Dinner Prep

This morning's Boulevard Bolt, a five-miler down scenic Belle Meade Boulevard, was exhilarating in several ways.

First, running pal Meredith showed she's a strong runner. I expected we would finish in about 50 minutes, staying on 10-minute miles. We ran the first mile in 10:30, dodging the crowd and avoiding a turned ankle. As the crowd spaced, we ran the next mile at about 9:20. She felt great so we kept up the trend in perfect weather - 38 degrees and very low dewpoint. The last three miles, we averaged about 8:40/miles. Final time ... an impressive 45:40. Great job, ML!

I felt like I ran at 85% or so. It was a good workout and just terrific fun. I saw 15 TNT-ers dressed as reindeer, with the lead TNT-er dressed as grandma. She was not run over, I am told, by the herd. I also saw about 20 friends and acquaintances, including Cousin Becky, Jarron the marathoner and Dori's former nurse practioner Carey.

After an apple and some fluids, I cleaned up and visited Chuck at Vanderbilt Hospital. Chuck, Dori's AML soulmate, relapsed last week. The whole thing has been difficult for him and his family, to say the least. Dori also has been impacted, as have I. Cancer just pisses me off. I enjoyed the time with Chuck and his family, and am keeping them in my constant thoughts and saying special prayers.

We're off to Nana's in a few. The entire menu, which I'll probably describe later, has been set. This is my favorite holiday, by far, but my excitement has been tempered by the recent news. I expect I'll light up when I smell the food.