One word: Baseball.

It's simple - it's baseball.

I learned love when I met baseball. I can't say I exactly recall when I first started to play the game....I didn't necessarily grow up in what you would call a "baseball" family, but for some reason, baseball and I just clicked from the beginning. For hours I would endlessly hit the same ball back and forth across my yard - playing an imaginary game with an imaginary lineup - even keeping statistics of all of my imaginary players! I still remember looking out our family room window and going into a depression in 1988 when my first tee ball game was canceled because of rain. Eventually we played - and I remember that game too. I remember I went 3 for 3 - two doubles and a home run - and the bright orange "player of the game ball" I received lurks somewhere in my belongings. One of my fellow players came up to me on my 1st at bat and just said "Hit the ball as hard as you can." (This was off the tee of course)..and I did...and it was love ever since. I have owned two gloves my entire life - and I use the second one still today.

If you are a baseball fan, how can you NOT love this?! Two solid teams from two classic American cities playing our national pastime - and not only that - the games are ridiculously well played! Sometimes there is just nothing to do but just sit back and enjoy it - and for the last two nights - I have definitely done just that!

Wednesday night, my wonderful wife put out a pizza, chips and guacamole, brownies feast for a few of us who watched the game at our place. She did a great job and even wore the Phillies sweatshirt I bought her last year! Last night, we had a ton to do and I had to work late - so we didn't get to exactly party and watch the game. But I did manage to sit down and enjoy it.

Baseball is back...gone are the days of routine 60 and 70 homerun seasons for players who clearly shouldn't be hitting like that. Let's face it - those years of crazy numbers of homeruns just made all of us baseball fans dumber. It made us appreciate the game less and get away from the basics. But this series is a perfect example....Ryan Howard and A-Roid - two powerhouses for both teams - NON factors so far. Two pitchers' duels to start out this World Series. It goes to show you that all you need are two cities that care about their baseball, a few good players with some interesting personalities, unseasonably warm temperatures - and the magic is back!

We're finally back to baseball in its natural state (let's not kill the buzz - forget about the multi-millions for now) - the kind you thought about when you were a kid in little league and there were no fences to be cleared. Not that I'm here to write the anti-homerun manifesto - but it's nice to see the game brought back to its basics. Maybe it's just me - I fully acknowledge that possibility. But I just feel good watching this series - and it's NOT just because it's the Phillies playing! But I mean if they're there, they might as well...

Turning the 3/4 mark until the Half Marathon!

With this Sunday's 15k run, we will mark the end of Week 9 of our 12 week training schedule. Yesterday's run was an easy 3 mile jog through Philly - nothing special but a nice way to finish off the week. I know I have said this a lot - but I really do like this schedule. The splits on today's run were decent - in my comfortable range. I didn't really push it speed wise - so time wasn't a major concern. Since I haven't put up a map of one of my runs in a while, I'll show where I went last night.

One thing I have noticed is that for the first time since I started running about 8 years ago is that I do not want any music while I run! It's not that I need complete silence or anything weird like that...I think the more life gets busy and stressful, the more I value my time running as time away from everything...from Iphones, mp3's...any sort of file, keyboard, image, or list....It's my time to just sweat and think about anything, everything and nothing. This weekend is our 15k run - so I'll have plenty of time to think! No run on the schedule today or tomorrow so I should be well rested by Sunday's run!

Invictus

I am very excited to see this movie....

Waldo!!!!!!

As promised...

My favorite run of all - Intervals! Last night I ran my 9x400 intervals faster and with more ease than any of the runs thus far! Below is the graph - and during the fast runs, I rarely let my speed go any slower 7:00 mins/mile pace....no soreness today but definite tightness - I'm due for a good stretch. Today's a 3 mile run but we have to do it in the afternoon since we had to take the car to be repaired this morning. Anyway - here's the graph!

Remember Waldo!?!

Does anyone else miss this guy? You KNOW you have spent at least a few hours of your precious time on this earth staring at a page, straining your eyes, looking for the mysterious, elusive, fashion-challenged Caucasian male in whatever random town he decided to travel to and be photographed...

Yes - you have looked for Waldo (most likely sometime in the 1990's). GOOD NEWS! You can now waste time AGAIN looking for Waldo! Check it out! www.findwaldo.com.

Did you know as recently as September 12, 2009 a Waldo recreation took place in downtown Chicago? The recreation featured all of the characters, Wally (Waldo's original name), Wanda, Wizard Whitebeard, Odlaw, & Woof, hiding throughout downtown Chicago and invited others to come and find them.

There is a fault in reality!

PHILLIES!!!!!!!!

Go Phillies!!!!!!!!!

How could I let today pass without acknowledging tonight's game? For the second year in a row, we are lucky enough to watch our hometown baseball team play in the World Series. I know I've said this before, but as a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan, I can hardly believe that for the second year in a row I get to watch the Phillies play in the World Series. I spent my entire childhood reading the sports page of the Philadelphia Inquirer, longingly looking at the standings (there were FOUR total divisions then) at the teams that actually had a chance of reaching the post season...How many days and nights I spent hoping that they would finish the year above .500!!!! I would go to several games each year - and would actually feel guilty if the Phillies lost a game that I attended - wondering if somehow it was MY fault that they lost the game! Apparently, I was an obsessive compulsive child - I used to track the Phillies' win/loss record for games that I attended vs. games I did not attend.

I can now say that I have lived through a Philadelphia Phillies World Championship....but I have yet to 1) catch a foul ball or 2) catch a hot dog from the Phanatic....life goals to strive for!

No matter who you are rooting for, you have to admit, Phils/Yanks in the World Series is a CLASSIC matchup and one that is going to be VERY entertaining to watch. Don't get me wrong - I love my Phillies - and I can't wait to watch them stomp all over the Yankees. But no matter who you are rooting for - you have to acknowledge this World Series as an entertaining one. If you are a baseball fan and you don't like this matchup, you need to have your pulse checked. I'm rooting for my Phils....FROM Philadelphia (last year I was in Rhode Island for work during the final game - I've just now recovered from the emotional fallout) with a cheesesteak in one hand and a pretzel in the other!

Perfect Pushups

Yes, I did it. I'm THAT guy. I had to - it looked so easy on the commercial!!!!!! I have to say, after purchasing the Perfect Pushup a couple of weeks ago, I am ready to sing its praises. For something so small and easily transportable, the thing actually works. It actually feels much harder and helps you do pushups with much better form than normal. And the range of muscles that the pushups address definitely feels broader. So long story short, for those days where I just don't feel like or have time to head to the gym and do a full on strength workout, I'm a big fan of this inexpensive ($30) and rewarding product!

Intervals

In the midst of Week 9 and today's assignment - 9x400 Intervals. The weather this week has NOT been cooperative. I have a big day at work and need to prepare a bit this morning and leave the house a bit early to go out of state...consequently, I'm going to have to break my streak of morning workout and do my intervals after work. Once again, I'm very happy that tomorrow is a short 3 miler and then we have a few days off before Sunday's 15k. I do have to say that I never thought the interval training would be as hard as it is. It's totally different from the normal runs and the change of pace (fast for 400 meters and then a slow jog/walk for about 50 to 100 meters) definitely shakes out your legs after some of the longer more repetitive runs. Just think we started Week 1 with our interval day being 5x400 and now, in Week 9, we are up to 9x400's - almost double! If you have been reading my blog, you know that I love the Garmin graph after my interval runs, so I promise I'll post it tomorrow!

Keeping the Kebab Tradition Alive....

Gotta love tradition...

It's something I look forward to at least twice a year - cooking the kebab at church. In my adult years, a few friends and I have managed to find our way onto the sacred "kebab crew." We are in charge and make decisions on all things lamb-related. So this weekend was the annual church bazaar and once again, I found myself on the kebab crew - headed by my good friend RB.

During the week, those who were able to make it prepared the meat - marinated the meat with a secret blend of spices, onions, etc (yes I have the recipe from one of the experts) - and placed it in buckets in the refrigerator until showtime on the weekend. On Friday and Saturday night, I threw on a tshirt and jeans and jumped into my car. I drove to church (the same church I have been attending since the day I was born), pulled my car up to the back kitchen entrance and got right to work without even going inside. Our setup was outside and that's where I needed to be (except for the occasional trip inside to grab a beverage). Immediately I got down to work with my teammates - putting lamb on the skewers,  cutting the cubes to size, place the skewers on our grill, and removing the meat from the skewers (cut down to size again and placed in the pot at the right time so that when it's served it's not overdone).

The bbq machine is probably twice as old as I am...and was built by the men of my grandfather's generation....the skewers are placed in the designated holes  and the handles have spokes that fit perfectly on a bicycle chain powered by a motor. And the whole mechanism spins all night....been like that for years and will be like that for years. Works perfect - and we are not going to change it!

And that was my weekend....cutting, skewering, smelling, slicing and chatting...about anything and everything - relationships, baseball, church, politics, cell phones, computers, how hot the coals are, how lucky we were to have the job that we had....I wonder what the old guys used to talk about? I'm sure they thought the same thing I did - it was the perfect way to relax and unwind and get away from the rest of the world. We entertained the jealous ones who came outside to say hello to the kebab crew - marveling at how much fun we were having and asking us how they could get this job. It's so peaceful out there. I took my time cleaning up just to be back there for one more minute.

The smoky aroma on my clothes puts my mind right back in front of that bbq, hearing the chains turn and talking with the boys...Great way to spend a weekend - can't wait until next time. Gotta love tradition.

Week 9 begins!

And today we began Week 9 of the 12 week Half Marathon training schedule with the scheduled 5 miler. By the time I went to bed last night, a day's worth of hydrating, stretching, and eating had pretty much undone the dehydration from Sunday's run. According to a few much more experienced runners, the "wall" I hit on Sunday was pretty much the classic symptom for dehydration. So from now until the race, I'm going to make a conscious effort to drink a LOT of water on a consistent basis and to continue, if not increase, my stretching routine.

There's a lot going on at work so I needed to wake up extra early for this run in order to get to work at a decent time. Today was a 5 miler. It went well - and a BIG difference having been well hydrated. I did have one slow mile (almost 10 minutes!) but the mile before that was about 8 minutes...Overall, I did the 5 miles in less than 45 minutes, so I'm happy with that. I definitely mixed in some hills this time - which was very good. Oh and guess how the weather was?

But the point is that it's DONE!! Tomorrow is interval day - but today felt good to go for a nice easy 5 miler. It's amazing how in the beginning of the training program, 5 miles was the long run. And now, as we begin Week 9, the 5 mile runs are the short Tuesday runs!

Food of the day

Respect the Meta-Cannoli

Did the...ow....ten...ow....miler!

Weekend Running - we're officially back in the routine!

I'm back into feeling positive about all this! Ow...my legs hurt.

Saturday was a 5 mile run and Sunday's run was the big 10 miler. Saturday's run went really well...I didn't have any real post run tightness or pain - and it started raining about 90% through the run. Refreshing actually....even more impressive, my wife, who has been sick and is suffering now from severe cabin fever, did the 5 miler as well! She's one tough cookie.

Now the 10 miler....well, it's done - but it was not pretty. I averaged about 9 mins/mile on the dot, so I am ok with my time. The last two miles were definitely extremely slow. I had a VERY tough time at the end. I definitely did not drink enough water before running and had a long weekend of working at our church bazaar (more on that tomorrow) - so I wasn't really drinking enough water all weekend. The 10 mile run was the most I have ever done except for last year's Broad St. Run in Philadelphia. It was very peaceful - I didn't listen to any music (that seems to be my preference as of late). After mile 8 though, I hit a wall with my legs - and I definitely am attributing this to lack of water. I am going to make sure from now on to drink plenty of water every day - even on the off days. So here were my results....

The funniest part of the run was the last .15 mile....I decided to take a different path, thinking that it would meet back up with the normal path....not so much. The path I took was literally rocks and branches and was more like a hiking trail right on the river. Oh and the mud...running through mud was a real blast.

Needless to say, I was HURTING the last portion of the run - and this was the last thing I needed. And to top it off, at the end of this trail, at 9.98 miles what do I find? A stair case! Which might not seem like a big deal - but when you are at the end of a 10 mile run and are considering chopping off your legs, that staircase looks like Mt. Everest! But I finished....walked home....chugged water...met up with the rest of our running crew (my wife ran the 10 miles as well - and she still isn't 100% healthy!!) We went to a Philadelphia favorite - Jon's Bar and Grille for dinner. It's funny - I would have thought we would have been shoveling the food like there's no tomorrow - but actually my body had to reach it's normal equilibrium and salts and sugars before I even could think about food.

So overall - I'm VERY glad we did the run. Like I said it was a personal milestone as I've only once before ran 10 miles. I wish it would have been easier - but that's what training is for right? The IT band is sore but the foam roller was put to good use! Today is a rest day and tomorrow a 5 miler!

Guess who's birthday it is???

Yes, that's right! Pat Sajak!!! Pat is 63 years old this year! Did you know that in 2005, Sajak became an investor in the Golden Baseball League? It's a professional, independent baseball league with teams around the Western United States and Canada.

Another fun fact about the birthday boy...Did you know that In 1968, Sajak joined the US Army and was actually sent to Vietnam? He dj-ed on Armed Forces Radio.

Happy Birthday, Pat!!!

Wise words...from my wife!

The other night things were winding down and I asked SMG if I should eat because I was hungry...it was about 8:45pm and we had already eaten dinner and a little fruit after dinner. She said to me - "Would you eat a can of green beans?" I looked at her completely confused. She said (as if this was some sort of established rule and I was the only one who didn't already know, "If you had nothing else to eat but a can of green beans, would you eat it? Because if you wouldn't, it means you aren't truly hungry." Not sure if I buy it - but it did seem very interesting!

So next time you are TRULY hungry...or even NOT hungry....no matter what time it is..in honor of my city - have some Cheesesteak sushi!!!!

Sisqo, Contessa, and IT bands!

I don't know what's funnier...

1) Jesse Jackson's reaction...
2) The fact that Contessa Brewer made this mistake at all...
or 3) The fact that she IMMEDIATELY threw her staff under the bus!!

This is your "DUH" moment of the week....

Workout update

So it looks like my foam roller and I are going to have to become as close as my Garmin runner and I....Week 8 has certainly had its ups and downs!! I finished yesterday's run - although my trusty Garmin watch died in the middle of it! Not only that, but when I got out of the shower my IT band started to immediately tighten up...So immediately I started with the foam roller....boy, it hurts! But it is the deepest massage and you can quickly address any area of pain.

I had to go for work to Long Island, NY. Upon my return my IT band again started to tighten up (surprise surprise - 6 hours in the car isn't good for your legs!). So again - I hit the foam roller and this time I really concentrated on the trouble spots....for now, it feels loosened up. Has anyone else experienced this type of problem? I'm going to have to make a concerted effort to really be good about the stretching in the next few weeks as the run distances increase! Tomorrow is a 5 miler and Sunday is a 10 miler. Cross your fingers for me!

Mark Althavean Andrews - the man, the legend.

And now to answer the question you have all been asking yourselves...where is this man now?

Sisqo, born Mark Althavean Andrews on November 9, 1978 (you're almost 31, Sisqo!) is now working as an independent recording artist. He finished his third solo album, titled Last Dragon (to complete the trilogy), for release in 2008, but unfortunately, this masterpiece was never released. The first single, "Who's Ur Daddy" featuring the new artist E-money, has been released online. Sisqó appeared on CMT's "Gone Country", a reality show about "non-country" artists vying to win a country music recording contract.

There's more, but it's painfully uninteresting....and chances are you just want to watch the video again.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

First day back!

First and foremost....

GO PHILLIES!!!!!!!

Heading to the World Series!!!!!!

 

Any 80's child from Philadelphia will understand just how unreasonable it would have been in our childhood to expect that your Phillies would finish the season above .500 and now two years in a row the children of today are given a World Series appearance two years in a row! Ah, who am I kidding - this feels just as good as it would have 20 years ago....GO PHILS!!!

And now for...

The bad news - I did not run 9 miles yesterday.

The good news is that I am back on the schedule and did the Thursday 3 mile run (actually did 3.25). So I am going to chalk up this week to a sore knee, taking care of my wife, and long days at work and just not beat myself up. But now, with Week 8 not being a particularly successful one training wise, it's time for me to let by gones be by gones, re-establish my love affair with my Garmin watch and get back on track.

This past weekend, I actually invested a foam roller (weirdo using one pictured on the right). As much as I doubted this thing - it is one of the best things I have ever purchased. Recommended by my good friend Bobby from Boston (thanks Bobbo!), basically you use your body weight to push the foam against various parts of your leg and to straighten out muscles and tendons. I've been having a bit of an issue with my IT band - but this foam roller has completely alleviated it (combined with some rest) in the last week. GREAT investment and I recommend it to anyone to help or prevent IT band issues.

I love things like this...

These quotes were found in the July 26, 1977 issue of the Toronto News. They are actual statements from insurance forms where car drivers tried to summarize accident details in as few words as possible. Incompetency can be highly entertaining!!

1. Coming home I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don't have.
2. The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intent.
3. I collided with a stationary truck coming the other way.
4. In my attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telephone pole.
5. I had been shopping for plants all day and was on my way home. As I reached an intersection, a hedge sprang up, obscuring my vision and I did not see the other car.
6. I had been driving for forty years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident.
7. I was on my way to the doctor with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way causing me to have an accident.
8. My car was legally parked as it backed into the other vehicle.
9. As I approached the intersection a sign suddenly appeared in a place where no sign had ever appeared before, making me unable to avoid the accident.
10. I told the police I was not injured, but upon removing my hair, I found that I had a fractured skull.
11. I was sure the old fellow would never make it to the other side of the road when I struck him.
12. I saw a slow-moving, sad-faced old gentleman as he bounced off the hood of my car.
13. The indirect cause of the accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.
14. I was thrown from my car as it left the road, and was later found in a ditch by some stray cows.
15. A pedestrian hit me and went under my car.
16. I thought my window was down, but I found out it was up when I put my head through it.
17. To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front, I struck the pedestrian.
18. The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.
19. The pedestrian had no idea which way to run, so I ran over him.
20. An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car and vanished.
21. A truck backed through my windshield into my wife's face.
22. I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed over the embankment.

I would walk 500 miles...but would I run 9?

Hitting a wall - and climbing over it

Does anyone else hit a wall every once in a while? One of those weeks where work doesn't seem to go well, you don't have any free time, you need to take your car to get repaired...and then when you get close to marking everything off your list you realize that you have a dentist appointment on Friday?

Yeah - it's one of those weeks for me. I missed Sunday's run because of weather and missed yesterday's run because, well, I admit it - I just didn't discipline myself to do it. I have hit the proverbial wall here in Week 7 - and I am determined to get past it. I'm hoping that I can just plow through it. But this week, I can feel myself more tired than usual, less motivated than unusual and forcing myself to move when I usually would be full of energy. But I think it's all in my head...Today is supposed to be a 40 minute "Tempo Run" - but I am still feeling bad for skipping the 9 mile run and in the words of a good friend of mine, "you really shouldn't skip the longer runs." So after today's work day, I am going to run 9 miles hopefully!! I have a sick wife here at home so not much sleep last night...take care of yourselves and stay healthy everyone!

Stress Buster

Am I a little stressed this week? YES....

Is there an answer? YES!!!!

Press Play....

Guest post from my wife!

My lovely wife is home sick :( So much of my time these last few days has been dedicated to making sure her tea is hot, the room is warm, and that the remote control is not far away from her reach! So she has decided to guest post for everyone's enjoyment!

Hi, this is Sabrina from RhodeyGirl Tests. Mr. Trig, also known as my husband PhillyBoy, asked me if I wanted to guest post, and of course I am overjoyed at the opportunity!

I write a blog about healthy living, mostly featuring healthy recipes, but today I share with you three tips to make it through the winter.

1. USING TRANSITIONAL SERVICES         

Have you ever heard of transitional services before? It is a very, very important concept! If you put on all your winter layers in the warmth of your home and then go outside, you will be freezing!!! Instead, you should save a layer or two until you head out. In the same regard, if you are walking around this winter and head into a store for a few minutes, take off your jacket, scarf, hat and gloves!!! You will be thankful when it is time to go back outside and you have layers to add.

It may seem like a joke to some, but using transitional services can save the day!

Speaking of saving the day, Mr. Trig is saving the WEEK! I am home sick with a cold and he has taken care of me all week! This morning before work he even put the sheets in the washer and made me a delicious cup of tea with honey and lemon. I knew I got a good one!

2. FEEDING A COLD

Here are the foods and drinks I crave when I am sick that I swear make me feel better:

-vegetable broth with pastina

-tea with lemon and honey

-hot water

-soft bread

-chicken and vegetable soup with lemon squeezed on top

3. HAVING FUN

Mr. Trig and I have a fun winter ahead of us, including 3 skiing trips!!!! I am really excited to continue teaching him to snowboard as having a fun winter activity will make the winter more fun! I hate being cold but I love the winter. Here is a funny song written about me when I was little by my cousin (sung to On Top of Spaghetti- remember that little diddy?):

On top of the mountain

All covered with snow

I saw poor Sabrina 

Going fast on the go.

She was going so fast

She started to roll

And when she came down

She made a big fall.

As you can imagine, that year I had the traumatic experience of losing control of my skis and rolling down the whole mountain! My cousin STILL talks about that spectacle. Luckily it wasn’t as bad as Mr. Trig last winter when he…..

Wait, you’ll have to let HIM tell you that story!

See you Tuesday!!

Balloon Boy!!!!!!

"3D-LAV"

Ok NOW we can laugh. If you didn't see the story of Balloon Boy play out yesterday, then you obviously weren't watching any American tv channel, BBC or even Al Jazeera (yes, it made it to Al Jazeera)...I randomly glanced at a tv yesterday and was greeted by the image of what will definitely be this year's most popular Christmas gift - "3D-LAV".

I feared I was witnessing a horrific tragedy - a 6 year old boy floating over Colorado in a flying object that he had built with his father in their spare time. Half of me wanted to imagine the kid up there laughing hysterically as he lived out every child's dream. But at the same time, I couldn't ignore the more likely darker reality....and it was heartbreaking, it was sad, it was....GREAT TV!!!! At least that's what the networks obviously thought because they tracked this thing every second of its journey. Every time the video feed cut to black, I thought the worst had happened.

At times, the device flew over 7,000 ft. in the air. Balloon Boy was being chased by ambulances and police cars. How would they bring him down? As one emergency official, I believe his name was Captain Obvious, said "This is the first time we have ever dealt with anything like this."

And then, it crashed. Would the boy be alive? Would the discovery be worse than anyone could or wanted to imagine? Well, as we all know, the balloon was EMPTY. Nothing, nada, zilch. The little boy was found hiding in his attic. Apparently, according to the boy's brother, the boy had untied the tethers holding the device down, gotten in, and it floated away. He must have gotten out though without his brother seeing him.

Strangest part of the story? The family (the Heene family) had appeared on the ABC television show "Wife Swap." A website for the show said when Heene family members aren't together chasing storms, "they devote their time to scientific experiments that include looking for extraterrestrials and building a research-gathering flying saucer to send into the eye of the storm."

Do I smell a publicity stunt??

For those of you who watched last night's office...

If I am watching something on tv/movies and I recognize that individual, I have an obsession with finding out where that person is from and then I proceed to read through every movie/tv show/commercial in which that person has appeared - as if at the gates of heaven there is going to be sort of quiz as to the tv career and filmography of Alfonso Ribeiro. God Bless imdb.com and google. Gone are the days of "WHERE is that guy FROM?"or "Where have I seen that guy before?"

So here's one from last night...

This should be an easy one....but the "insurance salesman" in last night's episode of The Office was in which mafia movie? And for bonus points, what character did he play? Gotta love the Mob Actors' Guild! Here's a hint: "Security? You're lookin' at it!"

And some Friday Entertainment...

Have a great weekend!!!!

Open letter to Jon and Kate...

Dear Jon and Kate....

Please stop. Both of you. Just stop.

I'm going to leave your children out of this because out of everyone - including the agents, producers, directors, writers, network executives, tabloids, and even the viewers - they are the only innocent ones in this inexcusable mess of an entertainment concept.

I can confess that I occasionally dabble in the lower forms of entertainment - Real Housewives shows, Hollywood gossip magazines, etc....when I need something purely amusing that doesn't take any real mental energy. And Jon and Kate, that's the role I was hoping you and your terrible show would fill in my life. But you aren't even that interesting. I mean, your show and the whole idea behind it is truly terrible. Why are you paid SO much money? How did you even have $200,000 for Jon to steal? How are you not in jail for what you have done to these poor children?

GO AWAY!!!!!!

I am aware of the fact that you two are from Pennsylvania. As a proud Philadelphian, I ask that from now on, you PLEASE refrain from wearing ANY and ALL Philadelphia sports paraphernalia. Now, let me make myself clear - if some brain dead marketing associate from one of the Philadelphia sports teams (especially the Eagles) for some reason should think it a "great promotion" to invite you to sing a national anthem, I urge you to PLEASE accept. I have enough faith in my brethren that an object of some sort, be it a soft pretzel, a cheesesteak fragment, or maybe if the weather cooperates, an ice ball, will find itself implanted in your face or in Jon's hair plugs.

But then.....I'd probably have to read about the lawsuit you file next time I read US Weekly...

Training Plateau or just winter blues?

I think I've hit what SMG was referring to when she said there is a "plateau" in the middle of training that you may hit. It's not that I am not enjoying the training though - because I still am enjoying the running and how I feel. But this change of fall weather into winter weather is really testing my motivation - not to mention the fact that every time I go on a long run, it ends up raining.

Last minute, I had to travel out of town for work today. Not an overnight trip - but I had to leave the house by 7:00 am. So I had to run my 4.5 miles and be out of the house by 7:00 am! Today is actually a 3 mile run, but since I missed Tuesday's 4.5 mile run, I decided to do it today. So one day missed - and it was a 3 mile run. I'm going to ignore my obsessive compulsive desire to comply 100% with the schedule and just write Tuesday off as a missed day. I don't think my half marathon training is going to suffer for one missed 3 mile run.

The results were ok...I beat the 9 min/mile mark, which all along has been a priority. I did finish my run by running up the Art Museum steps!! However, my left hamstring is insanely tight (like in the beginning of training), so that's slowing me down during and after my runs...oh well, time to get back on the good stretching routine - especially when it's this cold out!

Must check out this site!

This may be old news to many of you - but this is a website called WolframAlpha. Thanks to a facebook conversation between two college friends, I stumbled on to this fascinating site. I tried out a few different searches and the results were amazing!

From the website itself, Wolfram Alpha's long-term goal is to make all systematic knowledge "immediately computable and accessible to everyone." The goal is to collect and curate all objective data. By implementing every known model, method, and algorithm, the website is meant to "compute whatever can be computed about anything."

Lionel Richie loves Armenian Weddings

California!!!

The hardest part about being in a good routine and a disciplined schedule is getting back on track after a weekend away. Before I describe the battle to get back on track, let me describe the fun!

One of my best friends HP married LV this weekend in Los Angeles. I was a groomsman and it was an amazing experience! We started out by leaving Friday and upon landing in Los Angeles, quickly experienced the worst thing about living in Los Angeles - traffic. It took us 2 hours to get from the airport to the hotel (should be a 1/2 hour drive). We arrived at the hotel, Sheraton in Universal City, checked into our room and I immediately went to the tuxedo fitting. That night we went to the rehearsal dinner - which was a great way to start out the weekend. Not only was the party a perfect mixture of East Coast and West Coast Armenians (and adopted Armenians), but a special guest happened to be there at the same time...

That's right - Lionel Richie - Mr. Dancin' on the ceiling himself! He was in the restaurant next to the room where the party was. Unfortunately he never made it into the party - but several people actually went up to him and had their pictures taken with him! It's you, Lionel, that truly made the weekend special.

Saturday we got up slowly...and painfully... (I was SO glad I did the 10k on Friday so I didn't have to do it in Cali!) and the boys met at HP's aunt's house to do preparations and pictures. After a morning and lunch full of drinks, dancing, and celebrating, we got ourselves together to go take pictures with the bridesmaids at CalTech. We made our way over to the church at 5:30 (yes, dealing with Los Angeles traffic the whole time) and HP was married forever to LV in a beautiful Armenian ceremony!


And then the madness began!!! The music rocked (a modern Armenian singer - Sako - who kept the crowd going all night), the food was delicious (Middle Eastern appetizers and the entree was rice + chicken/fish/beef), and the crowd well...let's say we exceeded even our own expectations. We had each other on our shoulders, did a vodka dance and come to think of it...a whiskey dance as well (probably could have stopped at the vodka dance). By the end of the night, we were all completely danced out....happy though to have spent an incredible evening together celebrating HP and LVP's wedding!

Back on Track!!!

SMG and I flew back to Philadelphia - it was nice to be home (although I wish we had a little more time to hang around and explore California). Monday was an off day per the half marathon schedule so I didn't have to feel bad for not doing anything. However, yesterday I just couldn't bring myself to run the 4.5 mile run. The body just still had not recovered from the traveling and lack of sleep (we got back around 1:00 am on Sunday night). I can feel myself resisting getting back into the schedule - but there is no way I am going to let myself slip off track in Week 7!

Yesterday I was supposed to do a 4.5 mile run - which I will have to make up at some point this week. Today we went to Temple University track and did our 8x400 Intervals. Definitely a success...but the cold weather is clearly here and I am missing the beautiful fall weather that we had this year.

SAKO!!

And since many of you were not able to be there with us, here is the singer we saw at Henry's wedding....SO FUN! hahaha

uggggggghhhhhhhhhh....

RECOVERING from this weekend's epic trip to California!

Happy Columbus Day and catch you all tomorrow!

What soothes the pain of a Phillies loss? PRETZELS.

Must do the Midnight Soft Pretzel Ride!

My name is Trig and I have an addiction - to Philadelphia Soft Pretzels (yes there is a difference with non-Philadelphia soft pretzels). I literally have no problem at all eating any amount of soft pretzels. If there is a bad of 1 dozen pretzels, I eat them all without even blinking an eye. I remember 25 years ago when my dad would come home from work with leftover soft pretzels in a crumpled up paper bag late at night...I would eat them without even blinking an eye. And with the new increase in my running, the craving has only increased...

So imagine my delight when I heard about the Philadelphia Midnight Soft Pretzel Ride! Apparently, for quite some time there has been a Philadelphia bicyclist tradition (interestingly enough, the news yesterday stated that Philadelphia has the most bicycle commuters per capita in the country out of the large cities) where everyone takes a midnight ride around the city (starting at the Art Museum/the infamous "Rocky Steps" - visible from our living room) and ends up at the Center City Pretzel Co. in South Philadelphia. The riders show up just when the pretzels are out of the oven and buy soft pretzels for $0.30 each!!! (nothing is 30 cents anymore) They are only open in the middle of the night. Once I buy my bike, I am doing this with SMG. Case closed. Let the addiction continue - I'm not looking to give this up.

And on the 4th day, I did not rest...

Alright so instead of bringing my half marathon training with me to California, I am going to leave it in Philly and just relax and celebrate for the next few days. So I did the 10k today. Our flight out of Philadelphia to go to LA is at 9:50 this morning so I had to get up nice and early in order to run the 6.2 miles! I was out the door at 6:00 am (of course bags were packed!) and....it was raining! SMG was smart and did her 10k yesterday, but I wanted to do mine this morning. So I broke my rule and did it on the treadmill....Now for a few days of rest!! I did 6.2 miles/10k in 51:28. I hated the treadmill - but what are you gonna do? It's better than nothing!

The training/running is still fun for me - and now Week 6 is over and we are officially 1/2 through the training schedule! I'm about 3-5 lbs lighter and eating about 4-5 meals per day! The stretching and warm ups are helping me avoid injury (KNOCK ON WOOD!!!!!) and I'm just going to continue to have faith in the schedule!

Monsters.....

And on this wonderful Friday morning, I bring you one of the coolest little girls ever!!!!

And now we are off to....

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!!