Why Is It ...

... that the first thing I do when I get home after sitting on my bike for a couple of hours is sit down?? Hmmm ... sad but true! I rode 40.37 miles this morning. Thankfully I got done before the rains came. It was actually mostly sunny at the time, but muggy. You could tell something was brewing in the atmosphere.

Still wearing the hot pink kinesiotape

It was my SC, RD, HF loop but I turned west on 117 just south of town and rode out to 104 and back in on 25 which added another 3 to 3.5 to my route, making it 40. I lose the nice fast downhill on county 8 but don't have to deal with the traffic at the Salem Road/County 8 intersection. So I might do that route more often.

... that plants can grow so happily in a crack on a curb, with no fertilizer, sporadic water, intense heat, abuse in general ...

but the asters that I plant in my garden just wither and die despite all the TLC I give them?

... that I just want to change a light bulb, and this has to happen?? It's a brand new bulb. It didn't work when I put it in the first time, so switched another one out and figured out it wasn't a short in the socket. But in trying to put in the other socket, this happened.

Just adds something more to my Things To Do list, which seems to grow by the day despite getting lots of other things accomplished.

... that a room looks so much bigger with no furniture in it??

Had the carpets cleaned by ServiceMaster today. :-) They were in and out, just like that!! They're taking a while to dry with all the moisture in the air so I have all the ceiling fans running and the furnace fan running continuously. The family room carpet is new, so all the stuff from the living room will sit in the family room 'til tomorrow sometime. I want the carpets to be 100% dry before putting anything back on them.

... that there wasn't a plate on this outlet? Or one just like it in the office? I don't know, but now there is. :-)

... that I'm not running yet?? Well, two weeks are up and I apparently have the go-ahead to start running. But I haven't yet. I'm still afraid to run I guess. Something or other, for the most part, has hurt while running for the last 11 months. And my brain still associates running with pain, both for myself running and even watching others run. So, I've not had a burning desire to get out (running) on the roads just yet. My brain hasn't worked through the reset yet.

... that some days I swim extra slow?? Don't know, but yesterday was one of them. I count every stroke on every length and the last couple of swims I'd been taking 2-3 strokes off every length. But yesterday I was back to my super-slow-swimming-style. :-( And my shoulders and triceps were tired. :-( But ... this too shall pass. I hope.

... that Team R.E.D. always has fun no matter what?? Cuz they're a great group of people, that's why. Last night the plan was to put together some playground equipment in a newly adopted park in Byron, but the city got to it first, so we were out of work. Tom O' decided that we might as well go ahead with the Eat/Drink part of the evening and add in the Run/(Walk) as well. So we gathered at Dan and Amy's house for a loop through Byron and then gathered back at their home for a potluck. Thank you so much for hosting!!

It never hurts to eat dessert first!

There was an exciting beanbag toss match going on with the Melby kids too. They're pretty good tossers!!

Annette was in charge of beanbag retrievel and target placement

... that Sunday has to be so hot?? Mike Ewen is organizing an 85 (or so) mile bike ride for 9 or 10 o'clock Sunday morning. I'd sure like to join them. But the forecast is for 98 degrees with an associated heat advisory. I don't do so well in the heat, and I don't know if I could keep up with them. So ... not sure whether I should ride or not. I'll keep thinking about it.

Well, I will close with some Runners' Commandments that were posted on the Runners Anonymous FB page:

1. Don't make running your life, make it part of your life.
2. Don't compare yourself to other runners.
3. When standing in starting lines, remind yourself how fortunate you are to be there.
4. Don't always run alone.
5. Don't always run with people.
6. The best runs sometimes come on the days you didn't feel like running.
7. All runners are equal; some are just faster than others.
8. There are no short cuts to run excellence.
9. Look at hills as opportunities to pass people.
10. Don't try to out run dogs.
11. With out goals, training has no purpose.
12. Go for broke, but prepare to be broken.
13. Runners who never fail are runners who never tried anything great.
14. Running is simple. Don't make it complicated.
 
Go. Be. Do.