Had a week off and did a lot of maffetone but since back to work can't run as much and really slowing down at my maffetone HR. So decided to get back to the really long runs. At least two hours twice a week plus the elliptical for two hours once a week. Then a short fast day.....

That was last week. So I did a 140 minute run but just did it at 2% incline the whole way instead of half/half 0%/4%. My weekly fast run wasn't good. 2 miles in 14:26. Previously did 2 in 14:35 but kept going for another half mile.

It could have been that I wasn't used to such a long run and it just took it out of me a bit... but no. I had my PR after a 3 hour and 40 minute run which was more than an hour longer than I'd ever done. No, what it was, was that I ran slower. With the 2% incline I started at 12 min/miles where previously I had been doing some 10min/mile running at the beginning.

So... I decided to do all my running at 0% incline (with a bit of elliptical thrown in). Was curious to see if my hard run would even be faster if I spent so much time running relatively faster (while still at maffetone). So instead of 30 to 40 minutes at 0% and then 30 to 40 minutes more at 4%. I started just going 60 to 100 minutes at 0%.

...and within a few runs I'm only going 10.5 minute miles and slower to beging with instead of 10min/miles for 3.5 or 4 miles.

Why?

Probably because I've suddenly doubled the amount of running I'm doing at 0% incline. NOT because I'm neglecting "hills".

Soooo.... Going to reduce the 0% incline running a bit and patiently increase it. But instead of incline running was thinking of spending the rest of the time on the elliptical. Although the elliptical may be breaking, resistance suddenly changed to very hard on me. Actually though that more simulates waking up stairs, which is more useful.

So whatever really. Being slower at 0% incline at maffetone is most likely just a short term effect because I'm suddenly doing twice as much of it. Surely? But getting rid of 0% incline running earlier, which caused my hard run to be much slower, was not a short term effect. I suspect that would have been a long term trend.

So it's complicated. And I could be quite wrong. Making sure to do a lot of time on the elliptical to simulate incline running just in case taking that away was actually the problem. It could be something entirely different I'm not thinking of though.

In other news I got a tennis ball machine which is kind of wonderful. I would have been a contender if I had one as a kid. (Or someone willing to do drills with me. Or if I had been smart enough to get someone else to do drills with me.) So I don't know. The negative is it takes a while to pick the balls back up and start over again. Getting a metal tennis basket, hopefully that will help.

Used it twice and already finally hitting a one hand topspin backhand decently well. Actually less unforced errors than my forehand. Also changed my backhand slice grip. Hitting it really well now.

Just about finished my second pond. Going to add hooks, etc and put a net entirely over the first. (Something seems to have killed three koi, would be nice to not worry about such things.)

Haven't played cello at all for a long time. Any day now going to get back to it...

Reading The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman. Book three of Magicians trilogy. He's underrated. Really not much I can criticize, like his stuff a lot. Underrated because it's too intelligent. It's not that intelligent, but fantasy fiction has got the bar very low these days.

My hip was hurting me just a little so I put the treadmill on a 6% incline. Did an interval workout 74 minutes and hip was fine. Today easy run also at 6% incline. Feel good. Feel better after running. Getting addicted to running everyday. Thinking to run on the treadmill for all but one weekly run and just do all those runs at a 6% incline, too avoid injury. Supposedly load matters more than range of motion for fast running.... Run slower with incline but getting a good load. Seemed to work before when I did intervals all week on treadmill with 6% incline and then a weekly hard tempo outside.

Otherwise a bit of hitting a heavy bag with 3 or 5 pounds weights in each hand. Strangely really enjoying that. Which in turn has me interested in watching boxing, which unfortunately is a little stupid to spend much time on. Is neat to go back and watch the old fights on youtube. But current boxing seems to be in a sadder state than usual I think.

Pond I guess has a leak. Puts me in a bad mood. Think my one frog is stuck down in the pond. Possibly not smart enough to jump on a pot and then jump out. The one sits on the ledge in the pond, the other sits right above him on the pond wall and they're both just staring at me accusingly. I guess my fish can manage as I purposely let the water leak out, trying to find the hole. It's still 3 feet deep and ten feet by 3 feet. But it's getting close to time to have to consider taking all the fish out instead of just patching the liner.

Bought the Lewis Chessmen and a chessboard that will fit them (150 dollars). Unfortunately the only person I play with is my nephew. Who not only always loses but is really kind of annoying. I guess he gets angry that he always loses. I don't know what to make of him exactly. I wonder how I really compared at that age (11).

I'd really like to just have a relaxing game of chess. Possible with a glass of wine (but migraines...) With someone who can multitask. Who doesn't lose everytime. Who doesn't start drama. Who doesn't take three years to make a move (my father). And who possibly might even manage an interesting conversation unrelated to chess. That would be nice.

I bought the Lewis Chessmen though because I was thinking they'd help my writing. They have faces that makes one wonder what they're thinking. Somewhat. I used to give my matchbox cars personalities. I once played with a bunch of nails, giving each a personality. Making up a little story. Sadly that's where I'm at, in my slightly desperate, yet mostly uncaring, aspirations to write.

On May 20th I wrote: "Did a run 2 min and walk 1 minute 5k today in 27:37. Which is very good. Previously had done a 3/1 in 26:59..."

Last night I did 3 mile 2/1 in 26:00 But this is 3 mile versus I think a 5k, because they got the 1.5 mile marker clearly quite a bit off. Not really sure exactly how much off though. Also this was more downhill. So as opposed to an improvement of 1:37 minutes it might not be any improvement at all. Even the opposite. Don't really know. Know that I was working on a really long stride, which is what I want to run with now, so at first I was expecting to be slightly slower with it anyway. And this was actually 6 miles of intervals, although I mostly ran out of steam at 3 miles. Trying to push myself further. Not sure if I should be.

In other uninteresting news I found baby fish in this water container inside the enclosed raised bed garden. I had put some water lettuce in it as opposed to just throwing it away. Apparently some baby fish or fertilized eggs were stuck in the roots. I've thrown away a ton of water lettuce so I guess I've killed tons of baby fish. (I dislike the term "fry".) Based on the coloring coming in on the larger ones looks like they may just be goldfish.

Childhood, in the last instant.

Love that frog. But also yesterday saw three baby fish. Which is nice. Although before after a few years it started getting crowded...

Got an adjustable cello chair. Finally my 6'5" frame fits comfortably. Thanks to this chair and removing the pegs on the left. Which, BTW, today I measured myself and I seem to have grown another half inch in the last couple years. Two years ago I went to my cousin's wedding. He's a few years younger than me and I hadn't seen him in maybe 5 years. Previously he had been taller. But at the wedding he was now shorter than me. I then went home and measured myself and found that I was still growing in my mid 30's. At 36 I was up to 6' 4" and 5/8th inches.

Now at 38 I'm 6'5" and 1/4th inches.

Perhaps that's not normal. Certainly would not seem to be normal. And certainly seems in general that I'm really not normal in so many ways. By some miracle I haven't been burned at the stake. I've even been allowed to have a job and so on, with money left over for things beyond mere survival. But what I've been through, who I've been, what I think = not normal. How it relates to still growing in my late 30's I couldn't say. Perhaps that is normal for a vegan? Perhaps the acidity of meat causes continous leaching of calcium from bones and otherwise growing a bit in to one's late 30's would be normal.

But I can think of another possibility that there's no point really in writing down.

Bought a silky shirt for running and this morning's six mile 2/1 interval run didn't hurt my nipples at all. Did run it 40 seconds slower (57:25). But that was expected. Body will have to adjust to increased mileage.

love this frog

Frog.















(Bad lighting)

Last night in a thunderstorm Loki came in like a wet rat to go hide under the bed.
















This is a water plant that was actually utilized, papyrus. I bought it in such a small container that upon replanting I thought it might just float away through lack of adequate roots. So I kept it out of the pond. The roots have grown profusely, more than halfway to each end of this planter in about two weeks. Maybe three? Not sure.

There must be something beyond mere survival. But not just art in the form of movies, books, music, etc. Something that is a part of one's personal living space.
















I love pond plants. Love that they grow so fast. It's the miracle of life on fast forward. These started five weeks ago as three hyacinths and two water lettuces. You can almost see them grow. And although it's been very hot, we've had a lot of rain as opposed to sun. If only some use could be found for these plants. I wonder if they're edible. They grow like crazy. It's pratically like food growing on trees. Imagine what a heaven such a world would be as that.

Done but for the dying. There's nothing to say as there's no one to say it to.

Really there isn't. I had already searched for so many years. Last night myopia departed for a short awful time. Did the necessary thinking to get it back.

...in other news I got a papyrus plant. Curious to see how fast it grows. If it grows fast I may eventually try to make some paper or something with it. Just curious to experience how life was once lived.

Really love my pond. Only negative is the bit of liner which is visibile along the edges. That stops me from bothering much with pictures. It's water, fish, all kinds of pretty plants and just a little bit of something that looks like a plastic garbage bag. Would have been so much more work to avoid that and maybe eventually will try to find the perfect stones to overlap the edges and hide it. Not really a big deal.

Planning on just running 1/1 intervals for a while. (Run fast or walk!) Probably just twice a week and until I hopefully manage 3 miles in 24 minutes, although not sure if I ever will. Currently manage around 27 minutes. Another way to think of it is managing an entire lap at the track every two minutes. The negative is it makes me want to lay around more. Not such a good thing for work. So, I might change my mind.

Now off for cello lesson. Then a dinner with parents of spinach, lentils and lemon missippi(sp) mud pie.