Disappointment ensues.....

Things could certainly be worse. I certainly know that. But there's something inherently depressing about not being able to complete a half marathon that you've been training for, over a period of several months.

Please note at the left the several different tools I used to TRY and run the half marathon. Included: vicodin, athletic tape, a shin splint brace, an ACE bandage, advil, immodium, running watch, baggies to hold my drugs, and a bagel. This was the final result.
Obviously, it's not exactly pretty. But it would have been functional, I think. The first two layers of tape were very good. The last one was somewhat sloppy. That's what makes it look so ugly.
Either way, I'm very happy that Michelle was able to run her race so well, and finish in 2 hours, which would have been less had that bathroom line not been so long. I also had a spectacular time with the Voss-squared. They killed a boot at the Essen Haus. Alex looked like he'd had a can of something, not 2/3 of a boot. Impressive.
Other thank yous:
Becky- for a fun lunch.
Tracy- for keeping me entertained on the drive home.
Glenn- for taking care of the cats.
The makers of immodium- for just being themselves.
Leigh- for making time in a busy schedule for a Saturday lunch.
Doc J- for the vicodin.

Other random notes for now:
I beat Guitar Hero 3 on Easy. That was pretty fun. It is hilarious now that whenever I hear one of the songs from the game, I start thinking about playing. I heard the Killers this morning....just wanted to turn it on.
My brother Steve and his high school team, Glenbard East, made it to the state volleyball championships. They play on Friday in the quarterfinals, which I think I'm going to get to be able to see, which is very cool. I hope he gets a little bit of playing time.
Alfonso Soriano.....I can no longer take your hot and cold streaks. Show a little consistency. TIA.
If anybody has any ideas of how to recover from a tibial stress fracture, that'd be awesome. Thanks.
I picked up Meditation for Dummies at the library. Those books are not for Dummies at all.
I have to come up with some projects to keep me occupied over the next few weeks while I'm not running. All I've come up with so far is cleaning the spare room. And my car. So if you have any ideas, I'm all ears.

Madison....

I didn't finish. I didn't start. Hurt too much.
More later, including photos.

Delicious Dinner

First, a shout out to the Cappas for a delicious dinner last night. Let's just say that the Angel Food Cake looked exactly like this, and the gluten free pasta was spectacular.

I always feel bad when people put forth such an incredible effort, and then they eat the gluten free food, and frown. Jill, you're an absolute doll for making that dinner, though. I actually liked the pasta, despite the excess of spice.

Got the PS2 from Alex last night, and yes, I played way too much Guitar Hero 3. I should just go up to Medium, since I've played before, but I think that I want to beat it on Easy first, just for the practice. I'm also going to try tonight to switch to a left handed guitar setup, to utilize the better dexterity that I have in my right hand.

NERD!

The right leg feels as good today as I think it can before a race. I was going to work out this afternoon, but I think I'll rest it instead. I have decided that for this race, I'm going to also need to bring a cell phone with me to contact someone to come pick me up when I die.

I signed back up for match.com last night. Why? I think because I was bored. We'll see how that goes. I have very low hopes.

Also got to watch the European League Finals yesterday, and sadly, see Man U win the freaking thing. That pissed me off.

I also ate too much German Potato Salad. Sorry Holly, no recipe for you. But it was a delicious batch, mostly because I let it cook for an extra 45 minutes.....while I played Guitar Hero. Oh man, it was the best batch I've made in a long time.

So....I've got 6 days until my half marathon in Madison. Today, as I type this, my leg feels better than it has in a week. But that could be the vicodin and advil talking.
(Don't worry mom, I'm not taking them together.....at different times during the day, though)
It's very disappointing to think that I wouldn't be able to finish this thing with all of the effort I've put in to it. Especially considering I was well on target to break my goal of 1:55. So, do I go for it? Do I push myself literally to the breaking point, and see what happens? Or do I just quit after a mile.
I don't have a good answer. I guess I'm going to have to see what happens.

But at this point, I'm seriously in need of some suggestions for running music for Sunday morning. Realize that I will be in serious pain, probably wanting to curse a lot, with a fast beat.
So far, I know I'm including some DMX, some Tribe, and Miley Cyrus, because that will make me furious. But any suggestions, holler.
And how should I take my meds that morning, too, while we're at it.

Uh oh.....

So, my friend Alex was a real dear, and offered last night, since he has a PS3 and a gigantic HD TV, to give me his PS2. I haven't had a video game system since I sold my own PS2 a year ago to my brothers. And by sell, I mean give, since they still haven't given me my $50.
Anyways.
I had to go to Best Buy today anyways, and sure enough, what was on sale?

That's right. Guitar Hero 3.
I don't even HAVE the stupid video game system, and I went out and willy nilly bought the stupid game.
At least it was on sale.
I figure that since I am not supposed to run for a good 3-4 weeks, my nights can be taken up by Guitar Hero. Right?
I just have to remember not to be as much of a douchebag as I was to Amber when I played her a couple of weeks ago. Lord.

Other than that, I had a really nice three day weekend, with a ton of sleep, and getting some new pictures hung up in the house. I have to get some ink for my photo printer so that I can print out some of the photos I have from the past couple of years. That's my next goal, I guess.
Other than that half marathon. And the drinking that will accompany that.

Tonight, Crackmonkey softball, against the Astronutz. Current team, against former team. Have to win.

This is a test post......

Alright, so we're trying to start a new blog. I feel a bit better posting things here than I do on the old Mix site, just because I don't want my opinions to be thought of as officially those of the station.

So....this is a test post, I want to put together a full new blog this weekend with lots of fun things.