Good afternoon, Runners!   I'm posting in between gym workout (this morning) and pool workout (this evening).    It's been a rainy Monday all day here, so lifting and swimming are two good choices for this weather - even if I were running these days.

I've been doing one-armed dumbbell exercises from about January 25 through March 25, and only started adding in some light dumbbell exercises for my left arm about 10 days ago.  Glad to report that I can now lift about half the weight with my left arm that I'm handling with my right arm, and no pain is being encountered during or after exercise.  A little uncoordination, for sure, but no pain.

Today was a chest, shoulder and triceps workout.   Tonight is a backstroke/freestyle workout, alternating those two strokes (6 sets of 450 yards each) and no rest between repeats.   Goal is 2700 yards (about a mile and a half) in 54:00.

Lap swimming is becoming increasingly popular at our pool.  Last fall there were nights when I was one of only two people in the pool for laps while the aerobics classes were going on.  Most of the time, it would be just me by the second half hour.  Lately we have been getting 5 to 6 people in 3 lanes, meaning, if I'm fortunate, 4 women in two lanes and me in another.   But last Monday I shared a lane with another man because there were 6 of s in all, and I was swimming into the lane marker around 5 yards from the end of the pool almost every time during backstroke.  Always concerned that I'm going to crack heads with the other guy so I'll cheat way over and then oops! too far.  So nothing personal to anybody but I hope a bunch of people decide not to go out in the rain tonight.     

I wondered if anyone would be willing to post a photo of my wife and me from our Historic Walking Tour last Fall if I e-mail it to you.   Any volunteers?

 

 

Mta: Joe618, I'm a compulsive pre-race weather watcher, too. But, you're guaranteed better weather for Boston than we had last year. I really don't have any tips or suggestion for your 1st Boston. However, be sure to pick up the official Adidas Boston Marathon poster (it's free). It'll have your name & bib number on it somewhere.It is one of my favorite souvenirs from Boston & I have mine from my 1st Boston Marathon framed in my man cave.

Paul, great photos!!!   Thanks!   And what a wonderful trip you had, wow.   Love those trails.   And fly fishing too...just about ready to get my fly rod out for the season but no streams here anywhere as beautiful as what you captured.

Thanks for the Boston advice.   Indeed, there is no way any weather could be worse than what you had in 2018.    Look forward to snagging one of those posters...I have a spot for it! 

So cool your running mojo is coming back, Paul!

 

I wondered if anyone would be willing to post a photo of my wife and me from our Historic Walking Tour last Fall if I e-mail it to you.   Any volunteers?

 

Sent you a message.

Two miles - instead of driving the one mile with DW over to and then back from her dentist appointment, trekked over the top of the hill for timely arrival and did the same on the way back.

Cars - actually, ever since I got creased three times in 2014 by drivers stopped at intersections in the International District who seemed to be giving me to go-ahead to proceed but who came at me as soon as I started across, apparently after they looked my way and then the other way down the street and not looking back before pedaling the accelerator without double-checking whether or not I was still on the sidewalk.  Ever since then, instead of looking both directions, I do the first direction twice just to make sure.

Further, I don’t cross any intersections with cars either awaiting or approaching but pretend I’m on the phone or look the other direction so they will go on their way and I’ll have a clear intersection to cross.  If someone else shows up to provide safety in numbers, I’ll cross with them and often go out of my way to cross unobtrusively with an older resident with cane, walker, etc. while the cars stack up but sometimes they notice and say, “xiexie,” “càm ơn bąn,” “ gamsahamnida.,” “arigatou,” “etc.”

 I watched absolutely none of the games this weekend ... but living in Charlottesville, I certainly got a recap at church on Sunday!

HopesMom - kind of like the last two minutes in football games or ninth inning in baseball, you only need to watch the last 8-10 seconds in basketball games nowadays.  With eight seconds to go, Virginia was behind by an apparently insurmountable five points but ended up winning the semifinal game by one point.  With a coach named Tony Bennett, I wouldn’t want to bet against them.

Roch - there’s so many e-bikes in Seattle now that on the one mile way up Fourth Avenue on the way to the Hot Chocolate Fun Run last month, some wag called out, “hey, a regular bike.”   Since I’m still riding for fitness and there’s no way i would consider an e-bike at this stage either, . . .  even if they gave it to me for free but it still kind of irks me to get passed with ease on the several long ascents along the way.  However, it’d sure be okay if it was DW and, like you, I hope it will be someday.

Good to read I am not the only one that thinks/thought stepping off the curb to start crossing the street when the countdown clock is running is just fine. Also, that having done so, a car cannot just run through a red light, mow you down and kill you with little in the way of penalties.

Long day. It included a tour of an office building that is being renovated with my real estate students. I hope they appreciated the tour the owner gave them along with a discussion of strategy and costs. Then again, I would not make book on it. As to working out, an hour on the elliptical. Night all.

7.5 junk miles

I must be overtrained or still sick because running seems to take more effort to get going and stay going.

Further, I don’t cross any intersections with cars either awaiting or approaching but pretend I’m on the phone or look the other direction so they will go on their way and I’ll have a clear intersection to cross.  If someone else shows up to provide safety in numbers, I’ll cross with them and often go out of my way to cross unobtrusively with an older resident with cane, walker, etc. while the cars stack up but sometimes they notice and say, “xiexie,” “càm ơn bąn,” “ gamsahamnida.,” “arigatou,” “etc.”

 

OMG Tet; I do the same thing! I don't trust cars one bit, even if the driver waves me on. Past experiences. I have one or two routes I run where I have to cross a street, and if there's a car coming I just pretend like I'm turning around rather than crossing. There are many cars around here with hand-drawn signs in the window that say things like 'THE LEARNING DRIVER", and they will do crazy unpredictable stuff like come to a complete stop at an intersection on a main street where they HAVE NO STOP SIGN but the cross street does, and then wait for the cross street driver to go. Or not. Or maybe. You can never tell. The best strategy is to avoid them.

  ... living in Charlottesville, I certainly got a recap at church on Sunday!

with comparing players to Jerry West and Oscar Robertson of my youthful era plus the Beatles "Help" on commercials, whole game was pretty good this time too.  Interesting big difference between then and now is that then you aimed straight to the basket but now the most shots are high-archers to come straight down from above into the basket so the tall players can't so easily stop it.