Where have I been?

Well, happy belated Thanksgiving! Sorry I've been out of touch. For Thanksgiving, my family and I took off for Hilton Head, SC to see the in-laws, then over to Atlanta to see our old friends. I think everyone had a great time, especially the boys, who got to see their grandparents, their favorite aunt - Aunt Beth - and their friends they had to leave behind when we moved this summer.
Injury status: Well, just to be smart, I've taken this week off so far to let my calf heal. So I've not officially run for nearly 2 weeks. The whole area from the knee to the calf is feeling like its old self, so I'm eager to get back out soon. As my wife will tell anyone, I'm pretty grumpy when I can't run. Even I'd half to agree!
I still want to talk about the death of my sister one of these days, but haven't quite figured out how to start 'at the beginning'. So stay tuned....
I've always wanted to be a writer and its been literally years since I put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, but lately I've been feeling the urge to start again. Maybe I'll post something here!

Injured....

Well, a few weeks ago, I felt a 'pull' in my right calf area. At one point during my run, I actually had to stop, stretch, and walk. I though maybe it was just a cramp or severe pull. I laid off a few days and then was able to run a couple more times. Then last Monday, I felt it 'pull' again. I laid off and did some searching and came to the conclusion that it must be a - hopefully - slight muscle tear. I stayed off all all last week and it began to feel good again. So, this morning I headed out for a short 2-3 mile run. Well, other than my knee feeling a little tight, it seemed to be going ok. Until 2.75 of my 3.00 mile run and riiiiiiiiiip! Well, I guess, I'm laying off of it for another week and see how it goes. This time when I felt the pull, I didn't push it.
Its funny how a runner's life begins to revolve around running. I spent most of last week being grumpy and somewhat 'depressed' that I couldn't hit the road. I was going nuts. Now I've got another week and most likely another one after that according to all I've read. Frustrating to say the least! I guess I'd better turn my attention to starting my workouts at the office since I now have access to the little 'gym' in our building. Maybe for now, its even time to start 'writing' again.

David Crowder* Band Concert

On November 7th, Alexander and I ventured to Cincinnati to see David Crowder* Band. It was Alexander's first concert.

For those that have not seen DCB, whether you are into Christian bands or not, I highly recommend it. DCB is a worship band from Waco, Texas that spends a lot of their efforts ministering to the college age/20 + crowd. Not to be pigeonholed, their musical styles is a hodgepodge of everything, with a heavy emphasis on modern. They pull from old hymns, gospel, rock, bluegrass and just about everything else. At the Cincinnati concert, Dave even pulled out a Guitar Hero guitar and played it during one song.

In my opinion, they've begun to have a following similar to Grateful Dead or Dave Matthews. Meaning, many of those attending were doing so for the 2nd or more time, attesting to the power (& fun) of DCB's concerts. Tickets were only $22 - $26, which is a bargain in this day and age, especially considering there were two (2!) opening acts.

Regardless of the music and message, it was a great experience for me and Alexander, who, at 11 and in 6th grade, is already showing those signs of 'my parents aren't cool' type of attitude. Alexander has also been amazingly mature for his age, and somewhat introverted. But there are several things upon which he and I connect: Movies, Books, Video Games, and now, ever since getting his first MP3 player, music. It was a cool thing to be able to share in the DCB fun. Even more so that he already liked them and liked their music. But I think seeing them live was something I hope he found very special.

And for the rest of you: If you've not see David Crowder* Band...what are you waiting for?

Garmin 305

Well, I finally got the Garmin 305 Forerunner that I order this past weekend. I got to use it on my first run yesterday morning, and it was pretty sweet! It kept my distance, total time, pace, etc. But the cool thing is that I can bring it home, plus it into the computer and it downloads the info, including a map of my run! How awesome is that? I highly recommend one....and I know just how to get the amazing deal. In the end, I'll only pay $137, or about $200 less than retail.

I did run yesterday, but took today (Friday) off so I can run a longer run tomorrow and can't wait to use my new watch on that!