PV2 Andrew

A lot has happened since my last post so it will take me awhile to catch up. When so many things going on it is hard to keep up with a blog. The first thing I want to post and get caught up with is the fact that my son has joined the Army.

It was a real surprise to me when he decided to join the military. He never really talked about it and I didn't push it too much. A decision like this is a big one and I feel you have to want to do it yourself. It is not a decision to be taken lightly.

When he told me he wanted to join the military I did what any good Army NCO would do...I took him to see an Air Force Recruiter. I love the Army and would do it all over again but it's little harder then the Air Force and you always want something a little better for your kids. Anyway he tested very good and could pretty much pick whatever job he wanted. He was looking at being a Security Policeman and I thought that was the route he was going.

Well I was a work when my wife calls and says Andrew is at the Army Recruiting Office. I called to talk to him and he said that since the Army gave a $20,000 bonus that was where he was going. I said okay but let me get someone to help you. I have a friend of mine who is a Recruiter and I called her to take care of Andrew.

We all got together and I wanted him to go Military Intelligence but he ended up selecting PSYOPS. I can't really tell you what they do because I really don't know much myself. I think they don't even know what they do.

I'm really proud that he selected the Army. I will Retire April 1st so I think it is kinda cool that we will overlap some. The picture is one of my son and son-in-law who also is in the Army. I guess we've pretty much kept it in the family.

Gecko

Today I buried by Little Buddy. He was an outside cat that we brought with us when we came back from Guam. He lived the outdoors and would only come in to eat during the nice weather. In the winter he would spend most of his time in the house sitting on the back of the couch looking out the window.

Last night it got cold and was raining. I looked for him before I went to bed and looked for him again in the morning before I went to the gym. I came home and got ready for work. On the way to work I saw a gray animal on the side of the road that was below our house. I was hoping it wasn't him but when I turned around for another look, I saw the flea collar that we had just bought him.

He was stiffed and there wasn't much a mark on him other then some blood coming out of his mouth. I put him in the car and went back home. I woke up the wife and told her. We got a computer box that has some foam padding in it and I put him in there. The kids got up and we buried him under the bird feeder in the back yard. He loved to sit under the tree and watch the birds as they ate.

I have had a lot of cats but he was a different one. Every time before he would come in the house he would want me to give him a stretch. This consisted of me placing him on his back on my shoulder with his feet and head hanging off my back. He would then want me to rub his tummy. Then he would put his feet behind my neck and have me carry him like that.

He didn't like to be petted much but would purr anytime you touched him. He would usually bit my nose and then lick it. He was a hell of a hunter and killed many animals to include geckos, ground squirrels, birds and many mice. He will really be missed.

Retirement

I have made the decision to finally retire from the Army. After 25 years it is time to call it quits. It's has been a great career and I've had a lot of good experiences. During those years I've been fortunate enough to have been stationed in places like, Turkey, Italy, Germany, and Guam. Places that I would not have been able to go to otherwise.

The only reason that I'm retiring now is that I've found a home here in Pittsburgh. I really love the city and I don't want to move. I've been here on station now for almost six years. The Army rarely allows anyone to stay in one place this long. I know I'm due for a move and I don't want to, so my only other option is to retire.

It's a scary move and now I have to start over with a new job. The pension that I will be receiving is not enough to live on. This has me worried. I know how the Army works and I'm comfortable with it. Working in a civilian job will take some adjusting.

Hazel

I had to change my travel plans. On Saturday, I received a call from my brother that my Grandmother had died. I immediately left for Galax, VA. I travelled on HWY 460 to Lynchburg and then south on I81. It was an uneventuful trip and I arrived after about six and a half hours of travel.

My Grandmother was 92 and was a great woman. I have many fond memories of her.

Pittsburgh to Richmond on a Bike

We are having a conference in Richmond so I thought that instead of flying or driving a government car, I would take the opportunity to ride my bike down. After all Uncle Sam is paying. I also figured that coming back, since I would be leaving late on Sunday - that I would take my time and take two days to get home.

Seneca Rocks WV was one place that I wanted to spend time at every since I first saw it on another drive home from Richmond. That time I didn't have time to do anything other then to stop and look at the rock raising up from the ground. I didn't even have my camera. This time would be different. I not only brought my camera but camping gear also. Can't wait to do some camping and some hiking.

I left the house yesterday morning about 0730 and headed south on I79. I planned on catching I70 in Washington but a couple of things changed my mind. One was that I forgot the EZ Pass for when I70 merged with the PA Turnpike and two There were signs warning of delays on I70. That made my decision to go on down to Morgantown WV and catch I68.

There were a lot of traffic on I79 but once I got on I68 traffic was very light. The Vulcan 500 did very well and easily cruised at 75 to 80 mph and still had some left to make passes when necessary. I debated on wither to follow I70 to DC and then follow I95 south to Richmond or to take US522. The didn't care for the thought of DC traffic so took 522 and then Highway 33 to Richmond. It turned out to be a good decision. The ride was very nice but very long. It ended up taking me 9 hours to travel 400 miles. I made a few stops and took my time but by the end of my journey I was ready for the hotel and a cold beer.

One of the stops that I made was at Blue Ridge Grocery about 20 miles north of Culpeper. I passed it but turned around and went back to it. I was glad that I did. As I took off my helmet and jacket an Animal Control Officer drove up and informed me that the store was only open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays but that he would go ahead and open it for me. Turns out he lives right behind the store and he's the owner/operator. I told him that I would take a pack of nabs and a bottle of pop. It was just like being at home to have someone who knew what nabs and pop is. He went around and came back with the goods but refused to accept any money. He was a very friendly guy. I highly recommend stopping by if you are ever in that parts on a Tuesday or Wednesday.

Oh, and before I forget. I used 6.65 gallons of gas to travel 400 miles for a MPG average of 59.9. Not bad but still costed $29.06. Gas prices really suck.

Birthdays and Anniversaries

Once again July 16th rolls around. Every year is comes quicker then the last. July 16th is a very special day for me. Not only is it mine and my daughters birthday but it is also my wedding anniversary. Today, I turned 42, my daughter 20, and I now have 21 years of marriage. Since I left home at 18, my wife has been with me longer then anyone else. It has been a really great 21 years and I wouldn't trade them for anything. I love my wife now more then ever. She has been a great wife and mother - more then I could ever have wished for. Here's to her for giving up 21 years of her life to spend it with me.

Wedding

Well, today my one and only daughter got married. Her fiance had a four day pass from Sheppard AFB in Texas where he is taking his Advance Individual Training. He came in Friday afternoon but they had to wait until Monday to get married because of the fourth.

Monday morning they went downtown Pittsburgh to get the license. Normally there is a 3 day wait but because he is in the Army and had to report back on Tuesday morning, they gave it to them the same day.

They then came up to the local magistrates office (whom they had both appear to before)and had him perform the wedding. In attendance was Sam's mother, sister, and nephew. On my daughter's side, there was her mother, brother, and myself.

There were married around 1145 and then we all went out to lunch at the Red Lobster. The poor newlyweds only had a few hours together before Sam had to fly out at 1900 to report back to Texas.

Indigo Bunting

Today I saw my first Indigo Bunting. I was biking to work and along the Montour Trail I saw a blue bird chasing a Goldfinch. At first I thought is was an Eastern Bluebird but there was no brown on the chest and the blue was colored a little different. I just looked it up and discovered it was an Indigo Bunting. It is a very beautiful bird and one that I wish I could attract to my bird feeder.

2008 MS Ride to Lake Erie.

I just completed a two day bike ride from Cranberry, PA to Conneaut, Ohio. It was to collect donations for MS. This was the second year that I did it. Last year I did the Century option on the first day and pushed myself hard on both days. This year I rode with a friend of mine at a slower pace and really enjoyed the ride. It was nice to be able to take my time and enjoy the beautiful scenery. For a ride report, I'm just going to copy what my friend Gwen (who also happens to be my Spin Teacher) wrote. She pretty much included everything except for one accident that we saw. Just north of Morine State Park, at the bottom of a pretty decent hill there was a bridge that looked like the surface of the moon. The pot holes were many and deep. One cyclist hit the bridge too fast and was unable to dodge all of the deep pot holes and he flipped his bike. I was told that the bike flipped over the side of the bridge to the road below. The guy was laying on his back with blood running down his head. I was told that his helmet cracked upon impact. Good thing he was wearing one or he would have had a much serious injury.

Below is the ride report as written by Gwen.

We started the ride in Cranberry, PA at 7:30 AM Saturday morning. There were rest stops approximately every 25 miles with plenty of food and water. Day one was the longest and hardest. We had lunch at Grove City which was half way through the first day. The worst of day one was on the second half of the day. I must say a BIG THANK YOU to my friend Gary who stayed with me the entire trip. There were times during the trip that I had lots of energy then there were times that I was almost, I say almost tapped of energy. During the low times Gary would circle his bike back next to me and either tell stories to keep my mind off the hard task or sing Army sing which kept me smiling and breathing!

He was a great mentor and partner for this trip and he deserves a BIG THANK YOU as because of him, I made it!!! He also had a secret stash of "Espresso Love" which I used to get through the last segment of say one which was the hilliest and hardest by far! For those of you that do not know about Espresso Love, it is a wonderful gel like substance that you eat and gives you the boost you did not know you had. He uses this stuff for marathons. The best part of the day was the finish at Allegheny College in Meadeville. Joann and Jimmy were there to cheer us on the the finish line. It was so nice to have them there. What a relief for me that I did not know I needed! Day one celebration included lots of food, drink and massage therapy for the riders. Gary and I got a well deserved message after riding 81 miles. Then Joann took us out for an Italian dinner and a few more drinks. My son tucked me in bed before he left and he was so great taking care of his mother before they hit the road home.

Day 2 started out a little hectic. Gary and I planned to meet up for breakfast at 5:30 AM. We were both at breakfast but at separate dining halls. When I retrieved my bike from the gym, I asked the guard if he knew how many bikes were locked up. He said 2,700!!! Amazing.

The official start time was 7:30 AM. Both days there were volunteers at every intersection guiding the bikers and stopping traffic as needed. We decided to get an earlier start because of the heat. Yes, it was 90+ degrees day one however, there was some overcast so we felt that day one could have been a lot worse. We both did a good job hydrating throughout the day one. We carried water with us on our bikes and extra water in our back pockets of our shirt. We made sure we ate at least a bite of something at every rest stop and drank continuously!

OK, back to the early start. The volunteers did not start until 7:30 AM but they did have directional signs posted so we thought if we started early we could get a jump on the heat. Yes, what you're thinking happened. We got lost early on. One of the directional signs was missing and we missed a turn. Thank God we did not go to far before we realized that we had made a mistake. We got back on track and on with the day. Now day two leveled out and was shorter in mileage, only 69 miles. The rolling hills were much easier however, there was one segment that was extremely hard for me. The sun was shining and the wind was blowing and it felt like a 15 mile climb without relief. Again, Gary came to my aid with motivating words and songs! Just when we hit the last rest stop and I thought I was going to die, someone said only 9 more miles to go. I jumped up and said let's do this and finished STRONG! The last 9 miles were through town and beautiful. People were in there yards cheering us and the town posted signs welcoming us with mileage updates.

We ended in Conneaut, Ohio at Lake Erie! There was a huge party at the finish with music and food.

Oh ya, in the words of Gary, "I think I rubbed all the skin off my ass."

Nuff said.

Go Pens

The Pittsburgh Penguins almost did it. They came two games away from being the Stanley Cup winners. It was very exciting to see them going to the series and winning with such ease, beating the Sentators, Rangers, and Flyers. The expectations were very high and everyone knew we had a great shot at bringing the Cup to the Steel City. Surely our team which consisted of players such as Crosby, Malkin, Hossa, Roberts, Stahl, Talbot, Gonchar, lovable Ruutu, and of course our Goalie MA Fleury would lead us to victory.

But sometimes even the best will have bad games. Unfortunately ours came in the first two games of the Finals against the Red Wings. It was pretty much a wipe out. We bounced back with two wins - one in Detroit - to take the finals to a sixth game in Pittsburgh. It was a very exciting game and was almost tied up in the final second of the game but the Red Wings took the game and the series. I want to thank the Penguins for a very exciting season and look forward to an even better next season - with a Stanley Cup win.

I will add one more thing. Mike Lange rules - Fox Sports sucks

Region 2 Ball

Today me and the wife went to my unit's annual Military Ball. It was the first time we had both dressed up in a long time. I wore my Dress Blue uniform and she wore a dress that she had picked up for the occasion.

I'll say this, it is pretty cool having the kids old enough that we don't have to worry about a babysitter.

Sam's Graduation

Today, my daughter and I attended her future husbands graduation from Basic Training. He joined the Army Reserve and attended Basic Training at Fort Sill, OK.

Another Winter Gone

It was a struggle but another winter is gone and Spring is in the air. Keeping up my running and biking in the cold was a challenge. My age must be getting to me because some of the days I would have run in the past, I passed up this year. Thank God it is finally warming. I'm looking forward to a lot of run and bike filled Summer days.

Good news. I just found out that Annette Bednosky is putting on a 50K that will go right my the farm where I grew up. It is called the New River 50K and will follow the New River Trail which follows the New River from the town of Fries and will follow Chestnut creek to Cliffview where the turn around point is. I really can't wait to do this race. Previously I ran from Cliffview and followed the trail to the Low Water Bridge which I crossed to my Grandma's house. It was about a 14 mile run. The hard thing about it was that I didn't take any water or fuel with me and I suffered from it. Luckily there are some springs located in a few places along the trail. Above is photo taken from the trail looking across the river.

It has been awhile since my last post so I have a little catching up to do. The real big news is that my daugher's boy friend (Sam) has joined the Army Reserve and is presently doing Basic Training at FT Sill OK. He is due to graduate at the end of the month. My daughter and I are planning on attending the graduation. He will then report to Shepard AFB in Texas for 10 months of AIT. I'm afraid a wedding is in the works. They both have talked about it and my daughter wants to live in Texas with him while he attends school. I'm not crazy about it but what can I do?

My son now has a job. He will be working at Ikea. I'm really proud of him because he did everything on his own to get it. He went and got the application and filled it out by himself. I hope he will be a good worker like the rest of his family

Stupids

Sometimes I think I have sand in my head.  Today I ran into work despite 22 degree weather, the blowing snow, and the two inches of snow already accumulated.  This isn't why I think i have sand in my head.  The reason is my choice of running shoes on a day like today.  I wore a pair of my regular road shoes and ended up slipping and sliding almost the whole way.  For some reason I left my $120 Winter Trail shoes behind.  Why, I  don't know.  I mean that is why I bought the things.  I even looked at them on my way out the door.  Just another case of the stupids.

 

The run itself was good - except for the shoes.  I was reminded of what it feels like when a big snowflake hits you in the eye.  It kinda stings.  The only big change I had to make was to be more observant of oncoming vehicles.  With slippery road conditions there is always a chance that a car may slid into you.  When I was stationed at FT Polk in 1985 we had to run no matter what the weather - rain or shine.  Then one of the Signal Companies had a car slide into their formation while they was running.  A Soldier was killed and that was the end of running in formation on FT Polk in bad weather.

 

Cheatriots

The Eagles almost did it and so did Baltimore but both came up short, so I guess it is up to the Steelers to kick the shit out of the Cheatriots and that goddamn Tom Brady.

It was cold and snowing this morning with a wind chill in the teens. I needed to run 6 - 8 miles but couldn't bring myself to run outside today, knowing that I would be run outside tomorrow on my way to work. I decided to go to the local gym and run on the treadmill. I ran a total of six miles at a 8:30 pace with the third and fifth mile pushed up to a 7:30 pace.

It was a good run but I was reminded as to why I hate treadmills so much. It seems like you are in a time warp because time moves so slowly. Also, there it seems like you really aren't going anywhere - which you aren't - no matter how fast you run. Treadmills have always and will continue to be used by me when there are no alternatives.

50K Fun Run

The other day I received an email from Rick Freeman who is the RD for the Laurel Highland Trail Race saying that he received my entry fee.  I guess I'm officially committed now.  I've been wanting to do this race for two years now but something always came up. Now if everything works out I'll be toeing the starting line on June 14th.  I really can't wait.

 

He also invited me participate in a 50K "Recovery" (from the Holidays) run on January 5th at Upper St. Clair's Boyce/ Mayview park just outside of Pittsburgh.  This just what I needed.  I needed something between now and the Bel Monte Endurance run in March to keep me focused on my training.  I'm really looking forward to the run.  Upper St. Clair isn't far from my house and I'd love to see what the trails are like there.  As much as I love running at RCSP it would be nice to mix it up a bit.  The run takes place on a ten mile loop with some people doing one, some two, and others all three loops.  I plan on doing three - if they don't mind waiting for me.

 

The run into work to day was very nice.  The air was a cool 24 degrees with a clear sky and very little wind.  I wore my lycra spandex long pants for the first time this winter.  I also wore my white nylon - spandex long sleeve shirt under my Brooks bright green shirt.  I also carried the larger of my two CamelBaks.  I had worn my uniform home yesterday because on Fridays is called Steeler Day and we can wear civilian clothes until the end of football season.  The only requirement is that the shirt must reflect a football team.  I carried one of my runnings suites and a grey Steeler tee shirt in my CamelBak.

I felt really good and tried to take it easy knowing that I had a 18 mile run to do tomorrow.  I've noticed that the hills are getting easier and the run isn't as hard, nor does it seem to take as long as it once did.

 

 

Run to Work

Had a very good run into work today.  The temperature was 27 degrees with a clear sky and no wind. I left home at 0640 and the sky was already starting to light up.  I wore spandex shorts, running shorts, a long sleeve shirt, a bright yellow NB over shirt, Army grey stocking cap, and black gloves.  It was chilly starting out but I quickly warmed up as I climbed the first hill.  I felt strong and was glad to be running off all of those calories that I inhaled during the Thanksgiving holiday.

 

As I was climbing up the hill on Beaver Glade road, I meet a bicycle commuter on his way down the hill.  It was only the second time in the three years since I've been running/cycling to work that I meet someone else commuting to work.  I just don't understand why more people don't do this, especially with gas prices at $3.15 a gallon.  I know that some people can't but there are a lot that can.  And for those that can't then why don't they carpool?  As I ran in today I made a note of those cars with more then one people in them.  It was a very, very low percentage.  There was also few passengers on the buses that I saw.  What will it take for people to start to conserve our resources?  I remember in the 70's during the gas shortage there were actually ads in the papers where people was looking for people to carpool with and there were some people who was featured on TV who rode horses to work.  I think the problem now is that even though gas prices is high there is plenty of it.  It would be different if there was a shortage and the lines at the pump went around the corner.  Maybe that is what we need to get people's attention.

 

When I was stationed in Guam we was hit by a Super Typhoon.  Yes there is actually something called a "Super" Typhoon.  We had sustained winds of 165 mph with gusts up to 180 mph.  Anyway, while the typhoon was hitting the island a gas storage tank was hit by lighting and caught fire causing a major gas shortage on the island.  There was no gas at all to be had for about ten days.  As people started to run their tanks dry they would drive to the gas station and line up (see photo).  They would leave their cars parked in line.  With no gas, bicycles became a hot item.  The Giant bicycle shop sold out very soon after reopening and thefts of bicycles were rampant.  You would think that after having to commute on a bicycle, that some people would continue the practise once gas became plentiful but this wasn't the case.  As soon as the gas stations started to sell gas, the bicycles were stored to rust away and once again the roads became crowed with gas guzzling SUV's and pickup trucks. 

 

I guess bad habits are hard to change.

Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving and I have a lot to be thankful for. Sunday night I got a dreaded phone call from my daughter saying she was in a car accident but that she was okay. My wife and I quickly dressed and drove to the accident scene. She was driving in the left had lane of a divided four lane (HWY 60), going north and had dropped her cell phone. She reached down to get it and drifted to the left onto the warning strip. She got scared and over corrected the car, causing it to spin across the road and down a 120 foot bank, taking out one post of a speed limit sign in the process. Amazingly the car didn't roll. Everyone who saw it, from the State Troopers to the tow truck drive said that it should have rolled over. The only damage to the car was a little piece of plastic broken from her right rear quarter panel. She had no injuries other then being scared. I really hope that she has learned that a car is no toy and to take driving serious.

Also, today my son and I went for a short two mile run. About two days ago I caught him reading one of my running books. I asked him if he wanted to go run with me. He said that he didn't care. When he says that it means yes. While I was stationed in Guam he ran with me some. We did some 5Ks together which was a lot of fun. That was in 2003. Now he is 17 and has a lot of other things on his mind then running with his ole' man - or so I thought.

When he got up this morning I asked him if he was ready to go running. I expected him to say no, but to my surprise he said yes. The weather was cool with a sprinkle of ran but it didn't discourage him. We got dressed and drove down to the parking area of the Montour Trail at Mile 6. I told him that I would be running with him and to run a slow and easy pace. He had not run very much other then in the fall when he did conditioning for soccer. After we started I noticed that he was running at a rather quick pace. I doubted that he could keep it up for the whole two miles so I told him that it was better to start out slow and finish fast then it is to start out fast and finish slow. He replied yes when I asked him if he could continue the pace the whole way. We ended up hitting the one mile mark in 8:20. I figured that he would slow on the way back but he picked it up and we ended up finishing in 15:25, which would give the time for the last mile at 7:05. While we didn't set any records I was impressed because my son had not done any running. The next step is to get him to do some races with me. We'll see.

RCSP Loop

Today I had planned on making a trip to Seward PA which is the location of the finish line of the Laurel Highland Trail Race. I was going to do a run of about 16 miles - eight out and eight back, just to get a feel of the trail and to see what I could expect come June. I had everything packed last night and was ready to go this morning. The only thing was it was raining this morning and it was a cool 37 degrees. I would have hated to drive an hour and a half only to find out it was pouring rain. I'm committed to training but I'm not crazy.

I decided instead to drive up to to my old standby - the 20 mile loop at Raccoon Creek State Park. After driving up there and parking by the lake it was still raining. I told myself that I would skip running today and make up for it tomorrow when I would run to and from work. I pulled up to the T - intersection and stopped. If I made left I would be pussing out and go home. I decided to make a right to the trail head of the Heritage Trail. I got out of the car and started running figuring on just doing a couple of miles to see how things worked out. After I started running the rain let up just a little. I then started to sweat some so took off one of the two long sleeve shirts I was wearing. My plan then was to run to Highway 18 and if it was raining hard then I would cut the run to a 10 mile loop. If the weather started to corroborate I would continue on the loop and do a 20 mile training run.

As I crossed Highway 18 I knew that I was going to do the 20 mile loop. I really wanted to do the loop because this year I had not done one due to my injury and this could be the last chance for this year.

It turned out to be a good decision. There was just a sprinkle of rain and the weather was cool enough to be good running weather but not cold enough to be uncomfortable. The trail was damp and in some places really muddy. It was so muddy going down one hill that I almost wiped out. I have run many miles on trails and have yet to take a fall. This was the closest that I have come. I was going down a pretty steep hill and I ran into some mud which was hidden under the leaves. I was going pretty fast but every time I tried to break I would slide, so I just had to move my feet that much faster. The end result was that faster I would go, the more I would slide and the more I would slide, the faster I had to go. Things were pretty hairy for awhile.

I ended up doing the 19.5 miles in 4:01:39. I felt pretty good until the last couple of miles then it felt kinda rough. I had a Cliff Bar at the halfway mark and then a Chocolate Gul at the 15 mile mark.

Fair Weather Running

Today I went running on the Montour Trail. It was good running weather - 36 degrees, cool and cloudy. I had planned on running 20 but because I had a pretty hard run yesterday and tomorrow I promised my wife I would run with her, I decided to just to 16. On the weekend, the trail is usually full of people. There are people running, people walking dogs, and of course people on bikes. It amazes me the number of people who only exercise when the temperature is above 70 degrees. The best running weather - at least for me - is when it is between 30 and 40 degrees. Today I had run 12 miles before I saw the first person and another two miles after that before I saw the next. Fair weather runners don't know what they are missing