A couple of months ago, I noticed that Harry Connick Jr. was coming to town.  I’ve always been a fan and so I mentioned it to Paige to gauge her interest.  We talked about it but it seemed a little expensive and we had a lot of fun things on the calendar already so we opted to pass.  Fast forward a month and a half, its my birthday and Paige, being the observant and totally sweet girl that she is, got tickets to see the show.  First of all, my birthday was the perfect night with sushi and a walk around town on a gorgeous summer evening followed by yummy birthday cake (Paige’s first ever attempt at a cake and she pulled it off like a pro).  Then last week, we celebrated our first year together by going for dinner at McCormick and Schmick’s and then to see the concert.  Dinner was delicious, we started with oysters and lobster bisque followed by surf and turf - kind of an odd mix but exactly what we were both craving.  After dinner, we made the short walk over to the Chicago Theatre just in time for the show.  Our seats were fantastic, center stage and six rows back.  No warmup band here, the curtains went up and out came Mr. Harry Connick, Jr.   At first, he seemed just a little awkward and stiff but it only took him a song to get in the grove and by the third song, he had the whole place absolutely rocking!  The band was amazing and he far exceeded my expectations (which were quite high).  He is a tremendous performer and I love love love the style of soulful music he plays.  The two hours flew by between the music, his anecdotes, and the fun interactions he was having with the crowd and before we knew it, the concert was over.  My favorite section of the concert was about two-thirds the way through and he had a guest trombone player on stage and he turns to his guest and says, “let’s show them how its done in New Orleans.”  At that point, they both put down their instruments and started free form dancing - it was borderline out of control but perfectly matching the music - hilarious and awesome.  Thank you, Paige, for the great birthday and for an amazing first year!

Short and sweet… training for Leadville has begun.  I finally feel focused, motivated, chomping at the bit to run and am actually executing “my plan.”  With just a couple of weeks under my belt, it still feels new to be pushing and following a loose schedule but at the same time it feels very familiar.  I am loving the speed and hill work and feel confident this is going to be a critical piece of the training.  I still need to add weights and, Paige would say, stretching.  So far, everything feels great - no residual soreness in the muscles, no lingering stiffness in the ankles, no hip stiffness, and my attitude is great.  I am sure as the miles stack up and the summer wears on, this will fluctuate over time but I’m enjoying it for now.

Me Finishing in 2009

Last year on this weekend, I ran my first hundred mile race - Kettle Moraine 100.  This year, Paige and I went up to crew and pace Ed (an awesome guy and fellow CHUG).  We drove up on Friday night and had a delicious dinner with my dad and Andrea.

Paige Getting Final Instructions From Ed

Saturday, I wasn’t late (like I was for my own race) and we met up with Ed to go over final race prep and strategy.  Ed has his packing and racing down to a science which made our job easy.  Our plan was to meet him at each crew accessible aid station and make sure his needs were taken care of - simple enough.  The day started out comfortable for the spectators which translates to warm for the runners but Ed was moving great!  It was fun to watch runners come through each aid station, their rituals, how they interacted with their crew, and to see how their position changed as the day progressed.  We were able to see him quite frequently and he was an easy runner to crew for - strong, knows what he needs, and smiling the whole time.  Simultaneously, we were following Leslie as she attempted her first hundred mile run.  We traveled from AS to AS with Bill and were able to see Leslie come through just after Ed making our day very enjoyable - both were running strong and having a great time despite Ed tweeking his calf early on.  The sun was warm and while the weather forecast promised rain and dropping temps, we watched on as runners soaked through their clothes under warm sunny skies.  At the 31 mile AS, we met up with Leslie’s dad and brothers, they had come to surprise her and accomplished that goal handedly.  Ed was still chugging along nicely, managing the pain in his calf and making the best of it.  We were having a blast.  As the day wore on, both runners seemed to be enjoying the experience and holding up well.  Soon, Brian, Ben and Sarah joined us.  Brian was pacing another CHUG for the last 38 miles.  Ben was running the “fun run” which started at 8PM and covered the last 38 miles of the course.  And, Sarah was pacing Leslie from mile 62 until the end.  I thoroughly enjoy each of their company and it added to the fun we were having with Bill as we traveled from stop to stop.  Eventually, the rain did come and the temps did drop but they seemed welcomed by the runners as they provided relief from the heat.  Soon the rain had turned to a downpour and then the lightning started.  Paige and I were planning to split the 38 miles of pacing but when Ed came into the Bluff Road AS, he was thinking he may not be able to continue past the 100K mark.  I got dressed and waited for him, just in case.  When he got there, the rain was starting to finally let up but he wasn’t able to carry on any further.  I trust Ed’s instinct as to what he can push through and what needs to be respected.  Congrats on a great effort Ed and the 100K personal best.  With our runner now safely back in his hotel room, our focus turned to Leslie.  The rain and dropping temps had chilled her to the bone.

Leslie And Sarah Heading Out

When she got to the 62 mile AS, she changed into dry clothes and picked up Sarah.  She was tired and muddy but in decent spirits.  As they rolled out, back on to the course, we were all moved by the strength to keep going when so many were opting to stop their race.  We followed the two of them as they made their way over the last section of the course.  Their times slowed as fatigue took hold but the forward motion was maintained.  We napped for a few minutes here and there but mostly, we watched for our runners.  Brian was pacing Mike, we watched for them too.  The wee hours of the morning are interesting, runners have waves of feeling good only to be followed by waves of wanting to end it all.  The weather was cooperating and that seemed to lift spirits some.  We had all been up for nearly a full 24 hours and the world was starting to feel a bit odd - this is when things seem to get interesting.  Runners drop from the race, others unexpectedly surge to the finish, and others walk around in a zombie-like state - it is completely different being a crew person as opposed to a runner… I love both experiences.  Leslie was in the zombie-like state but doing all she could to keep moving forward, Sarah was doing all she could to encourage Leslie to keep moving forward.  Soon, the sun came up and the two of them were moving along nicely.  We ushered them through the Hwy 12 aid station and headed off to get some breakfast.  It wasn’t long before we got “the call” - Leslie had pushed as far as she could.  With a finish rate in the low 3o percentile, neither she nor Ed were alone but they couldn’t help but feel the pang of some unfinished business.  Paige and I turned our focus to Mike and Brian who were still out on the course.  The had come through the last AS in plenty of time to finish under the cut-off and now it was just a waiting game.  After a couple of false alarms, they came around the bend and crossed the finish line with smiles on their faces.  Mike had fought the urge to quit multiple times and was now standing with a finishers kettle.  We said our good-byes and made our way to the truck.  With only cat naps for sleep, we headed toward home.  As the adrenaline wore off and sleep deprivation set in, we had to pull off the highway and sleep for a bit to take the edge off.  Finally home and showered after a wonderful weekend in the Kettle.

A couple of weeks ago, we traveled to Florida to witness the union of two dear friends.  Brian and Kelly are now officially Brelly.  The wedding was on Saturday but we decided to extend our stay a bit and soak up some warm sunny weather so we left on Thursday after work and flew to Clearwater Beach.  Brelly greeted us but it was late so after catching up a bit, we agreed to meet up for breakfast.  Friday, we had them to ourselves until late afternoon when the first batch of guests started to arrive.  We got to meet family and friends though they purposefully kept the numbers small.  Saturday was a relaxing day at the beach and then the wedding/reception.  The ceremony was on the beach facing the ocean and it was gorgeous - simple and elegant.  Some weddings are truly inspiring and this was definitely one of them.  They were both so happy, they were nearly busting at the seams.  One of the greatest things about the wedding, and the whole weekend, was that it was exactly what Brian and Kelly wanted and it fit them perfectly.  Fitting with the beach ceremony, instead of a unity candle, they each had a glass of sand and they poured them into a larger common vase.  It represented how they each came to the marriage separately but now their lives were inseparable just as the sand was now one jar of sand - it was very cool.  They had sunset pictures along the water’s edge that were amazingly beautiful.  Sunday was another relaxing day at the beach and then we did a dinner cruise with several family/friends that were still around.  The cruise took us into the bay and then out into the gulf for a stereotypically beautiful sunset and provided me with my first wild dolphin siting.  Monday we had breakfast with the remaining guests before early afternoon flights and then it was just us and Brelly.  We played wiffleball on the beach (where I couldn’t seem to connect with the ball and Paige smacked the thing like no tomorrow), caught some waves (little but fun), and then headed to dinner at Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill, right on the beach.  It was a gorgeous night and our last sunset didn’t disappoint.  When we returned to the hotel, Brelly asked us to help them finish off the wedding cake - considering it was the best wedding cake to ever cross our lips, we were happy to oblige.  They had an early flight in the morning so we said our goodbyes and wished the newlyweds a happy honeymoon.  Tuesday morning, we were the final guests left and spent our last day walking around town and relaxing.  Congratulations Brelly, thank you for letting us share in the ocassion!