Cross Training

Saturday was my day to run, but we had family down for the day and went to the Chestertown Tea Party and then ate Chinese Food on the porch. Perfect day, but running was low priority.

On Sunday, we started the big project of clearing out the last remaining garden of weeds, small trees, stumps and other unwanted growth.

This garden at the corner of our porch was the last remaining challenge to our dream of having all the gardens weeded and mulched simultaneously in one year. And it was not random fate that this one was saved for last. It was infested with spider wort, weeds, volunteer trees and root suckers from 3 Russian Olive trees that I cut down a year ago. A week ago I made a declaration to Irma that we were not going to kill ourselves on this garden. I was going to rent a Bobcat and bulldoze the evil mess into submission. But one thing led to another and we thought maybe if we just work on it a little at a time....but that concept doesn't exist for us. So that's how it started.

By the time we were overheated and physically spent on Sunday, we had cleared a good 3/4 of the area. And I knew running wasn't in the offing this weekend. But cross training is always promoted in the running mags, and hey, by my reasoning, this definitely qualified as cross training.

Early Monday, I started finishing the job. What better way to honor those that sacrificed for our Country than sympathetic abuse of my body. I'm joking obviously, but the effort was intense.

Patton and Reilly, helpful as always.

"I wish he'd finish getting this stump out so he can chucker me"

Vanquished by the saw!
You may be wondering why I need a saw that big.
Because occasionally I have to cut up something like.....

...this!
Usually after a hurricane.

2 yards of mulch delivered and dumped.
I'm a dirty, sweaty mess, but this is getting done if it kills me.

All done and it's only 1:00 PM.
Now there's a cold shower and a Yuengling with my name on it.
And I probably won't be out of the house again today.
Happy Memorial Day! Thank a Veteran!

Couch to 5K - 3rd week

A while back I ordered a book from Amazon called "The Non-Runners Marathon Trainer"

I didn't at the time, nor do I now intend to run 26.2 miles. After all, 56 year old knees can't take that, can they? But I have noticed that since I started running and reading, the first real attempt at it in about 15 years, my perception is changing. It doesn't matter that I am starting slow, almost at a laughably slow rate, what matters is that I am able to keep doing my runs every 3 days. And my knees are ok with it. So instead of getting impatient and trying too much, I maintain the program and it leads me where I am going. My goal is still 5K, or even 2 miles on a regular basis would be a huge success. But after that, who knows.

My mind and body will be the determining factor.



"The power of inertia is in our perception. If we think we have yet to begin, the power of perceived inactivity can become a slow setting concrete that keeps us from starting. If instead we perceive that the journey has already begun, and contemplate the successes already registered (however small), inertia becomes and illusion and loses its relevance to a process that is already underway."

-Tanjala Mabon Kole, from The Non-Runners Marathon Trainer