Posts Tagged ‘rec center’
But I don't wanna!!!
My kids have been after me for a long time to get a Facebook account.
So far, I’ve passed on it. I think I keep in touch with the people I want to keep in touch with and I don’t need another TSA (Time Suck Activity) in my life. I don’t really understand the concept of writing on somebody’s wall, or updating your status, or the newsfeed. My daughter has given me a little tour of her page a couple of times and my eyes just sort of glaze over.
But all around me, I see the tide rising.
Wednesday night at the LRR Board Meeting, for example, the discussion was about how to organize social events “on the fly” and get the word out to LRR members. The problem with posting on the website is that it would require people to check the website. Sending out an email to let people know the website had been updated seemed like defeating the purpose. What about an RSS feed? Maybe.
Someone mentioned Facebook and that seemed like a really good option. There were a few questions about how it would be kept for the benefit of LRR members only, but overall, the Board was confident it could be worked out.
Sounds like if I want to find out about LRR happy hours, I’m going to have to suck it up.
Weekend Runs
The weather forecast would seem to indicate it will be cooler on Saturday for the Waterford Elementary run, but I’m also seeing a good chance of thunderstorms. Tough call.
There’s always Bluemont on Sunday.
And if the humidity is still ugly, there’s always the rec center. Such a wimp I am. :::::sigh:::::
This could be really ugly when the sun comes out...
My insurance company sends me too much snail mail, and so does my mortgage company. Since I’ve got my payment going out automatically, I don’t need to see the monthly statements, or pay attention to the equity loan offers and refinancing deals.
I make several different piles when I go through my mail:
Bill — set aside to pay.
Statement — set aside to reconcile.
Junk — straight to trash.
Other junk — to be shredded
Other stuff — worry about later.
The envelope from the mortgage company was going into the last pile, but since it was a pretty slow mail day, I went ahead and opened it.
Holy Canoly, there was a check for $200 in it! Seems my escrow account has gotten larger than it needs to be (the bad news is this has happened because my taxes have no doubt gone down because the value of my townhouse has gone down), and they are going to be lowering my monthly payments, and they sent me the overage.
Woohoo. Found money!
Grateful for small favors
And I wasn’t under this when it fell from my neighbor’s roof:
Yeah.. I’m putting this in the “It was a good week” column.
I’ve spent my time this week running at the rec center, and walking indoors at Dulles Town Center, where I’ve been enjoying watching some Police K-9 teams training some dogs in the food court in the mornings.
(At least I hope it is a training exercise! )
Weekend Runs:
The parking lot of Dulles Town Center has some mighty huge MOUNTAINS of snow piled here and there within the lot, but for the most part, the perimeter is clean. I’ve run around the perimeter in the past before the mall is open and it works reasonably well. It’s about 1.4 miles in circumference, and it’s not completely flat. I might head out there Sunday morning.
If anyone else is interested, let me know.
Does my insurance cover a collapse?
After I had finished digging out my driveway last weekend, I saw some of my neighbors tossing snow off their decks and I considered whether or not I should follow suit. My initial decision was negative. As predictions for yet another major snowstorm started to bubble up in the forecast, I started to think seriously about the possibility that my deck would collapse.
Now, since I’m not able to immediately lay my hands on the latest epistle from my insurance company outlining precisely what my coverage is, I finally decided on Monday to eat my Powdermilk Biscuits and do what needed to be done. My deck has a southern exposure and with the sun shining that morning, it was actually quite pleasant out there. I got most of the snow off — definitely to the point where there was no longer a danger of collapse — and then a funny thing happened:
All clear -- at least for 48 hours...
I hit wood. A little bit here and a little bit there, and then I started to see the possibility of the entire deck being cleared off down to the wood and I just kept going. The longer the remaining snow was exposed to the strong sun, and the more I kept shaving, the softer the icy/slushy stuff at the bottom got and the easier it got to keep going.
I suspect it is something like this that must happen in order to turn a wimpy runner into an ultra-marathoner.
Weekend Runs
I see absolutely zero possibility there.
I just hope the rec center opens again one of these days. Never thought I’d say it but… I need to run!
%#*@**!!!
I know things change and time marches on, but why can’t there be a few more things you can depend on?
When I bought my first real running clothes, I didn’t know anything about it, other than it needed to wick the moisture away. I found some inexpensive tops at Kohl’s and I bought three of them because the tag said they wicked moisture away. I really liked them. When I was ready to buy a few more of them, I went back and couldn’t find the same ones. I figured it didn’t matter and I bought some different ones. I didn’t like them as well. I’ve bought several different ones over the last couple of years and I haven’t found any that I like better than those original ones.
I bought some fitted running pants from Target the second winter I ran (can you believe I ran the first winter in jeans?!! =:O ). They are comfortable and they keep me warm and I like them waaaaay better than jeans. I went back to get a few more and evidently they don’t make that same kind any more.
Eddie Bauer changed the jeans that I love. Wegman’s got me hooked on their three mushroom soup from the soup bar and then BOOM, it disappeared. After nearly a year, I still don’t like my car as well as I loved the one I had before.
I’m also annoyed because once again, the forecast for the weekend looks less than acceptable for a wimpy runner like me. I don’t like the word “wind” coupled with below freezing temperatures — two days after yet another coating of snow/ice. I’ve ventured outside a couple of days to run in the last couple of weeks and have quickly retreated to the rec center in the face of a cold wind, or a thin SLICK layer of frost on the trail. Not to mention actual precip. For me, running is about exercise – not about being miserable.
I suppose there’s a chance I’ll venture out on Saturday — but not much of one.
I sure hope the new year brings the traditional January thaw.
Happy New Year.
Be Safe.
It was a very good year....
I was commenting to my daughter the other day that I needed to get my Christmas letter written. She said she didn’t really get the whole thing about sending Christmas cards. I gave her the stock reply that it’s how you keep in touch with people over the years.
She said, “That’s what Facebook is for.”
I didn’t have much of a snappy comeback. I didn’t have any comeback at all, actually.
So, since I’m not on Facebook, I used the weekend to get my Christmas letter written. When I do this, I always take a look at the ones I wrote in previous years to kind of get ideas for where I’m going to go with it for the current year.
In 2007, I commented that on the morning of my 55th birthday I had run 2 miles. I was pretty proud of that.
I can do four miles now without too much trouble. One morning last fall I did six.
I’m going in the right direction. That’s what’s important to me.
Weekend runs
I’m not so sure I’m going to be in the mood to run outside yet. I’m thinking there’s still going to be a lot of ice and snow to contend with.
I was running this morning at the Claude Moore Recreation Center and it occurred to me that maybe there might be interest in running there either Saturday or Sunday and then going out for breakfast after. They’ve got a locker room so we could shower and change before we left. If you just can’t stomach the idea of running on the track, there is a large lap pool, as well as a recreational pool and of course the usual gym equipment.
If you live in Loudoun Country, it will cost you $5.50. If you’re a senior (over 55), it’s just $3.75. (Bring ID to prove residency.)
They open at 8 am both mornings. (Cool thing is, no one is going to leave without you if you’re late!)
You’ll need to bring a lock for the locker, and a towel if you plan to shower/change afterwards.
I think that’s where I’ll be Sunday. Anyone care to join me?
Christmas pillows for Nathan and Sarah
I’m happy to report that the Christmas Pillows for my twin grandchildren are officially finished. (Whew, glad that’s done!)
I measured twice before I cut the fabric down to “pillow size” and then discovered that if you measure from the wrong place, you’ll cut in the wrong place. Consequently, Nathan’s horse is about an inch off center. Oh well… these things happen.
In running news, unfortunately I’ve been forced (by my own wimpiness) to do most of my running for the last couple of weeks on the track at the rec center. I’ve found a few more positives to the experience:
- I’m starting to recognize “the regulars” and the smiling and nodding has begun. (Perhaps I’ll invite them to join the LRR one of these days.)
- Every now and then I can sprint for a bit and pass someone. That’s kind of cool for me.
- I’ve found another song on my iPod that forces me ever onward — Paul McCartney, Dance Tonight.
I did my thing for about 40 minutes this morning, and then finished up with Dance Tonight and End of the Line, counting the laps so I’d have an accurate report. It came to 8 1/2. (A mile on that track is 14 laps and change.)
Weekend Runs
I’m looking at the 7-day and it’s not looking pretty for Saturday again.
I’m going to aim for Sunday from the high school for an “out and back” on the W & OD:
http://loudounroadrunners.org/lrr/run_maps/Thomas_Mill.pdf
– unless there is snow or wind or rain or slush from the snow on Saturday –
"At the end of the line...."
Yeah, I know some people ran outside this weekend, but I wasn’t one of them.
I don’t mind a mild little dusting coming down, or even a light mist, but I don’t do 2-inch-an-hour accumulations or slush. Just don’t.
I was pretty much holed up inside all weekend and I still didn’t like my chances on the W & OD this morning, so I went to the Claude Moore Recreation Center this morning and ran on their indoor track. It’s pretty boring, but it’s flat and it’s climate controlled, and there’s a water fountain right there whenever I come around to that side. It works for me as a Plan B when “outside” isn’t an option. And boy does it beat a treadmill!
Since I started with some confessions last week, I thought I’d continue with that theme this week and put a big one out there, and I hope I’m not drummed out of the club for saying it:
I don’t like running.
Let me explain. I like to run because I think it is a pretty efficient form of exercise and it’s nice to be outside (except when it’s not, of course), but while I’m running, I don’t really like it. I wish I could breathe more comfortably (maybe that will come in time), I don’t like when my glasses get fogged up or slip around, and I wish the sweat didn’t drip down into my eyes so much (which is why I don’t wear my contacts when I run).
I do feel really, really good when I STOP running however – which is probably the biggest reason why I keep doing it.
I don’t think I could run by myself without my iPod. I need “somewhere to go” in my head so I’m not entirely focused on how much further I have to go.
I’ve got several songs on my iPod that have a relentless beat that works extremely well with my stride and when those selections come on, I can feel my arms and legs moving together in a way that makes me appreciate the fact that my body is basically a machine. I do enjoy that feeling and it makes it much easier to keep going just a little longer.
This morning I enjoyed finding another one, newly downloaded — The Traveling Wilbury’s, End of the Line.
Well it’s all right, riding around in the breeze.
Well it’s all right, if you live the life you please.
Well it’s all right, doing the best you can.
Well it’s all right, as long as you lend a hand
What a great beat. I probably got another three laps around the track with that this morning. I can hear it in my head right now (where it will probably stay for the rest of the day!).
Almost makes me want to go outside and run right now.
Almost.
Weekend runs
I’ve got an all-day commitment on Saturday, so I’m looking at Sunday once again. Tammy suggested we do the Purcellville to Leesburg run and maybe do Purcellville to Paeonian Springs for 5 miles. Sounds good to me if anyone else is up for it.
Meet at Market Station Sunday morning and we’ll see what the carpool situation looks like.