Re: Wandering aimlessly...

nkrichards Wed Oct 31, 2018 11:11 am

OK...so to set up for the big news...

Mon - BB Back/Biceps, Swim 2100 yds
Tue - Pilates, Run 4.25 w/4 @ 11:37 HR 140
Wed - BB Shoulders, Swim 2150 yds, Run 5.25 w/5 @ 11:39 HR 140
Thur - BB Legs, Pilates, Run 5.45 w/5 @ 11:05 HR 136
Fri - Swim 2200 yds, Run 4.4 w/4 @ 11:16 HR 141
Sat - BB Chest/Triceps, Run 6.3 w/6 @ 11:55 HR 138
Sun - BB Back/Biceps, Hike Smith Rock 5.25 mi w/2247' elevation
Mon - BB Shoulders, Swim 2250 yds, Run 4.4 w/4 @ 11:53 HR 135
Tue - BB Legs, Pilates

So...I've been trying to run easier effort and keep my HR down a bit. No intervals. Much less fast finish if any. Run more often but easier effort. It's frustrating for me. Fortunately I'm in the middle of the local Cardio Challenge where we track minutes spent doing cardio exercise so I get more credit when I run slower and it takes more minutes. Laughing

It was mid September when I wandered down this new path. I was running at/around 12:00 pace but my avg HR was still in the low 150's - high 140's. I plodded along and saw slight improvement with my avg HR dropping into the mid-lower 140's if I didn't get carried away and run to fast. I headed out on Thursday. I was tired. I was late. I wasn't expecting much but wanted to keep the consistent running going. Early in the run I realized I was running faster than I should...but it felt easier than expected...AND MY HR WAS STILL LOW! I figured what the heck and kept up the pace just to see what happened. I got in 5 miles at an 11:05 pace and my average HR was only 136! Confirmed the HR on my second watch and it registered at 134!! What...I hate to admit that Mark may have been right all along...Happy Birthday Mark!

Not that an 11:05 pace is fast by any stretch of the imagination but to run at that pace at this point in time and keep my HR and perceived effort as low as they were is astounding. I've been trying to ramp up the days that I run each week...I've always been a 3 day a week runner but the efforts have been higher. I've got a few 4 days/week under my belt. Last week was 5 days. I'm having more trouble finding time to run than struggling with recovery as I have in the past. I plan to start easing into a bit of faster stuff when I'm ready. Maybe start with striders and then intervals and short tempo runs. But I'll do it gradually and keep those easy runs in the schedule. Who knows where this new path will take me...

Michele "1L" Keane Wed Oct 31, 2018 1:50 pm

Woohoo!!

ounce Fri Nov 02, 2018 10:37 pm

Very cool. Maffetone is good, if you want to let it work. It's like adding an additional gear in your transmission, where your engine is turning 138 rpm, but you're going faster because the gear is higher (more efficient for the rpm used).

I didn't have the patience for it, a few years ago, and my HRM on the Garmin was constantly screwing up.

Thanks for the info on the trains. Going by in the dark doesn't sound appealing at all.

nkrichards Mon Nov 05, 2018 12:05 pm

ounce wrote:Very cool. Maffetone is good, if you want to let it work. It's like adding an additional gear in your transmission, where your engine is turning 138 rpm, but you're going faster because the gear is higher (more efficient for the rpm used).

I didn't have the patience for it, a few years ago, and my HRM on the Garmin was constantly screwing up.

Thanks for the info on the trains. Going by in the dark doesn't sound appealing at all.

I don't have the patience for true Maffetone. According to his formula I'd need to do everything under a 110 HR. Not sure I could walk and keep it that low. I'm pretty pleased with my relatively low effort runs. I'm consistently finishing my runs with HR under 140. I upped my distance to 7 miles on Saturday and was able to keep my HR at 136. I did a short run on Sunday and added in some 30 second striders. It was late and windy and not the best conditions but I decided to give it a go. The first couple were into a headwind and I felt like was floundering. They felt pretty awkward. But I gradually got into a bit better rhythm and the the last ones felt pretty good. I guess it's because I'd been plodding along at a pretty slow pace for the last few weeks. Oddly enough even though I felt like I was pushing pretty hard...and the pace on the last few confirm that...my HR didn't go up all that much and it recovered quickly. Of course they were only 30 seconds of hard effort.

I finished off the week with...
Wed - Swim 1650 yds
Thur - Pilates, Run 5.25 w/5 @ 11:21 HR 145 (?)
Fri - Run 5.3 w/5 @ 11:48 HR 140
Sat - BB Cardio Flow, Run 7.25 w 7 @ 11:58 HR 136
Sun - BB Total Body, Run 3.8 w/6 x :30 striders (2:00 rest)

I'm going to blame my higher HR on Thursday and Friday on the 3 boys staying overnight. They are a handful! I finally took them outside to race from tree to tree in the front yard and we also all went to the pool. They did great at the pool and I managed to leave with all their shoes, coats, suits, towels, and 3 smiling boys!

Ultreya...

nkrichards Wed Nov 07, 2018 3:45 pm

Darn grandkids shared their bug with me! It's a nasty one.

I did my BB cardio workout on Monday morning but by the time I headed to the pool I was starting to feel a bit off. I went ahead and swam a very easy 30 minutes. Other than a 20 minute walk yesterday I've been staying pretty quiet in order to give my body some time to recover.

Ugh...I don't like sitting still...

ounce Thu Nov 08, 2018 11:43 pm

nkrichards wrote:Darn grandkids shared their bug with me! It's a nasty one.

I did my BB cardio workout on Monday morning but by the time I headed to the pool I was starting to feel a bit off. I went ahead and swam a very easy 30 minutes. Other than a 20 minute walk yesterday I've been staying pretty quiet in order to give my body some time to recover.

Ugh...I don't like sitting still...

Pediatricians haven't created a forehead notification of bug infestation, yet?

Well, Sleep

to lose the Embarassed

(supposed to be a fever, not embarrassed). And give Freddy a chill pill, too!

Nice job on returning all of the boys' clothing to their home. Guess the bug missed that trip back.

nkrichards Sat Nov 10, 2018 10:40 am

ounce wrote:
nkrichards wrote:Darn grandkids shared their bug with me! It's a nasty one.

I did my BB cardio workout on Monday morning but by the time I headed to the pool I was starting to feel a bit off. I went ahead and swam a very easy 30 minutes. Other than a 20 minute walk yesterday I've been staying pretty quiet in order to give my body some time to recover.

Ugh...I don't like sitting still...
Pediatricians haven't created a forehead notification of bug infestation, yet?

Well, to lose the (supposed to be a fever, not embarrassed). And give Freddy a chill pill, too!

Nice job on returning all of the boys' clothing to their home. Guess the bug missed that trip back.

This bug is persistent! I feel a bit better for a couple hours and then it's back with a vengeance. I did manage a short easier version of a Beachbody workout yesterday but I felt pretty puny. I've also been walking down to get the paper everyday which is a mile RT so I at least I get a bit of easy activity in. Hope it doesn't morph into something more serious...

Marty is due home from elk hunting later today. Gary was able to call from the ridge top to let us know that all 4 hunters with tags got nice big bulls. They are hunting in the Snake River unit this year...Marty's favorite area. It's a tough area and also hard to get tags there so they saved up their points and then split the party. 4 hunters got tags this year and the other 3 went along to pack gear and manage the camp. Next year they'll reverse that and Marty will be in the support crew for the other 3 hunters. He enjoys that part of hunting.

Hoping that Marty and I can get back into an active routine. We both want to make an effort to workout regularly this winter.

Curling up by the fire with a cup of lemon ginger tea...

ounce Sat Nov 10, 2018 2:18 pm

Do you think you may need to trim it back a bit more to corral the bug? It'd be a shame to still be fighting it come Thanksgiving.

I've not hunted before (yeah, weird for as long as I've lived in Texas). How much meat off the elk can one expect and does it being in below or near freezing weather allow for field dressing at their leisure? Thanks.

nkrichards Sat Nov 10, 2018 4:05 pm

ounce wrote:Do you think you may need to trim it back a bit more to corral the bug? It'd be a shame to still be fighting it come Thanksgiving.

I've not hunted before (yeah, weird for as long as I've lived in Texas). How much meat off the elk can one expect and does it being in below or near freezing weather allow for field dressing at their leisure? Thanks.

Staying a bit active but definitely cut back...will head to the doctor if I don't get better soon. We are scheduled to have the boys from Nov 19-Nov 23 while Kevin and Natalie attend a wedding in Mexico so I have to get better by then!

The cold weather helps keep the meat from spoiling. It's good for it to "hang" a couple days before it's cut. They actually allow beef to hang in a cooler a few days after slaughter before they cut it. They skin, gut, and quarter the animals in the field and then pack out the quarters and the heads/antlers. They have access to a cooler to hang them once they get home and will get together to cut the meat in a few days. They normally cut it themselves but we also have a friend who was a butcher that will cut it for us or you can take it to a butcher but it's expensive. An elk is the size of a small cow. An average steer/cow hangs at maybe around 600 lbs so I'm guessing that these may hang at around 450 lbs. We usually keep the best steaks and roasts and grind the rest for burger (nice and lean) or to make summer sausage or pepperoni. It's a nice lean supplement to our farm raised beef, pork, and lamb.

Katie just got a new job. She'll be working back in the Portland area but the company is headquartered in Austin so she's hoping she'll get to make a trip there at some point. She realized that she preferred life in the city as opposed to living on the rural side of the mountains. Smile

nkrichards Mon Nov 19, 2018 1:39 pm

Definitely showing signs of improvement especially from Friday on. Back to most of my activities just keeping the efforts easy as I'm not 100% yet.

Really fun day on Saturday. We started out with the group run (Eagle Bakery Run). I paired up with a couple others and we ran down Willow Creek Trail a bit. We got in an easy effort 3.4 miles. It was fun to get off the road. I was amazed at how sore I was afterwards. It takes different muscles to run on the trail!

After returning to the bakery a group of us headed over to the yoga studio for a group cardio workout. It was the last group activity for the local cardio challenge and counted for double minutes. Really challenging and really fun! The cardio challenge ends on Wednesday. We track our minutes doing cardio activities for 50 days. I'm competing both as an individual and as a member of a team. Super fun community activity. Unfortunately I haven't been able to keep my minutes up while I've been sick but I think I'll still do OK.

I've got the three boys again. They spent the night last night and I'll have them until mid-day Friday. They have activities in the morning on MTW so I have a bit of free time but it's going to limit what I can do. They are fun but it's more challenging to take care of grandkids than your own kids.!

Mark B Tue Nov 20, 2018 9:57 am

nkrichards wrote:
So...I've been trying to run easier effort and keep my HR down a bit. No intervals. Much less fast finish if any. Run more often but easier effort. It's frustrating for me. Fortunately I'm in the middle of the local Cardio Challenge where we track minutes spent doing cardio exercise so I get more credit when I run slower and it takes more minutes. It was mid September when I wandered down this new path. I was running at/around 12:00 pace but my avg HR was still in the low 150's - high 140's. I plodded along and saw slight improvement with my avg HR dropping into the mid-lower 140's if I didn't get carried away and run to fast. I headed out on Thursday. I was tired. I was late. I wasn't expecting much but wanted to keep the consistent running going. Early in the run I realized I was running faster than I should...but it felt easier than expected...AND MY HR WAS STILL LOW! I figured what the heck and kept up the pace just to see what happened. I got in 5 miles at an 11:05 pace and my average HR was only 136! Confirmed the HR on my second watch and it registered at 134!! What...I hate to admit that Mark may have been right all along...Happy Birthday Mark!

Wait. What?!?

Woot! Amazing and weird, isn't it? It looks like the change kicked in right on schedule, about six weeks after starting up. (That's how long it takes the body to adapt.) Now, here's the cooler thing: If you keep at it, you'll continue to see improvements, smaller increments at every three weeks or so and bigger steps at six weeks. And those improvements can continue for quite some time. It'll greatly improve your endurance and speed over distance. It feels like a bass-ackward way to get there, but it works!

And this is just about the best BD present ever! Very Happy

Mark B Tue Nov 20, 2018 9:59 am

Mark B wrote:
nkrichards wrote:
So...I've been trying to run easier effort and keep my HR down a bit. No intervals. Much less fast finish if any. Run more often but easier effort. It's frustrating for me. Fortunately I'm in the middle of the local Cardio Challenge where we track minutes spent doing cardio exercise so I get more credit when I run slower and it takes more minutes. It was mid September when I wandered down this new path. I was running at/around 12:00 pace but my avg HR was still in the low 150's - high 140's. I plodded along and saw slight improvement with my avg HR dropping into the mid-lower 140's if I didn't get carried away and run to fast. I headed out on Thursday. I was tired. I was late. I wasn't expecting much but wanted to keep the consistent running going. Early in the run I realized I was running faster than I should...but it felt easier than expected...AND MY HR WAS STILL LOW! I figured what the heck and kept up the pace just to see what happened. I got in 5 miles at an 11:05 pace and my average HR was only 136! Confirmed the HR on my second watch and it registered at 134!! What...I hate to admit that Mark may have been right all along...Happy Birthday Mark!

Wait. What?!?

Woot! Amazing and weird, isn't it? It looks like the change kicked in right on schedule, about six weeks after starting up. (That's how long it takes the body to adapt.) Now, here's the cooler thing: If you keep at it, you'll continue to see improvements, smaller increments at every three weeks or so and bigger steps at six weeks. And those improvements can continue for quite some time. It'll greatly improve your endurance and speed over distance. It feels like a bass-ackward way to get there, but it works!

And this is just about the best BD present ever! Except it's for you.

ounce Sun Nov 25, 2018 11:12 pm

nkrichards wrote:
ounce wrote:Do you think you may need to trim it back a bit more to corral the bug? It'd be a shame to still be fighting it come Thanksgiving.

I've not hunted before (yeah, weird for as long as I've lived in Texas). How much meat off the elk can one expect and does it being in below or near freezing weather allow for field dressing at their leisure? Thanks.
Staying a bit active but definitely cut back...will head to the doctor if I don't get better soon. We are scheduled to have the boys from Nov 19-Nov 23 while Kevin and Natalie attend a wedding in Mexico so I have to get better by then!

The cold weather helps keep the meat from spoiling. It's good for it to "hang" a couple days before it's cut. They actually allow beef to hang in a cooler a few days after slaughter before they cut it. They skin, gut, and quarter the animals in the field and then pack out the quarters and the heads/antlers. They have access to a cooler to hang them once they get home and will get together to cut the meat in a few days. They normally cut it themselves but we also have a friend who was a butcher that will cut it for us or you can take it to a butcher but it's expensive. An elk is the size of a small cow. An average steer/cow hangs at maybe around 600 lbs so I'm guessing that these may hang at around 450 lbs. We usually keep the best steaks and roasts and grind the rest for burger (nice and lean) or to make summer sausage or pepperoni. It's a nice lean supplement to our farm raised beef, pork, and lamb.

Katie just got a new job. She'll be working back in the Portland area but the company is headquartered in Austin so she's hoping she'll get to make a trip there at some point. She realized that she preferred life in the city as opposed to living on the rural side of the mountains.

Thanks for the breakdown on the elk. That helps.

Katie ought to like Austin. It's half again as big as Portland, college town, eclectic, have exact same "Keep Austin Weird" font for their shirts, and lots of traffic. It's humidity is less than Houston, as it's in the Texas Hill Country. I haven't been there in many, many years.

Austin had been the capitol of 'Southern cool' but Houston took that title, this year. Not by choice, but we didn't want it so bad that we now have it. There are many bedroom communities and San Antonio is 80 miles south. I wouldn't be surprised if the HQ is in Round Rock or Georgetown.

nkrichards Tue Nov 27, 2018 5:43 pm

Mark B wrote:
Mark B wrote:
nkrichards wrote:
So...I've been trying to run easier effort and keep my HR down a bit. No intervals. Much less fast finish if any. Run more often but easier effort. It's frustrating for me. Fortunately I'm in the middle of the local Cardio Challenge where we track minutes spent doing cardio exercise so I get more credit when I run slower and it takes more minutes. It was mid September when I wandered down this new path. I was running at/around 12:00 pace but my avg HR was still in the low 150's - high 140's. I plodded along and saw slight improvement with my avg HR dropping into the mid-lower 140's if I didn't get carried away and run to fast. I headed out on Thursday. I was tired. I was late. I wasn't expecting much but wanted to keep the consistent running going. Early in the run I realized I was running faster than I should...but it felt easier than expected...AND MY HR WAS STILL LOW! I figured what the heck and kept up the pace just to see what happened. I got in 5 miles at an 11:05 pace and my average HR was only 136! Confirmed the HR on my second watch and it registered at 134!! What...I hate to admit that Mark may have been right all along...Happy Birthday Mark!

Wait. What?!?

Woot! Amazing and weird, isn't it? It looks like the change kicked in right on schedule, about six weeks after starting up. (That's how long it takes the body to adapt.) Now, here's the cooler thing: If you keep at it, you'll continue to see improvements, smaller increments at every three weeks or so and bigger steps at six weeks. And those improvements can continue for quite some time. It'll greatly improve your endurance and speed over distance. It feels like a bass-ackward way to get there, but it works!

And this is just about the best BD present ever! Except it's for you.

Mark...Your birthday present is admitting you've been right all along. Mine is finally realizing it and reaping the running rewards.

Still plugging along with mostly easy runs but once in awhile I sneak in a fast mile or two. On Friday I headed out and felt pretty good after having Thursday off. Turned it into a progression run. Encouraging splits...
11:26 HR 130
11:24 HR 141
11:01 HR 142
10:49 HR 148
9:47 HR 154

Overall @ 10:53 HR 143 Pretty pleased. Fastest run in a long time and my HR stayed pretty good until the last couple miles when I dropped the pace. That last mile was at MP. I haven't run a MP pace mile in months! And to be able to do it at the end of a 5 miler felt really good. I'm not to disappointed with the HR during that mile either. It would have been above 160 in the past.

Even more encouraging was the fact that I ran again on Saturday and Sunday. 5 miles on Saturday @ 11:58 HR 136. 4 miles on Sunday @ 11:56 HR 131. I know that those runs aren't technically Maffetone runs but they are about as close as I'm ever going to get. Maybe the fact that I've decided I need to try something different...realized I couldn't continue to do the same thing and expect different results...and the fact that I decided that I'd concentrate on a running goal as swimming and biking while in Australia wasn't going to be a good option... I'm not saying I've picked a specific running goal in my near future but maybe there will be one. Running

***

Doug...Katie is excited to be starting her new job in Portland on Thursday. I talked to her a bit more about Austin. She expects to make a trip to the headquarters there sometime fairly soon but nothing in the works yet. She doesn't expect to be transferred there permanently but is hoping that eventually she'll be able to work remotely a bit so that she has some flexibility and can travel a bit without missing work.

***

Oh...I almost forgot to mention. The kids were all gone over the holiday. Marty and I had the three boys. We got up early and I made waffles for breakfast. We loaded up and headed out to search for and cut down a Christmas tree. Found a nice tree and the boys entertained us during the drive. Marty offered to stop at McDonalds for lunch!!! What?? We had Happy Meals for our Thanksgiving lunch and the boys thought it was perfect. Surprised

I made homemade Chicken Noodle Soup for dinner which is one of their favorites. All the kids made it back home on Friday so I cooked a Turkey and all the fixings on Saturday. It was an exhausting week with the boys but a fun one.

Trying to figure out when to squeeze in my run today...

ounce Tue Nov 27, 2018 9:56 pm

Very nice splits, ma'am!
cheers

I know you love it.

As far as Katie, I'd recommend not going to Austin in January and February due to winter. Austin is more likely to get an ice storm than Houston. They don't get snow or ice storms enough to be properly schooled in driving in that kind of weather.

Sounds like an excellent Thanksgiving week, too!

nkrichards Wed Nov 28, 2018 2:10 pm

ounce wrote:Very nice splits, ma'am!

I know you love it.

As far as Katie, I'd recommend not going to Austin in January and February due to winter. Austin is more likely to get an ice storm than Houston. They don't get snow or ice storms enough to be properly schooled in driving in that kind of weather.

Sounds like an excellent Thanksgiving week, too!

I do love running Doug. I thought I'd enjoy doing something different...and I did...but I missed running. Sigh...this is not what I expected when I downloaded a Couch to 5K training plan in January of 2007.

Pretty sure that if Katie makes a trip to Austin it will be later next year once she gets settled in and they are sure she's going to be a member of the team for an extended length of time. I'll keep you posted.

***

Really struggling to find time to fit in my runs. Lots of family stuff that's been getting in the way...and that's going to get even worse this weekend. And it was raining with winds of 20 mph yesterday. Just couldn't bring myself to go out...and we all know how much I dislike running on the dreadmill...

So after my three day streak last Fri/Sat/Sun this is what I've managed so far this week...

Mon - BeachBody Back/Chest, Swim 1250 yds, Treadmill run 3 miles
Tue - BeachBody Legs, Pilates, Treadmill run 3 miles
Wed - Aqua Jogging, Swim 1550 yds (First really good swim workout I've done in several days. We got in some really nice fast intervals.)

I am going to get in an outdoor run today as well!!!!!!

Life is good...

ounce Thu Nov 29, 2018 6:14 pm

nkrichards wrote:
ounce wrote:Very nice splits, ma'am!

I know you love it.

As far as Katie, I'd recommend not going to Austin in January and February due to winter. Austin is more likely to get an ice storm than Houston. They don't get snow or ice storms enough to be properly schooled in driving in that kind of weather.

Sounds like an excellent Thanksgiving week, too!
I do love running Doug. I thought I'd enjoy doing something different...and I did...but I missed running. Sigh...this is not what I expected when I downloaded a Couch to 5K training plan in January of 2007.

Pretty sure that if Katie makes a trip to Austin it will be later next year once she gets settled in and they are sure she's going to be a member of the team for an extended length of time. I'll keep you posted.

***

Really struggling to find time to fit in my runs. Lots of family stuff that's been getting in the way...and that's going to get even worse this weekend. And it was raining with winds of 20 mph yesterday. Just couldn't bring myself to go out...and we all know how much I dislike running on the dreadmill...

So after my three day streak last Fri/Sat/Sun this is what I've managed so far this week...

Mon - BeachBody Back/Chest, Swim 1250 yds, Treadmill run 3 miles
Tue - BeachBody Legs, Pilates, Treadmill run 3 miles
Wed - Aqua Jogging, Swim 1550 yds (First really good swim workout I've done in several days. We got in some really nice fast intervals.)

I am going to get in an outdoor run today as well!!!!!!

Life is good...

you've always managed to fit things in. I guess that's maybe the only benefit of Fast Freddy that I see.

I enjoy running, as well.

How's Augie doing, by the way?

nkrichards Sat Dec 08, 2018 8:47 pm

Doug...Fast Freddy is banned indefinitely. He just causes trouble and doesn't help me accomplish my goals at all!

Augie is doing well. He's a farm dog and we're trying to make sure he bonds with Marty so I don't spend much time with him. He did end up under a tire a few months ago. He wasn't hurt seriously but he does have a permanent limp. He still runs and plays. He barks when he should...and sometimes when he shouldn't. He stays home pretty well. He does wander up to Kevin or Gary's house on occasion but usually it's when he follows one of their dogs home. Country/farm dogs live a very different life than city dogs. He's filling his role as a farm dog well.

***
Here's what I've done since I last posted.

Wed 28th - I did get my outdoor run in after Aqua jogging and swimming. Run 5 @ 10:44 HR 139
Thur 29th - Pilates, Run 5 @ 12:03 HR 133
Fri 30th - BB Arms/Shoulders, Off to Sunriver for our family holiday get-together
Sat 1st - Family stuff
Sun 2nd - Family stuff but home in time to Run 5 @ 11:42 HR 142
Mon 3rd - BB Full Body HIIT (Last workout in LIIFT program) then headed off to take our Mom's home
Tue 4th - BB Upper Body Fix (First workout in 21 Day Fix), Run 5 @ 11:26 HR 144
Wed 5th -BB Lower Body Fix, Swim 1400 yds all at recovery effort, Run 5.25 @ 11:37 HR 144
Thur 6th - BB Pilates Fix, Pilates Class, Run 5 @ 11:18 HR 149
Fri 7th - BB Cardio Fix, Swim 2050 yds with some alternate breathing practice and some nice fast intervals, Run 3 @ 12:04 HR 137
Sat 8th - BB Dirty 30 Fix, Breakfast with Santa , Run 7 @ 11:53 HR 136

There is a lot of data in there. Pretty pleased with my runs on the 28th and 29th. Not so pleased with my runs on the 2nd through the 6th. It was COLD...25-27 degrees. I was pushed for time and stressed out. I ran them faster than a true easy pace. It showed in my HR. I choose to run a shorter distance this Friday and to really try hard to maintain an easy pace. It was better. My 7 miler today made me smile. It was a longer run, only a bit slower but obviously close to an easy pace and I'm pretty happy with that HR. It was a bit warmer today...33 degrees...not sure if that helped or not.

My resting HR still hasn't settled down completely from when I was sick. It went up 10 bpm then settled down a bit but is still a bit higher than it was before I got sick. I'm sure that affects my HR when I run so I'm not panicking about those mediocre mid-week runs but I am keeping an eye on both HR and pace.

***

Breakfast with Santa was fun. It was a fund raising event at Owen's school. Natalie's folks from Minnesota are here visiting so all the grandparents were able to attend. The boys really enjoyed it and we all enjoyed watching them.

It's a busy time of year complicated by the fact that we're doing a few things differently on the farm knowing that we'll be short irrigation water next year. We're planting some crops this fall that we usually plant in the spring in the hopes that they can utilize the winter moisture and will require less irrigation to get them to harvest next spring/summer. And we're headed off to Australia on Dec. 30th. We'll be gone till Feb 4th so I'm trying to get as much of the end of the year accounting done as possible before we leave. AND the lady we'd been leasing 100 acres from since 1992 passed away last year. Her heirs decided to sell and offered it to us. We close on Jan 2nd. The cropland won't take much additional work but the house and yard are in need of A LOT of work and we'll be landlords once we get the house cleaned up.

Life goes on...

Michele "1L" Keane Sat Dec 15, 2018 3:07 pm

Sorry about the drought conditions - if I could I would send you some rain as we have had ENUF ALREADY! All running routes by the river have been flooded in spots for weeks and it just keeps raining!

ounce Tue Dec 18, 2018 12:02 am

Boy, I stay away for a while and you're going out of country, becoming a land baroness, and who knows WHAT else!

How did the thing with the county, y'all, and the people next to y'all wanting to build a house near y'alls property line? Still negotiating?

Yes, your HR will get back to it's baseline, but on its own time. You've kept it happy and made it feel important.

Enjoy!

ounce Mon Dec 24, 2018 11:39 pm

I guess it'll be getting hard into Summer, when y'all are there. Enjoy that and have a good Christmas!

nkrichards Wed Dec 26, 2018 1:55 pm

I haven't posted in a loooong time. Sorry.

So to update you on life.

We close on the farm purchase on Jan 2nd but are signing tomorrow.
The LUBA appeal is still progressing through the system...slowly because of the holidays. We're cautiously optimistic. The system functions well at the state level. It's the county level that is giving us trouble.
We got a bit of moisture here at home and the mountains are finally white but we're still significantly drier than normal. We've made some changes on our farm rotation to allow us some flexibility and opportunities to use the water we have on the higher crops. Next year may be a tough year.
I'm working my way through my to-do list before we head overseas on Sunday. We'll start packing tonight. I'd forgotten how hard it is to prepare for a 5 week trip!
We had a nice holiday. Lots of time with family spread out over several days.

And training...

Marty and I have been doing a workout together for 30-40 minutes 6-7 mornings a week. He's quite dedicated and often encourages me to do it even when I'm ready for a break. We do a mix of upper body, lower body, core, HIIT, with/without weights, Yoga... It's fun to do it with him!
I'm still swimming 2-3 times a week. Janice and I swim together most days and struggle to go at the official Masters Time so we often don't have an assigned workout. We swim harder and longer when the coaches give us a workout.
Still running 4-5 times a week and keeping it an an easy effort 6 mile run most days. I did sneak in a workout with 8 x 1:00 intervals a couple weeks back. It went well. I went long (10 miles) last Saturday. It also went well. Finished with an 11:39 pace and HR 147. That's a bit higher than I wanted to see on my HR but I allowed myself to increase the pace a bit as the run progressed. In hindsight it was a bit faster than it probably should have been but not terrible.
The holidays are making it hard to stay on schedule and traveling is going to make it even more difficult. My goal is to keep running as much as my schedule allows with the thought that I may actually be relatively prepared for the Heart Breaker Half on Feb 17th.

Off to pack bags and catch up on office chores...

Mark B Wed Dec 26, 2018 11:51 pm

Wow, I bury myself in a gross of Kleenex for a few months, and see what you've gotten yourself into!

LUBA, oh, so unfun. Good luck!

Buying the farm. (Wait. That didn't sound right.) PURCHASING more farmland. (Yes! That's better.). Nice that you're able to afford the expansion, and hopefully the property taxes won't be too onerous. Are you planning to rent out the house that's on the property now?

Australia! Pack light clothes! I just saw a forecast for Down Under, and it looks seriously hot, with water conditions that make ours look positively swampy. Here's hoping we at least have a wetter spring. The forecast for snow isn't too promising, though.

Good job on all the things, and keeping fit in the off season. You're an inspiration!

ounce Sat Dec 29, 2018 11:10 am

Have fun, down there, and don't catch any Nepal or Aussie flu while there, too!

ounce Wed Jan 02, 2019 9:12 pm

Well, you've been gone 4 days, now, and I thought I'd show you a picture (not an actual picture but a photographer's rendition) of Augie taken today.

2 - Wandering aimlessly... - Page 3 Images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTdyq1zgNA9_nq0X4Z0jpIbn49J1PuWNEfDMqIIgaPpvgfvRJhGCQ

2 - Wandering aimlessly... - Page 3 Images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTdyq1zgNA9_nq0X4Z0jpIbn49J1PuWNEfDMqIIgaPpvgfvRJhGCQ

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