Saturday, 8/1... 5 mile covered bridge road run this morning. Enjoyable pace...
not bad for mile 25
So here we are in August, and actually, we are having a cool snap. I had a nice start with 2.3 miles around the lake with the dog, then 8 miles solo on the MoPac trail. Kept up a pretty brisk pace, clearly thanks to the cool air (73F). In other good news, I'm re-employed, so my days of idleness and poverty are coming to an end.
Sunday, 8/2... it's been a while since I've done a Nordic walk, so grabbed the hiking poles and did that for 3 miles this morning. It amazes me that people would use the railtrail and dump their trash when they do, but there's new stuff there this morning that wasn't there yesterday. Next bike ride, I'll bring a bag with me and clean it up...
Led... don't you love it? In Winter, we can't run fast because we're bundled up against the cold and in the Summer, we can't run fast because it's hot! Lol Every now and then though, we get a day and a run like you had yesterday that makes it all good again...lol Course, it doesn't hurt to be working again either, good for you!
1.6 miles Saturday as a sort of rest day from running. Just a quick run to help me wake up and then I got out the leaf blower and got rid of the month's dropped leaves. Then spent some time in the garden, well actually the dirt as not much is growing right now. Checking some of the sprinkler heads, moving some dirt from other sections to the 2 new sections and deciding what to plant soon. Then did a little work on car stuff in the garage.
Sunday had breakfast with daughter and son-in-law. So I left early for the first part of my bike ride and met everyone at the restaurant. After breakfast rode the bike some more and got in a total of 18 miles. Restaurant wasn't real busy. We sat outside as it was cloudy/overcast and a slight breeze. Not too bad sitting outside.
Led - Nice that you had a good run. With you being back to work, do you think you'll get back into your routine of 40 mile week runs?
Rich - I just read an article about how all the parks and trails are having to deal with all the garbage that is being left behind by people. It's so hard to police and easy for people to just throw stuff away anywhere. Maybe they should start charging a garbage fee upon entrance. You get it back if you show a bag of garbage when exiting that you can put in the dumpster there.
Art in AZ
Mesa, AZ
Runs in the rain
Rich - That covered bridge route sounds like a nice run to do. Too bad you saw all that trash on the Nordic walk. When visiting a nature area I like to leave it cleaner than when I came in, picking up some extra trash.
Led - Great that you are back to work and did over ten miles in cooler weather! Hopefully we will see more nice days as fall approaches.
Art - Interesting that you are getting ready to replant the garden. I'm just now starting to get squash and look forward to ripe tomatoes in a few weeks. Nice bike ride to meet daughter and son-in-law and eat outside. Some cloud shade and a breeze, no matter how slight, helps a lot with the heat.
I had to work 7 am to 9 pm both Saturday and Sunday. We are really short on staff and 60 hour weeks are not uncommon.. Some heavy winds last evening and the box part of my mailbox was hanging down this morning. I have it tied with bungee cords until I can fix it better. At 10 am this morning it was 75 degrees and partly cloudy. I did an easy 3 on the dirt and gravel road. Hopefully, if work and weather allow I can get in some longer runs later this week.
Long distance runner, what you standin' there for?Get up, get out, get out of the door!
Monday, 8/3... I'm finding all sorts of ways to avoid running when the humidity's up like it was this morning. So....I rode the mtn bike 8 miles on the trail and stopped to pick up the trash I'd spotted the other day in the process. So, the trail's clean again, for how long is anyone's guess...lol As a side note, the remnants of "The hurricane with the goofy name" will be upon us tomorrow. It's losing most of its punch, but NOAA's still got us in a Tropical Storm Watch 'til further notice.
Art... sounds like a nice day Sunday having breakfast with daughter and son-in-law, then an excellent 18 miler on the bike. Good for you! And yeah, with the virus on everyone's mind lately, outdoor recreation is one of the few escapes people can still enjoy. And in a state like NH with so many tourists, even the little 10 mile stretch of railtrail I use has seen a huge increase in usage, especially on weekends. I like seeing more people using the trail, but the downside is more people using it who don't appreciate what a gem it is.
Altair5... the covered bridge route has a section of road leading to the bridge that has pine trees over 100 years old lining both sides. When I'm running towards the bridge, the shade and overhanging branches makes it almost like running in a tunnel for about 3/8 of a mile. Beautiful! And I like your attitude, picking up trash to leave an area better than you found it! You're working some crazy hours lately, eh? Good deal on the 3 mile run you got in this morning and good luck getting in a few more during the rest of the week! You're probably far enough West of the approaching storm to be effected by it much, let's hope so, eh?
Another 3.9 miles Monday morning before going off to work. Hot and humid.
Altair - The garden planting season is pretty crazy here. I can start planting basil, green beans, cucumbers, squash and tomatoes. Cukes and tomatoes so they produce before the cold sets in. I'll see what I can get in. Those are some rough hours you're working. It seems even with a lot of people out of work, there are some jobs people aren't interested in doing. Good luck with getting nicer weather.
Rich - You get another 'atta boy' for picking up the trash. If you get more rain than you want, send it here will ya. Running in the shade does have it's benefits this time of the year. When I run the canal route there is a 1/2 mile section that has some shade spaced out. I can feel the difference when running. There are several trees spaced out that are huge and block the sun as it's rising in the morning. Get out a little later and you're out of luck.
How does 50F, clear skies, and a lovely full moon sound? I'm liking August so far! My legs do too, and they said, let's go!
For you folks back East, hope the tropical storm remnants don't hit you too hard. And you in the SW, well, don't bake to a crisp!
I don't see a lot of litter on my runs, but what I do see is typically beer cans, shooter bottles, and Swisher Sweets wrappers. Something about those products seems to correlate with people who litter.
Rich - Love the variety of options you have for your workouts - running, biking, tryking, Nordic-ing (and probably others)!
Art - Nice you could have a good bike ride with a family restaurant meal in the middle. We haven't eaten at a restaurant since March. We've had carry-out, of course. I'll try to maintain 40 mile weeks, but it's a bit harder since I now have a set time that I have to be at my desk.
Altair - Sorry you're understaffed, and again working what I would consider brutal hours.
10:45 am run, sunny but cooler, the car outside thermometer read 69 degrees. Some breezes and a few shaded parts of the road I ran. Noticed a slight increase in my speed of the first 1/3 of a mile before I reached a hill. Distance was about 3 1/4 miles. Hopefully I won't get stuck at work tonight and can go for a six mile long run tomorrow!
Tuesday, 8/4... I did run yesterday, went early before the storm got here and ran 5 miles on the trail in a light rain. The storm brought heavy rain and wind gusts to 50 mph and we were actually under a tornado watch for an hour. In the end, branches were strewn all over the lawn, but not real harm was done.
Wednesday, 8/5... I've done something to my back that made it really difficult to sleep last night. Don't have any idea what I did, but noticed my back stiffening last night and by bed time, could not find a comfortable position to lay in so I could sleep. So... today I headed down the trail with hiking poles and Nordic walked an easy 3 miles. The goal was to warm things up and get blood circulating to my sore back, and it did work, but I'm still sore, just not as sore as I was. Hoping for a good night's sleep tonight, that'll help too...
Art... thanks for the atta boy. Where I run that trail so much, there's no way I want trash laying around to take away from it's beauty. I didn't mention the deer I met the last time I rode the bike, but 2 were standing alongside the trail and let me get within 40 yards before they bolted. River otters, bald eagles, etc. trash laying around just takes away from the awesome beauty of the place. Nice run Monday in hot and humid weather!
Led... you're on a roll with your runs lately! 50 degrees is pretty nice! I'm not sure if the different workouts I do help me as a runner, but I'd probably be better served if I ran more and X trained less. One thing I've been getting wrong lately is confusing trigger points in my quads that are mildly painful with quads that haven't recovered from a run. Basically, I think I need to foam roll more and x train less...Lol
Altair5... you didn't mention the storm, but it looked like it crossed the center of NY state, were you in the middle of it? Good deal on today's 3.1/4 miler and good luck getting in that 6 miler tomorrow!
Rich - Let me start by answering your question about the storm. I have not had much time to watch the news but it seems most of the storm passed east of here, but it can still effect our weather. On Tuesday there was some rain on and off with predictions of thunderstorms which I saw no sign of. I decided not to chance getting stuck in a storm and did not do a run. However there was a low level 1 tornado about 30 miles to the northeast. Someone showed a cellphone picture of it the next day and it looked wide and scary. Wednesday all we got was a brief sprinkle but there was another tornado warning north of here, I don't know if one ever developed or not. Thursday I did watch part of the weather and they said there were waterspouts over the lake due to the temperature inversion. Now I have never seen a tornado or waterspout and never expected to have them around where I live, I don't think this is tornado country, but see you were under a tornado watch also. I did have to pick up many small branches today in my yard.A bike ride is a good way to deal with high humidity and nice of you to pick up the trash. Great you were motivated enough to run in light rain before the storm, feels nice and cooling doesn't it? Perhaps a warm compress might ease up the back, but I'm sure the Nordic walk helped. Very envious of the pine tree lined road leading to the bridge, guess I need to look for some scenic runs in my area.
Art - I know how hard it is to run in heat plus humidity, good job with almost 4 miles. Like you I enjoy the small sections of my run that are tree shaded and feel the difference when a cloud passes overhead, perhaps rare where you are. I'm sure you will be ready for longer runs as fall approaches. New York State has made it more difficult for anyone who wants to work in group homes with a lot more tests and training. Many drop out before they even start work. Besides, due to the virus there is a hiring freeze right now so all the houses are understaffed and overworked.
Led - It now has gone into the upper 50s during the night but you weather seems cooler, although you seem to be an early morning person. Generally I will have been up for an hour or so before I get out the door for a run. Anyway you seem to have a great positive attitude this month! I also don't see a lot of litter on my runs which are often on sparsely traveled country roads. I was concerned 2 years ago during the last marathon I ran how many of those gel pack envelopes I saw on the ground and wondered if they would have a cleanup for the 26 mile route.
Nice and cool this morning, 61 degrees when I started my run at 9 am. Sunny and low humidity and I chose a 3 mile road to run to the end of and back to do my planned 6 mile long run. For the first time on a run this year I wore my contact lens and some cool sunglasses instead of the prescription sunglasses I wore for the shorter runs. A nice pond with a flock of Canadian geese and some black cattle near the start where I parked my car. Lots of colorful wildflowers by the sides of the road and in the low humidity a clear view across the valley. I enjoyed the run, although the legs tired by the end. Longest run since mid February. After I got home I made some coffee, eggs and toast, then went out in the yard to pick up small branches and twigs and mowed like the front half of my yard. Took a dip in the pool and the water is refreshingly cool right now. In a little while I shall cut up a cucumber to eat crisp and cool and then fry some zucchini and yellow squash with some garlic, all from my garden! Nice to have fresh vegetables again!
I went to the Oak Tree Facebook page to check out info on this year's solo race, you run the course on your own and send in your time. I was surprised in one of the many photos they posted with reminders and rules to see a picture of me! This may have been last year's race. Guess they like the colorful shirt. I am thinking about doing this virtual race just so I can say I ran one during the pandemic year and the course opened August 1st and you can run the race anytime up to September 7th and email in your time. Since my long run is only now gotten to the 6 mile point I'm not at all sure how well I could do, so I'll have to give this some consideration. There is also a 5k option and you can also run both the half and the 5k.
Friday, 8/7... 58 degrees this morning when I headed out to run. And all this time I thought August was hot, like July... Anyway, 7 miles that went pretty well. I still had a slight discomfort in my back after hurting it the other day, but by the time the run was over, the pain was gone. More proof that active recovery works, I've kept moving with the sore back, but was careful not to do anything that would aggravate it...
Altair5.... we're in a similar situation with taking on a half marathon on less than adequate training. In my case, I've been watching the race's web site, but on-line registration's been closed for a while now with no mention of 2020's race at all. Until I looked again the other day, now they've given a date for the 2020 race as Sept. 6th with a notice that registration will be available the morning of the race. Judging by the way today's 7 miler went, I'd be hard pressed to run another 6 at the same pace, especially given the race's hilly course compared to the relatively flat railtrail. Anyway, I'm going to try to ramp up mileage and include a few runs with hills to see how my legs react, but a month doesn't leave much time to prepare. Especially with this old, worn out body of mine...lol
At any rate, good luck with whatever you decide to do race wise. And I can see why they'd use that picture of you on Facebook, how many people do you see racing with that big a smile on their face, wearing such a colorful shirt?
And it sounds like things got a little 'dicey' with the tropical storm, a tornado 30 miles away is WAY too close. We got lucky, it could have been a lot worse...
Rich - Feels good don't it to run in 58 degrees after so many hot days this summer. I have know people when they get back pain lie on a couch with a soft pillow under their back, but I have found exercise usually helps loosen up the stiffness. Yeah a half in early September would be really pushing it. Right now I struggled to do just 6 at a snail's pace. Could I do more and at a faster pace? Maybe, but it would hurt. Perhaps the 5k is a more reasonable option. I'm not sure why I was smiling in the picture since last year was my slowest time ever. Living in a river valley I feel somewhat protected from severe weather, but you never know what Mother Nature will throw your way! I kinda would like to see a tornado, from a safe distance of course.
I had some tasks to do in Rochester so did not run until I got back. The temperature had warmed to 79 degrees by 2 pm when I started. Partly cloudy and some breezes. My legs and joints were still sore from my 6 miler yesterday, but just took it easy and got 'er done. The two miles today takes me to over 14 miles for the week continuing my trend to increase it by 2 miles each week and that includes increasing my long run by 1 mile. Not sure how long I will stick to this plan since my long run comes close to being half my weekly mileage and it should be only 25 to 30%. Tomorrow I agreed to work a double shift for a coworker and will get Wednesday off in return. I don't have to get up early Sunday because I will work the afternoon instead of the morning shift.
Hmmm. Seems I missed a few days.
Tuesday was a rest day for work.
Wednesday did 3.9 miles.
Thursday was another rest day because of work.
Friday was 3.9 miles.
Saturday was 4 miles. Checked out my bike for a ride on Sunday.
Sunday decided to do the Tempe Town Lake route so I could look at the bridge that collapsed. They had it blocked off on both the North and South side of the lake. So I had to take a circuitous route around the area. Weather was actually nice when I left the house this morning. But true to form, as the sun rose, so did the temps. I could feel the heat when I got home. So probably 31 miles this morning.
All right. Enough of the 50 degree weather talk. I'm jealous.
Led - Nice job listening to your legs. Feels good when our body cooperates.
Altair - Good getting your runs in and thinking about doing a race. Even if you decide on the 5K it still counts as a race done. You had some scary weather there. While it is impressive to see and hear a tornado, the farther the better. Since you can't predict the path it will take. The hiring freeze explains the short staff. Nice picture. And yea for fresh vegetables.
Rich - Nice couple of runs you got in. Having a sore back is a bummer. It sounds like you got it taken care of. We are back in the hot and dry weather again.