On April 21st, 2008, only a few short hours after coming in third at this year’s Boston Marathon, I was wheeling down the extravagant hallway of the Fairmont Copley Plaza on my way to meet several friends and family at the fancy pants hotel bar, The Oak Room. I bumped into Joan Benoit Samuelson on the way…we began a conversation about the race.

So here we are, one week out from the Boston Marathon. My race preparation today included a short recovery run this morning, followed by about 10 different stops at hardware stores, drug stores, grocery stores, bike stores…you name it…to get all of the final accoutrements in place and prepare for the exciting battle to come! My favorite part of the day was the quick stop at Home Depot followed by the dash to the nail salon to get my essential pre-race manicure and pedicure. Priorities, people.

Cioppino is an Italian stew made of several kinds of fish and shellfish mixed with fresh tomatoes and a wine sauce. It is typically served over pasta or with a hearty baguette. A friend of mine once told me (as is confirmed by dictionary.com…take it or leave it) that the word cioppino originates from the North Beach district of San Francisco, in which Italian fisherman would shout for their friends to “chip in” whatever was left of the catch of the day to make dinner for the rest of the lot.

Just last month, in February of 2008, I had the honor of being named a Paralympic Ambassador. Uber cool!

Check out the press release:

Bonn, Germany – Today, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) proudly announced the launch of its Paralympian Ambassador Programme.

Hi friends and fans!

We won L.A.! We won L.A.!

Please see the press below:

3/3/08:
L.A. Times: Mendoza, Blauwet win
http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-marawheelchair3mar03,0,...

3/3/08:
Yahoo News: great photo
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Los-Angeles-Marathon/ss/events/sp/030308la...

3/6/08:
XAble.com:
http://www.xable.com/sports/racing/thecomebackkid

And we're on to the next one. Atlanta 1/2 Marathon on March 30th, Boston on April 21st!

Today’s theme should be something about – playing the part. Fitting in. Taking on the look. Walking the walk. Wheeling the wheel.

It seems as though the past few weeks have brought about abundant growth in Team Cheri, with the addition of several pacers and coaching assistants who have joined forces with me in helping to solidify a training schedule as we ramp up for China.

Sometimes I feel as though a true, honest role model is hard to come by. When we identify such a person, we should revel in the ability to observe a driven life led with energy and heart; someone with whom we can relate because he/she maintains values similar to our own and has worked hard to achieve excellence in whatever endeavor chosen.

When one looks at the demographic composition of our sport, what trends do we see? And, what can it imply about how sport reflects the state of the disability rights movement?

A recap of race events and resultant thoughts: