Welcome to - My First Post

Welcome to my first blog posting! I have been putting this off long enough already! No more procrastinating, I'm just going to do it! I keep thinking this has to be perfect, but like a lot of things I have going on, I'll have to view it as a work in progress! I created this blog as a way to meet new people with similar interests, keep in touch with family and friends, a few rants and raves and to share some of the things that keep me busy. My partner Kent and I (Pictured in Hawaii on a business trip last year - I'm the short one!) have a hard time keeping all our family and friends updated on our latest adventures. Before we know it months have passed and we have not talked to - "so and so" forever! Sorry if you are one of those that fall into this - "so and so" category! We really do miss you! Between work, finding time to enjoy life and having a new dog - there really is little time left in the day.

So first of all , why call it - Ground Cover? I have to credit my friend Jennifer for that. She inspired me to start this blog. She has her own blog at: http://www.simpleflourishes.com/. Check it out. She is very creative! Her site is full of creative ideas and projects that are sure to inspire you and get your creative juices flowing!

OK - so back to why call the blog "Ground Cover"? I am hoping to "cover" a lot of "ground" in this blog - seeing that I am a Master Gardener (ground cover) and that I run marathons (covering ground) and I have tons of other interests and a lot of opinions about a lot of things - Ground Cover seemed appropriate! Although I reserve the right to talk about just about anything that's on my mind - the general themes in the blog will center around the things I enjoy the most. In no particular order they include: Running, biking, gardening, cooking, entertaining, University of Washington College Football and Basketball (season ticket holder to both) and traveling. That's enough to keep me busy!

Something you need to know about me - the only thing that I am truly an expert on is related to my work. I get enough of that Mon-Fri. I like to think of myself as knowing a little bit about a lot of different things - just enough to give me an opinion but not enough to keep me from wanting to learn more.

Thanks to my brother David, I taken up marathon running in the last couple of years. I've always done some running over the years, mostly 10k and 1/2 marathon. Last year I ran the San Diego Marathon (me after crossing the finish line in San Diego) and the Portland Marathon. I was much better prepared for the San Diego Marathon and completed in 3:42:41. Earlier this year I ran the Yakima River Canyon Marathon. I've added a link to my site to this one - it was by far my favorite! The course is absolutely incredible, the people were extremely supportive and helpful and the weather was perfect! If you are a runner I highly recommend this marathon! http://www.ontherunevents.com/yrcm/ So you are probably wondering why I've gone off on this tangent about marathons all the sudden - I am training for an early fall marathon - the Lake Chelan Marathon on Sept. 20th. I had a 10 mile run to do this morning. I ran west from my house down to Des Moines along Puget Sound. It was a great morning for a run. I am mostly a morning runner - if I put it off until the evening, I am very likely to find an excuse not to run. I just completed week four of my 12 week training plan. I've been mixing up my training a bit and only run three days per week. I've added biking as cross training. The ride to work is 24 miles so I have been doing that 1-2 times per week.

Enough for now,

Later - Jim