Twenty-Nine

Yesterday was my birthday. Having one’s birthday on a Monday kinda sucks.

After getting through a day of work, Melinda and I met up and had dinner at Nuba. It was quite lovely and exactly what I was looking for. Good food, quiet atmosphere and a bottle of wine.

Melinda spoiled me completely by getting me a spectacular black-forest cake from a local baker and the Garmin Forerunner 405cx running watch. This is the one tech-toy I’ve been lusting over for a while now and I’m really excited to try it out tonight.

Well, another year down. Perhaps a recap is in order…

My twenty-eighth year was mostly highlighted by running. Last summer, after running my first 10km race, I decided to train for the Royal Victoria Half-Marathon. After completing three half-marathons, I decided to train for the Vancouver (Full) Marathon. My 28th year most certainly marked the beginning of my running “career”.

Running Races Accomplished @ Age 28:

• Nike Human Race - August 31st, 2008 – 10k / 00:49:07
• Royal Victoria Half-Marathon – October 12th, 2008 – 21.1k / 1:57:24
• UBC Fall Classic Half-Marathon – November 16th, 2008 – 21.1k / 1:53:52
• Las Vegas Half-Marathon - December 7th, 2008 – 21.1k / 1:53:51
• Vancouver Marathon – May 3rd, 2009 – 42.4k / 4:27:57
• Thunder Bay 10 Mile Road Race - May 18th, 2009 – 16.1k / 1:27:08
• Longest Day Run Road Race – June 12th, 2009 – 10k / 00:50:21

I’m now running with a local group and planning a lot more races in the coming year. My goal is to run a sub 4 hour marathon.

In late 2008 I reconnected with my inner-geek by getting re-obsessed with World of Warcraft. I rolled a Death Knight, joined a guild, acted as an officer for the guild, leveled to 80 and raided Naxx10. I managed to pull myself from the game and quit again in March but not before I met some new friends.

I replaced WoW with a new creative pursuit. Armed with a new DSLR and Macbook Pro I’m trying to reconnect with my creative side.

Finally, my 28th year also saw some work changes. I moved roles at EA in the Fall of 2008.

Looking Ahead….

For my 29th year I want to focus on the same key pillars in my life:

• Running: Get faster. Run more. Meet friends.
• Geeky: Make a game. Put it out there.
• Work: Finish my project with flying colours and work towards a promotion.
• School: Get the core credits for my degree done and start on my Advanced Technology Courses.
• Relationship: Love Melinda more and more with each passing day.

Cheers to another year.