With my 10-mile road race just a little over a month away, today I decided to get back into a regular running routine. With a relatively ambitious goal of running four miles, I was thrilled that my performance was up to par with the weather in which I was able to run. On the best weather day that DC has seen in four months, I couldn’t have been happier with the sunny mid-60s temps, or my 10-minute per mile pace. As four miles now marks the longest run I’ve taken since last October, I have just five weeks to increase my mileage by six while staying on my pace goal. I won’t be too upset if I fall shy of my 1 hour and 40 minute goal for the 10-miler (eight minutes less than my time from my first 10-miler), but it sure would be nice to hit it.
Running
Sad news today from New Hampshire where the oldest person in the U.S. died today, and no, there is no truth to the rumor that she died from, well, living in New Hampshire. Anyway, Mrs. Ray’s passing (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100308/ap_on_re_us/us_oldest_american) led me to a morbid thought. If you know that you’re the second-oldest person in the U.S., do you want the oldest person to pass away thereby giving you the title? For that reason, but not that reason alone (since I’m planning on 80 and nothing more), I hope to never become the oldest person in the U.S. I wouldn’t want to be in the position of knowing that the end of someone’s life would put me in an honored position. I guess I’m not cut out for Vice President of the United States then either.
Other
On my latest trip for work I was treated with a visit to my favorite NBA city - perhaps with a bit of bias, however. Were it not for the bone-chilling cold that creeps into Boston in the middle of October and lingers through mid-April (with the exception of some absolutely glorious weather days like today), I might have never left. That said, while I’m currently thrilled with living in Washington, a trip home every now and then is always a welcome thing. On this trip I had the pleasure of seeing my Mom and Dad, Denise, Joe, Uncle Ralphie, Ed, Ricky, Kaitlyn, Pete the dentist, Amber the significant other, and Greg O. among others, not to mention the always warm hospitality provided at the new Garden by Jeff and Brian. If only the Wizards could have held onto a 13-point lead with six minutes to play it would have been a perfect trip. Still, as I couldn’t join the team on either trip to Boston last season (for obvious reasons), despite a difficult loss, there wasn’t a happier person on this trip than me.
Other
As vital as research is to defeating any disease, before funds can be donated, awareness must be generated. The sad truth of the matter is that it takes someone getting sick for that awareness to be created, as the late Ted Kennedy’s passing brought the situation to a national audience, and this terrible tale of a 17-year-old in California forced the Los Angeles Dodgers to reevaluate their own perspectives (http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100305&content_id=8688420&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb). It’s terrifying that it takes illness to generate awareness, and I regret how ignorant I once was to the plight of so many. I pray that many more lives aren’t affected before we can get a hold of this indiscriminate beast.
GBM
Yes, I vowed that I wouldn’t offer daily updates on my fundraising efforts, as that information can easily be gleaned from elsewhere…namely here for me (http://www.braintumorcommunity.org/site/TR/Events/BTR-MA?px=1895028&pg=personal&fr_id=1520) and here for my team (http://www.braintumorcommunity.org/site/TR/Events/BTR-MA?pg=team&fr_id=1520&team_id=35700). However, as I approach the $5,000 mark - and the team has soared to over $11,000 raised for vital research - an update and a huge THANK YOU are in order. For those that have donated, your generosity is touching. For those that haven’t, it’s not too late. For those that can’t, bless you and thank you for your prayers and emotional support.
GBM
Two articles were brought to my attention today, with three main things in common. One from CNN, the other from ESPN, both of which told stories about…
a) Duke
b) Brain tumors
c) Hope
By my count, that’s the perfect recipe for blog material. It’s hard to figure how any non-Tar Heel can muster any negative feelings for Duke after reading stories like these. Please read on.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/03/04/vaccine.brain.cancer/index.html?hpt=C2
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=4961273
GBM
I think it was rather early in the American Idol season last year when I boldly and accurately predicted a Kris Allen victory over Adam Lambert in the final. This season, after watching this week and last, I’m not quite ready to go on the record with a winner. I will say that I think the male contestants are severely lacking, and while I am of the belief that the demographic of the voting public lends itself to voting for heartthrob-type males, Casey James and Lee Dewyze are the only two of the masculine gender that remotely fit that description. Thus, despite using that theory to perfection last year, I’m leaning towards a female this season. If I was setting the betting line in Las Vegas I’d install Crystal Bowersox as the early favorite at 6-1. Lilly Scott checks in next at 15-2, while Lee Dewyze will pay out at 9-1 if he wins. Meanwhile, Siobahn Magnus jumped from a 22-1 longshot to a 21-2 darkhorse after a scintillating performance tonight. I’ll take any action on the performers, with maximum bets being $.50 (fifty cents).
My odds are as follows…
Crystal Bowersox: 6-1
Lilly Scott: 15-2
Lee Dewyze: 9-1
Siobahn Magnus: 21-2
Katelyn Epperly: 11-1
Casey James: 11-1
Aaron Kelly: 12-1
Michael Lynche: 27-2
Paige Miles: 35-2
Didi Benami: 35-2
Michelle Delamor: 18-1
Lacey Brown: 18-1
Alex Lambert: 20-1
Todrick Hall: 22-1
Jermaine Sellers: 22-1
Tim Urban: 30-1
Andrew Garcia: 35-1
John Park: 45-1
Katie Stevens: 50-1
Haeley Vaughn: 75-1
Other
…Ice cream never tastes sweeter! Today my Mom and Dad enjoyed a celebratory scoop as well.
GBM
Another perfect MRI…another great day in Durham. This is news that never gets old. Once again it’s been proven…I couldn’t possibly be doing any better!
GBM
If I wasn’t making the face below in this otherwise strange photo, I’d be hesitant to show it. Even with the I-am-not-enjoying-this grimace that I sport, this picture is a little weird, but since I’ve held little back to this point, feast your eyes on this ‘fun’ moment in Sereno family history.
In other news, at midnight in Durham I am showing no signs of falling asleep anytime soon - a ritual that I’ve grown quite accustomed to in all of my nights-before-I-get-the-MRI-results.
Also, until the spammers hit us again, we decided to re-post the recent comments section in the upper left-hand corner of this page. Hopefully they’ll last awhile before the spammers strike.
Other
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