My Life Lately...

February started off with the Surf City Half Marathon on 2/1/15 and then it seems like things have really been all over the place since then. While my knee continues to approve, my hip bursitis flared back up after my half marathon and I have just been taking it one day at a time. Work has been crazy busy and I feel like I have really been earning my paychecks lately. I love my job but the first time in a log time, I have been feeling a little overwhelmed to the point where I just want to come home and relax and not go for a run. I never thought I would be saying that but I am so mentally exhausted some days that all I can think of is just throwing on my sweats and laying on the couch with my dogs! These fur babies really bring me a sense of peace when I need it. 

Lets move on to something more positive. If you follow me on Instagram then you know that my son has been on a quest to lose a little bit of weight and he has started running on a regular basis. This meant changing his diet and adding more exercise to his daily routine. He is actually training for his first 5K in April and has been doing quite well. The truth is that he doesn't really like running all that much but he has found himself challenged by it. He can run up to 2.5 miles now and his pace is also improving. We tell him that he does not need to really focus on the pace because that is the least important aspect of reaching his goal. I find myself wanting to run with him because I am so impressed by his progress and I want to be a part his goal. I also work at keeping him motivated and feeling proud of himself. 

He has also dropped about 11 pounds and feels really good about that. He signed up for AYSO soccer this season which also help him improve his fitness. We are really proud of him to say the least.

I guess you can say that I am not giving up on running but I am just learning to accept the obstacles that are thrown my way without stressing out too much. Other than Ragnar So Cal in April, I am glad that I do not have any races on my schedule until May. This will allow me some time to think about how I will approach my race. My hopes are that I will be well and ready for my November marathon where I would really like to set some goals.

How has 2015 been treating you so far?

When is your next race?

December: The Ups and Downs

December had it's ups and downs but I have to say that most of it was positive. Sometimes I tend to judge my life basEd on how running treating me because it is such a big part of my life and something I love to do. I have so many things to be thankful for and I want to share some of those things instead of focusing on the knee pain that I have been dealing with since late October.

I did not run a lot of miles in December but I am just thankful to be running again. I haven't talked much about this knee problem because I still don't know what the heck the problem is. I can say that it is getting better and I can run without much pain afterward. It used to be much worse so it is getting better. I am not 100% pain-free but I feel like I am 75% there. Progress is all that I can ask for right now. I have been taking it easy on my runs and not focusing on pace. I just have to put that aside for now and focus on getting my knee back to 100%.

Mileage for December was low since I have been keeping my runs in the single digits. That is just how is it is right now. I am looking forward to getting back on track and running with my running club again because I miss them. 

Christmas Eve was really sad because Roxy took a turn for the worse and we ended up at the emergency with her. Unfortunately we had to put her down because she stopped eating and was wasn't even able to keep water in her tummy. She became really weak and there was nothing more that we could do for her. It was tough putting her down at 11:41 pm Christmas Eve since we were then sitting in a room holding her and saying goodbye at the stroke of midnight when Christmas began. We miss her a lot but find comfort knowing that we did all we could do for her and she had a great life with us. 

There were also a lot of positive things that happened this month. My sister arrived on Christmas Day from South Carolina to visit for the holidays and we had a great time. I only see her once a year since her husband is in the Navy and they don't get to travel often. The timing was good because we were distracted and didn't think about Roxy 100% of the time. My three year old nephew is so cute and just makes us laugh non-stop. I especially love how he tells on himself when he does something wrong. 

I hosted my annual Christmas party with my family and we all had a lot of fun visiting and catching up. I am especially thankful that my dad is still here with us and is doing better than we could have ever hoped for. He recently had a PET scan and his cancer is stable. It has not improved but has not spread or gotten any worse. His blood work also shows improvement since his cancer number has gone from a 79 down to a 4! He is not cancer-free but we are very grateful for this Christmas gift that we have been given.

I also thankful that my grandma was able to spend Christmas with us. She will be 88 years old this year and is pretty healthy. The holidays are especially hard for her because she misses my grandpa even more during these times.

We stayed at home to ring in the New Year. I think I fell asleep on the couch with all of my dogs and my son and my niece woke me up right before midnight so I could celebrate with them. This is probably the only photo you will ever see of me in my glasses because I look pretty horrible in them. I am thinking of having Lasik eye surgery this year but I am super nervous about it!

I am excited about 2015 and all that it has in store for me! I am still working on my goals and race calendar for 2015. I am trying not to get too hard ahead of myself until I get this knee problem under control. I don't want to sign up for a bunch of races and not be able to run them. 

How was your Christmas and New Year celebration?

Have you set new goals and signed up for some races?

Color Me Rad 5K: A Family Fun Run: 9/15/12

I love doing a fun running event each year and this one was definitely fun! We ran it as a family which made it really fun. The event is not timed and most of the participants come out to just have a good time. The participants are given a t-shirt, sunglasses, a color bomb, a RAD tattoo, a ticket to an event at the venue and a bib for the entry fee. 

The event took place at the Fontana Speedway and looped around the race track so the course was flat and easy for most. They also allowed strollers and children of all ages participated so it was a real family oriented event.

The weather was very warm at the 8:00am start. It was close to 80 degrees and they only had a couple of water stops on the course. I carried my handheld water bottle for my son because I knew he would be thirsty. Good thing I did because they were out of water at the first water stop and were just offering cups of ice. Most people were out on the course for an extended amount of time enjoying the color stations and taking lots of pictures so they were a little disappointed when there was no water!

Throughout the course, there are several color stations where different colors are thrown/sprayed on you. By the time you reach the finish, you have several colors on your face, clothes, shoes, hair, etc. It's a very messy event to say the very least!

My son enjoyed the color stations and wanted to be done in between. They also sold these color bombs which people were throwing at one another throughout the course. We bought my son five color bombs so he was having a great time color bombing me, those he passed and himself as well.

The color consists of corn starch and is fairly easy to get off. I had to scrub myself a little bit to get it off but I thought it was going to be worse. I rinsed all of our clothes out before putting them in the washer and they came out pretty clean. This race is a messy one so if you plan on doing a color run bring a change of clothes, bags for your colored clothes and shoes, towels to put on your car seats, and a towel to clean your face! We came prepared so it wasn't as messy as it could have been.

COLOR ME RAD 5K Finishers! We were very COLOR WASTED!!

South Carolina Bound and a Weekly Recap

I will be packing up my bags and heading out to South Carolina for a few days in mid August. It will be just me and my niece since we have a house full of puppies and cannot leave them alone. I asked my son if he wanted to come along but he did not want to leave his Daddy behind. My sister and her family are now residing in Charleston and I have not seen them since January. My brother-in-law is in the Navy so this is where they are calling home for the next couple of years. We are hopeful that once he finishes school they will be able to move closer to California so that we can see them more often. 

My niece is here visiting and we will be flying to South Carolina together so that she does not have to fly back home alone. I am also excited to see my nephew who just celebrated his first birthday. Jazzy, the family Pitbull Yorkie may or may not be excited about my presence so hopefully I come back home in one piece! She is only four pounds but swears that she is ten times her size!

Last night I was busy searching  for a race to squeeze in while I am in South Carolina but no such luck. I was only able to find triathlons and I am not ready for that yet. I am still very excited to go for a couple of runs while I am there since I enjoy the change of scenery and running in new places. I have heard that South Carolina is a beautiful place so I am looking forward to visiting a state that I have never experienced.  I am a California girl at heart but I do enjoy visiting new places.

Weekly Recap: I had a good week.  I finally ran 100 miles in the month of June!  I have not seen a decent month since December due to my injury.  I am slowly increasing my mileage and hoping to return to better days again.  

I ran 25.55 miles last week and I had a great long run on Saturday with an average pace of 8:19.  The warm weather does not make it all that enjoyable but I guess I will get used to it . When the sun is out, 61 degrees feels like 80 degrees to me! I have been avoiding the treadmill this week for some reason that I can't seem to explain. 

Any ideas of fun things to do, or places to visit while in South Carolina?

Weekend Recap

Since we have this new above ground pool and all, my son wanted to show it off and invited his two cousins over. The plan was to go to Universal Studios on Friday, have them all spend the night and then go swimming the next day. Let me tell you, when these three get together they can be a handful. They all get along for the most part, but they do have moments when two of them team up against the third so I have to keep a close eye on them. They wore me out and I can't imagine raising three small children all at the same time.  I only have two kids and they are 14 years apart (crazy, I know) so I really have respect for those parents who have the patience to raise several children because it's tough!

Universal Studios was a lot of fun! The kids had a great time and it wasn't incredibly crowded for a Friday in June. Costco had some reasonably priced annual passes for $69 so we took the deal.  I think we have officially given up on the $699.00 Disneyland annual passes and will have to find some new things to do this summer. The kids really wanted to ride the new Transformers 3-D attraction so we headed there first. They really liked it!  We also enjoyed the Jurassic Park Ride, Revenge of the Mummy Ride, King Kong 360, Terminator 2-3D and  the Studio Tour. The remainder of our visit was spent at the Curious George water park.  These kids love to swim and play in water!!

Saturday was also a busy day. The kids went swimming in the morning before they all went back home and then it was time to get ready for a birthday party with more swimming!  My son was pretty burned out by Sunday morning with all of the swimming and fun he had over the weekend! I think I am still recovering myself!

Weekly Recap: I exceeded my goal of 25 miles this week and ended up with 26 and some change.! I had a great 10.5 run on Saturday morning in spite of the warm weather. I revisited an old familiar route that has a bit more of a climb than what I have been doing lately and it went well.  With seven days left in the month of June, I am on track to hitting 100 miles for the month. I have not seen a 100 mile month since December of last year so I am excited about my progress and hopeful that I can continue to increase my mileage without any setbacks. 

How was your weekend?   Did you do anything special? 

A Family Reunion and Weekly Recap

Every June we have a family reunion and all of the families take turns organizing and putting the event together. My Dad is full Japanese so the reunion is hosted by my Dad's side of the family.  I enjoy it since it is the one time of year that I have the opportunity to see a lot of my relatives that I don't often see. I also get to see my Dad and I always look forward to seeing him. My niece, Taite, is in town for the summer so she came along with us and it was a great opportunity for her to see her Grandpa (my Dad) and spend some time with us since she lives in South Carolina. My brother-in-law is in the Navy so they have not yet found their permanent home.  I am hopeful that they will settle closer to California one day soon so we can see my sister and her family more often.

There were lots of games and activities for the kids and my husband and son won the Rock/Paper/Scissors championship and came home a few dollars richer! My husband was really getting into this game and was taking necklaces from the children and the elderly! In a nutshell, if you beat your opponent their necklaces which had a quarter attached, became yours. We had never seen the game played this way before and thought it was a great idea.

There was a ton of food and it was nice to see everyone especially my Dad! Taite decided to give chopsticks a try but after struggling for a few minutes she gave up! She is such a sweet and well-behaved little girl and I love her to death!

Weekly Recap

I ran 26.25 miles last week and met my goal of 25 miles for the week! I am still experiencing strange aches and pains and some issues if I try to run consecutive days. The good thing is that the pains goes away within a short period of time and I am pain free when I run. I usually try to run every other day and cross train in between but I am not quite there yet. The rest days are much needed and appreciated until I think I can handle more. I will continue to shoot for 25 miles a week and increase my mileage when I think I am ready for more. My goal is to run a strong half marathon in September and get closer to the 1:5o range again.

How was your weekend? Did you race or do anything special with your family?

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the great moms out there!

I also want to wish my mom, grandma and sisters a Happy Mother's Day since they are all great moms! We don't always see eye to eye but I  love them all unconditionally!

My son was very excited to present me with this great Mother's Day gift.  He was very proud of the origami butterfly that he made for me and even the gift bag because he bought it with his own money!

Another Birthday Celebration and a Weekly Recap!

After my half marathon on Sunday, I rushed home to get some rest because we had a 6:00pm dinner date with my daughter to celebrate her birthday. She loves steak and we headed over to one of her favorite restaurants, North Woods Inn, to have dinner.  The restaurant is really dark inside so it's kind of different to me plus it's also hard to take good pictures of your food for your blog due to poor lighting!

Other than their great steaks, they are known for their great cabbage salad, green salad and cheese bread. I always get suckered into eating all of the salads and bread because not only are they delicious but they are unlimited!! 

The food was delicious and we had a great time. My husband and I split the 16oz rib eye steak and they were nice enough to split everything onto two plates for us for a $6.95 fee.  The steak plate was a little pricey ($32.95) but we don't do it often ...only for her birthday. Most of our favorite restaurants are little hole in wall places that have the best food for great prices. 

 She loved all of her presents and I think she had a pretty fabulous birthday according to Instagram and her Facebook!

 I think her favorite gift was her new Juicy Couture handbag. She was definitely surprised!

Here is a Recap of My Week:

Monday: REST
Tuesday: Ran 8.5 on the Treadmill
Wednesday: REST 
Thursday: Ran 10.0 on the Treadmill
Friday: REST
Saturday: REST AGAIN
Sunday: OC Half Marathon (13.31 Miles according to my Garmin)
TOTAL MILES FOR THE WEEK: 31.81

This past week was my highest mileage week of 2012 (so far) and hopefully my monthly mileage will top April which was 74 miles.  I am excited and nervous all at the same time. I am taking it easy for the next few days and Thursday is supposed to be my last day of physical therapy. I am a little sore from my half marathon but it's a good sore.  It's the kind of sore that I am used to after a good run. I think I kind of like this pain! I have missed it!

This weekend is Mother's Day!  What are your plans? I know that I will be spending time with my mom and my grandma but I haven't made any official plans yet!

Turning the Negative into Something Positive!

Today was a good day in spite of not being able to run another race because I saw my Dad.  My Dad is battling cancer and I had made a plan a few months back to visit him when I first decided to run the Hollywood Half Marathon.  I really wanted to see him so my trip to Universal City was bound to happen even if things didn't work out the way that I had planned them to. I picked up my goodie bag and wandered around the expo for about two minutes. The expo was really crowded and I got out of there really quick! I was already feeling sad about not being able to run the race so the quick trip was a blessing! I can be dangerous at expos because I am always tempted to sign up for another race but due to this nagging injury I have no confidence to sign up for anything anymore. I guess I am tired of paying for races that I cannot run! The shirt is really cute and yes, Bib#5116 was a DNS! 

My husband walked around Universal City Walk until it was time to meet up with my Dad and stepmother.  If you are on any kind of diet, this place is not the place to go!  They had a ton of sweets to eat and about five restaurants.  They had candy, popcorn, cinnamon buns, funnel fries, buckets of mini donuts, and crepes.  I was only able to resist all of it because I didn't want to spoil my appetite for lunch. I did stop into Yogurtland and sample some new flavors that I hadn't tried before. The plan was to go back after lunch and get a cup but it didn't happen. I wanted to beat the traffic so we left right after lunch.

We met up with my Dad and my stepmother for lunch at 12:30pm. This is a chemo week for my Dad so I knew that he was not feeling 100% but he came anyway and never complains. We ended up having lunch at Tony Roma's and ate and talked for a couple of hours.  My Dad shaved his head because he said his hair was thinning on the sides from the chemo so I was a little shocked to see him without his hair. It actually made me kind of sad so I didn't have much of an appetite left. He didn't eat much but kept talking about going to McDonald's to pick up 12 Filet O Fish sandwiches. He goes through phases where can only eat certain things that taste good to him and don't make him sick. They are $1.49 on Fridays so I guess he stocks up!! 

It was great to see my Dad and we took a few pictures with him before he left.  I wish I could give him something of mine to make his cancer go away but for now all I can do is support him and show him how much I love him.

Have a great Easter!

Happy Valentines Day!

About 14 years ago I met a man who has really shown me what unconditional love is really all about!  He puts up with me when I am in less than a good mood and loves me even in spite of all my faults.

He is a great father and he always puts our needs and wants before his own.  He wants to give me everything that I want and is always concerned about my happiness.  He finds a way to like everything that I do because he wants to spend time with me. Even though he is not a runner he comes to every single one of my races and is my personal photographer.  

He even cleans the house and gets up at all hours of the night to take the dogs to the bathroom so that I don't have to get up to do it. He tells me how beautiful I am even when I know that I look horrible.  He is intelligent, multi-talented and is successful at whatever he puts his mind to.  He has an endless amount of patience which is necessary to deal me with and somewhat dysfunctional family!

Thank you Honey for loving me so much and for being such a good example to our son. Happy Valentines Day!

Back to School...

2012 is going to be a very busy year for me and I feel it already!  Yesterday was my first day back at school.  I am finally finishing up my MPA (Master's in Public Adminisration) and I opted to take a series of tests instead of doing a thesis or a project. I am happy to say that this is the last course I need to complete the program and I will be done in mid March. Homework, projects and exams will be taking away from my running and energy levels so I know that I will have to stay even more focused and really push myself that much harder to stick to my training schedule. I never envisioned myself going back to school but when your job offers tuition reimbursement you really don't have an excuse not to take advantage of such a great opportunity. Earning my MPA will be well worth it for me so I am super excited to be on track to completing another goal this year.



Going to miss these people!!

My sister, my niece and my baby nephew hopped on a plane and headed back to Florida on January 4th so the house is empty and really quiet again. We only live in less than half of the house so when it is full of people it can be pretty crazy. I was starting to get used to a baby being around and all of the extra noise that comes along with house guests. I tried to spend as much time with my sister as I could, other than sneaking away on my runs, so I am way behind on cleaning up my Christmas decorations. I am enbarrassed to report that my Christmas tree is still standing with ornaments and all.  I promised myself that I would have it all taken down and put away by the end of this week. I am really behind on reading all of your blogs as well so I have to get back into my normal routine as soon as possible.  Your blogs keep me motivated so I need to keep current on those so that I don't get lazy.

Not that I need anymore sweets in my diet but how many of you have heard of Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour? These ice cream parlours were really popular when I was growing up and I had all of my birthday parties there.  Farrell’s is known for their yummy ice cream concotions which include the Pig’s Trough, the Zoo and the Gibson Girl. Farrell's seemed to disappear and now they are making a coming back. I was so excited when I saw the "Coming Soon" sign a few months ago. Unfortunately, I have to pass it on my way to the gym and believe me I want to go to Farrell's instead of spin class!!  Farrell's has been super crowded since their Grand Opening so we are being very patient and waiting for the newness to die down so that we can go and do some damage!

My very first race of the year is coming up in just a few weeks.  I am excited about my 2012 Race Schedule since I am running some inaugural races, as well as some that I have never ran before. I am also thinking about revisiting some of my favorite local races in hopes of improving my times.

What is on your Race Schedule for 2012?  Any new races for 2012 on the agenda?

I Hate Monkey Balls!

They say that there is a first time for everything and Christmas Eve was my first time falling flat on my face during my long run!! I tripped on a monkey ball and down I went!! It was bound to happen because I had almost fallen on one of those darn things twice!! I have seen these things before but I never knew what they were actually called. I guess a monkey ball is a seed pod from a sweet gum tree. Man I hate those darn things now!!



I ended up scraping my chin and my knee, cut my finger, another finger is swollen, and my other knee is bruised! I felt like such an idiot but I think Maura is the only one who saw!! Maura has been taking me around her neighborhood for some long runs so I've now learned to watch out for monkey balls!!

On another note, a much more positive one, I finally saw Caroline from Canadian runner in exile while we were on our run. Caroline and I always register for the same races but have never met. She recognized me and said "Sandy is that you? It's me Caroline. Merry Christmas!" I was so surprised to see her that I probably didn't greet her properly. It was great to see you Caroline!! Please stop by Caroline's blog and check it out. She is a great runner and her little boys are so cute and like to run just like their mom!

In spite of the fall, we had a great 17 mile run and I'm not sure how she does it but Maura doesn't run with her Garmin on her long distance runs but she can gauge the pace and the distance right on the money. She scolds me if I keep looking at my Garmin so I have to sneak and peak at it! She doesn't wear her Garmin when she runs marathons either but somehow meets her goal time! Me on the other hand, babysits the Garmin and would never leave home without it on race day!

I have gone on several runs with Maura since I have been on vacation and I don't think I have ever ran so many quality miles in a single week. The routes that she takes me on are pretty hilly and challenging for me a well. I took advantage of the time I had off and really enjoyed getting a few long runs in that I normally would not able to do since I work and get home too late.

I hope everyone had a great holiday.  I have been busy spending time with my family so I am way behind on reading all of your blogs and hope to catch up once my household is back to normal again. Have a happy and safe New Year!

I May Be Old but I Can Still Run a Marathon!

I can't believe I am 40!  It was the big 4-0 for me on September 7th and even though I wasn't really looking forward to it, I made the best of it!  I started the Labor Day Weekend off by PR'ing in the Disneyland Half Marathon.  

My PR was the greatest birthday gift in and of itself!  I received so many Happy Birthday wishes and compliments from co-workers, family and friends which made me feel just a little bit better about the whole "Over the Hill" thing.  My niece and nephew in Florida went way out in these special pictures just for me!

Notice his onesie!

Taite got in on the whole"40" thing too!

So let me tell you all about the special things that everyone did for me to make my 40th a memorable one! September 6th was my son's first day of fourth grade so I started work late so that I could take him on his first day. It's kind of a tradition for me to take him on his first day. I am dreading the day that he no longer wants me around which will probably be really soon.

When I arrived at work I was pleasantly surprised to see the new look of my office! My staff decorated my office for me and even though there was "40" all over it, I loved it!  I thought it was a pretty cool idea even though it kind of rubbed in the whole "40" thing! There was no doubt that everyone in City Hall knew how old I was! They did try to be nice and tell me how I did not look a day over 25. Whatever!

Tease me about my age and I'll beat you with my cane!

My staff/co-workers also took me to lunch twice. We had lunch at BJ's one day and then at Red Robin another!  They also gave me a bunch of neat gifts like flowers, candy, gift cards to Kohl's and Sprinkles and a running jacket for training in the winter.  The jacket was from Shawna which came with the guarantee that her and I will do a marathon together in the future.

On my birthday, more good things came my way. I took three days off of work to take care of family stuff and to celebrate my birthday and try to relax a little. My husband sent me the most beautiful glittery red roses and my son made me the most creative rose out of duct tape. We also went to lunch at one of my favorite Thai Restaurants and I ate my little heart out.  I normally take it easy with the fried food but I really like love the fried won tons and I made it known!  I had the pepper steak with rice and yes, I cleaned my plate!  My husband also bought me some other running related things that I have been wanting but they are on their way so I don't have them to share with you yet.

My son can make pretty much anything out of duct tape!

After lunch, I got a pedicure per Shawna's orders and she also told me that I needed to take a break from running as well.  I obeyed her orders and managed to gain 5 pounds instead! Keep reading to see how I managed to pack the pounds on!

I love Italian food, so the whole gang went to Buca di Beppo for dinner to celebrate my 40th with me.  I love their house salad, mozzarella cheese bread and spaghetti with meat sauce. I cleaned my plate here too!  My daughter brought some of my favorite wine, Moscato.  I am not much of a drinker and rarely ever drink but I did have a small glass of wine.  My son has never seen me drink before so he was really concerned that I was drunk. My daughter also gave me a gift card to a great spa so I will be treating myself to a much needed facial really soon!  There's more.

No celebration would be complete without my favorite dessert, cupcakes!  My daughter also brought me my two favorite cupcakes from our local cupcakery.  The waiter brought them out to me complete with the 4-0 candles and the birthday song.  I was pleasantly surprised and the cupcakes disappeared and went straight to my hips too!

Just Kidding!  This photo was taken strictly for your entertainment.

The day after my birthday we went to see "The Help."  It was a great movie but very sad to see how black women were treated back in those days. I highly recommend that you see this movie! One random thing about movie theater bathrooms. While visiting the ladies room, I was surprised to see the various items that are available for purchase from the "Convenience Center!" I thought this machine was used for those other things that women use?? I guess not because they weren't for sale in this ladies room!

Body Jewels or Lip Gloss anyone?

I ate at another one of my favorite Thai restaurants the day to follow! I love the garlic and pepper pork! Can't you tell? I tried to leave a little something on the plate so I didn't appear to be a pig! I am not sure if I was very convincing! Probably not.

Before

After

My last food binge that I will admit to is my visit to my favorite taco truck!  This is the one and only "roach coach" that my family and I dare to eat from.  They have the absolute very best tacos in the whole wide world and we make a cross country trip to get these bad boys for only a $1.25! The gas is more expensive than the food!

So how did I deal with all of the guilt of being a fat 40 year old? I went for a nice 20 mile run on Sunday and called it a week! I think I forgot what 20 miles feels like because I felt pretty tired from Mile 15 to the end.  It didn't help that I mapped out the hilliest course ever for a 20 mile run.

I am just 27 days away from running my first marathon as a 40 year old.  I am in a whole different Age Group now! The only problem is that the 40 year old women are pretty darn awesome so now I will never place in my age group until I'm 50 or 60. I guess I now have something to look forward to in my old age!