....still here

Been a while since the last post...just thought I'd check in and make sure the plumbing & electricity are still working in the blogloft.

No real news to talk about. Cubs looking good so far...I'm not running yet, pretty soon I hope...it's getting warmer & greener outside...tulips and daffodils are coming up...our ravine is getting ready to get 'jungle-like' soon.

Trying to figure out if the Sopranos is getting better or weirder. Best show on TV is on tonight....'24'. Watched a cool show On PBS/HD...Great Lodges of the Canadian Rockies...looks like some cool places to 'get away'.

Work is chugging along. Producing a small show out in the 'burbs this week.

Getting the itch for a new car...Nissan Xterra...does this mean I should try an Xterra Race?

Go Cubs!

Saturday Substitution

Saturday morning is 'long run' morning with our running club - www.alpinerunners.com. Since I'm not over my shin splints yet, I decided to trade in my feet for some wheels. Loaded up the bike and headed to Lake Zurich.

At 7am the fastest pace group starts (7min/mile)...then 7:30 pace then 8:00 pace and so on....to the mighty 12min/mile pack - that's me and we're a hearty bunch. So I got all my gear on and headed out on the course. I know I'm on wheels, but it was nice passing the fast guys. That doesn't happen too much in my world.

The first couple miles were typical. Adjusting to the cold (it was about 38 - not including any windchill), getting the kinks out the kinks and establishing a rhythm. There were a couple hills to battle, but there was no pain in my shins at all.

I tried to average between 10-12mph. I know, it's not exactly Tour de France, but it was a nice pace for me. I don't want to risk any further stress on my legs. I made it back to the finishing area after 75 minutes and completing 13 miles. I was content with that. No pain what so ever and a decent cardio.

Oh, and the Cubs beat the Cardinals again....Woooo Hoooooo!!!

It's Officially Spring...In My World

Today is the day that officially marks the spring season for me. On the corner of Clark & Addison stands the mecca of many dreams and nightmares...joys and sorrows...melancholy wonderment and drunken buffoonery.

"Scorecard! Get your scorecard!" is heard from the moment you walk in. Vendors barking out which items they're selling today. Fans scrambling about to get to their seats. The color blue is everywhere. Banners of former Cub players hang from the rafters: old and new...great players and great characters. Walk up the ramp and get that first glimpse of the green green grass, the ivy on the wall, the jumbo scoreboard in centerfield, I'm always in a sense of awe...from kid to now.

Not many places can give you an instant flashback to your childhood. To me this is the place. I have been a Cubs fan forever...literally. One of my first childhood memories is actually from Wrigley Field. It was the summer of '67. I was 4 years old and went to the game with my dad. It was the Cubs vs. the Cardinals (I didn't catch on to the rivalry until the early 70's). We got there early to see batting practice. This was a common thing when we were kids. Run down to the edge of the stands and see if you can get an autograph of your favorite player or maybe even a picture. Of course this was when players actually communicated with the fans, especially the kids. The 'Andy Frain' ushers weren't an issue. No security issues. An innocent time.

So as I came down towards the Cardinals dugout (our seats were on that side of the field) and was able, with the help of my dad, to get to the dugout unscathed. I was a pretty shy kid and I was a bit overwhelmed with the larger than life scenario. I remember a few Cardinal players around. Of course, only being 4 years old, I didn't really know who was who. However, I definitely knew my Cub players at 4: Banks (my favorite), Santo, Williams, Kessinger, Beckert, Jenkins. But as for the Cardinals, not so much. But the key memory here is I remember locking eyes with one player and he smiled and said hi then walked in the dugout. I was grinning from ear to ear. I asked my dad who that was and he said Orlando Cepeda (one of the best players of that time and now in the Hall of Fame). A couple seconds later he came back out of the dugout. He turned toward me and rolled a baseball across the dugout. WOW! Christmas in the summertime.

It's amazing the things we remember. And in all honesty, I can't remember anything that crystal clear prior to that glorious childhood moment. So I guess that's a pretty good starting point for the memory scrapbook.

Of course after many games from the ages of 4 to 43, I have numerous memories at Wrigley. More ups than downs, although the seasons had more downs than ups. I think I have sat in every area. From 3 rows behind home plate to the bleachers (left, center & right). From the upper grandstand to across the street on a rooftop and everywhere in between.

With that being said, I hereby christen in the spring season. Of course being a Cubs fan, one is always optimistic to a fault, but I think this is our year!

"Scorecard!! Get your scorecard!!"

HOLY COW!

CUBS WIN!!!

CUBS WIN!!!

CUBS WIN!!!

World Series here we come!!!

(we've been saying that every April since 1909)

Crap...

Oh well, I gave it a shot. I thought taking a couple extra days off from running/biking would have helped a little.

But......no such luck. I got to the 1.5 mile mark and had to stop and stretch for those damn shins. I began to walk a little and slowly got back to a run. At the 2 mile marker...I had to stop. The pain was awful. Like someone implanted a golf ball between my bone and muscle. Huge knots. As the rest of the runners took a right turn...I took a left and 'walked' back towards the end of the course. They cut off my 'chip' and I grabbed a banana.

It's pretty disappointing but deep down I was expecting it. Since I don't have a race on my docket in the near future (Cleveland Half Marathon was scrapped due to job obligation), this is the time for real rehab. Start from scratch.

Hard to believe it was only 6 months ago that I ran the Chicago Marathon.

But for some positive news...the Cubs open their season today in Cincinnati!!!