Time with friends & Summer... and deep thoughts

Hot temps last week meant play time in the water in the backyard.  We have a couple sprinklers, but Summer loves her water table.  She would fill up a bucket and pour it on the garden plants.

Saturday morning Summer and I went for a run.  This is a new record for longest stroller run.  The wind was against us at first and that stroller is like a sailboat.

We had some friends come up to visit on Saturday night.  We had a lot of fun.The other two guys are my good friends from high school

Sunday was a great day for grilling... with the exception for the wind.  We went to visit more friends back near Dayton and we could watch the airshow a couple miles away.

Lot of sun to start yesterday and I challenged myself by adding another camera to my augmented reality live shots.  The other big challenge is the sun and taking the reflector on the far left and aiming at the spot I will be standing and setting both cameras to the right lighting setting since I was shooting the video all by myself.

The Good Day Garden is doing FANTASTIC! Tomatoes are getting big and so are the two zucchini plants.  Hopefully the beans come up soon and are not destroyed by the geese.  I do not think we will be able to get cucumbers because they keep killing those.

I’ve done a lot of reflective thinking lately. Instead of spending spare time on two wheels, I’ve spent more of it on two tethers or in my two running shoes. I’ve toyed with the idea of selling my motorcycle. I’ve been very careful to observe the driving habits of other drivers and noticing more and more distracted drivers. Especially in urban traffic. It only takes one person not paying attention and that could end my life or someone else trying to enjoy a ride. So instead of getting a ride in lately, I take Summer for a run, spend as much time as I can with Dawn, and learning to relax. I’ve reflected on the health and blessings I have and those around me have. Laying in the hammock is one of my new “happy places.” Maybe it’s because I see Summer’s eyes light up when she watches me get it out of the closet to go hang up. Anyway… Look twice for those out on two wheels…motorcycle or bike. We live in a digital age and our attention span is so short today, but longer today than it will be tomorrow.

Lots of sun today with a few clouds and a very, very slight chance of rain popping up later today, but most of Central Ohio will likely stay dry. More clear skies tonight and tomorrow with clouds building later in the day with warmer temps. Continuing to warm with some isolated showers and storms possible Thursday and Friday with a better chance of rain on Saturday. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Darke County visit, Columbus Pride, Gardening

I went back to Darke County last week with Summer.  We had a GREAT storm when entering the county.  I miss watching storms roll in over the farms.

Summer got to see her great grandma.  We hung out with my grandma for a while and it was great catching up with her. 

Friday I watered the garden since the rain was likely going to hold off until Sunday and some of the plants were looking dry.

Saturday we walked in the Pride Parade with the station.  So many happy people.  It was toasty, so we didn't hang out at the festival too long.

We stopped and got some Mexican food in the air conditioning.  Summer was loving the salsa.

I ended up watering the garden Saturday night as well.  I staked up all the plants as well and it was good that I did that because we had some gusty storms late Sunday and Monday. 

Speaking of Fathers' Day... I got a treat! A relaxing day with strawberry shortcake! YUM!

Lots of sun today with a few clouds later with comfortable temps and low humidity. A slight chance for rain tonight and Wednesday with isolated showers and storms. Temps heat up on Thursday with partly cloudy skies. Scattered showers and storms on Friday and Friday night that may linger into Saturday. Another round of rain possible Sunday. Cooler temps return next week. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Summer's 2nd birthday

Summer turned 2 on Saturday and her birthday party was a big success. My grandpa came up as well and it was great to have all the friends and family together.

She didn't understand why everyone was singing at her, but she did ask for some help to blow out the candle.

The ice cream and cake went over better this year and she LOVED the sugar.

AND!!! She started wearing sunglasses.  She would always play with our sunglasses and she was given a new pair that fit her and she loved them.

We went to the zoo on Sunday and the breeze was very nice since it was 90° and humid.

More scattered showers and storms today with a Marginal Risk for some gusty storms to become severe. Temperatures will climb to near 90 again today and humidity will stay high as well. Isolated rain will linger overnight then more scattered showers and storms on Thursday. A brief break in the rain for Friday for most of us, however more scattered showers and storms for the weekend and staying muggy. Slightly cooler temps return next week with highs in the lower 80s. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

I ran a marathon!

I was going to be hard to miss on the course for Youngstown's first marathon.  I was jittery on Saturday night before the run, but focused.

I TOTALLY forgot that Thursday was my parent's wedding anniversary.  I talked to my mom about an hour helping her plan their trip to Youngstown.  Got to see my parents 4 times downtown which worked well since my wife and other family and friends were on the other part of the course. I did hand off my parents the anniversary card at mile 9. That was pretty cool to do. Luckily it fit in my pocket the first 9 miles.  I put it in a bag so it wasn't sweaty.

I had an upset stomach the night before, but Pepto seemed to do the trick. I knew the second half would be hilly so I banked some time early. Had to do one quick restroom stop at mile 7, but only lost about a minute and eventually caught back up to the pace group a few miles down the road. This is one of the only photos taken during the run that I could find online, the only other photo...

Was taken during the last 100 yards of the 26.2 miles. Course stayed pretty flat til the half. Then some ups and downs that were steep. By the 17 mile the 3:45 pacers started pulling away. I was fine with that. Enjoy the run. By mile 18 I was walking short distances (mainly a few hills) and then running. Luckily a local runner was doing the same. He said “Let’s play tag for the next 8 miles.” So if one of us caught up to the other then it was the other’s turn to push us on. By mile 21 I made it to the final big hill climb. I had planned on walking most of it since I ran up to it. My wife, her family, and friends were at the top. Gotta save face… so I ran. It killed my legs, but I did it. My tag buddy couldn’t keep up at that point. (Seeing them at the top of the hill likely pushed me to my under 4 hour goal)

The hills were BRU-TAL! Big thanks for all the family and friends who came out. Finished in 3:57 for the inaugural Youngstown Marathon. They said it would be the most beautiful marathon in the country and the course did not disappoint. Very shaded and lots of beauty. Only 198 Full Marathoners.


The final 4 miles were brutal and mostly flat. Small hills here and there and I was taking in as many fluids as possible. I neared the finish and then the 4:00 pacer passed me and I said “Hell No”
I kicked it into gear and finished strong and a few minutes under the 4 hour mark. I ran back along the course after saying hi to my family then I needed to tag my buddy and tell him to go get his medal. He had a smile from ear to ear. 

So much gratitude for the volunteers because 90% of the run was in the park and they did a great job directing us on all the turns. A couple more water stations near the end would have been nice since it was around 80°.

Dawn has been my rock through the training.  She willing gave me the sweatiest hug EVER after the race.  She has put up with all my stories and hearing about all the running. Love her so much.

I made sure to get a photo with all of my family and friends when we got back to the hotel. Love them all.

I took Monday off to "rest" at home with Summer.  Going down stairs is a bit of a challenge still, but slowly getting around. I probably should take today off, but it is Global Running Day, so I will probably go out for a short, slow run.  

Spotty rain the next few days with cool temps. Enjoy the cool temps before the hottest temps of the year arrive this weekend. Mostly cloudy today with spotty showers and highs in the mid-upper 60s. Rain takes a break some overnight then more spotty rain Thursday with partly cloudy skies and temps back in the mid 70s. Warming up more Friday with a slight chance for rain. Temps warm up more through the weekend and staying dry. 90s are forecasted for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael