Started off the final weekend in October with a night out on the town. Started off at BD's Mongolian BBQ in Cleveland Heights. Always a good time, especially when it's buy one, get one free (get yours simply by signing up here). The Coventry area was packed, but surprisingly we did not have to wait to get seated. Great food as usual, especially since they added some salmon to the mix.

After that, we headed down to the Improv in the Flats for the late night show. We got there early, which was fortunate since the show ended up selling out. Even though we were seated early, we had like the worst seats possible, all the way near the back. Since I paid just as much as anyone else and there were tons of open seats at that point, Kristy & I simply moved up to a closer table for two that had an unobstructed view. I kept waiting for us to get asked to move, but fortunately that time never came. Yeah! Living on the edge! :)

For once, I can honestly say that all 3 comics on the bill were good. I forget the name of the first opener, some young guy who was the MC for the evening who had a funny set to open things up. He was followed up by Nick Griffin, who apparently was just on Letterman earlier this month. He had a very dry sense of humor and a very relaxed approach which is something I always like. He was a great opener for the main act, Bob Saget.

Yes, most of you know Bob Saget as the dad, Danny Tanner on 'Full House', or as the host of 'America's Funniest Home Videos' for all those years. Well, the stand-up comedian Bob Saget is much different than the network TV Bob Saget. Some of you might have seen this other side a few years ago when he had a cameo in 'Half Baked' as a coke addict. To give you a sample of what his set is like, he's a joke he had:

"A lot of girls come up to me now and say "I grew up watching you on TV." To which I reply "that's cool, now you can go down while watching me." (gesturing towards his crotch)

Not quite the guy you remember from 'Full House', eh? His set was full of dirty jokes, potty humor and lots of cursing. It's like all of those years of lame network television left him so repressed that he has to let it all out now. He was very funny, though hard to follow at times since he talked like a mile a minute and often jumped from topic to topic like a kid with bad ADD. He ended the set by doing a few tunes on his guitar, including the song "Danny Tanner is Not Gay", which was set to the music of the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way". If you ever get a chance to see Saget perform, I highly recommend it.

I gave into the reality that winter is coming (despite the great weekend forecast) and signed up for the fitness center at work today. It's not very cheap like one would suspect, but it is much better than the Broadview Heights Rec Center that I had been a member of the past 4 years. It's bigger, cleaner, and has a lot more equipment that is a lot nicer. Also, they have a lot of fitness classes that are free (as part of the membership). I'm interested in trying a spinning class sometime, which I have heard give you quite the workout. I plan to stick primarily to the cardio machines, mixing in some weights only to keep a little bit of tone. I have zero interest in bulking up.

Today I kept it light and just did a 5K on the treadmill. I had a really great run on Wednesday out on the towpath, covering 4 miles in 31:39 (7:55 mi pace) which is a great time for me. But it was cold and my legs were getting pretty tight near the end. I plan to do a lengthy run on Saturday, followed by a bike ride on Sunday to enjoy the nice weather (sunny and 60's in November?!).

As for work, I plan to workout during the week after work. Apparently the peak time of the day is lunch time, but I have no interest in getting all sweated up and then having to clean up and go back to work. Same thing goes for getting up early and working out prior to work.

And who ever came up with the notion that exercise makes you more energetic? Either that's a crock, or I'm doing something wrong because a lot of nights after I work out I feel sluggish and tired much earlier than usual. But I know it's good for me. And going to bed earlier would be a smart idea for me.

Had a nice departure from the daily grind today. My boss took our department (10 of us in total) out to a nice lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, followed by a movie at the local theatre. Lunch was good. There were some good conversations and I learned more about everyone. Since I've only been there a little over a month, I'm still learning new things about my co-workers every day. I had the Thai Chicken Pasta, which was good but nothing amazing (like you would find at an actual Thai restaurant, of which there are quite a few good ones in the area). Instead of having a limited menu of things they do very well, the Cheesecake Factory has a huge menu of things they do OK. And of course no meal there is complete without some cheesecake. Out of the 30+ varieties they offer, I was boring and got the plain cheesecake with strawberries. Good stuff.

Following lunch, we headed to the theatre to see 'Domino', which somehow narrowly won the office vote (my guess is the lure of some Keira Knightley eye candy influenced a few votes) . I think it's safe to say that no one left the movie very satisfied. Knightley plays some rich girl turned bounty hunter (sounds bad already, eh?) who is so good at catching crooks and looking good while doing it that she gets her own reality show. It is based on a true story...well, loosely based...very loosely based (basically the real person was a female bounty hunter, and it sounds like that is where the similarities end). From there on are a bunch of plot twists and some poor attempts at adding humor to the mix. The movie was shot with the intent of appearing "raw" and "hip", but the style over substance approach leaves it falling short in both areas. Not to mention that Knightley's anorexic appearence and tough girl haircut do not do much for me. How Roger Ebert gave this thing 3 stars is beyond me. Sometimes he really baffles me. But I will admit that I did enjoy the movie more than I would have working for those 2 hours. Plus we got to go home aftewards! I can handle that.

Not much new to report. It seems that during the past two weeks it has rained about 90% of the time here in northeast Ohio. This is typically my favorite time of year, but it has been hard to enjoy this year. Hopefully the rain drys up soon and we're able to enjoy a few fall-like days before winter arrives for good.

The change in weather for me means a change in behavior. Instead of being Mr. Outdoors and working out, I pretty much become a couch potato. I did so this past weekend when I watched two movies on Saturday, Jet Li's "Unleashed" and Nicole Kidman/Sean Penn's "The Interpreter". Unfortunately, neither of them were that great. Nothing awful, but nothing I would recommend, particularly 'Unleashed'. It is a really silly premise and I should have known better. So now that it's cold outside, I'll get my money's worth from Netflix once again. Coming up next is season 2 of 'Arrested development', horror flick 'High Tension', and director Gus Van Sant's Cobain-inspired 'Last Days'. I know 'Arrested Development' will be great, but hopefully the movies can provide some quality entertainment.

The weather finally cleared up today unexpectedly, so I was able to dust off the old bike and go for a ride. What started off with the intention of being just a normal bike ride turned into so much more. 35 miles more.

It was a nice cool mid 50's, mostly overcast and I had enough layers on to keep warm. As you can see, the fall colors are very close to hitting their peak, so the scenary was awesome. I would stop every so often to take some pictures (which you can view more of here). Before I knew it, I was down in Akron and even ended up biking a stretch of a couple miles that I ran during the Akron Marathon. After I had travelled over 17 miles south, I finally said to myself "hey, that's really far...you still have to ride back home, remember?"

Well, those first 17+ miles were much more enjoyable than the 17+ back that followed. My thighs felt like mincemeat and my upper back was killing me from leaning over for hours on end. I did manage to make it back without incident, though once I drove home it was a little tough to walk for a bit. But now it's a few hours later and I'm feeling pretty decent.

So the moral of the story is that when you go bike riding, or running, or anything along those lines like I did, if you're going in a straight direction, remember that you have to go back the same distance you go forward to get back to where you started. I was very tempted to change that and call someone to pick me up, but I toughed it out.

One of my favorite places to visit on the web each day is the photo site, Flickr. There are some truly amazing photos posted on there everyday by regular people. I've had my digital camera for about 3 years now, but I've never really taken any "artistic" photos. I seem to have only mastered the art of the snapshot, and primarily end up taking pictures at baseball games, concerts, and of my cat Oscar (who thankfully is very photogenic).

A good way to explore Flickr is to go to this page which shows the "most interesting photos from the past 7 days". It shows 9 images, and then you can just keep reloading new ones by clicking the 'Reload' button in the bottom right corner. It is a worldwide site, so there are pictures from across the globe. It's refreshing to see actual good photography instead of the boring pictures that grace most newspapers and magazines these days.

To see the pictures I have posted on Flickr, go here.

After laying low for a few weeks, I'm trying to get back into running. I did my first post-marathon run back on 10/8, exactly a week after the marathon and I ran/walked about 5 miles just to get my legs moving again. I then took another week off and did another short weekend run, and actually felt worse that time. It felt like I had not run in for six weeks instead of just six days. This past Monday, I tried out the park across from work and while the paved path was short (3 miles) and not very well marked in terms of miles, it was nice to unwind right after work and drive home post-rush hour. The run was pretty relaxed as I tried to keep my heart rate down.

Today I headed back to the towpath and decided to do the equivalent of taking the car out for a spin on the highway after not driving for a few weeks, to get it up to speed and blow out any cobwebs. I finished my first mile in 8:08, and decided to try to do my own little 5K race. I picked it up a little in the 2nd mile, finishing in 7:48. The last mile I really kicked it in, finishing in 7:08, for a total of 23:04. It really helped to loosen me up, though it did drain my energy for a bit. I walked back about a half mile, and then ran the 2.5 miles remaining at about a 9:20 pace. So it was nice to get a good run in finally. I was starting to wonder if I'd have to start over from square one after the marathon.

As far as my ongoing training routine, I'm not really sure. The weather is starting to get cold, and my lungs are not a big fan of sucking in cold air. I plan to join the fitness center at work and hit up the treadmills, but I have trouble staying on those for more than a half hour. I'd love to do a spring marathon (April), but I don't know how realistic that is given the limited training options provided by a Cleveland winter. There is a possibility I might do a 5K in about 2 weeks on the Case Western Reserve campus. And then I might do a half-marathon in a month, as long as I feel that I can do such a long run in the cold.

Don't worry readers, I don't plan to document all my future running endeavors on here, besides any races I might do. I know it's pretty boring stuff. I might start up another blog for myself just to serve as a running journal. I've decided to just leave be My First Marathon, and let it live as a document of my marathon preparation. Since that time has passed, I don't feel it's right to keep adding to it. Hopefully additional first-timers will find it and gain some insight and inspiration like I did reading others documenting their efforts.

Yes, it is true. Today is my birthday. So thank you everyone who sent me happy birthday wishes. I am now 27, and nearing that point where I will just acknowledge my birthday but not broadcast my age. Allegedly this puts me over the hump from "mid-20's" to "late-20's", though I think I should wait at least 6 months before officially conceding that one.

The past year has been a good one. Of course the highlight being the marathon that I spent a good part of the year training for. I also celebrated the two-year anniversary of my relationship Kristy, which is a milestone relationship mark for me. Things are going great and we couldn't be happier. The year also saw me change jobs yet again, hopefully for the last time for a while. Today is actually the one-month mark of being at my new job, and things are going great.

Hopefully this new year in my life will bring about even greater things. I will most likely be (finally) moving away from home this year, which will be quite a change for me. I am also planning to continue running and do at least my 2nd marathon. And hopefully I can take a fun vacation or two along the way.

This weekend I escaped the usual routine as Kristy took me to Put-In-Bay as part of my birthday present. Although it's only about 2 hours west of Cleveland, it really felt like being on an actual vacation. We took the ferry over to the island and walked around for quite a bit (the island is only 4 miles long, so you can pretty much walk anywhere) before checking into our hotel.

We then decided to rent a golf cart (as seen in the picture), which is the most popular mode of transportation on the island. We tooled around for a few hours, checking out the parks and various area attractions. We visited the Heinemans Winery, which has some great wines. After dark, we walked into town and had a tasty lobster dinner at The Boardwalk. We then checked out some place that once held the record for the world's longest bar, where we enjoyed seeing some Chachis trying to mack on the ladies, which is always amusing. It was like a 10-to-1 male/female ratio, so there was a lot of competition, and none of it was good, despite their best efforts. We ended the night with a few hours at the Put-In-Bay Brewing Co. which was a very cool, relaxed bar that brewed their own beer.

Overall it was a very nice, relaxing weekend. Even though we did not go very far, it felt like we were very far from our regular lives. There were no interruptions, no traffic, no internet, no schedules and no rush. It was my first time visiting the island, and will likely not be my last.

Went to the local Best Buy yesterday to check out the iHome stereo from my iPod and decided to pick it up since I had a 10% off coupon. Found it no problem and went to the cashier who was eagerly awaiting my arrival. Of course the first thing out of this teenage girl's mouth is "do you want the extended service plan with that?". But of course, it's not just a simple question like that. It's a minute plus speech about what it is, why I need it and how dumb I am if I don't get it. Despite my 3 or 4 "no" responses, she made it all the way through her spiel unfazed, awaiting my definitive response. And instead of just giving in at this point, she turned to her supervisor, another teenage girl who also tried to sell me the service plan. She was even more bold in her attempts, essentially telling me the product would most likely break in the course of 2 years. So much for quality merchandise. I should have just said "well, if it's a piece of junk like you say it is, I don't want it". But I'm nice and merely responded "no" for the fiftieth time and proceeded in the transaction. Of course they found some way to make my coupon not work. The girl kept pointing out that it excluded iPods, to which I replied it's not an iPod, it merely interacts with an iPod. She then pointed out that the coupon excluded Apple products, to which I pointed out that it was not made by Apple. Finally I managed to escape with my product, vowing never to return there again because these cashiers just keep getting more and more aggressive each time.

I know they're just trying to do their job, but people in retail these days are what make me keep making more and more of my purchases online. If I want help, I'll ask. And "no" means "no", not "hmm....I'm listening....".

I ran across some info that I'm sure a few of my readers will be interested in. One of the greatest movies ever made, the Coen Brothers' 1998 cult classic "The Big Lebowski", is being re-released on DVD on October 18th (holy crap, that's my birthday!) in a special Collector's Edition (see details here). Unfortunately, the new release does not really offer much other than a remastered version of the film, a 'Making Of' piece and some photography from actor Jeff Bridges, aka 'The Dude'.

But in addition to this new release, there is also another, even more special version coming out....the aptly named 'Achiever's Edition Gift Set'. This set features the above edition of the film, along with 8 exclusive photo cards, 4 collectible coasters which include photos and quotes from the film (sure to be a hit at any party), and the crown jewel....The Big Lebowski Bowling Shammy Towel! I know, it makes for a rather expensive towel, but it's a pretty novel idea. And the packaging, as seen above, would look nice on display in any living room.

- Buy the Collector's Edition from Amazon
- Buy the Achiever's Edition Gift Set from Amazon
- And if you're lucky enough to live in or near NYC, go to Lebowski Fest, Oct.21 & 22

I decided to head down to the Cleveland Improv last night to check out one of my favorite 'Saturday Night Live' cast members from the past decade, Tracy Morgan. Unfortunately, he really failed to live up to my expectations. His hour-long set was about 55 minutes of the raunchiest sex talk I've ever heard. It was funny for a bit, but after a while it just got to the point where it was like "is this seriously all he is gonna do the whole show?". And unfortunately it pretty much was. But the opener before him, a very heavy-set black guy from DC (named Bradley something) who claimed he was stoned (and honestly seemed like it) was totally hilarious. It helped improve my mood which was down from enduring my first bad rush-hour experience on my way home from work. My typical 45-minute commute home was doubled for seemingly no reason besides a little rain.

Not really much else planned for the rest of the weekend. I was thinking about doing my first post-marathon run today, but we're in the midst of a 2-day constant light rain that is just enough to keep everything damp. And my rec center membership finally lapsed last weekend and I don't plan to renew it since my new employer has a very nice rec center (which won't help me on the weekends though).


- Found a video link here of one of my favorite Morgan SNL characters.

Today was most likely the last day of 80 degree weather for the next 6 months (except for that random day in February/March that happens every year). While I had a great summer and enjoyed the outdoors more than I ever have, I'm ready for the seasons to change. Fall is always my favorite season with the cooler temperatures, the changing of the leaves, everything apples, baseball playoffs, college football on Saturdays, and Halloween. Bring on the cider and the autumn sweaters.

Still allowing myself to recover from the marathon. I have read that it can take up to 3 - 4 weeks for the body to recover. I briefly flirted with the idea of running in Columbus next weekend, but I don't think that would be a very smart decision for me. So yes, that obviously alludes to the fact that I am thinking about future marathons. Last Sunday (when I was still hobbling around), I started looking at various marathons and planning my next one. I've looked into it a lot this week, and have not made any decisions. As much as I would love to knock another one out in a few months, I first need to find out how much training I can do in the winter. I have yet to try my hand at running in the cold, and I remember it used to be super-hard for me to exercise in the cold when I was younger. I am sure I will do plenty of indoor treadmill work, but there is no way I can see myself doing 8-20 mile runs on a treadmill. My personal best is 6, and that was a struggle. It's just so boring, regardless of whether you have a TV or good music.

Anyways, my body feels mostly recovered at this point. The first few days had some serious muscle soreness (like when you suddenly exercise super-hard one day for the first time after months/years of no exercise). That has since given way to just a few aches and pains, mostly in the knees which had held up surprisingly well before the past couple days. I think I might do a brief run on Saturday. I have missed running this week and am anxious to get back at it. I'm thinking of doing a 5K in 3 weeks, and possibly a half-marathon in a month (again, depending on how my "cold weather" running turns out). So it seems that I have become addicted to running. I guess there are worse things out there.

Well, I made it. Finished the Akron Marathon this morning in 4 hours, 7 minutes and 49 seconds (4:07:49). Here are my split times. Finished right in the middle for my age group (male 25-29) at 27th out of 54 and overall I was 355th out of 786. I'm happy with my performance and it was an amazing experience. I had originally hoped for sub-4 hours, but that gives me a goal for my next marathon, right?

And when you read that "the last 6 miles of the marathon is the last half", that is totally true. I fell behind my 4 hour pace during mile 23 or 24 and it was a battle to not just walk it in. I was only momentarily disappointed, but I knew I was still on pace for a good time if I could get my act together.

Fortunately, I have no injuries to report of. I have a couple of nasty looking toes and just the faint beginnings of a blister on the inside bottom of my left foot. So I consider myself lucky. I started getting a cramp during mile 25 in my right calf (bad timing, I know) but it fortunately went away after a brief stretch and a bit of walking.

I would like to thank my girlfriend Kristy for waking up ridiculously early this morning and driving me down to Akron, cheering her heart out during the race, and being patient while I tried to recover and eventually make it back to the car. Without her support these past 5 months, I would not have been able to do any of this. So thank you Kristy!

I will try to right a more detailed account tomorrow. Hopefully I don't forget all of the details.