tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38466826783087102472024-03-04T23:27:18.603-08:00DARREN'S RAMBLEAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.comBlogger146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-3882409350566975422017-08-28T19:53:00.002-07:002017-08-28T19:53:35.156-07:002 weeks in paradise. A trip to end all trips. My last blog post was a year ago. Wow, blogging is as hot as ever..........<br />
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Two weeks ago we embarked on our annual Assategue Md. camping trip. Sunday to the following Monday. Its always, always a terrific time. This year was no exception there.<br />
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Hooking up and towing the Silver Nugget to Big Blue has made the trip to Md. so smooth and simple that its not worth mentioning much.<br />
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The ferry itself was different this time because we had some new travelers with us this time. The dogs came with us! i hope they enjoyed it because they ain't coming again. More on that later.<br />
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Ferry lands in Delaware and we cruise on over to Assateague. Its such a nice, casual hour and 15 minute drive from the ferry to the campsite. We have so many fun little local markers on the way.<br />
One of the earliest ones is the Copps Seafood stand that HAD a big top hatted shrimp on the side of the road. Sadly that Shrimp is now gone. RIP giant top hatted shrimp.<br />
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Weird little gas stations, A chicken processing plant, a camp ground, golf course, The Grog Shoppe, and JD Shuckers are part of the roadside list.<br />
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Anyway we get to our campsite earlier than usual because as the kids get older its easier to get them up and moving, and theres a lot less to pack.<br />
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I have been going to Assateague almost every year since 1993 and I love every second of it, every time. This year is no different yet there was some new situations going on that but a wrinkle in the stay.<br />
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The whole point of camping at Assateague is the beach. We love the beach there. Its big and quiet, you're basically on your own. Lucia likes wearing the blow up arm swimmies. I know they don't do much but they make her feel better. Apparently they are no longer allowed. A life guard drove up on a quad and explained that they are no longer allowed because they are not coast guard approved. I said OK, blowing him off basically and he sped away. The dude came by 2 more times to mention the swimmies. Here's the thing about each time, Lucia was not in the water at any time. She puts them on and keeps them on all day even when she was playing in the sand. The second time he came by i was in the bathroom. The third time though I was there, and I finally had enough and stormed over to the little shit.<br />
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His last visit we were packing up to go shower. Breaking down the shade tent, folding everything up etc. etc. He goes by on the quad, sees Lucia and turns around. He pulls up next to us and begins to be really condescending "You know i've been here a few times already about........" I had enough, I dropped what I was doing and stormed over to him. I looked at him and asked why he was bothering us when were clearly packing up and that she, Lucia, who at this point was upset that she was going to get in trouble wasn't anywhere near the water so what is the actual problem. I finally got him to clearly explain the situation, and he even said " I'm not trying to make a big deal out of this." I then stopped him yet again showed him that we are leaving and that he's been by 3 times! He then left, as did we for the night. I didn't see that kid the rest of the stay.<br />
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The sun was out, the water was warm, the waves were a lot of fun! That explains just about every day this trip. Gorgeous as far as I can remember. Theres always a lot of people watching and this year was pretty good. One guy stands out. He parked his RV at the spot next to the beach entrance yet I never saw him on the beach once, but the reason he stood out was that he looked like Ben Franklin. A Ben Franklin who wore jeans and no shirt and sat by his camper all week.<br />
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Whoa Horses! Horses are a famous tenant at Assateague. They roam the lands as they please. this year they were very quiet. We had one very impressive appearance though. Since we had the dogs we had dog food. The food was in a container. This container<br />
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As you can see you have to unscrew the lid to get the food. These dog gone horses figured it out! Impressive.<br />
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Speaking of the dogs they hated the beach. Thunder hated every second of it and poor Happy since he's blind did not like the crashing of the waves. So that was a one and done type thing.<br />
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Usually when we are at the beach all i think about is the beach. I use it as a time to decompress, and plan for the rest of the year. This year though there was a surprise.<br />
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Sunday arrived as it does and usually its our last beach day. This year though we got the girls up, told them we have to leave today and as they were protesting we made them close their eyes as we put shirts on them and gave them something to hold. Thira being the wily 10 year old knew something was up. Lucia was a still somewhat confused 7 year old. Eyes open and boom secret Disney trip is revealed! The girls are confused, and very excited.<br />
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Now we pack everything up, quickly, with haste, and all possible dispatch. We have some stops before we drive to WDW. 1st stop we go to another campground to drop the Airstream off for a week. Once we check in we take the camper to a lot drop it off and schedule them to deliver it to a spot we will stay over the following Saturday night. Second stop is the kennel. The dogs were in and out of the kennel al week so they knew where to go. They would also be picked up the following Saturday.<br />
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Now we were off to Disney. The plan was 9 hours of driving Sunday and then the final 4 Monday morning.<br />
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On the road again............on the road again..........<br />
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Man to avoid I95 near DC means you travel 13/113 in Virginia. Its an old highway that flows and moves but has lights and intersections so you don't get to flow through. The cool part was the Chesapeake bay Bridge/Tunnel a modern marvel of engineering. We power our way back onto 95 and head into North Carolina. I like North Cacalaka a lot but I saw a ton of Confederate flags flyin that day and a lot of Confederate flags purposefully flown higher than the American flag.<br />
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South Carolina! South of the Border! What a dump. A fun dump but a dump none the less. It was very hot and the entire place is like a giant parking lot with shitty gimmicks to but. We walked around for a bit then refueled and moved on. The people may move slow in the south but they drive fast. 70 mph is the speed limit down there but 75 is the true minimum. We flew through the rest of S.C. and into Georgia. I really like 95 in S.C. and Georgia. The roads are overall flat, smooth, and nearly empty. The scenery is fun to watch especially the Spanish moss on the trees in Georgia. Fun Fact. Ray Charles' "Georgia on my Mind" came on the radio as we were about 30 miles outside of the state line.<br />
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Savannah GA. our stop for the night. We ate at a Cracker Barrel. People love Cracker Barrel, I find them adequate. Never a bad meal but nothing super exciting in my opinion.<br />
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We head to the Marriott to get a room and uh oh no rooms! Why you ask? The stupid eclipse was the next day and parts of South Carolina and Georgia were ground zero for it so most of the hotels were full. We found a room at a Best Western that was the definition of average. We get in, get washed up, and crash out. The next morning Danielle and I found ourselves in the middle of a sink hole. The bed we were in was as soft as a slice of Wonder Bread what a hunk of garbage. We got up, got out went to an IHOP which again people like but I think is below average and then drove our asses to Walt Disney World!<br />
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Man the south is hot during the summer. if you plan on visiting WDW at any time in the future try going in the late fall through the spring.<br />
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DISNEY DAY 1!!!<br />
We did this trip on a whim, as a secret so it was planned on the cheap. We stayed at the Pop Century resort one of the lower level hotels at Disney. It's still very nice, clean, Disneyfied al that jazz.<br />
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We checked in online so all we did was activate our stuff and head to Animal Kingdom!!!!!<br />
Did I mention it was hot there. Good god it was brutal. A wet, hot heat that beat us up but good.<br />
We headed to our first fast pass the Khali River rapids.<br />
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How on earth do you ride a water ride and barely get wet. We were hoping to get soaked and help cool us off, nada, nothing, zip, zilch. Magic Kingdom has my favorite coaster at Disney Expedition Everest we rode that next. Usually Animal Kingdom is kinda quiet but since the addition of Pandora the place is mobbed. Speaking of the movie Avatar sucked in my opinion but Panora world is amazing. and its a different place in the day and at night. We did the slow boat tour ride. Fun, the animatronics were so good i was blown away by them. The other ride had a 2 hour wait so we skipped it.<br />
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DAY 2!!!!!!! Epcot.<br />
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Meh, in order of my favorite parks its M.K. 1, A.K and H.S. 2, and Epcot last.<br />
Yes you can drink in the park whoop dee doo. Again with the heat and the park is so damn big getting from the weird sci-fi place to the worlds takes forever, but you can drink there! shut up.<br />
Spaceship earth is a ridiculous idea in the big ball but tis air conditioned so we did it a lot. Soarin is a ride i never got to do until this trip. Such a great ride! The Frozen ride that replaced the horrid maelstrom is another air conditioned ride so i loved it. It has a nice little story and the girls who work there are from Norway so they are all blond and beautiful.<br />
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We ate a sushi dinner at he restaurant in japan and stayed for the fireworks show Illuminations. It was about something, I have no idea.<br />
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Day 3 MAGIC KINGDOM!!!!!!!<br />
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I love the Magic Kingdom Main st. USA is so much fun to walk down. So it was another bright, sunny, hot day, shocking I know but they had their halloween stuff up already. Weird to see fall colors with such heat.<br />
I love every single second, and thing in the magic kingdom, EXCEPT Tomorrow Land. That shit looked dated when it was first built. Now that Disney owns Disney Tomorrow Land really looks sad. Space Mountain though was a blast. We fast passed it and it was crowded so we were led to a track I don't remember riding before. It was a ton of fun. What was the most fun at M.K. this trip though Splash Mountain. Danielle hates the big drop on water flumes, as does Lucia which makes sense since she's 7. Thira and I LOVE IT! Fast passed it and had a great time.<br />
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The Haunted mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean are classics that we love to ride as much as possible. We stayed at the Magic Kingdom for about 12 hours and loved every second of it. We ate at a restaurant that was themed after the great Jungle Cruise ride. The food was terrific as was every dining experience at WDW.<br />
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Classic must do rides at Magic Kingdom are Haunted Mansion, and Pirates as already stated. The enchanted Tiki room is a must do as well. Splash, and Space Mountain were top notch this trip. We all got our pictures taken so that we transform into ghosts and ghouls like a Haunted mansion specter.<br />
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Day 4! Hollywood Studios, or as it should be called Star Wars land. Star Wars has taken over 75% of the place which I get and don't mind. I do love the old Hollywood skits they do. They used to do more now its pulled back some but we did watch some very cool Star Wars skits up and done the park. Speaking of Star Wars, Star Tours is a must do and didn't disappoint.<br />
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The park itself is only half its normal size as they are building the new Star Wars land and the new Toy Story land so in a year or so it'll be amazing.<br />
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We let Thira ride the Tower of Terror. She rode solo because Danielle and I hate it so much.<br />
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We stuck around until 9pm for the Star Wars themed fireworks. So damn incredible. Tons of video projections, lasers, fireworks, pyro, etc. etc, Very well done.<br />
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We headed back to the hotel nice and early to prepare for our final day.<br />
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DAY 5! Last day<br />
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I was tossing and turning a lot because I did not want to drive back home Friday afternoon. SO I woke up and had a brainstorm AUTOTRAIN! We booked a one way passage from Florida back to Virginia, close to where the dogs and camper are waiting for us. With this resolved we headed back to the Magic Kingdom for a quick bonus round.<br />
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We did 4 rides, Big Thunder, Haunted, Pirates, and of course Splash MT. got a ton of snacks and headed back to the car in less than 2 hours quite a feat.<br />
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A few notes about where we stayed. POP Century was very nice but since it was one of the "cheaper" hotels some of our neighbors were a little....colorful.<br />
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One nice couple in their 50s got on the elevator with us, The fella has a suitcase with him. His best gal had her travel mug in one hand and a half empty gallon bottle of Gallo white wine in the other.<br />
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Wed. morning I ran to the truck to look for something and I passed a women sitting outside her room smoking a joint. Now i'm no prude, and I think weed should be legal everywhere but her whole scene was just dirty. We pulled in Thursday night to a couple on Rascal Scooters huddled in a dark corner in the parking lot smoking ciggy butts. A weird thing to come upon.<br />
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Next up AUTOTRAIN and one more night on the beach!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-20376924172520464512016-09-01T20:03:00.000-07:002016-09-01T20:03:00.534-07:00The funniest thing that happened after donating my kidney.<br />
I cant believe that I forgot this event when I wrote up the kidney recap.<br />
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Thursday morning I get the go ahead to check out. I'm not feeling that great, mainly nauseous from the "breakfast" that they gave me but as I stated in the recap if I take anti nausea meds they wouldn't clear me to go. So I suck it up, and call Danielle and begin to gather my things.<br />
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As i'm gathering my personals a nurse comes in that I never saw before. I had 2 nurses. The night nurse, a man named Sebastian, who looked a bit like John Kilcullen, and a cute red head who i H ad stick a suppository up my bum for 2 reasons. 1, I've never done it to myself, and 2, mainly I figured we might as well get a little more intimate. This new nurse I think was the discharge nurse. Very nice either way.<br />
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Remember now, I'm just in my robe, no undies, no nothing. Right where I want to be. As I begin to legitimately struggle to get changed she comes in to have me sign something, I have no idea what. She sees that I am having hard time because of the surgery but mainly because i'm bloated and nauseous.<br />
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To set the stage my clothes are on the window ledge, which looks south upon the FDR drive. So there I am hunched over amazingly in font of said window ass hanging out for all of the east side of Manhattan to see, on purpose you may ask. Yes, obviously. She sees me struggling, and without realizing it exposing my tushie and very nicely tries to help by moving me over while simultaneously trying to close the curtain which she couldn't do because of all of my stuff in the way.<br />
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So here we are, me hunched over, back in front of the window, and as she tries to spin me around to help I keep going the wrong way so the whole show is now exposed.She is now frantically trying to help me put on my underwear but for some reason its not going well my ass is still sticking out the robe, yet again in front of the window no matter how gently she tries to persuade me away I keep ending up hunched over in front of the window I keep turning around and my robe keeps riding up allowing my private to not so privately swing around in front of the window and everyone which then makes her move even faster to help me get dressed but, somehow, my robe keeps flopping around. At this point my childish game gives me way to much joy but that only helps to further irritate my upset tummy more but it was worth it. She finally helps me hike my undies up and give me a look like don't be embarrassed . I thank her as she leaves. I was really feeling like crap that morning so my childish excursion really helped, for a bit that is.<br />
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Ciao!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-67358338315334390712016-07-24T22:25:00.001-07:002016-07-24T22:25:15.901-07:00Do you want to build a kidney manI awoke today with an upset tum tum because last night I celebrated with friends and even though I only had 2.5 drinks my body was not happy when I got home. In fact it was down right annoyed with me.<br />
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Why was it annoyed you ask. Thanks for asking btw. because 2.5 weeks ago I donated a kidney and my body is still healing so throwing some delicious booze into it doesn't help matters much.<br />
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How did I get here? This is not my beautiful wife, etc. etc. Talking Heads songs etc.<br />
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Lets try this again. How did I end up donating one of my kidneys. Well lets go into the way back machine and figure this out.<br />
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Earlier this year (2016) A friend, who I will call "George" to hide his identity put out a distress call. "George" had a problem, his kidneys were failing him and he needed a transplant or else he would be resigned to a life of dialysis. Not a great prognosis for a young, active guy so I read it, Danielle read it we were saddened for him, and wanted to help. So I reached out to him asking what the steps were.<br />
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Danielle and I, along with some others that I know of began the process of seeing if we were able to donate. At first it was a simple email questionnaire. I passed it, Danielle failed, she was out.<br />
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Next step was some blood work to check some things. Blood type, what's in my blood, how does our blood react together etc. etc.<br />
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So I show up, give about 174 vials of blood meet with some people and away i go.<br />
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About a 2 weeks later I get a call saying your a potential match. We'd like it if you came in for the real test to see if you'd make an acceptable donor.<br />
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At this point I start thinking "Holy Shit! I just filled out an online form because I thought It was a good thing to do but I didn't think i'd keep getting called back!"<br />
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At this point "George" said there was others ahead of me in the testing phase so I was confident that I was not going to donate, what are the chances.........idiot.<br />
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I set up the appt. for the big test and I was instructed to collect my pee the day before the big test, and keep it cold the entire time. That was fun.....<br />
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The big test day has arrived.<br />
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I was told to arrive at nine am and expect to be there all day. Okay, I arrive at nine and begin the day.<br />
First, i'm checked in then I get my blood pressure checked. It is a little high so I am ordered a 24 hour blood pressure monitor to wear and I'm sent on my way to another room. In room 2 a lot of blood, A LOT OF BLOOD is drawn. My blood pressure is checked again this time its back down to regular numbers.<br />
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Next room! I meet with my coordinator. The donor coordinator was my advocate throughout this process, she didn't know George at all, not a bit about his case.Her entire job is to focus on the donor.This was all done with my safety, and rights in mind. A very interesting process.<br />
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Next room! The social worker. This was where things started to get heavy. We had a nice conversation and then she very smoothly started getting into more serious questions, basically checking my mental state.<br />
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Some of the questions were about how I would do if the kidney is rejected, if "George" doesn't take care of my kidney, what if I get sick due to donating. I answered everything correctly I guess since we ended our conversation and I moved on to the physical tests.<br />
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I got x-rayed, CT scanned, EKG you name it and I went through it. The CT scan was odd. I was injected with this white liquid that went into my arm and I felt this hot liquid crawl into the back of my throat, right down my spine through my taint and then faded away.<br />
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I go home. It took about 5 hours so almost a full day. I went home thinking "Okay, lets see what's next."<br />
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Next step was the 24 hour blood pressure monitor. What a pain in the ass that was. I did it, sent to back and waited. While I waited the hospital called. I had to redo the blood and urine test they didn't like one result.So I got a little more blood drawn and start thinking that this is probably where I will get disqualified. Or the blood pressure. Either way I figured something will disqualify me.<br />
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A week after I retake the blood test and sent back the monitor I get a call from the hospital. Surprise, surprise they cleared me! The blood test came back fine, as was my blood pressure. I was told to take at least a week, talk it over with my family and decide if i want to do this. I have to say that the hospital throughout this process was fantastic, at no time did they ever pressure me into anything. They made it perfectly clear that this was my choice and I could say no at any time. They are amazing people.<br />
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I took a week, talked to my brain trust, my family. In my head I was trying to find a way to not donate simply because I didn't want to do it.<br />
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After a week of really deep contemplation I couldn't justify saying no. I talked to everyone one last time and told them that I will be donating, then I text "George". Actually it was through Facebook messenger that I told him the good news. That was an awesome conversation, telling him yes was exciting, and a bit of a relief since I now knew what was coming. I hate when things are up in the air, even if the upcoming event isn't pleasant, like major surgery I'm better mentally knowing what to prepare for than not.<br />
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Lets just skip up to the weekend before the surgery. July 4th weekend to be exact and it was weird. We hung out with "George" and his family and it was a terrific day but with the surgery looming I felt a bit anxious. Monday, July 4th I usually go to a very nice picnic but not this time. I was home alone drinking a drink that was supposed to let it all out. I drank it and waited, and waited, and waited. nothing really happened. At least not like everyone said it would so I went bed knowing the next day would be intense.<br />
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Tuesday, July 5th. Danielle and I get up, the girls spent the week at my parents which helped a lot. I pack an overnight bag and away we go. The easiest way to get to the upper east side for us is the ferry to the subway. it was a great ferry ride, the subway was fine and we walked the rest of the way to the hospital having somewhat odd conversation but overall we are both calm. Checking in felt odd, the day actually arrived, surgery day.<br />
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This fucking day is actually here. I have agreed to let a surgeon cut me open, remove one of my organs that is working perfectly fine btw. and then patch me up. Now, that organ is going to save a life its not like its going to be chucked on the ground but still this is a big, insane, surreal experience.<br />
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After check in, I'm put on scrubs, Danielle is with "George's" wife we will call "Marcy" to protect her identity. I go get Danielle and we hang in a little room. "George, Marcy, and George's sister" are in another room.<br />
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I see the surgeon one more time, I met him a week ago to discuss the surgery and what I should expect. He's a dreamboat, tall, in shape, amazing hair, and most of all a confidence level that if harnessed could power Manhattan.<br />
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I get the call to head to the O.R. I say good bye to Danielle, "George, and Marcy" and head off. Now it gets really, really intense. Its just me and a nurse walking down a long hallway as she explains to me whats going to happen. Im half listening as my head is swirling a bit. She hands me off to the O.R. staff they ask me more questions and then bring me into the O.R.<br />
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The O.R. room freaked me out!!!! It was a stark, uninviting room. Fluorescent lights, bare white walls, just not a room id like to be in if I didn't have to be. The staff though was warm, and comforting. They put that clear plastic mask over my mouth i remember talking to them and then I was being awoken, in another room, very confused, extremely thirsty, not knowing where I am, what happened. Not a fun feeling.<br />
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Some time passes. I have no idea how long and I'm wheeled into an elevator to my room.<br />
In the recovery room I had an Iv with morphine, awesome. I felt no pain. They had to unhook it as I'm wheeled to my room by the time I got there I was feeling the pain so the Percocet train began to roll in. Choo choo!!!!<br />
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From Tuesday late afternoon until Thursday midday I was in my room. Tuesday night was rough but I made it through. I was looked into every 4 hours by the staff, unfortunately they were about an hour apart so it was more like every 3 hours that someone came to check on me. NOT VERY RESTFUL!<br />
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Tuesday night I was told that I would walk tomorrow. I said "ok" but in my head I was like there's no fucking way I will be able to walk tomorrow. No fucking way.<br />
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Wednesday morning I'm up at 5:30am, why? because someone came in to look at my sutures, or check a pulse, or something. I have no idea actually all i know is that I was up at 5:30 am.<br />
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At 6am the nurses aide comes in and asks me if I want to walk. Surprisingly I felt like I could so I got ready. I adjusted the bed, no biggie. Turned my body so my legs could touch the floor, that hurt. Finally I grabbed my little IV stand and got up. Very shaky legs, remember I still haven't had real food since Monday afternoon but i began shuffling up and down the hallway.<br />
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The aide was very excited "You're walking!" I looked at her like no shit, but now I can see how important it was for me to do that.<br />
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My next important job was to fart. the sooner I fart the sooner I can eat and go home. Percocet binds you up, plus my guts were all blown up with gas from the procedure and if the gas wasn't in my intestines then it traveled up my diaphragm into my shoulders. Did you ever have a white hot ball of steel rammed into your shoulder blades, if so the you know how that feels if not then good for you.<br />
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The more I walk, the more I move gasses around the sooner I fart so I was up a lot, I wanted out of there. Don't get me wrong the place was great its just not a restful place.<br />
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When I was wheeled into my room on Tuesday I had the IV in one hand and a back up in the other, a catheter in place, and these inflatable booties on my legs that would randomly inflate so i didn't get blood clots.<br />
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By Wednesday afternoon the booties came off since I was walking and the catheter came out, not the best feeling but not as bad as expected, the meant that I now had to get up to pee in the toilet and reality began to set in about how weak I was, and how much my abdomen hurt. it hurt a lot. Coughing was not fun. I was given this plastic doo hicky that I had to inhale through. I had to do this a few times an hour to reduce the chances of Pneumonia.<br />
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A few hours later<br />
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Hey Hey I passed gas!!! Wednesday afternoon, a little toot. It was like heaven. All morning I could feel the gas burbling around but it had no where to go. Finally though the damn broke and sweet relief. This meant I could eat food, no more jello, or chicken broth but actual food!<br />
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Boy that jello wasn't so bad compared to what I was given......Actually the dinner was ok, I ate some but i didn't want to overeat and get sick. Thursday morning's breakfast was a different story. I woke up a tad nauseous and when i looked at the "eggs" I almost puked. I steadied myself and had a bite. I was wrong they weren't bad, they were hideous, atrocious whatever word you want to use. I asked the nurse for something to quell my nausea and once I calmed down I ate cheerios, delicious cheerios.<br />
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Post surgery I had 2 jobs. Get up and walk, and fart. Since I did both I could go home. I was still queasy but I wasn't going to stay another night there.<br />
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On my way out I went to say goodbye to "George". I was feeling pretty beat up so it was a quick visit. "George" had some family visiting and when he told them who i was there wanted to grab mer and squeeze me put I put my hands up right away to stop them. A hug would have been the last thing I wanted at the moment. I told everyone that once were all healed up we would have a great big party.<br />
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Ah driving in New York City. On a perfect day its annoying on this day it was horrible, Still nauseous, extremely weak, and sensitive to every crack in the road I did not enjoy heading home.<br />
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Thursday afternoon I'm home, less than 48 hours and i'm not feeling great. Still nauseous, and now sweating I'm afraid that I might have to call the hospital but before I do I have Danielle get me some Alka Seltzer and wouldn't you know it ol' "plop plop fizz fizz Oh what a relief it is" did the trick and within 30 minutes I was starving.<br />
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Since I got back home each day has been better than the last. I still get exhausted after simply walking but each day I am stronger, and my energy level increases. I am now almost three weeks past the surgery and I'm close to feeling 100% like my old self. In another 2 weeks i'lll be cleared to resume my life as if nothing happened.<br />
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This has been quite a ride. It took me a while to wrap my head around what I did mainly because I went into a room, was put to sleep, then I was awoken a couple of hours later in pain. So even though I was there, I wasn't present to see my kidney leave, or go to into "George" but I know its gone, and I know he has it.<br />
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I don't know exactly what to say to people about this, They are all overwhelmed when they hear about it and keep saying how amazing it is. Now I just agree. I don't really know what to say.<br />
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Would I do it all again? Yes, without a doubt.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-4837958741761163942016-02-27T10:23:00.001-08:002016-02-27T10:23:04.466-08:00Ridin' that train, high on cocaine.Not really, cocaine is a horrible drug that should be avoided at all costs.<br />
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Everbody is talking about our trip to WDW on the Amtrak Auto Train so I decided to write a blog about it.<br />
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Okay, the Auto Train has two stops Lorton Va., and Sanford FLA.. Lorton is just south of D.C. and Sanford is about 45 minutes from WDW.<br />
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Btw. WDW means Walt Disney World.<br />
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The train leaves around 4pm al little earlier if possible, it depends on the load in. The cars are to checked in by 2:30 at the latest! Not 2:31, and if you miss it there is no other train that day, and they probably isn't room the next day so DO NOT BE LATE.<br />
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We left our house at 8am, knowing that it is a 4 hour drive to the train station. But Darren, that would get you there at noon what are you going to do with all that extra time you might say. We relaxed, and got lunch, and with the rainy weather on the way down we checked in at 1:45pm.<br />
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When you check in you leave your car and everything you do not need on the train. You have no access to your car on the train so prepare your overnight bag.<br />
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Checking in is wonderful. You walk in, check in, then you relax and wait. Around 2:30 they start boarding the train, at 3pm the cars are loaded onto the train cars and they begin attaching those cars to the passenger cars. When you board you meet the person who will be your attendant. Basically, they check you in, show you your room, or seat, more on this later. In the room is one outlet, temperature controls, and seats that turn into your beds. The attendant will turn down your room for you to sleep besides that you're on your own. You are free to walk to the lounge car, get an adult beverage, and watch the sights go by. Dinner, and a continental breakfast was included in our package.<br />
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Sleeper car, vs seats. We decided to get the sleeper car it was a few hundred dollars each way but in my opinion well worth the money. You have your own room and access to 3 restrooms, and a very nice shower on your car, on the same floor even. There was never a time when all the restrooms were occupied, nor was the shower. If you just get a seat you get a very large, very roomy, comfortable seat but no privacy at all. If you want to, or need to save the money skip the room. If we take the train again, and we probably will we will definitely get a room again.<br />
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Dinner. Dinner was okay, it wasn't horrendous but it wasn't memorable. There are 3 diner slots, 5pm, 7pm, and 9pm. 7pm was full by the time we got there so we chose 9pm. I'm glad we did, it was quiet and relaxed. when we returned from diner our room turned down. We chilled a bit but it wasn't long until we were all sawing logs, as the trains swaying rocked us to sleep. That is until the trains wild turns, and bumps woke we me up a lot on our way to Florida. The girls slept right through but i felt every turn, and heavy clunk as we ride over where the tracks cross.<br />
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Waking up the next morning was nice, aside from being a little tired from the interrupted sleep. We were in Florida, and we watched all these little towns, and weird neighborhoods slide by. A lot of swampy land some of it swallowing up abandoned houses, a lot of miscellaneous junk piled at the back of the yards close to the tracks created the image of crude temples left to decay.<br />
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A nice continental breakfast is served and then you just wait in your room for the train to pull into the station. Your room was returned to normal while you eat.<br />
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There is WIFI on the train. We skyped with Danielle's mother in California, and my parents, who were visiting Todd and Julie in Texas while we headed to Florida. That we pretty cool.<br />
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When you arrive the next morning the auto cars are detached and moved while you hang out. This happens really quickly, its pretty amazing actually. We are then asked to disembark and wait for the car. We decided against priority service which would have gotten our car off first so we had to wait 30 minutes, No big deal really except we really wanted to get to WDW so it felt like forever. Once your car is called you just throw your overnight bag in the back, hop in, and go. So easy.<br />
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On our return trip we left WDW a little late so we didn't get to the train station until 2:23pm, remember they will not take cars after 2:30pm so we were sweating it a bit as we were driving. So, if you do decide to take the Auto Train LEAVE EARLY like we did on our way down.<br />
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Danielle and I both slept much better on our return trip, probably because we knew what to expect.<br />
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On both trips the staff was polite, friendly, and very professional. They did a super job.<br />
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The majority of the passengers on the trip are pretty up there in age, really up there, which helps make it a very quiet experience.<br />
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So, how much does this all cost?<br />
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$1,500.00 round trip was the bill. This was for a sleeper car that had 4 beds, dinner and breakfast is included. car is obviously loaded, and unloaded so you have that with you.<br />
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I believe Danielle said that it was a few hundred dollars more than plane tickets were when we got our train tickets which was July 2015, but we would have rented a car, or taken a lot of taxis while in WDW and it is basically hassle free unlike an airport so the extra cost is well worth it in my book.<br />
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That's it. feel free to shoot my any questions if you got them<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-15004695366678442282015-07-14T19:20:00.001-07:002015-07-14T19:20:34.891-07:00High Bridge 5k a review like you've never read before.Lets shake the dust off of this blog, bog, log, hog and talk about venturing into money making Manhattan for a trail race.<br />
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First off, yes you read that right in Manhattan, the Big Apple there was a 5k trail race that had some of the most intricate single track i've ever run.<br />
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Let me start form the beginning.<br />
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I picked up El Presidente Mark Vogt, and Lady Diane Sassone and we drove into jersey, over the GWB into upper Manhattan. We drove around for a few minutes and found a spot around 178th st. off of Amsterdam Ave. Hold on, I want to make sure you saw that it was <b>178th st. </b> not 78 stone the Upper East Side, no this is another 100 blocks up. Way Way north of Staten Island, and the Greenbelt but we ventured out for the adventure.<br />
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We got there, signed in and then we went for a little warm up run ie. scout out the course run. Right away I noticed that the locals, who were already setting up for their picnics in the park full grills, warming trays, etc. etc. looked at us like we were insane running through their park. Not in a bad way just in a " what are these people doing here?" kinda way.<br />
We shuffled our way back to the start and waited for the race to officially start. As we lined up to start we learned that half the course was on paved path, and the other half would be trail.<br />
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And were off! the race begins, we bound down the paved path, through the cooks preparing their feasts and past two guys who were a derelict Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. They stood there, leaning on each other in their ragged attire with looks of disbelief on their very worn faces. As we continued down the course we turned into the woods. These trails are tight, twisty, and incredibly fun. I bounded through the best I could thankful for my new Salomon SpeedCross 3s that tore into the course. I watched a lot of other runners slow down, and slip out in the switchbacks while i dug in and pushed ahead. As we ran through this part of the course our friends Tweedle Dee, and Tweedle Dum had taken their own footpath into the wood and again stood there in stupefied wonder as we yet again ran past them. I assume they were headed into the woods to do something illegal, but they could have been in their to remove invasive species, or something else beneficial........Probably not. Out of the woods and back onto pavement, but only for a short while as we were directed back into the woods for a second go round. this time we really had a lot of fun. The trails were steeper, with sharper switchbacks and more natural obstacles such as roots, rocks, and fallen tree limbs. The path got really tight and twisty and I saw a backlog of runners ahead of me. I saw why, instead of running we were now climbing up a steep rock wall to get back onto the paved path. I started out slow but eventually picked up a nice pace on the paved path since it was nice and flat. Past the water table was the famed High Bridge. Recently restored and looking amazing it was a quick run down to one end and back and the race is over. NO! NO, it isn't. Once you finish the bridge there is one little, teensy, thing left to do. 97 steep steps to the finish. Running a tough 5k is not a new thing but finishing the race by running up 97 steep steps is not a standard way to finish and that's kinda expected in when Matt and George put on an event.<br />
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To sum up I will list pros, and cons<br />
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Pros:<br />
This race was amazing, a mixture of fast paved paths, and very intricate trails.<br />
Outstanding views<br />
unique finish<br />
Overall this race was a smashing success<br />
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Cons:<br />
This gripe has nothing to do with the race directors, or the NYC parks dept.<br />
the course had a lot of broken glass, due to Tweedle dee, and Tweddle Dum, and their band of Merry men.<br />
I know there was a concerted effort to clean up the trails and i'm sure they did all they could.<br />
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Who knows maybe this race will create a renewed interest in hiking the trails of High Bridge Park and Tweedle Dee, and Tweedle Dum will have to either clean up or move on.<br />
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We shall see how things look next year when we do it again!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-15393337439762305972015-04-12T16:13:00.001-07:002015-04-12T16:13:18.905-07:00Muddy Marathon, High Rock Challenge, Big Mud races whats better..... a taste test like the Pepsi Challenge.On April 11, 2015 13 runners from Staten Island participated in the Muddy Marathon, an amazing experience that was a 6.2 mile race for most of us and an attempt at a marathon distance for one.<br />
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After the event it was an almost universally accepted opinion that the day was an success. The one nay vote was from an idiot who fell upside down into a drainage ditch so its her fault really.<br />
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The discussion lead to how the Muddy Marathon was way better than Big Mud events. I agreed for numerous reasons which i will detail below.<br />
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The cost, Big Mud races are really expensive. The Muddy marathon was reasonably priced.<br />
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The amount of people, Big Mud races are very crowded, which is great for them but can be annoying for the participant. the Muddy Marathon was a small field which made it feel like a special event but not a lot of cash for the race director.<br />
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The course itself, Big Mud courses are a lot of fun, running obstacles, etc. etc. etc.<br />
The Muddy Marathon was course that had zero man made obstacles yet was tougher than the B.M.R. Why? well the running led to a lot of climbing up very steep rocky terrain and then there was a lot of bushwacking through the woods that were expertly marked but there was no trail to run on so it slowed you down.<br />
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Post race, After a B.M.R. you gat a beer ticket and some swag and a general feeling that you accomplished something amazing which is true. After the Muddy Marathon you get free beer some swag and the same feeling that you accomplished something amazing, because you did.<br />
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In conclusion, if you like doing B.M.R. you should keep doing them because in the end I don't care what you do. but if you do like B.M.R. than I would suggest you try the Muddy Marathon because in my opinion it is a strong test of your running, and overall fitness level. Try it you'll like it.<br />
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Oh yeah, the High Rock Challenge.<br />
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This is an event that I hold dear, It has such a tradition of excellence, since it is a mix of running, obstacles, and it incorporates other activities such as kayaks, and mental challenges things that the other events do not have. Making the high Rock Challenge a true Adventure race. It's a big event but still feels like a local race not overwhelming like a B.M.R. can feel like. Technically it is a local race with 1,000 people it is a big local event.<br />
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You finish the High Rock Challenge with a big smile just like the B.M.R., and the Muddy Marathon.<br />
The difference is when you around Staten Island you will see High Rock Challenge shirts through out the year from past and current participants and there is a sense of camaraderie. I see people wearing B.M.R. shirts but since there are B.M.R. races all over the world the sense of camaraderie isn't as strong.<br />
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I personally stopped doing the B.M.R. a few years ago for all the reasons I stated above, and I will continue to run events like the Muddy Marathon, and the High Rock Challenge because of the reasons posted above.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-86221632687125081182015-03-27T19:01:00.002-07:002015-03-27T19:01:53.740-07:00Is the fastest runner the best runner?Thanks to SIAC Master of ceremonies Josh Pesin for linking individual members blogs to the SIAC website. Doing so has prompted me to update the old girl. i will say that I am actually quite active on this blog. i am working on a long term project that is none of your business at this time.<br />
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Now, on to this blog and the controversial title.<br />
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Today I was doing a little speed on the Nature Center trail.... hold on a second I was doing speed work not speed, who do yo think I am some biker selling Meth to scabby faced junkies. No I did a quick speed workout session to loosen up the old running sticks before tomorrow's Wolfe's Pond 5k.<br />
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As I was running I started thinking about runners, and various styles of running. Sprinters, distance, fast runners, slow plodders, runners who might not be the fastest but have been running for a long time and I started thinking what is the best runner?<br />
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I think this is an interesting question.<br />
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Someone who is extremely fast but prone to injury vs. the slow and steady runner who doesn't really improve as a runner or health wise which might have been the reason they started running in the first place. These are two realistic examples of the extreme ends of the running spectrum, so is it the mushy middl that wins?<br />
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A runner who is not the fastest but strives to improve, yet doesn't obsess. A runner who sees the big picture but also has their sights on short term goals. Running smart to avoid injury as much as possible, and will be proactive when a weird twinge shows up instead of bulling through it?<br />
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Just a random thought that shot through my head as I was shuffling down the nature trail back to the Nature Center.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-419790193174860162014-12-31T16:46:00.001-08:002014-12-31T16:46:59.482-08:002014, coming in with the wheels off!!!Man, 2014 was a mess. Not entirely just physically on my end.<br />
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So many great things happened in 2014, started out with the Polar Bear Plunge on Jan. 1st 2014.<br />
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Lots of fun in the beginning of 2014 than a twinge pain emerged on the inside of my left knee.<br />
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This began a long, slow, slide into uncertainty. Left knee, heel, shin. where is this all coming from.<br />
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The year progressed, I participated in my first play, the Shakespeare "As You Like It" I played Charles the wrestler, a pivotal role. I enjoyed this process very much but this led me down another even more frustrating road, dental issues.<br />
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On the last performance I landed on my face a bit hard and must of cracked one of my front teeth, at the after party I bit into a sandwich and the tooth popped right off. That took a while to get fixed and then two back molars started acting up and they both had to have a root canal this process started in July and here I am December 31st and i finally see some light at the end of the tunnel.<br />
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Lastly, my left elbow and shoulder also seem to be out of whack, why? I have no idea. All I know is that i'm sitting here wondering what the hell went wrong so 2015 doesn't mimic 2014.<br />
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Anywho, Happy New Year everyone!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-69991467407653429952014-12-14T06:50:00.002-08:002014-12-14T06:50:55.076-08:00SIAC 2014 Christmas Party review<br />
About 6 months ago I called up my good friend, and personal tailor Mr. Tommy Fontana from Beverly Hills California and told him that the big night, the one where all the stars were going to be at was December 13, at the Staaten for the Staten Island Athletic Club's Christmas Party.<br />
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I flew there, first class of course and got fitted for a one of a kind, custom made piece of excellence.<br />
Everything about it is top of the line from my virgin, baby Ostrich shoes to my silk shirt made from the finest worms kept hidden in a cave deep in the Orient guarded by the finest Shaolin Monks.<br />
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MY scarf, because in 2014 if your still wearing a tie, Corey Ferretti and everyone else who made that mistake I don't know what to tell you, was created by the finest textile artisans money can buy.<br />
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Body sculpting, hair, a Gentleman's shave all done by Ms. Theresa on the Upper East Side of Manhattan I had her bump the Sultan of Brunei so I could look as good as I did last night.<br />
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Nothing, and I mean nothing that wear comes from a rack. The only racks I touch are from today's leading ladies nothing else will do.<br />
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15,000.00 worth of jewelry, a suit that costs more than more that the car that you drove in on, Hollywood starlets dripping off of my arm that is how you enjoy yourself at the 2014 SIAC Christmas Party.<br />
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The Staaten once again did a top notch job, food, wine, service was head and shoulders above everyone else.<br />
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To everyone who won an award, congratulations, It was well deserved, you've earned a place with the immortals.<br />
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To all of you ham and eggers who didn't, better luck next year.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-54849178961169972842014-11-26T18:27:00.000-08:002014-11-26T18:27:04.711-08:00Hey Hoka's it's not me it's you.<br />
I was planning on doing a long blog about how, in my opinion switching to Hoka One One shoes really screwed me up this year but I think i'll just sum it up Quickly.<br />
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Hey Hokas go fuck yourself.<br />
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These stupid shoes led me down a road of numerous leg issues throughout the year and after eliminating all other possibilities I realize it is there giant, puffy, heavy, boxy, clumsy, stupid design that<br />
basically had me throw away most of 2014.<br />
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The idea was to run a lot of 50Ks in 2014. I did my first one last December, enjoyed it and planned on doing more so i thought why not get the shoe that is designed for endurance runs.<br />
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DUMBEST IDEA I EVER HAD!!!!<br />
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In May I abandoned my 2nd 50K attempt halfway through due to a nagging knee pain, guess what shoe I was wearing, yep Hokas.<br />
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Btw. last year I ran all of my runs in Saucony Kinarva trail. A pretty basic shoe and I felt great all year.<br />
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I eased into the Hokas mileage wise and at first they did feel great but they stink, they are dumb. I hate them.<br />
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Anyway, i'm back to a basic shoe nothing fancy yet I'm still feeling the residual effects of the dumb Hokas things are out of whack, muscles that should be strong are catching up causing an imbalance. This will work itself out but I know I can't do the 50K this year but as of right now even the 25K is in question. I wonder how that 10K will feel?????Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-79327812188279139942014-11-13T13:18:00.001-08:002014-11-13T13:18:48.557-08:00Time keeps on ticking ticking ticking into the future.These past few weeks I have officially felt the heavy hand of time for the first time in my life.<br />
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There's an old adage that age is just a number, what a bunch of bullshit.<br />
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It's as if every second is a grain of sand and as time progresses those grains of sand begin to stick to your body.<br />
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At first its such a minute amount that you don't feel it, Your young, strong, growing, in fact for the first 20 some years your impervious to the sticking sand.<br />
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But, one day you trip, just a slight stumble, you probably don't even notice it but that stumble allows some more sand to stick, and that sand attracts more sand, clumping, building.<br />
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Life is still great, the sticky sand is just a slight annoyance, some extra weight on your belly, your eyes getting weaker, some things could be a lot more serious obviously.<br />
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For me, I just had my first root canal. In the past I had some fillings, but no big deal. This year, I broke a tooth right out of my face and had a molar blow out leading to the said root canal. Somewhere I stumbled, and the sand collected, and now I feel it, and it feels heavy.<br />
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So not only are we being burdened with my sand metaphors but there is also the constant dodging of unending shrapnel.<br />
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We have to keep swimming just like that adorable Dori from finding Nemo told us, but it isn't that simple, we have to keep moving forward and ducking, weaving from sharp, shards, of shit that are trying to impale us at every turn.<br />
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Right now two people I loosely know didn't dodge fast enough. Maybe the sand got to heavy and they couldn't get out of the way fast enough or there was simply just to much thrown at them at once that it wasn't humanly possibly to get out of the way.<br />
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This is not a pity party post. It's a reminder to myself and others to grab at the things you want, push the small stuff aside, it's meaningless anyway and live.<br />
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We all get one life, no more, no less it's up to you what you do with it.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-54048015242493048942014-09-11T17:05:00.002-07:002014-09-11T17:05:50.458-07:009-11-2006!<br />
This day really stinks. No real shocker there.<br />
I was lucky in that no one I personally knew died. My old roommate in Brooklyn was on the train under the towers during it all and took off before they fell but all of my friends and family went home that night.<br />
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Why does my title say 2006 you might ask. Well, it doesn't have anything to do with it being the 5 year anniversary. It has to do with how an event in my personal life made me forget all about 9-11-01.<br />
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Danielle was strapped to a hospital bed with miles of wires stuck to her. The squishy heart beat of a yet to appear Thira keeping her company.<br />
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I was walking into SIUH and basically walked right through a 9-11 ceremony. I had totally forgotten what day it was. At that time every day blurred together. I stopped and looked at the ceremony but in all honesty I couldn't care less about it that day. With Danielle and Thira both in Limbo that was all I cared about.<br />
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3 weeks later Thira would show up, 12 weeks early mind you but there she was.<br />
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So now when we reach this date I think about 9-11-01 and the months that followed, but I also think about 9-11-06 which thankfully had a happier ending.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-90146420762680327972014-09-01T19:09:00.002-07:002014-09-01T19:09:20.676-07:00Assateaque 2014 review.Very dusty around here.<br />
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Lots of white sheets on top of furniture and a crusty old servant hobbling around with a pretty worn down candle in a thread bare uniform mumbling to himself.<br />
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So, Where do we begin.<br />
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The july camping trip to Deep Creek Lake State Park in Maryland, not the Md. I am used to btw. the hilly, hilly western Md. right next to the West Virginia border. A gorgeous but taxing drive that pushed my little truck to the edge. That experience plus last years fiasco where I developed Pneumonia had me sweating this trip right up until we hitched up and left on Sunday.<br />
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The week before our trip I tied up almost every lose end on the camper to the point where I was cautiously optimistic. First step was getting to the Cape May Ferry and crossing over the bay to Delaware. Last year the Ferry ride was so choppy that some safety switch in the trick was tripped so when I started the car I got some crazy clicking noise, the ferry crew was busy jumping various cars and didn't seem to concerned, I on the other hand was a wreck, you have to realize that unbeknowest to me pneumonia was settled into my lungs ready to strike.<br />
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This years ferry ride to Delaware was footloose and fancy free! I had a very stiff bloody mary that I shared with Danielle and we both were really into it and feeling the buzz.<br />
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We pulled into Assateaque State Park, signed in, pulled into our spot and set up. Things went very smoothly until………. nothing really everything went very smoothly, if you are looking for the dramatic crash you're not going to find it here.<br />
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What you will find is a list of some of the wackiest campers we have ever camped with, ever.<br />
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As we were setting up there was a lot of other campers doing the same. Directly across from us was a couple of sights setting up tents and we could tell right away they were going to be fun to watch. One sight had an old station wagon filled with stuff and out came Gandolf the Grey. This man was tall, at least my height, 6'3", very slim with long, long grey hair where he still had some and a matching beard or equal length. He had an entire troop of odd balls with him, all very nice mind you but odd nonetheless. On the adjoining site was a very old, and kinda crappy looking camper van that held and older guy with a very monk like look to him with his old lady. That thing looked like it was going to fall apart at any second, like all 4 wheels pop off, windshield crack and all the doors fall off if the wind blew to hard.<br />
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As we were driving to our spot we passed a really beat up pickup truck with a camper top on it, This truck had more bondo and primer paint that metal at this point. The kicker that really set this truck apart was the two gigantic paintings on either side of the camper. Both were large paintings, not painted directly on the camper mind you but painted on panels that are mounted to the camper. The scenes were of some badly painted lady near hot spring or some babbling brook some complete and utter dreck like that. This guy is probably in his 60s his trucks plates are from Hawaii and he just bounced around from site to site the entire time we were there. I saw him most of the time sitting on top of his truck in a chair watching the sun rise. I bet his story is pretty fascinating.<br />
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Quiet hours at Assateaque are 10pm to 7am during this time you turn off your generator, keep it to a dull roar and chill. The mornings are quiet as you can imagine but around 8am you hear some people stirring, maybe some bike riders, perhaps the braying of the ponies. On Friday morning I was awoken from a very nice sleep to the sounds of the oddest Euro trash pop. It was 7:30am and this music was being pumped out of a rented motorhome. Outside of the motorhome was a handful of 20 somethings. They were dancing around, smoking a lot of cigarettes and running back and forth to the beach. It was an odd sight, made stranger by the continual emergence of people coming from the RV. They were Eastern European I don't know exactly where, they were an attractive group seemingly having a terrific time.<br />
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At 8:30 they all headed into the motorhome and they left, the music gently fading away.<br />
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I thought this was it. A loop of misfits that were a blast to watch. Then over the weekend a family pulled into a neighboring spot and out pops a girl i'll say around 15years old. Her main outfit was thigh high cowgirl boots something black top and bottom, painted on whiskers and a painted nose and clipped to her hod die was a little fox tail. This is what she wore on the beach or not. A lot of work to go sit on the beach.<br />
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This trip was make or break for me regarding the camper. Last year was such a cluster fuck that I didn't want to go this year but I knew from the beginning that this trip was something special. Overall this trip was fantastic the girls have grown up and are veterans at the beach so much so that Thira has earned free reign. Lucia has grown up and no longer needs any special attention. We are entering a great phase of trip with the girls.<br />
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Great quotes from this year.<br />
Lucia: "There is sand in my buns."<br />
Lucia, after the water hit her chest: "Oh, so cold, my boobies are cold."<br />
Lucia, while I'm holding her in the surf nervously saying: "Let's get out of here!"<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-37716732953569533002014-04-03T19:24:00.002-07:002014-04-03T19:24:33.837-07:00my first real run in my Hokas, so, my first review.<br />
Alright, alright, alright.<br />
<br />
First off i'd like to admit that I like shoes. All styles, casual, fancy, sandals, flip flops, running shoes, shoes with toes, etc. etc. I loves them I do.<br />
<br />
So When I read "Born to Run" a long time ago I eagerly bought a pair of Five Fingers. I enjoyed them but I quickly decided i'd rather run in close toe'd shoes and use the Five Fingers while I cross train. Besides at this time the minimalist shoe craze was in full effect.<br />
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Any banana I first read about the super puffy Hokas a yer or so ago and i didn't think much of them. They were designed by and for elite ultra runners. Neither of which I am so I ignored them. Well, after finishing my first 50k last December I was all kinds of tore up. My ankles were especially sore but the experience was fantastic and i knew I was going to do a lot more 50ks especially this year.<br />
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A chance encounter in the trails led myself and true ultra runner Amy Lenza to a park in Queens to run a 6 hour race. You do a 5k loop as many times as you can for the 6 hours. I looked at this day as a training day for my first 50k of the year which is closely approaching. So I decided to use this opportunity to grab a pair of these puffy clouds they call Hoka One One. These guys here, Hoka One One Stinson Trail.<br />
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The six hour run was grueling, but I achieved my goal and I got to wear my Hokas. The problem though is that the 6 hour race was on paved paths so although the shoes were nice I didn't feel that they were truly tested.<br />
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This leads us to today. A gorgeous day, filled with wonder and joy. It was also filled with a 6 mile jaunt through the Greenbelt in my puffy, fluffy Hokas. As I headed into the wood behind the Nature Center I slowly started to listen to my feet. Whaaa? Yes, listening to what my feet were telling me as I began my first official Hoka trail run.<br />
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My absolute first thought was that these things are ridiculously cushioned, but not squishy. The ground was very soft from the yards of snow and buckets of rain that have been dumped on us this year. So I'm wearing an ultra cushioned shoe running on very soft dirt. The shoes were responsive, I felt the ground beneath my feet, yes it was a little muted compared to my "minimal" shoes but I could feel it. The shoes are stable. When I first put them on I imagine I'm in Kiss and this is 1977. I feel way up there. It doesn't take long to adjust though.<br />
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Hitting the crushed Gravel Multi use Trail felt great. the Hokas bounced right along, dug right in. It felt great. I ran over the long plank covered section along the white trail to see how the Hokas would do on slippery planks. The boards were dry, and not slick at all so that will leave to be tried again at a later date. How did the Hokas do in puddles of mud you ask. Actually awesome. I trudged right through digging into the ridiculously sloppy sections but I felt extremely stable and as powered through the muck. I also was pleasantly pleased with how well the Hokas drained. Good shoe, weird but good.<br />
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Here's where they lag a bit. Response. Look, a cheetah is able to do things on the plains that a water buffalo isn't going to be able to do. That's the nature of the beast. Digging in and pushing off through a series of switchbacks I didn't snap off I kinda mushed off. Negotiating rocky terrain was also a bit challenging. Here is where the Hokas cushioning was a negative. I felt unsure over the few loose rocks I ran over.<br />
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Overall I'm glad i decided to buy them i think they will be a great benefit for my 50ks but anything form a 25k and under and I will stick my "minimal" shoes.<br />
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Oh yeah, when bought the Hokas i also bought a new model of Saucony Peregrine 4s. A completely different shoe. Once I get some runs in them I'll review them as well.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-84829570496338865512014-02-15T11:27:00.003-08:002014-02-15T11:27:47.790-08:00Snowy balls. A tale about a 10k romp through the snowy Greenbelt.As anyone who lives on the East Coast knows we have been assaulted by snow this winter. Tons of it and it seems like there's even more to follow. Today was the annual Cold Feat 10k, a trail race through the Greenbelt.<br />
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Since I lead the trail training runs for the Staten Island Athletic Club I knew that the trails were snow covered so when we lined up for todays race I knew what was coming. The snow covered ground, and the grey skies generously gave us an additional snow fall right as the race began. It was the prettiest race I ever ran in. Snow covered everything, a gentle snowfall, the temps were very pleasant actually low 30's. Excellent running weather except for the 12 inches already on the ground obviously.<br />
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My goal for the race was to run smart and not burn out early because the wet, heavy snow made every step a challenge. As I hit every downhill I planned on bombing it but here is where my strategy failed. even with the added spikes I put on my shoes I could not get traction. As I sped up I started sliding out. I like to set my sights on a runner ahead of me and try to catch them but every time I tried I skidded out. Like a car that is on a patch of ice and instead of slowly going over it they gun it and spin there wheels going nowhere.<br />
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As I was finishing up the last two miles I looked back and at one point I had a little choo choo train of runners behind me and every now and then one would pass but I eventually overtook them. That is until the last mile when three runners did pass me and as they skipped down the hill like little snow bunnies I knew that they were gone. Usually I would use this as incentive to go get them but I knew that was foolhardy today.<br />
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At certain areas there are volunteers to guide us on the correct path. Today a few of the Staten Island Athletic Clubs Finest were there to help us. Stephanie, and Corey Ferretti, and big, bad Bob Wisner. On the top of the hill called "the steps" was Mrs. Ferretti diligently guiding us weary runners down the path passing the Nature Center and back into the snowy breech. As we travelled up one of the few hill i see two snowy figures, Corey and Bob. I must say I was a little disgusted. Poor Stephanie was all by herself but Corey and Bob were in their spot, thick as thieves, they had hot chocolate, warm soup, and somehow a space heater to keep them warm. Stephanie, she had a ragged tank top and some flip flops to keep her warm…..Chivalry is indeed dead.<br />
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As I finished up the race I knew that I pushed hard the entire I could have pushed harder but then I would have just stumbled and collapsed into a snow bank and who knows when I would be found.<br />
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Races like today, in these circumstances are tests of wills. To finish is victory enough,but to finish knowing that you gave it everything you had makes it that much sweeter.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-58970607267239554742014-01-02T16:08:00.000-08:002014-01-02T16:08:34.743-08:00Why would you want to do that?!Here's the thing. As one gets older there is a few different paths they can take.<br />
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After Thira was born Danielle and I both chunked up.Mainly due to stress on my end and bed rest on hers. We took charge of the situation and got back to a sexier shape. This led to a rebirth of sorts. Why get older, slower, chunkier, start wearing a cpap machine, lose sex drive, wheeze climbing a set of stairs, etc. etc. you get what I am saying.<br />
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Everyone gets one life, no more, no less. What you do with it is up to you. Reincarnation believers aside obviously.<br />
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So as I get older and what hair I have left starts to show flecks of grey (fuck you grey) I push harder to stay young physically, and mentally.<br />
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This is why I do silly things like run a 5k nude, or wear incredibly sexy swimwear at the July 4th 5 miler. It is what attracted me to the High Rock Challenge in 2007 way before the Obstacle Course Craze blossomed.<br />
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Humility is an afterthought for me anymore. I do not care one bit how I look when I run a 5k or how long it took me to finish my first 50K this December. I ran 31 miles, on the trails in one shot and I loved every second of it. A 22 year old me would not have done that. He would have smoked a stupid Marlboro light and made a sarcastic comment about the event instead of thinking about actually trying it myself.<br />
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Yesterday I joined the ranks of those who jumped into the freezing Atlantic Ocean on New Years Day. The Polar Plunge. Started by the Coney Island Polar Bear Club http://www.polarbearclub.org<br />
The annual event has grown much like the popular mud runs. All part of a growing current of reliving our youth, and seizing the day I believe. For me it's also about being more positive, less cynical, and continually saying yes when it's easier to say no.<br />
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When I met up with the Staten Island Athletic Club yesterday in Clove Lakes Park the sun was shining, the wind was nil and I thought "A quick strip down, run in, run out, change, fin." Walikng to the famed Parachute jump in the Coney Island boardwalk the sky darkened, the wind churned, and my outlook dimmed. "What a stupid idea. "I thought to myself, and probably expressed it out loud as well. A group about 15 strong including my two lovely, but unhappy daughters Thira, and Lucia claimed a spot much like Columbus did all those years ago but for SIAC not Spain and then we stood there.<br />
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A bit of confusion set in until we realized that we had to sign a waiver. Okay, so we shuffled up to the boardwalk, which looks great btw. stood in line and signed our lives away. Again, just like most events I sign up for lately the chance for harm is hanging around like a specter waiting to claim its prize.<br />
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We were up in a few minutes so the strip down began. Brutal is the best word for this. The more you take off the harder the wind whipped your skin. I defrocked in segments thinking it would sting less. It might of. The worst part was the sand. I think it was sand, it could have been frozen thumb tacks thats what it felt like anyway. We get the call to go and were off. A mighty troupe of warriors, male, female young, and well seasoned charge into surf. the waves were crashing down as if the ocean was trying to slap us back onto the shore but we valiant SIAC polar Bears would not be denied. We plowed through, pushing past bundled up spectators, using their cheers encourage us on as out feet meet the surf.<br />
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"Do not stop!" was my mantra. Once I stripped down, and ladies I looked good. Anywho, Once I was only wearing my swimsuit I decided to stay mobil and thats how I met Posideon yesterday. I charged in weaving through those who have stalled "Keep moving". I ran, knee deep in the salty, frozen sea all around me I start to see my comrades disappear. Paying homage to the sea god by baptizing them selves. I see a clearing and I go for it. I dive in and like a frozen mallet the cold water smashes my face. I pop up, let out a victory yelp and keep moving. We're all in a mixed state of euphoria, and shock.<br />
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A departure seems prudent but as I head out I dive under one more time and this time the water feels inviting, like it was beckoning me to stay but I already feel like I overstayed my welcome so I continue to run out. As we leave we are corralled through more huddled masses yearning to cheer us on. The route into the water was quick. The route back to base camp was long, and quite cruel. Every out of the way step meant that my body was exposed to the wind, and the unforgiving sand was bitter cold. Why were we forced to run on piles of scorpion stingers? <br />
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Once I reached home base I toweled off and put a hat on. I kept drying off and putting on my post plunge clothes. Each new layer brought splendid warmth, and comfort. But by the time I got to my sock my feet were screaming. I had nice, soft, wool socks to put on but the felt like they were made out of concrete when I slipped them on. Eventually I changed everything and I began to think back on this experience. I immediately thought that it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, in fact it was a lot of fun.<br />
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The worst past of the entire day was the traffic getting back onto the Belt Parkway heading home.<br />
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So to get back to my original point. You can sit back and be someone who poopoos everything or you could get off your duff and try something new. Something that you never thought you'd do in your life. When you get to the stage of your life that you start looking back don't you want to think about the things that seemed "crazy", or even better seemed impossible at the time?<br />
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I do.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-63571206147668509312013-12-15T17:53:00.000-08:002013-12-15T17:53:11.836-08:00SIAC party 2013 reviewIt was an Awesome night.<br />
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In fact the whole day was pretty swell. It started off with a beautiful, snowy trail run featuring a few dogs getting in on the action.<br />
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We headed into Manhattan for a the district 2 christmas party where Thira had to pay the piper if you will by sitting on Santa's lap after getting herself on the naughty list this week.<br />
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On our way into and back from Manhattan we were surrounded by Santa Con revelers. It would be easy to attack them as drunk idiots causing a ruckus but all I saw was guys and gals dressing up and singing christmas carols so no ragging on them from me until I am subject to the puking Santa and his elves that inevitably happens.<br />
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The snow continued to fall all day in a very picturesque fashion. I felt like the ghost of Bing Crosby was next to me singing christmas carols like only he can. Unfortunately, that same specter would probably be beating his ghost wife and kids but what can you do, nothings perfect.<br />
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The siac holiday get together was a lot of fun. Let me elaborate.<br />
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The ladies looked amazing, especially my beautiful wife Danielle. I believe Hubba Hubba is the appropriate phrase to describe how she looked.<br />
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There was so much good will, everyone mingling, reflecting on the year. I would usually add some snarky comment in here but that would be a lie. It was a fantastic night.<br />
More examples of the fun<br />
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Tommy Hart's amazing, Technicolor, dream suit...awesome.<br />
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The passing around of the jacket...awesome<br />
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The Bayiokos sisters...awesome<br />
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The Ferretti, Lenza, and Cross families being there with kids in tow..awesome<br />
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Carlos and his cousins dancing...awesome.<br />
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The Richmond Rockets... awesome.<br />
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Danielle's impression of Stephanie and Yessica...super awesome!<br />
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This year's DJ...awesome.<br />
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All the award winners...awesome.<br />
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Seeing new siac blood at the party, and having a good time... awesome.<br />
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The video...awesome.<br />
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Scotty dancing...awesome.<br />
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The big circle love fest to end the night..way awesome.<br />
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My table was awesome.<br />
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Nothing crazy, or ridiculous happened just friends letting loose and having a great time.<br />
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My philosophy when you go to these types of events. Get off your chair, mingle about, laugh, dance a little even if you suck at dancing, everyone there sucked who cares were a running club not a ballroom dancing club, get out there, shuffle around and clap your hands. It's fun, you'll laugh, smile and great bigger bonds with your friends.<br />
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Thats it.<br />
I probably missed most people, if I did it wasn't on purpose you just weren't exciting enough to report about. I kid.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-57198112579609023712013-12-07T17:24:00.000-08:002013-12-07T17:24:19.122-08:0050K recap Lots of accolades and thank yous Right now I am sitting, no laying on the couch. My feet are taking turns cramping up, my legs are worthless at the moment.<br />
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My first confession. In reality I trained for a 25K but ran the 50K.<br />
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The first lap we stuck to the plan 15 minute miles. Talking, laughing taking turns leading our little group. By the time we got to the end of the first loop I knew the second loop was going to hurt. I stopped to change my socks and shirt. It felt fantastic switching those things out, plus I gave Corey and Bob a show at a real mans chest. I hope you boys took a picture.<br />
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The second loop was a test of wills. A fight between the voice in my head telling me to quit and my desire to finish my first 50k. I could have cut a bunch of corners but then it would be a hollow finish.<br />
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One the first loop every aid station was fun. We'd snack, crack jokes with the staff, eat some delicious orange slices etc.. Those same aid stations became cruel on the second loop. I wasn't really hungry or thirsty but I still stopped, I had to my legs literally stopped. restarting into what would best be described as a waddle/jog after stopping or walking got harder as the miles increased.<br />
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The section of the blue trail that is on the slant above St. Andrews Church isn't fun in perfect circumstances and hitting it on the second loop of the 50K was a horrible experience.<br />
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I usually hate the multi use trail hill but the second go round on that wasn't that bad. Even though it's an incline its a smooth gravel path and the break from the twists and turns was well received.<br />
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It's a mental game, that's what I kept telling myself as I was headed to the Nature Center. My legs were stiffing up to such a degree that I couldn't stretch out my legs to take bigger steps even if i wanted to. A few miles from finishing, yet it seemed like the Grand Canyon was in front of me.<br />
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I press on.<br />
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Sad that we didn't climb up Moses Mt. but its not going anywhere so we will climb it at a later date i'm sure. Crossing Manor rd. and knowing that it's the last street crossing of the race was a great feeling. The last section of the race was full of winding, hilly trails. Again, fun on the first loop but overwhelming on the second. I was running with a nice fellow named Louis from Brooklyn. It was his first Ultra distance as well so we slugged out the rest of the race together. We finally made it back to Camp Kaufman but that's not the end. The course takes a winding path back to the finish with a final trip up these torturous steps up the side of the hill. In a weird way I was glad to hit these steps for the third time because I knew the end was near. I went as fast as i could, which was pathetic but I crossed the finish line with my held held high, actually it was flopping from side to side. I could barely hold it up.<br />
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It was a great surprise to see Danielle and the girls there. i am glad I told my girlfriend not to come. that would have been awkward. I finished no where near what I had hoped to do and I told myself that this ultra stuff isn't for me, one and done. A few hours later and I am already planning on how I can train properly for another 50k. From the waist up I felt great the entire time, so the cross training paid off. I just need to dedicate myself to the long miles.<br />
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At this time I'd like to thank Matt and George from King of the Mountain, They put on this race and they did an amazing job. I found the course well marked, and extremely challenging. Well done.<br />
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Dorothy Reilly and the entire Greenbelt Conservancy staff/volunteers did their usual stellar job, As did NYC Parks.<br />
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My friend Jamie ran strong but had to leave early, she will be back and I bet will place somewhere.<br />
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Bob, Corey and I formed a group called the Rainbow Connection. It's as ridiculous as it sounds. The finished about 20 minutes ahead of me. Nice work boys,but upstage your captain again and I'll slice your achilles.<br />
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Andy Cross made this course his bitch. He is a true gentleman and an exceptional runner kudos Andy.<br />
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So many of us from SIAC ran one of the races offered today. A great showing of sportsmanship, and friendship.<br />
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Our big boss Mark flew in from Hollywood to run the 25K, he destroyed it.<br />
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I believe that the biggest winners in the 25K was the SIAC woman. Running hard and being led by Kerry McCole the ladies did great. Stephanie, Yessica, Amy, Kristen and if their are others I apologize but let's not forget our friend Sharon. A new runner to our group but wow what a champ. Running her first 25k and doing it with style.<br />
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To everyone who came to my Saturday morning runs I want to sincerely thank you. we all went through these trails mile after mile and formed great, long lasting friendships. That to me was the highlight during this entire endeavor. Meeting every Saturday morning when it would be easier to sleep in and putting in the miles.<br />
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I know I didn't name everyone, there was a lot of us out there. Rest assured you will all be recognized at the next SIAC meeting.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-25852325874917187852013-12-03T16:36:00.000-08:002013-12-03T16:36:18.545-08:0050K all day...25K part of the day!I figured that since I know a thing or two about a thing or two. I'd put out some suggestions for my friends that are going to compete in the upcoming Staten Island Trail Festival.<br />
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Firstly Hydration. It's never to soon to make sure that you are properly hydrated. This means water. How much depends on who you are. The simplest way to tell if your in ggod shape is looking at your peeper. If it's a light yellow your mellow. Anything to dark is no good. If its clear you can back off a bit.<br />
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Today is Tuesday you say, I don't need to worry about that until Thursday. You're an idiot I say. Proper hydration is important always to keep your metabolism firing at a maximum level and helping with digestion. Also a hydrated muscle is a happy muscle. Water is used in between the muscle fibers as a lubricant. Much like oil is used in a car engine, no oil and you get metal grinding together. This is obviously a bad thing. If you are going to run 25 or 50k you want those muscles in your feet,legs, butt, back, shoulders, arms, and abs lubed up and running smoothly.<br />
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Carbo loading, The Friday night pasta binge is more of a ritual that a benefit. CArbo loading should begin a few days out from the event. Dense complex carbs such as steel cut oats, every vegetable there is, quinoa. Plain pasta, white bread the old bad guys are pretty weak as far as fuel goes. Simple carbs, simple sugars not a lot of nutritional benefits.<br />
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Don't forget protein, quality protein helps your muscles repair and grow.<br />
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Fat, if your an active person you need fat.Good fat obviously. Fat protects our organs,lubricates joints, cells, acts as fuel. Fat its necessary.<br />
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Today, (Tuesday) I hit the trails for a little shake out. probably 4 miles, very relaxed pace my calves are still sore from the weekend so I kept it very casual.<br />
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This week is about staying loose, keeping active. Wherever your at fitness wise isn't going to change in 3 days.<br />
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You can't do a crash course in getting fit. It's a long term process.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-58739967269323342112013-10-27T21:02:00.000-07:002013-10-27T21:02:16.026-07:00A Multisport man as of today. Where to begin?<br />
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As Chris Calimano and I drove into New Jersey to attempt our first off road run bike run event a sense of relief came over me. I know none of these people, I have never done anything like this before, and yesterday I led a group on a 12.5 mile trail run so my legs were already fried.<br />
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Run 2 miles, no problem.<br />
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Bike two 5.5 loops, okey dokey.<br />
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Run a second 2 mile loop, easy peasy.<br />
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We sign in, put our bike down and get ready.<br />
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The first loop I got stuck in a very slow pack along a single track so i knew right away that this was going to be a long day. My legs felt pretty good though so i was looking forward to the bike.<br />
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My first transition area! Very exciting, I ran in grabbed my helmet, picked up my bike and away i went. I didn't bring my clip in shoes and I regretted that but again this was my first time. A cherry popping experience.<br />
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Splish splash through a tiny creek and away we go. I am finally using my bike for what it was intended. powering over everything, gearing down low as I climb up and over roots and rise to the top of the hills. Super glad I have the 29 inch wheels.<br />
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My first down hill on a mountain bike in over 20 years, HOLY SHIT I forgot how fast this goes. Flying over roots, hitting every switch back, weaving big rocks, grazing past trees that were way to close to the trail. Leveling out I had a giant smile on my face. This was amazing, oh yeah more up hills. this is horrible.<br />
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About 3.5 miles into the first loop I caught Chris, who although an experienced IronMan has little to no experience on a mountain bike. In fact the bike he rode today he borrowed earlier that morning so he was extremely cautious. I passed him and set on to do the second loop.<br />
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My legs were sore and tired but my hands, my hands took the brunt of the downhill. They felt like they were in smashed by sledge hammers. I couldn't believe i had to do that all over again.<br />
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Here goes loop number 2.<br />
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This time there were very few headed out. The speedies were well into lap #2 so I was with just a few bikes not the line I started out with during my first loop. A funny thing happened on the second loop. I was definitely faster, things that came to me during the first loop seemed to come quicker the second time around. The downhills were amazing. I kept flying down faster, and faster hopping up and over roots and rocks and really digging into the switchbacks, pedaling out of the curve to gain speed into the next turn. Such a rush! Just a ton of fun on the bike.<br />
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By the time I hit the transition area i was looking fwd. to running the second 2 mile trail run loop. Bike down, water bottle in hand and I'm off. "You're helmet!" A nice lady saw me leving with my helmet on, a pretty newb experience but whatever.<br />
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A weird thing happened as i got off my bike and started running. My human legs were replaced with wooden table legs. My mobility was so bad that the Tin Man would have beaten me. To make matters worse I got lost for about a half a mile so I added more distance to already dead legs.<br />
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I lumbered into the finishing line sore, stiff, and tired, but ultimately satisfied with my ice breaking event. I will be searching out more off road duathalons, and even triathlons in the future.<br />
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Some advice as i leave you tonight.<br />
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Buy a bike that fits you and your needs. I did and I am so happy that i did. it saved me a lot of time and exhaustion.<br />
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Train for the event your about to do. I did, a little but in the future i will train a lot more for these type events.<br />
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Do not do a 13 mile trail run the day before this event. That is what killed legs today, i knew it would though so I am not concerned by it.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-61955050177019671122013-10-02T19:09:00.001-07:002013-10-02T19:20:09.701-07:00Why Danielle is my hero. On this day, seven years ago, I watched Danielle finally get some peace after 6 weeks of torture.<br />
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When we found out that Danielle was pregnant we were obviously ecstatic, the pregnancy was going along fine, at first. Eventually after a few ultrasounds they started getting concerned by the fluid levels, they were to low and the placement of the placenta was another concern, but it was early so lets be positive.<br />
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Summer came and went, we got a check up before our annual Assateaque trip and it was a pretty positive report. When we came back from that trip though thing changed dramatically.<br />
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The fluid levels, still low now had them concerned that Thira's kidneys might be compromised and the placement of the placenta was now a worry. Our folder was switched to a red one, not the best feeling.<br />
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We were sent to see a specialist who sat us down in a dingy, dark office. It's his job to tell us every single horrible scenario that could possibly happen. We walked out of there in complete shock. We were basically told that as of right now if Thira was to arrive her chances of survival were 50% at best.<br />
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Not soon after this pleasant news Danielle had to go on bed rest. Thira had started to push against her placenta which was completely blocking Danielle's cervix. This caused some bleeding. We rushed to the hospital in terror and panic. This began Danielle's semi permanent residence at Staten Island University Hospital. A week in, a week at home, more bleeding so back in we go. A constant monitor on her belly with the swooshing sound of Thira's heart beat. Steroids were injected to help Thira's lungs develop faster and more grim news about the survival rates of premies. Danielle was at 25 weeks. A fetuses lungs develop at 28 weeks. The hope was to get to 28 weeks.<br />
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For the next month time went ridiculously slowly. Every day when I was at work I was waiting for a call that the worst has happened. I got a few calls that Danielle had another spotting episode but it was contained. Then I started hearing about the kidney pain.<br />
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One of the ways to stop contractions is to make sure you are hydrated, so in the hospital they kept her on an IV This caused her kidneys to freak out. They would give Danielle incredibly powerful drugs and she would scream herself awake in agony. They did x-rays, tests, conferences etc. Danielle didn't care all she cared about was giving Thira every chance she could. She would scream and cry the pain was unbearable. I sat there like a lump powerless to help in any way. At this point I very little connection to Thira, not like Danielle did anyway so all I cared about was Danielle's well being. All Danielle cared about was Thira's.<br />
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"Pray for a girl' the nurses kept saying. For some reason premie girls do better than boys. All the while that this is happening we still kept the sex a mystery. All we had was the constant whooshing of the heart monitor. It never waivered by the way. Thira, was a champion even in dire circumstances.<br />
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We finally got to 28 weeks it was as if a giant rusty clock full of cobwebs creaked its minute hand past midnight and we sighed a bit of relief. On her own Danielle had figured out a system. As soon as she figured out that the pain in her kidney was approaching she would pee. This kept the pain manageable, small victories at this point.<br />
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Week 29! every day, hell every hour that Thira stayed in utero was a victory. Hospitals are not restful places. Lots of beeps, boops, and blinks to keep you from really getting a restful sleep. One day my sister and brother in law came up to visit and we were all just kinda hanging out when we were told that today is the day. "Why today?" we asked in utter disbelief. The reason was that the baby is big enough that they believe she will survive yet if Thira stayed in to much longer she could rupture the placenta and then there is real trouble so we were at a sweet spot.<br />
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One hour after they told us this Thira was born. Two pounds six ounces of screaming fury. The operating room was tense. There were probably 12 people in there not including Danielle and I. Later I found out that this was not normal. Once Thira emerged a team of pediatric doctors took her away checked her out and rushed her upstairs. We saw a tennis ball sized head for a split second then she disappeared.<br />
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About 10 minutes later a nurse was staring into the room. I thought she had a look of fright to her. I was told to go with her. I steadied myself for the worst but it turns out that I had to sign a form so that they could do whatever procedures they needed to for Thira's well being. I was walked past all the sleeping new borns into another dark room with the premies and there lying in an incubator was a stretched out, buck naked, screaming in furious rage Thira. The cord that leads to her belly button was extended, and open they were going to put a feeding tube in it to feed her. At 29 weeks and 2 days she was to early to know how to swallow yet. I stared at an incredibly small, but powerful creature pissed off that we disturbed her habitat. I walked out of there relieved. I knew she would be fine. I always look at Thira knowing she will be just fine.<br />
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Back to Danielle. She is being sewn up. I don't see her again until she is wheeled out. She is sleeping for the first time in 6 weeks. While she sleeps I call everyone to let them know where we are, that Thira has arrived and for now things are good. During those 6 weeks I kept the family updated about Danielle with late night calls. I would sit in the cafeteria in solitude or i'd be home staring into space while Danielle was in one of the many rooms listening to the monitor, white knuckling it through the kidney pain.<br />
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It took a year for me to process how stressful those 6 weeks truly were. It beat me up physically and mentally but it really knocked Danielle on her ass. It took a long time for her to feel like herself again in every aspect. Lying on your back for 6 weeks and then having major abdominal surgery takes a massive toll. One bright spot once Thira arrived the kidney pain disappeared.<br />
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Never complaining, never whining. No hint of a pity party. Just focus and in hindsight sacrifice. Danielle would have gladly sacrificed her life in that hospital if it ensured that Thira would survive. Whenever I am reminded of those 6 weeks I think back at how I would stare at Danielle in awe really at how incredibly strong she is. I knew then that she is doing heroic, and that I am still now inspired by what she did 7 years ago. Her OBGYN Dr. Spierer, who delivered both girls, and who is a saint called me when I was home to assure me that both Danielle and I would be fine. I knew they would be but it felt greta for him to say it. He then said that Thira will never know what Danielle did for her and that is the truest thing I ever heard.<br />
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I owe Danielle 2 debts that I can never repay.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-32178410486384001002013-09-10T21:09:00.001-07:002013-09-10T21:09:58.866-07:00Assateaque wrap up. So once I was on the mend everything started to look up. The camper issues while still there weren't such a big deal. The weather picked up as well. Tuesday turned out to be a terrific beach day. That night the girls and I cooked outside, and had marshmallows by the fire.<br />
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Wednesday, We needed a few things so i headed out to the store early. As I drove into town a fog rolled in to meet me. Fog is another thing that You don't usually see at Assateaque but here it is. As I drove in Danielle started texting me then my phone froze. I tried every trick I knew but it was frozen on the Samsung image. No biggie I headed to the Walmart where my cell phone plan runs through.<br />
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While in the store I grabbed some things for breakfast and I noticed that the smallest packages of various things down there were equal to out large here and what we consider small was non existent .<br />
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The greasy haired kid at the electronic desk gave me the bad news that my phone was fried. Buy cheap and you pay for it. Alright I thought after what happened to me earlier this week this is no big deal.<br />
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Driving back home is the fog it felt okay in a weird way. The fog felt comforting in a weird way. Crossing over the bridge to get to Assateaque the fog started to peel away, the sky was clearing up and it felt like whatever bad juju was around me was gone.<br />
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The weather was nice but not terribly hot, low 80s the water temp was in the low 70s so when a wave engulfed you it made you lose your breath for a second but it also felt fantastic. Every time a wave crashed over it felt like a baptism, and every time i walked out of the ocean it felt like a rebirth.<br />
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Lots of late nights watching the clouds move in and then the stars emerge. My last night there was a new moon so the sky was electric with stars. the mornings that I was up early I headed to the beach to witness sunrises that were humbling.<br />
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Sunday night I wanted to sell the camper and never go there again, by Wed. night we were planning out the days for next year.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-6676958789413949522013-08-29T19:01:00.000-07:002013-08-29T19:01:14.279-07:00Whatever I did to offend you Posideon I apologize.Assateaque 2013, what a kick in the balls.<br />
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The lead up to this vacation was great. Everything went as planned. That morning we packed up the truck, hooked it up to the camper and took off.<br />
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The drive down was easy, Danielle even tok over the reigns for a bit. Once we got to the ferry I switched back into the drivers eat to get the truck and camper onto the boat.<br />
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Here's where our story gets interesting.<br />
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I pulled onto the ferry following the lead of the worker and I realized that she steered me way to close to the side wall but no biggie really.<br />
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We hopped out of the truck and went upstairs, the ferry takes off and we are thrust into some seriously choppy waters. the boat does some serious rocking the kids think its a blast and i used it as an excuse to get some sleep.<br />
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As the boat prepares to dock we head back into the truck. The trailer ahead of me pulls out and I get the wave to proceed. i turn the key and I get flashing lights and a clicking buzz. I try again same thing. The guy waves me on as I look at him with a face of sheer panic and wave him to me. He knew right away what was wrong, had me pop the hood and jump started me. A sigh of relief left me as I leaned out and asked what the hell happened there. He told me to check my battery as they jump start about 4 other cars. We deduced that the severe rocking tripped something in the truck and the other vehicles.<br />
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Usually when I leave the ferry and drive into Delaware it's a pleasant hour and fifteen minutes of back country driving. this time I was in full panic that the trucks battery, or worse yet the alternator was shot. I pulled into an Auto Zone and had them do a battery test. The nice employee showed me that the battery was in fact fine. With this new sense of security I proceeded to the campsite.<br />
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When you pull into a campsite at Assateaque you have to back it in. Usually this takes me a couple of times, backing in straightening it out backing it undone. This time I couldn't focus right it took me a longer time than is should have to back the camper in, another clue perhaps that things weren't exactly kosher. As we begin to unpack a little girl comes over and instantly becomes friends with my oldest daughter Thira, her family also has an airstream so we all bonded instantly. Anyway back to unpacking I pull out my generator and start it up and of course its running rough, this piece of shit generator ran smooth as silk the week before when I tested it at home. Then to annoy me even further the fridge in my camper was not cycling over properly. Refrigerators in campers or RVs are called 3 ways. They run off of standard 120 power, 12v battery power and propane. They are supposed to smoothly cycle between the three, this one would not. This fridge is two years old and costs way more than you think it should. Needless to say i was pissed.<br />
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We had a great night that hanging out with our new Airstream friends in their rv eating ribs from Smokers.<br />
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The next day we finished setting up than ran out for breakfast and supplies. All the while I was dragging ass. I was exhausted and grumpy. When we finally got out to the beach it was windy and cold so that didn't help my mood. That night we headed out to the boardwalk and I had zero appetite in fact eating was the last thing that I wanted to do, my temper was super short and every time I sat down I was falling asleep. This is all adding up to a doozy of a night.<br />
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The kids had fun though and after a while we headed home. I had Danielle drive the 10 miles back and I instantly fell asleep. Passed out cold. I barely remember getting out of the truck and walking into the camper. I know I was in there because I woke up a few hours later in a state that I have never dealt with before.<br />
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Here we go, this is the good stuff.<br />
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I'd say it was about 2 am and I woke up with a red hot fever, super nauseous, my head completely stuffed and shaking. I knew this was trouble. I ran outside, grabbed hold of the garbage can and let it go. This scenario happened four different times. Falling asleep for a minute, waking up because I can't breathe, and of course nauseous.<br />
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At one point I wanted to call 911 but Danielle yelled at me horrified that we would wake up the neighbors, She willed me to go to sleep which I thankfully did for a couple of hours.<br />
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As the sun started peeking through the Airstreams windows i woke Danielle and the girls up. I was freezing, shivering, sweating, nauseous, stuffed, and panting like a dog. I couldn't take a deep breath so I was taking these short little ones and since I was stuffed my mouth and throat was dry so I was constantly sticking my tongue out like previously stated dog.<br />
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Thankfully the ride to the hospital was close and although the walk to the emergency room door from the truck was short it took me forever. When they asked me my info I had to stop, take a deep breath, and concentrate so i could tell them the correct info such as my name, address, med. history. At the time this was a chore.<br />
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Luckily the wait was short so I saw the doc pretty quickly. The sinus infection was obvious but he wanted me to do a chest X-ray as well. When I was done with the exam and X-ray i was hanging out waiting for the results and I of course had to blow my nose. There was a box of tissues five feet behind me but I had to convince myself to get up and get them.<br />
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The Xray showed that my right lung was infected, pneumonia. What the fudge. Who gets pneumonia while camping on the beach? A man who pissed of the god of the Seas thats who. Obviously I did something to upset him which is why he made the ferry ride so rocky and my equipment malfunction, and he must of sent a crab up from the shore Sunday night that was infected with the bacteria that gave me the pneumonia. The crab snuck into the camper and proceeded to shake the pneumonia onto me as I was sleeping. This all makes perfect sense to me now as I look back at it all.<br />
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Thankfully the powers of modern medicine are stronger than that of a Greek gods. I was given a little pill for nausea that dissolved on my tongue while in the hospital which started my road to recovery and I took the first two pills of the Zpac that were prescribed to me right away. By the time I was back at the campsite i was feeling much better. Within a half hour I was hungry and a half hour after that I was walking out to the beach feeling as strong as Hercules. Amazing what modern medicine can do, I also attribute my hastened recovery to my lifestyle. Right before Assateaque i was in the middle of a great workout routine and a very healthy diet so my body was primed for the recovery.<br />
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My personal battle with Posideon was over, so I thought. Tune in for the next tale in the saga of my 2013 Assateaque adventure. it gets wackier before it gets calmer.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-61323944361460261272013-07-21T20:43:00.001-07:002013-07-21T20:43:29.696-07:00Throwing good runs after bad A few weeks ago I was taking part in the siac long run. I wanted to do 8 but at 6.5 I felt destroyed due to heat, lack of road work, etc. etc. so I did finish the 8 but instead of storming to the finish like a conquering hero I stumbled in feeling like a fish out of water choking for oxygen.<br />
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This morning I woke up to do another long run and I have to admit that I didn't want to. I kept thinking about the last run and how I felt like shit afterwards and I ket laying in bed making more excuses. Lucia's party is today, i have so much to do so I should skip the run. Here's the thing though, every tie I thought of an excuse I talked myself out of it so I got up, got dressed, and drove to meet the others.<br />
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The run went well and while I was talking to my fellow runners I came to a realization, it's our own head that truly dictates how we run. We all have aspects of running that we don't like but there are certain circumstances that can truly screw us up in the head and we talk ourselves out of achieving a goal that is attainable, as difficult as it may be to achieve it, it is possible.<br />
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Thankfully I didn't let the negative voices win and because of that I know have a positive experience to feed off of for the next long run.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846682678308710247.post-80402370260914283272013-07-17T20:22:00.001-07:002013-07-17T20:22:12.485-07:00Don't stop thinking about tomorrow. Into the shadows we went. A rag tag band of eight. Three men of brawn, and five women molded in the image of Athena did not hesitate before plunging into a tangle of green.<br />
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Stripped to the barest of essentials we began. Breathing was a kin to sucking pea soup through a straw. An immediate attack of annoying, flying insects swarmed around all of our heads, buzzing into our eyes, nose, and ears. One of us, a new runner to our group was met with a bee sting to the abdomen yet she did not waiver.<br />
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I had the lead, one of the perks of being a captain I guess more so because I had a route in mind. Whenever I lead a trail run I imagine myself as an old steam locomotive chugging along as the train follows behind. The route I chose had certain areas that are usually very muddy, not today. We are in the middle of a pretty strong heat wave so all of the usual muddy spots are drying up quickly. I also chose that route because I hoped that there would still be wider trails for us. Luckily for us that was mostly the case.<br />
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As we traveled down the trail the golf course appeared on our right and the biting flies appeared on my head. This little buggers are annoying. They have a yellow shine and are more streamlined that a common house fly. I hate them, they always bite my head, it doesn't leave a mark, or a welt but man does it sting when it happens.<br />
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On the back side of this trail we encountered a lone soul on a mountain bike, we slashed his tires, took his wallet and poured his water on to the ground. "Your kind isn't wanted round these parts!" we shouted. He begged for mercy as we left him trembling on his knees.<br />
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A few street crossing led us to the back of High Rock Park. This is a long uphill, one of my favorites actually getting to the top always feels like an accomplishment especially today. As a made it to the top one of the ladies was right behind me I desperately crawled for a bench as she looked around as if she was still waiting for the hill. When you get to the top of this hill your usually at the highest point of the run unless you head to Todt Hill but that trail was in the wrong direction, and filled with nasty ghouls and goblins or so i've been told.<br />
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We regrouped at the top guzzled water like a weird pack of camels and pressed on. Down a bit then up a little bump then a long, luxurious down hill back to the streets which we crossed in a pretty ugly fashion I must admit. At this point we were all feeling a bit ragged and a little loopy so we get a pass.<br />
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Once again we entered another portal into the shadows and green. The path we took back we relatively straight for a trail that is. We didn't diverge onto other trails as we met with the "Steps". The reality of the "Steps' is that it is not that big of a hill but we usually hit it at the end of a run so it feels a lot worse than it is. Once your at the top though every direction is downhill so knowing that helps me get to the top of the steps with some pep. Tonight had a little less pep due to the heat but whatever, you know what I mean.<br />
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You know when your at a party and everyone starts to leave but you still have a small group hanging around and it's a great time because you're all friends except that one guy who doesn't quite fit in Either he's to drunk, or just plain obnoxious yet he doesn't take the hint to go. That is what the heat/humidity was like tonight. It was always there, hanging around like that jerk at the party.<br />
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Any banana, we rounded the last mile of twisty, turny, downhill. The exact same path that we started on but of course we finished up in reverse which is generally beneficial since it's mainly downhill. Round and round we go until what appears but the exit. We shoot out of the trees and stumble towards the water fountain and feebly try to replenish the gallons of water that we sacrificed to the trails tonight.<br />
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The journey was only 5.? miles but with the heat, hills, and bugs it was a glorious fight every step of the way. I look at these dead of summer runs as the payment for the Fall and Spring runs which are Disney like in their beauty.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10009637770280972733noreply@blogger.com0