Training Log Archive: Charlie

Ride around W Simsbury with Rhonda. Surprised to see relatively new chipseal on Simsbury Rd in W Granby. A little loose coming down the hill on the excess gravel. I got far enough ahead that Rhonda didn't see me turn on Barndoor Hills, so I had to double back and then chase her down again on Simbsury Rd. A fair amount of traffic.

C • Chip seal 5

While Rhonda was swimming

Weights. 5 sets, last at 135#; squats, last set at 85, BPs last set at 75, pull downs and GH raises, alternating 3sets. Excellent.

With Geoman and Sassy at Lake McDonough, including some stick throwing.

With Rhonda, from PV. Gradually getting over this sore throat complex, but very slowly.

Out to the island and back, with Rhonda

In NYC. A little walking around here and there, but not much. Home in the afternoon.

Just a quick session, 3 sets of squats, 3 of DLs, 3 of BPs, 1 GH raises. Kind of late to be doing stuff anyway,.

Still pretty sick, but off to NYC with Rhonda, visiting Jess and Cooper. I’ll keep my distance from the young guy.

Things were a bit worse this morning, so off to the urgent care clinic that I never made it to yesterday. The doc says I will live, so good news! No infection, negative for strep, just needs to run its course.

From PV with Rhonda, taking it very easy, as I am a bit under the weather. Maiden outing with the new 235. It may take a little getting used to.

I've been feeling off for a few days, pretty clear now that it was some sort of cold building up. Sore throat, fatigue, lots of nose blowing. general malaise. Off to the walk-in clinic later to get checked out, see if there is anything to do about it.

The other symptom is that I was continually feeling hungry between meals, finally gave into it yesterday afternoon and felt a bit better after.

From PV with Rhonda. Too nice not to get out, but I really don't have much energy today. Had to lay down when I got back.

Taking a break from rate filings, and nursing my back, which doesn't much like sitting through rate filings, I spent a pleasant 20 minutes or so in the hot tub. Cool, lovely morning and perfect for the birds, who were flitting about in the trees nearby. A pair of binoculars would have been really useful, but even with the naked eye, which seems to have hit another point of inflection in its path to decreasing acuity, I spotted several nice ones, and glimpses of others that looked most promising.

Most prominent was a handsome male american redstart, but also the more usual bluebirds, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, phoebes, what looked like a black and white warbler, certainly others.

Also a gray squirrel, practicing the division of labor in these parts. Gray squirrels have the run of the middle field and the area around the house. Black squirrels carry out their activities by the barn, side field, down into the woods that side of the driveway. It's been like that for the last 10 years or so. Don't usually see them together.

No bears seen this morning, but the day is still young. They are really out and about these days. I saw two young ones with ear tags crossing the road just down the street when I was coming home on Thursday, and several of the neighbors' trash cans had been violated Thursday morning - presumably belonging to the kinds of folks who put their trash out the night before. Not something I am inclined to try.

Started this full of enthusiasm, perfect weather, good legs, but around 9 miles in my back started to act up, and so I turned back, struggled to get back with the whole left side in discomfort. I've been having various kinds of left side problems since the flight to Milan and the drive from there to MdC. It was better for a while, but I seem to have set it off again yesterday lifting weights.

Event: World Masters Orienteering Championships 2018
 

It was our intention to do a weight workout without Eric, who is busy entertaining his fiancee. Some stretching and warmups, several set of deadlifts at 135#, then I was doing some dumbbell bench presses (themselves fine) but strained my back sitting up with the weights on my legs, so that was the end of the session. Not terrible, but will probably take a day or so to calm down.

I was contemplating the deliciousness of sandwiches today as I was having one, and I am recording some of the most delicious

1. The most delicious was one I had today, and it will only be getting better over the next month or so. Tomato and cucumber with a little mayonnaise and salt. Good bread is essential. I am partial to that of Alavarado St. Bakery, somewhat hard to come by in these parts, toasted. This, in my opinion, is the most delicious sandwich of all, but it would not be worth the trouble to eat one once the good tomatoes are gone.

2. Grilled cheese. Different kinds of cheese are good. We had some particularly nice ones with Brie the other day. Even better is to have some thinly sliced red onion in it, or some sliced kalamata olives. Again, excellent bread is required, and the Alvarado St Bakery bread is perfect. We have them here cooked in a pan with olive oil on the bread.

3. This was close, and might edge out #2. Pane Cunzatu. You could look it up. We first had these in Sicily. A tasty chewy bread, sort of a flattish ciabatta, sliced the long way, toasted and rubbed liberally with garlic cloves. A good drizzle of olive oil. Rucola, mozzarella, roasted peppers, a bit of tomato, olives and/or capers, and anchovies. Good Sicilian ones. You need a lot of paper towels to deal with the dripping olive oil.

4. Tuna salad. Got to be the good imported stuff, packed in oil. No bumble bee or star-kist. A little mayonnaise, capers, good toasted bread.

Of course there are other delicious sandwiches, but these are the ones I seem to like the best.

C • Sandwiches 15

With R&S at Lake McDonough. I was wearing a pair of water shoes because I thought we were going for a short walk and a swim, but I was mistaken. Anyway, they ended up blistering the top of a few toes on my left foot, so the left shoe came off for the last 3/4 of a mile or so.

Long travel day to RI for the rate hearings. Good news is I was let go around 4:30 and went home. An all-time record.