This is 40

Well it had to happen one day, and that day happened to be this week. My 40th birthday came and went with little fanfare, just the way I like it. I thought about trying to run my age or do something athletic to celebrate, but it ended up being a normal day. I ran 6 miles before work, then spent the rest of the day in pain as every running injury I've ever had came back to reclaim its rightful place. That stupid left hip that sidelined me in the spring was the worst, but the right foot from last year came back (well, ankle pain) and the right knee was pretty unpleasant too. On my 40th birthday, falling apart.

I did make up for it on Wednesday, though. Yoga in the morning was great, I got in my noon swim practice and swam 100 yards in 1:12 at only a "slight" effort, not an all out sprint effort like I would normally have to give to get that fast. Crazy! Finally we had a crazy day at home so I had to miss choir practice, but I did make it out to the gym around 8 pm to lift some heavy things. Putting 315 lbs (3 wheels on each side) of the squat rack felt amazing. Also got in some really heavy bench press and curls, and still got in 30 minutes on the stationary bike before a thunderstorm drove me back home. It's good to be strong!

Leading up to my birthday, we had a very unique opportunity. Kelley and I got to take Ella to her first concert! We ended up with a 3rd ticket to see the Rolling Stones after a friend couldn't make it into town. She said she wanted to go, so it was game on. Ella loved it. I thought it was too loud and kept me out too late at night (remember I'm old now). Besides, I was always more of a Beatles fan.

Giant Keith Richards

Giant Jagger

Mick Jagger still had the moves! Such an incredible stage presence. The entire show was more of an event than a concert. They played a couple of songs that I didn't know but for the most part you knew the tunes and it sounded so perfect like they were playing a cd. But Jagger has got to be in his 70's by now and he's still so thin and dances like that, it's just incredible to watch.

Then for the 4th of July (Happy 'Merica Day) we went down to visit Kelley's mom at the lake and had the entire family over there for a huge cookout. It really was a lot of fun.

Evil Genius wouldn't go outside

There are more pictures from those to come in a future post.

I was glad to get back to Raleigh and settle in for a normal week. It's hot in NC this summer, and I'm not dealing with the heat any better than I'm dealing with turning 40. Normally I will admit to having the mid-life crisis at 35 so I have pretty low expectations for 40. My confession is that I'm not handling 40 too well. It feels strange to see people in their 30's doing stuff and it makes me think "I remember when...." already. not cool. I discovered that my boss is actually younger than I am. that's just strange. There is no telling where this is headed.

Really I'm just taking it one workout at a time, one day at a time and trying to find the joy that I can spread every day. I still have big events coming up, lots to look forward to, and plenty of time to spend with these folks.

EG is quite excited

The scariest part about the birthday is the gifts from the kids. Evil Genius got me a hat that said "So Handsome" and a t-shirt that said "Really Really Ridiculously Goodlooking" from zoolander, so now I'm terrified. I hope she ends up with high standards.  Ella got me 2 marvel comics superhero t-shirts, so I must be doing something right. Then we went to my favorite wing joint for dinner and I had a few beers. Overall I'm glad to have the big day behind me, and glad to be racing in a new age group. So, this is 40!