Been way too long since my last post so may be a little
long! Football season has been very good
for my son’s team this year. They lost a
lot of seniors last year and were expected to have an average season (building
year). Last year they had a lot of talent,
and made it to the semifinal. This year
they don’t have as much individual talent, but function really well as a
team. So well that they are the only
undefeated team in their division for the state with an 8-0 record. Last week
they beat an overconfident undefeated team who have been the state champs the
last six years. Our boys really humbled
their opponent to the point you could hear a pin drop. One more game this season and then off to the
playoffs. The coach has done a fantastic
job of keeping them humble, and reminding the players that they are everyone’s
target – To dethrone the only undefeated team in the division.
 |
| Renee far left, Josh far right - Homecoming Night |
 |
| Renee & Josh |
 |
| Me and Josh |
 |
| The boys with my girl |
 |
| AC Cheerleaders |
 |
| Renee left, Josh center |
Just got back from Atlanta after spending a week in another
advance leadership forum. Had a great
time, consulted with some really awesome leaders in my industry from all parts
of the world (CA, NY, Penn, Al, NC, NM, AZ, France, Belgium,…), with lots of
takeaways. We studied the changes made
at NASA with leadership during Apollo 1, Apollo 13, Challenger, and Columbia. One of our instructor’s Dad was a director at
NASA, and he remembers being a small boy when Apollo 1 astronauts (Lt. Col.
Virgil I. Grissom, Lt. Col. Edward H. White, and Roger B. Chaffee) would visit
his house. We listened to Gene Kranz "Failure Is Not An Option" (Ed Harris played
his part in the movie) talk about the two Apollo tragedies in great details
(just like the movie) which was totally inspiring. What a great week.
 |
| Josh chilling at our AS |
My son and I ran our own aid station during the FATS 50K run
a few weekends ago. We also had some
help for the first few hours as the front runners passed by. I’m so use to being on the other side of the
table as a runner. It was very awesome to
be providing the best support I could, from a runner’s perspective, and being
supportive to first time ultra-runners. I
could tell those who were struggling, and what their issues were, and the
runners who were having a good day. The usual
stuff like upset stomach, cramping, dehydration, fatigue, minor injuries,… I wanted to be out on the trail soooooo bad,
and could feel all the energy from the runners as they passed through the AS. Several of the runners recognized me and could
not believe I was not running.
Nevertheless, they were thankful I was at the aid station, and looked
forward to seeing / reading about me being on the trails again. I had a few who wanted to quit, but was able
to get them refocused, and went on to finish their race. Only one guy quit at my AS because of a preexisting
injury to his ankle and could not make forward progress. This made me so thirsty for the trails – Been
waiting awhile for this to return.
 |
| Forks Area Trail System - FATS |
 |
| Terri Hayes - Race Director and Inspiration with over 300 Ultras |
My running base has slowly been returning, but apparently I
have not fully recovered from my previous injuries. I saw my Doc and had some x-rays taken. A little twinge is still lingering in my left
foot and will be seeing a specialist to get this resolved. The good news is no stress fracture. The other issue I have been having is with my
right shoulder. Didn’t really notice it
until I started weight lifting for strength training (off season program). I’ve experienced most muscle aches and pains,
and can recognize when I’ve pushed myself too hard, but this was different. X-rays revealed a serious trauma to my
shoulder area and my training was not allowing it to heal. I knew exactly when I hurt it, which was last
summer in VT while climbing Camels Hump with my son. I slipped on some wet rocks traversing down
the mountain and landed directly on my right shoulder against a boulder. Other than the initial impact, I didn’t think
twice about it and just keep going. Doc
says I need some therapy to get it healed correctly – Appointment scheduled. All the years I have been pushing my body to
new limits, and other than a few minor aches and pains, this has been a
frustrating year. So ready to be totally
healthy again! At least I can still run,
and do some exercises that don’t challenge my shoulder. This too will pass and I will surface
victorious and stronger.
Hope everyone is enjoying the cooler fall temps.
4 comments:
A runner with a shoulder injury - so rare. But once you'd explained how it happened it all made sense. I hope it heals quickly.
That is a great looking set of kids! Love seeing the fall football/cheerleading pics. You have every reason to be a proud dad. :)
Your work sounds pretty cool!
I can imagine how fun it was to volunteer at the race, but how much it makes you want to be back at it. I am hoping to do more race volunteering soon, myself.
Hope your shoulder and foot gets better soon! Sounds like you are doing everything possible.
So sorry about the nagging injuries....bleh! I have a shoulder injury, too, which resulted from tendonitis when I swam competitively in college - it flares up a lot when I weight lift and occasionally when I swim.
That's so cool that you and your son had a self-imposed aid station for a 50k. So invigorating to be on the flip side giving back to the sport that gives so much to you. Very cool, indeed!!
Love the pics of your family - great kiddos! :)
I think that it is better to have a team that they function than talents because at the end. It is team work that it counts.
Post a Comment