Got in my 30 min, 1.41 walk last night.  It was a close call between just doing it and continuing to sit in my chair.  Got my ass up finally.

Diane: there are days when it's necessary to just drag your butt out the door and hope it was worth it, LOL!  Usually it is, right? So what's your total, about 10 miles? When do you leave for DD's visit? Bet you're pack already, haha!

Tuesday, 8/10... out early for another 6 mile trail run this morning.  The mosquitoes are bad this year, and I think all the rain we've had for the last month or more is why, it's given 'em lots of wet places to breed.

 

Az... Led's right, DH and BR have quite a buddy thing going.  I've said it before, your DH has his priorities in order, seems like a really remarkable guy.  Congrats. on the recent runs, I notice a slight increase in mileage, so you're on a roll, eh?   Must be Alyson Felix ran another event after the announcer said she and Carl Lewis had tied for the number of metal, guess I missed the last one...Lol  American women runners definitely brought their A game to the Olympics!

 

NH:  You're running faster than the mosquitos by now I'm sure .......good 6 miler there.  I guess due to our lack of rain in northern MN, the mosquitos haven't been too bad.....but then, I'm not outdoors in the evenings much anyway. The high humidity does bring them out though.

Yeah, I need to start getting in more 6+ miles.

Tuesday:  took a rest day. Another weight and Piyo workout. DH returned home around 11 pm, exhausted. It was hot and humid for most of the trip he says. Found a couple of shaded rest stops for a short nap. Was on high alert for animal crossings. We will loading the boxes this week and hope to be on our way to northern AZ home next week. Have a couple of dental webinars this afternoon.

Thought I would check in since AZ texted me a couple of days ago and gently reminded me I should visit more often. 

Though there is nothing new to really report on. Weather here is hot and humid most days so I get out early and get my walk and exercise in. Been keeping busy doing a lot of stuff around the house and garage. Working the garden getting ready to plant in a couple of weeks for the start of the late Fall and Winter crops. Working on a few car related projects since it's too hot driving the car without air. I started planning for a couple of home remodeling projects to start in a couple of months when it cools off some.

I see everyone has been busy getting in their runs/walks/bike rides and dealing with the weather also. There is more for me to read so I'll try to catch up more later.

I've not had time to post lately, let alone catch up on comments, the overtime at work is brutal. Saturday 7 am until 9 pm. regular 8 hours Sunday and Monday. Tuesday I volunteered to work at 9 am at the day program and then leave for my regular 8 hours  2:30 to 10:30 pm. I volunteered for the day job to get out of working another night shift, but had to wait until 11:30 pm for a staff to come from another house to relieve me. Today I go in at 2:30 and expect to be mandated to work overnights, most likely to 6:30 am tomorrow. Someone said the work force is down like 70% and more are quitting or retiring. I'd prefer to keep working just to cover my expenses.  I don't mind doing my share of overtime but week after week of working all three shifts is too much! I made an appointment with my doctor and will see if I can get medical leave (FMLA) to limit the number of hours they can have me work. I also spoke to a union representative, they can't do much about the staffing situation but did suggest contacting the administrator on duty and explaining that I am not fit to work all these hours, but I  don't expect them to really be able to do anything. Note yesterday I got a written counselling for the days I called off these past weeks and was told that there will be consequences if I call off any more times this year, I've only had 4 absences this whole year and have over a thousand hours accumulated sicktime. Sorry to go off on a rant, but it explains why I just got in one run this week.

Monday was sunny and the heat was going to rise into the 90's, so I got out early at c8:30 am when it was just 72 degrees and did over three miles. I was going to go further, but GF was concerned about the humidity and heat index. I felt fine and could have gone a little further, but not going to push it in the heat and it can warm up fast!

As mentioned I worked all day Tuesday and just resting before work today. I'll try to get in a run tomorrow if not too tired from a double shift. Tomorrow and Friday are my days off.

30 min yesterday...1.43 miles.  Not sure if I like doing the miles in the evening but I am sleeping like a rock so I guess I'm tiring myself out close to bed time (9:30)

Well yesterday was a bust.  Someone threw up on the floor and I had to step in it so spent time cleaning my shoes after I cleaned up the mess.  I'm back working from home as my coworker is back from vacation.  They went to FL.  He's unvaccinated and his four children are all under 10 so they are also unvaccinated.  No way on earth I want to sit in an office with him.  But now I can get my walk in at noon!

And...back on track, got my walk in at noon today.  1.41 miles.  I'm sticking to the 30 min during the weekdays but may try for a little longer on the weekends depending how I feel.

Yesterday spent recovering from working the overnight. I took several short naps and fell asleep while on the computer several times. I just returned to playing online chess but lost both games I was playing. Between the heat and feeling worn out I just was not motivated to get in my run. I watched TV after dinner and fell asleep watching Star Trek around 8:30 pm, slept until 9 am today and still feel out of sorts. Anyway I got out this morning and ran a little over four miles on a course with like a 150 foot hill. It was 82 degrees and mostly sunny, felt good when there was tree shade or cloud cover and there was a brief breeze. I guess this and Monday's run are the only ones I'll get to do this week. As for overtime at my job, they can't make you come in from home to work an extra shift, but once you are at work they can if you are determined fit to work. There is a minimum staffing allowed caring for the disabled in a group home and you just can't let it fall below that number so you have to stay until someone comes to relieve you or the minimums drop. If you have to leave they will try to mandated from another house. Unfortunately my work schedule falls short of the criteria they use to determine you are unfit, which, for example, could be like having worked three 16 hour shifts in the previous week. As for the write up I got, the official policy is set by administrators in Albany who apparently have little concern about the workers.

I'm determined to catch up with my comments, so I'll start with those from July I did not get to!

Di - You are fortunate to have the option of working at home when you have no control over coworkers who are unvaccinated. I work with unvaccinated workers and I think they are now required to get weekly testing if they don't want the shot! Curious what they will decide to do. With your heath issues you are right to be careful. So what happened to the hay cut after it was sprayed? Still useable? You are doing well at the fairly consistent half hour walks! You'll have to work on increasing pace and time to get to your 3 MPH goal. Ethics often seem to me to be an arbitrary choice, I try to be logical rather than cleave to any religious or political dogma. Now there was a plague of gypsy moth caterpillars this year that ate up a lot of trees. I read that the population of the moths goes through cycles, when the population explodes so does the germs and virus that kill them off leading to a decline. I would say that is what is happening to us humans, the overpopulation and worldwide travel have provided a vector for disease to develop and spread. Like with the moths perhaps this is just nature's way of restoring balance by decreasing the population of a harmful species. From that viewpoint the virus is just doing it's job and the ethical thing would be to let it run it's course! Well, not exactly what I think is right, but there is a logic to it.

Rich - Hills add interest to a run, but I don't like to have an uphill climb at the end of my run! I've thought about posting an imaginary ideal run in the general forum, it would be interesting to see what other runners might imagine. A long time ago I used to do some yoga and certainly stretching helps, but I don't have time to spare right now! I think walking is underrated as a cross training exercise and it is excellent for recovery! Another thing I'd like to do more of, not to mention biking, also good cross training. With my work schedule I only watched parts of the Olympics. I did see the end of the triathlon, amazing how fast they were running! I'll watch more running online when I have time. Like me you are dealing with first a lot of rain and now days of high heat and humidity! I am also trying to get my runs in early before the temperature gets up there. People here have been complaining about the mosquitoes this year, but they only bothered me on my more shady runs. The shorter lifespan of a dog can leave a pet devastated when they die, but the older man did the right thing in not allowing the animal to continue to suffer.

az - I kinda think if you want to get in a run you can do it no matter your work schedule, but at a certain point you just have to rest instead. A run on a nice day can be refreshing even if you are tired. That said I still look forward to when I have time to run as much and when I want! Shirts can be funny or just obnoxious, I have a few tee shirts that would get me in trouble if worn into work! Being in the dental field you would pay attention to the condition of people's teeth and gums. Some have poor oral hygiene or maybe they can't afford good dental care. My car is a 2009 Chevy Cobalt, about the only thing in decent enough shape I could afford when I needed to replace my car a few years back. You have to expect to do some repairs on an older car, question is when it just is cheaper to buy another one. The ups and downs, or as Rich said "rollercoaster" of the photo of the 4.5 mile run may have been exaggerated by the camera. In the first photo the bumps were like a 6 foot height change and more gradual than they appear in the photo. They did add interest to the run, although at the end of a run a molehill can seem like Heartbreak hill. Sounds like DH had fun with his friend BR. International Fall must be a nice place to see. We have lots of car shows around here too. BR should have checked his tires before going on a long trip, a tire blowout I think could be dangerous!

Led- I've not seen a fox in some time, but once one past near when I was hanging clothes on my line. I said "hi foxy" and he just looked at me and trotted off. Hope DD's dog does well with the liver pills. Sometimes on my job I get to attend movies, sport events, school plays, fairs and other fun stuff, but lately with additional work demands the typical outing is usually a drive to the McDonald's takeout. I tried to get an extra battery for the lawnmower so I could use it when the other is charging, but having trouble finding one. Seems Amazon dropped the company that manufactures the product for fake reviews. I am happy with the machine, like it much better than the noisy gas mower. Looks like you are doing good with your usual runs despite the heat and humidity.

Art - Been a while since we heard from you! Glad you checked in! I guess the knee issue still bothers you, but keep up with the walks and other activities!

Art - You seemed to have gone a long time without rain so three days of it must be welcome! I think most of us have had enough of the heat and are looking forward to cooler fall weather. Evening walks are another great way to avoid the heat, although I think it is cooler in the early morning since the air has had all night to cool off. It's nice whenever I get some leisure time but the overnight cut into one of my off days and I have stuff to do around home and yard to keep me busy working even on a day off. I do not work for a company, rather I work for NY State! The benefits are good but policies are set by bureaucrats in Albany, the state capital. It was better when I worked for a privately owned company, they were more flexible about taking time off when I wanted and would never expect me to work these crazy hours!