Skip to main content

Spring is coming

The ground hog said Spring would be here soon, I typically do not believe the little rodent, but this year I am gonna go with his shadow voodoo thing.  Linda just celebrated her birthday on Feb 2.  She has been getting cheated for years, since the big ground hog thing overshadows her birthday.  So, we tried to make her birthday a priority this year and had a great time.  She was in the midst of fighting a cold, but still managed to turn 50 with proper style.

I have been working on getting some brush trimmed on the new real estate.  This week's challenge was multa flora roses and osage orange or "hedge apple".   I grubbed out about 30 rose bushes--probably the hardest work you can do.  You take the pick ax and swing hard several times and then pull out the plant-- roots and all.  Repeat.  My back was on life support all weekend.   I also worked on some osage orange trees.  The wood is great handles for tools and fence posts.   I reset a post made from hedge apple on the farm I worked at in college, it was already 50 years old and showed little or no rot and I had to pound really hard to get any staples in the wood.   It is dense, heavy, long grained and really hard to cut with a chain saw.   I would swear it was plastic.   I hate this stuff.  The new wood also has short and very sharp spikes or thorns--something else for entertainment as you try to cut and move it.     I have a couple more to deal with.  I will definitely make sure I kill the stumps--once is enough with this crap.   I will get some really nice posts or poles out of one of the trees.   The front gate and mail box posts are great candidates for upgrading.  

I have been a little more regular with my running on the treadmill.  I suffered with a cold about two weeks ago and that stopped any running for 10 days.  It is also the cold Linda currently has. I have been doing 800 meters in 4:00 and in the last couple of days I have been speeding up to 3:53 time.   I try to do three of the 800 m without maxing out the heart rate and I feel I am progressing.   Right nowI am trying to do 3 or 4 days a week, depending on my travel and how much energy the brush leaves me.   I know my ass will be stronger from ripping this crap out of the ground-- "good riddance" as my Mom would say.   The body weight is starting to come down, I am currently at 199 pounds and there is more weight loss coming.

I am anxious to get out on the track and feel the speed a little bit.   I found a pair of Adidas spikes for $20 at an outlet that must weight 16 ounces each--which is really heavy.  I am going to try them for practice.  I think they will provide a lot better foot protection and reduce the wear and tear on the feet during the harder speed training.   Time to try out the new gear.  

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Really Important Information

I participated in the USATF Masters Indoor National meet last weekend in Winston-Salem, NC.   It was good meet for me and I will add the details of the results in another post later this week.  What I want to reflect on here is the quality of people in that building.   I am just so impressed with the high level of competition and caring for each other that goes on for 3 days.  Hug and Cry Area for Awards  There were around 1000 competitors for the event, and with families and officials, generally 500 to 2000 people were in the building during the times the track was open. It was not completely full at JDL Fast Track, but a really good crowd. North Carolina passed some very hateful and just plain repressive legislation a few years back concerning rest room usage and anything that did not meet the "hateful Jesus" religion that they were  promoting.   The NBA pushed back and moved their All Star Game location and I think this may hav...

First Time Ever?

Things are just a little crazy with the chaos associated with the coronavirus and the global reaction.   Talking with my wife and brother, as well as the rest of the world that will still chat with you, nobody can remember anything quite like this situation.   The crash into the Twin Towers on 9-11 had some elements of the situation, but the total shutdown of sporting events, meetings, global travel and the run on water, sanitizer and toilet paper is just totally new to us.  The Master Indoors meet was cancelled this week, I was not planning on going this year.   I am in the middle of relocation from Nashville to Harper Ferry , West Virginia.  On March 31 we will close on the Brentwood house and close on the new place on April 2.   Getting this into place has been a real battle, but it is going to happen.    We are on our third contract for the Brentwood house and after trying to sell it for 9 or 10 months it will close this ...

Jump Ahead

 Hello to all the faithful readers out there is the ethernet.  As you know, I have been dealing with an issue with a pinched nerve in my back that has been affecting my right leg strength.  My leg strength is back to 85% according to the squat machine at the gym.  I use the type of machine that has belt around your waist and you hook up to an arm that connections to the weight rack. This machine does no put any weight on my lower back and allows for leg strength development.  Progress has been made and I am also running a couple days a week at the Pettit Ice Center in West Allis as well.   Things are coming along.    About 6 weeks ago I began doing weekly pilates classes.   The pilates has been very helpful in generating flexibility and strength in  my lower body.   The sessions are around one hour and they are very intense and I am enjoying the improvement in my body strength and movement. I plan on continuing these ...