Final Test Schedule From Hell.

So around the middle of October I check the final exam schedule to see what my last week of school is going to look like since all of my professor's stated that the final is mandatory. I am taking 6 classes so that meant 6 tests. No big deal I thought until I realized that all 6 of them were in a 24 hr time period. One on Monday night and five on Tuesday.

I knew that every University has a policy that allows you to reschedule your tests if you have so many within in a certain time period. So I go and look online and can't find anything. I call the department office, they can't find it. They refer me to the business school office, they can't find it either. Next is the student services office.................! I end up talking to the President's office who took my name and number and told me they would call me back. About an hour later I get a phone call from the Senior Provost for Academic Affairs. The conversation as I remember it goes like this.

Me-Hello
Provost- Hello this is Dr. so and so. Sorry.
Me- For what?
Provost- It appears we don't have a policy limiting how many finals you can take in a day.
Me- Your kidding
Provost- We thought we had one, but apparently we never "Put it on the books".
Me- Then I am supposed to do what?
Provost- Don't worry we will take care of it for next year.
Me- How does that help me this year.?
Provost- Uh......it doesn't. Try asking your professor's to let you switch
Me- I already tried that. I wouldn't be calling you if I had worked it out.
Provost- Then good luck!
Me- Wow

Apparently I attend the only University in the state that will allow you to be schedule for 6 tests in 24 hrs that each count for at least 40% of you overall grade. Hey at least I got a policy change out of the deal. Maybe I should cut out that section of the 2007-2008 catalog and put it next to my diploma.

White Rock Surprise!

So in my last post I stated that I would not be able to attend the White Rock Marathon this year. Well things can change quickly. On Saturday the day before the race Dori calls around 2pm and informs me that the WONDERFUL bride had chosen not to require me until around 3pm on Sunday. That meant I had all morning to run the race!

The only problem was that I had not gotten my bib number because I figured I wouldn't need it. I had to work until 7pm that night so I could not make the 6pm cutoff time. Well my awesome Dad drove out to Dallas and got it for me. FYI I have a great family.

The morning of the race GandaMan and Nell rode with me out to the race so it was an enjoyable ride plus we got a great parking spot thanks to my tiny car. I was so excited to be at the marathon because I really didn't think I was going to be able to participate. Nell stuck with GandaMan and myself until about mile 6 when she had to duck into the relay exchange zone to pass of the baton to Donaldo, GandaMan's Dad who was the next person in her relay team.

GandaMan and I had an understanding that neither one of us would feel an obligation to stay with the other. That being said, neither one of us really pulled away from the other for most of the race. We train together so we naturally run at about the same pace. Around mile 8 we started to enter the White Rock Lake area. This is the longest part of the course where you are basically running around the lake for about 10 miles. The great part about this is that there isn't very much traffic. The bad part is that the lake can get a little old after about 5 miles.

We made it around the lake feeling pretty good. GandaMan had just finished running a sub 4hr marathon at Marine Core about a month ago so he was still in great shape. He had flamed out at White Rock the year earlier around mile 17 so he enjoyed flying by the 17 mark still feeling great. I on the other hand had fizzled around mile 14 of the White Rock the year prior and ran a 5hr+ time. Needless to say I was just happy when I hit mile 14 with no pain or major fatigue.

I have started to figure out something about my body on these long runs and marathons. I don't like gel shots or sugary sports drinks after a certain point. It seems as though my body can only take the sugary intake for so long before it begins to tire of it and I actually begin to feel sick at the though of taking another one. Well this happened to me around mile 16 of the race and by mile 21 I was beginning to feel the consequences. I was afraid if I actually had a gel or more than a sip of Gatorade that I would throw up and really lose all my "fuel".

To make a long story short, I told GandaMan goodbye around mile 22 and watched him dash of for the finish for what would be his new PR. I then reduced my pace to stave off any cramps that might cause me to miss my goal of 4:15. Miles 22-25 were really slow, probably around 13-15 minutes each. I hit mile 25 at around 3:57 and realized I better pick up the pace to give myself some breathing room in case my watch was off from chip time. I ended up cruising across the finish line at 4:05:12. Well below my goal of 4:15 and light years ahead of last year's time of 5:05:53. Wow if I keep that up then I should run a 3:05 next year and qualify for Boston..........yea right!

At the end I caught up with GandaMan who looked incredible. The guy acted like he was ready to run another marathon. I on the other hand was suffering because of my lack of calories. My brother has diabetes so over the years I have spent many days checking my blood sugar with him. If I had checked it at that moment it probably would have been below 25. For those of you who don't know, that is incredibly low and actually borderline dangerous. I really didn't care at the moment though because I was just glad to be done and pleased with my results. Nell gave me a yogurt smoothie which tided me over until we stopped and got Braums on the way home. I was on a time crunch because I had to be at the chapel by 3 to shoot the wedding with Dori. For the sake of time I decided to eat lunch while I was taking my post race bath. As strange as it may be, that was a great experience. Feeding my completely empty stomach while relaxing my overworked muscles.......I can't wait till Cowtown so I can repeat the experience. Maybe I should find a hot tub.

FYI: My goal at Cowtown is going to be sub a 4hr.

White Rock Bummer

So I have been training for the White Rock Marathon for about 5 months now. The race is this Sunday and guess what....... I won't be running. My fiancee and I are photographers and there was a little miscommunicationbetween us,probably mostly on my part. We have a wedding scheduled for that day at 11:00, and unless I can run a 2:30 hr marathon I won't be able to "Run The Rock". Considering my personal best has barely been under 5hrs, I don't think I am going to be able to run that fast. So now the goal turns to the Mardi Gras Marathon or Cowtown Marathon. I am hoping for Mardi, but if things don't work out the Cowtown is an option.

James Kim

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of James Kim. His tragic death trying to save his family has had a surprising influence on me. Normally you hear about a story like this and by the time 24 hrs has passed it is already forgotten and old news. Strangely enough I personally felt a connection to the man that only the Internet can bring. These "Internet Stars" or personalities are only a click away everyday. For those "Tech Geeks" like myself, we generally check certain websites daily. One of my favorite websites is cnet.com where James Kim was a senior editor. I check this website daily for the latest reviews and technology news, and that is where I first read about his disappearance almost 2 weeks ago. Daily I have watched this guy through online videos, read his work, and even emailed him on occasion for. To think that he passed away in frigid weather in the Oregon woods searching for help for his family really strikes a cord with me and makes me grateful for everything that I have.

Here is to life and the memory of James Kim....................................................

I am an avid reader of cnet.com, and have been following the recent disappearance of their Senior Editor James Kim and his family. Apparently he and his family were driving home from Thanksgiving vacation and disappeared in Oregon. A few hours ago they found his family stranded in the Oregon woods, but James left a few days ago to go and try to find help. The search continues tonight and throughout tomorrow in search of him. No word yet on how the family ended up so extremely lost.