WEEK 1 - "RE-DEDICATION!!!"

Week 1 of Training is always the toughest. It is time to buckle up and say, it is time to do the S&%T!! If you slack of in week 1 it sets the tone for the rest of the battle. Therefore, here is what I will accomplish this week (in terms of running).....Remember Mike, you must be a great father and husband during this time too.

Tonight - 3 miles at 7:45/mile and some stretching/strength training
Monday - 5 miles consisting of warm-up, (3) 1/4 mile hills at 8% grade, and cool-down
Tuesday - easy 3 miles and stretching
Wednesday - 30 minute tempo run (middle of run at 6:45/mile)
Thursday - REST!!!
Friday - 5 mile at race pace (7:15/mile)
Saturday - 10 miles at 8:15/mile.

It may seem like a lot, but it is a drop in a bucket compared to the road ahead. But, when you live life minute by minute and day by day it makes the next 126 days a bit easier.

Wish me luck, and I will let you know how it goes.

It's that time of year again!!!

Boston 2010 here I come!!!!!!!!

One of my heroes!

For those who do not know Captain Michael T. Hlad, here is a picture

He is serving our country in Afganistan and Kuwait, while we are able to enjoy the benefits our country has to offer. I have had the pleasure of getting to know this man over a period of nearly 10 years. He has always led a good example for what it means to be dedicated and devoted. Whether it was football, finding a way to graduate from Centre, becoming a strong leader in the Marines, or just being a good husband, son, and friend.......He has succeeded.

I strive to be as dedicated as this man (hero to me). It hurts me that he has to be in Afganistan in harms way, but I know it is what he has a passion for.

Luckily for Toby, he had a visitor for awhile during his current tour.

Toby's wife Jen was embedded with Toby's unit as a journalist, which was nice for Toby. However, it was "one too many Hlad away from home" as he put it.

Anyway, this man is an inspiration to me, so as my first marathon creeps up on me....I want to dedicate part of my ability to complete such an achievement to my friend and hero Michael Tobias Hlad.

COME HOME SAFE FRIEND!!

THE END IS IN SIGHT!!!!

This is the last HARD week of training, and I am actually excited. I have no doubt about what I can accomplish on May 4th. The only question is whether my body will cooperate with me that day. Grogan and I are going to make the Henderson streets our B$%& on Saturday!!!! Wish us luck. Wish you were going to be in town Trey.

I MISS MY MORNING ROUTINE

REST IN PEACE "Ol' Buddy"
This morning was very difficult because my routine has changed. For the past 2 years, my morning has started with walking to the closet, grabbing a plastic cup full of dogfood and putting it into a bowl with "Jackson" written on it. This morning, I walked to the cup out of habit and then I realized I couldn't do what I had done yesterday. I miss my MOST LOYAL friend.

I love you Susan. I know he was your dog first, but he is a part of our life that will be hard to replace.

Now we have to figure out who is going to do the following:
1) Eat the ice cubes that miss our cups and fall on the floor
2) Lick the water at the bottom of the shower door.
3) Make us get up off of our lazy asses every 15 minutes to open the front door
4) Wake us up when are alarms are not enough to get us going
5) Run away and make us drive around yelling and waking up the neighbors
6) Clean up after MM has made a mess eating
7) Make our furniture and floor dirty on a daily basis (wait, I do that)
8) Bark constantly in the back room when we try to have guests over.
9) Hump our guests
10) Scare the shit out of people walking by with their tiny dogs
11) Play with Lale

I do not think it would be a good idea to let M.M. help with this list. Social Services may come running.

Well, as our new chapter begins I hurt more now than I have in a very long time.

WE LOVE YOU DENZEL (See the video post to come)

One of the good things left behind!!

When we returned to KY from the D.R. we were glad to be back home and didn't miss a lot from our 2nd home, but time has passed and there are a few things that we miss a lot!!!

#1 on that list is Haris. This young boy brightened our day every morning. He lived near the plant and he shined shoes to make some money for his family. However, he was more than that to me. To be honest, I think I only let him clean my shoes one time. Instead, he was my friend.

It started out when I gave him $1 and told him to save it for something special. The next morning, he brought me a bundle of bananas (which from that point on became my morning breakfast). I gave him a dollar to replace the cost of the bananas, and he didn't want to take it from me. He said, (in spanish) "no money, these are for my friend". I made a deal with him shortly after that. I would continue to give him $1 everyday or so, if he promised to save it for something very special and not to spend it everyday. I didn't think he would hold his promise.

Day after day, he would be there at the plant when we pulled up. We talked baseball (our favorite sport) and on days that he didn't see me when I got to work, you could count on looking out the glass door in the "garage" to see Haris with the bananas and saying "Limpia tus zapatos (I clean your shoes)".

One time, my brother-in-law bought Haris some new baseball equipment (bat, glove, cleats, etc), and he did the last thing we would do with them....HE painted them with spray paint. His reasoning was to make them look old and crappy so someone would not steal them from him. It is amazing how cultures are different. He loved telling my how he did in his baseball games...."dos dobles y un triple"

Then my wife and daughter started driving me to work, and Haris became MM's and Sus's buddy. He was almost like MM's big brother...always checking on her.

The thing that blew me away the most was.....a few days before I left Santiago for good Haris came to me with a big smile on his face. I gave him the usual $1 and he gave me 3-4 bananas. Then he pulled a paper bag out of his pocket with probably 80-100 dollar bills in it. I was so proud, and waited until I got inside to cry. I hope he got something special with that money.

I wish I could find Haris and bring him to KY. I hope he is okay and well. I wish I had come up with a way to keep in touch with him before I left.

They are going to take me to the promised land!!

"MOMMA SAID THESE ARE MY MAGIC SHOES!

Well, my new pair of shoes came in today and unless they do not hold up over the next 10 weeks they will take me to the finish line for the Flying Pig.

I used to never get the same shoe twice, but my first pair have been so great that I got the same ones a second time. I guess that is a sign that I am getting old. I do not really care about having the newest and the best anymore. I just do not see the point if spending 2 to 3 times more for things just to have them before anyone else. I wait to let others work out the kinks, then I know what the good buys are while saving a buck along the way.

So, my Asics Cumulus runnin' shoes are a bargain because I know they are good for my feet. In this case, life is not like a box of chocolates because I know what I am getting (a good shoe). If these shoes were a piece of chocalate, they would definately be a Reese's Peanut Butter Egg. Pretty ironic that the Peanut Butter Egg is my favorite chocolate and my daughter has life threatening allergies to PEANUTS and EGGS.

PEACE OUT!!!