Aaron's Crazy Race

AARON'S LAST-MINUTE RACE ENTRY
Day 13 -- Running My Mouth And Not My Legs

During the day, I reflected more on how outlandish my goal-setting had been for the Race. The reality was that not only was a 15- to 20-day period inadequate to prepare but for most of the 15 or 20 "training" days, I wasn't able to do anything because of my schedule. Today was a perfect example. I had to get Holly to school, finish preparations for the TV show, and spend most of the day in Denver at the TV Station. Before the day started, I already knew I wouldn't get any exercise.

The first taping was a one-on-one with John Temple, the President, Publisher, and Editor of The Rocky Mountain News. His counterpart at The Denver Post, Greg Moore, said he had to be in the newsroom that day but the show went well without him. I agreed to have Greg on at a later date. We covered a wide range of topics and John was both articulate and adroit. We served lunch to our guests and the food from Dougal's Catering in Denver was absolutely fantastic. We had tasty fried chicken, phenomenal scalloped potatoes, delicious coleslaw, and a wide array of cookies for dessert. The quality was superb and the quantity was abundant.

My second guest was Todd Park Mohr of " Big Head Todd And The Monsters." The normally reclusive Todd had a lot to say and didn't pull any punches. The TV Station crew rolled in footage of a concert as well as some behind-the-scenes footage and it all came together very well. (That show now is available for viewing from the Web site.) My last guest was former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb. He was more relaxed and confident than anyone had ever seen him. He had sought the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee but pulled out when it became obvious Howard Dean would win the race, and explained his candidacy. We talked about his accomplishments as Mayor (during his tenure Denver built a new football stadium, a new baseball stadium, and new basketball and ice hockey arena, doubled its parks, expanded its library system, and completed Denver International Airport) and talked about a number of political issues.

After the show, I got Holly and, en rote, was treated to an extraordinary vista when I came up on Davidson Mesa, overlooking Boulder Valley, as I drove to Boulder. The sun was sending rays through clouds, with some of the mountains and foothills in shadows and others highlighted by the sunlight. It was a picture postcard moment -- one which reminded me why I lived in Colorado. 

The rest of the day was consumed with taking care of Holly and all our pets, trying to shake my bad back, making dinner, cleaning the kitchen, and doing all the things one does as a single parent. It was challenging and fun but I knew I needed some rest. Holly was "wired" because it was her last week at Bixby and wanted to talk about everything so we did. It was a good day for everything except running.

Note: To enter in the Bolder Boulder and run with Aaron, go to www.BolderBoulder.com.

NEXT: Day 14 -- The Lost Day

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