Roch—congrats on retirement! I’m sure you deserve it. WRFB—we’ve got foxes around all the time and our cat—who is outdoors all day—seems to do fine. Perch—it’s Tuesday, man; quit showing everybody up. Tim—bad drivers suck. And I agree about Bolt; hopefully, he’ll grow up. Kevin—I talk to the horses I see on my long run; I usually get a response too. Byll—glad Fay’s not too much of a problem for you. Peter—I’m about 100 miles behind you…and there’s no way I’m making it to 2000. H&H are back big time. I wasn’t feeling up to tempo miles in this weather so I stuck with overall MP-ish pace on my hilly 10 mile route (uneven splits). Managed 8 @ 8:08 + slow 2 miles for warm-up and cool-down. Legs were fine but stomach didn’t like this heat; I even walked a chunk of one hill.

Good morning. 7.3 miles at a 10:01 pace. Third day in a row of running, and I could feel it in my right leg again. Guess I have to learn everything the hard way. Still good to be out - cool and windy - 53F with sun trying to break through the clouds. Roch - belated congratulations on your retirement! Just don't try to organize your DW's spice rack!! Spareribs - I'll send my friend's e-mail address when I stop to visit him this afternoon. He's supposed to be in IC until at least tomorrow. I just finished reading "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running" by Haruki Murakami. Not real impressed. Not really a novel, not really a book about running. One good passage that I could relate to as I get older: "As I was running I was struck by a thought: Even if my time in races doesn't improve, there's not much I can do about it. I've gotten older, and time has taken its toll. It's nobody's fault. Those are the rules of the game. Just as a river flows to the sea, growing older and slowing down are just part of the natural scenery, and I've got to accept it. It might not be an enjoyable process, and what I discover as a result might not be all that pleasant. But what choice do I have, anyway? In my own way, I've enjoyed my life so far, even if I can't say I've fully enjoyed it." Enjoy your runs, everyone. Jeanne

Whenever I have been injured in running, I always go back to walking and enjoy it. That's why I love Coastwalker's posts. When I got out of the hospital two weeks ago, I headed straight for the Y indoor track and began walking my first day home. I decided that I would consider myself to be over the surgical pain, the first phase of recovery, when I could walk 5 miles at a 15 minute per mile pace. 15 minutes per mile is not fast, but it is a pace you have to concentrate on, and that has been my goal. I never thought I would hit it so soon. Today at the Y indoor track I did 5 miles at 14:46 per mile. Felt super, and boy am I pumped! Of course I am no where near being able to run yet because of the healing chest, but this is a big milestone for me. Dicky, good one. I also posted last night on Kick something like, "do those Brazilian women think we don't know what a bra is?" I think Jim24315 is a better player than I am. We need a fourth. Who else here plays bridge? Spareribs

Yay, Ribs! 5 peppy miles already! That's way better than a lot of folks could do who didn't just have heart surgery. What does the next part of your recovery plan look like? I assume you'll start a run/walk plan for the next level?

No running until after October. Next phase will incorporate "the machines", bike, elliptical, etc. Am contacting a PT to find out what's in and what's out. But I can't run for a while until the sternum heals. It's very important. Thanks. Spareribs

After traveling all night I finally made it to Washington DC. The weather here is much more pleasant than the other Washington where I live. This weeks' adventure started off so nicely for me with a fabulous Japanese dinner with Tetsujin. I understand Dark Horse ate there also. It was so much fun for me to learn about Japanese food and culture from an expert like Tet.Thanks Tetsujin. You are always so much fun to hang out with. What an honor to call you my running buddie. Look at the handsome dude when not in running clothes Time to take a nap and then off to explore this magnificent city. Today is my day of rest from running, but I just may lace up the shoes later and start exploring DC by foot. I can't wait to meet up with Hally tomorrow afternoon and to have dinner with the Beers on Friday night.

nonoruns losing your dad is always very hard. My deepest sympathies to you and your family. WRFB my TP keeps trying to convince me to do striders. About the fox I once saw something that looked really odd to me. We have "wild" turkeys around here that we feed by tossing out sunflower seeds, many of which they leave. One night we saw a fox eating them right near a skunk. First, I did not think foxes ate sunflower seeds. Second, I thought the would eat a skunk. So what gives? perchcreek fast 13 at the end of your 15 miler. Way to go! biketm nice mid-week double digit run for you too. Also, welcome to the memory loss club! I am really, and I mean really, glad to hear that the crazy lady driver got a pile of tickets! So many drivers around here treat the local roads like the national highway system and act as though runners and bikers should literally be driven off the road. hopeful4ever just curious what is the longest Brinkley has ever run? I have a friend that managed to get her dog up to about 9 miles! I was very impressed. Holly S. glad to see you are not pushing the miles up too fast. CNYrunner all this training before New Haven? Maybe you should be resting on the couch and eating or something? stumpy77 welcome to the club too! See comment for biketm for details. Dave59 I have given up on the late night events. Nice run in spite of the lack of sleep. Good luck with the speech. mainerunnah nothing like a local meeting in front of the public and politicians to keep you up late. I am glad my life does not involve going to these things. Peter NC nice hill run. Good luck in your quest to beat the pace bunny to the 2K finish line! Tramps good double digit run even if not what you had planned. Hmm, you talk to horses? Just for the record I live in western Mexico if you ever want to hook up. DickyG and you said? lol Well 4.1 sticky miles is 4.1 miles more than what 99% of the population managed yesterday. Jlynne three days running in a row with 7+ miles today, nice but be careful as you seem to saying you will be. Good luck with the training-injury balance. I know how tough it is. Spareribs great fast walk today! This is sooo good to hear! Seeing you recover so quickly is really just incredibly impressive. Keep going and hopefully a jog will be in your October future. BCMorant very, very nice speed work! Mariposai all I can say as a NE resident is count yourself lucky to find the weather here better than out where you live! Glad to hear you are having a good time. Twocat today I provide yet more evidence that I cannot ever remember anything on my own. My schedule had 11 miles with 6 at HMP on it for this morning. Somehow I got it into my head it was 11 miles with 5 at HMP. The good news is that it was the fastest I have managed to pull off a tempo run since last winter! The 5 miles came in at 7:04! I am very happy about that. Or I will be until I forget it all . . . Today I am sitting here waiting for my pupils to once again function. I went off to see about a new round of Lasik to bring my eyesight back up. As part of the pre-op work they dilated my eyes. So, it is now 4 hours later and I still cannot really read for very long. That pretty much kills getting any work done. Then stupid me had lunch so now I cannot even go to the gym to do any core work either. I keep hoping the bloody drops will wear off. Just how long does it take? To add insult to injury I am now thinking of backing out of the operation. The doctor says my left eye will no longer be any good for reading after it. Now, he said the same thing about both of my eyes when I had the original surgery and in fact it did nothing to my ability to read. What to do, what to do . . . He gave me a prescription for glasses and suggested I get it filled and try life with them and see how it goes. I would only need them while driving, and then only at night or when lost (lol) and when watching a presentation. But prior to my surgery I had to wear glasses or contacts all the time and I hated it! What to do, what to do, . . . Any advice out here in boomer land?

Mariposai, stop upsetting me! I have a bad heart. And you know exactly what I am talking about. Get that picture erased immediately. He is an enemy! Twocat: 7:04's huh? Nice run. Bruce, great job! Spareribs

thanks mari and yay spareheart. mare - <>Looks like he survived it but maybe don't post the full moon swim one just yet. yay rochie. maybe you guys can get holly and family up to that great Lake Michigan dunes country or the UP along ocean-like Lake Superior.