Sunday Run Day

57 Replies

Sunday is the designated long-run day in our household as Saturday we’re usually feeling a bit jaded from the Friday night happy hour we celebrate on a weekly basis.  Okay, just joking about the feeling jaded part.  We have other schtuff to do on Saturday, so it works out best that we run long on Sunday.  And as today was Sunday, yes, it was long-run day!  But I’ll get to that in a bit…

Last Sunday was my first long-ish run since having knee pain during the Lake Sammamish Half Marathon.  I was so happy to finally hit the trail to test the waters.  But then I came upon this:

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This burning pile of trash was about 100 feet from the trail.  Yes, I climbed an embankment and possibly trespassed in order to get this picture, but are you freaking kidding me?!  There was an area so thick with smoke on the trail, I had to breathe through my shirt.  And when you’ve been running, that’s not pleasant!  However, burning trash is apparently legal.  Can’t smoke a cigarette in a public park, but by damn, get that heaping pile of trash burning so all the health nuts on the trail who want a breath of fresh air can’t get any!  I wasn’t impressed.  And the City of Lake Stevens didn’t care.  Whatever.  Okay, rant over.  Sorry.  Just had to.

Anyway, last week’s run was pain-free, so I’m back in the running business.  James and I think we may have figured out what was causing my knee pain… I like to sit with my feet and legs tucked up underneath me.  Sometimes it tweaks the position of the knee, hence, knee pain. I’ve had to force myself to sit properly and it’s not been easy to attempt to break that life-long habit.

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The skunk lilies are starting to bloom on the trail.  Just wait until they get full size… I’ll do a comparison side-by-side.  They’re beautiful, BUT, everything now completely smells like their namesake.  Things that make you go hmmm….

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Probably TMI, but the above was only 5 days’ worth of running gear; I got behind on laundry, sue me.  I’ve explained to James that he no longer is allowed to double up his layers no matter how cold it is, and if he decides to do a bike ride and run all in the same day, he has to wear the same cycling shorts and cycling shirt to run in.  (Haha… you’ll probably only understand how funny that is if you know one or are an avid cyclist.)  😀

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Apparently the Easter Bunny visited our house last night and brought me an Easter basket.  And by me, I really mean AJ.  Mind you, I’ve helped him out quite a bit with those jelly beans and robin’s eggs.  He devoured the Peeps first and foremost… yep, that’s my boy, no mistake about it.  (Yes Peeps are gross!  They’re supposed to be gross!  But they’re a tradition, and you just don’t mess with tradition!)

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This gorgeous guy was seen on my run today at the soccer fields.  Oh Hey!  Why’d the chicken cross the road?  To attack me, of course!  Okay, kidding… first of all, it’s a rooster.  Second of all, it was raining and all the worms were out… so he was just getting his protein for the day.

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Weird weather day today.  I wanted to get up at the crack of dawn and get my run out of the way so I could have my mandatory body shutdown for an hour then get on with it.  But ’twas not to be.  I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for the downpour to stop.  Finally at about noon (3 hours after my originally planned departure time), the heavens took a break and I headed out.  I went to the soccer fields to run laps because a thunderstorm was predicted and I needed to be able to have a quick getaway plan… I don’t do thunder and lightning.

20160327_145021.jpgRound and round I went… through sun, light rain, hard rain, and even hail.  I was super happy to have restroom facilities right there… I made use of them no less than 3 times.  It was also nice having my car right there… it had all my water and towels and GU and what-not stashed away.  Handy dandy.  Jamesy was running his 20 miler today, and he met up with me and ran about 20 laps or so (one loses track when one is running around in circles).  I had all his extra gear in the car as well.  It was a great setup!

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Meep

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Sheba

Tragedy ensued smack dab in the middle of my run.  I got a call from a hysterical AJ… Sheba and Meeps were fighting and killing each other (no worries… I paused my watch). Home I drove… (thank heavens I was at an actual location that I could drive home and wasn’t 10 miles deep into the trail…) and then I separated the two cats.  No harm, no foul, although tonight, Sheba is nowhere to be found.

Back I went to resume my run and my built-in aid station for James and I.  He was still going round and round.  Finally, finally, finally we were nearing the end of our long runs.  He still had 5 miles to go.  I called it a day at some point.

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I felt the bunny ears were appropriate for today.  That’s me above finishing up my last half mile. (Next week’s run will be further… should I do 11, or should I do 12?  Hmmmm…)

Salt Lake City Half-Marathon in 20 days.  Good gawd I’m going to hurt after this next half.  But a song came on during my run today that reminded me what I’m all about…

2 Legit 2 Quit…  which would also be my selection for Jamesy’s Motivational Music Monday this week.  Go check out his pick for the week and even add your own.  We all need to pump up our playlists… 10 to 20 miles is a long way to run without something kicking your ass into gear.

On that note, Happy Easter!  Hope you have a fabulous week!

 

57 thoughts on “Sunday Run Day”

  1. 50in50marathonquest

    Awesome post, love the bunny ears!! I just cant compete with that 🙂 Thanks for the awesome music pick, damn right you are too legit to quit, that’s what gets it done! Nice running a couple laps together today too but I’m going after those candy filled egg things you hid all over the place, hugs!!

    Liked by 1 person

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      1. 50in50marathonquest

        Yes yes, the bunny brought them of course 🙂 and, yes after this weekends workouts it probably is time to go grocery shopping again!

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Worlds Biggest Fridge Magnet

    Loving the ears….!
    Now I know your post was much more than this one little snippet but I cannot thank you enough. I too sit at my desk with my left leg tucked up under the right and I have terrible trouble with pain in the knee so I cannot thank you enough for identifying this issue and I shall now do my best to acknowledge how I sit.
    Oh I hope it is as simple as this!!!

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Thanks Cameron! And I hope it’s as simple as that for you too! Give it a couple of days, but I warn you… it’s so hard to adjust, and I hate sitting properly, hehe! I’ll cross my fingers for you!!

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  4. artisticsharon

    Wow! You are hard core running through heavy rain and hail!! I would’ve given up for sure 😉 And then when you had to go home to separate the kitties (well of course you paused your watch, LOL)…I’m not so sure I would’ve gone back out 🙂 So that song fits you perfectly “2 Legit 2 Quit”!!

    It’s legal to burn here in SC too…and it’s awful when you’re running – I’ve had to breath through my shirt – not fun. Love the bunny ears too and you definitely earned candy from the Easter Bunny 😀

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Awe, thank you so much Sharon! You are so kind!! Truth be told, I sat in the car for about 10 minutes while it hailed, hehe.
      I hate when people burn stuff. Some days it’s just intolerable. And I don’t know how that could possibly be good for the environment!! 😛

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  5. lynne hoareau

    Love your posts. You always put a smile on my face or l have a chuckle. I too can’t sit properly and sit on my one leg tucked under, so I better watch for knee problems… I hope Sheba did not go far – shame, I wonder what their little domestic was all about.

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      I’m so glad you enjoy my little ramblings! Thank you so much!! Yes, watch that knee if you tuck it up! Who would’ve thought it could cause that pain, but it sure does for me! Sheba eventually came back last night… Meeps is just a brat sometimes. I think he’s quite jealous of her. But I don’t understand why he still attacks her so viciously. Naughty kitty!! 😀

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  7. The Happy Healthy Kiwi

    Nothing worse than smoke when you’re trying to work out! I work in an area that’s semi rural so we get a lot of it seeping its way into the office, never fun and can’t be good for the environment! Loved all the pics and your descriptions, always puts a smile on my face 😁

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  8. arunadayamy

    I love that chicken! And the trash would make me furious. We had a leaf burner in Brooklyn and we would call 911 all the time. The fire trucks would show up within half a minute of the call and shut down the street. One summer we were calling twice a week–it was illegal but we could hear the guy telling the FD: “But I do this all the time!” Good excuse, right? Funny, funny post. Have a great week!

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Hehe, thanks Amy!! I kind of liked the chicken too, but boy, I really think he wanted a piece of me, lol!! James actually wrote our representative about the trash burning, and he was told to call 911 too, but it’s amazing they didn’t stop your leaf burner!! Sometimes people simply amaze me at the audacity of their actions, but hey, if the police or FD won’t do anything about it… well, it kind of makes you wonder, doesn’t it! Hope you have a great week too! Shouldn’t you have a race or something coming up soon?? Or are you holding out for the really big one?

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      1. arunadayamy

        We used to call our neighborhood the Wild Wild West because you could get away with anything. It was crazy! The history of the hood was grim; people used to burn down their houses for insurance money and it once resembled a war zone. So maybe the cops and such are just happy that it’s getting better? Yep! I have a half this Saturday, an all ladies run. Can’t wait! I’m hoping to do an update. Cheers!

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  10. Brian Lageose

    Great Post. Two quick things: One, I’m going through the knee mess as well. I never had knee pain until the past year-ish, so when it flared up and things were checked out, the diagnosis was the same as yours: stop siting in your chair like a twit. Straighten those legs out! I’m still trying to get it right. (When I sat down to read this post, my right leg automatically folded up and I tucked the foot under my left thigh, the same way I have been sitting since Jesus was a child. It’s HARD to break that habit, but I’m doing my best, damn it.)

    Two, when we were growing up, we lived way out in the country. It was your standard subdivision, with nice homes and an acre or so per plot. It was just in the middle of nowhere. We were essentially unincorporated, so there was no trash pickup and no municipal dump. (We could drag our crap into town (Broken Arrow), but the fees were outrageous because we were “foreigners”.) So instead, everybody managed to find those 55-gallon oil drums and we would all burn our trash on Saturday mornings so we could look out for each other in case the wind got crazy.

    In my house, I was usually assigned fire watch, because the other kids couldn’t be trusted to get out of the street when a car was coming, so I apparently had the right skill set. And you had to pay attention whilst on duty, because if that angry Oklahoma wind snatched up a burning page from Mom’s worn-out Cosmo magazine and tossed it on the heat-dead white summer grass, the whole neighborhood would need change of address cards. (And, naturally, there was no fire department, either, so if the houses caught on fire you might as well grab you some marshmallows and make the best of it….)

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      It’s so nice to know I’m not the only one with a wonky knee because of how I sit!! Oh but it is hard to change, isn’t it!! 😛
      Funny fire story!! Although that would be scary to do that in OK!! At least it rains here at times to put out the embers! I’ll just assume you never burned the house down?! 😀 I’m very rural so I’m guessing that would be why everyone makes a celebration of burning their trash. It just seems so wrong in this day and age of environmental collapse! (Okay, maybe that was a touch over-dramatic, lol)

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      1. Brian Lageose

        Full confession: There were a couple times when some burning something would leap out of the oil drum during my watch and I didn’t realize this right away (what can you expect of a 10-year-old? I should be watching cartoons, right?), and the parched grass would greedily explode. Luckily, our neighbor to the north didn’t trust ANY children regardless of pedigree, so he was always on point and he would be on the scene within two seconds, lugging an industrial garden hose that would drench everything in sight.

        But yes, you are right. Climate change is real, despite some clueless naysayers, and we shouldn’t be doing anything stupid or harmful these days. (Why isn’t EVERYTHING recyclable, with the modern technology that we have? Why can’t we get there? Oh right, politics.) Still, my little ditty of a story was from 40 years ago, when most of us really didn’t have a clue, especially in rural Oklahoma… 😉

        Liked by 2 people

      2. neveradullbling Post author

        And the truth shall set you free! Haha… thank heavens for untrusting neighbors and garden hoses! Yeah… I know… things were so different back then (sigh)… and really, really different in rural Oklahoma… 😉

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  12. Chocolaterunsjudy

    9 1/2 miles of looping? OMG, I’d shoot myself. Hail is probably the only thing I’ve never run through (yup, done lightning & thunder — more than once, not intentionally — one memorable time was on our anniversary where I literally prayed not to be killed on my anniversary. Apparently God heard me!

    Simba was a TERRIBLE bully to Gizmo — which is why I think the dogs were afraid of him. He never attacked them, though, only Giz. Gizmo loved him anyway, but oddly didn’t miss him at all when he passed (just as Lola doesn’t seem to miss Chester — so odd).

    I’m glad you’re running pain free!

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      I wouldn’t be able to run through thunder at all. I absolutely freeze when that noise starts. You were very brave, but I’m guessing you didn’t have a choice!

      This is the first cat I’ve had whose been an out and out bully. He accepts Nero just fine, but hates Sheba. I don’t understand… unless it’s total possessiveness. I need to bring a baby kitten into the house to mellow him out, lol!!

      I’ll bet Lola misses Chester, or did miss him initially, at least a tiny bit. Surely she had to, but maybe she’s over it by now? You know what I mean, 😀

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      1. Chocolaterunsjudy

        I think Lola misses having another dog around, but I truly didn’t see any mourning for Chester at all. Which is a good thing — a sad dog is a very sad thing indeed.

        Gizmo & Simba were littermates, and they’d cuddle, which was so cute, until Simba decided he’d had enough. And he’d attack Gizmo out of the blue — never actually bite him; the occasional scratch and fur definitely flew.

        So while Gizmo was extremely attached to Simba, he didn’t miss him at all, and in fact is extremely happy being an only cat — otherwise I would’ve adopted a kitten by now!

        I have 0 desire for a puppy tho. My husband keeps bringing it up; he’s teasing, but I wonder if there’s some seriousness there. I keep telling him if he really wants a puppy, now is the time — I am NOT going through a puppy in the winter again (we got Chester around Thanksgiving, and even though TX winters are mostly warm, house training him was NOT fun.

        Oh, one thing I did with the boys was train them to go to a mat. And when they were fighting, I’d do that. It works. It helps to use a clicker (and if they’re food motivated).

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      2. neveradullbling Post author

        Oh goodness, I wouldn’t want to go through a puppy in the winter either!! That’s amazing you were able to train the boys like that!! I have to use a squirt bottle to get Meep to back up. It’s the only thing that works.
        But, ooooo, a new puppy!! That would be too fun! I saw the cutest rat terrier out for a walk yesterday, it’s sweet little legs were going just as fast as they could to keep up with his person, and he was so happy to be out on the trail he was smiling from ear to ear. (I just had to share as it was adorable and I knew you would appreciate it!!) 😀

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Chocolaterunsjudy

        I actually don’t have the desire for a new puppy. Too time consuming, even if cute. Although seriously I’d like to have another dog before Lola gets too old — it was so comforting to still have her.

        OTOH, so much easier just walking one dog!

        Funny, before Mr. Judy fell in love with Chester he considered chis to be “rat dogs”. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  13. kutukamus

    You guys are 40+ and still doing marathon? That’s impressive! I stopped running in my 30’s (about 15 years ago) and just doing some every-now-and-then walking these days. 🙂 Cheers!

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  14. jacquelineobyikocha

    You make a cute bunny 🙂 That’s quite a good burn and an irresponsible neighbour setting fire on things. You’ve had a good eye and nose full of things, from smoke to skunky smell. Please send some candies over. Thank you and it’s good to know your knees are back in business. Enjoy your day Paula.

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  17. Stephanae V. McCoy

    I hope you had a Happy Easter Paula. When you mentioned the peeps I could feel my face making that sour expression – yuck, can’t and never could stand those things. The fire looks like it was close to some mobile homes or other structures, one would think the authorities would put the hammer down on this type of b thing but more importantly I’d be afraid of catching the area on fire. Cute rooster!

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Thanks Stephanae! Yeah, I knew the peeps would get that horrified reaction from some, haha! I loved them as a kid, but now, not so much. And I just couldn’t believe that fire!! It was also surrounded by trees… the only saving grace is that it had been raining for a week! It was disturbing, and more so that the city just didn’t care. Next time, running or not, I’ll be calling 911 as that’s what the area councilman said to do in this situation. :/

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      1. Stephanae V. McCoy

        I thought it looked like trees were in the area but I thought “nah, that can’t be right, who in their right mind would start a fire near trees?” Once again it just proves we shouldn’t assume. That’s nuts. Like you said they were probably fortunate it rained.

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  18. Tasha

    What’s gotten into that cat???FRISKIEEESS!!! ok, couldn’t help that one. lol….I’ve never understood the whole trash burning thing. Is that for people who don’t have trash service or something? It’s legal where I live as well but I have no use for it….our trash is picked up once a week.

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