Led: what a creative way to use the Medusa piece. Glad the CO was fun and safe return despite the weather. Holy moly! You both must have been wiped out from all the fun and cheer. Any distance is great unless you have a weekly goal like Altairs. But I think most of us just get in runs when we can and how long we feel like.
Art: yep, the storm came and went. It closed the interstates east and west and through Oak Canyon to/from Sedona. Yikes. Sometimes baking and cooking are the priorities than running in cold winter weather, haha!
Altair: my knee issue is a chronic one I’ve mentioned numerous times. Not painful but I can feel the discomfort when it swells up from my running longer distances and/or knarly technical terrain. The discomfort, I think, comes from my ACL injury which I didn’t know about until ortho doc examined my X-rays. The knot was a strange sensation. From researching over the years, Baker’s cyst can go away on its own …… but can also reappear. But for now, the previous swollen area of my knee has significantly lessened. I’m incorporating more exercises for strength. And, no, I’m not interested in buying a TM ….. although there is a 1/2 hour or an hour that it crosses my mind. I run on it mainly for intervals to work on speed but like you, I won’t use it much especially when it’s too tempting to run outside regardless of the weather. Oh, I kept forgetting to answer your question: ppl run or hike Mt Eldon. Runners run and power hike all the way up and then keep running down the other side. There are areas that are runnable and when power hiking, it bc of huge rocks on very steep technical terrain.
Hikers hike and rest all the way to the top and back.
Great plan on increasing miles to achieve your weekly mileage goal.
Trails
AZ wow that's a lot of working out...tired just reading it..lol. I'm having a hard time getting motivated to even just walk 15 min at a time. Now I'm wanting some banana bread. I'll need to let the ones on the counter get a little riper. First Altair with the shrimp and rice and now the banana bread. I may gain the pounds I need yet... LOL.
Couldn't figure out the "thingee" until I went back, omg I laughed. They glues the surgery site and put strips of paper tape over the glued area to I guess protect them. They were designed to fall off on their own as the site healed. I'm sure the clothing and bedding rubbing on the area helped the last one come off. I'm surprised the surgery site is so small. It does still hurt sometimes but not much.
not bad for mile 25
Snowing heavily this morning. It was wet and heavy and not very cold. Sage and I had a nice 2 mile run (she got to perform a lot of squirrel enforcement), The snow that hadn't melted already was about 1/2" deep on the sidewalks, and it was actually easy, pleasant running, but I was lazy and called that it for the day. I think the storm has pretty much passed this evening.
Altair - Good for you, setting an ambitious 2024 goal! 40ish miles per week is do-able, by a determined person. Just checked, looks like the last time I had that much ambition was in 2020. Your spruce pictures are especially nice.
Art - Thanks for the idea for cream of broccoli soup. I've got some (store-bought) broccoli in the fridge, and it's good soup weather.
Di - I'll try to get a pic of the succulent to post. It's currently in a bigger pot than Medusa's head, so I hope repotting will work out okay. Stuffed peppers are another good menu idea. Guess I'm looking for culinary inspiration these days. Speaking of stuffed peppers, I have made rellenos, and they would be tasty on a winter's evening.
AZ - Great you are acting as trainer/PT coach for your mom. Suppose she's glad to get away from you when your sis picks her up? Whether or no, it's great that you're helping to keep her active. Your level of activity is inspirational! Your banana bread sounds delish. We used to make blueberry banana bread that was pretty yummy.
Here is Medusa's hair. The plant behind this one is named Cuddles.
Led, that is not what I was picturing in my head...lol. I think it'll go nicely in the medusa pot. If I can ever figure out how to post pictures once we move in and it's nice outside I'll do some pics of the area I'm hoping to use for my garden. Once I have dimensions I'll plan out what to plant.
It's a miserable day here...40 mile an hour winds and snow. The snow isn't much but it's enough to show on the grassy areas. Supposed to get more on Friday. Next week will suck, Mon is -5 and Tues is -10. I know I've said this before but I HATE winter. If I didn't have to go to dialysis I'd park my behind on the chair under a thick blanket.
I got a banana bread recipe so now all I have to do is wait for the bananas to get really ripe. I had a really good recipe in a cookbook but when DD moved into her own house I gave her my cookbooks so now I find recipes on line for things I don't have memorized. Of course I lost a lot of memory with all the surgery I had but most is coming back.
AZ care to share your banana bread recipe?
They did the termite inspection Monday (in the pouring rain even) and the house inspection is Wed. Once those are good then we can move forward with the closing and such. Luckily since we aren't selling here we can take our time. Having a garage there will be fantastic in the winter with keeping snow and ice off the cars.
Altair do you have a recipe for your shrimp and rice? I tend not to cook seafood as it's so difficult for me to tell when they are done versus overdone. I'd love to make some scallops too but again, difficult for me. Grilling steak and chicken and the like I have no problem with but seafood stumps me. DH doesn't like seafood but will eat salmon (which I won't) when we go out.
I guess my mom and brother who live in the Biloxi area got some really strong wind or possibly a small tornado. My mom had a plum tree in her front yard and my brother sent me a pic and it's on the ground. He'll probably need to make sure the roof on my mom's house and on his is okay.
Runs in the rain
Art - Good you still get out on those cold mornings. Nice to make the cream of broccoli soup on a rainy day, certainly will take away the wet chill!
Di - So you don't like shopping for furniture? I just don't like to think how much it will cost! If I had the dough I'd buy antique Art Deco furniture. I like winter, it's alright once I get used to the cold, only I don't care for all the damp, overcast days. I hope the fistula checks out alright and I hope your mom and brother did not get too much wind damage in their area.
Here is how I would do a stir fry shrimp with rice, Sorry I don't have cooking times and exact measurements, guess I make it differently each time.. I like the basmati brown rice and will will measure out 3/4 of a cup and add like a cup and a half of water. I bring that to a boil, then turn off the heat and cover, the rice will absorb the water and be ready after the stir fry is done. I would select some vegetables to cook with it, and those might be, in order of my preference: onion, bell pepper, broccoli, zucchini, carrot, kale, cabbage, celery, mushrooms, bean sprouts or any other vegetable you might like with shrimp. Cut vegetables into small pieces or slices. Put some olive oil in a pan and turn heat to medium. If you put a small piece of like an onion in the oil you know the oil is hot enough when it starts to sizzle. I'd start the hard vegetables first, like carrots and broccoli. If you like them soft you may want to steam or boil them a little before the stir fry. I use a wooden spoon to stir the vegetables and they will start to brown after a while, but I may add a little bit of water and cover the pan sometimes to let them steam a little and create a vegetable broth. I usually buy the frozen, precooked shrimp, so you can defrost them in a bowl of water beforehand and then just add them when the vegetables are mostly cooked, the shrimp will get tough and rubbery if overcooked. If you get them precooked all you need is to warm them a little in the stir fry. Another thing I add at the last moment is minced garlic, I don't like to overcook that either. Other spices you might add are curry powder, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, ginger, whatever you like. I try not to use much salt. Sometimes I add a can of mandarin oranges at the last minute.
Az - Good trail runs with Bones! Nice you did the exercises and treadmill at the wellness center, good to go there when the weather is bad! Great you get your mom to stretch, not good to watch TV all the time. You are doing a lot of cooking as well, wish I could taste the banana bread and lentil soup! Old injuries will act up when we do more difficult runs. You seem to know what you have to do for the knee. Hard to imagine running up Mt Eldon, that's a really steep climb! I suppose I do very short sections that may be that steep, but could never maintain the effort for long.
Led - I like running on a soft layer of snow, but not so much if it is slushy. Does Sage have issues with the ice freezing between the pads and toes? Succulents are unusually looking plants. Your yearly millage graph was very impressive with like five years in a row of over 2,500 miles and even though your distance has decreased over time, you still are usually over 1,500 miles! My own graph seems puny in comparison with only 2017 showing an over 1,500 mile distance and that was the year I did a 4:29:29 Wineglass Marathon.
With only 1,200 miles in 2018 my time in that race, in which you came in 3rd in AG with a sub-4, was not nearly as good with a 5 hour finish. However, the graph does show I am running more now that I've retired! I don't know if I will achieve 2,024 miles this year, but it's nice to have a goal!
Long distance runner, what you standin' there for?Get up, get out, get out of the door!
Yesterday I got the ultra sound done and also blood tests while I was at the lab. I then drove to FedEx in Rochester to send off my urine sample for analysis. Did not feel like running when I got back, took another rest day.
High winds with gusts of 65 mph, snow and rain all predicted today. So I got out for a run at 11:20 to avoid to worst of it. My course was like a cross shape so I could run a mile down each arm and back and still remain a close distance from the car in case the wind or rain got bad. Unfortunately the dirt roads of my course were all slushy, so I stuck mostly to paved roads and my distance was shorted than planned, just six miles. There was a mix of light drizzle and graupel after the first mile, the graupel stung as the wind blew it in my face, but it calmed after another mile. I was prepared to cut the run short if it got bad out, but the weather during the run was fairly decent. It got windier after I got home, but I don't think the winds have reached 65 mph and the rain has been light. Trees and wet snow
Thanks Altair for the recipe.
I keep watching the weather and am not happy at all. Friday is still forecast for 1-2" of snow but Sun, Mon and Tues are now showing negative values. I guess we are due since the last couple of years have been dry and warmish. Still it sucks. I was supposed to go into the office on Friday after getting a "return to work release" from the surgeon but not willing to drive in the snow. And even though I have warm clothes to wear to dialysis going out in the negatives will be really, really cold. Then being in the cold center will not be fun.
Thur I go back to the surgeon for my 2 week check up and I hope I get a good review. I've been doing all the things they recommend to protect the fistula and help it "grow" so that it can be used. It takes up to 8 weeks (and others much longer) for it to "mature" enough to use as access. Once I've used it for a month I can get rid of the chest catheter and take a bath and shower again. I'm not thrilled with the idea of the needles but the chest catheter has been shown to be prone to infection and I certainly do not want that.
Home inspection is today and DH went out to be there so I'll hear what went on later when he gets home. I said I'd go so he could go to work but he didn't want me standing out in the cold. Me either but I feel bad he's been doing everything. I guess I'll be cheerful about furniture shopping...lol
Di - Negative temperatures can feel very cold, especially when the wind blows. Hope the fistula has matured enough, good luck with the surgeon Thursday! I think your DH is glad to take care of the home inspection so you both can more closer to the center. When you have medical issues it's not good to live too isolated.
Yesterday the winds picked up after my post. The lights flickered and we lost electric power for an hour. Had to scramble for flashlights and lanterns in the dark! We heard a crash and were concerned a falling tree had hit the house or car. I looked in the morning and car and house were okay. There was a medium sized tree that had fallen across the roadway not far away from my property, it crashing down must have caused the sound. The village came and cut it up while I was out there. No damage to my yard, just a lot of small branches that fell down.
Today was similar to yesterday, 37 degrees with snow and wind gusts. Very light at the start, but gusts would blow very strong. This was good for the first half because it was at my back as I climbed 200 feet, but turned around after 3 miles and now it was in my face and the snow fall increased. Good that I was now going downhill, but I kept my head down and the hood up. It was not as bad once I got back down to lower elevation. I had some idea about doing a ten miler, but my legs were sore from my increasing millage and with the bad weather I thought six miles was enough for today.A view of a field as I climbed the hill. Maybe you can see the snowflakes coming down, but warmer temperatures have melted the snow cover.
After crossing the 390 overpass I turned around. From the bridge you can see some trucks as the road disappears into the snowfall haze.
Monday morning did the warmup and then went out and did an additional 2. So 3.2 miles total.
Tuesday morning got in a total of 4.4 miles. Cold breezy morning.
Wednesday just the 1.2 miles before wife's eye doctor visit. Tests before cataract surgery next week.
Thursday morning did our warmup walk and then I went out for a 4.4 mile run/walk. Was cloudy and overcast as I started and caught the tail end of the front moving through and got sprinkled on a few times. It's now mostly sunny but the wind has picked up.
Di - That's one of the difficult decisions with having a garden. How big do I make it, where does it go in the yard and how much work do I want to do? I did mine in sections over a few years. It was a work in progress as a couple of decisions didn't turn out as well as I thought they would.
AZ - Warm food on cold days is great. I have another head of broccoli and cauliflower ready to pick. There's not much room in the freezer for more right now. Having a place to train indoors helps in weather like that.
Led - I saw an episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians that had Medusa in it. Thought of your pot. Though her hair was a little curlier.
Altair - The cloudy, damp weather in winter is a bummer. When the sun is out at least the cold weather feels better. If it's not too windy out.
Art in AZ
Mesa, AZ
Art - Good run walks, glad I'm not the only one getting sprinkled on! I miss the sunny days, but I'm getting used to the cold and drizzle. I hope all goes well with your wife's cataract surgery next week.
Thought I'd share a Medusa image. This is Tony Randall as Medusa! One of the fantasy characters he played in the 1964 movie "The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao." The movie was directed by George Pal, maybe best known as the animator for his Puppetoons.
AZ - In the AARP magazine I got today was an article about Navajo runner Verna NezBegay Volker, who created an Instagram community called Native Women Running. She mentions how some indigenous people consider running as a form of meditation and connection to the land. I think many of us feel the same way.
Went for dental cleaning today. I was told I did a good job taking care of my gums and teeth. I mentioned feeling a tooth chip when eating and it was found one of my molars has some decay under a gold inlay. I had gotten some gold inlays years ago, did not know any were left. So an x-ray was taken and the plan is to put a crown on the tooth.
It was 2:30 when I got out for a run. There was a light rain/snow mix, so another wet run with no sun! I did 7.4 miles. Reeds around a partly frozen pond, I think it's partly covered with slush rather than a layer of ice.
Just a view of some distant trees, I like the color of the sky.
Thought we'd get snow but all we have is lots of wind and COLD...with the wind chill it's 1 degrees. In our tiny house we have an insulated 2 car garage area that has our workout area/washer and dryer/pantry, etc. Even insulated garage doors it gets cold so we have a propane heater in there. I'm at home to watch it while DH takes his car in for tire rotation/oil change.
Next week's weather doesn't look too good but so far only one day with a -2. I did get my work release from my doc at the 2 week check up but she dated it for 1/17 Wed so that's when I'll try and go in if it's not too cold. I have to go back in a month to see if my fistula has matured enough to use but yesterday's didn't look promising. The nurse wasn't able to feel it but could hear it with a stethoscope. They used a machine to check my veins and that was better. All in all still have to use the squeeze ball to try and grow the fistula. I have one in the shape of a kidney that I use.
Still working on the weight. Still at 85-86 most days. I'm always hungry and eat a lot but can't seem to gain it. I did get the okay to walk but have a 20 lb weight restriction, as if I could lift that much right now...lol. Muscle weighs more so I'm trying to get some back. I also found that after dialysis if I walk on the TM I always feel better even though I'm not really feeling bad.
Altair, like the Medusa pic...I always read she had snakes for "hair" but if you are using it as a planter I doubt that would work. I don't think Led's succulent comes in "curly" either.
AZ, old injuries sometimes "pop up" later when you least expect it. My SI joint has been quiet since I stopped doing ultras but I know if I start again it might show back up. I like my TM at home as the nearest workout place is over 1/2 an hour drive at the fitness center at work. I can go up there on the days I'm in the office. We're not thinking of moving mine but buying a new one for the new house. Of course once we move and the weather cooperates I can walk the roads by the new house. There are still no trails nearby. I doubt I'll do any ultras again but maybe when I get a transplant.
As for the garden the area I'm looking at will determine what I plan on planting. Plus right now I've not got the energy to go out and do a lot of gardening but by the time spring comes I hope to feel like it.
I found a banana bread recipe online...made a few changes (1/2 cup of coconut flour for the white, and used a little bit of stevia instead of all the sugar, also added some cinnamon powder.) It's pretty tasty but not as good as the recipe I had in my cookbook. I'll have to get my DD to send me that one again. I think too the bananas need to be riper. Oh well live and learn.
Di - It's a lot colder where you live, still above freezing here. Sometimes it does feel warmer when it snows. Good luck with growing the fistula, did not know you had to exercise for it. Last time I weighed 85 pounds was in high school, they used to tease me calling me "skinny bones". Nice if you can afford a new treadmill for the new house!
Struggling this week to reach my 34 mile goal, bad weather does not help. But it was sunny this morning and temperatures got above 40 degrees! I dressed lightly for my run and stated at 1 pm. There was more wind than I expected and I wished I wore a light pair of gloves! Clouds moved in and covered the sun before the end of the first mile and wind was directly on the left side of my face. Good thing is I soon warmed up and did not need the gloves! It was a 200 foot gradual climb to my turnaround point after mile four. It was less windy on my return run back to my car. Total 8.34 miles and I just need a little over six miles for my goal! However, high winds and snow will return tonight, so I'll see if I can get in a good run tomorrow or wait for Sunday.The road I ran down and back
Between the trees a blue hill on the other side of the lake
Shaded by the trees on the right you can still see some snow on the ground, despite the warmer temperatures!
Altair, the next few days are going to be really cold. Since I go into dialysis at 7 am the morning temps on Sat and Tues are not looking to be fun. Yes, you have to "grow" a fistula in order for it to be usable. Here's some info.
An AV fistula is a surgical connection made between an artery and a vein, created by a vascular specialist. An AV fistula is typically located in your arm, however, if necessary it can be placed in the leg. With an AV fistula, blood flows from the artery directly into the vein, increasing the blood pressure and amount of blood flow through the vein. The increased flow and pressure causes the veins to enlarge. The enlarged veins will be capable of delivering the amount of blood flow necessary to provide an adequate hemodialysis treatment. AV fistulas are the preferred vascular access for long-term dialysis because they last longer than any other dialysis access types, are less prone to infection and clotting, and can be relied upon for predictable performance.
Here's a picture: