My brother is coming to town tomorrow, then Friday we're meeting our parents to go [look at airplanes in Oshkosh, WI](www.eaa.org). The weather should be good. My family is bad at plans and coordinating (which might explain why I do well at them). It'll be frustrating at times, but hopefully it all ends up well. My dad used to fly 35-40 years ago, just flying little Cessnas in a flying club. I occasionally think about trying to get a license. I'm still running, training for a half marathon August 20. wasoxygen, what are you up to these days for runs? Saturday I had intended to do an 11 mile run, but the humidity was oppressive. At four miles I started walking and running on and off. I was completely soaked. My shoes were wet like I'd worn them in a lake. But the humidity is back down, and my hill intervals Monday felt really good. I ordered a fire safe. It's more fire than safe, but I hope it'll help me organize things like my passport and birth certificate in a logical and safe place. My September hiking trip is being reworked in my head. I was going to do six days/five nights in the woods, but I'm chickening out. Now I'm thinking two overnighters and one long day hike. It would be more miles but also more summits. It's also much safer. Since I'm hiking alone, if I had a bad fall on day 1, it would take a week before anyone missed me (phone service doesn't exist). The new plans bring that down to just two days. Work is better than it was.
Thanks! One thing I'm loving about races like this is you're surrounded by people very like you. I'm not very fast, but all around me are people who are just trying to finish the best they can, just like me. It feels good. It's all the personal achievement. That's another great thing about any endurance sport. It doesn't matter if I can run further that someone else, because there's someone else who can run further than me. The sport focuses more on the personal achievement than any other I'm aware of. The Lake Placid Ironman was Sunday, and I read the women's winner (Heather Jackson) was back at the finish line at midnight when the course closes. She had finished eight hours earlier (new course record of 9 hours, 9 minutes). She was encouraging athletes just trying to finish. How cool is that? That's what the sport is all about. So if you're thinking about trying a run, whether it's a 3 km run or a full marathon, work hard and give it a shot. Everyone there will be encouraging, from the runner next to you to the professional up at the front. It's pretty great.
Oshkosh - I am super jealous. Some day I will make the pilgrimage. Some day... Fire Safe - The one thing that always survives a fire is your freezer. Double-ziplock-bag your important docs, put them on the top shelf of the freezer, or stand them up along the wall inside the freezer, and even if your house burns to the ground, your docs will be fine. (Proven, sadly, by friends of mine.)
Plus 1 to these bits. Regretting not going with my squadron when I was in Civil Airights Patrol. Haven'the really nerded out on planes in a long time, aside from peeks into #aviation. Enjoy it, Eng! Throwing in the lot for the fire safety zip locks as well. Keeping safes at hone are ten-fold easier than the hassle of a bank, especially if you need documents in short notice on your time.
A fire safe sounds like a good idea. I should get one myself. Thanks
We were at the beach last week and my wife wondered what would happen if we ran 5K on the boardwalk around noon with a "feels like" heat index of 106° (41°C). For the record, what happens is you sweat about as fast as you can drink for the following half-hour. I am trying not to think too much about an event in Tennessee I signed up for this September. Tracking down London Stone is a distraction for now.
I remember that London Stone post when it was new. It must have been one of the first things I read on Hubski. Keep me posted as the investigation unfolds. It's a fun mystery to follow.