I've Fired My Life Coach & Hired a Death Coach

I’ve made a bold move recently. I deep-sixed my New Age “Life Coach” and have hired a Metal/Punk-ish “Death Coach.”

No, it’s not the folkloric Death Coach (cóiste bodhar) of Edinburgh, Scotland...It’s a real person that helps me organize my pre-death existence into “edible chunks” of time, and also advises me on death-changing decisions that could affect my deathstyle.

My Death Coach has also had an affect on my musical tastes of late. Musically, I’ve always had a heavy metal and punk side, but recently I’ve become an avid Dethklock (Metalocalypse) fan. As the lead singer Nathan Explosion from Dethklock says, "Everything metal. Blacker than the blackest black times infinity!" And that is what he says about his coffee!

You know, I’ve always liked wearing black. Did you know that there are 43 shades of black? I’ve always loved coffee, too. Black coffee! My coffee doesn’t need friends! So this is all natural to me…but I’m rambling; so sorry.

Being an ultrarunner and a longtime Dead Runners' Society member has played into this new life/death changing realization, as well. All you have to do is read my last 100-mile race report to realize that.

More on my new deathstyle, later.
Until then, here's Part 1 of Metalocalypse's first episode.

My 50th Birthday Proceedings

Me, singing Soungarden's "Black Hole Tongue"
A couple of weekends ago, my friends and family pulled a fast one on me. They gave me a surprise birthday party at Kyle and Stacie's house for my 50th. I was really surprised, too. What a bunch of secretive liars they must have been, planning this gig!


It was a great time. Jason Crosby sent me the original Trail Nerds ink illio. Shane Jones painted a map of the Psycho WyCo course, and of a pair of Montrail shoes...who knew Shane was an artist? The group also got together on some great artwork (by Jason) and had them made into framed prints: I also got a nice bottle of Scotch and (the leftover) Patron. My darling daughter and her Matt got me an entertainment center. The group also got me some other cool items, and the requisite gag gifts such as: Depends, black balloons, etc. What a good time!


Toddler me and Jason's original illustration.


Cake!!!
I was poured copious amounts of beer, and someone opened a bottle of Patron Silver tequila, and kept filling my glass. I was (thankfully) driven safely home at about midnight. I ended up getting about 3-1/2 hours of sleep that night, but still got up and drove 40 miles to Clinton Lake to start running at 7 a.m. that Sunday. I think the Trail Nerds were surprised to see me show up for a 20-mile trail run right after the big night. This old dawg's hard to keep down...and don't you forget it!

I honestly was floored and teary-eyed about the whole thing. It's taken me two weeks to put this together about it. Thanks, everyone!

February was an emotional rollercoaster for me, anyway. The events came in rapid succession: My tough time on my last 100-miler and my hard-earned 500-mile shirt, all of the prep for putting on the Psycho WyCo Trail Races, planning for all of the races we'll be putting on this year, and then my "big" birthday. Whew! (Oh yeah, I have a wonderful family and I work 50-hrs/week, too).


Raul (left), me, Debbie, James


How do I feel?...Depends. (Me with a grinning Kyle).