Tuesday: rest day. Stuff to do at home. Today (Wed): prescribed burn resulted in heavy smoke where I wanted to run trails with Bones. DH is working today. So had to go home, drop off Bones in courtyard and went to wellness center. 15 minutes in massage chair first. Then, ran 3.1 miles intervals on TM, then 30 minutes step class.
Trails
AZ every day meal is cereal and half a bagel with cream cheese, then mid morning I eat spaghetti noodles, lunch depends on if I have leftover from the Japanese restaurant (shrimp and rice), then I typically drink a Nepro or Boost High Calorie, dinner is usually eggs, turkey bacon and toast. I need to get a lot of protein in. Dialysis takes out protein and electrolytes. Since I need to gain weight I eat all I can, including snacking on peanut butter crackers. Luckily I'm hungry a lot.
Yes typically a steak comes with a baked potato and a salad.
It’s in the low 60s as the high here this week but with the breeze/wind, and clouds, it feels much cooler. Nextp week, it’ll be in the 50s. DH was off today so this morning we went to Home Depot (separate vehicles) to order our master bathroom vanities. Decided on two 36” ones. But had to settle on a boring light brown shade (weathered tan) instead of the espresso color which was not offered for this vanity. The main thing I wanted was it had to have a ‘drop down’ top drawer. It’s odd yet not surprising that they charge for everything it seems ….. Around $80 if they drop it off inside our front door or over $100 if they drop it off in the bathroom. Just drop it off at the front door inside our courtyard, zero cost. Crazy!!
Afterwards, I took Bones and we drove to Old Caves TH. Ran different hilly trail loops till we finished 12.1 miles. YAY!! Bones is getting stronger and does really well in cooler temps. Great run, even on the hills and in certain areas where it’s sandy. DH had dinner ready when we returned.
The weather here has been pretty wonky. Today's high 70 but starting Sat it's dropping into the 50's and next week's lows are in the 20's. Since the dialysis center is so cold I bought some fleece lined shirts and sweats that will get me from the house to the car and then the center without freezing. Since I have no insulation due to losing all the weight I don't do well in the cold.
Bones is one impressive dog. It's so good he enjoys running with you. Mine are all old now and do nothing but sleep. I do get some activity from them when we walk down to the mailbox. Our driveway is 100 feet long and slopes downward or upward when coming back and is all gravel. It can be a challenge for me coming back up. The last day I didn't get out of breath so getting stronger.
We bought a replacement washer and the delivery charge was $80 and they didn't even hook it up or take the old one. Such a rip off.
Led I hope all is well with you.
Runs in the rain
Az - Good long runs, the 8 mile solo and then the 12 with Bones! With all the runs you take him on he must be in excellent shape! Smoke from fires does effect plans for outdoor runs. The definition of "junk" miles is interesting, perhaps I may bring in up as a topic in the general forums. As I understand the concept, moderate effort runs are said to be "junk miles" because they use up effort without the recovery benefits of slow distance or the greater fitness increases from high intensity training. However, I assume you do all your runs at a fast pace, no easy stuff for you! A two hour drive is far just for a 30 minute run! But it is nice to run and socialize with a group. There is a group that runs in my area that I want to join when I get a little faster. It's probably been 30 years since I last ate a steak. Grilled portabella mushrooms are close, but the nearest substitute was a peppered tofu dish I used to get at a Chinese restaurant.
Art - Good you got in some walks with the busy week you had! Bad to lose the phone line, but they found the problem. Waiting for other people before you could run cables is a drag. Were you paid for the time you waited or are you paid a set amount for the job? The leaking hot water tank is a problem I had some years ago. I'm not as handy as you, I had someone install a new one. I think next time instead of a tank I'll get one of those coils that heat the water on demand.
Di - You seem to have a routine menu for your meals! It must be hard to plan a proper dirt with the added protein requirements. Your weather is starting to get very cold; fleece is good to keep you warm. Generally, I like an almost empty restaurant, I don't like noise and crowds. Unfortunately, without a lot of customers some of my favorite ones have gone out of business!
Led - I looked at your log and see you're still running and doing like 45 mile weeks! I think we all wonder what happened that you no longer post.
This week has been warm for October with temperatures going up into the 70's. The yard cleanup continues with me mowing over leaves every day. Good news is that the maples on the side of the house are almost bare of leaves, but the front ones still have most of them. I'm trying to get done what I can so I'm not raking up wet leaves in freezing weather!
My car got stuck in park again while I was at the bank's ATM. Very embarrassing with a line of cars waiting behind me. However, I looked up on YouTube how to free the shift lock by sticking a long screwdriver down to trip the latch and was able to get the car back in gear. I need to get another car soon but want to do stuff outside while the weather is still warm.
Other activities include reading a science fiction series. The Man-Kzin Wars is based on concepts by Larry Niven, but the short stories and novelettes are by various authors. Kzin are a warlike race of aliens that look and act like tigers. There are 15 books in the series and a couple novels too. I have the first ten books. I'm up to book 8, so I'll need to buy the rest soon.
My other project has been burning some vinyl record albums onto CDs. I did this with several Frank Zappa albums and two jazz records by Oscar Peterson. I edit out clicks and pops and create the cd covers to print.
I'm also playing a chess match. I recently joined the group "Old Wolf and Friends" and I'm participating in a match with "The League of Assassins". I'm playing two games against someone rated 250 points higher than me who is rated as a National Master, so I'm way over classed! There is a three day time for each move. Games have just begun and so far, I'm not looking too bad.
My fast paced and nearly nine mile run on Monday left me feeling very sore and stiff the next day. Despite the warmer weather this week I felt I needed some recovery days. So I did my yardwork instead. Yesterday, Thursday, was sunny and in the lower 70's. Guess I'm adapted more to the cold now because that felt rather hot to me. After working in the yard I got out for a late afternoon run. It was more cloudy by then, but still very warm, Strava said it was 75 degrees! Legs still slightly stiff, so this was like a recovery run! I did about 4 miles. With Halloween approaching I thought this moody picture of St. Mary's Cemetary appropriate.
A week ago, this corn was like 7 feet high, but now it's cut to stubble! I think this closeup looks like the paint slashes on a Van Gogh.
It was dusk towards the end of the run.
Clouds and sunset colors
Long distance runner, what you standin' there for?Get up, get out, get out of the door!
Today was the last nice day before we get colder air and rain this coming weekend! And late next week there may be some snow! But today it was in the mid-70's and sunny for most of the day. I mowed over more leaves, then went for a three mile bike ride with GF. Finally, I did a six mile run shortly after that. By then it was partly cloudy with some refreshing winds. I wore running shorts, but no shirt. It may be the last time for a while that I'll be able to do that!A shadow falls across a green field. Fall trees in the background and white clouds overhead.
Bare tree on the left and an orange leaved tree on the right.
Rain this morning. Overcast and 55 degrees at noon when I ran five miles. Worked on my pace, but took a lot of rest stops.Colorful trees
Geese flying, they will migrate soon!
It was 46 degrees, overcast and misty at 12:20 and I did a four mile walk. My intent was to buy some honey from a stand and bring it back!I can get honey cheaper at the supermarket, but I like that it's locally produced!
Downhill back to the village.
Altair I also like empty restaurants. The more I work from home the less I like other people with all the noise.
Went to dr today, got my flu and pneumonia shots. Did fasting cholesterol and got permission to start walking and using the rower. She said the surgery site looks good and it's healed. Still hurts a bit but nothing like when I got out of the hospital. Never heard from the surgeon's office after the vein mapping on the 20th so I called. First available is 12/22 at 7 am. Glad I called otherwise it might be next year. I am up to 87 pounds so I'm getting there. The transplant people want me to have an echocardiogram so that's on Wed. They also want a mammogram but with the chest catheter I doubt I can do one. So this pushes me way back cause until the fistula/graft is used I can't get the chest catheter removed. I wish some of these people could live me life and see what it's like.
BOO!! I'm still around haha! Happy Spooky Day everyone!!
DH just had to buy a couple of bags of expensive snack size candy ...... which he can eat if there's any left after tonight. LOL!! One bag would have been enough since there aren't too many kids in the neighborhood but he says it's "just in case." haha! Usually we have an adult halloween party at one of the nieghbor's but the hostess had emergency surgery two weeks ago and is still healing. I'm glad we aren't having one. Yeah, I'm a party buzz kill, LOL!
So....... I crewed for Native Women Running at Javalina Jundred https://aravaiparunning.com/network/javelinajundred/race-info/
over the weekend at Ft McDowell Regional Park, Fountain Hills, AZ. A city east of Phoenix. It was HOT during the day but nice and cool through the night. I arrived Friday. Helped set up tent which was about 50 yrds from the start/finish ....... and the LOUD blaring what is suppose to be music ...... mainly a ridiculously loud bass with the same beat. By 9 pm, most of the crew went home except for the three 100 milers and the four 100K runners who stayed in their tents at race location. I shared a tent with one. Another crew member arrived at 1 am, Saturday. Showed him where he needed to set up his tent. We ended up staying awake and talking. I recognized his name. He's an ultra runner but also ran Boston and he is an RD for a trail race near Page, AZ. He made coffee around 4 am when runners started to show up. Rest of our crew arrived by 6 am to cheer on the 100 miler runners. Later, the 100K runners. It was a long day. Runners coming in and helping them out again. I knew one of the runners from our Running Book Club was running the 100K. I found her runner husband in the crowd and we cheered her on after her second loop. I had to find a spot away from the event to just appreciate the beauty of the desert and cheer on the runners on the trail. The heat was unbelievably scorching. Finally, I had to take a couple of hours of sleep ....... as far away from the music as I can so I just went to my car. There were 'celebrity ultra runners' (very well known ultra runners) chasing the golden ticket to the Western States 100 miler. The most notable one was a pacer though, Courtney Dauwalter, who was pacing her mother in the 100k. They finished around 12:30 am Sunday morning.
"Courtney Dauwalter (born February 13, 1985) is an American ultramarathon runner and former teacher. In 2023, Dauwalter became the first athlete ever to win Western States 100, Hardrock 100 and the UTMB, three iconic 100-mile races, in the same year."
Everyone in the ultra running world knows her.
Only 1 of our 3 hundred milers finished the whole distance. It was her first and it was amazing!! The other two finished 3 of 5 loops. Still an achievement! All the 100k runners in our group finished. One runner ran the 31k night run on Saturday night. The Book Club runner finished around 9:45 pm, she rocked it. I waited till our 100 miler came and went for her last loop around 1:30 am, and I slept till 6 am Sunday. We cheered her on at the finish. WOW!! After all the short celebrations and photos, I helped with packing and I left around noon. DH had dinner ready. I unpacked and was in bed by 8 pm.
Monday: 4 miles on the TM at the wellness center and the super circuit class.
Tues (today): 6 easy miles on the trail with Bones.
Di: YAY!! Getting the go ahead on the rowing ....... That's alot of check ups. And tests, and shots to go back and forth. But it keeps you distracted and look forward to just staying home, right? You live in a remote area so I remember that no one comes 'trick or treat' ....... can you eat leftover candy, haha! Great news you are gaining weight.
Altair: love the photos with the trees still changing colors. 70s for a shirtless run and then cooling off with fall temps is quite a change but that seems to be the 'norm' for many areas except for the north where they have snow!! Holy moly!! Good job on the mileage there. Are going to be using your TM more this winter?? Since you've been wanting to up your pace. Your taste in music and books are quite eclectic and interesting. DH loves jazz which he watches on youtube. My reading includes sci-fi but not as 'deep' as you it seems. The CD burning of music must keep you busy but I'm sure it's calming for you.
Talk with you all in NOV.