A Big Weekend

The NFL season officially kicked off last night. The Denver Broncos played host to the Baltimore Ravens...which was a little odd. Normally the defending champions host the opening game at their home stadium on a Thursday and the season goes from there. Unfortunately, the Orioles were playing at home last night as well. As Camden Yards is right next door to M&T Bank Stadium, there would have been a shit-ton of people in the area and parking is a little scarce. So, as Baltimore is a cesspool where you're just as likely to get stabbed as looked at, they moved the game to Denver.

Peyton Manning absolutely carved up the Ravens defense, tossing an NFL record tying 7 touchdown passes in the win, tow of which went to former Patriot Wes Welker. The Broncos won 49-27 and I couldn't be happier with that result. Of course, I'm a little biased after how last year ended for the Niners, but it's good to see Baltimore get an ass kicking.

The Niners open up the season Sunday after noon at home against the Packers. This should be a good match-up which has already generated some talk. The Pack has said that the new rule changes are going to allow them to nail Kaepernick as he runs the option. The Niners say this sounds a lot like "targeting" and they don't really like that. But, it's all a part of the build up to Sunday. Football is back!

When I was in high school I was a runner. I was on the cross country team for four years and have competed in more races than most people will in their lifetimes. After I graduated I tried to keep up with it, but injuries hit me pretty hard and I wound up giving it up. Over the years I've tried to pick it back up with mixed results. I'd gotten old and fat, and the knees weren't having it.

A few months ago Laura signed up for a 5K. It's a nice easy little run down in Manchester that her friend Jen is running in. So when she asked me if I would help her train, I told her that I would be happy to, but I didn't know how long I would be able to keep it up as my past attempts weren't all that successful. I did some searching online and found a running plan from Fitness Magazine where you can get ready for a 5K in 6 weeks - so we decided to try that.

It's been great. We're both running a lot more than we thought we were capable of, and having a training buddy has made things easier on both of us. The race is this Saturday and I'm shooting to finish it in under 30 minutes. A lofty goal? Perhaps. But it's one that I think I can hit!

Today's song is mildly related to what I might feel at the finish: