The Cold, The Wet, and The Muddy

Jonnene and I are not as warm as we look...there be a whole lot 'o shivering going on!

Saturday was one of those days where I only did a smattering of activities but it took a long time to do them, so the day felt busy although you could count on hand everything you did but still have fingers left over. It was definitely not a waste of a day however I can look back and think "is that all I did?"

It started out getting up early this morning to walk the dogs in 33-degree temps and giving them only a short walk at that because Jonnene and I had to be at the 10-mile Trail Run at Lake Bistineau State Park by 7:30 latest. Jonnene is still nursing her shoulder so she would be a volunteer but I had to run the darn thing. Rain had passed thru late Thursday evening into Friday morning and the trail was a muddy, wet mess. There were over 70 people doing the 10-miler (over 80 were doing the shorter 3.8 mile run) and none were looking forward to sloshing thru deep puddles in freezing temperatures. So this race was not a matter of when you were getting wet (it would be very soon), it was a matter of how wet you got. I was slightly overdressed but that's how I race and I would be quite comfortable throughout the run...probably could have done without the vest but that was no problem. The start was a mass/mess of bodies flying down a wet clay hillside and eventually stringing out into a single-track trail. I got behind Denise Cook and let her pace me for the first two miles before she finally left me (she's a fast runner and ended up third woman overall). Only one mile into the run was our first big puddle and it was three steps through KNEE-DEEP freezing water which certainly woke me up. This would be first of at 25-30 such crossings of various lengths and depths...the most memorable being a virtual mini-lake when I made at least 13 steps in water just below my kneecaps...there was no avoiding it, you had to go through it. Eventually you just ignored it all and ran through most everything. Sometimes you got surprised by a puddle that didn't look like it could be that deep and it was. The water and trails were churned up and mushed up by the runners ahead of me and you would get muddy one minute and wash it all off the next!

Eventually, everyone was spread out over the trails and for a long time I was running by myself. I got lost one time which really messed up what little rhythm I had and it took nearly a mile for me to settle down and get my head back into the game. As soon as I felt I was recovering, an ankle got snared up in a vine and I went heels over head down on the trail. I remember grunting as I hit the ground but I popped back up again and kept running, noting that there was nobody around to see my fall....no witnesses but I wasn't embarrassed by it, that just happens on these runs sometimes.

The last three miles were the worst...nothing but water and mud everywhere and there was no getting around it. Lifting my feet out of that mess was a chore and really slowed me down (seemed to slow a lot of people down). I caught up with two other guys in the last 1/2 mile but couldn't get around them when we hit the last quarter mile across a field to the finish.

Finally crossing the finish line at 1:39:48, about 15 minutes slower than I wanted to do. However, what I wanted to do involved much drier conditions and that didn't happen either.

I was glad to be done and Jonnene was there to greet me. She had been helping to remove timing chips from the shoes of finishing runners (probably because those runners mostly had frozen fingers and couldn't do it themselves!). I finished with a 9:59/mile average but like a friend said, with the conditions you couldn't concentrate on a personal best, you had to just survive to finish. I was the 4th Grand Master (50+) out of 16 to finish and 30th overall. When we got home Jonnene had to soak my clothes to get most of the mud and filth out before they could put in the washer! Every time we drained the bucket there was nothing but brown water going down the drain!

After getting home and cleaning up I had to go to the women's basketball game at Centenary. Two of my cycling kids are on the cheerleader and dance squads and I had promised to go to the game to see them perform. It was a lot of fun and the women's team lost a close one to North Dakota State 67-61. I think Jonnene enjoyed it more than I thought she would and I was glad she came along. Afterwards we ate a VERY late lunch at Newt's before heading home for a quiet evening of just vegging. Busy day indeed, not a lot to show for it but that's okay. I'd like to get a ride in on Sunday but it's going to be a cold day, too. I'm ready for some warmth!

Newest Helicopter Paint

Here's the newest paint scheme I turned out for LifeLine Arizona. It's really simple but the bright red color really pops! I designed a new logo for LifeLine that works well on the side of the aircraft along with the "Arizona" name under the star of life logo near the tail boom. I also did an outline of the state around the aircraft number on the vertical stabilizer at the rear. I think it came out pretty nice.

Cold Weekend

Not much to report on the home front. Went out this morning to log 5.5 miles on a run in 27 degree air and that went pretty well. Ran a tad faster than I expected but when the sun is out and there's no wind, a cold day isn't so bad...as long as you're doing something to generate a little body heat. I'm going to register for the Trail Run at Lake Bistineau on January 30th, 10 miles of running on trails and I want to be ready to do well at that. I did it back in 2008, going 1:29:53 or about 9 minutes a mile. I'd like to knock that down to 8 minutes if possible and if the trail conditions are good.

Jonnene is doing remarkably well in her recovery from shoulder surgery. We've been out and about every day, she's done housework, walked the dog, and other things that I keep getting on her case about...I want her to take it easy and she can't seem to do that. Every night she's slept in our big easy chair with lots of pillows around to support her and I've slept on the couch next to her. Tonight she wants to try to sleep on the bed so we'll see how that goes. The chair is waiting just in case.

I've got plenty to do this week. First meeting with the Centenary cycling club for the semester. Two big graphic design jobs, one of which has to go to the printer sometime Monday, the other needs to be done as soon as the client has made up their minds. Bills to pay and a quarterly estimated income tax check to be mailed to the Feds. Some new parts for my bike and trying to decide if I want to repaint it before that upgrade takes place. Yep, lots to do. I'm only one man.

Let's Get Surgeried!

Thirty hours after the operation and Jonnene is home reading while seated in a pile of pillows in our comfy chair in the den.

The dogs, Sophie and Coober, visit often.

Yesterday Jonnene went in for surgery on her left shoulder and everything went fine. She'd been having problems with it for the last couple of years but things went south rather rapidly during the last 3-4 months. She was hoping that surgery wouldn't be needed, trying various things to alleviate the pain like kinesio-tape and certain exercises. But she knew that she'd have to go under the knife or orthroscope eventually and Wednesday was set as the day.

We got up at 4 am, walked the dogs in the cold air, then got back to gather up what we needed before heading to the surgery clinic near where she works...literally across the hall from where she works! Got the paperwork finished and was shown to our exclusive prep room. Jonnene put on the surgical gown (open in the back!) and we were visited by all the folks who would be working on her, including the surgeon. He's very experienced in this kind of thing, specializing in shoulders, knees, and various other things like that. He is a former team surgeon for the NFL New England Patriots and a couple of other pro football teams. He's also a nice guy and he told us what was going to happen during the procedure with a professional air, followed by more relaxed conversation. I felt good about him after that, especially since Jonnene knew him from work and did PT with many of his patients.

She then got the "good meds" and was soon feeling very good about things. So, as they wheeled her out, I kissed her bye and I drove back to the house to check on the dogs and get the car fueled up. I returned to the clinic and did some work on my laptop, read a magazine before the doctor came out to tell me that things went great. Her shoulder was not as bad as it was first thought and he was happy about that. Her recovery time was still going to take up to 4 months but she will be close to or better than normal in six months. In another hour I was allowed to go back to the room to see her and get her ready to go home. After getting her dressed we chased down some prescription meds for her on the way home, then got her settled in.

Sunday, 2010

Got this photo today from a friend who's wife was taking pictures at the duathlon. Here I am screeching to a halt so I can enter the transition pit and go out on my second run.

Today was the only Sunday we've had so far in 2010. It was a cold one! However, it looks like next weekend will be even colder! We're talking mid-to-high teens with the possibility of rain/sleet (slight, but still there) and all this week won't be much warmer. In other words, this entire week will be one of the coldest we've had in some time! I don't know if I'll get much of anything done outside for a while. Might have to visit the Centenary Fitness Center to run the treadmill or something like that.

Jonnene and I went to a matinee showing of "The Blind Side" starring Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw. A most excellent flick...I'd recommend it highly. Earlier we went out for a 2-mile run and kept the pace under 9 minutes per mile. I was most proud of The Wife for getting after it when it wasn't a race. It'll probably be the last run she does before going under the knife on Wednesday for her shoulder. Hopefully she'll be back outside doing that crazy running or biking or pilates stuff in 3-5 weeks after surgery but we won't rush anything. She'll know when's she ready to start up again...after a couple of weeks couped up in the house she'll be begging to do anything!

First Race of 2010

Jonathan and Chelsea, two of my Centenary cycling club kids, take their warmup run into the fog that was out on the course this morning. It was also 28 degrees out there! Brrrrr!

Jonathan shoots out of transition to begin his bike split. He had the fastest finish of the club members, thanks mostly to his run splits. The boy is FAST!

Of course, I did the race, too. Didn't do too badly.

Jacquelyn, the club president, talks over her race with her dad, Jim, who drove over with the family from Fort Worth to participate.

This morning was the Dustbuster Duathlon and my first race of 2010. I didn't think I was in as good a shape for it as I was last year so I approached today as a training race so there wasn't really any pressure on me. It was a very foggy morning and the temperature was officially 28F...but the good thing was that there was no wind so the cold was tolerable, sorta. Four of my Centenary kids were participating in the race and they would garner two first places, one second place, and one third place in their age groups, so it was a good day for them! I did okay...got second place in my new age group: the men's 55-59 (ouch!) that I moved into this year. However, I held my weight against the youngsters, getting 18th overall of 106 finishers in a time of 57:18. My runs were faster than the previous two years but my bike split was almost 75 seconds slower than last year. Cranked out a 6:47/mile the first run and a 7:15/mile the second time...can't be too upset with that.

Friday night Jonnene and I went to Macaroni Grill, a nice classy Italian restaurant in town. The place itself is classy and the staff are dressed in white dress shirts, ties, and black pants. Jonnene looked great as usual and I could have been a little better dressed but our decision to eat there was kinda last minute so I didn't have a chance to change into a sharp-dressed man. There were a number of customers there who didn't even have as high a dress code as I did...one guy kept his baseball cap on his head the entire time though his date was dressed rather well. Some folks just don't know how to dress for the occasion anymore, even if it's informal. Sometimes I wish guys still wore hats with their suits. It's dated, of course, but it was still a smart style.

As to New Year's Eve, we stayed up until eleven to see the ball drop in New York. Earlier we had been at my Dad's house to celebrate his 76th birthday. I gave him a book called Liberty and Tyranny by Mark Levin. I think he'll like it. We ate tacos, had some brownies, and visited with some of my "step" relatives. Then it was back home to wait out the end of 2009 and sleep late into 2010. Hope the new year is a good one.