End of Week 9. Layers: Onion vs. Parfait

Shrek and Donkey are arguing about layers... Shrek insists that ogres are like onions, with lots of layers. Donkey suggests that not everyone likes onions, but cakes have layers, and a parfait has layers. Then, maybe the funniest line in the movie happens, as Donkey says, "Have you ever met a person, you say, 'Let's get some parfait,' they say, 'Hell no, I don't like no parfait'? Parfaits are delicious!"

So, I did not post anything from last week, because there were no results... I've been sick with stuff (that's the technical medical term, by the way), and sort of gave up. But, I found my motivation again, and got "back on the horse" this week. And I needed some layers of my own... it was a bit nippy this morning, the the 11-12 F range. So, I layered up with a bicycle jersey (long sleeves), then a micro fleece, then a thick fleece coat. Found a better hat than my ball cap, and headed out for a bit of a walk/run.

Because I had been out of commission for a while, I decided to take it a little easier in terms of intensity, but still wanted a decent work out. I decided to just go farther... So I did two warm-up loops, then a run, then two walking loops, etc. Went over 30 minutes, which was exciting.

And speaking of exciting, a stretch of the trail had all kinds of crazy ice formations... So after I finished, I went back for the camera. Here's what I discovered:


The photo leading the entry is the portion of trail that had the fun icy stuff. As I walked or jogged along, my feet kept breaking through icy leaves, almost like little cave-ins. I pulled some of the detritus back, and that's the first picture, above... the gap between the snow-covered leaves and the ground had a lot of moisture, and that moisture clung to the bottom of the leaves, eventually freezing into little fuzzy stalactites.

The second photo above is what composed the portion of trail... delicate, icy strands that formed as moisture from the ground expanded on freezing, and passed through the perforated clay soil. You can see particles of clay trapped in the ice. If I were to squeeze the collection of strands, they would break apart into many fine tendrils.

The final photo is nearby to the portion of trail, and explains all the moisture! It's the edge of a still-wet stream (despite several nights with single digit temperatures), whose surface has an interesting "flash frozen" star pattern on it.

Lap Times
Loop 1 (walk) : 4:49.2
Loop 2 (walk) : 4:41.3
Loop 3 (jog) : 2:56.8
Loop 4 (walk) : 4:42.2
Loop 5 (jog) : 3:21.5
Loop 6 (walk) : 4:49.9
Loop 7 (cool down walk) : 6:01.8

Total distance: 2.8 km, Total time: 31:21.9, Best mile: 15:41.8
Weekly weigh-in: 310 pounds    <-- Hell, yeah!
Average power: 476 Watts
Heart rate following final run: 165
Heart rate five minutes after cool-down walk: 111

End of Week 7 - and Mixed Metaphors

Mixed metaphors... done well if done intentionally, but usually done poorly because the person simply doesn't realize what they're saying. Here are two I've heard recently...

1) It was an eleventh hour, drop back and punt situation. Not only is this a mixed metaphor (taking the notion of completing a task in the 11th hour, or with very little time to spare, and confusing it with the notion of using 4th down to punt away the football, signifying a situation in which you are temporarily ceding control to another group, or giving up entirely), but the ideas themselves are completely disparate! An 11th hour situation is one in which you marshal your reserves and push toward the deadline... A drop back and punt situation is one in which you are giving up now in hopes of regaining the momentum later.

2) Two to one, half a dozen to the other. This one makes me laugh every time I hear the person say it... I'm not exactly sure what is meant, because it is nonsensical as is, but I think the confusion here is between suggesting there are "two" available choices, and that one of those choices is to call it a half dozen. We all know this should really be "six to one, half a dozen to the other," and it suggests that one person may use the number six, while another person may use the phrase "half a dozen" and they really mean the same thing... We'd use it to suggest, "Hey, you know, we may be using different words, but we're describing the same thing."

I know it shouldn't be funny to me when someone screws up trying to sound learned... but it is. I'm just a terrible person that way.

So, the walk/run today was very, very cold and wet... the course has managed to become almost swamp-like in places... and the air temperature this morning was about 27 F... so as I broke through thin layers of crusty ice, my feet got soaked in cold, gooey mud. I'm not complaining... I started to like it after a lap or two. It was a bit of suffering that I was able to transform into joy! My daughter, though, has insisted that if I were more careful, I could avoid the dampness along the course... so I invited her to come out with me next time! We'll see how she fares.

Because I missed last week, and most of this week I was out with a serious cold, I did an 11th hour drop back and punt kind of thing and reduced my distance back down to 2 clicks, or 2K if you prefer... two to one, half a dozen to the other.

Lap Times
Loop 1 (walk) : 4:19.4
Loop 2 (jog) : 3:05.6
Loop 3 (walk) : 4:27.0
Loop 4 (jog) : 2:57.4
Loop 5 (walk) : 4:22.8

Total distance: 2 km, Total time: 19:12.2, Best mile: 14:45.2
Weekly weigh-in: 320 pounds
Average power: 626 Watts
Heart rate following final run: 165
Heart rate five minutes after cool-down walk: 108