"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco" -- Mark Twain

That quote came up more than once over the sunny- yet- not-warm Memorial Day weekend.... When I landed on Saturday morning, Melissa drove us over to Knob Hill to pick up Christen for breakfast. I immediately got out the camera. Christen lives on California Street >> this is a picturesque street that a trolley line runs on. You can see the Golden Gate Bridge from it on a clear day. As soon as Christen jumped into the car and I asked her about the awesome view >> she immediately replied that I would not believe how many tourists come around and stop in the middle of the street (when you're walking just behind them) taking pics all the time. ha.

After an awesome breakfast and catch-up, Mel and I dropped Christen off and headed home to change for a hike. The winds were INSANE. I mean, it was chilly & windy yet clear and sunny. The hike was amazingly beautiful with views that could not be matched -- we hiked to the old bath house. Not a long hike, but we felt a little beat-up after being in that crazy wind!


It was a long, beautiful and active weekend. Saturday night we got a group together for eats at a nice Italian place in North Beach. And, on Sunday, Andy, Mel and I went over to Marin County for another hike. This time, warmer, not windy, and with amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and the Bay with the city in between!

Awesome weekend! Mel is the #1 best hostess a house-guest could hope for (not to mention an amazing friend). It was great to see and spend time with Andy, Christen & Paul too!

Today, a friend had a Mastectomy

My very good friend has been in surgery today, to remove a breast that has cancer. The surgery took almost four hours, when they had earlier predicted it would take two. It's very hard to concentrate on much else when your girlfriend is getting a breast removed.

This buddy has fearlessly dealt with eight rounds of chemo -- and, in a very short timeframe from the conclusion of that phase, was scheduled for today's surgery. Her outlook has been nothing short of amazing. I'm sure, any woman reading this, can't help but for one moment put themselves in her shoes. I'm not sure I would have been as graceful and positive after the news of my diagnosis and throughout the treatments as she has been.

The wonderful news of the day is... when they were performing the breast removal, it turns out that she was a candidate for a breast implant... so, as of right now, I understand that they were able to replace the breast they removed with a fake one. What a wonderful thing that is. Previously, we were under the impression that it would be months before she might be a eligible for reconstruction. I'm really scared right now, but also really excited that the surgery went as well as the phone calls from her Mom seem to report.

Please say a quick prayer for my buddy >> and all the other People >> especially today the Women who are 1st on my mind >> those who've had to deal with the loss of a breast or other parts due to cancer. My friend is very young, so, it's particularly shocking to understand her battle with this disease at her young age.

Organizations who donate to cancer research and work for a cure include:
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp
http://www.revlonrunwalk.com/
http://www.aacr.org/

CHIROPRACTIC >> my testimonial

Our bodies were built to work and withstand a lot -- but, over time, they need our help to keep them working top-notch.

In the fall of 2004 I sought the help of a chiropractor because I had been in daily knee pain for years, and at the time had also begun to battle lower back pain that only seemed to be getting worse.

I'd visited sports therapists, orthopedic surgeons and had tried a litany of suggestions from friends and coaches on ways to diminish the pain I felt sitting / standing in my knees. I was on anti-inflammatory and taking over-the-counter pain meds -- and in general, I just felt like I was falling apart. Some of the professionals I'd visited suggested that endurance sports probably weren't something I should stay involved in... that my body just could not withstand the pounding of a marathon or longer triathlon.

Finally, I happened-in to see Michael Billauer in Marina del Rey. Through 3x weekly visits (at first), in less than 6-months time, my knee pain was GONE. I mean, sure, my knees ache after a hard workout, or a race... but, I mean, GONE is the daily, painful ache in my knees. Additionally, my lower back pain subsided. On top of that, I no longer needed my allergy medicine (not kidding). I had been taking alegra once daily for the 8-months prior, but after about four months with Michael, that was a thing of the past.

After you've made a certain amount of progress and your body has adjusted closer to correct, then you no longer have to go as frequently as I had gone in the beginning. Currently, I visit Dr. Lynn Kerew in Santa Monica once or twice a week, depending on what I've been up to. This morning I was there, and afterwards, you just feel such a surge of power going through your body. It's an amazing energy >> and it's your body's energy & power, coming from within... you've just allowed, through the adjustment, the body to work better.

Honestly, no matter what your ailment might be... my friends laugh.... but I always suggest chiropractic. Treat the cause, not the symptom. If your body isn't communicating to itself properly (and your body's communication highway is your SPINE), then any of your systems might be affected. Don't run to the RX counter before visiting your chiropractor... that's my new rule of thumb. And, it doesn't happen overnight. Routine visits, just like consistency with most things, will yield the best results.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND:
Dr. Lynn Kerew http://www.lynnkerewchiropractic.com/home2.htm
Billauer Family Chiropractic http://www.backdoc4u.com/

Eyes for a New Frontier

On Monday night I had dinner with longtime friend, Paul Hekimian. We ate at Fritto Misto in Santa Monica. This little neighborhood Italian place is significant to me because it's the first restaurant I ate at when I moved to California from Texas in June of 1997. I feel that between that first visit, and this week, I've turned many corners eating plates of Jumbo Ravioli in that tiny space. Fitting that over a tasty dinner and a handshake, Paul and I sealed a deal that marks another new beginning. As of Monday, I've taken on a new challenge and roll >> President of the C•Different Foundation.

The C•Different Foundation mission is to provide opportunities and support to people with visual impairments so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics, specifically, endurance sports. C•Different Foundation believes that involvement in athletics at any level increases self-esteem and overall health as well as encourages independence and enhances quality of life.

I've been worked with C•Different, with varying degrees of involvement, since I met founder, Matt Miller in September 2003. I'm very honored to be asked aboard, to partner with the team, and grow this organization to new heights.

To learn more about C•Different, log on to http://www.cdifferent.org

10 Miles with Friends
On Saturday I covered more than 10 miles, on foot, with Friends. What a beautiful day. It all started at 6am. Old LATCer, Melissa, was visiting from San Francisco and we planned to join my work team, the Houlihan Heelers, at the Revlon Run/Walk for Women in downtown LA. This event is one of the largest of its kind in the country. The focus is raising awareness and research money to find a cure for women's cancers. It's a very emotionally moving event that attracts over 50,000 people from our community. I've participated for many years, and it remains one of my favorite fundraiser athletic events. **Special Thank you to my firm for supporting our work team, and thanks to all those who joined the team!** And, Congratulations to the BlackNLA Team who assembled more than 120 participants for their group!
After we completed the schedule 5k PLUS many miles back and forth, here-and-there, on the USC campus... Melissa, Dani and I decided we hadn't had enough (5k = nothing, right??!!) ha. After a quick re-fuel breakfast at the beach, we headed up for a nice hike in Topanga. The sun was breaking through the clouds and just kept going. It was a perfect day for running, walking and hiking. Cool and breezy while still warm and sunny.

Truth be told, it was all exhausting as well. I don't recall the last time I ran around on foot for that many hours. (oh, wait... maybe the last time was at Wildflower last weekend). But, you couldn't ask for better catch up time between girlfriends.

Last Night in Cali :: Natascha Badmann & Toni Hasler

I've had the pleasure to get to know Natascha and Toni during their few weeks stay here in Cali for the Wildflower 2006 Triathlons. What a pleasure these two are!

For a woman of her considerable talent and accomplishments, Natascha is one of the most down-to-earth, laid-back, open & friendly pros I've met. Great sense of humor, easy-going and FUN! And.... Toni is just a wonderful and very funny guy. We all learned a lot from him about nutrition while he was here too. He's a phenomenal cook and was happy to share some of his kitchen secrets with all of us.

I'm a fan! I hope they make another trip here sooner than later. http://www.nataschabadmann.ch/ (pictured above: Brian, Summer, me, Toni, Natascha, Sylvia & Paul).

Wildflower 2006
I was lucky enough to take a few days off work, to total five days spent at Lake San Antonio surrounding the 2006 Wildflower Triathlons. Paul, Sylvia (Lucas), Yoshi (the canine) {pictured, above}, Natasha & Tony and I all headed up on Wednesday afternoon. We arrived to overcast weather and cool temps >> Yoshi promptly began chasing the wild turkeys, deer and squirrels that were constantly walking through our campsite.
As the days passed, the weather cleared up to wide-open sunny skies each afternoon, high temps, but always cool in the shade. We visited, lounged, had a few cocktails over the campfires, and waited for the thousands of athletes to descend on the park. It was really wonderful getting to know Natasha Badmann (6-time IM HI champ!) and Tony (pictured, above) -- what wonderful company they are! The down-time with those who arrived early in the week was really peaceful. Each day, athletes trickled in, until Friday when it became a steady stream of cars and RV's looking for prime positions near friends.

Saturday, I swam in my first-ever long-course relay. Our team was named Tri 4 Beer (pictured left). Charles Sharp pounded the 56 mi bike course, while Stephen Baumhauer ran his first half-marathon and had his first taste of what Triathlon is like. After my a.m. swim, I had the pleasure of watching LA Tri Clubbers and Tri buddies from everywhere come in at the Long Course finish line.
Everyone I saw and spoke to seemed to have an amazing outing that day >> something must have been in the water! (or, should I say, LAKE?). Anyway, congrats to EVERYONE who finished... especially.... Alma for her 5:46, and Andrew for his 5:14! (pictured, right)

Sunday... ah... Sunday... I earned my FIRST DNF in the WF Olympic!! I have to admit, I did not properly train for this event... and, you can't fool around at Wildflower. I swam, ran out, had a 6-minute or MORE T1 while I debated if I should bike-out or not... then, Andrew Hannan prompted me to get my ass in gear... so, I biked-out... going an avg. of 13 mph (yikes) and hit a max of 39 mph on Lynch Hill... then, threw on my running shoes to earn a T2, and turned in my CHIP!
As little as 20-minutes later the stronger women age-groupers started coming in. Again, everyone seemed to have better-prepared for the day than me, and they all had HUGE smiles on their faces. Congratulations all-around to all participants; especially the first-timers like Catherine & Lesley!! (pictured above, Liz Kollar, Heather Richards, me & Lesley after her first WF).

I love this particular race-weekend (when we have good weather). I'm already looking forward to next year... and maybe I'll put in the time to train this time, and do it right.

Comfort Zones

Three weeks ago, my dear friend and old-magazine publishing partner, Gina Nemo, gave me a call. She has this amazing energy and is always interested in working on new projects and trying new things. She pitched the idea of a TV show to me, and as soon as the words were out of her mouth, I said, "Count me IN".

So, on Sunday, we found ourselves up at 4:30am, heading to Shot #1 on the Santa Monica Pier. On the team were two patient and skilled camera men (Dave & Mike) and Justin Page, a talented director and editor.

Pictured top-right: Paul Hekimian and I. Below, left: Justin coaching Sonki Hong and I while Dave frames-up the shot.

Talk about stepping outside your comfort zone! I have a real appreciation, more now than ever, for those in the entertainment business. Especially the hosts and commentators. Not an easy gig, from my brief taste. But, it was fun to try something new and get a feel for it -- it's fun to push yourself into something totally foreign. What an amazing experience!!

I interviewed five amazing people between 7am and 7pm. Thank you Paul, Kimberly, Sonki, Misty and Erika. Your stories are the gems here.

You never know what the future holds. It's the people around you who push you and who you cultivate relationships with that make life so rich. Sunday already seems like a year ago, it went by so quickly. I just want to reflect a bit more on the experience of the day and appreciate the great energy that was shared. Thank you G, for your endless lust to try new things, and for always believing in me. (photo bottom, right: Mike, Gina & Dave, at the Santa Monica Pier).

Weekend photo shoot.
On Saturday I did a shoot with Robin Ganter. She's a magician. We started at 7am, and put together a look for swim-suit. Standing in a heated pool (thank goodness) in only a few frames (with a little coaching of course), Robin got her shot.
After that, we ran over to the beach where we were impressed with the strong surf. There was a pod of at least 8 dolphins swimming right off the beach, maybe 50 short-feet. It made me wish I could run in and swim with them! It was a beautiful morning, and there on some rocks, I ran around while Robin snapped away. At one point, the waves came up so strong that I was sprayed by the sea. It was a very fun and cool shoot. Again, Robin got her shots. You can see a bit of what was captured here. Thanks Robin!! http://www.robinganterphotography.com/