Marathon Maniac #957
Okay, I stopped at the grocery (Kroger) to pick up some cold medicine for DD, and the parking lot was more full than maybe I have ever seen it. Many of the shelves were empty, and the grocery lines ridiculously long. Seriously? Like, we're going to get snowed in for a month? Like you couldn't throw a rock in this heavily populated area and hit a grocery store?
Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, "Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapenos."
Tet (and Stumpy), that's the story and the half is tomorrow (I completely missed any reference to Canada). At the bottom of the story you'll see tweets etc with things like "Athens-Limestone" (Athens is in Limestone County). Foxnews also had a story and I can't recall if it was 13.5 or correct in that one. The pup finished in 7th and the race site says in her honor they give the 7th place finisher a special award. Part of the race is along the 'Bama-Tennessee state line (Elkmont is pretty much due north of Athens, AL).
As for me, same weather as Quick (low 50s, some mist) on my pre-work run. 10k, about 8:30 pace. Playing tomorrow by ear. If it's storming I won't drive over.
Good luck to those facing the storm (we'll have rain and then temps dropping like a rock through the afternoon).
Have a greta night everyone!
Tet, that's the light I got. Haven't had to go past the second setting....and that was on a fairly quick (upper 20s mph) downhill.
Stumpy, reading is fundamental....re read and saw the Canada note. Sports Bible is wrong, it was Alabama (maybe north Alabama was considered close to Canada....).
7.5 junk miles in perfect running weather at sunset. There was even a Great Blue Heron skimming right above the water through the sunset reflection, it was like a dang Disney cartoon. Or Wes Anderson movie.
Lights: I'm an advocate of using bare minimum, and I often do night hikes without any lights. Bare minimum because brighter lights cause you to lose your "night vision". I was recently corrected about the use of red light as a way to preserve "night vision", it seems it's not the color of the light but the amplitude. However, red light will only excite certain receptors, so despite it's amplitude you would be able to see other wavelengths when the red light is turned off. Not so much with white light, because it is all the wavelengths.
All that being said, for running or cycling I can definitely see (lol) that something 500l or more would be beneficial. It's not like you need to be able to see that bear to your side while you're light is aimed straight ahead, or if you drop it or break it.
60-64 age group - University of Oregon alumni - Irreverent and Annoying
7.5 junk miles in perfect running weather at sunset. There was even a Great Blue Heron skimming right above the water through the sunset reflection, it was like a dang Disney cartoon. Or Wes Anderson movie. Lights: I'm an advocate of using bare minimum, and I often do night hikes without any lights. Bare minimum because brighter lights cause you to lose your "night vision". I was recently corrected about the use of red light as a way to preserve "night vision", it seems it's not the color of the light but the amplitude. However, red light will only excite certain receptors, so despite it's amplitude you would be able to see other wavelengths when the red light is turned off. Not so much with white light, because it is all the wavelengths. All that being said, for running or cycling I can definitely see (lol) that something 500l or more would be beneficial. It's not like you need to be able to see that bear to your side while you're light is aimed straight ahead, or if you drop it or break it.
Oh, great stuff all, once more again today. On lights...I ran without a light at all for years and, as you say Bill, I could see just fine with my eyes adjusted. I became aware, though, that the purpose of the light even more was to make others aware I was coming. Humans and vehicles and particularly bicycles. So, I have a red flashing light I clip to my backside waistband and then carry one knucklelight in my hand.
Just had a fun, hour-long conversation with our youngest son, who, at age 30, is starting his second career. He just finished his first week of student teaching. What a ton of observations he had after a full week in a classroom of 9th grade social studies students. He graduates in May and will be teaching HS next fall.
Holly, yes, it's a funny trigger for folks to run to the stores so wildly the day before a one-day storm. Milk, bread, toilet paper. Same story here. We will survive, just as Gloria Gaynor said.
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I have nothing particularly clever or profound to add as a tag to each message...I just like to run.
MM#209 / JapanJoyful#803
Surly - neat. extremely interesting, . . . and very impressive. Thanks.However, unfortunately, for me at my stage when it's hard to see the rocks and roots on trails anyway even in the sunshine, actually, especially when the sunshine creates blind spots in the shadows, actually applying understandings of color, amplitude, etc. to my running is kind of like posting pictures on RA, twocat’s explanations of economics, GPS calibrations, efficiencies at different paces, etc. or tramps on computers and KSA on the names of the newest digital devices. Fortunately, though I’ve hiked and run hundreds of miles in bear country, after an scary encounter in 1962, never to do it at night again is one vow I’ve never broken, . . . and I’m still here. However, l love skiing with the moonlight reflecting off the snow. falcon - dogs are pretty much banned from races around the PNW but when they’re okay, it’s usually more canines and hominids.
"Enjoy yourself. Your younger days never come again." 100yo T. Igarashi to me in geta at top of Mt. Fuji (8/2/87)
MM #5615
Hello everybody!
I watched my granddaughter's basketball game after work, so I didn't get home until 7:00 and didn't start running until 7:30. I did not feel like dealing with the 5° temps and the dusting of snow we were getting so I ran on the treadmill. It won't be warming up anytime, soon, but I refuse to do my long run on the treadmill so I'm just going to have to suck it up and get there.
Okay--that's all I got. See ya!
The problem with running in the dark here, even with moonlight, is the roads can be very rutted, with longitudinal ruts that are perfect ankle turners. It's hard even with a light to avoid them.
Came home and did an easy 3.5 on the treadmill listening to an old Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from earlier last year. Still funny. Hoping it gets a little warmer this weekend, but not holding my breath. High tomorrow is -20. Bleh. I see a 15 mile long run on the treadmill in my future.
Tet; a trick I learned in search and rescue: if the light is very low to the ground it accentuates any depressions or upswells in the ground. For tracking, we would attach lights near the bottom of a hiking stick to shine across the ground. You be surprised how easily you see tracks that were "invisible" when the flashlight was in your hand, and especially if it's a headlamp. A headlamp sends the light almost directly from the location of your eyes, so there are few if any shadows to distinguish depth or contour. Headlamps are the worst on rough trails! But they can be convenient, freeling your hands.
I think there are belt buckle lights, and that would give you much better contour vision than a headlamp. Plus, that's the part of your body that moves the least, so the light is fairly steady. Handhelds would be the next best thing, if carried around waist height. I've attached headlamps around my thighs, wrapped around my wrist, ankle, and tried once to attach it to my belt but couldn't get it angled right. For bikes, maybe attached on the fork at the front axle instead of at the handlebars, but handlebars seem to work fine for me, on pavement.
Everyone should try this fun experiment: at night, go out in your yard and hold a flashlight by the side of your head, and then start moving it downward watching the same piece of ground 10' in front of you, keep it pointed forward so that it's shining across the ground instead of pointing at it. Once it's close to the ground you'll see a world of difference.
if the light is very low to the ground it accentuates any depressions or upswells in the ground.
surly - excellent idea.
When I first started running ultras into and through the night a dozen years ago, I thought a headlamp would be more convenient but the first time I used one for visibility was the last. However, until now, thanks to you, not that I've ever felt that way before, I always felt a little behind the times for being one of the few who carried a light instead of having a headlamp like everyone else. In fact, there's a big root bulge on a long, descending traverse in the Hillside Park that stands out like a sore thumb with the handheld but would probably be virtually invisible with a headlamp only. Still like the headlamp for when bright light not necessary, e.g. smooth bike path and, in addition, the blinking/flashing options are good for standing out from the front as well as the red blinkies the other way, to say nothing of reflective wrist and ankle bands.
Never seen a belt one that would hold a candle to my bike light or other super flashlights but REI had one back in my skiing days that, though it would not have been bright enough for trails, was more than sufficient shining off the snow to make skiing safe on cloudy, moonless nights too. Speaking of moons, big full lunar eclipse coming on Sunday evening.