Training Log Archive: bl

Rest - 7 hours to destination & then "gab."

AM DP, hot day in the making. Beth's car but on guard - tx problem somehow affecting battery voltage, perhaps even if off. Large mouse to set free. A few deer tracks. Pretty quiet.

Yesterday's red squirrel was in the sun room, climbing a 2' high, open bag of sunflower seeds - when that did not seem advisable, it started chewing through the bottom of the bag.

The Sandbox where fun & games commence

Today, sort of hot yet cloudy, ran with Diane who is running 8 & 12 mi this weekend. 1 mi on Memorial track then to Iron Works, Birch & back. The mile was at 11:30 GoSlo pace - occasionally I reflect that that slow is hard to do. TGIF day, came home & took an hour nap.

NHH home, looked it up: last time was 4/19, BAA day! (55F, NW wind).
Hot today, around 80F but dry. Wondered if I would break an hour - arrived at Robinson turn @ 45:01 so it was likely. 3-4' off from what I'd expect had I not sunk into the depths of cruddiness but if all ok in am, then a start to fall fitness. Uncertainty, heat & stuff in hands (shirt, glasses, O map), not to mention just plain out of practice, add up. Ahead was one bl, felt like I vaguely knew him. Interesting to note 4/19 run (56:35) said in margin "L ham concern" - kind of a haunting comment.

AM DP - how could I forget. Crystalline blue, NW morn. Took Beth's car, parked on power line. Nothing to note but the excellence of the moment & not a df around largely due to the fact that it was a tour of the Sandbox. "Time's up" - coaxed dogs into car...which would not start.... Out of car, walk/jog home. Inform "wife-o" that I used her car &, by the way, it's 0.5 mile away &, for the time being, dysfunctional....

Meanwhile, I'm the early person & need to be at work on time, eg, 0830. Point out to her that, provided it's nothing more than low battery, we could be back in less than 10' - it's around 0805 & Comcast, plumber (using the brook for "showers"/toilet flush etc x 2d) and Fairpoint will arrive "anytime after 8a" she says. I point out the foibles & hurdles in not trying. She gives in against her 'better judgement': "it will take 20 minutes". 3'30" after we leave, we arrive at said useless car. My handy Sears jump start battery combo goes right to work - engine jumps to life. I get in my car...point out 'less than 5 minutes" ("mission accomplished") - but she needs a repeat of all the above due to some turn-off-engine-to-get-out-of-go Saab-type stuff. Still, back in time to see empty drive. I head off to work, beeped twice..."why aren't you here?" - no cell as it "got misplaced" -- acting as the house phone in time of peril.

Just a DP, how could I forget...forget the loss of equinimity...that's been the theme thought past few days, BP (blood pressure) be damned:-).

As I contemplated pressing "submit", there was repetitive noise, enough to make me wonder...dog?, person...? (Beth's currently out doing PM DP)... weird - what might it be....I investigate to find a red squirrel intent upon entering the house for reason unknown - how unusual. It was an unusual day at home and at work.

AM DP, cool for a change. Marvelled how wind can do selective snapping of trees some distance off the ground. Also pondered how interesting it is to have a new map of a portion of BB - print an ocd file & presto....

Hard, honest work with Corey (ex-Marine) cutting, hauling, stacking oak from tree. Drives a truck daily, all night, over GWB to NJ & back to Bow. Spends nearly 2 energetic hours with me doing this work - brings 2 cold beers & we sit down on bridge to drink them, he breaks out a cigarette - one form of real NH.

After some hard work (cigarette hidden - of three similar pictures this has the best smile. Smoking is a secret from wife & kids, hiding was instinctive:)

PM DP thought I might circle Bog Meadow (3.7) but legs were leaden, it was 90F & quickly changed course. Ran with 'Off' in hand, put on dogs' heads which was effective.

Considered running home - see that red flag is 71 days old.... A trial is called for. Fall will be here before we know it. Golden Leaf & USOC will be key, I would think. And time is running out for a first Hudson Highlander. Always a Chinese circus at that time of year w/ O & getting boat delivered/hauled.

More hauling of branches - really don't like this work but it needs to be done.
A few minutes of wind, many hours of work. George Bush liked to haul brush on his ranch. I know I never liked GWB.

AM DP brief & early. Tree down across road just beyond entrance so different perspective, daresay refreshing.

"Chain gang " labor with chain saw cutting large tree that fell across front walk - knocked down the power line etc, missed house by 7', by about 12' -- just as I had decided that the thunder & lightening were close & frequent enough to shut down the computer - the tree's downing the pl did it for me. Spent more than an hour distilled to 30' honest labor.

Water tower w/o the WT as time was short. Noted 15 female lunchtime walkers, one male...says something.

Hope to have power when I get home....

A few minutes of nature, some hours of restoration


Arrived home today to learn that we had electricity but no phone or cable. I don't mind the lack of phone - besides there's cellular - but the web.... Turned computer on for iPhoto so as to sort some photos - could do that at least. An iTunes update note appears (why would that happen?); I click on it, also looking at the "fan" (internet connectivity strength) at the same time to note that all lines are filled in, ie, max strength. Look at the "Airport" in the guest room - it's flashing a functioning pattern.

Under wires (some, hanging loose, dead-ended in the brook) was a functioning Comcast cable (taut as a bowstring, under the trunk), stretched maybe 10'.

Could this be a good ad for the durability of Comcast cable installation? How much might they pay?

A day's work would do.

C • Close call 2

To slough & back with Beth & dogs. A bit weird chatting with two Beth Luxes.

Luti course, overcast, felt cooler but still very humid so quite "wet" at end. Felt ok - 2 days of reasonable effort w/o any negative feedback.

Will run home soon. Almost 90F at end of day. Left achilles a bit sore & itcy from the sting (lucky that I only pissed off a single bee....).

Faraway series, photos from elsewhere, #25

Lady Macbeth in the Royal Bath, Greenland, 1991.

At Bear Brook with Ernst & Alar. First use of new field work/map. File has been sitting on my desktop since mid-winter when Alexey sent it. A call from Ernst the other day resulted in its being printed & tried out! Met at parking lot around 8 & had a nice tour of the forest from 0835 to a bit after 10am. Never hot or too buggy - a very nice surprise in July woods. Map very good - considerable green but well-mapped with the usual legions of rock features and contour detail. Quite a # of new root stocks from February storm as well as associated downed trees. Alar has some names for more field checking - ideal would be a 5.7 km2 size dictated by boundaries. Also interesting comparison of Ernst's printed laser copy vs mine - very different color & weight to contour lines and mine (a pass-along Photosmart) had a darker green. I did prefer my version as did Alar. Any final printed version is just another very important detail. Ernst's concern is course overprinting not being seen easily enough. Distance/climb a guess. One bee sting right achilles.

Post-run comparison

Walk in Nottingcook (to Great Hill spur for view and then over Great Hill itself) with sister Beth, visiting in conjunction with 50th HHS reunion. Had map in hand, paid attention to symbol size - some small rock faces looking more like tiny black rectangles as in small building. Return off map a bit, a warren of trails & rides that did deliver us to car park.