First, it never felt so good to get home after Alaska. To see Dick, sleep in my own bed and not worry about riding in the rain. As I've said a number of times the trip was well worth it and rewarding, but I was ready to be home.
The following weekend my best friend Tiffany came into town for a
fun filled weekend. We did the Muddy Buddy and the LaPorte sprint triathlon two days in a row. The Muddy Buddy is this 5 mile race that is done as partners and one 'buddy' runs while the other 'buddy' bikes through a mtn bike terrain. You leap frog through the race doing obstacles along the way. We managed as Tiffany would hold my running leg as I biked and she ran and then we would 
switch real quick if there was a hill I couldn't get up. No doubt we were quite the comedy show. It wasn't competitive so w just had fun doing it. At the end you crawl through this mud pit, more like a pool of mud and get absolutely covered in mud. See pictures...The sprint tri was my first triathlon where I did swim, bike and run on my own. It wasn't easy but I did finish at my turtle like pace. Tiff, my boss Dave and another friend Sara all did it. Dave stayed with me through it all even though he could have lapped me by the time I was done. It was a 3.4 mile run and I finished it all
without stopping so I was proud of myself.The next adventure was the Chicago Air and Water show. I was selected to skydive with the Golden Knights into the show and represent the Wounded Warrior Project. I jumped at the chance and it may have been one of the coolest things I've ever done. I went tandem with a Golden Knight on my back. We jumped at 13,000 feet and had a 30 second free fall. I'm
convinced it's called a free fall because you feel so free up there. The feeling of being above the clouds, jumping out of the plane with Lake Michigan below you and landing on the beach of Lake Michigan...wow..I can't really say too much more other than it was the experience of a lifetime. I understand how people can get addicted to the rush of skydiving. It is incredible, I'd do it over and over again...
This weekend will mark another first for me. My first attempt at an Olympic Distance triathlon, the Chicago tri. A 1 mile swim, 26 mile bike and 6.2 mile run. I've been training for the past few weeks but my few weeks of laziness after Alaska won' help me on Sunday. The swim will be fine, the bike I'll finish at my slow pace, but it's the transition from bike to run and the run that I'm a bit nervous about. My furthest to date run is 4 miles. And even though my running has dramatically improved and I'm becoming real fond of it, 6.2 miles after that bike ride, won't be easy. I know I'll get to the finish line. My goal of 4 hours may be a stretch and realistically 4.5 may be a better estimate but I'll just see what I can do. There was a short news piece on last night and follow this link if you'd like to see it. CBS Chicago triathlon
I have been home much more this past month and I've been loving it. I did one quick trip to NJ to speak to the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore which was a good time. Since Ive been home more, I've been at work more, and even though there's never much down time, I really enjoy it. Out patients are awesome and it really is rewarding to work with them.
Dick is well on his way as a 3rd year med student doing hospital rotations. He has completed pediatrics and currently busy delivering babies on his OB/GYN rotation. I don't think he'll choose either of those as a specialty but good to get the exposure.
I'll let you know how this weekend goes. We're still 2 days out and I already couldn't sleep last night. I just want it to get here already.
