The Life of Mike

I'd like to say life is humdrum or hunky dory right now, but we all know that that's rarely the case for a perfectionist busy-body who never has enough hours in the day to get all of the things done rolling around in his head. That's me in a nutshell. So, I'm checking off project after project as I complete them....buuuutttt, I swear that list isn't getting any smaller.

On the other side of that sheet of paper though are some things that are a little more important to me. Like running, cycling, and co-leading a team of folks to the Tour De Cure this year.

RUNNING: I love it. It clears my head and calms me. I continue to do the basics for right now...a 3.3 mile very hilly trail run done 2-3 times a week. Call it maintnance running. When I can check off a few more items on the other side of this sheet, or after the tour whichever comes first, I'll start longer runs again.

CYCLING: I've got a nice hill training route I do almost every Friday. It's about 13 miles and has an elevation gain of about 1300 feet. And the ride back to the house ends with a nice large hill too, so this is not a slacker ride for sure-(at least for this pup). I'm also doing more training rides with the group little-by-little and getting in mileage on my own also. The best thing so far to happen to me is that one of our local gas stations agreed to allow me to do a fundraising event at the gas station. We're going to advertise in advance and the day of, and provide full-service for all clients (pump thier gas and wash front and back windows) for the price of the regular fuel. We'll be taking donations for the American Diabetes Association for this service. I don't know about anyone else, this station use to have a full service option, which is gone now, but there is nowhere locally that provides full service anymore. So,I'm excited to see how this works. We'll do this on a Friday in about two weeks.

And then there is mowing the lawn, powerwashing the pool deck, planting, getting the irrigation systems up and running again this year, finishing the rain water barrel collection system, getting the facsia and soffet repairs finished, getting a new pool liner installed.....yadda yadda yiippa yappa...ackkkckaa. Anyway, to put it generically "I'm awefully busy".

Those Winter Days

That is "those winter days" that are almost gone...for we in the south at least. I'm finding myself low on the need to write in the blog right now. What can I say, I'm running a little, and ramping up my cycling a bit for a metric (maybe century) in May....Tour De Cure calls again. So, 8 of us escaped for an Olympics/Valentine cabin long weekend get-away. Man, if you can't take a real vacation and leave the country or head out a few states, then a long weekend near home is always a good thing. We got snowed in the night we got there, so my run the next AM was rather cold, peaceful, and beautiful. Good time - good friends. The next weekend we had sunny weather in the 50's, so you couldn't pass up a bike ride in weather like that.

...and life goes on.

Lackadaisical Running

     "lackadaisical". I feel like that's my word for the month, as for getting my tail out on the trail and burning some calories. It amazes me the number of things that can happen in an individuals life to avert their attention from the necessities of balance. Taxes, Holiday's, getting ready for spring planting, financial adjustments, and even a friend from college days passing on. It's at moments like this that I marvel at those who can handle more than this very calmly.

    So, it is I find myself feeling a bit more lethargic currently, about getting out to run. Not every time, but enough it's annoying. Man, I never use to be this way. If writing this junk down is healing, then I feel better. So, on I go running 2-3 times a week, and yet it still feels insufficient. Probably because at the moment I feel way out of my training zone and barely ready for a 5K. I'm probably wrong and just whining. Usually by the first or second mile I'm warmed up and feeling better about the run. It's funny though, 2 weeks ago I had a Sunday run and it was like 15 degrees (F) outside. That Tuesday I ran again and it was about 55 degrees (F). That just messes with my mind man. I mean I'm wearing cold gear one day freezing my tail off until I get to the tree buffer, out of the wind, and warm-up, and then the next run I'm wearing shorts and a T. Tennessee weather is physcotic. Next steps, keep running (increasing long runs), and get back on the saddle. It's been like two months since I've touched my bike. Poor thing is lonely out there in the garage.

Christmas Vacation - Runs

Distance: on 2 runs totaling about 6.5 miles
Temperature: -16 or -17 C or for some that's 1-3 degrees F

Before I left for Oshawa, CA for a little break, I set a goal of getting back on the trail weekly. It took two runs in insanely cold temperatures to quell that thought until I got back home. Honestly, it would have been OK, but I was definitely unprepared for such low temps. I was adequately dressed from my feet to my armpits. However, on the second run, the one with temps at 1-3 F, I hit my turn around and knew it was important to get back soon. I would realize just how important that would be when I hit the first open field and understood that I had to keep running/moving otherwise I would be in trouble. I forget what it's like to live near large water. The breeze comes in at night and goes out in the AM, and this place was no exception. The breeze across the open areas was brutal. I'm guessing with everything added up the temp going back was close to -3 to -6 degrees Fahrenheit. I didn't have enough layers to sufficiently protect my arms and face. My hands kept warm and my head was OK, but the arms are still a little numb in areas. This was the first time I've made a pretty serious mistake in quite a while. NOTE TO SELF: when it comes to running gear and vacation - ALWAYS take more then you think you'll need.

I did show myself that I was still in pretty good condition though, even after not running for a few weeks.