Christmas in AZ…Again

It has been 3 years since we lived in Arizona and had spent a Christmas in the 48th state. With the current Covid climate and the dogs to care for, it made sense to do a road trip instead of thinking about getting on a plane this year. Sice I can work from anywhere, we decided to do two weeks in Arizona, instead of a short trip, visiting the kids and their SOs.

Speaking of SOs, Matt announced that he and Meghan got engaged on December 5th while they were in Seattle looking at neighborhoods. Why were they looking at neighborhoods? Matt was able to secure a new position within Microsoft that he was hoping for and would eventually require/allow him to work in the Redmond mothership. He is now officially the Learning and Development Manager which allows him to design programs to train and guide the professional development of Microsofts global employees. Very exciting next step in his career.

So in the coming months, we may have him back living with us again, as we anticipate the sale of their townhouse in Mesa to go very quickly, leaving them with a transition period before moving to the Seattle area. Would be a nice change of pace for us.

A Good Way To Start The Morning

Sometimes you feel like getting a little exercise while on vacation and this was one of those days. Having lived in Phoenix for 4 years, we did quite a few hikes, mostly over at South Mountain park, but never Piestewa Peak, which is north by Paradise Valley.

I had contacted one of our new sales gents a few months prior to let him know I would be in town, knowing that this particular hike was one that he does a few times a week. He was gracious enough to allow me to tag along for an early morning version of the hike.

We met at the parking lot at 5:45am to get the hike in before the work day started. Although I was on vacation, I wanted to get to see Simon and try the fairly steep peak. The hike covers approximately 1.2 miles up, with a vertical climb of almost 1,200 feet. The path is very well cut (into rock), but we did the incline in the dark so it was a challenge for a first timer. Not too many people on the path, but those that were on the path, had headbands with lights, or were using their cell phones.

Simon has done the hike regularly, so he knew the path very well and took off at a quick pace. I tried to keep up, but was second guessing my footing, despite his cell phone light, which was a little too far out in front of us to be useful for me. I eventually pulled out my phone to light up the path, by which time Simon had a bit of a lead on me. A combination of caution and getting stuck behind a few slower folks had me loose site of him. This caused me to make two wrong turns that I had to backtrack from and find my way. By the time I caught up with him, he had made it to the top and had come back down about 30 yards where he met me on my ascent. He went back up to the top with me where I was rewarded by a pre dawn view of the city.

PHX AMPhx Sunrise

On the way down, Simon was doing a speed decent and took a bad tumble. He popped back up and said he was ok, and seemed so all the way down and during our work conversation in the parking lot. But about 30 minutes later when I sat down back at the hotel, I received the following two images via text.

StitchesPhotographic evidence that it was not a harmless tumble, but instead a gash that required 5 stitches to close up. I joked with him that I hoped this was not his contract signing hand, as it is end of the year for the sales team. Nope, he is right handed so he can sign away and enjoy a Christmas pint at the pub.

I will recap the rest of the trip in another post.

Life is Moving Fast

Thought I would be back on track in the last few weeks with my training, but work had different plans for me. We are very much underwater with too few resources and too much business, so most of my days start when it is dark and end when it is dark. That makes it difficult to get any training in at all.

I have always had a challenge with working out too late in the evening as it keeps me from getting meaningful sleep. This makes it hard to get up the next day and makes the day even longer. The cycle is vicious and impactful.

Not sure what I am going to do about this as my next race is in about a month and I have given in to the fact that I will need to walk run to make it through. It makes me cringe to say that but if I push too hard, it will be very difficult to recover so I can start training for my next race.

Back in the Saddle

Travel has been crazy the last few months (writing this while sitting in a seat on a flight from MSP to PHX), and I don’t see it getting too much better. My training has definitely suffered as it is had to find time to get even a small run in. The body and mind are willing but the location is not always able. I know I can try harder to make that happen and I need to do that soon, as the Dark Side Half in Disneyworld  in April is going to be painful.

I had hoped to finally get my sub 2 hour PR but I don’t think that is possible now. Running is not something you can catch up in quickly like catching up on email or even sleep. If you don’t put the mile in, you don’t get the results. You can’t do 11 tomorrow if you got 5 in two days ago but missed your 6 yesterday. That would not only be painful but also foolish for your body.

The good news is I was able to get into the Disneyland Paris Inaugural Half Marathon in September so I have plenty of time to train for the PR during that race.

RunPAris

The focus not is planning for runs during travel, even if it means inclement weather locations like Minnesota this week. I have never had good luck with my lungs and running in cold weather, it always end up in a hacking cough and sickness. Perhaps I need to look into a nationwide chain of fitness centers like LifeTime, or even check on day passes if the weather is bad and my hotel does not have facilities. I have some homework to do.

Australia 2015

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had an opportunity to go to Australia at the end of 2015 to spend Christmas with my son. As with any trip I learned a bit about what I liked and what I would do differently next time I come down.

The first thing I would do is spend more time here. I really only had 4 days to spend on activities as you loose (literally) the first day traveling (getting from Phoenix to LA, a layover then a 15 hours flight to Australia) and loose a day (but gain a calendar day) going back.

The other thing I would do is get out of the city more. Although there is quite a bit to see in Sydney, I want to get into the country more next time and see what I envisioned Australia to be like. We did visit a few beaches (Bondi and Manley) and did the usual items like the Opera House, Darling Harbor, worlds largest IMAX, Paddy’s Market, Royal Botanic Gardens, Contemporary Art Museum and the water ferry system. We also walked about 10 miles a day and even got a good run in.

Of the two beaches we visited, I prefer Manly because it has more space and has more variety of places to get food and drink nearby. We did visit Bondi on Christmas day so it was packed and all the restaurants there had all in one pricing as they had a captive audience.

I was scheduled to leave Monday so we decided to do the Sydney Bridge Climb on Sunday late in the afternoon. Sunday turned out to be an overcast day which is OK as we overdid it and Bondi, and my Irish skin was cooked despite sunscreen on MOST areas.

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I highly suggest the climb, even if you are scared of heights. Matt is not a heights person, and I have been known to get the heebie jeebies as well, but after talking to a few locals on the ferry to Manly who are also scared of heights, they both agreed that as long a you don’t look straight down, it is one of the best experiences in the city. It is not cheap and as of this writing the cost is $293.00 per person Australian or $213 US per person after the conversion.

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We arrived about 15 minutes before our scheduled 3PM departure and ended up being two of the four Americans in the group along with a big family of 8 from Argentina. The other two Americans were high school aged girls from Santa Monica and Portland respectively visiting the California girls uncle who lives in Sydney.

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The thorough prep instructions and gear up session took almost 40 minutes from the time we walked in to the time we clipped on the guide cable for the start of our walk.

I wont give a step by step review, but let me just say, WOW, what an experience, and doubly so that I got to do it with my son. Unfortunately, my daughter and wife would never  have been able to complete it because of the height, so it was good that we were able to take advantage of opportunity.

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We had a fantastic guide named Phoebe (smelly cat), who was very bubbly and knowledgeable about the history of the bridge and city itself, and there was not a question she could not answer. She was sure to include everyone in the conversations and her jokes (both good and bad) throughout the 2 plus hour climb and decent. one of the highlights for me was seeing one of the P&O cruise ships leave port and go right under us as we were almost at the top of the bridge. It really showed how high we were and how big those ships are.

When we reached the top, the wind was whipping at about 35 kph which was a bit unnerving, but Phoebe said they still lead groups if the wind is 90 kph or less, so more than twice what we were feeling.

One the way down Phoebe talked about the accidents and deaths that had happened during the construction of the bridge (only 16 over the 8 year project) and that only 3 actually happened on the steel. She  purposefully waited till the down trip so as to not make anyone to nervous on the way up.

When we returned to the equipment room to take off our gear, there we square holes in the wall that measured about 16 inches by 16 inches. All participants were to put their gear in the correct hole, like straps in one, kerchiefs  in another and our pillow like fleece bundles on another. I decided to try a jump shot from about 8 feet away and the father of the Argentina group  saw me may the motion and he put up his had to stop me and said “10 dollars you don’t make it.” I said ‘You’re on’. I proceeded to sink the shot which got his whole family whooping and laughing. I turned to him and said  ‘that is 10 dollars US, not Australian’. He wanted to redeem himself so he suggested if he makes his we are even. I agreed, and he proceeded to brick it. USA, USA, USA. You cant beat a guy who grew up going to see Michael Jordan. I decided not to be ‘that guy’ (with some suggestion from Matt) and let him slide. After the climb, we walked back to Darling Harbor to meet two of Matts co workers for dinner by the water, some ice cream and one final walk back to the Westin before we turned in.

We took a taxi to the Airport on Monday  for our flight, breezed through security and gained access to the Quanta First lounge. This was my first ‘first’ lounge experience and I am now spoiled for all other travel. I have never had such a pleasant experience including full free breakfast, at any airport. Now I know is was not actually free, as getting to Executive Platinum had considerable cost to it, but just being handed a full breakfast menu with no prices on it was strange and a bit exciting.

I am writing the rest of this from the plane, flight 72 back to LA. I was able to use my system wide  upgrades  to get  business class pods  for both Matt and I, so I am looking forward to getting some sleep on the 14 hour flight back. I know there has been some controversy on the availability of system wides and when they clear, but these two cleared for me 3 days before. I did need to call the Executive Platinum desk to get a system wide added to Matts reservation, but the rep was able to clear both of us all the way through to Phoenix.

I would (will) go back at some point in the future and will use what I learned on this trip to make it an even better experience next time.

Merry Christmas From Sydney

Writing my first post in quite awhile, from a different continent. My son was chosen by Microsoft to go to Sydney Australia and help with the opening of the new Microsoft store down under. He was scheduled to be down there for almost six weeks, so it seemed  an opportune time for me to take a short trip over the Christmas holiday, spend time with him and get to see Sydney.

I will write a full trip report on my way back, but for now, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, from the future.

A Busy 2013

It has been quite a year since I last posted to the blog. My next post was going to be about the 2013 Disney Marathon but between then and now I have taken a new job, my father in law passed away and I sold my house, twice.

Businessman multitasking

I have been heads down with the new job traveling quite a bit so my postings have taken a back seat to day to day operations. I will expand on all the above events very soon, but for now, its good to be back.

A Very Expensive Upgrade

I have been traveling quite a bit with my new job which involves lots of planning. We don’t have a travel planner or anyone at our organization that handles that function so it is up to me to juggle schedules with all the clients. Now this is fine with me because there are no errors in scheduling because of lost emails or missed phone calls, and if a client has to reschedule I can pull up the calendar and immediately make the change to the next available opening.

So this week I was looking to reserve a car for my sons Sports Management Banquet in Slippery Rock, PA. Lately I have been renting with Enterprise because they consistently have the lowest price and are at just about every airport I fly into. This time however, Hertz had a better price for the same location and duration. I will usually reserve the subcompact if I am by myself then get an upgrade at the counter since I rent so much (dinner for one Mr.Durden?). So I went through the usual selection and saw the were a few incremental upgrades, like going from a subcompact to a compact for 95 cents more per day (take it). Compact to Standard for $3.00 more total (take it). Full Size for $7.00 more total (take it). But then the next jump was ridiculous and had to be a mistake. Upgrade to a premium for ‘less’ than $1322.00. That’s a very expensive upgrade.

Expennsive HErtz Upgrade

At that point I had to back out to see what the daily rate was for that car and it was over $900 per day. Must run on rainbows and single barrel bourbon! I am tempted to call Hertz just to see if anyone noticed that rate and why it could be so high, but I am sure someone keyed it in wrong.

I had a similar experience down in Orlando about 15 years ago on one of our trips to Disney World before they had the Magical Express. I was looking at prices for rental cars and usually use Hertz at MCO because they have the gold service where the car is waiting for you and jut just put your bags in it and go. During my research I found a minivan (which I swore never to buy) that was available for $22.00 per day. Now, $22.00 per day for any car during peak season is awesome, but for a minivan it is incredible. Minivans are usually close to $100.00 per day in some locations during low season.

When I returned the car after our week there, the attendant printed out my receipt and had to do a double take. She said, ‘wow this is really cheap for a minivan’. I just smiled and said yes it is.

Workout While on the Road

I was traveling again this week and had a chance to try out the Westin WorkoutWestin Bag while staying and the Westin Imagine in Orlando, right across the street from the convention center. Trying to workout while on the road can always be a challenge, but at process at least helps simplify the solution. During check-in, I mentioned that I would like to participate in the rental of the workout gear. The woman checking me in simply asked what size shoes, shit and shorts I needed (woman can get capri pants or a sports bra as well). We finished check-in, and she stepped away for maybe 3 minutes before returning with a mesh draw string bag that contained all the gear. She explained that I just needed to leave the gear in the bag in my room when I was leaving for checkout (I was staying for only one night) and that I would be charged a small fee of $5 for the rental. The rental also includes a pair of padded shortie New Balance socks that you get to keep, so the total cost is really just a few bucks.

Westin GearAll four items in the bag were clean and fresh smelling and the shoes and socks were brand new. The shoes were in the retail box with the normal crushed paper stuffed in each shoe and the socks still had the not for resale zip tag on them. Also included in the bag was a 10% off coupon for a next purchase on New Balance gear from the New Balance website, and a small postcard explaining the program and the philosophy of the program. You can also request maps of local running trails or paths when you request your gear. I did not this time as I knew my time for a run was short (explained below).

Each item fit very well and the shoes themselves were fresh, shiny New Balance model 759s. The shoes were very light and comfortable to wear. I laced them up and went downstairs for a quick workout. I unfortunately had recent back surgery (external) so I was only able to do a quick run so as to not aggravate the wound. Since I knew I would not get to do a full 1 hour test of the shoes, I had planned to go over to Downtown Disney and walk over to Saratoga Springs for dinner, wearing the shoes as a test.

Westin Shoes

I spent a good 3 hours in the shoes today and overall was impressed with their weight, comfort and size. They felt a bit less  supportive than my Brooks Adrenaline 11’s, but I think I need a 1/2 size smaller next time. I was not a picky during this process as I would normally be if I was buying so I just estimated on the size I normally wear.

Bottom line is this is a great program if you forget your workout gear or if you just want to try some new equipment. The possible downside is the property could be really busy with health conscious gests and could be sold out (rented out) of your size. Since this program is so new, that was not an issue for me. I will be adding this to my list of positives when I am deciding on which property to stay as during my business trips.

What do you do to stay on track for your workouts when you are on the road? Please leave a comment.

TSA Pre check Experience

I had my first pleasant and humorous TSA pre check experience today. It was pleasant because of the speed and humorous because of the agents and one guy in the premiere line.

I arrived at OHare my normal two hours before the flight and was greeted by a rather long line for 5 pm on a Wednesday . As I approached the security lines, I noticed the TSA pre check sign right next too the premiere access lines at the far south end of the United counters in terminal one. I stepped down the end of the line and the woman in front of me immediately turned around to ask what TSA pre check was.  I started to answer her question and was interrupted by the guy in front of her who she had NOT asked.  When he finished, I politely added that this line would get her to premiere access as well as TSA pre check.  The guy again butted in and added that this was for pre check only.  I politely corrected him and referred the young lady to the signs indicating both.

A few minutes later we were up to the scan station that determines if you continue to premiere or get in the pre check line.  Here’s where it gets funny…. for me at least. The interrupting guys hands over his boarding pass to the agent and says he is pre check.  The agency that scans it and…. Negative sir you are not. ‘ What do you mean I’m not?’ Tirade follows. ‘ I signed up x number of days ago… Blah blah blah.’   He proceeds to hold up the line.  Finally he moves and the lady in front of me just tells the agent she is not present check so he does not need to scan.  I step up and present mine.  I had applied about a month ago and was already Nexus approved so knew I would eventually get it.  Agent scans it.  Beep,  beep,  beep.  The three magic beeps which means I am in the system and approved.  I stepped in to the pre check line and just turned and smiled at the guy who threw a fit.

I got up the the next check point in less than 10 seconds ( there was absolutely no one ahead of me)  to the 3 waiting TSA agents.  One of them said ‘we have a winner’  and another one actually said ‘finally we have been waiting for someone to come through’.  I felt as if I should have been given a stuffed animal or something. 

I breezed through the check with my shoes and belt on,  my laptop in the bag and my liquids in the bag.  As a bonus the agent on the other side of the metal detector was a Purdue fan ( I had my Boiler golf shirt on). 

By far my best security experience post 9/11.