A grid with diagonals, typical Midwest. Not exactly challenging to find running routes.
Where I live now, I tried to get something akin to the farm country I grew up in.
A little challenging, trying to figure out what connects to what, how to avoid bad roads, you can end up running way longer than you intended, or the same route over and over and over.
These pictures represent the same amount of acreage, to get some sense of scale.
For the last 14 years I've tried to explain to my father ‘you can't get there from here’ really is a real thing and sometimes you just can’t. Look at those maps. Midwest: If you can’t get there because a culvert is flooded or the road washed out or an accident or who knows. You just went around, the beauty of a grid. Out here: I try and ‘just go around’ and I've ended up in another state!! Of all the places I have lived I do love it here, best, it is beautiful, and I’m never lacking for a beautiful place to run, hike, or bike. MI has beauty too, it is just more spread out and not within a 20 minute drive or a long run. WI was so brief and all I really remember was the snow filling up 12 foot ditches and lots of cows, but I’d love to go back and see if it still looks the same.
Apparently I signed up for the Providence Downtown Jingle on December 8th. Whoopsie. I’ll be missing that as Dave already made plans with his family. I’ll pick up the shirt and the bib. Damn. Guess I didn't write that one down. When on earth did I sign up? I have bib #33, so must have been a while ago? Good Grief… the shirt is nice, this will be my 4th DNS for the year (Resolution Beach Run, Four Seasons Run for Hope, Pell Bridge, and now the Downtown Jingle); better than a DNF, right?
Monday – I took a zero, nada nothing, not even TRX, went out to a benefit dinner at the Dog Watch Café, in Stonington Borough. One of my running buddies sister has cancer, mesothelioma, specifically, she is the same age as my husband (47) extremely healthy and fit. She was diagnosed earlier this year and has been declared cancer free. YEAH!! A friend of hers is running the Boston Marathon through Dana Farber Cancer Center charity team. The restaurant will donate 15% of the total bill for anyone who mentioned the Dana Farber Cancer Center or Run to the Roar. The funds raised were over $400 and the Dog Watch Cafe upped the donation to $750. Fantastic!!!!
Tuesday – Walk with Ro, spin class, and a 3 mile walk with Gizzy. I don't usually count walks, but I've started tracking the miles for a group I joined and it has been fun seeing the different totals between run / walk / bike...
For a 13, well December 25th he is officially a 13, year old boxer boy, 82 in human years, he is pretty amazing. Keeps up a nice clip, so much so I feel a twinge of shin splints acting up from time to time! Walking is very different than running, there isn't much propelling you forward. He sprints well struts, he has more of a strut, stops and sniffs, and struts on to the next smell, I swear he is trying to trip me when he stops short. Sunday we had a little scare with him at the beach. (Don't worry Mike, all is OK) He got a little crazy playing with the young guys and had to sit down then lay down to catch his breath. It was so horrible to see those big brown eyes looking up at me with this “Make it better.” look in them. Took him a few minutes rest then a few minutes of slow walking and he was back to himself, trotting around staying at least 100 yards away from everyone. Probably scared him a bit too. Hard telling what it was, he may have tweaked something or just got too out of breath. We will make it a point to get out a little more frequently as the weather gets cooler!!
 |
| From tonight, he is reminding me it is very close to dinner time. Silly b |
Wednesday – I took another zero, what a lazy slob. I left my gym bag at home too… I felt like a schmuck for wasting a beautiful day to be outside. Things happen for a reason! Work kept me chained to my desk so it was for the best. Considering the 'layoff notice' dreams have started again, I needed the focus and feeling of accomplishment. When I got home, kinda late, Dave’s truck was outside so I figured he was back from riding Bluff Point with his buddy. Since he was home first he was to feed the dogs. I unpacked the groceries put them away puttered around with the mail and the dogs would NOT stop pestering me. I went upstairs to check and see if Dave was done in the shower or what he was doing. Huh, he wasn't there. Mike must have driven, kinda explains the dogs behavior. Someday they will forgive me for ‘forgetting’ to feed them… he got home an hour or so later. Said it was different riding Bluff Point in the dark (they started from the Haley Farm side) because he hasn't ridden much out there so not really sure what to expect. I had hoped he brought my space watch with him so I could see some different trails, no dice. Oh well. The mail produced a new bike helmet and a merino wool bike shirt. I AM getting out at least one more time before the end of the year!!
Thursday – 3 mile run with Ro and Spin. I picked up some locally brewed beer when I was in MI. Weird buying beer in the grocery store at 7:30 in the morning on a Saturday, but hey, I really didn't feel like going into town or leaving my parents house other than to run, so stopping on my way home was what I did.
Anyhow, since we were finally home on the same night we sampled the beer: Arbor Brewing Company Sacred Cow IPA and Bells Midwestern Pale Ale were what I picked up. Dave liked them, me, not so much, too bitter. I had also picked up, locally, some Leinenkugel's Orange Shandy, figuring it may be like the Shandy (the one at the top of the menu) at The Malted Barley. Ah, not so much, more like OJ with a kick, just a tad too sweet. Oh well...
I needed that run with Ro. My confidence has been waning lately and I was so fearing running with or around anyone. She was clear on an easy conversational pace. It was a miserable overcast misty day too, I was glad when she didn't cancel. I could have gone another mile or so. Definitely Ro could have, she is an animal! Just what I needed!
Friday - Another 0, this is getting ridiculous!! I lugged my bag in and everything. I did get half of my to do before the end of the year list done and figured out how to order a new smart phone through the 'why do they need to make this so complicated and unintuitive procurement system' at work. I needed to consult, TWICE, with the most rockingest Admin ever to get this purchased on my existing account. Krikies...
I did get to attend Fiber Fest at on of the local watering holes, a group of knitters/crocheters/weavers meet at Par 4 on the first Friday of the month. I met the 'president' of the club a TRALP (Tuesday Running and Libations Professionals) way back before the weather got brisk. She is a transplant from MI and I'm not even sure how the conversation managed to get on knitting while we were running, but it did.... She is a scientist and I'm not, so that probably explains it because well, yeah, I'm not a scientist... I was surprised to see another runner I've just started meeting up with on my at work runs. Running and knitting, interesting hobbies, doubtful I'll combine them like some who run and knit a scarf. Seems kind of dangerous, the needles aren't exactly sharp but anything with a point and enough force and someone could loose an eye! Ouch!!
Out of the corner of my eye I catch someone waving, Jackass! He was there for a retirement party for one of the guys he worked with at the plant. After my civil knitting and beer drinking was over, I stopped by so I could meet some of the bozos I've heard about over the years.
Saturday - Dave was up and out the door to ride Burlingame. The beginning of shot gun season too. Well, Burlingame is state land so probably ok... Hmmm, what to do what to do run or clean the house. It has been a while, and I feared the dust bunnies were going to overtake the front stairs. Three dogs and shedding season it is hell, simply hell... And it would be warmer in a few hours and I so wanted to go for a ride. After all the domestic crap was over and Dave was home and I was ready to go ride. He shook his head and said it is going to be cold. Oh it was, I've been colder, for sure... By the end my big toes were very cold (and have since warmed up), I need some booties for over my shoes and a better hat or helmet liner. I kept having to stop and take off my helmet and pull the hat down over my ears!!! His parting words were "Don't go to far. I'm going to be catching up on Wipe Out and I won't be able to come get you." Oh what a guy!
14 miles and it was fun. Looking forward to my booties and helmet liner arriving and going for another ride!!!
Sunday - Probably a 0. Holiday Brunch at the Worcester Country Club with Dave's parents.
Sincerely,
Beth, surprised she didn't have as lazy of a week as she thought she had!
