Building A Better Bumblebee

nkrichards wrote:Yes, one of the coolest places in Central Oregon.  Let me know if you want a place to stay.  We have one end of the house set up for guests.  Two bedrooms...in case Alec comes along...and a full bath.  You are more than welcome to use it.  We're less than half an hours drive from the park.

I've been on most if not all of those trails.  I've hiked the 4 mile route numerous times.  Strained my hamstring while Boston training on the first few miles of the 15 mile route.  And most of the rest of the course...including the 50K course...I've seen from horseback.

Exciting to see Alita willing to accept the challenge.  Have you registered yet?

Yes, we registered a few weeks ago. Alita is nervous about it, but she sees hills as a weakness for her and she wants to slay the beast.

Thanks for the offer! We'll definitely keep it in mind as we get ready for this.

XT: Core and calves

12-10-8 of:
-Modified side-leg lifts.
-Double-leg bridge "marching" while keeping pelvis steady.
-Single-leg bridge dip, each side.
-Supine leg lift, keeping TA engaged and pelvis aligned
-Prone leg lift, same as above
-Half-squat using theraband around knees.
-Side-step using theraband around knees.
-Ankle flexion using theraband.
-Double-leg heel raises.
-Single-leg heel raises.

Standing Psoas stretches. (5-6 x 10 seconds left side, a few less on right side)

Walk: 2.7 miles

Weather: Between rain showers. 51°

Sneaked out between rain showers for a walk at lunchtime.

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:Yes, one of the coolest places in Central Oregon.  Let me know if you want a place to stay.  We have one end of the house set up for guests.  Two bedrooms...in case Alec comes along...and a full bath.  You are more than welcome to use it.  We're less than half an hours drive from the park.

I've been on most if not all of those trails.  I've hiked the 4 mile route numerous times.  Strained my hamstring while Boston training on the first few miles of the 15 mile route.  And most of the rest of the course...including the 50K course...I've seen from horseback.

Exciting to see Alita willing to accept the challenge.  Have you registered yet?

Yes, we registered a few weeks ago. Alita is nervous about it, but she sees hills as a weakness for her and she wants to slay the beast.

Thanks for the offer! We'll definitely keep it in mind as we get ready for this.

Oh, my, Nancy!  I-I-I-I-I don't know if it's such a good idea to have Mark in the house.  Of course, Alita and Alec can stay warm and comfortable in the house, but Mark should be relegated to the barn or similar.  You never know when he's trying his Investigative Journalist potential to get out of the editor's box.  Maybe under the guise of writing a human interest story!  

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:Yes, one of the coolest places in Central Oregon.  Let me know if you want a place to stay.  We have one end of the house set up for guests.  Two bedrooms...in case Alec comes along...and a full bath.  You are more than welcome to use it.  We're less than half an hours drive from the park.

I've been on most if not all of those trails.  I've hiked the 4 mile route numerous times.  Strained my hamstring while Boston training on the first few miles of the 15 mile route.  And most of the rest of the course...including the 50K course...I've seen from horseback.

Exciting to see Alita willing to accept the challenge.  Have you registered yet?

Yes, we registered a few weeks ago. Alita is nervous about it, but she sees hills as a weakness for her and she wants to slay the beast.

Thanks for the offer! We'll definitely keep it in mind as we get ready for this.

Oh, my, Nancy!  I-I-I-I-I don't know if it's such a good idea to have Mark in the house.  Of course, Alita and Alec can stay warm and comfortable in the house, but Mark should be relegated to the barn or similar.  You never know when he's trying his Investigative Journalist potential to get out of the editor's box.  Maybe under the guise of writing a human interest story!  

I guess she figured she'd be safe as long as we didn't bring Fluff with us... 

Walk: 2.6 miles

Weather: Overcast, cool and breezy. 50°

Changed my route slightly for my lunchtime walk, trying to get good habits re-established. It wasn't much cooler than yesterday but it sure felt like it. A steady breeze helped.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:Yes, one of the coolest places in Central Oregon.  Let me know if you want a place to stay.  We have one end of the house set up for guests.  Two bedrooms...in case Alec comes along...and a full bath.  You are more than welcome to use it.  We're less than half an hours drive from the park.

I've been on most if not all of those trails.  I've hiked the 4 mile route numerous times.  Strained my hamstring while Boston training on the first few miles of the 15 mile route.  And most of the rest of the course...including the 50K course...I've seen from horseback.

Exciting to see Alita willing to accept the challenge.  Have you registered yet?

Yes, we registered a few weeks ago. Alita is nervous about it, but she sees hills as a weakness for her and she wants to slay the beast.

Thanks for the offer! We'll definitely keep it in mind as we get ready for this.

Oh, my, Nancy!  I-I-I-I-I don't know if it's such a good idea to have Mark in the house.  Of course, Alita and Alec can stay warm and comfortable in the house, but Mark should be relegated to the barn or similar.  You never know when he's trying his Investigative Journalist potential to get out of the editor's box.  Maybe under the guise of writing a human interest story!  

I guess she figured she'd be safe as long as we didn't bring Fluff with us... 

I think after our recent experiences dealing with environmentalists posing as reporters and then Kevin's political ads we're experienced at defending ourselves from journalists and the like.  We've learned to baffle them with BS.

In all seriousness Mark...we'd love to have you stay but also understand the need/desire for a bit more privacy especially before/after a challenging race.  Let me know once you make a decision...no hurry.  At the very least maybe I can make it out to watch the start.

We're enjoying the weather here but it is getting cooler and wetter.  Fall is here and winter won't be far behind.  Stay safe...

Maybe Mark can find a speckled frog to go along with the spotted frog.

Here's the NOAA November 10 release on La Nina.  http://www.noaa.gov/news/hello-la-nina

ounce wrote:Maybe Mark can find a speckled frog to go along with the spotted frog.

Here's the NOAA November 10 release on La Nina.  http://www.noaa.gov/news/hello-la-nina

We'll take whatever moisture we can get...and share it with the frog if we must.  The reservoir is filling nicely at this point as October was wetter than normal.  We haven't built much snowpack yet though...

nkrichards wrote:

ounce wrote:Maybe Mark can find a speckled frog to go along with the spotted frog.

Here's the NOAA November 10 release on La Nina.  http://www.noaa.gov/news/hello-la-nina

We'll take whatever moisture we can get...and share it with the frog if we must.  The reservoir is filling nicely at this point as October was wetter than normal.  We haven't built much snowpack yet though...

Well, if the NWS forecasts are any guide, we may be looking at colder and wetter weather after the start of the year.

At least you don't have to deal with the tadpole fairy shrimp. When I worked in Northern California, those things caused endless headaches for ranchers with rangeland that included vernal pools. The things only lived when the pools were flooded, so they were naturally endangered when it was dry. Guess when they tended to search for them? Yup.

Was going to run today but got to bed very late last night trying to help the lad with an extra credit science project that was due today and he sort of, cough-cough, forgot. Made that 5:20 a.m. wake up call pretty rough for all of us, but at least I was able to dive back in bed once I had the other two off to school.

Seems I need to work on my motivation a bit...

I would think that your Smith Rock run would supply the necessary motivation...

nkrichards wrote:I would think that your Smith Rock run would supply the necessary motivation...

You'd think, wouldn't you? I think it'll be better once Alita is able to run again (hopefully a few more weeks). She is MOTIVATED to get fit enough to do the 15-miler successfully. Nothing like a little "Oh man, what did I get myself into?" fear to get you going!

Once she's ready to roll, I'll be hanging on for dear life.

Low HR Run: 7.22 miles

Weather: Partly cloudy, a little rain at first. 51° Gear: Topos, shorts, T, jacket, hat. (gloves at first)

I didn't have any specific plans when I started this run other than getting moving. So I was pleasantly surprised when my body settled into a pace was right at my target heart rate. Okay then, a low heart rate run. I initially thought about doing 60 minutes, but everything seemed to be doing well, so I decided to do 6 miles. Things felt fine at that point, too, so I kept going and turned around just before 45 minutes, going for a run of about 90 minutes.

I watched my pace slow from 11:20 in the first mile after my warmup to 12:23 and then 13:05 (!). But my HR was holding rock steady (139, 138, 137), and it felt nice and relaxed, so what the heck. I kept it at that effort level the rest of the way (13:08/138; 13:09/139; 13:55*/139) with slowdown coming out of the ravine. I decided to not stop at 85 minutes like I might usually and kept going until I hit 7.0 miles, then I started my cooldown.

All in all, it was a good run. It was good to see where my running on fat level is, and it was good to remember that my HR target remains a good one. I felt like I could keep going at that intensity.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 134.

*-Can you tell where that stupid ravine is on my route?

Not the dreaded Tadpole Fairy Shrimp!  

So how is Alita's psuedo-flu and her hearing?

ounce wrote:Not the dreaded Tadpole Fairy Shrimp!  

So how is Alita's psuedo-flu and her hearing?

Yep. It's nearly microscopic, too, just for kicks.

Alita's überflu is long gone now, thank you very much. Her hearing is measurably but not perceptibly better than before the surgery. She's in the 10% of stapedectomy patients whose procedures failed.

The plans are to go in again next summer when she has time to recover (and our supplemental insurance has recharged) and fix it, hopefully. The prosthesis could have been jarred out of place, maybe when she took the dive on the garage steps.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Not the dreaded Tadpole Fairy Shrimp!  

So how is Alita's psuedo-flu and her hearing?

Yep. It's nearly microscopic, too, just for kicks.

Alita's überflu is long gone now, thank you very much. Her hearing is measurably but not perceptibly better than before the surgery. She's in the 10% of stapedectomy patients whose procedures failed.

The plans are to go in again next summer when she has time to recover (and our supplemental insurance has recharged) and fix it, hopefully. The prosthesis could have been jarred out of place, maybe when she took the dive on the garage steps.

Glad to hear that Alita's bug and foot are healing well...disappointing that her surgery wasn't more successful.  It's an investment in both time and money.  Hope she has better luck next summer.

I am interested to see how hard she pushes you when she's healthy and ready to run.  She may be the motivation that you've been looking for!

Nice run on Monday btw.  Impressive that you can keep your HR in the desired range on what was a longer run than you've done in a while.

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Not the dreaded Tadpole Fairy Shrimp!  

So how is Alita's psuedo-flu and her hearing?

Yep. It's nearly microscopic, too, just for kicks.

Alita's überflu is long gone now, thank you very much. Her hearing is measurably but not perceptibly better than before the surgery. She's in the 10% of stapedectomy patients whose procedures failed.

The plans are to go in again next summer when she has time to recover (and our supplemental insurance has recharged) and fix it, hopefully. The prosthesis could have been jarred out of place, maybe when she took the dive on the garage steps.

Glad to hear that Alita's bug and foot are healing well...disappointing that her surgery wasn't more successful.  It's an investment in both time and money.  Hope she has better luck next summer.

I am interested to see how hard she pushes you when she's healthy and ready to run.  She may be the motivation that you've been looking for!

Nice run on Monday btw.  Impressive that you can keep your HR in the desired range on what was a longer run than you've done in a while.

That motivation reminds me of a Star Trek episode where Harry Mudd created an android of his nagging wife, so he could say "Shut up, Stella!"  Ah, motivation.

ounce wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Not the dreaded Tadpole Fairy Shrimp!  

So how is Alita's psuedo-flu and her hearing?

Yep. It's nearly microscopic, too, just for kicks.

Alita's überflu is long gone now, thank you very much. Her hearing is measurably but not perceptibly better than before the surgery. She's in the 10% of stapedectomy patients whose procedures failed.

The plans are to go in again next summer when she has time to recover (and our supplemental insurance has recharged) and fix it, hopefully. The prosthesis could have been jarred out of place, maybe when she took the dive on the garage steps.

Glad to hear that Alita's bug and foot are healing well...disappointing that her surgery wasn't more successful.  It's an investment in both time and money.  Hope she has better luck next summer.

I am interested to see how hard she pushes you when she's healthy and ready to run.  She may be the motivation that you've been looking for!

Nice run on Monday btw.  Impressive that you can keep your HR in the desired range on what was a longer run than you've done in a while.

That motivation reminds me of a Star Trek episode where Harry Mudd created an android of his nagging wife, so he could say "Shut up, Stella!"  Ah, motivation.

I also remember how that episode ended, with the good crew of the Enterprise hacking Mudd's system so he had dozens of Stellas nagging him, with the "Shut up, Stella!" function deactivated. Payback, baby.

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Not the dreaded Tadpole Fairy Shrimp!  

So how is Alita's psuedo-flu and her hearing?

Yep. It's nearly microscopic, too, just for kicks.

Alita's überflu is long gone now, thank you very much. Her hearing is measurably but not perceptibly better than before the surgery. She's in the 10% of stapedectomy patients whose procedures failed.

The plans are to go in again next summer when she has time to recover (and our supplemental insurance has recharged) and fix it, hopefully. The prosthesis could have been jarred out of place, maybe when she took the dive on the garage steps.

Glad to hear that Alita's bug and foot are healing well...disappointing that her surgery wasn't more successful.  It's an investment in both time and money.  Hope she has better luck next summer.

I am interested to see how hard she pushes you when she's healthy and ready to run.  She may be the motivation that you've been looking for!

Nice run on Monday btw.  Impressive that you can keep your HR in the desired range on what was a longer run than you've done in a while.

Well, I hope she provides the motivation! She goes back to the doctor on Dec. 4. If he doesn't clear her to run, he may be walking funny.

We have vacation nuttiness at work, and other things going on, so my running routine has yet to establish itself. Ah well. It'll work in time.

Walk: 3 miles

Weather: Partly cloudy, cool. 50°

Made it out at lunch today for a walk. It was a cool day but dry. I stopped a couple of times to take photos but mainly tried to keep moving. I need it.

Mark B wrote:Walk: 3 miles

Weather: Partly cloudy, cool. 50°

Made it out at lunch today for a walk. It was a cool day but dry. I stopped a couple of times to take photos but mainly tried to keep moving. I need it.

Nice to see that you're back out there...the Smith Rock hills are patiently waiting for you.

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Walk: 3 miles

Weather: Partly cloudy, cool. 50°

Made it out at lunch today for a walk. It was a cool day but dry. I stopped a couple of times to take photos but mainly tried to keep moving. I need it.

Nice to see that you're back out there...the Smith Rock hills are patiently waiting for you.

Thanks, Nancy!  I had better stay on those hills' good side!

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Walk: 3 miles

Weather: Partly cloudy, cool. 50°

Made it out at lunch today for a walk. It was a cool day but dry. I stopped a couple of times to take photos but mainly tried to keep moving. I need it.

Nice to see that you're back out there...the Smith Rock hills are patiently waiting for you.

Thanks, Nancy!  I had better stay on those hills' good side!

Might be slippery, in the short term.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Walk: 3 miles

Weather: Partly cloudy, cool. 50°

Made it out at lunch today for a walk. It was a cool day but dry. I stopped a couple of times to take photos but mainly tried to keep moving. I need it.

Nice to see that you're back out there...the Smith Rock hills are patiently waiting for you.

Thanks, Nancy!  I had better stay on those hills' good side!

Might be slippery, in the short term.
Possibly. 

Possibly. Which is why I'm putting the snow tires in Alita's car this morning.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Walk: 3 miles

Weather: Partly cloudy, cool. 50°

Made it out at lunch today for a walk. It was a cool day but dry. I stopped a couple of times to take photos but mainly tried to keep moving. I need it.

Nice to see that you're back out there...the Smith Rock hills are patiently waiting for you.

Thanks, Nancy!  I had better stay on those hills' good side!

Might be slippery, in the short term.
Possibly. 

Possibly. Which is why I'm putting the snow tires in Alita's car this morning.

SNOWMAGEDDON!!!!!!  Actually, I looked at the forecast for Pearson Airfield and Slidemageddon might be more probable, plus an opportunity for some barefoot running for you.