Okay, so there weren't any roses involved, but I did do plenty of running yesterday. On Sunday, the people who run the gym put on an unusual sort of marathon. For starters, there were four different sports you could choose from; running, spinning, eliptipical or rowing. I picked running since I've been meaning to start training for October's Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC.
The ISAF Marathon lasted 12 hours long but that doesn't mean I had to run for 12 hours. Each participant was on a team of three so you would compete for an hour, have two off and then compete again for a total of 12 hours. It may sound easy... but it wasn't.
I ran for an hour straight from:
- 0600 to 0700
- 0900 to 1000
- 1200 to 1300
- 1500 to 1600
When all the miles are added up, I ran roughly 15-to-20 by the end of the marathon. Not exactly marathon distance (26-miles) but close enough for a first attempt.
After I finished running, the MPPAT headed over to Camp Eggers for the Friday night Streak and Lobster Party. I especially enjoyed the cake and ice cream. After logging as many miles as I did, I figured I earned a nice meal.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Goodbye MC1 & MC2
Yesterday, MC1 Nelson and MC2 Ramirez packed their bags and headed back to the U.S. Both of them did an outstanding job for me here in Afghanistan and have well earned their plane tickets home.
Monica spent 95% of her deployment forward deployed in RC West shooting pictures and writing stories. She was constantly on the lookout for opportunities and never once flinched at going outside the wire for a good story. Every one of her photos were of award winning calibur and her articles were always interesting. While I constantly had to hound my teams for their stories, I always new I'd be getting two to three stories a week from Monica. She isn't just reliable and talented, she's also one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. While we sometimes say half heartedly at going away parties, "I hope we cross paths again," with Monica I honestly mean it. This is a Sailor who will be a Chief someday soon and the young Sailors under her should consider themselves very luck.
Aramis is also another one of those very talented guys with a pen and a camera. When given an assignment, you don't have to worry about the final product. He took thousands of outstanding pictures here and the two ISAF Mirror magazines he put together were leaps and bounds beyond their predecessors. Granted, he needed a swift kick in the butt from time to time to write a story, but when he did it was usually gold. Socially, this is a guy who is more comfortable meeting you on the Internet then in person. He's a little on the shy side. But that's okay, everyone is different and Aramis taught me to accept our differences.
Afghanistan left its mark on these two so it was only fair they were given their chance to leave their mark on ISAF HQ. The lasting mark this team leaves behind is our studio and hidden behind a black curtain, we have begun a tradition of signing our names on the wall. Tech Sergeant Nipper was the first with MC1 Nelson and MC2 Ramirez adding their mark yesterday. MC1 Matlock is next and someday, someday way down the line, I'll get to sign it too.
MC1 Nelson and MC2 Ramirez, good luck in your Navy journey.
Monica spent 95% of her deployment forward deployed in RC West shooting pictures and writing stories. She was constantly on the lookout for opportunities and never once flinched at going outside the wire for a good story. Every one of her photos were of award winning calibur and her articles were always interesting. While I constantly had to hound my teams for their stories, I always new I'd be getting two to three stories a week from Monica. She isn't just reliable and talented, she's also one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. While we sometimes say half heartedly at going away parties, "I hope we cross paths again," with Monica I honestly mean it. This is a Sailor who will be a Chief someday soon and the young Sailors under her should consider themselves very luck.
Aramis is also another one of those very talented guys with a pen and a camera. When given an assignment, you don't have to worry about the final product. He took thousands of outstanding pictures here and the two ISAF Mirror magazines he put together were leaps and bounds beyond their predecessors. Granted, he needed a swift kick in the butt from time to time to write a story, but when he did it was usually gold. Socially, this is a guy who is more comfortable meeting you on the Internet then in person. He's a little on the shy side. But that's okay, everyone is different and Aramis taught me to accept our differences.
Afghanistan left its mark on these two so it was only fair they were given their chance to leave their mark on ISAF HQ. The lasting mark this team leaves behind is our studio and hidden behind a black curtain, we have begun a tradition of signing our names on the wall. Tech Sergeant Nipper was the first with MC1 Nelson and MC2 Ramirez adding their mark yesterday. MC1 Matlock is next and someday, someday way down the line, I'll get to sign it too.
MC1 Nelson and MC2 Ramirez, good luck in your Navy journey.
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