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As race day nears, I’ve begun the mental and physical preparations that I hope will properly prepare me for my first sanctioned running event since I was in high school.  Even in high school though, when I was slightly better than average in track and field, I carefully chose which which events I’d participate in based upon the time and effort (or lack thereof) that it would take me to prepare, which explains why my favorite and best event was the triple jump. 

Unlike my high school days, I’ve prepared diligently for the 10-mile race that looms on Sunday morning.  This week, as the days and hours tick down, I am trying to keep my mind and body right for the big day.  I’m eating right, focusing on the task ahead, and exercising just the right amount (or so I think) so that I’ll be fresh but not rusty on Sunday morning.  Only time will tell how well I’ve prepared.

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Until I reassured her otherwise, Jessie was worried that I won’t be able to keep up my habits of good health while I’m at Wizards training camp in Richmond, VA. To the contrary though, I’m living healthier here than anywhere else (as hard as that is to believe), for one simple reason. Being around professional athletes in training makes it easy to be healthy. They’re well fed with healhty options throughout the day, and I spend the entirety of my day either at the basketball gym or in the hotel, which features complimentary access to an adjoining YMCA. Today, in fact, I’ll exercise twice…once in between our two-a-day practices and again afterwards. There is salmon and an assortment of vegetables at every meal, and my day allows me ample time to accomplish all that I’m tasked with at a reasonable hour, allowing plenty of time for a good night of sleep. I couldn’t be healthier.

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I dodged a figurative bullet tonight as I went to bed 10 minutes ago…without having blogged!  I jarred myself awake when I somehow realized what I had done (or not done, as the case may be), and I’m sitting here now typing this just to let you know that I haven’t lost my mind, and I’m not losing my motivation to keep this blog updated daily, but since I’m away for the week in Richmond, VA I suppose my mind was otherwise occupied.  I had a busy yet rewarding day at work today, and as Wizards Training Camp looms, I suppose I am just eager to store some sleep before a long week of camp begins.  Perhaps I was being dramatic when I referenced dodging a bullet, knowing fully well that missing a day of writing won’t signal the apocalypse or a different disaster, but I do want to give proper warning if/when this blog ceases to be updated daily.  As of September 28th though, that day still hasn’t come.

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One night in early September of 2001, I announced to my family that I was going outside to pack my Jeep for the drive to Syracuse the next day.  I had graduated in May, spent the summer living at home and working a dead-end job, and was ready to do something else.  My carefully laid out plan was to move back into the Deke house, with the esteemed title of ‘House Father’, where I would live for free and eat for free in exchange for keeping watch over the undergrads.  I’d also resume my internship with Syracuse Athletics, a way to justify my existence back on campus, but despite my beliefs that this plan was solid and sound, my parents were not believers.  I was determined to go anyway, but the weatherman threw a wrench into my plans.  It was my intention to strap my mattress to the roof of the Jeep (nobody should sleep on the floor of Deke for a minute, let alone a night), but when Dick Albert revealed that the forecast called for rain throughout the next day, I was forced to postpone my trip (or arrive back at the ‘Cuse with a sopping wet place to sleep).  As it turned out, I never drove to Syracuse the next day.  That morning I was called with a different job offer, a job that I took, and my days at Syracuse officially ended (again).

Why did I share that story?  Besides the fact that my parents will surely smile when they read it, and reminisce about how close they thought I was to ruin when I was headed back to Deke, I told that story for a reason.  Once again today, I delayed my plans because of the threat of rain, and never got back on track.  I was going to jog my long-discussed 12-mile training run this afternoon, but when storm clouds hung ominously over Alexandria around 3:00ish, I stalled.  Perhaps this will work out for the best like it did in September of 2001, or perhaps I’m just making excuses again, but I was able to ride the exercise bike on a 10-mile trip to nowhere, just as I have for the last three days.

I have now convinced myself that not running 12 miles today was a good idea.  The Army Ten-Miler that I’m running in is a week from today, and since I’ve already completed runs of 10 and 11 miles in recent weeks, I’m not certain that I needed a 12-miler today to get me ready.  On the contrary, maybe rest is what I needed.  

I am headed to Richmond, VA for Wizards’ Training Camp tomorrow, and the facilities there always inspired me to exercise in past years even when exercise was hardly on my radar.  With seven days until race day, I am sure I’ll be ready.

Running

At least I wasn’t a victim of my own laziness today.  On the contrary, as compared to my typical off-season Saturdays, I was incredibly productive today.  I golfed, shopped for groceries, did a few errands, worked a bit, and went to Home Depot (the beginning of a project in which Jessie envisions us somehow building a bookcase that will bend around two of our angled walls).  You’ll notice that I failed to mention ‘ran 12 miles’, but nobody is more disappointed about that fact than me.  I had every intention to go, but since the rain hasn’t stopped since 2:00 pm (and the temps have fallen into the 50’s), I postponed my run until tomorrow morning, at which point I’ll surely go.  It just wasn’t worth the case of pneumonia that I would have caught tonight.

Running

There is a good reason why I haven’t mentioned my running regimen since Monday. Since I awoke at 6:00 am to run on Monday morning, a four-miler that went surprisingly well, I haven’t run again. I woke up twice at 6:00 am since, only to see how dark it was outside, and ultimately decided to crawl back in the bed instead. I fooled myself into thinking that I’d run when I returned home from work, somehow forgetting that it would be just as dark and I’d be just as tired at 8:00 pm as 6:00 am. That said, while my running regimen (and thus my exercising goals) took a hit once again this week, I now vow to turn it around. After a stationary bike ride to nowhere tonight, and nine holes worth of walking the golf course tomorrow morning, I’ll attempt my first-ever 12-mile run tomorrow evening. I’m nervous, but excited. Details to follow.

Running

It was a remarkable but overwhelming evening for Jessie and I, as we attended the annual meeting of the National Brain Tumor Society, conveniently held this year in Arlington, VA. Quite obviously, NBTS can explain what they do better than I can, so I encourage anyone reading this to browse over to braintumor.org. At this time last year I doubt that any of us suspected that we would all now be a part of this community. NBTS brings together researchers, doctors, patients, survivors, caregivers, families and friends, uniting together to fund the fight and to find the cure. Please visit braintumor.org. There are ways for everyone to take up arms in this war. You can make a difference.

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I mentioned yesterday that I’d share today a photo of me enjoying my birthday to the fullest. I even alluded to what I enjoyed so much…buffalo wings, if you hadn’t guessed. However, for several reasons, the least of which is that our internet service is down so the picture can’t currently be downloaded, I’m no longer interested in talking about myself today.

I’d prefer if you focused your thoughts and prayers on a man named Bill. Bill and I have Deke in common, as we’re both products of the finest fraternity that Syracuse had to offer. We also have brain tumors in common. The problem is that his isn’t yet gone. I spoke with Bill at length tonight…about nutrition, about radiation and Temodar, about perspectives and priorities…but most importantly about his wife and two young children. I once needed all of your prayers (and can still use them now as well), but Bill and his family need our full support right now. As Bill wages his war, pray for him. I know firsthand how one can draw strength from knowing that they are armed with an army behind them.

GBM

My plan was to ignore my birthday today and treat it just like any other day. Even as it is a milestone birthday, I’m still just a day older today than I was yesterday, and a day younger than I will be tomorrow…just as it is every other day. However, due in large part to my lovely wife, and the countless phone calls, emails, text messages, and blog comments that I received (and regretfully haven’t yet returned), I wasn’t able to treat today like any other day. Thank you for that. It would have been a shame to have a forgettable 30th birthday. I certainly did not. Tomorrow I’ll share photographic evidence of how special my birthday dinner was, as I was treated to something (15 or 20 times) that I hadn’t enjoyed since last November. Stay tuned.

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I think I’m double-dipping on an entry here, as I’m reasonably certain that I’ve previously shared this anecdote, but it’s worth mentioning again. When I was young my parents would make my three sisters and I share at the dinner table a few things that made us happy that day. I’m quite sure that I didn’t fully appreciate this exercise at the time, as I invariably identified either the Red Sox or what was for dinner that night as what made me happiest, but I look at it now as an extremely worthwhile game that taught me the value of finding the positives in everything. Without further ado, three things in particular made me happy today.

1) Jessie. She always tops the list. Tonight we created a new persona for me, one that we’ve named ‘Walnuts’. More on that later.
2) My 6:00 am run. I couldn’t be happier that I ran today and that I’m in bed watching Monday Night Football…and it’s only 9:00.
3) The fact that I don’t have to run at 6:00 am tomorrow. I run on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays…and I love Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

What made you happy today?

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