So much to say, so little time to write about it.  Yes I have been very busy and finally, after an extended absence I am training once again for the Furnace Creek 508.  It took a lot of effort to get my mind back in shape after my long winter/spring layoff, but I am happy to report that I am finally back on the saddle again.

This year in preparation for the FC508, I am doing things differently, both mentally and physically.  Mentally speaking, I am trying to avoid training alone whenever possible.  All those miles last year on my own had taken a toll on my psyche and it took some time for me to realize it.  I found myself beginning to say to myself while riding “I don’t want to be here, I don’t want to do this”.  What I really meant was that I didn’t want to be alone.  I just couldn’t bear another 14 – 18 hour training day wondering around the Hudson Valley by bike on my own.  Doing so was just too much to contemplate.  What I am doing instead is riding with groups when possible and hopefully finding more difficult, higher quality rides to do.  So far it has been working out well.

To date I’ve done a few rides with the local Major Taylor Iron Riders.  These included rides to Bear Mountain, Port Jefferson, and the Harlem Valley Rail Ride (HVVR).  The HVVR was only 100 miles, but without a doubt one of the toughest 100 mile rides I’ve ever done.  I’ve also done a couple of Brevets – The NYC 200K (which included a ride up Bear Mountain) and the Petersburg 300K.  The Petersburg ride was followed by a ride from Westfield, MA to New Haven, CT.  I would have ridden all the way home, but the weather was just not cooperating.  I should write more about these rides, and perhaps one day I will.  Suffice it to say I found all of them very difficult and they would have been real torture had I not had company to ride them with.

Physically speaking, I am trying to be a better rounded athlete this year.  About two months ago, I stopped to talk to a Boot Camp Fitness instructor who was training a bunch of folks alongside Flatbush Avenue, near the entrance to the Prospect Park Zoo.  We began to talk and I started to explain how I was having trouble motivating myself, was running and riding poorly and generally fat, out of shape and lacked motivation.  “Mauricio” (no last name), gave me his telephone number and email address and the next day we arranged to meet and have an easy workout on the upcoming Monday.  While Mauricio rode his bike, he had me run a steady pace for around 8 miles while I explained all that I accomplished over the past 10 years and what my hopes and goals were for the future.  As we moved through Prospect Park, Mauricio commented on the number of people that said hello to me and said that said something about me.  Exactly what I am not sure.

Anyway, starting the next day, I began to religiously show up every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning at 6am for a Boot Camp Fitness session.  It was very difficult at first, but eventually my core strength began to return and each subsequent workout became easier.  I soon found myself losing weight, running pain free and with a swiftness I’ve not felt in years and my riding became much stronger, despite the lack of mileage this year in my legs.  I am feeling great and beginning to like the way I look again.

I do not know what the FC508 will bring this year.  Or I should say, I do not know how I’ll do at it this year.  I think I will do well, even though I am not doing, nor will it be possible to do the same amount of training miles that I did last year.  This year it will be strictly about quality miles, strength training and keeping my sanity and a happy mental outlook.

So I have been neglectful of my blog these past few months and for that I am ashamed. I think I even received a comment from someone who stated that I used to write so wonderfully and is wondering why I have not been doing so as of late.

The fact is that I am not sure why. Possibly, it is because I am afraid of facing my own demons and writing a blog entry will force me to reckon with them. It seems that so much has happened over the past few months, but at the same time, it seems as if nothing at all has changed. Let start with one thing at a time and see where we shall go.

I did start a new job and I like it a lot. I look forward to work with a vigor I have not felt in years. The pay is not what I am used to, but the satisfaction I have on the job more than makes up for it. I just hope that I continue to do a good job and the powers that be continue to be satisfied with my performance.

Speaking of performances, I have not done anything of significance athletic wise since my last entry. I have kind of been just shuffling along (and packing on the pounds), without any urgency to start training with intensity. This is partly because I have been consumed with fatherhood obligations on weekends and work commitments during the week. However, deep down I know I don’t have the fire, drive and energy that I did last year while training for the FC508.

One thing that I know to be a problem for me is my desire to be with someone while I train. I started out today for a run, got a mile from home and then simply sat down on the ground. I couldn’t move another step. I was done; really done. I was sick and tired of moving all by myself and training over all those 1000’s of miles. I just don’t want to be alone anymore, not in the physical or spiritual sense. I am sick and tired of it. I want someone with me to let my energy flow. I feel like an open circuit that can no longer bridge the gap on its own and spark across it. I need to make changes and I need to make them soon. Otherwise, I am just going to get worse, physically and spiritually.

For those that have followed my blog for a long time might be wondering what has happened to me? Where is the athlete I once knew that could get up at 4am everyday and workout for 4 hours straight? Has he left the building, never to come back in again? I have no idea. I just have to find a way to be the change I wish to see. This means getting over my fears and doing what needs to be done.

I have reinvented myself before and I can do so again. This time though it will take a big commitment from me to push through the program and do what I know has to be done. What I am doing now is not working for me or anyone and it is time to make that change. I just have to do it.

So I am sitting on a jet plane on the way to Las Vegas well less than 24 hours since completing the Caumsett Park 50k.  My legs are sore, but not terribly so, which I guess is a testimony to the amount of training I have done over the years.  It was a mildly difficult race, mostly due to the fact that I have run neither with any distance nor with any consistency.  This didn’t stop me from going out and trying it and once I did go out, I did of course have to finish it.  I surprised myself by finishing in less than 6 hours in 5:50:18.  I was pleased with that time as I thought it would take me 7 hours.  I am also suffering a bit of skin chafing under my arms, which is somewhat irritating as I wear a t-shirt underneath a dress shirt.  However, I will just carry the soreness and chafing as a testimony to a job well done.

While I am sitting on the plane, I am reflecting upon how a friend told me that sometimes I am rude when speaking to people during the general course of my day.  I never gave this much thought, but upon reflection I realized that perhaps this was true.  The timing of this comment and my realization of it couldn’t come at a better time.  I am about to start a new chapter in my professional career; one in which I will have to be pleasant, cheerful and upbeat (unless of course I need to be tough).  This was good advice and I am going to make the most of it.  In fact, as I have tried it out as I have conducted my day; I noticed a change in the way people react to me.

Not only is this good advice for interacting with other people, it is also good advice for working out and participating in long races, even when I am alone.  By holding a pleasant attitude as I go about my endurance events, I find that I am less likely to suffer negative thoughts that make me want to quit.  I’ve never quit a race because the going got tough, but having just completed the Caumsett Park 50k, while maintaining a pleasant demeanor, I found that the event was actually more pleasant.  I didn’t have as many negative thoughts and I never had the feeling of wanting to quit.  I didn’t mind the wind and rain and instead concentrated on the bright side of things – namely, that I am fit and healthy enough (if not somewhat crazy) for wanting to and finding pleasure in running around a 3 mile loop ten times in the rain.  It is a celebration of life that I am able to accomplish such feats and it strikes me that if I am going to do them, I should be pleasant and happy while doing so.  What is the point of doing these events if all you could think about is how cold, wet, tired and miserable you are?

So anyway, I am on the way to Las Vegas to attend an industry conference.  My decision to go to this event (on my own dime) so I could get a better understanding of a market segment is basically what got me a new job.  I am very exciting about it, but at the same time sad that my three months of independent contracting and setting my own schedule has come to an end.  I was getting used to doing what I wanted, when I wanted to as it suited me.  I am no longer going to be able to disappear for a couple of hours in the late morning or early afternoon to go for a long run.  I needed something more steady though if I ever plan on doing another big event and having some way of paying for it.

Speaking of big events, the entry period for the Furnace Creek 508 opens up today.  I am conflicted about doing it again.  On the one hand, I had an amazing time and want to see if I could do better.  The bonding experience I had with my team and son, the discovery of what I can do if I put my mind to it and the sheer audacity of completing such an event is something that I want to live through again.  On the other hand, there are other challenges to conquer; I am still not fully recovered from the previous event, the expense and time involved to train for it has to be considered.  Also, I am already doing a big event in the form of the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance run this summer.  Maybe I should only be doing one mega event per year?

Really though, what I want to do eventually is the Badwater 135 and perhaps the FC508 to try to get the Death Valley Cup from AdventureCorps.  I need to do something great like that before my body becomes too old and I am no longer capable of doing such a thing.  Not that I am old and decrepit now, nor to I ever plan on becoming so, it’s just that the body as it ages can’t do the things that it was once able to do. 

I also want to do RAAM.  Maybe after the VT100 I can train for that, which means qualifying for it again, which would be a good excuse to do FC508 one more time.

My high hopes of running to the pool, swimming a few thousand yards and then running another 5 or so miles home over the past couple of days was derailed due to some sort of stomach flu.  Instead I got to spend the entire day in a vertical position drifting in and out of consciousness.  I don’t get sick very often, and when I do, I am usually not completely out of commission.  However, this recent illness literally put my flat on my back and made me completely unproductive. 

This morning, my children still needed to get to school, so I managed to pull myself together and dragged myself out of the house.  On the way home I was approached by what appeared to be a harmless older lady who asked if I could buy her a cup of coffee.  I usually blow off anyone who approaches me for money, but on occasion I do succumb and dole out some pocket change.  It was a cold and windy morning, so I figured what the hell; perhaps it will be paid forward or backward at some point later on.  I also just had a feeling that perhaps this was the right thing to do, so I took her into the corner bodega to get her the coffee. 

Well my good feeling soured just a tiny bit when the woman asked if I could make it a large cup.  However, it was cold, so in for a penny in for a pound and I said sure.  Having gotten what she wanted again, the woman then had the temerity to ask if I could also spare a quarter.  I got the feeling that if I kept saying yes to her incremental add-on requests, I would soon have her ensconced in my home and wearing a new wardrobe.  At this point the proprietor of the bodega broke in and told the woman that she is not to come into his store again asking for money.  Evidently she had done this before and the owner had enough of her behavior.  My feeling of doing something good was quickly replaced with the feeling of being taken advantage.  I walked out feeling foolish and thinking that buying strangers cups of coffee is not something I should be doing, especially being out of work at this time.

Anyway, I got on with the rest of my day which included visiting my sports physician to work on my left leg which is suffering from a chronic case of shin splints and plantar fasciitis.  We also spent a fair amount of time looking at the MRI of my pelvis and discussing various exercises and therapies I could do in order to correct my chronic saddle area numbness.  We did a bunch of exercises and stretches, all of which felt good.  The increase of heart rate I achieved also helped me to cure my 48 hour headache. 

After the doctor, I picked my son up from school and took him to his first organized track workout.  He was very excited to go and worked hard throughout it.  I could see the effort on his face every time he made it around to my end of the indoor track.  I was very proud of him for his work ethic and told him so after the workout was over.  He expressed how it was hard work and that while he didn’t exactly find it enjoyable, knew he had to do it in order to be better during races.  Putting the time in to practice for an activity he enjoys has always been one of his strengths.  I wonder where he gets that from.

We talked on the way home from practice and I told him how proud I was of him.  He was sweaty and tired and I feared that he would not want to do a 15K race we have planned for this weekend.  I suggested that perhaps we shouldn’t do it if he is tired from just one track workout and that perhaps we should get some more training in.  He was emphatic though that he wanted to go through with the race, so I told him we will, but will see how it goes during the race and don’t need to finish it if he gets too tired.  He was satisfied with that, but was also sure that he would succeed in completing it.

I dropped him off at home and then headed into the city for a sales seminar.  I may start working for a friend in his mature startup company, possibly in some sort of sales capacity so I figured I ought to go.  During the seminar I got very thirsty so search out a vending machine outside the auditorium.  I found one on another floor, but I only had a $20 bill and no small change.  I asked if anyone around the machines could break the 20, when the guy just in front started to receive a bunch of coins as change for the $5 bill he placed in the machine.  He was just about to respond that he could break it, when he decided that he really didn’t want to fish $3 in coins (yes, the water/soda cost 2 bucks) out of the coin return slot.  He told me the change was mine if I wanted to retrieve it.  So I guess my good deed from earlier in the day (the older woman) not only was returned to me, but I also earned interest.  I was actually hoping that my good deed would be paid off with a winning lottery ticket (it still may be as the drawing hasn’t been held as I write this), but I guess that is a lot to ask for a good deed that only cost me $1.25. 

My soda (cherry coke) and I returned to the auditorium, where I refreshed myself with the cool tasty beverage and listened to a very interesting panel.  Hopefully, some of the content infused itself into my now caffeinated and sugar coated brain and I could make a positive business improvement with my life.  I really need to start focusing on this aspect of my life as I have been doing with my recreational/sporting pursuits.  I just need to find something work/business oriented that I love doing as much as my endurance pursuits.

So once again I have registered for the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run.  I had until July of next year to register, but I just could not stand the feeling of being without a big race planned for next year.  It is like I have no purpose in life, without something to focus on.  I feel better knowing that I have something waiting for me.  It gives me a reason to continue training and more importantly, just something to look forward to.  Life is so much more interesting when this is so.  The anticipation of a big event, the anticipation of anything really, is what adds the spice to life.

The big question surrounding this race is whether or not I will be able to get to the starting line injury free.  As much as I love ultra-running, ultra-running does not seem to agree with my body.  I keep getting injured every time I try to go mega long.  50 miles is about the longest I seem to be able to train for without getting seriously injured.  I’ll just have to take it slowly this year and not push myself too hard.

One of the main considerations of deciding to do the VT100 is the fact that I am still not fully recovered from the Furnace Creek 508.  By not recovered, I mean that I have a lingering health problem as a result of the race.  It’s a quality of life issue health issue that I am dealing with and not anything that is actually preventing me from being able to ride or do any physical activity.  Without getting too much into details, let’s just say that I’ve lost feeling in certain parts of my body… Parts which I would very much like to get the feeling back.  So until that feeling comes back, bike riding is off limits for me.

You can see the problem area that is causing my lack of feeling in my MRI.  From what I am told, both sides of the image should be symmetrical.  You can see a black spot on the right side, whereas on the left, a contiguous line appears.  I have no idea what this part of my body is called.  Perhaps if you are a neurologist or urologist stumbling upon these images you will be kind enough to offer your opinion.   So in the meantime, until I get my feeling back, I will just be grateful that I already have children.

Problem Area Photo 1

Well I must say I am feeling hopeful right now. It’s a brand new, cold, clear, calm and crisp day, with the sun shining and everything seemingly to operate normally. This morning I am on the way to see if I can work out an arrangement to work with my friend at his company and later in the day I will be running with a new friend that I met through this blog.

I keep hearing time and again that everything happens for a reason; in person, on replies to blog posts, in books, TV and even on the news. I hope this is true and that the ultimate reasons are benevolent. I’d hate to think that evil forces are controlling my destiny. After all there are a lot of truly bad things happening to good or innocent people. What is the reasoning behind that? I just hope that my family and I don’t get caught within the tangle of the evils forces of fate.

I have no signs of the negative strands today, so I am hopeful that things will go well from here. I just have to wait for the sands of time to fall through its hourglass to see what fate brings. I hope I have some measure of control.

So the other day I came down the stairs of my house only to find my daughter playing video games on her computer.  I am not a big fan of video games; in fact I hate them so much I feel as if my children are being deprived of a bonding experience by my refusal to play them.  I am not unduly restrictive and will let my children play them within reason.  However, when I came down the stairs and saw my daughter playing a video game instead of concentrating on an essay to get into the high school of her choice, I sort of blew a gasket.  This was especially because she told me just a little while earlier, that she couldn’t come out on a run/ride with me, because she had to work on her report.    

I told her that if she has time to play a video game, she definitely has time to ride her bike with me while I run.  She started to howl in protest that she just needed a little break, so I replied fine, you can take your break with a little exercise.  I made her get dressed and ushered her out the door with her crocodile tears still running down her cheeks. 

I didn’t tell her where we were going to ride, but I set out in the direction of Green-Wood Cemetery.  I wondered how long it would take before she figured out that I was going to take her to visit her grandfather.  She didn’t say a word during the entire ride/run over there and insisted on riding behind me the entire time.  I really didn’t care, as long as I could keep her insight.  Along the way I tried to figure out what I would say to her when we arrived at my father’s eternal resting place.

Dad rests in a brass urn that is enclosed behind glass in one of the mausoleums at the cemetery.  The room has a nice comfy bench right before his niche.  My daughter and I sat down before it and were quiet for a moment or two before I began to talk to her.  She mentioned how she missed her grandpa and started to cry.  I replied how I missed him too and was still upset with him for passing away.

I took the opportunity of her mentioning grandpa to tell her that my father would never have let me get away with playing video games when I had an important school project to work on.  He would have taken the game away faster than I would have been able to blink my eyes.  I then went on to tell her that if she wants to succeed in this life she is going to have to be better than everyone else.  There is too much competition in the world.  Everyone is after the same thing and only the stronger, smarter and more willing will be able to get it.  I continued to wax philosophical about how every subsequent generation in our family line, in fact of most generations of Americans, are better off than the previous generation.  However, my fear is that this won’t continue to be true except for those who have a commitment to excel in life that is greater than everyone else’s.

My little speech then moved onto how a strong mind is supported by a strong body and vice versa.  I explained to her the importance of exercise in leading a healthy and happy life and how I feared that she didn’t get enough of it.  I told her to look around at all the people that she knows who are in bad shape and poor health.  This was mostly because these people that we know didn’t take care of their bodies and are now paying the price by having ailments and other disabilities; including her grandpa who has the ultimate disability of being dead.

We continued talking for a while, or really, I continued talking about life in general and my daughter nodded her head in understanding.  She didn’t say much, but I hoped that I got through to her on some level.  I worry that she doesn’t have any real interests or pursue any activities.  She is like her mother in this way, which makes it hard to figure out what to talk about.  A person needs to be well rounded with interests and pursuits in order to be able to converse.  I wish we talked more; it’s just that I struggle to find a common ground with her.

After my little pep-talk, we continued our run/ride around the cemetery.  I wanted to go around Prospect Park as well, but I gave her the choice of extending our trip or heading directly home at the intersection where we would have to decide on the direction.  I hoped she would want to continue on, but she said she was hungry, so I left it at that and took her home.  We will just have to see if the seeds I planted take root and I’ll have to make sure I water them regularly.

For the first time ever my entire family joined me to do the Turkey Trot in Prospect Park. I usually have a nice sized crew doing this with me and this year’s was no exception. My family only made it larger.  We slept a little late and had to scramble to get ready, but we made it to the race site after meeting my crew on the corner of my block with plenty of time to spare.

My daughter ran with my wife and my son, who I affectionately call Beast Jr, ran with me.  Jr was intent on beating some of our friends and wanted to run a good race. We lined up about midway in the pack and started off at an easy pace. I kept checking to see if the pace was too fast by asking Jr if he was able to talk.  He kept being able to answer me in complete sentences, so I wasn’t worried that we were going too fast too early.  We were running fluidly through the first mile and he had a smile on his face the entire time.  We finished the first mile in 10:24.

Running through mile two we were still doing very well.  I made sure that we didn’t start increasing the pace too much and reiterated to let all of the kids that he saw go ahead and pass us.  I explained how they were most likely going out too fast and that we would undoubtedly pass them later on.  I kept coaching him to run his own race and not to key on the other runners around him.  I also explained about cutting the tangents and that he should concentrate on running as short a course as possible.  We made it through mile two in 10:05.

Mile 3 was another negative split in 9:51.  During all this time we were running, we were keeping two members of our group in sight of us.  We weren’t chasing them per se, but did want to try to keep them in sight to see if we could catch them at the end.  We pushed it a bit during this mile and Jr was clearly working hard.  I stopped making him try to complete sentences, but just kept asking him if he was ok, to which he was responding yes.  The smile on his face began to change to a look of concentration and commitment to nail this race.

The fourth mile was done in 9:32.  We were working very hard.  Jr started to make some grunting noises and was clearly getting uncomfortable.  By now he had shed down most of his clothes to just a wife beater t-shirt and a pair of shorts.  I was carrying his arm warmers and long sleeve running shirt.   Runners all around were offering him encouragement and telling him how good he was doing and how impressed they were with his effort.  He would smile through the pain at this and kept moving strong.  Clearly a runner was being born.

The last mile made the entire race.  I explained to him that at some point during the last mile he didn’t need to hold back any longer; there was nothing left ahead for which to save his effort.  He was clearly moaning at this point and suffering.  This was undoubtedly the first time he caused himself to voluntarily suffer for any length of time and I could tell he was trying to decide for himself whether or not this was for him or not.  Our pace during the last mile slowly crept up.  At one point during the last mile I could tell we were beginning a finishing kick a little too early.  We backed it off for a tiny bit, until we go to around a third of a mile remaining.  Jr began to ask where the finish line was.   Soon enough, I was able to point it out right around a turn.  I told him “There is the finish line, the faster you get to it, the sooner your suffering will be over”.  He took off like a bullet out of a gun and I struggled to keep up with him.  We passed dozens of runners.  People cheered and encouraged him on.

He crossed the finish line in 49:12, with an 8:17 split for the last mile.  My boy just started seriously running recently and is already approaching 8 minute miles.  I can’t tell you how long it took me to get to this point.  I am just so damn proud of him.  As we crossed the line he stated how he feels like he has to throw up.  I explained that this is normal after a hard effort and that we need to keep moving and that he should go off to the side if he needed to hurl.  That didn’t come to pass though and we kept walking down the finishing chute and soon enough recovered.  He made comments about how that last bit sucked and that he felt like he was going to die, but he didn’t make any comments about never wanting to do that again.  I think deep down he was very proud of himself and looking forward to the next challenge.

Having my own son run like this and show an interest in it is causing me to rediscover my running enthusiasm.  I can’t wait to get back out there with him again, but I know I can’t push him like I would push myself.  First off, that would be foolish.  He needs time to recover.  Secondly, I must make sure this remains a fun challenge for him.  I want him to come to me to go for a run, not for it to always be the other way around.  I’ll just have to temper myself and hope that he continues to develop as a runner.

So with nothing but time on my hands due to the fact that my now former employer let me go without cause, warning or reason, I find myself with plenty of time on my hands. Fortunately for today, I was blessed with a spectacular conditions in which to run to my heart’s content. I set out with high hopes of running until I passed out from exhaustion.  I wasn’t sure where I was going to go, but I set out into Manhattan and figured I’d decide where to go once I got there.

The run went reasonable well for the first 5 miles, which saw me just off the Manhattan Bridge. Once I arrived into Manhattan, I was struck with a malaise and a desire to just sit down and watch life pass me by. So that is exactly what I did. I came off the north side of the MB and immediately sat down on the median that separates bicycle and car traffic. I felt content to just sit there for hours. I was speaking to a friend on the phone at the time and I explained what was going through my mind. Working through my thoughts with someone helped me get back on my feet and moving again.

I realized that I was probably being plagued by negative thoughts because I was a bit hungry. The mind plays tricks on you to get your body to stop moving or slow down when it feels malnourished.  Of course, I was plagued with more than my fair share of negative thought having found myself recently among the ranks of the unemployed, so my malaise was probably a combination of needed calories and just being pissed off.

I wondered off the median in search of a Red Bull and something to eat. It didn’t seem however that the Chinese are big aficionados of Red Bull as I could find no supply of it in any store in Chinatown. I did however find the most delicious red bean bun in a local bakery. I slowly ate it while I walked towards the East River where I found a bench right by the water with views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. 

I hung up the phone with my friend at this point in order to check my email (Verizon for some reason can’t do voice calls and data at the same time – FAIL) and make some other calls. Nothing of significance came into my email, but I did reach another friend and made plans to meet up in the evening.

Fishing on the East River

I then sat around for a while watching people fish and snapped a couple of pictures.

I am blessed to have perhaps the best son on earth.  A more affectionate, kind and caring child could not be found.  He simply destroys me with his actions and words.  One night while I was tucking him into bed we had the following conversation:

Me:                        “I love you so much.”
Beast Jr:               “Daddy, I hope we both live a very long time so that we could die together.”
Me:                        Stunned into silence, choking back tears, I finally manage to reply “So do I my boy”.

I don’t know why I feel such bittersweet sorrow when he expresses these sentiments.  I guess I just can’t bear the thought of ever dying and leaving him alone.  Nothing can replace the affection, love and caring shared between a parent and a child.  This is why I suppose I prepare for the worst and am challenging myself to become a better parent.  If my children are doing their best at being my children, then it is even more incumbent upon me to do my best as a responsible parent.

I wrote recently about challenging myself to be more, to be happy and to keep moving forward.  I wasn’t being selfish when I wrote that, but I realize now that I also need to do this for my children.  My daughter recently started the interview process for High School selection in NYC.  Those of you who live in NYC and have children know what a chaotic and harsh process this is.  For those of you who are not familiar with it, you should count your blessings.  Anyway, as part of this process they ask my daughter about her extracurricular activities.  She really didn’t have much to say and responded with comments about how she is planning to play tennis and occasionally goes running with her Dad.  I realize now that I haven’t been doing enough to challenge my children.  I guess simply setting the example of leading a healthy lifestyle and challenging yourself to do more is not enough.  It doesn’t help that my wife isn’t into challenging herself as well and my daughter is taking after the parent for which it is easier to model.

Beast Jr is often very willing to go for a run or a bike ride when I ask him to join me.  My daughter does join me occasionally, but more often seems to have a reason why she can’t go.  Perhaps these are legitimate reasons, but I think it is time I took a more active approach in her life.  Sometimes parenting isn’t easy and I truly believe that I will be doing the right thing when I tell her it’s time she scheduled her day so that we have a regular time to pursue a healthy activity together.  I’ve lamented to myself over the past year or so that I don’t spend enough time or do enough activities with her.  It’s high time I started to get more involved in my children’s education, both physical and mental.

So as a follow up to my previous entry, I am not only going to challenge myself to be a happy person, but I am also going to challenge my children to always make more of themselves.  I am going to push them, like I am going to push myself.  I’ll be careful and make sure I do it with love, affection, caring and understanding.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to maintain this course.