Philadelphia

It has been quite the week. I resigned from my job and decided to pack up the Subaru and head out West on an extended road trip. I am still in the process of planning out my trip. I am planning to camp as much as possible and explore all of the running trails I have been reading about for the past few years. My goal is to leave in the next couple of weeks. I am completely at peace for the first time in seven years since I started working in medical device sales. You start to ask yourself..Whats the point of working so hard if you cannot enjoy life. I think I just need this time to get my head straight and come back with a renewed vigor. I am even thinking about selling my home and moving to Boulder CO or Portland OR. The great thing is that I'll have this time to figure out what I really want.

I flew home this weekend to spend time with Mom, Dad and Paige. She is sooo funny and wicked smart! She can carry a full on conversation and doesn’t skip a beat. Brandon and Cleo flew up from Miami and Tyler and Alison drove down from the City and Rick and Stacy drove up from Jersey. It was one of the best evenings I have ever had. Mom cooked an amazing spread and Pop cracked about 10 bottles of wine and we played all kinds of games...I think Catch Phrase was the hit of the night. It was so great having my three best friends and their wives all together at the same time. Being with family and great friends coupled with lots of laughter is truly the fabric of life. It's really stinks that these guy's live so far away.

Well I'm back in Tampa. I'm finally able to get some work done around the house. All of the travel that I have done over the past six months caused some neglect around my house. I have my cousin Kelly and Aunt Fran coming to visit this Saturday for five day's...so it's time to clean the bachelor pad! ;) My ankle is back in shape!!!! Pete did his magic. I am meeting the X-crew tom morning at 5:30 at the gym for a 10 miler. I can't wait!

Ankle tweeked :(

This is me and my track coach Droor boozing it up on St Paddy's!
Training has come to an abrupt stop. Work has been absolutely nuts.....way too many conferences and dinners. I also did some damage to my ankle. I increased my mileage way too quickly and think I have tore some tendons. I have been off my ankle for about two weeks..... Decided I would run yesterday just to see how I felt. IT FELT GREAT!! Until I got home ;) It was such a beautiful day that I didn't want to stop. I ended up running about 11 miles at a super easy pace. I'm going to try going back to Pete my sports massage guy. He is a miracle worker so I'm hoping he'll work his magic. Truly sucks to be injured.... why can't the body be as strong as the mind. I guess it's strictly just pool for this cat for the next few weeks ;(!!!

Had to work this weekend;(

Had a meeting this weekend in Howey in the Hills, FL at the Mission in Golf resort. It definitely is in the middle o nowheresville, if the name of the town gives you any clue;) It was a meeting for the Florida Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Last time I was in the area I was cycling through during the Great Floridian iron distance triathlon. It was brutal!! You wouldn't think that there are any hills in FL;) but peddle 112 miles on this ROLLING course and you'll change your mind real fast!! ;) I was especially blown out due to the fact I was fresh off racing Ironman Canada just about a month prior. I had zero business being out there! I just sent my application in for the tampa bay 24 mile marathon swim. Although now I'm a bit scared..I just spoke to on if the surgeons at the meeting who crewed for his buddy who swam it a few years ago and he was telling me how his friend blew up like a balloon. I guess being in the water for 11 plus hour's will do that to you;)

Gasarilla Race Weekend

Well I was supposed to head down to Miami this past weekend for a crawfish fest that a friend was throwing and decided last minute that a weekend of debauchery was not what I needed so on Friday eve I called Brandon and told him I was bailing. On Friday I signed up for the weekend races. Gasarilla 5k on Saturday and marathon on Sunday. I will never do the 5k again...there were some 5000 people plus. Literally there were people holding hands and walking in front of me and not just one or two couples...I swear I was at Woodstock. I was waiting for Janice Jop to be jamming out around the next bend. You will not find I bigger supporter of people getting out and exercising..but locking palms in a race??? So After jogging for the first 3/4 of a mile (literally) I was able to actually run. Time was like 22 something horrible...if it tells you something I was 5th in my age division...thats how conjested it was. The marathon was not quite as conjested. I found the 3:30 pace group around (or should I say they found me!! ;) around the 19 mile mark and stuck with them. Time was around 3:36. It was a great training run for the upcoming races. My goal is 2:55 by August...so we will see....I need to loose the extra poundage!

training..

Ran 7 miles tonight at @ 7 min mile....Felt really strong tonight....I wanted to go further but had to get back to the office for a report due tom:( Was planning to head down to Miami this weekend to spend some time with the Brandon and Cleo Crawford....our friend Ryan is having a crawfish boil/ fest expecting 300 plus at his house. He and Elaine really know how to throw a party!! But alas I decided...today! to stick around in tampa and be healthy. Sorry B.C..I did promise I'd come..but I can't afford a weekend of drunkin debauchery;) .. So I'm going to run the Gasparilla race's...still undecided if I'm going to run the 5k/ 15K and the half marathon or if I'm going to do the 5k and the marathon. It's called the bud light challenge?? It was called the jeep liberty challenge last year.. Anyway I also met this cute girl on a blind date... on Valentines day no less!! so I think were getting together this weekend.... P.S. my spell checker is not working...so I'm posting anyway;)

training..

Ran 12 miles tonight....easy pace for the first 7 and then kicked up the pace ....The weather was actually quite nice. About 65 degress. There was a fog that hovered over parts of Bayshore and Davis Island...Finished off the run with a chicken curry dish and a Boddingtons beer at Mad Dogs and Englishman Pub ;)

Made me think

I drove down to Sanibel FL today to visit with my mom and dad who are vacationing here for the next month. It is extremely relaxing down here. Their condo is right on the beach. It brings back so many great childhood memories of growing up at the Jersey Shore. to sit on the deck and listen to the gulf's gentle waves, feel the breeze and smell the salt water. For a brief second I forgot that I have to work tomorrow...thankfully I have a meeting at a Hospital only 20 miles from here:) We had dinner tonight with my Aunt and Uncle who are also vacationing up the road from here. I have not seen them in 6 years. It was great to catch up! It's always neat to get your parents perspective on their parents. I never met my grandfather on my dad's side but he was a touch Irishman, grew up in the coal minds of western PA was an semi pro boxer and eventually became a Doctor. I don't think he would ever be classified as the "touchy feely" type...yet he had a certain way of showing his love. My dad made a comment to his brother tonight over dinner about how "dad always gave the best cut's (of meat) and the biggest portion's to his family saving the scraps for himself." I believe if you look at a person as a whole it's the small things that truly define a person... the everyday sacrifices and gestures that are the makeup of who we are.