Back to Fog City

"One day if I do go to heaven I'll look around and say, 'It ain't bad, but it ain't San Francisco." - Herb Caen

I love San Francisco.  Anybody who knows me has heard me talk about it.  My fascination with the city by the Bay started long before I ever traveled there.

A picture is worth a thousand words... so here's like twenty-thousand words to tell you about my latest visit!








.... more to come!

Wrigley Field

There's no place quite like this place.

Orange chicken

There is a new Chinese restaurant in my neighborhood!

Being Peace

"I like to use the example of a small boat crossing the Gulf of Siam. In Vietnam, there are many people, called boat people, who leave the country in small boats. Often the boats are caught in rough seas or storms, the people may panic, and boats can sink. But if even one person aboard can remain calm, lucid, knowing what to do and what not to do, he or she can help the boat survive. His or her expression -- face, voice -- communicates clarity and calmness, and people have trust in that person. They will listen to what he or she says. One such person can save the lives of many.

Our world is something like a small boat. Compared with the cosmos, out planet is a very small boat. We are about to panic because our situation is no better than the situation of the small boat in the sea. You know that we ahve more than 50,000 nuclear weapons. Humankind has become a very dangerous species. We need people who can sit still and be able to smile, who can walk peacefully. We need people like that in order to save us. Mahayana Buddhism says that you are that person, that each of you is that person." - Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace

Setbacks and Faith

"Faith: you know your gonna live through the rain

Lord you got to keep the faith!" - Bon Jovi

In life we all have setbacks that challenge us and keep us from reaching our goals. I was almost two weeks into my running program when my knee started to hurt. I should have gone to the doctor sooner. Well, the news isn't terrible - I have bursitis and/or tendonitis in my left leg. This is most likely because my hamstrings are too tight, so I've been given a prescription for physical therapy to help loosen them up. For the next two weeks I need to take it easy on my leg and switch to biking or swimming instead of running. I am still going to run the 5k in May because I know I can do it. Sometimes when things seem difficult in life, we just need to keep the faith and know ourselves. I will do it!

Last night I went to see Bon Jovi with Tolu. This was my early birthday present from her. We watched Bon Jovi power through a set list of 26 songs for almost three full hours of ROCK from the front row of the upper deck at the United Center. I sang along to almost every lyric of almost every song, having been a hardcore Bon Jovi fan for nearly 27 years. Last night we were able to set all our problems aside and be the happiest people alive for a few hours. Thank you Jon, Ritchie, Tico, and David for entertaining us with such enthusiasm. This was the best Bon Jovi show I've seen in years! I love Chicago, I love Bon Jovi, and I love the people in my life who support me -- you know who you are... thank you!

"Faith: don't let your love turn to hate

Right now we got to keep the faith

Faith: now it's not too late

Try to hold on, trying to hold on

Keep the faith!" - Bon Jovi

My Knees...!!

"You can fuck with the Gods, but you can't fuck with your knees." - Bikram Choudhury

I don't know if it's the new shoes or pushing myself too hard... or just getting old... but my knees are not cooperating with me since my Sunday, February 27th run. I put in 3.25 miles on the treadmill and had some pain walking home. The next morning I could barely walk! It started to feel better by Wednesday so I went on another run and put in 1.8 miles on the lakefront trail. Ever since that run, I have been resting because I can barely walk - let alone run. This is extremely frustrating for me as a beginning runner because all I want to do is get back out there and push it.

I picked up a gel ice pack with a compression strap and some elastic bandage so I can start icing more effectively and applying pressure. This way I can apply "RICE" (Rest Ice Compression Elevation) and hopefully recover from the pain. I've made an appointment with a sports doctor for tomorrow so I can make sure it's just overuse and not something more serious. I am also hoping the doctor can recommend either a change in running style or a better pair of shoes to fix this problem. Hopefully they don't just say, "your body just wasn't made for this, dude!"

New Shoes!

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill

On Friday I did my last run with the old shoes... after work I picked up my friend and we went to the running store so that I could take a few pairs for a spin on their treadmill. They helped me pick out a pair of Nike Zoom Structure Triax+ 14's ... they are so comfortable and extremely light weight. They are also Nike+ ready. This means there is a socket under the sole to place a small plastic sensor that will transmit data to a wristwatch that I have. It will track time, pace, distance, and calories burned for each of my runs. I can then detach the watch face and plug it into the USB port on my computer to transmit this data to Nike, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

I went for my first run with the shoes on Sunday, before I bought the wristband and transmitter. I put in 3.25 miles on the treadmill because it was raining. This morning my LEGS HURT!! I couldn't run this morning because it was just too painful. That's what I get for pushing myself... but the pain is already almost gone so I should be back on the path tomorrow morning.