Marshall dog doesn't have a puppy face anymore!I am in pain today. It all started back on Wednesday, I planned to swim with Bill at noon but I was in a meeting until 12:40 so we started late and I had very little to eat all day. The goal was to work on fly, we're swimming 200 fly, 200 back, 200 breast, and 200 free in our end of the term swim meet coming up in March. Presently, I can just get through a 50 fly so I have quite a way to go. I managed to swim up to 75 fly but I have a lot of work ahead of me in these next few weeks if I'm going to compete. I have done a 200 fly once before but I was in decent shape then. Not so much now. By the end of the workout my arms felt like lead and I was starving. So the deficit has was started.
On Thursday, I wanted to get out in the sunshine and go for a trail run so I used some comp time and took a long lunch so we could get out in the mid-day sun. We ran up Bald Hill, back down and then out and up another nearby trail (unsure of name) for a total of about 1 hour of running. Not a big deal except this is HILLY running and I am totally out of shape.
Bill took flat Colin for a bike ride. Friday I'm late for swim class (another long meeting) but I manage to get in some more fly and we did 12x100 (pick your stroke) on 1:45, easy enough but I'm out of shape and in a deficit (getting deeper) so it hurts enough for me to feel it.Saturday we woke up to more sunshine so we planned a bike ride but first we had to get some pruning in since every plant in the back yard is dead and overgrown. After an hour of holding up large pruners my upper body was feeling a bit sore but a bike ride doesn't take arms so out the door we go. Bill suggested a flat route but I decide I want to head for the hills, I haven't been bike riding since I don't know when and rather than build up slowly, I just want to get straight to the pain. We ride out Bellfountain road to Finley Wildlife Refuge, the ride is about 25 miles which is no big deal for a person who rides bikes but for me, it hurt. I couldn't get my heart rate over 145 which is totally pathetic. I used to run for 2 hours at 145 and considered that moderate. I am so out of shape it's disgraceful!
On our bike ride we saw horses, llamas, sheep, and cows all laying in the sun. Sunshine in Feb in Oregon makes everyone want to sunbathe. On to Sunday, it's still nice weather so we load up the Jeep with cross country skis and head for Ray Benson Snow Park. For the price of gas and a $6 snow park permit we ski for 2+ hours with the dog. Excellent! The parking lot was jammed and the trail was a bit of a mess from too many users but the top coat on the snow was ice so we were skiing fast. We were trying to find a warming hut that has eluded us the past two years, this time we overshot it significantly and ended up way the heck out there which is no big deal except the icy snow does not make for soft landings and I had fallen about 6-8 times and was exhausted. I had a talk with myself at the warming hut: I'm scared of falling anymore, I'm tired, there are dangerous tree wells, uneven hard packed snow, and some hills on the way back. Walking will take twice as long so what do you want to do? Put your skis back on and harden up sister.
Shiny snow means a fast ride. The snow was so high that small trees were mostly submerged and an occasional tree top poked it's way up to trip me up. Not Bill though, just me. Bill let me lead the way back which is excellent, I think half of the time I fall because I'm going too fast trying to keep up with him. I did fall a few more times but had a few nice descents and made it back in one piece, exhausted and bruised. Marshall dog had a blast, he knows skis mean snow and snow means romping so he was thrilled to be loaded up in the Jeep with skis.I have been banned from exercise today by my husband so I think I'll do a recovery swim (1000 yards) and get ready to run again tomorrow. Eventually I'll find some fitness again, if only just for a short time, to remember what it feels like to be me again. Right now I feel like a tired, old, sore, and out of shape version of myself and that doesn't feel so great. Looking forward to runner's highs, rhythm in the pool, and to climbing hills in something other than the granny gear on my bike again.
A view to appreciate
Marshall enjoying the warming hut
Black Butte which will sound familiar if you
are a fan of Deschutes Brewery's Black Butte Porter
The moon and long shadows mean it's time to head home.
