New Beginnings

I haven't written in a while. Sorry about that. My bad. The phone rang, and I got into this long converation, then I started googling "Manatees.." and well, you know the rest. It's going to be challenging in these busy winter months but I'm sure gonna try.

I spent Monday thinking about what I want to get done with my life in 2010 and sat down to write a personal mission statement. Some of it is just that-personal, so I retain the right not to put that out there in cyberspace.

One of the promises I made to myself was that I would update more regularly on my blog. It's hard to keep up with everyone in my life but I enjoy reading other people's blog and the least I can do for others is to comment on their entries which touch me and create my own entries. If no one reads it, no matter. My words are mine and no one can take that from me.

I'm of the belief that you can be almost anything you WANT to be. At one point in my life, I WANTED to be a stand-up comic. For four years, I went to open mics, shows, went on the road, etc. performing in front of strangers and making them laugh. I have to say, at times, it was one of the most gratifying things I've ever done. I spent hours with other friends and comics, mostly in San Francisco coffee shops and clubs before the shows and discussed material and life. It was fun for a long time.

And then, it wasn't fun. The time spent in wasn't worth what I was getting back. I met my girlfriend, now wife and wanted to spend time with her rather than be at a club waiting for 5 minutes of stage time. I continued to perform sporadically, but sometime in 2003, I performed for the very last time and never looked back.

Seven years later, I have a son and every night that I don't have to work, I like to spend it with him and or my wife. That's my life now.

My life's journey is about contstant growth and being the best possible person I can be while I'm here. I strive to be happy, healthy and a positive role model for others (most importantly my son) In the end, I want others to find value in my contributions. I guess that's pretty much what most of us want.

My most important future contribution is to be the best possible dad I can be. I want him to know that he can take his life wherever his imagaination wants it to go, that dreams can grow from new dreams, and that's ok-as my dreams changed from that of being a stand-up to being a stand-up dad.

Some day I hope to qualify for the Boston Marathon. No small task. I'm not naturally athletic. I still haven't cracked 4 hours. Yet I dare to dream the Boston dream. It may take me YEARS, but Universe willing, I will get there. I will do it in steps. And if a new dream takes its place, so be it. It's all good.

I won't burden you with my entire personal mission, but I do want to share with you some areas I want to work on in 2010:

Eating healthy-I'm REALLY good about this during the day. At night, however, I'm Mr. Jekyll. I will eat out of boredom or anxiety when I get home from work and I realize it's not healthy. Can't do it. Gotta stop. Especially during training. I don't want to eliminate treats altogether because I think the straight denial of food/drink will create more want, but just finding BALANCE would be the goal.

I need to prioritize my time better. What's really important? What's urgent but not really important? What's frivoulous? I don't play Farmville, but my Facebook page is now cluttered with the results from "What 80s sit-com are You?" quiz that my old school chums (that I haven't seen in 30 years) have taken. Do I NEED to know this? No

Running-wise, I have a conservative calendar this year. I'm going to run a half-marathon in Danbury in April. In May, I will run my only FULL marathon of the year, Vermont. My goal there is to crack 4:20 or better. I have recently signed on with a coach, Josh aka @speedysquatch on twitter, who is keeping me on track.

In July, I'll run my 5th "Four on the Fourth." I really love this race and expect this to be my fastest ever. It'll be fun to see how I do against my previous four results.

Lastly, I want to keep in better in touch with my friends, both running and non-running. I hope to get to Los Angeles and or San Francisco this summer. It's been too long. I miss some folks. I need to re-connect. Hopefully, I can connect with some new friends too.

That's all. There's lots more to say, but I'll save it for later hmmmkay? In the meantime, I hope your lives and runs are going well and you're finding fun in whatever you're doing right now. Thanks for taking the time to read. Out.