I closed out 2018 and welcomed 2019 with a completely ridiculous sinus infection (as diagnosed, although I’m not entirely sure that was correct). That was quickly followed up by a stomach bug and now a slight cold. In the few hours of decent health I’ve had so far during this newborn year, I somehow managed to write my first real song in ages. Read on for more about that, and other odds and ends…
New music: “You and Me Against the World”
Despite the fact that I don’t think of myself as any kind of musician, I am constantly creating musical pieces in my head. Most of the time, those ideas fade away into a deserved oblivion (because they are bad ideas). Sometimes, they stick.
Recently, I sat down at the out-of-tune piano in our house and played a few chords. I quickly came up with verse and chorus parts, and almost immediately envisioned the complete song in my head.
Continue reading “New music: “You and Me Against the World””
BK Bulletin – December 2018: Happy Holidays
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! Just wanted to share some year-end notes and share some things I’m looking forward to in 2019…and some other odds and ends. Continue reading “BK Bulletin – December 2018: Happy Holidays”
Help me join the Philadelphia Eagles in taking on autism
For a second year in a row, I will be running the 5K component of the Eagles Autism Challenge, taking place on Saturday, May 18, 2019. Last year’s inaugural event drew over 3,300 participants – despite torrential rain – and raised $2.5 million for autism research and programs. This cause is especially important to me as my 3-year-old son Benjamin is autistic.
Please consider making a small donation in support of my 2019 Eagles Autism Challenge 5K run. It would mean the world to me — and to my son.
Thank you.
– BK
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Happy Thanksgiving…plus Disney Cruise, Philadelphia Marathon recaps and photos
Philadelphia Marathon recap & photos
Well, I completed this year’s Philadelphia Marathon. That’s about all I accomplished. I know I should just be happy I finished considering I was pretty much incapacitated by a herniated disc in September that’s still not fully resolved. But I still wanted to beat last year’s time of 4:51:22…and that didn’t happen. I couldn’t even get it done in under 5 hours. I wound up finishing this year’s race at 5:01:29. Continue reading “Happy Thanksgiving…plus Disney Cruise, Philadelphia Marathon recaps and photos”
A 2018 Philadelphia Marathon recap
Despite a herniated disc that had me practically unable to move for a few days in early September and left me with considerable numbness and pain in my back and upper left leg for most of that month, I never imagined missing this year’s Philadelphia Marathon. That was not an option. Continue reading “A 2018 Philadelphia Marathon recap”
Track my 2018 Philadelphia Marathon progress
I’ll be running in the Philadelphia Marathon for a second year in a row Sunday morning (November 18). If you would like to track my progress, here is how you can do it.
BibTag/Chip Tracking via SMS/Text or Email:
You can receive alerts for me as I reach the 10K, Half Marathon, 30K and Finish checkpoints. You can search for “Brian Kelley” or use my bib number, 9418.
Phone/GPS Tracking & Cheer Sending:
Use the RaceJoy app to track my actual position in a map view as I complete the course. Progress updates are sent every mile and you can send supportive cheers throughout the day.
Search for “Brian Kelley” or use my bib number, 9418.
Important for spectators/family/friends: Make sure to login as themselves and not as a race participant or RaceJoy will track your device instead of mine.
BK Bulletin – October 2018
An update on my herniated disc/leg issues, a recap of my performance in the inaugural Crest Best Run Fest 10-Miler, and some other odds and ends. Read on for the details… Continue reading “BK Bulletin – October 2018”
Crest Best 10 Miler recap and photos
So…I finished Sunday’s inaugural Crest Best Run Fest 10 Miler in Wildwood Crest, N.J., with my back and left leg feeling pretty good. That was a huge positive for me. Continue reading “Crest Best 10 Miler recap and photos”
It’s a “go” for the Crest Best 10!
Well, I still have a herniated disc and numbness/mild soreness in my upper left leg, but I’m feeling good enough to give Sunday’s Crest Best 10 Miler a try.
Obviously, I’m way behind in my training, but have completed runs of 10, 3.1 and five miles this past week. The 10-mile run didn’t go all that great, as my left leg pretty much gave out completely by mile 7 – I was basically just pushing off with my right leg and just landing on my left to stay upright. It took me just under 1 hour, 52 minutes to complete, which is over 20 minutes more than my 10-mile personal best…so that’s kind of frustrating.
The 3.1-mile run was better, but I really felt more like myself during the 5-mile outing. It was first time I was able to cover five miles at an under 10-minute-mile pace (9:40/mile, to be exact) in what seems like forever.
My goal for Sunday is to finish in less than 1 hour, 40 minutes. That’s way off my 10-mile personal best time of 1:27:03, but I have to be realistic. I’m not close to 100 percent and I haven’t been training as much as I should have been. And, really, I don’t want to even try to push it because I don’t want to put too much stress on my back and aggravate it again like I did during Labor Day weekend.
My physical therapist, who used to be a more avid runner, has supported my shorter runs if I’m feeling up to it. She’s not all that crazy about my doing a 10-mile race, but she knows I’m going to do it anyway if I feel I’m up to it. She just asked me to take it easy…so that’s going to be my approach.
I’m basically using the Crest Best 10 Miler as a training run for next month’s Philadelphia Marathon. That’s the race I’m really concerned about. The injection treatment for my herniated disc is scheduled for October 18, and I’m hoping to try a 16- or 18-mile run between now and then since I’ll have to take it easy for awhile after the treatment (also, I have possible jury duty the following week so that may cut into training time).
If the treatment doesn’t really work, I’ll probably need surgery. But I’ll schedule that for after Philly and hope I can get through 26.2 miles, but it’s going to be tough. It’s one thing to have to walk part of the course, which I did for much of the final eight miles last year. It’s quite another to do it on one leg, which may very well happen if I’m in the same condition I’m in now.
But that’s for next month. Right now, as the headline says, I’m a go for the Crest Best 10 Miler on Sunday. If you would like to track my progress, please click on “Is Live Tracking Available for This Event?” on the event’s FAQ page. There are instructions on how to find/download the DelMoSports Elite Events app for both iOS and Android, and a link for desktop tracking is promised to be available soon.
*** 10/6/18 UPDATE ***
Well, the desktop link for live tracking hasn’t been posted yet and today is the first day of the Crest Best Run Fest (kids race, 5K). I did find a URL that would work on desktop, but it asks you to register or login with Facebook in order to look up a runner. That leaves the best option as the DelMoSports Elite Events app, but it’s doing something a bit weird on my iPhone…you may have to open/close the app a few times before the Crest Best info appears (you may see previous events instead…if you do, close and open the app again until the Crest Best info shows up).
Brian Kelley 