Marathon Training Update

Gene and I have been walking to train for the Portland Marathon. A couple of weeks ago we walked 13.46 miles around our neighborhood. We did 13.1 miles (1/2 marathon) in 3 hours, 2 minutes and 30 seconds and we averaged 13 minutes and 55 seconds per mile.

During the month of July our training walks covered (drum roll please) 102.79 miles!!!

Rant...

Yes folks, it is summer time again - the busy construction season - which means it is time for my annual I Hate Salesmen rant.

Don't get me wrong, I do not hate all salesmen. I think it is a necessary profession and is a great job with unlimited opportunity for someone who is organized, knows his product and his companies production abilities, and is honest. Unfortuneately, that does not include all salesmen and I got a total loser this time around.

The biggest problem with an incompetent sales representative is that he does not seem to understand that when I make a commitment to purchase his product, I am tying my reputation and my word to his ability to deliver. If he fails me, then I fail my customer, and I hate that!

I cannot decide if he is a liar or is totally incompetent, and neither scenario inspires confidence. Supposedly all of my material will be delivered next week, but to date not one thing has happened as he said it would, so who knows....

Diamond Lake

This week's hike was around Diamond Lake (11.5 miles). We were asked to bid a roof on one of the West Side summer homes, so this worked out perfectly. After measuring the roof, we drove back to the resort, sprayed on the bug spray and headed out on the paved bicycle path.

If the first photo appears a bit foggy, that would be the fog of midges which hovered over the lake and shoreline. It does make one appreaciate a handkerchief (to breath through).

Half way around the lake we had an excellent view of Mt. Thielsen, and 3/4 of the way around allowed great views of Mt. Bailey. However, my feet began to hurt and the most welcome site was the lodge!

We topped the day off with a swim and a nap and it feels good to continue on our fitness journey.

Union Creek Falls

Training for the Portland Marathon is in full swing - including the increasingly longer walks on Saturday. Sometimes we walk around the neighborhood and sometimes we hike.

Last week we did an 8.2 mile round trip hike to Union Creek Falls. It was beautiful. The water was swift and cold, the misquitoes were out (have to remember the bug spray earlier), and we found out what an advantage the Garmin Colorado 400T can be when the trail peters out (mark a way point so that you can get back to a point when you knew where the trail was located).

Additionally, after hiking for several miles, there is a greatly dimished sense of guilt when enjoying a cheeseburger, fries and soda at Phil's Frosty!

Early morning opportunities

With summer here, Gene needs to be at work earlier, and yet we enjoy walking together in the mornings, so we are now getting up at 3 am, so we can be walking by 3:30. This seems to be working okay. In fact it is enjoyable to see early morning stars and to appreciate the coolness of the morning, before the heat of the day.

One day last week, as we walked in the early morning darkness, I saw a light streaking down the sky. Initially, I thought it was an airplane and became concerned about it steep rate of decent. It was in the sky long enough for me to actually point it out to Gene and we both watched it disappear.

This morning, Gene pointed to an owl resting on a power line, with his head turned, watching the crazy man, woman and two dogs walking so early morning, before flying away. I have only witnessed owls in the wild on a couple of occasions in my lifetime, and they leave me with a sense of awe each time.

So while I may miss a few early morning z-z-z-s. I am getting to see things that I would miss if I were laying in bed.