NH Runner Good ways to mix it up with snow shoes and skiis. They will stress different parts of your leg/heel. Too bad about the ski-doos ripping up the trail.
Art in AZ That was a lot of work last weekend. I watch those home improvement shows, so can understand a little about how much work there is. It is good to get rid of clutter. The room will look bigger when you are finished. Nice that you could find some time to get in the 3 miles.
10 miles plus 30 min. walk.
"dancing on the path and singing, now you got away,
you can reach the goals you set from now on, every day"
Sonata Arctica
Art: that's alot of indoor work so it must be a relief to get out and get some miles in! I get 'cabin fever' easily but when I look outside and it's below zero temps, I mellow down and de-clutter every room, LOL!! Once you get started, it's not hard to find things to get rid of. I have been taking some 'stuff' back to AZ on my trips but DH accumulated WAAAYY too much since we moved to MN. Don't know where/how he will find any place at our AZ home to store them unless he starts planning on building a large shop. I'm more of a minimalist but DH has a tough time de-taching himself from his stuff. Drives me crazy. Kudos to DW!! I have no emotional attachment to stuff. Sometimes I think I should get into that profession: helping people de-clutter their homes (my psychology degree will come in handy, LOL!!). You got alot of cross-training work but I get it too, with getting a run in instead.
NH: we have a couple of high-octane snowmobilers in the neighborhood, middle-aged men, not teens. DH hates it when they ride into our lawn near the driveway, they took out the newspaper holder and he's worried they might take out some of the tall grasses he planted. Last winter, he put yellow tape "caution" there and the snowmobilers, surprisingly, took notice. Good job on the 4 miler.
Chantilly: the Pirates Cove 24 in CA? March 3rd? That's a day before my birthday. Are you flying or driving? I will be in northern AZ during that time. My trail running buddy is flying down and will run a trail race and then, we are planning on hiking the Grand Canyon. Her first time in the southwest. That is so funny about 'Joe Cool.' But gotta give him kudos to just go with whatever and not minding others.
Not much here since last post. It's been too cold, minus degree temps, sun peeks out now and then but not for very long. Our pellet stove is going non-stop. Another predicted snowstorm this weekend. If temps aren't too bad, will get some snowshoeing in. Mailed out packages and cards, all done, yay!! I'm just looking forward to FEB when we go back to AZ. Have another PT appt tomorrow. Injury area seems to be responding. Stay warm and safe!!
az2mntrail "which day of the year is also a command?" March forth. LOL. one of the earliest jokes I can remember.
Hope you have fun with the snow shoeing. Wind chill has been -30+F the past week, we haven't had much snow.
I would be flying in for the race weekend, that's all I can afford to be away. Haven't booked anything yet.
Joe Cool was dressed in white toque, white sunglasses and shoes and a white with black stripes track suit.
12 mile run
30 min. walk.
Wednesday, 12/14... another XC ski day, 5 miles today. Kick and glide skiing is all about getting into a rhythm, you plant one ski, push off with that ski and the poles and glide onto the other ski. When conditions are good like they were today, you can move a long at a pretty good clip. During the week, there's hardly anyone around, just me and the sound of the skis in the snow. Nice...
az... I'm taking advantage of the skiing now, by the weekend the snowmobilers will be out in force and skiing will be done 'til the next storm. Most snowmobilers are decent people just out for an enjoyable ride, but it's that 10% who get under everyone's skin...lol Hopefully DH's new grass will survive. Snowshoeing, now there's a workout. Hope you're able to get out. Good news with the PT so far, hope today's visit went well...
Chantilly... you won't make much of a stand-up comic with that routine...lol I get a kick out of Joe Cool, seems like he's trying to impress the ladies...lol Nice 12 miler...
NH Runner Nice skiing. Does it take you awhile to get back into the proper rhythm/form? or does your body just know what to do from last year?
I'm afraid my jokes are too corny for today's crowd...
1 hour walk.
Quick drive by...
Fell behind the pace bunny again...that guy is relentless! NH - I tried to pull his batteries, but I think I pulled mine...
So, Sunday I caught back up and then Monday DW wanted to go to a movie and well -- no run. Arrival was good, tho...
Tuesday 10 miles in 2 runs with the first one being at new work place - probably won't be doing that too much - running on busy street with lots of traffic, lights and very few runners - not so much a good time. 2nd stint on TM .
Wednesday another 10 miles on TM in one go.
Thursday, since I caught back up only 7 miles.
Anyway, half marathon on Sunday, only two weeks left to get that final 100+ miles in (goal is 2500 miles)
Ray
Finally got a little time in the morning for a run. Got in 3 miles. These early/full days finished today so things should get back to normal. I hope.
Nothing else new and I see everyone else has kept busy. This weekend will be painting the room since I finished patching the walls and needed to paint the new trim. So the rest of the walls gets a new color also. Then I'll finally be finished with that room. She's waiting to put her things back in the room so she can do some last minute sewing for the holidays.
Rich - nice workouts.
Chantilly - Some good long runs for you. Watching those shows kind of does skew your idea of how long it might take when they break the show into small segments. Yeah, the room looks big now. Wait until I have to move all her stuff back in. Too much sewing stuff.
AZ - I'm with you on the need for stuff. I buy and get what I need and use it as long as I can. Not like someone I know who buys on 'I want that' and then doesn't use it. There are 4 items here that are still brand new and in the packaging that aren't 'needed' anymore.
Ray - Good luck this weekend.
Art in AZ
Mesa, AZ
Saturday, 12/17... weather's been a little 'iffy' lately and another snowstorm's moving in over us today, but I may get out later for something on snowshoes. No skiing today, this is the first opportunity for most snowmobilers to get out for a ride and the railtrail's going to be busy. At least with snowshoes, I can get out of the way in a hurry if I have to, sometimes snowmobilers are going a 'little' too fast...lol
Anyway, Thursday night's weather was -5 with wind gusts to 45 mph and Friday's wasn't much better. I'd taken Thursday off because of the wind and cold and wanted to get something in yesterday. So... Friday I hit the railtrail with the temp @ 4 degrees with the wind blowing and managed 4 miles. Lousy conditions with branches blown all over the trail and the wrong wax on my skis...lol Amazingly, the old gent (91 y's old) was out walking his dogs and the young woman with all the speed went running by...lol
Chantilly... halfway through the second session on skis, I got back to 'normal' skiing form for me. I've never taken lessons, but there is a 'right' way to do it and I think I'm close. When conditions are right, it's really enjoyable. You're doing great with your mileage lately, nice! And yeah, with jokes like that you better keep your day job, eh? Young people could learn a lot from the likes of Lucy, Red Skelton, Jackie Gleason and that generation's comedians, couldn't they?
Ray... 100 miles in 2 weeks is a 'walk in the park' for you...lol The holidays might interfere a little, but my money's on you. What a year, eh? Good luck in tomorrow's half!
Art... that's quite a project you've finished and saved yourself some serious money in the process. Congrats. My DW is the same, can't pass up a deal even if it's something she'll never use...lol I can't complain too much though, I've got my own collection of 'stuff'. I DO use mine though...lol Anyway, good luck getting back to a more normal routine...
-8 now, -25 w/ wind chill, overcast but the sun will peek out for abit today and it'll 'warm' up to about -6 . Tomorrow is suppose to be the same. We caught some snow flurries starting yesterday afternoon into the night but most of the severe portion was further south around the twin cities. We'll get our share of the polar vortex as winter hangs on.
So my PT treatment from Wednesday included adding a couple of more glute/hamstring/calf strengthening exercises, and then 5 treatments of dry-needling which included something new. After inserting the needle, he held an electrical stimulator to the metal end to conduct the electrical impulses which triggered bursts of reflexes, twitches for a few minutes on each site. Surprisingly, it was not uncomfortable. It was interesting to watch the reflex going non-stop. After 5 treatments of those it felt like a song in your head you can't control and can't get out of your head, LOL. The PT explained that he wants to synchronize the impulses from my reflexes to the instrument. Afterward, the area was massaged w the smooth steel roller for quite awhile, told them it was getting tender and I knew it may leave a bruise. Sure enough, that evening, bruise covered a large portion of the lateral part of my calf, and it was tender. It was uncomfortable to lay on my right side, the weight of the calf muscle made it worse. So I iced it Wed and Thurs evening. Saw the PT again yesterday, a short visit. Anyway, bruising does happen. Just did some exercises to observe my ankle and balance, standing on one leg and going up/down on a spongelike pad (nice feeling). Anyway, he/we decided to let it calm down more so no dry-needling treatment. That was fine w/ me, Next appt on Monday. Oh, I will be seeing a different orthopaedic doc, the one that DH knows, in Jan. yay!!
NH: I would like to get back into XC skiing but will probably run into same problem like you have w/ snowmobilers. Good thing we can hear them sooner than they can see us. But when they are 'in the woods', they tend to go slower it seems. Out in the open or along roads, they are zooming!! I can't believe we use to ride our 'sleds' (snowmobiles) in the middle of the night, over the frozen lakes, to the Canadian border and back ......when we lived in ND!! We rode them a couple of years ago, and after an hour, we were soooo exhausted, and I couldn't shake off the bitter cold (the ones that go to your bones) that I had to crawl back into bed just to get warm!! Good job on getting out there in this winter cold but those obstacles makes you work more but you warm up sooner, right?
Ray: very impressive on catching up w/ the pace bunny! with your consistency, you'll make it to your year's mileage goal. That is just awesome!! Hope the HM went well!! Anyone else in the family run the event too? Looks like you might have gotten some good rain finally.
Art: It drives me crazy w/ people who complain the most about $$ are the ones spending it on stuff they don't need. But of course, they roll their eyes when I spend mine on racing gear, entry fees, hotel, etc. Runner/handyman/gardener/biker, what a combo!!
Chantilly: CA would be a great break from the cold for sure!! Such a long ways to go for just a weekend but I totally get it. ARE you going by yourself? Have you ever talked to 'Joe Cool?'
Dan: hope you're staying warm! Your area is getting blasted pretty hard w/ this latest snowstorm.
Be safe and warm everyone!
Monday,12/19... let's see, Saturday we got 8 inches of fresh snow that didn't end soon enough for me to clean up the driveway, then get in a workout, so I passed on the workout. Sunday the temp rose into the high 40's and it rained most of the day, plus I had a Christmas party to go to, so no workout. Sunday night, after all the rain, the temp dropped to single digits and froze everything solid, which brings me to this morning.
Thinking the railtrail would be perfect for a run with everything froze over, I grabbed the Yaktrax and headed out. The only problem was 2 people had walked the railtrail yesterday after the warmth and rain arrived and put tracks 2 inches deep into the slush. Now picture what that looked like this morning with the temp at 14 degrees and add in the two large dogs that tagged along with the walkers. With everything frozen solid, what a mess...lol Anyway, I got in 4 miles, some running and some walking. Not what I'd hoped for, the footing was just too rough...
az... if you can get out during the week, that's the time to XC ski, most people are at work and odds are you'll have the trail to yourself. We rode sleds as well, but they were slower than the high horsepower machines they sell today. Sounds like your PT treatments are going well. I Googled dry needling out of curiosity and was surprised to see it's part of a treatment plan to relieve Myofascial pain. It's weird the way muscle fibers can stick together and shut you down as an athlete. And the pain when you start breaking everything apart is definitely an attention getter...lol Anyway, good luck, at least there's a light at the end of the tunnel now...
BRRRR! It was butt-freezing cold yesterday!! But toughed up and brave the snowy/slushy road for my PT appt. Just then the sun came out, whoa!! Then it got dreary and overcast, rest of the day, we stayed in and watched the snow flurries whirl around in the wind gusts. Poor DH, he has been sick all weekend and it's not getting better. Hoping it doesn't go into his chest. He was off on Mon but called in sick today. He HAS to go in tomorrow, to local hospital for his surgical cases the rest of the week. Not looking forward to it but this is the only time he has more surgical days b/c other surgeons give up their OR days due to their holiday vacations.
Today is 'balmy' in comparison to recent days!! About 32 degrees for the high, but 20 degrees w/ wind chill, it's SUNNY for most of the day!! YIPPEE!! So Yesterday, PT session again: demonstrated 3 sets of a couple of different strengthening exercises again + balance of ankle/knee. Then another round of intense dry-needling w/ the neuromuscular electrical stimulator along the lateral calf area and back of knee. Then the massaging (aka "Graston technique") around the upper calf area. Bruise is still evident but not as tender. This time, PT suggested alternating hot compress, then cold. It actually felt better that evening. I can't wait to start jog/walk/jog at end of month. I have so much to catch up on but it will be slow and steady. Just 'one day at a time.' Next PT is on Thursday.
Az - Contrast baths, used it on ankles and feet even got a bucket with separate pockets for it - not that I've needed it for a couple of years now. Good to hear that things are improving, you'll be running before you know it.
Chantilly - Some nice mileage you've been getting in there. How close is your next event?
Art - Is the wife back in the redone room? Sounded like a good project.
Rich - No ice and snow around here, but sometimes the mud dries funny after a good rain. Hiking the other day looked like there was some gushy areas, but they all turned out to be drier and "frozen" in place. Kinda cool to walk in that type of "mud".
Weather here has gotten "cold" - no snickering, its all relative - here this week, yeah our lows are right where Az's highs are. Still, Sunday morning the car said 31F on our way to the race. DS1's ankle is better, but not enough to run and he didn't make the trip. So, it was just DW, DS1's SO and me (well, and some 200 other 1/2 marathoners). Legs were feeling a bit tired and wasn't feeling good about how well I would run, so hung out mid pack and also had long sleeve shirt on. My strategy was to go quick but slow and kind of see how I felt as things progressed. Wanted to run hard, but not necessarily race. We found some of DW's friends (one walking and the other has been running for about a year) and spent some time with them, they lined up in the back and we moved forward before the race started.
Race director gave final instructions and we were off. This was a coastal run and they are all gun time. Given my competitive nature, starting behind so many others was a big concession. But, given the length of the course there's plenty of time to make up the start. As usual, too many people up front shouldn't be there and the first quarter of a mile is the typical mad rush. The full marathoners started with us, so there were right at 300 people for the start. After 1/2 mile things had already straighten themselves out. The air is brisk, but the sun is out and I can tell that the shirt will need to come off fairly soon. Mile 1 clicks by in just under 8 minutes and I'm cool with that, figuring if I can keep them all under 8 that's a sub 1:45 and meets my goals. At mile 2 some of the people around me are slowing and I begin the process of catching people, it's around here that I'm passed one last time. There are 3 turn around points on the course and just before mile 3 we hit the first one. Seems like there are still a lot of people in front of me and as I head back the way I came, see DW and she says 40 plus to indicate where I am (and that she lost count ). I catch a person before mile 4 and I remove my shirt and tie it around my waist. I'm gaining on the next guy as we go under an overpass/bridge and he senses me and speeds up. Over the next 3 miles every time I get close, he pulls away on each downhill and then I slowly catch up. We pass a person at 2nd aid station (1st was at the turn around) and 2 more before the next aid station. As we approach that 3rd aid station there is a group of 3 or 4 runners we've been reeling in. The woman leading that small pack stops and walks while she gets a drink and 2 or 3 others follow suite. 1 of them keeps going and I pass the rest as well as the guy I've been chasing for last 3-4 miles. That 1 guy seems to be chasing the woman in front of him, with me chasing him. The 2nd turn around is somewhere around mile 8 and takes you over a bridge to the other side of the creek to head back. I look at my watch and my mile times are down to around 7:40 and I'm thinking "I should be gaining on this guy, guess it may not happen". The next 3 miles is all "am I getting closer?", "am I losing ground?" or "Are we getting closer to her?". The other thing happening at this point is I'm trying to calculate where we are on the course. I don't normally care about overall time and mostly concentrate on current mile pace, so I leave my watch in lap mode. Somehow I'm off by mile and we're further along then I think. So, when I finally do catch the guy around mile 12, I'm thinking I've still got 2 miles to catch the woman and she IS getting closer. When we hit the third turn around to go back over the creek I catch up and pass her. She is right on my heel as we re-pass the 2nd aid station and make the turn for the finish line (still another 1/2 mile or so away). The race people start yelling that she's going the wrong way, and I think they're telling me so I stop and start heading the other way and I realize they're yelling at her. So, I start to turn back again and I see the guy I just passed and the one I passed before him. "Crap!" I feel like they're going to pass me so, I double step it back in the right direction. I'm consciously not looking back and just trying to pick up the pace. I can feel every rock through this section and then the worst of all, standing water on both sides of the trail. I try to run down the center and realize, even in regular shoes I'm going to get muddy and splash through it. The last quarter of mile is an up slope with an "S" turn thrown in and I'm doing my best to power up w/o looking behind. Finished in official time of 1:41:27 - a course record for me. The guy I passed at the 3rd aid station finished 8 seconds back and the guy I passed just before the 3rd turn around 5 seconds behind him. The woman we were chasing finished 7th in the marathon. DS1's SO finished in 1:50:37. DW in 2:05:39 - good for 3rd in her AG. All in all not a bad day...
justrundan
Like AZ in MN we have gotten a reprieve today, high mid 30's. weekend was pretty brutal with subzero and wind. Only getting some time on TM, so working on staying active that way. Should have some more free time next 2 weeks, with Christmas and new year on a Sunday our clinic is closed both Mondays following. I can appreciate that!
Everyone have great holidays!
Dan
Tuesday, 12/20... 4 mile walk / jog on the railtrail. Lousy footing hasn't changed and I landed wrong 3 or 4 times beating up on my already sore heel...
Wednesday, 12/21... Winter Solstice today, meaning Spring's just around the corner Finally getting the hang of running in the rough footing, the trick is to look where you're putting your feet, every step...lol Anyway, managed another 4 miles today and with a half mile to go, got caught from behind by the 2 dogsled teams that train in the area. I wanted to ask 'em about their races, but they were concerned with the old gent just ahead walking his 2 dogs, they'd told me in the past the dogs can be hard to control when they're in 'pack' mode, so stopped as I kept moving. The lead dogs got close enough for me to pat, so that was a treat.
az... do you know why your leg muscles got crazy tight like they did? I'd love to know why. I wonder too if being pro-active with myofascial release sessions would prevent what you're dealing with. I know in my case, forget stretching, when muscles get locked up with adhesions, stretching's a waste of time. Anyway, it's good to see you upbeat about your progress, things are looking good. And good luck with DH feeling better, his schedule can't be easy...
Ray... I can understand 30 degrees feeling cold. I'm not sure those of us in colder climates get used to the cold, we just have the clothes to deal with it...lol Fun race report, being able to run hard for 1:41:27 speaks volumes about your fitness, congrats. on the course PR!
Dan... treadmill it is, eh? Whatever it takes. More free time is a good thing, good luck the next 2 weeks...