Spinx Runfest Half Marathon

Gerri and I completed the Spinx Runfest Marathon today. Unfortunately I'm too tired to blog about it now and too busy watching my Alabama Crimson Tide play on ESPN. Check back soon for my less than stellar race report.

A quick thanks to the volunteers, fans and runners for making the race. I met some great folks today including Larry, who has run 50 states not only once but twice. He was flying out of Greenville today to run a marathon in Cape Cod tomorrow. Larry, you are my hero.

A Bama weekend

After two very hectic, crazy, long and tiring weeks working at the new Krystal in Greenville, Gerri and I headed to Bama last night. We stopped at Carrabba's in Douglasville and arrived in Birmingham around 10:30 pm. We were both exhausted.

The alarm went off at 6:15 am and we got ready for an 8 mile run in Mountain Brook. I was a bit nervous, not having run in two weeks. The air was cool and crisp and the run turned out fantastic, other than a few stops for GI issues. My pace is slower than last year, but I'm really enjoying running with Gerri and seeing her getting faster and faster. Today was her fastest long run ever, which made it really fun for me.

After the run we drove by Samford University, to look at the Cumberland School of Law. This is one of her 6 choices. The campus is beautiful and we really like the area. I was surprised, but Cumberland probably moved up to my 2nd choice behind Alabama. We stopped at Panera Bread for breakfast, then quickly showered and changed at the hotel so that we could get down to Tuscaloosa.

We actually got a phone call from one of our tailgate friends, checking to see if we were okay. I guess arriving last after normally arriving first threw everyone off. We enjoyed seeing our friends and eating some good BBQ and goodies.

The Bama game was a nerve racking event. We trailed briefly for the 1st time this year, but then raced out to a 24-3 halftime lead. Bama played conservative and poor in the 2nd half and Ole Miss turned it up a notch and Bama hung on for a 24-20 victory. I hate the game was so close, but always happy for a victory and a 7-0 record. We won some close, ugly games during our last National Championship season, so a win is a win. Biggest impact may be our terrific nose tackle Terrence Cody, going out with what appears to be an MCL sprain/strain. At 365 pounds, that has to be a concern.

After the game we had a clear shot to Birmingham thanks to our great parking/tailgate spot and stopped at California Pizza Kitchen for dinner. We are now relaxing and watching the South Carolina vs. LSU game. Gerri has fallen asleep and I'm getting ready to shut down for the night too. We plan on sleeping in tomorrow morning, and then heading to NewSpring Church for the 4:15 or 6:00 pm service.

Spinx Runfest Half Marathon is now one week away. Kiawah will be here before I know it.

Works Getting In The Way

Just a quick post in case anyone is reading this blog. No I haven't stopped blogging, although it appears I have. Unfortunately I also have not run in about 10 days. Not exactly the ideal taper for my upcoming Half on Oct. 25th.

The company I work for, Krystal Company, just opened a new restaurant in Greenville, SC yesterday. They asked me to spend last week assisting them with training and getting the store ready. This week is continued training and assisting with the store ops. I've been working about 12-13 hours a day and have been exhausted. When I got home yesterday, my feet and hips hurt worse than after the VT marathon in May.

I need to get in a run Wed or Thu morning and then Gerri and I will run 8 in Alabama on Saturday morning before the game.

Thanks to everyone for your comments.

Where Am I? Who Am I?

And what day is it? I really need to take a few minutes to catch my breath because the last few weeks have been craziness. Football season tends to be that way, combining weekend travel on top of my weekly work travel. Combine the lack of sleep last week and I'm still reeling.

The good news is I'll be working out of Greenville for the next two weeks as we get ready to open our newest Krystal restaurant on Oct. 13th.

Between now and Monday, things will stay nuts! I'm sitting in a coffee shop in Anderson, SC now, killing time and waiting for the Financial Learning Experience tonight at NewSpring. I'm going to bet that Joe Sangl brings out the big wood tonight with over 500 registered. We have been working on our debt reduction and this should help us get our arms wrapped better around the budgeting process.

Tomorrow morning is a scheduled 12 mile run, although I say what the hell, lets just due 13.1 and run the Spinx Half Marathon route for the hell of it. Of course I haven't run since last Sunday when the 10 miler kicked my butt.

After the run I get my haircut, then Gerri and I head to Bama. We get to fight the Taladega traffic this week, so there will be lots of drafting on the highway. We'll be meeting some friends for dinner tomorrow night in Birmingham. Gerri is taking the LSAT on Saturday morning at the University of Alabama, while I'm meeting friends from Florida for breakfast at the Waysider.

Then it's time to tailgate and get ready for the Crimson Tide game against Kentucky at 2:30 Central. We'll spend the night in Birmingham, then drive home Sunday, in time to volunteer at NewSpring for the 4:15 service. Gerri is a Greeter and I get to show my expertise in parking cars.

We'll finally get to relax for a few hours Sunday night before all hell breaks loose again on Monday morning. Life is crazy and I would not change it for anything!

Fly Like An Eagle

I know, I haven't blogged in a week. Hell, I haven't seen a newspaper, watched tv and barely had time to sleep. Total sleep time this week not counting last night was less than 10 hours. 10 HOURS! Throw in poor eating and hydration and no exercise and my body and mind are completely beat up.

So what happened? I was invited to attend participate in The Krystal Eagle Course in Chattanooga. Since 1999, Krystal has invited selected individuals with advancement potential to participate in this small leadership training class. We started Monday morning and ended Friday afternoon. The Class day ran about 11 hours and then we had a homework which consisted of reading, writing and creating group and individual projects that had to be presented the next morning. Our homework only took about 8-9 hours per night!

I thought the Marines were the only ones to mentally break you down to make you stronger.

The class was well structured, topics were appropriate and insightful and the instructors exceptional. Part of our homework task each night was to complete a topic feedback form as well as a Leader Feedback form for our Team Leaders. The Team Leader and Groups switched up every day.

We finished yesterday. Our group presentation was well received and finished up at 50 minutes. Speaking in front of a group every day certainly made me a better public speaker. After all the groups were done, we had one more class, a self evaluation and then an individual evaluation of our weekly performance, done by the three instructors. I was pleased that my evaluation was very strong, and even better that I received it from my bosses boss.

We started to get things wrapped up around 1:30 with Graduation. We were called up individually, received a plaque, diploma, shirt and watch and then had our pictures taken with the instructors. After everyone received their diplomas, they announce the TOP EAGLE award winner. The class voted on who they thought performed the best, the TOP EAGLE award. The class vote, plus the instructor vote, plus the results from your leader feedback form were the deciding factors. I was very thrilled to have been selected. Being recognized by your peers after a long, hard week was a great way to cap things off.

It was a long, difficult week and one that I would happily do all over again. Just give me plenty of time to rest and recover!

10 Miler & A HUGE Bama Win

Gerri and I slept in a little this morning. It was a late night, and the temps were going to be low with cloud cover and a strong breeze/wind. No reason to wake up early and ruin a good snooze. We eventually got up, geared up and went out. This would be our longest run since the marathon. We planned on three loops, mostly staying between 10th Ave and 25th Ave in North Myrtle, and avoiding the main drag, Ocean. Three loops meant we wouldn't have to carry or stash supplies.

The 1st loop was about 3.25 miles and was covered around a 10:45 pace. A bit faster than we intended, so we promised to slow down some for the next two loops. After a brief water and bathroom break, we headed back out, in reverse. Instead of staying on the same route, I varied it each time. Pace was slowed to around 11:00 or just slightly above. We finished the second loop at about 6.9 miles. Water, Accel Gel and off we went. Maintained the same pace, and after an emergency pit stop for Gerri, we finished off a nice run with a total pace of 10:54 for the 10 miles. I kicked in the last few tenths feeling good.

After showering, we settled down to each some pancakes and watch Bama CRUSH Arkansas 49-14. A nice win for our 1st SEC and road game. Aches and pains, nothing major but my left Achilles is a bit tender, knees a little balky and my right butt cheek is really sore. I think I need to blame that one on riding the roller coaster at Hard Rock Park yesterday.

Pretty well hydrated, so I decided it was time to crack open a Bud Light Lime as I watch Florida manhandle the TN Vols. Now if LSU can beat auburn tonight, the trifecta will be complete.

4 Miles @ Folly Beach

Last night we drove down to Folly Beach, a small island community just below Charleston, SC. We stopped at Carrabba's in Columbia for dinner on the way. We're here because Gerri is speaking at the SC EMS Leadership Conference today. The conference comped her room, which make the decision pretty easy.

We stayed on the 6th floor, Oceanside, at the Holiday Inn. It was nice to sleep with the door opened and the sounds of the surf crashing against the beach. The cooler temps were also a nice change. I set my alarm for 7:15, but woke just prior to sunrise. I laid in bed listening to the surf as the sun brought everything to life. What a terrific way to start the day.

Gerri and I eventually got out of bed and headed out for a nice 4 miler. She must have been feeling pretty good because she set a steady 10 minute pace. After my poor 4 miler on Tuesday, the increased pace appeared to help me find my stride. I finished the last mile strong and was happy with a 9:53 average pace.

We grabbed some coffee and sat by the pool for a few minutes, then walked over to the Folly Beach Pier. Something about being at the beach just helps to ease the tension of everyday life. We got back to the room to shower and then got a phone call from my very upset daughter, Chelsea. She was calling from school (she's a senior at Boiling Springs) to let me know that her purse was stolen at the end of 1st block. Money, drivers licence, car keys, you name it. She was even more upset because she was supposed to be driving down to meet us in Myrtle Beach after school. Luckily I got a call an hour or so later saying that the purse had been recovered and nothing was missing. My heart that was aching for her, could get back to the relaxation phase.

We wandered up the street, found the Lost Dog Cafe and settled in for lunch. WOW! This small little local restaurant did not disappoint. I had a Black Bean Burger with Mango Chutney which was to die for. Gerri had a turkey wrap with pesto that was equally as good.

We wandered back to the hotel, and killed some time. Gerri is now doing her presentation and I'm waiting for her to get done. We'll be leaving here to drive to North Myrtle Beach for the next three days with family. Unfortunately, Heather will not be joining us because she found out yesterday that she has mono.

Heading to Hard Rock Park Friday and then a 10 mile run on Saturday morning followed by watching the Alabama vs. Arkansas game. Should be an interesting weekend.