ONLY YOU.... HAVE THE POWER WITHIN YOU....

People spend a lifetime searching for happiness; looking for peace. They chase idle dreams, addictions, religions, even other people, hoping to fill the emptiness that plagues them. The irony is the only place they ever needed to search was within. [Ramona L. Anderson]




Tommorrow, starting at 6:00 a.m., gay and lesbian athletes from around the world will be running the marathon at the www.chicago2006.org And, as you know, it was to diarize and digest the training for this race that I created this blog. Alas it was not meant to be. All things considered though, I think I'm doin just fine. Still, I'm a bit sad that I'm not in Chicago to participate in the Games; to experience once more the thrill that I experienced at the Games in New York in 1994.

Wow, where have the last 12 years gone?

It seems like only yesterday that I was sitting under a tree at the USTA National Tennis Centre in Flushing Meadow, New York (the site of the US Open) listening to the title track from the musical Starlight Express on my Sony Walkman (a cassette tape no less... imagine...) preparing to play in the Novice Men's Tennis for the bronze medal. Then as now, the lyrics are rich with meaning.

RUSTY YOUR'E BLIND, LOOK IN YOUR MIND, I'M THERE, NOTHING'S NEW....

And even though I lost, I played the match of my life.

Go figure. I've been living my life that way ever since.

Well, perhaps I'll run the marathon in 2010 in Cologne, Germany... or may just the 10K, or maybe the triathalon, or maybe I'll play tennis (over 45's division eeeeEEk).




If this were that kind of blog, this would be where I would tell you that I played 5 1/2 sets of tennis (doubles) last Sunday night, hit with my coach for an hour Tuesday morning, did yoga classes on Monday and Wednesday, and ran on the treadmill Sunday and Thursday. But it's not that kind of blog.

But if it were, it would be the place where I would tell you that I think I'm playing better tennis than I ever did (forget about being away from the sport for the better part of 10 years); that my yoga instructor complimented me on my practice and my flexibility; that I'm really developing some insight with respect to running through the negatives that we all face and that threaten to stop us dead in our tracks... but it's not.

OK, we get it, it's not that kind of blog however, I should tell you that I did really well with respect to food early in the week but fell .... hard.... into a vat of fish and chip grease and then to the influence of the evil Ben & Jerry's. I cannot believe that I paid $7.00 for an ice cream cone.

And oh yeah, one more thing.... Scott stop....

OK, OK alreay, hold your horses... just one more thing.....

JUST BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, THE SEA WILL PART BEFORE YOU, STOP THE RAIN, TURN THE TIDE....