I’ve noticed that my diet (which hasn’t been great lately) seriously affects my running..so I’ll be paying closer attention to that this week.

Here’s the training plan for this week:

1. Monday: 3 miles @ 9:54
2. Wednesday: 4 mile speed run (2 @ 7:51)
3. Saturday: 12 miles @ 9:54
4. Total = 19 Miles

Cross training has been absolutely zilch since I started my training…just finding it hard to fit anything more into the schedule. We’ll see how that goes moving forward.

Not even going to talk about weight loss right now (since it’s going in the wrong direction!!). Sigh…

I could not have been more wrong! This was the best race of the year because it is run so well. There are a LOT of people, but they manage them perfectly. No over-crowding. No running shoulder to shoulder for the first two miles. I will be back next year (and so on) for as long as I can make it.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that I ran a PR for a 10K either. My original goal was to run it in a 8:00 per mile pace, but my training wasn’t going as well as I’d hoped so I changed that to around 8:45 by the time race day came around. I finished with a very encouraging  50:32:96 (8:08 pace). If it hadn’t been for a BRUTAL mile 3 I might have hit my original goal…but still very happy!

The atmosphere surrounding this event is second to none. Running through the neighborhood streets in Boulder is nothing short of fun. You never know what you’re going to see: from slip & slides, to BBQs, to music0filled parties, to men dressed as female belly dancers (that one made me pick up the pace!). I can’t wait for next year’s race already.

Here are a few pics from the event…

Me at mile 5

Plugging Along...

The Home Stretch!

Crossing the finish line (Yep, that's me in the red circle)

The first instance of “The Jersey Curse” started with Mr. Jay “Whiny Boy” Cutler. I purchased his jersey just months before “the coach who shall never be mentioned by name” traded him away to Chicago. I was hoping it was a one-time occurrence…but alas it was not. It took a little longer this time, but the curse has claimed it’s second victim…and this time a player I actually respected as much as the team.

The really bad news is that I still have one jersey left…the Cutler replacement. Again, I love the player and I got his jersey because I was SURE it was a safe buy. The Broncos absolutely couldn’t let this guy get away! Surely not. Well, here’s hoping…but it’s not looking so good so far…

UPDATE: The power of a blog!! The same day that I wrote this blog, the Broncos signed Champ to a new four-year deal. Is the curse over??

Trades

• Kyle Orton should be traded while he still has value. I firmly believe Elway’s statements this week are a smoke-screen to increase (or at least retain) his current value. I don’t see them getting much more than a 3rd round pick, but 2nd round would be sweet!
• We should trade at least one of our Wide Receivers. This is the strength of our team and we need picks. Jabar Gafney tops my list of expendables with a good stable of younger talent in the clubhouse. I don’t think we get much for him (maybe a 5th or 6th rounder), but anything will do.

Free agency

• Go get DeAngelo Williams. He knows this coach and this system. Even if we keep Moreno, he’s going to need some support (or better yet…he should be the support for DWill).
• Albert Haynesworth? It’s worth a shot since most of his guaranteed cash has been paid. I’d like to see it happen, but I don’t think it will happen.
• SIGN CHAMP BAILEY!!! We simply cannot let this man go! Give him his contract knowing that he has a couple years left at corner and several more at safety. Franchise tag him if we must, but keep him here!

The Draft

• Defense, Defense, defense…and then some more defense! I wouldn’t be sad if that’s the only focus in this year’s draft (even though I think they need a TE and another OL).
• We have six picks in this year’s draft. I won’t get into predicting each pick (I’m not that sick). Assuming they don’t pick up any other picks (for the sake of argument) here’s what I think their areas of needs are (in order of importance): Pass Rushing DE, Run Stuffing DT, Linebacker, Corner, Safety, Pass Catching TE, Offensive Line (yes,I know that’s seven…sue me).
• I think we should keep the #2 pick and not trade down. Picks are important, but they need to hit a home-run with this pick. They need a play-maker that can come in and contribute on defense right now. Would I cry if they traded down? No…but that’s not what I would do unless the offer is just too good to pass up. It won’t be.
• With the #2 pick I think they should take either Fairley or Bowers…don’t care which one, just get the one they value they most or the one that’s left after Carolina picks.

There you have it…my worthless take on what should happen for the Broncos this year. I must say that I’m once again hopeful for the future…we’ll see how things go though. At least there is hope!

Every single one of our kids was able to pick up the bat and make good (if not great) contact with the ball. They took instruction and applied what they learned with positive results. And throwing the ball was no exception. Each one of them can throw and catch (to one degree or another). They’re naturals. It runs in the family blood I guess (on both sides of the family).

We had a great time together a a family and I’m starting to plan my retirement.  ;o)  We are planning on getting them signed up for t-ball/baseball/softball this next season. They’ll make their GGPa proud!! Watch out world!

Lindsay is playing soccer for her school this year. She loves playing organized sports and she puts effort and heart into it. She’s good at volleyball and soccer. Her team…not so much. They’ve played three games so far this year and if my math is correct they have lost by a combined total of 30-2 (and no, I am not exaggerating). One of the games they lost they actually played two extra players for half of the game (their field is so small they play 9 players instead of 11). The last game they lost to a team with only 9 players…no subs.

And it’s not that the girls aren’t playing hard…they are giving it everything they’ve got. They want to win. They want to learn. Lindsay left the last game crying because she wants to win and get better. But it isn’t happening…and I know part of the reason why…coaching.

The word “coach” is a noun…as in: “One who instructs players in the fundamentals of a competitive sport and directs team strategy.” More importantly, it’s also a verb…as in: “To instruct, direct, or prompt”. Lindsay’s coach has the title of coach, but isn’t taking the verb part seriously. They don’t run drills, they don’t get basic instruction, they don’t get correction during the game. They don’t even get passion.

It’s hard to watch. I don’t want to be one of those parents…but that’s becoming increasingly more difficult with each game. I’ve offered to coach (or assist) in the past for her school and been turned down every time. I don’t claim to be a great coach, but I’d at least be active and help the girls learn along the way. I don’t even really care about the winning part as long as they are learning and getting better (which will often lead to winning a few games).

Frustrating…and not sure I actually do feel better…but I tried.  ;o)

I live vicariously through these athletes that have sacrificed so much and worked so hard for that one moment. I love the patriotism of it all…rooting for your country and against the French. 

These guys (and gals) are so good that the difference between winning and losing is often measured in fractions of a second. That was the case yesterday with Bode Miller. He took the Bronze (in case you weren’t paying attention). What blows my mind is how far away he was from the Gold…0.09 seconds!

Think about that for a second. 9/100ths of a second difference over the span of a course that’s longer than a mile. NBC reported yesterday that that represented about 11 feet difference at the finish line…over the course of a mile! I think if you and I raced from one end of a room to another there would be a larger distance than 0.09 seconds. Incredible!

And it got me thinking about what it takes for the top athletes to get to the place where they are that close at the end. Dedication. Determination, Sacrifice. Discipline. Effort. Training.

And what if we put that much effort into our own spiritual race? Paul says we’re in a race…a race that actually matters…

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?
So run to win!
All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away,
but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.
1 Corinthians 9:24-26, NLT

Are you running your race to win? Are you striving for the “eternal prize”? Are you running “with purpose”? Or are you just shadowboxing?

I’m racing toward the finish line…how close behind you will I be? 0.09 seconds?

After they way they’ve played over the last month plus I’m not sure I wanted to watch another game in the playoffs (OK, I lie…I wanted to see it). Like everyone else, I am sickened and confused by the Bronco’s end-of-year meltdowns, this time with almost an entirely new cast of characters.

But now that it’s over, this is the team we thought we might get at the start of the year. In fact, few people gave them a chance to be this “good”. Most thought my prediction at the beginning of the year (read it here) of an 8-8 season was a fantasy…most thought they’d be lucky to get 4-5 wins. That 6-0 start got us all excited and hopeful that a miracle had occurred.

But the bubble was burst.

Reality set in.

These Broncos are who we thought they were…mediocre.

It was still fun to watch most weeks (setting aside losing to the stinkin’ Raiders and Chiefs!!). And the Defense was better, although I’m not sure how it could have been any worse, and has room to continue to improve. I was a little surprised by the offensive line play at times during the year. The running game never got the traction it needed. And there was too much off-field drama (blame both sides there).

Here’s hoping for a better off-season, a great draft, and a better 2010…we gotta keep the faith Bronco Nation!

Painful.

It’s was hard to watch the Broncos dominate field position, time of possession, yardage, etc, etc (at least in the first half)…and come away with only three offensive points for the entire game. I don’t care how good or how bad your defense plays (and ours is playing very well), if you only score three points in this league you will lose.

I am no offensive genius…heck, I’m no genius in anything…but here are my two major issues with our offense right now:

1. Our Running Game. As in…we have none! How did we go from having one of the most dominant running teams in the league to have no running production what-so-ever? By dropping the zone blocking scheme in favor of a power running scheme. One worked. One hasn’t. We should bring the zone scheme back pronto! We have the coaches (Dennison) and the personnel to run it…so why don’t we? Good question. Don’t have an answer, but I know that a short passing game does not substitute for a solid running game…we need ours back.
2. The Long Ball. I could count on one hand the number of times we have thrown the ball down field…and so can the defenses we continue to face. They know we aren’t going to go long so they don’t have to defend it. We should at least try it once in awhile. You never know…Brandon might even catch a few, or at least get a penalty. Defenses simply don’t have to plan or watch for this part of the game. Orton is no long-ball thrower, but he can give it a try…he just hasn’t been asked to do it (he does everything else he’s asked to do).

Come to think of it…these two go together. The running game sets up the passing game and the long ball helps with the run by keeping the safeties and linebackers honest. They get to cheat right now…and they are calling the bluff (nice poker reference huh?).

Is this team over and done? Not by a long shot. Am I giving up on them? Never!

Out of the next eight games we have four that we should win easily and should be able to at least split the remaining four…which would leave us at 12-4. And even if we split all eight games we’d be 10-6 (both FAR above anyone’s expectations heading into the year).

Up next? The Washington Redskins…that should cure what ails us!

Go Broncos!!!