Sunday Funny

River remembers reading to the last batch of chicks we had three years ago (or maybe he remembers seeing the picture, I'm not sure), so one of the first things he did after I got them all situated was to sit down in a chair and read them a book.

Weekly Mileage #165 and the Unintentional Half Marathon

Monday afternoon I went for my weekly long trail run. It was supposed to rain all week, but it wasn't supposed to rain Monday. It was sprinkling as I left, but I put too much faith in the no rain forecast. It ended up raining the entire four hours I was running. I've decided to add an hour to my long run each week to increase my time on my feet- that's the larger concern, rather than increasing my mileage, I think.

wild cherry blossoms, I think?

Despite the rain (and the wet shoes and socks I had for most of the run), it was a good run. I maintained my pace pretty well the entire time, despite spending a lot of time on the back half of the park's trails, which are the hilliest. Speaking of which, I'm thinking of just doing the back loop once on race day. It'll mean doing the less hilly (though there's definitely still hills) front loop 8 times instead of 5, but the steep hills of the back loop take a lot more energy. My energy levels are a concern, and fewer steep hills will also be easier on my leg muscles. I'm not looking forward to the repetition, but I think that's a minor concern in the grand scheme of things.

cool fungi

I do need to start taping to avoid chafing- those wet socks left me with a huge blister on the underside of one of my toes.

The first long run I did a couple weeks ago, I just ran the downhills and walked the uphills. This week and last I've kept fairly closely to a run half a mile, walk a tenth of a mile routine. Even on the uphills it's working pretty well, and I think it's why I've been able to keep my pace pretty consistent.

I ended up running 13.4 miles in my allotted 4 hours. An unintentional half marathon! Which I am totally counting as a half marathon, BTW.

The bling from the virtual 5k River and I ran also arrived that day. I've always felt kind of silly getting a large medal for a 5k (River doesn't mind though, and it's added incentive for him, so it's fine), so now it's my half marathon medal. I tried to go back in and change my time from a 5k to a half marathon (they're using the same tracker for all distances), but once you enter it, that's it.

Interestingly enough, I have done a trail half before, back in Nov 2015. I remember it being a difficult, slightly traumatic event. But when I looked up my finish time, it was about 25 minutes faster than Monday's half marathon. Now, I wasn't going for speed on Monday, but I don't know that the hills are any worse than that first trail half. Maybe I've just slowed down that much in the last 4.5 years (age, narcolepsy, etc). I don't know. I'm not really concerned about it, it's just something that's got me thinking.

Tuesday I was dragging a bit. I'm not sure if it was from all the energy I used on Monday, or the side effects of the Tylenol PM I took Monday night. I slept through the night all right, but I did not wake up feeling rested, which is probably due to how sleep aids like Tylenol PM work. It's actually the first time I tried it, and I wasn't sure how I would react. The tired was probably a combo of the TPM and the long run.

I finally put a cover on the chick's bin- do you see that chick up on the feeder?

they were starting to hop up to roost, which is just a step away from hopping out entirely

Tuesday and Wednesday it only sprinkled for a few minutes. It didn't rain in earnest till Thursday night. So much for the rainy forecast. It was cooler than normal all week till Saturday, then it went from 50s/60s up to the mid 80s. blech. Running in cooler temps is so much easier. I'm starting to worry about doing the 50k at the end of June in hot and humid temps. This coming week will be a good test to see how I handle it.

Friday I made gluten free sourdough bread for the first time. I really wasn't sure it would work out, but it did! It was pale on top (gluten free flours just don't brown up that well), but it tasted like sourdough bread. In fact, it reminded me of the sourdough loaves my mom used to buy, especially when toasted and dripping in butter- yum!

This week I worked on batching posts for my travel site so I can focus on my leatherwork for awhile. It took longer than I'd hoped, of course, but I just have to finish a couple things on the last couple posts and I'll be good through the end of July. That gives me two months to focus on making stuff for my Etsy shop. I've bought a variety of leathers and have been watching tutorials and I'm ready to try some different items. Think tote bags and notebook covers (for refillable notebooks) to start, and then I'll branch out from there.

the boys were helping daddy wash the cars, which meant they got to use the power washer, which they loved

~~~~

I've been thinking about energy levels and narcolepsy. The last year and a half my energy levels have been lower than they were before my narcolepsy got worse. Yet I'm actually doing pretty well with these weekly long runs. I think part of that is my "keep moving" coping mechanism/mentality that I developed years ago. Years ago I realized that if I kept moving, I could usually get what I needed done. But if I sat down, it was all over and I wasn't moving again. So I keep moving.

These days I can sit at the computer, but I have to be active- typing, etc. I can't sit and watch something without my hands staying busy. If I try to just watch something, I'll fall asleep. I do ok in theaters, but we don't go very often, and when we do I eat and drink while we're there (busy hands), and we watch action movies that require a lot of attention so details aren't missed.

Driving is ok if done for less than 2-3 hours, if I'm listening to something that keeps my brain engaged (podcasts or audiobooks) and I've got water, sugar free energy drinks, and low carb snacks to keep my hands busy. Standing around talking to people can actually be difficult- there have been many times when I've had a hard time staying focused and awake while talking to others. Church is difficult as well- it's hard to keep my hands and brain busy while listening (note taking doesn't do it for me), though trying to keeping Ocean quiet and reverent helps. Hmm, maybe that's why he's such an energetic child: to help me be more alert during sacrament meeting! 😂

That said, after I do the 50k, I think I'll keep my long runs to 5-6 miles unless I'm in a training cycle, though I don't really have time to do a full blown training cycle right now.

Weekly Mileage
Tuesday- 13.4 miles run and hiked
Saturday- 10.0 miles biked
total- 23.4 miles

2020 totals

19 hikes towards #52hikechallenge
0 kayak miles towards #365milechallenge

112.61 outdoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
11.00 indoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
140.0 bike miles towards #365milechallenge
263.61 miles total

Sunday Funny

I may have done a double take when I walked into the bathroom and saw, out of the corner of my eye, Scabbers sitting on the bathroom sink. Why was he there? Who knows. Maybe he needed a drink?

The other day Jeremy was going around the house making sure all the doors were locked before going to bed. "Gotta make sure we don't get murdered in our sleep."

I laughed and said, "Well, the kids are all convinced we're going to get burglarized, and they're ready for it."

"Yeah, they're actually looking forward to beating up some bad guys."

"That's what happens from watching Home Alone too many times at an impressionable age."

Seriously, they all (ok, maybe not Ocean yet) have plans of what they would do if someone tried to break into the house while they were home alone. We're talking weapons they'd use, vulnerable body parts they'd aim for, the works. Too bad most criminals aren't quite as dumb as the robbers in Home Alone. And good thing we live in a quiet, unpretentious neighborhood.

Weekly Mileage #164 and New Chicks

6 cute little fluff balls

Last Saturday evening I'd pulled out my sewing machine to work on a pattern mockup for a tote bag I want to add to my shop. But the machine was missing a piece (a storage box in the front), and I couldn't find it anywhere. I spent the weekend praying about where to find it and looking some more, but I still couldn't find it.

I sat down at my work table on Monday, determined to sew anyway. That's when I realized I'd gotten out my embroidery machine, not my sewing machine. They are the same brand and do look a bit similar, so the confusion isn't completely out of left field.

While I'm grateful I figured it out, I felt a bit silly, but also really frustrated. Sometimes my brain just doesn't work the way it should or the way it used to. If this was all I'd ever known, it wouldn't be such a big deal. But I remember (vaguely) when I could actually remember things. Now there's just so many blanks. Stuff I just can't remember, no matter how hard I try. There's no rhyme or reason to what I do and do't remember, which makes it worse.

Monday Sunshine made a cheesy bacon potato dutch oven thing for Scouts and our dinner. Her patrol won the cooking for mothers competition.

Tuesday after music lessons I headed to the park for my long run of the week. I'd planned on doing it Wednesday or Thursday, but I realized I was due to start my period in the next day or two, so I needed to get my run in before then. I did a loop and a half-ish for just over 9 miles. I don't have enough time to train properly, but as I've said before, under-training is usually how I work, and with the added issue of the state of my narcolepsy, sticking to a shorter training plan is probably better

Wednesday I was dragging. Between the long run on Tuesday + time of the month (which always causes worse insomnia and lower energy), my energy levels were dramatically lower than last week. Strikingly different, and I realized in the future I need to make sure I don't make big decisions in the days leading up to my period. Low energy levels also means lower ability to take things on and feel confident about getting them done. If the opportunity to sign up for the 50k first came up this week, I would not have signed up for it because I would not have felt that I was physically up to it.

Wednesday morning Jeremy picked up 6 chicks from Tractor Supply. He'd tried last week, but they sold out too quickly. I'd looked online, but the hatchery I've used in the past had a 15 chick minimum, which would result in $65 total. The hatchery my mom ordered from has a 6 chick minimum, but the ones I wanted won't be available till September. I was wanting Easter eggers (they lay green to blue eggs), but the ones we got will just lay brown eggs. But we've got them now, so they'll start laying a lot sooner than if we waited till Sept. Since the current layers are not enamored with the new nesting box (only a couple eggs have been laid in it) and eggs continue to get eaten, we may have to cull one or both of the white hens soon (we know one of them is the culprit).

Since Jeremy was successful in bringing home chicks, I dug out all the chick supplies, startling myself and the large rat I discovered in one of the bins in the coop rafters. Ick! Nasty, smelly rat poop and pee all over the bin. I may need to throw it away now. So gross.

In addition to the tote bag pattern I'm working on, I'm also working on a notebook cover design for filler notebooks (Field Notes and the like). I've basically combined elements of 3 different covers to get the look I want.

I took advantage of the blahs to watch some leather technique videos. Hopefully they'll help me improve the quality of my products.

Thursday we lost one chick overnight, hopefully we won't lose any more. But we got six because you always lose at least one or two chicks.

I was still tired and dragging, but I managed to get outside in the afternoon. I worked on the chicken coop: I built a straw bale storage area and a shelf over the chicken plucker. Then I finished the brooder, but had to add some netting around the top- even with the steep angle, the girls were climbing up to roost on it. It was getting dark as I was finishing up, so I got to watch them jostle for position on the roost I'd built. They weren't happy about it and it's not spaced as well as I thought it was when I built it. So I'll have to re-do that real soon.

I worked for about 6 hours and walked 2 miles in that time. I was pretty stiff and sore by the time I was done. It's the bending and twisting that hurts the worst.

much better organization

Friday I was tired and dragging all day. Despite being tired from working hard, I maybe got 2 hours of sleep. Definitely not a productive day.

I've been keeping an eye on my cycle the last couple months and how it affects my symptoms, but at the beginning of the month I actually started writing it all down in a notebook. This should make it easier to remember the little details and see the correlations better. I can already see them, I'd just like to drill down on them a bit more.

And of course, it would be nice if there was something I could actually do about the insomnia. I'm currently debating whether to just change my schedule on the days leading up to my period and just plan on staying up late instead of getting frustrated that I'm laying in bed, unable to sleep. Despite all the physical effort this week, both Tuesday and Thursday I had insomnia, so being physically tired doesn't knock out the insomnia. In the past, melatonin has helped me fall asleep a little faster, but it makes my sleep much more fragmented- I wake up multiple times. Plus it's a hormone or affects hormones, so I don't want to take it on a regular basis. I'm trying magnesium and valerian, but I'm not sure if they help yet.

Saturday I was feeling a lot better- not dragging anymore. I worked on posts for my travel site, and with a little more work I'll have posts done for the next two and a half months. That will allow me a lot more time for sewing leather projects and stocking up my Etsy shop.

~~~~~

I read and interesting article celiac disease:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/history-of-celiac-disease. Apparently the doctor was up for consideration for the Nobel Peace Prize, but died before the decision was made, and it's not awarded posthumously. Unfortunate, since I kinda feel like maybe if he had received it, it wouldn't be so difficult to get diagnosed with and treated for celiac. The US has always lagged behind Europe, Great Britain, and Australia in diagnosing and treating celiac disease because the doctor who came up with the banana diet was American and poo-pooed the idea of wheat being the culprit and a gluten free diet the solution, and too many American doctors followed his lead.

Weekly Mileage
Tuesday- 9.15 miles run and hiked
Thursday- 2.00 miles walked
total- 11.15 miles

2020 totals

18 hikes towards #52hikechallenge
0 kayak miles towards #365milechallenge

99.21 outdoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
11.00 indoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
130.0 bike miles towards #365milechallenge
240.21 miles total

Sunday Funny

Ocean: Look mom! The controller has slippers!

Weekly Mileage #163 and the Rollaway Nesting Box

it was a beautiful day on Sunday

Monday I finally got caught up on a month and a half worth of posts. I write down bits and pieces throughout each week, but fleshing that out to full sentences and uploading the pictures sometimes takes more time (and/or energy) than I have.

Tuesday was rainy, so I ran on the treadmill instead of the trails after music lessons. First time in awhile that I've been on the treadmill. I had a YW presidency meeting in the evening. I just got new counselors, so we're trying to get settled and see what works while social distancing.

Wednesday I rode my bike, then headed outside. I finished the coop floor, which first meant I had to remove a bit more damaged wood. Other than that hole, the rest of the last section of floor boards was just laid on top of the existing plywood. Less work, less time, good enough for me.

Once the floor was done, I put together a base for the nesting box Sunshine and I are working on. Then I started the frame for a new brooder and built a new roost between the brooder and nesting box base.

Thursday I went for a long trail run/hike. Then Sunshine and I finished the nesting box. That evening we had an online YM/YW activity (pictionary). By the end of the day I was tired, but not as sore and exhausted as I was afraid I'd be.

The new piece of fake grass mat arrived and we stapled it into the nesting box.

Ramps in place, egg collection door open.

Collection door shut.

How the ramps work.

Friday was a rest day, but I wasn't as sore and exhausted as I thought I'd be. I finished some notebooks and mailed them. Then I worked on clearing out my email boxes- they've gotten out of control over the last month or so.

Upper storage area above the nesting area.

The only thing we purchased for the nesting box was two fake grass mats, about $10 total. The wood, hinges, and even the screws were recycled from the original brooder I built for the chicken coop (that was way too big for a few laying hens).

Saturday I started making patterns for tote bags I'm going to offer in my shop. I have a couple patterns I bought that might work, but I'm going to tweak the sizes and the pockets/buckles. They're a bit fussier than I want to be doing right now. I need a simple pattern or two that I can easily produce over and over without it taking a lot of time.

Sunday I delivered prisms to the YW in my class (my counselors are doing the same with their classes). I got the idea from Young House Love, but it took forever for the prisms to arrive after I ordered them in March, so we're just barely getting them handed out.

~~~~~

So. The 50k I signed up for. Initially I did it with the thought that I'd do 3 days of ~10 miles each, or maybe even 2 days with ~15.5 miles each. But I think I can do it in one day. It will be a long, tiring day, but I think I can do it. I'm already planning on not doing anything the day afterward, and possibly the next day as well. I will definitely need some recovery time.

My long trail run/hike on Thursday was around all the perimeter trails of our local trails park, and I determined that one l loop is about 6.88 miles. That means I need 4.5 loops to hit 31 miles. For ease of measuring, that probably means I'll do loops 1 and 3 counter-clockwise, loops 2 and 4 clockwise, and that half loop will be on some of the interior, criss-crossing trails to keep me closer to the start/finish line.

In between each loop, I'll use my car as an aid station, with fluids, food, extra socks, moleskin, etc. I completed one loop in 2 hours, which means I'll need at least 9 hours to complete the race, though realistically, it'll be at least 10 since I don't see my pace staying the same the whole day. I also don't anticipate my speed increasing between now and my birthday (when I'm planning on doing the race, as long as it's not pouring rain).

My main training objective will be to increase my time on my feet, and thus my endurance. Less than two months is not optimal training, but I don't have enough time to train longer, I've historically under-trained for most (maybe all?) of my long races, and it's probably a better use of my limited energy reserves to keep things on the shorter side. We'll see how things play out.

Doing this on my own gives me the flexibility to try things out without being pressured by time cutoffs, early starts, and other restrictions. A 50k was actually on the list originally when I thought of my 40 by 40 goal, but as frequently happens with me, training time was an issue, and it didn't happen.

My lower energy levels over the last almost two years have been discouraging, even demoralizing, and while I'm still tired, being able to knock out nearly 7 miles on the trail on Thursday was encouraging. Especially since I wasn't as wiped out on Friday as I was afraid I'd be.

Weekly Mileage
Tuesday- 3.00 miles run and walked
Wednesday- 10.00 miles biked
Wednesday- 1.00 mile walked
Thursday- 6.88 miles run and hiked
total- 20.88 miles

2020 totals

17 hikes towards #52hikechallenge
0 kayak miles towards #365milechallenge

88.06 outdoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
11.00 indoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
130.0 bike miles towards #365milechallenge
229.06 miles total

Sunday Funny

I told River to jump over the stream so I could try to get a good mid-air action shot. His response? He walked over the stream, smiling while he did it. Stinker!

River: Corona virus is the WORST!

Me: What do you mean?

River: We can't go anywhere!

He may be feeling a little cabin fever...

April Mileage

it only gets this green because of all the rain

April was a rainy month. Between lots of rain and lots of people on the trails (way more than usual since so many people are using the trails park as a way to get out of their house) the trails haven't been in great condition, so I've been trying to only go when it's been a couple days since the last rain.

Which means I'm not going as often and am now behind on my hikes by 2. My bike rides are still on track, but I'm still struggling to get in my foot mileage while getting everything else done that I need to.

My average hike length held steady at 2.32, which is still above my goal of 2.25 miles, so I'm happy.

April mileage:
0 treadmill workout + 3 hikes + 2 races + 2 trail runs + 1 outside walk + 3 bike workouts + 0 kayak outings = 50.10 miles

52 hike challenge: 16 hikes

365 mile challenge:  120.0 bike miles + 78.68 outdoor foot miles + 8.00 indoor foot miles + 0 kayak miles

total miles: 206.68 miles

March mileage:
1 treadmill workout + 4 hikes + 0 races + 4 trail runs + 4 outside walks + 3 bike workouts + 0 kayak outings = 53.38 miles

52 hike challenge: 13 hikes

365 mile challenge:  90.0 bike miles + 58.58 outdoor foot miles + 8.00 indoor foot miles + 0 kayak miles

total miles: 156.58 miles

February mileage:
2 treadmill workouts + 4 hikes + 0 races + 3 trail runs + 0 outside walks + 3 bike workouts + 0 kayak outings = 59.08 miles

52 hike challenge: 9 hikes

365 mile challenge:  60.0 bike miles + 37.20 outdoor foot miles + 6.00 indoor foot miles + 0 kayak miles

total miles: 103.20 miles

January mileage:
1 treadmill workout + 5 hikes + 1 race + 3 trail runs + 2 outside walks + 2 bike workouts + 0 kayak outings = 44.12 miles

52 hike challenge: 5 hikes

365 mile challenge:  20.0 bike miles + 22.62 outdoor foot miles + 1.50 indoor foot miles + 0 kayak miles

total miles: 44.12 miles

Weekly Mileage #162 and the Hot Chocolate Virtual 5k

4 dozen masks for a local hospital

Monday we finally finished the masks. 4 dozen masks + 104 ear savers donated. 24 hours for me, 10.75 hours for Sunshine. She only needed 8 hours for her Citizenship in the Community merit badge, so she's good on that requirement.

you hook elastic loops from a mask around the hooks of the ear saver so the elastic doesn't cut into your ears

Tuesday after music lessons I ran my second virtual 5k and hiked afterward for my cool down. I managed to run 3.0 of the 3.1 mile race- the most I've run since... probably my last half marathon a year and a half ago, right when my narcolepsy started getting a lot worse.

Virtual races aren't my favorite since it's too easy to slack off, but I'm happy with how I did in this race and the last, and there's not really any other options right now. I don't have any races scheduled for May, but I've already signed up for two virtual races in June- a 5k at the beginning of the month, and a 50k (!!) at the end of the month, though I have the option to run it any time before the end of July, I believe. I also have the option to split up the distance, rather than run it at one time, and I've already considered splitting it into a three day or two day event.

However, I'd really like to see if I can stay on my feet for the 10+ hours it will take me to run and hike 31.1 miles. I can loop past my car in the parking lot for my aid stops, though pit stops will be a bit more challenging since the bathrooms are closed (maybe they'll be open by then?). If I can do this, I don't plan on being functional the next day, and maybe not the day after that also. I do feel that it's doable, as long as my toe finishes healing- the one I injured back in January jumping into the pool is still giving me problems. The virtual nature of the race gives me the flexibility I need right now, so I think it will be a good way to test my limits and see if ultra running is something I can do, or if it's best left to people without narcolepsy.

Wednesday Sunshine and I worked on the nesting box. We'd cut out most of the parts earlier, so we finished cutting out the last couple pieces and started putting it all together. We did have to grab a few pieces of wood from the scrap pile, but most of the wood is from the old brooder. The hinges and most of the screws were also recycled from the brooder.

Thursday I went to the chiropractor. I'd planned on going for a hike afterward since I'm falling behind on my hikes, but it was raining, again. I did ride my bike inside though.

Friday Sunshine had phone calls and Zoom calls to knock out some of her first class advancement stuff- the US citizenship section and the cooking requirements.

After those, we worked on the nesting box some more. It's mostly finished, but I had to order another fake grass mat to line the ramps- the one I previously bought wasn't quite big enough.

Saturday I tore up another section of the coop floor, reinforced the floor beams, and laid down planking for the new floor. Now 2/3 of the coop floor is done, and 1/3 is left. I shouldn't have to tear out the last 1/3 of the floor (it doesn't have the same damage the rest of the floor did as it's on the opposite end of the coop), so I'll just lay planks on top of the sub flooring so it's all level and matching.

Then I'll build a new brooder for the replacement laying hens we're getting. I've hesitated to get chicks for awhile since I knew it would be months before they'd start laying. Since we already have layers, it's a lot easier to get some chicks and start raising them so they're ready to start laying before our current hens age out. Since we're only getting 4-6 chicks, we don't need the huge brooder that we had for 30 meat chicks that took up almost half the coop.

Once that's done and I bring in the nesting box and re-do the roosting bar setup, the coop will be done.

Sunshine's birthday was this past weekend. Usually she hangs out with her long distance BFF for a day or two, but that wasn't possible with social distancing, so they hung out online and played minecraft for a good chunk of the day. She decided she wanted to do her own cake and decorate it herself. It didn't turn out quite as well as she'd hoped, but it tasted good.

birthday fail (quarantine fail?) we totally didn't have the right number of candles. oops!

GF chocolate cake with raspberry cream cheese filling and cream cheese icing on the outside

-----

It's still a bit early, but I've been laying on our Bio-mat for 30-45 min before bed, and it seems to be helping me sleep a little better. I actually need to get in the habit of tracking this as well as my headaches and other symptoms. I know some is related to my menstrual cycle, but I'm curious to see if there's any other connections I can make.

I bought some tin whistle music books this week. I've been wanting to get in the habit of playing one of my instruments so the kids see me playing and want to do their own practicing, but every time I think of it, I already have a headache. Trying to play the flute or oboe (especially the oboe) when I already have a headache is not at all something I want to do. With how many headaches I get, it's no wonder that it's been years since I practiced regularly. The tin whistle on the other hand, doesn't give me a headache, so it's doable. Interesting...

Weekly Mileage
Tuesday- 3.10 miles run
Tuesday- 2.56 miles hiked
Thursday- 10.00 miles biked
Saturday- 1.50 miles walked
total- 17.16 miles

2020 totals

16 hikes towards #52hikechallenge
0 kayak miles towards #365milechallenge

80.18 outdoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
8.00 indoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
120.0 bike miles towards #365milechallenge
208.18 miles total

Sunday Funny

We watched Jumanji recently. I thought the boys would be freaked out by the animated monkeys, but apparently they just thought they were funny. I guess the advances in technology make them less creepy than they were 20 years ago.

The boys have been asking to play the Jumanji game, and while we tried to figure out why they wanted to play it, it came out that River at least was hoping to get sucked into the game. Ocean thought that was a great idea as well.

Jeremy randomly found the game at the grocery store and brought it home, and the boys were super excited to play it.

The boys were slightly disappointed they didn't get sucked in, but they still had fun playing the game.

Adding to the fun is that Ocean says "the game called Jumanji" and "the movie called Jumanji". I guess that's one way to differentiate between the two...