Ginormous Running Catch-Up Post

Oops. Well, I knew I was too busy to blog, but now I have to catch up on a bazillion weeks of running. I guess my last update was through April 23... yikes. So:

Wed., 4/24: 5.5 mi TM
Fri., 4/26: 6 mi
Sat., 4/27: 5K row, 4 mi elliptical
Sun., 4/28: 8.1 mi
Mon., 4/29: yoga
Tues., 4/30: 5.6 mi

Through April:
Running/Walking: 407.21 mi
Ellipticating: 18.3 mi
Rowing: 15.5 mi

Wed., 5/1: 5.81 mi
Fri., 5/3: 5.51 mi
Sat., 5/4: 5.4 mi
Sun., 5/5: 5K row, 5K elliptical
Mon., 5/6: yoga
Tues., 5/7: 5.65 mi
Wed., 5/8: 5.85 mi
Fri., 5/10: 5.75 mi
Sat., 5/11: 9 mi
Sun., 5/12: 4 mi
Mon., 5/13: yoga
Tues., 5/14: 5.7 mi
Wed., 5/15: 5.75 mi
Fri., 5/17: 6.25 mi
Sat., 5/18: 10 mi
Sun., 5/19: 5.55 mi
Mon., 5/20: yoga
Tues., 5/21: 5.5 mi
Wed., 5/22: 6 mi
Fri., 5/24: 6.1 mi
Sat., 5/25: 10 mi
Sun., 5/26: kayak 4 mi
Tues., 5/28: 5.5 mi
Wed., 5/29: 6 mi
Fri., 5/31: 6.1 mi

Through May:
Running/Walking: 527.63 mi
Ellipticating: 21.4 mi
Rowing: 18.6 mi 

Sun., 6/2: 12.65 mi
Tues., 6/4: 5.6 mi
Wed., 6/5: 6 mi
Fri., 6/7: 6.5 mi
Sat., 6/8: 8.25 mi
Sun., 6/9: 7.05 mi
Mon., 6/10: yoga
Tues., 6/11: 5.55 mi
Wed., 6/12: 6 mi
Fri., 6/14: 6.5 mi
Sat., 6/15: 10.35 mi
Sun., 6/16: 7 mi
Mon., 6/17: yoga
Tues., 6/18: 5.6 mi
Wed., 6/19: 5.3 mi
Thurs, 6/20: 10 mi
Wed., 6/26: 3.5 mi TM
Fri., 6/28: 5.25 mi
Sat., 6/29: 5.75 mi
Sun., 6/30: 7 mi

Through June:
Running/Walking: 651.48 mi
Ellipticating: 21.4 mi
Rowing: 18.6 mi

Tues., 7/2: 5.6 mi
Wed., 7/3: 7.75 mi
Sat., 7/6: 8 mi
Tues., 7/9: 5.5 mi
Wed., 7/10: 5 mi TM
Fri., 7/12: 5.65
Sat., 7/13: 6.5 mi
Sun., 7/14: 13.35 mi
Tues., 7/16: 5.65 mi
Wed., 7/17: 6 mi
Fri., 7/19: 6.3 mi
Sat., 7/20: kayak at CCL
Sun., 7/21: 6.5 mi
Tues., 7/23: 5.65 mi
Thu., 7/25: 5.6 mi
While in Michigan for yarn class: kayaked 4 times

Through July:
Running/Walking: 744.53 mi
Ellipticating: 21.4 mi
Rowing: 18.6 mi 

Mon., 8/5: yoga
Tues., 8/6: 5.25 mi
Wed., 8/7: 5.55 mi
Fri., 8/9: 6.25 mi
Sun., 8/11: 7.25 mi
Tues., 8/13: 5.6 mi
Wed., 8/14: 5.85 mi
Fri., 8/16: 6.25 mi
Sat., 8/17: 1.2 mi, 5K row, 5K elliptical
Sun., 8/18: 6.65 mi
Tue., 8/20: 5.6 mi
Wed., 8/21: 5.5 mi
Fri., 8/23: 5.7 mi
Sun., 8/25: 10.1 mi
Tues., 8/27: 5.65 mi
Wed., 8/28: 5.75 mi
Fri., 8/30: 6.25 mi

Through August:
Running/Walking: 838.92 mi
Ellipticating: 24.5 mi
Rowing: 21.7 mi

Sun., 9/1: 6.2 mi
Tues., 9/3: 5.7 mi
Wed., 9/4: 6 mi
Fri., 9/6: 6.2 mi
Sat., 9/7: 6.4 mi
Tue., 9/10: 5.55 mi
Wed., 9/11: 5.25 mi
Fri., 9/13: 6.15 mi
Sat., 9/14: 6.5 mi
Sun., 9/15: 13.65 mi
Tues., 9/17: 5.6 mi
Wed., 9/18: 5.2 mi
Fri., 9/20: 5.5 mi
Sat., 9/21: 7.2 mi
Sun., 9/22: 12.5 mi
Tues., 9/24: 5.6 mi
Wed., 9/25: 6 mi
Fri., 9/27: 9.1 mi
Sun., 9/29: 6.5 mi


Through September:
Running/Walking: 969.73 mi
Ellipticating: 24.5 mi
Rowing: 21.7 mi

Fri., 10/4: 5.3 mi
Sun., 10/6: 7 mi
Tues., 10/8: 5.85 mi
Thurs., 10/10: 5.5 mi
Sat., 10/12: 6.5 mi
Sun., 10/13: 8.36 mi
Tues., 10/15: 5.65 mi
Thur., 10/17: 5.65 mi
Sat., 10/19: 7 mi
Sun., 10/20: 10.45 mi
Tues., 10/22: 5.25 mi TM
Thu., 10/24: 5.3 mi TM
Sat., 10/26: 7 mi
Sun., 10/27: 12 mi
Tues., 10/29: 5.6 mi
Thu., 10/31: 5.4 mi TM

Through October:
Running/Walking: 1077.54 mi
Ellipticating: 24.5 mi
Rowing: 21.7 mi

Sat., 11/2: 12.4 mi LV
Sun., 11/3: 6 mi
Tues., 11/5: 5.65 mi
Thu., 11/7: 5.5 mi TM
Sat., 11/9: 8 mi
Sun., 11/10: 15.35 mi LV
Tues., 11/12: 5.5 mi TM
Thu., 11/14: 5.5 mi TM
Sat., 11/16: 8.6 mi
Sun., 11/17: 9.5 mi
Thu., 11/21: 5.6 mi
Sat., 11/23: 7 mi
Sun., 11/24: 5K row, 5K elliptical
Tue., 11/26: 5.25 mi
Thu., 11/28: 4 mi total (T-day 5K)
Sat., 11/30: 10 mi (Alton race)

Through November:
Running/Walking: 1191.39 mi
Ellipticating: 27.6 mi
Rowing: 24.8 mi

Wed., 12/4: 5.6 mi
Tues., 12/10: 4.25 mi
Thu., 12/12: 4.5 mi TM
Sat., 12/14: 6.1 mi
Sun., 12/15: 5 mi TM
Tues., 12/17: 5.25 mi TM
Thu., 12/19: 5.25 mi TM
Sun., 12/22: 7.1 mi
Tues., 12/24: 5.25 mi TM
Wed., 12/25: 6.2 mi
Sat., 12/28: 12.5 mi FP
Sun., 12/29: 5.5 mi

Edited to add:
Mon., 12/30: played on the machines at the gym
Tues., 12/31: 7.15 mi

Through Dec. 31:
Running/Walking: 1271.04 mi
Ellipticating: 27.6 mi
Rowing: 24.8 mi

GRRR: Anatomy of a Dysfunctional Race Relationship

(I wrote this in 2004, and posted it to the Dead Runners Society list. Why resurrect a zombie post? Because for some insane reason, I'm pondering it again.)

I first met GRRR in 1994, I believe.

I was in St. Louis spending Thanksgiving with the STiLlDeads. I was told that I really needed to go run the Great River Road Run. "Everyone" ran it. I shouldn't miss out.

The GRRR is a 10 mile race. It's 5 miles out, and 5 miles back, on the Great River Road. It's considered very flat. (Not totally, but not, like, Pikes Peak.) It starts in Alton, IL, and the course hugs the Mississippi River on one side, and towering bluffs on the other. The race is run on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. This (2004) is it's 45th year.

Back in '94, the STiLlDeads and I had a delightful (for most of us) trail run on Friday, in specatular autumn weather - sunny, mild, light breeze. The next day, however, we had what I can only call devil-spawn of spectatular autumn weather: cold and windy. The combination of frigid temperatures with a "healthy" wind ("healthy" equating to the average age of a heathy adult... say, 30-40 mph) had me looking around for elves and Santa's workshop. Or glaciers calving into the river.

The combination of those picturesque bluffs and the wide Mississippi made the GRRR course a huge wind tunnel. I'm sure the military tests aircraft aerodynamics in that area. Any given year, that wind is either in your face going out, or in your face coming back... and sometimes BOTH.

That first year I ran, I didn't finish due to catastrophic anatomical failures. My extremities froze. I could have sworn that my arms and legs had fallen off, and I was just a torso being tossed about in that wind. It was dismal. Having already finished several marathons, 50Ks and 50mi races that year, DNFing a 10-mile run was unthinkable. But I did it. I'm not proud.

After moving to St. Louis (despite the GRRR fiasco) in '97, I've run the GRRR several more times. I've run a 1:25; I've run in the 1:50s. I've run in sunshine and wind; I've run in a 40-degree rain and wind. I've never had fun. I hate that race. And yet, I keep going back. Every year, I swear I won't go back.

So what did I just do? I signed up for GRRR '04.

(Note to jim p.: THIS is stupid. Running the Pikes Peak Ascent once and swearing to never do it again isn't stupid. That's called "learning from your mistakes." What I just did can only be defined as stupid. I know better. And yet I do it anyway. Stupid. Stupide. Estúpido. Dumm.)

There is one redeeming factor: Lunch at Fast Eddie's Bon Air post-race. Everyone goes. It's a biker bar by
day (and night), but yet Fast Eddie's is overrun with, uh, runners each Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. I spend my time during GRRR calculating how many 29-cent peel n' eat shrimp I can get for the $5, $10 or $20 bill in my pocket. If it's a good race, I order 18. If it's a bad race (usually), I order several dozen. I eat shrimp until the inside of my nose feels like it's been scraped out with an Exacto knife, from all the horseradish in the cocktail sauce.

Sure, I could just run from home that morning and then meet everyone at Fast Eddie's for shrimp. But that just seems like cheating. I have to earn those shrimp, one freakin' mile at a time.

So come the Saturday after Thanksgiving, think of us all out there fighting the wind next to the wild Mississippi River, searching for the meaning of life and relationships out on the Great River Road.

I See Camels

... or at least, the spirits of camels! After a month of knitting, this is finally done: a blanket made of camel down. The pattern and yarn were my February shipment of the Bare Naked Knitspot yarn club, wherein we receive undyed and unique fibers of all types. February was camel! And the yarn came via the Snow Leopard Trust, spun by women in Mongolia. You can buy your own here: Snow Leopard Trust.

I bartered for an extra skein and added a repeat on for more width. Unblocked, it is 36" wide x 48" long. I love it. Unfortunately, so does one of the cats... I can't keep her off it. I love that the color changes remind me that several camels contributed to this effort.

Blanket knitted in camel yarn

Don't Mess with Runners

We may fall, but we get right back up again. We know what it is to hurt, and to keep going in spite of it. Just when we think we can't take another step, we cover another mile. And we do not give up. Ever.

Last Saturday I joined a number of people in St. Louis in a run to remember the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, and show our support for their healing. The St. Louis Unity Run for Boston was an impromptu event, but even with the short lead time, our local running community rose to the occasion. There were t-shirts for sale (with proceeds going to The One Fund), 'race' numbers, water, and participation by many of the running clubs and shops around the metro area. It was great to see the turnout. The course was rumored to be somewhere between 2-3 miles, but I did a 1-mile warm-up, then peeled away from the group a bit past half way to do a full loop of the park. Total for the day: around 6.5 miles. I'd pledged to cover at least 26.2 mi for the week, and ended up with 29.1 mi for the week.

Catching up...

Mon., 3/11 - yoga
-interruption for massive case of lung aliens-
Mon., 3/18 - yoga
Tue., 3/19 - 4 mi walk/run on the 'mill
Wed., 3/20 - 4.25 mi walk/run (recovering...)
Fri., 3/22 - 5 mi TM
Sat., 3/23 - Garmin says 6.3 mi
Sun., 3/24 - 5K  row, 5K elliptical

Mon., 3/25 - yoga
Tue., 3/26 - 5 mi TM
Wed., 3/27 - 5.25 mi TM
Fri., 3/29 - 5.5 mi TM
Sat., 3/30 - Garmin says 6.1 mi (new shoes!)
Sun., 3/31 - Garmin says 7 mi

Mon, 4/1 - yoga
Tue., 4/2 - 5.25 mi TM
Wed., 4/3 - 5/5 mi TM
Fri., 4/5 - Garmin says 5.5 mi
Sat., 4/6 - Garmin says 6.35 mi
Sun., 4/7 - Garmin say 6 mi

Mon., 4/8 - yoga
Tue., 4/9 - 5.6 mi (outside all week...)
Wed., 4/10 - 5.55 mi
Fri., 4/12 - 5.75 mi
Sun., 4/14 - 7.55 mi

Mon., 4/15 - yoga
Tue., 4/16 - ran 1:17:26.2 on the 'mill (6 mi)
Wed., 4/17 - Garmin says 5.5 mi
Fri., 4/19 - 5.5 mi TM
Sat., 4/20 - approx. 6.5 mi FP (St. Louis Unity Run for Boston)
Sun., 4/21 - Garmin says 5.6 mi

Mon., 4/22 - yoga
Tue., 4/23 - Garmin says 5.65 mi

Some Days You're the Windshield...

And some days, you're a big ol' midwest splat-bug.

Quivering Quads Trail Half-Marathon - done.

That's really the only good thing I can say about it.  :-) As of Friday, from the Fleet Feet STL photos, there was still a lot of snow on the trail. And then it rained. And rained. And rained.

On the best of days, this trail is challenging... narrow single-track with a lot of roots and rocks, and not a whole lot of flat going on. Some pretty decent long hills, actually, including some gnarly sections where you watch your feet or end up 100 yards down the face of a steep hill.

Today? What wasn't ankle-deep mud was ankle-deep running water. COLD water. And that was just the regular parts of the trail... any dip, depression, or hollow ended up as a cold mini-pond to wade through. And then there were the real stream crossings. A few were up to my knees, but the two main crossings were thigh-high on me. I felt sorry for anyone shorter. The first had a rope across (very necessary with the current); the second desperately needed one. There were a bunch of people there, though, so we formed a human chain. I just grabbed a hand and jumped in.

I was SO ready for it to be over. When I reached the out-and-back near the end, my Garmin read 12.56 miles... at the finish line, it was 13.56 miles. Not quite the day I'd opt for bonus distance, but what the heck. I think my finish time was 4:33:something... I've run a number of FULL marathons faster than that. Eh, whaddya gonna do. I paid for the privilege of being out there, and I got my finisher medal.

My feet finally thawed out, too.

Anyway... obligatory I'm-so-damn-glad-I'm-done photo:

Didn't flip my pack around back again... klassy.

And, my feet UNDER my socks... socks, shoes and gloves were all pitched. At least my feet were numb most of the time and I never felt much of that.

Missouri mud-sand. Nice.

Since long-time-no-update, a mass of 'em:

Sat., Jan. 19: 8 mi
Sun., Jan. 20: 5.6 mi

Mon., Jan. 21: yoga!
Tue., Jan. 22: 5.5 mi TM
Wed., Jan. 23: 5.6 mi TM
Fri., Jan. 25: 6.25 mi TM
Sat., Jan. 26: Garmin says 9.1 mi
Sun., Jan. 27: rowed 5K, ellipticated 5K

Mon., Jan. 28: yoga; dog walk
Tue., Jan. 29: 5.6 mi
Wed., Jan. 30: 5.55 mi
Fri., Feb. 1: 6.5 mi TM
Sun., Feb. 3: 7 mi walk w/A

Mon., Feb. 4: yoga!
Tue., Feb. 5: 5.5 mi TM
Wed., Feb. 6: 5.75 mi TM
Fri., Feb. 8: 6.25 mi TM
Sat., Feb. 9: 13.1 mi at JB

Tue., Feb. 12: 5.5 mi TM
Wed., Feb. 13: 5.75 mi TM
Fri., Feb. 15: 6.25 mi TM
Sat., Feb. 16: rowed 5K, ellipticated 5K
Sun., Feb. 17: 15 mi FCP

Mon., Feb. 18: yoga!
Tue., Feb. 19: 5.5 mi TM
Wed., Feb. 20: 6 mi TM
Fri., Feb. 22: 7 mi TM

Mon., Feb. 25: yoga and hill repeats in St. John
Tue., Feb. 26: snorkeling in BVI / The Indians
Wed., Feb. 27: snorkeling in Trunk Bay, St. John
Thu., Feb. 28: hike to Reef Bay and back - 10 mi
Fri., Mar. 1: snorkeling in Maho Bay

Mon., Mar. 4: yoga!
Tue., Mar. 5: 5.5 mi TM
Wed., Mar. 6: 5.75 mi TM
Fri., Mar. 8: 6 mi TM
Sun., Mar. 10: 13.56 mi QQ

Boxes and Nostepinnes

Still having fun on the lathe - mostly lidded boxes and more nostepinnes lately.

Cherry (on left) and Red Gum

Same cherry box on left with lid; Honduran mahogany on right

Camphor Burl nostepinne - the lathe room smelled great!

Catching up on January exercise...

Wed., Jan. 2: 5.1 dreadmiles
Fri., Jan. 4: 5.1 dreadmiles
Sat, Jan. 5: Garmin says 5.55 mi
Sun, Jan. 6: Rowed 5K; did 5 elliptimiles

Tue., Jan. 8: 5.25 dreadmiles
Wed., Jan. 9: Garmin says 5.5 mi
Fri., Jan. 11: Garmin says 10K (6.2 mi)
Sat., Jan. 12: 11 miles of hills at Queeny Park

Tue., Jan.15: 5.25 dreadmiles
Wed., Jan. 16: 5.5 dreadmiles
Fri., Jan. 18: 4.25 dreadmile walk

End of the Year Round-Up

Sure is easier to run when you can breathe. Wrap-up for December to start the counts for 2013 going...

Dec. 14: Garmin sez 5.5 mi
Dec. 18: 5 mi on the dreadmill
Dec. 19: 5 mi on the dreadmill
Dec. 21: 5 mi on the dreadmill (sense a pattern forming?)
Dec. 22: 5 mi on the Elliptical Machine of Death
Dec. 23: Garmin sez 6.1 mi around Carondolet Park
Dec. 24: 8.5 mi walk with A at Fenton City Park
Dec. 25: rowed 5 mi
Dec. 26: 7 mi on the dreadmill
Dec. 27: Garmin sez 5.25 mi
Dec. 29: Garmin sez 5.25 mi - in the snow!
Dec. 30: 12 mi walk with A in Forest Park
Dec. 31: 5 mi on the Elliptical Machine of Death

If I have my totals right, that gives me a total of 1013.39 miles running and walking; 48.1 miles on the EMD, and 5 miles rowed. I did want to have over 1200 miles for the year, but lost a few months while I was trying to get the loss of endurance thing figured out. (Stupid BP meds. Stupid EIA.)

Anyway... onward. Allons-y!

If you are going to eat, eat well.

RiverPoet's Lobster Chowder

2 large or 3 small stalks celery, sliced thin
3 skinny carrots, sliced thin
2 small potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp basil
--------
2 lobster tails
4 tbsp butter
1-1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
--------
1 c. half-and-half

Bring the veggies, broth, parsley and basil to a boil in a large saucepan. Simmer 30 minutes, or until veggies are almost soft. Remove from heat.

Cut the lobster into small chunks. Melt the butter in a saute pan, and add the lobster, paprika and turmeric. Saute pieces until opaque - this usually only takes a couple of minutes.

Add the lobster and butter to the veggies. SLOWLY stir in the half-and-half. Turn the heat back on LOW, and slowly heat everything to just barely a simmer. Stir frequently and do not boil.

Once heated through, serve immediately. Serves... theoretically two, or one very hungry person. (Makes two good-sized bowls.)

Back on the road

It appears that I've got my health problems sorted for the moment. Who knew that it would take $$$-worth of tests to equate trouble breathing to asthma. Anyway, what is done is done. I'm doing the running/walking catch-up in one post.

Sun., Sept. 23: 6.2 mi
Tues., Sept. 25: 5.15 mi
Fri., Sept. 28: 5.25 mi
Sun., Sept. 30: 6 mi

... and with that lousy 6-mi slog of a walk, I took a break while I met several nice doctors, nurses, technicians, and testing apperati. Fast forward to life on inhalers...

Sun., Nov. 4: 6.25 mi  (benchmark pre-medication... yep, exercise still sucks)

Fri., Nov. 16: 1.2 mi. dog walk
Sat.. Nov. 17: 5.5 mi walk
Wed., Nov. 21: 1.2 mi dog walk
Thu., Nov. 22: 5.5 mi Thanksgiving walk
Sun., Nov. 25: 3.65 at Bee Tree + 1.35 mi dog walk = 5 mi
Wed., Nov. 28: 4.25 mi on the dreadmill. Oh joy.
Fri., Nov. 30: 5.5 mi + 1.25 dog walk = 6.75 mi

And... back to The Program, which includes the 4:45 am alarm settings. Woot.
Sun., Dec. 2: 6.1 mi
Tues., Dec. 4: 4.5 mi dreadmill
Wed., Dec. 5: 4.3 mi walk
Fri., Dec. 7: 6.1 mi
Sat., Dec. 8: 5.5 mi
Sun., Dec. 9: 7 mi walk w/A and Kev

Tues., Dec. 11: 5 mi dreadmill
Wed., Dec. 12: total of 12K between dreadmill run, dog walk, and dreadmill walk.
  ... yes... 12K on 12-12-12, including the 12:12pm dog walk. :-)

Recent Work

I've been busy with master spinner program homework lately, but have been sneaking in some turning time. Recently off the lathe...

Walnut natural-edged bowl

Cherry natural-edged bowl

Ambrosia Maple bowl

Bloodwood (also called Satine) nostepinne... in my Etsy shop

Rock Maple lidded box. That stuff is aptly named.

As the Lathe Turns: Bowl Edition

I signed up for another woodturning class at the Craft Alliance, with instructor Matt Keim. It's been a lot of fun - I hadn't turned bowls since the first class, and was quite out of practice. But I'm remembering how much I love it.

Class 1: Thin-walled bowls

L to R: Tulip Poplar; Sycamore (finished); Sycamore (unfinished)

I turned the bowl in the center in class, then practiced on the piece I brought home (on the right). The one on the left is Tulip Poplar, and a particularly dark piece at that. The two on the left have been finished with butcher-block oil.

Class 2: Natural-edge bowls

Cherry bowl, finished

In the second class, we tackled natural-edge bowls. I got a lovely piece of cherry to work on (above). It is also finished with butcher-block oil.

For practice: I tackled a piece I'd hacked at a few times over the summer - also cherry - but was destroying, rather than creating. I finally worked up the nerve to mount that, and finish it up. Far from perfect, but better than it was - and not a pile of wood chips.

Cherry bowl, finished

And - I had a neat piece of mimosa that had a lovely grain when turned. Yada yada, BB-oil.

Mimosa bowl, finished

Class 3 was a walnut bowl... I need to turn the foot off that this weekend, and get it sanded and finished.

Functional art, and a piece of history

I drove out to Wellsville, MO this morning for a farm auction. A photo of a small gypsy-style wheel, likely German, caught my eye. Unfortunately I wasn't the only one bidding on it, and it went for way more than I had budgeted. But I did snap some photos for my own edification.

It was a very small wheel - maybe a 10" drive wheel - with a small footprint. It would have needed a bit of work to get spinning again, mainly fixing the split whorl and adding new treadle leather. And the bobbin was fused to the whorl... a bit of elbow grease to loosen that up. It did come with an extra bobbin and a half, which is very rare for old wheels. It had been painted, too - in reds, yellows and blacks. Hopefully the couple that got it can restore it and keep the remaining paint intact.

Acrylic - Not My Favorite

Working with acrylic makes just about everything else seem like butter. It is hard on my tools and I'm not a fan of the smell. But when it's all nice and shiny... it's amazing.

Off the lathe recently...

Pacific Yew on left, blue acrylic (for Paul) on right

Bottom two - various laminated woods, top is acrylic

Shiny needle cases in acrylic (available on my Etsy site)

Quick rehash of recent run/walking... still trying to figure out why I can't run well recently:

Sat., Aug 25: 3.5mi walk during Clean Stream event
Sun., Aug: 26: 5.5 mi walk

Week of Aug. 27: 5.25 mi Tuesday, 5 mi Wednesday, 5.55 mi Friday, 5.25 mi Sunday
Week of Sept. 3: 4.3 mi Tuesday, 5.25 mi Wednesday, 5 mi Friday, 6.2 mi Sunday
Week of Sept. 10: 5.3 mi Tuesday, 5 mi Wednesday, 5.05 mi Saturday, 5.2 mi Sunday
Week of Sept. 17: 5.35 mi Tuesday, 5.25 mi Wednesday, 5 mi Friday.

Praise for Icelandic Sheep

At some point along the fiber-collecting road, I ended up with some commercial Icelandic roving. It was a pretty steel-wool gray color, and felt about the same. I wasn't so much impressed.

Fast-forward to working on my Master Spinner Program level-one homework. Part of it is a breed study, where you select 10 breeds, start with raw fleece, and work your way through scouring, prepping, spinning, and a small knitted sample. I tried to spread my breed selections out across a wide range of sheep (and fleece) types. One we had gotten samples of in class was Navajo Churro, and I knew I had more at home so I'd have enough to include that one. Except... my own stash of 4oz was nowhere to be found.

So. On to a substitution. To stay within the same type, I looked at other sheep with primitive or dual-coated fleeces, and decided on Icelandic. The sheep themselves are cute as all get-out, and I wanted to see if my initial impression of that commercial roving was correct or not.

Photo from ncwga.org

Icelandic sheep first ended up in Iceland thanks to the Vikings, who brought along sheep belonging to the Northern European short-tailed sheep family way back in the ninth and tenth century.  There has been little change or 'improvement' during the intervening years... intentionally. They are hardy, intelligent little sheep that apparently tend to exhibit a bit of personality.

In Iceland, most of the income from these sheep comes from the meat trade. But the wool fiber is highly valued too, both there and around the world.  The fleece has two layers... an outer coat called tog, which is longer and coarser. The undercoat, thel, is short and soft. They can be spun together, but often the coats are separated. The tog can be spun for stronger fiber needed for durable items, while the thel can be soft enough to use for next-to-skin items.

For class, I got both a lamb fleece and an adult fleece. The lamb fleece is incredibly soft, and I'll likely spin both coats together.

Lamb fleece

Staples from lamb fleece

The adult fleece has better definition between tog and thel and I'll be separating those coats out for spinning.

Adult fleece

Staples from adult fleece (those boards are 6" wide)

Both fleeces are from Sunrise Sheep and Wool, and I highly recommend them - they are in lovely shape.

I Guess it Had to Happen...

If you own a lathe, you have to make a pen. I think that's written down somewhere. But, after making a bunch of spinning tools, I finally made pens. And a stylus with a pen inside.

Acrylic stylus/pen at top, then Canarywood, and Bois de Rose.

I also made some new needle holders, and additional stylus-pens - they're all up on my Etsy site, RiverPoet Fiber and Yarn.

Quilted Maple needle holder

Figured Pyinma stylus with telescoping pen

Run for Your Lives

We went, we ran, we died.  :-)

The 'Run for Your Lives' 5K was billed as an obstacle course where you are also chased by zombies. Sounded fun! There was a steep entry fee, but seeing everything they had to bring in and set up, I can understand it better in hindsight. There was also a $10 parking fee, but... Subarus got to park for free. Heh.

The future undead.

Waves went off every half-hour, to spread the people out on the course. It was partly open fields (DUST), partly wooded trails that seemed to have recently been made or widened with a DR brush mower (DUST and root snags). Oh, and the obstacles and zombies. Some zombies just shuffled around, but others actively tried to grab one of the three flags on your flag-football-style belt. No flags at the end = dead and zombiefied after you cross the finish line.

 

Mah flags - now you see them, soon you won't.

The obstacles included sandwich-board-style walls to climb over, then wood beams to go under; a shack-type thing with a maze inside that also had zombies in it; a slimy mud pit; another shack-type thing you climbed into where it was dark inside... the piped-in "fog" didn't help... and electrified wires hanging from the ceiling. (I made it through that one OK, but Paul got zapped several times.) Near the end there was a large structure to climb with a water slide down the other side, little wooden things you had to crawl through on your knees in the mud, and then last you had to slide under, flat on your stomach, some horizontal chain link fence that they said was electrified, but I hit it twice with my head and nothing happened.

Live people are eligible for time-based awards, and dead aren't, but we all got the same medal. Theoretically there were "health packs" on the course with additional flags, but neither of us saw any sign of one. Not that I was in competition for an award anyway! So no matter. Stand in a long line for a cold shower with about 40 of your best friends, with water pumped direct from a tanker truck, and try to discreetly rinse out the mud that got INSIDE your shorts. Muddy shoes got dumped in a large pile - they'd be cleaned up and re-purposed through Project Sole.

 

See mine? They're right there... near the top...

All in all it was a lot of fun. I did pop my bad hamstring again... we'll see how long that takes to heal. Right now I have to lift my left leg to go up stairs and can't sit for very long - it's that spot right at the top where the hamstring attaches to your butt. Painful to sit at all. And my bad right shoulder is sore, probably from grabbing the tree to break my fall, when I dodged a zombie, caught a root with my toe, and torqued the hamstring.

But the zombies were all made up professionally by the race production company, and most of them looked pretty darn convincing. They did put a LOT of work into making the race happen. Advice to anyone who wants to do it, if they have it here again: take an early wave start.  :-)

Oh, and remember the rules:

1. Cardio

2. Doubletap

3. Beware of bathrooms

Since I probably will take a week or so off to let the hammie heal up...

Wed., 8/1: 5.5 mi

Friday: 5.5 mi

Sunday: 5.35 mi

Tues. 8/7: 5.5mi

Wednesday: 5 mi

Friday: 5.5 mi run, 1 mi dog-walk

Sunday: 7 mi

Tues., 8/14: 5.5 mi

Wednesday: 5.25 mi

Friday: 5.5 mi

Saturday: 5K zombie run, plus walking... total 5 mi

Back to School

I'm way overdue for a report, so... here it is!

The last week of July I was up in Michigan for spinner's camp... or more formally, the Olds College Master Spinner Program Level 1. Last fall, I heard that The Spinning Loft in Howell, MI was going to start hosting the classes. As that's about 30 minutes from Ann Arbor, I could stay with my family and drive up for class, getting a nice visit and some education all at the same time. I was able to get registered for it (there was quite the demand!), and made plans to head up.

Because of the extensive supply list, I was glad I was able to drive. Even though I have my cute new travel wheel, the rest of the gear would have needed to be shipped ahead if I had flown. For the record - it is 546 miles one-way from my house to Mom and Dad's.

Nope - still didn't step on it.

I went up early so we could pay homage to the Art Fair (three fairs in one,  and MUCH bigger than it used to be), and hang out with family. Then on Monday the 23rd, I drove up for my first day of class. We had instruction from 9am to 4pm all week, plus homework most nights, and rarely were we done by 4pm. Great classmates, wonderful instructor (Coleen Nimetz), lots to do and practice, and surrounded by raw fleece and fiber toys. What a great way to spend a 'vacation'!

Fleece drying outside the shop.

A bit chaotic, but that's half the fun! And that's Tess up front.

We sorted fleece, we spun different ways, we dyed many the things... and this was all to get us ready for our homework/self-study. I've got a big list of things to complete before I can sent my notebooks in for grading. (And I'm sure I'll be posting about it more as I complete assignments.) It will be a fun and busy autumn, and I'm already looking forward to continuing on to Level 2 some time next year - I'll be signing up as soon as it's posted.

The class of 2018 with Coleen!

Quickie Running Update

It's been so bloody hot here - usually in the 70s at 5:30am, and humidity so thick it feels like breathing under water. But, still getting out there. I had a brief interruption when I went to Michigan last week and was in class all day and had homework at night. Oh, and some weird knee pain in my right leg. But plenty of rest has the knee better, even if the STL weather still sucks rocks.

Hey summer... are we done yet?

Sat., June 30: 5.3 mi walk in 1:14:31
Tues., July 3: 6.0 mi in 1:08:16
Wed.: 6.25 mi run/walk in 1:23:36
Fri.: 5.25 mi in 1:04:07
Sun.: 6.25 mi run/walk in 1:22:55

Tues., July 10: 6.0 mi in 1:08:11 (5 mi = 56:40)
Wed.: 5.55 mi in 1:04:59
Fri.: 6.0 mi in 1:08:40 (5 mi = 57:40)
Sat.: 5.5 mi walk in 1:18:49 (5 mi = 1:11:11)
Sun.: 3.1 mi (5K) on the ELM in 43:30

Tues., July 17: 5.5 mi in 1:05:40
Wed.: 5.2 mi in 1:02:29
Fri.: 5.0 mi in Ann Arbor
Sat.: walked 4.5 mi around Art Fair
Sun.: 7.0 mi run/walk at Gallup Park in Ann Arbor

Sat., July 28: 1.5 mi walk with Mom and Madi
Tues., July 31: 5.25 mi back in STL

Oh, you'll notice I stopped recording times. It's hot, and they suck, so no point!

Meet Tess

She is here! Meet Tess. She's a Carson Cooper Sabrina, a small folding travel wheel, made specially for me in birds-eye maple and camphor burl. She's a sweet little wheel.

Tess - a Carson Cooper Sabrina folding wheel

Front view

She's going to accompany me up to Michigan in July, when I head to The Spinning Loft in Howell, Michigan for the first level of the Master Spinner Program. We've already had fun getting to know each other. Again, I seem to default to spinning thing on every wheel.

Testing different fibers

Did I mention she's small but mighty?

Spinning on the deck

Despite the current record heat, I've been keeping to The Schedule. Catching up a bit...

Sunday, June 10: 5 mi on the Elliptical Machine of Death in 68:17
Tues., June 12: 5.5 mi in 5:03:37 (5 mi = 57:17)
Wed., June 13: 6 mi in 1:07:53
Fri., June 15: 6 mi in 1:07:50 (5 mi = 56:29)
Sat., June 16: 5.5 mi walk in 1:16:31
Sun., June 17: 5.5 mi run/walk in 1:08:19 (hot)

Tues., June 19: 6 mi in 1:09:58 (still hot)
Wed., June 20: 5 mi on the EMD in 71:51
Fri., June 22: 6 mi in 1:09:11 (5 mi = 57:03) ... still slowing down
Sat., June 23: 6.2 mi in 1:13:59 (5 mi = 59:30) ... still wfhot
Sun., June 24: 5.3 mi walk in 1:14:31

Tues.: 6 mi in 1:05:56 (5 mi = 55:10)
Wed.: 6 mi in 1:10:17
Fri.: 5.6 mi in 1:04:23

Muddling Through

More fun at the lathe... I made some muddlers (those things you use to smash the heck out mint, in search of the perfect mojito).  And, while I was down there, I had a try at my first spindle. This one is a supported spindle, is 11" long, and weighs 27.5gm.

... so now I guess I need to get better at my supported-spindling.

All in blue mahoe wood from Puerto Rico:

Muddler, spindle, muddler

Spindle, muddler, muddler

Spindle!

Why I kept wanting to type "Mulder", as in X-Files, I have no idea.

Catching up on that avoiding-the-fat thing... running. I'm quite peeved that I'm getting slower rather than faster. So today I went out and walked - as in, WALKED - my Carondolet Park route. More muscle-tired, less overall-tired, which was fine since I spent the afternoon standing in front of the lathe. The summary since last time:

Tuesday, May 29: 5.5 mi in 1:03:22 (5 mi = 56:29)
Wed., May 30: 5.6 mi in ?? (watch fuckup)
Friday, June 1: 6 mi in 1:07:08 (5 mi = 56:03)
Sat., June 2: 6.2 mi in 1:11:21  (5 mi = 57:49)
Sun., June 3: did a 5.5mi run at CCL, then kayaked another 4 mi around the lake

Tue: 6 mi in 1:08:12 (5 mi = 56:44)
Wed: 5.5 mi in 1:03:30 (5 mi = 57:32)
Fri: 5.5 mi in 1:02:49 (5 mi = 57:01)
Sat: 6.25 mi power-walk in 1:24:55