Here I Will Be

Was that really good for anybody? I didn't think so! Now, to get rid of this, "Before I started working out, I used to go around rubbing my belly, singing, 'Havin' your baby, what a wonderful way to show that I love you," version of Andy, we need to replace him with by scaring up 25 measly votes for a new Andy (you gotta know that I didn't want to pull out this card).

Hey, and it's easy to vote:

1. Just pick and click any Andy (pictures on the 1-2 Buckle your Shoe report)

2. Anyone can do it, er, provided that that particular computer hasn't already voted.

3. Even if you've never posted a comment, and have no intention of posting a comment.

4. You can vote more than once (it's sorta like being a Republican in Florida) as long as the votes are cast from different machines (Hey ZeldaSuePhyllisDexterMyer, mind if I, knew you wouldn't mind, so I used your computer to check weather.com I got people traveling?! And BAM! you're on http://intheslam.blogspot.com/ That's a good ruse,)

5. Buy one or two new computers and vote from there. After all that's a pretty bad picture and no one should have to see it, do it for the public air waves, do it for your kids, but do it!

Now as an aside, I wished the Bucs had beaten the Giants that day, I wished they'd beat 'em and won, but I made no predictions on it, it's just a hope. I wished Star had called the players, and said, "by trying to win, you've already said that you are going to lose." And Ronde says, "Well, what should we do Star?" And Star says, "Hey, Tiki's brother, repeat after me, We are GOING to go out and jump on those GiAINTS like Britnay on a bottle of Jack Black. We're gonna kick 'em like Tom Dempsey with bad intentions, and we're gonna win and send them home with no supper! Now drop and give me 20!"

The Bucs best hope, Ronde calls for a session with Star pschobablist, Andrea! (I had to attach a more recent picture of Andrea, this was actually during our last trail run, but she asked that I take the other one off of the web, she actually looked very cute in the other, but it didn't edit well, this one edited better)

When I say FU, I mean Us!

What a doggone beautiful day up in Croom today! A whole slew of we FU Runners came out. Now, most of you know that, no, I am not being nasty, I am not cursing, FU = Florida Ultrarunners. Below is a picture of some of the motely FU Folks:

From Left to Right, Jon, Candi, Andrea, Gretchen, Davo, Julie, Becky and AndyMan.

See, I'm lucky if anyone ever says, hey AndyMan, FU, I think of my friends :-)

3 Down 1 to Go

Hey, I signed up for Leadville today too. I aint never signed up for 2 hunert milers in one day afore, now I have.

So fer:
Western States: $295 Check Cashed.
Vermont: $200, but I'll probably raise $500 for VASS and get that waived
Leadville: $210, Paid today, on-line check cashed
Wasatch: $155, check sent today, will be cashed on 2/2 on the earliest.

Now, I just have to get airfare, hotels, and a few cars, no problem (anyone ever see the TV Show Weeds? I'm not saying, I'm just saying.)

It's been a Perdy Good Day

Ok, a pictorial of my day so far:

I remembered! Now I can scrub the Marks-a-Lot blue W off of my hand:

My Application for Wasatch, postmarked on 1/4/2008, clearly between 1/2- 1/8, all I have to do is complete the other races and I'm in Wasatch, in baby!

Next Stop, Bally. I often see the view above, but check it out in the picture on the left, I went in, I promise! (yeah I went in looking green like an X-Mas Tree (Sans the star on top, still haven't seen Sy!) By the way, I had a good workout AND I ran 5 w/Becky.

Then a little more good stuff. First I put on my Harley Hat.

It's a great hat, it goes bow wow.

Ali and Har Har relaxed a bit and enjoyed Ali's last night before her return to school.

I have a good day every now and then!

Thanks Star, I did IT!

Ok, my New Year's Non-Resolutions are starting out well.

1- I did run to work the other day; then I had to hike home because teacher's editions of textbooks (that's right, I don't know anything, except how to look them answers up!) are unlike my brother, they ARE HEAVY!

2- I actually went to the gym yesterday, and I liked it! Well, it didn't totally suck anyway. Here was my workout:
5 x 15 Crunches and 1 x 25 crunches (I think that a hunert, but I teach history)
6 x 15 Back straighten raisey thingies some with pounds, some without
6 x 15 calf raises (90 pounds)
6 x 15 squats ( 155 #)

I think that was it. I didn't do too much watching the aerobics room, it wasn't a very aesthetic class.

I may branch out and throw in some upper body exercise, but we must run before we can.... er, a, well, look good I guess.


So yesterday I went to the gym, but that doesn't mean that I forgot how to run. I had a wonderful little 8+ mile run with Candi and Becky at Morris Bridge. It was cool and crisp and clear, I could have run all day, but the taters were waiting at 1st Watch, so I hadda cut it short.

Tomorrow, back to the gym, and a little run to.

Out!

PS, don't forget, play like you're in Iowa, Vote early and often! Scoop in there the second someone leaves their cube and throw in a vote or three for your favorite Andy.

Buckle Your Shoe Report

It's 1-2- Buckle Your Shoe- 2000 plus eight today (GET IT? January 2, 1-2?!)

So, let's start off with a short report followed by our weakly, er, a weekly chore.

Short Report- Chase Squires was seen with Candi Ashley at the Luna Chick Run hosted by Pam Dickens; while Becky nor Roger Sutton, nor a William Faulkner sentence, were seen. That's all for the short report.

Whoa, Whoa, hold on there, not that kind of short report. Happy New Year is the short report. I ran at Croom on the last day of 2007 and I hit the ground running to start 2008. I didn't get to run on the trail yesterday, but that's OK, I started by running 1.5 with Harley, then ran 6 solo around the neighborhood and over to school. Doing the yeoman runs are going to be tough and essential for Slam success as there will be many more of those than the beautiful fun trail runs. So it was an appropriate way to start the new year.

OK, that was the real short report, now here is our chore. We all of us, those who read and don't post, those that post and don't read and those that just look at the picture, we all have to pick the AndyMan Profile Picture of the month. I tried hiring one of those fancy personal photographer, a la Chase, but it was going to cost me like $14 and a sixer, so I'm like, no way, I'll have yall vote. Now, this is only till I get my Slam outfit that SuperDave promised me, then, I hire the pro. Ok, so below I'll post the pictures and then I'll run a poll and we'll decide by 1/7.

Here are the glamour shots from which to choose (To the right is Default Andy, you can't choose him!):

Photo #1 Here's looking at you! Andy in the Red:

Photo #2: Phat old BigHorn, BigBelly Andy

Photo #3: Award getting Andy

Photo #4: Arkansas Andy

Photo #5: Tree Pushing Over Andy
Hey, we aren't stuck with these, this will run for like January, by then, I'm sure I'll have my Slam outfit and I'll run a series of those, but in the meantime, pick one, and that shall be that!

Resolution, Smesolution!

Yeah, ok, I'm going to write them down, look at them every week, and follow them like commandments, they are resolutions. Rrrright.

I'm sorry, but Resolve is a carpet cleaner a New Year's Resolution never changed my life, it never made me a better person. The only one that I ever heard anyone stick to was the father of a friend of mine (before he was the father of the friend) made a resolution of mine that he was going to sleep with 50 women in the upcoming year. He said, "it took getting two in the last week, but I did it!"

So, I'm not going to make any resolutions (I've got too much running and working out to do to emulate my bud's dad), but there are a few things that I'm going to try to do:

1) Be a better dad. Ali-Girl is 13 years old. I love her, and there is always room for improvement as a parent, always.

2) I am still going to try to get to the gym twice a week. It's a key to Slam success, it's easy to do the things we like, but the gym for me, it's torture.

3) Now that I have worked and coached at Tampa Catholic for 1 1/2 years I am not going to keep being sheepish about using the coaches area in the gym and I'm going to start running to school and then using the coaches shower. In 2005, a big key to my success at Western States was that after I won my way into the lottery, I ran to school, 3.5 miles, almost every day. It's only 1.5 to TC, but I know plenty of long cuts if I need them.

Ok, if anything else needs tending there is no reason that I can't add on as needed, 1/1/08 is not a magical date, I can "resolve" issues anytime!