A1A Half Marathon Wrap-up!

This was one of the best races and times we have had in a long time!

I will start with a trip down memory lane. But first……….

I decided to start Saturday morning with a soak in the hot tub!

The hot tub

 

Now, on to memory lane…..

This is the 11th Avenue Bridge. It is one of the few bridges here in South Florida, that turns instead of going up like a draw bridge. To the immediate left of this bridge, was a home owned by one of my fathers friends. He used to let me come over and crab off of his dock. Good times for sure!

The 11th Avenue bridge.

 

This is the Evergreen cemetery. It is the one of the oldest cemeteries in Broward County. Back when I was in high school, we used to jump the fence, which was lower than it is now, and have parties til all hours of the morning. The phrase was, we are having a party Saturday night…and everyone was dying to get in!

Evergreen Historic Cemetery

 

After driving around Broward County for a while, it was time to visit the Expo. As always, this Expo has just about everything you could want for running and fitness. We got our race packet, shirt, poster, sport beans, all in 40 minutes!

Expo

 

Expo

 

Expo

 

Lexus isle at the Expo.

 

Next, we took Marshall to his Aunt Rose Maries where he got to spend the weekend! After that, time to check into the hotel. When I went to get a hotel for this race, everything was booked, at least what was in our price range. So, we had to “settle” for the Ritz Carlton! The standard rate for this room was $599.00 per night……………unless……you have Marriott Rewards points! Since we use our Marriot credit card for everything, we have an abundance of points, so, 50,000 points deducted, and the room was free!! And what a room!

This has to be the best hotel room we have ever stayed at. Click on the link Ritz Carlton, just to look at the place. Below are a few pictures of our room and the view. As an aside, the service is unbelievable! Everything you want is a fingertip away!

The Bed

Bathroom vanity

The bathtub

The toilet room..with a phone………… and a TV in the bathroom!

The view from our balcony.

The view from the 7th floor pool deck.

After we settled in, we decided to have a few drinks on the patio overlooking the Intracoastal waterway. The Miami boat show was going on the same weekend, but we had our own private boat show!

Bridge opening…..

Sailboat.

A nice boat….

A real nice boat……

A really, really, really nice boat!!

After viewing our own private boat show, it was time for dinner. We decided to walk around to burn off a few drinks and ended up at the Quarterdeck Lounge. This is a place that as youngsters, we used to frequent. Maybe when you get older, you notice more, but this place was a dump. After waiting 20 minutes for service, and none ever came, and being subjected to a smoker who appeared to be in the final stages of some sort of death disease, we decided to eat elsewhere!

We walked around some more and ended up back at the hotel to see about getting dinner reservations. All booked up. We walked back down “the strip”, and ended up at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. Looking at the menu, there wasn’t much that appealed to me, so we moved on. Eventually, we arrived at the H20 Cafe.

The wife used her phone to look up the reviews and most were positive, so, we decided to eat here for our Valentines dinner.

We were seated immediately and our waiter asked for our drink order. My current training drink is Jose Cuervo tequila and diet Sierra Mist. It is a zero carbohydrate drink and not as fattening as my normal Tequila Sunrise. Since they had no Diet drinks of any kind, we had to improvise. Tequila, Seltzer water, lemon, lime, and Splenda!

With the drinks out of the way, time to order food.

First was the appetizer, Cozze Posilipo….which is “Mussels in a light tomato wine sauce with red onions and a touch of fresh tomato and basil.”

Cozze Posilipo
Mussels in a light tomato wine sauce with red onions and a touch of fresh tomato and basil.

This was absolutely fantastic! I was tempted to get another order, but seeing the portion size, figured the dinner would be plenty!

Speaking of which, I had the NY Strip Steak and the wife had the Risotto Champagne. Both were outstanding! I highly recommend this restaurant if you are ever in the area.

New York Strip Steak

Risotto Champagne
Risotto with baby shrimp and asparagus in a champagne cream sauce.

The view of Fort Lauderdale Beach from our dinner table!

Time to head back to the room to watch the sunset and go to bed around 8:30 pm.

Sunset…

Sunset….

Nite nite……..

What is that sound? Ah, the alarm…..it is 3:00 am!!!

Remember that hotel service I mentioned earlier?

Can you send us up a pot of hot coffee?

Although it was 20 dollars, it was worth it!!!!! And, it arrived 10 minutes after the call and was fresh and hot!!

Now it was time to bathe, get dressed, and do everything else that you have to do before you head out to a race. We made a phone call to the valet, yes, it is mandatory valet parking, and when we got downstairs, our car was waiting for us! We even picked up a girl runner who was waiting for a cab, and we offered her a ride to the race.

Five minutes later, with a little “creative” driving, all routes to and from the hotel were blocked off and I had to navigate several cones, we were at the VIP parking lot, which is at the finish line. So far, so good.

Next we got on the bus and headed to the starting line, which is normally a 15 minute ride. Unfortunately, due to construction, several of the “usual” roads were blocked off and our driver seemed to have a hard time understanding what some of us locals were trying to tell her! Eventually, we ended up near the starting line, the driver pulled off to the side of the road, and we all got off and made our way to the start.

The Starting Line!

We only had to wait 20 minutes until the Star Spangled Banner was played on a saxophone. Then the wheeled racers were off. At 6:00 am, the race started. This race, unlike the Disney races or any other race we have run, is a mass start race. Everyone gets into position by markers for their projected pace. The only issue with this is that some of the slower runners, jump to the front of the line, which, later in the race, causes some runners, to have to weave around these other runners after you catch up to them.

In any event, I preferred this start as I only had to wait 6 minutes to get to the Starting line as opposed to the half hour or more at Disney.

As I started to run, I realized that I felt really good. I had no pain and also, no tightening up of my calves. I was running effortlessly, but still trying to keep a 13:30 pace.  For the first nine miles, I never was slower than a 13:29 pace. The first 4 miles were run in an average pace of 12:55!

5K time:38:48, which is  a personal best! The view of the 5K marker, which is now a castle instead of the previous sailboat.

5K castle.

Running along, at miles four and five, the sunrise….

Sunrise…..

Now it was time to focus on running. I was running at a consistent pace, 13:04 or so for a majority of the race. At mile 10, I finally had to urinate as I had been holding it for six miles! Miles 10,11,and 12, were my slowest miles. I was fighting a toe cramp in my left foot, as well as pain in my left hip. Luckily, those pains went away and to my surprise, and I didn’t know this until I looked at the tracker later, my fastest mile was my last! Mile 13 was at a 12:51 pace!

Here are the official and unofficial results:

Endomondo:

Distance: 13.27 miles

Duration: 2:57:09

Average Pace: 13:20

 

Official time:

First Name	Last Name	Age	10k	Gun Time	Net-Time	Pace
Eric	Van De Ven	54	1:18:46	3:03:50	02:56:38	13:29

Not a personal best, but considering I was 15 pounds heavier than last year, I was only 2 minutes slower. And, no pain except for a little soreness.

Also, using the run/walk interval method and the low carbohydrate diet, I felt fresh after the race.

While waiting for the wife to finish, I took a few pictures of the beach and surrounding areas.

Fort Lauderdale beach!

More beach….

In the instruction manual of our new Canon camera, it says not to look at the lens if you are taking a picture of a bright object…like the sun!

The Bahia Mar hotel..

A cargo ship…that was probably at least a half a mile away. That zoom really does work!

Wishful thinking!

Almost there!

The finish line! I took this picture while running with the wife to the finish!

The best thing at the finish…ice cold low fat chocolate milk!!!!!!

Victory!!!

Now that the race was over, what to do? We got an extended checkout, so, went up to the room, rehydrated, and packed. We called the bellman and they took our luggage downstairs and held it for us. Meanwhile, we went to the pool patio deck and had lunch. But first, drinks!! Now that the race was over, carbohydrate fever! A Mojito for me and a Bahama Mamma for the wife!

Mojito and a Bahama Mamma!

A quick burger and Mahi Mahi sandwich..time to enjoy the view!

Bacon cheeseburger.

Mahi Mahi sandwich!

Bye bye Lauderdale…… 😦

This was a fantastic trip. No injuries and no drama..except for nearly missing the race! 😉

We are already planning for the race next year and it may be a 2-night stay this time!

Next race up….Disney Wine and Dine 2015!

 

 

 

Two weeks later……………………

This time two weeks ago, I was gearing up for what would be the worst race, performance wise, I have ever run. The good news is that I had low expectations entering the race to the extent that I didn’t know if I would finish. The fact that I finished is an accomplishment in itself!

The last two weeks I have been slowly adding distance to my training runs. I am, for all intents and purposes, starting over as far as training for the A1A Half Marathon in February goes.

The first run after the Wine and Dine was the following Sunday.

• DISTANCE:   1.46 mi
• DURATION: 18m:43s
• AVG. PACE: 12:49 min/mi

I have changed the run/walk settings on Run/Walk Interval to 45 seconds run/50 seconds walk. As I get faster, I will change the settings, but for now, I want to get to at least 10 miles with these settings and stay in the 12 minute mile pace range.

The next run was this Thursday.

• DISTANCE:   3.29 mi
• DURATION: 43m:15s
• AVG. PACE: 13:10 min/mi

This run was at a slower pace, but getting used to the new settings is always a bit of an issue.

Todays run, Saturday, was the best so far since completing the Wine and Dine race.

• DISTANCE:   4.25 mi
• DURATION: 52m:54s
• AVG. PACE: 12:27 min/mi

I could have gone to five miles, but I had to return to the home as the wife had to leave. The good news about this run, is that since I started taking Potassium, my cramping issues seem to have been resolved. Also, I am only running with four bottles of water/Gatorade. That removes a little weight as normally I run with 8 bottles. Speaking of weight, I ran the Wine and Dine race at a staggering 251 pounds! Since we have returned, my weight has gone down to 239 pounds as of today. I am going to continue to run, cross train, and stay on the Atkins diet. The goal is to lose another 39 pounds by February.

The biggest issue for me, is that when I can’t train, I resort to poor eating habits, which adds weight very quickly. Dealing with the pain of injuries also is an issue as alcohol seems to quell the pain the best! Unfortunately, it is also responsible for a lot of weight gain!

I plan on two runs next week as it is Thanksgiving, then back to two or three runs a week. Short runs during the week and a long run on Sunday mornings. This is in preparation for the A1A race which unlike the Disney races, is in the morning…Sunday, February 15, 2015 morning to be exact! 🙂

The next update should be in two weeks barring something spectacular!

Race week..Wine and Dine 2014 is here!

It seems only a few short weeks ago, we moved into this house and now suddenly, it is 10 months later!

Time to pack up the tribe and head north to Disney for our third Wine and Dine 1/2 marathon. All of the packing is done, well, most of it, and thanks to our Mousekeplanner, Jennifer Upton, our upgraded room should be ready when we arrive early Thursday morning.

On the training front, last Saturday night was supposed to be a simulation run for the race. The temperature dropped into the 40s and I was painfully reminded, that surgically repaired bones do not perform well in the cold! Back in 2010, I was wandering aimlessly around Disney in one of the coldest times of the year. The result of that trip was surgery number 5 on the left knee! It was the beginning of the “floating debris” that has been accumulating in my knee. The end result is that the back half of my knee locks up……which is detrimental to running!

Saturday night, the same thing happened. I was able to work it loose, and continue to run, but, I decided to cut the run short at 4 miles. There was swelling in the knee, which has since subsided. I guess the voodoo doll is back from vacation!!

Prior to the 2013 A1A half marathon, the temperature dropped into the 30s, which for us native Floridians, is close to arctic conditions! The workaround was to put the cold/hot gel packs in hot water then apply them to my knees. That worked and there were no problems with either knee. Hopefully, as the temperatures are supposed to be in the high 50s, I shouldn’t have to use the gel packs, but I am bringing them!

The weight loss is coming along, but I will still be running at the heaviest weight, probably 235 pounds on race day, that I have ever run at. I’ll just have to make the best of it. I am going to run a conservative race and shoot for a 14 minute/mile pace. Anything faster than that will be a bonus.

My playlist is done and I have three hours and seventeen minutes of music. Hopefully, I won’t need it all!

All that is left is to make the trip north.

Thursday will be Wine and Dine day as we eat and drink our way around Epcot.

Friday will be race packet pick up, Animal Kingdom, and possibly Magic Kingdom. Park orders are subject to change…and most likely will! 🙂

Saturday is race day and starts with Marshalls race in the morning followed by a day of relaxation and then race prep and the race for Teala and I.

Sunday will be a day where depending on how we feel, either a visit to a theme park or, an early return home…hopefully uninjured!!!

Wish the team luck!!!

 

A funny thing happened……

On the way to running retirement! Pain free runs!

Since the last post, I got the results of the latest MRI and it is more of the same, torn rotator cuff, partially torn biceps tendon, but no torn labrum. So, an injection or two, and the left shoulder is returning to service.

Meanwhile, I have been training for the Disney Wine and Dine 1/2 marathon. Since switching shoes to the Saucony Omni 13s, I have had no pain after any run. The mileage has been creeping up starting with one mile and getting to 7 miles last week. A brisk 3-mile run yesterday was also pain-free and the fastest run since I resumed training.

Saturday night is a scheduled 10-mile run to simulate race-day, then one more 3-mile run Tuesday, and that will be it for training.

The goal is a 13 minute/mile pace. The Wine and Dine has always been a problem race for me, between the crowds and cramping, I have never performed well there. I am hoping that will change this year. Moving to Palm City, it was apparent immediately, that somehow, there is more humidity here than back in Coconut Creek. This is evidenced every morning when everything outside looks like it just rained! The good news, is that I have as of yet, not experienced any cramps during any run. I am hoping that trend continues during the race, if so, I may kick things up during the last 5 miles of the race. I have also not experienced any pain, and by that, I many any pain, after any run. I suspect whoever was playing with the “Eric voodoo doll” has put it away for a while!

After this race, I will reevaluate everything, to determine if I will continue. Right now, it is a very good chance I will keep running. I am not sure about running the A1A race in February this year, as it is down in Broward, but who knows.

I will be posting the playlist next week and a final race-day post.

Stay tuned………………………………

 

 

The pain at wounded knee returns…………………………….

For those that follow this blog as well as my friends, you are all aware of my damaged left knee. For those that aren’t, the gory details can be found here: The Pain at Wounded Knee.

The long and short of it is, due to a botched surgery in 1998, I ended up tearing my ACL, MCL, PCL, meniscus and cartilage. In other words, just about as bad a knee injury that there is.

A timeline for surgery has been established at roughly every five years. The last surgery in 2010 was extensive and, there was a piece of something, lodged in the back of my knee. On occasion, this piece would wander around and every once in a while, lock up my knee. A little massage and the knee was back to normal. This never occurred when running so, I kept running. Unfortunately, other issues have shown up like the massive stress fractures in both legs, the broken bone spur in my left foot, and recently, the partial tear of my Achilles tendon in my right leg.

Monday night while sleeping if you can call it that, as there are a whole host if things that go “bump” in the night around here, starting with the blood curdling scream from our son at 2 am, followed by Samantha massaging my bladder and then ending with Sophia with her big head and loud purr in my face at 4 am, the wife was somewhat surprised to hear loud screaming coming from our bedroom, from me!!

Whatever the wandering piece of debris was, it has now broken free from its mooring and wandered its way into the middle of my knee. I couldn’t move my left leg below my knee in either direction. The pain was intense and for those that know me, that is a lot of pain! After 20 minutes of massage, I was able to move my knee a little bit. Yesterday, it was swollen and very stiff. Today, it locked up on me at the gym….which I would expect if I was working out legs, not chest and arms!

In two weeks, I am attending my annual golf tournament in Sebring, Fl. This will be the 20th year for this event. The question is, “How am I going to play 100 holes of golf…when I can barely walk”? I could pay Dr. Baylis a visit, but he will say two things. 1) You need another surgery to clean this knee out. 2) Stop running. I can deal with the first statement, but not the second. He may also say something else which I do not want to hear, and that is, that the time has come, to stop prolonging the inevitable.

When I first saw Dr. Baylis in 1998, he told me then that if we were extremely lucky, we would be able to prolong the eventual knee replacement for possibly 20 years. If my math is correct, we are at year 16. Can another surgery be done to get to 20 years? When will it have to be done? That is the big question!

If I get the surgery done after Spring Lake, the 3rd week in August, it will take approximately six weeks to recover, depending on how bad things are. That will put me into October which would allow me 5 weeks of training for the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon. Although I ran the A1A Half Marathon with virtually no training, at least the Wine and Dine was only two months prior to that race. It will be at minimum, 8 months since the last run if I start training in October. I could always defer the race until next year, but by then, who knows what will happen. I still have torn meniscus in my right knee to correct at some point in time. I could also just run with my wife at the Wine and Dine, and end the running career after that…………….

The next month will be very interesting so stay tuned!!

On to the next Race!

It is three days after the Wine and Dine 1/2 marathon. Looking back on this race, there is good and bad. I’ll start with the bad first.

Bad:

1. I didn’t get the finish time I was looking for.

Good:

1. I got to see my son run his first race!
2. My wife showed a lot of guts just to finish this race. I am very proud of her.
3. I managed to survive the race with no new injuries.
4. All of the modifications, except one worked to perfection.
5. Another medal!

The only issue during the race was dehydration. That was caused by more than likely, loss of salt. My black running shorts were almost white with salt stains after the race. During the coming weeks, I will change the diet a little bit to prevent this from happening.

My next scheduled event, there may be a 5K or two in between, is the A1A Marathon. You will notice, there was no “1/2” in front of that word!

The gang in Fort Lauderdale are feverishly working on this years medal. And what a medal it is!

I can’t wait to run this race!

Training will begin or should I say resume, after Thanksgiving. In the meantime, I may have to revert to my old high school football days and start “two-a-days”, aka, two trips to the gym for some extensive low impact cardio training to lose weight. I need to shed roughly 30 pounds by January and then settle into the last 10 pounds, the month leading up to the race. That will be roughly 40 pounds of weight loss.

The “diet” will be just a standard healthy diet of fruit, vegetables, meats, in moderation. The family will have to live with the effects of a lactose/fructose intolerant individual, but it will only be for four months! If I can take it, so can they! 🙂

I’ll start the food diary next week and post daily to chart my progress.

Stay tuned…this should be a hoot!

Race week simulation

This week is  race week simulation of the upcoming Wine and Dine race, three weeks from now.

But first, the weekend!

I got a call from my good friend Paul that he was making a trip to his Keys house and I was asked to go. A weekend of diving and fishing in the Keys…I just can’t pass up! So, seven of the “usual suspects” were rounded up. Some went by car, others, like myself, accompanied Paul down from Lighthouse Point to Islamirada by boat.

Here we are under power:

Time for a little fishing:

Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera when we took a little ride into the inlet to watch the sunset, but, here is Sunday mornings sunrise:

All in all a relaxing weekend. Thanks again Paul!

Of course, there always has to be at least one incident. While I was putting away my dive gear in the back of the boat, the large hatch fell and landed directly on the joint of my big toe. Here is the result of that:

I suspect right around mile 10 of the Wine and Dine race, my toenail will fall off!

Tomorrow will be a quick, hopefully, three-mile run and this Saturday, we have the Breast Cancer Awareness run/walk in the morning, then I will attempt to run 13.1 miles Saturday night.

If you wish to donate, please follow this link: Donations

I’ll post the results of that run Sunday, if all goes well.

It would also appear, that I probably shouldn’t have eaten the delicious fried grouper, redfish, and snapper Saturday night. I thought I got all the breading off, but alas, yesterday started the violence that is being “gluten-ized”. The bloat, weight gain, and bathroom issues are in full swing. Hopefully, by tomorrow, everything will have “cleared” my system. If not, the three-mile run will be very interesting!

The diet this week will be very low carbohydrates and a minor variation of the Atkins diet. This will help with losing the 8 pounds I gained in three days and also help get my system working so I will be burning fat  during the run Saturday night.

Until Sunday………..Run, run, run run run…..

Wine and Dine training has begun!!

At long last, it is time to start training for this race! But first….a run-down of the previous months activities.

August started off with some very good news. Our son, who has a cyst on his brain, got his annual MRI done. Last year, the result was that the cyst had shrunk, slightly. This years result was that the cyst has shrunk considerably and that we do not have to put our son through the MRI process for another three years!!!!

Moving on…..Spring Lake 2013.

Since 1992, when I received an invitation to Spring Lake Golf and Tennis through my business, I have gone every year to “get away from it all”.  Somewhere in the 90s, I decided to make it a tournament and invited a few friends. Now it has morphed into a 5-day event filled with drinking and golfing, complete with hats, trophies, and a good time for all.

And now, finally, actually time to start training!

The first thing was to go on the Atkins diet and eliminate a bunch of carbohydrates. Then it was time for a new set of shoes.

While we were up in Stuart, we decided to visit a running store Fleet Feet. This store, is where Jeff Galloway has appearances and also a running team.

I spoke with one of the individuals in the store, told him about my injuries, and more specifically the recent injuries to my tibia. He recommended that I switch to a stability shoe.

I tried on a bunch of shoes, and ended up with the Saucony Omni 12 in size 11 and a half. The shoes in the store were too narrow, however when I got home, I ordered the shoes from Zappos in size 11 and a half, 2E.

I first tried a quick half mile run around the block. There were was no pain in my shins or knees. I gradually worked up to a mile running in these shoes.

Last week was my first official training run which was 3 miles. The time was a lot slower than what I was running at but there was no pain.

• DISTANCE      3.33 mi
• DURATION    45m: 59s
• AVG. SPEED  13:49 min/mi
• MAX. SPEED  9:17 min/mi

The next run was 3.8 miles and again no pain.

• DISTANCE     3.80 mi
• DURATION   54m: 01s
• AVG. SPEED 14:12 min/mi
• MAX. SPEED 7:14 min/mi

Saturday night was my first long run which was almost 7 miles. The heat is still present as well as the humidity! The run was accomplished at a 14 minute mile pace which is about a minute and a half slower per mile, then what I was running before.

• DISTANCE      6.54 mi
• DURATION    1h: 36m: 51s
• AVG. SPEED   14:48 min/mi
• MAX. SPEED  9:57 min/mi

The good news, is that there is no pain in either leg! The run also was done, as have the other training runs, with no Advil or any pain killers of any type. Now it is time to work on the speed. This run was also done at night to simulate the Wine and Dine race conditions. If it is going to be 83 degrees and 250% humidity, I am ready for it!!!
I was going to trim the running down to two days a week, but, I have some ground to make up, so, Tuesday and Thursday, will be short run days. Saturday will alternate between long runs and speed runs, of 4 miles.

I am still working on the strength training, chest and arms, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, back and shoulders, Tuesday and Thursday. I appear to be fully recovered from the shoulder surgery. Every workout I am getting stronger and in a few weeks, I will just work on weight training using lighter weights.

The weight is at 230 pounds and I am hoping to lose 15 pounds prior to the race, in six weeks.

We also purchased new phones, the Galaxy S4. All of the running apps work flawlessly on this phone! This phone also does almost everything my computer can do! In fact,most of this post was done on the phone!!

I’ll try to give daily updates, but more than likely, it will be one post, Sunday.

Back in Black!

Since I wore my black Tower of Terror shirt to the gym, that is the title of the post today!

Speaking of the gym:

EXERCISES	Calories	Minutes	Sets	Reps	Weight
Strength Training
Seated Biceps Curl			3	15	70
Shoulder Press			3	10	90
Shoulder shrugs for traps			2	20	35
Standard Bench Press			3	12	155
The 21’s			3	7	15
Triceps Pull-down			3	12	95
TOTALS:	0	0	17	76	460

A very nice workout, with no pain. So far, I have managed to have a workout and a round of golf with no pain! I can’t wait to start running next month. Seeing the wife come back from her six-mile run yesterday really got me antsy!

In preparation for my return to running, I am on a full-blown Atkins induction diet for the next two weeks. After that, I will be in Sebring for almost a week for my annual golf tournament. I’ll try to stay on the diet………………………………….. 🙂

This is a big week for young Marshall as he has orientation Wednesday and his “entrance exam”, really, an entrance exam for kindergarten, Friday. All we had to do was show up! He is excited because we went to his new school, Renaissance at University, last week to drop of his medical clearance, and doesn’t want to go to his “crappy” old school anymore. Saturday we got uniforms for him..another $200.00! We have to get all of his school supplies this weekend.

Tomorrow would be a run day, but, as I am still under the doctor imposed ban from running, I’ll have to find something else to do. The last three months, and in particular, the last two weeks have really added a few unwanted pounds, which will be gone in a short week! I think a round of golf may be in the works as nine holes in a year really isn’t a good tune up for 100 holes of golf!

The food diary will be posted tomorrow along with whatever type of “cardio” workout I decide on.

Everyone have a great day!

 

The monthly update!

It is really hard to believe how fast the days go by! Almost a month since the last post!

To start with, I am adjusting to playing Mr. Mom. Things are not quite as hectic as I have figured out the key words to get young Marshall out of the house on time. The wife is beginning to get a little bored with the hour drive each way to work, but, she loves her new job.

Speaking of work, that four-letter word has been haunting me! I have already started to break into the Stuart/Palm City market and am averaging one inspection a week there. By the time we move, I should be doing three inspections a week and fishing two days a week!  Still on the house hunt and waiting for one of two options to open up. We are thinking of buying a home that is a little larger than this one, moving in, then selling this home and buying a rental property….or three! I figure with three rentals, that should pay the mortgage on whatever home we decide on and put a few bucks in the bank! The other option is to buy our “dream house” on the water..which we haven’t found yet!  Next year will be a big year!

Meanwhile, on the body front, I am finally pain-free, well as pain-free as a soon to be 53 year-old can be! I managed to play my first round of golf in almost a year, and aside from a twinge or two of pain in my right shoulder, everything feels pretty good. Only got in 9 holes, but, hey, you have to start somewhere! In three weeks I have four days of golf so we will see how much pain I am in then. 🙂

September brings the long-awaited return to running!!!! I am really excited as I have a bunch of new nutritional information as well as running information to test out. I am planning on a gluten-free, low-carbohydrate, no fructose/lactose diet as the wife has informed my the these items may be contributing to some other “issues” I seem to be having. Getting old sucks!!!

Until next month………………………………… 🙂