Mornin' everyone.
TomW - no, I'm not sleeping later most days, and no new shoes either. What a boring life I must lead...
Nice job of enjoying a workout in the early morning light, Mariposai! I hope you and EP had a good run last evening.
Nice workout to get you back in the post-Princeton groove, Spareribs. I hope you had a good lunch treat yesterday.
Marj, it's great that you did your errands by bike yesterday, and that you got them done before the day's rain started.
Slo, there likely won't be gnats in Alaska (12 days and counting...), but their mosquitoes are rumored to be a bit larger than norm.
I'm glad your garden is coming along so nicely, Tammy. Nice that the men (David and DH) gave you some time for yourself - so you could clean floors???
Oven bummer, Twocat. But I'm sure you'll be creative and find a way to prepare a delicious meal, sans oven and grill.
JBG, it's good to get in some mileage, even on the 'mill.
Wow, PBJ - Disney tickets and strawberries! A treat for now, and a treat for later.
M Sally, it's too bad you were 'forced' to have a good time with other folks on the ferry instead of your planned tough workout. So it goes. Mostly - thank you for this in your post yesterday. It's a lesson for all of us: Holly, you've been around here long enough to see how this group upholds its members. It's what we do. We can't hold a candle to the hands-on care your family and friends will provide, but don't apologize for bringing the hard bits here. And I don't, in fact, think that sharing your mother's terrible news is, in fact, a downer. We're all old enough to know full well that life has ends as well as beginnings; that aging is hard; that parents and dreams and marriages and all kinds of things fail; and that human spirit grows and loves and perseveres regardless. Go ahead and add your tears and fears to the whole complicated, messy, beautiful tapestry. We're here.
Glad you are getting some Baby Maria time, Deez. I know you are loving it.
Nice 8-miler with negative splits, Tselbes!
Robin, sometimes having goals is good, and sometimes having no goals is good. I'm glad you're making the best of n-g time.
I'm glad it doesn't appear to be a stress-fracture, Opie, but still take it easy. Good luck on the bike ride!
Enke, yep - it's good to let dinner settle in before a run. I hope you have a good, 'relaxing' time at the waterpark this weekend. Maybe not the vacation you want, but make the best of it.
Mike, don't let me stop you from expressing what's on your mind! You are always interesting/thought-provoking/funny.
Evanflein - what a trip! Glad you are getting and enjoying the naps.
I woke at a few minutes before 4 this morning, got up, fed the cat, went back to bed. But by then, my brain was already engaged, even if my body wasn't. So I rested the bod and let the brain work until 5, when I got up to do an hour of core work.
SIL is making progress on her bike ride. Despite almost constant rain, she made it to western NH yesterday, and should be here by late tomorrow.
Have a greta day and weekend!
Jay
Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos.
Marathon Maniac #957
Good morning!
No run for me today. We're packing up the kids and dogs and heading to a cabin at Hocking Hills for the weekend. The weather forecast looks lovely for hiking. DH said, "No running, this is a family weekend," but I am still packing some running shoes. After all, they do make good hiking shoes too, right?
No Wi-Fi there, so I will catch up here on Sunday evening. Good luck to the weekend racers!
Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, "Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapenos."
Would shoes wear out faster or slower for race walkers compared to runners?
I won't try to comment on everything, but I hope you get to run, Holly, without causing problems. Taking our running stuff wherever we go is part of who we are. My DW doesn't mind that as much as my complaining about no room in my suitcase for all the shoes I want to take. (Last trip over to Japan comes to mind.) A few pair of size 12's fill up a bag fast.
I got a little sleep last night. Probably 3 2-hour blocks total. The after effects of the shingles isn't too bad during the day, but it's just enough to keep me awake at night. I tried some Advil PM last night, but I woke up after a couple hours, all jittery. I can't say the label didn't warn me of "feeling nervous or restless".
Had a follow-up with the eye doctor and everything is fine. I get to stop the antibiotic after today. She said I didn't need to come back unless I got worse. Too bad because she's very pretty. Maybe I'll see if that place is covered in my plan and go there for my next eye check-up.
The bright side of this past couple weeks? Good practice on focusing on what's important at work. I've been juggling half a dozen projects and helping out wherever I can, but I can't handle all that when I don't feel good. So I figure out what absolutely has to be done and carefully get to it. I think I ended up finishing just as much as a normal week, at least in terms of importance.
I still don't feel like running, but I may get out and cut the grass. It's a week or more overdue.
5 early morning miles...
Happy Birthday Hally!!!
Trails are hard!
Glad we have such erudite and well spoken folks around here--I have a lot of the same thoughts, but the words don't come together nearly so nicely.
4 miles in a nice steady rain this morning. just in case I had some silly thoughts of dryness, a big truck hit a puddle as I was in my warmup walk to the lake and took care of that quickly. pretty squelchy when I got back, but I do love running in the rain, at least when it's above 50. nothing major hurt, but my right AT is still sort of letting me know it's there--icing and vitamin I for the duration. 12 miles on tap for tomorrow to fit in support for DW at Relay for Life this weekend. This year it ends at 8am on Sunday, so can't get it in before, and I won't feel much like it after schlepping all the gear back to the car.
happy Alaska, Slo (and DW). When we were up there in July, you could swat a dozen skeeters at a time. they don't call them the Alaska state bird for nothing. But it will be worth it.
Holly--nothing wrong with "hiking" quickly for a while. Everyone else can catch up.
Need a fast half for late fall. Then I need to actually train for it.
King of PhotoShop
Gee, what started as a regular easy run of 5-6 miles turned out to be a recovery run of 3.4 miles. Just that tiny bit of speed yesterday must have tired me, and because we had a cool spring, I'm still not heat-acclimated. Must just push through it.
Thank you Jay, re the lunch well wishes. I got a new client yesterday, Seattle-based, and the project is in October. Always excites me to get a new client as I am self-employed and when you think about it, each time I finish a project I'm immediately unemployed til I get the next one. It's a dangerous way to live. Spareribs
4.22 miles in sunny, 72* temps. lovely!
goodness is its own reward; for more tangible outcomes, you need to try badness.
Happy Birthday to Gordon and Hally!!!
It is good to see Janie b good back!
Spareribs, your trip to Seattle should deserve a Pink Door party .
Jay, way to go with that extra hour of rest. I sure don't know how you can function with so little rest. I sure need my rest.
Knowing twocat, he will cook a feast even sans oven. What is in the menu for tonight?
Stumpy, are you getting excited about your upcoming marathon? Relay for Life is a great event.
Dave59, snork re: your doctor.
Erika, enjoy your trip to warmer weather. Is this your multiple marathon weekend?
Well, the Tunnel marathon is exactly a month away. I am planning to run longish this weekend, maybe 20. This taper-marathon-taper-marathon is really making my speed suffer. I really wanted to do some speed work this week, but the legs are telling me that we ran a marathon two weeks ago and that we are not ready yet. Oh well, at least I can still run long and slow.
I took the day off from work. A well deserve day off after a long week of craziness at work. My to-do list is growing longer and longer. My plan is to do 5 things on list, go play, then come back to do some more home-caring things. Got the first two tasks done: treat the kitchen cabinet with Murphy's oil and clear my night stand from the piles of books plus polish the bedroom furniture.
"Champions are everywhere; all you need is to train them properly..." ~Arthur Lydiard
((Holly and your Mom…and everyone involved))
And nice response MS. (By the way, when you write “the big smoke” I always think of London so I googled it and learned it’s a nickname applied to many cities. Didn’t know that.)
David—yuck, that shingles business just sounds bad. Feel better soon.
Carolyn—good luck on your 50K! Have fun.
I had a quick work trip to NYC yesterday and managed to sneak in an early 7-mile run up to Central Park to do a lap around the reservoir, which is always fun. My hotel is about a mile south of the park right on 7th Ave, so it’s a bit surreal to weave my way through tourists in Times Square as I jog north. The usual carnival parade of runners in the Park was there—from beginners and an ROTC unit (I’m guessing), to a couple of guys who glided past me effortlessly at what had to be a sub-6 pace. Got home late last night so I slept in a bit later before going for an easy 5.3 miles this morning…all alone on my dirt road. What a contrast!
Be safe. Be kind.
Happy Birthday to Barb and Gordon!!
Have a nice relaxing weekend away Holly.
Ended up doing things besides floor washing last night. I did vacuum though. and sweep. and water garden. and take dogs for a 2 mi walk. and put together the first aid and supply kits for the two relay vans.
will run tonight. and about 8 miles tomorrow a.m.
Tammy
Bad faerie
Yay, Friday!
Friday is my favourite workout opportunity, the 6 AM club ride. There are enough groups (in the summer, there are people enough to supply an A, two or three B, and a C group) to pick from, that I can chose my level of insanity and have a beautiful waterfront ride that matches the feel of the day. Today, I felt kind of "C" ish and had a relaxing outing. Tomorrow will be a big ride, so this was the correct choice.
Next weekend might be a different story, as I might choose to try to cling onto the B2 ("Killer Bs") group. We'll see. The As disappear in a puff of smoke at 6:00:03 and we don't see them again until they barrel past in the middle of our ride. (They take a longer loop). There's this sonic boom that cracks out as they pass and we're left dazed, wondering what that freight train was all about. But I might be able to take on B2.
Prolly will shuffle an evening run after work.
Have a *great* weekend.
Blogjoy
The As disappear in a puff of smoke at 6:00:03 and we don't see them again until they barrel past in the middle of our ride. (They take a longer loop). There's this sonic boom that cracks out as they pass and we're left dazed, wondering what that freight train was all about.
That's how I feel when the top ultra runners pass me when I've taken the early start at a race. One of the most amazing runners who flew past me like it was nothin' was Ian Sharman last year at the Mt. Hood 50. Got to see him 2x as he, of course, reach the end of the first out and back well before I did. He looked like he was floating on air.
Enke asked on Tues if I was out of job. The Answer: Not yet, but it's coming within the next few months. My boss is downsizing and wants to go from being a solo practitioner/owner to a part-time associate in a local firm. Thus, ll of her three secretaries (of which I am one) cannot go with her, and she will only be taking Denise, who has been working with her the longest and basically is Lisa's lifeline. I truly believe that if and when Denise retires, Lisa will quit.
Anyway - I'm looking. Have sent my resume to a few law offices and have had one attorney contact me. We'll be getting together next week for a chat, but I'm hesitant. He's retirement age, a solo practitioner, and more than likely does not offer medical insurance. However, I would be more than happy to contract with him for work and still find another job. It's something to talk about. I'm also apply for jobs at the local university (three so far). I would love to stay in the legal field because I absolutely love what I do, but on the other hand, I need a job. Also, the benefits at the university are outstanding, and that, in and of itself, is a huge factor considering we cannot afford to purchase insurance for ourselves and Shorty is currently uninsured. If I were to get offered a job at HSU, we'd be able to get him insured. I may have some tough choices of ahead of me.
Went to the McKay Tract last night and came upon a large sign reading: "Logging Operations. STOP. Turn Around and Go Back." The McKay is the private property of Green Diamond Timber Co. and covers many, many acres. And even though it's private property, EVERYBODY goes there to run, walk, take their dogs, etc. It's like a silent agreement between the users and GD that legally we're not suppose to be there, but GD understands there's really no where else easily accessible in the Eureka area and with so many options for runners, walkers, mountain bikers, etc. So back to the sign . . .
I didn't feel it was right to go past the gate with that sign there, so I resigned myself to running the .50 (half flat, half hill) open section over and over until I had my six miles and figured it would be a good test to see what the ATs are ready to take. I did almost 4 miles of this, then decided to follow the other four people who had gone past the gate for about half a mile, then backtrack up the hill and to the end for my 6 miles. I'm happy to say the ATs did well. I stretched really well, iced when I got home, and massaging my calves today. I can feel a little bit of irritation in the ATs today, but will make sure I ice good this evening.
Also happy to say that a worker saw us on the road and didn't stop and yell at us. When I and a biker got back to the main gate, the worker was talking to a couple of people about access. He said they don't anybody in there during working hours, so as long it's after 5:00 week days and the gate's not open on weekends, we shouldn't have any problems.
GD and the City of Eureka are in negotiations for the City to purchase a big chunk of the land and make it legally accessible to the public. It'll be nice if the sale ever goes through. I've been passed by workers before and nobody has ever said anything to me. Like I said, there's sort of a silent agreement that so long as people are respectful of the property, there are no problems. I love it 'cause it's only about 10 mins from my house and there are miles and miles and miles of old logging roads to run with plenty of chances to practice climbing and descending.
. . . . well, okay. I didn't intend to be that verbose . . . . .
Leslie Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain -------------
Trail Runner Nation
Sally McCrae-Choose Strong
Bare Performance
Jay, thanks for repeating Mustang Sally's post here. I meant to comment on that (and other things) but didn't get to it. I love the way she phrased that, and wholeheartedly agree!
Tammy, when I get time alone at home, I love to tackle cleaning projects that get neglected when everyone is around and there's so much going on. Cleaning up the house gives me a real sense of satisfaction because you can SEE the improvement and it helps me relieve stress. One of the things about my job (and many people who work in an office will agree, I think) is that there's not much visual reward of the work you do. My desk is covered in papers and files when I get in, and looks much the same when I leave regardless of what I accomplish during the day.
We have plenty of gnats later in July and August, but June is prime mosquito season and they're particularly fierce this year, at least in the Interior. "Deep Woods OFF" is my summer cologne.
So... later today we leave Dana Point and fly to Sacramento, then we drive to Auburn, CA. I'm doing this in the morning. Should be fun, but I hope it doesn't get too hot. 3.1 hilly miles this morning and I was a sweaty mess when done, felt very humid compared to what I'm used to, even at 66°.
Marathon Iowa 2014
Leslie - hope the job search works out for you. And the new job provides health insurance coverage.
Holly - you can sneak a run in before they all wake up...
Hey Tramps - I loved running Central Park on vacation last summer. You do see a wide variety of runners, no matter what time you hit the paths.
This morning - fizzy lifting and seven on the TM. At lunch - 40 mins of spins. Feelin' good exercise day.
Tomorrow - surprise 50th B-day party for Long-Suffering. She has no clue (especially since her B-day is still 6 weeks away). Shh - don't tell her.
Enjoy.
So... later today we leave Dana Point and fly to Sacramento, then we drive to Auburn, CA. I'm doing this in the morning.
You're going to be in Auburn?!? That's a race I've been wanting to run. You will love the course. It's beautiful!!