Let's Go Browns!

It's again been a while. I'll do better now that the nursery is painted, the furniture is put together and the bedding is in hand. Here a some thoughts that have popped into my head over the last couple weeks.

• The title of this post is a reference to my fantasy football team. If the Philly D scores 25 points or less tomorrow night, I'll be playing for the money next week. Here's a fantasy side note for you: I am thinking about hanging up my fantasy spikes. Yes, I know it's hard to believe. And I am talking about baseball here too. I am having a hard time deciding if my time could be spent in a better way. Football is one thing. A monkey can pretty much play fantasy football. And it's basically a one day thing, with the exception of some Monday and Thursday night games. But basbeall is 6 months of picking up guys off the heap, changing line-ups and hoping that your projections are accurate. Don't get me wrong, I love part of it. But the time...it's just so much time. The other factor is that I am not sure the league I currently devote my time and money to is pretty forgiving in terms of guys making huge mistakes and being dumb. I think there's only one or two guys in the league who regularly checks in over here and that's unfortunate. I should probably stop on my rant now.

• Ice is not good for running. Cold and rain are fine, but ice is a pain in the ass. It's not a new development, but it isn't really my idea of a good time. I haven't fallen yet this year and hope to keep it that way.
  

• While Blagojevich scandal hasn't been dubbed anything yet, I am asking everyone to start fighting back against putting "gate" on the end of any scandal. The Watergate was the name of the hotel/office building. This drives me absolutely insane. Here's a list of other "-gate" scandals. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_scandals_with_%22-gate%22_suffix How awesome is it that there is a sausagegate?
  

I have couple running friends who recently had a couple of events. I met both of them through Runners World On Line and you may have heard me mention them before.

• On his 40th birthday, Ron completed a 40 mile run in honor of his cousin this past Sunday. His cousin passed away five years ago from cancer, so he wanted to honor him and raise money to help fight the disease. Here's a link to Ron's recap of his 40 at 40 run:http://gotlactate.blogspot.com/2008/12/40-at-40-report.html I found the run and report to be both inspiring and crazy. I can't imagine 40 miles. 26.2 is about as long as I want to go. I think I promised my wife that I would never run anything longer a few years ago. I feel very comfortable with that promise.
  

• Walter, another friend through RWOL, ran the Memphis marathon last Saturday. This was Walter's 3rd marathon of 2008 and unfortunately, it was his worst. At this point, I hope he's getting over the disappointment of the race not going how he had hoped. Walter had a ton of momentum heading into Chicago, but the heat got the better of him and he finished with a 3:28. All of his training had pointed to a 3:15-3:20. So he decided to make the most of the shape that he had worked so hard to get in and signed up for Memphis. Two weeks or so before Memphis, Walter caught a bug and wasn't healthy for the race. He gutted it out and ran it anyway and posted a 3:55. My point in bringing up his story is that marathoning is hard. And despite your preparation, all of your heart and all of your efforts, it can still bite you. And there's nothing worse than putting your heart into something and not getting the result you think you worked for. Walter's three marathons in one year is a feat. The last two didn't go to plan, but there's plenty to be proud of. Hopefully with a little time and reflection, he'll feel the same way. I was ready to quit running after the 2007 Chicago Marathon. After a little time, I was 100% back on the wagon and was ready to punch the marathon in the gut.
  

• I am begining to think about the CD that I give out around the holidays that highlights 20 or so songs from the 2008 Chicago Marathon playlist. If you are interested in what was pumping in my ears on that day, let me know. I love to share music and will send you one of the CDs. Send me an email at paulkapellas@hotmail.com or leave me a note in the comment section.
  

• I was able to get 26 miles in this week, thanks to a 12 miler today. It was ridiculously windy though. As long as the ice stays away, I should be able to stay in the 20-30 range for the winter. Here's hoping.