Married In Ohio

Longtime readers will recall that California Girl and I have a tradition of running in the Cincinnati Flying Pig Half-Marathon which is always the first Sunday in May (today). This year was our sixth. We didn’t have the opportunity to train as much as we would like because of the long cold winter; but we still did OK. We did not like the course as much as in years past (too much concrete) but it was still a fun run. We both still find it amazing that we have a tradition of running 13.1 miles. California Girl’s hips are a bit sore; so she’ll probably take a couple of days off. I’ll do my normal workout on Monday albeit a little slower than normal.

We’re not “fitness nuts”; but we really feel a sense of accomplishment for participating. It would be all o easy to stay home, lie around, and watch TV. The course is very hilly, so it would be a good workout, even if it was shorter. We’d like to run a full marathon together some day; but Ohio is not the ideal location. Summer days can be hot so races are usually in the early spring or late fall which greatly increases the chance of rainy and/or cold weather. It was a bit cold at post time today; but not nearly as cold as it has been in some of the past races.

I think that it is good that California Girl likes to run with me. It would be much harder if I had to do everything by myself. I need the workouts a much more than she does. I think her genes are way better than mine. We’re going to call out for a pizza and celebrate our triumph. As the saying goes, it was good day.

The temperatures hovered right around freezing with a wind chill of 23°F. Not the best weather for The Girl’s first soccer game of the “spring” season. The field had patches of partially frozen mud between tufts of still dormant grass. But it was still outdoor soccer. So, she and her teammates put in their Under Armour underneath the game jerseys and took the field. They were happy to be playing again.

It was cold for the parents on the sideline. We could have used some cold weather gear ourselves. Even though I was shivering in the wind, I was glad to be out there. I always enjoyed watching the kids compete. But, now that The Boy’s high school athletic career is over; I have an even greater appreciation of how precious games days are. It’s still two years away; but it doesn’t seem nearly as far as it once did. So we need to enjoy them while we can.

The Girl is on a new team this spring yet she has still been able to make her mark. Despite playing a new position she’s still been a major contributor. In fact, The Girl was instrumental in two of their victories this weekend. Things come easily to her on the soccer field. She has no idea how rare that is. Maybe she’ll understand it one of these days.

In case you were wondering, they brought back the first place trophy. She’s got a lot of them on the mantle. But, I think this one will be one of her favorites.

January
HNT was suspended for a week.
I finished a major milestone on a project I was doing at work so I came home early and made a movie to celebrate. It’s funny how sex helps us celebrate our victories and drown our sorrows.

February
Celebrated the two year anniversary of Married In Ohio.
The Boy’s wrestling team won the league championship. The Girl scored a hat trick (three goals) in soccer for the first time in years. California Girl and I really enjoy kids that are good athletes and good students.

March
Got a new car. Discovered it was good for other things besides transportation.
Posted our first and only book review.

April
Watched one of the darkest days unfold on a college campus in recent memory.
Got out and about (for sex) for the first time in the new vehicle.

May
Had some fun both inside and outside of the car.

June
More sex in the great outdoors.

Married In Ohio was offline for four days while we were on vacation and enjoying life in the 3-D world.
Went over 1,000,000 visitors.

July
California Girl started completely shaving her pubic hair.

We were able to get in the pool and relax over the long Fourth of July Weekend.

August
It really started to sink in how The Boy’s final year in high school is a series of highs and lows.
My favorite view of California Girl.

September
We’ll always be Bengals fans regardless of their record.

Had a reason to do the Snoopy dance.

October
Watched The Boy win some iron in cross country as well as run his final cross country race.
Changed to an even shorter hairstyle.

November
Sparked quite a bit of discussion in comments and emails with our Have We Thought… post.
Posted our first higher quality video.

December

Didn’t have sex under the Christmas tree this year but had a wonderful substitute.

Made a digital photo frame (Flash slide show) of many of the year’s Two for Tuesday photographs.

The cross county season is long over and The Boy is now focusing on wrestling; so this post is very belated; but I still wanted to mention that he was first team all league in cross country. As I posted about earlier, the team finished the season with some unfinished business; but it was still good to see The Boy get some well deserved recognition. For me, the thing that is most remarkable about him athletically (cross country and wrestling) is the way that he always answers the bell. He may not always come out on top; but I’m never left saying “if only”. To win, his opponents have to beat his best effort. His determination and mental toughness have enabled him to do well in sports despite not being the best pure athlete. Those traits should take him far in life as well.

I received a note from someone recently saying that the email I sent explaining the rest of the story to No More Next Year somehow ended up in their spam filter. So, if you requested to know the rest of the story and did not get an e-mail from me, please send me another email or leave a comment or shout.

P.S. How about the Buckeyes?

I have always said that sports are a great teacher for life. Unfortunately, The Boy got a great life experience on Saturday. I know that he is just a teenager and has almost his whole life in front of him; but I did not like seeing him disappointed; especially after working so hard. Life isn’t always “fair” and sometimes, things don’t work out through no fault of your own. It has happened to me a lot over the years. But that didn’t make it any easier to explain to him. And, when you’re a senior, there’s no more next year.

I remember how happy everyone was that his wrestling team lived up to expectations and had a great season last year. It seemed like a given; but, as we found out on Saturday, when you’re dealing with teenage boys, anything can happen. I know that is sometimes the case. I just hate that there isn’t anything that I can do about it.

Hopefully, this post wasn’t too nonsensical. E-mail me if you want to know the rest of the story.

I could not resist posting boasting about The Boy being one of the top placers at the league championships for cross country on Saturday. And he set a PR! His high school running career is nearly over so it was good to see him do well. I’m proud of him. The first thing that he did when he got home after the meet was put his award on the mantle. His all league award for wrestling is his favorite; but this one is a close second. Winning isn’t everything but I still enjoy watching him be successful because of determination and hard work. I think it’s a very good lesson for life.

The Boy’s cross country team finally brought home some iron yesterday. And, in addition to the team trophy many of the runners got individually trophies too. Yesterday was the best race they have run all season by far. Despite the usually warm October weather and a challenging course they were able to run well. They’ve been on the verge all season long, so it was good to see them finally break through. And the best thing about the season is that they have exceeded everyone’s expectations except their own, their coach, and their parents. What many expected to be a “down year” is actually something that they can look back on in the future and feel very proud of. It’s amazing what can be accomplished if you believe in yourself. Plus, the season is not quite over so there is a chance for more good things to come.