Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes....

So Derrick Rose is leaving. And Coach Cal is staying. And Chris Douglas-Roberts isn't talking. And today at 2pm, we find out if Tyreke Evans is coming. As the world turns for the Tigers...

My knee is significantly better. I did about 30 minutes of stretching this morning. Felt good. I was going to attempt some kind of movement, but felt a teeny bit of twinging so I didn't. I am starting to see the light at the end of the ITB injury tunnel. I am walking around with practically no pain. Finally. I'm glad. I really want to get back with my training and my feeble attempt at running. The whole ITB pain has been a bit brutal. And quite pesky. It has just taken longer to get through it than I expected. But it is also apparently a fairly common running woe. I think I have made a wise decision about taking this time off to let it clear up. Again, one small detour is better than a major derailment. The extra rest has been nice. Having the WHOLE day on Saturday last weekend was just divine. But I also am WANTING to walk or run. I miss the exercise. Anyway, I do believe I'm approaching the end of this detour. In the meantime, you know the drill, more NSAIDS, stretches, ice, and the beloved foam roller.

Let's talk a little bit about that foam roller. I love to hate that thing. But it is pretty effective. You basically roll your body weight along the roller. It allows the tightened knots and irritated tissue and muscle to loosen up. Almost like a self-massage of sorts. In fact, this concept is called "self-myofascial release technique". And let me tell you -- in the beginning, when you find that sore spot and roll on it....OUCHYMAMA!!! Major ooowwwwie! But the more you roll on that sore, tight spot the better it feels. So, I've been rolling around the bathroom floor with the ol' foam roller. I've been using it also on other places - my calves, hamstrings, back, etc. And sometimes, it actually feels good. It's a good way to keep your muscles loosened up. And from what I've read online, there are lots of runners that use it on a regular basis. I saw somebody one Saturday morning at Shelby Farms rolling on one in the parking lot before her run. It's a pretty useful little thing. OK, it's not so little. But it's useful. And cheaper than a $75 massage.

She ROCKS!

An email from Connie this morning....I couldn't have said it better myself.

TO: Angie
FROM: Connie
SUBJECT: I've become you...


Fed up with ugly posts about my Tigers...signed up and posted one of my own...


Some of you guys really make me sad. The Tigers blew it, no doubt, and I am totally heart broken about that. But there is more to this than basketball. Some of these boys come from some pretty rough backgrounds. They really needed something good to happen in their lives where they could say "We worked hard, look what we accomplished." Instead of supporting them and their hard work, people are doggin' them all over the place. Are they "thugs", as some have stated?...well, if you define "thug" as a college kid who makes a stupid, immature decision, yeah, I guess they are...but then again most of us would fall into that category, wouldn't we?? We can't all be Hansbroughs, born into wealth and solid family situations. Heck, some adults still do stupid, immature stuff (like post ugly things about a bunch of KIDS on a sports message board).

Cal has done a wonderful job with these boys being both coach and father figure to them. My heart breaks for them because they played their hearts out, but lost it in the end. Kansas was awesome, the game was awesome!! But it was a tough loss and really hard to swallow. It is hard to live with "if only"s. They will never forget that, and some of you will never let them forget it.

I love my Tigers and am so proud of them.

Y'all lighten up. There is a lot more to this than just losing a game....

The morning after the day before

No real news to share. I took today as a rest day. Felt bad last night. I'm trying not to give in to this yucky head cold. And, my knee is still bothering me from the IT band issue. I'll shoot for some movement tomorrow, rest Friday and then hit the long run (16 miles I think - need to check schedule) on Saturday. I'm getting a massage this afternoon to try to get this IT band loosened up.

The day of mourning is officially over, but Tiger pain slightly remains. But pride is winning that one. Gotta' move on....It will be interesting to see who stays and who goes. Would be nice to keep 'em all just one more year. GO TIGERS!

I leave you today with this little cartoon. I can relate. Hope everyone has a good day!

Everything hurts

It's hard to run with a sore IT band. And a broken heart. I am sad beyond words today. What a heartbreaker it was last night. I can hardly bear to read any of the news today as I just don't want to hear it. Nor do I want to relive it. It was just awful. Sad. Sad. Sad. They left it all on the court for sure. Just need to focus on the great year the Tigers had - what a great ride it was. They are a special team that's for sure. The whole city seems deflated today. As sad as we are, think of the heartbreak it is for those boys - that's what makes me really sad. Regardless of last night's loss, this Memphis team is the first team in NCAA history to achieve 38 wins in a season. That's nothing to sneeze at. It was a great year. What a great team they are! I'm so proud of them. Go Tigers!!!


The ad at the top of this post is one that I ran in today's Commercial Appeal. Isn't it fabulous? I'm pleased with the way it turned out. (Yea for my design guys at Combustion - you rock!) In case you can't read the fine print, it says "Campbell Clinic is proud to be the official sports medicine physicians for the University of Memphis. We are honored to treat the Tigers and we congratulate them on a great year." Just a shameless plug here for good ol' Campbell Clinic.

As exhausted as I was this morning, I got up at the regularly scheduled 4am. It's supposed to rain in the morning, so I took advantage of the pleasant 65 degrees today and headed outside. My knee is still making his unhappiness known, so I just walked most of my miles. A few attempts at running, but that did not go over well with the old knee. So I walked. After about 2 miles, my knee was *not* happy at all, so I headed home for some ice and stretches. It's bothering me a bit today, but it will be better soon I'm sure. The goal remains "continuous movement" - which I accomplished.

On top of the Tigers loss, my boyfriend Derek Jeter has a strained left quad and came out of yesterday's game. Hope he doesn't go on the DL.

Tomorrow is another day...

Uber Sad...

Uber Stoked

T-I-G-E-R-S!!!

Today is the day. The Tigers are playing for the National Championship. I'm starting to get a stomach ache. I'll be puking by 8pm.... GO TIGERS! There are some great articles today. I continue to be amused by the national reporters who are "just" discovering the Tigers. Since there are only two teams remaining, the press has less to look at, so they are looking at us. A local CA reporter said "It's as if the entire world is starting to realize what Memphians have known all along." That's right!!! Tiger. Basketball. Enough said. GO TIGERS!!!

Yes, I was supposed to run 3 miles this morning. No, I didn't do it. I didn't even walk. I was still having some soreness in my knee. So I did my pilates dvd to just stretch. I'm feeling much better now. No guilt this morning. I listened to my body and did what I needed to do. Man it takes me awhile to recover from these long runs. *BUT*, I feel loads better today after 15 than I did after the half marathon. Glad for that. That's got to be some kind of overall improvement.

The good news is that even though my knee is hurting, it's my 'good' knee. So now, my 'good' knee is now my 'bad' knee. That means that the brace that I put on my 'bad' knee worked. So now, my 'bad' knee is now my 'good' knee. Follow that? I was trying to explain this to Anne & George this morning and it got very confusing. Long and short is that I am picking up another brace and I'll just wear two. Because obviously it worked. Good.

I was talking to Jodi last night about how I just wanted to run and then ache. Rather than run and then hurt. You know that 'good ache'. The "oh I excercised ache". Not the "oh I can't even walk hurt". He said that (1) I've never done this amount of running and activity before. And now, in 2 1/2 months, I've run over 130 miles. and (2) The pain I'm experiencing now in the 'new bad' knee is FIXABLE. It's not like my earlier shin splints which just had to work itself out. So maybe soon, I'll be able to run and then just be sore and ache. Funny that I'm *wanting* to ache and be sore.

It's a good day. Everybody is buzzing with Tiger Fever! GO TIGERS!!!

Good Morning Tiger Fans!

Waking up this morning and it's a good day to be a TIGER!!! I'm still just beyond excited. And the game (AGAIN) wasn't even close. It's been fun to read the national sportswriters' comments about our team. They are "so surprised" by their performance. Some headlines today:

• Tiger Beat


• Mem's the Word


• The Memphis Machine Rolls On
  
• UC-YA Later

I'm glad Kansas beat UNC too (Sorry Mr. Rafferty's man. You can take that stinking shirt off now. ) I don't care for that Hansbrough kid. Kansas looked good last night. But we can take 'em. Tomorrow promises to be a great game. My stomach will be upset the whole day. I actually have Kansas and Memphis in the final in one of my brackets. With the mighty Tigers winning, of course.

I just realized this morning that the Tigers won by FIFTEEN points. And my long run yesterday was FIFTEEN miles. If this run thing somehow correlates to the score, we're in trouble. I am scheduled to run just three miles tomorrow. I can't handle a close game like that.

Feeling a bit stiff this morning, but as I keep moving around, that will be ok. I'll do some stretches today for sure.

Looks like it will be a sunny day today - finally.

GO TIGERS!!!

What a game!

WOO-HOO-HOOOOOOOO!!!!

GO TIGERS!!!!

Fifteen Miles - WOW!

FIFTEEN MILES!!! And I did it! And actually, except for the first 2 and the last 2, it really wasn't that bad.

The weather was nice. The sun never really came out, altho it sure wanted to. And it wasn't raining. Temps were pleasant. Cool at times, especially around the lake, but it felt nice.

I was cramping up in the beginning of the run. But eventually it all worked out. I bought a knee brace last night at Dick's and it seemed to do the trick with the bad knee. No pain at all other than the initial cramping. The first 7 miles or so I ran a 6/2 interval. It was ok. Made it to the Shell station which is halfway. Yea for that. Water and gel break. Someone was driving down Germantown Road and said "Go Team!" out the car window. (I had my TNT shirt on). Nice encouragement there.

Then the next 5 miles I just slowed my pace down a bit and only had to stop two times. Wow. Can you believe that? That really worked for me. I just trotted along and enjoyed the scenery and listened to my tunes. And it was really ok. And to think I went that whole way only stopping twice. OK, I really stopped three times, but the last time, it was to pet a dog, so that really doesn't count....It was a retired racing greyhound named Link. (He was kind of orange and black stripey looking - good Tiger karma there.) I told his owner I wasn't very greyhoundy today and he said "Let Link be your inspiration." Nice.

Made it back to the parking lot and the other RNRs were there. They were done. I had 3 more miles to go. Then some of the CMMs showed up. They were also done. They had just completed 20 miles. Whatever.... The little pitstop was very much needed, but it also gave my knees time to stiffen up. It was quite a bit harder to get rolling again for those last 3 miles. My 'good' knee was screaming, so I switched the brace to that knee.

The Multiple Sclerosis Walk was kicking off just as we headed to the last 3 miles on the Chickasaw Trail. That was their route too, so we planned to go the opposite way to meet them on the path rather than go along with them in the same direction. But first we had to wait for the National Anthem. "...and the home of the brave." Off we go.

At about mile 13, an elderly lady was coming toward me. She must have felt real sorry for me (can't imagine what I looked like) because she clapped and said "Good job. Go! You're doing great." I got teary with that encouragement.

Then we started seeing all the walkers coming toward us. All that people watching definitely helped pass the time and distance. I was thinking that all these people are walking to support a cure for this debilitating disease. And, even though I was truding along, I was trudging along. I can run (or whatever you want to call it.) - and I'm thankful for that.

Lots of Tiger shirts at the Farm today. I greeted them all with a breathless "Go Tigers!".

Almost finished, I'm whining. George said we had less than 1/4 of a mile to go and if I wasn't in complete agony, to push through it and finish. OK....

I made it back to the Visitor's Center and there were 3 CMM coaches there. They cheered. I got a little teary. I had done it. FIFTEEN MILES. I am beyond certain that I was the very last person to come in. But I really did not care. Some very encouraging words from them which was appreciated. I made some comment about "In case you didn't know it, I'm not a runner." and one girl said "Oh, but you *are* a runner. Look what you just did." More crying.

George ran along with me today. Most of the time, he would run ahead and then come back to get me. He probably put in 42 miles with all the 'up and back'. He's actually supposed to be 'tapering' because he's running the Boston Marathon in a few weeks. (Tapering is when you start decreasing your mileage as you approach race day.) So, thanks George for hanging with me and for running way more than you needed to.

I did the entire 15 miles in 3:54:46 which calculates to a 15:40 pace. Again, slow but steady.

Some tight knees this afternoon, but I really don't feel that bad. Kind of surprising. I'm sure I'll be dying tomorrow. But I don't feel as bad right now as I did after the half marathon. Yea for that.

Overall, I am very pleased with what I did today. I like the way I slowed my pace a bit so I didn't have to stop as much. That really worked. It was a good day. There was a lot of encouragement today from people I know and people I don't even know. Some emotional thoughts went on in my head this morning. But it was a very very good day!

Mom and Connie and her crew are coming over shortly to have dinner and watch the game. I'm very excited! Some interesting articles today about the Tigers. I think Cal is amazing and very intelligent. I can't wait to see the Tigers whip up on the UCLA Bruins. (We went to dinner at Rafferty's last night and there was a guy wearing a North Carolina jersey. I pointed to my Tiger shirt and shook my head and hollered at him across the restaurant 'What's wrong with you?!' Jodi told me to cut it out. Jordan said "Oooh Mom, you scared him." You bet I did! GO TIGERS!!!!!)

We are about an hour and a half away from tip off. I'm totally psyched! GO TIGERS!!!

Tiger Fever

So much for sleeping in on my rest day. I've been awake since about 3:30 am when the storms rolled in....AGAIN..... Good grief. I'm starting to feel like a duck. Quack. No end in sight today. But Ron Childers assured me yesterday "It’s going to be dry Sat AM but chilly. Temps will be in the upper forties to near fifty."

I am contemplating finding a knee brace to try tomorrow. I'm wondering if some support will keep the IT band from flaring up. My knee is my main concern for tomorrow's 15 mile run. I think I can handle the distance. I know I can trudge along. But I want my knee to hold out. I am a bit afraid of the recovery too. Only because I know how *awful* those first few days were after the half marathon. And this is 2 miles farther....UGH. I need to keep those thoughts out of my head. I am DETERMINED to go the distance tomorrow. I WANT TO DO THIS. I'm just going to break it down into small pieces like George said. I can do that.

Oh...speaking of GOING THE DISTANCE!!! GO TIGERS!!!! I'm getting very excited and nervous about the game. Tomorrow is 40 minutes of YEAH BABEEEE!!! GO TIGERS!!

Random thoughts

Weather was touch and go this morning, so I stayed inside and hit the treadmill. Put in about 2.5 miles and alternated running, walking and stretching. It felt ok. I am pleased with today's performance.

I'm hoping, hoping, hoping that my knee won't give me fits this Saturday. I made it about 7 miles last week when my knee decided to just quit participating. It just HURT. And there was no way I could run through that. (That was after my iPod died too. So there I was, kneeless and tuneless. It was awful.) I'm just going to keep stretching and taking the Rx and hope it will hold out for the wonderful fifteen miler.

Another thing that I hope holds out for Saturday is the RAIN. Ugh. We've had so much rain this week. I have some new ideas for my backyard. Maybe this:



Or this:




Three days until the Tiger game. One small bump in the road with the suspension of (my favorite player) Andre Allen, who apparently made some bad choices. I hate that. What was he thinking?!? But we won't let this be a distraction or loss of mojo (a quote from Connie!). The Tigers will be just fine. And continue to DOMINATE and do their thing. All the way to the National Championship. THIS IS THEIR YEAR!!!!! I also like the choice of photos that the Commercial Appeal has put on their home page with this story. My marketing dollars well spent! GO TIGERS!!!!!

Good intentions

Not a great run this morning. I got in about 1.5 miles and then my legs started tightening up and my knee was feeling a bit weird. So, I headed home and stretched for 30 minutes. I really think it's because it is first thing in the morning and just hard for my legs to get moving immediately. I do stretch them out before (and during) my run. But sometimes, they are just not cooperative. I refuse to get bummed out about this morning's attempt.

Temp was 45 altho it felt quite a bit colder. Wind was a challenge too. I had put on some layers and even dug out my winter running hat. Weird since I ran Monday in shorts and a t-shirt.

Saw a police officer driving through the neighborhood. Just a little friendly early morning patrol. Guess he didn't mistake me for a home invader since he kept driving.

Interesting fact about this weekend's Final Four:

Pick a shade, any shade. Carolina blue, or Kansas blue? UCLA blue, or Memphis blue? (Relax, Tiger fans: At least nobody will be wearing orange.)

GO TIGERS!

And, it's baseball time. Yesterday was opening day (actually delayed a day for rain) for the Yankees and my boyfriend Derek Jeter. He went 1 for 4. Glad the season has started and he'll be making regular appearances again on ESPN. I heart him.

T-I-G-E-R-S --- TIGERS!!!!

I am still beyond excited about the Tigers win! FINAL FOUR!!!! Sports pundits are enjoying some free throw crow this morning after we shot 83.5% from the line. Here are some headlines:

• Memphis Hammers Texas
• Memphis Thumps Texas
• Memphis Athletes Overwhelm Texas
• Memphis Dishes Out a Big 'I Told You So' (my fave)
• Memphis Blows Past Texas
• Memphis Routs Texas
• They're GRRRRREAT! (another fave)

One little recap from Sports Illustrated.com:

The Memphis Tigers will finally get over the hump and advance to the Final Four under the direction of John Calipari. They have been knocking at the door for a few years now, winning over 30 games, entering the tournament as 1 & 2 seeds, but this year they have broken through with an impressive victory over Texas. They received excellent performances from their key players and even managed to shoot 30-36 at the free throw line. If they continue this level of play through next weekend, they'll be as tough an out as any of the remaining foes - when they're rolling, they can truly get loose. Though often doubted, caveated, and explained away, there is a reason Memphis leaves this game with a record of 37-1.

First time ever that all #1 seeds made it to the Final Four. I'm so glad we are one of them!!! It's a good day to be a TIGER!!! GO TIGERS!!!

Now, let's talk running. I wasn't sure the weather would cooperate with me this morning, so my original plan was the treadmill. But after a quick radar check, it looked ok so I headed outside. I put in 2.5 miles. NO PAIN! Some tightness in my achilles, but that's ok. I took it slow with some 4/2 intervals and it felt pretty good. I'm feeling good about this morning. Especially since there was no flare up with my knee. I stretched a lot yesterday, so that obviously helped. I feel good today. I'm very glad!

Tigers to the Final Four!!!

Wooo-Hoooo! How 'bout them Tigers!!!! My throat is killing me from screaming the whole game. My heart was racing, my stomach was hurting, my blood pressure was elevated. I'M SO EXCITED!!! We won! Texas never had a chance - they never even led. It wasn't even close. I kind of thought it would be a better matchup. But who cares?! WE'RE GOING TO THE FINAL FOUR!!! GO TIGERS!!!!

Stretching on Sunday

We are one hour away from tip off!!! I'm excited and nervous and just can't wait to see the Tigers do their thing against Texas. It promises to be a great matchup. I've almost worked myself into a gastric emergency. GO TIGERS GO!!!

I am able to move my knee and walk today with no pain! Yea! I plan to use my band, ball and the roller during the game and make good use of my 2 hours. Those stretches will help me out tremendously. I am determined to have some good runs this week and do what it takes to do it pain-free. Yesterday totally wiped me out both physically and mentally. I'm in a better spirit today and I feel a lot better too. (Going to bed at 7:30 pm works wonders!) I just want to RUN and be able to handle our distance runs. The long runs are just such a challenge. I'm scared to even look at what Saturday holds. I will just focus on today's stretching and tomorrow's 3-miler. Remember: slow and steady FINISHES the race.

GO TIGERS!!!

Pain and Rain

Today's run:
8 miles not 10.
Knee HURT.
Rain.
Cold.

That about sums it up. My knee really decided not to participate so I walked most of the last two. And then really couldn't go the additional two. It's hurting pretty bad this afternoon. I'm going to get out the foam roller and see if I can roll out some of the tightness that I'm sure is causing this pain in the first place. (The roller is kind of neat. Jodi got it a few months ago. You just roll on it over the muscle. Feels good...eventually.)

I'm a bit discouraged by today's run. I trudged along. Made decent time. But then at the end, my knee just really hurt to run. I could walk with very little pain. So I did that. And I've just got to be ok with that. I have to realize that I haven't done any long runs since the G'town Half two weeks ago. So 8 miles is still pretty good. I guess.....

Lindy hung with me today. She was patient as I trotted along. She has a very gentle spirit. She ran the Phoenix Rock 'N Roll Marathon and later found out she had a stress fracture in her foot. She's recovered now and is training for San Diego. She has a *real* reason to be doing this. She is a leukemia survivor. She had CML and received 2 bone marrow transplants from her brother. Her 2nd transplant was ten years ago this April 15. She's doing great now. It was an inspiration to run with her today.

After the run, I went to Cooper's t-ball game. How entertaining that was! Cooper was so excited -- he loves baseball. But the kids were so funny. It was still freezing and damp at the game and I really couldn't get home and get in the tub quick enough. Then I took a little nap while I listened to the rain and watched "Ferris Buehler's Day Off". Nice restful afternoon.

Now, let's talk TIGERS. This is an AP story from FoxSports:

Memphis makes mincemeat of Michigan State--
Pity those poor, vulnerable Memphis Tigers. You know, the ones who just made mincemeat out of yet another team that was supposed to end their stay in the NCAA tournament. This time, they took it out on Michigan State, embarrassing yet again all those naysayers who suggested Memphis was the most suspect of the top seeds in this year's NCAA tournament. The final score Friday night: Memphis 92, Michigan State 74, but really, it was worse than that.

FINALLY a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T. The first half last night was some of the best basketball I've ever seen. The Tigers looked great. We were up by 30 at the half! If we continue to play like we did last night, we're headed all the way!!!

Friday! Forms!

We all know what today is...REST DAY!!! I have grown to love sleeping for that extra hour. Long run is 10 miles tomorrow. I just confirmed it with George. He kills me when he says "a nice easy little 10 mile run". Whatever.

We got our recommitment info yesterday from the Leukemia Society. This is the time they say "You've committed to raise $4000. Will you still do that? Do you want to continue?" And we have to recommit. So - hint hint - if you are on the fence about making a donation to my efforts, this is the time to do it!!! Thank you for considering helping me out. (Every little bit helps. I'm very grateful!!!)

We have a ton of forms we have to fill out about our hotel reservations, race registration, shirt size, pasta party, post-race concert, transportation, etc. There's a part on the registration form that says "estimated finishing time" and it looks like this: [_ ] [ _ _ ] [_ _ ] (Hr Min Sec) What? no DAY option here? or no DOUBLE DIGIT hour option ... like 10 hours?!?

So I just went to talk to George about this "estimated finishing time" thing. The race organizers need to know this so they can group runners together with the same pace. In other words, the faster runners all start together so they don't run over a slower runner. (All the turtles get to start together!! Hooray!!) It's called your running 'corral'. Seriously. Like we're cattle. George said then everybody starts moving together. Of course I'm all about a good pun so I said "mooooooooooving together". He did a little calculating and he recommended 6:45:00. EEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKK! I had thought from the beginning that I could finish in 7 hours. So he said to make it a bit challenging. So that's my goal. 6 hours, 45 minutes, 0 seconds. And that's what I put on my registration form. In pen. The End.

Today all the talk is T-I-G-E-R-S!!! They are playing in Reliant Stadium on a court right in the middle of a football field. The court is on a raised platform which makes the teams' benches below court level. Hope nobody gets too aggressive going after the ball. Here's a pic:


Some good ball last night. West Virginia almost knocked off Xavier. And the Vols lost!! I'll continue to pull for Louisville - maybe they can beat UNC tomorrow. But tonight it's all Tigers!!! I leave you with this great picture of Joey Dorsey doing his thing last week against Mississippi State. Check out his arms - WOW! GO TIGERS!!!!!

Physiology 101

Today's pain is brought to you by that pesky iliotibial band. The IT Band is a layer of connective tissue. It begins at a muscle near the outside of the hip, travels down the outer side of your thigh, crosses the outerside of the knee, and attaches to the outer side of your upper shin bone. Iliotibial band syndrome occurs when the band repeatedly rubs over the bump of the thigh bone, near the knee, causing the band to be irritated. The band is rubbed over the bone when the knee is flexed and extended. All this occurs most often in, you guessed it, running.


So I have found some new stretching exercises to add to my repertoire. The rest of the treatment is the same: ice, some rest, anti-inflammatories..... blah blah blah. I had seen a little bit about the whole IT Band issue when I was reading all about the shin splints. It's another overuse injury that's very common in runners. I'm just falling apart.....


I put in 2 miles this morning. Lots of walking intervals because of the above mentioned problemo. But movement nonetheless. It was quite windy, but about 68 degrees, so pleasant. Tomorrow is an off day and Saturday's long run is scheduled for 10 miles. Eeeek. Not really looking forward to that since I've done *nothing* that long since the half marathon two weeks ago.


Another source of pain...my NCAA bracket! What on earth?! San Diego over UConn. West Virginia over Duke? USC is out. Villanova and Davidson are in. This is what makes March Madness so fun. I LOVE THIS STUFF!!!! My home bracket still has 11 of the Sweet 16 remaining. My work bracket (*if* we were to do this at work....) isn't fairing so well with only 7 remaining. I'm still waiting for Tennessee to go down. (I was rooting hard for Butler this weekend. Tonight I'm a Louisville Cardinals fan - I never thought I'd say that....) Sweet 16 starts turning into the Elite 8 tonight - can't wait. Bottom line is that the mighty Memphis Tigers play tomorrow night at 9pm!!! Totally psyched. GO TIGERS!!!!

March Madness Begins TODAY!!!

Today is not just the first day of spring.....It's the first day of the NCAA tournament!!!

The first game starts in less than 3 hours. Not like I can watch it, since I'm at work, but I'm just SO EXCITED! I love this time of year. Tigers play their first game tomorrow night at 9pm. GO TIGERS!!!

Things continue to become a bit more 'pain-free' as each day goes by. Just some slight ouchy this morning. We are headed out of town tonight for a church convention in Nashville this weekend. I will miss the scheduled 12 mile group run on Saturday. But to be honest, the thought of running 12 miles almost makes me puke. We will be at the Opryland Hotel which is HUGE, so no doubt I'll get some serious walking in over the weekend. I am also packing my running stuff and will attempt to get out early Saturday morning and try to put some miles in. Maybe by Saturday I'll be able to actually RUN.

In the meantime,
GO TIGERS!!!!!!