9/15/12

I went for a run today.  Did my standard run to the park, workout, run home route.  When I visited Dad, I checked the soles of my Vibrams and came to the conclusion that I was still running on my heels too much according to the wear pattern.  So I have been concentrating more on my form.  Today I finally really felt like I had it down.  I was landing on the ball of my feet, transitioning to full foot as my weight moved forward and then levering my foot up using my calves. It felt like my legs were spring loaded and there was no real sense of impact, no jar.  I got to the park in a reasonable time and then I felt it. 

My calves were tight and swollen a little.  Nothing too bad, but I still had 2 1/2 miles to get home.  So I started running home.  Now, more aware of the pump in my calves, I started trying to land more mid-foot and found myself landing flat.  Thud, thud, thud, each time my foot hit the ground.  No padding.  This wasn't working well.

So I walked most of the way home.  Short bursts of running with walking.  By the time I got home, my calves felt better, but tomorrow will be the big test. 

I think I will go back to my other running shoes until after the Austin Mudder.  Then I'll strap the Vibrams back on and transition more gradually this time. 

9/11/12

Today was kayak adventure day. 

We woke up to an alarm for the first time in a while.  That sucks.  Reminded me that the entire next contract will be that way again...sigh.

Oh well, back to adventure.  We drove to Central Coast Kayaks and got geared up.  First time in a wetsuit.  It was more comfortable than I thought for some reason.  Then we headed out with our guide John to the beach.  This is John's retirement job.  I thought that was great because it was better to have the older guy who does this because he loves it than the young kid who is just doing it as a summer job.  He gave great instruction and told us a bunch about the local history and geology.  Great guide.

We started off on the beach and paddled out into the ocean.  It was calm, there was a bit of sea fog and quiet.  We turned South and headed for the dinosaur caves.  Along the way we ran across tons of kelp beds, but also sea otters, seals and birds galore.  As John said, those rock aren't naturally white.  Lots of birds. 

As we got closer to the caves John had us shoot a narrow-ish gap between some rocks. I think this was a test to see if we were at all coordinated enough to go into the caves.  I guess we passed, but we will never know. 

We then turned and paddled into some of the caves.  It was really nice to feel the rock and sway of the ocean again.  I missed it. 

The caves were really cool and much more colorful than I thought.  The ceilings were often purple and green and almost iridescent.  The sound of the waves breaking into thunder inside the caves followed us through.

We took a break after an hour or so and hung out on a beach and had a snack bar and bottle of water.  Then back to the caves.  There were a few more adventurous options John offered to us that meant squeezing through tight spaces in moderate swells.  I always took those as you can imagine.  It is easy when you are on the open water to minimize the size of the swells, but around the rocks you are constantly reminded. 

We started paddling back North when Sarah spotted the dolphins.  John, being much more agile on the water, sped forward to get some pictures.  We managed to catch up and see the dolphins up close before they swam away.  We paddled through more caves, kelp and wildlife.  I have now added kayaking to the list of "Things I want to do more often.". 

We came home and I took a short nap.  Then Sarah took her mom to Pismo Beach and I changed to new tire onto the RV.  IT was a really fun day. 

9/10/12

Well I spent a large part of the day elbow deep in poop. 

I awoke yesterday morning to Sarah urgently calling out that the flush pedal had fallen off the toilet and the bowl was filling with water.  I managed to get it stopped and after some half assed repair attempts gave it up for the day and went to work. 

This morning I took the toilet out and went through everything.  I also took advantage of the chance and used the hose to spray directly down into the tank to clean it out a bit.  Sarah kept checking on me to see if I had passed out from the fumes.  Nope, I'm an ER nurse.  Stench is part of my work environment. 

Got it fixed, got the new tire picked up and the repair cable for the slide out.  But tomorrow I won't likely be doing that.  Tomorrow, Sarah and I are going kayaking in the ocean.  Her parents are going to watch the kids while go adventure.  It should be cool.  Maybe there will be pictures. 

More tomorrow.

9/6/12

"This is the best day ever!"  proclaimed Max.  He had an outstanding birthday.  Sarah did a tremendous job organizing, planning and pulling off a kid party with a football theme.  Max got tons of toys, I don't know where we are going to put them.  Oh yeah, we now own too many footballs.  I never thought I would say that. 

Then Daddy dropped the ball.  After the pizza, cake and presents part of the party was over, I volunteered to hang back and clean up while Sarah and the other two mom's and her mom took the kids out to the dunes.  Papa and I cleaned up the area and hauled everything back up to the RV.  There I made the mistake of turning on the TV to find the Cowboys game had just started. 

I didn't make it out to the dunes.  Instead, I selfishly stayed home and watched the game.  That didn't go over well.  There were stern looks presented and some terse words.  I apologized repeatedly and I lived to fight another day. 

Today we got up and Sarah and I managed to get a run in.  Now we are headed out to SLO to check out the farmer's market.  Might post later.  Doubt it, but it could happen. 

The Cape

The Cape changes things.

Put it on and either smile or stare out at the world with your steely gaze.

There is no boredom when you wear The Cape.

The Cape doesn't just promote action, it demands it. You don't jog with a cape on, you run.  You run so fast that it streams out behind you in a display of all your glory.  You don't walk around the fence, you go over it, you walk along the beam.  The Cape demands excellence, it demands your best effort. 

Happy Birthday Max.  I hope you realize you are always wearing The Cape even when you can't see it. 

9/3/12

Back home.  Spent the Labor Day weekend with my Dad and Julia.  Great visit with wonderful hospitality.  Michael and Max got to spend some time with Grandad and Grammy and also got to see the beloved Sam and Sylvia. 

There was great conversation, food and drink.  Maybe a little too much drink, but that happens sometimes.  Got home today after an eerily quick passage through L.A.. When we got home I installed the new converter in Irv.  I sure hope that solves the problem. 

Back to work tomorrow and then Max's birthday.  Oh yeah, gotta try to get the next contract ironed out too as we only have a couple of weeks left.  Nothing like being busy. 

8/28/12

Busy few days. 

Sarah's parents came to visit.  WE have been showing them some of the local scenery.  Then I had three workdays.  Today I am off. 

So we did the Montana de Oro hike.  Hike is a little much...walk.  We did get to the tide pools and see lots of cool sea life.  It was nice. 

Another big reason I haven't been posting is that the other night, our lights dimmed. dimmed...dimmed and essentially went out.  Papa and I chased down the problem all night and settled, eventually, on the theory that we need a new converter.  That is after we bought a new battery.  Sigh. 

So the converter should be here in a couple of days.  We will try to get it in as soon as we get it.  I have been dealing with this little gremlin since OKC after leaving Del Rio.  I am not a huge DIY guy anyway and am particularly hesitant when it comes to electricity.  I've been jolted enough to know I don't like it. 

Off again tomorrow, I don't know what we are going to do.  Then another day of work before taking off down to San Marcos to see Dad.  Busy busy busy.