Committed

Well, after much thought and some arm twisting I filled out the entry form, wrote the check and applied a stamp to the envelope. Just need to get to a post office now.

Spent some time during my teen years living near the park where the race is located. Can't say they were the best years of my life, but I do remember that the parks' trails were a place of solace during some trying times.

Today I added in another run (not on the plan): 5 miles. My intent was to go out and just run with the usual Saturday morning group. Have missed these runs since the beginning of 2009 for a variety of reasons (meetings, our of town travel, long runs) and wanted to connect with the folks I only see at these runs. Was planning on taking it easy...

Ended up running the 5 miles (4.88 to be exact) in 41:59. I know - not blinding fast for many, but I think that is a PR for this year, and possibly last year as well. The route has a few big hills that had me wheezing a bit, but overall was able to maintain some semblance of conversation. There is much to be said for running with faster runners!

Some sights from my walk to work on Friday:

Miller Creek/Lincoln Park from the 10th St Bridge

Managed to commute to work by foot 3 days out of 5 (if you don't count driving to Job A on Tuesday so that my daughter could pickup the car ;->).

Other distractions:


REI Quarter Dome T3.

They say this is a three person tent.... yeah, right. I chose to see it as a two person tent with room to move. Set it up in the living room today to see how it went together. Had heard you need to practice with this one. Set up was pretty straight forward, though cramped. As you can see, we live in a small house (some would call it tiny) and there was just enough room to creep around the edges of the tent to get the fly secured. No way I was going to be able to get inside - doors were up against the couch on one side and the piano on the other. Will need to await nicer weather - and a dry yard - before I set it up outside.

This is the first tent I have owned with all mesh walls. Should be interesting in wet weather! In the second photo you can see the ventilation system on the fly. Utilizes a stiffened piece of velcro to prop a section of the fly up. No way to shut it from inside the tent, so could be an issue if a storm blows in. Couldn't mess with the vestibules (no room) so no idea how big they really are.

May will be the first outing for this tent (I think) when I head to Isle Royale for 5 days of wildflower peeping and backpacking. Nice reward for after the Superior 25K. Tried to head out there right from the race, but the ferry schedule didn't work out, so will head out a few days later.

Progress:


Hard to get good shots of unblocked lace. Trust me, it will look better once blocked. "Vine Lace Scarf" - Barbara Walker lace pattern, scarf design, mine. Have a bit over 18 inches of scarf done so far. Not sure what length I am going for... certainly won't have to worry about running out of yarn! I have only used one skein so far and have 6 or 7 more. The yarn is of unknown vintage - Bernat Dainty Fleurette "95% virgin wool, 5% nylon for strength" 1 oz = 160 yrds. It has an interesting texture, kind of nubbly. Doesn't feel like wool. This scarf is destined for a silent auction in a little over a month.

Picked this yarn up years ago through a friend who knew someone who was destashing. I got a lot of yarn (including a basketball sized ball of raw silk) for $25. As you can see, I am still knitting from that stash. My efforts at working through my stash and/or giving away yarn I will not be using vs buying more yarn is going... well, okay. I am having an urge to buy sock yarn right now (despite the 3 gallon bag of leftover skeins). Something about knitting socks and hats is so soothing. But, am also trying to stay faithful to my current project so am avoiding the side of town where the yarn store is located.

Tomorrow I have a 14 mile run planned. Will be joined by a friend at 6 miles. Long runs are a good time to catch up and this friend and I don't see much of each other any longer. He is also a faster runner, so it could be an interesting run! I have been pretty content with my pace on my long runs of late - averaging around 9:00 to 9:30 pace.

Will be trying out a new product in an attempt to prevent the blisters that have been plaguing me of late. They are blue pads (can't remember the products name)that affix to the inside of the shoe. For the past several years I have been getting blisters on the medial side of my forefoot. Really annoying, and painful when they develop under a callus - which I always have due to the blisters. Occasionally I perform some surgery and trim back the calluses, but they will continue to return as long as the cause remains.

Tomorrow there is a promise of sunshine and temps in the low to mid 30's. Sun will be nice after a week of grey skies, rain and snow. Looking forward to some warmer temperatures, though first we have the threat of a winter storm to get through.