The Lake of the Woods Run is on June 2nd, and I'm rapidly running out of time to get in any kind of shape. I've managed to get in a few rides and a few runs, but I'm definitely not race ready.
Last Monday I hopped on my bike and went for a 27 mile ride, and other than the fact that by the time I finished I felt like I was sitting on a steel bar it was pretty good. Of course since the weather has warmed up a little bit the wind has decided to blow so I had to deal with headwinds for about half the ride. The good thing about riding a circuit is that if you're fighting the wind on one portion, you have a nice tailwind on another portion. On Monday's ride I had a pretty good breeze in my face on the way out, a nice tailwind on about part of the way back, crosswinds for about two thirds of the ride, and a nasty headwind for about 3 miles when I was almost done and really tired. Over all it was a good ride and I did it fairly fast.
On Wednesday I took my running clothes to work and did the OIT 5 k route so I could get a few hills in. It felt pretty good...at least in comparison to last year's runs where I had to walk. The wind was gusting to about 20 mph and of course was in my face when I was struggling up the first hill, but I run slow enough that other than being aggravating it doesn't affect me. I ran right at a 10 minute mile pace, so I felt pretty good about the run.
Friday I decided that I need to start adding miles, so I headed out to Reeder Road to do get in a 4 mile out and back. The weather was amazing. Temps were in the low 70s, and there was only a slight breeze (5-10 mph). I opted to start the run with the breeze at my back which proved to be wise...after my turn around point the wind kept me from sweating too much. I got in my 4 miles in just over 43 minutes, so I'm averaging just over 10 minute miles.
I need to somehow pick up my mileage, whether it's running or riding probably doesn't matter too much. Counting today I only have 13 days to get ready for Lake of the Woods, and I'm really worried. The last time I ran the race really sucked. Between the hills and the altitude I almost died. I have to work until after 3 today, but I'm seriously thinking about heading up to Lake of the Woods to do a practice run...which if I manage to do, will probably do absolutely NOTHING to relieve my anxieties.
Any suggestions on a 1 1/2 week training regimen for a hilly 5k at altitude?
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Hill Time!
Since Janet and I have signed up for the Lake of the Woods 5 k, I decided that it's time to get serious about trying to get in shape, so hopefully I'll be a little bit more diligent with posts in my blog. Check back every couple of days...I should have new stuff on here (since the only time I manage to blog is when I'm trying to run).
My daughter Laurie and I ran the race two years ago, and the freakin' thing almost killed me. There are two options in the race...you can do a 5 k, or for people who are actually RUNNERS there is a 15 k route that goes completely around the lake. You're running at an elevation of 5000 feet for the majority of the race, and they've sprinkled it with a liberal addition of hills. Even though they aren't exceptionally long and you don't gain much elevation, for some reason there seem to be a cajillion of them, and the race practically killed me.
Because of my miserable experience on our last venture, I decided that the best way to try to get ready was to leave my comfortable route on the flat OC&E Trail and do some hills. Today after church I threw on my running stuff and headed out to OIT to do a 3 mile run that I mapped out about 10 years ago.
Tomorrow I won't get to run (have to build a gate for my horses to move from one pasture to another), but I plan on running OIT at least once per week. There are some other out and backs I can add to the run to get in more mileage and some more hills, so by the time June 2nd gets here hopefully I'll be in shape enough that the eleveation and little hills at Lake of the Woods won't be so brutal.
My daughter Laurie and I ran the race two years ago, and the freakin' thing almost killed me. There are two options in the race...you can do a 5 k, or for people who are actually RUNNERS there is a 15 k route that goes completely around the lake. You're running at an elevation of 5000 feet for the majority of the race, and they've sprinkled it with a liberal addition of hills. Even though they aren't exceptionally long and you don't gain much elevation, for some reason there seem to be a cajillion of them, and the race practically killed me.
Because of my miserable experience on our last venture, I decided that the best way to try to get ready was to leave my comfortable route on the flat OC&E Trail and do some hills. Today after church I threw on my running stuff and headed out to OIT to do a 3 mile run that I mapped out about 10 years ago.
The run is actually pretty fun. It starts out with a downhill for a little less than half a mile, and then you have a pretty decent uphill for about half a mile. You do a quick turn around in the parking lot of New Corporation, and run back down the hill to Dan O'Brian Way. There are a couple of long hills that you get to tackle, but there is minimal traffic and the shoulder is about 4 feet wide so cars aren't an issue. You also don't have to deal with any of the fair weather folk who seem to frequent the OC&E Trail anytime the sun shows its face. That means that you don't have to deal with dogs, old people walking 4 abreast who can't hear you coming and seem irritated when you pass them.
All in all, the run is a pretty good one. According to Google Earth it's exactly 3.1 miles, which lets me check my progress on reaching my time goal for Lake of the Woods. Although it's about 900 feet lower than the elevation at which we'll be running in June, it's hilly enough to be fairly challenging.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Really Quick
The title to this post has nothing to do with running. As much as I would LIKE to refer to my runs as really quick, that's probably not going to happen any time soon, unless I go for a really SHORT run, and count that as being really quick.
The "Really Quick" that I'm referring to is how fast I'm going to write this post. I'm at work, and don't have time to write my normal novel. There's something about having your boss looking over your shoulder when you're blogging while you're supposed to be working that has a detrimental effect on creativity.
My last post was April 1st, and today's April 16th. That's a pretty decent stretch with no posts. I went for a 5 1/2 mile run on April 7th, and ran a couple of times the week before that, but my exercise has diminshed greatly. I rode my bike about 15 miles on April 10th, and climbed Stukel yesterday (3 mile round trip, 1800+ feet of vertical gain), but my running has pretty much come to a halt.
We went to Boise last weekend and I'm using that as an excuse, even though my wife managed to get in a 10 mile run. I've never liked running while I'm on vacation, so even though Janet managed to get her run in I was extra lazy and stayed in bed.
This week might be better...I'm planning on trying to get back into a regular schedule. Stay tuned....
The "Really Quick" that I'm referring to is how fast I'm going to write this post. I'm at work, and don't have time to write my normal novel. There's something about having your boss looking over your shoulder when you're blogging while you're supposed to be working that has a detrimental effect on creativity.
My last post was April 1st, and today's April 16th. That's a pretty decent stretch with no posts. I went for a 5 1/2 mile run on April 7th, and ran a couple of times the week before that, but my exercise has diminshed greatly. I rode my bike about 15 miles on April 10th, and climbed Stukel yesterday (3 mile round trip, 1800+ feet of vertical gain), but my running has pretty much come to a halt.
We went to Boise last weekend and I'm using that as an excuse, even though my wife managed to get in a 10 mile run. I've never liked running while I'm on vacation, so even though Janet managed to get her run in I was extra lazy and stayed in bed.
This week might be better...I'm planning on trying to get back into a regular schedule. Stay tuned....
Sunday, April 1, 2012
NO WIND!!!!
I just got back from a little jog on the OC&E Trail.
We stayed up late last night...at least late for old people. Three of our kids are here...Doug (home from Boise State for Spring Break), Donald (living with us to save money while going to school at OIT), and Jeff (living in Seattle...visiting for his birthday so Janet could make him coffee cake). Jeff came with his wife and two kids, and Janet and I watched two of our wonderful grandkids while the adults went to my mother-in-law's house to play Wi. Long story short, I fell asleep in my recliner while Janet entertained Ellouise. About 11 pm I staggered up to bed, but I have no idea when Janet came to bed. At any rate, we slept in this morning...I finally got up and fed the horses about 7:30.
I've found that the best way to go for a run is to not think about it....just put on my running stuff and go. So that's what I did. I thought for a couple of minutes about why I shouldn't go...it's Sunday and I should be watching our Church's Semi-Annual General Conference (lds.org in case you're interested), I shouldn't actually be running on Sunday, I went 4 miles yesterday and need a rest day, it's cold, Janet wasn't running today, I'm old, I'm still fat (even though I've lost over 30 pounds since Feb. 1st), my knees hurt, my feet hurt, it snowed last night and I could slip on the ice, Micah True (ultra runner in Born to Run) died while running and since I'm almost as old as he was the same thing could easily happen to me, I just got out of the shower and would have to take another one when I got home, my kids are here visiting and I should be spending time with them...but even though ALL were legitimate excuses, none of them were good enough to compensate for the reason I wanted to go...I pigged out yesterday and put on a few pounds.
As I mentioned in my excuses, I'm fat. In January I had gotten up to 210 pounds, so I decided it was WAY past time to lose weight. One of my co-workers had lost a bunch of weight doing a diet called Plan Z by Zola, and I was offered the chance to try the diet myself and do on-air testimonials. I started the program on February 1st by doing a two day eating binge...and February 3rd began the dieting portion of the plan. I got to 176.2 on March 26th...pretty amazing.
Yesterday I completely blew off the diet. Jeff came down so my wife would make him coffee cake, which is absolutely amazing. During this diet I've passed on milkshakes (Donald gets Janet to make them 2 to 3 times per week), home made bread, popovers, carameled popcorn, scones, pizza, and a host of other foods that I love to eat. Yesterday I said "screw this...I'm going to eat." So that's exactly what I did. I was living on 800 calories or less per day, and I'm now supposed to up to 2000 calories...yesterday I pounded down well over 3000 calories, and the vast majority of them were sugar based. I had 3/4 of a coffee cake, Tang, milk, and a bunch of other stuff that's definitely not on my approved list of foods. Today I'm paying for it. I put on weight that I shouldn't have put on, but while I was feasting on my 3rd piece of coffee cake I really didn't care...it was worth it.
The wind has been blowing hard for well over two weeks. We've had snow, rain, snow and rain, rain and snow, rain and wind, wind and rain, rain wind and snow, snow wind and rain, wind and wind, more wind, no sun and wind, wind, strong wind, hurricane force wind, and yesterday more wind. Get the picture? The weather definitely hasn't been running friendly for quite some time. So today when I woke up (late) and didn't hear the wind whistling through the spruce trees in our yard, without even looking outside I knew I needed to run. It was 29 degrees, we had a skiff of new snow (the 3 inches we got yesterday melted), but most importantly, the wind was under 10 mph.
Back to my run. The run was great. I drove out to the OC&E Trail, and there was only one other car in the parking lot. I decided I'd go for 5 miles, so I headed into the wind with the intent of doing a 2 1/2 mile out and back...and that's what I was able to do. I'm not running fast by any means, but I did the entire 5 miles without any walking. I felt good after the first 1/2 mile, and even fleetingly considered going 6. The run was a success. I haven't weighed myself since I got back, but I'm pretty sure that I lost a couple of the extra pounds that I put on with yesterday's eating binge. It was worth it.
We stayed up late last night...at least late for old people. Three of our kids are here...Doug (home from Boise State for Spring Break), Donald (living with us to save money while going to school at OIT), and Jeff (living in Seattle...visiting for his birthday so Janet could make him coffee cake). Jeff came with his wife and two kids, and Janet and I watched two of our wonderful grandkids while the adults went to my mother-in-law's house to play Wi. Long story short, I fell asleep in my recliner while Janet entertained Ellouise. About 11 pm I staggered up to bed, but I have no idea when Janet came to bed. At any rate, we slept in this morning...I finally got up and fed the horses about 7:30.
I've found that the best way to go for a run is to not think about it....just put on my running stuff and go. So that's what I did. I thought for a couple of minutes about why I shouldn't go...it's Sunday and I should be watching our Church's Semi-Annual General Conference (lds.org in case you're interested), I shouldn't actually be running on Sunday, I went 4 miles yesterday and need a rest day, it's cold, Janet wasn't running today, I'm old, I'm still fat (even though I've lost over 30 pounds since Feb. 1st), my knees hurt, my feet hurt, it snowed last night and I could slip on the ice, Micah True (ultra runner in Born to Run) died while running and since I'm almost as old as he was the same thing could easily happen to me, I just got out of the shower and would have to take another one when I got home, my kids are here visiting and I should be spending time with them...but even though ALL were legitimate excuses, none of them were good enough to compensate for the reason I wanted to go...I pigged out yesterday and put on a few pounds.
As I mentioned in my excuses, I'm fat. In January I had gotten up to 210 pounds, so I decided it was WAY past time to lose weight. One of my co-workers had lost a bunch of weight doing a diet called Plan Z by Zola, and I was offered the chance to try the diet myself and do on-air testimonials. I started the program on February 1st by doing a two day eating binge...and February 3rd began the dieting portion of the plan. I got to 176.2 on March 26th...pretty amazing.
Yesterday I completely blew off the diet. Jeff came down so my wife would make him coffee cake, which is absolutely amazing. During this diet I've passed on milkshakes (Donald gets Janet to make them 2 to 3 times per week), home made bread, popovers, carameled popcorn, scones, pizza, and a host of other foods that I love to eat. Yesterday I said "screw this...I'm going to eat." So that's exactly what I did. I was living on 800 calories or less per day, and I'm now supposed to up to 2000 calories...yesterday I pounded down well over 3000 calories, and the vast majority of them were sugar based. I had 3/4 of a coffee cake, Tang, milk, and a bunch of other stuff that's definitely not on my approved list of foods. Today I'm paying for it. I put on weight that I shouldn't have put on, but while I was feasting on my 3rd piece of coffee cake I really didn't care...it was worth it.
The wind has been blowing hard for well over two weeks. We've had snow, rain, snow and rain, rain and snow, rain and wind, wind and rain, rain wind and snow, snow wind and rain, wind and wind, more wind, no sun and wind, wind, strong wind, hurricane force wind, and yesterday more wind. Get the picture? The weather definitely hasn't been running friendly for quite some time. So today when I woke up (late) and didn't hear the wind whistling through the spruce trees in our yard, without even looking outside I knew I needed to run. It was 29 degrees, we had a skiff of new snow (the 3 inches we got yesterday melted), but most importantly, the wind was under 10 mph.
Back to my run. The run was great. I drove out to the OC&E Trail, and there was only one other car in the parking lot. I decided I'd go for 5 miles, so I headed into the wind with the intent of doing a 2 1/2 mile out and back...and that's what I was able to do. I'm not running fast by any means, but I did the entire 5 miles without any walking. I felt good after the first 1/2 mile, and even fleetingly considered going 6. The run was a success. I haven't weighed myself since I got back, but I'm pretty sure that I lost a couple of the extra pounds that I put on with yesterday's eating binge. It was worth it.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
March Madness
Today is the last day of March...the 31st...the 11th day of spring. There's an old saying about March that says something to the effect of "March came in like a lion, and went out like a lamb." At least I THINK that's what it's supposed to do. Well down here in Southern Oregon, in Klamath Falls, Oregon's "City of Sunshine", March came in like a lion and went out like a freaking hurricane. Literally. Right now it's snowing sideways. We have winds that are supposed to approach 40 mph, we're under a "winter storm warning, and the weather sucks. That seems to be a common subject in every one of my posts this year. Maybe we should move.
In spite of the nasty weather, I managed to get in a 4 mile run this morning. Going out was brutal, because the wind was in my face. It wasn't a direct headwind, but it was enough that it made running very tough. After about 1/2 a mile I came to a screeching halt, and told myself that to run in that kind of weather was ridiculous, walked 5 total steps, and then resumed my run. I knew that once I hit the two mile mark and turned around I'd have the wind at my back and could then pretend to be a runner, so that gave me something to look forward to...so on I went.
About 1 1/2 miles into the run I passed my wonderful wife (going the other direction, with the wind at her back) who was just past the midpoint of her 10 mile trek, and that gave me some encouragement. I told myself that if Janet could deal with the wind that I could too, so managed to pick my pace up a tad. At any rate, the run was good...after I made the turn.
If I knew how to post pictures I'd show you the current weather conditions. We now have over an inch of snow in our yard, and it's supposed to continue all day and most of the night. We need the moisture, but it would be nice if it would rain in the Basin, and snow in the mountains.
Oh well...no one forces us to live here.
In spite of the nasty weather, I managed to get in a 4 mile run this morning. Going out was brutal, because the wind was in my face. It wasn't a direct headwind, but it was enough that it made running very tough. After about 1/2 a mile I came to a screeching halt, and told myself that to run in that kind of weather was ridiculous, walked 5 total steps, and then resumed my run. I knew that once I hit the two mile mark and turned around I'd have the wind at my back and could then pretend to be a runner, so that gave me something to look forward to...so on I went.
About 1 1/2 miles into the run I passed my wonderful wife (going the other direction, with the wind at her back) who was just past the midpoint of her 10 mile trek, and that gave me some encouragement. I told myself that if Janet could deal with the wind that I could too, so managed to pick my pace up a tad. At any rate, the run was good...after I made the turn.
If I knew how to post pictures I'd show you the current weather conditions. We now have over an inch of snow in our yard, and it's supposed to continue all day and most of the night. We need the moisture, but it would be nice if it would rain in the Basin, and snow in the mountains.
Oh well...no one forces us to live here.
Friday, March 30, 2012
???????
One of the toughest things for me about blogging (is that a word?) is coming up with clever titles for whatever story I concoct. It shouldn't be a problem, and it really shouldn't make a difference WHAT I stick up there, but for me it's a major obstacle. In today's rambling I'm already half a paragraph into my post and don't have a clue what I'm going to write about. Maybe the run I did yesterday while I was supposed to be working? Is that wise? To admit on a publicly accessible venue that I took a longer lunch than I was supposed to? I think that's what I'll address today.
The weather yesterday was horrible. Pretty much like it has been continually for the last 3 weeks. Klamath Falls boasts that it's Oregon's City of Sunshine, and we're supposed to see the sun over 330 days out of the year, but this year seems to be an exception. I can't REMEMBER the last time I saw the sun! I think it's tried to shine a couple of times, but the freaking WIND has been blowing so hard any sunbeams that might have somehow managed to sneak through the cloud cover have gotten blown back into space! Nasty weather doesn't usually bother me, but this stuff has gotten old. Enough about weather...back to my run.
I had a couple of work appointments yesterday morning, and after completing them, headed home to try to get a run in before the rain we had in the forecast hit. It was windy again, with sustained winds of 15+ mph, and gust up to 25, so I knew it wasn't going to be pleasant. The wind was from the Southeast, which meant that my trip out on the OC&E wouldn't be much fun. Long story short, it wasn't much fun. The good thing is that when you start into the wind on an out-and-back the return trip is much better, and it definitely was. I got in 4 miles (actually a little bit more than 4....I walked for about 50 yards at the 1 1/2 mile mark, so put in an extra 1/4 mile to make up for it.
The run was successful. I felt pretty good, but I'm still running really slowly, and really struggle mentally to keep going. In fact, the 50 yards that I walked wasn't out of necessity. I wasn't short of breath, my legs felt good...for some reason I just shut down. It's bizarre, but sometimes that happens to me during a run. I don't know if it was the wind or what, but I somehow convinced myself that I needed to walk, and that's what I wound up doing. It's frustrating, becasue I knew that I didn't need to, but presto chango....one second I'm running, and the next I'm walking. Wierd, isn't it?
I don't know what I'm going to do today. I'd like to go for a run during lunch again today, but the weather is actually a little worse than yesterday (more high winds, and raining hard) so I'm not sure what to do. Janet is supposed to go 10 miles today, so I won't be running with her...tomorrow's weather is supposed to be like today's with the exception of snow instead of rain...I'll have to see how I feel in about 4 hours.
I'll keep you posted.
The weather yesterday was horrible. Pretty much like it has been continually for the last 3 weeks. Klamath Falls boasts that it's Oregon's City of Sunshine, and we're supposed to see the sun over 330 days out of the year, but this year seems to be an exception. I can't REMEMBER the last time I saw the sun! I think it's tried to shine a couple of times, but the freaking WIND has been blowing so hard any sunbeams that might have somehow managed to sneak through the cloud cover have gotten blown back into space! Nasty weather doesn't usually bother me, but this stuff has gotten old. Enough about weather...back to my run.
I had a couple of work appointments yesterday morning, and after completing them, headed home to try to get a run in before the rain we had in the forecast hit. It was windy again, with sustained winds of 15+ mph, and gust up to 25, so I knew it wasn't going to be pleasant. The wind was from the Southeast, which meant that my trip out on the OC&E wouldn't be much fun. Long story short, it wasn't much fun. The good thing is that when you start into the wind on an out-and-back the return trip is much better, and it definitely was. I got in 4 miles (actually a little bit more than 4....I walked for about 50 yards at the 1 1/2 mile mark, so put in an extra 1/4 mile to make up for it.
The run was successful. I felt pretty good, but I'm still running really slowly, and really struggle mentally to keep going. In fact, the 50 yards that I walked wasn't out of necessity. I wasn't short of breath, my legs felt good...for some reason I just shut down. It's bizarre, but sometimes that happens to me during a run. I don't know if it was the wind or what, but I somehow convinced myself that I needed to walk, and that's what I wound up doing. It's frustrating, becasue I knew that I didn't need to, but presto chango....one second I'm running, and the next I'm walking. Wierd, isn't it?
I don't know what I'm going to do today. I'd like to go for a run during lunch again today, but the weather is actually a little worse than yesterday (more high winds, and raining hard) so I'm not sure what to do. Janet is supposed to go 10 miles today, so I won't be running with her...tomorrow's weather is supposed to be like today's with the exception of snow instead of rain...I'll have to see how I feel in about 4 hours.
I'll keep you posted.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Really Quick....(NOT my run!)
Just a really quick post...I'm at work and need to do stuff, so I don't have much time. I'm writing just to stay caught up on my blog.
I didn't run last night. We had a radio-thon to raise money for the Sky Lakes Medical Center Cancer Treatment Center, and didn't get home until about 6:45. The wind was blowing pretty hard, I was hungry, and couldn't convince myself that I needed to run two days in a row, so I took it off. Another excuse I have is that as I was leaving home to go back to the Radiothon at 4:30 Janet came trotting up the road as she finished her 5 mile jaunt. She looked like she was about to die, and I decided at that point that I just didn't feel like running.
Today, however, is a new day....and I'm going running either at noon, or immediately following work. We're supposed to get more wind, so it's not going to be pleasant no matter when I go. Forecasts call for 40 mph gusts again, which definitely makes for miserable running. I don't think it's supposed to snow today, so if it doesn't THAT will be a plus, but it still won't be fun. I'll probably make it another 2 mile adventure, although I'd really like to go 4. We'll see what happens and hopefully I can give an update tomorrow.
Happy Spring!! (I'm ready for something else.)
I didn't run last night. We had a radio-thon to raise money for the Sky Lakes Medical Center Cancer Treatment Center, and didn't get home until about 6:45. The wind was blowing pretty hard, I was hungry, and couldn't convince myself that I needed to run two days in a row, so I took it off. Another excuse I have is that as I was leaving home to go back to the Radiothon at 4:30 Janet came trotting up the road as she finished her 5 mile jaunt. She looked like she was about to die, and I decided at that point that I just didn't feel like running.
Today, however, is a new day....and I'm going running either at noon, or immediately following work. We're supposed to get more wind, so it's not going to be pleasant no matter when I go. Forecasts call for 40 mph gusts again, which definitely makes for miserable running. I don't think it's supposed to snow today, so if it doesn't THAT will be a plus, but it still won't be fun. I'll probably make it another 2 mile adventure, although I'd really like to go 4. We'll see what happens and hopefully I can give an update tomorrow.
Happy Spring!! (I'm ready for something else.)
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Spring in Klamath.....SUCKS!!!
Some places in the world have 4 seasons. They have a nice, warm, summer with green grass, flowers everywhere, blue skies dotted with puffy white clouds, birds singing, bees humming, and kids playing. Then in late September the grass quits growing, deciduous trees turn vivid shades of red and gold, geese head south in ragged Vs, and kids head back to school. Generally after Thanksgiving Old Man Winter gradually takes hold, and the land is covered with a beautiful mantle of white fluffy snow, that deadens sounds, and gives photographers the opportunity of taking wonderful pictures of snow laden evergreens dotted with fluffy chickadees feasting on whatever seeds they can find. Sometime around mid-March, the snow gives way to extended periods of sun...the snow melts, tulips sprout, grass turns green, and leaves start showing their foliage.
In Klamath Falls we also have 4 seasons. 4 seasons of winter. There is no summer...I've seen it snow on the valley floor every month except August. There is no fall. We head from August (which can have temps in the 90s one day, and highs in the 30s the next) directly into winter. There might be a couple of days where we think we'll have Fall, but those thoughts are short-lived when temps drop into single digits and it snows in September. When winter hits in September, it stays...and stays...and stays...and stays...and stays...and stays...you get the picture. Then in January, for very brief time (maybe 4 days) the weather here TRIES to pretend that we'll have Spring. The sun will show its face, it will warm up to 70 degrees, kids will start playing baseball, insects will come out of hibernation (I've gotten attacked by mosquitoes in January), and everyone will be happy and positive. But it's all a facade...shortly winter will rear it's ugly head, the winds will reach gale force, and whatever snow we get comes in the form of snirt.
That's what we've had since mid-January. Cold, windy, miserable, winter. I ran 2 miles last night in 30+ mph steady winds, with gusts that hit 40. We have snow on the ground this morning, with more forecast for later in the day. It's March 28th....it's supposed to be Spring, with flowers peeking out of the ground and buds on the trees. But this is Klamath Falls. The land of perpetual winter. Where it's tough to go for a run. If you live in a normal place...somewhere where there are 4 distinct seasons...enjoy them. I'm jealous.
In Klamath Falls we also have 4 seasons. 4 seasons of winter. There is no summer...I've seen it snow on the valley floor every month except August. There is no fall. We head from August (which can have temps in the 90s one day, and highs in the 30s the next) directly into winter. There might be a couple of days where we think we'll have Fall, but those thoughts are short-lived when temps drop into single digits and it snows in September. When winter hits in September, it stays...and stays...and stays...and stays...and stays...and stays...you get the picture. Then in January, for very brief time (maybe 4 days) the weather here TRIES to pretend that we'll have Spring. The sun will show its face, it will warm up to 70 degrees, kids will start playing baseball, insects will come out of hibernation (I've gotten attacked by mosquitoes in January), and everyone will be happy and positive. But it's all a facade...shortly winter will rear it's ugly head, the winds will reach gale force, and whatever snow we get comes in the form of snirt.
That's what we've had since mid-January. Cold, windy, miserable, winter. I ran 2 miles last night in 30+ mph steady winds, with gusts that hit 40. We have snow on the ground this morning, with more forecast for later in the day. It's March 28th....it's supposed to be Spring, with flowers peeking out of the ground and buds on the trees. But this is Klamath Falls. The land of perpetual winter. Where it's tough to go for a run. If you live in a normal place...somewhere where there are 4 distinct seasons...enjoy them. I'm jealous.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Weekend Runs
The wind was blowing hard on Friday, so I opted to not go for a run after work. By about 10 pm, the wind had completely stopped, and I was really tempted to grab my head lamp and go out to the OC&E Trail for a quick run, but better sense prevailed (actually my wife told me that I was an idiot and should run with her Saturday morning) so I didn't go.
Saturday's run was okay, but it's pretty obvious that I'm not anywhere near being in decent shape. Janet was supposed to go for a 4 mile run, so I decided that I'd give it a shot also. I was hoping that she'd go in a different direction than I planned, but to my disappointment she opted to go the same direction. It's not that I don't enjoy running with her, but I was worried that either my pace wouldn't be fast enough for her and I'd kill myself trying to keep up and I'd keel over dead half way through, or I'd go too fast for her. I have a tough time running with other people because most of them are in better shape than I am and I wind up killing myself to try to stay up, and it makes the run less than pleasant. At any rate, we ran together for about 100 yards, and then I ran at my pace and Janet ran at her pace. I wound up walking another 1/4 of a mile past the 2 mile turn around point, so my dear wife finished well ahead of me.
The run was actually kind of fun. For a few minutes at about the 1 mile point I felt like I could run. The wind wasn't too bad (5-10 mph headwind going out), it wasn't very cold (38), and there were lots of critters to look at (cows, a couple of horses, and tons of birds). The bad thing is that I've lost over 30 pounds since February 1st, and don't have as much extra padding to keep me warm...even though I could easily stand to lose another 15 or so pounds. My hands absolutely froze. I was wearing a pair of cotton gloves, and within the first mile my fingers were icicles. I ran with my hands inside the pocket of my sweatshirt for a little while, but the damage was already done so I just toughed it out. I did manage to finish the run, so ran a full 4 miles!!! Success!
Yesterday after church I decided that I'd go for another run and asked Janet if she'd like to go along, but she's much smarter than I and stayed home. I went 3 miles...1 1/2 into a 10+ mph wind on the way out, and then a pleasant 10+ mph tailwind on the way back. No one was on the trail (probably because of the wind and 40 degree temps), so I didn't have to worry about looking like a runner. I got to just run.
I'm not sure whether or not I'll go again tonight. Janet will probably do her run early in the afternoon, and because it's Doug's birthday (home from BSU for Spring Break) I'm guessing we'll have dinner fairly early. We'll see how I feel when I'm done working today.
Saturday's run was okay, but it's pretty obvious that I'm not anywhere near being in decent shape. Janet was supposed to go for a 4 mile run, so I decided that I'd give it a shot also. I was hoping that she'd go in a different direction than I planned, but to my disappointment she opted to go the same direction. It's not that I don't enjoy running with her, but I was worried that either my pace wouldn't be fast enough for her and I'd kill myself trying to keep up and I'd keel over dead half way through, or I'd go too fast for her. I have a tough time running with other people because most of them are in better shape than I am and I wind up killing myself to try to stay up, and it makes the run less than pleasant. At any rate, we ran together for about 100 yards, and then I ran at my pace and Janet ran at her pace. I wound up walking another 1/4 of a mile past the 2 mile turn around point, so my dear wife finished well ahead of me.
The run was actually kind of fun. For a few minutes at about the 1 mile point I felt like I could run. The wind wasn't too bad (5-10 mph headwind going out), it wasn't very cold (38), and there were lots of critters to look at (cows, a couple of horses, and tons of birds). The bad thing is that I've lost over 30 pounds since February 1st, and don't have as much extra padding to keep me warm...even though I could easily stand to lose another 15 or so pounds. My hands absolutely froze. I was wearing a pair of cotton gloves, and within the first mile my fingers were icicles. I ran with my hands inside the pocket of my sweatshirt for a little while, but the damage was already done so I just toughed it out. I did manage to finish the run, so ran a full 4 miles!!! Success!
Yesterday after church I decided that I'd go for another run and asked Janet if she'd like to go along, but she's much smarter than I and stayed home. I went 3 miles...1 1/2 into a 10+ mph wind on the way out, and then a pleasant 10+ mph tailwind on the way back. No one was on the trail (probably because of the wind and 40 degree temps), so I didn't have to worry about looking like a runner. I got to just run.
I'm not sure whether or not I'll go again tonight. Janet will probably do her run early in the afternoon, and because it's Doug's birthday (home from BSU for Spring Break) I'm guessing we'll have dinner fairly early. We'll see how I feel when I'm done working today.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Another Run
I went for another run last night. 3 miles. WITHOUT WALKING!!! The pace was really slow, in fact it wasn't much faster than when I do walk....but that's okay. The important thing is that I went.
The wind wasn't blowing much at all, so when I got home from work Janet and I headed out to the OC&E Trail so she could get her work out in. She was supposed to go 3, and I was originally only going to do 2 3/4, but I thought I would run with her and see how I felt and MAYBE do the full 3. I was actually looking forward to running with my wife, but when we got ready to start she decided to run with the wind at her back for the first 1 1/2 miles so she could have a cooling headwind on the way back. Cooling headwind? It was !! Who needs a cooling headwind when any exposed flesh freezes? I didn't have gloves, and my windbreaker wasn't long enough to tuck my hands in the sleeves...my hands had icicles hanging off each finger! Anyway, Janet headed east and I headed west, so we didn't run together. I felt really good when I got to my original turnaround point, so I headed to the point that would give me a 3 mile run. When I made the turn and headed for the parking lot the wind was at my back, I had a slight downhill for about 1/2 mile, and I actually felt like a RUNNER. It was GREAT!!!
We're going again tonight. Right now it's snowing, but temps are in the high 20s, and the forecast calls for highs around 50, so by 5:00 it shouldn't be too bad. I'll give it a shot again tonight and see how I do.
The wind wasn't blowing much at all, so when I got home from work Janet and I headed out to the OC&E Trail so she could get her work out in. She was supposed to go 3, and I was originally only going to do 2 3/4, but I thought I would run with her and see how I felt and MAYBE do the full 3. I was actually looking forward to running with my wife, but when we got ready to start she decided to run with the wind at her back for the first 1 1/2 miles so she could have a cooling headwind on the way back. Cooling headwind? It was !! Who needs a cooling headwind when any exposed flesh freezes? I didn't have gloves, and my windbreaker wasn't long enough to tuck my hands in the sleeves...my hands had icicles hanging off each finger! Anyway, Janet headed east and I headed west, so we didn't run together. I felt really good when I got to my original turnaround point, so I headed to the point that would give me a 3 mile run. When I made the turn and headed for the parking lot the wind was at my back, I had a slight downhill for about 1/2 mile, and I actually felt like a RUNNER. It was GREAT!!!
We're going again tonight. Right now it's snowing, but temps are in the high 20s, and the forecast calls for highs around 50, so by 5:00 it shouldn't be too bad. I'll give it a shot again tonight and see how I do.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Nasty Weather
I decided not to run last night. Winds were HOWLING! When I left work we had 25 mph sustained winds, with gusts up to 35. Except for the fact that it was only about 40 degrees, it was kind of like spring in The Dalles. I used to run in that kind of nasty weather, but with less than 10 total miles under my belt for 2012 I'm not in any kind of shape to fight the wind.
We got a skiff of snow last night, and the forecast calls for more of the same for this afternoon. Even though I like living here in Klamath Falls, it WOULD be nice to have a warm spring some year. Whether the wind is blowing, it's snowing, raining, or the sun is shining brightly (slim chance of that) I'm going running tonight.
Wish me luck!
We got a skiff of snow last night, and the forecast calls for more of the same for this afternoon. Even though I like living here in Klamath Falls, it WOULD be nice to have a warm spring some year. Whether the wind is blowing, it's snowing, raining, or the sun is shining brightly (slim chance of that) I'm going running tonight.
Wish me luck!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
3 In a Row!!
I went for another "run" last night...and managed to finish without crawling!! Amazing!! I headed out to the OC&E Trail after work to see if I could string 3 consecutive days of running together, and found out that it WAS possible!
As I was driving home before the run I was looking for every excuse I could think of to not go...Janet had already made me dinner, my left calf hurt, the wind was blowing 20+ mph, snow/rain appeared to be imminent, according to the Plan Z Diet that I've been doing I'm not supposed to exercise...those are just a few of the thoughts that popped into my mind.
So what did I do? As soon as I walked in the door I threw on my color co-ordinated jogging suit, complete with matching shoes, socks, gloves, and stocking cap and headed out to visit my bovine friends that frequently gather to cheer me on. But alas, when I left my truck to head into the wind, the friendly critters evidently had more sense than I do and were having a meeting on the leeward side of their barn. A couple of them DID manage to yell a couple words of encouragement (maybe they were actually words of derision....the wind garbled the words enough that I couldn't really tell) as I stumbled down the trail, so I felt pretty good.
How was the run? It pretty much sucked. I'm not in any kind of shape to be running into the wind yet. I tried to go slow at first (I knew I'd be going slow at the end) but there were a couple of other foolish people on the trail, and I went out faster than I should have. It worked out okay though. I walked about 50 yards 3/4 of a mile into the run (long enough to catch my breath) and then added a 200 yard recovery walk at the turn around point. Just to make up for the 50 yard walk early in the run I ran an additional 100 or so yards past the end point to ensure that my run was a full 2 3/4 miles. The run actually felt pretty good when I had the wind at my back.
I'm trying to decide whether or not to go again tonight. It would be 4 days in a row, and I know that I should probably do a rest day, but I can't run this Saturday, and there's a good chance that Friday will be out too. I'm really indecisive...I'm afraid of re-injuring myself, but don't want to break my strings of runs until I'm actually sure that I'll be able to start up again after a day's rest. We'll see what happens tonight...if I feel good or if the wind's not blowing, I'll probably go. If it's snowing sideways, I'll give it a rest for a day.
As I was driving home before the run I was looking for every excuse I could think of to not go...Janet had already made me dinner, my left calf hurt, the wind was blowing 20+ mph, snow/rain appeared to be imminent, according to the Plan Z Diet that I've been doing I'm not supposed to exercise...those are just a few of the thoughts that popped into my mind.
So what did I do? As soon as I walked in the door I threw on my color co-ordinated jogging suit, complete with matching shoes, socks, gloves, and stocking cap and headed out to visit my bovine friends that frequently gather to cheer me on. But alas, when I left my truck to head into the wind, the friendly critters evidently had more sense than I do and were having a meeting on the leeward side of their barn. A couple of them DID manage to yell a couple words of encouragement (maybe they were actually words of derision....the wind garbled the words enough that I couldn't really tell) as I stumbled down the trail, so I felt pretty good.
How was the run? It pretty much sucked. I'm not in any kind of shape to be running into the wind yet. I tried to go slow at first (I knew I'd be going slow at the end) but there were a couple of other foolish people on the trail, and I went out faster than I should have. It worked out okay though. I walked about 50 yards 3/4 of a mile into the run (long enough to catch my breath) and then added a 200 yard recovery walk at the turn around point. Just to make up for the 50 yard walk early in the run I ran an additional 100 or so yards past the end point to ensure that my run was a full 2 3/4 miles. The run actually felt pretty good when I had the wind at my back.
I'm trying to decide whether or not to go again tonight. It would be 4 days in a row, and I know that I should probably do a rest day, but I can't run this Saturday, and there's a good chance that Friday will be out too. I'm really indecisive...I'm afraid of re-injuring myself, but don't want to break my strings of runs until I'm actually sure that I'll be able to start up again after a day's rest. We'll see what happens tonight...if I feel good or if the wind's not blowing, I'll probably go. If it's snowing sideways, I'll give it a rest for a day.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Better Day Today
First of all, thanks to my wonderful daughter Laurie for checking out my blog and posting an encouraging message! If by chance someone other than one of my family members happens to stumble on my feable attempt at writing, you can visit a REAL running blog at The (Mis)Adventures of a Jogging Stroller Mom.
Today, since yesterday's suicide attempt was unsuccessful, I decided to give it another shot. This time I decided to head out to familiar grounds, and loaded my carcass in my truck and drove out to the OC&E Trail where my only observers would be of the bovine persuasion. This time of year there are few H. Sapiens, because Klamath Falls, unlike Eugene, is not noted for Inclement Weather Runners. When the sun comes out and the temperature rises above 40 the Fair Weather Joggers in their color co-ordinated jogging outfits show up, but that definitely wasn't the case today. It was great....NO WITNESSES!!!
My run actually wasn't too bad. I was in a really crappy mood when I got home from work, and after snapping at my wonderful wife (who was completely undeserving of my animosity) I decided to try to make amends for yesterday's miserable attempt. So off I went. I ran really slow, but managed to make it a full 2 3/4 miles, and only walked about 75 yards...and that was only to look for one of the mile markers that some Klamath Falls Tool had evidently stolen. I don't know why anyone would get off on ripping off a 4 x 4 post with the number 6.0 emblazoned on it, but this is the Redneck Capitol of the World, and we're populated with idiots, so I guess it's to be expected. At any rate, my run wasn't that bad. My calf felt okay, I wasn't spitting blood, and when I got back to the parking lot I could actually get in my truck without feeling I needed help.
My pace was really slow, but I forced myself to try to run rationally. This is my only my 4th or 5th run since my ill fated Pear Blossom 5k last April, and I'm definitely not going to try to push the pace. I'm old, out of shape, and have nothing to prove to anyone. My goal is to be able to run with my wife as she trains for the Hippie Chick Half in Eugene in May. Today things are looking good. I'll try to keep you posted.
Thanks again for your comments, Laurie! Love you too!
Today, since yesterday's suicide attempt was unsuccessful, I decided to give it another shot. This time I decided to head out to familiar grounds, and loaded my carcass in my truck and drove out to the OC&E Trail where my only observers would be of the bovine persuasion. This time of year there are few H. Sapiens, because Klamath Falls, unlike Eugene, is not noted for Inclement Weather Runners. When the sun comes out and the temperature rises above 40 the Fair Weather Joggers in their color co-ordinated jogging outfits show up, but that definitely wasn't the case today. It was great....NO WITNESSES!!!
My run actually wasn't too bad. I was in a really crappy mood when I got home from work, and after snapping at my wonderful wife (who was completely undeserving of my animosity) I decided to try to make amends for yesterday's miserable attempt. So off I went. I ran really slow, but managed to make it a full 2 3/4 miles, and only walked about 75 yards...and that was only to look for one of the mile markers that some Klamath Falls Tool had evidently stolen. I don't know why anyone would get off on ripping off a 4 x 4 post with the number 6.0 emblazoned on it, but this is the Redneck Capitol of the World, and we're populated with idiots, so I guess it's to be expected. At any rate, my run wasn't that bad. My calf felt okay, I wasn't spitting blood, and when I got back to the parking lot I could actually get in my truck without feeling I needed help.
My pace was really slow, but I forced myself to try to run rationally. This is my only my 4th or 5th run since my ill fated Pear Blossom 5k last April, and I'm definitely not going to try to push the pace. I'm old, out of shape, and have nothing to prove to anyone. My goal is to be able to run with my wife as she trains for the Hippie Chick Half in Eugene in May. Today things are looking good. I'll try to keep you posted.
Thanks again for your comments, Laurie! Love you too!
Sucicide Attempt...
That's probably not a very good start to my post, so I need to clarify it just a little bit.
Here's the story...I'll try to make it brief because I'm at work and I don't want to get fired. I went for what was supposed to be a two mile run yesterday, and less than one mile into it I felt like I was going to die. Literally. I wound up walking for about 50 yards before I'd even gone half a mile...definitely not a good start when I'm trying to get back into a regular running regimen. I walked once more (about 50 yards again) before I hit the one mile mark, and then again at about a mile and a quarter, and then again with only two hundred yards to go. My two mile "run" (I was definitely doing the "old man's shuffle"...can't call it running) wound up being closer to only a mile and three quarters. Pretty pathetic. How did I feel? Like I was going to die. I couldn't breathe, I was freezing, my legs felt weak, I had a taste of blood in my mouth... overall pretty lousy. It wasn't good at all.
So what am I going to do? When I go home for lunch today, I'm strapping on my bright blue Nikes and heading out for another two mile stroll. We'll see what happens.....hopefully I won't die.
I'll try to update again tomorrow. If I'm still breathing.
Here's the story...I'll try to make it brief because I'm at work and I don't want to get fired. I went for what was supposed to be a two mile run yesterday, and less than one mile into it I felt like I was going to die. Literally. I wound up walking for about 50 yards before I'd even gone half a mile...definitely not a good start when I'm trying to get back into a regular running regimen. I walked once more (about 50 yards again) before I hit the one mile mark, and then again at about a mile and a quarter, and then again with only two hundred yards to go. My two mile "run" (I was definitely doing the "old man's shuffle"...can't call it running) wound up being closer to only a mile and three quarters. Pretty pathetic. How did I feel? Like I was going to die. I couldn't breathe, I was freezing, my legs felt weak, I had a taste of blood in my mouth... overall pretty lousy. It wasn't good at all.
So what am I going to do? When I go home for lunch today, I'm strapping on my bright blue Nikes and heading out for another two mile stroll. We'll see what happens.....hopefully I won't die.
I'll try to update again tomorrow. If I'm still breathing.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
A New Start??
Wow. It's been almost a year since I last posted on this poor blog. I just read my last post, and I had grand plans!! I committed to running, and trying to get in some semblance of condition...HA!! THAT didn't last long DID it!
Just to give a brief re-cap, I was signed up to run the Pear Blossom in April, and I actually did a few runs to get in shape and had great intentions. But I went for a run one morning when it was pretty chilly and wound up severely pulling my left calf. Needless to say, that was the end of my training. I rested my calf until the race, and then re-injured the poor thing less than 1/4 mile into it, and it was all I could do to even finish. That was the last time I ran.
I was signed up to ride my bike in the Salt to Saint, a relay race from Salt Lake City to St. George (425 miles), so even though my running came to a screeching halt I did manage to get in fairly decent shape. The race went well, and we're signed up to do it again.
I'm currently on a diet which only allows me to eat lettuce, breadsticks that came across the Atlantic on the Mayflower, a small portion of protein, and a few types of fruit. The whole process sucks, but it's effective...I've lost 28.6 pounds since February 1st. My target weight is 175 pounds, but I only have until March 21st to shed the rest of the weight and it doesn't look like it will happen. That's probably okay. I've done pretty well regardless.
Beginning March 21st I can start running or riding. We'll see what happens to the rest of the weight at that point.
Hopefully I'll be motivated to continue writing until I have something worthwhile to post when I start working out again...we'll see what happens.
Just to give a brief re-cap, I was signed up to run the Pear Blossom in April, and I actually did a few runs to get in shape and had great intentions. But I went for a run one morning when it was pretty chilly and wound up severely pulling my left calf. Needless to say, that was the end of my training. I rested my calf until the race, and then re-injured the poor thing less than 1/4 mile into it, and it was all I could do to even finish. That was the last time I ran.
I was signed up to ride my bike in the Salt to Saint, a relay race from Salt Lake City to St. George (425 miles), so even though my running came to a screeching halt I did manage to get in fairly decent shape. The race went well, and we're signed up to do it again.
I'm currently on a diet which only allows me to eat lettuce, breadsticks that came across the Atlantic on the Mayflower, a small portion of protein, and a few types of fruit. The whole process sucks, but it's effective...I've lost 28.6 pounds since February 1st. My target weight is 175 pounds, but I only have until March 21st to shed the rest of the weight and it doesn't look like it will happen. That's probably okay. I've done pretty well regardless.
Beginning March 21st I can start running or riding. We'll see what happens to the rest of the weight at that point.
Hopefully I'll be motivated to continue writing until I have something worthwhile to post when I start working out again...we'll see what happens.
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