Runs in the rain
Di - It is hard coming back from a period of inactivity, I understand how difficult it is to do just a little exercise and how frustrating it can be to think of what you were once capable of. Hopefully you will find the time and energy to do more and make some improvement.
Az - I read online yesterday's update on the fire. It said people who had evacuated were returning to their homes! I hope you are back and everything is alright!
It was still hot yesterday (Monday) when I left for a run at 12:20 pm, 81 degrees! I decided to drive down and run on a fairly flat road with little traffic. As I drove down the dirt road I saw piles of dirt and a plow. The rows of dirt became higher and I had some trouble driving over them, but too late to turn around. I passed more construction vehicles after I reached the bottom, so I drove a mile to get past them. My route now had only a short dirt section before it became a paved road. I just wore shorts with no shirt, but soon felt hot in the sun, I think I'm still adapted to the winter when I was out in 15 degrees! I am thinking I may want to do early morning runs when in the heat of the summer. My breakfast still felt heavy in my stomach, my left toes continue to hurt me and I was tired with a slight headache. But I continued onward, perhaps I would not do the planned 8 miles and would try for 6. I think I was not fully recovered from Friday's 10 mile run and Sunday's 16 mile bike ride. More of the trees are starting to show a bit of green color.
There were lots of clouds and they soon covered up the sun. I sipped my water, took some rest stops where I'd just pause for a few seconds, and felt some breezes which were refreshing. I felt better and made it to the end of the road. I turned back and after a while took this picture of the road, you can see there were more clouds and every now and then I felt a drop of rain.
I took a few more rest stops and finally made it to my car with 5 1/2 miles total distance. Another instance where I had to back off on my plans, but some days you just don't have what it takes! A bit of rain when I got back to my house and I found myself napping when I started reading a magazine. A brief storm with some heavy rain and winds passed around dinner time bringing back colder temperatures.
Long distance runner, what you standin' there for?Get up, get out, get out of the door!
Hello everyone.
We returned to our homes on Sunday morning. There was a protocol to follow for residents only. The main highway was closed to the public till most of the residents were taken care of. I didn't want to be in line so I waited till 1 pm. By that time, the highway reopened and I didn't have to 'check-in.'
It's a miracle really that none of the houses in our neighborhood was destroyed. The fire melted the plastic white fences of those who lived adjacent to the forest, it was that close. There are about 30 homes that were destroyed in the neighborhoods south of us. Over 21,600 acres burnt.
The concern now is the monsoons in July/August/Sept usually. The fire destroyed a couple water retention basins (one near us and another south of us) that was built after the last flooding which occurred after the Shultz Fire 2010. So the different governmental entities are working on that. The county put some long cement barriers around houses that were considered to be in a 'flood zone' which included ours but after their flood mitigation structure was completed, most of the residents had them removed. We kept ours so that might be helpful. I would feel better if we could put sandbags around the house for preparation before we leave for MN. Don't know when we will be back in AZ.
Saturday: I attended another community meeting. Updates but mostly wondering when we would return. Alot of people upset and comments/questions reflected that. Afterwards, I went for a 5 mile run on a different trail in town.
The friend were stayed with had a terrible 'cold' ..... coughing, sniffling, runny nose, headache, fatigue. Hope it isn't COVID variant. We are all vaccinated and boosted. I wore my mask around him but I think I might have caught something. It feels more like a cold. With the stress of the fire, my immune system was pretty low. I don't feel as bad as our friend. My throat and eyes are irritated mostly from the smoke but also from whatever is in the air now. I'm losing my voice so trying to rest and stay hydrated.
No running since Saturday. The trails I use to run on near home is completely closed off so I have to drive into town to run on other trails. That's a bummer.
I'm not running the HM on May 7 in NM. I'm ok with that decision.
We are still planning on going back to MN in May. Our house is back on the market. We had at least 3 showings of our house. There is interest but they all think it's 'pricey' which is typical, yet no one has made an offer.
And, my dad was admitted into the hospital for an infection that keeps occurring, and surgery to possibly remedy that is out of the question due to his age (90), and he's diabetic and has high blood pressure.
All these uncertainties are draining. But I'm staying calm and take it one day at a time.
There is a dumpster put in different neighborhoods to get rid of food in the fridge due to power shut off.
We didn't have much in the freezer so I took all that and whatever I could from the fridge in our coolers and our friend had room in his fridge and freezer so that worked out for us.
DH rented a brush cutter and spent most of Monday mowing down the dry vegetation around the house and the overgrown ones that are a few feet away just to be on the safe side.
Art: are you ok? Haven't seen a post from you lately.
Altair: it sounds like you are being more consistent with your runs. Incorporating bike rides does break the monotony and makes it much more fun too, especially with GF.
Di: it's a very slow process but at least you got a few minutes in. That's a start. I'll be ok. We are very lucky compared to others who lost everything. And, our community and city has really rallied to offer assistance.
Led: Good luck on your upcoming race! I'll be cheering for you.
Trails
Az, I am so glad to hear you are (mostly) okay. I was worried. I did get another 10 min in yesterday; I have a ton of work to do before leaving for my mom's and I don't plan on doing any work while I'm there.
az - I'm glad your neighborhood was spared and you were able to return home! I am concerned about how environmental changes and water shortages might effect those in the southwest. Cutting down bushes near the house may help a little against fire threats. Good you got in a 5 mile run Saturday, bad the air quality irritates. Maybe wearing some sort of filter mask would help? I hope the friend does not have Covid, why does he not get a home test? Having to worry about flooding is an issue when you go to MN to sell the house. So you still have no power? Lucky you had a friend with a freezer! I hope you dad is doing better. I think Art has been busy with family and work, I'm sure he will chime in when he gets the time.
Di - Keep up the progress with the treadmill, although you may not have a chance to exercise when you go visit your mom.
After a difficult 5 1/2 on Monday I decided to back off a little on my training, taking yesterday off and doing a short 4 mile run today. It was 33 degrees when I got up at 7 am and on things like my deck railings and leaves on bushes there was a dusting of snow! Quite a contrast to the 84 degree high on Sunday! The snow melted as it warmed a few degrees, but every now and then some more flakes fell from the overcast skies. Before my run I put a bandage around the toe of my left foot that has been bothering me, it seemed to improve how it felt, did not feel any burning sensations. I wore sweatpants, a sweatshirt over a thermal shirt, hat and gloves - back to winter gear! A bit of wind and scattered snowflakes during the run. Some of the trees in the village are blooming with white or pink flowers, I tried to get a photo, but it came out blurry. I did get some pictures of the cloudy skies:
Well last night I wasn't able to do a workout, perhaps tonight will be better.
Altair, yes no TM at my mom's but she's got a stationary bike and I can always walk around the neighborhood since she lives in a subdivision. After I get back I may try and go up to the fitness center at lunch. There are TM's, stationary bikes, an indoor track, ARC trainers, etc. I haven't been since 2020...cause Covid so I'm still kind of leery of gyms.
Di - When you have been busy at work it can be hard to find energy to exercise. Great you mom has the bike and a good neighborhood for walking! A fitness center gives a lot of ways to exercise. There is one a half mile from my house, but I've avoided it since Covid.
Still very cold at 27 degrees this morning, but the sky was clear and the sun warmed it to 45 degrees when I did my run at 2 PM. I wore shorts and a long sleeve cotton tee. The winds made it feel slightly chilly at times, but the sun was strong and I was comfortable when running. The bandage on the left foot toe seems to be helping, no burning pain in the toe. I did stop to talk with a friend for a while. I did a total of 7.34 miles. My pace seemed improved, I was 15 minutes faster than when I ran this route back in January! Nice to see signs of progress!Nothing much new to take pictures of, but thought you might like another cattle picture! I think this bull is a black angus.
not bad for mile 25
Thunderstorms last night and this morning, and we finally got some much-needed moisture - an inch and a third so far. Sage thought that toying with the Thunder Monsters this morning was a very bad idea, so I had her run around only one block. After that, I ran my mile in light rain. Another mile tomorrow, and then the half on Sunday. Legs feeling good, and the weather should be pretty good; just a bit breezy.
az - You have a ton of stuff on your plate now, and you haven't been feeling good. Ugh. This will pass (we hope, quickly), but I know it's tough right now.
Altair - Nice you've had a series of good runs, and some bicycling to boot! Good pic of you on the bike.
Di - Short treadmill walks or stationary bike rides are a lot better than nothing - persistence will pay off!
Good luck Led on your half Sunday. It's getting past the fatigue that is the major problem due to the anemia. It's bad enough to wear me out but not bad enough for EPO injections. My iron, B12 and folate levels are good to I know it's the kidneys causing the issue.
I'm hoping if it's low in Jun I can get started on the transplant list. I'd love to find a donor but if not I'll do the cadaver and they now allow you to chose a Hep C one and then start treatment to cure the Hep C, which shortens the time on the transplant list. I know there are ways to ask through social media which I don't have or a church which I don't go to so I'll have to see what happens.
Led - I hope there was no lightning during your mile run in the light rain! You don't want to become a piece of burnt toast! Have a good run in tomorrow's half! I hope you exceed your 9mm goal, you are well prepared!
Di - I hope you find a transplant, imagine a life where you can run again and have more activity options! Keep hoping for the best!
I just watched this inspiring video about a man who grew up with an abusive childhood and was overweight and bitter, then turned his life around to become a great athlete and runner! David Goggins
Yesterday (Friday) was another bright day with clear skies and slightly warmer than Thursday getting to 51 degrees by 2 pm when I started my run. I decided to do my long run and wanted to challenge myself with a 10.4 mile course. This route covers part of the Oak Tree Half course. There is a flat section that I like to run at a higher pace, but my plan was just to establish a baseline and see how I can improve. Part of it was on the dirt road where they were grading Monday, no piles of dirt this time, but some rough sections. At the 6.4 mile point in my run there is a climb of 235 feet in less than a mile ! Legs were still tired from Thursday's run, but I felt my fitness was now up to the challenge! I did take several rest stops, but actually did better than I thought I would. I have not been doing many longer runs these past few years and the last time I ran this route was in August of 2019 when I ran it 9 minutes faster. Legs were exhausted when I finished and I rested a while out on my deck. I did not bother with my camera so no pictures this time! I would like to do a recovery walk today, I'll see how it goes.
For my walk today I decided to do a trail near Hemlock Lake. I used to walk this a lot when I first moved up to this area, but now I think it's been about 15 years since I used this trail. I recalled starting by walking along a side of a field, but was no longer sure I remembered where it was. Instead I remembered the trail ended by a spillway for the lake and started from that end.
Well I found that field at the other end of the trail, so now I know where it starts! Here was a sign about this area:
The trail is not as straight and flat as the Greenway. Some sections were soggy and my shoes sunk to the tops! If I had known I would have wore my rubberized boots!
I had forgotten this stream which went beside the trail for a ways.
These skunk cabbage I think are one of the first editable plants of spring, but as the name suggests they might not smell so good!
Saw this feather, a turkey feather I believe.
Another view of Hemlock Lake. This is the next lake west of Conesus and is slightly smaller being 7 miles in length, Conesus is 8 miles. The lake is used for water supply for Rochester and no homes are allowed on it's shores. There are limitations to the size of boats allowed and no motors over 10 horsepower. A great lake for fishing and I saw several people out with their fishing poles!
This is Hemlock Lake Park, nice grassy areas for picnics and play. The weather was nice today, sunny and 54 degrees. Still, except for several fishermen there were not a lot of people in the park. Can you pick out my yellow car in the parking lot?
Some dandelions in the grass on the other side of the pine trees
It was nice to revisit this trail. I used to go off trail and see a lot of old growth forest. One time I found some chanterelle mushrooms and cooked them for dinner! There are other trails near the lake, but my legs were too stiff and tired to do more. The trail walk was about 3 miles and I walked another mile near the lake. My plan is to do more walks this summer and go to more trails and nearby parks.
Altair - Hemlock lake and the park are beautiful! The trail is pretty, too - too bad it was soggy. The weather here is unsettled - breezy, gusty - but the temp should be in the 40s - 50s for the race in the morning - pretty ideal. Probably still breezy.