adkkev: just incredible photos!! Do you print them? I HAVE GOT to get me a kayak!! Such gorgeous scenic places you two have within miles. I love that you two always have some activity planned and you do them. Outdoor adventures are endless.
Dan: hope you can find more balance with work and running.
Chantilly: OH NO! Have you had it before? What do you do to recover from them? I do wear ballroom shoes with heels but less than 2 inches, can't wear 'high' heels at all. So uncomfortable and it hurts!
Art: you seem ready for the Prescott race IMO. Don't worry too much about altitude. Trail races are much more scenic and it doesn't cost anything to enjoy the view on a walk break. I have to take salt tabs for my runs in high heat and/or high humidity, I sweat ALOT and what you describe on your run is how I feel when my body is needing some balance of sodium/potassium. Sports drinks don't do much for me. ICED cold water poured over my head does the trick too. Glad you felt better after your run in the heat. You better post a photo with your cape for Oct race!! That should be a fun!
Ray: CONGRATS to DW!! What a treat for her to meet Nancy Dietz!! And to be 'her' motivator!! Way cool!! Glad you got some $$ back. Every cent counts nowadays ......towards registration fees, right?
NH: I love dogs but irresponsible dog owners just irritate the hell out of me!! And knowing their dog's behavior and still allowing them to not be on a leash .......dog owner needed a kick in the butt. Poor Sim. That made me sad. Hope Sim feels better.
Yesterday (MON), drove to state park and ran on paved bike trail for about 6 miles, then onto the grassy/dirt trails for another 6 miles. Finished 12 miles under mostly sunny sky with occasional cloud cover. The trees in the state park provided nice shade for most of my run with a cool breeze now and then.
Today (TUES), went to gym. About 80 degrees outside and SUNNY, hardly a breeze. 20 min elliptical, 4.5 interval miles, 20 min cycle, and weights. Good work out.
6.25 miles on the elliptical at the gym this afternoon ...
After quite a stretch of dry weather we got buckets of rain today .... probably close to 1.5 inches at our house, more to the north & east of us. I think one more round of rain tomorrow & then the forecast calls for another nice stretch of good weather.
Tuesday, 8/11... rained most of the day, but was able to get in a 2 mile railtrail walk with Sim.
Wednesday, 8/12... 6 mile road run this morning. Easy warm-up first mile, then low 9:00's. I may ride the bike later, but have another MacGyver project to deal with first. My old lawn mower died last week and since I only use a walk-behind for areas where the rider won't go, I decided to search Craigslist for a used one to see what was available. Found a good one for 35 bucks, buck the owner smacked a rock with it and bent the crankshaft on the motor. Serious repair, but I bought the thing, ordered the replacement crankshaft and have since taken everything apart and scratched my head through the process of putting it all back together again. If all goes according to plan, I'll be trying to start the thing for the first time later today. Do you believe in miracles? lol
Edited to add: 7 mile railtrail ride on mtn bike later today...
Chantilly... thanks. My 13 y.o. granddaughter kept saying how she couldn't believe those people would let their dogs run loose...lol The owners of the dogs were obviously embarrassed, it's amazing sometimes how little common sense some people have. As it was, with Sim on a leash, he was right beside me and I was ready when the dog jumped him. Have you ever tried stretches that are meant to relieve Sciatic Nerve pain? They do work and might be something for you to look into.
az... nice workouts the last couple of days. You've got this fitness stuff nailed, just steady as a rock all the time. And Sim's fine, he's a really intelligent dog and never made any attempt to even fight back. I guess he knew the old man had his back...
adkkev... really nice pictures and nice times you and DW spend together.
Tuesday morning got in a 4 mile run later than usual. Strange monsoon weather lately. Very windy and dusty in the morning with a little rain. Felt cooler but didn't go out because of the wind and dust blowing. Took a chance after the rain and wind died down. Got sprinkled on a couple of times but that was it. Very damp feeling out. Weather got crazy again in the afternoon and later in the evening.
This morning decided to go for a short bike ride. Got in 11 miles. Felt the after effects of the storm moving out. Felt a little humid before a high pressure system hits for the next couple of days. Temps to 110 and up next couple of days. But it'll be a dry heat.
Chantilly - Probably won't do anything in the garden this weekend. There's always next weekend.
AZ - Weren't you planning on being back in AZ in a couple of months?
adkkev - Beautiful pictures. I like the picture of the grape flower. I'm with Chantilly, curious what that is.
Rich - Another monster project. Trying to resurrect something from the dead. Will this be a frankenmower?
Art in AZ
Mesa, AZ
Frankenmower ... I like that!! Rich, will you be working on the mower during a thunderstorm perhaps?? I can envision a scene right out of Young Frankenstein with a lawn mower instead of Peter Boyle!!
4 miles for me on a nature trail this afternoon. Very nice running weather. And not another soul on the trail.
Can't you guys be jealous without showing it? I thought this thing was going to blow up when it first started, but I'm happy to say my 35 dollar mower runs like a charm. As a matter of fact, I was searching Craigslist earlier today for other hidden treasures, but came up empty. Maybe I'll try searching "Frankenmower", that might work... lol Self-propelled, rear wheel drive and variable speed, MacGyver would be proud...lol
5 miles this morning under clear sunny skies. Very warm out.
Rich - Feels good when a plan comes together. Congrats on the successful rebuild.
Thursday, 8/13... 7 mile railtrail run this morning, slowly trying to extend these runs to get my mileage back up. First mile easy warm-up in 12:56, then ran 9:58, 9:31, 9:42, 9:52, 9:42 and 9:28. An easy bike ride seems to help with recovery, so rode 6 on the mtn bike later in the day. I'm gaining...
Art... yeah, it's nice when a plan comes together, isn't it? lol A project like the mower is fun because there's really no money involved. And if it doesn't work out, they sell new ones every day. Now I've set my sights on a rototiller on Craigslist, all this talk about gardens and fresh vegetables makes me think I should have a small garden. Nice run in this morning's heat...
No running for me tomorrow, but will probably get in a walk...
Rest day yesterday. Today: It's 93 degrees!! No breeze, overcast but muggy due to the heavy rain/thunderstorm that passed over yesterday evening, it poured!! Anyway, decided on going to gym today. Ran 8.1 interval miles on TM with 1 min walk break at 4 miles; 30 min elliptical. I was drenched. Surprised I made it that far. DH came home and we went to a "wine and beer tasting event" to benefit United Way. Had dinner at the restaurant where the event was being held. Met up with a couple of people from ballroom dancing. Hope to get in a short run tomorrow. Anyone have a race coming up?
NH: what a find with the lawnmower!! You're such a handy-person to get stuff in working order like new again.
Art: DH and I will be driving back down to AZ next month. He's flying back after a week. Not sure if I will run in Sept; there are a couple of trail races in Flag but I am thinking of 'volunteering' for a trail race I want to run next year. The solo 55k: http://www.aztrail.org/ultrarun/http://www.aztrail.org/ultrarun/ I miss the granddaughters so I will be driving back and forth into "the valley" to visit them and friends. Our son is getting married early OCT. in NM. DH will fly down for a few days for the wedding. I will drive back to MN after my Durango Double races. I miss the mountains. I hope to get some good training runs in at altitude for my next 50k trail race Oct. 24 in south Minneapolis.
3 miles this morning. Walked out the door and felt a blast of hot air. Looked at thermometer and it was 90 degrees at 7:00. After the 30 minute run it was 93 degrees. Was going to do 5 miles but decided 3 miles was enough. Since we're under a heat advisory until Sunday night maybe I'll do a long bike ride instead of a long run.
Rich - I don't remember the last time I saw a rototiller here in Arizona. I'll have to look around the next time I'm at the garden store.
AZ - Sounds like you have a busy schedule planned for when you are here.
adkkev - You description had me imagining Rich with yellow platex gloves holding jumper cables, sparking them and manically laughing.
NHRich - another nice find - fixing priceless. Last few times I could of used a rototiller, pulled out the shovel and jumped on it until the head was all the way down and then turn the dirt/ground over. After the initial hole, it really isn't too bad and it's a good workout! Is tougher on dryer soils with high clay content, which is about all we have for the last 4 years here...
Az - It was a treat for DW, but wait there's more - she stubbed her toe pretty bad the Sunday before, but wouldn't go to the Dr. Finally had it checked Tuesday - broken! She's got a 4 or 5 year streak of running at least a 1/2 marathon a month and felt it was ok to run as long as the Dr hadn't said it's ok. You trip to the SW sounds like it will be a good break from the humidity. Nice TM work.
Art - I guess you're sending the high pressure system our way. It's supposed to get warm here this weekend. Not hot for you, but for us
I'm continuing to walk. Leg was pain free mostly on Tuesday and probably overdid it a bit by walking 6 miles fairly quickly on Wednesday. Could feel it in glutes and quads yesterday, so cut the walk to 4.5 miles at a more leisurely pace. Supposed to hike this evening and then watch the Perseids meteor shower up along the ridge line.
P.S. Az - next race entered is Moonlight run at end of September, but most likely Pinole 5k at beginning of month. Might look for something at end of August, since I haven't done a race yet this month...
Ray
Ray: good to hear that recovery is going well, albeit slow, but staying active fosters other muscles to stay strong. OUCH!! DW's toe! I lost another toe nail after the 50k but that's not a big deal compared to a broken toe. That's a great streak for DW! Maybe not the end of her streak if she gets a HM the END of Sept. Would that be enough time for toe to heal? Have the recent forest fires caused any breathing problems?
Art: SMART to not run longer in that HEAT!! 3 miles is still 3 miles and body probably worked just as hard to cool itself. Bike ride can at least provide some 'breeze.' Stay cool.
HOT and SUNNY again today, some mugginess too, no breeze at all. It was around 92 degrees!! You can feel the intense heat just standing by the car while getting my gym bag. Started with 20 min cycle, then 5.2 interval miles on TM again, 20 min elliptical, 20 min weights. Still no A/C in the gym except for the weight room. But plenty of fans ........swirling hot air around, not much help. I was soaked by the time I got on the TM!! Rest day tomorrow or might go for a bike ride around the lake. Will be meeting with my trail running buddy on Sunday morning for a run in Movil Maze before the mosquitoes and flying buggers get together.
justrundan
3 days in a row! Whoot! All slow&short but I got out there! Well, sort of. Did TM today because I didn't get out before the sauna heated up here.
Dan
Well, remember when I said it was hot yesterday morning. Phoenix set a record high yesterday afternoon of 117 degrees for those of you who don't watch the news. Saturday's high today is suppose to be only 113 degrees. A cooling trend is coming.
Checked the weather before I went out and it was cooler than yesterday morning. Figured I try to get in 6 miles. Felt comfortable so decided to go for 8. At the junction point decided to do 9 so went that way. Ended up doing 10 total for the morning. There were some walks in there but overall didn't feel bad. So tomorrow will be a bike day.
Ray - The walks will help you heal and keep you moving for the races ahead. Enjoy the weather we're sending.
AZ - Not much of a choice between a hot and stuffy gym or a hot run outside. Probably would choose the gym because the sun wouldn't be a factor. Maybe.
Dan - Three days of slow and steady is good. Hopefully your sauna cools off before too long.
Saturday, 8/15... another 7 mile railtrail run today. Extremely wet heavy air, but the railtrail's shaded so at least the sun wasn't a factor. Pace was mid 9:00's and I was running faster towards the end, but had to slow up to catch my breath every so often, aerobic fitness is still in the tank...
az... one of the half marathons I wanted to run this fall is less than 3 weeks away, but I haven't committed yet. My mileage is so low I'm not sure I'm up to it just yet, but still thinking about it.
Art... I just bought a Ariens rototiller off Craigslist this morning. Took me 2.5 hours to go get the thing and bring it home, but should work great for next spring's vegetable garden. It's got a couple of minor "issues", so I'll get to know it a little better before it's up and running...lol Congrats on that 10 miler this morning!
Ray... sounds like your making good progress with the injury, walking seems to be the key, eh? Hang in there!
Dan... I agree with Art, 3 days of slow and steady is good stuff!