Tim
Hope Jamie and Sue are having fun today. Any other racers?
DW and I had a very humid 20 miler on C&O Towpath today. Was 80 degrees with 78% humidity at the start. I ran great for 10-12 miles but then heart rate spiked up a bit and it was a run walk on most of the way back. Saw a lot of runners out there who were all walking near the parking lot. Whew, a real steamer.
QOTD: Getttysburg Bike Week is going on in town this weekend. Every had or ridden a motorcycle? Rode for years in college and then sold bike when I moved for grad school. Bought one 10 years ago when gas prices were spiking, but it wasn’t comfortable for DW, so sold it to buy a new one, but never did.
“Paralysis-to-50k” training plan is underway!
Not really good weather here either. Very hot and steamy too. Despite having some good events on the docket in front of me my quality of training has been for shit with this weather. Very dispiriting. Even after a poor mosquito and deer fly infested 5.5 miler early this afternoon I lacked the motivation to hop on my mountain bike and go bonzai. Got back to the cabin, grabbed a beer and hopped in the canoe. Being out on the water certainly has helped my mood. One more day of warm weather and then the week looks to be really nice. I'll be here all week.
We meet with a builder on Tuesday to see if we can make this shack our permanent home. One of those crossroad moments I think.
I hope all the racers are having good days and Bert's enjoying the Caribbean.
QOTD-- never owned one but when younger enough of my friends did that I did a lot of riding--dirt bikes to big hogs and everything in between. If I owned one I would probably be dead now as I have a lust for speed and the acceleration of some of those toys would be intoxicating.
Everybody still out doing their long runs? 10.2 for me today with my RC. Amazing how much more time there is in the weekend when one is tapering...
Hope the racers are having a good weekend.
AT, yuck on the steamy run. It was >80% humidity here because of the fog but only around 60 degrees. A smidge warmer than usual for us but the fog is pretty standard summer weather.
A friend posted about this race in BC next weekend: http://www.trailseries.ca/race/buckin-hell/ I'm intrigued, for next year. Anyone know anything about it? I'll see what she has to say.
QOTD: No, not really a fan. Never even been on one, but I used to work in the transplant industry. Motorcycles provide a lot of donors.
MTA: Hi NH. Good call (1) grabbing a beer, and (2) heading out on the canoe.
5/11/24 Grizzly Peak Marathon, Berkeley, CA
7/20/24 Tahoe Rim Trail 56 miler, NV
9/21/24 Mountain Lakes 100, OR
Some of the crotch rocket bikes are referred to as donor bikes. A guy I work with had his FIL just hit a deer less than a quarter mile from home. Head hitting black top is not good. He may be one of those donors any day now. Another guy I work with has hit or been hit by 5 deer while riding his Harley. We're not a good state for riding cycles.
Le professeur de trail
Holy suck fest!!!!! I ran this morning...and into the afternoon. 33.33k race of rocks, roots, and heat, oh the heat. It caught me early and often. My heart rate spiked a lot so I walked a good bit to try and get it down. My stomach was also not cooperating also likely due to the heat. I think it was high 70's when we started and high 80's when I finished. Humidity was not super high but I could still feel it. This was just a LR for me and a test to see where my head is at and how my body would respond. 5:30 for nearly 21 miles. Not what I call a good day but on the bright side I got in some decent "time on my feet" - so there's that.
Hope Sue had a better day.
QOTD: Nah. I did enjoy my time on a 50cc scooter a couple years ago but I would not ride anything of the sorts due to all the bad drivers out there. I almost got hit the other day going to work cuz some moron ran a stop sign. I blared my horn at him only to see him run another stop sign in front of me.
Have a great (rest of your) weekend!
My favorite day of the week is RUNday
I lost my rama
AT - Nice work getting that 20 in. In weather conditions like that, I fully expect my body to shut down right around the 2 hour mark or so. It's like running at race pace (based on HR) but moving at snail pace.
NH - Hope you get a break from the weather soon. And I can't say no to a beer and playing in the water. Interesting to see if you want to make the cabin your permanent home. DW and I are considering the same when we retire, but many years from now.
Gatsby - Enjoy the taper!
Dr. Jamie - Nice job on the race! It's a long road when coming back from zero, so congrats on getting the job done. Time is all relative.
I got 5 steamy miles in this morning on the island (can I call that a LR since it's Sunday? ). Ironically, we're staying on the French side of St. Martin and we'll be looking for a local place to watch the World Cup finals. DW says she wants to root for Croatia, because she knows all their faces and likes them better. I told her that if Croatia wins, then I'll have to say "I don't know this woman" haha!
Grabbing my dinner last night....
View from our room this morning....
I love our cabin, but island living ain't bad either. I jumped into the ocean right after the morning run and it was like heaven!
Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
3/17 - NYC Half
4/28 - Big Sur Marathon DNS
6/29 - Forbidden Forest 30 Hour
8/29 - A Race for the Ages - will be given 47 hours
I ran 9 miles yesterday, well running might be a bit of an overstatement based on the time it took to get it done, but there you have it. I was too stubborn to cut things short and in fact was even more stupid as I tacked some on. Had an interesting encounter with a momma duck and a gaggle of tiny babies, on the trail, going up the slope from the big pond in the valley. Momma duck feigned injury to get me to follow her, than flew back to her brood.
Today, soaking Sundaily. I hit the cinder rail trail outside of town for something flat and easy. Need more of these sorts of runs I think. Anyway light rain and some distant thunder when I started. Some fast dude (well I used to fast like that) passed me 1/2 mile in so I had a surge to keep him in sight and ran 8ish pace first mile, then he was gone and I settled into 9 minute pace I suppose. Rain really let loose then, flash flood type of rain, probably 2" or close to it fell during my run. Saw the fast dude coming back from the turn around, a good 1/2 mile or more ahead of me. Rain got harder, thunder got closer, trail turned into standing water for the most part. Saw a bikers caught out in the storm as well going the opposite way. A mile to go, still raining buckets. Fast dude is walking with earbuds on? WTF? He might not hear how close the thunder is getting. A few more flashes, one too close for comfort put a little zip in my step and finished up strong. Funny, about 3/4 mile shorter than my run yesterday, but 40+ minutes faster.
Berto - Nice... 4-5 mile is perfect distance for Caribbean morning run. You have to save some energy for post run swim and beer. Pop over to Anguilla if you get a chance.
Dr Jamie - Phew.. sounds like a tough one. How is the sciatica?
NH - Hope you can pull of the remodel and the move. Sounds perfect for you.
Gatsby - Wishing you a good taper!
AT - Yeah, it must have been the humidity yesterday for me too... I wish.
In dog beers, I've only had one.
Are we there, yet?
Gah, as Liza Doolittle would say. Every time I think the storms have passed and I get ready to run, I hear another bout of thunder.
qotd: Never owned one. I only ridden as a passenger once on a Honda Super 90 that a college roommate owned.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
6 wet miles today. We had the same thunderstorms that XT and George had. Low rumble in the distance was getting closer, so we cut the run short. Rain didn’t even seem to provide any relief. Now sun is out and it feels pretty steamy. Hopefully more storms tonight will break this humidity.
Bert - have fun, looks beautiful.
Back from the weekend getaway. Had a great time . Conditions in FL much the same as TX of course. Ran 11 mi on Sat in very steamy conditions, but now my quad is funky, I just can’t catch a break. Took today off.
This morning’s sunrise (no we didn’t stay up partying all night).
Bert-o, looks great!
qotd: never owned a motorcycle rode some as a passenger only.
tbd.
Faster Than Your Couch!
3.3 miles yesterday, and same distance, different route, today. DS went with me on his bike today, and he was a very fast pacer. I enjoyed my evening run. There are thousands of fireflies around now, it is really beautiful to start out in the evening and run until it is almost dark, with all the sparkles against the black background.
There are two arts festival going on in our town this weekend, The Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, which is one of the largest arts festivals in America, and the Peoples Choice Festival, kind of a counterpoint to the other festival. I went to the Peoples Choice Festival, because I can just walk there and don't have to look for parking, and I really enjoyed it. I am always stunned by how creative some people are, what ideas they have, and how nicely they craft their products.
Nice races this weekend, great job, Jamie! The "On the Rocks" got me when I ran it, it was the worst heat exhaustion I have ever experienced. Hope you are well again.
QOTD: When I was in my early twenties, I owned motorbikes and rode excessively. I could get on the bike at 5 in the morning, ride through the Alps the whole day, enjoying all the small winding roads over the many passes, stop only for getting gas, and come home at 9 in the evening, tired, and my hands so weak that at dinner, the silverware would fall out of my hands because they were all worn out from operating the brakes and the clutch. On such weekend trips, I'd ride 300 or 350 miles in a day, all on smaller, winding roads. Austria is great for motorbike riding, with its many narrow valleys and lots of Alpine passes.
Unfortunately, I was a thrillseeker and rode fast and furiously. I had a few falls, but I never got seriously hurt, luckily.
I owned a Yamaha XJ 500, a Yamaha XJ 650, a Yamaha FJ 1200, and a Honda VFR 750, all "open", with no restrictions on engine power. I think the strongest one had 135 (or 155?) HP, and I once went on the Nürburg Ring race track and drove the FJ1200 over the finish line at 180 mph. I loved the bikes, but I knew I'd kill myself if I continued, so I stopped after two of my friends were killed in accidents (caused by cars, not them), both not even 30 years old.
My sister shared the same passion, and she rode dirt bikes as well. She also did races, on a Suzuki 750 on the Brno race track in the Czech Republic, and some dirt bike races on a Honda 350.
Run for fun.
On my hike back down from the Lake Agnes Tea House in Banff, I met up and walked with the husband of an artist. She was in the midst of painting a scene of Lake Louise when we got down to where she was. I hung around and chatted with them while she finished her painting. Between meeting the artist, watching her paint it, and loving the scene, it ended up on my living room wall.