The Married Life: Anniversaries

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Blair and I don't exchange gifts for birthdays, anniversary, or Christmas. We never have. It's not for a lack of love. It's just that, frankly, if I want a sweater or a bottle of perfume, I'll go out and buy it and likewise for him. We count the trips and vacations that we take as our "gift" to each other for the year. 

We do exchange cards though. In fact, the first three years of our marriage, we gave each other the exact same card. The first time it happened, we laughed. The second time was like, "Wow, what are the chances?" And year 3, we were like, "C'mon... c'mon..."

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An Ode to Blair

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I feel bad for Blair. This week is a fun one for me, with congratulations and accolades flowing in for my Boston qualifying time (that's not the part I feel bad about - keep 'em coming). But few people realize the behind-the-scenes dedication of family and friends that make such a run possible. These people receive no kudos, even though they should. 

I'll start with my family.

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Chicago Marathon 2009: The Full Recap

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As tradition dictates, here it is. My Chicago Marathon 2009 recap. And ah-waaaaay we go!

PRE-RACE

To qualify for Boston, I had to run under a 3:45:59. I’d trained all summer on the Furman program for a 3:45 finishing time, but still wasn’t sure I could do it. I felt pretty confident I could hold the pace until mile 21 but didn’t know what awaited me after that. I told only a few people I was trying for Boston and told everyone else I just wanted to break 4 hours. I do better mentally if I know I’ve lowered people’s expectations and can surprise them with a big win…

RACE DAY

The first thing I did was slice the back of my right ankle open with a razor while shaving. Vanity, vanity…

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