Starting out a new month here.
After Saturday's 11 mile run I thought it was time for a bike ride. So did the 25 mile route to Tempe Town Lake and back. Started out cloudy cool and windy. Unfortunately the wind was blowing me to Tempe. On the way back the clouds left bringing out the sun. But the wind didn't go away. Was a good way to start the month. Not sure how much running I'll get in this week as I have some web training that starts at 7:30 in the morning here. Maybe if I get up early enough I can get in a few 3 milers.
Art in AZ
Mesa, AZ
Dan: Glad the fall didn't sidelined you but it puts the most awful thoughts through your head as you are falling. There's still plenty of time to get in some decent training runs. FYI to everyone: My trail running buddy and I will be running in the DWD trail race in July that Dan is training for as well. I just need to get in some technical hill running, I'm being pretty cautious on running the dirt/grassy trails here but not worried about speed, just getting use to it again. 7.5 miles are good miles!!
NH: yeah, I noticed that we are the few posting but that's okay. I think they may be busy with graduations, college semester ending and planning vacations. Or like Dan, they don't want to post if they aren't running ...........but I like to read up on their other lives as well. Finding balance between life and running is an art form so I'm always on the look out for ways to manage time for each. The dirt road to the lake near where I live seems to be leveled with a tractor now and then by 'someone' but the neighborhood kids are out on their ATVs as the days are getting nicer so I know what you mean about the ruts. I'm not complaining as it isn't too bad .........but the mtn bike trail seems to have more ruts due to the 'fat tire bikes' when trail is snow-covered/muddy and it dries up, leaving more uneven terrain. That's more evident this winter/spring as fat tire bikes have become popular.
Art: Hope you find a good race soon. You are smart on maintaining your base 'just in case' there's a race. Good 11 miler and follow up with bike ride. Keeping all leg muscles strong between the two will certainly keep you in top shape. 3 milers are better than no milers. Early runs are probably the best in that heat anyway. Safe running.
DH and I returned from our driving the midwest loop, covering 3 states, LOL!! Left early Sat morning for South Dakota. We caught the tail end of the graduation event which apparently was very LONG but nice. It's DH's second cousin who invited us all to a play that evening by the HS drama club which he was in. It surprised us all on how wonderful they were!! The whole auditorium was packed!! OMgosh!! The HS orchestra was amazing. This morning, we drove to the car show in ND, they had a 'celebrity'. If you ever watch a Barrett Jackson car show auction (mostly for the filthy rich), there is a commentator who is very knowledgeable about almost every vehicle on display. DH recognized him right away. Anyway, he was in North Dakota for the first time!! Was amazed at how flat ND is, LOL!! "I know, I said!" DH was hesitant but I got the event's poster, had him sign it for DH and took photo of them. There was not a line of people. I swear the guy had ADHD, he was constantly talking and moving around. Anyway, DH was tickled with stoic excitement!! haha! Obviously, I'm not shy about asking.
justrundan
legs were pretty tired today, but got in some cross training using my Stihl string trimmer for an hour. Carrying it up the driveway, ugh! You will see what I mean in July, AZ.
"Tickled with stoic excitement!" I like that phrase. DW is more like you that way, I'm more like your DH! LOL.
Art- 11 mi run and 25 mile bike ride- that's a good weekend of workouts! I need to get our bikes aired up and tested out so DW & I can do that kind of cross training.
Everyone have good weeks.
Dan
May 2nd already ... wow.
Last week of April - we visited Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestowne, Yorktown, the Shirley Plantation, Harper's Ferry, and Antietam Battlefield on our "long weekend" adventure down into Virginia - so no running but lots of walking!! Weather was perfect, warm but not hot, no humidity, and outside of some passing rain showers one late afternoon, plenty of sunshine. Harper's Ferry was an unexpected gem to visit - the National Park Service has done a nice job restoring much of the old town. Antietam - it was very hard to imagine 100,000 Union & Confederate troops covering the wide ranging fields let alone all the carnage that resulted.
Wednesday - 5 mile run on the nature trail
Thursday - 5 mile run on the nature trail
Friday - 3+ mile walk on the treadmill @ the gym
Saturday - 7+ mile hike with my wife into one of our favorite spots - beautiful day for hiking
Sunday was a "rest day"
It's rainy & gloomy today ... so it might be a treadmill day at the gym.
adkkev: wow, sounds like the historic tour of the area got you some pretty good walking miles. Did you stay the night somewhere along the way? How far is VA from your place? Such small states around there so assuming it doesn't take too much time to cross state lines. Must have a lot of 'historic viewpoints?' Do most of those places have statues or something to commemorate the events that took place? Nice that the weather cooperated. Some consistent running there for a few days. It's always a let-down to be forced indoors.
Dan: I promised myself to get more cycling in this year for more cross-training especially since I have a brand new bike now. But there's always the temptation to get in some Harley rides with the weather so nice now. Lots of bikers on the road during our weekend trip. Glad you are doing well.
Decided against going to gym, will do that tomorrow. Just a short run. Mostly SUNNY today, light breeze, about 60 degrees, NICE!! My garmin is giving me some problems, it gave out about a mile in so went by time. An hour of running should get me about 5.5 miles. Ran on dirt road to lake and back. Still takes about a mile or two for stiffness (behind knee) to loosen up but no major complaints. Beautiful day!
Monday - 5.5 miles on the nature trail ... it cleared up enough so I decided to hit the trail rather than the gym.
Az - Williamsburg is about an 8 hour drive from our house. Crossing Pennsylvania takes ... what seems to be like forever ... time to cross and the interstate can be pretty busy with tractor trailers, etc.. We got onto some smaller highways as we got closer to Virginia. Same for our return home - smaller highways until we were past Antietam, then back onto I-81 for the drive north. Antietam has some monuments that commemorate various Civil War battalions & the like and the National Park Service has informational signs all over the place that describe some of the battles/events that took place.
Taking a break between sessions right now.
Monday was a rest day.
Got in 3 miles this morning before the class started. Clear skies and sunny but breezy. Started out stiff and just before ending felt warmed upped.
AZ - Some good activities for you.
Dan - Holding those weed whackers can be a chore after a while.
adkkev - Sounds like your long weekend was a very enjoyable time. It's been about 30 years since I was in that area. I remember it being very scenic and felt somber at some of the Civil War sites we visited.
Sunday, 5/1... day off due to all day rain event...
Monday and Tuesday, 5/2 & 5/3... 7 mile and 8 mile railtrail mtn bike rides to give my sore right Achilles a break.
Weather's forecast to be lousy this week and today started my 2016 quest to find a wild turkey willing to celebrate Thanksgiving at my place this year, so I'll be laying low for a few days. Achilles where it attaches to my heel is where it's sore and I need to give that a break as well...
Everyone's lookin' good...
Another mostly SUNNY DAY in northern MN!! But pretty windy, between 13-26 mph. I'll take a sunny/windy day over cold/windy days anytime! Drove to gym. Started with 25 min elliptical, then switch to cycle for 25 min (so I could watch ending of Law & Order, SVU ), 40 min weights, a couple of very slow jogging around indoor track just for the hell of it. Stretching at home. "injury' site feels a little stressed or is it part of 'healing?' I've been K-T tape as recommended by my PT although I am still trying to understand the science behind it .......and it seems to help when I run but didn't use it today. Maybe they do work? Does anyone use large pots for herb gardens? Or small ones? If so, what 'soil' or combination of soil products would you recommend?
Tuesday - 5+ miles on the nature trail ... cloudy & cool so it was nice for running. Saw two other runners and one biker today. Also saw a bald eagle flying in the other direction as I ran beside the Mohawk river ... that was a bonus.
1 mile run yesterday morning before class. Got a late start. On an unrelated note we hit 100 degrees yesterday for the first time this year. With many more to come. But there is another low front coming that will drop the temps into the upper 70s this weekend.
Rich - Good luck with the turkey scouting.
AZ - all my herbs start in small containers and then go into the ground. The issue for me here is that pots wouldn't be anywhere near a water source. Though my mom in Illinois does have a few things in big pots around the deck. But it rains there a lot more than here.
4.1 easy miles at sunrise on a chilly May morning. 38 degrees but minimal wind.
the left hamstring is still acting up. hope to do a longer run/walk tomorrow on trails at Devil's Lake, but will have to be cautious.
Wednesday - 4+ miles on the treadmill @ the gym ... rainy & miserable outside
Thursday - 5+ miles on the nature trail despite the threat of rain (cool temps too). I wasn't the only person out there running, saw two other runners and a biker on the bike trail (you can see the bike trail for part of the time as the two trails parallel each other for a bit with the old ditch of the original Erie canal between them).
TGIF
The weather remains wacky for many areas of the country. We probably will get some of the smoke from the horrible fires in Alberta, Canada, the wind isn't letting down it seems in the northern MN so will probably getting some of the smoke from the fires. Today, winds are 18-30mph gusts! Temps have been in the 80s and 70s!! and mostly sunny!
Dan: have fingers crossed that all straightens itself out the more training you do .....albeit slowly. Don't take your eyes off the trail for one second Roots and branches that are broken in half are the ones that I sometimes stumble on so I try to not step on any in the first place, tough to do when they are covered in leaves, mud, puddles. That's pretty cool temp yesterday!! Safe running.
adkkev: amazing to witness bald eagles .......we are fortunate they are quite a few around here. Some cooler temps there as well, but nice to be out on the trails. Do you have more runners than bikers around there?
Art: surprised that you hit 100 in May and not earlier but that's good too. thanks for the advice and suggestions. I think I'll keep them in pots closer to the kitchen/front door to get into the habit of using them when cooking and salads. A mile is better than nothing, good for you to get in those miles early in the day.
Wed: rest day. Thursday: met with a friend who wants to start walking more and doesn't want to do it alone. We drove to Movil Maze mtn bike trail. About 80 degrees!! But breezy so that was a relief, and not too humid in the woods. She walked while I ran the mtn bike trail, felt great running those small decent hills, took a couple of 15 sec walk breaks, soaked by the time I finished 4.5 miles. Today, Friday: drove to gym for workout. 30 min elliptical, 15 min cycle, 40 min weights, a couple of laps around the track, then a few running drills, finished with some foam rolling and a couple laps of walking. Meeting up with walking friend tomorrow morning. I hope to get in a long run, about 12 miles while she bikes/walk. Apparently, we are in for one last cold spell, ugh!! I'm already feeling cold, LOL!!
Hope everyone has a great weekend, it's Mother's Day on Sunday. We don't have any special plans. Anyone?
8 miles this morning in cooler weather and sunny skies. Felt good to finally get out and run some.
Son in law mentioned doing the Las Vegas Roll and Roll Half in mid December. Though I'm not a big fan of these huge and pricey races, it could be fun. Running on the Strip and when it's dark would be something different. The half is on a Sunday night so that is different by itself. Probably has the lowest attendance at the casinos at that time.
Dan - Heard the weather was still up and down in the area. I'm sure you prefer that over the summer heat and humidity.
adkkev - I haven't seen you mention it but do you ever run on the bike trail?
AZ - Nice that you sort of have someone to go running with.