Run to the Hills

As another long weekend quickly comes to an end, I wanted to send out some major congrats to my brother-in-law Matt, who finished his first marathon yesterday. He ran the Vermont City Marathon in beautiful Burlington in a respectable 4:33, a feat made all the more remarkable by the fact that he only really started running seriously about a year ago. Damn, it took me about four years until I dared try a marathon. But it didn't come easy to him, like all those stories about people who just decide to run on a whim and finish in three hours. Matt has worked hard to lose about 80 pounds in the last couple of years, in addition to working full-time and being a dad to two young sons. Very impressive. The marathon wound around downtown Burlington and we (me, Deb and the girls, and Matt's wife Tricia and their two boys) spent the whole time in Battery Park and nearby Waterfront Park, where we were able to spot Matt four times while also entertaining the kids. It helped that it was a nice day, temps in the 60s with occasional sun. Matt looked good at the 15-mile mark and was on a 4:00 pace, but as it turned out, he started having knee problems around mile 16 and struggled the rest of the way. But in the end, he did it, and that's all that matters.

My buddy Rick Johnson also ran the VCM and came in at 3:30, so mad props to him as well. I have to admit I got a little wistful out there watching all the runners, since I was supposed to be running this race, too, until injuries kept me from having enough time to train. The woman to whom I sold my number, Heidi Patel, was running her first marathon and finished in 3:56. I was glad to see the number didn't go to waste.

Next up, hopefully Matt and I will get accepted to run the New York City Marathon in November. We find out in two weeks if we get in.

Other stuff as I ponder the link between blogging and my kids crying way past their bedtimes:

• I know it's shocking, but apparently Dennis Rodman will do anything for attention.
• The top single in the U.K. is a frickin' ringtone, beating out Coldplay for the top spot. Back when we were at Webnoize, my good pal OJ wrote an article about how the sale of downloadable ringtones were going to be big business. At the time, they were only popular in Europe, but they've caught on somewhat here. Obviously, they're still more popular across the pond if people will pay to hear an animated frog doing a cover of Harold Faltermeyer's Axel F (you know, the instrumental from "Beverly Hills Cop") . Ringtones reportedly are a $5 billion business worldwide. As for Coldplay, they just don't do it for me.
• A little hockey talk because, well, somebody's got to do it. Sad to hear that John D'Amico, longtime NHL linesman, died Sunday night. I'll always remember a photo of him covered in blood, breaking up a fight between Boston's Stan Jonathan and Montreal's Pierre Bouchard in a 1970s playoff game. In other news, a New Jersey legislator seeks to get the New Jersey Devils to change the team's nickname because of its devilish nature. Stoopid. And in more great news for the NHL, ESPN declined its option to carry NHL games next season. Looks like a ploy to get a reduced rate, which will probably work.