Our latest adventures

This is my first week on call at the hospital here in New Mexico, and as such, I'm chained to I have to stay within the city limits of Alamogordo.  Translation-bike rides become trainer rides, and runs are loops around the neighborhood.  No complaining though; I'm still thankful for each day that my knees allow me to do these things :-).  Plus, my first week of call has consisted of newborn nursery every morning, and a total of ONE call from the ER for a kid with a pneumonia! 

Since we basically had a weekend at home, I decided it was time to get started on the back porch.  Little J has been asking for a screened in porch since we got here, as our lovely neighbors are avid mosquitophiles and think its ok to leave standing pools of water in their backyard.  But they are a whole topic on their own; lets focus on the porch!

After J helped me stain the wood, she got started on a project of her own:

I didn't quite finish yesterday, but did manage to get most of the framing up and the door installed.  Today should go by much quicker :-)

First (of many) race reports

As usual, little J beat me.  To writing the race report, that is.  After much cajoling by previously mentioned spouse, I too decided to run the local 10K race last weekend.  After a hurried last minute registration and 5 minute warm-up, we lined up for the start and eyed our competition.  Did I mention that it was a combined 5K/10K/half-marathon? 

Bang!  The starting gun goes off.   The race director yells 1-2-3-GO!  I start off at what feels like a good pace (read trying to keep my wife in sight for the first mile), and manage to do this passing mile marker 1 at 7:00.  By this time the heavens have opened and dumped a few gallons on each participant.  It's at this time that I first notice the squish squish of the footfalls of the runner behind me.  At this point there are only 7 people in front of me, one of which is of course my wife.  We pass the 5K turnaround and 4 of those seven are suddenly heading back towards me.  I know the two men in front of me are doing the half, and suddenly I realize I'm leading the male 10K by default!  I cross mile marker two at a more leisurely pace of 7:15, and at this point I realize how long I would stand up to chinese water torture.  Exactly 7:15.  At this point my entire being is consumed with the squish squish squish of the runner behind me.  Did I mention he was DIRECTLY behind me?  MAKE IT STOP PLEASE!  I stop and glare at the runner as he passes(half-marathoner), who totally fails to register/acknowledge my existence. 

I trudge onward to the turnaround, and finally see the 3 mile marker-at the turnaround.  At this point my wife is passing, flashes a big smile, and says 'its just you and me babe!'  I grimace a reply and keep trudging. The rest of the race passed uneventfully, as every time I turned around to look for motivation to run harder, I saw NO ONE.  I crossed the finish line and the first thing I asked Joy was, of course, 'Did that seem like a long 10K to you?'    Mapmyrun later confirmed it, our 10K was actually 6.8mi, or 11K.  Maybe they add distance when you run at altitude since the air you're running through is thinner and provides less resistance. 

I'm sure you've already read little J's race report and know she won OVERALL!  I was 2nd overall and 1st male, which has been repeatedly pointed out to me on a daily basis :)   Next weekend we will AGAIN be racing in another sprint tri, that will be our 3rd race in as many weekends.  I think a small break will be in order;  a week long trip to NOLA sounds perfect!