For at least one week, all is right at my alma mater. At least we got the win on national TV Friday night.
The weekend wasn’t so kind to the ACC, however. Several high-profile matchups (NC State/South Carolina, Va Tech/ECU, UVa/Southern Cal, and Clemson/Alabama) didn’t quite go as desired. But the greatest ignominy may be reserved for for the skydiving team that delivered a game ball for the UNC game to the Duke football stadium. Yup, things were definitely out-of-whack in the ACC this weekend.
Or something like that. It’s a bizarre perspective in the picture on the right, from the official photos from the half-marathon.
You can see me in my “pain” and “agony” here. I actually like the one in the middle of the top row the best (also shown at the right) — the overcast sky behind, with the sun rising in our face. I think that one was taken just before mile 2, if I remember correctly. The first photo in the list is probably the best of the three of me finishing. And the last photo from the first row is around the halfway point, as we pass through Ashland. And yes, that’s a giant freight train passing behind me as we did this stretch. It was very long AND LOUD. It was actually a bit disconcerting with the noise it generated while I tried to run that stretch.
Never heard of that car? It’s very rare. OK, not really a vehicle. Will and I went out for some shopping after dinner and putting the boys down (Kellie seems to have my flu symptoms now), and I pull into a parking spot and see this next to me.
That’s right — a blue heron. He didn’t move at all when I pulled in, and barely moved when I got out of the car. (The shot was taken with the window rolled down, after I first pulled in.) When we got back to the car after shopping, the heron had moved just a few feet, to the other side of the divider.
That’s my news of the day.
And that fact was in doubt at one point — at least before it started. You see, I came down with a something that seemed like the flu less than 48 hours before the race. I had an aching body, a high fever, tingling fingers, and a sore throat. The fever was largely gone by the morning, however, and the rest of the symptoms (except for being a little tired) were gone by Friday afternoon. I guess it was a 24-hour bug.
So I saddled up for a 7am start on Saturday morning under gorgeous conditions (slightly overcast, low 60s, humidity not noticeable). By the time I finished almost 2 hours later, things had warmed up a bit, the clouds were gone, and you could tell I had run in the heat and humidity (shirt and shorts were soaked). I think I noticed some general weakness in my strength and energy because of the flu (I had lost 3 pounds alone just from Thursday morning to Saturday morning), but I pushed through. I took a few more walk breaks than I wanted in the last 3 miles (as I said, energy was a bit down), but I also ran faster than I expected.
I broke my goal (1 hour 55 minutes) by running a 1:54:11, even with the slowdown in the last few miles. All things considered, I’m happy about this one and I’m looking forward to my next half-marathon in November. I think I can chop a few more minutes off that time with the right weather conditions.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend. I’ll share official pictures in the future (once they are released).
I hope to write later about the half-marathon (yes, I finished it), but wanted to pass on a couple of humorous things about the kids. We went to Cici’s Pizza for lunch, and Daniel wasn’t too happy about things. (I think he was still tired.) They always having music playing in the background, and one song popped up on the speakers — Rick James’s Super Freak. Daniel immediately stopped complaining and started bopping along to the music. Sean also immediately started grooving. So, here are 2 toddlers grooving along to Super Freak in a restaurant, bopping their heads and shoulders. One of the staff members cleaning tables couldn’t stop laughing at Sean and Daniel getting down. (The next song was Wooly Bully, by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, and they both bopped along to that one, too.)
Which brings us to this video from today. The first scene is from Daniel and Sean feeding on their mid-morning snack. This was while I was away at the race, so Kellie had them sitting next to each other. The second half was when I popped a classic 70s song on the iPod (after we got home from CiCi’s) and both Sean and Daniel immediately started dancing again. Daniel had stopped by the time we took some video, but Sean gives you a sense of what they were doing.
Will and I went to Busch Gardens last Saturday and stayed for 9 hours. Yes, that was exhausting, as there was lots of walking around, standing around, and other general not having fun. But it really was a blast, other than the waits at times. Good thing we started at 11am, as it wasn’t as crowded then as it started to get about 3pm and later. Lines really started getting bad all over the park at that time.
In some ways Busch Gardens is the same as I remember it, but one point is different now — I’m a parent. That means I’ve got to go around with the kids (in this case, just Will) and do the things they want to do. That meant no roller coasters or any of the adult fare. Will stuck to the less scary rides, particularly hanging out in the Land of Dragons (in the Germany section). I did get him on the Roman Rapids for one run, but that wasn’t too smart on my part. It wasn’t that the sloshing about scared him; rather, it was that he got too wet. He let me know how upset he was about that. After that, it was all just the kiddie rides and eating.
The camera survived the Roman Rapids (put it in a Ziploc), so we’ve got a bunch of pictures and video from the outing. Will got to do lots of things, and we walked around the park a couple of times total, probably. He rode a train and a boat and a tram, and got to climb all over the tree house structure they built in the Land of Dragons (multiple times, as I chase him up and down the stairs and cargo nets).
This is a follow on from last week. Will stayed in Northern Virginia with Nana and Grampa from Sunday through Friday morning, to enjoy some time with my parents and do some different things with them. He had a blast — he was originally supposed to stay until Wednesday, but insisted on staying longer. I guess that shows where Mommy and Daddy rate. (Luckily, Nana and Grampa could accommodate him a bit longer.)
We pulled together a few of the pictures from Will’s visit, starting with some sightseeing in downtown DC on Sunday (after helping drop Auntie Emily at the bus). He did swimming every day, but also found time for some craft projects, going to the park, doing nature hikes, making puzzles, reading, and lots of other fun. He definitely is looking forward to going back next year.
He also got to see his new cousin Nicholas Basil Argerson for the first time. (He wasn’t allowed to visit at the hospital.) Those are pictures of him with Nicholas in the middle of the slide show. At the end is Will returning home and having lunch out with Daddy, Nana and Grampa. He was very tired at the end of it, but he really enjoyed his time. A special thanks to the camp director for giving him many special memories.
Sorry, I had to borrow that line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. This is not a picture of bunny stew, but rather of the rental car I borrowed from Enterprise today. (They pick you up!) The minivan was in the shop today for some extended warranty work, and I was put in a VW Rabbit for the day. (Extended warranty paid for it, thank goodness.)
And I must say — not half bad. My 6’6” frame fit in just fine, with plenty of head room (a couple of inches easy overhead) and leg room, and still enough room in the back for a couple of decent sized kids (maybe not long-legged teenagers, but you get the idea). Sight lines were good, pickup was zippy in the higher RPMs, and I’m sure it gets good gas mileage. Still not sure how much trunk room there really is, but it does feel like a bit of nostalgic flashback to see one of these. And I even got to drive one now.
Oh, and by the way — two more weeks of summer left here (before Labor Day, at least). Enjoy it while you can.
OK, I think I (and anyone else who runs and/or bikes) just lost our excuses to not try a triathlon at some point. If a man can do the swimming portion without any limbs (and pass a couple dozen people in the process), then I don’t think I have any other possible excuse.
Here’s the Rick Reilly online column and here’s the original TV report (with video) out of Pittsburgh. Congrats, Craig. You are an inspiration.
Well, I ran my first race of the year last night. It’s hard to believe that I actually haven’t run a race yet this year, but it just never worked out in the schedule. Last night was the Moonlight 4-Miler from the local Richmond Road Runners club. This race is 4 years old, and I have run it all 4 years. I have improved my times the last 2 years and this year broke my goal for the race - under 32 minutes. OK, according to the offical time (go to www.rrrc.org, then Race Results, then search the results for the specific race), I was actually a 32:05, but it took me 10 seconds to get to the approximate start line, so I wound up with a 31:55 on my watch.
The other big takeaway from the race is that I finished in the top half of my age group (8th out of 17), which I normally don’t do. To me, that’s a good indicator that I’m getting the fitness I’m aiming for. I even finished in the top 100 for the race (actually the top third), which is excellent. Usually I’m about halfway back at most races, so another sign that my training is coming together alright. (Losing over 25 pounds this year so far has definitely helped.)
Now the part I’m most disappointed in was that I didn’t get a trophy. Well, certainly not in my age group, but I was in the running for the Clydesdale category. What’s that? Just for us plodders — guys who weigh over 200 pounds. After placing 5th in that category last year and 3rd in that category the year before, I placed 4th this year — 1 spot (and 15 seconds) out of a trophy. (They had no trophy the year I placed 3rd.) Grrrr! I probably had 15 seconds in me to push more on the course, though I didn’t do it. Oh well, maybe next year.
(If you don’t realize it, everything in the paragraph above is tongue-in-cheek. I’d like a trophy, but it doesn’t mean that much. Just an indication that I’m close to being somewhat competitive.)
The other nice thing about this race? No, no race shirt or anything. But they do provide Bruster’s ice cream after the race for each participant. Yum! A nice way to cool down after a warm (low 80s at the start) and slightly humid race. And the nearly full moon rising over the course at the end was a nice touch, too.
And next Saturday is another race for me — this time, a half-marathon. So look for more on the Patrick Henry Half-Marathon next Saturday. Hopefully, it will be better weather than last year, in its inaugural race - a time of record warmth, with morning temperatures already in the low 80s at the 7:00am start time. And it just got more miserable from there. It cannot get worse than that, can it? knock on wood
This one is about a month old, but only recently caught my attention. (Courtesy of a Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me episode from last month that I caught on an iPod podcast.) Turns out that:
“An advertisement for an air traffic controller is being offered in Braille - although 20/20 vision is a requirement for the job.”
OK. Equal opportunity language is standard; I get it. Unfortunately, this could be a catch-22, where you’re exposed for possible discrimination no matter whether you support applications who cannot see well or then turn them down for possible employment. Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that.
However, the rest of the irony — this is for the airport on the Isles of Scilly. And yes, that’s pronounced ˈsi-lē. As in, silly. Is it April Fool yet?
On Thursday, August 7, at around 6:15pm, my sister Dena and her husband Dennis welcomed Nicholas Basil Argerson into world. He weighed in 8 pounds, 11 ounces at 21-1/2” long. A nice healthy boy, he went home on Saturday with Dena and Dennis, so they’re now into the world of parenthood.
Kellie and I got to visit Nicholas and his parents at the hospital on Saturday before everyone was discharged. It’s only been 20 months since our last pair, so it wasn’t too awkward to hold Nicholas. We are extremely happy for Dena and Dennis and offer a hearty congratulations and best wishes to the new parents on this joyous occasion.
(And don’t worry, Dena — we won’t show any photos of you still at the hospital.)
Well, notes and pictures that extend into today. We finally took the twins back to the pool on Saturday, this time with floatation devices to make things a little easier to control. They actually both seemed to enjoy getting to float around like that for a while. They got to splash, kick, and do other things, and it kept Mommy and Daddy from getting too tired trying to hold them the whole time.
We eventually ate lunch at the pool before Mommy took the twins home for a bath and nap, while Daddy stayed with Will to continue to practice swimming and do other fun pool things. Will is actually taking to swimming under the water for a few strokes before needing to come up for air, which is kind of impressive, considering he doesn’t swim on the surface for more than a few strokes before needing air and stopping swimming. In due time, I’m sure Will is going to put it all together.
On Sunday, we caught Sweetie flaking out in the middle of the floor. I guess things are getting a little too hot for her. And no, she’s not possessed (as far as we know). But there’s no easy way to get rid of that type of redeye (at least with the tools I have). She still can be a bit of a goofball at times.
Sean and Daniel have been showing off their charming sides recently, too. We caught some snapshots of them at the table that are sometimes mischievous, sometimes silly. I think what’s clear from these pictures is that the boys love to eat, especially their fruit. Tonight it was apples.
We tried, but didn’t get any good shots of Will. So he’s going to have to get a rain check on displaying his good side here.
For one of them, it was because he played so long (20 years). For the other, I’m not sure I can explain it rationally (one site put together a 21-minute video case for why he should have been in there during the time we waited). But tonight, Darrell Green and Art Monk were inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. I guess it’s only fitting that they get inducted together, as there were one of the key constants during those Super Bowl years. (OK, Green actually wasn’t on the team for the first Super Bowl victory.)
So here’s a toast to two of the nicest guys to ever play the game — they played it hard, played it well, and played it fairly. They were among the best ever.
Check out Darrell Green’s post-football endeavors. His Hall of Fame webpage is here. Art Monk’s Hall of Fame webpage is here.
Still haven’t pulled together everything I want from the beach week, so that’s on hold for the moment. Instead, enjoy a few of these tidbits:
No, this is not about my alma mater. If you’ve never heard of Free Rice before, consider yourself informed. It’s just a simple way to fund . I reminded about this from James earlier this year, and I remember someone else pointing me to it in 2007. It’s just a simple little game to test your vocabulary and earn some free grains of rice for the less fortunate, as part of the UN World Food Program. Not sure where the funds are coming for paying for this, but as far as anyone has been able to determine, this is a very legitimate (and IMO, worthy) cause. And you will definitely learn some new words along the way.
