Horse, hat kingdom

"A race fan checks the forms prior to the 136th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on May 21, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland."

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Its been a long time coming, but I finally strapped up, got back in the saddle and shot my first assignment since spinal surgery.

This was my fourth Preakness, yet I was still excited to get out and shoot the night before.

While hesitant to get back out in the field, primarily for schlepping heavy gear for hours on end, all-around rock star Rob Carr of Getty Images talked me into getting off the couch to shoot with him.

I was worried I'd forget how to shoot, caption and transmit on a tight deadline, but I picked things up right where I left off months ago. And I should say, I had a lot of freedom to do my thing which gave me a lot of confidence and made working a hell of a good time.

My roll was to simply shoot features and shoot the race head-on with a 600mm. I was on my feet a solid 12 hours, trekking all around the grandstands, infield, on the roof, along the rail, and up-and-down stairs, lots of stairs.

Finished the day with a couple cold ones and some Aleve. Not sure which helped, but I certainly felt good the day afterward which was a pleasant surprise.