ‘Go Play Dress-up’ and attend one of the two nights that the Opera La Boheme was in town at the Phoenix Symphony.

Mike and Kerry stopped over before so we could partake in a few good finger foods and some nice Vino before the show. Mike was doing the Distinguished Gentleman thing looking sharp in the Tux, and Kerry was most elegant in her Black Evening Dress - I guess I didn’t get all the family good looks after all. Mrs. M was also her gorgeous self sporting the Black Dress, Black Pearls and Black heels. Me and Mike would surely be getting the envy nods tonight.

We all really enjoyed the show. It wasn’t one of my favorite Opera’s, and in fact I liked Rent (more or less based on the Puccini classic) a little better. Some of the singing was still stunning, but overall La Boheme’s ’story line’ isn’t really that strong compared to many of the others we enjoy more. This all said, still a great night with great company. After much talk about maybe going out afterward, it was Saturday night after all, we ended up coming back to the house and drinking a little more Vino before calling it a night. Like I said, ‘Playing Dress Up’ has changed just a little in 30 years….

It’s hard to believe that it’s just been twelve months since we ran in last year’s P.F. Chang Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon. As the saying goes, maybe only one year but a million miles away. Err.. perhaps more specifically about 4000 miles away (the running miles Kimberly and I have completed since this race last year. The other biggie is that last year we did the Half Marathon, and this year we did the Full. Last year we never had a race longer than this, this year we went in having done at least 30 races and runs that were longer. As they also say - things change, and since that time last year the running addition has been going full force will no slowdown in sight.

Having experienced last year’s ridiculous very early rise (pretty much the night before) in order to get over to Tempe, park, hop on the bus to get downtown, ride the bus, try to hit the bathroom line, get warmed up, etc. etc before the race begins at the crack of dawn, we thought better and reserved a room downtown for the night before. This way we could just walk over to the start line a couple of miles away and then after the race take our first ride on the light rail back downtown.

We headed downtown early on Saturday for a couple of reasons; we wanted to hit the Expo (every race has one and the Rock n Roll event ones are great), but more importantly was to connect up with a bunch of runner friends we have come to know online but never have met. The plan was to hook up at Starbucks in the Arizona Center at 2:00. As is typical we were running a little late and really didn’t have a chance to hit the expo before the meeting with the runner gang. That and parking at our hotel or anywhere downtown was a cluster with the expo and a big MLK event also going on.

Just like every other time we get a chance to meet in person some of the folks we have ‘met’ online, they turn out to be great people. I have to say, the “runner crowd” is good folks - happy, nice, considerate, supportive, encouraging, just really, really enjoyable ‘good soul’ peoples. We can already tell though we have just now met them, some of these people with likely be in our lives for years and years to come. We already have plans to connect up with several of them at upcoming races all over the country.

After the get together we did hit the Expo for a little bit, Kimberly scored some compression socks, we snagged all the freebie bars and such, got the obligatory official race magnet and little postcard (we have them from all the Rock N Roll events), walked around a bit and then scooted back to the hotel by late afternoon to try to settle in. I’m sure I have talked about our ‘pre big race ritual’ before: lay out all the stuff you need for the morning (shorts, shirts w bibs on, D-Tag on your shoes, heat rubs, lip balms, GU’s and energy blocks, 5 hr Energy drink, gloves, hats, Garmin watch, iPod shuffles, headsets, knee bands, heart rate monitor strap (K), running socks, spi belt, water bottles and water belt, banana’s x4, oatmeal ready, etc. etc. It’s a ton of crap, it’s like we are going off to war or some such, course by mile 24 it feels like you had been in one. The point being, set it out so you don’t forget anything and you can get that extra 15 minutes of sleep - course assuming you actually get 3-4 hours total anyway which would be a blessing. After getting everything ready, we partake of the homemade pizza’s and salad we always bring (we know this works for us). Hop in bed, turn on a boring movie, take a melatonin, sleepy time tea, and try to hit the hay by 9:30-10:00 ish.

At about 4:15 a.m. we both did the little whisper thing to see if the other was awake - as always - yep. It wasn’t too bad, we both assumed we ‘netted’ about 4 1/2 hours sleep. We did the routine, took the pre race pic and we were out the door. It was cold, but not bitter cold which was very helpful. For those that don’t do a lot of pre sunrise running, it’s basically you want a winter parka and 2 sets of gloves before you start and the first mile or two, then you could darn near be in a birthday suit as you are dripping sweat. More relevant was the wind, and it was fairly nonexistent so that was cool. Other than walking right by John McCain’s car window on the way over to our corrals and spooking the secret service guy our pre race was fairly uneventful. The bathroom lines were even palatable this year.

Kimberly and I both enjoyed the race and were mostly happy with the results too. The race itself is always a riot, though a real tough challenge to go all out for that long, it’s really the reward for all the hard work beforehand. The results however can be a different story, but we did good, not spectacular, or even great, but good. Kimberly came in at 4:36:19 about 1300th out of all women (even the err umm ‘younger ones’ which was a new PR. I did 3:22:19 which was good for top 8% overall and in my age group. It was also good enough to qualify me to run in the Boston Marathon which is cool. The downside was I did end up fading like a 70’s concert t-shirt the last few miles and it killed my sub 3:20 goal.

The big news of the day actually came after the race. I nearly had a heart attack - and not from running, but from worry! They have this runner tracking thing, and after the race I was hanging with some of our good buddies from West Valley Runners and they had the tracking up on their phone. It showed Kimberly had passed the 21 mile mark over an hour and a half ago (at the time). Knowing her pace, and seeing the plan was to meet where I was, she should have been there by now, or at least real soon. So after another half hour or so my worry starts to turn into real concern. Then I overhear some people next to me mention some lady just straight falling out at about mile 22. Looking at his bib number he and Kimberly would have, should have been very close to the same time. Now I really started to worry though didn’t ask him or anything because that would be silly. Long story cutting a little short, another half hour passes and STILL NO KIMBERLY. I now send out our friends (they offer) over to the medical tent, I borrow a cell phone to start making calls, it’s starting to get real crazy - and of course she finally walks up smiling like nothing ever happened. Seems she was following the crowd and headed off in the wrong direction for a bit. Scared the dog-doo out of this 45-49 age group husband of hers. If she wasn’t such a stubborn, competitive redhead I wouldn’t have to worry that she might push it more than she should - but alas…. that not be’ my woman….

A few pictures HERE. Until the next race, errr I mean blog

Said loud and proud: We have a healthy and beautiful little Grand Daughter!! The little precious one decided to step into the world just a wee but early (a couple of weeks or so) and for a second had us old Grandparents a little worried. We were hanging out at the Fiesta Bowl when we got the call that Momma Antoinette was at the Doctor for a regular baby visit and all of a sudden started going into labor and they were rushing her to the hospital. The scare came because while reception is excellent at the stadium, we couldn’t get a stinking dial tone on the cells because everyone was using all the AT&T bandwidth (I could fill a blog complaining about AT&T but this is about our little one…) to get any updates. Because our Grandson M3 was early and both he and momma had a little rough go, we were concerned for Antoinette and little Ariana. When we finally did get word (it was probably right away but sure seemed forever) that everyone was healthy and doing great and little Ariana was 6lb 10oz. well… let’s just say the tailgating got way more celebratory!

Now the only challenge will be hanging out until we get to see her and smother her with all those hugs kisses. Grandma may do more of the holding and smooching, but I will be there smelling her precious head and clicking away - the return of Grandpa Flash! We will likely wait about a month, we free up around then and that will both give Mom and Dad time to settle in and also allow us to go when we can hang out for a few weeks. The only other downside as I see it is this also gives Grandma many weekend shopping days before we go. So I guess I will have busy weekdays on the phone trying to round’ up another client or two because I think I have no real idea of how spoiled “Little A” is gonna’ be, and I will also be ordering more website bandwidth to handle all the upcoming pictures….

We have a lot of good friends here in Phoenix for sure, but for the most part all our old (old both ways…) friends either moved away or always did live under some other push pin on the Google map. So it is very cool when we get the call that some friends are headed our way. This time it was extra cool because it was Clay and Kathy making the trip to see us here in the desert. Kathy and Clay aren’t really friends - they be family - and it had been way too long since they made it out this way. Plus it was over the New Year’s holiday which meant lots of goof time to be had. Being oenophiles and golf fanatics, you knew we would be drinking well and I would need to dust off the wife’s sand wedge too.

Before we knew of the visit, Kimberly and I had been contemplating what to do New Year’s Eve. We really hate to go out, but at the same time hate to be old fuddy-dudies and just sit around. So with Kathy and Clay coming it seemed a no-brainer - we would have a party for them on New Year’s Eve! Then, with what was already sounding like a great few days got even better when the TCU Horned Frogs BCS bid sent them to the Fiesta Bowl. Both Clay and Kathy were grad students at TCU and go to most games back in Ft. Worth. Clay’s mom also works at TCU and with that has some special allocations where she could score some great seats for the game (the Fiesta Bowl is played 15 minutes up the street at University of Phoenix Stadium here in Glendale. BTW: Mrs. Reeves insisted on getting tickets for us and that was very kind and thoughtful of her and Gerald. So the week plan was set, family, vino, golf, vino, golf, vino, party, friends, tailgate, Frogs… life be good. It really did turn out to be a great week and every day ended with the old - it doesn’t get much better than that. The exception being the Frog’s loss in the Bowl, but I think next year is set up to be perhaps Natl. title time.

Seems Clay and Kathy had just landed a day before, played a round of golf and it was party time. As always we spent the day running around making sure we had everything we needed and doing the setup and cooking. Before you knew it, party time. We didn’t have a lot of the Belly Dancer gang this time as many were out of town or had other plans by the time we set the Party up. Plus it’s so hard sometimes with New Years, baby sitters, etc. But we still did get to enjoy a great fire dance from Laura, and Misty and Kimberly did a excellent sword dance too - the gang all loved it. Also cool was we had a ton of folks from our West Valley Runners group show up. We have gotten to know them all just recently really and this was the first opportunity we had to invite them over. It was great to have them. Of course a ton of the other usual suspects were also kind (or silly) enough to spend their NYE with us as well.

I’ll leave the details for another time, but as seems to happen as the night wears on the activity under the Tiki Bar progresses to trouble (ish). Stirring the pot this time, Mr. Clayton Reeves himself. He was pouring Tequila shots quicker than a Nolan Ryan fastball. My poor little sis ended up playing that game a little too long by the way and missed Auld Lang Syne by about 15 minutes. Tequila along with a ton of Bubble Water, including some Dom Perignon (brought by good friends Christian and Debbie) was a flowin’ until the wee hours. I think we ended up hitting the pillow about 3:00 am the first early morning of 2010.

Over the weekend we did the golf thing. I got to play Anthem Country Club which I have wanted to for awhile. Considering the cold, and I had not played in forever, plus the course (man it is a tough one), I did pretty good. Would have enjoyed it anyway, but sure helped having a decent game. I even won a couple of bucks from Clay (let’s not mention he has to give me 2 shots a hole).

One of my favorite days of the whole visit was Fiesta Bowl day. We did it up right. I think we had the whole back of the truck full of grills and coolers, chairs, food, etc when we headed over to do some serious tailgating at the stadium. It was a chamber of commerce weather day, I grilled some burgers, then some shrimp, and we just hung out all day munching and drinking beer and vino and enjoying the great company (incl. Clay’s folks who were here for the game). The best part of the day however wasn’t even at the game - it was because our Grand Daughter was born (Healthy, happy 6lb. 10oz. Ariana Marie)!! It was killing us though that we could barely get cell service to find out all the details.

I sure hope that Kathy and Clay enjoyed the week as much as we did. I wanted everything to go perfect because there is some talk that they may make Phoenix home a couple/few months out of the year. It would be so, so cool to have them close so we could hang all the time.

As always… you know there were some Party Pictures (errr ummm …minus a few) HERE and also the Fiesta Bowl shots HERE

Tradition is by definition something that is ongoing - you have done it before and expect to again. There are many great family traditions surrounding the holidays. One for me growing up was we always went to my Grandfather’s lake house on Christmas Eve with all my Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins. We would all exchange gifts, eat a ton of food and cookies and listen to my Uncle Keith make cracks about the $10 he got from ‘Howard’ (my grandpa), score a Central Michigan shirt from my Aunt Lisa, take goofy pictures and laugh. I loved that tradition. Can’t tell you how much I missed it the first year I was away some 30 or so years ago - and even today think about those nights every Christmas.

The immediate family always tried to keep that Christmas Eve thing going on and about 12 years ago our house became the gathering place for all of us to get together and share a great night of family, food, gifts and laughter. We would always do Kimberly and Kerry’s birthday presents first and then it was Christmas time. But sadly, like going to my Grandpa and Grandma’s the tradition of having everyone over to our place has kind of faded some in the last few years too. With my folks and now the boys both being in Oklahoma, we are now down to just Mom and Dad Lohstroh, Mike, Kerry, Josh, Heather, and us. So while we still get together, we still do the birthday thing, and Kimberly and I still try to do a special ‘ethnic theme meal’, it’s just not quite the same old full crazy house with everyone here.

But as some traditions die, others are born. And one of the new ‘traditions’ (seeing it has been two years now and will hopefully go on forever) is ‘crazy gift gaming’ (for lack of better term so far). Essentially everyone buys a ton of odd - weird - funny - nice - practical - impractical, (basically you name it) little gifts. The only criteria is that it cannot be over $10. So after dinner we all sit around and play some game - whatever is short, (it was Five Card Stud Poker this year), and the winner gets to pick a new gift or steal one that someone else has already gotten. Last year being the first year we had a riot. This year with everyone knowing all year it was coming, turned out to be even more fun. I think we were not the only ones who kept an eye out all year long for ‘the perfect items’.

The net was it was a great time, and a great ending to a very nice Kimberly & Kerry Birthday slash Christmas Eve get together with family. I may have missed out this time on the Monkey Butt Powder and the Redneck Telescoping Fork but I did score the musical Elvis singing Blue Christmas Ornament which went right on the tree and 10 rolls of toilet paper (don’t ask)! Let the search for 2010 gifts begin… Oh yeah, and the Tenderloin Filet’s on the grill and Au Gratin Potatoes made for a great meal (of course the 5 bottles of wine may have helped the palette) and Kimberly loved the Kindle I got for her Birthday.

The thing Kimberly and I both recalled about last year’s Frosty’s Run is that it ‘earned’ it’s name. It was cold! I remember being very happy when we got to start running and warm the body. The other thing was how much we enjoyed the race. So there we were again, trying to get an early sleep Saturday and getting our not-so-young selves up at 4:50 AM Sunday morning to do a race. The difference being, this time even though the temperature was suppose to be better, we were far better prepared. For me that means double gloves, for Kimberly that means long pants and the little earband thinggie’ she has.

We got to the race in time to mingle a little and say hello to some of the familiar faces. Funny how many of the same cast of characters end up doing many of the local races. On the positive side it was also much warmer than last year, but that said, it is still cold as heck in the desert before the sun comes up. The race supports the local Hospice community and is held at Reach 11 Park just South of the 101 and Tatum. It is 10 Miles and ran entirely on the dirt trails in an area called Horse Lovers Park. Kind of odd in that the race is all on dirt trail (nice on the knees) and seems like it is in the middle of nowhere running the whole 10 miles, yet you are less than a mile from Desert Ridge and a couple from the busy Scottsdale/101 area.

Kimberly and I had good runs and in fact both ended up getting a medal for our age groups. This was kind of surprising in that last year we remember that Frosty’s had some really fast folks that ran it. Kimberly knocked a ton of time of her last year result and finished just over an hour and a half at 1:30:14 good for 57th overall and 3rd in her age group. Funny thing was, had the race been just 4 days later (after her birthday Dec 24th) she would have won her age group. Yet another good news - bad news thing about getting older . I crossed at 1:13:51 which was 2nd in my age group and 7th place overall.

The downside of our medal success was that we had to hang out to receive them. Which meant waiting until everyone is done with the race, they have gotten organized etc. Normally not a big deal at all, and happy to do it. This time however it proved an issue… We are in the midst of training for the P. F. Chang Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in 4 weeks. Because of this our schedules called for about 20 miles or running this day. Now most people just skip the races and do the 20 run like they wisely should - but we like to race to much. Other people who maybe do like us and do the race, just say the 10 miles is enough seeing it was a race and call it a day. Well…. not us stubborn types. We are suppose to do 20, then we need to do the race, then just go out and do the same 10 mile track and we will have our 20 in. Net result of this stubbornness and having to wait 1 1/2 hours in between the two 10 mile runs - PAIN. And I do mean PAIN in all capitals. There seems to be a window of time were you can run a race, hang out and then run again. I am not sure what it is, but I know what it is not. After about 8 miles into run two (and BTW the temps were now up 25 degrees), I turned and looked at Kimberly and said “I have had enough, how about you?”. Let’s say there was not an pause before her answer. Sadly it was still 2 miles back to the car, though it did allow us plenty of time to come up with justification on calling it a wrap 2 miles early.

We will be back next year hoping for warm weather and NOT planning to run after….

Sometimes Kimberly and I are running around and next thing you know the whole day is gone, or the weekend for that matter, and we go “man what happened, were did all the time go”. It’s like time really does just fly by. Neither of a has a job that is outside of the house, we have no traffic time, no kids piano or Tae Kwon Do lessons to go to, no PTA, no etc. - but yet it seems like we don’t ever have a spare minute one. Yesterday, I think this was the epitome of ‘no rest for the wicked’ as we were running (ummm.. no pun intended) right from the get-go!

Our morning started with a 4:00 A.M. rise. We quickly did the breakfast thing, and got ready for the Saturday long run with the West Valley Runners. Seeing we were starting the run at 5:30 so that we would be finished by 8:00 ish, this meant cold weather gear, gloves, packing the GU shots, music charged, headlamps on, watch, recovery bars, spi-belt, etc. We wanted to still make sure we had at least a little time after the run to go over to Starbucks and hang with the guys before we had to scoot quickly home and get things going for the next part of the morning. So Kimberly knocked out the 18 miles she needed and I got in my 21.5 and we went over and said hello for a bit with the gang for coffee.

We couldn’t stay long, because we had to run home and get ready for the Annual Tae Kwon Do Party in the park by 10:00. Seeing we had committed to bringing the breakfast Burritos that meant a ton of veggie chopping and cooking still to be done (to say nothing of cracking and separating 5 dozen eggs as we only wanted the whites). So we were flying with showers going, four burners cooking, the electric skillet rockin’, knives, chopping boards everywhere, wraps, aluminum foil, it was nuts. But we did manage to load the food (about 30 plus Burritos), grab some chairs, throw them in the truck and make it over to the park only 30 minutes late or so.

The get together was good fun as always. Way more food options than we all need. I scored some home processed sausage and even ate a doughnut (I ran 21 miles that am so I figured it’s all good). We spent some time shooting the breeze with the whole gang - the folks and the families of our Dojang are all great people. After stuffing ourselves it was time for the annual soccer game. I had a riot, even though I had to play much more in control than last year seeing the hamstring is still very tender. Kimberly wisely watched from the cheering section. I think we played for at least an hour and half before the crowd started breaking up and we all called it a wrap.

It was now time for a late lunch and little store running we had to do. We got the shopping done as fast as we could, came home, ate, hit the shower again (funky from the Soccer and being out in the cold), and got ready for the night. Kimberly’s fellow Belly Dance troupe friend Laura was having a birthday get together. The cool part was that it was going to be the Coyotes Hockey game playing the Sharks. So I was down with that for sure. Only thing was, the gang was all getting together before the game over at Westgate for dinner and drinks meaning we had to be there by like 5:00. Seeing by the time the late lunch and showers were done it was now 3:30, there would be no hoped for nap.

We had a good time at the restaurant and game, it was nice to catch up with everyone. Seems like it has been forever since we have had a night out with some of the Belly Dance gang. It was also nice to see the Coyotes playing some good hockey (it’s been awhile), but sadly we had to book it after the second period so we could rush home and get ready for the Annual Boat/Xmas Party at the Courpe’s. Good news is we are only about 15 minutes from the stadium, I think it took more time to walk to the Truck than it took to get home once out of the parking lot. So within one hour of leaving the game we were in the Christmas(ie) duds with Kimberly’s homemade cookies and a bottle of Vino in our hands walking into the Party.

Alan and Ene always put on a great holiday party, and this year was no exception. Seeing there was no Boat Parade that meant no kiddo’s. No kiddo’s I am sure meant a much more ‘adult’ vibe to the later hours of the party - which sadly we did not get to see. We said hello everybody, had a few cocktails, some vino, hung as best we could, but by about 11:00 we had to fess up and admit we were getting too old to party into the wee hours. Still by the time we hit the sheets it was a 20 plus hour non-stop day. I still wonder where the heck the time goes and how we used to do it back in the day with kids around….

This will be one of the trips that I as time passes I will look back be able to focus more on what was great about the trip versus what was not. In that vein, I will start out with the ‘not’ so I can get to all the fun and good times.

I woke up the day after getting back from McAlester a little sore. Not too unexpected seeing we just had a 16 hour drive the day before, but Kimberly said she felt fine. I didn’t think anything of it until I went out for my run a couple hours later. Originally we had the planned on doing the Half Marathon at the coming weekend’s Las Vegas Rock & Roll Marathon. Only seeing I have been pretty much doing Marathon quantity training miles per week (and I needed 20 miles that day not 13) I was fairly sure I would switch over the do the full and just treat it as a training run for the upcoming Chang’s Full in January. Which meant my plan for that Monday was 12 miles or so. Only as soon as I started to run I felt my right hamstring was sore. Hey, we are used to soreness in certain areas, so I just decided to keep running and it would go away. Problem was as soon as I picked up the pace after my warm-up - OUCH, it felt like I ripped the whole thing from the back of my knee. I hobbled home as the realization that I was likely at least fairly injured started to sit it. I won’t bore you with lot’s more, but the story ends with I was still jacked 6 days later when it was time to run in Vegas. The good news was that as long as I didn’t push the speed too much I could run - so I was able to run. The great news was that while a little painful to go at her pace, I was able to run with Kimberly and we crossed the finish line together (a great photo opportunity)!

Now the rest of the great parts of the trip… It was Vegas remember, so you know there was fun to be had. The first night in town we checked out the new City Center area, or at least the parts that were open. This place is going to be amazing if it ever gets to what it was to be. Makes me wonder though with all the economy issues if this will be one huge casualty. In the meantime, it truly is a ‘City in a City’ (and to think we used to say that about some individual hotels. A cool aside, I think they named one of the Hotels in City center after the Granddaughter (Aria). Of course we did a whole lot of walking around; the Venetian Shoppes, Caesars’ Forum, The Fashion Show, etc. Got some incredible shopping deals because of all the options and the economy. Kimberly had her first Wolfgang Puck Pizza, we had a nice meal at ‘The Company Store’, and of course one night did the carbo load at the Paris Buffet.

But this trip was all about the race and hanging with our runner friends. One really cool aspect was that even though it was not a ‘local’ race, we still got to hang with a bunch of running friends. Quite a few of the West Valley Runners (a local run club we run with) were in town to run the Half and the Full. They are a bunch of great folks and we didn’t get to hang with them as much as we would have liked, but we did catch up a couple of times. Sunday night we missed them sounds perhaps like it could have been a fun one. We heard something about Coyote Ugly, crazy drinking, belts, welts, etc (we will keep quiet on the rest :-). We were also able to connect up with some runner friends we have come to know from Twitter (Kimberly’s friends really). It was nice, we hung a little at the expo, and had a drink with them at Mandalay one day. I’m sure it will not be the last time we hang with that crowd…

All in all, like I said a great long weekend in Vegas. I might be bummed about the hamstring, but I got to run down the Las Vegas Strip with my wonderful wife, see a bunch of friends, eat at some great Vegas places, and just hang in town we love. Heck if I would have stayed home it would have been to clean the pool and do yard work - I’ll take the jacked hamstring please…

Some PICS HERE

I know I have said it before, but I am going to say it again - nothing is more important than family, friends and our health!! All the other is truly not that important or simply the stuff we fill in life’s empty spaces with (not to get to Roger Water’s-y). I also seem to be getting more and more sentimental the older I get. So when it looked like all was lining up to have a Thanksgiving this year with as big a family group as we have had in years, we were pretty excited. In particular because Brother Dominic was coming in from New York. Sister Kerry was also making her first trip to the hometown of our Grandson. Becky and Rolland and there youngin’s would be there, of course M3 with parents in tow, Zac and his clan, and the ‘old’ folks would all be sitting around the big house with us smelling the bird in the oven and watching the Lions losing on the TV. Yep… time for that old cliché - it just doesn’t get any better than that!

What can I say, it was a great week, including: talking old times, catching up with Dominic, playing with the Grandson, cooking with my wife and my Mother, eating, eating, eating some more, going to Wal-Mart (again - this is what you do in McAlester), lot’s of pictures, watching Zac’s clan enjoy the easel, doing the Tulsa Mall Black Friday trip and just like last year we got the M3-Santa Picture and scored some cool Jordan Nike’s for him, eating German chocolate cake, eating pumpkin pie, eating pecan pie, and did I mention eating?

The find of the trip was the local track up at the High School. We of course needed some runs, including some speed work while we were there and we found the track open, just up the street and a great place to run. Not only did we do our speed work there one day, we did our long run on it as well (so much better on the knees and joints versus running on Carl Albert Hwy there). Having never ran on a track (least in forever) it was really nice, and I think we both had our fastest 4X mile repeats ever (I was doing sub 6:15 average which is fast for this old man).

The best part of the trip of course was all the catch up and laughing about old times with everyone. It was extra special having both Dominic and Kerry to shoot the breeze with. I think it’s been 10-12 years since we did that. I know it won’t be that long before it happens again. The grandkid was of course his same old perfect hambone star-of-the-show self. I think you will see evidence of this by checking out all the pictures (this time they will only be 75% M3 shots versus 90% normal!). In particular you will want to scope the Santa costume shots because you know we had to get him some get-up for this trip’s pictures. Kimberly also captured a great video that portends of his future rock stardom (check it out on youtube HERE). It was also nice to see how Becky’s family has grown so, her and Roland sure raised some great kids.

We had a great ride home too as the old man had joined us for a quick trip to the Valley of the Sun. Along the way we even got to catch a little early ‘White Christmas with some decent snow around Amarillo and the area. Seeing we had ‘road-tripped’ it, it was nice we had driven OB2 (which stands for “Old Blue Two” in honor of buddy Clay’s old Ford Truck he called Old Blue) with Four Wheel Drive. Even though we really didn’t need it, it was nice to know we would have been fine had the road gotten worse, and the same could not be said for the Coupe.

As always, it won’t be long before we venture back to the land of the Sooners and Cowboys - but next trip will be very, very special because: we got a Grand Daughter on the way!!! Some PICS HERE

They call the Big Sur Half Marathon a ‘destination race’ (one of the top 3 in the country), and it more than lives up to its billing as a ‘must run’. The Central California Coast is just an amazing piece of our planet. When we heard about a race that starts in Monterey, heads down Cannery Row, through Garden Grove and along an amazing stretch of the Pacific, umm, book it Dan-o was an easy decision! As with most destination races, the race itself is only just one piece of the overall experience. And with our hotel in downtown Monterey, essentially two blocks from the race start, one block from Fisherman’s Pier, and just a little walk to Cannery Row, there would be no doubt of this. Even before we the road I was having visions of Cioppino Bowls dancing in my head.

So upon arrival Friday while we didn’t make a complete beeline for the seafood (we checked into the hotel first) I think it was less than two hours after we got there that we had an awesome piece of Blackened Pacific Red Snapper and a nice Halibut steak in front of us at a little place called Monterey Fish House. The place is very small and really caters to locals, but it was well worth the squish and living room environment.

Saturday was as full as day as we could cram in considering we always like to call it an early night the day before a race. We started the day with an early stroll along the water and piers. Of course we had to do a little walk around Fisherman’s Pier and reminisce about the time we had the boys with us and we ate at the little restaurant at the end of the pier and Mike and Zac put Dungeness Crab exoskeletons (their dinner) on their heads (PIC HERE) - ahh where did those days go? Then we headed over to the Race Expo to pick up our bibs and race packets. Seeing it was going to be a cold one, I grabbed some of the cheapo gloves and Kimberly picked up a pair of compression pants she could wear under her shorts - the girl may always wants to look good, but is will to sacrifice for warmth always :-). After the expo we took a little walk down to the Cannery Row section of Monterey. A very cool little stretch that was once full of Canneries of course, and now consists of shops, restaurants and the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium.

After walking around some of the shops, having some more excellent seafood at Louie Linguine’s (an excellent spot in the Cannery with great views, a fun vibe, an really good clam chowder) we got some tickets and headed into the massive Monterey Bay Aquarium. We immediately realized that to do this place right you need a full day, and we sadly only had a couple of hours. We did manage to hit all the main areas and attractions but did not do the place justice for sure. I took a ton of pictures, of course shooting through glass you will not get what you hope for, but some of them actually came out pretty decent. The star of the show right now has to be the Seahorse exhibit. These things really are amazing. There is one bred that has even developed legs and arms that look like branches - it’s scary cool evolution. Do check out some of the shots, a couple I got zoomed right in on the sea creature - some it may even take you a minute to find it as it blends in so well. After a little more walking around we headed back to the room, ate some of the homemade pizza we brought (as is a pre-race night tradition) and called it a night.

A 6:15 start time means a 4:00 alarm clock even though we could walk to the start line from our room. While we for sure lay out all the ‘gear’ the night before, there are many things to get done before a race including a little warm up run and most importantly the oatmeal and coffee! We both sleep fairly decent, though not long, neither of us had any major injuries and we were feeling pretty good - all good omens for a great race. We put on the gloves, downed B12 and headed over to the start line. I gave Kimberly a kiss, we headed to our start lines and before you knew it we were off.

The course was spectacular. Aside from the runs we have done along the Rim of the Grand Canyon perhaps, I can’t think of a more scenic place we have ever ran - in fact I repeated the course the day after the race by myself. You start off right next to the piers, circle back through Monterey and run down the center of Cannery Row, then you are right out running with the Pacific on one side and the California cool homes of Garden Grove on the other - sweet! It’s more or less and out an back course with slightly different return. The last bit is especially nice as you run along a stretch of a bike/pedestrian path that runs about 18 miles totally along the coast in that area. The course has a few little hills but is fairly flat and fast. In particular the last couple of miles are slightly downhill so if makes for a nice finish which comes right back into the Fisherman’s Pier area and close to the Hotel. We both had very good runs. Kimberly had a new Half Marathon PR with 1:55:03 and the top 15% of her age and of all women. I ran in 1:36:13 which was top 4% overall and a new PR for me too by 10 seconds or so. We hung around the finish line for a bit and got our very cool pottery style medals.

After the race it was still early and we wanted to take advantage of the area. So after a quick shower we headed 10 minutes south to the ‘perfect’ little town of Carmel by the Sea. We tried to walk off the race legs, stopped into a few of the shops, tried to find something out of place in the town to no avail (even a leaf) and finally got my bowl of Cioppino at Flattery’s Seafood Grill - which was most excellent by the way. After lunch we drove a little further south and stopped at Point Loma Reserve. What an amazing place. When you picture that idyllic view of mountains and California coast, this is the place. We did a nice little hike and took some pictures of the Sea Lions and amazing shoreline. This is another place where I wish we had a full day to hang out, but it was getting late in the day and the bodies were starting to fade fast. We headed back to town, took a little walk to the local Sprouts and picked up some easy foods we could eat in the room - no fancy dinner celebration required, just some turkey, a little chocolate and a good bottle of Vino in the room - a perfect night to cap off a perfect trip. PICS HERE

It’s really nice when my business and our running (err ahh..) habit can come together. It’s particularly nice when it does so in support of a great cause. Such is the case with the ‘Race To End Domestic Violence‘ a 5K running event sponsored by the Arizona Foundation for Women here in Phoenix. It’s a great organization and one Kimberly and I are honored to support. There are a lot of options out there for your help, but when you see some of the stories that this group is here to put an end to, you know it’s worthy. A couple of staggering statistics…. Every 36 minutes in Arizona, a police officer responds to a domestic violence incident where a child is present. Every 30 minutes in Arizona, a family is turned away from a shelter due to lack of space. Every 19 minutes in Arizona, an arrest is made as a result of domestic violence incident. There is a domestic violence related death approximately every five days in Arizona!

My business industry is one of the largest contributors to the cause and always puts together a sizable team to run (or walk) in the race. This year in order to have an even bigger turnout, the race was ran in conjunction with the 34th annual Phoenix 10K (one of the oldest and largest races in Arizona). In fact, they set it up so that you could run one race right after the other - which of course me and Kimberly were one of the 150 out of 2500 runners who did both!

The race is held downtown and ran basically on the same roads as the Komen and every other downtown Phoenix race (flat and fast). That meant a fairly early rise and drive. It was a nippy day and we had to park a ways from the start at the Bolin Plaza so the cold was a good motivator to get the running started. Kimberly and I had a little different strategy for the races. Seeing 5K and 10K’s are fast and normally all out type runs, and this being the first time we ever tried back-to-back, deciding how fast to run them was tricky. Kimberly decided to run the first race (the 10K) more or less all out (as much as you can as your body knows you have another fast 5K coming) and chill on the 5K somewhat. My plan was to try to run both equal, kind of like I was running a 15K race speed.

We both did very good, Kimberly got a PR in the 10K at 51:10 and followed up with a 26:25 in her 5K (both top 10% in her age group). I did 44:38 in the 10K and 21:36 for the 5K which was good for top 10% overall in both runs. We were happy with the results considering most people just ran one race, in fact in the combined overall I finished 22nd and Kimberly was 56th place.

We spent the rest of the day walking around the mall and seeing what we could find for the grandkiddo and those other little ones in the land where the wind comes whipping down the plains. Next week we are off to the beautiful California Central Coast and Monterrey Peninsula for the Big Sur Half Marathon!

Halloween is suppose to be ‘Spooky’ and ‘Kooky’ - and this year fit the bill. Only from a little different slant than is typical I guess. The kooky part was running down a dirt trail at 5:15 a.m. in the cold morning with a headlamp on your head to meet your wife in an hour so you both can do another 12 miles in addition to the 9 it will take to get to her. I think there are some that may say that’s a kooky way to start a Saturday Halloween morning?

By midday we were still scrambling around trying to find us a costume for an event we had later in the day. Seeing a 21 mile run in the morning was not enough, we had signed up for a 5K run at the new City North at City Center (a new local retail and urban living development) called “Freaky 5K“. While it was not a requirement to run in costume - how could you not? I was hoping to be a Sheik and Kimberly a Belly Dancer type that matched (kind of). Sadly there was nothing even close to a costume like that and we went to many place. Seeing nothing else was appealing we decided Kimberly would still go as a Belly Dancer (I know a stretch right? But she would have an awesome costume!) and I found one that while would not be as easy to run in as a Sheik gown, would be very funny to look at. It was essentially an ostrich that made it look like you were riding them when wearing. It even had a little motor to poof out the tail and rest of the bird. Very funny stuff - I therefore looking like I was cheating on the run as I was riding an ostrich.

Let’s just say it is not too easy running in a blow up bird. Though the looks I was getting from the 2-6 year olds was worth the price of admission. We both had a real good run and time too considering the costumes and the length of the morning run. But having already been a nonstop day we were well ready to do some chillin’ and hanging with friends and family at Kerry and Mike’s get together in Anthem.

Sis and Brother in law do like we always do for the spook night - they setup shop (food drinks, chairs, fire pit, the whole nine yards) out in the driveway and hang with the friends while the little trick or treaters swing by for the high fructose buzz in a wrapper stuff. It’s a great way to meet (or see) the neighbors and a perfect reason to partake of good food and drink. Speaking of which, Mike had some good chili made up and I brought some too. Along with some other way good food goodies from everyone, I think I ate and drank back the 24 miles worth of calorie burn :-).

It was also great to see Mike and Joleen and their furry one again. Heather was there and in great spirits (little credit for working the ’spirits’ into the blog?) - she looks amazing and is doing so good on the path toward her first Marathon!! We are thrilled for her. Louie was hanging looking good, the fire was cranking, the chili was spicy and my ‘Reese’s peanut butter cocktail drinks went over pretty good (though not exactly what I had hoped for from a taste perspective). All in all a great night, that finally ended about 20 hours after it started.

Oh yeah, the “Spooky” part of the day I alluded to….. I give you:

There is something inherently cool about this town. It’s low down and funky but with a laid back sophistication. Kind of a California old hippie vibe but with an Arizona desert town tough slant. It’s just hard to describe - but what is easy is to say how much we dig this place. I’ll say it again, if you have not been to Bisbee, go, simple as that.

I had even a little more excitement in anticipation of this year’s Bisbee 1000 Stair Climb. We had such a riot last year, the whole trip was perfect (Blogged about it HERE), with the exception of the race. The race is self was great, in fact it quickly became my favorite, but the rub was I was still feeling the effects of the ankle jack and was not real happy with the effort I was able to put forth. This year I was all heeled up and ready to hit a goal of a ‘first page finish’ (top 100, last year I was 122 or something like that).

We again stayed at the Gym Suites. A perfect place really for folks like us who enjoy cooking their own meals, okay.. and are a little picky about what they eat. The place had a great bedroom, a living room, dining, full kitchen, and a balcony overlooking town all for about half the cost of what we pay at a typical Marriott. The place is like an apartment really, must be close to 1200 sq ft. A perfect choice for someone who wants to spend a week in Bisbee.

The whole weekend was again exactly the perfect vibe you hope for - chilled, easy going, great people, great food, interesting characters, and one heck of a challenging 45 minutes or so. We did the typical town walkabout pretty much the whole time we were there and not sleeping. Unlike a lot of places the antique shops here really have antiques - or at least unique old crap sold at a decent price . In fact along those lines, after 10 years of looking Kimberly found an old ‘Lucy Table’ and chairs that fit perfectly in the Red Kitchen motif. The art and artists of this town are also enjoyable. Very talented folks that I think just love the area so they do their thing and sell it at reasonable prices. I love supporting local artists and when you can buy a cool piece of handmade clay for less than a case of soda you gotta’ love it. I also much appreciate that you can walk to a couple of small stores and have access to a nice selection of organic fruits and veggies. Here we are in the middle of nowhere pretty much in some old mining town and I had the best pear I have had in 20 years. Why? Because it came from some guys trees down the road. I know this because when I went back the next day to score some more they were gone and she told me because his tree was now empty…. Bisbee (see what I’m saying).

Race morning came and it was a perfect day. Perfect from a 70 degrees and sun perspective, not so perfect from a ‘you have to run 4.4 miles and do 1003 steep skinny stairs along the way’ perspective. In fact, it was the warmest day by 10 degrees in the history of the event. Both Kimberly and I had great runs and a most excellent time. Though having said that, it took only by the second group of (there are 8 total) stairs to be reminded that this is about the most challenging cardio race that I can imagine. A Marathon may last hours, but you never get close to the heart rate - lung death of this thing. Wow… even the most fit of the young people are looking like zombies well before half the race is over.

As for results I did and did not make my goal. While I finished 65th overall (of1340) and 5th in my age group at 40:56, it was not the ‘first page’. Dang race folks changed the print out from 100 to 50 per this year! Dang it, now I got the same goal next year I guess - I will have to move up 15 spots and hope they don’t change it to 25 per :-). Kimberly had an awesome time of 47:06 cutting a ton of time off her last year mark. She was 6th in her age group of 95 total and beat a ton of those young healthy 20 something men types!

Right after the race we were able to hook up with a ‘new friend’ Zuleika which was very cool. We walked around the little festival, and watched some of the Iron Man - yeah don’t ask, I skipped it, wussed out, gave in, etc. - next year for sure if we are there.

We celebrated the race just like last year as well with dinner at Cafe Roka. Everything was again outstanding. This chef could do well in Manhattan I think, he just decided he likes the Bisbee vibe and setup shop there. We also got a chance to take a peek into the huge mine which is something to see. We never had done so because it is on the other side of town but we needed some tie-downs for the table and chairs and drove past it this time. Some more walking town, packed up, and headed out. Another ‘annual’ Bisbee trip that met the high expectation. Some PICS HERE

My first experience with the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure was 10 years ago. Michael, my sister in law and I ran a Susan G Komen Race for the Cure when I was two years free from cancer. It was awesome and a very special run. We had a goal to finish but since none of us were runners it was more of a statement of support for us than a race. The organization puts on a great event as well as does an outstanding job of making survivors feel special. The whole experience was wonderful and very emotional. Reading the ‘in memory of’ bibs of those who were there walking and running in memory of their lost loved ones brought tears to my eyes and reminded me of how lucky I was.

2007 marked ten years of survival for me and Michael suggested that I should do the Race for the Cure in celebration. It was a marvelous idea so about three weeks prior to the race I started running. It felt really good. I ran the 2007 race and by estimation came in 7th in the Survivor Race. It felt great to have done well but it also felt like a challenge. I thought that if I could come in 7th with just three weeks of training that there was a possibility I could place (1st, 2nd or 3rd ) with more training. I set a goal to run again in 2008. Meanwhile I fell in love with running. It happened so slowly that I cannot say exactly when it happened. Instead of being a chore it was a pleasure that I looked forward to. When the 2008 race came along I was now running in celebration of eleven years free from cancer and also running for my mom in law who had recently had breast cancer. I felt ready and raced hard. Although I did better than my previous year it was not enough to place. I was a bit disappointed but because the race is so special the disappointment did not last and I set a new goal to place the following year.

As the 2009 Race for the Cure approached this year I was more nervous than the previous years but I was also more prepared. Michael and I had trained together for the race and he was going to pace me. We were running in celebration of 12 years of survival for me and also from my mom in laws survival-2 great reasons to celebrate. The morning of the race I felt great. It was a beautiful October Phoenix morning. We got to the race early and enjoyed the Survivor spoils (Pink Hat Café, Survivors’ goody bags…) then warmed up and got in place for the race.

The horn blew and we were off. Right away I was in the lead following the police motor cycle but how long would that last? I questioned if I had started out to fast (in 2007 I had been in 1st place for about 2/10th of a mile because I took off like a bat out of hell-rookie mistake!). The first song on my shuffle finished and I was still in first- I figured each song was worth about a half mile. Michael told me not to look back but to keep running so I did through the second and third song-still first then the fourth and fifth song still first and just after the sixth song started we rounded a corner and I could see the finish line. I sped up but Michael said to save it because I had this one. I slightly slowed but excitement kept me at a pretty fast pace. As the finish line got close my sweetheart went to the side (the race was for survivors so he did not want to cross the finish line out of respect) and let me cross in first place. I finished first.

Even as I write it now it amazes me that I really did it. It was a goal I had set and something that I worked hard to achieve. Something that I failed to achieve on the first try but that I was willing to try again and willing to train even harder to get. It made me feel strong and empowered. Twelve years ago I won my race against breast cancer. With early diagnosis, a supportive family, good doctors and luck I am still here and healthy. That is the real celebration but damn if it doesn’t feel pretty amazing to have come in first.

Some PICTURES HERE

I had been looking forward to this race since last year. My preference (or at least the old knees) is running in the dirt and the Cactus ChaCha is one of the very few ‘Trail Run’ races anywhere near Phoenix. I was really pumped up for it last year and of course about 3 weeks or so before hand I got that ugly ankle sprain running down Piestewa Peak. I still ran in the ChaCha last year but had to do just the 3 Mile Run (they have 2 courses, a 7 Mile and the 3 Mile), and had a huge wrap on my ankle.

The course is in the White Tank Mountains in Waddell Arizona. Really they are the Mountains visible from pretty much everywhere in Phoenix by just looking west. It takes about 45 minutes to get there from our house, so not too early of a wake-up call is required race day. We really like the White Tanks, it’s a great park and we have done several hikes in the hills there. It’s another favorite place to bring out of town friends and family for a hike and picnic. It’s particularly nice when the desert is in bloom with lots of Arizona vegetation and of course AZ critters too (seen a few of those during our visits!).

Anyway… back to the race: The day was very fun, made even more enjoyable as we ran into running buddies Richard and Danielle Castro. Both participate in the West Valley Runners group we join for our long runs many a Saturday morning. Seems more and more when we go to local races we are seeing folks we know. So Kimberly grabbed the camera and took a few pics of the three amigos. With the Komen Race for the Cure on tap for the next morning, Kimberly was sitting this race out as she wanted to be well rested for a strong run tomorrow. A little warm up, plug in the ipod shuffle, and off we were.

The course ended up being a little more of a challenge than I had expected. The 3 mile course starts in the same area and for the most part has only minor up and downs (a wash here and there). But the 7 Mile course was a different story. You start out with what seems a gradual accent for the first 2-3 miles with a down and up wash along the way. It’s pretty much single track after the first little bit and if you are passing or being passed it can be a little hairy in spots with the uneven rock. In fact, I saw a couple of nice wipe outs today and one didn’t look too nice. After the gradual accent you are hopeful (seeing it is an out and back course) that the elevation change is about over and you get to do the slow decent back – NOPE. All of a sudden a nice little group of switchbacks and 300ish foot hill pops out. It’s not quite as big as the one I do at T-Bird, but being a race it always adds a little extra challenge. I Did say this was fun right?

After the hill it’s more of just get the lungs back in order, don’t trip along the way and finish the second half. I crossed the line in 57:28 for 38th place overall of 282, and 2nd in my age group of 20, so not too bad. One of the cool things about the ChaCha is the after run food includes breakfast burritos, so you know I enjoyed that. We hung for a little bit, said goodbye the Rich and Danielle and were off – big, big day at the Race for the Cure tomorrow!

So good news and bad news. The bad news, the ‘third annual’ Vegas Bellydance convention was easily the most subdued of all years. The good news, the ‘third annual’ Vegas Bellydance convention trip was easily the most subdued.

Actually it was a great long weekend. While it did not feature some of the comedic value of Belly Dancers rolling on the ground at 4:00 AM in the middle of a casino, nor playing VIP with Bottle Service at an Ultra Lounge as in years past, it was no less enjoyable as we were able to spend a great deal of the trip hangin’ with good friends Misty and Jim (Jimbo, the Jimster, the Jiminator…).

We played nice with the drinking goggles this trip, though not that we didn’t give it a run, nor for the lack of it hanging around (umm.. Misty just suggested she wanted options as she pulled 6 bottles out of her suitcase and put them into the fridge. But for the most part, grading on the Vegas curve we were good little boys and girls (or at least good little boys – you know them belly dancers…).

During the days while the girls were doing that shimmy thing over at their Bellydance classes, me and Jim did the typical Vegas Walkabouts – cruising around the Hotels and Casinos getting some people watching grins and looking at all the crap in the stores that it’s hard to believe anybody buys? Though come to think of it, I did score some really comfortable black leather Drivers at Barney’s and we found a most excellent sushi kinda’ place we really enjoyed called Woo even if the portions were a little high on the artsy and low on the quantity scale.

Being Vegas you know we got in some good eats. Kimberly and I hit up Rao’s again. I needed a redo on the Chicken Cacciatore mmmmm. And you know Payards is across the hall there at Caesars. We did the seafood thing across from our hotel one night, but the best meal of this trip was a Puck’s Trattoria Del Lupo again. We just have never had a bad dish there, they are always on it. That dinner also provided some of the trip’s entertainment as well. The table to the right of us featured one man and about 10 woman. Yep, 10-1 and they all seemed to be playing the smile and giggle notice me game. It took a bot to figure out who the heck it was, but once you saw that trademark clock you knew it was Flavor Flav. Yeah, I guess this is one of his good half decades (seems he does the the 5 year up and 5 year down life). Being husbands of belly dancers, Jim and I could only smile and nod as the woman folk hopped up to partake in the Flav paparazzi moment (like they would miss a chance to get their picture taken… please). I will say though, Flav did a little belly roll thing with the girls that was closer to bellydance than his rap is to rappin’ . Ahhh…. Just 11 months and 28 days until version Quattro!

A few PICS HERE (we didn’t take much this year)