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The weather was nice this morning, so it seemed like a nice day to go outside for a run. I did about 4 or so miles in the sunshine, soaking up vitamin D and maybe a touch of melanoma. I do not get a whole lot of sun and I think some is good, but more is not better as far as ultraviolet rays go. None the less, you need to get out sometimes, get the stink blown off, and get a little exercise. Try not to run when the sun is its hottest, but do try to get a little sun. It wouldn't hurt to throw on a little sunscreen either. You break a little sweat, check to make sure your pores are clear and your sweat glands are functional, and you get to burn a few calories. All in all, not a bad deal.

Sunshine or rain... enjoy the day

This is my daughter, Denise, and I yesterday after the Warrior Dash. It was a nice photo op. Something that a lot of people do after accomplishing something out of the ordinary. However, instead of doing this, we should have been stretching. I always stretch after a run or workout. But somehow yesterday we got caught up in the moment. Today, we are both a little sore. My arms and shoulders more than my legs, but her legs more than arms. Sometimes you get a little sore doing things a little different, but it is a manageable pain. And to minimize it, you have to remember to stretch, even in a carnival atmosphere. Then you can take advantage of the photo opportunity. It will still be there.

Run.... then stretch... then pose, but rejoice all long the way

Today, Denise and I did the "Warrior Dash," a race of a little under 4 miles with about a dozen obstacles. Nothing too bad, a few things to climb over here, something to crawl under there. And so on for an hour. We did pretty good, finishing in an hour exactly. We could not have timed that any better if we tried, and trust me, we didn't. Running through the flames was the second to last obstacle. The last obstacle was dragging ourselves through a 40 foot mud puddle under barbed wire. All in all it was a good Father's Day. I had my daughter and my sweetness. You don't have to be in tip-top shape to do one of these races, I'm not. You do have to be in fair shape and you have to make a determination to finish. It is do-able. It is not easy,  but it is worth doing and it is something to brag about. AND, if you share it with someone, that is even better. I DO recommend this type of event at least once.

Run for your life...really, running could improve your life...

 I thought that I would just go for a little run today. I have that race on Sunday that will almost undoubtedly kick my heiner. I wanted to do a couple easy miles. I need to maintain without stressing my muscles and/or joints too much. Since it is Flagday, I thought it might be nice to run past the courthouse and view the  flags. There is a vatiety of statues and war memeorials there. I did about 3 1/2 miles or so at an easy pace. I'll probably do something similar the next few days, maybe dropping down to a 2 mile run on Saturday. It is important to keep moving every day or at least every few days. There are forces inside your own body that are trying to  stop you. Trying to lock up your joints. Trying to covert muscle to fat. Trying to slowly kill you. Fight back!

Fight for your life

Up and Away   Today was a good day for a run, but with that obstacle race coming up in just over a week I figured I had better do a little extra training. A wall here, a little sprint there, a couple dips and of course some stairs thrown in. I wanted to get a workout in at the park, just in case there is a lot going on at the park this weekend. They use Nay Aug Park for various charitable events. Walks and community events, and there are always groups or families having picnics and cook-outs there. I certainly don't begrudge anyone that type of activity, but sometimes it is hard to get near a wall, or on the various "playthings" that I try to incorporate in my training.

Walls are made to keep things in, or out,,,, or just to play on....

Tread Lightly

I know from experience, that if I show up for a race and it is raining, I'll be racing in the rain. But, today with a cool drizzle outside, I opted to try out the treadmill. A couple of decades ago I tried running on a treadmill and had to stop because I was making A LOT of noise slamming onto the track. I figured I was just meant not to run on a treadmill. Today however, I chose to once again try and run on a treadmill. So off I went. I did about an hour at varying speeds. I kind of liked it because I could control speed better. I do not entirely trust the speed that it was showing, but I could speed up for a 1 1/2 minutes, then slow down for 3 1/2 and then faster agian. I don't look too bad here for a 65 year old. Unfortunately I'm not 65. Maybe I should get some sun.

Be active, indoors or out.





Yesterday I went to Nay Aug Park. It was a little cooler when I got there, probably in the mid to high 60's, with a fair breeze. It was still sunny though and pretty nice. I was surprised that there were so few people there. There were some runners and walkers, but not nearly as many as I thought there would be.

I did a warm-up mile, give or take, then did a little loop. Up this hill, then a little rock climb, then some "jump-ups" of about 14". I run in between and pick up the speed for one stretch of about 40 yards.I did 5 laps like that. Then I do a slow mile (even slower than usual) to cool down. I have that race coming up with Denise and though I know I'll get through it, I wouldn't mind being a few pounds lighter when I have to pull myself up that cargo net. I'm sure when losing weight is important enough to me, I'll cut back and exercise more and "git er done."

Be fit, life is NOT a spectator sport.