With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams...

early run to the lilly pad ponds with Wyatt Earp.  They were really pretty.  It finally cooled off a little.  very overcast, slight misty rain and nice breeze.   the only trouble was the yellow flies/deer flies.  they had a "thing" for MR.  I was sorry they were bothering him, but glad they weren't bothering me as much.

73^o  94% humidity  pace was slow and easy...very nice! 6:30-8:00 am

shred workout video and then a walk

Ran to the local city park, ran the 1 mile loop, then ran home.  On the way back, we stopped to enjoy the empty lake bed of our famous town lake.  Last year, after 8 years of waiting for a new dam to be built and 14 million dollars later, the town lake was finally back.  Then, just over a week ago, the dam failed and the lake was gone again.  It is now often referred to as "the lake of the damned."  It makes us laugh, but it's sad that so much money was spent for such a shoddy job.   There were steel pylons, cement walls, and then some vinyl stuff.  Is anyone surprised that the part that failed was the vinyl?  Things that make you go hmmmm.

Here's a pix of the dry docks, and one of MR on the "beach"- he's standing in front of a sign that says "no swimming past this point."

We also stopped for just a minute at the local gas station to get a picutre of the guy who rides his horse to the gas station.  He was there with his grandson today buying ice for his saddle bags. 

Wore my new brooks shoes I got this week.  They seemed to be great- no problems.

The best part of the run was the weather.   It was cool and not humid.  Like Christmas in July.  Just perfect :-) 61-70 ^o , with humidity somewhere  between 87-64% (but it didn't feel that humid...the low temps & nice breeze helped)

avg pace 9:33

Our last "cooler" morning for a while.  It was 63^o at 5:30 so we had a nice morning run, but  by 1:00, it was 100^o outside when the P-town parade was wrapping up.

MR rode the bike while Wyatt Earp and I ran the lilly-pad pond route again.  So pretty with the sun coming up on the water.  Near the pond, MR found a whole pile of unused fireworks.  They came in handy for some nice "4th of July" photos at the pond.  it really was a good run!

After the run, we all met back at P-town to watch the parade.  I was surprised how long the parade lasted, but impressed with the variety of entries.  My favorite is the "Red-Neck Hot Tub."  There was actually water in the back of the truck!

 And here's a pix of Wyatt and I decked out in our festive patriotic hats that Wyatt created for us to wear for the P-town parade.  Hope everyone's week-end was wonderful!

Went out a little later.  Either it's cooler and/or less humid than 3 weeks ago, or I've just adjusted to the misery.  The sun was up, there was a nice breeze occasionally, and it was a good run.  Just went around the 'hood.

Thought I'd like to run for an hour.  When I got to the hour point, I was almost at 7 miles, so I just finished up the miles and ended near my house.  I increased my pace and it felt good.  After mile 4, my watch started beeping at me because the lap library was full.  So I only have info for the first 4 miles.  The AP was 9:02.  I felt like I was doing great, so I wish I knew what the end was too. 

MR went back to work today, so officially, our vacation is over.  Now all the house work I've put off doing is waiting patiently for me to return.  YEAH!!! :-(

total distance was 8 miles, but I did have to take a walk break for a few minutes.  It was so hot and I felt overheated, so I walked  a little in the shady part of a side road.

Ran to the city park again today.  It gives me inclines (I'm not sure they qualify as actual hills) to run on, and they're good for me since the 'hood is flat.

the humid heatwave is back and making us all miserable again

slept late and had an early meeting to attend, so miles were low.  Didn't wear garmin, no idea on pace/time.  Intentions to do more "later" have all left the building.

overcast and humid.  glad the sun wasn't beating down on me though.  73-76^o with 93-91% humidity.  Like running in a steam room.  just went easy on the pace.  picked up a little at the end, but avg'd a 9:40 total.

pretty uneventful..glad it's done and i'm back in the safety of my a/c home

shred in the morning- still working on mastering level one before I move up to level two

evening bike ride.  ended up with 7.4 miles. 

slept in, which meant it was wicked icky out, but oh well....

Ran 5 miles, then ran/walked 2 minutes on 2 minutes off the rest of the time to make it 65 minutes total.

got up earlier, but had a meeting to go to, so I had to cut it short.  It was cooler than yesterday and overcast , but still so humid and not really comfortable.

Tried going faster since I was running shorter.  Avg'd 8:49 for the 3 miles. 

Had some funny little pains off and on when I'm not running in my "good" knee.  Something I'm going to keep an eye on. 

up till 3 am so an early run wasn't in the books for today

this must just not be my week to run- got a side ache at mile 2.5 and struggled with it the last 2.5 miles- it really affected my pace.  avg was 9:50 for the whole run.  14 hours later, the pain is still kind of there.  is that my cue to not run tomorrow?  I guess I'll see how I feel in the morning.

still a little pain, so I went with the shred this morning, then I went horseback riding :-)

Not really any sort of exercise in that, but it was fun.  I can't be as cool as KP and have my own horse, so I have to get excited when I get to ride other people's horses.

I'm really enjoying my brooks shoes.  They have more cushioning than my mizunos, and just feel more comfy. 

Went out early, but it was already hot and icky humid.  I got a breeze when I ran facing south, so that was a nice treat, and I got some shade at the end of the run for a good finish. 

I ran slowly and focused on my breathing because I was still aware of the soreness from the side-ache 2 days ago.  Didn't have any problems, so good stuff.

spent the rest of the at the beach (and traveling in the car).  I just wanted to lay in the water all day, it felt so good. 

shred level 1

time to get running again...the demons are chasing me and I need to pound them into the pavement

slept in and went running in the heat.  it was overcast, so I didn't have to fight the sun, and I had a little breeze now & again heading south.  trouble was, the whole first 1/2 was south, then the whole second 1/2 was north.

ran for an hour- it was just the fix I needed.  just went easy and enjoyed it.  sped up a little at the end - it was all good.  feeling better..glad I've running to help.  avg pace 9:29

great news, my best runnin buddy Terri from the 'Dorf is on the blog now!  she is listed as Terri, and her address is thayden@fastrunningblog.com .   I know you'll all make her feel as welcome as you did me.

todays run was physically more difficult than yesterday's.  Not really sure why.  I had hills today, so maybe that's why- but I kind of doubt it.  my legs just felt sluggish. 

either way, I managed a run down to the lakeless dam and back.  i had to stop and take a photo of a dead puffy beaver, and I had to stop for traffic a few times.  as much as i like the breaks, it makes it hard to get back in my groove.

avg pace today was slower.  I only ran 6.16 in 60 minutes- 1/5 of a mile less distance than yesterday's hour.  I'm just glad I got it done.  It was overcast when I was running.  The sun is out now and heating things up pretty fast.

guess it's time to shower and put on my smile for the day :-).... ;-)

(the first one is for you RAD, the second is for burt)

got up earlier to beat the heat.  I know I missed the worst of it, but it was still icky hot. 79-82 degrees with 77-67% humidity.  the first #'s were at the beginning of the run, the 2nd numbers were toward the end of the run.  there was a breeze that I got to enjoy for 1/2 the run, and a nice bunch of shade too.  It was the last mile stretch that had no shade or breeze, with the bright sun blasting down on me that was the worst.   But I just thought, doing this now will make me stronger in the long run.  I keep telling myself these things.

no beavers or dams today.  just a big loop that goes around the general area I live in.  I don't run it often, but I think I should do it more.  it has long gradual slopes.  not really hills, but it's upward running for a good distance.  I'm sure the down is there too, but I'm not noticing it as much as I notice the up.

Gotta shower- I've got a lunch date at chubby's tacos today :-)

since it's midnight, and I might not wake up in time to run in the morning, I'll just share this with all of you instead....

it's puffy beaver.  he looked waaaayyy better when he had a head that wasn't flattened amd his hand was up in the air making it look like he was waving...or trying to catch a ride.

happy wednesday y'all!

not motivated today.  was only going to do 4, but that loop turned into 5, and I told myself if I made it an hour, I'd make myself a frozen fruit smoothie and sit out back and sip on it with my bendy straw.

avg pace was 9:50.  it was above 80 and humid, so I went out of my way to run in my neighbor's yard and go through their sprinklers. 

fruit smoothie is gone, so it's time to shower.

only one dead bird on the road today.  pretty uneventful.

did shorter, but faster today.  tried for a tempo mile in the middle and was surprised with what I was able to pull off.

started at 5:56- it was 79 degrees outside with 87% humidity.  thank goodness the sun was up but not high enough in the sky to cook my gizzards while I ran!  My glasses fogged up today on the run.

avg pace 8:37.  splits were 9:22, 7:28, 8:54, and 8:54 (last 1/2 mile).

dropped the little buckanners off at youth conference today- free at last, free at last!!!

tried to get up and out before 6, but didn't make it till about 20 after.  79^o and 85% humidity at 6:20.  didn't change much during my run.  luckily, there was still a lot of shade in the road from the trees, and heading south there was an occasional breeze that helped.

I did 2 out & backs.  one down the street, and the other one up the street.  the first leg was 6.2 miles.  I ran a tad further to make it 6.25 so I could have my own mini D-news 10K.  (I just missed the crowds, the downhills, and the smell of bacon cooking as I ran by).  My time was rotten, but I didn't care.  I just wanted to get miles in today.

My end time for the 10k was 59:40.  I then stopped at the house to refill my water bottle and drop offf my headlamp.  I went the other direction up the road until it ended & came back.  when I got home, I was at 9.85 miles, so I just kept running to make it 10.

overall avg pace was 9:31. splits: 10:18, 9:37, 9:45, 9:30, 9:21, 9:01, 9:36, 9:14, 9:41, 9:04.

The 9:14 and 9:41 are really the same stretch of road- guess which one was the downhill sloped time and which one was the uphill time :-)

Then I came home and had this little tasty treat.

Happy 24th of July y'all.  (It's Pioneer Day in Utah for those of you who aren't up to speed on your Utah holidays).

ran with Wyatt Earp this morning.  Just did a big loop out on the country roads.  Saw a cute little dead rabbit.  His entrails were about 7 feet behind him on the road.  Poor critter.

76-77^o with 81-84% humidity.  overcast for the first 6 miles, so not too bad.

It's so nice to run with friends.

ran the lakeless dam route again.   It's got good inclines and one part that I'd actually call a hill.

my back was hurting all night, and again all day today.  I lifted something heavy and awkward shaped and didn't use my legs like I should have.  I know, I know, I know.  It was a dumb thing to do.

the running didn't seem to bother it or help it, but I thought doing the shred video might be difficult so I passed on doing it again today

it actually rained today.  not till after I'd finished my run, but by 9:30, it was really raining, and it's rained almost all the day long.  We sure needed the moisture.  I was going to do this blog earlier and the power went out at the house.  At first I felt so clever because I had charged the laptop and I didn't need any electricity to use it.  Two minutes later, my pride bubble burst when I realized that I did need power to get the internet connection to work.  Duh.

So this is a late day entry for me.  I ended up reading and taking a wonderful nap since the power was out.  nice lazy day for resting and trying to let my back heal.

avg pace on the run was around 9:25 (if I remember correctly).  the temp was 77-79 degrees with around 85% humidity.  7-8 am. 

I don't know what the official name for this kind of run is, if one even exists.  I think I'll call it "I was too tired to wake up earlier, so I decided to run fewer miles at a faster pace." 

I wanted to keep my miles 1 and 3 under a 9 mm, and I wanted mile 2 to be under 8 mm.  I was able to meet my goals, so I was happy.  I believe the pace for those 3 miles overall was 8:17.

I ran after the 3 miles was over to make it 30 minutes, but I turned off my garmin and just went slowly to cool down.  It was about 5 1/2 minutes, so I put it down for 1/2 a mile. 

Had to do some chauffering around of my #1 buckaneer this morning, and by the time I got home, I'd lost most of my motivation to do much else.  I did some arm weights and bicycle crunches.  I'm considering a bike ride later on.  I'm just trying to figure out where I'll go.  It's more enjoyable when I've got a destination in mind.

First, I think I'll watch a movie with Buckaneer #2.  I got Valentine's Day at redbox last night.  Hope it's good.  If not, it's only a  dollar!  I guess I'll get the popcorn out :-)

Wyatt came by this morning and we ran the 9 mile p-town route.  It was nice.  The second half is really quiet without much traffic at all.  We got visiting, and before I knew it, we were done.

It wasn't too hot- the sun was just up, but it was overcast and foggy with humidity.  We were in the steam room the whole time.  Because the sun stayed hidden by clouds, it made it tolerable.  But I was dripping buckets of sweat.  My shorts were actually dripping all over the floor and I had to get a towel.  Very humid.

Temps were 75.7 to 77^o with 90-91% humidity.  The device that measures wind gusts showed nothing all morning long.  The air was so wet, we could call this a biathalon because we were swimming too.  I'm really not complaining, because it was cool enough to run with the sun hidden.

We went slow and easy.  Not sure of the pace, but I know it's over a 10 mm. 

Good company, good run, good frozen fruit smoothies after :-)...

i have come face to face with danger.  i looked it right in the eye (with my one good eye) and told danger "there will be no survivors" (in my very best Fezzick voice).

then i licked danger, and walked away hungry for more.

danger, by the way, has a name; it's name is cuisineart home soft serve ice cream machine.  

yesterday, therapy run.  today, therapy food.

my tarot cards show me headed toward an intervention very soon :-)

the weather was delightful this morning...a nice little breeze.  69-72^o with 85-78% humidity.  The sweat wasn't dripping nearly as bad as Thursday's 9 miler.

Wyatt and I took a new side road off of the p-town loop and went out in the country for a while, then intersected back with the end of the p-town loop to finish the run.

We ran by a couple of horse farms, and a little old worn down trailer house that had a cow family in the front yard.  A bull, a mom cow, and a little calf.  We see the strangest things out in the country.  Had a few dogs chase out after us in the road.  None of them were doing anything other than just being guard dogs, I just hate to see dogs left loose that can run in the road and get hit by a car.

Got a good opossum road kill sighting too.  Our run was slow...some miles were a little too slow and I think we need to try and pick up the speed a little.  We got back and I decided I wanted  to run a little more, so I did a 2 miles loop around the hood and worked on running faster.  I got 9:30ish on the first mile and 830ish on the second.  My last .18 was 7:30ish, but that's not really long enough to count for much.

Overall avg pace was 10:20.  Hope to see that increase in the coming weeks.

I'm so glad the weather was nice today.  It makes me hopeful that better days are ahead.