Altair: thanks for starting the month. Running in hail can be nice but when it starts to build, it’s not fun, can be painful. Yikes! Glad you got done with your run, nonetheless. Oh my gosh, Forgetting to start … and stop …. our timers happens more often than not, I think. But the habit of checking the time/distance along the way helps to keep it in check. Wonder if it will happen more often as we age, LOL!!   

Can’t remember but Is there a race you will be running any time soon?

Thursday:  nice cloudy day, around 50 degrees with a cool breeze when I got out the door. Finished an easy 5 miler, with 40 seconds fartleks after each mile, even on the hills. Whew! Post-run exercises, stretching, foam rolling. 

Friday: gorgeous partly cloudy day, 52 degrees when I took off for another hilly run, 6.1 miles.  Plan was to at least run another 5 miles but felt great to add another mile. Legs weren’t as tired as I thought they would be. So also did 40 seconds fartleks again after each mile. 
Love those type of runs!  Post-run stretching again. Then watched the NCAA women’s semi-final games.
The teams I predicted won and will face off for the championship game tomorrow. Will root for South Carolina because I can’t stand UConn.

The men’s semi finals are today, final game on Monday. No favorite teams but lean towards any west team, but not Kansas. 
Working on getting taxes to our CPA in MN. Ugh! Will probably have to pay again, double ugh!!

Sat (today): Predicted high 62 so finished 4.2 miles this morning when it was 50 degrees, pretty breezy in the woods tho.  An easy run with couple of decent hills on a different trail than yesterday. A glorious sunny day, wow!

• Have a super weekend everyone! 

az - Isn't great to have temperatures near 50 degrees! Good 4 to 6 mile runs, a comfortable distance and nice when you can add a little speedwork! Good luck with the taxes. I got a notice the other day that my property value had increased by $30,200 dollars! I can only hope the property taxes don't skyrocket! The graupel is not exactly solid like hail, think like Rice Krispies made of ice, plus the particles were tinny like BB shot, so they dis not sting like a hard hail does when it falls on bare skin, just a brief sensation of wetness. I have to press buttons on the Garmin several times, first to select "run outdoors", second to connect with the GPS satellite  and wait for the watch to read "Ready" and then finally press a third time to start the timing. It is easy to forget the last step or perhaps not press the button hard enough. I try to check to see if it is working, but must have skipped that step this time. Lucky I had not gone far. I mentioned considering races, but nothing definite yet. I still have some concerns about being in groups with the new variants increasing, otherwise it is easy to find local 5Ks whenever I want to race. The September Oak Tree Half is a major consideration, however I don't want to run it unless I can get close to a 10 minute mile pace. Last time I was a lot slower and it was scary to look behind and not see anyone else. I still want to be part of the main pack and it would be an embarrassment to finish DFL. The other thought is the Wineglass Marathon. The advantage to choosing that is a lot of runner will just be trying to finish under 6 hours and even if I'm real slow I will not be alone. The question is will I be ready for the distance! Right now I think I could finish a half but would have to do a lot of walking to complete 26.2. Well most of spring and summer lies ahead, I'll see how the training progresses!

Art - Hard to comment on your running since you seem to have it down to a usual routine, but keep it up, you're staying fit! You are busy with the garden. I looked up the pobalano peppers, they look good for cooking if you like a mild heat. Most of my veggie seeds I started indoors have sprouted, only I just have one squash plant that came up and none of the lettuce or peas. I have new seeds, but ran out of planting soil, I'll have to buy more this week.

Yesterday (Saturday) was a nice day, but had errands to run up in Rochester and did not get back until 3 pm. It was 47 degrees, sunny with some wispy clouds. Thought about an 8 mile run, but decided to just do something shorter. I did just short of 5 miles. I attempted to strive for a good pace, but mile 3 was slow for some reason, maybe because I kept stopping to take pictures! Legs felt sore afterwards, which shows me you don't have to go long distance to get a good workout if you run faster!
Ran past the High School, you can see part of the track, the roof of the school and distant hills.

Here you can see when the farmer has already plowed furrows, maybe see some corn sprouting up soon!

Here is one of the roads I ran on with wispy clouds in the sky

Everything just seems a dull brown right now. Looking forward to seeing more color as spring progresses.

I sharpened this image a bit to enhance the tangle of branches in this fallen tree

Altair:  Oh my gosh, that's a huge increase in property value. There is always the not-so-positive side, right? Same with our homes in MN and AZ. The HM sounds like it would be a nice one for you. It's understandable to still feel uncomfortable running a race with any size group especially with the rise of cases from the variants despite the "it's not severe" messages. I had to really think about that when I registered for the Doughnut Dash 10k (TX). There were runners who wore masks till the race began and ended (like me) but I saw more 5K walkers still wearing masks during the race. I don't think about how embarrassing it would be for me if I finish last ...... since there will be someone who will. It could easily be me. I think our competitive spirit keeps us on the training schedule, and I'm as ready as I will be on race day. It's stressful enough to get to the races through traffic or first time to the area, and get ready for the start, etc.  I just want to explore a new trail race in a new area and hope to finish upright.  Trail running is a supportive community and I've yet to experience anyone who didn't congratulate any runner who finished, no matter their place. I've witnessed that when I volunteered at aid stations. It's hard for me to believe you would come in last anyway. Your progress in the few months since retirement has been impressive and inspiring .....  especially in different weather conditions.  That's discipline and determination. I hear alot about and know runners who ran the Wineglass Marathon, seems like a very popular race. Another good set of photos!

Sunday was a rest day as expected as I was at a client site most of the day. It went pretty smoothly so that was good. And Monday will be a rest day also as I have an early morning start.

Altair - I think I would plan for the half and see how that plays out before going for a marathon. That should give you a good indication of how your training is going. I got rid of all my old seeds because I didn't want to take the chance they wouldn't sprout. So I should be good for the next year or two. Good that the surge protector seems to be working. I found it hard to get into running on a treadmill after doing all my running outside. Things just felt off. What property value do they mention? Here there's LPV, limited property value used to compile taxes. And FCV, full cash value is supposed to reflect market value. The LPV only went up a little more than $8,000.00. The FCV went up a whole lot more.

AZ - Early morning runs should be in the 50s so not to bad. Since it's still dry out the temps don't feel too bad. Plus it does cool off towards the evening making it nice to sit outside. Nice that you have some hills near to where you will be.

az - Although I'm sure I will not come in last in any race I enter, it is disconcerting to look behind and see nobody there! But there are typically walkers or those who were not adequately trained who may be very far behind. I'll just say in my last half, the 2019 Oak Tree, my steady 12:35 pace placed me at 222/240. I'm sure this was due to inadequate training. I was much happier with the 9:40 pace I maintained for the 2017 race in which I was157/267, near the mid of the pack! Although my training has been consistent for the past four months my progress is not great. I think I could struggle to finish 13.1 miles right now, but I don't feel ready to do it at a 12:35 pace! That said I've always found the other runners and spectators all very supportive. If I do run like you I might just have a mask on at the start and finish.

Great you are also working on a garden! Still having some real cold nights here. Deem Hills looks interesting, I wonder how I'd do on one of the difficult trails? Enjoy the visit from the Niece and also your upcoming Phoenix conference and seeing your DD, DS and your friend!

Art - I'm sure I will be better prepared for a half by the end of summer and I should at least be able to finish a full. I'll see what seems best. I hate to waste seeds so I just planted all the old ones and many of them did sprout! The treadmill worked alright for the mile, but the real test will come with greater distances and speed. I don't care much for using it, hard to stay in line on the little belt, but I was able to watch part of a movie! The assessment was for tax purposes. I suspect with some of the repairs my house needs the market value would be a lot less, but who knows in today's housing market! The value as you know is based on the sales of nearby compatible houses and there are a lot of new homes going up in my area.

Led - You get a gold star for good behavior! Good ten miler and hope you are ready for the half Sunday! Hope DD gets better, but best she rests instead of race. I never heard of graupel until I moved upstate, it's white stuff falling so call it snow! My runs automatically transfer to the STRAVA site where it gives a record of moving time taking out any stops and pauses, unless you do pause the Garmin yourself during a run in which case it does count all the rest of the stops. In the past I just considered any stop to be part of my total time and if I did walking I would count the time but not the distance. However, I figure just tracking the moving time gives a better report of my progress. I have some trees near my shed that I hope don't fall on it! It does need to be rebuilt since some of the siding has rotted. I enjoyed the look of the 1930's basketball team! I like old photos! The relenos remind me of the stuffed green peppers my mom used to make, although now since I don't eat meat I make them with a veggie substitute for ground beef! BTW, you and Art are wooses with the hot peppers, I grew and ate ghost peppers are few years ago! Ok, I would only use like a matchhead sized piece for flavoring, but still hot is hot!

Forgot to mention I found a DVD movie abandoned by the side of the road when running last week! I put it in my pocket and washed it off at home. "50 Shades of Grey!" May not be something I really care to see, but got it free!

Well it's 40 and sunny right now. I have yet to eat breakfast! I'll hang out for a while this morning and try to get in a decent run early in the afternoon. Legs are still slightly sore, perhaps around five miles would be good!

I had a doctor's appointment this morning. I was a bit concerned because in December my cholesterol levels were borderline high, but the doctor was pleased they went down from 226 to 192! LDLs went from 157 to 124! I've also lost over ten pounds. I attribute most of this change to exercising more consistently now that I've retired. I expect further improvement as my training progresses.

A nice sunny day today! I brought the seedling outside for some sun. I also planted more seed, including zucchini, bok choi, lettuce and basil. I turned over half of the remaining garden bed and dug a little trench and planted snow peas. I also washed laundry and hung it on the line outside. The humidity was low and it dried fast. Off in the woods I can hear the spring peepers!

With all that activity I got a late 4:15 start for my run. Decided just to do six miles. It was 65 degrees and sunny. The route had a 220 foot climb to the turnaround point, so a good effort. Upon return I showered and then made avocado rueben sandwiches for dinner, yum!

The white birch

Trees, field and distant hills

Part of the downhill section

Di - As someone who does not eat meat I understand the frustration of getting food that meets your diet. I am supposed to avoid sodium too, although I do like a little on my potatoes. Often the food at restaurants tastes so salty I can barely eat it! A little helpful hint: when you have gotten all you can out of a jar of jelly there may still be a little stuck on the side that the knife can't get out. Pour in a little apple cider vinegar and shake and you'll have a delicious fruit flavored vinaigrette dressing!

Cloudy this morning, but again in the mid sixties. Decided I wanted to finish turning over the garden before the rain comes! My arms and back were still sore from yesterday, but I got 'er done and then cover everything with a leaf mulch, except the area where I planted those snow pea seeds! This is one of the major spring tasks, glad it's out of the way.

My legs were also sore from yesterday, so after the garden work I decide to exercise different muscles with a cross training bike ride, the first this spring! It was 65 degrees and mostly sunny when I started. The first 3 miles were the same route I ran yesterday, including that hill climb! Quite a workout to pedal uphill, but then easy coasting back down! Some high winds and it got more cloudy after the half way point. Finished close to 12 miles!

Just past 3 miles on the hill and I saw some cattle near a pond. The sky had bright blue areas, but also areas dark with clouds.

The dark clouds moving in! Later tonight it will rain and that will continue through tomorrow. Snow predicted for the weekend!