As we returned to a warm sunny day here in Charlotte, we got to use a Sunday to unwind and get things back to somewhat normal. I cherish each memory of my Dad, and know that he is now wining and dining with Mom, Aunt Josie, Uncle Tony, Grandma, Uncle Smokey, Aunt Irene, man would I love to be able to serve that table!!! But just as my Mom’s spirit currently does, I know that now I got a double shot with my Pops now, to charge the engine and tackle each day. The focus is more dialed in. I though about taking some time off work to get a better grip on things I wanted to handle, things I have in plan, a strategy to implement which would take me to the closest of my “ideal situations.” The whole experience has let me see things that I am in control of to change. The timing is there. It’s generated a “buzz” that has Gina’s support (and the rock that she always is), and I will really consider in the coming months to make happen. Thanks Pops.

The past 2 weeks have been heavy. I mean I feel like I was all over the place and the warm weather certainly didn’t help in forcing a slow down. I am training well with my base build up, using my Polars in good rotation, my often pink colored sneakers pounding the pavement, and messing with different forms of the ancillary aspects that shape my day. It’s still sometimes tough to get out of bed before 6am, but Gina and I have started walking a few days each week, and nothing beats the serenity of a 5am workout. I entered a 50K with my boy Brad, who has been doing really well in getting himself in shape to attain yet another running goal. Thom over at EPEC joined forces with MetroFitness and was able to get my membership transferred without hasstle, which will enable me to use a top fitness facility and we’ve talked over a few runs together about training me a few days “old school” with my strength conditioning into the summer. Work brings long hours with it, and sure enough after 2 weeks of big time stressing the system on all fronts, it starts with a sneeze. Then a chill. Then a fuzzy head. And sure enough by Friday I was slammed. Yesterday brought with it a marathon day that capped it off:  a long 5am run to an event I was volunteering for, having fun with people at the race including everyone at the Charlotte Running Club who hosted the event, (running a few more miles with Brad), then heading back to work where it was a steady zoo, and finally off to a four hour award banquet we were invited to by one of Gina’s co-workers, whose daughter won an award as one of the top softball players in the Charlotte area. By the time we got home, it was close to 11. Done. I promised Gina a total day off. She made sure it was. I am implementing all the tools I use when I get a cold like this and the good thing is that its just a headcold. I slept in the Sock Monkey Pullup PJ’s to stay extra warm (don’t knock it till you wear it), and the Vicks, tea steams, and naps feel good. The occassional “hot toddy” too. We both needed a forced slowdown and rested up.

February brings with it the anticipation of spring, tax filing, and Lent! I am sure the usual Super Bowl festivities will take over this week, and though I only have the 50K scheduled for next week as a training race to run through (and sharpen the mental game), my race calendar has some races in it, but am awaiting word from Active regarding possible sponsorships which could influence which races I target. However, we agreed to keep things local here in Charlotte for now and into the late spring. As the card recently sent to us from Dawn perfectly sums up: KEEP CALM but CARRY ON.

That’s not to say that we didn’t enjoy the gifts we gave each other – heck I got a new “man chair” and big thanks to Coach over at Sealy for helping Santa deliver a new mattress for Gina – of which we now climb into bed each night – but for us personally, it’s the time to enjoy company, soak up the merriness, and usher in a new year, a new you.
I have enjoyed my “play” training, and now gear up for a new season. The darkness of morning and night bring the winter chill, but it has become comforting. I have some plans of which races I will do, but most will be local here in Charlotte until mid year. I have also been awarded Honorable Mention All American by the USAT for my race results in 2011, a nice surprise given I only did 3 events. I have applied for certain sponsorships but will maintain the ones I have with Polar, BioFreeze, Aquaphor, and Odwalla. I have had Molly at Almquist Massage do a eval assessment and WHOA! did she find some kinks. Always a plus to get checked out every few months and get homework from her for functional training. I also look forward with my continued testing of the C-Prime bracelet of which I was able to Macgyver my RoadID on to use everyday. But deep inside, I have additional motivation guiding me into the new year.
Back in October, my Dad was unexpectedly hospitalized and is very ill. Gina’s Mom has also been going through an illness, making this an emotionally exhausting time for us both to grasp. We have been able to return to NY for the Christmas weekend to visit each, and as we return on this flight home, know what lies ahead for each. We do what we can. We accept what is truth. We ask for the truth. We try to move on with that.
I have taken these four weeks to construct a video of what I feel to be a summary of TeamMC to this day. I thank Brad Mintz from my run group at CRC for helping me with this project, but felt I needed to release something (other than my book due soon) that will help me show everyone what we’re about. I have put up our Wall Monkey in the training room and will emphasize my daily pre-dawn wake-ups with every inspiring thing I can visually use the charge the senses. The ipod has new playlists and my man Trent from My Lost Remedy got a great new song in “Run”. Even this video unexpectedly has become an innervator. The link here will take you too it, please enjoy and Thank You!@ http://bit.ly/team-mc-slideshow
As cryptic as it may sound, I do not fear my own mortality. I fully accept it and realize through my faith it’s true power. This power of being able to see through that darkness is what drives me, it’s what helps me through each day in my prayers, actions, and attitude. That so called “light at the end of the tunnel” is where the true power lies to be harnessed. But by choice – we either fear it, or embrace it. We can’t take anything with us in the end, so those talks of making money, more money, cars, blah, blah, blah, basically sum up to jack squat to me. know anyone who was buried with their wallet?  What’s your internal value. Have you made your life worth-while? Will others be able to take stock and cash in from your influence when your gone? This to me is what Advent helps reinforce. It’s the reason to look forward to the Christmas season, what advances us with a new armor into the new year. My shield is ready. Bring it.

I had the opportunity to team up with John at Rita’s over in Matthews and become Ice Guy, their mascot, at a 5K called Fix4theday on Nov.19th. It was held in conjunction with the Let Me Run program for boys, a spin-off of the nationwide Girls On The Run program. CRC sponsored Eimear’s team over at AG Bell school, and since we were going out there to run with them, I had the idea of running as the mascot for Rita’s as well. Gina and I met John at Rita’s on a very very chilly morning – like 25 degrees. I had the parka on so I was toasty warm. Gina donned her hot furry coat too.  The run was on the cross county course at McAlpine Park with an open race at 8:30, then the fun run 5K with all the boys in the programat 9:30. They had a great turnout of several hundred people for this inaugural event.  As soon as I donned the mascot outfit, I was ready for some fun. I got on line and tried to hype up the crowd. I got the usual punches, taps, bumps that was expected being around kids, but it was all fun. Once we got started,  I settled into a smooth pace the first mile as I made adjustments to the costume. It was heavy and I was really warm, but my hands being free helped in staying balanced. I didn’t want to trip and fall on the downhill or trip on a rock. I could see out of one side, but the front on the outfit rubbed and chafed my nose while the top bounced up and down. I started to slurp up some runners and had an easy time navigating the hills and dirt of the course. Yum yum as I passed more folks –  and even caught up to Eimear in the last mile. I had no clue what pace I was doing so I just ran faster as I approached the finish while high-fiving folks and came through with plenty of clearence on video. I finished in 21:48! Check out the finish line video here: www.fix4theday.com

Now I was really sweating and I started cheering and making my way to the boys start again. I followed the same style I employed when I was the Karhu Bear in March – take pictures with kids, jump around, dance around, and help John with handing out free coupons, and try to stay loose. By this point I felt my nose was bleeding red due to the rubbing. I settled back into the crowd lining up with the boys and they were excited to be running against/with the Ice Guy. I was joined this time by Brad who ran a PR in the first race, coming off a PR in the ThunderRoad marathon a week ago! This 5K had at least 400 people in it and everyone was having fun, celebrating the boys achievement at not only being able to complete a 5K, but also the 6 week program of what they learned during their coaching sessions. Brad ran with me the whole time as we just jogged a good 10 minute pace, encouraging the boys as we made our way through the course. Once finished (over 30 minutes), it was more celebrating, pictures, and some NUUN! Man I was thirsty. It was a pleasure helping out John and a big THANK YOU! to him for the Rita’s ice the day after and stash of Pumpkin Pie cream ice!!! Photos of the event are in the album section!

From there, Gina dropped me off at work and it made for a long day. But it was fun and one of those days where by the time you get home you just collapse with a smile on your face, and a red, rashed shiny nose. It was rubbed raw and some Aquaphor helped over the next few days. All this was actually good practice for I was set to be yet another mascot a week later - the CRC Big Turkey.

Yes, this year for the store’s 23rd annual Turkey Trot 8K, there was a “Smoke the Turkey” competition. Thanks to sponsors Saucony and a few giveaways from our NUUN rep, Daniel, anyone who beat the Turkey would get a prize. I had a cool outfit from Party City and it was certainly the most runable mascot outfit I wore this year. With a record 8500 people registered for both the 8K and 5K, work was busy the entire week. I was pretty sure I would be able to get in the top 50 since there are some serious fast runners who come out to this event, and with the crowds, positioning would be key. Gina and I got there race morning to pick up my number and help fill water cups at the finish area. Dana worked the event as well and he helped make it a festive, celebratory morning for sure. I wished he got to run, but he preferred to be available to assist with the finsh line area. At 8:30, Gina and I got into Turkey Mode. We had tested the outfit a few times before, so some masking tape around the leggings and a pin around the head helped keep things secure – for now. We made our way to as close to the front as possible, while stopping to take a few photos with some other costumed runners including Superman, the Pilgrim, and the female runner who dressed up in a similar outfit, only with a cheesehead on top. Awesome fun. But now I had to get into somewhat of a serious mode as I did have a race to run – and plenty trying to race me. I took 3 deeps breaths, or gobbles, and off we went!!!!

Once I zigzagged through the first wave of folks, I got into a rhythm and space, while also heating up  quickly. By mile 1, I flew by in 5:50 and was like Whoa! I was encouraged by yells of “Go Turkey!!” from the crowds and ven a “Go Chicken!” I tossed my gloves. A few runners I passed asked me if I was the Turkey they had to beat. A quick “Hell, yeah!” and it became serious up front in a hurry. By mile 3, I was still at 5:50 pace. I stayed on pace and felt the left leg giving way, slowly falling off towards my foot. It made it cooler, but luckily we taped the ankles so I wouldn’t trip. Once I hit mile 4, there were 1-2 runners I had a shot to gobble up, and then my right legging started to give. I did pass one, and had room enough in the final uphill to wiggle my way across the finish in a time of 29:10!! 26th overall and 2nd in my age group!! CRC Big Turkey!!!  I was elated to have been able to do this and finish so well. I celebrated with a big kiss from Gina, drank some NUUN, and cheered the other runners in. Heather and Thom from EPEC, Melissa from IOS, and the Thursday Night crew all came out for a good fun run. The weather was warm, a slight breeze, and good enough to just make it a splendid day to give thanks.

We took plenty of pictures, I helped Scott hand out the age group awards, and then the garbage cleanup. Give Dana big props for he hung around until 2:30 helping out, while Gina gave the word at 11:30 for us to head out. I finally got out of the costume, assessed the burn on my left leg from the leggings, and we got to stretch, have breakfast, and relax a few hours before heading to Jeri and Suzi’s for dinner. It was soooo warm and comfortable. We got to their house and hung out on lawn chairs in the street while her neighbor schooled us in the art of frying a turkey. Sipping some sangria, we just enjoyed the recap of the race, relaxed, and had a great dinner. Thanks to their double chair, I almost got too comfortable and was ready to crash. We headed back home around 8 and the roads were quiet and empty. It was only 8:30 and it felt like 11. I was taking care of our neighbor’s dogs so after attending to them, we both settled in early as we had to work Friday. My foot was sore and so was my back but getting into bed made all of that go away – with some BioFreeze too.

Black Friday was as advertised. After a quick spin, I headed to the store, while Gina headed in as she had a half-day. Dana and I had no rest period as a healthy steady stream of customers rolled in throughout the day, and it wasn’t until 5:30 that we got to clean up and actually relax. So much for the holiday weekend, as I also worked on Saturday, but I started listening to Christmas music and after Mass on Saturday evening, Gina and I enjoyed the final leftovers we had over some sangria. My Pops gave me the collection of old home videos my sister Lisa converted to disc for him. Gina has never seen them, and they were a hallmark to my days as a kid that my Pops would show to friends and family on special occasions. Advent is here and the past couple of weeks were perfect for gearing up for this holiday season. It has been a great year indeed, and I use the next 4 weeks of Advent to shed layers within and prepare for addressing my weaknesses, seeing and rooting out that which needs changing, all with the goal of building up to welcome in Christmas, looking towards 2012. Gina and I have planned to go back to NY for the 24th-26th of December to see my Pops who is resting at home, and also get to see her folks. It will be an emotional trip for us both, and we hope to be able to spend a few moments away from it all.  Recharge.

For now, Gina and I (and Holmes who had his 5th birthday), wish all of TEAMMC a healthy and happy, blessed holiday season. A thank you to all sponsors this year – Odwalla, NUUN, Aquaphor, Polar, BioFreeze, amd locally with Rita’s, EPEC, Almquist Massage, and of course CRC. Continued thanks to all listed in the link section for their ongoing support to TEAMMC.

Know that it ain’t all about the gifts you buy or obtain, but what you can give of yourself in manners of service in the process. Look back and remember, but quickly, for you need to always move forward!

 RACE RESULTS 2011

CHARLESTON HALF MARATHON    JAN. 15     CHARLESTON, SC         10th OA  / 2nd AG         1:17

CAMUSETT 25k                  MARCH 6 NY 4TH OA / 1ST AG            1:32
KINGS PARK 15K                 MARCH 19 NY 6TH OA / 1ST AG            53:43

CHARLOTTE RACEFEST HALF MARATHON   APRIL 16          CHARLOTTE, NC   3RD OA    1:16

LONG ISLAND HALF MARATHON          MAY 1       NY     10TH OA / 3RD AG        1:14

MACARTHUR AIRPORT 5K                         JUNE 5       NY      5th OA / 1st AG     16:30
NYC CORPORATE CHALLENGE                JUNE 16       NY      44th OA            19:26
BUFFALO SPRINGS HALF IRONMAN     JUNE 26     LUBBOCK, TX      98th OA / 17th AG      4:58

NUTRITHON DUATHLON       AUG 20          KANNAPOLIS, NC    2ND OA / 1ST AG      1:14
HOOD TO COAST RELAY- BIG KAHUNAS       AUG 26            PORTLAND, OR     32nd OA / 3rd Division   21:07:00

TAKE FLIGHT SPRINT TRIATHLON   OCT 9  HUNTERSVILLE, NC      5th OA / 2nd AG       52:00

ITU WORLD LONG DISTANCE TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS        NOV 5  HENDERSON, NV      149TH OA / 32 AG    6:17

We awoke at 4am and with the past nights sleep, we were raring to go. The rain had stopped and it was 45 degrees out. No joke. Since the bike and gear bags were already required to be checked in yesterday, we knew that there was a possibility that my bike clothes to change into from the swim would be wet. I packed extra and we left the room wearing what would be like a ski trip. I had my cozy new TeamUSA parka with my Odwalla warm gear and G wore 3 layers herself. We walked the mile plus as we have been to transition and as we approached, overhead 2 Australians say the swim was cancelled. Sure enough the announcements were being made. Due to the water being in the low 60′s and the air in the low 40′s, to prevent hypothermia on the bike, ITU rules state the swim needs to be cancelled.
Holy crap! Not that I minded, and neither did G, but it created a frenzy of everyone making adjustments now, some even calling it a day since it wasn’t going to be an actual championship triathlon. The new format would have us leaving at 5 second intervals according to our numerical bib numbers starting at 7:45 with the pros. I grabbed my gear bag, of which contained now damp socks, gloves, etc from last nights rain, and with 2 hours now till start, G and I took the free hotel shuttle back to the room.
There we had a half hour to blow-dry my clothes, swap with another set and this time we took our Rav4 to the parking area next to transition. Unreal. But we adjusted and regrouped to get ready to race. Well, even with the sun now risen, it was windy and still below 50, in fact, it never got warmer than 55 the entire day. The goal was to stay warm on the bike by staying in a moderate heart zone, and enjoy the views, then strip everything down and run with emotion. G just wanted me to race well, and come back in one piece. At this point and in this cold, she knows I can have trouble staying warm and her knots were still there as she saw everyone lining up by their bikes shivering.
I donned compression socks, toe warmers in my shoes, my uniform, my Odwalla jacket, a wind breaker, gloves, hand warmers, thin mittens, and a skull cap. No joke. I wasn’t gonna get cold. Dude, I saw folks freezing waiting to start!! Listen to the Sherpa.
I was “relieved” with a quick Porto visit and lined up. I took 3 deep breaths, gave a kiss/wave to G, and listen as my countdown began. Do it for Pops if anything. 5-4-3-2-1.

As I rode, I got loose, tried to warm up, just be steady. The wind wiped in certain directions, but this course is unrelenting. A turn here, some wind to the back, but climb after subtle climb. Vast desert. Nothingness but the road. And the humming from the Black Widow. An actual comfort zone for me. I started to dwell and feed of all the emotions I brought to the table. The “what ifs, the why’s”, the deep, soul turning feelings that I try to gain wisdom from, try to extort the power from behind the answers. The scenery was awesome. By mile 20, I took the opportunity to stop at the aid station to strip a few layers and take a leak. I now only had the gloves and Odwalla jacket. Some volunteer made off with some nice swag for sure. But now I started to roll. Just focus each 10 mile point. I was flush. But with it still cold providing a chill, I find myself ” relieving” at every point. I consumed only 4 gels THE ENTIRE RACE!! I was releasing so much water, I adjusted, knew what zone I had to stay in to maintain warmth. I was fine, but the ride became just that – a bike ride.
The final 25 milers are killer hills. I’m into this 18% incline when a New Zealander yells in his accent “mothafucher” several times in a row as he joins me in the climb. In my native Brooklynese, I smile back and yell, “Whadda UP, son!!”

Great police and volunteer support as we roll into town and neighborhoods at some good speed towards the final miles. I am done. It is time to run. Shift focus. Off the bike I go in a pedestrian 4:13, but I am intact, if not mentally clicking. I take my time in transition as I have to take off everything. I am now only in my USA uniform and Polar visor. Off I go. I get to stop and give a kiss to G which drew a few Awwwww’s from the crowd. The run was a 4 loop course, half uphill, half downhill. I used the first lap to establish a good pace and feel the route out. Wind in the face one way. Tough climbs, even steeper downhill, pure quad ripping. Casualties- walkers- were evident already. I gave a point to G at each lap. I pushed the pace. I got additional cheer from Shaun McGrath, from NY on the sidelines, in town helping out. Chants of “Go USA! Go Carbone!” were inspiring. I knock off a few 6:00 miles, but by the third lap, knew my quads were slammin. I didn’t know it till later, but a blood blister formed on one of my toes- but didn’t break. I eased a bit, took sips of my gel flask, no water or Gatorade at all on the run. Flush. I was mentally running the last lap for all. All this year, for Pops, for G, the day’s suffering and year of racing coming to an end. I rock the last mile under 6:00, and cross the line fist pumping in a time of 6:17, with the run portion at 2:00 flat.

I find G and spend the next hour hugging and kissing her, walking around to regain equilibrium, and gather something to drink. I used two cans of ice cold diet cokes to secure in my tights and ice my legs. I tried to soak up the sun, but staying warm wasn’t in the cards. G watched me like a hawk and questioned me to make sure I was ok. Awesome. Done. But mentally fried like the burnt crusts on a cast iron pan. But smiling.
No one got a finishers medal. G mentioned the Verizon athlete tracking promo was failed. many athletes started their displeasure with ITU and the race in general shortly after. I didn’t care one bit. For me, I tackled the course and conditions as best I could, and I feel I accomplished everything. To me, the emotional struggle and shedding within was all I needed.

We were able to get my gear and change after recuperating somewhat, and since G parked at the Whole Foods as planned, I changed there and we devoured a pint of vanilla and espresso gelato!! Hey, it wasn’t Rita’s, but sure close enough and it went down sooooooo good. As if that wasn’t enough for our day, but more importantly, we then drove to Mass at St. Thomas Moore at 4:30. I’d be lying if we both barely made it, but we prayed thankfully for our day and outcome, and our trip in general. We went back to WF for dinner to take back and heck, with the stuff we ate, we came away with several dinners to recreate at home. Serious props to Whole Foods. Gina and I also picked up a whole wheat flour cake for 2!

Stretched, showered, get cleaned. BioFreeze, Aquaphor on the blister. My race number tattoos are still branded on me. Yo. Into our room issued luxury bathrobes we slipped into and dinner was finally eaten. Washed it down with a bottle of sangria, then cake. Priceless. I expended some 5000 calories at some 5 hours or race time spent in my heart rate zones 3-4-5 based on my CS600 (yes, I ran with it in my hand after the bike). By 10pm, it was lights out for us. And with an extra hour, we’ll take it and set no alarm. We fell asleep exhausted, but in each others arms, both intact and in one piece. Amen.

Thanks to a 2am Tylenol bubble gum chewable aspirin, I was up and feeling ok by 6am. Gina never really was able to get off eastern time, so she was up as well. But we both slept well again and by rotating beds, heck, that’s how we are able to roll. We packed up, had some breakfast and headed to the strip. It was raw cold out still, in the 40′s still and just was bearable for us to walk about an hour and a half checking the sights. It was amazing to see, but certainly not our style, given you can smell smoke in some of the hotels where the gaming was, it was dark, and pretty much the same in each hotel. We got some great pictures, but Gina was cold and disappointed as well, indicating it was a bit seedier than she remembered, but admittedly, also is so much in a small area, too much to cover. We relaxed, G took a nap, we did some free laundry, and will dine one more time in the hotel. We leave tomorrow morning and with the time zones, will be traveling all day. I will post a final journal come Advent with a year end summary of race results. It’s been a great race year again.

Thanks to Odwalla, BioFreeze, Aquaphor, and Polar for their continued support. Props to Charlotte Running Co, EPEC, InsideOut Sports, Rita’s Matthews, and Molly Almquist Massage for everything they do. Big shout out to Eimear and Dana for watching Holmes for us, and of course SERIOUS props to the IronSherpa, my wife, Gina, for all the roles she continues to take on with me. Cor muem dabo.

I placed 149th overall out of some 1000 of the World’s best.
I placed 32 out of 72 in my 35-39 age group.
I had the 7th fastest run split overall.
I had THE fastest run split in my age group.
I was the 58th? American out of the some 350+ on the team.

YO.

So we boarded our flight on Wednesday and were heading to the ITU World Long Distance Triathlon Championships. Big THANK YOU props to Melissa and Bob at IOS for shipping the Black Widow, along with Eimear and Dana for watching Holmes.
We had no issues getting here and the flight was smooth. I have become a fan of American Airlines this year for sure. We got our Rav4 from Hertz at a great deal thanks to being AARP members – no joke, we actually are!!!

With GPS and pre-planned directions we finally got to the hotel at 4:30. Gina had a hard time adjusting to the 3 hour time change and was exhausted. We unpacked, showered, marveled at our host hotel – Loews Lake Las Vegas. We dined at the restaurant early (and 2 berry martinis shared with G) then put the Black Widow together, jumped into our super luxury bathrobes (which I slept in), and easily passed out at 9pm to recharge for a full day Thursday. zzzzzzzzzzz

G was up by 5:30 even with the cozy pillows, dark room thanks to the drapes and 7am sunrise. I didn’t bother budging until and hour later. I went for a run and felt the crisp air. The temperatures hovered close to 50, and the race forecast was not promising – highs only near 60, with morning temps like now. This will call for some serious planning and race strategy changes. I had the bike checked by the USAT mechanic on site and took it for a quick gear check ride. Made some adjustments and got the feel. We still had to get the athlete check in stuff which was 20 minutes away where the finish area and transition 2 would be. I delayed our breakfast plans since there was a Whole Foods next to the finish. We shopped for our breakfast and remaining meals through Saturday, then enjoyed some java and eats right there!! It was cool. But I drive G nuts trying to actually decide and choose what to put in the basket- but yo, with so many good options for only 2 days, yo gotta take time. Ever have a vegan peanut butter cookie???

We got all our stuff, signed 3 waivers, got some more free serious swag, and walked around the outdoor expo. The race finishers long sleeved tech shirt says SURVIVOR on it, but that didn’t stop people from wearing it around anyway BEFORE racing!!! We got some gifts at the USAT gear tent and what did I come across but the USA Parka in XL for $60!!! Talk about something I could use all winter, but also pre race if it’s to be that cold in the morning!!!!! Thanks to the Ironsherpa, she got me it for an anniversary gift. We then headed back to the hotel to go for a nice afternoon walk, then I took the wetsuit and headed for a good 30 minutes of laps. I haven’t worn this thing since June in Lubbock, so it helped to loosen the fibers a bit. The pool was huge in length, a true 50 yards. Talked to a few old guys who have done ITU races like this before and they felt ITU has a bias towards their age group, though he continues to travel and race in them. I snagged a pool towel as customary (huge) and did some stretching and relaxing with G. Yes, I always come home with hotel memorabilia including toilet paper and any lather/body wash stuff. Yo, and maybe a pen.
We then attended the Team USA photo some 300 plus of us, which was fun, before the usual mandatory race meeting in the ballroom. Here we found out that the water temp is 64 degrees!! OMG. But we would be able to wear what we needed to come the bike ride. Over dinner in our room (G actually got some pulled BBQ at Whole Foods too which smelt awesome and yes I tried some), we planned out the gear and necessary race expectations. The goal to complete the 2.4 mile swim, 75 mile bike, and 18.6 mile run is 6:30.

G was out before 10pm again but I wasn’t far behind. Get another good night sleep. My mind was a scatterbrained during the day unexpectedly, but it is because I have all my emotions bottled up ready to be released come race day. Quiet the mind.

Gina’s been in Ironsherpa mode as we have finalized all our travel plans for the World Championships (and honeymoon). The file folder is set. Maps, race info, etc. are all coming into focus. She’s been able to get the hang of things at her new job and enjoys the environment she is most comfortable – and best – at doing. We are attending a company picnic next weekend so I’ll get to meet her crew. She’s also been making sure I am staying balanced as well. We get to walk a few days a week and we of course enjoy our weekend breakfasts and sangria nights. The only downside if anything is Holmes gets things rolling at 5am for his walks regardless and this can sometimes call for some short nights. It hasn’t gotten cold here yet so he’s still at it. The pool has been officially closed and I got to sneak in there to “ice” down my legs, but now the locks are on. The Team USA uniform is in (see photo gallery) and I got to test it out. Thanks to Tri-Zone for setting that up and the extra Team USA swag – hat, swim cap, and polo top.

A quick shout out to Steve Sheridan for the extra GU and Feetures socks that we get to hand out for our Thursday Night Run crew. They already appreciate the NUUN and the Odwalla bars and now with the occasional baked goods from Gina, heck, we can have a healthy runners snack bar out there every week. Also, be prepared for news on the upcoming Charlotte Running Turkey Trot www.charlotteturkeytrot.com . I have secured a mascot outfit to run in and race the crowd similar to what I did for Kahru in March racing as The Bear http://www.onlineprnews.com/news/119998-1301091242-runners-can-win-100k-or-beat-the-karhu-bear-at-131-marathon-new-york-on-april-2.html  . Gobble gobble!!!

This weekend was a good test of scheduling ability and probably a good way to see how we would react to the days leading up to the main event next month by getting little rest. Saturday called for me to pace Eimear Goggin, whom I have been coaching the better part of 3 years. At 53, she is a dominant force on the running circuit here in Charlotte. We have been able to get her a PR at 10K, notch many a masters’ victory at 5K’s, but her latest endeavor this year was to race in all – and win overall – the Run For Your Life Grand Prix series. It consists of 10 events and a point system that accumulates within age groups to award a winner at the end. Big time prizes to the winners in each division. So her goal was not only to race in all of them but also to win the Female Masters division. I worked with her to specialize securing her position the past few months, while pacing her in a few events to also help coach her racing strategy. The final event was the LungStrong 15K. She’s never raced this distance before and knowing Eimear, she can freak herself out. It’s hilarious and she’s a pleasure to coach since she disciplines herself and executes her racing nicely. She just needs continuous confidence building to make her believe – in simplest terms – that she’s the “real deal” (or in slang, the $hi^). She gets it eventually.

So this morning we were up at 5am to drive up to Cornelius for the race. We saw many familiar faces, including a few Big Kahunas – Curley, Tracker, and Colonel. We also saw a few CRClub runners and everyone seemed to be ready for a nice good “season ending” run for this series. The air was crisp – low 50′s. We met up with Eimear about 15 minutes before the start and talked tactics – and hyped her up as much as possible. Even Gina pulled her aside for a chat. Gina actually met a co-worker and walked a portion of the 5K course with her. And the course was indeed lovely. No traffic issues, closed access roads along the neighborhood of Jetton Park. Rolling course and it was challenging, but despite going out quicker than pace the first 3 miles, she held pace well enough to even cross the 10k mark in close to a PR (which she set 3 weeks ago). She battled nicely and came through the finish in 1:08, good enough to not only win the series, but her, win the Masters division! An awesome culmination to her season and well deserved! It was tough to get her to wear her medal the rest of the morning, but the smile on her face the rest of the day made it all worthwhile. Gina and I are both proud of her and who knows what goals she will decide to take up next year!

From there, Gina and Eimear dropped me off at work, then they headed out for an afternoon of hanging out in NODA. I finished up at 5pm, where Gina and I then went to church, then to Food Lion for shopping, and by the time we walked in the door it was 8pm. Dinner of glorious leftovers (we usually finish up from the week) and we were so tired we actually used the dishwasher – which we haven’t used since we cleaned our dishware when we moved back. We set up everything for the morning for another round as I was competing in the Take Flight Sprint triathlon Sunday. We did this event in 2009 when we met Scott Campbell, whose son died due to the NCL brain disease of which he set up a foundation – Garrett’s Wings (www.garrettswings.org). The triathlon was held to raise money for this cause and we enjoyed it so much, I felt compelled to show up and support the cause and race in it. It also gave me a chance to get a triathlon in and test the new uniform. It’s fast enough to give me a nice jolt to the system, especially after such a training block, while also giving me a feel for racing. It consists of a 400 meter pool swim, 10 mile bike, and a 3.1 mile run along the rolling hills of Hunterville area of Skybrook.

So we were up at 5am again and at least it was somewhat warmer – 55 and light winds. I layered in Aquaphor head to toe, wore 2 skinsuits – my old orca and the new Team USA one on top,  my Odwalla jacket, and the new CRC branded wooly hats. Super warm. We got there and loved the way the race now secured parking across the venue, the houses they were building back in 2009 are now completed, and the crowd of 300 was more than manageable by the staff. Plenty of volunteers who were awesome throughout, and the transition area offered plenty of room. Gina and I easily made our way through the usual – pick up packet, body marking, and set up my little transition area. I was going minimal today and old school – I intended to simply wear my skinsuits, no shades, and bike in my running shoes. If it was more than 10 miles, maybe I would have bought my bike cleats, but what the heck. I also didn’t set up with race wheels, no gear kit, and no water bottle. Just blast balls to the wall effort. I expected to be cold anyway so didn’t want to have to let go of the handlebars. I was seeded 9th and everyone went into the pool every 15 seconds. Prior to the start I did a sample run out of the pool area into the cold air just get an idea of the temperature change. OOOoooooooo. But doable. Not mind boggling. Yo. So a few kisses from G and I set up in line for the start. I got to shake hands with Scott and he was happy we showed. The pleasure is ours. Everyone was eager to roll.

I got into the water about 45 seconds before the start. Oooooo this was cool too. No time to think. I took 3 deeps breaths, looked forward and heard, 3..2…1… go! I didn’t churn super hard, just steady and quick. I felt fine, comfortable. I actually got caught by 2 other swimmers with one lap to go. No biggie, I got outside and headed for the black widow. I passed both of them on my way to the bike. Boom, boom, boom. Out I go and now I start the churn. Funny thing – so as I was setting up my bike in transition before the start my RS800 wrist strap broke. I didn’t bring my CS600 which was on the bike cause I had the 800. What to do? Solution. I had the half of the watch in my sneaker, so I shoved it in my skinsuit once I got on the bike. I didn’t see it, but I had interval timers set at 10 minutes so I heard it. Now I’m cranking and keeping rhythm. No worries on cars, easy to navigate thanks to the layout and volunteers, and I caught a few folks. By mile 5 I was starting to get chilly though. I balanced my sneakers on the pedals nicely and only managed to slip off once. I just focused on my breathing and pushed as much as I could. Soon enough it was over, rolled into T2 and hopped off, racked, grabbed my visor and headed out in 45 seconds. I pulled out my rs800 so I could split the runs and see my rate now.  I saw Gina on the way out, gave her a high five, and now I REALLY cranked. Bust it. No joke. Mile 1 in 5:17. This course was hilly too, but sort of out and back. I saw I was in 4th position. I felt good, steady. Hrate in the 160′s. Mile 2 in 5:35. Ok, so I figure I got the guy in 4th in sight, namely since I see by his race number he started some 45 seconds ahead of me. Just as I get to mile 3 I catch him but he decides to finally sprint. Oh well, he got me. But I still got him based on start time – haahahahaha. Whoa!!! Final time 52 minutes! My run time was 16:51. Awesome test, all good. I kissed and hugged G despite a runny nose (love the Ironsherpa) and quickly went into a jog for 10 minutes to stay warm and loose. Very happy and pleased. It was only 8:30am.

Scott had a fine race himself – which is also why I have a great deal of respect for him – he races frequently and does well in his division too – and even though I bumped the guy in front of me to get into 4th, I got bumped actually by someone who started later on – and met after I was done. They had sign ups on race morning so he was seeded at the end. Oh well, I finish 5th overall and 2nd in my age group. Yo! Gina and I walked around a bit, cheered, and stayed warm before jetting out of there by 10:30. We got home to enjoy a power pancake breakfast at home with java, Biofreeze the legs, and just tried to finish in house chores in the hopes of taking a nap around 4pm. As I write this, she is baking dozens of cookies and I’m still wired. The dark mornings and early evenings haven’t tapped the SAD symptoms yet, but with the excitement here, I don’t expect it to kick in at all.

So now it’s 3 weeks before we depart for Henderson, NV. I will shift focus now on good interval work and slowly cut the volume. The store will be a bit busy and it will tie in nicely to allow me to avoid thinking about the event. We’re gonna enjoy this one and represent well. This was a great weekend overall and thanks to Melissa and Bob over at Inside Out Sports for planning on taking the Black Widow in for an overhaul and front “facial” change (new setup). They also are going to be able to transport the bike to the race event. Big time shout out to them. Time to fall forward!!!

I would certainly be missing Gina and Holmes, but knew they would be just fine. On the home front, Holmes is back to normal getting us up at 5am and looking to go for a walk on his leash. We are all setup and the place looks great. Gina even started crocheting! Good news about her mom, from what we hear from updates, has been cleared to return home finally. The hurricane was a threat here, but not much, and the weather out west was superb: 60-85, no rain forcasted. Before I knew, Thursday morning came around. We left for the airport at 4:15am, after I got in a nice jog to awaken and loosen up. She dropped me off and a kiss/hug farewell would have to secure me for the next 4 days. I was checked in and ready to fly by 6am. I have flown American this year and have to admit – not bad at all. My flight to Dallas was half-full and quite roomy. Made for a comfortable beginning. I was going to gain time, so I was prepared to be up all day. Actually, I figure I only got about 15 hours sleep over the 4-5 days total. I love the Dallas airport as I had time to switch planes, walk around a bit, and make some calls. Just perfect for getting the mind ready – for the race AND the draining 3 hr flight into Portland. It was full but thanks to some good reading, was able to pass the time and catch a few quick 15 minute naps. The plane was full of HTC runners, so I talked to the guy next to me from Virginia who was doing it for the first time, sponsored by his corporation. Now that was sweet – employees representing the company.  Once I landed, it was “only” 11:30am and heck I was on my second java. I met up with Maverick at Dallas and he was on the same flight, but had a seat in front of the plane. Yes, I refer to people on the team by their nicknames, so I was to be referred to as Hammer from here on. I throw down the hammer when I race, but also because my initials are MC. Coach assigns them, and they stick. Most of us actually only know each other by our nicknames, not our real names – true.

We stayed at the Reunion House this year, which was plenty closer to the beach action and finish activities. Plenty of room and we all grabbed our assigned areas – some bedrooms, some futons (myself), and others wherever the carpet was warmest for their sleeping bags. So after a long flight, then another 2 hr car ride to Seaside – which was great since I met Gasman and Big-D- I got out, said hello to who was already there, and went for a quick jog. The air felt good, wind lovely, and the legs a bit heavy but overall, I’m good. After a half-hour I was loose and ready for a shower. By now, everyone had arrived and we all helped out to prepare a typical runners pre-race meal. Since our start time this year was 10am, and we had the long drive to Mt. Hood, that meant trying to get to bed before 10pm since Coach called for a 3:30am wake up for the BK1 team. BK2 didn’t start until 4pm so they were able to sleep in. Time to get down to business. Settle in and focus.

Everyone was out the door by 4:15am and the drive went smooth. We stopped for some java as we got there much earlier than expected and had plenty of time to get the ice, snacks, and drinks for the race. It had rained briefly but dried off quickly – and that was the last of the rain we would see all weekend. As we drove up to Mt Hood starting line, I expected it to be much colder based on my experience last year, but it was actually warm – very warm! The place was buzzing as teams go off starting at 4am! We all geared up and made last minute plans. Check, double check. Since we were in Van 2, our rotation would be starting in the afternoon, but as Sandman toed the line, we all gave a great Big Kahuna send off along with the 11 other teams in our wave. Now it was action! Into the van – Ice, Coach, myself, Tracker, G-Dog, and Howatzer, off to the next handoff. We had time to see the second relay but then had to go to our 6-7 leg checkpoint and wait. Cellphone service is hit or miss, but we managed to get updates and estimated times of arrival. By the time we started our rotation, it was 1pm and close to 90 degrees.

I was Leg 9, 21, and 33 – totaling 20 miles and was ready to hammer. I tried to loosen up and was locked in mind. I got the relay from Coach and took off. It was 2:30pm. I just motored. The heat didn’t bother me as much as the terrain. It went from asphault to gravel/dirt, to trail, the back to asphault. I battled with one guy as I totaled close to 60 kills and really gave this guy a battle -which I won in the closing minutes of the relay. Less than 40 minutes after 7 miles+ and I was done for round 1. Now it was cool down for 5 minutes, jump in the van, and try to recover as we headed to the next exchange. You sweat like crazy, towel off, BioFreeze, hydrate, suck a gel. That’s a relay – and with 1200 other teams, log jams happen and timing is critical in addition to teamwork. Everyone has to pitch in – that’s Hood to Coast. You try to stay loose anytime you stop and wait at a checkpoint. Plain and simple – but difficult to be disciplined about. By the time my next rotation came along, I was in blinky lights and running sub 6 downhill on a dirt road for 5 miles – at 10:30pm. Pitch black. You run fast but easily can splatter if you don’t see that hole, rock, whatever. I did get to see a wonderful star lit sky for a few seconds to lose focus intentionally. That was a 28 minute blast and by the time your final rotation comes, you are sore, semi-delerious due to lack of sleep, but jacked too since you don’t want to miss action . I had my Nuun, gels, Odwalla smoothies, and Biofreeze to keep me hydrated, awake, and injury free. I was starting to get sore since it cooled nicely to 55-60 degrees and started to cramp a little bit. Round and round we go, and by 5:30am, I got my final relay and motored as well as I could for the 7.8 miles. The sun came up and that was lovely but at this point, its stay ahead of everyone, “kill” anyone you see on the road (70) and get to the end. I handed off some 46 minutes later and shouted at Tracker to run like hell. A team was gaining on us and we knew overall, everyone’s times were slower due to the heat the day before, but we didn’t know how much. Actually the heat called for numerous ambulence calls over the course. Most for dehydration. Coach was awesome to be with in the van and our crew did a great job making sure there were few mishaps and nothing to cost the team time.

Now we were heading to the finish. Our final man Howatzer was rollin and we met up with Van 1 at the finish. Now you are stoked cause everyone else is and the sun is up and the party is already started at the beach. In comes Howatzer at 8:30am, for us, some 22 hours and 7 minutes later, the Big Kahunas finished!!! It was awesome! A total win in all aspects of the sport and teamwork. An actualization moment (my running book is finished and can’t wait to publish!!) for sure. I spent the rest of the day walking to the house, eating finally (nothing but pb/banana sandwiches too this week), then back to the beach for a massage/checkup/ assisted stretching, again then to the house for a shower, some pancakes, then TV, and finally sitting out front with several other Kahunas watching people walk by along the promenade. It was sooo warm and comfortable, how could one sleep? Drink a Monster yo – they got this new recovery Tea flavor that kicks.  I was rollin on 44 hours by the time I crashed that night around 9:30pm. Mission accomplished. Turns out we came in 3rd in our division and 32nd overall out of the 1200 teams. I think Coach was pleased with another automatic bid. I was able to break all Kahuna records once again for Leg 9 (all under 6 minute pace), so along with Leg 5, not bad for 2 years on the team. I was happy, but really feeling it from my effort and the duathlon last week.

The next morning, I jogged a bit to feel the damage, went to church at Our Lady of Victory, and then the traditional group run with Coach and other Kahunas. Breakfast, hang, clean up the vans, and soon Money took us to a local beach areas where we walked along the Pacific. I soaked my feet for all of 5 minutes before I froze. Surfers had wetsuits, booties, headcaps, AND gloves. Must have been like 50 degrees that water. We had another celebratory dinner at the house and the stories continued. Can’t describe it enough in a journal – seriously. Our team photos are up on the www.hoodtocoast.com website. Our bib number is 254. Check it out.

I got to sleep late, but another early wake up as a bunch of us were leaving for the airport at 7:30am. I was going to be in a plane all day so got a 30 minute jog in before leaving. I missed Gina and wanted to get home. It was a smooth return and welcomed by the fact that my flight from Dallas to Charlotte once again was only half full! I had my own row and once I finished my usual USA Today (the best paper to read on long flights), I caught a few cat naps as I was able to lay out and relax. Once back on the ground, I hugged and kissed Gina and we were in the door at close to midnight. Man I was rattled. But heck, when I opened the fridge and saw a Cannoli/Almond layer cake HOMEMADE staring at me, AND watermelon ice, hell I had another hour in me!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YO!!!! G rocks. No seriously, G rocks.

I unpacked and we both “slept in” since I didn’t have to work until Wednesday. I used the day to regroup and get a ride/swim in. I was getting sniffles by the end of the week as I attacked work again and needed to back off a bit. I was scheduled to do a lot this holiday weekend at work, so I am using the next week to get into the routine again, but focusing on the ITU WORLD LONG DISTANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS in Nevada on Nov 5th.  I got the link to order my TEAMUSA uniform and I will show you pictures when it is delivered. The next 60 days are all about this race as it is my season ender. I plan to start my run group at CRC this month and also work on additonal projects while doing some coaching on the side. Gina begins her work at OrthCarolina and we should have an idea on our schedules meshing by the end of the month. Stay tuned as I occassionally Twitter (@teammc1)!! Big thanks as usual to my solid round table: Odwalla, Nuun, BioFreeze, Aquaphor, and Polar. Hammer down.

So I figured a good tune up race would be the Nutrithon Duathlon (www.nutrithon.com) to simulate a good hard effort and carry over before the Hood to Coast relay.  Coach has The Kahunas in shape and I needed a race to get an idea of how I am feeling and get the mind set for what would be a serious race trip.
It is sponsored by the NC Nurtition Research Center about 30 miles north of us. It is a small, family friendly race, in its second year, and they do indeed cater to not only the athletes but the spectators.

Up early on a Saturday morning before 6am, headed out to Kannapolis and got there in about 40 minutes. The race format would be – 5K run, 25K Bike, then another 3K run. It was easy to find, easy to park, and such very well organized. Ironsherpa loves that, and it made for a smooth, uneventful morning. The town was still asleep and only us crazy athletes and volunteers on the roads. The sherrif county cops had some cool robocop type uniforms on too.
A hilly tough course, especially for beginners. We had some light rain around 8am, but it was warm and humid – in the 70′s. There was a separate 5K and 8K run held before the duathlon, so we got to see that, but I think they had the better weather. By the time the race started at 9am, it was blazin hot out with the sun and the overcast skies were no more. I got the suntan to prove it.
I got bodymarked (which is still on me) and being a duathlon in this weather, I just racked my bike and put my cleats near it. That’s it. A simple transition for sure. We soon all lined up and I got right to the front. A brief kiss to G and 3 deep breathes. I activated the RS800 and focused on the plan ahead. Let’s Hammer.

I immediately got behind 2 guys – one youngin, and another with a World Championship TEAMUSA outfit named THOMPSON (these are the ones I would be getting!!) I knew he was the real deal, so I stuck with him as the young kid got about 20 yards ahead. I soon passed Thompson and made my way picking at the kid. It got really hilly towards the back half and he died. I caught, then passed him and followed the guy pacing on the bike ahead.
I made my way in and crossed the line in first place for the first run portion, coming in at 18:08, jumped on the bike and loved being in the lead with a police motorcycle guiding me. That last all of 5 minutes as a guy named Thompson (local world class duathlete) blast by and takes the lead. No more escort. Then some other guy blew by me but that turned out to be the volunteer guy on the run course. I didn’t know it, but I thought I was now in 3rd place.
But I still hammered away and even though I anticipated being passed, I kept it strong and NEVER got passed!!! I just rode real hard for my effort, probably harder than I wanted to (heartrate avg 155), but it was just too good of a position to be in. I took several sips of my Nuun and that was all I needed, but you can feel the heat. The course was just as hilly. I was locked in though and dialed in to keeping my position. I didn’t outfit the Black Widow with her race wheel, sticking to my training ones, but it worked. She rode smooth. As soon as I finished the 16 mile ride (46 minutes), I hopped off and headed out for the second run portion. A guy actually was right behind me on the bike and was in front of me at the start of the run, but that lasted all of 5 seconds.
I just booked it. I was within sight of the leader. It was then I realized I was in 2nd place and just held my pace bustin my heartrate to 175 towards the last hilly section into the finish. I actually had the fastest second run portion as well (9:54) but was about 90 seconds short. I finished in 2nd overall!!! Thompson won and I got to talk with him afterwards. Nice guy and turns out all he does is duathlons. He’s heading to World’s in Spain.
I felt great, but now you felt the heat as the sweat was just dripping, but a small jog after was enough to recover followed with hugs/kisses with Gina. No matter how sweaty, its all good. A welcome back to NC!!

Total Stats:

5K Run – 18:08     (1st rank)

25K Bike – 46:05   (6th rank)

3K Run – 9:54      (1st rank)

Total: 1:14:38 -  2nd Overall out of 90

A nice small town, we walked around a bit and they had plenty of healthy snacks for all – bananas, pineapple juice (Dole was a major sponsor), iced water, and even boxed lunches of which we took home 3 of them since we weren’t hungry (a good Odwalla bar to snack on followed by some java and pb sandwiches at home). Very well organized race across the board. For the second year, not shabby at all, but they could have started it earlier. We didn’t get out of there till almost noon!
Came home and had to jump in the pool for a relaxing swim since it was 90 degrees out. Gina had made a squash casserole which is the bomb and can’t wait for the sangria to celebrate!!! YO!!! We just “recovered” the rest of the afternoon.
Check out the photos in the Photo Section, some good ones.

I depart on Thursday for the Hood to Coast relay (www.hoodtocoast.com)  where I will be part of the Big Kahunas 1 team once again. It was a great test today and feel “settled” in to Charlotte.

August 1 – 5am: I awake to go for a run with Eimear. Gina up and tries to get Holmes to walk. Eimear and I go for a good hour, around the UNCC campus, feels good. Humid, but nice to rock the legs. We have a brief breakfast and Eimear’s famous jacked up pressed down java. Ready for a big day.
8am – we leave Eimear’s and onward into town to pick up the keys. Kelli at Marsh Properties hands me keys and I put down rent check. We have already filled out the forms. She welcomes us and has been a big help for us. Ten minutes later, we open the door to our new home.
9:30am – amazing. We both hug and kiss as we marvel at how much space we now have. We plan the layout, decide what bedroom to use, which one gets to be the guest/gym room. Gina does a walk through. I can’t wait to jump in the pool. She loves it and is happy with what she sees. Holmes gets out of cage and starts sniffing his new digs. We both lay on carpet and let Holmes knock heads with us. We did it.
11am – we try to head out to go to Lowes since we have gift cards. We pull out of driveway and see Johari and the big 18 wheeler at the bottom (its a slight 200 yard hill out from the apartment complex). Great guy and very, very well mannered. He tells us he is the only one as his assistant got ill and called out. We had paid for a shuttle truck, so he lays out his plan – he has to go to a UHaul, load the shuttle, then come back. Gina and I drive him to the office and she goes to talk to Kelli.
11:30am – you know where this is heading no? I talk with Johari as Gina is in office. Really experienced and we exchange our stories. Guy loves his job, is related to Richard Blue, our main man at Kaster. Go figure!! Gina says Kelli gives the ok if he wants to attempt the big truck. We all look at each other. I coach out “Let’s do this!”
11:45am – believe it but our parking lot was empty. With some planning, Johari got the big wheeler trucck up and across our lot. Perfect. Our stuff was in the back. We didn’t block anyone. But we knew we wanted to unload it quickly to avoid hassle.
12:45pm – no joke, we had all the boxes and equipment, furniture the whole damn thing in. Johari impressed so much he wanted to pays us AND hire us. Couldn’t believe it and thanked us for helping him. I told him why don’t we just knock off the charge for the shuttle? I call Jamie, she agrees, credits us $300 for it. All good. I fill out paperwork for Johari, give him a bunch of Odwalla bars and some Monster drink. He still can’t believe it. He is now off to Atlanta.
A big thank you to Kaster. It was pleasure dealing with everyone. Even though we were now exhausted from lifting again, we got our stuff in. Only a busted bookshelf and we were able to salvage the computer desk. That’s it. By now it was blazing hot, we were hungry and had a load of stuff to now UNPACK.
1:30pm – we hang at Owens Bagel’s for some lunch and free wi-fi. We check emails. Then its off to Lowes to finally get that done. We plan out attack on the boxes.
4pm – dude, we went ballistic on the boxes. Holmes found a hiding spot in my closet underneath my bags. We just started moving things and first we had to setup the bed. Done. Then the couch. Done. Bathrooms, check. We each took a room and I set the boxes and equipment in the guest/gym room, Gina handled the kitchen and dining room. We were knocking down boxes left and right.
5pm – STOP!!!! We take a mandated dip in the pool. Awesome. Bath water warm. Just waddle for a half hour. Then its off to market for a healthy take-out dinner and blueberry wine.
7:30pm – we relax and enjoy our first dinner at home. Holmes snoops around some more. He loves it already he was on the bed before us. Central AC sure helps. We can’t believe what we just accomplished in 48 hours. Unreal. We toast our work.
9pm – icing my legs out on patio. Meet our neighbor Gail. Get scoop on neighbors, etc. Really welcoming and sounds like we got some decent responsible neighbors. Awesome.
10pm – lights out.

August 2 – 6:30am: up and out for a good hour long run. Tour the hood again. Nice loop. Find out it takes less than 10 minutes to run to the CRC. UBE drills and stretch. Lower back a bit ache but all ok. Gina handled more of the kitchen and then we both sat down to a small java (keurig style) and breakfast. Plan Round 2.
12pm – we’re in Target and decide to get food shopping done too. Spent an hour in there. Got home, unloaded everything, more unnd test packing. Bedroom and bathrooms all complete. Gym room all complete. Holmes getting more comfortable. Everything looking really, really good. We stop in CRC and check emails, shoot breeze with Dana and Zach. Pick up the Black Widow. Call TWC and make appointments for internet/cable setup.
5pm – back at home. Gina puts together lamps for the dining room, I opt for 30 minutes in the pool. Feels good. Meet another neighbor Carter. Back in room, I start putting together bikes and feel confident all systems go there. Nothing looks damaged. Try not to mess the carpets. After a few Odwalla bars during the day, I am now running on fumes. Gina too as she whips up our first home cooked dinner.
8pm – cherishing dinner, finishing the wine. Holmes comes around and now acts totally normal. Everything feels sooo roomy now with our place. We love it. We are exhausted again and after some ice cream and reading on the couch we both slowly conk out.
10:30pm – done.

August 3 – 7am: can’t believe it but we slept till 6:30am and are getting use to the later sunrise. We don’t mind. I ride and test Black Widow on computrainer. Make adjustments. All seem good. UBE a bit and plan what needs to be done around room. Feel good. Brief java with Gina – who got Holmes to walk outside finally but at 4am. She did some yoga too.
10am – I made appointments with Molly at Yoga Oasis which is down the road. She welcomed us back. Sweet setup for her. As I write this I am chillin listening to relaxation tunes. Gina getting full body work done. Then I’ll get an assessment which she is great at. I am happy she made time for us. I am happy to have Gina get a full relaxation massage finally – one she definitely needed after the past few days. Heck, the past month – word is her Mom is getting much better and finally doing her PT/OT rehab.
1pm – in Bruggers checking emails with iced java and pbutter bagels. Yum. Now it is off to home for final box unpacking, picking clothes off floor and another nice hot leisure swim. We finally will have internet installed and we purchased a new TV for cable hookup. We’ve been using Gina’s 13-inch TV for 10 years! We didn’t bring it with us, so we got a new one. We set up the living room and everything there is all set. As usual, we had a good dinner and were ready for bed by 10pm. Holmes may have a slight cold since he’s not use to the central AC.

August 4 – hosted the Thursday night run group and had plenty of NUUN and Odwalla on hand for the gang. Got to see Scott briefly as Dana and I set everything up as usual and Gina had the 2 jugs from our wedding that we would now use for this purpose. We had the bullhorn and the next door neighbor’s kid is all grown up so he was outside welcoming us back. It was a fun evening.

August 5 – I worked the south store with Donny and it was busy but a perfect breakin in time to get adjusted and see his setup there. Real fun to work with him and we actually had a few minutes once it slowed down to talk and speak about some details, plans, and goals. It was really nasty rain all day and caused flooding in various areas of Charlotte. Gina spent time in the area so all was good and as we left at 5pm, it finally stopped and cleared up. We headed back up to Eimear who was having a party as her summer program ended and was toasting all here summer hard work. That was fun, good crowd, food, and entertaining. We got home late and exhausted again.

And that has been our week so far.  I work every day Sunday through Wednesday of next week. Looking forward to it. Training has progressed nicely and though I still need to gain some LBS, all systems are a go for the Hood to Coast relay at the end of August. The Kahunas are ready. I will begin incorporating EPEC Fitness facility again and of course, the usual fix every now and then at Rita’s Galleria! I plan to do a duathlon on August 20th as a prep race before then. Gina has started her swimming lessons and is going to take classes at Yoga Oasis.
Then I will be full-time at CRC and we don’t plan to take a break from that until our honeymoon/race for TEAMUSA at ITU Worlds come November, but may race some local events to help promote the store in Sept/October. I have also finished my third revision on the book, so now its just a matter of getting Gina’s opinion, then working on publishing it. I am happy that project is almost complete as well.
That’s the scoop of where things are situated now. It was a very hectic few days, but we got it done. It’s been tough and rough, but together we got it done. That’s how we roll. Now we make it happen.

I was preparing to go on FPC’s bike trip to Cleveland this weekend but back on the July 4th weekend, Gina’s mom had been in the hospital to have surgery to remove sections of colon cancer. Granted she’s 80 yrs old and one tough corker, but the doctors insited she would fare well with the surgery. Unfortunately, she had complications that accumulated over the next 2 weeks and she just recently underwent a second surgery to correct those issues.

Now she is in the ICU recovering as of this writing, and it was obvious that this called for me to cancel any traveling to this point. Based on the title of this journal, we had been also planning another trip – a bit more permanent too. But the past 2 weeks have been tough on Gina and her family as each day they rotate visiting her and also plan to see how best to handle the issues that come with her condition. In addition to making sure her Dad – who is 90 – is also well cared for.

Yes, we have decided to move back to Charlotte effective August 1st. This has been a discussion of ours back in March, when both of us discussed our current work situations and ability to maximize our living standards. We love where we live based on location, but given Gina’s long commute, our combined salaries, being able to stabilize costs and desire to save, plus not being able to find a bigger apartment to make things a bit more comfortable, all have contributed to us considering moving back.

I spoke to Scott and expressed my desire to resume my role as manager at Charlotte Running Co., the job I fully enjoyed and missed for a number of reasons: the variablity in my duties, being able to construct my schedule, wearing what I wanted, enjoying the ups/downs of the day with my bro Dana, coaching and training the Thursday night crew, my run group, and just the way we lived down there, it just started to become more of a desire for me to return to. I couldn’t take the static structure where I was and felt I learned all I was going to without any change in position.

Now being a married couple, I felt it would also be better for Gina, since she was more active down south, had more energy by walking a lot, had an easier commute, and we could find more out of our time together than we were currently utilizing. In sum, we love our location, but were falling out of love with just what we could capitalize on and what we felt was to happen with our job development. We made the decision for both of us. We wanted better quality.

Scott was great in welcoming me back and made a great offer, with Donny now in control of the Promenade store, and Scott’s interest in a thrid store up north in NC, it was a great situation. Whatever transition I chose, it would be seemless, since I had always been in touch with my networks in Charlotte when we had left. I presented the option to Gina, and we looked into it with two scouting trips. Our friends were eager and supporting for us to return. In June, we were able to finalize our plans and signed a lease on a new, bigger apartment (with a pool), in a nicer location only one mile from the store, and closer access to transportation and area shops/restaurants/church.

We had to jump on the opportunity and signed the lease on the reverse date as our engagement – 6-11-11. With a move-in date set for August 1st, Scott is allowing me to ease into things part-time come August and fulltime on September 1. It will allow us to settle in nicely too (maybe do a few events!).Gina has started networking for positions here, and wanted to wait until we actually followed through on everything. Upon returning to NY and preparing for both the Texas race and FPC’s trip, I submitted my resignation to Polar. I needed the time off to do the bike trip and races, and now time to pack things up.

With Gina’s mom in the hospital all of July so far, it allowed me to pack up things ahead of time and try and help keep Gina focused on caring for her mom and discussing things with her family. I have visited her twice, but am not in a position to actually do anything other than continue praying and encouraging her to get well. I feel she needs to focus on getting better and has a great hospital staff at Lenox Hill working on her, but I am channeling most of my support to Gina and making sure she’s well rested and ready to go each day.

We have the same moving company we used when we moved TO Charlotte – Kaster Moving Co./Atlas Van Lines. We have tossed stuff, downsized even more, and really are taking simply what we need. We dislike the whole moving process, but it also helps shedding things and should make our new place seem even larger. We depart, with Holmes again in tow, on July 31st. I will update the new address below. We plan to spend next week finalizing our packing and maybe get to a Met game, but also we need to keep tabs on her mom’s condition daily.

Training wise I now focus on the Hood to Coast relay for the Big Kahunas and Coach Spano has this year’s team stacked and ready to best our time last year. He has me on Leg 9 and I am analyzing the course profiles for the 3 runs and will start adjusting my runs to the routes specific profile. For now, I’ve spent the last three weeks building back up and stacking my chips, but Gina has not stopped keeping tabson me and is making sure I add some lbs. still lost from Texas. I am grateful because it helps having that second voice.

One aspect I am still messing with is the cool off from the overheating that I have been experiencing as I acclimate back to not only the heat but the humidity here. I have done well, but have needed to utilize the following tips on staying cool after/during training – wet, cold towel kept in the fridge then dumped on the head, a mini spray bottle kept with cold water, the cold spray of the garden hose out back (and as I water the patio garden), and the days end cold showers. Yes, I have always taken my shower at the end of the day and yo, they feel sooooo good cold now.

Let’s not forget the foot tub of ice water and the BioFreeze either.ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Thanks big time to Odwalla as well – I have been able to constantly have a snack on hand and with the weather being so hot, as I hydrate after training, my breakfast bar has now included the ChocoPeanut flavor Odwalla bar – good protein too. I’ve adjusted to making some necessary changes to the “routine” to mix things up that worked well the first half of the year. Lather the skin with Aquaphor to avoid mosquito bites and it’s all good.

I get my uniform and final information for TEAM USA and the ITU World Championships come late summer. There is still plenty of time to focus my training on that event and I am secure in my preparations for it. We have the flight booked, the hotel set, and well, it’s our honeymoon so it will be great trip for us to end the year!!

I do plan to do a 5K locally here before we depart and then a duathlon on August 20th called the Nutrithon in North Carolina to get in tune before Hood to Coast. Molly Almquist has already booked a massage for Gina and a movement assessment for me. Thom at EPEC Fitness has renewed my membership too. And the crew at Kaster Moving has informed us the stuff will be there 1-2 days after we arrive. Awesome! They did a heck of a job loading us up too! I was afraid we’d be sleeping on the aerobed for a week!

Mineral water is not that bad. Heck it currently feels lik we’re camping indoors! Heck, we’ve roughed it out for a few days before, this is routine.Snuggle!!

So that’s where TEAMMC stands and we look forward to returning where we left off. We enjoyed our return to NY and have learned a ton – heck it even enabled us to have our wedding – but we just felt we never let go of Charlotte and having the option to return there has us excited and eager to get started again. Stay cool.