Let Me See That Tilly Roll!

So after reading another chapter of Harry Potter and downing a 4 oz bottle (supplemental to feeding with Megan) at 6 AM this morning, Matilda was just being about as pleasant as a plywood peacock (which is very pleasant for those of you who don't know). She was doing a great job of holding her head up and looking around, staring at me for extended periods of time, and smiling. Since our last tummy-time session was less than productive (she fell asleep), I decided to capitalize on the moment. Carpe diem. That's when Matilda decided that it was time to take things to the next level.

I put her down on her stomach flat,
but she was not content at that.
She looked around, from left to right,
and rested briefly before the fight
began to push to her to one side
(so proud was I, I nearly cried).
She looked to me and then she plopped
on her right side, and there she stopped
but for a moment, and with one push more
she rolled to her back, then out the door!
I jest, I jest. She out no door
did roll. She stayed there on the floor.
But on this the Seventh day of October,
Matilda rolled.

I tried to get her to do it again with the camera rolling, but she ain't no hobo painted white with some tin can on the streets of San Francisco waiting to do "the robot" (i.e. she does not perform if you throw money at her). She ain't no Comcast either (i.e. she does not perform "on demand"). So alas, I did not get any pictures of the roll. But fret not, faithful readers. I shall prevail.

I'm so proud of my little girl. She's such a good sleeper, eater, gasser, looker, and now coo-er and roller. She makes some of the cutest cooing noises when she is happy.

And she's proud of her daddy! Megan told me so (she acts as a translator for me, since I do not speak babble). I just finished my second marathon this summer. I ran it down in St. George on Saturday, October 4th. My goal was to finish under 3:30:00, and my official time was 3:29:08. In my first marathon (San Francisco - August 3, 2008) I had run 3:37:31, so I cut just over 8 minutes off my time. I'm confident that with a little more training and dedication, I can cut another 19 minutes out and qualify for Boston. My goal was to run Boston in 2009, but with the lack of marathons left that I could use to qualify for Boston between now and then, and the lack of money to enter and travel to those marathons, I am now shooting for the 114th Boston Marathon in 2010. Giddyup!

A special thanks to my High School buddy, Mike Nelson, who gave me this awesome lime-green t-shirt at the expo Friday night. It says "I am a real runner!" and refers to his running, social-networking site realrunners.com. Check it out and set up a profile. It also helped Megan pick me out of the crowd at the Finish.

It was funny how many people liked my beard. Quite a few spectators along the course shouted out, "Go Beard-Man! I like your beard!" I bet they just liked that my hair was dark and my beard is red. I wonder why it is that virtually no runners have beards? Is it because those with a body-type which is better for running have less testosterone?

P.S. For those of you familiar with my nipple woes after the San Francisco Marathon, I have to give a shout out to my brother, James. He magnanimously bought me both a sleeveless and long-sleeved compression Under Armor after seeing my suffering. Donning the long-sleeved version, even though it rained the whole 26.2 miles, my nipples came out of the ordeal unscathed. Many other men at the finish line were not so lucky. For you Office fans out there, Andy feels my pain.

Maybe I should send Andy some Under Armor. After all, he did go to Cornell.

P.P.S. During the last mile of the St. George Marathon, I did not think that I could finish without walking. That was my other goal, to not walk other than to go to the bathroom (at which point I could slow to a walk). As mentioned, I did not think that I was going to make it.

I began taking things mile by mile. I'll walk when I hit 20 miles, I thought to myself. Then I made it to 22, 23, 24 and 25. I had nothing left at that point - physically, mentally, emotionally. I've heard it said that no matter how well you train for a marathon, the last three miles are all inner strength. I testify that is true. Then the guy next to me said, "Think of people less fortunate than you. Think of people in the hospital, or in Iraq. Dedicate this last mile to a loved one." I decided to do the latter, and dedicated the 26th mile to my loving wife, Megan, and my daughter, Matilda. I could not have finished as strong as I did without remembering Tilly's smile, or all the amazing experiences Megan and I have had together in our 21+ months of marriage. And then they were there at the Finish line, cheering and waiting in the rain. It gave me that extra boost I needed.

What an experience, this marathon. I highly recommend it.

And a final word of praise for Megan - she began running on Monday. She said she only wants to work up to a 5k, but I'll have a marathoning family yet. You are doing great, Love!