Sunday, 8/8/2021 to Saturday, 8/14/2021

This blog post is saved as I write it to avoid the Blogger "Auto Save" feature. I have found (as have others) that if you accidentally delete your entire blog post before you publish it that "Auto Save" will kick in within seconds to take you to a blank page. I have done this more than once! This feature is turned off once you publish the blog post. Then if you accidentally delete your entire post it is not final until you click Update (so you have a chance to realize that you are about to do something stupid).

I walked 3 times this week, 4.4 miles.

I didn't run this week.

I biked 4 times this week, 50.66 miles.
I took 29,484 steps this week according to my Garmin Venu smartwatch.
My Venu gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt). My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

WALKING/RUNNING/BIKING: I have done a bit of research. I think I have plantar fasciitis in my right heel. So ... I will be walking for a while or running a mile every so often. I can still walk slowly and bike. Yes, I know I should go to see the doctor. I bought a new pair of Kuru Atom walking shoes from www.kurufootwear.com on 8/1. Their claim that they help anyone with foot problems spoke to me since my feet really hurts after a day of walking. I also bought 2 Solemenders to help ice my right heel.

BTW, I am on a 410 day streak of either a walk, run or bike of greater than 1 mile (as of Saturday night, 8/7). There were a few days when a mile was all I could walk or limp.

COVID-19: I have a L3Harris Vaccinated badge to put on my L3Harris badge when I work for Ricoh on -site but I still wear a mask. L3Harris went back to all mask policy despite vaccination status on 8/3. I still wear a mask when I go into a grocery store like Wegmans or BJs. I still socially distance. Why? Because of the Delta variant that's why. Christine and I have had both shots of the vaccine (hers was Pfizer and mine was Moderna). All my kids have had the COVID-19 vaccine or have had COVID-19. I know the drill. I listen to CNN, Fauci and science. Yes, I voted for Biden (just throwing that out there). No, I don't believe in the Big Lie or any of the Republican nonsense about anything (believe me, I could use stronger words).

Sunday, 8/8/2021

798 steps, 47/126 resting/max HR, 8:24 hrs sleep, 3 floors climbed

bike: 15.54 miles, 1:08:09, 13.7/22.9 avg/max mph, 101 feet elevation gain, 57/82 avg/max cadence, 74F, 67% RH, 2 to 8 mph W wind, sunny

I got out for a bike on my slightly longer "Out to East Manitou Rd and around" route. I saw a solitary blue heron on Buck Pond. I passed within 20 feet of it and knew that it would fly off if I braked to a stop (I tried that twice last month) so I rode onward. I saw at 15 bicycle riders coming toward me at 9:13 AM as I headed up LOSP Trail to Greenleaf Rd.

We watched a lot of US gold medal Summer Olympics coverage on Sunday afternoon. The Summer Olympics were already over by Sunday morning at 9 AM and I already knew the scores on all the games (Women's beach volleyball, Women's basketball, Women's soccer for the bronze, Men's basketball and Women's Water Polo) but it was still enjoyable. But ... I watched a LOT of Summer Olympics and I'm kind of glad it's over.

Then ... we lucked into a TCM run of Ester Williams movies (her 100th birthday was today). We saw half of 1949's Take Me Out to the Ball Game (with Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Betsy Garrett), then 1952's Million Dollar Mermaid (with Victor Mature, Walter Pidgeon and David Brian) and  and the hilarious 1945 Thrill of a Romance (with Van Johnson and opera singer Lauritz Melchoir). We set up a DVR of 1946's Easy to Wed (with Van Johnson and Lucille Ball) and went to bed.

Monday, 8/9/2021

6233 steps, 47/108 resting/max HR, 6:53 hrs sleep, 181.6 lbs, 7 floors climbed

walk: 1.65 miles, 25:23, 15:24 pace, 15 feet elevation gain, 88/127 avg/max HR, 112/155 avg/max cadence, 75F, 84% RH, 1 to 7 mph SW wind, mostly cloudy

shoe: Kuru Atom 10.55 miles

I got out for a walk on my "Out to Ling Rd" route. I stretched before and after. I felt a bit better so I threw in a 0.2 mile of an easy run. But ... my right heel hurt like hell by the time I got home around 1 PM. My 2 Solemender that I bought last week for my right heel came in the mail today. I unboxed it and put the 2 rollers in the freezer right away. I rolled my right heel after one of them had gotten cold enough ... it did help. Stretching helped too.

Tuesday, 8/10/2021

2863 steps, 44/116 resting/max HR, 7:46 hrs sleep, 180.2 lbs, 3 floors climbed

bike: 13.31 miles, 1:02:05, 12.9/18.0 avg/max mph, 50 feet elevation gain, 53/70 avg/max cadence, 77F, 77% RH, 1 to 7 mph W wind, mostly cloudy

10X on my cell helped bring this blue heron a lot closer

My lovely wife, Christine, says this is a hibiscus

I woke up a lot during the night plus I had set my alarm for 5:35 AM instead of 5:50 AM so I was a bit tired when I woke up. But ... a streak doesn't continue on its own ... so I got up, got dressed and got it done. I considered cutting my ride a bit short but did my usual "Out to East Manitou Rd" route. I was glad I did. 

My new Livall bike helmet

Today was my trial run with my Livall bike helmet that I bought off of Indiegogo on May 13th. It took a long time to get to me, Easy Post link here. It was shipped via boat on 6/28 and didn't get into USPS's tracking system until 7/30. I received it on 8/7. It's a smart helmet that has lights, turn signals controlled on the handlebars, an intercom with other Livall helmets (that I will never use) and can even play music off my cellphone (haven't tried it yet). I have it hooked up to the Garmin HR strap. I think it will come in handy for early morning rides.

It's amazing the things you see when you look around. I saw that the town of Greece had built a sidewalk in that tiny playground at the end of Long Pond Rd. I had wondered what they had been doing all spring and most of the summer. I saw a line of seagulls on top on one house on Edgemere Drive. I looked around for Hitch, Tippi, Rod and Jessica from The Birds but all was quiet ... for now. I stopped to take a picture of a hibiscus and a blue heron on Long Pond. I tried for a closer picture of another blue heron on Buck Pond but it was camera shy.

Wednesday, 8/11/2021

3935 steps, 46/123 resting/max HR, 181.7 lbs, 8 floors climbed

walk: 1.65 miles, 24:33, 14:54, 7 feet elevation gain, 91/128 avg/max HR, 113/160 avg/max cadence, 75F, 100% RH, calm, partly cloudy

shoe: Kuru Atom 12.20 miles

An overnight rain almost washed out the latest art from Instagram's chalk.mom

I got out on my slightly longer "Out to Ling Rd" route. I threw in a 0.4 mile run in the middle. I stretched before, after and during the day. I didn't much walking during the day and my right heel did hurt. I believe it would have been gotten worse if I had. But ... I am being aggressive in stretching and icing my right heel ... so I am hopeful.

Thursday, 8/12/2021

5000 steps, 46/127 resting/max HR, 8:33 hrs sleep, 180.4 lbs ,7 floors climbed

bike: 8.50 miles, 41:54, 12.2/29.2 avg/max mph, 115 feet elevation gain, 54/86 avg/max cadence, 77F, 77% RH, 6 to 18 SSW wind, mostly cloudy

I got out on a shorter "Out on the pier and around" route for two reasons: the sunrise and my right knee. When I got to a rise on River St I could see the sunrise was imminent and that a boat was leaving so I hurried to a good vantage point. I got a few good pictures. A photographer with a camera and lot more expensive lens showed me his shots. Nice! I got up to 28 mph at the Edgemere Drive and Dewey Ave hill according the Greece PD radar trailer ... speedy! I do like the rush of the wind! So ... a good start to the day!

My home office setup in the basement

My home office setup ... my L3Harris laptop on the left is tied to the left 2 LCDs and my personal Dell E6430 laptop is tied to the right (and largest) LCD.

Friday, 8/13/2021

6771 steps, 50/100 avg/max HR, 6:36 hrs sleep, 7 floors climbed

walk: 1.1 miles, 19:04, 17:22 pace, 5 feet elevation gain, 82/92 avg/max HR, 105 avg cadence, 77F, 80% RH, 1 to 10 mph S wind, partly cloudy

shoe: Kuru Atom 13.30 miles

I slept in a bit for another  45 minutes when my alarm went off at 5:35 AM and was feeling a bit lethargic so I just did my "Another mile" route. I got it done. Walking instead of running kind of sucks but I am trying to stretch. It's a pain!!!

The roses have bloomed!

The knockout roses that we got at the Garden Factory have taken off and bloomed quite nicely.

Saturday, 8/14/2021

3884 steps, 50/136 resting/max HR, 6:08 hrs sleep, 180.9 lbs, 10 floors climbed

bike: 13.31 miles, 56:26, 14.2/18.3 avg/max mph, 53 feet elevation gain,  55/78 avg/max cadence, 70F, 62% RH, 4 to 10 mph W wind, mostly sunny

I was up at 5:45 AM but puttered around on email and Facebook until I finally thought ... "well, a ____ doesn't get done by itself" where the blank is filled with a walk, run, or bike (or maybe two or all three). So I got up, got dressed and got out there. I decided on a nice and easy bike on my usual "Out to East Manitou Rd" route. I saw the usual sights with more people out since I was out a bit later than usual. A nice and easy bike to  start a Saturday!

Seeing eye to eye with a sunflower ...

I went to see my daughter, Karen, in Palmyra. I did the usual for her ... take out her trash and recycling. She told me what had been going on and we watched some Steve Colbert monologues from her laptop.