Bang! Crash! Thump! Hoo-Rah!

That was the sound of me falling off the wagon.

I went to a Memorial Service last evening for the twenty-five year old brother of close friends. It was moving, beautifully done, with heart-aching music, testimonials from friends, and oh so terribly awful for someone so young to be killed in a car accident.

I hugged my friend. Bawled like a baby. And needed a drink. In for a penny, in for a pound and I drank to Chris' memory with as good a bottle of red wine as I could find at short notice.

I ran the Pacific Road Runner's First Half, Half Marathon this morning with a hangover.

I ran a personal best of 1:34:40. I clipped Hugh at the Finish Line by eleven seconds.

Revision: My Official Chip Time was 1:34:07

The good news is that based on the race predictor calculator at http://www.marathonguide.com my Half time this morning suggests I could run a Marathon in 3:18 and change. Revised: 3:17:07

http://www.marathonguide.com/fitnesscalcs/predictcalc.cfm

http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/index.html McMillan, on the other hand, predicts a 3:19:28. Revised: 3:18:30

Don't you just love it when wonks wage war with competing algorithms?

I am driving the last of the personal remains of another dear, dear friend who died far, far too young, from Vancouver to Edmonton in a few minutes. From a storage locker that will finally be shut to her parent's home. I wish it was more.

U-Haul may have the worst customer service in the history of customer service.

More on all of this when I return in three days.

My God, it was beautiful morning for a race. Just beautiful.

I am glad to be alive, today.

I cherish the knowledge that I can run to the best of my ability, in the company of people whom I have come to love and who so enrich my life by their presence and by being part of my life.

Please, tell somebody you love that you love them today.

It's all that matters.