Almost an ice bath:

Plugging up part of a koi pond, probably unnecessarily.  Yeah, I'd thought about covering the screws on the bottom drain top plate before I put the water in, but the instructions said....blerg.   And the instructions were probably fine; the bulkheads on the settlement tank are leaking, and probably not the drain at all except through the intended lumen.   Just covering all bases.

Anyway, we've had great running weather this week, lows near zero, and so that water was frigid.  The koi (yeah, they're in there already) didn't do much while I was in there; they were already on the other side of the pond and they're close to torpor.  I have thought about a dip before because it would be so cool if they swam up to me while I was in there--but they don't extrapolate very well.  They know my hands, and usually my voice, but the rest of me?  Freakout!

Anyway, the water came up to my mid-thigh, and I lost feeling in my toes, but not before I used them to mush marine putty into the probably innocent screw wells.  I wasn't sure my arms would be long enough, but I knew they would get cold and I really knew I really didn't want to put my face in there too.

Anyway, I haven't made much use of the awesome brisk weather.  I can't believe how quickly it's turned, but I'm not complaining!  Meanwhile, I am this close to completing a major project, and this week has been 12-14 hr days of pixel pushing and things are clicking together amazingly and I'm deep down the rabbit hole of synergy, obsession, and ingenious shortcutting, and TONIGHT's THE NIGHT!  I'm sending it off no matter what.  It is getting out of my hair at long last.

Anyway, eye strain made today's run interesting.  When it comes to something not on a screen or not through lenses, my eyes don't play nice together, but usually I use one at a time, I think.  Not sure.  Today, however, was dueling (retinal) banjos.  Which one is the real branch?  I couldn't tell where anything was.  I didn't fall, but I had a few good trips, and a bunch of smaller stumbles and faulty landings.  We jogged (with a few short walks up the worst hills) for three hours and fifteen minutes and it felt crappy by the middle of the second loop, and mostly numb and dumb during the third.

Anyway, it was good practice.  My eyes are going to be tired by the end of the race (experience) anyway, plus it's going to be dark when I start.  And I really needed to step away from the computer screen for a bit.  Does it show?