Sorry Surfermom, I posted this in the good morning thread…
Good Morning from Foxy’s World…
Although it seemed dry and dark outside (6:30) I put on my waterproof anyway and set off for my eight mile Sunday Run. Just a few spots of light drizzle as I ran through the village, most of the houses were in darkness as I silently drifted by.
All except for the convenience store where the odd early riser was collecting the latest edition of Sunday’s news…
I soon left the last of the hazy streetlights behind and immersed myself in my thoughts and the peace of the countryside. The gentle rain had stopped now and the country roads were surprisingly dry. I reached the junction that decided if this run would be a six or an eight…No contest today, I was feeling good and everything was working the way it was supposed to, the way it has for over forty years…
I crossed the bridge over the tidal river and saw that it was neither flowing in or out, just stationary. With a full moon tonight I guessed that it would be a high tide on the coast forty miles away and it would progress slowly inland reaching here some hours later.
No people and only two cars on the whole of the eight mile run, and it was only as I entered the village my thoughts focused on the emptiness I felt in my stomach that would soon be relieved with a hot steaming bowl of porridge smothered with honey…
What has the rest of the day got in store? Dunno, but whatever it is, I’ll be happy in the knowledge that that’s another eight miles in the journal…
Lovely, descriptive write-up Bob. Good to see you battling on with another eight-miler
Hope your run went well too, Suzie. It must be great to get outside in your part of the world
How’s things going, tachyon. Any better today
I have to be very careful with the hernias. The left-hand side one doesn’t bother me very much but the right one is now like a golf ball and is really painful. I do have to be careful how much I eat and drink, anything even water intake.
I have a pre-op date for November 14th, which is light aeons away! So we’re in effect looking at 2-3 weeks after that for the operation. With some recovery time it may be Christmas or even January before I’m back at work. Luckily I’m still being paid, but it’s the boredom factor that’s driving me nuts.
When I’m better - and I’m thinking of a comeback date of Jan 1st here - I intend to start running properly. It will keep the weight down, get me in the “fresh” air and you folks in here will set a benchmark for me to aim at; some targets to reach. Those are way in the distance but I’ll definitely get there eventually
Being variably 16.5 stones I’m not really built for long-distance running but I have the leg strength which will help. I am also aiming to get myself down to 16 stone which will mean me losing any belly fat as I’m still in decent shape otherwise despite not training for six weeks. It’s reassuring to know that the muscle is still retained, though I feel ‘heavy’ with it. I think some treadmill work to begin with will get me to a suitable jogging weight, if not running flat out!
Coupled with that I’ll be doing a session of very high reps each week (much like Tachyon does), a lighter weights session and a run around the playing fields at the back of my house. That’s four exercise outings per week from Jan 1st…do-able I think, pending the op of course!
Five miles for me again this morning, it was much colder this morning, fleece tops out I think! It was a lovely run, except on the return, trying to go a little faster, I put my right foot down on a stone which slid a little, and my ankle turned slightly. It is aching a little now so I have put nice, thick warm socks on and will rest it, hopefully it will calm down.
OGF, if you couldn’t sell people on the joys of running, I don’t know who could! Isn’t it nice to have the world to yourself for a while! I didn’t doubt for a moment that at the junction you would make it an eight miler. Nicely done and always a pleasure to read .
Katarina, how unfortunate about your battle with the stone. It does seem that I am having to look down more and more as the years fly by since my feet aren’t quite as trustworthy as they used to be. It is still very warm here, so the layers will remained tucked away until late :-D.
Nice to see you planning ahead, Floydy. I am sure your body will be your guide in your recovery. I am sure there is a regimen that will suit you well when the time comes. Going easy is the smartest thing you can do right now .
Thanks Surfermom, appreciate you comment…
Took a tumble while out running this morning, did a report on ‘Good Morning Tuesday’ sustained a few superficial cuts and bruises but nothing that will hopefully get in the way of Thursday’s outing…Hope you are managing to get out now it’s a bit cooler in your neck of the woods…
Plenty of rain and flooded courses here, and down to 10*C but it doesn’t feel too cold, that is…If you don’t go rolling around in the mud…
Oh, gosh, OGF. I hope there is nothing left to your injuries today aside from the likely bruise on the ego. A few forum post should salve the pain away.
Yes, the cool weather is making me one happy runner. Sometimes you get to a pace in which breathing and legs are in sync and you feel like you could run all day. It’s not a runner’s high, just a state in which you are running so easily that the running slips farther away from your central thoughts. Today I had that sense for the first time in ages. Looking around, making lists, thinking about the dogs, my mom, my sourdough starter, peonies, the paradox of event horizons, and before I knew it, six miles had become a little over 9. I sure felt great but I expect to be as stiff as a mummy in the morning….
I really, really wish I could, and that’s for sure! You two conjure such amazing views in my mind I want to do something like that myself - badly. Not on the cards yet though, but you never know.
The chesty-thing (a virus, the doc told me) is easing up and I am debating whether to have a light workout on Saturday afternoon. It would be a light one though.
I had good news at my doctor’s surgery when my chest was checked yesterday and when I saw the diabetes nurse today for a 6-month review. It was unexpected and a real boost what with the stresses of keeping an eye on my mum. My lungs are in great shape, my heart sounds very strong and his stethescope didn’t show any obvious irregularities. My blood pressure is also now in normal range. When the doc checked my medical history and saw I had stopped my blood-pressure medication just over 18 months ago (after consultation with a different doctor) he was all the more impressed.
The good news from my diabetes nurse - MOST unexpected news indeed - is that my long-term blood readings for my sugar levels for the last 6 months have showed my blood sugar is now in the normal range! Admittedly, I take 30 units of insulin daily before bed, but she said that smallish dose plus all the exercise has really made a big difference.
Long (and tedious) story short, what I really came here today for was to thank you all for the advice and encouragement I get in here from you guys. You’ve really helped me change my life when, at times, I was discouraged or otherwise “down”. I hope to “pay it forward” some day.
Those are brilliant results Tachyon, and thanks for the nice comments. I have always heard about the benefits of exercise on diabetes type 2 and helping to lower blood pressure, but to hear it from someone I sort of know just underlines the good that exercise does. Well done Tachyon…
Thanks OGF. I’m due an ECG test today, purely precautionary as regards the breathing problem caused by the virus, so I suppose that will give me the definitive info on the current state of my heart. A stethoscope can only go so far, heh. I hope it says things HAVE actually improved!
Funny you should mention your breathing problems could possibly be a result of the virus…
Although I haven’t had breathing problems, the average times for my five mile runs have increased considerably, and a check through my journal shows that I haven’t run properly since what I thought was a bad head cold back in mid September. I was getting a bit worried, but I wonder if it was indeed a virus and has had a more lasting effect that I thought…
Yes, the symptoms do appear to remind me of when I last had that damn virus too.
The ECG was good - it naturally showed old damage from a heart attack but it was working very well all the same. I really hope I can train lightly on Saturday, sigh.
Sunday has come round quickly and I found myself out on the road before first light. At this time of year it’s one of the pleasures of running, watching the night turn into day while out on the road with heightened senses…It’s always a bit of a guess what to wear on these dark mornings not being able to see the sky, running shoes and shorts are always a given, but the upper body must be kept warm and dry if a unique outdoor experience is to be enjoyed.
Sunday runs these days are not a foregone conclusion like they used to be, it could be six or eight miles depending on how I feel once warmed up (usually after a couple of miles) this would never had been a choice in the past…fifteen miles or even twenty plus would have been decided at the beginning of the year, depending on which race I had signed up for.
Although I said the decision would be made out on the road, unless I was in severe discomfort it would invariably be an eight, and this morning was no different. I felt good as I reached the three mile point where the decision had to be made, and I just automatically took the long route…
It felt like the old days as my pace was so comfortable and easy, just like Surfermom on her previous run I was in the groove and could have sustained that pace for the rest of Sunday…Unfortunately it wasn’t possible to run into infinity this morning so I was satisfied with the eight miles and a hot shower before Mrs Fox required my services for the list of jobs she no doubt had ready for me upon my return…
One of the best runs of the year though…
That’s a fantastic account, OGF, and it’s always a pleasure to hear that you have had an enjoyable run. Even better that it was one of your best!
I’ve been to Kansas and back, collecting a round of stomach flu en route that now has me finally, thankfully back home in my own bed and under a mountain of comforters and pillows. I currently look like something out of a zombie apocalypse with lip gloss and reading glasses .
For now, the only waves I am surfing are those of nausea, chills, and scattered bouts of flinging the bedding to the sky with perspiration.
Aw…That’s bad news Surfermom, take good care of yourself and I’m glad you are safely back home. There is no place as good as your own home when you’re not feeling good…Try a Hug…:hug: Hope it helps…
I visited the doctors this morning to hear the results of my recent blood tests.
Tiredness is becoming a worry.
Apparently my Iron and vit ‘B’ are fine, as are most of the other things they test for. However, one particular test for Kidney Function was outside the normal range but was expected.
The aspirin and ramipril that I take daily do have an effect, but was told that kidneys deteriorate with age and it was nothing to worry about as the deterioration has not progressed since the last test in 2017.
She did mention that she doesn’t see many seventy year old runners in her surgery…And perhaps I should be taking things a little easier now…
Doctors!..What do they know anyway…
I get up and put clothes on. When I catch my breath, I curl a cup of coffee ten to twenty times, then take a nap. After the nap, I push myself up, I get up and get something to eat from one of the three main food groups, sugar, salt or fat. After that I take another nap, but sometimes I dream about running. After that nap, it is time to cook supper, that is the most effort of the day. If I don’t’ cook supper, then I have to wrestle my wife when she gets home from work, and she usually wins…
Savvy, thank you for the exercise report. It gave me a good tickle on an otherwise gloomy day.
Mags you are so thoughtful. Thank you! I suppose a few days of taking it easy will take care of it, and a little illness is always good for reminding me to be grateful for every single healthy day.
OGF, thanks for the hug. Just don’t squeeze too hard . While you must be quite happy about the test results - you still don’t have any answers! Any theories? Sleep changes? Too much caffeine? I know that our hearts are less efficient as we age. Do you think it’s that? It’s a mystery for sure.
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Admittedly, I take 30 units of insulin daily before bed, but she said that smallish dose plus all the exercise has really made a big difference.
I’m due an ECG test today, purely precautionary as regards the breathing problem caused by the virus, so I suppose that will give me the definitive info on the current state of my heart. A stethoscope can only go so far, heh. I hope it says things HAVE actually improved!
Any theories? Sleep changes? Too much caffeine? I know that our hearts are less efficient as we age. Do you think it’s that? It’s a mystery for sure.