The sky was fabulous this morning...looked like a sky reflected into a huge pinkish lake...indiscernibly beautiful.  And that's why today I'm grateful my eyes still see.  I have cone rod dystrophy and may eventually go blind but so far it's plateaued.  I did 5 miles on the TM last night.

Tonight I'm trying something new...one of those paint and wine things.  I can't drink with the meloxicam but the painting sounds fun...something new to start the new year.

QOTD:  Who here likes timed races more than distance races?  Since I signed up for my first 24 hour and am considering some more I wonder why you like them better or why they are different...other than the obvious reasons.

QOTD:  Who here likes timed races more than distance races?  Since I signed up for my first 24 hour and am considering some more I wonder why you like them better or why they are different...other than the obvious reasons.

My first ultra was a 12-hour fixed time race.  The obvious preference for those are no DNF and no cut off times.  The logistics are usually a lot easier because most are on short loops, so aid stations are closer together and I don't have to carry as much, if anything, other than water.  I get to see the leaders and other runners as they pass, or in a few cases if I pass them.  There are almost always runners nearby and after hours of running, it's nice to see a face other than the aid station volunteers.  There's a higher probability that I will find other runners during the race to run or walk with which makes the time go faster for me.  I also find it more of an incentive to concretely see the miles add up.  Finally (?) I can more easily talk myself into running one more relatively short lap instead of thinking about how far it is to the finish.

Ran 4 miles at lunch yesterday and today heading out in 30 minutes for 12-14 in the woods.  Should be pretty muddy in parts.  We need some cold weather to freeze up all this mud.

Yesterday's QOTD:  I read 40-50 books a year on my Kindle.  I read anything, but mostly detective series, historical fiction, or SciFi.  Also like to read (or re-read) classics that are mostly free on Amazon.  Just finished Nicholas Nicklebay by Dickens.

QOTD:  I enjoy them both, for different reasons. After my first timed event, I really started to like them.  The social atmosphere and camaraderie are really high at timed events since you see people over and over as opposed to once when passing or being passed.  With a distance race, it's reaching the end and change in scenery.  A fixed time event you are racing yourself and your mind. I've told many people that the hardest part of a fixed timed event is what goes on in your head and not your legs.

Go ahead and vote me off the island for saying this, but I have no idea why everyone bitches about the treadmill so much.  It was about 50 times better than the elliptical and 1,000 times better than riding the bike inside.  I don't know, maybe it was just novelty and the fact that I was wearing shorts indoors in January, but the time went by really quickly for me.  I've spent the last 13 winters being outside every damn day with Bella in the dark and the cold wearing ten million layers.  Not needing to do that anymore has been really good for me mentally.

Anyway, I walked on the treadmill last night.  I haven't used a treadmill before outside of PT.  I have always been 100% outdoors.  Yet the treadmill was...good?  My hip didn't bug me nearly as much on the mill as it does outside.  WTF.  Why?  I even tried to run a little and it was...okay-ish.  I ran twice for 5 minutes each time at 6mph.  I am recording that as 1 mile in my log.  Hey, I ran in 2019!

Probably riding the bike inside tonight.

QOTD: I've only done a couple of timed races and they've all been strictly for fun.  I'm not really sure I have a good answer for this, since racing and events and stuff is so far in my rear view mirror at this point. 

I got out in the cold, dark rain last night. It wasn't raining when I started, but it was just a matter of time before I'd hit a downpour, the first of which hit at about mile 2.  I could only see rain coming at me in the headlamp, the rest of my vision was a blurry tunnel of trees and path in front of me.  I was dressed ok, but felt like a cold waterlogged rat before too long. The last mile or so another torrential downpour hit and I felt like I was dodging lightening bolts, the conditions had my full attention for sure.  Had this old song stuck in my head... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff5wxR081YQ    We've had lots of rain (and associated flash flood watches) over the last 2 days, but it's supposed to clear this afternoon.

I decided to sleep in this morning and run later today.  What can I say.... it's one thing to run in cold dark rain at 5pm, it's another thing to do it at 5am.  So another 5 mi after work today it is.

QoN - the Oregon run isn't going to work out since I'll be in London that week.  We're thinking about a 60k Tejas Trails night run down here in TX the following week though. We did it last summer and it was 95 deg at 10pm, so it should be good training I guess.

MM - Whaaaaaaaaaaaa   Nooooooooooo....  I think there has been enough voting drama for a while.

Go ahead and vote me off the island for saying this, but I have no idea why everyone bitches about the treadmill so much.  

qotd: I did a charity walk-a-thon thing once where a bunch of us were doing a running relay, so I ran in circles for 3 hours, that was enough for me.  I haven't done a "real" timed event.  I'd rather "go some place" on my runs, point-to-points are my favorites.  I'm also a minimalist and don't bring a lot of stuff, just what's needed, and I actually like figuring out the logistics and drop bag stuff, typically drop bags at about 25 mile intervals and refill water from aid stations in between.

Tiny E and I got 3 miles on snow packed/icy trails yesterday evening; today off so something a little longer likely

I don't like the treadmill because it always seems to hurt some, even varying the speed and incline- the repetition of the same foot strikes is probably the culprit if I had to guess, no dodging left/right, no jumping over rocks/logs/etc

BUT I'm glad it's working for you Mandy! 

I tell you what I do like at a gym (sadly my gym doesn't have one) is one of the older style climbers that look like a small escalator- those SOB's really give me a good workout and most closely mimic a steep climb

qotd: I've only done one timed event; it was pretty fun but atypical of most timed events I'm guessing- the "loops" were a 12 mile figure 8- the lone aid station at the center of the 8 (the two loops of the figure 8 weren't even, one loop was 8 miles, the other 4)- thus you were seeing different country quite frequently; short loops would be a non-starter for me.  Give me a big old loop or point to point instead 

I tell you what I do like at a gym (sadly my gym doesn't have one) is one of the older style climbers that look like a small escalator- those SOB's really give me a good workout and most closely mimic a steep climb

Oh yeah, I would love to use one of those too!  But I'm just using the little exercise room in my apartment and it just has some really basic stuff.  It's included in my rent, so might as well take advantage!

Happy New Year everyone! Back from the south after 800+ miles of driving yesterday. Pretty smooth trip, cruised through downtown Atlanta at 5:45am and no traffic delays there or anyplace else for that matter.

No running today, but need to get to the gym tonight for strength and stretching. Maybe I will do some cardio on the bike to nowhere or perhaps TM jog. I ran frequently while down south but nothing long. My knees and bones just feel so achey these days. Sucks. Still, I had some nice jaunts over at Sweetwater Creek State Park. I really love the trails out there, plus the river and the rapids make a great background for sights and sounds, and while the weather was grey, damp, and rainy, it was mild short sleeve weather. Northern GA has been like our area, record rainfall last year, and the creek was really gushing as there were a few good rain events during our stay. Several class 3-5 rapids on the section of creek through the park. Crazy cool place very close to the metro-Atlanta area. Looked sort of like this old photo this year as the river was very high flow.

QOTD: I always preferred a point to point or big loop course. I have done a few timed races, but only on 5 mile loop courses (Labor Pains, Whispering Pines). They are definitely easier in the planning department.

Sandy - You sound like me. I'd line up at 100 miles races with 2 handheld bottles and pockets full of gels and salt tabs. I look like a minimalist out there. I could typically get by with 2-3 drop bags. Always fun planning for those.

Mandy - Treadmill you say. I did that once last month. I sort of didn't hate it for once, and enjoyed a nice sweat. It did get tedious though.