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