Something New

As most of you know, I keep my photos up on Flickr. I really like the look and feel of Flickr, but I do not like their printing quality. You can pay for an archiving service, that stores full sized images, but I haven't figured out to get those full-sized images printed.

Along came SmugMug. It's been around a while, I think I may have heard of it before, but it's relatively new to me. Now, I can upload my full-sized images and order superior quality photos. I have ordered my first set of pictures, Jilian's bridal shots, and they are fantastic. So now I am hooked.

I have 3 albums up so far, but more will be uploaded soon. It does take a while to upload, but well worth the wait.

Check them out here.

Gallop 4 Greenways

In a last minute effort to make Webmail After Work something different, Pat got a few of us here at Webmail.us to sign up for a local 5k. I thought it was a great idea. Getting co-workers together outside of the work environment and doing something different. I can't wait for the next one!

The real challenge of this race was to not be the last Webmailer. There was no way in hell I was going to let Pat beat me. ;-) And secretly (cat's out of the bag) Marisa was not going to let him beat her either. haha.

I say the next event should be the Marine Mud Run. That way, we have to come across the finish line as a team. And who doesn't want to see their boss covered in mud??

Catch 22 - continued

By running the CMM race I had to miss out on the wedding of the person to whom I owe all of my renewed distance running love. It was Jilian who got me back to my roots of running. She helped me train for my first ½ marathon, the CMM last year. I wanted to be there, sharing in joy as she and Todd made life-long promises to each other. Her ability to plan a wedding in 4 months is beyond me. I am grateful that she did include me in several aspects of the planning. I guess I didn’t do a good job of convincing her to move the date! haha.

Congratulations Jilian and Todd!

Catch 22

Just like last April, a bunch of us traveled down to Nashville to run the Country Music ½ Marathon. And just like last year, it was a blast.

This year my Dad joined us for the fun. He actually had to overcome a couple of obstacles during his training, including knee surgery within 4 months of the run. I think my Dad and I have a lot in common when it comes to physical and mental challenges. I wanted him to be able to finish the race without stopping to walk. I had it in my mind that it was at least probable. I kept convincing him that it was do-able. I think I actually brain-washed him a little and told him that it doesn’t really ‘feel’ like 13.1 miles. Haha.

Right before we started I told him (more brain-washing) that we could do it in 2.5 hours. He just laughed at me. He was like, ‘the last time I ran 10 miles it took me 2.75 hours, and you want me to run 13.1 in less than that, you are crazy!’. But with the help of Marisa, we were able to pace him through the entire race and finish it in 2 hours and 27 minutes. We had 3 minutes to spare! The look on my Dad’s face, as he finished what he thought was the impossible, was priceless. I am so proud of him and his ability to fight the odds of his injuries. Oh yea, this was his first, and probably last long run. The doctor says that his knees are not going to hold up to the impact of running.

But that’s only the first part of the Catch 22

My Baby Graduated!

Ok, so it’s just pre-school, but it’s one of those milestones in life. She’s a big girl now since she’s going to kindergarten in fall. At least that's what she tells me.

One of my vivid memories of graduation, both at Giles High School and Virginia Tech is of the girls who would wear their cap on the back of their heads. This was mainly because of the poof of hair in the front that they didn’t want to mess up. Come on, a mortar board goes on your head so that it’s parallel to the ground. I think diplomas should be revoked if people wear their hats in such a manner. But that’s just my personal opinion.

I am glad to see that Jordan isn’t ‘one of those girls’. Oh wait, maybe she didn’t have a choice. haha

Slow May

It’s been a slow month for blogging. My sincerest apologies to the 5 readers of this blog. I know you have been eagerly waiting to hear more about what’s going on in my life.

So where to begin?

I suppose that since I love to gloat about my accomplishments, I will start with an update on my 2007 training and competitions.

On April 15^th, I competed in my first triathlon of 2007. It was the Angel’s Race in Lynchburg. The weather was horrible, to say the least. Basically, freezing cold and torrential downpours. I practically made up my mind that it would be ok if I just finished the race. As most of my close friends know, that’s not really how I end up doing races.

I am still not great at the swim, it’s definitely the discipline that needs the most work. The bike went well, until I got to Mt. Everest. This hill was conveniently located towards the end of the bike ride, just about the part where you think you are going to die. I kept pedaling, in my easiest gear, until I thought I was going to have to stop and walk my bike up. I even tried to un-clip, but my leg was too weak to get my foot out. I had a couple of choices: stay on the bike and pedal, fall over and wait for the paramedics, or just go down the hill backwards. I chose to stay on my bike and pedal. It was a good choice.

Next up, the run. It was relatively easy going out, but coming back in was a different story. The same incline at the end of the bike was again present at the end of the run. So Grandma Jones on the sidewalk was pacing along with her walker faster than I was able to run up the hill. It was a very technical race. Nothing like my previous two races.

After I finished, my coach and I were reviewing the results and realized that there was the possibility of me placing in my age group. We had to wait for all the athletes to finish before it was official. And that’s all she wrote. One of my personal goals of the year was to finish in the top 3 of one of my scheduled triathlons, and I hit the mark on my first one.

That is definitely one of the many highlights of my athletic career.

I will post a couple of pictures soon. I promise.

Marketing 101

I haven't posted in a while for various reasons, but I couldn't let this one pass.

Year Zero - awesome marketing approach.

I don't listen to NIN much these days, however, after reading this article my interest to start listening to them again has increased at least a smidgen.