5K and more

Post race along the Potomac

Our daughter and grand daughter came for a visit last week and we finally got to do some visiting during the covid pandemic mess we have been experiencing.  The  grand daughter time was a lot of fun and the high light of the visit was a trip to the National Zoo in DC.   The pandas were inside and we missed them, but there was plenty of other animals to watch.  Everyone was masked up and it was not too crowded and this is way life is going to be for a while.   A lot of strollers and babies were in the zoo that day.  

Betty and I had planned a 5K event that we could run while she was in town.  She does 5K's on a regular basis in the Milwaukee area and I do one a year.  The Steelers were doing a virtual 5K to support their charities and I thought it would be something to do in terms of racing.  My last race was in October of 2019 and it was a qualifier in Tennessee and the 2020 time sheet was still blank!!!   Aside from being injured, this was my lightest racing year in 11 years.  
I had scouted out a section of the C & O Canal tow path for our event.  There were mile markers in place from the canal era and Betty has a

Canal mile marker

Nike running app that also measured our distance, and the old concrete mile markers and Betty's app were very nearly the same mileage to the hundred of a mile.  With all that info we could get a legitimate distance to calculate our times for submission.   The tow path is basically flat with a hard packed cinder surface that is wide enough to handle a lot of foot and bike traffic.   We ran two miles down river and one back up to finish our distance.    I ran a 38:05, which is not that great, but we had an enjoyable run to support some good causes.  Some walking was needed when my hips were on fire, but mostly a leisurely run.  Betty had the  same time, she could have done a lot better, but I think she has some back issues she needs to work through before getting her time into the low 30's.   I felt fine and carried a running back pack for water  and my phone, you cannot do anything any more without a phone in tow.  

 I am also about 1/3 of the way through the Everest Challenge.  I am cranking off about 1200 to 1400 feet of elevation on my hikes and should be able to get the 29028 elevation in the allotted 50 days. I can hike about 2 hours before the fatigue starts to show up and you get to stumbling over the rocks and making mistakes. I go at a rapid pace, and  the hikes consume about 1300 calories as well. I have been able  to do 2 hard days in a row and then resting for a day before doing another big hike day.   My Oura ring has been giving me guidance on my quality of recovery and thus far, I agree with the Oura advice.    I am working through the details of some bigger hikes in the Shenandoah National Park.  I thought I would drive up to 2400 feet, ride my bike to the bottom and hike back to he truck and then go and pick up the bike.  That plan  eliminates a huge amount of time and energy consumed on going downhill.  You get no credit for the down , only the up.   

https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/AnywhereUSA/ClimbEverestChallenge

You can follow my progress on this link.  Click on results, select hiking,  and my bib is 838 and I should show up.   The results page has a lot of data for everyone attempting this challenge.