The Mocs had a great season!

Well, after beating the No. 1 ranked team in the country yesterday, (Southern Arkansas 3-1) Florida Southern loses to Lynn in the final game by a whopping 19-3!!! Sad but true. It's been a great season for Max and the Moccasins. The team goes 44-16 on the year...Max goes 10-1 with an ERA of 3. Not bad. He'll be driving home...be back by next weekend, and a short rest, and then off to the Cape by June 5th to play for the Cotuit Kettleers for the summer....I'm extremely proud of the boy.

In other news, I did race 2 weeks ago in the Greenwich Du. Did o.k. I wanted to finish under 1:10, and I did a 1:09...didn't place but they use 10 year age groups, and being 59, I'm at the top end...no problem. I wanted to do the Shamrock on Sun. but was busy with work in Manhattan and didn't get back in time. Next race I'm shooting for is the Griskus Olympic. I have some traveling in between, so I'll see how it goes.

Had a wonderful dinner in Manhattan with my son Seth the other night. He came in from Philly, and we went to one of my favorite all time spots, Harry's down in the Wall St. neighborhood. Clearly, my life is immersed with my kids...I love it, it's the best!

Florida Southern advances

Max's baseball team, the Moccasins are headed to the NCAA South Regional. The NCAA announced its tournament selections Sunday night and the Moccasins are one of eight teams selected for the South Regional, which will be played May 14-18 at Magnolia, Arkansas, and how many of you know where that is? The Moccasins (38-14) are seeded sixth and will play third-seeded West Alabama in their first game.

Max will be pitching Game 1, Thursday at 4:30PM EST, and you'll be able to follow it on LiveStats at: http://www.flsouthern.edu/athletics/baseball/livestats/xlive.htm or possibly there might be an audio broadcast at: http://znj1065.com/ which broadcasts the West Alabama games during the regular season and claim they will be doing it...but...it doesn't always happen....Since I'll be teaching at NYU, I can't make it, but Marla is going, that lucky girl!!!

They have never met West Alabama in baseball. The championship provides for eight regional sites - six sites will host six teams, the West region will host four teams and the South region will host eight teams. All regionals are double-elimination tournaments. Regional champions will advance to the double-elimination championship finals May 23-30 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. The finals will be hosted by Mount Olive College and the town of Cary, North Carolina. And if they get that far...I will definitely make it to those games. Pretty cool....

Can't believe it's been 3 weeks!

Ultimately, this blog may become more effort than it's worth. I have a few family members reading it, and a couple of friends, and like many, if not all of us...time is always precious. Certainly, the weather here in CT. has been great for training outdoors. I'm just loving it. I've also had some traveling in between. Spent 3 days in Ft. Worth, and it was hot as hell. I'm looking forward to my 1st race of the season, this weekend the Greenwhich Duathlon. I've been participating in this race for close to 20 years, and although it's not USAT sanctioned, it's still one of my early season favorites.

My older son Seth will finish up his teaching in Philadelphia by mid June, he's handed in his resignation, so he'll will be looking for employment in the writing or journalism field. He's basically "burnt out" with the teaching, and now wants to move on. So, if anyone reading this has any leads for a smart, creative, dynamic, writer with 2 years of teaching experience, let me know. He'll look at virtually any opportunity, providing he gets to use his skills and expertise to write.

Younger boy Max, is still pitching very well at FSC. He's now 7-1, got his 1st college loss last weekend against Flagler. Despite a standout pitching effort from him, his team suffered their fifth straight loss, falling to Flagler 2-1 Friday night at Henley Field. Max matched his career high with 14 strikeouts, scattered six hits and walked only two through eight innings, but all he had to show for it was his first career loss and the first in eight decisions for him this season. They have 6 games remaining, and he'll pitch 2 of them. 3 games against their arch rival Tampa, and 3 against Nova. Max leads the team in ERA with a 2.82, and they're 2nd in the Conference, and ranked 11th in the country. We're hopeful they make the Regionals, which will start May 14th.

The Red Sox are on a tear at the moment, winning the last 11 straight, with a sweep against the Yankees which always bring joy to my life. Watching Jacoby Ellsbury steal home with the bases loaded is about as good as it gets. I just have to keep pinching myself to remind me that it's only April...it's a long season. And my good buddy Dave and I went to see the Dead the other night in Hartford. What a dynamite show! These guys are all in their 60's and put on an outstanding 3 hours jam and oldies show. Talk about endurance, the energy they displayed was incredible. Well worth it, if you can make one of the shows...they are threatening to make this their last tour ever....but like many rock stars...they keep coming back...

I hope to reporting from the D-II Regionals...keep your fingers crossed....

Sweet weekend

It was so nice...Starting Friday night, Max pitched against Eckerd College. He pitched a complete game and dominated, shutting out Eckerd, with only 4 hits, 1 walk, and 14 strikeouts, wins the game 7-0. On Saturday, they won the double header, and are now 31-5, and 11-1 in the Sunshine Conference. Max was also named Pitcher of the Week by the Sunshine State Conference. Big series starts Thursday night against the other 1st place team, Barry University. Max will pitch the Thursday night game, and they'll play a double header on Friday. This is very exciting, but very nerve racking. Also had a wonderful conversation with Seth, who was driving to DC for part of his week off from teaching. He is such a talented kid, and so insightful. He may get up here at the end of the week, maybe the 2nd night of Passover...I certainly hope so.

Then on Saturday, I had a great long, slow run complete with sun, rain, wind, and clouds. A little bit of everything. Got together with our gourmet dinner club last night, and sat around the t.v. and watched UConn lose. They were never really in it. Michigan State had Magic Johnson show up in the locker room before the game and give a motivational type speech to the guys. It definitely worked. UConn's pregame conference was televised, and Jim Calhoun, in my opinion, did a lousy job in terms of speaking to his team. It was a very flat speech, almost like he expected to win it. Surprise! Tom Izzo clearly had his agenda in order. Oh well...now let's see if the women can take care of Stanford tonight, and it starts at 9:30 PM. what's up with that?

After watching the weather on Friday, I decided if I had any chance of biking outdoors, it would be today...and it was. I had a great 25 mile hilly cruise throughout Orange and Milford, wearing just shorts, and a shirt. Glorious! I love this time of year. The smells, the flowers blooming, ah, it is so sweet. I was sorry I couldn't participate in the Brian's Boogie Beachside Du...but just checked the results, and see that Alan finished 1st overall. Congratulations Alan, nice job. So, for me, the season has begun. I always count the start of my season when I can bike outdoors.

I have an incredibly busy week between work, and Passover. We're hosting the 1st night Sedar at our house, Marla will be cooking for 14...always fun, but a lot of work. And I've got a lot of workouts to get in....Max on Thursday night, and hopefully Seth will be here....Ciao

Ahhh....spring is in the air

6 days, 21 hours till the 1st pitch for the Red Sox...I love it...when I ran on Saturday, crocuses, daffodils, and even the forsythias are starting to pop. This time of year is fantastic, especially if you run and bike. I ran for 90 minutes on Saturday, and felt great. I was able to go in shorts, and a fleece type windbreaker and no gloves. Hopefully, I'll be able to bike outdoors for the 1st time this season, within the week.

Next Sunday is one of my favorite season openers, Brian's Beachside Boogie. But, I've given my mountain bike to my son Seth, and never replaced it. So, looks like my 1st race of the season will have to wait till May 3, (my birthday) to do the Greenwich Duathlon. My indoor biking seems like it's getting stronger. I've concentrated this winter on using 2 of Troy Jacobson's DVD's. The Time Trial hour, and the single loop of the Lake Placid Ironman. They're tough and good workouts. And my swimming seems to be fairly strong. I attribute it all to the core strength training that Eric taught me in Jan., and I've tried to do it twice a week since. I definitely feel a difference in my arms, and my lower back. Both feel stronger.

Max continues to do well pitching. He won this past Friday night against St. Leo, he's now 5-0, with an ERA of 3, and this morning the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper has them rank #1 in the country for D-II. The team is 28-5, and undefeated at home. It's getting a little nerve racking.

And I've got 3 of the 4 teams in the final 4 of the NCAA. Michigan State, UConn, and North Carolina...and the Duke - Villanova game may be the best game I've seen all year. After reading an article in yesterday's New York Times about Facebook...I've started a page. Here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1509393961&ref=name All else is pretty good...

A great week with the Florida son!

And in the sun! After sleeping into the early afternoon of last Mon. due to our late arrival, we grabbed some food, and made our way to the ball field. Max's team beat St. Michael's from Vt. Our 4th game, and 3rd win since arriving. Got another run in on Tuesday, and the weather was next to perfect. 85 degrees and sunny. We got to have lunch with Max, and made a run to the local Beal's to get him some needed shirts and pants. Max has practice every day, Mon. through Fri., after classes from 3:00 to 6:30. They usually play 4 games/week. Either Mon. or Tues. night games, and then always a game Friday night, and a double header on Saturday. His schedule, like all NCAA athletes, is brutal. I have so much more respect for all college athletes than ever before. Between practice and studies, it's a very full schedule every day and every week.

Had a terrific meeting with Max's coach, Jim Tyrell, after lunch on Wednesday. He feels that Max is exceeding their expectations. He's also doing very well academically. Wednesday night we met up with Max's long time girlfriend and family for dinner. Max has been dating her since high school, and lucky for him, she and her family moved down to Florida right after her high school graduation. We had dynamite steaks at a place called the Texas Cattle Company. Excellent food if you ever get to Lakeland, FL.

Thursday, after another really good run, we took off for Sarasota to take the tour of the John and Mable Ringling Art Museum and estate. Prior to 1929, Ringling was 1 of the 10 richest men in the world. Made his fortune running the famous circus named after him and his 4 brothers. He built this unbelievable estate with his wife on 66 acres overlooking Sarasota Bay. So we took the tour of the house and his private museum of mainly 17th century Baroque period art....but truly the highlight was the Circus Museum. It's a fabulous collection of wardrobe props, and all types of circus equipment including the carved parade wagons that used to bring the circus into town. We had a tour guide who abilities as a docent were excellent.

Then after a great Italian dinner at Caraguila's in downtown Sarasota, and a walk around the docks, where the average size of the yachts is about 100', we were off to see our Red Sox take on the Cincinnati Reds, in exhibition baseball. We saw John Lester pitch 4 1/3 great innings, giving up 1 earned run, 3 hits, and had 6 strikouts. Jed Lowrie went 3 for 4, with 3 RBI's including a 2 run home. The Sox won 9-1. What a great day!

Max pitched Friday night again, and had a super outing against Rollins College. He went 8 full innings, only 2 hits, and 10 strikeouts. Awesome! Saturday it was back to the ball park for our final double header. Florida Southern ends up sweeping Rollins, going into 1st place in the division, and is now ranked #1 in the country by Collegiate Baseball for Division II. In 10 days, Marla and I saw 7 Florida Southern games, they won 6, and Max pitched 2 of them. And we caught a Red Sox game...8 games in 10 days, we loved it! Now it's back to reality here in CT. If Max and his team continue on this track, we'll have to go back for the Regionals, and perhaps the Nationals at the end of May....stay tuned.

I hope I don't sound too much like the doting dad that I am. There's not too much that can beat watching your children succeed at something they love. It's one of the greatest parts of parenthood. I can only wish the same for everyone.

the rockets' red glare....

Greetings from sunny Florida. Marla and I arrived on Thurs. (3/12), in Orlando, and drove down to Melbourne to see Florida Southern play 3 games in 2 days against Florida Tech. Max pitched Fri. afternoon. Went 6 2/3 innings gave up 3 hits...had a great outing...got no decision, but the team went on to win the game 4-3. Then on Sat. they spit a double header. So, now they're 19-5 and 3rd in the Sunshine State Conference.

My parents were to fly into Orlando on Sunday, we would pick them up and take them to Lakeland to spend the rest of the week. Dad ended up back in the hospital on Sat. with low blood pressure, he's o.k., in fact already back home, but the Doc won't let him fly. So, Marla and I decided to make our way up to the Kennedy Space Center and try and watch the launch of the Shuttle Discovery. The Space Center itself is o.k....not great, in fact we both agreed that the National Air and Space Museum in D.C. is far superior in almost every way.....except, they don't have launches. I've always been enthralled and intrigued with the space program. It was 2 days after my 11th birthday when Alan Shepard 1st went into space in the Mercury program for a whopping 15 minutes, followed by Virgil Grissom and then that All Amercian...John Glenn. We saw the original Freedom 7 and Redstone Rocket in Rocket Park at the Space Center...these guys were incredible cowboys to climb on top of these virtual firecrackers and take a ride.

But if you really want to feel the earth move under you feet (like Carole King sings), then you have to witness a launch 1st hand . Absolutely incredible! Should be on every one's "bucket list". The buses at the Space Center take you out to a causeway where there is seating, they're broadcasting the countdown, and even vendors for food and sweaters if you're cold. You have a very clear, albeit 6 miles away, view of the launch site, and the Shuttle. I cannot describe the feeling that you get when you see essentially the fuse lit on the bottom of this rocket, and 7 million pounds of thrust lift this approx. 170,000 lb. shuttle off the ground and it reaches a speed of 17,500 mph in about 6 minutes! This was a night time launch, and you get to see it for almost the whole 6 minutes, before it disappears into the night. The pictures attached were taken with my little Canon pocket camera...but what you're missing is the ground shaking, the incredible sound, the bright glow of the rockets, and the sonic boom aftermath...awesome!

Now, if that's the great news, the bad news is it took us about 6 hours to drive 96 miles to the hotel in Lakeland, arriving here about 3 AM...the traffic on all roads and highways was insane. I can bike faster than that. I asked a number of people, including toll collectors (and there are many of them) and they all say it's the volume of people that went to see the Shuttle blastoff.

Max's team has a game tonight against St. Michael's from Vermont, but he won't pitch again until Friday night's game against Rollins. So, we get to hang out in sunny Florida till next Sunday before we go home. We have planned a meeting with Max's coach, and we have tickets for the Thursday night Red Sox vs. Cincinnati game in Sarasota. I've gotten a couple of hour long flat runs in already, and I hope a swim or 2 at Florida Southern this week. Stay tuned...I'll post again at the end of the week...right now it's 85 and partly cloudy, so I have to endure...

Eye of the Tigers

Although I had a great week swimming, biking and running, this week wasn't about me...it was about my younger son Max, who is a sophomore at Florida Southern College. He's a left handed pitcher on a top notch Div. II team that's won the NCAA's 9 times. They're located in Lakeland, FL, home of the Detroit Tigers for spring training. The only college team that Detroit plays in the exhibition season is Florida Southern, and that game was this past Monday. Max had just come off his 2nd win of the season the Friday before, but the coach gave him the ball for the 1st inning against the Tigers. He retired the side in order on 10 pitches. Batters were: Cale Iorg, a top prospect at short stop, Marcus Thames the right fielder, and Casper Wells, the center fielder. Awesome! Florida Southern ended up losing the game 7-1, but Max was outstanding.

After a couple days of rest, Max started the Friday night game (3/6) against West Chester, a top Div. II school from outside Philadelphia, currently ranked 10th in the country. He took the game into into the 6th inning leading 17-3, and picked up his third win without a loss. So, this week is about him. Marla and I head down there on Thursday this week, for 10 days, and will hopefully see him pitch 2 Friday nights in a row. The 1st one (3/13) against Florida Tech in Melbourne, and the 2nd one will be (3/20) against Rollins, both of these games are Sunshine State Conference games. In a repeat performance of last year, I'm taking my father (88), who is a huge Red Sox and baseball fan, and my mom. It'll be nice to get into the warmth, especially after a day like today that was so spring like.

In other news, I read with great interest about Eric's training camp in Tucson. What an incredible week. And with me aging (I'll be 59 in 2 months) I was real interested in reading about one of the participants, Steve from Canada, who is 64 and put in a phenomenal week. It inspires hope in all of us, but certainly me. I don't know him, but great job Steve. I'll hopefully post a couple of blogs from Florida...

On the road again...

My work has taken me out of town for the past week...I've just completed teaching a CI-104 course (Investment Analysis for Commercial Investment Real Estate) in Washington DC. The typical course runs Mon. thru Fri, 8:30 to 5:15, with the exam on Friday. And is usually taught with 2 instructors. Well, last Friday night I got a call from my fellow instructor informing me that his wife had fractured a vertebrae in her lower back, and was to be operated on Monday, so he will not be at the course...I made a bunch of calls to other instructors, and couldn't find a replacement. Bottom line: I end up teaching the 40 hr. week long course myself. Talk about a workout!!! I became, in essence, a 1 man band...Now, I've been teaching for almost 30 years, so I'm very confident and comfortable with the material, but there is no break, I was "on" the whole week. So, now I sit here as they take the exam, and can say that all went extremely well. It was a great group, very attentive, cooperative, smart real estate brokers, developers and lenders. Had some great discussions regarding where the economy is now, where it's been, and most importantly, where is it going?

I travel to teach courses like this 4-5 times a year. I try and workout, I bring my sneakers etc., and either go to the gym in the hotel, or run if the weather permits. And I've run and/or worked out in some of the greatest cities in the world. Beijing, Buenos Aires, Moscow, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, LA, San Diego, Albuquerque...and this week in Washington DC. Having to stand and teach all day has been stressful on my legs and knees. But I did get the opportunity to do my strength training twice in the hotel gym, and that's really helped. I stayed at the Club Quarters at 17th and I, and it's a very nice facility, 2 blocks from the White House, and 2 stops on the Metro from where I taught.

My son Seth went to GW, here, and graduated a few years ago. So, I have some familiarity with the city. Washington is a beautiful capital city. I wish I had more time to visit the museums etc. I've done a lot of that, but none this week. Besides exercising, the other challenge that my traveling always poses is eating. It is so hard to go out with people to some of the all time great restaurants and not indulge. Talk to any seasoned traveler, and it's a consistent problem. Everyone wants drinks up front, appetizers, entrees, and desserts...there is no way you can do this daily, and stay trim and fit...I would like to think I did pretty good this week, even though I had 3 major nights out at Oceanair Grill, McCormick & Schmick's, and Olives....all highly rated, high caloric bastions of culinary delights...I had a glass of wine only one night, no appetizers, and just salads and fish 2 of the nights, and steak at M&S. The scallops at Olives were the best I've ever eaten...It's a challenge but I find if you talk to your guests and friends about the training you like to do, and the typical diet you maintain at home...it really helps the situation. In some cases I find that they feel guilty, and order a pretty healthy meal.

I head back home on the train this afternoon and get home just in time to listen to Max's baseball game from Florida on the Internet. If anyone cares, you can listen to the game at: http://www.flsouthern.edu/athletics/baseball/livestats/xlive.htm the game starts at 7PM.

With any kind of luck I'll get to run outdoors tomorrow and maybe bike indoors on Sunday, looks like some snow...and then I'll be back on the road in just 2 weeks, when Marla and I head down to Florida for 10 days to watch Max and his team. Traveling there is always great fun, especially since the weather is so great, I can run, bike, and even swim while down there...the hotel we're staying at has a pool. Until then......

A great workout for the mind

Marla and I spent Fri., Sat., Sun. in NYC for Valentine's Day/holiday, staying with our close friends Dave and Mona. We really enjoyed the weekend and the time together. Had some great times, and meals. Friday night we had dinner and a show at Caroline's Comedy Club. We saw Tracy Morgan of SNL and 30 Rock fame. He was hilarious, but this is not your grandmother's comedian. He was downright crude, rude and borderline gross. Having grown up the son of a comedian, weaned in the Catskills during the 50's and 60's and having attended 100's if not thousands of shows by comics, I've been amazed and somewhat surprised that comics still have to resort to shock jock type gutter humor to make their points. He's better than that, and didn't have to be so dirty...a very different but entertaining evening.

Sat. after a breakfast at Barney Greengrass's we headed down to the Village and Soho for some shopping and walking...it was a cold but beautiful day. The City was vibrant with people everywhere, and all kinds of action. Had an incredible lunch at Blue Ribbon Bakery, in the Village. I would highly recommend it, great selection and all healthy foods. We visited The New York Earth Room, circa 1977, one of the very different "sculptures" of Walter DeMaria. We made our way back to the apartment for a 90 minute rest...and then out again, this time for some crazy Japanese food at Soba Totto...a really great little spot on East 43rd.

Then, this morning, it was off to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to primarily see the new Babylon exhibit which is really good, and educational. Incredible to see how advanced mankind was 14th and 15th century B.C. And the extraordinary art created as a result of a sophisticated network of interaction that developed among kings, diplomats, merchants, and others in the Near East during the second millennium B.C. Before leaving we also took in some Monet's, Rousseau's, Degas and Rodan's, the Asian art wing, and the Greek and Roman Art...this is one of the world's all time great museums. And it's 90 minutes away.

So, I ended up not working out physically for 2 days, weekend days to boot which are usually long workout days. Years ago, I might have paniced, but I've discovered, albeit late, that I have to have a balance in my life. Balance between the mind and the body. These past 2 days, aired out the body, and gave the mind the workout. I highly recommend this a couple times a year. It puts it all in perspective. Not only am I anxious to get back into a routine, but I'll be going there with a clearer more focused attitude. For me, this is extremely important. Have a great week.

What a difference a week makes

Wow...had single digit temperatures outside for almost the last 2-3 weeks, and today I ran in shorts, no gloves, temps in the low 50's. I did a 90 min. run between HR of 125-135, and it was sunny and 51 when I left the house. About 30 mins. in...it started to pour, and it felt great, I loved it. The rain lasted about 20 mins. and the sun came back out, and my jacket and hat were practically dry by the time I got home. Saw Kenny Osborn on his moutain bike in the last 20 mins. of the run. He looked happy, and why not, springtime on Feb. 8th. Realty check, we still have 6 weeks of winter, but you have to grab it when you can.

It was a another great week of workouts, felt strong all week. Marla and I did the core strength training twice this week, and I am convinced it's helping. I feel better and stronger at all 3 venues. And yesterday, I took my bike down to Chapman's and based on a conversation with Eric about my knees, I had my Speedplays replaced with some Look Keo Sprint pedals, to keep me from floating too much. I've notice a big difference with my new Asics sneakers, especially on my longer run this morning, so I'm hoping for similar results with the new pedals.

In other news, my son Max, pitched his 1st game of his season in St. Augustine yesterday, had 4 great innings, then got hit hard in the 5th, before they took him out. He gets a no decision, as the game went 15 innings, and Flagler won 6-5. He's been invited to play for the Cotuit Kettleers this summer in the Cape Cod league, so if anyone has a connection for a house or inn, that Marla and I can rent 4 or 5 times for 3 or 4 days at a shot...let me know.

And finally, I've been looking for a new traveling laptop, and checked out the new Acer Aspire One Netbook, it's unbelievable. I can get 1 GB of RAM, 160 GB hard drive, with two SD slots, so I have the ability to carry another 16 gigs of data around in one slot and a free slot to download pictures from my digital camera. This is plenty enough for the puny installation footprint of Windows XP (it doesn't come with Vista thankfully), MS Office, and the other tools I need + my data. All in a 2.4 lb. package for $299 at Best Buy. I can upgrade the memory to 2GB for $64, and go crazy with an optical DVD drive for another whopping $100. With all my traveling, it's a no brainer...got to have it.

Have a great week everyone...

A Philadelphia story

Not a bad week, except for the weather...but the highlight was definitely the weekend. Marla and I left on Friday noon, to go visit my older son Seth for the weekend in Philadelphia. He's 24, and is a 7th grade English teacher at Frederick Douglass Elementary in inner City, Philadelphia. No greater joy than visiting one of your kids in their environment. Philadelphia is a great city. A lot going on, great restaurants, and plenty to do.

We stayed downtown at the Marriott, right across from the Reading Terminal market. It is considered by many as one of the finest public markets in the U.S., blends together state-of-the-art systems technology without sacrificing its historical integrity. More than 80 merchants offer patrons fresh produce, meats, fish, groceries, flowers, baked goods, crafts, books, clothing, as well as hard-to-find specialties and ethnic foods. We sampled some of their best coffee, ice cream, smoothies, and felafel. If you go to Philly, you have to check this place out. On Saturday, we spent a good hour in the morning in the Marriott fitness center. I was able to do the entire strength routine from Eric, as well as a 40 min. run on the treadmill.

After breakfast in the market, we met up with Seth and spent most of the afternoon at the Mutter Museum. In 1849 the College of Physicians of Philadelphia started a collection of unusual medical specimens for the study of pathological forensics. Today, it's become fair to say this might be the best collection of medical oddities on display to the public, including such things as President Grover Cleveland's tumor (removed successfully), an exhibit on conjoined twins, and obsolete medical instruments. There are also plenty of skeletons and things in jars. Really wierd but most entertaining place. Sort of like the "Human Body Road Show" that went around the country a few years ago.

Seth then took us for our obligatory and decadent Philly cheesesteak at one of the great places...Jim's in South Philly...absolutely awesome. After standing in line for 25 minutes, I asked one of the cooks how much meat they go through in a day...he claimed 2,000 lbs., or a ton of beef/day!!! Quick calculation said there's about 1/2 lb. per sandwich, that's 4,000 sandwiches, they're open from 10AM till 3AM the next morning, that's 17 hours/day, or 235 sandwiches/hour or almost 4/minute...wow....

Saturday night, we didn't have reservations anywhere, and ended up at a very loud bar having mediocre salads...but any chance we have to visit with one of our sons...food is secondary. This morning spent another hour in the gym, good workout on the bike. And concluded our visit with a big breakfast at a kosher styled deli called Racheal's. A great visit with our son in one of the great cities on the East Coast...Philly...

On the way back home, we stopped at Stew Leonard's to restock our shelves of fruit and veggies. Now, I'm watching the end of this incredible Super Bowl, that was suppose to be a real yawner...This weekend, and this Super Bowl is a great metaphor for everything in life...don't take anything, especially family, for granted...there is wonderful excitment, and surprises in everything. Have a great week.

To the core, to Lance...an unbelievable day

Had a really great week, both training and at work. Seems like the Holiday lull is finally over, and things are starting to happen again. Today I had the opportunity to meet with Eric for a strength training session. It was a small group of 4, and extremely worthwhile. I would definitely recommend it for everyone doing any type of endurance training, especially triathlons. Eric showed me/us a routine of 12 core exercises divided up into 4 sets of three each. I was quickly shown how really weak my core section is, and how important it is to eveything I do. The overall idea is to do 10-12 reps per exercise with 3 sets per. When Eric demonstrated each exercise, they look easy, but they're all incredibly challenging. I've got some real work to do on the lunges, the V-ups I found almost impossible at first, and the double crunches. He made me a believer in strength training.

After a couple hours of talking, demonstrating and working on this routine, Eric took the 4 of us for a beautiful trail run, right out his front door. The weather was picture perfect, and we did a great hill climb in the snow, and then some hill repeats by the lake before returning home. All in all, a terrific 3 1/2 hours, and I met some new athletes, including Eric's sister. But it turned out to be a tad more costly than I expected. The price for the session wasn't the costly part, but after I came back showered and ate, I now had to get some 6 & 8 lb. weights, a couple of resistancebands, a physioball, and a new pair of Asics sneakers. Oh well, my contribution to the ailing economy.

It was well worth it, I learned a lot about strength training and the weaknesses I need to work on. I feel great, even my knee that I've had a low level gnawing pain with as of late, felt great all day. Now I need focus on doing this routine twice a week....Stay tuned.

After all of this, I was finally home by 4:30 and had a chance to see a great interview with Lance Armstrong and Phil Sherwood on Versus TV...catch it if you can. Say what you want, Lance is a class act. His priorities are honorable, and his response to questions concerning his teammates, especially Alberto Contador were great. Then I watched the last stage of the Tour Down Under, and the old man actually went to the front of the pack for about 30 seconds towards the end of the stage, really impressive cycling...it gives hope and inspiration to all of us, especially us older ones. Just a great day all around...Enjoy your week...

I'll have a 2 week cleanse with ice, please

Well, I guess I'm a day or 2 ahead of most on this cleanse since Marla and I started on Fri. the 2nd. Basically, we're done! No problem at all with me. I lost 6-7 lbs. total, and feel really great. I plan on continuing to eat better, and closer to the cleanse than I usually do. It may sound odd, but because I feel so good, I like it. Because of my heavy schedule and the crummy cold weather all week, all I could do was indoor exercises. Swim and bike. Again those Spinervals and the Lake Placid training DVD's are terrific. So, this morning, my outside temperature gauge read -0. I'm not sure what that means except it was freakin cold out. But the sun was out, so I put on the layers and did a really good 45 min. run. As you can see from the picture, I look like some clown out of Cirque de Soleil (if only I were in that good of shape), but I was dressed appropriately, and really never got cold. In fact, I was smiling most of the way, a) because I felt so good, and b) because of cabin fever, it was great to finally get out. A couple of drivers on their cell phones, drinking Starbucks came dangerously close, but I guess because of my bright outfit, saw me at the last minute. I don't think there is a more invigorating way to do a run.

Great weekend

For such a lousy weather weekend, I was pretty pleased with everything else. Had a great run yesterday for an hour...cold as hell, but like many say, if your dressed right, with the layers, it's really nice out. I'm still on the cleanse, it's day 10 for me and eating very well....I've lost 4 lbs. Today, I was looking forward to a strength training clinic with Eric, but because of the snow we're postponed for 2 weeks till the 25th. So, I did an hour on the bike indoors. I tried the other new DVD I got, Spinervals 2.0 Time Trial Special, again, I found this to be very challenging, and an hour well spent. It may not be as good as a CompuTrainer, but for me, it works well. Marla and I locked in our plans to head to Florida to watch my son Max play ball in March. We'll be there from Mar. 12-22, and be able to see 9 games, and hopefully see him pitch in 2. He's suppose to be the Friday night starter. The way the weather has been, I can't wait to get out of here. I think we'll also catch the Red Sox play Cincinnati at their stadium in Sarasota on that Thurs. the 19th. Last year we saw the Sox in Ft. Meyers play the Dodgers, and there's nothing like spring training. We're also planning a trip to Philadelphia in 3 weeks to visit with our older son Seth...should be great....all good things....

Cleansing the body & mind

This was the cleansing of the outer body at the Plunge on Sunday (thanks for the picture, Alan), and since I started the inner cleanse on Friday, I'm into day 6 already. Going well, with a lot of cooking help from Marla, who is dynamite at the stove in the evenings. Couldn't do it without her. And I think I'll need to buy some Beano....the gas index has risen considerably over the last couple of days...

Plunging and cleansing into the New Year

I don't have pictures, but about 20 of us showed up in Southport yesterday to do the annual Plunge, this year for Christine Greif. In May of 1997, Christine was hit by a drunk driver while on her bicycle preparing for a local triathlon. She sustained a traumatic brain injury that has left her with limited ability to walk, eat, speak or otherwise engage in normal daily activities. She was a scholar athlete at Avon High School and then at Dickinson College where she majored in English. Christine was the recipient of the Trinity Club Book Award in her junior year for her scholastic achievement and service to the community. Ten years later, Christine continues to suffer the severe effects of the brain injury which have made daily functioning incredibly difficult. So, every year Eric has a goal is to raise awareness and to generate some charitable funds to help offset some of the expenses. I would say we accomplished a worthy goal...although the water was freezing, and my feet didn't warm up for about an hour. Great job Eric!

This morning I spent about 90 mins. on the bike indoors. One of Marla's Hannukah gifts to me was a couple of DVD's by Troy Jacobson, one Spinervals, the other On the Road-Lake Placid Training Ride. I did the 2nd half of the 56 mi. loop, like Jay to Lake Placid. For me, it was great! It made the time go by very quickly, I did the ride this summer, so I know what it's really like, and if you follow his lead, you get a great workout. I would recommend it. Ah, and I started Eric's cleanse on Friday. So far so good...Marla is basically doing it with me, so that's a huge help. I'm peeing a ton...probably got up 4 times last night...

Tomorrow it's back to the grind...I'm actually looking forward to getting back into it all....

Happy New Year 2009!

Great to have everyone home for the Holiday. Seth is still teaching 7th grade English at Frederick Douglas school in inner City of Philadelphia. Max is starting his 2nd semester sophomore year at Florida Southern, and thinks he'll be the Friday night starter, an honarable position. Marla and I had a fantastic New Year's eve meal at Hola Martini's here in Orange, and I ran the Chili Chili 5k New Year's morning, a race that honored Dr. George Whitney, who turned 90 in Dec., and ran the 5k in 46:01...an amazing man! In spite of all the chanllenges, this is going to be a great year. I'm doing the Plunge for Christine Grief at Southport Beach tomorrow...should be around 30 degrees....and windy...whoa. Time to start looking for new car for Marla...she's leaning towards an Acura RDX...stay tuned.