Another Awesome Day. Rinse and Repeat!

Another Fine day.

Ready to run.

Yesterday was so great that we simply had to repeat it again today.   The temps are similar and Cheryl was itching to get back out there and run.  Slightly shorter distance this time, but 7 miles still seems like a distance for me.

Kinda like this...

I trailed alongside her on the bike.   22 miles yesterday took a toll on my body more so than I had thought.   Not so much in my arms and legs, but rather my "nether regions."   Spend enough time in the saddle and it is no wonder cowboys walk bow-legged.  I had not really noticed it much yesterday after the ride;   but after a few miles this morning,  it became rather bothersome.

Deer next to trail

If I wanted to do the RAGBRAI,  I would have to get used to riding twice that distance each day.... and then repeat that for 5 days total!   I hear the distance between checkpoints is anywhere from 40-70 miles.  I can only guess how much riding you would have to do to get used to that type of soreness.

They are rather friendly today.

Off they go!

While running,  Cheryl almost tripped on several deer as they browsed next to the trail.   I don't think we have ever been this close to one before and had a camera present.  ( several "close encounters" have happened before, but we have no "proof" of such an event.)  They were very friendly and lumbered off a short distance after they go bored of me.

Cheryl... Ready to Ride!

Bike trails seems Popular today.

The bike trail was quite busy today.   We limited the ride to only about 3.5 miles.   Cheryl wanted to check out the "Sludge Pond"  near the water treatment facility.  I'm curious what causes the aqua-marine/ turquoise color in the water.

Surveying the Pretty Water Colors

 I remember being fascinated by that color in the Kenai River.  The color was the silt from the Glacier run-off.   Here in Iowa... there are no Glaciers.   My Fish and Wildlife education touched on various water treatment methods.  Mostly, it was adding Oxygen  and mixing the water to allow nature to do the work.   But many modern treatment plants still rely on Chlorine to sanitize the water.    Others use salt to take out the heavy metals.   ( I think.   My memory is not always as good as it used to be.)

The geese don't seem bothered by the water. 

The Chorine theory seems far-fetched as the geese were swimming in the stuff and did not seem to mind at all.  Perhaps the levels are fairly low...like a swimming pool.

The shore seems whiter than the usual ponds.  Salt? Calcium? 

I also noticed that there was a white-ish powder along the sides of the pond.   Perhaps salt...  Maybe calcium.   I'm not really an EPA guy....  but whatever it was... it sure looks cool.

Cheryl on the Rocks. 

So the sun is still out and I finished planting a few more cardinal creeper seeds around the yard.  I have some serious hopes that they all bloom and bring in the Hummers when the time comes.  One of the plants I had growing inside actually had a flower popping out already!   These guys take only about 2 days to sprout;  so I'm hoping I will see some signs of life by the end of the week.   Fingers crossed.

Creeper planted!

Other than that,  we are back to work tomorrow.   If the people in our group go crazy,  we might be finished with the project by next Friday.   Cheryl has concerns about our financial situation.... as usual.  We may have to eat Ketchup sandwiches for the next few weeks as the next Pearson Math project comes along.   We shall see.

An Awesome Day in Iowa!

Cheryl prepares for 10 miles!

Finally!   The stars align and the temps even out so that Cheryl and Ethan can finally enjoy a weekend...  Outside.   Oh sure,  there was last weeks race.   But we did not really get to enjoy things because we had to race home and begin scoring from home.   It sucks having to work on your only day off...  Which is technically NOT your day off I guess.  Ah well...  details.

10 miles Finished!  That was easy! 

Today,  Cheryl and I headed out to the usual training place to run 10 miles.   Well,  Cheryl ran 10.   I simple coast along side her and try to stay warm.
But after she had completed her 10 miles ( no small feat!   10 miles is a mile stone since the injury...)  We headed to a new place where I located a new bike trail.  New to US, anyway.

Time to refuel.... and BIKE!

Checking out a new bike trail.

First,  we had to stop by Dunkin Donuts to refuel.   It is an essential part of the marathon-in-training training.   If that makes sense.  ( It does to us... somehow.)   With donuts in hand,  we set off towards the Coralville dam.

We have to stop to see the sites.

Off we go!

We found some parking and head down towards the trails.   Cheryl stopped to pose by the Huge Wooden Nickle.  Most of the trail was downhill...  from our parking.   This meant that we would eventually have to head back UPhill.   That is always fun after you have exhausted all of your Dunkin' Donut energy.

A newly discovered nature area!

With BIRDS!

Pretty Birds.

Lots of them!

Even more bird houses.

We discovered a nature area where the paved trail crisscrossed  across the fields next to the river.   There were many Purple Martins and Barn Swallows flying around and glimmering in the sunlight.   We stopped by one of the many ponds and watched geese and cormorants as the swam and flew by.   All the while,  the temps remained at a comfortable 60 degrees.  ( or about, anyway)

If the would only hold still.

Tell-tale signs of Beavers

There were also signs of Beaver action along the shore.   He did not make an appearance,  but he did look pretty ambitious.     Some of those trees were fairly large!

They are so destructive!  hehe. 

Waste water had the greenest grass.

Cheryl sails by the green areas.

The grass has begun to green up now.   Especially near the water treatment facility!  All that waste water seems to agree with the plants. The color of the lawn was noticeably greener.   We biked an additional 12 miles making my ride 22 miles total.  Cheryl ran 10 of those miles and biked the rest,  so she might have burned off more calories than me.    But still,   22 miles is a pretty good day. For me, anyway  And this is technically not a competition...  technically.

All tomatoes are officially planted!

When we finally arrived home, I set out to put my tomato plants in the ground and finish up planting some of my Cardinal Creeper.   I hear that after tonight,  the risk of frost is low and the temps are  not supposed to get below freezing tonight.  I planted several of the creepers already and they have been doing fine.   And my tomato plants have not been looking very happy on my shop table these last few days.   I have a bunch of plants so I'm hoping  my  "buck shot" strategy will allow at least a handful of them to survive.   Last time out of 50 plants,  I had only 12 of them survive... and of those, only 3 plants produces more tomatoes than I knew what to do with.   So I'll remain optimistic...  and cautiously cover them with a few leaves just to be sure.

New tasty Beer from Schlafly.

And finally,  to end the nearly perfect day,  I just sampled a new seasonal beer from Schlafly.  Coconut Creme Ale! 

It is pretty darn good!    No noticeable coconut flavor...  But very drinkable and refreshing.  Cheryl said it tasted like the kind of thing you could drink on a hot summer day and forget it was beer.  It is difficult to explain the flavor, but I would probably compare it to my love of Hazelnut coffee.  You can't taste the actual Hazelnut,  but you can taste the "nutty" flavor.    Two thumbs up! 

All in all,  A Pretty good day.   Perhaps it is because we have been lacking decent weather and sunshine for so long that the first "normal" day seems like heaven.   What ever it is, I'll take it!   Hope everyone else is having a wonderful day as well.  Thanks for stopping in.

Cheryl's Third Time Dam to Downtown 10K Run! A Rival Rematch!

Early Morning Packet Pickup

In a fit of Boredom,  Cheryl signed up for  the Dam to Downtown 10K race a few days ago.  It is one of the races she continues to swear she will never run again... and continues to run.   I can't explain it.  I have given up trying.

Waiting in the Warm Subie.  

Since we have been working at Pearson,  our "Free Time" has limited us to weekends and Holidays.  Meaning:  We have very little of it!    This forced us to get up at the crack of dawn and get to the start line early for our packet pickup.   Despite the warning,  they still had some T-Shirts for Cheryl to add to her collection.

Finally,  the race is about to start!

One of the main reason Cheryl says she will not continue to do this race is because they have no medal.  However!   They DO Usually have a age group award for those old people who end up finishing in the top three.  Since Cheryl is one of the only females in her age group who shows up, she Usually gets one.

Walking across the dam.

Cheryl runs by!

With Winter taking an extra month to disappear this year,   the colder weather seems to have limited the runners.  There were not the usual long lines by the port-a-jons, and the crowds were not as intimidating.  I was able to follow Cheryl across the dam and say goodbye before the race officially started.

Not many spectators in the way.

Makes for Good Photography.

Back on the other side,  I did not have to wade through a bunch of obstructive spectators to get some good shots of her as she passed by.   So far, so good!

And there she goes...

He she Comes!   With Wendy the Rival

I raced to the finish line and waited for Cheryl to arrive.    She told me to expect a slow race today.   Although she liked the 50 degree temps,  her running regiment has been light and sporadic.  She has only recently moved up to 6 miles as a regular distance.   And then she keeps her pace down to 9 minute miles.   I was more worried that she would re-injure herself while trying to compete with other runners.  I was expecting her around the 55 minute mark.

Wendy pulls ahead.

She Does have longer legs...

But can't catch her.

Cheryl pushes herself at the end.

As the troops filed into the finish,  I noted that the gaps between runners seemed quite large this year.   I guess fewer runners will do that.   However,  I noted that someone resembling Cheryl was arriving almost 8 minutes earlier than expected.  I see Cheryl running along Wendy...  a Long time rival.  Wendy lives in Wellman,  same as we do.   And she is almost the same age ( a little older)   and about the same running skill level.  She has been to many of the same local races before and traded wins and losses with Cheryl a few times.  Cheryl has bested her at the Glow Run and the Red Shoe half Marathon while Wendy has continued to win the Dam to Downtown.    Wendy had pushed Cheryl into her "competitive Zone"   and Cheryl was arriving much faster than I had initially thought.

Almost there...

Only 2 seconds behind.  

Well, today was Wendy's day to shine... but only by a few seconds.  And Cheryl marked up her best time ever for this particular race.   48:35!   Faster than her first and second year!   Who says competition is not a "good" good thing.   ( Well, besides me.... I hate competing against other people.) And best of all,  She did not hurt herself!

David Drops by to help cheer.

After the race,  we linked up with David.... one of our fellow Scorers at Pearson.   He lives in Iowa City and decided to brave the moderate cold and extreme early hours to cheer Cheryl on.

Cheryl places 2nd this year. 

With fewer than normal runners, I'm guessing there was very little money left over for "Age Group Awards" this year.   Cheryl got a photo-op and a hand shake.  No second place paper weight this year.  A little disappointing, but she already has two  age groups awards from previous years.   Not that big of a deal.

No Award, only a handshake and photo.

The truly BIG deal was the fast time and lack of injury on  a race she spontaneously signed up for.   She now is feeling the confidence to tackle a half marathon again.  Something she has not been able to do for almost 9 months!  We shall see how she is feeling after she ups her training runs to longer distances.  Grandma's Marathon is coming in June and we have not canceled it yet.   It would be great if we were able to go after a dubious winter and spring training season.

Let's Bike!

After the race and festivities, we rode our bikes for a bit and celebrated with a Pizza Hut pizza.  Fresh thin crust pizza from Pizza Hut is the best!  And besides,  we had to hurry back home and score for ETS later  in the day.   We needed a little bit of a reward for that as well.

All that Cross-training Pays off!

Celebrating with Pizza Hut.

So now we are back at home and the day is almost over.   We both finished our scoring shift and I am finally able to post this blog.   ETS is now flooding our schedule with hours after cutting almost the entire month of March from our work schedule.  Had they offered these hours a month ago.... we might not have signed up for working at Pearson in Iowa City.   But since when does everything ever work out exactly as planned?    Sometimes things work out better than expected.    Just like Cheryl's race performance today.   Hopefully the trend will continue....

Thanks for stopping in.