1200 Miles West

This morning Erin and I joined our good friend Sara Pacheco for the Cherry Creek Sneak. We all participated in the 5 mile run/walk with me running and the girls walking.

It has been awhile since I have run an organized race but I was excited about the event. I used to really enjoy and place fairly well in 5K races because I was constantly training them for them. A large part of that was due to the Marine Corps physical fitness test being a 3 mile event.

As I get older, I have found that my body prefers longer and slower runs so the 5 mile seemed like a good event as I transition to 10K (6.4 mile) races and maybe even a half marathon. Most of my training runs have been between 5-8 miles as well so I knew how to pace myself.

There were 3801 people that participated in the 5 mile race this morning - 1647 Male, and 2154 Female. When they say that Denver is America’s fittest city, I believe them. Besides the great attendance for the race this morning, as soon as the weather has warmed people have been out running like crazy people.

I placed 604th out of the males and 123rd out of my age division (34-39). I’ll even admit that 189 women finished before I did. The cynic in me says that I have become mediocre in my old age with the results of this and my GMAT but the reality is that I feel pretty good to have placed in the top 37% of the men that participated.

I had a great time and my thanks to Sara for getting us out for this event. I look forward to more races this summer.

I am fairly spoiled. My father has taught me that a man is defined by his tools and toys. (Maybe a minor exageration). In the tool area I do pretty well. I usually get at least one good one for my birthday and this year was no exception. Due to Home Depot having a nice instant rebate on big tools that ends this weekend, Erin let me pick up my new compressor.

It was about as big as I could get without getting the garage rewired to 230 volt service. My current pancake compressor that I got in package with three nail guns had served me well over the last two years. I have finished a basement in Michigan, put up Crown Molding, and finished countless other projects but the constant 200 decibel pounding when it recharges the small air tank is very nerve racking and I am sure the neighbors eight blocks away are wondering what is going on.

The new compressor is a Cadillac in comparison. It has a 26 gallon tank and has an oil cooled, iron compressor that makes far less noise. I can also use it to spray finishes which was not an option with the pancake.

So yes, I am fairly spoiled and got my birthday present 9 days early. What can I say? Guess I was good this year.

As many of you know, I have been seriously considering starting work on an MBA this fall at Colorado University at Denver. They have a great program where I can attend class part time at night and finish an MBA in about three years. The school is also located very close to work and light rail and offers some interesting specializations in Information Technology.

Why would I do this you might wonder? One reason is that I have always wanted to achieve a post-graduate level degree since graduating from the University of Michigan almost exactly eight years ago. I am certainly not getting any younger as I stare at my 37th birthday right around corner. The second is harder to explain but the general reason is to ensure that I continue to have options as I progress in my IT career. My technical skills have been eroding over the last few years as the amount of time I spend actually programming has decreased. Finally, I have a significant interest in understanding more about the business world, particularly economics, accounting, and finance. My military background has provided me a solid understanding of leadership and coupling that with a better understanding of the business world would seem to be a good move.

I did spend some time preparing for the test through a study guide and taking sample tests. In hindsight I could have prepared more but in typical Erin and Mike fashion we had a million things going on and I was working quite a bit. So Saturday at 12:15 I was fingerprinted and photographed and allowed to take my test.

The results? Well, I didn’t do as well on the Verbal section as I did on the practice tests, which was disappointing. I did ok on the Quantitative section and my overall score was just about exactly in the 50th percentile of all the GMAT test takers. I certainly wouldn’t get into UM Business or Wharton but according to the average score provided by CU Denver, I should be in good shape for admission. I was a little bit humbled by my score, but given that I didn’t prepare very well and I am old now, the results were not surprising. I am glad it is done and look forward to jumping back into the Academic world.

Mike and I have set some fitness goals for ourselves for April.  To help us stay motivated, we’re sharing them with you…

His is fairly straight forward as he plans on running 50 miles before the end of the month.  To date he has clocked 8 miles and has 42 left to go.  Hopefully the weather stays warm so that he can continue to plug away.

I am looking to lose between 3 and 5 pounds.  This is going to be a challenge as I haven’t been pushing myself to go to the gym to do my cardio like I should.  The good news is that I signed up for Yoga Boot Camp at the Oxford Club which takes place every Monday and Friday from 6-7am.  That’s right!  I’m up and at ‘em bright and early with two of my favorite people - Sara and Heather.  We’ve completed two sessions so far (the third is tomorrow morning) and I must say that I was SORE after both.  Definitely a good workout.

I’m also working out once a week with my personal trainer at Dumbbells Too.  Special thanks go out to Kirk for putting up with me.  He’s learned that while I say that I can’t do another set of 12 with 15 pounds or more, I can.  After 7 sessions with him, I can definitely tell the difference as my arms are more toned and my clothes fit better.  On Saturday, I surprised myself when I fit into a pair of size 4 jeans at Ann Taylor Loft.  Who would have thought.

Now, If I can just figure out who to get washboard abs without doing sit-ups, I’ll be golden.

Watch for updates as the month progresses!

Based on a recommendation from a long-time business colleague (and friend) we bought last minute tickets for last Monday’s concert at the Pepsi Center.  The opening act was Daughtry, who I first came to know via American Idol.  While I knew the words to a few of his songs, his music isn’t what I tend to listen to on a regular basis.  I will say however that the woman in front of me more than likely suffered a mild case of whiplash after his set as she didn’t sit still for more than a couple sections at a time.

Mike and a friend saw Bon Jovi back in 1989 (I was a freshman in high school) when they were seniors, so he at least had an expectation going in.  I, having never seen the band perform, was excited for my first concert.  If I had to guess, the average age of the crowd was late 30s to early 40s and mostly female.  Many of which were showing too much skin for their age.

When the concert started, I was surprise to see Jon sporting a leather coat, however half way through he first song it was off and you could clearly see (even from our seat behind the stage) that he was going to be giving the ladies a show as the first four buttons on his shirt were undone.

Here’s a look at the stage from our seats.

Based on the feedback I had heard from previous shows, we knew that sitting behind the stage was safe.  Plus we were closer to the band then most of the audience, although we looked at the back of their heads more than not.

Overall, it was a great show.  The sound was good and the video screens that they use are absolutely AWESOME!  Plus, while they were playing “I Love This Town” they showed a picture of Livonia.  It was of the Veterans Memorial at the corner of 5 Mile and Farmington Rd.  Mike and I were both shocked to see the image, but it made us think of Livonia and how much we miss our friends and family there!

They played ever song I expected them to play, so while I was tired the next morning it was a good time!

We were in the Keys for a week and if you’re wondering what we did, here’s a sneak peek:

When we first arrived we met Mom and Dad at Wahoo’s Restaurant (and no this wasn’t a Wahoo’s Fish Taco like we have here in Denver.

After a late lunch/early dinner Mike and Dad headed to Outdoor Resorts to unload the car and relax a little, while I had to find a bathing suit. Can you believe it? I flew all the way to Florida without a bath suit. I guess that’s a good excuse for buying a new one, huh?

Thankfully we found one at the second store that we stopped at and it was even on sale! After our shopping was done, we headed back to Outdoor Resorts and relaxed for a little while before heading down to the south side of the resort to enjoy our first of many sunsets in the Keys during this trip. Here’s my favorite picture from that night:

The next day were headed down to Sombrero Beach which is at MM 50. The beach was relatively quiet and we didn’t spend too much time there as Mike and I arrived in the Keys with no recent exposure to the sun and we didn’t want to have a miserable trip by getting burned the second day.

After the beach we headed down to Burdine’s to enjoy a little lunch. After enjoying a couple of Corona’s we headed back to Outdoor Resorts and did a little sea kayaking.

Next we headed out on Bill & Peg’s sailboat to check the crab traps that they had purchased this year. We unfortunately forgot the bait to refill the traps, but thankfully there was still some in there. Here’s a picture of one of the crabs in the trap.

Per Wikipedia: When a claw is broken in the right place, the wound will quickly heal itself and very little blood is lost. If, however, the claw is broken in the wrong place, more blood is lost and the crab’s chances of survival are much lower. It only takes about one year for the claw to grow back to its normal size.

The next day we headed to Bahia Honda State Park at MM 37 to partake in some snorkeling, however due to the winds we were not able to head out. Unfortunately they also told us to watch for jellyfish on the beach as the wind was blowing in from the South, therefore increasing the chance that we might run into one. Thankfully we did not.

After spending some time at the State Park, we headed out for lunch and stopped in at Cabana Breezes to enjoy a couple of the better margaritas I’ve had. We also enjoyed some calamari and nachos which almost killed Mom due to the spicy nature of the sour cream they used.

We headed back to Outdoor resorts for yet another sunset, however due to the position of the clouds that day we didn’t get to see the actual sun go down, however we did have some fun hanging out with our Pelican friends on the pier.

The next morning Mike and I headed down to Key West for two nights of fun. (See the entries below for more details…)

Upon returning to Outdoor Resorts on Monday, March 17th we hung out at the pool for a while and then headed out for corned beef and cabbage at the Key Colony Inn. Unfortunately they don’t appear to have a Web site, but if the did it would picture a bunch of “old” people who arrive before 4pm to get corned beef at $6.95 instead of $10.95 after 4pm.

Here’s a tweet that Mike put in during our evening out:

The sorority girls of last night have been replaced by their mothers/grandmothers. I have been blinded.
04:55 PM March 17, 2008 from TinyTwitter

Next we headed out to Dockside Bar & Grill where we listened to a great band and Mom and Paula cut the rug.  We were drinking green beer, can you tell?

We made one last stop, although I can’t remember the name of the bar and that’s where the infamous Long Island Ice Tea was served.  I won’t go into detail, but when we got back to Outdoor Resorts Mom thought it would be a good idea to crash a party…

Overall we had a blast in the Keys and special thanks to Mom and Dad for letting us sleep on their pullout couch and to Bill and Peg for taking us out on the boat again this year!  Next year we’ll try to stay longer so that we can snorkel!

Erin and I are big Kenny Chesney fans and we happened to hear on the radio shortly after we arrived in Florida last week that he would be playing at Sloppy Joe’s on our first night in Key West. Yes, the highest grossing touring country artist and Entertainer of the Year for 2007 would be playing a bar that probably legally holds around 250.

We first passed through the bar about four hours before show time but decided to leave because it was standing room only at that point and standing for that long did not sound like fun. We decided to come back around an hour and half before his 5:30 show and to our surprise we could still get in. It was hot and crowded but we decided to stick it out figuring that he would come out and play a few songs and leave quickly. Um, we were seriously wrong.

We were straight in front of the stage about 20 tightly packed rows back. I would guess that about 500-750 people were stuffed inside the bar. The worst thing was that bathrooms were behind the stage and basically inaccessible. I tried following a really big guy that was barreling through the crowds with his girlfriend in tow, but that ran out of steam about half there as people would simply not move to allow people through. After I felt like I was going to pass out, I left Erin behind and sought relief at a neighborhood bar. Luckily I was able to snake my way back in after several other folks had to do the same thing. Security was letting new people in as people left.

The show was awesome and he played many of his hits old and new as well as covered some southern rock and country standards even a Journey tune.  Uncle Kracker was on hand also - he looked like a disaster but did a great job.  Kenny’s band took a brief break at the 2 hour point but Kenny kept playing until the 2:45 point before he took a break.  Erin finally got tired of standing and we left after three hours into the show.  I think the show lasted over four hours.  That is a LONG show by any standard I have ever seen.  Truly a great and memorable experience and we’ll always remember seeing Kenny in the Keys on the Eve of our 1st Anniversary.

We weren’t impressed by the city of Pueblo, however we did get out of the car and walk through their collection of trains that was part of the Pueblo Railway Museum. The museum wasn’t “open”, but we were able to walk through and look at the different trains.

I’m not sure that we’ll be heading back to Pueblo anytime soon, but at least we got to enjoy the trains while we were there.

During our drive into work on Friday, Mike and I discussed options for what we could do on Saturday. They were predicting the temperatures would reach 70 degrees, so we figured we’d take advantage of the warm weather and head down to Canyon City to ride the Royal Gorge Route Railroad.

We bought our tickets online and elected to sit in the vista dome portion of the train.

Upon boarding the train, we found our table and sat down. They offered a full drink menu, along with snack/sandwich type food. We had eaten breakfast at Le Peep on the way in, so we just nibbled on some chips and salsa during the ride.

We spent the first 30 or so minutes inside the train car, but then headed outside to the open air car to enjoy the sun and the views.

We made it outside in time to see grab a few pictures as we approached the Royal Gorge Bridge.

Here’s the view from under the bridge.

The entire trip lasted about 2 hours and while we chatted about heading up to the bridge to walk across the Royal Gorge, we didn’t make it. Instead we headed to Pueblo to check out their restored depot and their collection of trains.

For whatever reason, I like to go to bed at least 15 minutes if not an hour or so before Mike heads upstairs. Maybe it’s because I like to watch my entertainment/gossip shows or even HG TV, but regardless I always sleep better if I’m the one who falls asleep first.

Might be too much info for some readers, but I’m hoping to get some interesting comments or similar stories. Bring ‘em on…