My birthday month!! WOOHOO!!
5 miles today. Ran on trail that had more sun but still some snow, slush, muddy areas that kept me on alert so I don’t slip and injure ankles. Good run. Didn’t run yesterday. Got busy and lost track of time. Getting ready for my TX trip. Will take a small bag with my running stuff as carry on and the rest in small luggage as check in. Just lin case airline loses luggage. That would be my luck. Will get in a 3 miler tomorrow.
Trails
Happy Birthday month and good luck in TX.
Runs in the rain
Di - It seems everyone in this forum, except me, has a job related to computer programing! Now a long time ago I took college courses in BASIC and FORTRAN, but was not very successful. Maybe because, except for the ones at the college, I had no access to a computer, PCs were not a thing back in the late 70's, and all the programs you ran had to be punched in cards and you would submit a stack of cards and have to wait your turn until they ran your batch on a big computer. I've never owned a Mac, but have heard they are superior for graphic design programs.
Art - Having to visit multiple stores to find what you want is a pain. Good luck with the spring garden, it's all covered with snow here! Glad you got in some runs with your busy schedule.
Led - OK, I was wondering if you would continue the trend of posting in the old month instead of creating a new topic for March! Well, at least you were not alone this time being joined by Di and Art! At least az did not repost it this time! I suppose technically your report was on your end of February runs so we'll let you get away with it this time! Nice 12 miles, good training distance for the upcoming halves! Good follow up with 7.5 Sunday plus the bike ride! Near 70 is a lot warmer than the weather here! Near 60 is predicted for next week and that will be the warmest day all winter!
az - Got to be careful when running with patches of snow and slush, but good five miler! Airlines have misplaced my luggage before, smart to pack essentials in a carry on bag. On my first March run yesterday it was in the mid forties, but overcast and almost drizzling, I felt a few drops of moisture in the air. Interesting that although it was 25 degrees warmer it did not feel as nice as the previous sunny day! I also was not feeling it, felt like taking a nap but wanted to do at least six miles. I was even slower than usual, but finished the distance.
My plan is to at least increase my weekly distance from last week's 33.4 miles. I was thinking of not taking rest days and doing like six milers, that would give me a nice 42 mile week! But if I continue to feel tired like yesterday I might have to scale back my plans. Incidentally the Strava fitness graph shows me as being more fit than when I ran my last half back in September of 2019! Not sure if that is accurate, my current paces and distances are not at the level I was running back then.
Long distance runner, what you standin' there for?Get up, get out, get out of the door!
Wed: finished a good 3 miles this morning. 51 degrees, feels like 46 with windchill but it was SUNNY!! Will finish packing. Have my running shoes, and other running stuff for race day in my carry-on just in case. On race day (Saturday) in San Antonio, TX, it will be 59 degrees at sunup and 80 degrees for the high. Rest day tomorrow due to travel. Hope to run another 3 miles on Friday morning. Bib pick-up for 5k/10k starts at 6 am on race day.
Altair: My work in the dental fiend was not related directly to computer programming either but it was interesting to hear Di, Led, and Art discuss their experiences and preferences. The dental field had evolved immensely since I started in the 80s as far as technology and has continued to explore ways that has surpassed expectations while integrating with other scientific fields. The programmers have been a tremendous asset in incorporating much of this into reality. Feeling tired is a sure sign you need to focus on recovery. From what I have read, learned from others, and experienced, every month, one should have a cut back week. I don't like to force my body to run 'junk miles,' I prefer quality miles and those can be tough as well. Give yourself some slack. You've come a LONG way, and you're getting stronger, and the endurance is piling up, speed will come. You're rocking it! https://blog.mapmyrun.com/6-classic-warning-signs-youre-running-too-much/
Di: thank you! I love my birthday month! Spring is right around the corner. Although our spring here in northern AZ brings blusterly winds but that's better than artic temps, right? We got about 14 inches of snow and we need the moisture. I don't complain about the AZ winters. It can always be worse. Are you looking for remote work outside of the tribal casino? I know you have horses, etc., that's alot of work outside your 'regular' work. You amaze me!
Art: oh my gosh! All that driving would drive me crazy! But DH does the same when he's looking for parts even though he calls the place to make sure but it gets misunderstood from the time he leaves to the time he gets there, duh. WOW!! You got busy with the garden! Makes me jealous of how well your garden does throughout the year. Oh, the Shiprock race is a trail race now, not a road race anymore. Yeah, it got paused I think due to the deferrals from 2020 and 2021, not sure how many runners that will be. There is a cap on it. I initially registered for the inaugural trail marathon but then COVID happened. I'm not ready for a FM but I know I can run a HM by then. I'm still hoping to run Pass Mt.
Led: You're doing great with the training miles! The shorter runs after the long runs are what I think shows how well your body is adapting to the increased mileage, legs are getting stronger. Sounds like a nice bike ride with DW. We keep an eye on the northern MN temps and it's still trying to figure out to start warming up or not? It's still getting some single digits and only in the mid-20s for the high. SOOOO glad I'm not there, ha!! Yeah, runners are die-hards sometimes. The run/hike in the deep snow to the road was actually a nice change especially uphill but once you're halfway up, hard to back down and go home. DH called it stubborn, I call it perseverance!
Altair actually for my job I don't program, I'm an internal auditor and I do some very basic scripting (macros) the programming is something I want to do on the side with the hope that yes I could get a job as a data analyst, maybe something to keep busy with when I "retire". I get bored if not constantly learning something new.
AZ, if the right job came (high pay/100% remote) then yes I'd probably leave. I am well paid for where we are and what I do, all insurance/dental/eyes are paid by the company, 401k with match and decent PTO time so it would have to be something special. My biggest pet peeve is sharing an office with an unvaccinated person and even though I can work from home it's not something normal. Plus I tend to become "invisible" if not in the office. Yes, I have 2 horses but for the most part they aren't a burden except when the weather is crappy like Feb was.
az - If you've become adapted to freezing cold runs you may find anything approaching 80 degrees to feel too hot! Anyway, you trained as best you could and I wish you luck in the race! I understand you are not a programmer, but I guess computers have become a big part in many modern jobs. I my job as a group home worker when I started most of the documentation was handwritten, but when I left everything needed to be recorded on the computer and most of the training was computer based as well. I'm not sure why I felt sleepy yesterday, but I think I can judge when I need recovery. Today's run went well, so I'll press on! I'm not ever trying for speed right now, just running distance at whatever feels comfortable.
Di - I'm not sure what the difference is between "scripting" and "programing", maybe a matter of degree? Anyway, like I said to az, many modern jobs involve computers.
Well the weather forecaster said it would be cold until the weekend, but today was not bad. (forgot to tell the story, on TV the newscasters asked the meteorologist if March was coming in like a lion or a lamb. Since the forecast was mixed she hesitated and then said "I think it's coming in like a cat!" They all cracked up at the answer!) When I started my run at noon it was 35 degrees and sunny. Like I did Monday I drove someplace new for my run, in this case like 5 miles directly west from my home. It is amazing how many roads there are not that far away that I've never been on! In this case it was on the other side of the river, so maybe that is why I had not used these roads. Similar to Monday's run, out in farm country with lots of small hills to run up and down! Again with the sun and running I warmed up and took off my hat and rolled up my sleeves. I did not feel sleepy and enjoyed the sun and peaceful quiet! Total distance was six miles. My legs did get sore by the end, but that's a good workout!
Here is Old State road. With the very low traffic I did not often need to run on the gravel shoulders, but had the option when I wanted.
An old silo next to a tree
Streams were flowing!
Hills and curves add interest to a route! Here the road became packed dirt , a bit easier on the feet than the asphalt roads.
Hard to tell in the flat photo where it looks almost like this stream veers off to the left, but actually it drops off in a waterfall! I could hear it from a distance. I was not about to climb down to get a better picture!
Another picture of the road. Note the slushy puddle in the field to the right.
Altair: I LIKE that road for running! You really captured the area with the photos. Now if they could just put a couple of hills along the way, it would be perfect, LOL!! There are different trails within a 6 mile radius from my home and when I need a change of scenery or more hilly technical areas, it's nice to know I have choices. I like to take Bones with me on this more 'remote' trails although I don't think he would 'protect' me but at least he's on alert, ha! Yeah, glad the race start time is at 7:30 so the temps will probably be in the 60s and 70s. I'm treating this as a 'fun run' so will be taking pictures now and then. I don't care much for 5k/10ks roads. I consider them sprints and I'm no sprinter. But it's suppose to be FUN! Great job on the miles today. Body is recognizing your determination to get consistent running in. YAY!!
az - Although there were no really challenging hills there were some bumps along the way! It was like a 145 foot gain to the high point at mile 2 1/2 so don't be fooled by photos of sections that make it look pancake flat! I know you would like nothing better than a whole series of 200 or 300 foot climbs!
Here at home the roads ALL have hills...every 1/4 to 1/2 mile. Even my land i hilly.
Di - If I want a flat route I have to go down near the Genesee River, which has a flood plane that is flat. This would be a mile and a half downhill from my house and a elevation drop of about 300 feet. Of course when starting at my house I would have the 300 foot climb on my return! I have plans to use this flat area when I start doing speedwork.
Drop in temperature and some snow last night. The roads were warm enough that they mostly stayed clear, but I got about 3 inches or more on the railings to my deck! I went for a run at 11 AM, did not drive anywhere this time. It was sunny and 22 degrees with some chilly winds. There was a fairly flat stretch between mile 3 and 5 but I still had 3 decent sized hills to climb, the biggest was a 150 foot climb. I did six miles and I'm catching up with the bunny, only 97 miles behind!
Yes, that's right. I have been busy and was in a hurry to post something that I didn't notice I was in the wrong month. That's as good an explanation other than the fact that I wasn't paying attention.
I'm on automatic in the morning with 4.2 miles both Wednesday and Thursday morning. Just get up and get the exercise in before having to get on with the day. Will probably be the same for Friday as there are things to do before heading out for a grandson birthday dinner.
Altair - The weather was cooperating some for you to get in some good runs. When I started with computers it was using a paper tape. You had to be real careful you didn't tear it or you would be starting over. Then I got in when the personal computer thing started. Used a Radio Shack TRS-80, Apple II, Commodore VIC-20 then the Commodore 64 to an IBM-PC and the IBM clones and kept going forward as new computers came out. In the old days the Mac's were the better computer for graphic design work. Now there are so many choices from different computer vendors that it depends on what you want to do that helps narrow down the computer choice.
The basic difference between scripting and programming is what you want to do. Scripting is making a script to do the same thing over and over again. The script is a set of instructions that tell the computer what to do. An example would be from a database I could script it to get the names, addresses and expiration date out of said database. It is used to automate the execution of tasks. I could use the same script and run it the beginning of every month. Some would consider this programming also but not really.
Programming is using a programming language to write a program, say like Google Chrome. Most of the computer programs we use were written in some kind of computer and then compiled to work with the computer system. Hopefully you get the idea.
AZ - Good luck is San Antonio this weekend. Looks like you'll miss some of the weather in Flag this weekend.
Art in AZ
Mesa, AZ
Art that's it exactly. I have about a dozen scripts I run monthly to pull data from a database to create various charts for management. The data analysis software I use scripts in a type of VBA but recent upgrades now allow Python created scripts to run. I'm hoping to be able to do some more in depth analysis using Python.
Art and Di - I understand that writing script is a set of repeated instructions, but that does not sound too different from writing a computer program which is also a set of commands for the computer to follow. My first computer experience was playing a combat game with an orbiting spaceship, I think this was pre-Pong. Later, at college, I think in1969, I got my first chance to program a computer. It did use a paper tape to record the program. I attempted to make something which would print out orbits and entered the equation to determine the elipitical shape. However, to print this I would have to determine the position of each dot, printers were pin printers at that time printing a series of dots, I think I still have an old pin printer up in my attic. Anyway, to make the graphic I needed to set how many blank spaces to have before each printed dot. This just got too involved, and I abandoned the project. I guess it was in the 80's before I got my first home computer. I think it was a Commodore and this was before Windows and it ran on DOS commands. Now Windows programs make it easier to do things, although I still feel computers are still rather clunky in doing what you wish them to do.
Art - Good job in getting in morning runs before getting busy with work. I often said you could always find time to exercise, but that was before overtime got crazy at work! My running is more consistent now that I'm retired.
Temperature was down to like 5 degrees by the morning, but it's bright and sunny right now and should warm to like 35 as more clouds move in. Right now it's 23 degrees and I'll get out soon for a run. I got an 8-mile route planned that basically gradually ascends 3oo feet for the first half and then an easier downhill on the return. The start is one of the roads I ran Wednesday, but this route includes other roads south of that. I will travel to the start in my car and run on some of this route for the first time. I'll let you know how it went later and batteries are charged for the camera!
Altair I remember the days before computers were available anywhere but big businesses. My dad too me to work once and I saw their set up...they had huge computers the size of closets that ran off of tapes. Early work we had dedicated terminals and dot matrix printers. I used to play a (best I can describe it) as a command line D&D type game on a commodor 64. You'd type in "move 10 paces west" and the game came back with "door on the left" or something like that. Then it was first person shooters, with the last one I played was Spyro. My DD plays some seriously interesting and detailed games on the xBox but I have a hard time following along well enough to enjoy them.
Scripts, or at least the ones I use, are pretty much just macros. I record steps I take and save it as an .iss which is the IDEA script. If I need to make adjustments I can go into the script and add lines of "code" Yes, it's programming at a very basic level. I did take BASIC in college but never used it outside of class and found it to be too annoying to have it do anything.
Di - I recall my computer instructor saying the early ones took up whole rooms and, for some reason, utilized trays of mercury! A large part of early computers was the cooling system, all those vacuum tubes created heat! When a kid I saw a TV video recorder larger than a refrigerator with huge reels of magnetic tape, like 2" wide tape! So I was very surprised when finally video recorders became available. Of course nowadays you can record in HD on a micro SD smaller than my little fingernail!
Well after my last post I got ready for a long run. It was sunny and 30 degrees. I drove to the start and parked on grass off the road. About a mile into the run my GF called, she said the police contacted her and said someone reported a suspicious person who abandoned a car and ran away! She told them I was a runner. Two miles into the run the sheriff called me on my cell phone. I explained what I was doing and he just said not to worry and enjoy my run! There was an occassional chilly wind. I had on a thermal with like a technical long sleeve race shirt which did a good job protecting me from the wind. The 300 foot climb and decent was so gradual it was barely noticeable. As I finished my run I could see my yellow car over a mile away, I was relieved it was still there! When I stopped the run a man came out from his house and said he wanted me to know he had called the sheriff, he was concerned that it might be a stolen car!. I thanked him for his vigilance and commented we live in dangerous times and he said yes we do and walked away. So I finished 8.44 miles. Tomorrow and Sunday will be increasingly warmer, but overcast and rain is coming. Good I got in a long run today! I stopped many times to take pictures, gave me some rest time! Here is one of those big dairy farms with the "aircraft hanger" type buildings
Long distance view
Another farm with a double set of silos
Two trees with distant hills
Some interesting textures on this broken tree and what might be a sumac plant.
Just before the end of the run a line of twisty trees