I awoke to the most tropical air I have ever felt and went back to sleep. I am actually glad I did because I haven't felt this rested since they gave me the Michael Jackson drug for my colonoscopy in January. Yesterday, we had a feeder band from Barry come up and spin off a few tornadoes to our south, but they were short lived and no real issues where they spun up or with us. It looks like everyone came through this fine. No real horror stories inland.

QOTD: What is the worst weather event you have ever run through?

I think Rocky Raccoon 100 in 2012 was the absolute worst weather I have ever seen while running. The first 5 hours was just an absolute deluge of rain and probably enough lightning that it should have been called. But, hey, it is Texas. So we ran. A close second would be the 2011 MS 50, which was called by the forest service not long after I finished the race (50K). Some 50 milers had finished, like two or three before they pulled the plug. That was called due to lightning and the threat of tornadoes.

Bike ride tonight on the trailer.  I'll probably watch the Tour de France rplay while I ride to motivate me. 

Gatsby and Moon - building a Tiny House with DS for him to use and travel in. Finalizing plans now, but 20' trailer with a loft space.  Trailer is being built now and coming in 2 weeks.

Looks like this.

LB - how's the area holding up, damage wise?

DHuff - Glad you are improving, but start back slow.

QOTD:  A couple of really hot races, including the 2014 (or 2015) Sole Challenge 24hr when it go to 90°, but most scary weather was a night trail run in Redding (Dark and Dirty).  Thunderstorms hit at mile 3 and brought torrential rain with very active lightning.  We were about as far away from the finish as we could get, and the only way back was to stay on trail.

AT, just going to start with 10 min then move to 15 min and so forth...slowly.  I can wait until last min to register since the discount is good for whatever the fees are.  Since I'm not doing the 24 hour at Lhotse Labor Day, I'm just going down and volunteering Sat and Sun.  I'll get a good idea of what to expect for next year.

I had a long run fail on Saturday, head just wasn't into it and so I decided to cut it short to 10 or 11 miles, but then tripped and took a pretty good spill about 4 miles in and said screw this and turned around and shuffled back for 8 miles in total. Weird, saw a lot of runners too out at the lake and they all seemed to be flying while I shuffled back at a jog. Yesterday, 7 miles in 2 runs, a short one with the Lady and a more normal run out at the local trail.

Good news is my golf game. Had a nice round yesterday, low round for me on this particular course (78). Played with the club champion and another dude who holds the course record, and one more member about my age. The one dude bashed out a 68 from the tips. Sort of fun playing with scratch golfers and I didn't hack it up around them.

Plan for today is weights at lunch, perhaps a run after work, though I need to finish power washing the deck. I did the bulk of that work on Saturday. Then comes the fun part of sealing it.

QOTD: Massanutten 100 in 2009 takes the cake for foul weather. Weather started out hot and humid (pushing 85-90) and finished cool and breezy (55-60). That meant spring cold front and thunderstorms. 2 good rounds of them... lightning and heavy rain. The whole shebang. The first storm was brief, an hour or less around mile 40, the second one much longer and stronger. Seemed to last for several sections from a few hours before sunset well into the night. It eventually stopped and became cool and breezy and I was lucky to have stashed a jacket in my last drop bag. Feet were totally thrashed into hamburger from constant running through wet trails, mud, and pop up creeks, but once morning came I was able to bounce back and ignore them. A very high dropout rate that year. My friend got caught on Bird Knob during that second storm (I was already down off that mountain) and became cold, close to hypothermic and dropped at the next aid station.

LB2 - Glad things were not too bad from Barry. We had some bad flash flooding here last Thursday from 4-5" of rain in a short period od time late afternoon. The trails out at the lake took a beating in the drainage gullies and several of the creeks look different now from erosion and debris. We've been well above normal precipitation here now for more than a year.

DHuffman - Glad you are feeling better. Dreaming big already!

AT - Enjoy your trailer ride. You have trailer on the brain. Looking forward to the mountain stages this week.

Mandy - Hi!!   :waving:

DD - I remember those posts from Montour. Similar weather probably to MMT but you had to keep spinning around over the same trails..

Sandy - Nice packing work. Better to have more than less I always thought.

 

LB - how's the area holding up, damage wise?

 

 

I can't say that there is much damage to report at all regionally. We have zero damage that I can see. My neighbor passed out. I don't know if it was because he drank too much VO or because he actually passed the kidney stone. He is the guy who gave me the Cub Cadet mower with 40 hours on it because he couldn't get down and work on it anymore. I went down to check on him after I saw an ambulance and a police car go down the road in front of my house yesterday. He said he passed the stone, not sure if that was while he was passed out or not. He said it was the worst pain he had ever felt, and he knows pain. Years ago, some guys tried to steal his truck with his toddler daughter in it. He resisted and ended up getting shot in the hip by one of the thugs. They took off and were eventually caught. Then, he had either stomach or colon cancer, which he also survived. I imagine him as the knight on Monty Python.

 

qotd: I ran in the few hours before Hurricane Harvey hit us here 2 years ago. It was kinda crazy with the wind starting to build (it wasn’t crazy yet, just like a very windy day), the rain was really coming down though and a local stream went from being ankle-deep on my way out to thigh-deep on the way back a short time later.  Don’t worry it was pretty stagnant so I wasn’t worried about raging waters, but I was worried about snakes!!!

 

 

That reminds me of the MS 50 in 2011. We went through the first 12.5 mile loop and water was ankle deep. By the second 12.5 mile loop, the water was to mid-thigh, with lightning popping everywhere by the time I hit the 10K loop to finish. They eventually called the race after 8 hours, but I had been done a couple of hours by then. My brother finished right before they called it.

I can't say that there is much damage to report at all regionally. We have zero damage that I can see. My neighbor passed out. I don't know if it was because he drank too much VO or because he actually passed the kidney stone. He is the guy who gave me the Cub Cadet mower with 40 hours on it because he couldn't get down and work on it anymore. I went down to check on him after I saw an ambulance and a police car go down the road in front of my house yesterday. He said he passed the stone, not sure if that was while he was passed out or not. He said it was the worst pain he had ever felt, and he knows pain. Years ago, some guys tried to steal his truck with his toddler daughter in it. He resisted and ended up getting shot in the hip by one of the thugs. They took off and were eventually caught. Then, he had either stomach or colon cancer, which he also survived. I imagine him as the knight on Monty Python.

Speaking of pythons, I just read on USA Today's site that snakes will be a big problem in LA for the next few weeks due to all the flooding.  So now you have that to look forward to on your runs.

LB2 - Glad Barry missed you.  I mean, who would want to admit to be walloped by someone named "Barry"???   I'm sure you know how to handle those snakes too.  Be safe nonetheless.

Sandy & Gatsby - Good luck this weekend!!!  Gatsby - kick Sandy's ass for me (or at least slap it on your way past) will you?  Sandy - Glad all is (kinda) dry in Houston and you don't have a problem.

AT - A feast of blue crabs is one of my favorites.  Yes, you don't get a lot of meat for the work, but the work is more than half the fun.... or is it just getting dirty?  Well, I'm sure you know the answer.  Happy belated B-Day to Mrs. AT.

WC - Nice race!  You're really cooking it this year.  Keep it up!

dhuffman - Glad to hear you are on the mend.  Hope you're back on your feet soon and as AT said, take your time getting there.  But you will.

FTYC - Hope your daughter is recovering well.  Sorry to hear about the other incident.  Tragic and wishing the best to the family.

runtrail - Hope you're feeling better and the household too.  Regarding new recipes, have you tried to make Bun Reiu?  It's a Vietnamese crab noodle soup.  It doesn't sound like much from the ingredients, but it's very tasty!

warden - Keep those pics coming.  Love seeing those, especially with Tiny E.

Hi!  to everyone else.

QOTD:  First, Daydreamer is in fact incorrect about the 2018 Montour 24 Hr.  The temps were not in the 20's, but rather minus 20's.  And the mud was not knee deep, but rather waist deep or even chest deep, depending on how tall you were.  It was epic conditions of the ages.  Of course, I'd do it all over again, if given the chance.

Update:  (short version)  Had to go to the ER last Wed because my esophagus completely closed.  Couldn't get a sip of water down, or push a burp up.  Not much you can do if you can't get any water in you.  After debating which hospital (of about 20 to choose from), we made a last minute decision to go back to Lenox Hill ER.  About 2 hours in the ER, Dr. Robbins (whom my wife calls an Angel) came to see me who was also the GI doc I last saw.  He said he'd put a stent in my esophagus the next morning.  Great!  (unless you have had a stent put in your esophagus before... .um, not so great).  We ditched our oncologist and asked for one who worked with the GI and ENT doc and worked out of the same hospital.  They hooked us up with a new oncologist and radiation oncologist, so that the entire team of specialists closely know and work together.  And the PET scan which we have been battling for for over a week was scheduled in no time.  Things are finally starting to fall into place versus the endless game of hurry up and wait another week for the next appointment, etc.

Good news is that the PET scan showed no signs of cancer spreading to other important innards (I failed to tell them that they forgot to scan my feet.... um, aren't they important for us runners?!?!?!).  The head of the radiation oncology dept. came to see me and discussed his treatment plan and I will go in for a "mapping" first thing tomorrow morning.  I suspect the ball is rolling on that side.  And even though the oncologist was out, his Fellow came to see me a few times and even gave me the good news on the PET scan hours after it was completed and before the official results came through, since he called and talked to the doc directly.  I'm not so much relieved as I am for DW, who has been in knots since I told her I couldn't swallow anymore.

Bad news is that the stent is really a temporary measure so I can at least swallow fluids.  It's pushing the tumorous mass upwards and starting to divert anything toward the trachea, so I'm coughing a lot.  Sleep is all but nil as I have to sleep on my side, so saliva doesn't asphyxiate me or I sleep in a puddle of my own spit.  Not sure which is worse.  In any case, I always knew things would get worse before any better.  Time to hold on for the ride as radiation and chemo treatment should start soon.