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That’s me at Mile 19 finally seeing Rachel. Notice I’m not running, I’m clutching a stroller for stability and there is a fire truck behind me. I think this picture best summarizes the marathon. It was hot. 92 degrees at peak. My IT band started to scream at me around mile 15, and then pretty much gave out at mile 22. From that point on it was just a battle to keep moving forward. From what I’ve read, more than 95 people were taken to the hospital on Saturday during the race and one 25 year old died at the finish line from a heart attack. When the Chicago marathon of 2007 reached these temperatures they ran low on water and canceled the race altogether. The Nashville Marathon was very well organized and there was plenty of water throughout. After all the training, I’m glad they didn’t cancel the race, but it was pretty ugly out there. All that being said, it was still a great weekend. Better for the company & food than the marathon, but at least we all finished & even managed to celebrate over beer and an amazing dinner afterwards. I’ll write a separate post about great food and music of Nashville.
Thanks again to everyone that donated to my race and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In all, we raised over $1,650!
For a humorous video of my finish, click here, find the “Race Day Live Video Archive” button on right side of page. Click that, type in my name and you’ll see me hobble across the line at 4:28:10.
Turned 30 on Monday. I probably should have some profound thoughts on that milestone, but I didn’t have any revelations. Instead, I stuffed my face with an amazing homemade Chicken Parmesan from Cook’s Illustrated (thanks Rach), and topped that off with Bittersweet Ice Cream cake from Purity. I then dragged my 30 year old belly over to The State Theater for a concert. The show was Neko Case with an opening act of Eric Bachman / Crooked Fingers. Bachman looks like a gentle giant holding a little guitar up on stage and Neko Case could probably kick my ass if she wanted. They were both outstanding…and I can’t believe the quality of music that’s being brought to Ithaca. Many thanks to Dan Smalls of Dan Smalls Presents for that.
Tonight Rachel and I are off to Nasvhille for the Country Music Marathon. I’m still feeling the IT band, but I’ve been getting physical therapy and rubbing Tiger Balm every day. So we’ll see how it goes. If you want to track the race progress, they will have live results at the 5k, 10k, 10 mile and two other spots during the race on their website. The race has a staggered start at 7am. I’ll report back next week on the race outcome and Nashville life.
Thanks to everyone that donated to this race and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. If you still want to make a donation, they can be made here.
Winter Training in Ithaca.
King of the Hill Gang in their Fence Alley
Traveled to Dallas last weekend to pay a long-time friend a surprise birthday visit. We’ve known each other since elementary school and lived together in Brooklyn for 4 years before wives and moves came along. Two other friends from Ithaca joined the trip and the look on our buddy’s face when we saw him was worth the weekend alone. A few other highlights & thoughts from the visit:
1) The only other city in Texas I’ve been to is Austin. Dallas is very different from Austin. Austin felt like San Francisco or Burlington, VT transplanted into Texas. Dallas felt more like real Texas. Like big oil, red state, belt-buckle Texas.
2) Those fence alleys from King of the Hill that Boomhauer and the gang drink behind all day? They really exist.
3) George W. calls this place home. And by the looks of things he’s VERY comfortable here. No, that’s not Alfred E. Newman on Mad Magazine. That’s Dubya on the cover of Dallas Magazine.
3) Rodeos. Not sure what to make of these. We went to one….and it was pretty unique. Prayers at the beginning, a girl flung from her horse and carried out on a stretcher (she was okay), children riding sprinting sheep bareback until they fell off into the dirt, clowns. It was all a bit surreal. But it was also pretty empty. This was opening night of the Mesquite Rodeo and the stands were only 1/4 full. How’s that for an economic indicator?
4) A cowboy hat, handlebar mustache and checkered shirt can transform a wall street money manager into a true Texan overnight:
Before
After
5) Childhood friendships can withstand 2,000 miles of distance, years of separation and all the other stuff that comes up in life. Sure, we’re all working through our own lives, one of us has a baby now, two are married, one is engaged, but for one weekend it was like nothing had changed. We were just friends together again….deep in the heart of Texas.
The King of Suburbia (Far Left) with Friends & His Own Fence Alley
Ithaca Alderperson in the New Cinemapolis Theater
I’ve posted about this before, but downtown Ithaca has been going through significant development growth over the past few months, with several projects in planning and execution today. In the next few months, the city will be opening a new independent movie theater, several retail stores including Urban Outfitters and breaking ground on a $30 million hotel & $12 million luxury condominium. The city also selected Sasaki Associates a design firm that created the master plan for the Beijing Olympics to rebuild the downtown pedestrian mall (The Commons). Today’s local paper led with a story about the status of the projects and Ithaca’s resilience during this economic downturn. Read Here
This Glenn Beck character is pretty entertaining. I’m sure he has a few followers that actually enjoy listening to him, but I get the feeling his niche is in train wreck potential. Between his contrived tears over 9-11 and that crazy look in his eyes, there are enough ingredients for a complete meltdown on any given show. But this week’s entertainment came from his guest. Perhaps the nonsense spewed from Beck was just too much for his guest to handle. The awareness on this guy’s part is incredible. His last line before passing out…”Gone”.
Rachel and I couldn’t find him the other night, but then we heard tapping from the bathroom….
Another music venue in Ithaca is The Haunt , a small club off the Cayuga Lake inlet. I bought tickets a few weeks back for Gomez and Josh Ritter, suprised to see both bands playing together in Ithaca. While Gomez was the headliner, it was Ritter that really impressed. Ritter has a stage presence and a look that makes you feel like you’re watching a high school kid getting his first break playing a live show. And I mean that in the best way possible. He had a smile from ear to ear during the entire performance, danced around stage, continually professed his appreciation to the crowd, his band and Ithaca. And it all appeared truly genuine. Gomez, on the other hand, came across a bit disinterested. Perhaps they were responding to the crowd, which appeared to thin a bit after Ritter. Or perhaps it was the TV playing basketball in the back of the club, which the band complained about halfway through their set. Regardless, seeing these two bands on a Wednesday night in a small club in upstate NY was pretty cool.
When my Elementary school teacher asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, the answer was easy. ” A Zamboni driver.” From the first time I watched that awesome machine gliding across the ice between periods at Cornell hockey games, turning scarred ice into a perfect glass surface, I saw my calling. I wanted to drive around Lynah Rink at Cornell University, just like Dave Nulle, Cornell’s Famous Zamboni Driver. Well, life hasn’t gone according to my blueprint as a 9 year old, but for my upcoming 30th Birthday, Rachel arranged a meeting with Dave and a ride on the big red machine. (Okay, so he didn’t actually let me drive it…but it was still a childhood dream come true. And if I play my cards right, maybe there is still hope for a career change when I grow up.)
Pics from the day. Thanks Rach!
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- Dumping Snow
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- Close Up
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- Under the Hood
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- I’m a Nerd
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- Famous Dave
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- Fan Perspective
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- Dave On the Move
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- Zamboni Dave
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- Major Geek
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- “Driving” Olympia
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- Rach in the Penalty Box
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- Lynah Rink
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