Going Slow

 I decided to bring water with me for this morning’s workout by wearing my water bottles belt. I’m able to bring 20 ounces of water with this belt to help me cope with the heat and humidity. I definitely felt tired especially as I traveled up the hills. Although I dislike the heat and humidity of the summer, I’ve learned to look at the advantages of the summer which give me a break from the daily whirlwind grind of Long Island work and commuting. I did the Longwood Loop doing 9.33 miles in 2:37:13 for a 16:50 minute per mile pace with an average heart rate of 148 bpm with an elevation gain of 300 feet with an average cadence of 123 spm at 69 humid degrees. I saw a couple of men walking this morning. Also, there were many paving vehicles on Raynor as I was on the home stretch. We have a staff supper party for the church tonight. Have a blessed day!

Holy Smoke

 This morning I was a little bit later heading out the door. It’s the little luxury that I have in the summer and I certainly take advantage of it. I am certainly going to miss Charlotte and Ryleigh when they head to Texas on Friday. Thinking about her leaving is definitely on my mind. I decided on the Longwood Loop again doing 9.29 miles in 2:35:16 for a 16:42 minute per mile pace. I definitely was feeling the heat and I noticed the smoke from the Canadian wildfires was once again lingering in the air. The poor air quality definitely has an effect. Thankfully I was able to survive the heat, humidity, and smoke. 

Yesterday I posted an old coaching pic from years ago. I got a good number of comments from old players from some of the teams that I coached. I am grateful for how the Lord has provided, but I do miss those days in small town Maine coaching. I definitely felt a purpose that I don’t feel now. God works in mysterious ways! Have a blessed day!

Trudging through the Humidity

 I headed out this morning with some God breathed optimism. The summer is uncomfortable, but fortunately I am in a situation where I don’t have to deal with it too much. The summer is like a classical sonata with different movements. This is a slower time , but there are always things to do. Fortunately, I do have time where I’m not pressed at the moment to get things done. Next, Lord willing will be the Maine time at my parents where I visit and help out a bit before heading out to camp. Next, Lord willing, will be some time visiting my daughters in Eastport/Pembroke. I love the pace and solitude in Maine— Maine is still my place. Besides my beautiful wife, my children and grandkids, and a few friends from work— I am an outsider here in New York. God has graciously provided here in New York, but I have never felt connection. Regardless of the circumstances, God always directs my ship. 

      Today I did the Longwood loop doing 9.20 miles in 2:31:03 for a 16:24 minute per mile pace. For some reason this is the only data that I have access to at the moment. I felt thirsty and a bit worn down at the end of my workout. Every bit of clothing that I wore was drenched. I did a lot of stretching during today’s workout. Thank you Lord for your many blessings!

Thunder and Lightning

  I woke up and got out of bed somewhat asleep and somewhat hopeful. I decided to do the Longwood Loop again as it’s a forecast of rain and I need to get most of my activity during my workout. It was dry most of my workout. I definitely took it easy today. I saw nobody out at all. Things were good until 7.5 miles in which case it started to rain lightly. By mile 8 it was raining quite hard. The thunder and lightning were directly overhead. I was pleased with this week of training. It was a productive yet low key week. I did 9.20 miles in 2:34:37 for a 16:48 minute per mile pace with an average heart rate of 140 bpm at an elevation gain of 372 feet at an average cadence of 123 spm at a steamy yet somewhat breezy 71 degrees. I am definitely grateful for this week. Thank you Lord for your strength and satisfaction!

Running on Empty

 This morning I had a couple of options floating through my head. I had an ultrasound at 8:15 am to check my aorta. My grandmother died at 57 from an aneurysm in her aorta so I wanted to get it checked out. This test requires that I have no food or drink for 6 hours prior to the test. One option was to go for a hike after my appointment. The other option was to go for a shorter workout before the appointment since it’s supposed to be hot. I drank a bottle of water at 2 am knowing that this was the latest that I could drink. When I woke up a little before 5 I pondered my course of action. I decided on doing around 7 miles. I did an out and back on Raynor, did the Woodlot loop, did the Ridge/Kastal loop, with a short out and back on Ryan and on the hill on Raynor. Here are the stats- 7.56 miles in 2:02:31 for a 16:12 minute per mile pace with an average heart rate of 155 bpm with an elevation gain of 209 feet at an average cadence of 126 spm at a somewhat comfortable 69 degrees. I did better than I thought without the water. The approach that I took worked. Thank you Lord for your wisdom, guidance, and strength!

Beauty Before the Day

 I headed out around 5 am for my morning workout. The good thing with summer is that I have more of a luxury to take things at my pace. I am thankful for the usually refreshing summer months. It’s a change of pace, not so rushed, so that I can tackle the rat race of the school year. I did the Longwood Loop again. Tomorrow I will have to back off a bit as I have a heart ultrasound, and am not allowed food or drink 6 hours prior to the appointment. Here are today’s stats- 9.3 miles in 2:31:15 miles for a 16:15 minute per mile pace with an average heart rate of 143 bpm with an elevation gain of 308 feet at an average cadence of 125 spm at a more comfortable 65 clear and sunny degrees. Thank you Lord for your provision!

Between the Raindrops

  I could hear the rain falling throughout the night. I woke up, but stayed put until I heard a letdown in the downpours. I quietly made my move out the door and prepared myself for the workout. I decided to do the Longwood Loop doing 9.22 miles in 2:27:46 for a 16:01 minute per mile pace with an average heart rate of 78 bpm with an elevation gain of 309 feet at an average cadence of 125 spm at a very oppressive 72 humid degrees. Within minutes of arriving home the rains appeared again. I’m thankful for the slower pace of summer. Thank you Lord!