A little Starbucks research for a friend.....

Well one week down and 16 more until i head back to St Louis for the final step in my training. The difference this week folks is i opened for bidness. So it's been a few days of walking door to door, timeblocking phone sessions to stay in contact with people i met through knocking on doors, and client meetings.

Friday was an entire day of meetings, not with clients but with the region of Financial Advisors in the area. So Saturday i made up for the day with two client meetings and a little marketing in between.

Needless to say, i haven't had much time for other things.

but i have a new website.

Anyway, back to the post as i notice a friend has mentioned she should buy Starbucks as she's always at said coffee place. Well Compliance prevents me from making a recomendation here, but here's some public knowledge stuff.

Anyway, it may seem i have a dull job but not really. Although the long days seem to keep me from running or blogging or blogging about running and reading others blog about running, or just blog for the sake of things....i really like the idea of building a new bidness.

Since, i would now be unemployed had i stayed in the mortgage bidness, since my old office is closing in a week and all the loan officers were let go last week.

But really....last Monday the bottom of our hot water heater decided it didn't want to be part of the hot water heater any longer and struck out searching for it's own independence...... which sounds great except for the water left to freely pour out of the bottom of said water heater.

Three inches or so of water through the basement....not so much a good thing.

But i have a new hot water heater now. Should be good for at least ten years.

But luckily this emptying and drying has really allowed me to look back on things i have hoarded over the years and why. If i ever get a chance to post again before the freshness subsides, i'll try to mention what i have found.

thanks for reading

We have met the enemy and it is us....

This has been a few days in brewing but honestly i gotta put the blame on the fiasco in Chicago on....

the runners.

As i watched the race from the inside, and never ran out of water at any waterstation, i realized that somewhere between me and Great Lakes Running Gal, there was a lot of water being taken. Too Much....

i actually felt like i was abusing the system cause for the first 1/2 i took one gatorade and one water at each pit stop. Looking at my Garmin i ran a good run for the first 16 miles. i knew my bodies limitations and felt like i understood the heat. For the first 14 miles i kept very cloe to my 7 mile an hour basic plan. i gave myself a walk break after 7 miles of 1:30. My 14 mile mark was around 2:05 but i took another walk break at the halfway point.

It was here that i started to notice a distinct change in the mood. This is where i noticed the number of discarded pace bands on the pavement. This is where a toe on my left foot gave me one of two problems.

1. keep running and it feels numb no pain, but the running....and at a marathon of all places
2. take a walk break and feel the white hot pain...what was this???? Should i stop and join the incredible masses of walking wounded, or not walking, under the medical tents....what if they lance a nasty ass blister and won't let me continue???? And really there are some folks under the tents with some REAL issues...i mean, really....i have a toe that hurts.

Anyway i swear i never missed water but somewhere around mile 19 there were tables set up with water, but no volunteers. That was weird.

Chinatown....wasn't this on the race course somewhere? i seem to remember it from last year....oh wait there it is.....yup.....marathons are a lot longer than remembered when you run them.

mile 23-24....heading north...with sun beating down on my back....i look up and see a marque for a little church with the time and temp....98....well, i think to my self, that's in the direct sunlight.....WAIT A MINUTE....I'M IN THE DIRECT SUNLIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!. i think about taking a walk break here, and do.

mile 25......Marked wonderfully with two of Chitowns finest....Standing in the middle of the street, saying something like....

"The race is over"
"Please Walk the rest of the way"
"The race is over"

Over....was it over when the germans bombed pearl harbor?"

Well, this really to me explains a lot about the oxymoronic implications of.....POLICE WORK.

So let me see if i understand??? i'm 1 mile from the finish, and you are directing me back to the finish/start area, where all my crap and bride is. Because the race is over. Well if the race is over, why am i here and i want to get going than so maybe to hurry things up i'll jog a bit of the way....ok???

And so i begin the last mile of my last chicago marathon for a while. It was so surreal. i got to the finish in a fairly uneventful manner except for the mass which prevented me from crossing the mat without waiting for a few seconds.

Funny observations:

At time of 3:30 i figured Nitmos had been done for a few minutes
i still beat Oprah
i got to finish....i feel tremendous empathy for those who didn't get to finish. But that's not me. From my experience, the marathon was well run. There was plenty of water, but i was through the gate less than two minutes from the start, so a lot could have happened afterwards.
i was stunned to hear about waterstations not having water, after seeing as much as i did.

Not so Funny:
As disappointing as it was to hear of a runner dying....it unfortunately wasn't too surprising. It's extrenely tragic

Sorry no pictures maybe later. This has been a difficult post to put together because the emotions are still lingering over the RunChi. But, and it pains me to say this....The experience, for me, was a good one.

thanks for reading

Wow, it was hot!!!!

hi there, just a quick little post to thank everyone for the thoughts and well wishes prior to and after the Chicago Fun Run!!!!

Or.....

Chicago Marathon of the Living Dead.....honestly it was like walking through a zombie movie.

As i am in St Louis for a week of opening business, the full report will come shortly. Maybe a few days....hopefully by then my aching toenail will have fallen of and i will have some new brundlefly-esque condition to report from the "fun run"....

....but a small tidbit or two....

while shuffling towards the finish line, i heard an announcer say "slow down the marathon is over....today is a fun run"

for the record....nothing about this ordeal was "fun" except the bizarre people watching and all the bananas a person could eat through the water stations, and....

the extra few seconds added to my time due to the number of people bunched up at the finish, i figured i new my time and hit my garmin. waited for the crowd to shuffled forward and sauntered through the mats while holding the Steers victory symbol above my head.

btw....recovering from a marathon is a lot easier when a person walks 1/2 mile out of every two miles for the final 10k....you can do the math.

more to come

thanks for reading

OK here we are....



Egad, i feel pumped but man it's effing hot here. and humid....



new plan for tomorrow, run fast to finish early and beat the sun. To steal a quote from Out-of-shape-guy Mike...."i'm thinking 2:15" should beat the sun.



Speaking of....i ran into Mike and Barb at the Expo. So while i will be missing the post run party, it was nice to chat and wish well to each other.



Pre-race jitters, you bet.....good luck to all Chicago and Twin Cities Runners i have stalked and been stalked by....



i wonder if i'll get a pre race 5:30 am post in this marathon????



Thanks again to all the friends and family i think about when running..... Trust me...it's a long ways....i have a lot of time....if you think you are on the list....you are....



Let's hope i don't wilt in the humidity.....



thanks for reading

OK, it's official...i'm excited!!!!

Bring it, Chicago...you are gonna be my biaaaatch again.

And why???/ why the chance of heart. Cause i'm feeling the need for speed again...finally two runs of under 8 minute paces. Finally, a nice 3 miler yesterday at 22:41, ok not the fastest i have gone but each mile was faster than the previous, and today a great 5 miler at 49:00/ 7:48 pace.

Now, really i'm not talking about a bq or anything, but i think i may surprise myself this weekend. i think i have an outside chance to.....dare i type it?....a....fear not......just type.....PR??

Why not, weather should be good and i'm not even taking throwaway gloves with me...

but on to more important things like young boys and rockets.....Jimmy is a Tiger Cub this year and what a great way to relive childhood memories.....through your own child....without the nasty baggage of ugly childhood memories.

Now, while i do not, and most likely will not be donning a boy scout uniform as Den leader, what am i thinking? But the other den leaders do...and truthfully grown men wearing boy scout uniforms is a little odd. Sorta like baseball managers wearing the jerseys. i mean really picture Pat Riley pacing the sidelines of a heat game in a Heat uniform. weird eh???

but, moving on Jimmy had rocket launch day and man was it fun.....i think he had a good time too!!!! Except for the yawning part.

Oh yes the count down and the fun of hoping that the ignitor was correctly installed.

With cloud of smoke....yep...all things are good and i sure hope the parachute opens cause it may be an early day if it doesn't....

....yep it opened. yippee!!!! a rocket for another day!!!!

Anyway thanks for reading

and thanks for wishing me luck this weekend.