Sliding toward my goals...

Whoa am I suffering.  Marty and I got up early on Tuesday to resume our core/strength workout schedule.  It was leg day.  I eased back on my weights as I knew it had been a while since our last workout.  Evidently it had been two months and I did not ease back enough.  The workout went well.  The 5 miles afterwards was OK but I'm dying today. 

Monday - 5 miles @ 11:39
Tuesday - 5 miles @ 11:53 (after core/strength workout)

It was muggy and icky out!

No HR data for either run as my chest strap won't connect to my watch.  Replaced the battery.  Still nothing.  Tried connecting to my bike computer and it wouldn't connect either.  Ordered a new chest strap.  It should arrive Friday.

***

So after my run on Tuesday I loaded up grandkids and headed to Pelton Park...a campground on Lake Simtustus located about half an hour from home.  I rented two yomes.  Kevin and Natalie helped unload the paddle boat, two kids kayaks, and two paddle boards.  We all played in the water for a bit and then they headed home with the twins...and Connor who decided not to stay.  That left me with Izzy age 14, Abby age 12, Owen age 8 and Royce age 6.  Emma age 16 showed up for a bit of time in the water and stayed for dinner before heading home as she had to go to work early in the morning.  Marty also arrived before dinner.  We spent the evening either eating or playing in the water.  The kids did well overnight.  We didn't get in a hurry to eat and pack up.  Then spent a bit more time in the water before packing the water toys and enjoying and ice cream before heading home at noon.  It was a fun day.  I'm exhausted!!!

***

I asked Janice what she wanted to do for her birthday...she turns 74 tomorrow.  She said she wanted to run 13.1 miles.     That's what I get for asking.  So we're heading out around 6:00 in the morning.  It's still muggy and pretty smokey from wildfires.  Hope it's better in the morning.  She wants to meet with friends at Eagle Bakery...on Friday morning after we recover from our run.

I'll let you know if I survive Janice's birthday run...

Janice and I completed her birthday run yesterday.  She struggled a bit especially that last mile and I'm pretty sure she may have given up had I not been there with her...and she knew we had to get back to the car.  She didn't walk!

13.1 miles @ 12:23  

I was pretty impressed with Janice.  Hope I can do that on my 74th birthday.  She is also legally blind so has some additional challenges running and especially training if she doesn't have a companion to run with.  Her husband is very active but due to knee issues only runs short distances.  They hike and backpack extensively and both attend regular programs at the gym.  I want to be like Janice when I grow up!

I wasn't feeling great so I found the run with Janice challenging as well.  I'm still feeling a bit off today but better.  Marty and I got up early and did an upper body workout.  I decided to skip my run and rest a bit.

Off to spend the afternoon in the tractor...

Wasn't feeling 100% this morning but decided to run anyway.  I often find I feel better after a run.

5 miles @ 12:20 HR 140/156 Cadence 155 SL .85

I got my replacement HR chest strap in the mail yesterday and I was able to confirm that I do have a functioning heart.    

Ran on the fire trail around the farm again today.  My legs seemed a bit wobbly and tired so I didn't push the pace and walked on the really tough sections which were quite short.  This is reflected in both pace and cadence.  Nothing special about this run but I did feel better afterward.

My MIL is visiting so I'm either going to have to run really early before I fix breakfast for the Richard's clan or later after she heads home.  Hopefully I can squeeze in something.

Headed out before sunrise this morning.  Took off a bit...quite a bit...to fast and decided to just go with it and see what happened as my HR was already toast.

5 miles @ 10:23 w/3.5 @ 10:14 HR 148/162 Cadence 161 SL .96
10:41 HR 144/162 Cadence 162 SL .93
10:20 HR 148/155 Cadence 162 SL .96
10:23 HR 146/156 Cadence 161 SL .96
10:12 HR 151/159 Cadence 162 SL .97
1/2 mile @ 9:45 HR 153/161 Cadence 163 SL 1.01
1/2 CD @ 11:05 HR 149/160 Cadence 157 SL .93

Nice way to finish off the week.  5 runs totaling 33.1 miles.

Wildfire smoke is moving in.  Not sure about running in the morning...

Week is starting out...interesting...

Monday
A bit of wildfire smoke but not bad.
5 miles @ 11:46 HR 135/150 Cadence 159 SL .86
Nice consistent 5 miles.  Pleased with the HR.

Tuesday...challenging day.

• Up early for an upper body core/strength workout with Marty.  I can tell we took to much time off!
  
  
• Decided on a scaled down version of a Hanson strength workout.  A full workout would have been 6x1 mile (400 rest) at a 9:45ish pace.  I was short time and also not sure I was ready for that.  It would have been 9 miles with the warm up and cool down.  I opted for 4x1 and shortened my WU and CD.
  
• WU 1/2 mile @ 11:54 HR 124/140 Cadence 159 SL .85
  

1. 9:25 HR 149/165 Cadence 165 SL 1.03 (rest @ 11:36 Cadence 161 SL .87)
   
2. 9:26 HR 154/168 Cadence 166 SL 1.02 (rest @ 11:32 Cadence 164 SL .86)
   
3. 9:26 HR 157/167 Cadence 166 SL 1.03 (rest @ 11:54 Cadence 164 SL .85)
   
4. 9:20 HR 159/166 Cadence 166 SL 1.03 (rest @ 11:56 Cadence 164 SL .83)
   

• CD 1/2 mile @ 11:34 HR 152/159 Cadence 162 SL .86
  
• Overall run 6 miles @ 10:11 HR 150/168 Cadence 164 SL .96 Average pace for intervals 9:24
  
• Can't find anything to complain about in those stats except I completed it faster than recommended.
  
  
• After lunch I headed to Bend to have my car serviced.  I decided I didn't want to spend an hour and a half playing on my phone so I wore my running clothes with the plan to jog slowly to the river (1 1/2 miles) and either sit in the shade or walk/jog along the river and then jog back.  I headed out and saw a sign for the Central Oregon Irrigation District Historic Canal Trail...I headed down it.  It was a gorgeous run but I got a bit lost and went significantly longer than expected and ended up on some single track trail along the river.  I eventually found my way back.  6 miles @ 11:34 but the stats don't mean much as it was varying terrain and I stopped often to try and figure out where I was.  It was an adventure but it was hot and I did more than planned.  I was exhausted!
  

Wednesday
I needed a recovery run.  I was tired and sore when I woke up.
3 miles @ 11:46 HR 128/146 Cadence 160 SL .86
Would you look at that HR.  I think I actually ran a true recovery run...and felt better after doing so!

Still smoky around here.  It's not pleasant but it's not terrible.  Weather is supposed to cool down in a few days so hopefully conditions will improve.

So what kind of adventure can I find to finish out the week?

I debated between 5 miles at easy effort and a tempo run this morning.  I knew Janice wanted to run long tomorrow but she texted just before I took off and indicated that she only wanted to run an easy 8 tomorrow so I opted for a tempo this morning.

5 miles @ 10:11 w/4 miles @ 9:46 HR 149/165 Cadence 162 SL .97
WU 1/2 mile @11:54 HR 135/161 Cadence 162 SL .83

1. 9:56 HR 148/160 Cadence 161 SL 1.00
   
2. 9:51 HR 149/156 Cadence 162 SL 1.01
   
3. 9:52 HR 153/163 Cadence 163 SL 1.00
   
4. 9:26 HR 157/165 Cadence 165 SL 1.03
   

CD 1/2 mile @11:48 HR 149/162 Cadence 160 SL .87

Pretty happy with that run.  I should be shooting for a pace of 9:55-10:15 for tempo runs based on the Hanson recommendations so I was a bit fast but not terrible.  It's a bit confusing as Tempo pace for half training should be 9:55 but tempo pace for full training should be 10:15 and I'm not technically training for anything right now.  I do feel like I'm building a good base and seeing some pace and cadence improvement. 

Friday - Janice and I were both pretty worn out but opted to do our 8 miles as planned.  We don't start together as she runs from her house and I park and meet her.  We finish at the park and I drive her home.  I ended up with 8.68 miles.

8.68 @ 11:45 HR 136/162 Cadence 160 SL .86
Nothing spectacular in the stats.  We both struggled with a hill in the third mile but finished the run well.

Saturday - I took a much needed rest day.  We attended a celebration of life for a close family friend Friday afternoon.  It was emotionally draining and I got a bit to much sun.  I wasn't feeling well at all Friday evening or Saturday morning.

Sunday - Still not feeling great but feeling much better.  Marty and I opted to do a 20 minute recovery (stretching) workout after doing a few chores and enjoying a leisurely breakfast.  He had a few more farm chores to do and I headed out for an easy recovery effort run.

3 miles @ 11:56 HR 130/148 Cadence 159 SL .85
Nice easy run to finish off a challenging week.  I ended up with 36.7 miles including a couple Hanson SOS runs and a double on Tuesday that involved some trail time.  Not really training seriously but kind of loosely following Hanson's Half plan.  Still undecided about signing up for the trail half on Oct. 3rd.  I need to make a decision.

Physically exhausting week but I'm pleased with my running progress.  

Ultreya...

Sounds like the training is moving along in the right direction.

Glad we got to do Victoria when we did as the 70.3 will now be history.

Stay safe.

nkrichards wrote:Whoa am I suffering.  Marty and I got up early on Tuesday to resume our core/strength workout schedule.  It was leg day.  I eased back on my weights as I knew it had been a while since our last workout.  Evidently it had been two months and I did not ease back enough.  The workout went well.  The 5 miles afterwards was OK but I'm dying today. 

Monday - 5 miles @ 11:39
Tuesday - 5 miles @ 11:53 (after core/strength workout)

It was muggy and icky out!

No HR data for either run as my chest strap won't connect to my watch.  Replaced the battery.  Still nothing.  Tried connecting to my bike computer and it wouldn't connect either.  Ordered a new chest strap.  It should arrive Friday.

***

So after my run on Tuesday I loaded up grandkids and headed to Pelton Park...a campground on Lake Simtustus located about half an hour from home.  I rented two yomes.  Kevin and Natalie helped unload the paddle boat, two kids kayaks, and two paddle boards.  We all played in the water for a bit and then they headed home with the twins...and Connor who decided not to stay.  That left me with Izzy age 14, Abby age 12, Owen age 8 and Royce age 6.  Emma age 16 showed up for a bit of time in the water and stayed for dinner before heading home as she had to go to work early in the morning.  Marty also arrived before dinner.  We spent the evening either eating or playing in the water.  The kids did well overnight.  We didn't get in a hurry to eat and pack up.  Then spent a bit more time in the water before packing the water toys and enjoying and ice cream before heading home at noon.  It was a fun day.  I'm exhausted!!!

***

I asked Janice what she wanted to do for her birthday...she turns 74 tomorrow.  She said she wanted to run 13.1 miles.     That's what I get for asking.  So we're heading out around 6:00 in the morning.  It's still muggy and pretty smokey from wildfires.  Hope it's better in the morning.  She wants to meet with friends at Eagle Bakery...on Friday morning after we recover from our run.

I'll let you know if I survive Janice's birthday run...

I had written a response to this about a week ago.  Evidently, I didn't hit send.

Did you know that Muggy and Icky are from the Gulf Coast?  They're related to Oppressive and Sultry.  Muggy and Icky have a motor home and escape the weather down here during the Summer.  Nice people, but it's easy for them to wear out their welcome. 

I didn't think it'd been 2 months since your last workout!  YEAH, I can imagine your legs were in WTF? mode.  They thought they had it SO good, just running.

Your grandkids will look back fondly at a day at Pelton Park.

So riddle me this, Batgirl.  Janice.  Does she think her walking or running stride has shortened or changed over the past 10 years?  I see old folks that shuffle along or their stride is barely longer than their shoe length.  I know most of them haven't been concerned with their core muscles or legs and they're happy (probably) just not to be like old Aunt Marge or Uncle Fred who REALLY is bad off.

But what would Janice wished she had done differently, or done more of, 10 years ago regarding outside activities?  The people I see are either shufflers or skinny as a rail and prancing along.

Now, where's that 'Send' button.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Sounds like the training is moving along in the right direction.

Glad we got to do Victoria when we did as the 70.3 will now be history.

Stay safe.

I am so glad that I did my 70.3 when I did!  Part of me wants to do another but I'll have to admit that I've only been on my bike 7 times this year.  It took ages to get the cable repaired and then I just couldn't get excited about biking.  I am enjoying concentrating on running...back to my roots.

ounce wrote:




So riddle me this, Batgirl.  Janice.  Does she think her walking or running stride has shortened or changed over the past 10 years?  I see old folks that shuffle along or their stride is barely longer than their shoe length.  I know most of them haven't been concerned with their core muscles or legs and they're happy (probably) just not to be like old Aunt Marge or Uncle Fred who REALLY is bad off.

But what would Janice wished she had done differently, or done more of, 10 years ago regarding outside activities?  The people I see are either shufflers or skinny as a rail and prancing along.

Now, where's that 'Send' button.

Oh no Doug...Janice runs!  She's pretty impressive for her age.  She is legally blind...her disease caused her to have tunnel vision and it's progressing.  She ran through a stress fracture 20 years ago or so...before we became friends...and broke her hip while running the Portland Marathon.  She was a PE teacher and track coach until she decided to stay home with her kids.  She goes to the gym at least 3 days a week.  Runs 3 days a week...we only do our long runs together.  We were swimming 3 days a week when the pool was open but haven't gone back yet.  And she hikes and backpacks regularly as well.  Her goal is to beat the world record for the 100 yard dash for a female 100+ years old.  And she just might.  Her Mom just celebrated her 100th birthday.  As I said in a previous post...I want to be like Janice when I grow up!

***

So quick update for the week.  I've been busy!

Monday - 6.75 miles w/3 x 1.5 miles (1/2 mile rest)  
Overall run @ 10:32 HR 154/171 Cad 161 SL .95
Average interval @ 9:51
Much more appropriate pace for intervals of this length.  It was a good run.

Tuesday - Up early for Lower body lifting and core
5 miles @ 11:35 HR 140/153 Cad 157 SL .88  Maybe a bit to fast for a recovery run but not to bad.

Wednesday - Rafting on the Deshutes River with 4 of the grandkids.  Emma wasn't able to get off work so Marty and I took Izzy (14), Abby (12), Owen (, and Royce (6).  We did a nice section near Maupin with some class 3 and 4 rapids.  The kids did fantastic.  We opted for a slightly shorter section that allowed us time to swim and play.  We hiked up the White River a mile or so and played on a natural water slide and stopped a bit further down the river to float one of the rapids in our life jackets.  The guide helped the boys through individually.  Royce was game to go...Owen was a bit hesitant but had to go once he saw his brother do it.  We're thinking about trying to do an overnight trip next summer.

Thursday - Upper body lifting and core.
5 miles @ 11:42 HR 144/156 Cad 158 SL .87
Needed another recovery day especially after a long, hot day on the river.  As you can see my HR jumped up quickly.  Glad I didn't try a harder workout!

Friday - 6 1/2 hours driving...well riding.  I think that was harder on my body than running!!  Marty and I got up early and headed to the valley with the trailer to pick up some fuel tanks.  Home for a late lunch and back to work.

Long run with Janice planned for tomorrow...

WOW run for Janice today.  She ran T/W/T this week and those last two days were hard...for her...10ks.  I was afraid she would struggle today but she had an awesome run.  The goal was 10 miles <12:00 pace.

11.3 miles @ 11:29 HR 145/159 Cadence 161 SL .87

It's so exciting to see her getting stronger and faster.  She tends to run like I used to...3 days a week and always as fast as she's able.  She looked and felt so much better than during the half we ran on her birthday a couple weeks ago.  We gradually increased the pace and finished really strong.  A couple times I was worried that I was setting the pace at a level she wouldn't be able to maintain but she said she was feeling great and encouraged me to push her to the finish.

It's been good for me to slow down and do my long runs with her.  She worries that I'm going to get frustrated running slower with her but I enjoy the company.  I have 6 other days of the week to run faster if I want to.  And this was not a slow run for me but right on pace for a long run!

Busy canning corn this afternoon...

Finished off the week with an easy 3 miles and a sample MBF...Muscle Burns Fat...workout.  It's a new Beachbody program and Natalie is loving it.  But it's 7 days a week and Marty and I just aren't able to commit to that until irrigation water is off for the year.  The sample was fun and challenging but we'll wait till later to do the actual program.

3 miles @ 11:32 HR 130/144 Cad 160 SL .87
A bit faster than I intended but not a bad HR.

That gave me just over 31 miles for the week in 5 runs.

***

Woke up this morning with GI issues that prevented me from heading out early and then I had farming obligations so it doesn't look like I'll get a run in today.  That's OK.  It's smoky and windy and seems like a good day for a rest day.

Boy it was nasty here yesterday.  High winds blew the wildfire smoke in.  We were under an air quality advisory and the ash settled in on everything.  Good day to stay in the house!  The high winds and lack of humidity are really messing up our farming!  More winds predicted this afternoon/evening.

Woke up early for a challenging upper body lifting and core workout.  Once it got light enough to see I realized that it was clear enough for a run.  I headed out and quickly returned to the house for a long sleeve shirt.     It was COLD.  Glad I took the time to switch to long sleeves and by mile two I was wishing I had my gloves.  It was 38 degrees.

5 miles @ 10:58 HR 140/157 Cad 161 SL .91
My intention was for this to be an easy run so that I could do a more intense run tomorrow...and I'd already completed one workout this morning.  I did not execute this well at all.  Way to fast for an easy run but not near fast enough to count as a tempo run.  Not sure I accomplished the desired adaptation.  Oh well...it's done now.  I went out at what felt like an easy effort and when I realized my pace I decided to turn it into a building run and then slowed a bit for the last mile to allow a bit of a cool down.  I am very happy with the HR for a run of that pace and also pleased that a slightly faster cadence seems to be more natural as the summer progresses.  I've only really increased my cadence 2 or 3 clicks but it is feeling more natural.

Ultreya...

So do you think the 38 degree run was influenced more by the temp than anything else?  For me, first cool temp would be like blood doping.

Looks like Janice is high in her bio-rhythms cycle.  Good for her.  And it's nice to be the rabbit, too!

Is the corn canning for retail or put into containers for the next step in the cycle?

Another 30+ mile week for you.  Bravo!

ounce wrote:So do you think the 38 degree run was influenced more by the temp than anything else?  For me, first cool temp would be like blood doping.

Looks like Janice is high in her bio-rhythms cycle.  Good for her.  And it's nice to be the rabbit, too!

Is the corn canning for retail or put into containers for the next step in the cycle?

Another 30+ mile week for you.  Bravo!

I do think the cooler temperatures did have an effect on both my HR and my perceived effort.  I like running when it's cold.  I also need to take into account that I didn't run the day before and only ran 3 miles the day before that.  That's a lot of rest during this training cycle.  Probably enough to have a positive effect even after my morning strength workout.

The corn canning is just for our personal use.  We grow a large garden.  I can green beans, corn, dill pickles and pickled beets...those are the things we like better than store bought.  If I have excess I'll cook up tomatoes and add onions and peppers and can that for use in stews and sauces over the winter.  I used to can a lot more when the kids were home but I just can our favorites now.  We can buy fresh fruit and veggies all winter so I skip the sugar and salt and save the money I would spend on lids and buy fresh.

It's getting windy and smokey again.  Hope it doesn't get as bad as it did last night.  And for the sake of those living near the fires I hope the wind dies down and they get them under control quickly.

Sounds like tomorrow may be a very hectic day on the farm so I'm not sure I'm going to be able to squeeze a run in...

I did manage to find time to run this morning.  I had hoped to get in a longer SOS run but had limited time.  I resigned myself to doing an easy 5 but shortly into the run I decided if I had time for an easy 5 I had time for a more intense 5.

5 miles w/4 @ 9:57 Cadence 164
Overall run @ 10:09 HR 148/161 Cad 163 SL .97
I had to shorten my warm up and cool down.  Not the best situation but not life or death either.  If I were on track with my half training I should be up to 5 or 6 mile tempo runs but I'm not on track and don't really care as my race was cancelled.

***

So this fire thing is getting real!  My brother called to let me know that the evacuation area was only 2 miles from their house (and Mom's) and the smoke was pretty intense.  We decided it might be prudent to move Mom over here so that he/she didn't get caught off guard by an evacuation order.  We aren't worried about their homes as they have lots of green space around them but we are worried about air quality and evacuation orders.  We're going to check information in the morning before making a decision but are leaning toward bringing her over here for a few days. I'm going to have to drive the long way to stay away from the fire.  I'll keep you posted.  Oh and did I mention that Ayda had a COVID test today.  All 5 kids had the sniffles but Ayda's didn't go away.  They are confident it's just a cold but decided to test anyway.  I'll keep you posted on that as well.

Another covid test. Anyone in trouble for this one?

Check prescription bottles to refill before everyone else thinks about refilling scripts.

I will be curious to know how running with smoke around doesn't affect you.

ounce wrote:Another covid test.  Anyone in trouble for this one?

Check prescription bottles to refill before everyone else thinks about refilling scripts.

I will be curious to know how running with smoke around doesn't affect you.

Pretty sure the kids just caught a sniffle from friends.  No real COVID concern...just a precaution.  No blame.

Prescriptions filled.

I did run Thursday as it was still pretty clear here. 5 miles @ 11:41 HR 133/153 Cad 157 (After lower body lifting and core).

To smokey to run on Friday and things pretty much blew up!  They expanded the evacuation area to include Mom in level 2 and we decided to move her.  My brothers both also decided to evacuate animals.  My SIL dropped off Mom and 4 horses.  My other brother brought 3 miniature donkeys   and he and his wife are staying in Madras.  I booked flights to take Mom to Albuquerque to visit another brother so that she would be in a safer area.  Then they closed the airport!  So Mom is here with us.  We're safe but smokey...very smokey!  As in 630 AQI smokey.  

So...no running...safe but very uncomfortable...looking forward to a change in the weather.

We'll be talking about 2020 for a very long time!

AQI still >500     It's miserable.  It's in the house and everywhere now.  There is not escape even for a few minutes...well except for the shower.  I'm boiling a pot of water on the stove which seems to help a bit.

So...no running again today and likely not for a few more days.

Finished the week with 3 runs totaling 15 miles.

Things are improving at Mom's home.  They downgraded the evacuation status.  It's still smokey but there is even more smoke here.  My brother is headed home in the morning.  If the drive goes well I plan to load Mom up and take her home in the afternoon.  She's really anxious to get home.  She wanted to go today when she heard that the evacuation status had been downgraded.  We convinced her to wait till my brother could give us a road report.

On the bright side we celebrated the twins first birthday this morning and Mom was here to enjoy the time with family.  Natalie gave each of them a small cake in hopes that they would make a big mess she could photograph.  The stuck their fingers in the frosting a couple times and then totally ignored the cakes.  

Is the year over yet...

Wow, ignoring the cakes! Maybe give them some bacon. Your ordeal with the smoke and the evacuation is full on like an evacuation for a hurricane.

I've never had to evacuate. But I could feel the tension in your words. Good luck up there.

Like I said to Mark, thinking of you guys and hoping some relief comes soon!

Stay positive and stay safe.   And unlike Doug, I have to evacuate for a hurricane once in New England.  We were on the Cape and had to go home - so nothing really "bad" per se, but still an evacuation.

ounce wrote:Wow, ignoring the cakes!  Maybe give them some bacon.  Your ordeal with the smoke and the evacuation is full on like an evacuation for a hurricane.

I've never had to evacuate.  But I could feel the tension in your words.  Good luck up there.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Like I said to Mark, thinking of you guys and hoping some relief comes soon!

Stay positive and stay safe.   And unlike Doug, I have to evacuate for a hurricane once in New England.  We were on the Cape and had to go home - so nothing really "bad" per se, but still an evacuation.

We are luckier than many so as frustrating as this is I have to remember that it could be worse.

So here's an update.  Our AQI is down to 374...from a high of 634.  Still hazardous but better.  We're staying indoors or at least in equipment with cabs as much as possible but some things just have to be done.  Looks like we're in for several more days of this.

The smoke is affecting the weather which is making harvest and farming in general challenging.  We can't plan as we don't know what to expect...predictions are even more inaccurate than usual.  I know we'll get through this and that we're lucky compared to many others but it's tough.

The danger from the actual fire diminished enough that we felt comfortable taking Mom home yesterday afternoon.  The original plan was to fly her to Albuquerque where she would stay with one of my brothers until things were better here but they closed the airport!!  She really wanted to go home and now that the fire danger has been downgraded we all agreed that she might as well sit at home in the smoke.  In addition to Mom, I have 2 brothers, 2 nephews, 1 niece, and a cousin all living in the Sandy area so there are lots of people to keep an eye on Mom.  They got to evacuation level 2 but never got to 3.  My older brother and Mom came to Madras.  The others stayed.  We're still housing livestock.  They don't plan to move them back until the rain actually arrives and they are certain it's safe.

When the winds changed direction it not only brought the smoke to Madras it also changed the course of the Lionshead fire.  It started on the east side of the mountains on Aug 16th.  The weather event that caused the fires to blow up last week pushed it over the mountains to the west side where it connected to the Riverside fire...the one that was threatening Sandy.  It has now turned and is headed back towards us.  We aren't in danger...and won't be...but it could get to the community of Warm Springs and or to Hwy 26 which would cut off the shortest route to Sandy.

In addition to the smoke limiting my ability to run I've been busy cooking and caring for Mom and my brother and his wife.  I feel terrible because of the smoke and can't believe how stiff and sore I got...I guess from not exercising.  So Marty and I made it a point to get up early and workout this morning.  We chose a lower body lift and core workout that got us moving but not hard enough to breath hard as even the house is full of smoke.  It did feel good!

So...we're uncomfortable and very frustrated but we're safe.  Working hard to remind myself that we're actually one of the lucky ones...

I'm sure the smoke does something to you each time you're outside, not to mention the inside.

I looked at the NWS site based in Pendleton to see what they're thinking.  At 10:34 PT, this morning, they said the following:
As a powerful upper low moves inland near the Oregon/Washington
coast, moist southerly flow will overspread areas west of the
Cascades, leading to increased rain chances by late Thursday.
Upper flow will remain south/southwesterly, keeping the highest
rain chances confined to areas west of, and adjacent to the
Cascade Crest. This will change on Friday, as the center of the
low traverses northern Oregon and southern Washington, leading to
a solid chance at rain over much of the region. Unfortunately,
there will be a chance of thunderstorms over the mountains of
central into northeast Oregon. This will be a concern from a fire
weather standpoint, though storms that do occur should bring
wetting rains, alleviating the fire concerns to some extent.

So, root for thunderstorms! Might cause a fire, but the convection from storms guarantees rain under them. Where that Upper low goes, so goes the rain.

That upper low they mention IS powerful. I started watching it yesterday morning (there are 2 of them with one a few miles off the northern Washington coast).

The thickness of the smoke in the 'basin' (figuring that's east of the Cascades) is a mile or more thick.

Hope y'all get to do the harvesting, soon.

Smoke is persistent.  It was better yesterday with numbers in the mid 200s.  Up to the mid 400s again today but appears to maybe be clearing a bit...a little bit.

I was able to get some outside work done yesterday.  We got some N95 masks.  The local extension office made them available for farm workers.  We are only doing the work that is absolutely essential.  My only time outside today was in the tractor.  We finished the baling...for the entire year.     The parsley is cut.  We'll start cutting carrots this weekend.  It will take several days.  The rain won't be good for the seed crops but would be more damaging to the hay.  We sprayed the seed crops with a product that is supposed to help prevent the seed from "popping" after a heavy dew or rain.  

Hoping we get the rain needed to suppress the fires and help clear out this smoke.  Two of the bigger fires that did a lot of damage actually started on August 16th during a thunderstorm.  Then the winds last week fanned the flames.  There was a bit of rain with the August thunderstorm but not enough.  I hope that we get the rain we need and not more lightening strikes and wind!!

Marty and I got up early and did an upper body lift workout and core this morning.  I'm really missing running.  It's been a week now and I'm sure that I'm going to struggle when I get back out there.  Janice has been camping at the southern Oregon coast and was able to get in a couple runs.  She is heading home today.  She mentioned trying to run with a mask on but I don't think that's a good idea.  It will clear up someday...I hope.  I'm already noticing some symptoms of the smoke exposure and don't want to aggravate them.

Trying to count my blessings and not fret over things I can't change...

The smoke started to clear Friday as the thunderstorms rolled past.  We didn't get measurable rain but the storms did clear the air.  Janice sent a text immediately to ask if/when I could run in the morning.  We had promised the boys that they could spend the night and have waffles for breakfast so Janice and I got a later start than normal.  I expected Janice to suggest we ease back into running after 8 days of smoke but nope...not Janice.  She got in a couple runs at the coast earlier in the week and wanted 8+.     I was concerned but it's hard to whine about not keeping up with my 74 year old blind friend so off I went.  The way we do these runs is Janice leaves her house at the same time I leave the downtown park.  She runs toward the ball fields up on the hill and I run up the hill.  We meet with similar mileage and then run around the ball fields and when we're ready run down the hill and loop around the Willow Creek trail and end up at my car.  So I always start on the hill.

8 miles @ 11:53 HR 154/167 Cad 159 SL .85
So pace was fine.  HR was high...not unexpected.  Nice cadence.  
Breathing seemed ok but HR indicates that I was working harder than I realized.  Legs whined a bit and wondered what was going on.  I had a bit of a niggle in my right hip flexor(?).

Got home and Marty had the horses saddled.  It's been 3 months since I've been on a horse.  4+ hours later my right hip flexor was screaming and I was sore all over.     But it was a nice ride and a fun afternoon.  Unfortunately as we turned onto the hwy to head home we realized the smoke had blown in back at home.  137  Ugh!

Up early for a workout that they recorded at Katie's gym.  It was a fun change.  The smoke was much better this morning (70) so I headed out for a recovery run after breakfast.

3 miles @ 11:43 HR 140/158 Cad 158 SL .87
Nothing special about this run other than the fact that I was a bit stiff and sore.  I felt better after the run.  Hip flexor is still reminding me it isn't happy but is much better.

AQI 58

Hoping the air remains clear enough to run safely...