Happy Wednesday

What a beautiful day. The snow is melting. Winter coats aren't needed. Running in shorts is a distinct possibility. First day of spring is tomorrow. (Just heard on the radio: Winter storm watch for Thursday into Friday. 6-8 inches of snow possible. Bummer. Major bummer.) Spotted running across the 6th Street SW bridge this noon, Gary Malat, Jim Martinson, K.C. Reed. I just happened to have my camera handy as I was on my way to visit my brand new nephew, A.J. (Andrew Jon), born yesterday noon. He's a keeper. No doubt about it. Lots of hair. There's just nothing like a newborn baby. What a gift.

A.J. and big sis Kaleigh. And me. Nice jacket, huh?

I got an email from Ann Walker the other day. It was good to hear from her. She gave me permission to share what might be of interest to those who remember her:

I managed to keep up on some of the Rochester happenings by frequently checking the Post-Bulletin, the RTC website and emailing Ron and Jerry. Everyone seems to be doing well but not nearly as much running among the former gang. People are getting old! I think I may have mentioned in an email a while back that during the first two years of med school I sat mostly on my butt either in class or studying. My running all but dried up! It's only in the last 4-5 months that I've been able to get consistent again. And talk about painful! I started by walking a bit then attempting to run but it was more like plodding. I started clinical rotations in October in Kansas City so we had some great running weather for the most part although they don't get the big snowstorm and horrible NW wind that Rochester gets.....KC gets ice storms. Sometimes that can be worse but I managed to run 4-5 times a week. After I finished a couple of rotations in KC, I had the opportunity to do a 6-wk psych rotation in Shreveport, Louisiana starting mid-Feb so I grabbed the chance. The weather has been terrific.....t-shirt and shorts running weather! We're headed back to KC at the end of the week because I have a 3-month surgery rotation THEN it's finally on to Chicago. I'll be in the Windy City from July-December so I'll definitely forward my contact info once I get settled. Remember Stacey? She lives in Hyde Park so I'm hoping she can steer me to a good area. I still have my two furkids (her two pugs) who have been with me nearly every step of the way. They keep me sane!

In the photo below, Ann is on the right. I'm on the left. Nice jackets, huh? They do get around.

Here's a link to the Post-Bulletin stair climb story than ran on Monday, including 2 photos: (Dana Alexander has the RTC shirt on, women's winner Bridget Worrell from Minneapolis is also pictured) Stair Climb story I added 18 more photos to the Stair Climb photo album on the RTC website sent to me by Hiromi Walleser. I was talking with Mayo anesthesiologist Mark Warner today about the stair climb. I mentioned having the taste of blood/something metallic in my mouth when we were done (and the burning lungs/throat). He said it was because our lungs were expanding and contracting so fast. Fun facts to know and tell. ;-)

Mike Schmitt passed along this link to Human Race photos Wayne K. does a great job taking action shots. There's a good one of Pete Gilman in there. You have to go quite a ways into the album to see it, though.

On Monday, the Gatorade concentrate for the Fetzer arrived at my house. Via semi. As in 18-wheeler. We live on a cul-de-sac and the streets are rather narrow. I should have taken a picture. Anyway, it seemed like overkill to send a semi up here for these 4 boxes:

Cooking Light was delicious on Monday. My fave? Kelly's Creme Brulee. Delicious. But all in all, everything was very good. There's nothing I'd never make again. Here are photos:

Let's meet RTC president David Sletten:

Family: Wife: Jenni, Dog: Foxy (Jack Russell Terrier)

Hobbies: volunteering, running, fishing, drinking beer, and having fun any chance I get. At the moment I am in the middle of a kitchen remodel and a 600 sq ft addition project so hobby time is very limited.

Languages you speak: English (though not always well) and Spanish (very little but still learning)

How did you get started in running: I did a little cross country running and track in high school although I wasn’t very good and didn’t really care for it (at least at that point in time). After joining the Navy is when I really started to like running and I have been running off and on ever since. I have found running to be one of the only times during the day when I have uninterrupted time for thinking.

Miles per week on average: 15-18 miles

Your defacto, comfortable as a broken-in shoe training route: Currently I have been running indoors on a tread mill. Let me tell you I cannot wait for the weather to warm up. Once it does I will need to find a new outdoor route as my mileage has increased. Anyone from Byron have a good 6-8 mile route?

How often do you run it: Lately I have been running 4 days/week but as my mileage has increased I dropped down to 3 days/week with runs being 5+ miles.

Favorite carbo loading food: Pasta and rice, all kinds.

Favorite indulgence food: Dark chocolate and most flavors of ice cream.

Next race: Unsure at the moment…more then likely the Fetzer but it depends on where I am in my training schedule.Running goals: For 2008, my running goal is two fold. First is to run the Med-City half in under 2:15 (I’m already signed up). Second is to continue training and finish a full marathon.

Running dream: To run a respectable time in a large marathon such as Chicago.

Thought for the day: "Set your goals high and don't stop until you get there." --Bo Jackson

Carry on.