Yes, I'm Still Alive...

Has it really been almost a month since my last blog?  Wow, time flies...

Well, no doubt I've been remiss -- both in my blogging and my running.  Moving and starting a new job with a wife and baby is pretty time-consuming!  

In short, all is well.  Pooh and Monkey are both doing wonderfully, and so far we love the VA/DC area -- we've almost completely moved in (only a few boxes to go), and I started work again last week.  Going to be some long hours on this one...they don't mess around in The Big House.  Regardless, we've found a bit of time to do some "touristy" (is that a word?) things:

Better yet, we found a great sandwich shop (called Firehouse Subs), with great sandwiches and brownies...little Monkey was a BIG fan:

Unfortunately, my running has really declined...simply no time...but as we're getting settled, I've gotten the chance to run from work a few times.  It will be outstanding -- excellent running here in DC, and I can't wait to explore a bit more.  Monday starts my training for the Seattle Marathon, so I'll have to increase the mileage in a BIG way.

Last bit of news -- a writer for RaceCenter Northwest magazine actually read my blog, and contacted me about it...they've now written a 2-page article about my running the Seattle Marathon with my buddy JD, and it will appear in next month's issue -- I'll post a link if it's in the online version.  I saw a read-ahead copy of the article yesterday, and I think it turned out pretty good!  Finally, I start chemotherapy round #8 tomorrow, so your thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated, as usual...I'll keep you posted!  

I'm Back!

Greeting! Thank you so much to all of my blogger buddies who checked in on me during the move -- you're so thoughtful! Being relatively new to the blogosphere, I somehow thought then when you don't blog for a while, folks just sorta stop reading your blog or forget about you...on the contrary, I found that I got as many comments when I wasn't blogging as when I was. So many people asked about the move and everything else...this blogger community is truly that, a community.

The move is nearly complete. After 3,128 miles of driving, most of it with a wife, baby, and 21-pound cat, we arrived in Alexandria, Virginia on 28 June. I checked in to work shortly thereafter, and the movers showed up with 12,200 pounds of furniture and books (mostly books) on July 2nd. Now, I'm living in a sea of boxes -- it's quite an adventure! I must say, this is my 13th move in 35 years, and it doesn't get any more pleasant or any easier. I'm not sure how many more of these I can handle! Fortunately, we really enjoy our new place, and love the area. If any of you are ever in DC or Alexandria/Springfield, please let me know!

In other news...I started my seventh round of chemo a few days after we arrived, and finished last night. Yesterday was a rough one, and I spent most of the time curled up on the sofa feeling pretty miserable. Or neighbor is also a runner and triathlete, so we've already had a few discussions on the topic -- he invited me for a quick 4-miler (he runs sub-7, so I'm not sure how much running we'll be doing together), but I just wasn't feeling up to it. I feel a bit better today, and actually made some progress opening boxes! I also finally got my new Garmin ForeRunner 405, and I love it so far. There is still a learning curve and I haven't figured everything out yet, but I think I'm going to love it. Thanks Momo for the good advice on the ForeRunners!

Between 12-hour days of driving and chemo, I haven't gotten many runs in...one in Cheyenne, on in central Illinois, and one here in VA...but I'll start putting more miles in as I prepare for the Seattle Marathon in November. I'll post more later...with ForeRunner screenshots! Yeah! Thanks again to JK, Streak, Jen, Alili, Stronger, and everyone else who checked in on me during the move...we made it! You all are awesome! More soon...