Wandering aimlessly...

Hope you are having fun!

Nancyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

Mark's not playing nice.  Tell him to stop!

I've been the bestest boy.  


Keep on having fun because the country hasn't gone to hell in a hand basket, yet.

He started it.

Hey, Nancy! Hope you've been having a great time! We've been having some interesting weather -- including a big dump of snow and moisture that might help your irrigation situation this year. Hope so, anyway!

Note how Ounce and I haven't turned your blog into a tic-tac-toe game. We're behaving! 

Mark B wrote:He started it.

Hey, Nancy! Hope you've been having a great time! We've been having some interesting weather -- including a big dump of snow and moisture that might help your irrigation situation this year. Hope so, anyway!

Note how Ounce and I haven't turned your blog into a tic-tac-toe game. We're behaving! 

But don't think I haven't thought of it.  Instead, I'm more likely to turn Mark's into one.

However for yours.....

OK...I have a confession to make.  I've been home for a week!  Every time I start to check in something interferes.  And this evening is no different.  
Quick update.  

• It was an awesome trip.
  
• We're struggling to adjust to jet lag and the COLD and SNOW!  (Although the moisture is more than welcome.)
  
• The Heart Breaker Half is this weekend and I am not ready.  It's going to be painfully slow...
  
• Grandkids are awesome...and time consuming.
  

I will find time in the next few days to catch up on your blogs and update mine.  I promise.

Until then...Ultreya

nkrichards wrote:OK...I have a confession to make.  I've been home for a week!  Every time I start to check in something interferes.  And this evening is no different.  
Quick update.  

• It was an awesome trip.
  
• We're struggling to adjust to jet lag and the COLD and SNOW!  (Although the moisture is more than welcome.)
  
• The Heart Breaker Half is this weekend and I am not ready.  It's going to be painfully slow...
  
• Grandkids are awesome...and time consuming.
  

I will find time in the next few days to catch up on your blogs and update mine.  I promise.

Until then...Ultreya

Woohoo!  Welcome back.

Best find a hospital in that story.  It's not really a Richards trip without a hospital in there somewhere.

ounce wrote:

nkrichards wrote:OK...I have a confession to make.  I've been home for a week!  Every time I start to check in something interferes.  And this evening is no different.  
Quick update.  

• It was an awesome trip.
  
• We're struggling to adjust to jet lag and the COLD and SNOW!  (Although the moisture is more than welcome.)
  
• The Heart Breaker Half is this weekend and I am not ready.  It's going to be painfully slow...
  
• Grandkids are awesome...and time consuming.
  

I will find time in the next few days to catch up on your blogs and update mine.  I promise.

Until then...Ultreya

Woohoo!  Welcome back.

Best find a hospital in that story.  It's not really a Richards trip without a hospital in there somewhere.

Nope...no hospitals this trip Doug!  Marty loves travel to Australia where he feels more comfortable and safe.

***

Well I'll be...maybe there is something to this slower running thing!  I had very low expectations for the half on Sunday but I was quite pleased with the results.  I don't think I've done more than half a dozen speed workouts since the Half Ironman last June...or more than half a dozen runs over 6 miles with the longest at 9 or maybe 10 miles.  Everything recently has been slow...and I missed a lot of running time while hiking in Australia.  I have been pretty consistent on the core/strength work but wasn't able to keep that up while traveling.  I started pretty conservatively but got caught up in the fun and ran slightly faster than intended in the first half.  But I was feeling good and was able to speed up slightly as the second half of the race unfolded and I finished fast and feeling really good.  I'm a bit sore this morning but not nearly as sore as I usually am after a half.

2:11:33 @10:05 pace  AG 1/10  Female 74/209  Overall 155/323

New course this year (single loop rather than double loop) with a few more hills in the second half but I still beat last years time of 2:13:26 but slower than in 2017 when I ran 2:09:01.  

It's a really fun event with some fast runners.  Mens winner 1:11:18 @ 5:28  Womens winner 1:19:03 @ 6:04.  She said she's training for Boston...and the Olympic trials!

***

More details on the Australia trip later in the week.  My brother and his family arrive tomorrow for a three day visit.  I think clean sheets and meal planning are going to have to take priority today!

Ultreya...

Woohoo!  Must be all those summertime temps that relaxed you to getting that AG award.  Any sponsorship opportunities, now?

Enjoy the family visit.

Hey, you're back! Woot! 

Must have been quite a shock from the super hot summer weather down under to, well, winter here, at last. 

I bet whatever running you did down under made a cold weather half seem easy (if cold). Nice work! AG No. 1! 

Looking forward to reading about Australia.

Actually, at this point, I'd be interested to know if you've dug yourself out yet from that giant snow dump you got earlier this week.

Mark B wrote:Actually, at this point, I'd be interested to know if you've dug yourself out yet from that giant snow dump you got earlier this week.

OMG  21" of snow as of last night.  It was -4 this morning.  All the schools have been closed all week.  We're talking about breaking records over 100 years old.  We may get a bit more snow tomorrow but shouldn't be a lot.  Next significant snow isn't predicted until Tuesday.  It's going to stay cold though so what we have won't melt.

I wasn't able to get to my appointment with Dr. B on Tuesday.  I called to reschedule...next available appointment April 25th...during rush hour traffic.  Oh well.

On the bright side.  The snow pack was at 62% of average when we returned home from Australia.  Now...23 days later...it's at 113%.  Woohoo.  Still not out of the woods yet as moisture was so depleted in the soil, springs, and reservoir last fall but it's a good start.

I obviously haven't been running.  My gators aren't quite tall enough for this much snow.  We have been getting back on track with our Beachbody workouts each morning and I'm back to Pilates and swimming when I can get to the pool.  I'm joining a Tai chi class on Monday.  Could be interesting.  I'm doing it with Janice (my 72 year old legally blind swim/hike/jog friend) and a couple other mutual friends.  I've been warned that the hardest part for me will be slowing down.  Could be a challenge!

The other interesting/funny news is a message I got from our accountant this morning.  He prepares the partnership return and I prepare our individual returns.  We have to file and pay by March 1st because we're farmers (in exchange for not filing estimates as our income fluctuates).  It's always a rush to get things done on time as we wait for W2s, 1099s etc and then we wait for the software companies to make their final updates and then it's a mad rush the last couple days.  This year was even worse as we didn't get home until early February.  I printed our return yesterday and planned to give it one last look today.  I got Kevin started on his return and the power...and internet...went out.  Panic.  Then the message from the accountant arrived.  We've been granted a reprieve.  Because of the complexity of the tax law changes the IRS is going to allow us to wait and file and pay on April 15th.  I quickly put the checkbook away.  I'll hang on to our money for another 6 weeks.

I've been struggling to recover both mentally and physically from our travels.  I'm physically tired and mentally exhausted.  Getting the tax stress resolved should help.  I'm almost caught up with the office work that I got behind on.  I won't push myself to get back to hard training to quickly and maybe Tai chi will be helpful as well.

Deep breath...

I guess with so much snow on the ground, it doesn't seem like much can be done where it is.  So outside work is limited to structure repair and enhancement?

Here's the link to the Drought Meter.  I punched in Madras, so I could see which flavor of drought y'all are experiences.  https://www.drought.gov/drought/states/oregon?places=madras

Always happy when an unexpected pleasant thing from the IRS occurs.  Was the State wanting their's or do they have to go along since you can't really report State income without the Fed 1040, et al having been filed?

Is Augie a snow dog or is he just happy y'all are home?

Enjoy getting back into the swing of things and trying out Tai Chi.  I imagine you'll like it.

Glad you had a fun trip.   And Drought? What is drought?   We have had so much rain here in Georgia that the river is continuously high and our beloved running path has been pretty much underwater since early January.  The lake is so high the level is over the beach and the crazy cold water swimmers can't even swim because it is too dangerous - I mean who knows what bbq grill might be submerged.   We were just talking about the Tenn River because it is very high as well which could mean that we won't swim at HIM Chatty.

Embarrassed by my lack of posting...

Mark...digging our way out of new snow!  Still no running.

Doug...last I heard the snowpack was up to 113% and that was before this last storm.  There was an article in the paper explaining that while it was enough to drop our drought from an extreme level to a serious level we aren't out of the woods yet.

Michele...it's good thing I'm not racing this spring.  I haven't been on my bike since I road the rim at Crater Lake in September.  I haven't been for a run since I completed my half on Feb 17th.  I managed to run a fair bit in Australia and braved the cold and snow on our return...until the race was over...but it's so bad now that I just can't get motivated to get outside.  I am swimming and core/strength training so hopefully I'll be able to jump back into running without to much difficulty.  Hope conditions improve enough for you to do the swim (safely) at Chattanooga.

***

So since I don't have much/any running to report on I think maybe I'll give the promised update on our Australia trip.

This was my 9th trip to Australia...Marty's 7th.  Australia feels like our second home.  I think we've seen more of Australia than we've seen of the US...hope to change that.  This was a much different trip.  For the first time we split up and did things on our own...mostly because Marty wanted to spend a significant amount of time farming.

So, we boarded the plane on December 30th and arrived in Tasmania early afternoon on Jan 1st.  Marty had made plans to work/learn on Corey's farm for the month of January.  (Corey was an exchange worker in 1997...one of our favorites)  Corey had organized an airbnb near his farm for us.  We said hi to everyone and settled in for the night.  The next morning Marty went to work.  He spent that first morning driving flag car to move oversize equipment...on the wrong side of the road in an area he wasn't familiar with...    I ran around trying to make sure he had the food and clothing he needed to survive for a few days before I boarded a plane to Flinders Island that afternoon.

Marty worked everyday for the next 27 days...always at least 12 hours and often 16-18 hours.  He drove combine, swather, baler, truck, serviced and repaired equipment...  He was exhausted and loved every minute of it!  He made lots of new contacts with area farmers and hopes to go back when he/they have more time to talk.  We expect at least 2 or 3 visitors this year.

As mentioned, I headed off to Flinders Island 24 hours after arriving in Tasmania.  I met my best friend, Cathy, from my year in high school in West Australia there.  We spent the next 4 days hiking, snorkeling, swimming, and just catching up.  It was fantastic.  We got very little sleep and were often to busy to stop and eat but I loved it.  Flinders Island was like stepping back into the 1960s.  Everyone knows everyone and no one locks anything.

Back in Tasmania I had 2 days to pick up my friends Chuck & Janice (legally blind swim friend) at the airport and make sure Marty had enough food and clothing to last for the duration of our next adventure.  We managed to squeeze in a short day hike in Cataract Gorge and a longer hike at Liffey Falls during those two days.  Andi and friend also joined us.  I met Andi during her short stay in Madras.  She currently lives back in Maine.  There was room for all of us to stay at the airbnb together.

And then the 5 of us were off to join a 6 day guided hike on the Overland Track (Cradle Mountain).  It's one of the most famous hikes in Tasmania...maybe even in Australia.  We went the luxury route, staying in private huts with food and bedding provided...and warm showers.  Good thing as the first day we got caught in a storm with sleet and COLD rain.  The second day was better but we did have to wear our raincoats all day and it was to cloudy to do our optional side trip.  The weather kept improving and we had perfect weather for our summit of Mt. Ossa and by the end of the trip it was hot and perfect conditions to jump in the lake at the end of the trail.  It was a challenging hike.  We had a great group and awesome guides.  

Back at the airbnb I took a couple days to catch up on laundry...mine and Marty's...do some grocery shopping and cooking, visit with friends, and run as much as possible while Chuck and Janice toured on their own.  On their return we planned one last day hike up Quamby Bluff.  I think we could see all of Tasmania from the top!!  It was an awesome way to end their visit.

I hung out at the airbnb for a few days.  It was located on a farm and had a driveway a full mile long.  I would head out past the poppy fields...Tasmania grows a large percentage of the worlds poppies for morphine...and then choose a route to run on the country roads.  Pademelons (small kangaroos) and native hens lived under the hedges on the driveway and they were out every morning.  It was kind of fun to see them.  The roads were narrow and runners weren't common but the locals got used to me and were quite polite, giving me lots of room.  I met the lady that walked on the driveway a couple times and we chatted a bit.  I ended up inviting her down to the house for tea and scones the last day I was there.  I also spent more time catching up with friends. 

During that time, my brother and his wife also arrived.  I helped them get their rental car organized and then we spent a day together while they got used to driving on the wrong side of the road.  Barbara loves animals so we went to the wildlife park where we got to feed wallabies (small roos), and pet a wombat and a Tasmanian Devil!  We finished the day at the Platypus house and Seahorse Aquarium.  It was fun to have someone to do those things with.  I hadn't done them since we took my kids when they were small.

On Friday, Jan 25th, I flew to Perth, West Australia where I caught up with Cathy again.  We boarded a plane to Esperance where we spent a long weekend with Kim, another high school friend.  We hiked...a lot...swam and talked...a lot.  Kim's husband, Peter was our driver.  He would drop us off for a hike and then meet us at the end with our lunch.  We hiked into Lucky Bay one day where there were roos on the beach...and a coffee shop!

Marty, my brother and his wife flew to Perth on Monday, Jan 28th and met up with Cathy and I.  After a night at Cathy's house we headed to Jurien Bay, a retirement community north of Perth to visit with my host Mum.  My host Dad passed away a couple months earlier so I was concerned about how my Mum was doing.  She was recovering from a knee replacement but was doing great both mentally and physically.  We spent a couple days there walking and running on the beach, swimming, snorkeling with the sea lions and just chatting with Mum.  It was nice to relax for a couple days.  Then we headed south to catch up with one of my host sisters and attend the 1st birthday party of her grandchild.  It was a nice casual affair on the beach and a perfect opportunity to visit.  Cathy offered to host us for our last night in Australia and planned a lovely dinner with friends in her home.  It was the perfect ending to a wonderful trip.  We put my brother and his wife on the train (Indian Pacific) the next morning and then headed to the airport to drop off our car and fly home.

We arrived home...tired but safe...in the midst of a snow storm!

And I'm still recovering from an awesome trip!

Ultreya...

It's good to be tired after all of that!

Regarding the local drought status, yes, that 113% is the third kind of lie...statistics.  It doesn't make up for the past years.  Hitting the goal doesn't restore to like new.

If we are behind on rain going into the Summer, all we need is a tropical system to roll through and we're statistically set.  Runoff doesn't count.

That sounds like a fantastic trip - both you and Marty managed to find your bliss and ride it all the way to exhaustion! 

I didn't know you had such ties to Australia. I can see why you keep going back!

I'd heard about the *actual* drought conditions, too, but at least the massive snowpack you've accumulated this year will help. That should at least be some comfort as you ponder the possibilities of switching to competitive cross-country skiing. 

I went for a RUN today!  Beachbody shoulders this morning followed by Pilates class and on the drive home the sun was shining and the roads were clear.  It was a gorgeous day!  I laced up my shoes and put on a warm layer (27 degrees) and headed out the door.  3.5 miles @ 11:24  HR 150  It felt easier than that but I guess the HR monitor knows best.  It felt nice to get out there.

Much happier waiting for a nice day for a run vs cross country skiing or snowshoeing.

***

So my other big news.  We're having TWINS!  Kevin and Natalie just found out.  (One was planned...the other was quite a shock)  Don't know the sex yet.  They are due in late September but the doctor won't let her go past Sept 15th because they are twins.  Looks like they'll arrive right in the middle of carrot harvest if not before!

Looks like I'll be scaling back on fall race plans.

Ultreya...

nkrichards wrote:I went for a RUN today!  Beachbody shoulders this morning followed by Pilates class and on the drive home the sun was shining and the roads were clear.  It was a gorgeous day!  I laced up my shoes and put on a warm layer (27 degrees) and headed out the door.  3.5 miles @ 11:24  HR 150  It felt easier than that but I guess the HR monitor knows best.  It felt nice to get out there.

Much happier waiting for a nice day for a run vs cross country skiing or snowshoeing.

***

So my other big news.  We're having TWINS!  Kevin and Natalie just found out.  (One was planned...the other was quite a shock)  Don't know the sex yet.  They are due in late September but the doctor won't let her go past Sept 15th because they are twins.  Looks like they'll arrive right in the middle of carrot harvest if not before!

Looks like I'll be scaling back on fall race plans.

Ultreya...

Woot! Congratulations on both counts! A nice run after being cooped up sounds delightful -- and twins?!? Wow! Life isn't going to be quite the same for anybody come September.   Good thing you're an endurance athlete! 

Thanks Mark...we're still processing the news and how it's going to affect farm and family life.  It's going to be fun but challenging!

***

Friday was another gorgeous day and I knew that Janice was off snowshoeing and wasn't going to swim so I opted for another run.  Started off a bit slower than Thursday but that didn't last long.   6 miles @ 11:18 with each mile slightly faster than the previous mile.  HR 155  Higher than I'd like but considering the pace not unexpected.  I was pretty pooped afterwards and my legs reminded me that I hadn't been running on a regular basis.  It was a good kind of tired.  It's amazing to me how well the strength/core work carries me through even when I haven't been doing much running but I need to slow down and take the time to build back my base.

We brought our Mom's over for the weekend and had our family stuffed pork chop dinner.  It's a lot of work but it's a tradition that we like to maintain.  Managed to get in a Beachbody workout early Saturday and late Sunday.  Off the Tai Chi and swimming this morning.

Ultreya...

nkrichards wrote:Thanks Mark...we're still processing the news and how it's going to affect farm and family life.  It's going to be fun but challenging!

***

Friday was another gorgeous day and I knew that Janice was off snowshoeing and wasn't going to swim so I opted for another run.  Started off a bit slower than Thursday but that didn't last long.   6 miles @ 11:18 with each mile slightly faster than the previous mile.  HR 155  Higher than I'd like but considering the pace not unexpected.  I was pretty pooped afterwards and my legs reminded me that I hadn't been running on a regular basis.  It was a good kind of tired.  It's amazing to me how well the strength/core work carries me through even when I haven't been doing much running but I need to slow down and take the time to build back my base.

We brought our Mom's over for the weekend and had our family stuffed pork chop dinner.  It's a lot of work but it's a tradition that we like to maintain.  Managed to get in a Beachbody workout early Saturday and late Sunday.  Off the Tai Chi and swimming this morning.

Ultreya...

Some new playthings for Augie!  Looks like a really cool Christmas coming up.  Like you've been doing all along, I'm going to have to diversify my exercising.

Keep at it, youngster!

Tuesday was Beachbody Back/Biceps followed by Pilates and then a 5 mile run.  My running watch malfunctioned part way through the run so I don't have great data but it was @ 11:25 or so HR 151.  Still need to slow down a bit I think.

Wednesday started with Tai Chi (I'm having fun with this but it's to slow for me and I won't sign up for another 6 week session.  It does challenge me to think!)  We had a great swim afterwards.

Thursday was Beachbody Shoulders and then I headed out for 7 miles.  Pace 11:29 HR 145  Getting closer but I could still slow a bit I think...

This morning was Beachbody Legs and I struggled after my longer run yesterday.  I thought about a short recovery run but I think I've decided on a recovery swim instead...don't have time for both.

Life got busy this week as I've been recruited to help with painting at the house that came with the farm we purchased.  The crew did the rough stuff but they are pretty sloppy so I'm doing the trim.  I try and get my work and workouts done in the morning and paint every afternoon.  We're hoping to get it ready to rent before it gets dry enough to get started with farm work.

***

I didn't have time to tally up my 2018 log book before we headed to Australia.  I took the time to update it a couple days ago.  It's interesting.
                     Total               Total                    Per Week
                    Hours             Distance     Sessions   Distance   Hours              
Swim           114:30         248,410 yds    2.43      4777 yds     2.2
Bike               91:40          1287.9 mi      1.2       24.75 mi     1.76
Run              125:55         709.34 mi      2.36      13.64 mi     2.42
Strength       161:45                              4.5                         3.11
Other            39:20                                .65                         .75
Total            533:10                            11.01                     10.25

I haven't spent a lot of time analyzing yet but it's interesting to see.  (Other is things like hiking and kayaking or something that is cardio but doesn't fit into the other categories.)  You can tell that I only bike during a portion of the year but I'm more consistent with swimming and running year round.  The thing that stands out the most to me is the amount of time I dedicated to strength and core work this year.  I knew that I had really made an effort to work on that but didn't really realize how much time I spent working on it!

One thing that is easy to take away from this without to much analyzing is that I spend a lot of time exercising/training.  It's become a social activity for me in some ways (swimming & Pilates) but it's just become part of me.  I enjoy it!

Ultreya...

My, my, that is a whole lot of doing!  And you're still clickin' along with that ticker of yours, too!  That sure is a lot to admire.  I'll do my best to keep Freddy down here.

Well done.

That is a LOT of strength work. I suspect it's what helps the other things go so well for you. Great job!

I see that you've been very busy, that your trip was great (I would love to go to Australia, but Japan is first this year), and that you'll be a Grandma again and this time to twins.    How very cool on all counts!

Now you have all spring/summer/fall/winter to get back in tri shape so we can do one again late Spring/early Summer next year.  I was just talking with Carol and she is getting ready for Santa Rosa.  And then, she is going to tackle a 50K later this summer.   I so hope she is still biking when she gets to NY as I'll be very busy swimming, biking, and running to get ready for my big race in October.

ounce wrote:My, my, that is a whole lot of doing!  And you're still clickin' along with that ticker of yours, too!  That sure is a lot to admire.  I'll do my best to keep Freddy down here.

Well done.

Yes, please keep Freddy down there.  I'm having enough trouble keeping my pace at an easy level as it is!

Mark B wrote:That is a LOT of strength work. I suspect it's what helps the other things go so well for you. Great job!

I can tell that the strength work has really helped in my other activities but I think I need to find a better balance.  The strength work has become a social habit which is good...

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:I see that you've been very busy, that your trip was great (I would love to go to Australia, but Japan is first this year), and that you'll be a Grandma again and this time to twins.    How very cool on all counts!

Now you have all spring/summer/fall/winter to get back in tri shape so we can do one again late Spring/early Summer next year.  I was just talking with Carol and she is getting ready for Santa Rosa.  And then, she is going to tackle a 50K later this summer.   I so hope she is still biking when she gets to NY as I'll be very busy swimming, biking, and running to get ready for my big race in October.

Hi Michele...good to hear from you.  I'll have to wish Carol the best for Santa Rosa...and also you for Boston, Chatanooga and your full training.

I have been busy and enjoying life.  I always get a bit melancholy this time of year.  Part of me is proud and pleased with where I'm at after my cardiac event but I can't help but wish/hope I can get back to Boston and pre-cardiac event condition someday.  While I am really enjoying doing new things that I can't compare with old times I can't seem to shake the desire to return to Boston.

Plans for this year include a cross channel swim of the Columbia River.  It's on Sept. 2nd and is an event NOT a race.  It isn't even timed.  And I'll do the local MAC Dash...haven't missed one yet.  But other than that I plan to keep it pretty low key.  I do want to concentrate on building running volume.

As far as next year.  It might be a good year to do another tri and/or another marathon.  I just need to figure out when and where and make sure it all fits.  I'm thinking maybe sticking closer to home for a marathon.  There are some pretty good ones on the west coast in late spring/early summer.  Not as many choices in the Fall but I might be able to find a suitable one.  I'm wondering if I'd have better luck if I didn't have to commit so early and travel so far.  Still not sure.  Maybe I should fly to Houston and visit Doug in January.   I might be able to make a spring/early summer tri work and then move into training for a fall marathon.  We don't have any overseas travel plans for 2020 so it would be a good year to buckle down and train.  We plan to hike in Patagonia in February of 2021 and I've been invited to hike in Iceland with a friend summer of 2021 so that wouldn't be a great year to schedule big races.

Lots of choices and time to figure out goals as I work on my running base/volume and dedicate more time to the farm and the growing family.

That said...off to Tai Chi and the pool.

Ultreya...