Once again, I've been slacking when it comes to updating this page.  Sorry about that.  I wish I could promise that I'll do better... but I can't. So anyway, let's touch on a couple of subjects...

Baby.  Everything is still moving along okay.  Maggie is now at about 8.5 months.  So really, the baby could come along at any time.  The due date is Oct 10, and I wouldn't be surprised if she's a little late.  We shall see. 

We have settled on a name for our daughter.  She'll be called Jillian Eliza Mann.  I think we both like that name...

College football.  Wow, four weeks into the season and I have yet to comment on it!  The Gators are 4-0 and have looked pretty good.  No, last week's game against Ole Miss wasn't spectacular, but I don't think the outcome was ever in doubt.  And I won't be upset about any kind of win on the road in the SEC, especially with the meat of the SEC schedule still upcoming.

I've been asked a number of times whether I think the Gators can win another National Championship.  At the beginning of the season, I was highly skeptical.  It's a young team that plays a tough SEC schedule.  And thus it would be extremely difficult to get thru that unscathed.  Plus, the Gators have won three straight titles between basketball and footbal, and the law of averages would suggest that the run of success is due to end.  However, I now like the chances of another repeat better than I did four weeks ago.  The Gators have looked quite good, and the schuled (while still tough) does not look as hard as it once did.  Auburn, Georgia and FSU all seem to be worse than originally thought.  Kentucky may be the only team that's significantly better than I thought, but I'm still not too worried about that game; after all, they're still Kentucky.  Thus there are only two games that I am really concerned about: South Carolina and (especially) LSU.  They're both road games, and I could see a loss at either one.  But I do think that the rest of the schedule is manageable.

So do I think the Gators can go undefeated and/or win a National Championship?  Yes, I think it's possible.  But I do still think it's unlikely.  Winning those two games I mentioned will be tough, as will winning the SEC Championship game.  I would think that at least one loss is probable, and you can't expect to make the National Championship game with one loss every year.  Still, 11 wins this year would be a great accomplishment.

Running.  We are now less than 8 weeks out from the Philadelphia Marathon.  I think my training has been coming along just fine.  I'm still not convinced that I'll be able to do better than the 3:48:56 that I did in Cincinnati, however.  I think it will depend a lot on how well-rested I am after the birth of the baby.  Basically, I won't be too upset if I don't break my best time. 

In other running news, I passed 1000 miles for the year earlier this week.  I am quite happy to reach that level at this point in the year.  I didn't reach 1000 miles in 2006 until Nov 6, so I am well ahead of that pace.  I think I might have an outside chance of reaching 1500 for 2007, but I think 1400 is more likely.  I'll take it. 

Lastly, I want to mention that my dad was back in the hospital, this time for treatment of a urinary tract infection, unrelated to his gall bladder issue from a few weeks ago.  It hasn't been pleasant for him, but he's getting better, albeit slowly, and we hope will soon be good as new.  Hang in there, Dad!

I guess that's it.  I will try to post more regularly... but I won't gaurantee anything.

I knew I could beat last year's time of 1:46:22.  That was an 8:38 pace.  I was shooting for about a 8:15 to 8:20 pace this year.  My first 4 or 5 miles put me well above that pace, but I slowed down a bit over miles 6 thru 8.  Eventually I kicked it back into gear, and finished with a 1:42:22.  That's exactly 4:00 faster than last year, good for an average pace of 8:18.  I'll take it.  I'm quite happy with the result, and I hope I can continue to improve next year.

In other news, we are now exactly one month away from Maggie's due date, 10/10.  So we are one month away from being parents.  Maggie and I are both extremely excited, and of course a little nervous.  But I know that we'll do fine, especially since we have so many friends and family members that are willing and able to give us help and advice. 

And in case I haven't said anything yet, we have picked a name for our daughter: Jillian.  We haven't finalized a middle name yet, but we're narrowing the field and we'll have something chosen in time. 

Things are about the change for us in a big way.  But a good big way...