Wandering aimlessly...

Mark B wrote:Good workouts this past week, Nancy! Especially with all the farm work, it's impressive.

You may be hitting on something with sleep. I know we tried getting up very early (4 a.m.) to run together, but it kind of blew up on our faces. It was just one stressor too much. We couldn't sustain it. Maybe you can find a different time for strength training?

Yes, Mark.  As much as I enjoy doing the strength training with Marty I'm not sure it's going to work during irrigation season.  In the past we did it together in the winter and I did it on my own during the summer.  (It helped that they offered classes at the pool during the day that I could do so I wasn't working out alone.)  Marty doesn't require as much sleep as I do and he's been really excited about continuing to do the workouts through the summer.  He'll be in much better shape for elk hunting in early November.  But we need to figure out something that works for both of us.  We backed off...at my request...the last few days.  We only workout when we are able to sleep till 5:00 and still fit it in before he needs to head outside for work.  It should get easier as we get later into the season.  We've also tried working out but skipping breakfast so he can go straight to work.  He then comes back in in an hour or so for breakfast.  We can survive on coffee, a homemade bran muffin, and a banana for that long.  I'm sure we can find a compromise that works for both of us!

So...we did a leg workout this morning and then I did a few things around the house before I headed off to the pool for a swim.  Good day!

I'd comfortably say that Fast Freddy is definitely not on the farm, anymore.

YOU'VE DISCOVERED PETER ATTIA!!!!!!  That is so cool.  I haven't listened to any of his podcasts, but I began reading his stuff online back in 2012.  It's very interesting that he takes his n=1 to such levels.  He was part of the encouragement to do Keto, under the 'what have I got to lose' premise.

Regarding the pool, a few months back there were issues of keeping the pool open and money and the director, etc.  So I guess some of that got resolved?

Good on you on your managing activities within the unmovable 24 hours in a day.  I believe 'good on you' is an Aussie phrase I picked up by watching 6 seasons of the Australian TV series "A Place to Call Home."  I enjoyed the show.  Set in the 50's, it's kind of "Dynasty" in Australia.

ounce wrote:I'd comfortably say that Fast Freddy is definitely not on the farm, anymore.

YOU'VE DISCOVERED PETER ATTIA!!!!!!  That is so cool.  I haven't listened to any of his podcasts, but I began reading his stuff online back in 2012.  It's very interesting that he takes his n=1 to such levels.  He was part of the encouragement to do Keto, under the 'what have I got to lose' premise.

Regarding the pool, a few months back there were issues of keeping the pool open and money and the director, etc.  So I guess some of that got resolved?

Good on you on your managing activities within the unmovable 24 hours in a day.  I believe 'good on you' is an Aussie phrase I picked up by watching 6 seasons of the Australian TV series "A Place to Call Home."  I enjoyed the show.  Set in the 50's, it's kind of "Dynasty" in Australia.

Fast Freddy hasn't reared his ugly head in months!

I've only listened to a few of Peter Attia's podcasts.  I find them long and technical but very interesting!  Hoping to listen to more in the future.

Yes, "Good on ya" (they shorten everything in Australia) is a very common term.     Interesting that you picked it up from the show.

We're still having problems at the pool.  A good portion of the community does not like the new director and refuses to use the pool or support it financially while he's in charge.  He's earned that.  But the pool is still open for now as the current bond measure is adequate to keep the doors open for another year or so.  He hired a new aquatics director.  I've visited with him a couple times.  I like him.  But he's young and inexperienced and I think he's in way over his head.  And he has to deal with an angry constituency that aren't willing to give him a chance.  The board is split on whether to keep the director or let him go...it's very political and they don't want to admit they made a mistake as it's a costly one.  AND last week the old director was sentenced to 30 days in jail for theft from the pool and the kids's club.  He accepted a plea deal without admitting guilt.  A portion of the community still supports him and claims the board manufactured the charges.  He was very popular.  It's a small town...

And...fortunately...life goes on...

Yipes. Sounds like quite the soap opera at the pool.

Is there a local paper serving Madras, or are you on the far-flung reaches of some other paper? Because that sounds like a story a local reporter might want to explore.

Mark B wrote:Yipes. Sounds like quite the soap opera at the pool.

Is there a local paper serving Madras, or are you on the far-flung reaches of some other paper? Because that sounds like a story a local reporter might want to explore.

We have a pretty good weekly paper that serves the greater Madras area.  The Madras Pioneer operates under the umbrella of Pamplin Media Group but we have a good local editor whose family has been here for a couple generations.  The editor, the judge, and the owner of the bar...it's all in the family.  They do a pretty good job of covering the stuff that's important to a small community.  They've covered the pool saga pretty well.

We also subscribe to the Bend Bulletin which recently declared bankruptcy and was bought up by another publisher.  It's a daily but has struggled to stay viable and valuable.  It will be interesting to see what changes a new editor brings.  They haven't covered the pool issue much but will occasionally publish a few details of the legal issues.  And they do provide a bit of coverage of local sports and events but we kind of get glossed over by the bigger schools and events in Bend.

***

Marty and I slept in until 4:45 this morning and then did our strength workout.  He headed out to change irrigation water and I headed to the pool at 6:00.  Janice and I got a mile in.  Then it was home to get ready to host lunch for Mom and my brother and his wife who are visiting from Albuquerque.

Ultreya...

Well since Doug is out walking...and Mark is out running...and Michele is swim/bike/running...maybe I better get busy!

Monday  Strength (Chest & Back), a mile in the pool.

Tuesday  5 miles @11:40 HR 141

Wednesday  Strength (Legs), 2050 yards in the pool

***

My cross channel swim is only 5 days away.     I'm ready??
Weather looks good.  Last year it was canceled due to high winds.  The year before it was canceled due to a shortage of emergency personnel because they were busy with the Eagle Creek fire.  Fingers crossed that I at least get to get in the water.

MAC Dash is coming up quickly as well (Sept 14th).  They just notified us of course changes.  They took out the hills in both the bike and the run portions.  They said it was to create more interaction between participants and more opportunities for spectators.   I think the real reason was people complained that the course was to hard...and the new course will use significantly fewer volunteers and flaggers.

Both events will be at a moderate effort.  I'm not prepared to race so I'll have to participate for the enjoyment which won't upset Dr. B.

Ultreya...

Glad you have a viable local paper still. Woot! Things were looking dire for the Bend Bulletin and its staff and readers, but a local buyer -- the company that publishes the East Oregonian and a bunch of other smaller papers - stepped in. That can only be a good thing for the area. The other bidders were likely to gut the operation and suck up as much profit as possible, which seems to be the current business model for some of these big chain owners.

I hope you get the cross-channel swim in. Where's it at? Do you have to time it around barges, or do they divert river traffic?

Mark B wrote:Glad you have a viable local paper still. Woot! Things were looking dire for the Bend Bulletin and its staff and readers, but a local buyer -- the company that publishes the East Oregonian and a bunch of other smaller papers - stepped in. That can only be a good thing for the area. The other bidders were likely to gut the operation and suck up as much profit as possible, which seems to be the current business model for some of these big chain owners.

I hope you get the cross-channel swim in. Where's it at? Do you have to time it around barges, or do they divert river traffic?

Yes, we're pretty pleased with our local Madras paper and encouraged with the recent changes at the Bulletin.

Your question about the cross-channel swim is interesting.  I hadn't given barges much thought.  The river will be totally blocked for at least a couple hours while they set up, swim and then break down the line of SUP, Kayaks, and boats that will line both sides of the swim lane.  I assume they schedule it when there aren't any barges??  That said, they used to do a local run where we ran across the freight train tracks and they never knew if a train would block our path or not.  We asked why they didn't get a schedule and they explained that they won't even give the schedule to the sheriff...terrorist concerns.  Officially called the Roy Webster Cross Channel Swim and it's the 76th year so I assume they've figured out those details.

***

This morning was a 16 mile bike ride followed by a 3 mile run.  It wasn't a true brick workout as I stopped for a drink and changed into my running clothes.  It felt really awkward and slow so I was shocked to look at my watch and realize I was running under 11:30 pace.  I ended up with an 11:15 pace HR 150.  So my HR was up a bit from my recent runs but it was higher when I started and it was warm and humid by the time I ran so I wasn't surprised.  The pace did surprise me.  No where near the 10:00 pace I'd like to be running but much better than my runs the last few weeks.  I have learned that I'm slow to warm up and do better once I get warm so maybe that was it.  Whatever it was it was a nice surprise.

Agreed.  I warm up the first mile, too.  Good run, as well.  Keep plugging away!

Oh, your comment about me picking up "Good on you" from A Place in the Sun.  The reason is...I had closed captioning on.

Mark, you ought to check out "A Place in the Sun"  6 seasons, ~12 episodes a season, set in early 50's Australia.  Seems like a "Dynasty" in Australia.

Family has been keeping me busy!  Gary and Shannon headed to the coast to watch Emma play in a HS volleyball tournament Friday and Saturday.  They left Izzy (13) and Abby (11) home.  We had them over for meals and made sure they remembered to do their chores and get ready for school to start.  They are both preparing for accelerated classes.  The boys wanted to have dinner with cousins so we had everyone here for dinner last night.  It was loud, entertaining, and a lot of fun.

Finishing up a few chores this morning and heading off to church.  Things are slow enough on the farm that Marty has decided to travel to the swim with me.  We'll head out mid-afternoon so that we can have an early dinner, check in, figure out where I need to be in the morning and get to bed early.  Weather still looks good.

I'll have to admit that I'm a bit nervous...not worried but nervous.

Sounds like you're having a good, busy weekend. 

I can totally understand the nerves before the big swim. It's a big undertaking. But great fun, I bet.

Roy Webster Cross Channel Swim.  Stevenson Washington to Cascade Locks.  I could not have had a better day!!  The weather was absolutely perfect.  Everyone was so friendly and welcoming.  My GPS didn't connect so I didn't get a distance but it was supposed to be 1.37 miles.  I expected to swim for an hour.  I swam it in 32 minutes!  Marty missed watching me get out of the water as I encouraged him to go have breakfast while I swam and I beat him.  Not sure if the distance was off or if the current helped or ?? but I felt absolutely fantastic the entire time.  Technique wasn't great as I had to spend quite a bit of time sighting to make sure I didn't drift to far downstream.  Wasn't physically hard to stay in the swim lane but did take some concentration.  420 swimmers.  I stopped maybe 3 times for a couple seconds to tread water and just look around.  It's quite an experience to find yourself in the middle of the Columbia River.  I could not have scripted a better day.

Mark...yes, there are barges in the river.     After I finished Marty and I looked up and realized that as the last swimmers were coming across the SUP and Kayaks closed in and brought up the rear and a barge snuck by behind them.  Looked pretty cool.

Woot! What a fantastic swim! You finished in just over half the time you expected?!

Fast Freddy is a fish.

I laughed when I saw the photo of the barge passing by the group. It was a good distance away from the swimmers, but I bet those things look like supertankers if you're a swimmer in the water with them. 

I was wondering where the swim was held. Cascade Locks makes a lot of sense. It's got that great park next to the water (and great ice cream cones on the main drag for recovery), and the current might be less intense, since it's in the pool behind Bonneville Dam.

Mark B wrote:Woot! What a fantastic swim! You finished in just over half the time you expected?!

Fast Freddy is a fish.

I laughed when I saw the photo of the barge passing by the group. It was a good distance away from the swimmers, but I bet those things look like supertankers if you're a swimmer in the water with them. 

I was wondering where the swim was held. Cascade Locks makes a lot of sense. It's got that great park next to the water (and great ice cream cones on the main drag for recovery), and the current might be less intense, since it's in the pool behind Bonneville Dam.

Still not sure if the distance was off or the current helped but it was definitely faster than I expected...wish it carried over to my running.  Interesting...I was exhausted last night (and today).  I'm guessing that the nervousness just got the best of me.

Funny thing about the barge.  It never crossed my mind until you mentioned it.  We all laughed and wondered after you mentioned it so when the barge slipped by just after the last swimmer it was pretty funny.  We entered the water in groups of 10...42 flights.  They had it down to a science and were pretty quick but it had to take at least a minute to get 10 swimmers out on the other side of the railing ready to jump.  So maybe 45 minutes to get us all in.  The first swimmers had finished when the last swimmers jumped in.  I would guess that we had the river pretty well blocked with swimmers, kayaks, SUP, and emergency boats for close to 2 hours.  And there is no way they could get a barge through safely during the swim.  I'm guessing that they publicized the event and scheduled the barges?????  Pretty tough to stop a barge headed down river.

Cascade Locks was the perfect venue.  It's actually been held in Hood River for 75 years.  This was the first year at Cascade Locks.  I guess Roy Webster made his solo swim there so that's where they held it.  It's been cancelled a few years...including last year due to high winds.  We heard rumors about the actual reason for moving it.  They reason they are putting out is that Best Western Hood River was demanding each swimmer pay $20 for breakfast whether they wanted it or not.  And I think getting the Stern Wheeler to Hood River was costly as well.  So this year the price actually went down to $65 (was $85 without breakfast last year).  And I think it was a better swim location and a better venue.  It was also an hour later so we didn't have to wait to board the boat in the dark.  Everyone sure seemed to like the new location.  But it was perfect weather so that could have been part of it.

And yes, we chose Huckleberry Ice Cream...

***

16 mile bike ride today.  They changed the bike course and took out the hills but I can't get to/from the pool without tackling them so they are still a part of my training rides.

Nice job!   That actually looks like a fun swim.  And that was the right choice - huckleberry that is.

OMG, huckleberry ice cream ... yum!

I bet they communicated with the tug captain to time out their passage. 

Sounds like a fun event!

Good times (and time) for you, Nancy!

With regard to your statement, " Interesting...I was exhausted last night (and today).  I'm guessing that the nervousness just got the best of me."  I was wondering if age and cardiac history is causing this.

My scenario was on Tuesday when after walking the parking garage 3 times, I had to put on a dinner party for 5 that night.  I wasn't a lunatic scooting from here to there, but I never got the chance all day to sit and veg out until 9:30 p.m.  Nothing hurt and I didn't feel spent throughout the day, but like you, I guess it all caught up.  Wednesday morning came and I turned off the alarm and slept another 2 hours.

Thoughts?

ounce wrote:Good times (and time) for you, Nancy!

With regard to your statement, " Interesting...I was exhausted last night (and today).  I'm guessing that the nervousness just got the best of me."  I was wondering if age and cardiac history is causing this.

My scenario was on Tuesday when after walking the parking garage 3 times, I had to put on a dinner party for 5 that night.  I wasn't a lunatic scooting from here to there, but I never got the chance all day to sit and veg out until 9:30 p.m.  Nothing hurt and I didn't feel spent throughout the day, but like you, I guess it all caught up.  Wednesday morning came and I turned off the alarm and slept another 2 hours.

Thoughts?

I definitely think age is a factor.  I don't handle stress or getting out of my routine nearly as well as I did when I was younger.  As far as cardiac history, you're still recovering and so I do think that might be a factor.  But supposedly...my cardiologist claims...I'm fully recovered.  My EF is up to 70% so that shouldn't affect my fitness.  I do have slight electrical issues/damage but it shouldn't affect my fitness either.  It just increases my risk for more serious electrical issues in the future.  I'm going to blame old age.

***

Life is hectic to say the least.  No babies yet.  The twins are due to arrive via C-section on Friday the 13th.  Natalie isn't sleeping well and she's ready!  Life is going to be interesting for the first couple weeks.  Natalie's folks are here to help especially while we're still farming.  We've had cooler weather and some rain which has been good for the new crops but is making harvesting parsley seed, carrot seed, and our last cutting of hay difficult.

Getting in a decent amount of run/bike/swim.  Nothing spectacular but enough to feel OK about the MAC Dash on Saturday morning.  

Life goes on...

Oh, now that would be cool to be born on Friday, the 13th.  A classroom with the twins getting their classmates indoctrinated that the 13th isn't really a bad thing.  I personally love the 13th.

Good luck to Natalie, but especially to all of the grandparents.  Be on the lookout for Natalie suffering from the pregnancy version of TAPER MADNESS!!!!



Couldn't resist 

ounce wrote:Oh, now that would be cool to be born on Friday, the 13th.  A classroom with the twins getting their classmates indoctrinated that the 13th isn't really a bad thing.  I personally love the 13th.

Good luck to Natalie, but especially to all of the grandparents.  Be on the lookout for Natalie suffering from the pregnancy version of TAPER MADNESS!!!!



Couldn't resist 

Oh she's been there for the last few days.    She's done extremely well but she's ready to get on with this!  We did manage to organize it so that Kevin and Natalie could have an evening alone last week and they also had a really fun weekend with the boys that included a short walk to the Head of the Metolious River.  Mark has probably been there.  It's about an hour from home near Sisters Oregon.  A full size river bubbles up.  It has special memories for me.  It was one of my Dad's favorite places.  We didn't travel much as we were always working but I do remember him taking us there several times.  We lived on the other side of the mountain so it was a three hour drive.  As I said it's a pretty special place for me.

We are all kind of laughing about the birth being planned for Friday the 13th.  Natalie and Kevin don't mind at all.  It will inspire some laughs as they grow up I'm sure.

Janice and I decided to do a practice 500 at the pool this morning.  We usually do more intervals and change things up during our workouts but we were both curious.  I managed to squeak in at 9:59.  Janice was disappointed with her 10:15.  Not quite as fast as we've done in the past but considering that we lost our coaches months ago I guess it could be worse.

We're both a bit nervous about how the race is going to go on Saturday.  Not because of our fitness...we expect to be slower than in the past...but because it seems so unorganized.  

They did not request swim times at registration.  We have no idea how they placed us in our swim heats.  They usually start with the slower swimmers and the faster swimmers are last.  In the past we've been in heat 3 or 4 but that was when they had 7 heats.  This year they only have 5 heats.  I'm in 4 and Janice is in 5.???????  The only explanation we can come up with is that maybe they are putting all the teams in Heat 5 (Janice is just swimming).

They changed both the bike and run course.  They claim it was to make it easier (less hills) and provide more interaction between racers but I think it was because they don't have enough volunteers.  They expect us to count our own bike laps.  I know it's only 4 but I guarantee that there will be mistakes and problems.  It's hard to count to 4 when you're pushing hard.

Oh well.  We mumbled and complained a bit and then decided to go have fun and keep our streaks alive.  (We've both done every race since it started in 2008.  I think there are maybe 5 of us that have done every race.)

Weather looks good for the race.  

Have a great race! It sounds like they're not as well organized as they used to be. It's good that you're planning to just have fun and keep the streak alive. No point stressing out over something outside of your control, right?

Mark B wrote:Have a great race! It sounds like they're not as well organized as they used to be. It's good that you're planning to just have fun and keep the streak alive. No point stressing out over something outside of your control, right?

Exactly!  And it wasn't like I was planning on this being a goal race anyway...

"It's hard to count to 4 when you're pushing hard."


I suggest you take your 10-key with you.  

Good luck on Saturday and get that Age Group ribbon!  Sounds like a low budget operation.


So Nancy, what is Natalie's appointment time at the hospital for the C section?  Maybe we 3 can estimate a time of birth for each of the bundles of joy?  Give us the surgery starting time and we'll put in the time guessing PT zone.  One guess per baby.  (There IS supposed to be just 2, right?  No third baby hiding behind the other 2?  )

I hope both come with the standard equipment.

Since I don't know the time of surgery, my guess is:

Thing 1 - 10:42 a.m. PT
Thing 2 - 3:44 p.m. PT