Late nights at work mean no morning workouts for me

I admit, I've been slacking this week. Blame it spending my nights at my desk, working a night shift. Late nights mean it's hard to get up and going in the morning.

With an early morning assignment followed by a big chunk of free time in the early afternoon before I had to be at my desk, I was planning on sneaking in a run on National Running Day Wednesday. But first I wanted to finish reading something and the next thing I knew I had to be to work in a half hour. I guess a 2 1/2 hour nap was more important because the run? I failed at that miserably.

But I managed to get on my bike today for a 14-mile ride before heading into the office. That felt good. And it didn't hurt that it was a gorgeous day out this afternoon. Although there were a bunch of clouds o' bugs that I managed to ride through. Ugh. Nasty.

And next week? I've got no excuses to keep me from running, biking, swimming or generally enjoying the days. Why? Well it's furlough time again.

May Reading Recap

The end of the month has passed, so it's time to check in on the reading progress.

It's getting a bit better. More pages are getting read, but I'm still really far behind where I normally am in terms of numbers.

In May I finished four books and 1,154 pages. That brings the yearly total to 12 books and 5,476 pages. Compare that to last year, when I had read 21 books and 6,617 pages by the time the end of May rolled around. Nine fewer books and 1,141 fewer pages.

I still blame it on my decision to read Gone With the Wind. Oh well. It was a good read. One I'm glad I tackled.

Anyway. What'd I read in May? Take a look.

The Innocent Man by John Grisham
The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Why They Killed Big Boy and Other Stories by Michael Perry

I really enjoyed Life of Pi. It was one of those books that I had been considering reading for the past year. But every time I picked it up and read the back cover, I came up with a reason to read something else. I finally read it this month and enjoyed it a lot. Made me think when I finished it. I'd recommend reading it if you haven't already.

Strong Kids Ride Report

By the time I parked my bike today, I felt like a strong kid myself.

I did the OCC Strong Kids Ride today, a ride put together to benefit the local cycling club's efforts to help kids get bikes and the YMCA. And while the day started off dark and stormy, by the time I finished the sun was shining and I felt good about the morning's efforts.

There were three options to choose from, a family friendly 13-mile route, a 20- or 31-mile route. Even after I pulled into the parking lot and registered, I wasn't sure if I was going to go 20 miles or tackle the 31 miles. Even though I've recently logged rides of 20 miles, I hadn't ridden anything longer than 25 miles, and that was a couple of years ago.

When the time came to start the ride, I found myself standing next to a bunch of folks who were going 31 miles. Decision made.

I admit, all the cyclists riding their speedy looking bikes in their spiffy gear was a bit intimidating. I was worried I wouldn't be able to keep up, would be dropped in the first few miles and left to navigate a 31-mile route by myself.

I was wrong.

I actually kept pace. Yes, I was at the back of the lead group. But there were cyclists behind me. I realized this when we came to an intersection about 12 miles into the ride and stopped to wait for the entire group to get there and regroup. There were actually about 5 riders behind. I felt good not being the last one to that stop sign.

The ride took us throughout the rural areas in the western part of the county. It was actually really pretty. And a bit hilly. But after tackling the cliff road at High Cliff last week, I knew I could handle the hills. Most of them were rolling hills and there was only one semi-nasty one, and that was only because it was so long. And fairly steep compared to the other hills. But the view at the top of that hill made it worth the climb. And hitting 29 miles per hour on the way down.

We had a rest stop at mile 21, complete with Smuckers Uncrustables PB&J sandwiches, water and mini Clif Bars.

I was a bit worried about the last 10 miles when I got back on my bike after the rest stop. These were the new miles to me since it had been a really long time since I rode this far. But the miles came easy. I felt good. My legs weren't screaming in pain at me, even after all the hills and the headwinds I tackled in the first two-thirds of the ride.

When I pulled into the YMCA parking lot, I actually felt like I could keep riding. I was proud of myself for tackling a new distance. And I kept the route map, because I'm thinking about riding that route again in the near future. It was challenging and scenic. And I liked it.

I also liked the people that I rode with. Part of me thought this ride was going to be a ride it on your own. But we rode as a group. And for the most part, stuck together as a group. Yes, we got pretty spaced out during the last 10 miles, but for the most part, there were always riders near you, chatting with you as you rode.

I think that sense of community is the part that helped me decide to pick up the registration and join the cycling club here in town. They have organized rides almost every night of the week and they have get togethers. I think I'll like it.

And the Strong Kids Ride? I'm glad the miles I pedaled today will help out kids. But I'm also happy with the feeling that I got when I finished.

Strong.

31 miles? Piece of cake for this Strong Kid.

Miles and mosquitoes

After three days, the raindrops stopped falling, the clouds parted and that bright shiny thing we call the sun came out.

Since the lake flies are still flying around in swarms in my neighborhood, and I was already attacked by those flying bugs earlier in the day, I threw on my running shoes and headed out to the Wiouwash Trail for a run after work tonight.

The 3-mile run felt good. My first mile was the fastest, the second mile was the slowest, but all three miles were in the same neighborhood pace wise. I finished the run in 34 minutes.

The worst part? With about a mile to go I had to stop momentarily to stretch. I'm talking 20 seconds. Max. And in those 20 seconds I managed to get attacked by numerous blood-thirsty mosquitoes. I'm not kidding. I have like six huge red welts around my knees. And they itch!

Thank goodness I had the After Bite stick at home. It may have stung when I slathered it all over the welts (and the smell is kind of nasty), but at least they don't itch anymore!

Lukewarm is not good

Hey Mother Nature. I've come to the realization that I'm OK with it raining once a week. It gets me into the pool without feeling guilty for missing out on a glorious day. And keep those rainy days coming on Wednesdays. That day is working out for me.

The swim went well. I had to retire the out suit and break out the new one for today's 1,700 yard swim. Started with a 200 yard warm up and then did two sets of 600 yards followed by a 200 yard cool down. Like a I said, swim went well. Finished in about 45 minutes.

What didn't go so well? How about a lukewarm hot tub. Not cool. I always treat myself to about 10 minutes in the hot tub after my swim. Calms me down, relaxes me. Feels good. Usually. It didn't do any of that today. I stepped in and I swear, the water was the same temperature as the pool water. Not warm. Not relaxing. Not good feeling. I lasted about 5 minutes. It was miserable. Enjoyed an extra long shower instead.

Now if only the water in my ear would disappear.

The hill couldn't beat me.

I took advantage of the long holiday weekend and put in some miles on both the bike and the running shoes.

After getting done with work Friday, I loaded up my bike, some weekend essentials and a bunch of dirty laundry and headed north to my parents' house. I was planning on grabbing dinner with them and calling it an early night since I was supposed to be doing a run with my sister-in-law in the morning.

Plans changed and the run didn't happen. Which is maybe a good thing since it was raining in the morning. But I still had my fingers crossed that the weather would clear up - like the weathermen said it was supposed to do - because I had plans to hit High Cliff State Park in the afternoon to face the cliff road.

It kept raining. And raining. Finally it cleared up late in the afternoon, but by that time my desire to tackle the hill was gone, so I hopped on my bike for a 17-mile ride instead. The roads were still a bit wet and I got a bunch of mud on me, but it was a good ride. One that left me ready to face the cliff in the morning.

Sunday dawned bright and sunny. I got up, had a small breakfast and loaded up my bike and the rest of my stuff. I had plans to tackle the hill a couple of times and then follow it up with a short run on some of the trails in the park.

I admit. I was scared of that hill. It's not a continuous climb. Or maybe it isn't, but it doesn't look like it. There's a fairly short steep uphill portion right at the beginning. But then it looks like it evens out for a while before the second, longer and steeper climb shows up. After riding it, I've come to the conclusion, that flat portion? It doesn't exist. After finishing the second climb, there's another gradual, long climb until you read the top of the cliff. In all, it's about a 1.5 mile climb from the parking lot where I parked to the top. What a great way to start off the 22-mile bike portion of the High Cliff Triathlon.

I buckled my helmet, adjusted the sunglasses, took a deep breath and started pedaling. Midway through that first climb I almost stopped and cried. It was hard. I was standing up pedaling and felt like I was going to die. And I wasn't even to the hard part yet. But I kept going. And I started putzing with my gears. Went to a lower gear. And then lower. Pretty soon I was at the lowest gear possible - gears I hadn't even thought about using before. But that second climb? It was getting easier. I took a quick breather at the top of the second climb before continuing to the top.

Then I went back down - riding the breaks a good chunk of the way down.

I turned my bike around in the parking lot and headed back up again. The second time it was easier. Now that I had that whole gear thing figured out. Made it to the top. Back down. Repeat a third time. As I was going up the third time I was thinking to myself. This cliff road isn't so scary. Or intimidating. I can totally do this on race day. I may not be the fastest one to the top, but I won't be walking my bike uphill. All I need to remember is to keep it in a low gear, keep pedaling and eventually I'll make it to the top.

And I was at the top. So I turned around for my last trip down the cliff. By this point, I was feeling a little bit more comfortable with the downhill and I wasn't riding the brakes as much. And it showed. I broke the posted speed limit for vehicular traffic - which was 25 miles per hour - when I glanced down at my bike computer and saw I was cruising at 27 miles per hour. Those would be tears of joy that were streaming down my face.

The good feeling continued on the trails. I almost tripped over a few tree roots and big rocks that were sticking out of the ground. But I felt pretty good on the run once I got rid of the dead feeling in my legs. Covered about 2.5 miles in 30 minutes. I'd say it was a pretty good brick workout.

Then it was off to a family cookout. And today's run? It got canceled because the swarms of lake flies have returned to my neighborhood. Grr.

I almost gone blown away to the land of Oz

Let's look at some numbers.

83: That's what the mercury in the thermometer was reading. As in 83 degrees. In Wisconsin. In May. When just a week or two ago it was barely breaking 50. Not that I'm complaining. Because I'll take the warmer temperatures.

30: That's how strong the winds were blowing. Constantly. And occasionally they'd gust into the 40 mile per hour range.

4: That's how many miles I ran, even though it was in the 80s, with no clouds in the sky and at times the wind was blowing so hard I was almost blown off the trail into the marsh.

It felt good though. Luckily I wasn't running into the wind ever, it was a crosswind. But still, it was hard to run through, especially in the parts of the trail that were running along the lake and the wind just came howling across the water. On the plus side, since it was so windy, it was quite choppy on the water, with big waves. So when they would break against the shore, water would splash onto the trail and me, which was kind of refreshing 3 miles into my run.

Time wise, I was pretty happy with the run. The 4 miles took me 46 minutes, 23 seconds. Over the first three miles I held a steady pace of 11 minutes, 15 seconds. Obviously my last mile slowed down a bit, but I like to think that was due to two things. No. 1, have I talked about the wind? No. 2, this is the second 4-mile run I've done in over a year. So I'm still getting used to the distance again. In time I hope to become more comfortable with it so that I don't get as tired during the last mile, I get more comfortable with the distance and I moved on to longer miles.

Afterwards I came home and tried to make a smoothie. I had the strawberries, milk and yogurt, which is what the recipe in my cookbook called for. Yes. I used a recipe for a smoothie, that shows how much of a cook I'm not. But the smoothie? It was kind of bland. Any suggestions on how to make a tasty smoothie? Anyone?

The plan, and the weather forecast, were thrown out the window

I had a plan today. And I tossed it out the window without thinking twice.

The last time I checked the weather it was supposed to in the mid-50s and rainy today with nicer weather planned for the rest of the week. So I decided to switch up my schedule, head over to the YMCA and sneak in a quick run before I headed down to the pool for my swim workout.

When I left for work this morning it was sunny. And nice. That's OK, I thought as I tossed my gym bag in the backseat of the car. It's supposed to get cold and wet this afternoon.

Never happened.

In fact, it got nicer out. I left the office briefly in the mid-afternoon to go pick up some documents. It was sunny. A little breezy and the temperature? It was 80. So much for cold and rainy.

At that moment I decided to ditch the swim plan and head home after work to jump on my bike. Normally my post-work weekday bike rides are around 8 miles or so. But it was so nice out today I needed to go farther, even though I started late. I just kept pedaling. Even the wind wasn't a problem. I swear midway through the ride the wind switched directions, so I never really had to ride into the 25 mile per hour winds. I'm not complaining though.

I ended up going 14 miles in about 55 minutes and felt really good after the ride.

I'm skipping the pool as well tomorrow since it's supposed to be just as nice. But tomorrow I think I'll head out to the Wiouwash trail after work for a run. And then maybe I'll visit the pool on Thursday.