Running... remember? It was that thing I used to do.

Recently it seems my running has dropped off nearly completely. A few weeks ago I had a nasty experience of vomiting, depleted electrolytes and possibly some mild dehydration following a 13 mile run. In the days following that run my legs were fine. No aches, pains or soreness at all. What gave me continued problems was my stomach.

Back when I was a sophomore in college I was diagnosed with acid reflux and GERD (I forget now what stands for). Prescription medications calmed my stomach down over the following year. I went off the medication and for a couple of years I was fine with only sporadic incidents of heartburn.

More recently, in the beginning of June I actually came down with a severe case of stomach flu (should have wrote about that during my unexplained June hiatus) that involved lots of vomiting and a trip to the emergency room to replace the fluids I lost via IV. Ever since then my stomach has not calmed down. I have been waking up in the morning with heartburn having eaten nothing before bed the night before. The pain has sometimes continued through the day. I also end up feeling nauseous about half way through eating breakfast, which limits how much I can eat.

The doctors are sending me in for some tests because I do not have the typical risk factors for such problems they are observing. This all has me fairly discouraged. If I can't eat it is difficult for me to refuel and replenish my body. I don't know how to safely replace electrolytes without aggravating my stomach. Gatoraid may have been responsible for setting off my stomach at the completion of that 13 mile run.

Anyway, it feels like I am just making excuses for my self. I need to get out of this rut and get some discipline back again. I have already counted my self out of the Rochester marathon because I have not been able to log the essential mileage for racing such a distance.

Perhaps discussing such things in an open public forum will force me to get my ass in gear.

We're on a road to nowhere.

Greetings!

I am traveling on a road to nowhere for this weekend because for once I am not traveling somewhere. During the past three weekends in July I have traveled to Buffalo for my cousin's wedding (see the picture from the previous post) and traveled to the Thousand Islands for a weekend getaway at a cottage my parents rented. Most recently, my travels have culminated with Emily and I circumnavigating Canandagua Lake, tasting wines along the way and staying at a Bed and Breakfast on the way. Is it any wonder I am content with doing NOTHING this weekend!?

So let's start with the wedding of my cousin Matt and his now wife, Emily.

The wedding went very well. It was on the fifth of July which meant hot weather. It was fine that it was hot because the reception was held outside.
I can't remember the place where they had the wedding but I do remember that Emily and I thought it was very nice and had great food. Not like we were taking notes on wedding ideas or anything. ;-) It was also nice to see my brother and his girlfriend that weekend, (and my parents and family too).
As it turns out, Emily and I would be seeing my brother and his girlfriend and my parents at the cottage in the Thousand Islands again the following weekend. You would think I would have gotten sick of them, but we managed to avoid getting on each other's nerves (for the most part). It's hard to get on people's nerves when you are in such a relaxing and beautiful area of New York. I would love to share pictures, but unfortunately my camera seems to be undergoing some malfunctions preventing me from removing pictures. (GRRRR!)

The only thing that marred that trip was a little rain on Sunday and the fact that following a 13 mile run I did up there I ended up getting sick with some vomiting and a mild depletion of my electrolytes. To much protest from my family and Emily I have since went back to a doctor to figure out what is wrong with my stomach. I have a history of acid reflux problems for some reason. Right now it is continuing to make it difficult to run. I'll fill you in on that more later.
Last week, Emily and I went on a trip in which we circumnavigated Canandagua Lake. We stopped at wineries along the way for tastings and pictures. Above is the mansion at Sonenberg gardens.

The gardens were nice even though there was not too much in bloom. It was very HOT! Within the gardens were a few statues that oddly looked like they were peeing into fountains. There was also a fair amount of unclothed statues.Ain't she a stinker! ;-)

Here is a beautiful but hazy view from the southern end of Canandagua Lake. Even though I was reluctant to spend a night at a Bed and Breakfast I enjoyed it a great deal. It was very relaxing and an interesting experience to socialize with the other couples (most of whom were older and getting away from their children). I wouldn't mind doing it again actually.

So you now see why I have been silent through the month of July.

Hmmmm... maybe I should consider shopping for a ring.

Yeah... that's my girlfriend in the sexy black dress plucking the bouquet out of the air at my cousin's wedding. Ehhh... maybe she is hinting at something. ;-)

Congratulations Matt and Emily, I wish you many happy years to come in married life.

There's no better way to celebrate yourr nation's independence than by blowing up a small part of it! (With fireworks of course)

So I am averaging about one post per month. Those stats are not so good! I have had some requests from friends to keep posting the random adventures and experiences we have been having. With the summer months upon us, my continued training for the marathon and my new job it's hard to find time to write.

Recently I had to say goodbye to my friends Erin and Tim who left Rochester to search for jobs in Boston. I wish them the best luck in that. Now I have more reason than ever to post since a few more friends are now out of town.

Today I just want to wish everyone a happy Independence day and encourage you all to reflect upon the great country that our courageous founding fathers have created 232 years ago today. I certainly hope you don't take on the unamerican attitude of this bastard who to my amazement published this article in a Philadelphia newspaper.

Sorry about that... I just had to inject some of my recent inner rage.