Little memories

Take a stroll, if you will,
along the placid shore of Lake Monroe;
Watch the stillness of the water broken by tiny ripples,
and smell the gentle breeze carrying the scent of wild flowers -

Or you may be persuaded to thread a tackle,
sit in the cool shade of an overhanging branch;
Gaze expectantly at the bright orange float,
and quietly contemplate the vigor of the spring morning.

 There, for a moment,
you hear the soft chirping of the chickadees;
where you spot one, the other is often close by -
Jostling in jest and admonishing the industrious chipmunks.

 The little friends of the wind are never far off,
whenever you care to listen;
Titmouses, finches, cardinals and nuthatches
are frequent visitors at our humble feeders.

 The restless-at-heart may hike through the State parks,
of which Brown county is most spemdid in the fall;
Or spend an evening at the tranquil McCormack Creek, to explore
the well travelled trails and relax at the weekend concerts.

Summer hours, long though they seem -
are best enjoyed by driving about.
Take the road off the beaten track - the old 37 highway,
Quaint farm roads around Bedford, and so many more ...

If you must, drive to Tuscola, Il.
not for just another factory outlet mall -
But visit Bowling Green, Rocksville and Otter Creek,
and discover the famous covered bridges.

Fall is without doubt our favorite time of the year -
the brilliance of the oranges and yellows,
a dazzling and stunning harbinger
of what paradise must be.

Take a moment to sit under a maple tree
and behold nature's golden canopy overhead.
Walk among the stately trees near Woodburn and Wylie
to invigorate the mind and cheer the soul.

The cheers echo still in our ears,
from a sea of red in hallowed Assembly Hall -
But perhaps what lingers more in our minds,
is the frigid walk along 17th.

 The cold winter air invokes images of snow covered walkways,
leading to the white slopes of Ski World and Paoli.
And images of a cozy evening,
cuddled up in a comfortable sofa watching the snow falls.

All too soon, the snow turns to slush --
But when the barren trees began to sprout,
the splendor and anticipation of spring returns,
drawing us out from our little hideaway.

A hideaway we have no more,
but in its stead, we find the hustle and bustle
of an efficient society
with no time for the little memories of yesteryears.

Ruf and SE July 20, 1997

Run-focused week

Total of 96 km for the week, with two 30 and 32 km runs at the end. Ave pace: 7:01 (with fast finish) and 6:50 (also with fast finish but on treadmill). Not the highest weekly mileage (record was 108 km while training for SD ultra last year), but took a fair bit out of me.

Of note is that coach kept telling me NOT to do more than what is prescribed. The dangers of overtraining. One long ride won't make a difference, but overtraining will. :(

Trivials

It is during the LSD runs that I have uninterrupted solitude. Time to reflect, contemplate and at times, find quiet amusement. Of the last category, I had a bit of self indulgence deliberating whom to vote for in the 2011 FOTR True Grit award.

Truth be told, there were so many nominations worthy of mention: DC who ran 27km in spite of a bad knee. AC completed BnB with a swollen bee-stung ear. And who could forget EL, who enacted her crash along Jln Buroh for us. Gutsy of her to turn up for BnB. So many heroes. Then there was GL - the only victim I know of a wild boar hit-and-run, who suffered broken ribs and recovered in record breaking time to clock up another BnB.

On the subject of broken bones, JN had a missile ejected at him during a training ride along Neo Tew, fell, fractured his arm and spent 6 weeks out of action. That did not stop him from completing BnB. And yes, that did not stop him from dropping me along the slopes of Desaru. Hence I couldn't bring myself to vote for him.

Then there was the dramatic crash that IN took during Aviva 70.3. According to him, he was speeding along at 35 - 38 kph, and well in the groove when his wheel got caught in a linear crack that brought him crashing down. He was too stunned to move for several minutes, and waited some 15 to 20 minutes for an ambulance that never came. Fed up, he mounted up and completed the bike leg with a wobbly front wheels and a bloodied shoulder. I couldn't verify his account, but I could verify that his shoulder was really a mess. But that would have gotten my vote except for one important fact. He overtook me (again!) on the run to achieve a PB!

Last but not least, there was GH, who was dazzled us with his speed and power on the last Desaru ride. Unfortunately he fell, flipped and landed hard on his shoulders. That would have taken any ordinary person out of a IM or 226. But not so, GH. Remarkably he completed Taiwan 226 a few weeks later, injured shoulder and all.

Yes, GH got my vote because he didn't overtake me.

PS: Well, he couldn't because I did not do that race ;)

BFG rave runs: Mannheim 2011

There's no better therapy than a good long run. This being a run-focussed week, I had long runs in Mannheim and two more back home.

Starting with the Mannheim runs first. Being on the north side of the railway station (hauptbahnhof), I decided to head north towards the Neckar river instead of the Rhein, which I covered last year. Found the Luisenpark easily enough, but it was closed. But I noticed a running track right by the river bank, and headed over. Beautiful quiet path with only runners, cyclists and the occasional dog (with owner in tow). Headed east and turned back to complete a 10km. Temp a cool 12 to 15 deg C (I was underdressed with only a tanktop, so had to run fast to keep warm). ave 6:05 pace

The next day, I headed off earlier, and negotiated the same route. It would have led to Heideburg, 20km away. Generally flat all the way. Passed a small village (Ilvesheim) and u-turned at Neckarsheim for a 20km run. Fast finish. Ave: 6:11 pace

Then a short recovery 5km run on the southside along Rhein river the next morning. Too cold for my liking, 2 deg when I left the hotel and 5 deg when I came back. Said hi to lady Stephanie and the trails that I so enjoyed last year.

Oh yes. An afternoon of sightseeing -- Heideburg castle (schloss). Plenty of tourists, unlike Mannheim.

Wet suit

My DeSoto Smart 1 wetsuit had been lying in the cupboard for more than two years, and finally it saw the light of day this morning. I bought it on CS's advice back then in anticipation of a triathlon in Adelaide that did not take place, and promptly forgot about it all this while.

First off, it was a bit of effort to put the wetsuit on. But the fact that Smart 1 is a two-piece wetsuit helps. Immediately I noticed how tight fitting it was, especially across the chest and neck. Did I put on so much weight since then? Hhmmm...

Anyways, it was early in the morning and having rained the night previously, the weather was cool. The most noticeable impression within the first few strokes was the buoyancy. The hips and legs came up with less effort. Next, the constriction around the arms and shoulders was evident. It took a few laps to get used to.

Then there was the heat build up. I was glad for the two piece design for I could pull down the neckline or flip the bottom of the top piece for some cool water to get into the suit. At rest points, I did rapid funneling of water through the front and back to cool down.

I meant to pull off the suit when it got too hot, perhaps after 45 min or so. But surprisingly, the suit was bearable as long as I ventilated.

Now that I reflected further, perhaps the reason I didn't feel as much fatigue after the 6x500m swim was that the wetsuit helped keep me horizontal. Ave 100m lap time: 2:16

Taking off the suit would need more practice, especially yanking the sleeves off the hands. Other than that, it came off pretty easily. Credos for the thoughtful design.

Addendum: Completed another 3.8km continuous swim in the wetsuit 4 days later. U-turned at ends without touching the sides, so that might have added 200m more to the distance. 1:35 for 4.1 km total.