Rambling On

Christmas Round Up

Well here we are in that dead week in between Christmas and New Years. The no fly zone. Not a whole lot happens this week but it’s a nice transition period between all of the Christmas excitement and the energy that the breaking new year brings with it. I usually remain in the Holiday spirit until a few days into January and then I am ready to put everything away and fast forward the calendar to April.  All joking aside, Christmas was really nice. We got to share it with everyone on both sides of the family and it reminded me that I am surrounded by really great people… and I’m grateful for that.

I’m pretty low maintenance and don’t require very much to be able to declare it a great Christmas. I did get a couple of very meaningful gifts that I know were chosen for me and only me. My kids are dialed into what makes me tick and can hit that mark every time without fail. More importantly for me, I was able to share Christmas with those that matter the most. And I was able to see Brynn, listen to her laugh, and hold her until she fell asleep on me. I do get somewhat turned off by those people who become consumed by too much materiality… not only at Christmas, but year round. I overheard recent comments by someone who told of all of the wonderful electronic toys that they were able to purchase for their kids for Christmas – and then thanked God for all of it. No. Sorry. That is as far removed from the meaning of Christmas as one could possibly get. That’s not my God and not my Christmas. In reality, I suppose I am not as annoyed as I am saddened by that person’s values and opinion on what matters in life. But … not my issue so I’ll toss that one right out the window.

Total Recall

My wife and I did a 3 mile walk loop the other day. The driving rain had finally melted the two feet of snow and it felt like a spring day. Along the way, we stopped at the track of a local high school and I did a little track workout and some body weight strength training. While there, two college aged guys showed up with a handful of soccer balls and were just hacking around and shooting on goal. (This is also a very nice new artificial turf field). Many of you know that I spent many years in goal in my previous life and I was as passionate about that game and the art of goalkeeping as I am about multisport racing today. As I worked out, I kept checking them out and felt like I was being drawn into the net and toyed with the idea of jumping in and letting them rip a few on me. I caught up with my wife who had been circling the track and she motioned over towards the goal and said, “you should jump in there”. And that’s all it took….. I ran over and jumped in and told the dudes to be kind as it had been a while. I was good and loose from working out although I could have used a little more of a hand – eye coordination warm up. BUT I was amazed at how it all came back. They took it easy at first but after I hit the ground a couple of times and robbed them of some upper corners, they started cracking some rockets from a15-18 yards away. Yeah, I stared motionless and flatfooted at a few low balls as they flew into the corners but generally speaking, I did well and had a blast. It was a rush and so much fun. That feeling just never leaves you. I felt completely at home….after many years of being away. And it felt good to still be able to stone a couple of kids half my age.

2010 Campaign for Change

I am probably taking on a couple of lofty initiatives again in 2010. My race calendar is filling up but I also have a couple of significant charitable efforts lurking in the wings. I am already registered for the  Livestrong Challenge century ride in late August. I have never done a Livestrong event but obviously, the organization is important to me so I want to support it, and get in a good 100 training ride in the process.

I have been talking to Chris Carr, the founder of Wheels for Wells, and may participate in the last stage of their cross country tour which will take us from West Virginia to Ocean City New Jersey. It would be a week long vacation in early August to raise funds and awareness to aid the water crises in Africa. And I am once again going to race the NYC Marathon in November with my buddy Ethan Zohn and his charity Grassroot Soccer. The rest of the year will be filled with racing, training, coaching TEAM IN TRAINING, and enjoying family time at the shore. A more comprehensive schedule can be found here www.remissionman.com/schedule

I am also race directing the Brad Schoener Memorial 5k to be held in conjunction with an all day music marathon on June 12th. Many of you have read my posts on Brad and I encourage you to visit or revisit them as time permits. And come on out on June 12th. This is going to be one heck of a great day. Online registration will be available in a couple of weeks.

I guess that will about to it for today. Keep the positive vibes coming for Ethan who is undergoing a stem cell transplant in this next phase of lymphoma treatment. So far things are going well. Except for his message of “Merry Christmas HEAVE” that was sent on 12/24/09.

Happy New Year