GO BABY GO

24 DAYS TO GO
JUST RAN 7 STRONG
PARKBENCH PUSHUPS
PUNCH THE SKY
CAGED LION NOW
WAITING WAITING
STRONGER STRONGER
IT'S THE HEART OF A
IT'S THE HEART OF A



That's my theme song when I'm training for a marathon. No doubt about it. Nelly time. I will play that over and over on my Nano in my Nike sportband while I run. "Free Bird" over and over, too. These are amazing times. My total focus is on my position with MLB, working an October that is the greatest month of the year bar none. In the morning I'll be off to Philly by train, and then work Games 1 and 2 vs. the Dodgers and then fly back to LA for the second time in a week. I may be there up to five nights, and I have scheduled my final LONG RUN for Sunday morning on an LA beach TBA -- probably Huntington Beach.

The ING New York City Marathon is on November 2. It is so close now I can feel it. I am visualizing the race route on a frequent basis. I know the areas where I will battle myself, and I will push myself over the Queensboro Bridge at Mile 16 and then up the long First Avenue straightaway to get to The Bronx for Mile 20. I will do whatever it takes, I will keep thinking about my form, I will have the HEART OF A CHAMPION with me the whole way.

And I have to give some major props to my high school junior who is sacking quarterbacks like they are going out of style. He literally threw one kid (term used loosely; these are big, strong, corn-fed Midwest dudes) off the field and over to the sideline on a tackle. When he was just learning to walk, he used to brace himself against my leg and open his mouth so I'd give him scoops of my ice cream. Ha! I smell a college football scholarship now! Gotta brag about these guys when I can. My oldest is on the Dean's List as a finance major in college, learning golf, and my youngest is kicking butt as a freshman and about to try out for freshman basketball. They rock. Dad is trying to show them how it's done, and my playlist is definitely better, but honestly I am getting training tips from them. :)

Next stop Philly. Tapering my training and on course for a 4:50 marathon time and constant and never-ending improvement in life. That's what it's all about!