I paid over $800 for my flight to and from Calgary and I can’t even get a full can of pop on the flight. ‘I’m sorry sir but we can’t do that’ was the reply I got. United you suck!
Mile Marker
| Mileage | 4.2 |
| Time | 6:30PM |
| Location | Indoors – Treadmill |
| Weather | Warm and Sunny |
I am in Canada teaching a technical class at the University of Lethbridge this week, so I have been hotel living for three days. The class has been going well and the hours have not been too long, so I was able to get a few miles in tonight.
All Dressed
Mile Marker
| Mileage | 2.2 |
| Time | 12:30PM |
| Location | Indoors – Treadmill |
| Weather | Hot and Sticky |
I am leaving to day for Canada for a few days so I only had time for a couple of quick miles. I felt really great during the run and was able to do some quick sub 9 minute miles. I know that is not too impressive, but I have been battling lack of sleep for a few weeks now and it makes it very difficult to number one get motivated, and number two, have the energy to complete the runs I try to get it. So even though it was only two miles, I will take it. Even junk miles can get you back on the path to success.
I am heading to Lethbridge on business and have heard a rumor from some of the guys up there that there might be a Kris Versteeg with Stanley Cup sighting this week, as Lethbridge is Kris’ home town. I have packed my Blackhawks jersey (sweater) just in case. I don’t know where the guys got their info, but I want to be prepared if I get lucky enough to see the cup again.
Update: The cup will be in Lethbridge on Saturday July 3rd and unfortunately I will not.
Leigh Harline
My godmother sent me a little piece of history last week in the mail. She knows what a big Disney fan I am and when she was going through her childhood items, she came across a piece of music that was signed by and sent to her by Leigh Hairline.
Leigh wrote the music for ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’ for Disney in 1940 and the piece of course made its mark on history when it appeared in Pinocchio in the same year.
Leigh lived in Owatonna, Minnesota for a while and became very good 
friends with my Grandmother on my moms side. He also got to know my mom and her siblings and was kind enough to give my godmother this signed piece of sheet music when she was taking piano lessons in the the old Victorian House they lived in.
Leigh had not yet become famous or worked for Disney when he gave this two her, so for her it was one of those ‘I know him when’ relationships.
ASICS Junior National Volleyball Championship 2010 Part 2
I washed away my disappointment form this mornings race and headed down to Navy Pier for the final day of the tournament. After yesterdays stellar performance, Jenna’s team ended up in the gold pool in the top 5 teams of her age group, so even if they loose the first match and must go home, the worst they can do is 5th for the tournament. Not too bad.
The first match was against Squadron a team from DeKalb, IL. Our girls played very well and took the first match in 3 games. The second match was against Ultimate a team from Frankfort, IL which we won in two straight games.
The final game of the night for the championship was against Rolling Thunder from Lake Zurich, IL. The girls hung in there but ended up losing the match in two close games. Overall they took 2nd in their age group and brought home some nice hardware for their efforts.
The team has two weeks of practice and no games to get ready for Volleyfest in Phoenix, which will be their last tournament of the season. Congratulations girls and good luck in Phoenix.
13.1 Chicago Half Marathon
Today I ran the 13.1 Chicago Half Marathon and had my first DNF. This will be a short post as I am embarrassed by my performance and the fact that my right knee gave out at mile 7 to cause my withdrawal. Up to that point I was running at a pretty good pace average of 9:10 per mile and felt very good after my usual two or three mile struggle to get comfortable. It usually takes me that long to get into a rhythm and forget about everything else, and just run.
I must comment on the race itself and say that it was very well organized and they made it very easy for participants when it came to packet pickup and transportation to/from the starting line. The only issue I had was parking to get my packet in Old Town, but that was my fault. I should not have waited until Saturday afternoon when the Old Town Art Festival, SOX/Cubs cross-town classic, Blues Fest and the ASICS Junior National Volleyball Championship were all going on at the same time. I had to drive around for almost 20 minutes right around the pick up location before I figured out I could park in the garage around the corner from Fleet Feet (they were hosting packet pickup) and get validated and not have to pay the $30 flat fee for the Art Festival parking. All I had to do was take my ticket into Fleet Feet with me and they scan it to turn it into a $2 ticket instead of a $30 ticket for the 15 minutes I was actually taking up a parking space.
I did not stick around for the post race pizza party sponsored by Kahru shoes, but instead headed home to shower away my disappointment and start planning my next race with more emphasis on listening to my quickly aging body. I have plenty of time to get to Navy Pier for the rest of the ASICS tournament and I am confident that the time there will help lift my spirits as I always enjoy watching my daughter play, whether her team wins or looses.
ASICS Junior National Volleyball Championship 2010
This weekend Navy Pier in Chicago is hosting the ASICS Junior National Volleyball Championship, June 11 – June 13. My daughter plays for Illinois Performance Volleyball and they are competing in the U17 (under 17 years old) division at the tournament. Unfortunately, my trip to Columbus this week will caused me to miss the first day of the contest where they won two of their three matches, a good start to the weekend.
Today, Saturday was even better with IPV taking all three matches for the day with an overall record of 6-2 for game play (they lost one game in two of the matches to force a game three, which they won both times). This was the first time I can remember that they won all three matches in a single day, so the girls are pumped up and we hope that enthusiasm will help them in their games tomorrow.
Sunday will be single elimination so if you lose you go home. They are scheduled to play at 2PM, but must ref first, so we need to be at the Pier my 12:30 for team instructions. I have my half marathon tomorrow, the 13.1 Chicago, so that should give me plenty of time to run, get home, get cleaned up and get down for the matches.
Time to get some sleep for the race tomorrow.
Trouble At The Airport
Its never a good sign when you see an EMT and three cops get on the plane you are about to board. They must have taken whoever it was off the side of the plane because all four ‘uniforms’ came off the plane alone. Looks like we will be about 15 minutes late taking off but I should still make puck drop at 7 pm. Go Hawks. Oh and I will be shaving off that playoff beard tonight.
Mile Marker
| Mileage | 3.0 |
| Time | 2:00 PM |
| Location | Outdoors |
| Weather | Rain |
I actually got a decent amount of sleep last night thanks to a few Nyquil gel caps. I have not been getting much sleep and it makes it very difficult to to get my runs in when I feel so sluggish.
So even though it was pouring rain, I wanted to take advantage of the energy and get at least a few miles in.
Today was pretty busy client day so I only had about 40 minutes to spare for the run and post shower before I had to get back to work. That was enough time for a run to the park, two laps around the park and the run back. My time was ok with an average of 8:41 per mile. Not the best but it was positive enough to fell that I am getting back on track.
I head to Columbus tomorrow and look forward to getting in a few runs with my cousin while I am there.
Mile Marker
| Mileage | 2.5 |
| Time | 3:00 PM |
| Location | Outdoors |
| Weather | Rain |
The weather was a bit challenging this weekend at the lake. It rained much of Saturday and most of Sunday limiting our selection of outdoor activities. On Sunday I slept in until almost 10 ( I guess I needed it) and was actually the last one up. The weather was still pretty bad 11am so I decided to get a few miles in before we tried to do any lake activities.
The rain was coming down pretty good during the whole run so I had to be careful on the hills to avoid slipping on the small rivers that were forming. The rain felt good and kept me very cool, but after a while my basketball shorts got so wet they were falling down. It was a bit distracting running with one hand holding up the shorts and the waterlogged shoes so I cut the run short after 2.5 miles instead of the usual 3.3 that the route takes me on.
Next weekend I will come more prepared with the correct shorts.