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Missed Ya

I have been slacking on my blogging lately.   But things are still happening and I still have things to say.  

As far as the running world, I have been working on new stuff--which I do every year.  But I have signed up for a 5 K on Thanksgiving morning at the Cool Springs Mall, and have been training with that in mind.   My goal has always been breaking 30 minutes, and that goal is still in place.   I have been doing some interesting training as of late-- strength and distance combination.   I have been doing a lot more weight work on the upper body and legs and doing slower speed running on the treadmill and asphalt.  No speed work at all.   I will do legs two or three days in a row which really makes them quite sore and unresponsive.  But in a day or two the power is there as is endurance.  So, whatever is happening is a good thing.   I can run a long time at a 9 minute mill pace on a treadmill, but I struggle in the open to get the speed regulated--I go too fast to sustain the pace.   I am getting better on the speed, I have a couple of weeks to get it in range so I can finish a 5 K strong.  

I have been a lot more running than I do in season and I have noticed a significant difference is my soreness and energy levels.  The longer slower distances seem to take more energy out of my body and is much harder to replace.   My back is sore a lot more and my knees get mad a lot more.  So, distance running is not for me due to the pain and suffering.  When I do my sprinting work outs, I seem to recover a lot better and have a lot less pain than the slower speed stuff.   Interesting differences, I will see how the next couple weeks play out.  By the way, the lack of sun as of late is not helping on the recovery.  I need light. 

 
 
The latest house project was adding a wood stove to the living room.  We had a non working fireplace and we had a liner installed and added a cute little basil green stove.  It works fantastic and really warmed that section of the house.   I painted up the brick and used an old plank from the removed kitchen hearth and installed it for shelf.  I turned out very nice and now we can watch football and keep extra cozy.  I have quite a bit of wood on the property that I have already cut and it is ready to burn and there are more trees that are in need to trimming and thinning out. So, we have a ready  supply of wood, plus wood cutting is a great core building exercise.  Win Win!!

Linda is transitioning into a new role for her company and will be able to work from home now and basically eliminate business travel.  That is a wonderful thing for her and I hope she does as well with the new role as the old.  She was the Lab Specialist of the year in 2014 !!!

I have already posted this on Facebook, which I have started to use a lot more.  It is an easy way to get pictures out.   But in the center of this picture is a green object that I thought was a frog or toad, but Adam correctly identified is as a green lacewing that uses moss as camo to catch aphids.  I was incredibly lucky to see it moving on a tree trunk.  It is very interesting how nature gives the smart creatures an upper hand. This is the first time I have ever noticed these critters and I am almost 59 years old.  There is always more to discover in this wide world.

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