Steeple Chase Bike Tour and a week lacking in pictures (dug some from the archives)

Monday (4) A little more of the walk/run business.  I have some crazy nerve pain in my hamstring.  It goes away with movement and gets worse when I lay down.  Lovely.  I walked for a mile and everything felt fine so I started the interval timer.  The weather was cooler, and cooler is relative.  Thinking I can up the run segment to 3:30.  It's not easy but it's not a struggle.  Took half an hour and the hammie was back to being ouchy.  Thinking Padre is correct, something with the Piriformis.

Little dog in a big field.
Not trespassing, Jonny.

Tuesday (0)  Jax woke up not feeling himself, this was evident by him growling when touched.  He doesn't dance around this communication thing!  Jax tested positive for Anaplasmosis, the other tests come back shortly.  He didn't have any ticks on him, so it may be a re-occurrence or it may be the Lyme vaccine.  He perked up a little after his first dose of Doxy, definitely was interested in trying to clean the dishes in the dishwasher, completely uninterested in his ball.  Damn ticks or relapse. Oh and he weighed in at 85 pounds, clearly my fault, according to Dave.  He needs to lose 5.  Not only does he have to have icky medicine for a month I have to feed him 1/2 cup less food. 

From Saturday's ride.
They also had a stuffed Kangaroo on a Kabota.

I had no motivation to do anything so I didn't.   I thought about going for a ride, but made no progress.  Foam rolled my ouchy spots.

Wednesday (5.1) Jax was sort of goofy in the morning, so he's on the mend. 

Gus!

I am not a scientist, however I know changing two variables in an experiment is not a good idea to know what makes a difference.  I did it any way and upped the run period to 3:30 and then decided I wanted to run along the shore at Avery Point.  All in all I felt fine, a little sluggish but we can chalk that up to me being a combination of a lazy and intimidated runner.   My ouchy hammie/bum didn't hurt while moving.  I rolled out the parts that make me grimace and didn't hobble more than a step or two the rest of the day.  Progress!  At least I didn't have a back slide!

Jax!

Amy of the Pointy Elbows finally got me to scream Uncle!  She went in way too deep in my shoulder.  She did say I was pretty inflamed, so that makes sense why I was so tender.  She was as shocked as I was in agony. 

Gus and Jax

Thursday (1) Jax is 95%, he snuggled up to me this morning so he's still feeling a little off.  Usually he sits on me and demands I scratch his back.   We took Jax to the Flying Field as he was starting to get a little stir crazy and needed something to do.  Bob was there with his Labradoodle Barron and the two of them are about the same age and enjoy playing with each other.  Barron was happy to not be ordered around by Bob's daughter's dog, would that make him his nephew?  HA HA...

They ran and wrestled and then I took Jax on a hike down to the pond to soak him.  He was looking for his buddy Barron but it was time for Bob to go home.

That was a fun walk.

Friday (5) More walking than running, it was humid and oppressive I'm glad to have managed to get out and do what I did.  I was told I should be reducing my walking segments to 30 seconds.  Huh.  I don't know the methodology behind the walk run method but the logic is about only giving your body a small break to begin running again and a minute is too long if I want to run races.  I'm certainly not planning to participate in any races, I want to enjoy running when I can.  I honestly can't imagine enjoying running in a race right now.

Mount Washington Auto Road Race
Almost done.

For the first time in a long long time I didn't feel like I had to have a Friday Afternoon Nap.  That was odd.  I laid down on the couch and was decidedly not exhausted.  Weird.  Am I finally getting a balance back between activity and rest?  Am I sleeping better at night?  Granted we've been camping a lot and I have been taking Friday's off, so maybe this is just a fluke, but I went to work Friday morning thinking about that Friday Afternoon Nap.  Weird.

Gus!

Saturday (50)  It was supposed to rain the morning of the Connecticut Steeple Chase Bike Tour.   Jess convinced me to sign up for the 50 mile route, something manageable for me (in her opinion) and still a stretch for her (in her opinion).  I've got 14 years and Lupus on her and she has Scoliosis on me, we are pretty evenly matched with challenges.   She got fitted for a new bike earlier in the year and that has made the world of difference in her ability to ride longer distances and attacking hills.

See the Steeples?

The ride was beautiful and very well supported.  The first rest stop was 25 miles in, at a church, I remembered it being at a church for some odd reason.  I did think that we had 4 stops on a 50 mile ride which is excessive, but the map at the rest stop didn't show the stops I thought I saw.  Ok no biggie, stops every 25 miles is standard and the clouds were staying and covering up the sun which zaps so much of my energy.

Jax thought that was pretty cool, beeping and then people treats came out.
He wondered if there would be beeping and dog treats next.

We jibber jabbered with a few people commenting how it was nice the rain was holding off.  One of the SAG Wagon drivers joined in on the conversation mentioning the next rest stop was 8 miles away.  We were baffled.  He said it was at another church.  And that there was a short climb and some excellent views on the next part of our tour.  OK.  He confirmed there were 2 other optional rest stops if we needed them.   Apparently I did read the map correctly.

It was at this point Jess said "I finally figured out why this is called Steeple Chase, we ride from church to church."  Holy crap, wait can I say that? how clever!  The ride benefits ministries providing much needed aid to the local community.

Gizmo!! 

The dichotomy of the economy of Connecticut is interesting.  While it is the richest state, the average is brought up by Fairfield County (SE corner of the state), the richest and most populated counties in the state while being brought down by Windham County (NE corner of the state where the ride was held), the least populated and poorest counties in the state, with the average per capita income being lower than the per capita income of the US.  Windham is also one of the prettiest counties in CT, so they do have that going for them, Fairfield county is an extension of the concrete heat sink of Manhattan, doubtful a bike ride there would be filled with rolling roads opening views of farms and ponds and allowing you to fill your lungs with clean fresh air.

Snowshoeing with Bill and Dace

I was happy to be part of the ride and to raise much needed funds for that community.  From a purely personal aspect it was the confidence booster I needed after the Mount Washington Century.

The rain held off until after we returned, got massages, and food, as we drove away the skies opened up.

Dave made dinner plans with some friends, I rolled with the unexpected plans.  I enjoy hanging out with Bill and Dace, it's rare to find another childless couple with so many similar interests.

Gus, Gizmo, Jax

Sunday (2) I bailed on Mikey's invitation for a bike ride, instead watched a movie on Sunday morning.   Knowing lazing around all day wasn't a good strategy, I took Jax for a walk around town (it felt like it was getting cooler and drier) then finished up the small amount of edging along the road.  The dew point dropped into the 60s and the temperatures into the 70's, to celebrate being able to be outside and not have our knees sweat while sitting we went to the Flying Field for a short walk and to let Jax run off the last bit of his energy.

The pond (and a duck) in Westerly's Wilcox Park. 
What a fantastically beautiful day Sunday turned into.

Books:

"Settle for More"
by Megyn Kelly

Status:  Finished

Very good, it is an autobiography so clearly she is the hero of the book, but she admits where she has faults and how difficult it was to deal with the attacks and bullying from candidate Trump as well as others in the media.


"Girl Waits with Gun"
by Amy Stewart

Status:  Started

Historical fiction from real life events in 1914, sisters not willing to back down after attacks from a bully who wronged them.

Knitting:

I finished the socks!!!  Just in time to maybe need them in a month or so.  I started them in April.. Krikies that was a long time on one project.

Started another baby sweater.  Give my shoulder a bit of a break from the tiny needles.  Not sure if that will help or not, but I have missed knitting them.  Unfortunately I only have brown baby sweater yarn left, but I do have some small balls of pink I'll knit in here and there to give the sweater some color.

Sincerely,
Beth, feeling accomplished and looking forward to more adventures.

Little Dog in the Big Woods and a lot less complaining from me

Monday (3.5) Gak this weather is not my thing.  3 min run 1 min walk for most of the 3.5 miles.  I am feeling better as this process progresses.  Soaking my head and neck at the outdoor shower at Easter Point Beach is a welcome addition to the routine, I need to remember to take off my sunglasses as there is nothing dry to dry them off on!  Whoops.  I will be thankful for all this insulating hair in the winter, right now, it is a big heat sink.

The 16 year old French Nephew came for a visit.  Dave took him to Thunder Mountain bike park for the day and managed to not damage him too terribly much, a bit of a sun burn, a sore bum, and a few not very noticeable scratches. He was happy to have us tell tales on his older brother and Dave and he commiserated on being middle children.  We did our best to try and embarrass him at dinner, we weren't really successful.  Uncle and Aunt fail.

Tuesday (4.5) Walked with Ro, we were both soaked in sweat at the end.  I think that was supposed to be the worst of it and the weather gets better, wonder if it will be noticeably better? 

The Socks!

Met up with Dave's parents for some pizza, then went over to Buttonwood Farm to watch the cows eat sunflowers (I could do that for hours - I'll go by myself to do that) and then had some ice cream.  We handed off French Nephew to his grandparents and eventually they would relay him back to his father after the three of them had some adventures.   He goes back to France in three weeks.  

Wednesday (0) I mowed the lawn, or at least that's what I think I did, or maybe I did that on Thursday.  Huh...  Well when ever Neighbor Jeff mowed the lawn was the same day I did.   Clearly an unremarkable day.

Thursday (3.8) back at the walk/run intervals.  When the clouds were over the sun it was actually kind of nice!  That is the benefit of the steamy days the days which are probably still steamy seem less steamy.  The pleurisy kicked it up a notch breathing was uncomfortable.  I don't know if I'm making it worse or better with my walk/run routine, at the end I do feel better so I'll go with that.

Friday (24 + 2) Back to Ascutney State Park for the weekend.  The weather was all over the map.  I got in a quick road ride after we set up camp.  Well it wasn't all that quick and it wasn't all road.  I let Garmin decide a route for me. I plugged in the start point and the miles and the direction I wanted to go and it gave me a map.  I did specify road cycling...   I think when I saw "Hell Hollow Road" on the map I should have done a little investigating.  We have a Hell Hollow Road out here and it is a nice cruise down into the hallow and then a climb out of it.  I was kind of expecting that as that was about the high point in my mostly flat ride.



Dave gave me a hard time about going to Vermont to then ride my bike in New Hampshire, was I trying to make up the 30 miles I missed two weeks ago?  Ouch, thanks pal, I was nearly recovered physically.

Blow Me Down Mill

All in all the gravel roads making up 6 or so miles of my ride weren't too horrible, but at 110 psi in 25 mm tires going at any sort of speed and hitting a rock turned just the right way was a recipe for a spectacular blow out and probably a crash.

At Gap Road (you can see where I looped back to finish the way I started) I decided to cut my gravel ride short and find the closest hard top road.  The down hill would have been a spectacularly good time on much wider and softer tires.  Fortunately some of the super steep down was paved and curvy and I enjoyed myself.  I received a QOM on an uphill segment.  Yeah, I was the only woman to ride the segment.  Guess showing up has it's advantages?


Saturday (6) Dave went off to ride leaving Jax and I to hike and nap.  We had a long walk after breakfast and he had a nap and then we took a hike up to a look out.  Jax was not at all thrilled about the up hill but he's learning there is a subsequent down hill so he sucks it up for as long as he can till he stops and looks at me in disgust and we turn around.

Little Dog in the Big Woods

There was a rain alert and the radar looked like we might actually get some rain.  I tidied up camp putting things away just in case we had to scramble into the camper for safety.  Mostly I laid in the hammock and read and Jax stood look out.

On guard!

Later in the afternoon we went on a hike in Windsor Town Forest.  That's where Ragnar was last weekend and the 2,000 runners did some nice damage to trails running in the rain, as a result quite a few were closed.  Dave biked there most of the morning and he and Jax hiked there on Friday afternoon when I was biking.  It's good the trails were closed hopefully they can heal and be reopened to feet and tires. For profit event causing destruction. I can still see the damage to the Yellow Dot trail in Burlingame from The King of Burlingame bike race (no longer in existence).  The VT Mountain Bike organization responsible for building and maintaining the trails in the Windsor Town Forest have done a great job.  The trails are well made, marked, and maintained, however nothing is going to be unscathed from the abuse of that many runners running during and after torrential rains.  Or bikers biking (in my Burlingame example).

Patiently waiting for S'More time

The real rain held off till the middle of Jax's last walk of the evening, we were both a little wet and were ordered to dry off.  The storms lasted until 10 the next morning.  Happily going to sleep in our camper remembering tent camping in the rain and accidentally touching the side and the leak starting, then the sleeping bag wicking up the rain seeping into the tent or from the puddle that almost always formed in the corner.  Good times. 

Sunday (1) Packing up was pretty much done before we went to bed so the morning was slow and we waited for the rain to slow down before hooking up and taking off.   We were met with sun when we got home so that was nice and afforded us the opportunity for a good cleaning of Spud.  He was looking a little worse for wear from the last two trips.

How is this even comfortable?
He's in the back of the truck with his head up on the arm rest.

Jax went into his camping coma with in an hour of us getting home so we didn't have to keep an eye out for where he was as he has now learned to open the front storm door and let himself out.

Reading:

"The Broken Road"
by: Richard Paul Evans
Status:  Finished

Very good, read the books in order though.

"Everything we Keep"
by:  Kerry Lonsdale
Status:  Finished

About half way through it dawned on me I read this a few years ago but couldn't remember the end.  Once I finished it I remembered why it was so very unremarkable.  Been there done that story about foul play and a mysterious death.  Oh well. 

"Settle for More"
by: Megyn Kelly
Status:  Started

I really don't like discussing or listening to discussions on politics, PSTD from my childhood, someone is right and the other person is an idiot.   A friend, who also avoids the subject, read this, on her recommendation I picked it up.  I'm pulling out of this an autobiography not a political book. Megyn didn't start life on third base like her friend Susan Stamberg, if she had I would have chucked this book like I chucked "Lean In".  She's a few years younger than me which seemed to surprise me. I guess I thought she was older, being a TV personality and all, but no, she's not.   She's my youngest brother's age.  Once I realized that it was an aha because she was experiencing many of the same things I did, in a similar period of time, in the work place and trying to figure out how to fit in and make something of herself as the old boys club was starting to fade away and men were now having to deal with women their daughter's age in the workplace.

I wonder if she ever had to look some man in the face and say "How would you react if your daughter came home from work and told you some guy at work said that to her?"   Boom!

Sincerely,
Beth, happy to have short bursts of running to look forward to a few times a week.

Kind of a boring week...

Monday (0) Lunchtime meetings and this additional assignment had me running in circles but not getting out to get any exercise.  Probably ok.  I took a few long walks around campus but still didn't get to the 100% activity level on my watch.

Amy (the massage therapist with the needle elbows) had 1/2 hour open up and went after my bound up Piriformis and lower back.  OUCH!

Jess finally got me to commit to the Steeple Chase bike ride in Manchester CT on the 18th of August.  50 miles.  She is smarter than me and slowly ramping up the miles on the bike with the goal of a Metric Century (62 miles) in October.

I definitely think the lack of running impacts my biking, so maybe some running would be good, just to help with my biking.

Jax chasing the ball at the field

Tuesday (3.1 + 20) Got out for a walk at lunch, it seemed kind of silly, I could walk after work.  I'm glad I got out and am getting back into my usual routine.  A couple of people missed seeing me at the gym.  That was nice.

The walk was fine, definitely feeling the work Amy did.  I need to remember to ice more after she 'massages' the ouchy parts.

Yeah more ball chasing

Went for a ride after work, I haven't seen a few people in a while and went down to the Dog Watch fun run and caught up with Steve, Way, Don, Kate, and Josh, and Wilson.  Mostly I wanted to see Don, he retired June 1st and from he and Suzan's FB posts they are really enjoying both being retired.  She retired last year.  Don's race paces have improved to those in his mid 50's and he's back to swimming and on the bike.  The last few years have been a struggle for him athletically, the stress of work and age is my guess.  He fully embraced retirement and is living every minute with his health and physical fitness improving.  Truly an inspiration.

My ouchy piriformis was a bit more ouchy and getting up from sitting hurt.  I was a bit nervous I was going to have a relapse to the nerve pain.   I've heard sitting is the new smoking and can kill you!

Dave and Jax had an adventure and Jax came back limping.  I asked why he broke the dog.  He stepped funny on his front paw, hopefully, its temporary.  But I'm not ruling out a trip to the vet for this one.  Dave broke the dog.

This is the last one, I swear!

Wednesday (4.4) Went out with not really sure what my intention was, maybe 3 min run 1 min walk intervals maybe not.  I did a mile of walking and turned on the interval timer on my watch and set off for the intervals I'd set up.  The running for 3 minutes felt good.  I did nearly 2.4 miles of run/walk the last two intervals I was pretty spent at 1 1/2 minutes of running so I walked.  It is still brutally humid, I'm calling this a win and hopefully, I can increase the number of total miles and number of miles in the run/walk portion.  It will be interesting to see how my knees respond.  My piriformis seemed OK, not happy, just OK.

The surprise was The Beef Cake was back at the gym!  He's a friend of Jackass's #3 Boy, and went on a 40-day cross-country drive to CA down the 101 and back, stopping at our St. Louis labs to work for a week.  Minus the working part, this has been something I've wanted to do.  I'll admit it, I was a little jealous.  Glad he got to do that.  I was just asking Jackass why The Beef Cake hasn't been around, and boom he appears!

Jax seems to be healed from being broken, he did want to be carried up the stairs to bed, though.  HA!  We may call you The Little Guy but you are 80 lbs!

Thursday (0) I'm having a hard time recalling what happened Thursday.

Friday (3.2 +1) Took another shot at running, walked 1/3 of a mile and started the interval timer.  3 minutes seem to work well.  I run at a bit faster of a pace than the 5-minute run intervals but then again it is ghastly outside.  Of course, I pick now to try this running thing again.  Well if this weather doesn't deter me guess it's time?

Joe Viger Photography
Finally a nice picture of me on my bike.
Damn that helmet is ugly though.

Rain was predicted for Saturday so I did my errand running on the way home from work and Dave and I took Jax out for an adventure at the field.  He was happy to get out of the house and get soaked in the pond.

Saturday (1) My favorite project, edging with the 1/2 moon edger!  It was supposed to rain about 11 a.m.. and I figured I could get started on the cutting and then the messy part would finish up in the rain and clean off the sidewalk.  I LOVE it when a plan comes together.  I did miss the curb and street side, it was pouring and I really don't trust the drivers on our street on a good day let alone a rainy one, so that will wait till after work.  The edge is cut it just needs to be removed and the grass that grows in the gutter area to be extricated.

Sunday (36)  My plan was to ride out and cheer/harass the runners at Run 4 Kerri, I knew quite a few would be out there.  Of course, I forgot who I was looking for saw some I didn't expect and missed a few, I'm sure they don't care but that makes me frustrated with my faulty memory.  It was a good ride out and back was into the wind as it always is. A stop at Dave's Coffee shop got me through the last 4 miles and I met up with some other bikers there, they were happy to chat about biking and routes and how Dave's is a great stop or destination.

My napping seems to be on an uptick lately.  Fortunately, all the moon face bloating and other bloating seems to be receding.  I don't think I'll ever fully get the hang of whatever is going on with my body, however it is better than a year ago.   I'm for sure less tired (even though I'm tired a lot) and definitely a reduction in the nastier symptoms.

Jax and I hung out on the porch for a bit, after a nap, and waited for Dave to come home from fishing.  He and Jim caught a few Sea Bass, no keepable Fluke so he came home empty-handed Jim and his wife love the Sea Bass and it is his boat, so...

Books:

The Broken Road
by Richard Paul Evans

It would have been helpful to read this first and not second.  Charles James seems like less of an ass once you learn his history.  Still very much enjoying his story.  Definitely some pretty crappy parenting he survived.  Although the money and success did go to his head a bit.


Knitting:

My shoulder has been feeling better so I've made some more progress on the socks.  I should take a picture.

And that's that.

Sincerely,
Beth, happy with a much needed boring week.