Spring Training

Running season has officially kicked off, which I signify by 2 factors: 1.) When I can run outside in shorts and without a jacket, and 2.) When I get registered for my fall marathon.

This year, we thought we'd mix it up a bit and run the New York City Marathon. However, they get about 90,000 applications for 30,000 spots - so it's up to the lottery to get you in. This year, the bouncing balls were not in our favor - and neither Josh nor I got in. 2011, here we come...

Instead, I'll be running the Twin Cities Marathon for the fourth time in October, and the 5 to 6 months of training will be kicking off soon. Satisfying to be talking about 'my fourth marathon'.

Here's my tentative calendar for summer events:

• Long Branch Half Marathon - May 2nd (next weekend)


• Two Summer 'Sprint' Triathlons - June and August


• One Summer 'Full' Triathlon - July


• Twin Cities Marathon - October


• Twice weekly Boxing Class


• Once weekly Jump Rope Class


• And probably a few other 5k's and 10k's mixed in with the 4x weekly training runs

I always get the season kicked off with a new pair of running shoes, and tonight I picked up the Nike Vomero 5+. I've stuck with this model shoe for a good 3+ years now; having gone through the Vomero 2, 3, and 4....and now onto the 5. Some people hate on Nike running shoes, but they work for me - and I'm a big fan of the Nike+ iPod running tracker...which you'll notice in the right hand column of this blog.

I typically drop about 15 to 20 pounds over the summer, but adding in the boxing and increased weight lifting this year might mean I'll put on more muscle - and drop less overall pounds. It would have been nice to get into the NYC Marathon...but if you're rejected 2 years in a row, you automatically get in the 3rd year.

The last item on my wish list for this summer is a nice Trek Road Bike to go along with the Mountain Bike I picked up last summer. My Mountain Bike is great for the trails and short triathlons, but won't cut it in more serious affairs.

A New Pony For The Stable

The sun has been shining here in the Mid-Atlantic, so it was time to add a new pony to the stable. Or, rather, 327 ponies (horses) under the hood. The G-37 Infiniti Hard Top Convertible is now dropping panties its top all up and down my neighborhood.

It's my first convertible, and to quote Ferris Bueller, "It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

On any given day, I'm typically in my car for an hour or two on average, driving to appointments and meetings. However, now that I have this car - I keep coming up with errands that need to be handled while the sun is shining. "Milk. Definitely need to get milk right now - while the sun is out and the top can be down."

An unexpected side effect of having a convertible is that I now have to be conscious of what music is playing anytime I pull up to a stoplight. I have to be careful not to accidentally wander onto XM 23 (The 'Love' Channel). The whole image of a cool convertible could be completely undermined by Whitney Houston's Didn't We Almost Have it All, blaring out for everyone to hear.

I'd had my eye on this car since it was released late last year, and when I took it for a test drive I was pretty much sold in about 2 minutes. Nonetheless, I put it through the paces, and the last test was to try out the roof open/close mechanism. As the top was going up, the dealer hit me with this gem of a conversation:

Dealer: "Are you single, man?"

Me: "For now."

Dealer: "Ha. I hear ya. With this car, you're gonna get so much p***y, it'll be sick."

I laughed at the Guido charm of it all, but in truth - that's still the best way to sell a convertible to a red blooded American.

And for fun, A look at my cars of yester-year