Post-race, catching up

When I last blogged, I was anxiously awaiting my live television debut. Let me tell you, it was quite the experience.

I did not realize how nervous I would be. I was okay before the show started. I chit-chatted with a couple of the guests, and also with the host. We went over what I would be doing, and it all seemed fine. Then, the show started. Live TV. I quickly started feeling warm under the lights, and my nerves got to me. By the first commercial break, I was ready to walk off. I felt light-headed, hot and sweaty, just awful.

We got back from commercial, and, luckily, I was out of frame. I thought I might pass out. I had my head on the podium, hoping for an end to this misery. Shortly after that, the host threw it to me, so I sucked it up and took us to the next break. This continued until I got a drink of water, and finally started to feel okay.

By the end of the show, I was feeling more like myself. Maybe it was the humongous coffee I drank on the way to the show, along with my nerves, that created this perfect storm. If and when I do that again, I won't be downing 24 oz of coffee before I go on.

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Since then, I've been working on more videos, averaging about 1 a week for the last couple of weeks. My personal schedule got a little busier when I agreed to help out with my oldest daughter's soccer team, and that has cut into my vlogging time. Also, the weather here has been downright nasty! Up until a few days ago, we had rain and storms every day for 9 or 10 days. We even had a tornado hit a church behind our house, then touch down again at a trailer park about a mile from here. Our house had some minor damage, but luckily, no one was hurt

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Lastly, I ran the Kentucky Derby Festival mini-marathon today. I must say, I did better than I expected. Conditions were great: clear skies, temps were ideal, and the support was fantastic. The course got a last-minute change, which ended up being great. I thought the 4-mile stretch of 3rd Street was going to be dull, but the folks that lined up along the course kept things lively. Along with that, there was plenty of shade.

Let me just say that the city of Louisville has a lot of beauty and history, and they highlighted that wonderfully with this course. And the people that came out to cheer on the runners were phenomenal! They helped make this a fantastic day for me and the thousands of others who ran.

Thank you, Louisville!

I felt like such a rock star when I typed that.

Tomorrow, I'm the guest announcer!

The day has nearly arrived. Tomorrow, I head to the WAVE 3 studios for my first of hopefully many appearances on Live From 725. I have The Local Guys to thank for my debut. I've got to admit, I am a little nervous. I went to the set to watch the show a few weeks ago, and was amazed by how quickly it goes by. I hope I don't freeze or stammer or anything too embarrassing. One thing I do intend to do is mention RWtL. I may also try to get a little time with the host before or after the show to try to figure out how to make it a regular segment on the show. That would be super cool.

Fingers crossed for a good show tomorrow!

Thoughts from a sleepless morning

Being on third shift is great for some things. It allows me a bit more flexibility when it comes to appointments and getting the kids to and from school, things like that. But when it comes to the weekend, all bets are off.

Yesterday was a busy day for me. I worked overnight, came home and slept for about 3 hrs, then got up to meet Lincoln and visit the Live From 725 set. After that, it was time to pick up the kids from their schools, then a brief pause before turning around and heading back to work for a 6 hr shift.

Please don't think I'm complaining, because I am glad to be employed and to have the opportunity to get some OT. I'm just illustrating one particular day.

After work, I get home and everyone is up, so we caught up on our days events. I don't end up crawling into bed until after midnight, but I am asleep in no time. Fast forward to about 5 hrs later, and I wake up to a quiet house but can't seem to get back to sleep. This is how most of my Saturday mornings are.

I start thinking about RWtL: ideas for videos, trying to get someone to write some theme music, things like that. At that point, it is pointless to even try to get back to sleep. It just ain't happening right now.

I get up with the intention of getting some of these ideas out of my head and onto paper, but I get sidetracked by email/facebook/blogger. Nothing new there, but I should know better. I did manage to get a few things jotted down (theme music, get out and actually run with some locals, a list of some notable locals to run with), but it wasn't worth getting out of bed before sunrise.

So, to recap, I am about a day behind on sleep, and I have a few flimsy ideas to try to build on to make RWtL more interesting and, hopefully, successful (whatever that means).

RWtL moving forward

I know I've said this before, but Lincoln is the man. It is a fact that bears repeating.

Today, I tagged along as he did his Local Guys thing at our local NBC affiliate, WAVE 3. It was really cool to see how live television works. It moves so fast, and the half-hour flew by. Lincoln and Squire's segment was pretty cool (it was for mini of Louisville, btw), and afterward, Lincoln introduced me to the host, John Ramsey.

I had been introduced to Mr. Ramsey about a week ago, via email, by Lincoln, but this was the first time meeting him in person. He seemed like a great guy, and he had already talked with Lincoln about RWtL, and seemed ready to get me on the show to do a few segments. How frickin' crazy is that! It is pretty great having a well-connected friend.

So, long story short, John and I are going to get together soon and discuss RWtL segments for his show. In the meantime, I am going to be the guest announcer for the April 18th show. Holla!

Needless to say, this has been a wild ride, and I cannot wait to see where it ends up taking me.