Been busy with work. Go figure.
Altair - I'm hoping some of the plants will come back but it doesn't look good for most of them. A lot still looks wilted and losing color. From the looks of your tree I think you will be raking leaves for a while.
Di - Great that you got on the list. Now the waiting game begins.
Art in AZ
Mesa, AZ
Thursday morning waited for the AC guy to come by for the maintenance check on the AC unit. After he checks he tells me everything is good. Then they have some suggestions. Upgrade the system for around $1,000.00, install a surge suppresser for $400.00 and the coils need cleaning at a $200.00 cost. What? I would think cleaning the coils would be part of the maintenance check. Guess not. A point in his favor he did like my Jensen Healey. Kept asking questions about it. After he left rode the bike to the bank and back for a 14-mile ride.
Friday morning did the 4.4 miles on the canal route with exercises. Spent a little time cleaning up leaves in the front yard. Later in the afternoon we went and got the latest booster shot
UGH!! Lost my post….. will do it later.
Thursday morning waited for the AC guy to come by for the maintenance check on the AC unit. After he left rode the bike to the bank and back for a 14-mile ride. Friday morning did the 4.4 miles on the canal route with exercises. Spent a little time cleaning up leaves in the front yard. Later in the afternoon we went and got the latest booster shot
Thursday morning waited for the AC guy to come by for the maintenance check on the AC unit. After he left rode the bike to the bank and back for a 14-mile ride.
Art: WHAT?!? That would have been anyone’s reaction I think. So …. nice bike distance…. to the bank for the A/C. LOL!! Smart to get the booster again. What about the flu shot?
Still being pretty consistent on your runs. I registered for the 25k Pass Mt trail run, Nov.12, Ursery Regional Park, Mesa AZ. Still need to reserve campsite. Will probably volunteer for future race credits.
Di: I’m sorry your brother was not a match. Only a very dear sibling would try. Good news you’re on the list for a transplant. The waiting is the hardest. Fingers crossed. And lots of good vibes sent your way. Hugs. The visit to granddaughter will be a true happy blessing.
Altair: as always, incredible photos of your running route and the fall weather in the area. Even short runs provide exceptional benefits in the long run (pun intended) Some days are best to just let the body dictate the distance. Your analysis that was sparked from a critical viewpoint of a running coach along your route was interesting and very in-depth. To be honest, I’m not into all that data, etc. although I do read articles that provide helpful tips on trail running, mostly from female runners. I really need to work on posting photos from my adventures……
Led: nice group photo! Looks like a fun bunch. Just running without being the ‘boss’ of the group is waaaaay more fun. It’s a welcome rest between your run times. Just reading about the logistics tired me out So when/where/what is your next race? Winter is coming ……. best time to run a race in AZ. Right Art?
Been running 4-10 miles every other day or two days in a row. Short hikes thrown in. Wed: Drove to Las Vegas to meet DH’s niece and her partner. They flew from ND to get married. We just had dinner with them. We stayed one night. We always stay in Henderson, away from the noise and busyness of LV. It was HOT, around 88 degrees! Thurs: Awoke early and ran 4.5 speed miles on the hotel’s dreadmill. Then,15 minutes on elliptical and 20 minutes on weights.
On our return home, we made a quick stop to check out Hoover Dam ….. again. We made trips for shows, conferences, car shows over the years while the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman bridge was being built, 2005-2010. It’s an overpass above the dam. Less congested traffic. Impressive civil engineering design and construction. Didn’t stay long, too many loud city people. Sadly, Lake Mead is drying up. It’ll be a sandbar soon enough. Fri (today): 6 miles, good hilly run. Drove to trailhead. On way back, my car started to have some slight downshifting issues when stopping. Ugh!! Can still drive it but any car issue is of concern. Transmission?? DH will check it and determine if he can repair it or not. And, while he was in town, his car’s engine light came on. Really?? He had it checked and got the part for it. It shouldn’t be a huge endeavor to fix it, he says. When it rains, it pours.
Runs in the rain
Art - You get a lot of use out of that canal, don't you want to explore other routes? Guess it is just so convenient and away from road traffic. Repairmen always seem to find stuff that costs you more money! Good you got the new booster! The leaves I rake are along the strip of grass in front of the woods and most of those trees now are bare, so maybe no more raking! The leaves from my yard get run over with the lawnmower to use as mulch. I have a number of maple trees which have lots of leaves yet, so the mower keeps busy! I don't use the leaves from that strip by the woods for garden mulch because people walk their dogs there.
AZ - Great that you are doing 10 mile runs! My long runs have been like 7 1/2 miles lately. The last time I did greater distance was a 12 miler at the end of July. So you don't like the excitement of Vegas? Nice to see DH's niece and congratulations on her wedding! Dams are impressive structures. Lot of lakes drying up with climate change. On the news they were showing the low levels of the Mississippi river. Yet other areas get flooded! Transmission repairs can get expensive, good luck with the car! So a 25K trail run, still have to calculate that in miles to understand the distance, a bit over 15 miles, like an extra long half! Short runs at least keep me in the game, especially if I do them at a faster pace. I suppose I analyse to bring encouragement that I can make progress, you seem more confident, perhaps from your impressive achievements. Try to post some photos, Postimages is a good place to store them free and get links.
Friday was sunny and 63 degrees, the cloudy, damp and chilly weather of last week is ending and starting Saturday we should get 5 days in a row where it gets to 70 or above! So, after mowing over some leaves I went for a 7.4 mile run, want to get in some long runs while the weather is so nice! Legs were a bit sore and since I've been doing shorter runs or other activities I had concerns about the distance, but was okay after a few miles. This road starts at the end of my street, like 1/3 a mile from my house. My route was down this road and back. Monday and Tuesday this will be closed for repaving and the end of my street blocked off. They will open the gate at the other end of my street so we can get out. When I put this photo up on my computer I was surprised I caught one of the vultures flying over the road! If you look above that vulture and slightly to the left you can see a tiny white dot, which when enlarged I think may be a seagull flying!
Most of the leaves are a dull brown, but there are some a bright orange! What just looks dark on the lower right is a small ravine with a stream the road passed over. Even with my eyes I could not see the stream, but heard the running water.
A dried cornfield and back of that a green lawn and a barn. In the distance the hills of the far side of the valley appear a milky blue. Note the pink patch of cosmos flowers in the bottom left.
The cosmos patch was like 15 feet long between the dried corn and the road, nice to see the bright color so late in the season! Here are some flower closeups!
Long distance runner, what you standin' there for?Get up, get out, get out of the door!
Sunny with temperature getting into the low seventies today! Washed my clothes and hung it outside on the line to dry. At 1:20 I went for a run, traveling by car to a route where I could run roads I have not been on before. Wore shorts, no shirt. Some breezes. Roads were curvy and hilly sometimes. Finished 5.73 miles. Fall trees and marks on harvested field
When you run new roads you never know what's around the next bend! Some ponds and a rock pile on this road. Just past this was a little stream and a Great Blue Heron flew up! Unfortunately it was gone before I could get a photo.
I ran up and back this side-spur gravel road, a bit of a hill ahead. There was a farm house at the end over the hill, but otherwise just these green fields.
And on my way back down the road. In the distance you can see the towers of the salt mine and beyond that some groups of silos. I run past those landmarks all the time, interesting to view them from a distance!
Due to limitations of my camera the shadows look too dark and as the road comes into a lighter area the photo looks washed out. However, this does show one of the curves approaching a small hill, which make it more interesting than a flat, straight run!
Some willow trees, I think, and in the foreground is pokeweed!
Close up of pokeweed berries. Pokeweed is a poisonous plant, but the less toxic young leaves in early spring are consumed down south as "Poke Salat". Not to be confused with a raw "salad", "Salat" implies cooking! The leaves must be boiled three times with the water rinsed out and discarded to remove the toxins. The plant was eaten because it was one of the first edible greens in spring. Some people will eat one of the berries every so often as a reputed immune stimulant and also as a treatment for rheumatism, but this is not recommended. The toxins could send you to the hospital! Elvis did sing a song about this plant: Poke Salad Annie The berries do look very pretty!
Saturday morning did 5.3 miles with exercises. Left arm is a little sore from the shot but didn't affect the exercises. Worked in one of the garden sections so I could plant some more stuff. It looks like the hail damage in the other section wiped out the cucumbers, green beans, radishes and beets. I'll just dig them back into the soil and plant new seeds. The peas, lettuce and carrots look like they will be OK. Watermelon vines look pretty bad so I don't think those plants will make it. I picked one watermelon earlier and it tasted OK. The rind was thick and there were seeds inside. I need to get some seedless watermelon seeds for next time. If the watermelon is seedless, where do the seeds come from?
Still frustrated try to solve the rear taillight issue with the Jensen. Bulbs are good when I test them, and there is power to the circuit based on the other lights coming on. Starting to run out of ideas.
AZ - My opinion of the AC company is dropping after the last few visits. I haven't got a flu shot in years. So far have been lucky but I'm sure one of these days it might run out. I'll have to try and remember when you are there.
Altair - I try different routes when I'm on the bike. The canal closest is the one I use the most. There is another that I do once in a while. Those berries do look good. Too bad they are poisonous. Getting in the runs before the weather really changes.
Art - Just wanted to mention that the bulb issue with the Jensen might have to do with the socket not making a good connection with the bulb. You can try scraping the the connection surface with a knife to remove corrosion or use some sandpaper or emery cloth wrapped around a pencil to clean it. If there is any type of spring or tab they might need to be bent or pulled up a little to make a stronger connection. You could also just tape wires to the bulb and then use the loose ends to test if you are getting electricity. Trying to come up with helpful ideas for you!
Sunday morning did 4.9 miles. Weather was cool and cloudy. So a bit of a change. Worked on the car for most of the day. Got one of the spare rear light housing out and cleaned it up. Went over all the terminals and metal contact areas so they were shiny. Still no rear lights. And it is wired correctly just like the other Jensen. Since I only need the rear lights when it's dark out I decided that was enough fooling around and went for a ride. I'll ask at the shop when I am there later this week.
Altair - Thanks for the advice but that was the first thing I did. I made sure all the connections were clean and tight. I'll check some other cars at the shop. Mike always has a few he is working on for customers.
not bad for mile 25
Oct 23 - Good Life Halfsy, 13.1 miles, 2:05:02.
Lincoln's 2nd biggest race - around 4000 runners. I got up at 6:00 am, ate a banana with a little milk, and started drinking water. Took the dog for her minimal 1/2 mile run - that satisfies her for the moment. Got out of the house around 7:15, fairly early to avoid traffic problems. The race starts at a public schools stadium that has ample parking, and I parked easily and then sat in the car long enough to zone out for a little while and listen to the NPR Sunday puzzle. Then it was time to get out and warm up a bit. I didn't need packet pickup or bag check, so I still had plenty of time to use the porta potty and jog around. They have the area blanketed with speakers playing race jams. I counted four drones overhead taking videos of us. I lined up between the 2:00 and 2:05 pacers, hoping I could meet one of those goals. After the national anthem and wheelchair start, we finally got our countdown at 8:30, then started meandering toward the line. It took me six minutes to cross the starting line. From there, we were able to run, but at a reduced pace due to the congestion. That's probably not a bad thing. It got clearer after a couple of miles.
Temp at the start was 64F - quite a difference from the 21F we had 3 days earlier. During the course of the race, it climbed to 76F. That would be a problem for me in a full marathon, and I did get water at every aid station but the last, but I can manage a little heat for the duration of a half. I walk or stop altogether when drinking; otherwise, I'm likely to choke.
Cheering stations and live music all along the course, with the funny signs. The race closes off a couple of arterial streets for a chunk of the morning, making some of the church-goers grumpy.
I was feeling reasonably good - didn't feel like I was running like a gazelle, but okay. Pretty apparent early on that 2:05 would be a more manageable pace, so I made that my goal. The mile banners seemed to tick off steadily for me - it probably helps that I know the course well and the crowds kept things interesting. There were definitely a lot of runners less prepared than I, more and more of them walking as the miles went on. Hard evidence: At mile 3.1 I was in overall position 1759, at mile 10, 1314, and at the finish, 1062.
Miles 11 - 13 were ~ :30mm slower for me. No cramping or anything, but I didn't have any kick in my legs. Just tried to stay relaxed and keep my cadence up. The course has a generally downward slant, but there is a long climb up a pedestrian bridge at the finish. Made myself push through that and come down into the finish corral. Big cheering crowds there. Sat down and downed the chocolate milk and water and chips I picked up. Ate a banana on the shuttle back to the start. My only cramping happened in a hammy as soon as I sat down on the bus - I had to stand right back up for a minute, then stretch my leg in the aisle for a minute as I sat down for the 2nd time. The ride back drives home that we ran a long way - even though the bus takes a shortcut. Other runners were feeling the same.
Probably no more races until next year!
I'll try to respond to your posts a bit later.
Art - Nice to run when it is cool and cloudy! The back lights circuit mast be bad at some point, maybe the switch on the dash?
Led - Thanks for the race report! You had a perfect 64 degrees at start, but 76 later on is slightly warm. Quite a big race with nearly 4 thousand runners! Frustrating making your way through the crowds at the start, but it gives a chance to warm up and paces you not go out too fast. Great you finished within your goal parameters! I see you finished in the top quarter of your age group, but the first in that group did the race in a blistering 7:29 pace! Now if only you had run each mile two minutes faster!
Sunday was another warm (70 degrees) and sunny day! Had ambitions for a long run, but I did some work in the yard mowing over leaves and then it got late so I just continued with yard work, cutting up some branches.
All the area I mowed up the leaves was covered again today with more leaves! So mowed it again and then did the front yard. One of my running friends walked by while I was working. He asked about my running. He had back and knee surgery, but has recovered enough that he did a run/walk 10K! He is retired, but works part time as a high school cross country running coach!
The end of my street was partly open by that time and I could see they paved one side of the road they are working on. I ran to the park and did exercises, jogging to each station. It's been a week since I did the exercises! Then I continued with the rest of my run. The jogging in the park added a mile to the distance, so I went further than I planned with 8.5 miles total!This road takes me out of the village, a bit of sun glare through the trees!
I took a picture of this dried cornfield a week ago, see my post for the 14th, but this is a different angle and the trees have turned more brown. I like that you can see the rows in the dried corn from certain angles.
These Japanese Lanterns are a favorite plant. They grow here every year, but there was not as many this time. The "rocky mountains" seen in the second picture are really just some decorative stones above the ditch where the lanterns were.
Another road with a farm
And further down that road I saw like nine stacks of boxes, which were bee hives! The bees were active in the warm weather!
And yet another picture of the fall trees! Not so much green left anymore and some are already bare.
Sunday (after my race) a warm front came through that created strong winds (tornados in some areas) and fanned some grass fires, prompting evacuations of some rural parts of our county. No significant damage in town, that I know of. On the bright side, maybe this will be the last time I have to rake the #$^#&*$ pine needles. But probably not.
Altair - Yeah, there are some really speedy guys in my AG. I don't know how they do it or where they came from! Another planet? I find the diagram of running forms interesting. The one on the right looks like the fast, elite runners, but when they are at the top of their stride, and still have a ways to go before the right foot hits the ground. You and I, of course, don't have the strength to achieve a massive 2 meter stride, so the pic on the left is more appropriate for us. That's my interpretation. You discuss the data points as being 1/100 mile - I'm pretty sure they can vary quite a bit, depending on both the GPS settings and the satellite reception. Garmin can be set to read and calculate at regular time intervals, or to use an algorithm that varies the time, based presumably on how straight and regular your course is at a given moment. If you're curving a lot, it needs more frequent readings, but if you're on a straight course, it can preserve its battery by not updating as frequently....so, who knows what one data point represents? Thanks for posting the great set of fall pics.
Art - So sorry the storm destroyed your garden. That's a bummer. We had our AC compressor replaced not too long ago, and the whole thing cost $1800. The estimate you got seems high, doesn't it? Our furnace, however, is like 30 years old, and no doubt should be replaced. I've been holding out to see if any great tax credits come along. I think they are supposed to, out of the infrastructure bill inflation reduction act. So, have you confirmed that your taillight housings are well grounded? That's all I have to throw into the idea pool.
You're getting lots of nice long bike rides. I haven't done long rides for a long time. DW is having issues with her legs that make riding pretty difficult for her, so we aren't doing long rides together any more. For the record, she rode solo from Seattle to Lincoln a few years ago. I'd like to watch an Ironman someday. We used to watch them on TV. Amazing what those athletes do!
Di - You're on a tough journey with lots of ups and downs. Hang in there - you've got lots of years ahead after that new kidney comes along!
Az - Hope your car troubles prove to be minor. I spent a few days in LV a few years ago, and it was ok, but meh. I would have found Hoover Dam a lot more interesting. That's where I'll go if I'm in the area again.