Looking Ahead to Today, Structure or Not

 I finally awoke and got up this morning as the time was approaching six o' clock...completed ten minutes of running in place on the living room rug floor as the coffee was brewing.  I don't know about any appointments or planned visits. There's no discernible timstructure or schedule ahead for today, other than reading, more physical training, or rest.  Ive grown to appreciate sitting outside on our back porch when it isn't raining, the chairs are dry, and Pewee Daisy seems the happiest.  From time to time I find myself with a mild headache...Melissa encourages me to be forthcoming about expressing my physical feelings to her. Beyond the gloomy, degrading news cycles i'm exposed to on television with this very disappointing, mean-spirited president and his soulless sycophants, it looks like old recycled movies, along with live major league baseball games on the Baseball.tv channel, are the only ways to go nowadays in this incrementally degrading society and culture.  Melissa is now up and about, and I am sipping on this tasty coffee, topped off by butterbeer-flavored creamer.  As for training goals, I want to keep my total dailyaccumulated steps at 7500-10,000.  Walking around our .7-mile neighborhood block and brief interspersed slow-running breaks, seem to fit the bill...as long it doesn't storm much and th temperatures can be endured..Good morning on this fine day to you all and enjoy it...God bless you....looking forward to hearing all the mourning doves, blue Jays, and crows...

Early Morning Waking and Activity a New Habit System

 It looks like a new habit has begun with me.  Over the past 3-4 days I have only slept two or three hours during the late evening, with me waking up around midnight and struggling to "nap" until after two in the morning, which I think is an appropriate time for early rising.  Just a half hour ago I got up, went to the bathroom, brewed a pot of coffee and did ten minutes of light running in place.  Tonight I'm going to try going to bed a bit earlier.  Maybe the Parkrun 5K will work out for Saturday morning, maybe it won't.  Shifting topics, I've pretty much had it with Trump and the Republicans about voter eligibility and their repeatedly shifting efforts to roll back voter rights by requiring cumbersome documentation to 'prove' citizenship.  The way I see it, if everyone who was eligible went out to vote on election day, then my one vote would only be one drop in a vast ocean of ballots...and my one filled ballot has NEVER decided an election.  I'm just tired of my 34-count convicted felon of a president going overboard sucking up to his master Netanyahu's agenda...the latter wants to prolong his own war by invading Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, with the USA providing military insurance and backup.  I'm hovering around 181 pounds, using temperance to avoid excessive consumption of sweets while adhering to my living room exercise routine.  I've been up and at it, being awake and active from 3 to 5 each morning.  That's a praise report for sure;  I'm changing habits by adopting a new system of consistent behaviors. Astronomical spring is set to start on this date, and, with a nod to Morgan Freeman, I'd like to enjoy "getting busy" living through it.  If I happen to begin changing a habit today, I want to make it short and sweet and written down and incorporated into an established system...

Eventual Fall Season Running Race Opportunities Appearing

Although here in northern Florida the daily temperatures continue to consistently climb up into the nineties with stifling-high morning humidity, it is technically now the autumn season.  And as such, I'm seeing online notices about upcoming distance running events, many of which are in my general area.  One that stands out to me is a southern Georgia half-marathon scheduled on Saturday morning, October 25th.  It's the Boston Mini-Marathon, as they like to call it: a half-marathon to take place as fall festivities ensue later on after the race.  I'm very seriously considering signing up for it, with the intention of doing a hybrid run/speed-walk mix for the race's duration.  It's located in the little town of Boston, situated between Valdosta and Thomasville (and closer to the latter).  Even if it's still unseasonably warm during this race, I think my run/walk strategy will get me through it without too much adversity.  I guess that will take care of next month, on top of the cruise we're scheduled to take in the first half and another possible Parkrun in mid-month.  November and December present potential problems in going on trips to other locations for distance races because of schedule conflicts involving family, thankfully being blessings centering around my loved ones.  After all, I'm no hermit despite tendencies in that direction and I cherish my love for Melissa...may it continue long into the future and forever.  I also am going to be continuing my cancer treatment in the next few weeks with some radiation therapy...I plan to be active throughout.  Earlier today I speed-walked 3.5 miles on my local gym's treadmill instead of braving the rain puddle-stricken streets.  So I'm continuing my workouts, and they'll come in handy when race day arrives...

My July and August 2023 Running and Walking Report

For the previous two months of summer my overall amount of running and walking mileage took a nosedive, much of this due to (1) issues with lower back spasms and (2) becoming ill...I've happily recovered from both for weeks.  Still, I managed to generate more than 200 miles of running training mileage for each of July and August and managed to run two local Depot Parkrun 5K races on August 19th and 26th...they're free and held each Saturday morning at Gainesville's pretty Depot Park.  I have also been visiting my local gym after work to run and walk on the treadmill...I think that has helped a lot, too.  Unfortunately, the summer weather here has been the most stifling hot and humid season I can remember experiencing...and I grew up near Miami!  I am hoping against hope for conditions to greatly improve in September, but still plan to trudge ahead regardless.  Eventually I plan to run in some longer distance races starting in October...we'll see how I'm doing by that time.  This morning I skipped the Parkrun, correctly gauging that I needed the extra sleep.  I signed up to run a 4-mile race organized by the Florida Track Club, of which I'm a member, that starts and finishes at Squirrel Ridge Park off Williston Road near US441. Should be fun: it happens next Saturday...

This Recent Weather Sucks...More to Come

Although today's temperatures skyrocketed here in Gainesville today, I did enjoy the break from the storms and sporadically torrential rain we've been experiencing for well over a week.  But it was too good to be true: I checked my phone weather app and they're predicting more bad weather next week and the first few days of July, with this Wednesday for some reason giving us a break (although it's supposed to get up to 95 that day).  I'm quite accustomed to the summer pattern weather around here, where each day as the temperatures spike the blue sky gives way to puffy cumulus clouds...and then come the thunderheads bringing winds, thunder, lightning, rain and cool relief.  Doesn't seem as if we're getting this kind of weather, though...at least not yet.  Also, I didn't think we'd already have three named Atlantic tropical storm systems before even reaching July, but here we are: I wonder if it's too early yet to utter the words "hunker down" (with the AC set to max)...