Two Months Passed

I realize now that my life is considerably less interesting when medical anomalies are not occurring. That being said. the past two months have been active. In March, I did some light work travel. I found myself in Columbia, South Carolina, and in our old homestead of Charleston, South Carolina. While in Charleston, I had the opportunity to run across the new Cooper River Bridge. I had run a few 10k races across the old bridge.

It was as bad to walk or drive across it as it looks.

The new bridge is amazing in its construction. It has a 1 mile uphill climb and a sloping 1.8 mile down slope.

It has some great views of Charleston from the top...
And a sidewalk for pedestrians...

On the way home, I stopped in Charlotte, North Carolina. It's a little known fact that I spent my freshman college year at UNC Charlotte. I snagged a few pics of my first college dorm...Moore Hall. Overall, not a very impressive place, but the home of some great adolescent debauchery.

Before leaving, I stopped at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was too late to go inside, but the track is really impressive, even on the outside. (but you can't tell that from these pictures)

Also in March, I ran the Monument Avenue 10k and posted a PR of 51:03. I had a different goal this time. Rachel started 4 minutes ahead of me and I wanted to catch her before the finish line. I did. Right at 5 1/2 miles. We crossed the line together holding hands. (Don't tell Bright Room I "borrowed" their picture)

Work really ramped up in April and maintaining a healthy balance between work and home was exceedingly challenging.

I went to DC for 2 days to lobby our Congressmen and Senators for health care-related subject matter. It proved a very educational trip after visiting the offices of Senators Warren and Webb, plus several Representatives, including House Minority Whip Eric Cantor. Though none of the actual politicians were there (Easter break), I enjoyed talking with their Legislative Assistants and getting our company into the fray that is health care reform. I took a few pictures as we went along, trying to look more like a politician and less like a tourist.

The US Capitol as seen from the Cannon House Office Building

A poor shot of the inside of the Cannon House Office Building

Also in April, I also took a nuclear stress test (no photo documentation). Dr. Newton said the test confirmed what he thought. Slight scar on my heart, but not effecting blood flow in any way. He conditionally cleared me to run the Richmond Marathon in November. Only one last thing to do...wear a heart monitor 24/7 for 2 weeks. He wants to know what my heart does when I run 10 miles and throughout a normal day. I've been wearing it for a week and a half. Glad that the end of this experiment is in site.

Now that we're into May, I find myself doing a little more travel. I'm writing this now from a hotel room in Portland, Maine. Next week I'll find myself in Virginia Beach for 2 nights and then in Bethesda, Maryland, for a single day expo the week after. In between, we'll be celebrating Mother's Day, my mom's birthday, my wife's grandmother's 95th birthday and our 7th anniversary. Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway) there's a lot going on in May.

Portland is a cool town. It aligns with what you imagine when you think of a New England fishing town. I took a running tour this morning and snapped some photos along the 7 mile route I took.

This is from the pier that runs along the waterfront area. There were several fishing boats moored here. According to the lady at Three Sons Seafood, this is lobster season as well as king crab season. That means, the filmers of Deadliest Catch are on duty.

This one was loading up and preparing to head out for the day.

Though my camera didn't produce the same perspective I had, I thought this made for an interesting picture. In the foreground is the small seafood company trying to survive in this economy. In the background, the giant bank building looming over the tiny business, keeping a close watch on its investment.
Portland has a typical quaint New England look to it. Most of the buildings are made of brick. Sidewalks are brick and many streets are cobblestone laden. The streets are lined with local shops, restaurants and businesses. There is no proliferation of national chains here. In fact, I only saw 1 Starbuck's the entire time.

But just as it is quaint, it is still a city with some of the typical city amenities like tv stations, parking garages and a gloomy city-scape view and hills...lots of hills.

I enjoyed my visit to Portland. Got a glimpse of local culture and shipped home some lobster and shrimp for our dinner tomorrow night. Only $7.00/lb. here. Even with shipping, it's cheaper than buying it in Richmond.