Crazy Few Weeks

Books, races, swingsets, keynotes, parties, birthdays, hockey teams, baseball games, fetuses, galas, radios, au pairs!  Goodness, what a multi-faceted month I’ve enjoyed.

We’ll start by talking about the really important stuff. Check out the latest Martin-in-waiting!  Can you believe the 3D images these days?!

This beautiful little thing is due to arrive on August 20, however, we expect he/she—as in “keeping it a surprise,” not as in, “hermaphrodite”—will be here a bit sooner. Sharon has a relatively benign condition called polyhydramnios, or too much amniotic fluid in the sac. This, of course, stretches her belly more than normal, which tricks her system into thinking delivery day is closer than it really is. She’s been having contractions since 30 weeks.

You may have heard—from me—that the new book, “Drinking from My Leg: Lessons from a Blistered Optimist,” launched on June 23. It reached #1 in Sports and Biographies and #36 Overall on Amazon.

Making that happen was quite the monumental time commitment over the last few months—lining up various partners to help promote the book on that one day. For the most part, it worked as planned and now I’m a #1 Bestseller!

Because of this status I’ve been contacted by both Korean and Polish publishers for translation rights. Chinese and Russian woulda been cool…

The day before the launch I keynoted a conference in Lake Placid, NY, then flew back to Colorado that night.

The day before that I traveled to said speaking engagement and for the Boston to Upstate NY segment we flew in a little 9-seater . . . and I got to ride shotgun! Yep, I sat in the in the co-pilot seat as we skimmed across the Adirondack’s at dusk. As I climbed over the others to grab my seat, I assured them they were safe, that I was a licensed Colorado driver, not to worry.

And that was on my 43rd birthday. I had been itching to post this photo, which was kiddie-corner from the house we rented in Boulder last winter, then I forgot about it until now.

The day before that I raced the Boulder Sprint Triathlon. I completed it without much preparation and, hence, was passed by more people on the bike than I’m used. Got what I deserved and I’m cool with that.

The day before that we had a birthday party for Jack at the local park. You know, burgers, dogs, Coors Light, cake, pinata—that sorta thing.

The four days (late evenings, to be specific) before that were spent building this gazillion piece swingset in the backyard. Well worth the time and money, I might add. The boys LOVE it!

A few days before that I was in New York City at the Waldorf Astoria, a guest of the Challenged Athletes Foundation’s Heroes, Hearts, and Hope Gala. The event, featuring Bruce Hornsby and Bill Walton, brought in $875,000 for the foundation and I had the pleasure of chatting a good long while with NHL/Olympic goaltender turned cyclist, Mike Richter.

Pulling a chronological 180, this pic was taken on Jack’s actual birthday, June 24, at his first every Major League Baseball Game. The Red Sox were in town to take on the Rockies. As this photo was being taken, Dustin Pedroia had just connected on his first of three home runs on the day, taking out the Rox in extra innings. We were long gone by that point. Jack’s four. He can’t hang.

Joined a new hockey team, the Ice Bumbs (yes, that’s how they—we—spell it) midway through the season at the local YMCA rink. We lost 3-2 on a shootout in my first game. I fell down several times for no reason.

Last weekend I raced, for the sixth or seventh time, the Boulder Peak Triathlon. It’s an Olympic Distance race with a couple extra kilometers on the bike that allows we competitors to ride up a 15% grade near the start of the bike. I only saw a half dozen or so walking up the hill. On the backside they’ve set up a new 35 mph “speed limit” to reduce the inevitable number of crashes on the steep descent. I was clocked at 49 . . . Appropos to the new book’s subtitle, my run was speed was limited, once again, by huge-0 mong0 Stumpy blister. Happy to say its healing amazingly fast. Must be the EPO. (That’s a blood-doping joke to those of you with quizzical brows.)

Spent the previous Monday at the Horsetooth Reservoir swim beach. DO NOT go there unless you like laying on a 45-degree clay-slickened bank that tends to send the less nimble into the rocks hidden beneath the murky water’s edge.

Also been getting some airtime on the radio sports shows lately, plugging the new book and child on Bob Babbit’s ” The Competitors” show and “The Simon Gowen Triathlon Show.”

To wrap things up it looks like I’m back on full-time daddy duty until the newbie arrives. A couple of months back we took in an au pair from Peru to help us out with the business of a hard-working wife (not to mention preggo) and an oft-traveling husband who needs to spend time working on the speaking business he’s been ignoring as of late. She didn’t quite work out as planned; we’re looking once again so if any of you have an au pair you can recommend, we welcome your input.