A perfect late summer day

It was so nice, sunny and not too hot to run, but hot enough to sit outside. The dogs and I jogged for 75 minutes, then we hung out in the backyard for awhile.

And then I went to work and saw not one but two despicable tattoos.  One guy just had a swastika and some other minor stuff around it (a shabby tattoo altogether), but the other guy had this really well-done almost full sleeve of demons and flames surrounding a racist old-timey depiction of a black man, another swastika, and apparently some KKK symbol thrown in--I've just looked this up and it doesn't seem familiar, but I was too disturbed by the main scene.  The thing is, though, it was obviously a skilled, and likely expensive, tattoo...and just so so so wrong. It made me feel queasy.

It really threw me for a loop--I've seen loads of tattoos, including a bunch on old biker guys by the looks of it, including tattooed earrings, fingers, etc--I've seen so many tattoos that I've sort of stopped looking at them, I guess, and maybe a swastika or two has slipped by...but to suddenly see my first two in the day was shocking enough without the sickening grandeur of the sleeve.  Where the fuck am I?

Yeah, in the South, albeit in a region with a lot of Northerners and not much open display of racism...the biggest example is perhaps a lingering relic: most white people are on one side of town, while the other side has predominantly black citizens, but things are gradually mixing up.  However, I know that it's but a short drive to innumerable small towns and villages where not many people come or go, and some people are just not welcome.  I'll be wondering what lies beneath clothing, at any rate.  :(

....

I've lost track, but there was a tempo run and a couple of 1:45 runs this week at least.

The tempo run was in a gym--I'm now a member of the fitness centre at work!  It's pretty nice, and super convenient.  I was on the fence about joining for weeks, and then I went for it a few days ago.  I hurt something in a shoulder lifting in my increasingly frigid garage, I got bored, I got an early day, I got a raise (not merit-based btw: everybody got it)...I'm still ahead.  They did ask for my primary care provider info, but that's N/A.  I haven't applied to be assigned one here yet, or whatever.  We're supposed to leave this summer; I can string this along for 6-7 months.  LOL.  Once I explained that I was a military spouse that moved a lot, I was allowed to join the gym.  However, I'm good on shots because I've been getting them from employee health nurses.  Perks!

nope!

Tues: just a walk.  I couldn't tear myself out of bed.

Wed: 1 hr run with the dogs, 20 min tempo run, and part of a leg workout.  My garage is so cold.  The metal burned in my hands.  The shaded concrete floor is a great cold sink, which helps in the summer, but it's sub-optimal when it gets below zero--which I'm digging, don't get me wrong, but I'd like to avoid touching cold metal.

Thurs: 75 min jog with the dogs.  TIRED

I've switched my iron supplement in the hopes that this will revv me up at least a bit.  Dunno.  (this song, btw, was on the radio late one night during my drive home...it's not usually the sort of electro/dance/?? I listen to, but it was the purrrrfect thing at the time.  Yeah, I went there! (sob)

~

Just want to GO

Saturday: I slept in (crashed hard), and then spent a bunch of time at the annual household hazardous waste event.  I didn't think it would take that long--I had to wait in the car for about an hour, I think, and I turned it off to not saturate the hazmat workers with CO, but I also had to keep the windows down because my household hazardous waste included some totally whiffy aerosol cans, but it was cold out and things got sort of frigid...I dunno, man, somehow my whole day was shot but at least I subsequently bought a cool pair of Adidas track pants for $12 at a second hand store, and since then, I've been wearing them whenever I haven't been in pjs or work pjs or actual running gear.  I love these pants!  They're going to fuse to my skin at this rate.

Sunday:  I was on call, and then I found a video of the 2014 Berlin marathon, perfect distraction for a long treadmill run, yeah, which DIDN'T HAPPEN. 

Monday: almost 2 hr jog, cut a bit short because we got soaked in a deluge and the dogs were like, NOPE, F this S!!! NOW.  Ok, that was me. 

I skipped weights because my clothing was too wet, but I did the Bliss workout (40 pushups and pike situps) tonight.

Tomorrow (because maybe I need to post my commitment for better results?): tempo run and weights.  Somehow, sometime~

chips at 2:00 am

There's just a small problem: I've run out of chips!  I had to stay late at work, and I hit my second wind...

At any rate, I have also been running, somewhat! 

Mon: 1 hr walk
Tues: 1.5 hr jog
Wed: 2 hr walk with dogs, tempo run on treadmill, leg exercises
Thurs: 2 hr jog, chest/arm exercises

Oh, yeah, I'm now on 2nd shift for real! Finally! Yay!  All that daylight is now mine!  It's amazing how much more pumped I feel at work when I have more time to get pumped before it.  True, I do have a 9ish pm lull, but I feel more alert on 2nd shift than on the daytime shifts.

~

Have I posted since Tues?  Thurs was the same...and Friday was easier, but horrible.  I was wiped by then.

I slept for almost 12 hours, then went on an adventure with the young dog.  We probably covered only about 8 miles total in about seven hours--we jogged to an event and met up with the dog rescue group who'd helped her, including two people who had fostered her, and then we jogged further into town and stopped for coffee, then we went to a chili cook-off, and then we went into the pub that hosted it.  Yep, the pub is dog-friendly, and has a great afternoon vibe.  I had a couple of pints of cider while the dog got loads of attention, enough to apparently bruise her tail (she must have whacked it against something hard).   I've walked/run/driven/cycled by that place umpteen times, but this was the first time I went into it--what took me so long?  I guess it's been a while since I've lived somewhere with a proper pub or bar or whatever--a particular type of drinking establishment, basically-where I can talk with people who have heard of epigenetics and Richard Henry Dana.  There are a bunch of cool people at work too, don't get me wrong, but there we have to, well, work. 


So I think I have the makings of a decent easy long run loop...if I can detour for a few miles in between the coffee shop and the pub, it wouldn't be too shabby distance-wise, and much more interesting than staying the woods or in the ditch.   Gotta reap some sort of enjoyment; gotta get back into the zone.

I slept for another almost 12 hours, and then attempted a long run today.  Called it quits just 2 hrs in, though, but then I went home and unblocked the heck out of a sink.  yeah! 

Spring into Fall!

Yeah, I've been running more.  This past Sunday, I jogged 3 hrs with the dogs.  It wasn't bad, but I'd forgotten that special fatigue that sets in after a good long while.

Today, we ran for 1.5 hrs, the last 1/2 hr kind of hard--it was a solid run.  And then I went to work and we found out that the 2nd shift person was sick, so I volunteered to step in...ans my day ended up being 10:00 am to 11:something pm, with a two-hour lunch.  Not my longest day ever, but had I known, I wouldn't have run so much in the morning.  It was busy so I was on my feet the whole time at work except for 20 minutes for dinner.  My legs were aching by the end.

Hey, time on one's feet counts as ultra training!  YEAH!

Looking so cute/ In your little MRSA suit

I cannot take credit for that clever couplet, but I was the recipient.  But I needed more PPE today: I think I got a little drop of peracetic acid above the glove line...whatever it was, it got me pumped up, along with the little annoyances of daily life, which were a little more annoying today than usual.

So I squeezed out a fairly decent workout after I walked the dogs:

Tempo run on the TM, 20 (ok, 19--that's when the last video ended) minutes.
Leg day with this year's max on the deadlifts (I'm still like ten pounds shy of last year's, I think).
1 small gluten-free pizza for supper.  This is also a worthy exercise: my appetite has been sort of feeble.

onwards and upwards!

Perfect summer weather!

High of only 19 C today!  Such a luxury!  My energy has been low, but once we got out this morning and I felt that cool weather, it was on.  We started jogging once we got to the 45 mph road and its mostly generous shoulder--I don't want to run the puppy on asphalt just yet--and we ducked into the forest kept going for two solid hours.  (and then I blasted through yard work and shoulder exercises.  PUMPED)

The run was just super.  Yeah, I was tired, because I'm out of shape, but I got into the zone.  No heat, no horses, and very few passerby, which was great.  The puppy is still very easily distracted, the footing is poor, and I'm still getting used to running with two dogs.  It's more tiring, I think, although I know I'm actually unfit.   But the weather will be great all week, and it's going to get better--I just have to get out there.  The job is a bit of an issue because I'm actually stuck with normal hours for the first time in years, 9-5:30.  Gosh, this eats up so much of the daylight, and there are too few streetlamps (like, none along some roads) and too many pitfalls here.  I have maybe an hour in the morning, and an hour in the afternoon, which is better than nothing, but it's easier to tire dogs out given one larger chunk.

Fortunately, the hours are just temporary.  In a few weeks, I should be back to my usual ghoulish schedule, with a nice big chunk of daytime for outside endeavours.  The downside is that I've been learning Spanish from some of the 1st shift staff, and nobody on 2nd speaks Spanish as far as I've heard, and I still have so much much more to learn.  Duolingo has been great too, but it doesn't target as quickly the stuff that's useful for me*.  No me gusta limpiar mi casa.

Anyway, it's exciting running again, especially with a new additional companion.  I also hope the increased symmetry will actually improve my form.  Unfortunately, my leash arm goes into T-Rex mode when I'm running, but with two T-Rex arms, I'm not leaving enough space for my ribs to expand.  Just a small adjustment, though.

There is also a mental block of sorts that is gradually approaching: I presently weigh about 3.5 pounds more than the dogs combined, and the puppy is still growing.   They won't recognize the threshold, but I can't shake the thought of an impending mutiny, even though either of them is strong enough to drag me on their own NOW (of course, they don't know this!)  Meanwhile, I'm trying to recharge my appetite and/or sneak in the cals somehow--I've dropped over ten pounds during the past few weeks.  Sure felt the lost gains during shoulder presses today!  :(

But at least I now have two tired dogs and some measure of improved fitness, and winter* is coming!

*ok, I was just thinking, hey, Duolingo isn't as whimsical as Rosetta Stone because it's not asking me to learn the word for "elephant"--and, BAM, today, el elefante.  I don't know why the elephant irks me so much, especially SINCE I was once in a loose elephant (five of them) situation in a foreign country, and I couldn't understand why the police were not letting me pass until I found one who could speak English.  If anyone needs to know the local word for elephant, it's apparently me--but I'd rather learn "Where is the toilet?" and "What time does this close?" and "Does this have wheat in it?"

**down here, just a long fall. 

!

Yesterday, the temps went back down and so we jogged for 1hr45 or so (total time 2:45).  My first long run in a long time, but I hung in there.  The old dog's first long run in even a longer time, but he hung in there.  The puppy's first long run ever, but she hung in there. 

It was actually pretty relaxing.

There was a little bit of an incident with horses.  Part of that forest has mixed-use trails allowing equines, which is cool, except some horses like to see you close to the trail, others like you way off the trail--and I always choose option #2 because that's been the norm most other places I've been, plus I want to stay well out of kicking range. 

Unfortunately, that was not what the horses wished last time, and it took a bit of coaxing from the riders to get them to go past me.  Nobody bolted, though! 

Although, it would be best, if a horse is going to be all like ooooohhhh 2spooky4me, then that horse stays home.  Because, honestly, that forest is tame as fffff: no bears, no cougars, no wolves, no feral pigs, but there are a lot of birds and rodents and little things that go boo, not to mention kids and dogs.  There is also a massive conservation area just a few miles away reserved strictly for equestrian activities.

But sharing is caring, not scaring, and so my realistic option #1 is to avoid the trails that allow horses.

Today, we had two walks because I have "normal" work days this week, daylight before and after, and then I did shoulder exercises.

!!!

More of the same, short on sleep, short on time, short on energy (but still walking and running the dogs) but it's been ok.  Until today.

It started with an interesting trip to the dump with dog #1: I was ditching some junk and so I had to go further within the dump, past a large heap of scrap metal (where I got rid of some wire fencing) and up onto a wide open large hill (possibly landfill) alongside a backhoe pushing about a pile of scrap timber and so forth (where I got rid of a couple of pallets).  It was really cool.  I have to the dump every so often because I don't have garbage pickup, but this was the first time I'd gone deep, and it reminded me of being out West.  No trees, just grass and dirt.  It was a nice change, plus it gave me a greater appreciation for the car's 4 wheel drive and so forth: it was a bit of a technical climb up sand and gravel.  LOL

The guy working at the weigh house didn't charge me for the pallets, so I donated the money--according to a poster on the recycling dumpster, one of the employees has cancer.

Unfortunately, the dump couldn't take my old paint (I'll have to go to the annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection event later this year).  The previous house owner left behind umpteen cans of paint, and some of it isn't useful either for touch-ups or for primer, plus the spray cans were dried out.  So I thought.

On the way over, I quickly came to the conclusion that I had to open the car windows.  This stuff has been sitting in my garage for over a year, and I never smelled it there, but once I got it in the car--phew.  I think I'll leave it outside from now on!  Because, man, wow, I have not been doing my household any favours.  I can't believe I've been working out in that!

I cancelled my next errand because I didn't want to bake dog #1 any further, plus it was getting a bit warm.  But I set out for errand #3: walk dog #2 to the farmers' market, roughly 3 miles there, 3 miles back.

It was warmer when we started, but ok.  We got to town, hung out a bit, and I bought my stuff, including 3 pounds of ground pasture-raised lamb, which I'm totally pumped about because I love lamb but didn't think anybody local sold it (I'm fussy about how the animals are treated) PLUS mustard greens.  I love mustard greens.

On the way back, however, it was too warm.  I got a headache (the paint issue didn't help). Fortunately, I brought water for the dog, but I didn't think to check the weather; I didn't think we had any especially warm days left.  I felt horrible for bringing her.

Once I got home, I found out it was 31 C.

DAFUQ

It's OCTOBER.

Whatever, I can't start this now.  At least tomorrow will be much cooler.  Summer is limping away.   Plus, the early starts at work are over, at least for the time being, so I will feel more myself and, consequently, make this blog more about RUNNING.

~

I have run yesterday and today, albeit for just 5 or so minutes amid 90ish minute walks with the dogs.  Part of our route goes on a dirt road, and this is a better surface for growing puppy joints.  Also, I'm lazy.

Even though the weather has been mostly great--a few warm days, but not too bad.  Tomorrow is supposed to go up to 30 :(  but the temps will drop back down in a matter of hours, not weeks.

Oh, and I did leg exercises this week, just squats and deadlifts.  I'm pretty worn out (even dropped out of a race in Nov, although the race director is giving me a week to change my mind), and walking the dogs tired me out further...but when I got home, I turned up the music and got into the right sort of zone.

I should do clamshells now, that being one of my two must-do exercises.  OK!

~

Well, change of plans, but I have run bits here and there yesterday and today amidst 2 hr walks.  I'm trying to tire the dogs out so that they're content sleeping away my absences. I've started training in earnest for my new job, and tomorrow I get to sleep in a bit more--I don't have to show up until 5:30 am.   Woo-hoo!

Meanwhile, um...can't think....I'm slow on sleep because of a field exercise that has been going on for the past umpteen days and nights.  Whatever they're firing shakes the whole house.  Now men in black are going to come over and take my computer away--lol, it's no secret.  Everybody within a 3 mile radius can probably feel it.  It's been nice enough this week to leave windows open at night, but then the booms are louder, plus all those frogs or insects back there.  Back to my country unease.  But now I have a white noise app to block some of it out, though the booms are in another league.

Meanwhile, I actually did a shoulder workout after our walk/jog today, and I hit last year's max on a power clean!!!  It was quick and smooth--it took me by surprise.  I didn't feel it as much as I thought I would on the one hand, but on the other, it felt quite significant and precarious.  And now, I definitely feel it, an hour later.  I'll try it again next week--gotta build more of a foundation. But it was a huge boost to nail it, and it definitely felt "cleaner" than last year's efforts.

oh, yeah, I forgot to update---I'm getting to know the problem dog houses around here, including one that I'm beginning to think is a problem house or bad juju area.  The two dogs that lived there followed up nearly a 1/3 of a mile last time they were out.  Afterwards, I tried to avoid that house, but ended up getting followed by another loose dog, and getting somewhat lost...not lost-lost, but scenic route lost.  And THEN, yesterday, we went past and discovered that that house apparently has chickens now, but no coop.  They were all over the road.  Same thing today.  Well, at least I'm getting the puppy used to chickens (the old dog got to go to Key West for that).

~

Walk with ~5 minutes jogging three times, then yardwork (planting a few bushes).

IT'S ONLY 15 C RIGHT NOW A FEW HOURS LATER--IT'S ALMOST NOON---WHAT????!!!!!

I wore a long-sleeved shirt while exercising the dogs because I don't want to get too spoiled.  It still felt amazingly brisk--this, in comparison to yesterday's uncomfortable walk in a tank top.  The temps will rise again, but (please please please) it looks like they won't go into the thirties anymore. 

A day and 10 degrees make all the difference.  Now I'm feeling optimistic.  Sure I'm in poor shape, especially compared to last year after a summer of diligence--but perhaps I'm actually in a better position to take advantage of the upcoming good weather.  I'm better rested and I don't have that left Achilles issue or that right hip issue (knock wood).  My weight is down although I am actually stronger with some shoulder exercises such as delt raises, and my squats are much more flexible--plus I recently pulled close to last year's max on power cleans and it was nice and tidy, which is highly encouraging.  Instead of spending Dec-Mar somewhat injured, I might sail through winter this year.

~

This morning, I went on a long walk with the dogs--and a few minutes of that was running on a dirt road.  It counts!  I simply don't want to run, but a few minutes here and there are better than nothing.

It'll be better once it gets cooler.  It didn't feel bad at first today, but when it started to warm up, I hit my threshold.  It wasn't even hot, about 23 C, I guess, but it was too warm.  My heat tolerance has run dry.  It shouldn't work like this, it's not like there's a yearly limit for this kind of thing, but summer started in April here and now I'm tapped out.  I've been getting headaches and so forth, and I'm renting food--I've been through this before, I just need to eat and sleep enough, and *~~~*keep cool*~~~*.

Where are you, Fall? I miss you.

Soon!  Actually, this week is supposed to be nice.  And then non-winter will come and I'll get to roll happily for a few months.  Can't wait!

I did do some chest exercises today, though not the full routine. 

puppy's first run!

Well, it was just a couple of minutes or so on sand (gotta be gentle on growing puppy joints).  It was really nice to run outside, albeit uncomfortable with a leash in each hand.  I guess I'll be training too.

That was Thursday morning, a slightly cooler morning, but still hot and humid enough to set off SVT.  First time in months, I think--I'd forgotten how effective a cardio workout it is!  5ish minutes is plenty at 230 bpm.   It's like the best HIIT routine ever.  LOL

Friday: walked and chest workout (just one rep--I was still tired).
Today: long walk into/out of/about town with #2, and shoulder workout

I feel guilty because I was going to take dog 1 to the dump this morning (ok, that sounds bad, but he enjoys the ride and the smells), but I got out too late and decided to go straight to town with #2, and take #1 on a nice run tomorrow.  Unfortunately, it'll be hotter than originally forecast: low of 19 C, high of 31 C.   Can't take the heat anymore, and the dump's closed tomorrow.  Hopefully #1 won't feel too shafted. 

Fortunately, after tomorrow...knock wood, fingers crossed...:)  I need some cooler weather!

Meanwhile, I've at least made some progress on my power cleans--I filmed myself for several weeks to fix flaws, etc, and now things are feeling darn tight (even though my max is still 20 lbs less than last summer, but I'll get there).   Appropriate soundtrack (though it's not quite as good as the version I have in my collection but, hey, it comes with some cool graphics.

...

Well, I ran today, 15 min on the treadmill.  It counts!  The past week or so has been rough but the worst is over and the countdown has finally begun: even better, it's 2XX days to go, and not 3XX.  In order to withhold mid-tour leave, they have to keep the deployment under nine months, at least in theory.

So I have nine months to finish up some household projects (but not that certain sort of nine-month-long project, rather painting rooms, replacing fixtures, building rock walls outside and other landscaping...).  And I have a new job, although I'm presently still going through the new hire process.   It's another OR job with employer-supplied and laundered scrubs, oh, yeah (honestly, it'll be a sad day when/if I get a job that requires me to take care of what I have to wear to work).

So, lots of changes, lots and lots of lost sleep (I don't sleep very well while my husband is in transit), but now things are settling down, hopefully, and I can thus proceed to tire myself out in a duller fashion to make time go by more quickly.

It took me about a week to get back into running, I think, but I have done some of Z's workouts, and I moved almost a half-ton of rock yesterday, and again today.  It didn't seem to be as much as it is.  If I've learned anything from the backyard projects, it's that rock and water are rather dense.

Sort of speaking of which, the koi pump failed while we were at the beach, and my last koi died :(  She was 18 inches long, and a fish that size generates a lot of waste, so filtration is necessary.   My plan is to consider the pond a water garden from now on, although it's also a tadpole nursery.  Maybe I'll throw in a little goldfish, something so small that it wouldn't require filtration in 1000+ gallons given enough plants and biological substrate: hey, little buddy, you're totally free to be the fish you were born to be!  

Anyway, I'm going to get back into some sort of routine, but that might take a week or two.  Meanwhile, I'll continue working out and walking the dogs.  As for running...it's sort of a chore here.  Meh.  But the heat is finally easing up, and only 2XX days to go!

! :) ! :) ! :)

Yesterday, 1/2 hr run with #1, and lots of walking.

Today, more than two hours' walk with both dogs--I would've run but my husband is out fishing today, and so I couldn't leave #2 behind alone because she'd whine.  This wouldn't matter at home, but we're at the beach!

Even better, I took them out as the thunderstorm was leaving, and we stayed dry until we waded in.  5 minutes after we got back to our hotel room, the rain came back.  Perfect timing!

There was also a beautiful moment this morning.   It was about 1/2 hour into our walk, the sun was barely up but behind clouds, and the beach was practically deserted.  We passed three people during the first hour, that's it, and laid down about a couple of miles of solo (well, trio) footprints) on unmarred sand.  Actually, there was a really cool juxtaposition of texture, the spiky storm-pelted sand against the smooth swoops of the fresh tide...well, anyway, we were wafting along all alone.

And then the clouds parted for a coral pink light just as the breeze swung into our faces, bringing with it an exotic and poignant scent.  I have smelled the sea here quite a bit--there are few surprises left amongst the smells of the Outer Banks, and possibly all unpleasant.  

This scent, though, made me think of the Mediterranean, not that I've ever been.  It's how I imagine it, like one of those 17-18th century golden-lit baby blue seascapes (without the probable tinge of human effluvia), like a combo of fresh sea air and light floral perfumes, like Venus rising from the surf.  Crisp sea water with delicate blossoms.  It was intoxicating.  

I inhaled this scent until my olfactory nerves were fatigued, and we walked on, blissed out.

About 40 or 50 minutes later, I realized that yesterday's efforts to rinse out my sea-soaked running clothes with fresh water and soap may have been unexpectedly unsuccessful.  I started to smell myself again, but just sweat.

But, for a glorious coral-pink tinged while, I was Venus.

More than an hour later, Venus may have shattered the beauteous illusion with a whispered F-bomb when someone's two loose dogs trotted over.  This was close to 9 am (way past the "it's so early, nobody's out" free off-leash time*), and in a clearly-designated on-leash area.  "Oh, but they're friendly!"  However, the treasures of the sea are capricious, if not cruel.

Fortunately, this person then leashed their dogs and the properly restrained greetings were exchanged a few minutes later.  One simply does not scamper willy-nilly over to Venus' minions.  I am no longer Venus, but I'll think of the dogs as Venus hounds from now on, just for funsies.

* for example, we hit the beach at 6:30ish today, and there was a loose dog, but it wasn't an issue at all.  Generally, people who are willing to bring their dogs out earlier are better handlers.  

weekly round up!

The heat is a cage around my core.  A malevolent beast with its jaws around my neck.

I spoke too soon about the reprieve of fall: no longer in sight after all.   I'm starting to get really cranky--I got cabin fever--I'm going to have to take some time off this blog.  Tues, high of 37 C.  What is that crap?  A big lumpy ball of monkey-flung excrement slowly sliding a greasy line down the prison wall?  I mean, there are rules.   Gross hot long summer climate = amazing tropical fruits and sights and smells and adventures, right?  I should be sipping free tea in the midst of haggling for fine cotton, or eating strange things in a night bazaar....

Instead I get to accidentally eat gluten again.  Wednesday's gluten-free hamburger bun must have been toasted on the same rack as the normal buns :(  

Therefore, the week has sort of ended on a brown note, but the dogs and I just had a nice walk at least.  Evening walks can be iffy these days because there isn't much time between sub-30 C and sunset, and we don't have the safety of sidewalks, but night time is the right time.   I get to see bats and the two toads that hang out in front of the garage in the evenings (and occasionally get inside).

Meanwhile, I'm going to keep up with the walks and the weights as best as I can, and I'll check in next time I actually run outside.   Promise!

~

I was so pumped for a refreshing run this morning, the first outside run in way too long, but--

Yeah, I got out a bit later than I'd hoped to, about 7:30, and by then it was already 19 C.  Which isn't bad, but it was too humid to be comfortable.  

Still, baby steps.  3ish miles, then shoulder exercises.   And tomorrow morning is supposed to be "cool" too.

At any rate, I'm grateful for the dip in temps: it has been inspiring.  I signed up for two races over the fall/"winter"*  I wasn't going to bother with races for a while, but then one of the race directors told me that the first race will be more of a party....

And then I figured that would help me get into better shape for the 2nd race, which is also kind of party-like as well.

The trick is to pick the right sort of race, I suppose!



*really, down here, winter is just more fall. 

~

A fair bit of writing in RL = less blogging.

Anyway, last week: 2 tempo runs, 2 leg days, 2 shoulder/back days, 1 chest/arm day, some yoga, lots of walking doggies.  And we stepped over a snake one day!  Sometimes I find it hard to see them due to the light, so by the time I get to them, I gotta commit and just keep going.  This has happened a few times--fortunately, just with the harmless black snakes!!! 

Yesterday = nothing.  I felt weak.  Last week was humid and hot--the hottest day was 36 C--and it wore me out.  Even just walking slowly made me sweat through my clothes.  I tried to replace electrolytes but I was feeling more and more light-headed and whatnot.

This morning, though, was only 17 or 18 C!!! the high is only 27 C!  Such a big difference.  The dogs and I walked for 1hr20, almost 6 miles...lots of hills but the breeze felt cool and we kept going (also, I missed a turn).  And then I did a tempo run on the TM (20 min), and then chest day.   That's the easiest weight routine, but the most precarious--I have chalk, but the garage is so hot that I worry about losing my grip on the weights, especially during the dumbbell bench presses.  I haven't come close to dropping anything on my face, but it was such a nice change to not worry about slipping this morning.

The low is supposed to be 16 C...I might even run outside tomorrow! 

It's not going to last.  The highs will be back around 34 C in a few days, and Sunday is supposed to be 36 and rainy too, so that humidex is going to be 40-whatever-awful....but it feels like summer is starting to crumble. 

~

Yesterday: walked, walked, walked, stretched, and shoulder day.  The last walk was on the TM in the evening--I tried to see how fast I could push myself without sweating too much.  Answer, not fast and I needed that 2nd shower after all.   I'd be better off walking a bit further or faster with the dogs outside.  Tire them out a bit more, and maybe catch a breeze.  The evenings outside can be nice.  The temp is still in the high twenties, but the sun is down, and the streets are very, very quiet.   This wouldn't matter much in a city, but here there is a lot of distracting monotony and no sidewalks.  Yeah, that I'm here already? where have I been? zone.  Not so bad when walking, but not so good when trusting drivers (or when those upcoming turns come so quickly...yeah, I don't trust myself either!). 

Today, walk, 20 min tempo run, and leg day.  Another walk and yoga in the evening, hopefully.

Bliss

Back to basics

I've been sick for about six days...

Fortunately, I've recovered enough to start the week properly.  Chest/arm day, plus I returned to the old situp/pike situp routine.  It's apparently too strenuous to do everyday, but I'm going to try doing it on chest/arm day, and limit each set to 10.  So 40 pushups and 40 situps in 4 minutes, 2 times a week (or 1, let's be honest, chest/arm day gets ditched first), not bad.

What is bad is the weather.  There was a bit of a cool spell, only 28 C, yay, but that's gone and I know I promised not to whine about the weather but, c'mon, seriously, a high of 36 C this week? Wat do?!?!? So I bought this coffee scrub so at least I can sit in my OUTDOOR SAUNA* and exfoliate!!

Maybe running 2 short tempo runs this week will make up for the rest of the week. 

*I don't actually have a sauna, and I actually prefer the 40-45 C range for just hanging out for an hour or two...funnily enough, 36ish C isn't quite hot enough to be special.  I also know from experience that my patio furniture becomes beguilingly fragrant at about 42 C. 

! WET

This humidity has rendered me almost useless.  2 walks with the dogs, 2 sets of shoulder exercises, 2 short (15-20 min) yoga sessions, 2 showers indoors.   Outside, it has been raining on and off for days.

And now I'm failing to find a suitable soundtrack, something close and wet--cloying and suffocating, even better--but this has the right sort of effect, at least.  Uncomfortable, but compelling, but annoying.

~

Achieving homeostasis

Yesterday, walk, 20 min tempo run, leg day, yoga
Today, walk, arm/chest day (and yoga this evening)

I've recently assessed my lack of motivation; I've decided that, for the time being, maintenance will be sufficient.  I have to run and lift just enough, and I definitely have to do more yoga.   It's been a while since I've had a regular practice, but I need to hit a balance:

Too much yoga -> SVT.  Chaturanga-type poses are the culprit, but anything that compresses my chest, especially during inhalation, can be a trigger.

Not enough yoga -> scoliosis-related back pain.  It's been creeping up and finally I've gotten to the point where it's affecting sleep.  I used to have it for years, but I first got rid of it when I took up yoga about 14 years ago. 


There is a possible balance, and there are a ton of yoga videos on Youtube.  I have no excuse.

But this is but part of a comprehensive endeavour.  I've been trying to improve for I don't know how long, and this often leaves me disappointed, and probably I'm being unnecessarily unrealistic.  Perhaps improvements are still taking place, just not as apparently, but I have to hinge my satisfaction on the process and the maintenance--I should keep in mind that I work out so that I will be healthier now and especially, hopefully, when I am older, but I have to focus on the *doing*.

For example, when I did my tempo run yesterday, my thoughts were the usual "this is uncomfortable" "this will make me faster" "when can I stop" "this has to be good training"...and then I retreated from these negative and somewhat abstract thoughts, and tried to appreciate the sensations on their own terms.  Yes, discomfort, but this was my body at work.  Being capable of a higher level of effort, without actually being threatened, is good fortune, and I should appreciate it for that, and not for where it might lead me.

!

Just kidding!

We went to the beach and I ran a fair bit every day--my feet weren't used to the sand so they got a bit blistered.  Or maybe I just ran on too many jellyfish bits.  Just moon jellies, torn to bits of squishy glass. 

Since then, though, I have been an absolute slug.  Too hot.  Even walking the dogs has made me feel ill.  Today, though--right now--it's 19 C.  19.  That's lower than the lows this week, I think.  I love it.  So surreal, walking outside and feeling cold.  It's been pouring rain for hours so I probably won't run--maybe I'll hit the TM.  Maybe not.  It just hasn't been a healthy day and maybe I shouldn't bother to attempt to salvage it.  We went into town and met a friend, had an impromptu wine tasting at his store, and I didn't have much wine but started feeling it--then I realized it was close to 2 pm and all I'd eaten or drank so far was water and wine.  Actually, that sounds downright biblical, come to think of it.

Low mornings, low pep

I'm low on sleep...again...but the awesome morning weather has been permitting me to sleep in a bit!  Low of 18C! YEAH!  I should be doing much more with it, but at least I am appreciating it.

Yesterday, I didn't run, just walked the dogs (morning and night) and did chest/arm exercises.  Today, I walked the dogs again (fortunately, they walk nicely together now, so I save some time at least although we often go for over an hour), then ran 20 min tempo on the treadmill, then had leg day.  I've been cleaning up cleans, which in turn has helped me put more weight into the squats.   That's why I show up, isn't it? 

Still, I've been feeling sort of meh, uninspired, which is crazy because the wildlife as well as the weather has been pretty cool recently.   I found a new type of egg in the pond--I'm wondering if they're frog eggs because they're not in strings like the toad eggs.  I also saw a new type of lizard crawl into a hole in my porch (maybe I should be concerned about this?).  And there have been so many neat dragonflies.

Still, though...meh...and really fussy about music.  All of my faves have landed on deaf ears.  I've been adrift on some whacked out psyambient for the past three days, which has boosted productivity, but hasn't been filling the void.  Fortunately, this morning I remembered a single I liked and bought last year, youtubed the producer, and found some good honest boots&pants.   This fueled 1/3 of my tempo run!

nice morning!

It was only 19C!  The dog and I jogged for about 75 min.  What a difference!  Yesterday morning, it was in the mid-twenties and humid: jog-walking 2 miles seemed sufficient then.  Fortunately, finding a box turtle in our front yard made up for the discomfort.  I looked it up, and she is probably a female, and apparently these turtles don't have a wide range...hopefully she lives nearby.

Unfortunately, I didn't see her today, but dog #1 and I had a good run.  It was amazing.  I actually forgot where some of the hills were because I didn't feel them.  There was even a "where the heck am I?" moment in the forest when I was past a hill I was still anticipating.  It's nice when that happens.

And then I did shoulder exercises, 3 sets:

Bent over rows, single arm
Overhead press
deltoid raises, side front, back
Overhead press
bar rear delt row
Cuban press
Iron cross
rotator cuff exercises

Except I forgot the bar rear delt row every time!  Oops.

Esterific!

The plan was to get dropped off, write a 3 hr exam, jog ~5ish miles, pick up groceries, and carry them ~3ish miles home.   Jog/walk (realistically, mostly walk), and not bike, because it would be too hot to bike (those hills!) ugh

Actually, my exam started late, which was fine for me but apparently embarrassing for the institution that proctored my exam: they gave me a voucher for a free hotdog, chips, and drink.   Woo-hoo!  However, I rarely drink pop unless it's ginger ale or tonic water and so I was a bit bewildered by the array of pop at the dispenser, but I didn't want to hold up the super cool caf staff who were in the process of shutting down post-lunch, so I grabbed some mello yello.  Why haven't I been drinking this stuff all along?  But it'll never taste as good again: imagine trudging through a sandy forest with a backpack and the temps at, ugh (the humidex was over 40 C), and an icy cold citrusy fluid tricking down one's esophagus, its flavour and its chill both a gloriously artificial revolt against annoying, annoying nature.  It was amazing, even more so because I had a bag of Miss Vickies in that hand too--this left my other hand free to shovel chips down my gullet.  Unfortunately, the hamburger/hotdog substitute was already bunned/glutened and wrapped, and somehow Pandora never works in that part of the forest and so I was without tunes...but my situation was still AWESOME.

Until I got out of the forest and onto the roads.  I used to cut through a bit of the brush and across some communal condo property to get to a road, but the last time, I was so distracted by malfunctioning Pandora that I took a "wrong" turn somewhere, which led right to a road.  I knew I had to not overthink it to get to that way again, but I still messed up a bit and ended up on the disc golf course...anyway, I eventually got to the road, where I began to sizzle.

Jog?  nah

It was quite a long walk, especially after I picked up the groceries.  We're part of a farm co-op and we get a box of local stuff every week.  Now it's melon season...the advent of big heavy fruits and vegs season.  :/  No squashes yet, but they're coming, but meanwhile, there are small sacks of potatoes too!  Yay!

But it felt so hot that the wall sort of melted, I guess.   I just shut my brain off and kept going

going


existing in a formless fog of vague and remote discomfort





until I got home and had to cool off.  I had a killer plan: cold shower + ice + ethanol.

I also have a bottle of Pinnacle vodka at home, the cotton candy flavour.  Why?  I was in a bit of a rut, my toss back-feel not taste-plain old room temp Luksusowa, which is super stuff for purists/deep philosophical debates, and thus never boring, but a bartending relative recommended Pinnacle vodka.  When I go artificial, I really like to go artificial, and what's more artificial than cotton candy?  And the flavour is great, but it's not exactly accessible because I don't enjoy sipping plain vodka.  I tried it over ice, which felt insufficient, but when I got home today and started foraging in the fridge for electrolytes, I found a can of 2%.  This delicately peach flavoured drink is even more refreshing than Mello Yello.

What I ended up with was a ethereal wisp of cotton candy hovering above a limpid floral peachy words fail me.  NEARLY PERFECT.

Unfortunately, I'm now out of 2% and must find another accompaniment.

Take 2: a bit of peach balsamic vinegar, water, cotton candy vodka, agave syrup, and ice.  NOT BAD, except the colour looked dingy.  A drop of raspberry flavouring = LESS IDEAL (not a great flavour to begin with, not a great flavour mix, and not much effect on the colour.  A dash of cranberry juice = flavour change negligible, and colour improvement to a pale rose/peach.  I really wish I hadn't put that raspberry stuff in because it has totally bogged down the cotton candy gossamer.  Not all esters are created equal.  However, a promising approach might be to dilute the right sort of flavoured vinegar--a hint of sour is so refreshing.

---or maybe I should mix the Pinnacle vodka with Mello Yello ????  If this works, I'm calling it Fucking Long Walk.

I'm just walking here!

With my present repulsive volume of perspiration, my first inclination was to address the weather--it's especially humid now--but valour has spared us!  There have been a few odd bumps and squeaks in the garage today, and I was envisioning a repulsive rodent or paranormal activity, or something...well, turns out that a toad somehow got in.  Ever since I built the amphibian Thunderdome/koi pond in the backyard (incidentally, long story but fyi, I've been forced to research epdm-effective waterproof glue, and the answer is urethane), there have been more toads around.  I don't know how one got into the garage, but maybe my activities are curious enough to transcend species. 

Anyway, I still have to recap all the runs I did back home, including two long T&T runs with Gaz, including a Cinderella rip-off Asian milk tea drink called Pungency (because there's already a milk tea called Regency somewhere out there?) and South Beach, but I got to get back to cramming for a final exam tomorrow...

So, anyhow, I walked the dogs this morning, felt horribly sticky and gross but eventually got through this barrier--I call it the sauna threshold.  Up to a certain point, I'm hot, sweaty, cranky, but then I accept this and my mind turns to detox and loosening up, and who doesn't enjoy a good sauna?  So I came back home and decided to amp it up, yeah!  20 min tempo on the treadmill, and then shoulder exercises, and then toad rescue!  And probably at least 1.5 L of water pounded.  A good morning so far, probably experienced procrastination more than anything else, and I really have to sit down and study, but I'm hearing more rustling in the garage...

.

How to recap a thrilling, multistage two week trip?

After umpteen concerts within a ten-day music festival, this is my auditory processing.  Just one part of several to experience a bit of fatigue.  Worth it.

little workout buddy

Apparently, my efforts in the garage intrigue a certain little reptile.   This morning, it spent about twenty minutes walking around the window and staring in.  Funnily enough, this is the first green lizard I've seen here.   I wonder if it's the same lizard that has been pooping in the garage. 

Anyway, to sum up the week:

Monday, walk, chest
Tues: walk, shoulders
Wed: walk, legs

So, I'm focusing less on running (that 18 C morning spoiled me!) and more on power cleans--this girl does them so smoothly.  I still have what seems like a massive gap between the first and second pulls--I think I need to start the second pull sooner.  Definitely, I need to make some improvements before I put more weight on.

~

Yesterday: 40 min hilly run with #1, during which we were tailed by two dogs for 1/3 of a mile...that might be a new record!  And then we took #2 into town for a few hours, and I failed to have chest/arm day, but that's ok.  Of my three workouts, that's the least important one, and I hit the other two twice during the week, plus an ab workout (planks and pike situps).

Today: 1.5 hrs in the forest with #1, but not much more than 1 hr of that was running.  The weather felt amazing, probably because it magically got down to 17 C during the night.  I couldn't believe it.  The lows have consistently been 21-22C...those missing few degrees really make a difference.  We rolled around on a different route, and then, shortly after we went down a fire road I've rarely used, I experienced one of those thrilling moments when recognition suddenly snaps into place.   I felt like one of my illiterate nomadic ancestors, trudging into a new territory, checking it out, getting lost, starting to despair--and then, suddenly, finding a stream or a rock that is familiar and close to the camp.  RElief!!

Unfortunately, I also felt like the antagonist of a zombie thriller.  I tripped several times, my legs were heavy, my abdomen was crampy...whatever.   I enjoyed the weather: I did not waste it.  I even did an extra set of shoulder exercises in the garage because it wasn't as warm as usual.

Some entomological confusion

I haven't run in the past few days; it's been just walking and weights.  Fortunately, the mysterious ankle issue seems to be going away.

Dog #1 and I jogged for an hour.  We're presently entertaining a difference of opinion in the forest.  He'd rather linger in the smellier parts, but these are also attractive to bugs, as am I, and more so than the dog himself (all hail human exocrine odour).  But I am sympathetic, and so I elected to linger too, as long as there weren't any wasps or bees or biting flies.  Other bugs, ok.

So I didn't react when I noticed a small moth-like creature on my hand.  Moths don't bite...but then this thing did.  I've since looked it up, and it was likely a deer fly: its patterned triangular wings do sort of resemble those of small moths.  Still, I am perplexed because I remember deer flies being larger and green-bodied.  Maybe there was some confusion with horse flies?  But these aren't green-bodied or as large as the bug I'm thinking of, which admittedly I did not actually see bite anyone.  I was told that this green fly was a deer fly when I was visiting a farm.   Yeah, I was just another ignorant city rube led astray, but I feel somewhat guilty for maligning a rather pretty fly for two or so decades.  I still don't know what species it is...the closest contenders seem to be in Europe or Australia.

After getting bitten on the hand and elsewhere, I returned home and did some squats and deadlifts, etc.  Leg day!

~

Yesterday, walked (1.5ish hrs) with the dogs and chest/arm exercises:

Dumbbell bench press
Dumbbell flies
7-7-7 bicep curls
Straight Arm dumbbell pullover
Tricep dips on bench
Seated Bent-Over Two-Arm Seated Dumbbell Tricep Extension
pushups
failed chin up

Funnily enough, though my weights for squats and deadlifts have gone down, they haven't for smaller exercises!

Today, 2 mile hilly run with #1 (I know, I know, why bother...I wasn't feeling that hot), walk with #2, then leg day:

warm up: clean
front squats
calf raises
deadlifts
lunges
pistol squat attempt
clamshells


Because I have more flexibility now, I can go deeper.  The squats have become more challenging.

NICE morning

Yesterday morning, due to overnight storms, was so stifling...eh, walk the dog, done.

Today, however, was much more promising. it felt almost cool.  I think it was only about 20-21C, but overcast and not that humid. 

Dog #1 and I set out--and ran into a loose dog.  After returning it to its owner, we kept rolling.  Traffic was very light because it was pre-church.  I entertained thoughts of running down a certain street right into town.  I've never done this because the shoulder narrows to practically nothing in some spots: I would rather not step into a ditch or up a knoll. 

However, I did something to my left foot 2 miles in.  I'm not sure what.  It felt like something slid out of joint in my ankle and started pushing on a nerve.  I have no idea what it is, but when I stopped to stretch, there was a dull interior thunk.  That mostly solved it, but it started feeling tender about three miles later, so I decided to duck into the forest and go home.  The dog was quite happy about getting a stream break. 

Total 80ish mins for about 7? miles, including breaks. 

And, then, shoulder exercises!  For real!  Using last summer's drill!

Bent over rows, single arm
Overhead press
deltoid raises, side front, back
EZ bar shoulder press/clean and press
bar rear delt row
Cuban press
Iron cross
rotator cuff exercises

The single arm rows were originally before the delt raises, but that was tiring for my hands.  Maybe I can do without the single arm rows altogether, but I'll keep them for now.  They do seem to target a slightly different muscle profile, and my shoulders are one of the parts that feel weak during tough runs.  If I wanted to be extra-diligent, I would combine them with pushups...ehhhhh....maybe later.   Also, the first overhead press reps are supposed to be with dumbbells, but I just used the bar throughout.

As for that Iron Cross...man, I was tapping into that today.  I did a bodyweight squat challenge in May with some friends; even though I dropped out 2/3 of the way through due to the marathon, it really helped my flexibility.  Now I can go butt to heels with the Iron Cross.  I'd rather expend my precious reserve of diligence doing that than pushups. 

~

Yesterday--zilch.  Really, absolutely zilch.  I didn't walk anybody.  I didn't move.

Today, a different story.  75 min jog with #1, then a trail walk with the puppy, then weights.  I keep meaning to write down my workouts and leave that list in the garage...well, I winged it.

2 X
front squats  (+ requisite power cleans because no squat rack)
deadlifts
pistol squats
calf raises
clamshells

Maybe that's all I need for the time being, especially since my weights are so low.  I've lost a fair bit of strength and coordination.  Last summer, I got up to 75 lbs for the squats--the limiting factor being the clean to get the weight up to my shoulders--and 145 for the deadlift.  Today, I did 45 lbs for the squats and 85 for the deadlifts.  I'm making my squats deeper this year so that I can get more out of them, and I had to start off small for the deadlift because my hands aren't calloused enough yet.  ok, I'm lazy!  But ambitious too: I would love to power clean 85 lb and deadlift 165 by the fall.  That will be a fair bit of work and eating; I'll see how it goes.  Fortunately, my guts finally seem mostly recovered from the rupture or whatever in May.  I've had a bunch of touch-and-go days, but stuff is settled down so that I can finally fill my stomach without ill effects (space was at a premium in there)--and I'm ravenous!

But I have been running

Thurs: ~50 min jog with #1
Fri: ~75 min jog with #1
Sat: ~30 min jog with #1
Sun: ~60 min jog with #1
Mon: ~30 min jog with #1
Tues: ~65 min jog with #1
Wed: walk.

I'm beat...my husband is working late these days, but even if I go to bed early, I usually don't fall asleep until he's about to.  Meanwhile, I'm waking up early to exercise before it gets too hot--I've managed to be consistent with this, but 5-6 hrs of sleep per night is beginning to chip away again.

But there's no way I can sleep in, not now.  Early mornings are mostly decent still, just in the low 20s.  When I get done before 7:30 or 8, I don't feel too uncomfortable, even though we may be going through a mini-heatwave--I remember constant highs around 30-32C last summer, but this week is more of a cooker: 36, 37, 36, 36, 34, 34, 34, 34...maybe last year was "cool" and 34 C is the typical high for summer?  As long as it keeps dropping below 25 C at night, I'll try not to whine too much.

Meanwhile, the familial tussle over the A/C continues.  My husband tolerates 74 or 75 F (23-24 C), which is reasonable but still kind of cold, so I push that bad boy up to 26-27 C when he's out.  I would leave it higher, but then the dogs start panting.   Me, I'm actually starting to feel acclimatized!

~ mostly about Nature and not running

I was so proud of myself this morning.  Exercised the dogs (40 min jog with #1, 20 min walk with #2), lifted a bit (squats, deadlifts, and pistol squats), and did minor yardwork all before 9:00 am.  Score!

And then, right then, a delivery!  To sum up koi pond filtration, at least the mechanical stage, the dirty water goes through some sort of sieve-like apparatus, leaving the chunks behind.  My old filter media was a mesh bag full of sponge-like blocks, but it did not do the trick well enough.  My new media is sheets of coiled plastic strings that vaguely look like uncooked ramen noodles.  This can be cut to tightly fit the filter tank or whatever, which I did.  In the meantime, I noticed a small toad trapped in the old filter bag. 

Basically, Nature's Bounty: loads of toad explicit action: free koi food.  I've known for a while that there were tadpoles in the mesh bag, but I'd assumed (ok, hoped) that they'd wriggle out on their own.  Well, apparently, somebody made it to terrestrial maturity in there.  This surprised me because I've tried and failed to rear toads and frogs several times as a kid and once as a youth counselor (pro tip: don't buy Uncle Milton Planet Frog, just don't, but read the Amazon reviews if you don't believe me and/or have a hankering for mild depression), but I finally managed to pull it off in a scummy filter bag without lifting a finger.  I opened the bag and tried to grab the little toad, but it hopped in between some of the sponges.  It was about pea-sized.  I didn't know that toads could be that small!

I also don't know why I'd thought there would be only one.

So, once I cut and installed my new filter pads, I upended the bag on the patio.  Heaps of toads, dozens of them.  Some tadpoles too, but mainly toads.  I had the puppy outside with me then, and she went nuts while these tiny things hopped around blithely.  There were so many of them that she couldn't focus on chasing one of them.  I guess a brood bomb really works.  She didn't catch any of them, although my nagging "leave it" may have checked her efforts.

I checked the blocks carefully, not wishing to leave any tadpoles out there to sizzle (high of 35 C again today).  It's really hard to pick tadpoles up from a flat surface, by the way...the easiest implement turned out to be a fork.  But I took my time and all of the tadpoles went back into the pond because of the sanctity of life and free koi food and whatnot. 

The thing is, I have a second similar filter bag in the upper tank of the filtration system (the first level is mechanical, the second is chemical, nitrification, blah, blah, koi crap a lot).  This bag, unlike the other, is completely underwater, and so I wasn't expecting (ok, I was hoping not) to find any toads in there, just tadpoles.  I felt horrible about the prospect of some little toad trapped in there.

Fortunately, I found no toads, just more tadpoles.

By the time I was done, it was almost 11.  So much for that essay I was going to complete this morning.  Instead, as you see, I've wasted even more time writing about these tadpoles.

I also have a new problem: the bottom filtration tank with the new filter pads still has tadpoles in it, hundreds of them.  The bottom drain runs up into this tank so there's no point in taking them out: more of them are just going to go in.   Some tadpoles have already wriggled through the stack to the surface, which made me question the filtration power of this new media, until I realized that koi poo does not wriggle through anything.  At any rate, the bigger guys might not make it through so I guess I should remove the pads and check every week or so.

This affair has prompted an anagnorisis: I remember, way back in the day, going down to a pond or lake, ineptly flailing about with a net until I caught a half-dozen or so victims, setting up a tank or basin, laboriously changing the water, etc, for naught, not one single toad or frog, just the accumulating waxen bodies of the deceased--I was a stupid child.  I went about it backwards.  True, building this koi pond has been far more work than all of my failed amphibian ventures combined, but it's turned out to be Mecca.  I feel incredibly...potent?  Or childishly optimistic, rather.  Millions of toads!  ;)

dogs dogs dogs summer dog days

I've lost track--ok, this entry is going to be a yard sale.  Apologies in advance.

I didn't close the new rec path loop before I left, but I ran most of it with friends, and then we had bubble tea.  I also did some shorter runs because I didn't want to let the sidewalks go to waste.  I think I missed just one day once I resumed running on Wednesday after the marathon.  Now I'm back to the roads/shoulders and trails, and I actually felt a faint twinge of the old Achilles tendon problem yesterday.  I have to be more careful when stepping off the road onto the sponge...I don't know what I do exactly, twist my left foot a weird way or roll it somehow, but it seems that if I'm mindful about stepping off and slowing down, instead of just bolting off the road and trying to keep pace over pine straw or whatever rubbish, the problem doesn't occur.  I just have to take it easy.

That's ok.  I'm not fussing about time or distance these days.  Nope!  It's hot and I have no races coming up.  Not one!  There is a local night run in July which is frankly really intriguing, and I could pull it off, but...eh.  How badly do I want to see the dawn after running all night?  Maybe it's booked up now anyway, but if I go for it, I'd like to do one longish run in the middle or end of this month.

I don't feel very motivated though.  It's hot and I have to catch up on sleep.  The robbers are dogs, a pair of yappy not-quite-trained ones up in Canada (although we made some progress), and my two, who are regaining some ground lost while I was away.  The puppy still isn't quite housebroken, but we recently went four days without a workplace accident!  But I still usually have a wakeup call of about 6 am.  It's been like this for the past two weeks, and it's not bad at all, but I haven't gotten used to it because I've been staying up late.  I end up going back to bed for just an hour or two...yeah, that works so well :/  Got some crazy dreams out of this fragmentation, at least.

So, yesterday, after four hours of sleep, I told myself to make use of the magic hour, to forget the bed and to run.  Grabbed dog #1 and eked out 3.5ish lousy miles.

Unfortunately, I busted that streak today because the puppy woke me up around 5 am, and that was just too hardcore for me.  But I know she tries to accommodate my lazy ass.  She's not one of those obnoxious pests that wakes up every morning at 5:30 am on the dot, feed me feed me love me feed me.  Maybe she was, but we've already broken her: some days, she sleeps in.   On Sunday or Saturday, nobody moved until 8!  Unfortunately, on other days, her bladder is just too small. 

But, geez, this post is supposed to be about IRON, not urea!

So, if I'm not really into running--I will still jog and maybe even squeeze out a 20 min tempo run detox in my sweltering garage once a week--where's the burn?

Yesterday, delt flies.
Today, dumbbell bench press and some power cleans.

Yep, I've forgotten my workouts--I even struggled to remember my general 3-day split because it's been so long.  So, for my own reference more than anything, I went back in time, through the veil of history or whatever, and dredged them up.


CHEST/ARMS
Dumbbell bench press
Dumbbell flies
7-7-7 bicep curls
Straight Arm dumbbell pullover
Tricep dips on bench
Standing dumbbell tricep extension
Seated Bent-Over Two-Arm Seated Dumbbell Tricep Extension
Dip station attempt
pushups
situps

SHOULdERS

overhead press
Bent over rows, single arm
deltoid raises, side front, back
EZ bar shoulder press/clean and press
bar rear delt row
Cuban press
Iron cross
rotator cuff exercises
situps

LEGS

warm up: clean
front squats
calf raises
goblet squats
deadlifts
lunges
clamshells
situps

I'll tweak this--I think I can pare it down, and I also got to stick in pistol squats and chin-ups.  Hopefully, I can return to 6X/week.  This is essentially my summer plan, until October or November, pretty much.   rueful laugh  High of 35 C today!  I know, I know, I wasn't going to talk about it, but that in early June? ehhh

ten seconds before sunrise

smells

I've forgotten to mention the flowers: I've been enjoying a second dose of spring!  Coasting around in the scent of lilacs mostly.  Sometimes sweetgrass, occasionally a less distinctive and less replicable combo of wildflowers and weeds.

The Flowers of Bermuda.  The atmos isn't exactly applicable, but this is one of my favourite songs with one of my favourite titles, and rolling in flower smells usually reminds me of it. 

Today, I did most of the loop with the "new" connection to the river, apparently called the "Champagne O-Train Corridor Multi-Use Pathway," which is astonishingly suggestive, at least for those of us who readily revert to junior high sensibilities (I'm sorry: the "O-Train" still makes me giggle (Seriously screaming for a spoof)).

Anyway, I ran about 7.5 miles.  It was a bit discouraging at first because after the first few minutes with fresh legs, I got tired.  So soon?  And then I realized that I was no longer sore.  This is the first post-marathon run that hasn't been sore.  Success!

~

I'm not going to run today.

Instead, I'm working on an assignment, and this is not it:

I'd assumed that Popcorn was an original Muse song; however, while streaming background music today, I heard this.

What?

Turns out that Gershon Kingsley recorded the original Popcorn in 1969.  This is the dawn of E-music, folks, and lots of people took a stab at it.

Early copy/hit with cute graphics

Soviet electro-orchestra!

Swedish chef!!

TIJUANA BRASS!!!

Stiff, don't care

Sidewalks! I love love love sidewalks.  Can't get enough of them.  Can't let them go to waste.

Today, I met up with Gaz and we ran for 10-12-? km...doesn't matter.  We found another friend, a nice forested park, fluffy goslings, no dolma, and that the rec path that goes along Preston, roughly, continues all the way to the river.  SO NICE.  Apart from a block's worth along Preston and Carling, it closes an all-path loop, 7.5ish miles of path.  I may attempt this before I leave Ottawa.

The last time I attempted to get to the river via this route, a few years ago, I ended up on a dirt/gravel path that ended in a fence, weeds, and No Trespassing signs or whatever; after following a footpath for a bit beyond, I chickened out at the last underpass and walked up through thick grass to the road.  My dog was with me and he quite enjoyed this part, but I regretted that the path didn't go all the way to the river.  Now it does!

We meant to resume running once we got to the river, but I suppose we got lost in conversation.  A very enjoyable run; thanks, Gaz!

Just checked on runningmap.com: the total I traveled, including to-from Gaz' place, and walking, was just over 16 miles.  !!  didn't feel like that, and I walked just over two miles after that on errands.  18 miles, a week after a marathon, is not too shabby!

Bliff (bliss + stiff)

I'm still a bit sore but the weather's great and there are actual places to run here where I don't have worry about cars, and these places are flat...I have no choice.   None of these things are waiting for me down South, only canine company and some cool youtube videos in the sauna-garage (I suppose I can add detoxification to the list).  I am looking forward to reacquainting myself with my weights, but enjoyment from running is best sought up here. 

Yesterday: I wrote the final exam for my one and only uni English course ever.  I've gotten out of taking English during my first bout of higher education but, unfortunately, my 3 English OACs weren't recognized this time round.  Originally, I considered "challenging" the course, but figured that I would probably learn something by going through the course instead of just writing the assignments and exam.  So I told the tutor assigned to me to "bring it on," and he has been exacting.  And I have learned a few things from the course: I am simply not wired to mindlessly produce summaries and rhetorical analyses (seriously, gag me), or to blithely leave an infinitive unsplit!  Ok, I've gotten a lot of useful feedback too.  Well, anyway, after popping through that final, I had to run, and fortunately I'd brought my capris.  7ish miles home, including a mango smoothie, some disappointing "ketchup" chips (they tried too hard to make them taste wholesome), bubble tea, and a mile-ish jog on the curving path alongside Richmond.  I'd never run on that before, and at first the waywardness of the path irked me, but it's actually a nice counterpoint to the busy street after all.

Today: I don't know how long it was, 5 miles?  I just went and then, at one point, I really went.  It felt right to open things up, and so I went faster for about a km.  "Faster" being relative, but it felt really good to feel as though I was gliding.  Unfortunately, once I eased off again, the endorphins likewise tapered off, and I felt sore again, but no regrets. 

I've also been walking the dogs 1-2 times a day; these are not my dogs.  These guys are little but full of themselves and not trained (they pull worse than even my puppy, and she's 3-4 X their weight), but they're catching on quickly.  I took the harness off one and the flexi-leash of the other because these devices train dogs to pull, and I wound up with two more responsive dogs.  Unfortunately, they both go apeshit when they see another dog, but they're getting better.  I'm not sure how far I'll get with them on this trip, but they've already made me appreciate my dogs!

"easy recovery run"

How about 5 km of mostly jogging rather slowly, and then food?  :)  This was yesterday.  I'm still feeling kind of busted, but better than before.   Other than a couple of tight points and a crazy appetite, I feel almost normal.

Tomorrow, I'm going to attempt to jog home 7ish miles from an exam. 

Mental fortitude = indignity?

Once again, I will try to be as clean and non-gross as possible, but marathons are not for the prissy, even though I saw more than one marathoner who made it past the finish line without apparently sweating.  Who are these people without exocrine glands?

Anyway, at about 6:00 am, I decided to not bring the drop bag I'd packed the night before because I was worried about finding the drop station.  At about 6:20 am, I jogged over to the start area, and the first thing I came across was the drop station.   Regrets weren't really had until later, however.

My bathroom break perhaps cost me a place in my corral, but no worries: chip timing :)  Meaning, my time getting to the start line doesn't count: timing starts when I cross the line.   What's an extra minute or a few getting there?  However, some people around me weren't as phlegmatic, and I felt myself absorbing their stress.  We were standing on the wrong side of fencing, and I briefly wondered if I'd get pushed into it, so I stepped back.  The gun went off, and eventually the crowd on the other side started to move.  I waited until most of the people around me went over the fencing, and then I followed them to the start.

My goal?  Under 4 hrs--I still wasn't sure that this was reasonable, but I did not want to run for more than 4 hrs.  The temps actually felt nice at the start, but I knew that the clouds would dissipate and the mercury would rise.  I had to keep things tight, but I could take the first five or ten K to loosen up. 

How did I feel?  Meh.  I should have worn compression socks and better shoes while walking to-from and in the race expo the day before, and during the evening before that (I went to a bio-luminescent museum thingy and didn't dance much but was on my feet for 4+ hrs).  My legs and feet were sore.  However, my guts felt fine then, apart from some residual bloating from the rupture.  This wasn't sore, though, and I hoped that it would actually strengthen my core in a quasi-pneumatic fashion.  It may have, but volume displacement was likely more injurious later on.

I was in between the 3:55 and 4 hr bunnies, but the 4 hr bunny caught me after about a mile.  She's a good friend of mine and we chatted a bit.  The crowd was still very thick, though, and it was hard to stick together, plus I was beginning to feel like I needed to stretch out a bit more.  Not push, just stretch.  I didn't plan on pushing until 35 K--I just had to get round most of the Rockcliffe loop, and then I was good to push over the bridge and incline en route to the Market, and then I would be pretty much home.

Anyway, I drifted ahead of the 4 hr bunny, and this made me somewhat nervous, but my breathing was still dead easy and my first 5K was just under 29 minutes, which seemed suitably conservative.   The crowd was still thick and I tried to stay in my own zone--I skipped the first water station because there was no way I could get to it; fortunately, I had anticipated this and brought a plastic bottle of water which I ditched later on.

I headed towards Wellington and the river in a daze.  I was already experiencing difficulties with math (ex: was 3 km really just 1 mile? uh, NO) but I felt mostly ok.  Running on Wellington was a big emotional boost thanks to the enthusiastic spectators!  I did some more math, more successfully, and I figured out that I should take a gel every 7 km.  And then we went through Tunney's Pasture and up and down the river a bit--I saw the next bunny ahead and decided that I would try to catch him or her by 20 km.   At this point, I was mostly passing people, slowly but surely.  I was picking interesting people ahead and gradually drifting to and past them.  My breathing was still calm, even on the "hills"...nothing compared to the hills I deal with where I live now.

It was still overcast and slightly misty, which was lovely, and I got an added boost by seeing another friend.  However, the sun came out, prompting me to start drinking Gatorade and eating oranges, neither of which I train with, although I know they're both gluten-free.  I was drinking Gatorade and water at every station; in retrospect, I may have drunk a little too much.  And as for the oranges--I don't even like oranges, but I've drunk orange juice before runs without issues before, and the orange slices held out by eager volunteers looked so bright and cheerful and refreshing...I took a slice every time.

When the sun came out, maybe around 15 km, my legs felt quite sore, and this was disheartening.  Already?  Boo-hoo, this isn't going to go down nicely.  And then I gave myself a massive mental slap.

See, the thing is, I'm hung up on this ideal.  That once-or-twice per month perfect effortless run, that feeling of weightlessness, of transcendence--I figure that I should feel that during a good race, at least for the first while.  I should show up to the start line with sparkling fresh legs, while stiffness or discomfort, on the other hand foot, automatically leads to a poor result.

But fresh legs are so rare, and probably endangered by the added couple of pounds or so of carb-loading and accompanying increased water retention prior to a long race.  In fact, I should expect to feel kind of logey during a marathon.  Ok, my legs were probably mostly sore from the museum dance-party on Friday, but they didn't feel terribly bad, and I had just 2.5 hrs to go.

The ultras earlier this year may or may not have improved my endurance, but they have definitely given me a new chronological perspective: what's a couple of hours or so?  Just get this over with!

And that, and not Meb's mid-race existentialist question/inspiration WHY AM I HERE?, which I meant to remember but forgot, kept me going.  Just get this over with.  Thank the volunteers, be nice to other runners, don't be a total tool, but keep going.

I caught the 3:55 continuous bunny just a bit past 20 km, yay, in Hull.

Ah, Hull.   My least favourite part.  Hull's downtown is like a sandwich--a mostly pleasing bottom portion by the river, rue Eddy aside, then a scuzzy carcinogenic faux-Spam interior, and then the fluffy delicious upper crust, the Gats.  Unfortunately, the race route goes past the bottom bread into the undesirable middle--admittedly, I have no interest in running into the Gats, so would prefer that the route just stayed on Laurier: look at the pretty museum, ooo, we're in Hull, two provinces, yo, ok, let's go.  This year, however, the race route had an expanded loop in Hull, and I wasn't looking forward to it.  I'm ok with urban scuzz, but it's kind of a downer dodging a grey-pallor zombie or two in the midst of an athletic endeavour.  One year, I locked eyes with one unfortunate individual who looked like a thirty year old who looked like a sixty year old, and he frowned because I made him look up and stop before staggering further into the street.  He wasn't moving fast but was in a hurry even though I'm sure his bar wasn't open yet, but what do I know?  I never did the Hull scene, and I think he was actually on his way home.

However, the added portion of Hull was nicer than I'd expected, up into the upper-crust, and the crowds were great there too.  Kudos, Hull!  I had planned to take off my tank top upon crossing into Hull because of the propriety--taking one's clothes off is part of the local economy, after all--but out of gratitude and respect, I kept my tank top on until I was past the families cheering.  There were still some dingy streets, but at least their effect was diluted.  As for the hills, I barely felt them. I still pushed through Hull a bit, though!  I was anxious to get back into my own province.

I had decided to pass the 3:55 continuous bunny by 25 km, but I just couldn't get there.  I even apparently missed the 25 km mat, but I see from the results that others also did, also without suspiciously speeding up by the next split, so there may have been a glitch.  I don't remember the mat, though, just the bunny, and a vague brewing discontent in my abdominal region.  I don't remember when that started creeping up, but I noticed in Hull.  At that point, it wasn't much of a concern.  "Maybe I should lay off all this Gatorade." But the colours taste so nice!

On Alexandr(i)a Bridge (I've met other locals who grew up saying the extra inexplicable "i"), I realized that the bunny was in fact the 3:50 continuous bunny.  There was no 3:55 10 and 1 bunny, not to mention that it was a bit irrational to assume that the 10 and 1 bunnies would be ahead of the continuous ones.   However, my discovery was very inspiring for a few reasons.  Could I actually catch the 3:45 bunny? If not, the 10 and 1 3:50 bunny, whom I knew?  If not, could I get under 3:50?  If not, could I still PB?

My marathon PB, admittedly soft, is 3:50:59.  I've also run at least two 3:51:xx races, and one or two more in the low 3:50s.  That is my plateau.

Last time I ran the Ottawa marathon, I caught up to the 3:50 bunny past 30 km and foolishly pushed past, and was caught umpteen km later, and wilted to a 3:53 finish.  Not this time!  I was determined to stick with him until 30 km or more likely 35 km, just to be sure.

However, I couldn't even catch that bunny!  People were starting to drop pace and I kept getting boxed in.  Whenever I got close to the bunny, I'd cruise up to people wilting ahead and beside me, without anywhere else to go until gaps opened up again.  It was frustrating, but I reminded myself that I could use a break.  My breathing was still super easy, and I'd gotten used to ignoring my legs, but my guts were getting worse.

Finally, I got to the bunny--and past him.  It was on a hill, one which I wasn't really feeling, but I guess everyone else was.  Whooops.  Oh, well, I saw the 3:50 10 and 1 bunny, and ran with him for about a half minute before he had to take a mandated walk break.  He passed me soon after that minute, but I trailed not too badly.

The Rockcliffe loop was honestly a blur.  I was tired and hot, but I was mainly worried about the GI issue.  It wasn't at the point of stopping for a porta potty, but it was increasingly irksome.  30-34 km were a mild wall of sorts, and then the douleur lifted, everything felt better, and I caught the 3:50 10 and 1 bunny and passed him.  Yay, I was picking up the pace, I would finish strong--I still had to be careful, but there was the 35 km marker--I was past the way with just 7 km to go! 

I guess I had a good km or two before my problems returned, redoubled.  I managed to hang onto a decent cadence, I think, but my stomach soured and I almost skipped my last gel at 36-37 km (I'd intentionally postponed it earlier, not expecting to not want it at all).  At this point, I started feeling the inclines, particularly the long up to the Market.

The crowds were so thick in the Market!  It was amazing noise and I got the tinglies, but I was also distracted by intestinal ferment.  It was progressing from annoying to horrible to nasty words and nastier propositions.  I needed a bathroom, definitely, but once I passed the 38 km mark, I figured that I should try to hold it in.  Just clench.  I ran for years with supposed IBS without bingo-dabbing once--I haven't crapped my pants in over three decades--surely, just less than 4 km more wouldn't seal the deal.  I should mention that I hadn't stopped running once during the race, not even to grab water--I was concerned that, if I stopped, I would find it very difficult to resume running.  No, I had to keep going.

Plus, the 3:50 bunny passed me.  dammit!  I was so out of it, I thought it was the 10 and 1 bunny, my friend; I couldn't see much except for the signs.  I was dealing with ferocious cramps and burning by this point, but I didn't want to drop off the pace too much--I had to keep that sign in my sights.   Clench, clench, and that goes for cadence too.  1-2-3, 1-2-3, get this over with.  Use the spasms as propulsion.  Just end it.  But not too quickly, just in case...it was a delicate balance. 

39 - 41 km were exceedingly grim.  I was so soaked with sweat and water, I couldn't tell exactly what was happening.  I was not attuned to the final, critical sphincter, either: the spasms were so distracting.  I even worried that the backs of my legs were splattered.  I've seen and cringed at the race photos of other unfortunates.  However, once I saw 41 km, my mood brightened.  Almost done!  The 3:50 bunny was closer, but I couldn't catch him, but at least I would be within a minute or so--considering my delayed start, I had a good chance of getting under 3:50. 

Another friend took a photo of me in the final stretch.  I am so bloated that I look like I'm edging into the second trimester, and I'm drenched, but I'm smiling.  Just a few minutes left, that's all, that's nothing!

However, there was no sprint to the finish.  I still had hopes, and so I reined myself and coasted into what felt like the world's longest finishing chute.  Seriously, there was a lot of walking after the end.  I got my medal and a space blanket, and then I got stronger doubts because the volunteer draped the short end around my shoulders, leaving the long end hanging down my back to my ankles.  Was she helping me cover up something spectacular?  I couldn't smell anything, not even the runners pressed around me.  It was packed.  Hey, at least nobody would be able to pinpoint me.

I wanted to grab a bottle of water and head to the closest porta potty.  Since I had no drop bag, and didn't know of a nearby full toilet with private sink, that was my best option in case.  However, admirably, the race organizers had decided to cut back on waste by using paper cups and refill stations.  I filled two cups and rinsed out a miserable soul-crushing but fortunately very very minor incident*, released the rest of the kraken, and then I refilled the cups and found an even better porta potty with more room and a hand-sanitizer dispenser--pro quality, there!  That fixed me up nicely for an hour or two hanging out in the sun, listening to music, drinking a free protein shake.  The race organizers did well with the post-race area, apart from letting family members into Confederation Park.  There is just not enough room for them there, and the mass of people trying to find their runners impedes the flow.  Hopefully they fix this and set up numbers or other identifiable stations spread further out to aid reunions.  However, adding live music to the finish area is a brilliant idea.

There was also a nice collection of snacks for sale too, but I couldn't stomach anything that wasn't liquid, nor the $7 price for fresh lemonade (I may have misread that).  I didn't even eat much that evening.

Unfortunately, I didn't break 3:50, but I busted my six-year old PB.  I was irked, though--had I more info, I would've pushed more, but maybe that would've been disastrous.  Self-pride aside, I got off really really lightly after all.  But, man, I gotta be proud at how deeply I dug.  I've never been that determined before during a race.   My mind was rock-solid, even though I didn't have tunes.  I just accepted discomfort.  Even during my worst, my darkest race experience to date, my pace didn't drop much--my worst split was actually the first 5K, and my second worst, 35-40 km, was still under 28 minutes.

What caused my issues?  Probably too much Gatorade and oranges, coupled with the warmth, humidity, and with fluid retention from before--there probably just wasn't enough space to begin with, never mind once things started to sour.  Plus there may have been some gluten in the museum sushi after all, even though there was no soy sauce or imitation crab.

Anyway, huge thanks to the race organizers and volunteers for another super race weekend!!!

Oh, and I can walk down stairs now!



* However, this particular issue is essentially binary (akin to being just a teeny little bit pregnant...nope, doesn't compute), and I debated not mentioning it at all.  Maybe I'll regret this if I run for office, unless it gives me the human touch.  However, I figure that it'll put all my subsequent bad gut days into perspective, and maybe my divulgence will also confer second-hand benefits: fair readers, sometimes you can push more than you realize, but sometimes the line is thinner than you think.   I really am not this dedicated or ambitious. Be careful out there, kids! 

what a race, what a weekend

I will write more soon, but conditions were iffy (poor legs and guts and weather) but I was strong mentally and I PBed ever so slightly BUT I still have regrets--this was an eye-opener of a race!

My luggage and I

Man, Washington...I can bust through that airport like nobody else, and have laid down some pretty breathtaking sprints through it back in the day.  This time, our arrival and departure gates were but several apart, so even though we had approximately -5 minutes between landing and the start of boarding, we strode over with 2 minutes to spare.

Our luggage, though, wasn't as quick.  It never is (so far, I've beat my bag 3 times during narrow transfers).  Stupidly, I checked not only all of my racing stuff, including shoes, but also some UV ink pens that were supposed to be used last night at a fun event.  Well, I guess I'm not exactly disciplined these days.  My taper was ???, and I haven't been staying off my feet today, and in a few hours I'll walk some more to go watch the 10K, but our luggage arrived this morning!  Even better, the guy who delivered it also drives a hotel shuttle, and he has been transporting some of the elite runners.  So we talked about the sport of running for a few minutes because he's a fan too.  It's just so rare to meet other fans apart from in run clubs or at events.

Anyway, I'm feeling tired, but pumped!  So glad to be back home!

seven year itch

I will do my best to not be graphic.  Unfortunately, I've been wasting the recent lovely weather after all :(.  I didn't run on Saturday, but walked a lot (including to/from a beer festival which also had some wine-tasting for us glutards!), and I was looking forward to a 10ish mile run on Sunday, and maybe more running on Monday.  I was planning on making best use of the weather until it got hot again, taper be damned.

Unfortunately, near the end of the beer festival on Saturday, I started feeling "off."  Was I just dehydrated? or was there indeed gluten in the hotdogs?  We walked further and had more drinks and some food, and the situation gradually worsened.  By nine, it was clear that something was up.  By midnight, I was wondering if I would have to go to the ER, but I decided to wait and see, and several hours later, I finally fell asleep.

I've been down this road before, during the spring of 2000 (or 2001?) and during the spring of 2007--I guess it's a seven-year cycle.  My right ovary is the creative culprit: bored with the usual tiny monthly ovum-releasing cyst, it occasionally embarks on a golf ball-sized project (one doctor suggested that the same sack or structure is being reused).  Unfortunately, ambition eventually trumps physics, and the extravaganza bursts.  I have smaller bursts more often, but the big ones are in a different league and thankfully rare.  The first one made me believe I was dying.  That was the worst one, probably because I was ignorant and unhealthy even though I was abstaining from most of the delights of downtown Montreal.  I had no choice but to go to the ER because I was passing out from "septis" (too lazy to look up the English word).  They guessed at the culprit then, because they found nothing but infection and fluid in my abdomen, but ultrasounds before and since have spoken the full tale.   Enlarged cysts aren't an uncommon expression of ovarian creativity, and are less objectionable if they simply exist or shrink gradually...but some people just have to be dramatic: BOOM!

The abdomen typically contains fluid, all sorts of fluid, but it's compartmentalized.  Free fluid outside of and in between organs is restricted--there isn't a lot of space.  So when a disgruntled ovary destroys an over-reaching work with a bang, there's a fair bit of pain and then lingering discomfort because the trespassing fluid doesn't really have a designated exit.  It doesn't just shoot down the fallopian tube; apparently, Art is a Nonconformist Struggle.  The fluid has to be gradually broken down and reabsorbed.

So, that's where I'm at.  Breaking it down.  Also getting a lot of studying and research and quality pack time done because I'm mostly remaining horizontal, although I did walk the dogs this morning.  Kind of a drastic taper, but I'm recovering well and hopefully will be back to normal on Sunday. 

No complaints, though!  This is why I run: that first trip to the ER was what inspired me to start running, although I had to wait about a month due to anemia.  Staying in shape helps me bounce back more quickly.  The second time, there was no septis, just intravenous saline required; this time, there was no hospital at all.  Maybe there won't be a fourth time.