THREE CUPS OF TEA

Hi.. I'm writing about "Three Cups of Tea" at a Starbucks. Thats like writing about the NBA at Yankee Stadium...but I am getting ahead of myself. I got some "splain-in" to do and I will...but first...the training and racing stuff.

Sunday is the 3rd race in consecutive weeks with next weeks Half Ironman being the 4th in 4. Kinda cranking the sked and loving it. Sunday is the Cleveland Triathlon, which, I believe was the 3rd ever race I did back in the mid 80's. I have done it many times. Its had more name changes than a government witness. Sunday I will swim for Dawud, a young boy with cerebral palsy. His mom and dad are going do the biking and running. A great picture of Dawud is on the previous post and a link to his donation page if you are kind enough to check out. Thanks!!!

Got great news. Last Sundays sprint at Fairport was a 3rd place in the 15 man age group. Patrick claimed a 4th place in the tough 25-29 age group. This season, I have had a second, a first and now this third. Good Golly Miss Molly!!!!

Got in a long swim session at Fairport on Tuesday and was even able to enjoy the breakfast afterwards. Had a mini-tweak of my right hammy on Wednesday am. Only ran 40 minutes. Had a thorough weight session on Thursday, and today (fri) ran 2 hours at North Chagrin. Saturday, more weights and a light bike....Sunday I will swim a half mile with everything I have and then be a cheerleader for all the families racing for their children.

Browns camp occupies alot of work time. Putting together a hour special...doing several pieces on that and High School football practice began.. Its busy, but we love it. Tuesday I poked fun at our anchor woman Stacey Bell, who is single, and who caught the bouquet at Kathleen Cochranes wedding last week. We had tape of her gathering it in, like a punt returner, so silly me... I asked Josh Cribbs, the Browns Pro Bowl return man to comment on her ability. He played along very well and it made for a fun segment. Stacey was a good sport too.




THREE CUPS OF TEA

What a book!!!!!! Greg Mortenson turned a failure into a monumental success in a most unusual way. He failed to scale K2, one of the worlds most treacherous and dangerous summits, just missing by so many hundred meters. He nearly died. He was rescued by the incredible Himalayan people and nursed back to health. He vowed to build them a school. The children there had nowhere to learn and had no books. How this American, an infidel, in the heart of Muslim culture, at the time of the Taliban and 911 was able to forge partnerships with the warlords and bad guys is remarklable. Stunning achievements as he was then able to build many more schools...doing what Sir Edmund Hillary did as well in the years after he scaled Mount Everest.
Greg Mortenson, makes me, an extremely upbeat guy seem like a malcontent. He's amazing. So I was thinking and hopefully you can search back as well in your memory.. When did you fail at one thing and still succeed because or in spite of the failure.??

Humm, I thought. Mid 70's I met a woman who I was in love with. But after 6 months, she dumped me. I was despondent. I was out of sorts and depressed without her. I wrote her mom. I expressed my love for her daughter. To this day, my mother in law remembers how much I longed for her daughter, who is of course The Bride. We got back together and my life has been so enriched.

1980, a station in Buffalo New York, fired me. But that wacking, only opened the door for me to come to my hometown and to take the dream job I so wanted. Its the same job I have today...Sportscaster at Fox 8.

Greg Mortenson dranked much more than 3 cups of tea with the people of the mountain region, but he has immensely changed the lives of many children by opening up their minds to education.Heres to many cups of tea, which will mean success for you.. And, yes, if you are not a tea drinker, do like this guy...just drink the brewed beans.All the best.

Life's a Blast.