Re: Building A Better Bumblebee

Jim Lentz Tue Sep 16, 2014 9:06 am

Hopefully the adjuster gets those things taken care of pretty quickly.

I think volunteering for an ultra will bring back some of that motivation to run.

Mark B Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:26 am

Jim Lentz wrote:Hopefully the adjuster gets those things taken care of pretty quickly.

I think volunteering for an ultra will bring back some of that motivation to run.

I hope so, too, Jim. Thanks.

One reason I backed off on posting was that I didn't want to make this blog a litany of complaints. Count your blessings, not your sorrows, right? Anyway, it's made for sparse postings. Hope that changes soon.

One new item to the "not blessing" list was the return of our dining room table yesterday -- with a botched refinishing job. Oh joy, another fight. (But the part that was stained properly has a decent color to it, at least...)

I heard back from the race. They said they'd let me apply my registration fee to another (non-sold-out or lottery) race through the end of next year, which was a pleasant surprise. They didn't have any need for additional volunteers, but they said I could check back closer to race day in case somebody dropped. We're debating whether we should just cancel our hotel reservations and make a trip to the coast some other time.

nkrichards Tue Sep 16, 2014 4:58 pm

That is a pleasant surprise from the race director...they aren't always so cooperative.

Hope you get those house issues ironed out without to much trouble so that you can get back to the important things in life before those feet get to soft.

I guess I'm committed to trail running now...in addition to the trail half that I plan to run in December, I've joined a team for the Cascade Lakes Relay next July. I'm the oldest member of the team and determined not to disappoint them! I was in the Pikes Peak area last week and managed a sunrise run on some tough...fun...trails in Garden of the Gods. Why have I been running on roads all this time?

Take care.

ounce Tue Sep 16, 2014 5:19 pm

They didn't need any additional volunteers? That's a nice position to have.

As far as my bump, I was going to see if I could make your blog a SCZ.

As far as the remodel troubles, the insurance company would just deduct the cost from that particular contractor. But don't let the insurance company get away with not making you completely whole. Like the sink, it wasn't built with too big of a hole, even though they've caulked the crap out of it. I'd keep their feet to the fire. If nothing else, the sink is a bargaining chip in the game of give and take. "No, No, NO! I want the sink fixed because after every one is gone and it starts to leak, I'm SOL!!!!"

Then if they fix all of the things on your punch list, in return for you caving on the sink AND you're happy and can live with a caulked sink, it probably won't leak and you've probably come out a smidge ahead.

Everybody wins!

And just so I don't forget how to compliment...Wow Mark, that was a great run at a low HR. You might amount to something yet!

Okay, glad I got that done.

Mark B Tue Sep 16, 2014 5:48 pm

nkrichards wrote:That is a pleasant surprise from the race director...they aren't always so cooperative.

Hope you get those house issues ironed out without to much trouble so that you can get back to the important things in life before those feet get to soft.

I guess I'm committed to trail running now...in addition to the trail half that I plan to run in December, I've joined a team for the Cascade Lakes Relay next July. I'm the oldest member of the team and determined not to disappoint them! I was in the Pikes Peak area last week and managed a sunrise run on some tough...fun...trails in Garden of the Gods. Why have I been running on roads all this time?

Take care.

Why, indeed? Trails are great! And you're close to some very nice ones, too. There's something about the blue skies, ponderosa, sage and sandy volcanic soil that get my heart going all pit-a-pat. I think you'll not disappoint your teammates.

I've been through Colorado Springs and saw the area you're talking about, and it'd be sweet to run there, too.

ounce wrote:They didn't need any additional volunteers? That's a nice position to have.

As far as my bump, I was going to see if I could make your blog a SCZ.

As far as the remodel troubles, the insurance company would just deduct the cost from that particular contractor. But don't let the insurance company get away with not making you completely whole. Like the sink, it wasn't built with too big of a hole, even though they've caulked the crap out of it. I'd keep their feet to the fire. If nothing else, the sink is a bargaining chip in the game of give and take. "No, No, NO! I want the sink fixed because after every one is gone and it starts to leak, I'm SOL!!!!"

Then if they fix all of the things on your punch list, in return for you caving on the sink AND you're happy and can live with a caulked sink, it probably won't leak and you've probably come out a smidge ahead.

Everybody wins!

And just so I don't forget how to compliment...Wow Mark, that was a great run at a low HR. You might amount to something yet!

Okay, glad I got that done.

Whew! Hope you didn't overexert yourself on that one.

Yes, I'm keeping the "what can we ritually sacrifice to get what we need out of this?" mindset. (We have more things than that sink to use as bargaining chips, too.) I'm sure the insurance company wouldn't mind if we gave up in exhaustion, but that's not going to happen. Still wish it was simpler, though.

ounce Wed Sep 17, 2014 10:02 am

I learned the power of positive perceptions from Joe Biden.

Mark B Wed Sep 17, 2014 2:39 pm

ounce wrote:I learned the power of positive perceptions from Joe Biden.

Well, Joe "the happy warrior" Biden must be on to something. Minutes after I sent a no-nonsense email to just about everybody this morning, I heard back from the adjustor. He agreed to authorize the extra expense to fix everything we requested, and he promised to work with us to get the bad refinishing job on our furniture fixed.*

Whew. I can resume breathing now.

*-It's in his best interest to have the furniture guy try to fix his mistakes, of course. It'd be ridiculously expensive if they have to actually replace the furniture in question. The fact that we just want it redone probably makes him happy.

Jim Lentz Wed Sep 17, 2014 4:39 pm

Mark B wrote:
ounce wrote:I learned the power of positive perceptions from Joe Biden.

Well, Joe "the happy warrior" Biden must be on to something. Minutes after I sent a no-nonsense email to just about everybody this morning, I heard back from the adjustor. He agreed to authorize the extra expense to fix everything we requested, and he promised to work with us to get the bad refinishing job on our furniture fixed.*

Whew. I can resume breathing now.

*-It's in his best interest to have the furniture guy try to fix his mistakes, of course. It'd be ridiculously expensive if they have to actually replace the furniture in question. The fact that we just want it redone probably makes him happy.

That is great news!

Mark B Wed Sep 17, 2014 4:55 pm

Jim Lentz wrote:
Mark B wrote:
ounce wrote:I learned the power of positive perceptions from Joe Biden.

Well, Joe "the happy warrior" Biden must be on to something. Minutes after I sent a no-nonsense email to just about everybody this morning, I heard back from the adjustor. He agreed to authorize the extra expense to fix everything we requested, and he promised to work with us to get the bad refinishing job on our furniture fixed.*

Whew. I can resume breathing now.

*-It's in his best interest to have the furniture guy try to fix his mistakes, of course. It'd be ridiculously expensive if they have to actually replace the furniture in question. The fact that we just want it redone probably makes him happy.
That is great news!

Yeah, it is, isn't it? Smile

On top of that, our builder responded favorably to photos I sent him of a building defect from 10+ years ago that was discovered by a building inspector checking out something else. Some genius sawed through a floor joist to create an access hatch to our crawl space, but didn't bother to put a support under the now-unsupported end. It was just hanging there, supporting every thing above it. D'oh! That might explain the squeaking floor...

The builder agreed that it was a mistake that should have been caught and will dispatch someone to remedy the problem. Nice.

(Non-house note: I went for a 1.5-mile walk at lunch today, trying to get my body moving again.)

ounce Thu Sep 18, 2014 9:13 am

Mark B wrote:
Jim Lentz wrote:
Mark B wrote:
ounce wrote:I learned the power of positive perceptions from Joe Biden.

Well, Joe "the happy warrior" Biden must be on to something. Minutes after I sent a no-nonsense email to just about everybody this morning, I heard back from the adjustor. He agreed to authorize the extra expense to fix everything we requested, and he promised to work with us to get the bad refinishing job on our furniture fixed.*

Whew. I can resume breathing now.

*-It's in his best interest to have the furniture guy try to fix his mistakes, of course. It'd be ridiculously expensive if they have to actually replace the furniture in question. The fact that we just want it redone probably makes him happy.
That is great news!

Yeah, it is, isn't it?

On top of that, our builder responded favorably to photos I sent him of a building defect from 10+ years ago that was discovered by a building inspector checking out something else. Some genius sawed through a floor joist to create an access hatch to our crawl space, but didn't bother to put a support under the now-unsupported end. It was just hanging there, supporting every thing above it. D'oh! That might explain the squeaking floor...

The builder agreed that it was a mistake that should have been caught and will dispatch someone to remedy the problem. Nice.

(Non-house note: I went for a 1.5-mile walk at lunch today, trying to get my body moving again.)

Does Fluff know how to operate a Sawz-All? Suspect

Jim Lentz Thu Sep 18, 2014 9:47 am

ounce wrote:
Mark B wrote:
Jim Lentz wrote:
Mark B wrote:
ounce wrote:I learned the power of positive perceptions from Joe Biden.

Well, Joe "the happy warrior" Biden must be on to something. Minutes after I sent a no-nonsense email to just about everybody this morning, I heard back from the adjustor. He agreed to authorize the extra expense to fix everything we requested, and he promised to work with us to get the bad refinishing job on our furniture fixed.*

Whew. I can resume breathing now.

*-It's in his best interest to have the furniture guy try to fix his mistakes, of course. It'd be ridiculously expensive if they have to actually replace the furniture in question. The fact that we just want it redone probably makes him happy.
That is great news!

Yeah, it is, isn't it?

On top of that, our builder responded favorably to photos I sent him of a building defect from 10+ years ago that was discovered by a building inspector checking out something else. Some genius sawed through a floor joist to create an access hatch to our crawl space, but didn't bother to put a support under the now-unsupported end. It was just hanging there, supporting every thing above it. D'oh! That might explain the squeaking floor...

The builder agreed that it was a mistake that should have been caught and will dispatch someone to remedy the problem. Nice.

(Non-house note: I went for a 1.5-mile walk at lunch today, trying to get my body moving again.)

Does Fluff know how to operate a Sawz-All?

Mark B Thu Sep 18, 2014 10:01 am

Jim Lentz wrote:
ounce wrote:
Mark B wrote:
Jim Lentz wrote:
Mark B wrote:
ounce wrote:I learned the power of positive perceptions from Joe Biden.

Well, Joe "the happy warrior" Biden must be on to something. Minutes after I sent a no-nonsense email to just about everybody this morning, I heard back from the adjustor. He agreed to authorize the extra expense to fix everything we requested, and he promised to work with us to get the bad refinishing job on our furniture fixed.*

Whew. I can resume breathing now.

*-It's in his best interest to have the furniture guy try to fix his mistakes, of course. It'd be ridiculously expensive if they have to actually replace the furniture in question. The fact that we just want it redone probably makes him happy.
That is great news!

Yeah, it is, isn't it?

On top of that, our builder responded favorably to photos I sent him of a building defect from 10+ years ago that was discovered by a building inspector checking out something else. Some genius sawed through a floor joist to create an access hatch to our crawl space, but didn't bother to put a support under the now-unsupported end. It was just hanging there, supporting every thing above it. D'oh! That might explain the squeaking floor...

The builder agreed that it was a mistake that should have been caught and will dispatch someone to remedy the problem. Nice.

(Non-house note: I went for a 1.5-mile walk at lunch today, trying to get my body moving again.)

Does Fluff know how to operate a Sawz-All?

Hmm... that would explain the cut joist, wouldn't it? And continental drift, and...

Shocked

Fluff! No more Looney Tunes for you! #bugswasframed

nkrichards Fri Sep 19, 2014 9:28 am

Good to see you found time for a lunch time walk. Have you managed to keep up on any of the exercises the PT recommended or have they taken a backseat to the house as well?

Mark B Fri Sep 19, 2014 10:05 am

nkrichards wrote:Good to see you found time for a lunch time walk. Have you managed to keep up on any of the exercises the PT recommended or have they taken a backseat to the house as well?

Everything has taken a backseat to managing flood- and contractor-induced strain on the system. I've lost a lot of fitness, put on weight and lost some resilience in the soles of my feet. I haven't even stretched in months. (My PT may say that last bit might not such a bad thing.) No matter what, it's going to take a while to get things back to where they belong.

I'll probably start introducing some of those exercises and try some short easy runs as time and stress allows. We're not done with the house-related life disruptions yet, but we're moving to address the outstanding issues (need to replace window sills and baseboards, and fixing botched furniture refinishing and a worker-damaged oven), and we will get them resolved in due course. In the meantime, we have a functional house, so that helps a lot.

ounce Fri Sep 19, 2014 2:45 pm

Every thing will work out....slacker. Razz

Mark B Fri Sep 19, 2014 3:06 pm

ounce wrote:Every thing will work out....slacker.

Your words would have wounded me, had I actually not been out running as you typed them. Smile

Mark B Fri Sep 19, 2014 3:06 pm

Yup!

Rebooting Run: 30 minutes (about 2 miles)

Weather: Sunny, warm. 70 degrees. Gear: tender bare feet

My first actual, honest-to-gosh run in a very long time. I didn't have to wait on contractors, so I had time to get ready and head out and see how my body held up over my months of non-running.

I decided to try for 30 minutes, alternating 5 minutes of walking with 5 minutes of easy running. I'd have used a heart rate monitor, but I couldn't find my Garmin anywhere. Must be in one of the many boxes in our garage... So I had no choice but to go by feel and rely on the walking intervals to keep me from pushing myself too hard, too soon.

It went pretty well. It felt like I weighed 3,000 pounds, at first, before I warmed up a bit. It wasn't the impact; it was just the simple act of getting my mass in motion and keeping it going. What a weird sensation! I could also tell my feet have softened up with all the sandal-wearing I had to do. I had to stop a few times to flick off a few random pointy bits of road grit.

If I didn't understand the process, I might have not been happy with it. But I know what I've lost and what I can regain, and I know deep down how important it is for me -- especially at my age -- to not allow ennui to seep into my bones.

All told, I did just a bit more than 2 miles in 30 minutes. Not bad for a start.

ounce Fri Sep 19, 2014 3:16 pm

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EGAD!!!! He RUNS!!!!!!! Cool

Not too long ago, I remember being real pleased with 2 miles in 30 minutes..

Mark B Fri Sep 19, 2014 3:20 pm

ounce wrote:
EGAD!!!! He RUNS!!!!!!!

Not too long ago, I remember being real pleased with 2 miles in 30 minutes..

Good thing I didn't have a mouth full of anything when I opened your post. Yowza!

I'm pleased to have just made it out the door, honestly. Smile

Nick Morris Fri Sep 19, 2014 4:02 pm

Well would you look at that. I never thought I would see the day!!

Mark B Fri Sep 19, 2014 4:04 pm

Nick Morris wrote:Well would you look at that. I never thought I would see the day!!

Just when you thought you'd have to leave be behind, I pull you back in again. Hang on! This could be a bumpy ride.

Jim Lentz Mon Sep 22, 2014 8:54 am

Cool!

ounce Mon Sep 22, 2014 12:43 pm

I'm sure the neighbors have missed talking about your barefootness.

Mark B Mon Sep 22, 2014 1:31 pm

Jim Lentz wrote:Cool!

Thanks, Jim. It's a start, at least!

ounce wrote:I'm sure the neighbors have missed talking about your barefootness.

Well, they looked awfully smug when I broke my pinky toe, so they need to have their misconceptions set straight.

Speaking of "set straight," it's punch list day here.

I had a contractor here measuring baseboards and inspecting window casings for replacement - simply touching them did not restore them to their pre-loss condition. They should have been changed out from the get-go, but it seems the money folks wanted them to give it a shot and see if we'd accept it. Uh, sorry, no.

I also had the furniture refinishing guy back to pick up our dining table, dining bench and coffee table. Something went wrong in the refinishing process, leaving a very rough, harsh finish. He offered many apologies and said he'd fix it. He said he'd get it back to us quickly, whereupon I went "No, no, no! Really! It's okay. Take all the time you need to make it right!"

Which means we're back to this. (At least we kept the chairs, which hadn't been refinished.)

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2 - Building A Better Bumblebee - Page 20 Img_0011

Oh well. I still count it as one more step in the process of moving toward completion. Smile

Mark B Mon Sep 22, 2014 3:13 pm

Once the workers left, I didn't have anything else to do on my day of, so...

---

Barefoot Run: 2.23 miles

Weather: Overcast, mild. 66 degrees. Gear: Bare feet.

I found our backup Forerunner and synched it with my HR strap, so I was back out today with a better picture of where I'm at in terms of aerobic fitness after this year of living dangerously.

In a word: Yipes.

Rather than alternating walking and running, I started off running and used the HR monitor to keep me in a target zone of about 138 bpm. If I drifted above 140, I'd slow down, and if I kept drifting above 143, I shifted to walking until my HR fell to 132. The lap around my block isn't exactly flat, so that meant I had to walk a bit on most laps.

My goal was 2 to 3 miles, but when I saw the size of the fall-off between Mile 1 and Mile 2 (from 11:56 in the first mile to 12:41 in the second), I knew it was time to shut it down. I walked another 5 minutes as a cool-down, bringing the total workout time to 30 minutes. Probably about right.

Average HR for entire run: 133

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