Been A While

Well, it has been a while since I last added to my blog, so I thought I'd "check-in".

I started off May by running the Cap City Half Marathon.  My fitness level, which dropped after running the Columbus Marathon last fall, does not seem to have fully recovered.  I'm not real discouraged by that though.  I was able to run the entire Half Marathon without walking, and with a respectable time.  I've still got a full marathon training schedule planned for the summer in preparation for the Virginia Beach Half Marathon at the end of August, the Nationwide Children's Hospital Half Marathon in October and the Big Sur and Space Coast Half Marathons in November.  Along the way I've got a few more out of state races that I'm scheduled to do and am looking forward to the traveling that will come with them.

This past weekend the Burkhardt Family had their annual reunion/cookout.  As always, it was a good time.  A time to see family that we usually only see once or twice a year, and catch up.  One thing you can be sure of at ANY gathering of Burkhardt's is that the food will be plentiful and it will be good.  This year was no exception.

I remember as a kid, the highlight of every summer was the family reunion.  We would head to the location early and secure the shelter house.  There were a lot more family and extended family there then, but the Burkhardt's always knew out to put out a spread.  The cookout now is an extension of one of those traditions that you hate to ever see go away.

This week at work is one that we tend to look forward to coming and look forward to ending both at the same time.  It's Memorial Tournament week in Dublin, Ohio.  The Memorial is an event on the PGA tour.  It's interesting how each year we tend to get complaints from residents about the traffic and parking in the area.  Even long-time residents seem to complain, as if this hasn't been going on for over 30 years.  But overall the week usually goes smoothly and we get through it unscathed.  It's almost down to a science now.  Early in the week, it's still pretty tame.  It'll be later this week, when play actually begins, that our activity level will pick up.  We'll get the inevitable loud noise complaints, parking complaints and dealing with those who overestimate the amount of alcohol their bodies can handle.  

Then in a couple of weeks I'll spend a week at my second job teaching a class at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy in London, OH.  The following weekend is a trip up to Minnesota and Wisconsin for a couple 5K runs, visit some family, attend a German-American festival and do some quick site seeing around the area.  Those two runs will move me up to 16 states completed in my quest to run a race in every state.  In July I'll add #17 with a 4th of July race in Bloomington, IL.  In August I'll tack on #18 when I head to Virginia Beach and #19 will come in November when I head to California for the Big Sur Half Marathon (which, interestingly, is not run in Big Sur).