Sleeps With Ice Packs

This is getting to be routine...

Somewhere between 1 and 3 am lately I always wake up pouring sweat and the sooner I can cool myself down, the sooner I can fall back to sleep.

With monsoon season approaching it is not cooling down at night the way it does the other 10 months of the year. Mid-June to mid-August it doesn't really cool off that much until closer to sunrise.

When I wake up like I did again tonight, it's still warm and humid outside and opening the windows doesn't help.

I've tried drinking ice water, standing in front of the little cooling unit we have in the bedroom window, going to the kitchen and opening the freezer door and standing in front of it, or tonight, ice packs. I brought this ice pack up to the bed to try to cool the sheets down, and then I placed it on top of me. That didn't work so I got up.

Iris had to know what I was doing, of course, when I went into the other bedroom.

As I write this, I am actually sitting on an icepack. I will take it back to bed and cool the part of the bed where I sleep, and maybe that will work tonight.

If that doesn't work, I'm digging out the coffin coolers from the garage and immersing myself in ice water, like they do at Badwater. I knew all that Badwater experience would pay off someday!

Heat Wave and Drama in the Hood

It was a good call to take a few days off, things already feel better but I'm not going to push it, I will take at least this full week off from running. Not that I won't sneak in a few things on my feet...I'm leaving in a week for Badwater and it's been hot here, 99 degrees the other day felt great outside. In the house is different, we don't have air conditioning except in the bedroom and out in the woman cave, so the basement is the only comfortable spot and that's where the girls hang out.

I've been using ice on my sore spots and I even took a little ibuprofen to get the inflammation down, and it all seems to have helped. I am very tempted to go up to Estes Park and hike the trails below Longs Peak soon, get my high altitude fix before I leave for the desert. I finally got on the bike this morning, it felt good, but it was already hot and I only rode for an hour, but it was on hilly terrain. I am being a slug other than walking the girls, but it feels good.

We've had neighborhood drama around here, there's only one rental in our neighborhood and it happened to just get occupied by some very strange new people last week. We've all been watching. There is something strange about people who just moved into a neighborhood, then shoot illegal fireworks off at 12:30 am the night they move in, and have lots of different cars and people coming and going at all hours, even after they've moved in.

They keep their curtains closed most of the time, parked an ugly trailer full of cardboard boxes outside the house, had a pit bull off the leash and wandering around the yard, and claimed it's a service dog when confronted by one of the neighbors, and they have things like big helium tanks or propane tanks that they moved into the garage, and a lot of other junk. Their garage looks like some hoarders have been living there for the past 40 years, but they've been in there less than a week.

The entire neighborhood is on edge since they moved in, and we're hoping they will get kicked out before they either blow something up or the SWAT Team arrives. So far we can't even tell who the actual residents are because we've seen so many different cars and people. Just really WEIRD.

I wanted to go up to Estes this morning but I woke up too early, set my alarm for 4 am and went back to sleep, but slept through the alarm, so I didn't go. If you don't get up there early enough, there are too many people on the trail, it's hard to find a parking spot, and you miss the best light for taking photographs. I'll try to make it up there next week before I go to Death Valley.

I've been having a productive day here, getting some work done and getting things done around the house. I got Iris out for a walk extra early this morning and we caught all the sprinklers going off on our route. She loves to bite the water in the sprinklers and tries to hit every single one in every yard along the way. It's a game- get the sprinklers- and she is totally drenched by the time she's done, and of course she shakes all the water off on me!

The garden and plants are bouncing back after the killer hailstorm. The raspberries are having a great year, and I replanted the beds with tomatoes, peppers, and beans. The flowers in front are starting to come back and the yellows, golds and oranges are starting to dominate as the early season blues and purples fade.

We're supposed to get hit hard with monsoons starting next week, but we'll see if that's an accurate weather prediction. I will be happy for rain, for several reasons, to water the yard so we don't have to do it, to keep the fires from starting up, and for me to run in. I want to be ready for any kind of weather in Cleveland, and September is the rainiest month. A good long run in the rain would be perfect after this nearly 100 degree heat we've been having.

I hope I get enough rain to be sick of it and ready for the heat again by the time I leave for Badwater!

3 am Hot Flashing is Not All Bad

My legs are trashed. I need to untrash myself. I woke up in the middle of the night hot flashing again, and when I got up, I realized I have little aches and pains that hurt all over.

All these little nagging things have caught up with me. I took an easy week 4 weeks ago but it wasn't all that easy. This hip flexor thing is annoying and my left knee is doing something weird, it feels sore under the patella, and my right ankle is a little swollen. And I feel strong on my runs, on the hills and in my endurance. I don't feel like I have the speed yet, but with the miles I've been doing and on tired legs, I'm not surprised. I need to take a break and let my body recover so I can get the results I want before September.

I'm looking at another 2 1/2 months of training before NorthCoast, or two months, not counting taper. I have time. I am going to take this coming week to ride the bike and back way off on the running miles, maybe not run at all, and just let everything settle down. I need fresh legs to help me develop the speed and stay uninjured, and if I continue pushing it, one of these little nagging things or something else unexpected could become an injury. Yesterday as I was running I rolled my right ankle on a perfectly smooth stretch of trail. That probably means I'm tired and not paying attention. Vulnerable.

For the next two weeks I will be busy and then taking my trip to Badwater, working the race and driving back. I am going to take advantage of this time as a mid-summer break and not worry about the training, let things heal up and run when I feel like it. Then I can come back and hit it hard for the end of July, the month of August and early September. I know that with the strength I have now, the speed is the only missing piece. I think I can get away with just one more long run all summer.

One of the many lessons I've learned over the years is that you have to believe in your base. It will carry you through a lot of things, and it's a cushion to fall back on when you need to back off and rest. I also believe in my speed, and I know it comes back when my legs aren't completely trashed.

Hot flashing at 3 am isn't all bad when it gives you a reality check. I think I'll limp back to bed in the air conditioned room now.

Holidays Bring Out the Darwin Award Candidates...

Nothing like a holiday weekend to bring out the Darwin Award candidates.

Today was my shorter run day, it was hot and I slept in late. I slept until 9:00, I don't remember the last time I did that. I guess I was catching up on lost sleep from the 4th. It was 91 degrees when I started at 11 and 95 when I finished after 1 pm. It felt hot today, I packed ice around my neck the whole time and still I was hot.

There's a tularemia outbreak and the Parks & Rec department posted signs all over the lower Power Trail warning people to keep their pets on the path, on the leash, away from dead animals, and out of ditches and other water holes that might be contaminated.

I was running south along the Power Trail and there's this one bridge near the golf course that has a ditch below it. There's water in it, and it's gated off to keep people out. There were signs posted today about tularemia everywhere. Including on the gate next to the bridge.

There was this guy with a dog, the dog was off leash, soaking wet and shaking off the water on the trail as I approached. There was a woman riding her bike northbound and I heard her say to the guy, "Did you see the signs about tularemia?" I didn't stick around to hear the end of that conversation. I'm sure he saw the signs. He's an idiot, on two counts: for exposing his dog to tularemia, and for having the dog out there when it's 95 degrees.

Things were quieter last night but there were still some people shooting off leftover fireworks on nearby streets. I woke up hot flashing and was awake for a couple of hours, but went back to sleep.

Tomorrow it's back to reality. Long holiday week and weekend are over, gotta get back on track and keep the momentum going. And it will be my rest week from running. I'll get on the bike and give my legs a break, and give the hip flexor a chance to heal. This month is going to fly by, I can tell already.

We did have fun for Isabelle's birthday. The apple carrot peanut butter pupcakes were a hit with the girls, and Iris sang happy birthday to her sister.

Redneck Holiday

It's Isabelle's birthday and I doubled her age in miles. Poor Isabelle. She has to share her birthday on the day after the worst holiday that exists, as far as she's concerned. She shakes in terror the whole night before, every year, thanks to the almost universal (in this country) whims of dumbass redneck hicks who use what little intelligence they have to blow firecrackers out their asses on the day of July 4th and for several days before and after.

Have I told you how much I hate fireworks? I don't mind organized fireworks displays that are put on at public parks for large crowds of people. But the stray ones in town, and for the stupid people who set them off in fire-prone areas, I'm gonna kick your ass, mothafuckas!

Yes I'm labeling people today, because I am sick and tired of these ignorant selfish yahoos who have no concern that their behavior is inhumane to creatures who share the earth with them. Darwin Award candidates. I always hope they blow their fucking hands off. It pisses me off that I have to give my dogs sedatives for them to get through the night on July 4th.

I did a little over 26 miles today, super easy in 4:45, started at 10 am and finished around 3 pm. It was 75 degrees when I started and 93 when I finished. I ran a consistent pace throughout and felt good, especially in the heat. I did four 6+mile out & backs running around Warren Lake. I used the house as an aid station so I didn't carry too much, but I did fill my ice bandana and wrapped it around my neck the last two times.

I took the last two days off, my right hip flexors are not happy after my 30 miler at Horsetooth a week ago. I remember now that it was within the first mile as I started running downhill, before I was really warmed up, I felt a sharp sudden pain in one spot on the front of my right hip, but it went away after a few steps and didn't bother me the rest of the run. I was probably tight and strained the muscle there. I didn't feel it again until the next day, and it's just been an annoyance all week.

I iced and took a couple of days off, and everything felt fine today in the first 20 miles, by the end I could feel the sore spot again, and I iced when I got home. It was fine when I was running, it hurts when I put pressure on the spot with my hand. I had planned to run the Firecracker 5K on the 4th of July but slept in until 8 am, which was a better option. Speed and hills are what will aggravate this, so I'll take the opportunity to rest up for a while.

I think it needs a bit more time and more stretching and ice once things settle down. Next week will be an easy week for me, I might just stay on the bike since it's my low mileage week anyway. Then I have a week before I leave for Badwater. The time at Badwater usually doesn't involve much running at all when you're on medical. I will time it with my running schedule as a break.

I am so looking forward to this trip. I don't know if it's just the thought of being alone and isolated in my car from here to Las Vegas and having the time to think, or not think, or the memory of the dry hot wind baking me as I keep the AC off and the windows down, or what.

I had to go to Target the other day for a few things and I was having Las Vegas flashbacks while I was in there. I think it's because the only time I go to those stores is when I'm getting ready for a race, and it was hot, and there's this cheap plastic smell in those stores that also remind me of Las Vegas. All I know is that I'm looking forward to it. I also look forward to the grounding feeling again of being with my peeps...

There's also the visit to Sushi Koma. I'm looking forward to that too.

I'm glad July 4th is over. I'll be really glad when people run out of fireworks so we don't have to listen to that noise and the girls won't be scared. What is it about firecrackers that is such a thrill? Do we all have to be a bunch of stupid rednecks like Duck Dynasty and Honey Boo-Boo? What has happened to pride in human potential? July 4th makes me think we've entirely dumbed ourselves down to big, fat, selfish, ignorant stubs. RAH-RAH USA. God bless Murrica. Oh but we're good Christians, see, we're waving our big fat red white and blue cross with stars and stripes on it.

It's my flag too. Don't hijack it with your religion. I don't share your fervor. Oh, by the way, when you try to get into heaven, you might think twice about waving that USA flag at the pearly gates. I don't think any divine being could be too happy with what the stars and stripes represents these days, the leaders of this country completely self-interested and tone-deaf to the needs of the people who reside there...

Last night there were a bunch of dweebs sitting out in the adjacent street setting off fireworks, sitting in lawn chairs right on the curb, with 4 adults drinking cans of beer and three little kids who were going out in the street to light them, and there were a couple of dogs too. I have never seen these people before, they were sitting next to a truck, I think they were visiting someone in the neighborhood. But I was walking by and I was creeped out first of all by the scene, but even more so by one of the creepy men leering at me as I walked by on the opposite side of the street.

First of all setting off fireworks in town is illegal. And it's a fire hazard, even though this year we've had more moisture, there's still dry grass everywhere. Of course no one pays attention to those common sense things, except for the people who have pets and are disturbed by the emotional response of their pets to the noise. These fireworks boneheads are likely the same people who think it's okay to open carry guns in restaurants and stores. No empathy for other human beings, or animals. I always wish they'd do us all a favor with their guns and shoot their own heads off by accident and win the Darwin Award.

I'm hoping I get to catch up on some sleep tonight with calm Buffaloes.

Local Yokels...

The Houska Houska has run it's last race. After 22 years of holding this event, which became a big fundraiser for community cancer services, the founders have decided to move on with other pursuits.

So now I will have to find something else to do on future Memorial Days. I appreciate the dedication of the Houskas to the event, it takes a lot of commitment to keep something going singlehandedly for 22 years. The community owes them a huge thanks.

No I'm not going back to the Bolder Boulder. Been there enough, done that enough. I don't do crowds. Might have to invent a new adventure run.

Speaking of crowds, in other running-related news, sounds as if there is a tiff between the new entity in charge of the Colorado Marathon held in May each year down the Poudre Canyon, and Steve Cathcart, the founder of a proposed new race down Big Thompson Canyon, site of the massive flood in 2013 (and 1976). Steve has named the new race the Colorado Fall Classic Marathon and the people who took over the Colorado Marathon from Steve and others recently, objects to the name.

This is what I've heard through the running community, and I don't know the full details. But if the way it's explained is true, I don't understand the WATBs. Steve started organizing this months ago and they apparently didn't object to it back then. Is this about money and ego, or sport? I really don't see how anyone is going to be hurt in any way by having similar named races locally.

There is another half marathon, 5K and 10K in Fort Collins that has been around for years, called the Colorado Run, and it's on Labor Day. The Colorado Marathon also holds a half-marathon, 10K and 5K with it's marathon event in May. Do they have a problem with the Colorado Run? What is it about "Fall Classic" that is confusable with a spring marathon?

The Colorado marathon fills to capacity and this sport is big enough to sustain multiple events of the same length within short time spans of each other. No one is going to die because two marathons in the same county have Colorado in their name. Therefore I think it's a waste of time, money and energy. Do we really have to make attorneys any wealthier? They really are the only ones who benefit from these things.

I am not sure why two entities in the same sport cannot hold different events and have duplication of two words in their names. Anyone?

Oligarchy Meets Theocracy...

And they didn't use birth control, so now we're living with their offspring.

Wow, Supreme Court men, thanks a lot from the women of the country. We appreciate that you hold the gender majority in the highest judicial branch of government, when the majority of the population are women. We appreciate that you don't consider the precedent you've created when your job is to carefully scrutinize your decisions in light of the precedents they set.

This is a wart that's grown out from the Citizens United decision, and it's destined to get worse, now that you've given fodder to every corporate religious zealot out there who wants to impose their beliefs on people's personal lives. Corporations clearly now have religious beliefs, because they are people. Freedom of religion doesn't mean freedom from religion. I really wonder these days why we have a first amendment at all. The media have been weakened as a force to protect citizens, and corporations use their balls to duct tape over anyone's mouth who points out their corruption.

The Voting Rights Act, Title IX, and EEO laws are being regularly eroded and abused by corporate bullies and their lobbyists. The Good Ole Boy network is alive and well, and so is white supremacy for that matter. We are still struggling with recognizing non-heterosexual people as worthy of full status as equal human beings. We go back and forth in a tug of war and never seem to make forward progress.

We need to get rid of Citizens United before it completely erodes anything left of our rights as citizens, and in many cases, our human rights. I'm not sure if we've completely lost any hope of ever taking the government back from the 1%. There is a group that's organized to raise money to get rid of Super PACs. It's a grassroots effort and in this country grassroots efforts don't get nearly as much traction as big corporate-backed muscle.

I am trying to live off the corporate employment grid as much as I can, but it's difficult, and to say that I am is hypocritical since my significant other works for a big corporation.

Not really sure how much more I will say about it. Because I could go on forever. I'm not really that surprised. Just disgusted.