Today I'm at home with my kids, just relaxing. We're going to the park later if it has stopped raining, or to a museum or store if it hasn't. They were very good last night when I took them appliance shopping, and it makes me want to take them to the park even more than I already did. So, no time for much more of a post than this one. My kids are more fun than staring at a computer screen for one more minute.
-- Robert
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
Successful Gift Giving
Today, having nothing on my mind in particular, I decided to write about how to give a gift that really wins. It does not always require a lot of money, nor does it require a lot of fanfare. It just takes thoughtfulness and time spent considering the person receiving it. I have generally been considered among friends and family to be a decent gift-giver, but I had a bit of an awakening about it one Christmas.
One of my brothers-in-law asked me, "So, what'd you get Ellie?" I told him she had already received it, because she wanted it early to use. He asked, "So, you got her somethin else for under the tree, right?"
The thought had occurred to me once or twice, but because of the extreme difficulty of getting a gift to her parents' house several thousand miles (and usually two flights and two drives) away kept me from it. So I said, "No, I didn't."
He thoughtI was joking. He ribbed me a minute, until he realize I was serious. Then I realized how thoughtless it was of me not to have a gift waiting for her under the tree. All it would have taken was a card reminding her I loved her and that she had already gotten enjoyment from the gift she wanted so much (we still use them to this day). For the record, I am grateful my brother-in-law admonished me, and I have done better every Christmas or birthday (and some holidays) since at giving something I know she would appreciate but would never expect.
The one that stands out the most, of course, was her marimba. I had promised her that I would get one as soon as we could afford it, and I checked around the music stores in a nearby city for where I might acquire one. The first store referred me to a man who hand builds them in that same town, and gave me his website to look up. I checked it out, Coe Percussion, and immediately felt good about it. I called him and asked if we could see some of his work before making a purchase decision, and he was more than happy to oblige. I ordered it after letting Ellie check him out with her former percussion professor and letting her choose the size and design she wanted. We still enjoy listening to her give our family concerts, helping her give recitals in town, and letting the kids play it (gently, of course). I've even learned to play two easy songs.
The second gift, though, that was nearly as well received, was a simple book on photography, which probably only cost ten to twelve dollars. I hid it in my bag all the way from home to her parents' house (I learned my lesson, it's not so hard), having bought it at least a month in advance. I got one of my wonderful sisters-in-law to wrap it for me (I do a terrible job at it), and it was waiting for her under the tree. She has bragged about that book to more friends than I can count. It clearly helped her photography skills, too, because she has learned how to get our two digital cameras to focus on what she wants, to take in more or less light, and to generally perform to her liking. We decorate our home primarily with photos she has taken with those cameras, and I'm sure she could sell the pictures professionally if she wanted to.
I didn't write this post as my entry for husband of the year. I am just writing to help anyone out there who worries about having to find extravagant gifts. Sometimes the best gift is as simple as a good book, a simple "I love you", or just a hug. Those kind of gifts can mean more than diamonds or gold. Thank you for helping me remember the importance of proper gift giving, my brother-in-law.
-- Robert
One of my brothers-in-law asked me, "So, what'd you get Ellie?" I told him she had already received it, because she wanted it early to use. He asked, "So, you got her somethin else for under the tree, right?"
The thought had occurred to me once or twice, but because of the extreme difficulty of getting a gift to her parents' house several thousand miles (and usually two flights and two drives) away kept me from it. So I said, "No, I didn't."
He thoughtI was joking. He ribbed me a minute, until he realize I was serious. Then I realized how thoughtless it was of me not to have a gift waiting for her under the tree. All it would have taken was a card reminding her I loved her and that she had already gotten enjoyment from the gift she wanted so much (we still use them to this day). For the record, I am grateful my brother-in-law admonished me, and I have done better every Christmas or birthday (and some holidays) since at giving something I know she would appreciate but would never expect.
The one that stands out the most, of course, was her marimba. I had promised her that I would get one as soon as we could afford it, and I checked around the music stores in a nearby city for where I might acquire one. The first store referred me to a man who hand builds them in that same town, and gave me his website to look up. I checked it out, Coe Percussion, and immediately felt good about it. I called him and asked if we could see some of his work before making a purchase decision, and he was more than happy to oblige. I ordered it after letting Ellie check him out with her former percussion professor and letting her choose the size and design she wanted. We still enjoy listening to her give our family concerts, helping her give recitals in town, and letting the kids play it (gently, of course). I've even learned to play two easy songs.
The second gift, though, that was nearly as well received, was a simple book on photography, which probably only cost ten to twelve dollars. I hid it in my bag all the way from home to her parents' house (I learned my lesson, it's not so hard), having bought it at least a month in advance. I got one of my wonderful sisters-in-law to wrap it for me (I do a terrible job at it), and it was waiting for her under the tree. She has bragged about that book to more friends than I can count. It clearly helped her photography skills, too, because she has learned how to get our two digital cameras to focus on what she wants, to take in more or less light, and to generally perform to her liking. We decorate our home primarily with photos she has taken with those cameras, and I'm sure she could sell the pictures professionally if she wanted to.
I didn't write this post as my entry for husband of the year. I am just writing to help anyone out there who worries about having to find extravagant gifts. Sometimes the best gift is as simple as a good book, a simple "I love you", or just a hug. Those kind of gifts can mean more than diamonds or gold. Thank you for helping me remember the importance of proper gift giving, my brother-in-law.
-- Robert
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Thoughts from The Total Money Makeover
I am about half way through The Total Money Makeover, and I am thoroughly enjoying this book. I wish, in many ways, I had read it last summer because I think that is when we had our crisis that is as close to rock bottom as I ever want to get again. Right after paying out most of the cash we had in any account to some loan or another, our air conditioner broke. In the dead of summer. In South Georgia. Something also triggered a migraine for the first time in years for my wife, and she needed to go to the doctor. One doctor's visit turned into two MRI's, a MRA, a balance test, and at least one other test whose name escapes me at the moment. She visited a neurologist and another specialist. The concerns ranged from her having an aneurysm to just a small loop of blood vessels in her brain, and it all turned out to be an inner ear imbalance. As the last doctor explained, they have to run all the other tests to rule out the inner ear, and then they can tell it is the inner ear. So, a new A/C unit, several thousand in unexpected doctor bills, and no cash. No expectation of cash any time soon, either. I was certainly worried. I didn't want the stress of that moment to trigger another migraine for Ellie, and I didn't want the lack of air conditioning to drive us nuts.
The first thing I did after all this sudden money crunch was to make sure I paid my tithing. I know a lot of people would consider it crazy to do such a thing in the midst of a money crisis, but I knew I needed the peace and all the blessings I could muster at a time like that. My mind was very much unburdened after I paid it, and I know I was blessed to come out of troubled times because of it, but I will leave my testimony of tithing at that for now.
Then, I did what this book would tell me not to do: I borrowed on my credit card. I had run through all the 0% balance transfer offers over time, and the one I had was for 1.99% for nine months. I borrowed enough to make sure I could pay them out of the funds, pay the bills we were suddenly hit with, and have a reserve in case something else came up. The exact amount is a little too embarassing to publish here, but I never plan to borrow short-term like that again. I actually never plan to truly borrow again, as The Total Money Makeover suggests. Dave Ramsey would describe last summer as the time "Murphy moved in" (Murphy from Murphy's Law that whatever can go wrong will go wrong).
This month, we will pay off all our debts other than our house, and we have no reason to expect to incur any new debts any time soon (read: never). I did not follow the plan Dave Ramsey would have suggested for my debt elimination, but I came close. I still paid into my retirement, paid of all my other credit cards as they came due (though I still used them), paid extra on my home loan each month, and then put any extra I could justify into the credit card debt. I certainly would've paid it faster if I had followed the Debt Snowball and put all the extra onto the debt, but I am thankful it never came to needing to. For anyone familiar with the Baby Steps, we are somewhere between steps three and four, but we're actually not far from moving towards six. We will have most of our necessary emergency fund built up by the end of the month, and I already invest 10% into my 401(k) each month, but we will plan to invest the remaining 5% into our Roth IRA later in the summer. The college accounts are already funded at this point, so we're planning to work on paying off our house as quickly as we can muster from now on. We've only owned our home four years, but we already own nearly half of the equity, and by year end we hope to have paid nearly half our original loan on it. Then we plan to refinance to a 15-year fixed rate loan on the remaining balance.
A couple of things will slow us down this year, but I consider them necessary to continuing our progress. We need to replace our stove to avoid a potentially dangerous situation, and our dishwasher will probably need to be replaced soon, too. We may also invest in a new closet design for our master bedroom because it would improve our ability to manage our space dramatically, which would in turn make it easier to be home more. Being home more comes with the territory of spending less, since we eat out less, go to movies less, and so forth. Our current plan is to spend the next several months really planning the closet and get it from Ikea. We've already paid for a trip to California in May for Todd's wedding, but most of the rest of our summer will be spent at home afterward.
I hope this post does not sound gloomy. I am really excited to become completely debt free. I feel less stress about money today than I have in ages, and I feel like I have a plan now to take control of my income, as Dave says to "Tell [my] money where to go instead of wondering where it went." I will probably write more about this book in the future since this blog is all about success and I think we will be successful. I haven't decided to make it a regular day of the week entry, but I might, just to keep myself on track and motivated. Here's hoping we're completely debt free in a couple of years.
-- Robert
P.S.: For anyone wondering, my wife was able to get her balance straight and has not had another full on migraine since. Her post on the balance issues is here.
The first thing I did after all this sudden money crunch was to make sure I paid my tithing. I know a lot of people would consider it crazy to do such a thing in the midst of a money crisis, but I knew I needed the peace and all the blessings I could muster at a time like that. My mind was very much unburdened after I paid it, and I know I was blessed to come out of troubled times because of it, but I will leave my testimony of tithing at that for now.
Then, I did what this book would tell me not to do: I borrowed on my credit card. I had run through all the 0% balance transfer offers over time, and the one I had was for 1.99% for nine months. I borrowed enough to make sure I could pay them out of the funds, pay the bills we were suddenly hit with, and have a reserve in case something else came up. The exact amount is a little too embarassing to publish here, but I never plan to borrow short-term like that again. I actually never plan to truly borrow again, as The Total Money Makeover suggests. Dave Ramsey would describe last summer as the time "Murphy moved in" (Murphy from Murphy's Law that whatever can go wrong will go wrong).
This month, we will pay off all our debts other than our house, and we have no reason to expect to incur any new debts any time soon (read: never). I did not follow the plan Dave Ramsey would have suggested for my debt elimination, but I came close. I still paid into my retirement, paid of all my other credit cards as they came due (though I still used them), paid extra on my home loan each month, and then put any extra I could justify into the credit card debt. I certainly would've paid it faster if I had followed the Debt Snowball and put all the extra onto the debt, but I am thankful it never came to needing to. For anyone familiar with the Baby Steps, we are somewhere between steps three and four, but we're actually not far from moving towards six. We will have most of our necessary emergency fund built up by the end of the month, and I already invest 10% into my 401(k) each month, but we will plan to invest the remaining 5% into our Roth IRA later in the summer. The college accounts are already funded at this point, so we're planning to work on paying off our house as quickly as we can muster from now on. We've only owned our home four years, but we already own nearly half of the equity, and by year end we hope to have paid nearly half our original loan on it. Then we plan to refinance to a 15-year fixed rate loan on the remaining balance.
A couple of things will slow us down this year, but I consider them necessary to continuing our progress. We need to replace our stove to avoid a potentially dangerous situation, and our dishwasher will probably need to be replaced soon, too. We may also invest in a new closet design for our master bedroom because it would improve our ability to manage our space dramatically, which would in turn make it easier to be home more. Being home more comes with the territory of spending less, since we eat out less, go to movies less, and so forth. Our current plan is to spend the next several months really planning the closet and get it from Ikea. We've already paid for a trip to California in May for Todd's wedding, but most of the rest of our summer will be spent at home afterward.
I hope this post does not sound gloomy. I am really excited to become completely debt free. I feel less stress about money today than I have in ages, and I feel like I have a plan now to take control of my income, as Dave says to "Tell [my] money where to go instead of wondering where it went." I will probably write more about this book in the future since this blog is all about success and I think we will be successful. I haven't decided to make it a regular day of the week entry, but I might, just to keep myself on track and motivated. Here's hoping we're completely debt free in a couple of years.
-- Robert
P.S.: For anyone wondering, my wife was able to get her balance straight and has not had another full on migraine since. Her post on the balance issues is here.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Free Speech, Hump Day Hmm
Today's Hump Day Topic states: "we're going to tackle the notion of free speech in writing, particularly blogging, considering that court cases are considering it fair to limit free speech on blogs and are definitely willing to use your words against you. "
I have tried writing an entry several times, but I keep coming back to the feeling that it will not be well received. And each time I think that, I consider the irony of it, given what I keep wanting to write. If free speech doctrine truly protects my writing, then I am safe to write what I feel without fear of rebuke or reprisal. But the rebuke and reprisal can absolutely follow comments of dissent. Fortunately, though, in the United States, I do feel safe from government rebuke or reprisal for what I write. In so many countries around the world, the same cannot be said. News media that disagrees with the government in most Middle Eastern countries will be shut down, and those guilty of attacking the government might disappear, never to be seen or heard from again. Even in Europe it has only recently been safe to write against the "king and crown" without fear. So I am thankful to be an American, as I write about free speech without fear.
Can what we write be used against us in court? It absolutely can, in the court of public opinion. Whenever I write something on a blog that disagrees with typical crowd who frequents that blog, I can expect (and have often received) a backlash. It feels somewhat like being the "ignorant redneck" (or whatever derisive term would follow) who walks into an art show and wonders if the artist just spilled a can of paint. "He must not be refined enough to appreciate such vision, what a half wit."
How easily we turn against those who disagree with the group. I find that people of like minds congregate to avoid feeling like a lone reed in the wind, so dissent is met with ridicule. Is that healthy? Should we revile those who speak against us? Perhaps, but I think not. Rarely do we learn from sycophants and yes-men who parrot the groupthink we agree with. Watch what happens, though, when a student disagrees with a teacher - either in writing or in speech. Even if the teacher lets the comments slide, the other students often mock the student as a fool. In rare cases, the class supports the student when they agree but were too afraid to say anything, but most of the time the student who stands out is beaten down.
So, in the end, what is true of free speech? Are we truly free to write what we believe? We are, in most cases, free from the expectation of going to jail for what we say and write. We are not, however, free to write without expectation that it can be used against us.
I have tried writing an entry several times, but I keep coming back to the feeling that it will not be well received. And each time I think that, I consider the irony of it, given what I keep wanting to write. If free speech doctrine truly protects my writing, then I am safe to write what I feel without fear of rebuke or reprisal. But the rebuke and reprisal can absolutely follow comments of dissent. Fortunately, though, in the United States, I do feel safe from government rebuke or reprisal for what I write. In so many countries around the world, the same cannot be said. News media that disagrees with the government in most Middle Eastern countries will be shut down, and those guilty of attacking the government might disappear, never to be seen or heard from again. Even in Europe it has only recently been safe to write against the "king and crown" without fear. So I am thankful to be an American, as I write about free speech without fear.
Can what we write be used against us in court? It absolutely can, in the court of public opinion. Whenever I write something on a blog that disagrees with typical crowd who frequents that blog, I can expect (and have often received) a backlash. It feels somewhat like being the "ignorant redneck" (or whatever derisive term would follow) who walks into an art show and wonders if the artist just spilled a can of paint. "He must not be refined enough to appreciate such vision, what a half wit."
How easily we turn against those who disagree with the group. I find that people of like minds congregate to avoid feeling like a lone reed in the wind, so dissent is met with ridicule. Is that healthy? Should we revile those who speak against us? Perhaps, but I think not. Rarely do we learn from sycophants and yes-men who parrot the groupthink we agree with. Watch what happens, though, when a student disagrees with a teacher - either in writing or in speech. Even if the teacher lets the comments slide, the other students often mock the student as a fool. In rare cases, the class supports the student when they agree but were too afraid to say anything, but most of the time the student who stands out is beaten down.
So, in the end, what is true of free speech? Are we truly free to write what we believe? We are, in most cases, free from the expectation of going to jail for what we say and write. We are not, however, free to write without expectation that it can be used against us.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Commitment to a Plan
Last night, Ellie and I bough a book we have planned to buy for a week or more, and that we've had an interest in for several months, The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, which teaches basic principles to get personal finances in order. This month, we will actually be completely out of debt except for our home, but we've gone about debt elimination in a fairly unfocused manner. We want to stay out of debt, so we've decided to implement a plan, probably based on Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps. We will be effectively starting on step three beginning now. The most important element of any financial plan is a budget. The second most important element is adherence to the budget. I, for one, believe in building budgets that offer the flexibility not to become unlivable. If I have to live every day (or even week or month) to the penny, then I know I can't do it. If, instead, I have some "slop" in the system, then I can definitely handle it.
I love this line from the introduction to this book: "What I have discovered is that some of the most profound and life-changing truths you will ever discover are very simple." Indeed, in today's culture, we celebrate complexity as "sophistication" but often the best ways to live are extremely simple to the point of being boring. Boring does not make headlines, boring does not make it onto reality television, and boring definitely does not light the average person's fire. Unfortunately, life is seldom lived the way it is depicted in magazines or on The Real World, and so most people prefer to live life on the edge. "Buy now, pay later" is the modern-day mantra. The latest furniture sale I've heard is now three-years no interest (I can't recall if it was also no payments). Most appliances can be purchased with no payments for twelve months. Consumerism has overtaken our lives. We've gone well past keeping up with the Jones. Now many people have trouble keeping up with minimum payments. Listening to Dave Ramsey's show brings me great peace because I realize I have never gone as far into debt as many of his callers, few of whom have less than $10,000 in credit card debt (and most of them are behind on several payments).
I have been able to live my life floating on the sea of cash flow for years. I am ready to trim my sails toward financial freedom, though. Dave Ramsey can be the wind I trim them to, but I still have to captain the ship, and my family has to be on board. Here's hoping we're not bailing water again anytime soon.
-- Robert
I love this line from the introduction to this book: "What I have discovered is that some of the most profound and life-changing truths you will ever discover are very simple." Indeed, in today's culture, we celebrate complexity as "sophistication" but often the best ways to live are extremely simple to the point of being boring. Boring does not make headlines, boring does not make it onto reality television, and boring definitely does not light the average person's fire. Unfortunately, life is seldom lived the way it is depicted in magazines or on The Real World, and so most people prefer to live life on the edge. "Buy now, pay later" is the modern-day mantra. The latest furniture sale I've heard is now three-years no interest (I can't recall if it was also no payments). Most appliances can be purchased with no payments for twelve months. Consumerism has overtaken our lives. We've gone well past keeping up with the Jones. Now many people have trouble keeping up with minimum payments. Listening to Dave Ramsey's show brings me great peace because I realize I have never gone as far into debt as many of his callers, few of whom have less than $10,000 in credit card debt (and most of them are behind on several payments).
I have been able to live my life floating on the sea of cash flow for years. I am ready to trim my sails toward financial freedom, though. Dave Ramsey can be the wind I trim them to, but I still have to captain the ship, and my family has to be on board. Here's hoping we're not bailing water again anytime soon.
-- Robert
Monday, March 3, 2008
Microcredit
No, this idea is not how much of the world owes money to Microsoft. It's not how small the fine print on your credit card agreements is written, either. Microcredit is the extension of very small loans (microloans) to the unemployed, to poor entrepreneurs and to others living in poverty who are not considered bankable (ordinary lending institutions would not extend them credit). 1 The principle behind microcredit, which have been shown to work in third world countries before, show that even small loans can allow new businesses to form and increase an economy. Most applications have worked to create cash-based economies where none existed before, such as in African villages. The profits from the businesses created are used to repay the original loans with interest.
The reason I am writing about this idea, though, is not to discuss third-world applications. This week, Todd and I were discussing how the principles of microcredit could work in the United States. When he proposed it, my mind immediately started reeling with possibilities. The first suggestion he had was to implement microloans in my industry, trucking. By giving small loans to individual drivers, more owner-operators (drivers who own their own trucks) would enter the market which has shown a shortage for several years. I have been told by drivers over the years that the federal government helps foreign drivers buy their equipment (I have never researched the truth of their claims), but I see no reason such loans could not be extended to citizens. My business helps small trucking companies and individual drivers manage short-term cash flow crunches by paying them quickly, and we help them find more work to keep them busy. The existence of more such small trucking businesses helps my company be more profitable. More people have jobs, the economy grows, and so on down the line. The main point of microcredit is to eradicate poverty in the world, but there is no reason it could not work here in the U.S. While I love the financial opportunity available to creditors willing to take the risk of becoming involved in microcredit, I would love to see instead what might be achieved of welfare was used in a similar fashion. Welfare recipients could receive training in a field of interest, and upon leaving their training, they could have the opportunity to receive a microloan to start a business with their new training. I certainly hope to further explore these ideas in the future.
In researching the idea, I found several links that offer the opportunity to loan money or receive loans, which I am listing here. I would love to see more links related to U.S. loans.
http://www.mcenterprises.org/
http://www.kiva.org/
http://www.microcreditnh.org/ - help with getting loans for business owners in New Hampshire
1. Quoted from Wikipedia
-- Robert
Note: this post was not as well researched as I'd hoped. We're finally starting to get better around here, but it's been a long week.
The reason I am writing about this idea, though, is not to discuss third-world applications. This week, Todd and I were discussing how the principles of microcredit could work in the United States. When he proposed it, my mind immediately started reeling with possibilities. The first suggestion he had was to implement microloans in my industry, trucking. By giving small loans to individual drivers, more owner-operators (drivers who own their own trucks) would enter the market which has shown a shortage for several years. I have been told by drivers over the years that the federal government helps foreign drivers buy their equipment (I have never researched the truth of their claims), but I see no reason such loans could not be extended to citizens. My business helps small trucking companies and individual drivers manage short-term cash flow crunches by paying them quickly, and we help them find more work to keep them busy. The existence of more such small trucking businesses helps my company be more profitable. More people have jobs, the economy grows, and so on down the line. The main point of microcredit is to eradicate poverty in the world, but there is no reason it could not work here in the U.S. While I love the financial opportunity available to creditors willing to take the risk of becoming involved in microcredit, I would love to see instead what might be achieved of welfare was used in a similar fashion. Welfare recipients could receive training in a field of interest, and upon leaving their training, they could have the opportunity to receive a microloan to start a business with their new training. I certainly hope to further explore these ideas in the future.
In researching the idea, I found several links that offer the opportunity to loan money or receive loans, which I am listing here. I would love to see more links related to U.S. loans.
http://www.mcenterprises.org/
http://www.kiva.org/
http://www.microcreditnh.org/ - help with getting loans for business owners in New Hampshire
1. Quoted from Wikipedia
-- Robert
Note: this post was not as well researched as I'd hoped. We're finally starting to get better around here, but it's been a long week.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Todd's Half Marathon
Todd emailed this out January 14, and I have been meaning to get it on the blog for some time. I was very proud of him for doing the half marathon. Neither of us were runners in college or before much at all. I know it took a lot of commitment on his part to do a half marathon. From here down is his email.
Well the results are in. 3:01:17 for the half-marathon. Not a bad start considering I started training less than two months ago. And it gives me something to shoot for for my next half-marathon.
I didn't feel strong at all the first four to five miles, which was unusual. That said, I was right at 2:15 pace through mile five but started to fade badly around mile six and walked a good bit up until mile eight. I suppose that was to be expected considering my longest training run had been about six miles.Now that I'm suffering the various 350-pound coworkers with the Whataburger cups on their desks saying, "I think I could walk it in three hours! Three hours?Really? Wow? I bet I could beat that time." I think I've taken away some lessons learned.
-I only used two gels during the race, one at mile 5 and one at mile 10. A training partner suggested using three throughout the half-marathon next time to have some needed energy at the finish.
-The last mile was brutal. Since the majority of the mile 8 to mile 11 was uphill I blew up most of my energy in that part when I should have geared down.
-"Gearing down" was a major theme. I hit the first mile marker in less than 9 minutes, I should have paced it a little bit better and I may have been in better shape.
-I did feel good about my hydration and tried to slow down and drink plentifully at each water station, which was about every mile and a half. The weather was perfect though so that helped a lot I think.
-The synthetic Asics socks I used for the race made a huge difference in foot comfort and sweat absorption. My feet felt lighter than during my training runs with cotton socks.
-Nerves. When I would reach the half-mile point of each mile I felt like I was going to throw up. It may have been the banana in the morning but I doubt it. I felt very nervous not knowing what to expect but now that I've been through this race with nearly 26,000 people I think I'm going to be much more prepared for subsequent races and be able to keep up my pace. Overall I'm thrilled that I did it and looking forward to a possible half-marathon in Tucson in March!
Best to you all!
--Todd (posted by Robert)
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