In Each Life ...

a little rain must fall. I headed out with the rain falling. Mornings like this often prompt doubt , but often without little result. The rain I believe slowed my pace as well as my spirits. Fortunately, after around 4 miles the rain stopped. I was reminded that this week God wanted to slow me down to get my attention. My leg I felt just kind of remained the same and didn’t improve today. Lord willing I will take the weekend off and hope for a more complete heeling. I did 9.19 miles in 2:38:14 for a 17:12 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 248 feet with an average heart rate of 99 bpm at a temp of 51 degrees and a rainy 87 percent humidity. I will miss this morning trail. Have a blessed night!

An Early Start in The Woods

I had a lot that I wanted to get done so I made it out to Calverton a little after 5 am. It was kind of dark, so I used my phone to light the way for awhile. My leg was feeling better so my pace was better. I still backed off so as not to aggravate my leg. I had a nice talk with my daughter Kaitland and brother Todd. The early morning was peaceful and a bit eery as I am far removed— New York has a few weirdos. Here are my stats- 9.26 miles in 2:35:25 for a 16:46 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 154 feet and an average heart rate of 97 bpm at a cool 45 degrees and 73 percent humidity. I’m grateful for the opportunity to train and fellowship with the Lord. Have a blessed day!

Slightly Faster

I got out before 6 am in Calverton. My leg felt better and my pace improved. I mean I’m not where I want to be, but I do feel like I am improving. I’m just grateful that I can do something. The early morning was just a beautiful time here in the country of Suffolk County. Lots of birds fluttering about. Here are the stats- 9.19 miles in 1:41:10 for a 17:30 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 145 feet with an average pulse of 98 bpm at a temp of 54 degrees and humidity at 86 percent. My goal was simply to keep my miles all under 18’s.  Lord willing I will try this again tomorrow. I am trying to enjoy doing what I can do without fretting about getting back to 100 percent. I truly believe God slowed me down so that I would listen to Christian podcasts— focusing on the Lord. God bless!

A Stroll Towards Recovery

For a couple of weeks I have dealt with a minor injury.  I have toyed  between the idea of rest and training through the injury trying not to exasperate the injury past it’s annoying level. I have decided to train through. Backing off enough to keep going. I have instituted icing, rapping, and occasional ibuprofen. This evening my leg has felt better. This weekend I intend not to train by hiking. Today I did a long slow hike. The injury kept me from generating any speed, but ai was able to get in the nine plus miles without further aggravation. Overall my leg was better today. Here are todays result in Calverton—9.26 miles in 2:50:37 for an 18:25 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 190 feet with an absolute heart rate of 95 bpm at a temp of 54 degrees and 84 percent humidity. I listened to a lot of good biblical teaching. It was a beautiful morning. The best thing was the fact that I could walk without trying to compete or hurry. Thank you Lord for your goodness.

Sunday/Monday

I headed to the Greenway Trail Easter morning for an Easter Stroll. There were few people out, but more than I thought would be out there. I did 7.47 miles in 2:07:09 for a 17:01 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 517 feet with an average heart rate of 100 bpm at a temp of 55 degrees at 89 percent humidity. We had a nice Easter service with 3 of my daughters and two of the boyfriends attending. The Lord is faithful. Today I did 8.76 miles in 1:51:06 for 12:41 minutes per mile with an elevation gain of 191 feet with an average heart rate of 122 bpm at a temperature of 48 degrees at 92 percent humidity. I have been dealing with a lower hamstring/ upper calf issue and was wondering if I should rest or go out. I decided to go out. My time was good thanks to some light jogging interspersed into the walking. My goal is to avoid aggravating the injury. Some days are better than others. It’s not to the point of stopping training. I have cut back on the 9 mile workouts. Out with Char this morning doing a series of 3 little hikes heading a bit further east each time. Have a God Blessed day!

Vacation Begins

I feel like Thursday and Friday are kind of recovery days. I’ve been tired and a have a few minor injuries.  I have been able to work around the injuries and fatigue thankfully, but it has required a little extra effort. On Thursday I did the Calverton Loop reverse for the first time. Even though I was just regular walking, I still felt tired and slow. The workout although beautiful, seemed to drag and took effort to finish. I did 9.22 miles in 2:48:48 for an 18:17 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 238 feet with an average heart rate of 92 bpm at a breezy 50 degrees and 68 percent humidity. Today I did the 3 x Woodlot Loop for 9.01 miles in 2:09 for a 14:19 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 181 feet with an average heart rate of 112 bpm at a temp of 56 degrees and 85 percent humidity. I saw running friend Chuck out on the roads this morning as I often do when I get a late start. Hey, it’s good Friday. Thank you Jesus for giving your life for mine!

Tuesday/Wednesday

  Both days I did the Ridge/Randall Route. Tuesday—8.2 in 1:55:20 for a 14:03 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 186 feet and 111 bpm at 43 degrees and 46 percent humidity. Today I did 8.06 miles in 1:56:37 for a 14:28 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 185 feet with an average heart rate of 111 bpm at a temp of 47 degrees and 58 percent humidity .  I got a call from my daughter with a couple of miles to go which slowed my pace a bit, but it was worthwhile.  Going to the Yankees/Red Sox game at Yankee stadium tonight after work. Have a blessed day!

Sunday/Monday

Sunday on the Calverton Trail- 8.22 miles in 2:19:05 for a 16:54 mpm pace with an elevation gain of 145 feet with an average pulse of 98 bpm at a temp of 52 degrees and 97 percent humidity. Monday in the rain and lightning—8.13 miles in 1:58:09 for a 14:32 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 353 feet with an average pulse of 112 bpm at 59 degrees and 94 percent humidity. Have a blessed day!

Friday to PA

 I got up a bit earlier and out a bit earlier to get back in time for my wife to take me to work. I worked half a day and then was picked up by Char. Our friends Johnny and Eliana from England came with us to Lancaster, PA to watch site and sound— Jesus. We of course are going to take them to see the Amish tomorrow. My workout consisted of 3 x Woodlot for 9.01 miles in 2:00:28 for a 13:22 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 201 feet with an average pulse of 119 bpm at a temperature of 44 degrees at 57 percent humidity. I am writing this in the Comfort Inn in Lancaster, PA. Have a blessed weekend.

Positive Feeling

This morning was unremarkable, yet I had a positive feeling of gratitude. The health and opportunity to have even a boring day is a blessing. I did the same rout that I did the previous 7 days. I did 8.21 miles in 1:54:11 for a 13:54 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 190 with an average heart rate of 110 bpm at a cooler temperature of 35 degrees at 65 percent humidity. Thank you Lord for our many blessings. The movie Shazam was a funny movie. Bekah and Char watched it together at
Ronkonkama last night! 

Late but Kinda Great

I got out later this morning for various reasons, but thankfully my pace was a bit faster. I did 8.21 miles in 1:54:02 for a 13:53 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 183 feet with an average heart rate of 112 bpm at a cooler temp of 40 degrees at 98 percent humidity. The humidity was due to the fog.
 Parting shot today. I feel sorry for my daughters not having a mother. Nobody to tell them how great they are , no mom to lovingly correct them to see their potential even when they screw up, not a mom to care about them when things are going bad. This person does not exist. Closest thing is my mom. I’m grateful for the help I get , but this person does not exist. God you are the provider of all our needs. Thank you for the blessings that we cannot see!

A Tuesday for Improvement

Tuesday wasn’t a fast day, but it was a much better day than yesterday. I went longer, was faster, and I experienced less residual pain in my lower hamstring, upper calf, outer knee area. I did 8.31 miles in 1:56:14 for a 13:58 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 190 feet with a pulse of 111 bpm at a temperature of 44 degrees at humidity of 96 percent. Have a most blessed day!

A Monday Sort of Day

Today was Monday and in Monday fashion I was slow and behind schedule. I did my usual shorter loop doing 8.05 in 1:57:47 for a 14:38 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 218 feet with an average heart rate of 108 bpm at a rainy temp of 51 degrees and 88 percent humidity. Have a blessed day and be a blessing.

Saturday- Greenway, Sunday- Calverton

On Saturday I headed out when my wife went to the women’s program which she lead and organized.   I did 8.02 miles in 2:14:47 for a 16:48 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 559 feet with an average heart rate of 97 bpm with the temp at 41 degrees at 96 percent humidity. On Sunday I last minute decided to try something new. I headed to Calverton to investigate the paved trails there— I was not disappointed. The hike was relatively flat, but it was very beautiful. I saw deer and turkeys along the way. Here are the stats— 9.23 miles in 3:31:53 for a 16:27 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 166 feet with 93 bpm pulse at a temp of 41 degrees at 81 percent humidity. It was a truly enjoyable walk with an adventure behind every corner. Tall trees, sun farms, and bikers lined the wsy on my adventure. Have a blessed day!

Short and Sweet

I did the same loop as yesterday. Doing eight miles instead of 9. I am appreciative of not having the pressure to hurry up if I get out a little late. Since I’m getting back a little earlier I am not as rushed. Since my fatigue level is up I am cutting back just enough to go easier on my muscles and on my energy. Stats of the day- 8.05 in 1:50:08 for a 13:40 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 178 feet and an average heart rate of 117 bpm at a temp of 43 degrees at a dry 34 percent humidity. Blessed!! Picking up a friend of Charlotte’s from the airport tonight. God bless you!

Later Start Doesn’t Hurt

I got out late, mainly due to slow moving thanks to fatigue. Thankfully, the fatigue going into the workout didn’t effect my speed in the workout. I did a slightly different model of the short route heading up Ridge first rather than returning on Ridge and then heading towards Raynor up Kastal doing Ryan Street twice. Here are the stats: 8.06 in 1:48:42 for a 13:29 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 212 feet with an average heart rate of 117 bpm with a temp of 39 degrees with humidity at 92 percent as a light rain came down with the breeze blowing gently. Some tightness in the legs a bit of an issue so took ibuprofen. Legs feeling better. Stretching alone wasn’t doing the trick. A long day yesterday as I mopped the whole sanctuary at church for my wife’s lady’s retreat. Have a most blessed day!

Shortening Up

I am finding that my muscles and energy are kind of beat down. To combat that I shortened up my workout this morning. I did the Randall, Ridge, Ryan(twice) Loop doing 8.38 miles in 1:55:20 for a 13:45 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 191 feet with an average heart rate of 120 bpm at a temperature of 26 degrees and 67 percent humidity. I am just grateful to get the work in as I am finding that the time had been dragging the past week. God Bless!

Sunday/Monday

Sunday I did the two big loopa and 1 short loop at Wertheim and today I did the Medford/Randall/Woodlot Loop. Sunday-7.38 miles in 2:00:09 for a 16:07 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 79 feet with an average heartrate of 97 bpm at a mild 52 degrees and 86 percent humidity. Today I did 8.65 miles in 1:57:51 for a 13:37 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 213 feet with an average heart rate of 124 bpm at 34 degrees and 47 percent humidity. Good workouts. Have a blessed day!