2009 Recap

Good bye 2009 

2009 is a year I would just as soon forget.  Not all bad, just filled with things that rocked me and the family hard.  In the spring I was faced with my first running related injury.  I came up with a stress fracture in late March that kept me from running for about 8 weeks.  This caused me to drop out of a few planned races and impacted my running for the rest of the summer.  In June my father-in-law Ray passed away after months of struggling with advanced Alzheimers.   Right after this my dad Marv started to have health issues and after a brief losing battle with Creutzfeld-Jakobs disease passed away in early September.  If all of that wasn't enough my Grandma Aili passed away at age 96 in December.  I'm really hoping 2010 is a lot better.

Running
I was able to get enough runs in the last weeks of December to be able to reach my revised goal of 1900 miles for the year.  Not a bad number considering I was not able to run at all in April and most of May, and had reduced numbers in March, June and July.  On October 27th I was able to reach the milestone of enough miles to circle the earth.

Some stats for 2009 
25,166 miles on the Odometer as of 12/31
1900 running miles
256 running events 
259 hours and 10 minutes of running
7.42 miles length of average run
1 hr 1 min time of average run
68 miles highest week
261 miles highest month
36.5 miles average week
159 miles average month
194 miles on the treadmill in 27 runs (7.18 average)

Miles by Month
Jan 221
Feb 230
Mar 206
Apr 0
May 88
Jun 115
Jul 172
Aug 261
Sep 180
Oct 135
Nov 115
Dec 179

Hunting
I know a lot of people didn't have a very good hunting year.  For me it was not bad.  I spend 365 days a year thinking about, planning for, and actually going hunting.  The food plot layout and crops turned out well.  I was able to get 4 deer.   Two with a bow and two with gun.  The eight pointer I got during gun season was the biggest eight point I ever got and may actually even outscore the two big ten pointers I got over the last few years.  I also had chances at another big deer while bow hunting so it was an exciting season.  There are still two days left in the season so there is still a chance for more if I get out there.   

Gardening
It was also a good year for the garden.  The vegetable garden turned out lots of produce this year.  The apple and pears trees finally were big enough and turned out bushels of fruit.  The pumpkin crop was the best in the six or so years I've been trying to grow them.  Winter is the time to plan for next spring and go through all the catalogs to order for next year.

      

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!

Running:

I've been able to keep up the running this week.  It seems my usual these days is about 7.5 miles or somewhere right around 1 hour.  I've been doing it on different routes to mix things up a bit.  Tuesday my 7.5 mile run was around several loops because of road conditions.  You can tell I didn't run over the two big hills I usually do because I ran it in 58:59 despite the conditions.   Wednesday I ran my usual 7.5 mile single loop course.  The roads were a bit better and the weather wasn't bad at all.  I ran this one in 1:02:23.  Today I was forced inside on the treadmill.  I actually used the iPod today which I haven't done for a while.  I ran the 7.5 miles in 1 hour.   That leaves me about 43 miles short of 1900 for the year with a week to go.  I finished up a few things at work and left for the day a bit early to get to church for the 4:00 services.  We spent a good night with my brother Tad and wife Colleen celebrating first my youngest daughter Alia's birthday, and then sharing a few Christmas gifts.   

Hunting:

Still haven't had opportunity to cut up the deer from last weekend yet.  Being off the next couple days I should be able to finish it up.  I got a call that my sausage from the last deer I got is finished.  Yummm...

Fresh summer sausage from this place is great.  

Gardening:

I guess this is the place to mention the weather.  What a mess this storm is turning out to be.  Several inches of snow, followed by freezing rain, then by just buckets of plain old rain.  I have to get the roof raked off before it gets cold again.  I can see ice dam's in my future if I don't get to it.   The picture above was taken at the Rittenhouse the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Forget the guy in the picture, see how nice this tree is!  Wow! 

Deer #4

Running:
I initally was intending to take the whole weekend off as I have since October.  Saturday that held true.  I cleaned the other side of the garage so now two cars will fit.  This is a good thing in the winter.  Sunday morning was cool, but calm and real nice for a run.  I choose to go out for a easy 5 miler.  I ran it it 38:12.  This put my total for the week up to 42.  I haven't been in the 40's since September.  Over 40 during my "off season" is a pretty decent number.  Today I got out during my lunch break for my usual 7.5 mile jaunt.  Took me 1:02:53 today.  65 more in 10 days to get to 1900.  Maybe.... 


Hunting:
Saturday was kind of busy, and I really don't need any more deer this year so I decided not to go out.  As evening came, looking out the window there were three deer within bow range of my stand including one nice buck.  Damn....  Sunday I again wasn't planning on going out.  The way it turned out we were just home in the afternoon and watching the Packer game.  At 4:10 I decided I would get dressed and get out there for the last 45 minutes or so.  I was in the stand by 4:20.  Wouldn't you know about 4:30 a single deer came out.  The deer approached from the far side of the field, feeding it's way down the standing corn towards me.  It took a good 15 minutes or so before it came in bow range.  I knew I had several people including my brother Todd who didn't get a deer this year and would be happy to take it so I decided to shoot this deer.  I drew back and let the arrow fly.  I knew I had a good hit, but in the fading light I couldn't tell how good.  I looked right away for the arrow and sign, but saw nothing.  I decided to back out for a few hours.  At 10:00pm I went back out with a flashlight.  I quickly found 1/2 of my arrow and some hair and blood.  Following the deer's tracks in the snow I quickly found it, just in the trees along the lot line.  Only about 40 yards from where I shot.  It's not a real big deer, but it gets me another buck sticker and provided a little practice at a real target.  This is deer number 4 this year.  Two with bow and two with gun.  My brother will be taking the meat from this one.  Picture forthcoming.


Gardening:
I was able to clean out the other side of the garage, because I finally called the local John Deere place to come pick up my lawn tractor.  I don't think I will be doing any more mowing until spring.  They have a winter storage program were they keep the tractor and do all the maintenance before returning it in Spring.  It's a pretty good deal when you don't do this kind of stuff yourself. 

Garden catalogs

Running:
Made it for a lunch time run every day this week.  The last three days have all been outside and over the same course.  The roads have been dry and clear, but most sidewalks are not plowed and the ones that are remain pretty slippery.  There are stretches of the road where I usually run on the sidewalks so not being able to brings me pretty close to the traffic sometimes.  Ever notice the people that don't move over an inch are usually senior citizens.  Wednesday I ran the 7.5 miles in 1:02:04, Thursday I ran it in 1:01:23, and today I ran it in 1:01:41.  This gives me 37 miles for the week.


Hunting:
No hunting this week so far.  I did stop at the taxidermist that still has a deer I brought in three years ago.  Dec 13th 2006 I brought this head in.  I asked about the status one more time on Thursday morning and he showed me I was eighth on his list.  Back in late September he promised October so I still question what he is doing.  I just want the thing back.  I really could raise quite a stink, but wonder what good that would do at this point.  


Gardening:
How many garden catalogs can you get in one year?  So far I think I'm setting a new record.  Books are coming in from places I've never heard of.  I'll likely just end up ordering from the same places but it's fun to look.

1800 miles

Running:
Monday I got outside during my lunch break for a nice 7 mile run.  The roads were clear and dry, but the sidewalks were not plowed at all yet.  I ran the 7 miles in 56:12.  I have lots of nice loops I can do to make the run any length I want.  In the winter I'll just do different series of loops depending on the conditions to get to the length I want for the day.  Tuesday I had every intention of going out.  When I was getting dressed I noticed I had forgotten to pack my warm running pants.  I haven't done that in a while.  I have duplicates of other things at work in case I forget something, but not that.  Running in shorts outside would not have been good, so I opted for the treadmill.  I knew I needed 7.5 miles to reach 1800 miles YTD, so that's what I ran.  60 minutes on the treadmill is about my limit anyway.  I hope to get out later today.  Because of the year it's been for me I'm ok with the YTD miles.  It will be the first time since 2004 and the start of marathon training that I will not reach 2000 though.  2000 miles has been my minimum goal for the year and until this year has been relatively easy to reach. 


Hunting:
Sure are lots of tracks in the back yard.  The deer have been hitting the corn, sunflowers, pumpkins, and turnips that I left standing for them.  Hunting in a rural but residential area I'm sure they are coming in well after dark.  I'll likely get out for some bow hunting this weekend hoping at least something chooses to come in a little early.


Gardening:
I have installed my pond heater.  So far it's keeping up with the cold.  I have kept the pond open and the waterfall/stream running year round the last few years.  This has worked well keeping the pond healthy and allowing the fish and frogs to survive the winter. 

Bye Grandma for now

Another tough weekend.  This weekend was grandma Aili's funeral service.  There have been far to many goodbye's this year to people so close.  My father-in-law Ray back in June, Dad in September, and now Grandma.  This was somewhat easier knowing that this is what grandma wanted, and as the pastor said at the service she had told him she was "ready to go" and be with god.  Still mutiplied by three it was hard and brought back thoughts of missing the others.  I'll always remember and miss you grandma, until we meet again. 

Running:
Friday before we left to head north I was able to get out for a 6.5 mile run.  Nothing significant about the run and did it in 54.02.  As has been my pattern most of November and December so far I took the weekend off from running. 

Hunting:

As I mentioned in the previous post, through Sunday was a state wide antlerless gun hunt.  Wasn't able to get out much this weekend.  I did get out with my brother Todd Saturday up in Bayfield.  There were so many deer tracks in all the fresh snow.  I really thought we would get something.  Nothing showed up at all for either of us in the 2.5 hours we had to hunt.  I got out in the back yard after getting back home last night.  Again lots of tracks appeared in the couple days I was gone, but nothing showed up last night.  There will be bow hunting opportunity until early January and if I choose there will be a gun hunt going on in this part of the state from 12/24 though the end of the season in early January.  Here's a cartoon that the Wisconsin deer hunters I think will enjoy

Gardening:
I am concerned about some of my trees and bushes at the moment.  The heavy wet snow is causing many of the branches to bend significantly.  A few have broken from the brutal cold and wind that followed the storm.  I'm hoping for a warmup so this stuff falls off.  I've read that shaking the snow off could potentially cause more damage than leaving them alone.  We'll see how patient I can be with this.

Snow and cold

Running:
Well the snow and cold finally made it here.  Before it did I got out for a 7.5 mile lunch time run on Tuesday.  Temps were not bad at all and the roads were clear.  There was an inch or so of snow on the unshoveled sidewalks.  This run took me 1:00:22.  Tuesday night and Wednesday the storm hit us.  We got somewhere around 10 inches of the heaviest wettest snow I can remember.  Knowing I had a lot of cross training (shoveling) to do, just to get a run in I opted for a quick 4 miles on the treadmill in 30 minutes.  Today the cold slammed us.  I geared up in appropriate winter stuff and laced up my Asics Arctics and went out for a ten mile run from home.  The temp when I started was about 0 with a wind chill of -15 to -20.  The run went pretty well.  Running in the Arctics, and with the cold dry snow the traction was OK.  The run took me 1:24:12 so you can see this is not much slower than normal.   When I got back from my run today I discovered that the power was out.  It didn't come back on until after 7pm tonight.  It got a little chilly in the house. 


Hunting:
Got out last evening in the backyard for a bow hunt and saw nothing.  The wind had started to pick up and the cold was settling in.  Everything was so pristine and white.  It was quite pretty to see.  Today is the start of the late antlerless season through all of Wisconsin.  There had been some talk of lawmakers cancelling this season, but I could find no news that it had been.  Tonight I got out again at the end of the day for a short while. This time with the shotgun.   I wasn't there long and a smallish doe showed up to nibble on my plantings.  I took aim, released the safety, and pulled the trigger.  "Click".  The gun didn't fire.  I have no idea why.  I quietly as I could ejected the shell that was in the gun and chambered another.  The deer had heard this noise and ran off not giving me another try.  Here I thought with a gun all I need is to see one.  I guess things go wrong not just with a bow in your hands.    


Gardening:
Shoveling has been the activity of the last couple days.  I don't have a snow blower or plow so everything is done by hand.  Wednesday made me think about the possibility of getting some help.  Man that snow was heavy.  Between the driveway, the deck, and cleaning off the roof I spent over five hours pushing the white stuff around.  My arms and shoulders still are a little tired.  Great cross training though I guess. 

Approaching snow

Aili Maria Paavola, 1912-2009


Published: Monday, December 7, 2009 10:55 AM CST

Aili Maria Paavola, age 96, of Sanborn, passed away Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009 at her residence. She was born December 23, 1912 in Marengo, the daughter of Nestor and Helena W. (Kuusisto) Heino.

Aili graduated from Ashland High School in 1931. She married Bruno W. Paavola on June 17, 1935 in Marengo. He preceded her in death on February 19, 1953. Aili owned and operated a farm in the Sanborn area until 1975. She was a member of the St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Marengo, a member of the Mary Martha Circle at church and was a woman of strong faith. Aili loved gardening, working outdoors, working puzzles and spending time with her grandchildren. She also sewed many quilts for the Lutheran World Relief.

She is survived by three daughters, Marie Sigler of Ashland, Martha (John) Oxley of Sanborn and Margie (Bryon) Petz of Sanborn; a daughter-in-law, Sandy Paavola of Bayfield; 15 grandchildren, Jeff (Sandy) Paavola, Scott (Cathy) Paavola, Cheri (John) Tserek, Tad (Colleen) Paavola, Todd (Keiko) Paavola, Vicki Roberts, David Sigler, John (Jenny) Oxley, Julie (Ben) Scott, Laura (Jamie) Bauknecht, Steven Oxley, Amy (Randy) Mashlan, Melissa Petz, Bryon (Amy Jo) Petz and Rachel (Jason) Juoni; 23 great-grandchildren, Karrie (Jay), Kylli, Alia, Joy, Elizabeth, Iris, Amanda, Michelle, Tina, Erik, Stephanie, Lauren, Madelyn, Kevin, Aili, Noah, Nathan, Sarah, Jayson, Joel, Josie, Brayden and Ella; three great-great-grandchildren, Emma, Andrew and Aubrie; four godchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; a son, Marvin Paavola; a son-law, Lester Sigler; two brothers, Frank and Arne Heino; and a sister, Martha Heino.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009 at the St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Marengo with Vicar Scott Holoubek officiating. Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11 at the Roberts Funeral Home in Ashland and will continue on Saturday the 12th from 10-11 a.m. at the church. Burial will follow in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Marengo.

Running:
As expected I took the weekend off from running.  With the start of the work week I got out today during my lunch break.  I wanted to be sure I got outside today.  We have an approaching snowstorm expected to hit tomorrow and leave 9 to 12 inches of snow before it's done.  This will impact the outside running for a while if it happens.  I'll run outside if I can, but may end up having to hit the treadmill a couple times.  I ran 7.5 today in 1:02:12. 

Hunting:
Got out bow hunting both morning and afternoons on Saturday and Sunday.  Saturday morning I saw 3 doe, in the afternoon right at the end of the day a young fork buck came in that I let pass.  I'm not sure I could have seen my pins to shoot even if I wanted to though.  Sunday morning I saw nothing even though it was a beautiful morning.  In the afternoon there was nothing until right at the end of the day again.  This time two young fork horn bucks (looked like twins) came in together.  They played and sparred with each other for a short while only about 25 yards away from me.  I just sat and watched them.  Off on both the left and right of me I could hear other deer milling about.  Maybe checking out the two deer that were close to me.  Nothing more came in and I eventually had to get out of the stand, scaring several deer as I climbed out of the tree in pitch blackness.  No sign of the big guy this weekend.  He may have me patterned.  I will probably try my other stand the next time I head out to this property to hunt.  Amazing I can hunt down here and see so many more deer than up north. 

Gardening:
Christmas decorations are all up.  Ouside lights went up on Saturday.  Sunday I got the tree up and put the lights on.  Sandy and the girls finished the tree and decorated the rest of the house.  Looks good.  As soon as everything is cleaned up and the boxes put back away I'll see about taking a picture or two to post.

Grandma Aili

Aili Maria Paavola, 1912-2009

Published: Friday, December 4, 2009 9:06 AM CST
Aili Maria Paavola, age 96, of Sanborn, passed away Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009, at her residence. She was born Dec. 23, 1912, in Marengo, the daughter of Nestor and Helena W. (Kuusisto) Heino.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12, at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Marengo with Vicar Scott Holoubek officiating.

My dear grandmother Aili passed away this past Wednesday. I'll post the full obituary when/if I can get it. While it's sad to lose another person so close to you it gives some peace knowing this is what she wanted. She was only a couple weeks away from her 97th birthday and had lived a long and good life. She had been in a declining state for years, but still lived at home with assistance until the end. I'll miss that big smile, her great big hugs, and the "loads of love" she brought to all of us over the years.


Running:
Feel pretty good about this week.  I got out for a run every workday for a weekly total of 33.5.  This is OK after most of the previous 10 days off.  I will be taking the weekend off from running.  Thursdays run was 7.5 miles in 1:01:12.  Friday was a very cold 6 miles in 49:16. 


Hunting:
I was able to get out early this morning for a bow hunt.  It's amazing I can hunt down here and see more deer in one hour than all 8 days I spent in the woods up north recently.  This morning 3 doe passed about 30 yards from my stand.  I kept hoping the big 8 pt might still be around and keeping tabs on them.  No sign of the big boy this morning.  There were a couple sets of large tracks in the snow where I had previously seen him travel, so I'm hoping that's him and that he made it through gun season.  I'll likely get out tonight for another try.  


Gardening:
I guess this fits in the gardening category.  I'll be busy for a few hours this morning and early afternoon putting up the outside Christmas lights and decoration.  Would have been nicer to do it when the temps were a little warmer for such stuff.  Today will only be in the mid to upper 20's.  The tree will be coming into the house as well.  I think decorating will occur on Sunday.

Zero weight gain

Running:
Back to work this week which means back to the usual lunchtime running routine. I was able to make it through gun season and Thanksgiving without gaining a pound. Typically I might put on as many as 15 pounds from my October marathon until I start training harder in January. Less miles and the holiday treats are a double whammy. So far so good this year.
I have been able to make it out every day this week so far. Monday I ran my 5 mile route in 40:00. Only the second time all year (other than the treadmill) the clock was stopped right on the minute. Tuesday I felt good so I decided to run the 7.5 mile route. I ran it in 59:30 or just under 8 minute pace. It was a great day for a run. Fairly quiet and mid 40's for the first day of December is incredible. Today I ran the same route in 1:00:31. The brisk North wind on the return portion of the run was the main difference in time.  Hit the 500 mile mark on my favorite pair of training shoes, so time to retire them.  Passed the 25,000 mile threshold on the odometer today.

Hunting:
I brought the deer I got up north to be processed by a guy close to my home. They really do a good job of skinning, butchering and make some pretty good sausage. They caped it out for me so I can bring the head in for mounting. I picked up the head and all the meat last night. Lots of meat from a deer that size. The head will go to the taxidermist on Thursday. I talked to a lot of people when I got back to work who didn't see anything. I see on the DNR website they have the kill counts from the gun season posted http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/news/BreakingNews_Lookup.asp?id=1511. Statewide everything is down an average of 29 percent, but some counties particularly up north are down much more than that. Bayfield county where I was looked to be down 33%. This is a similar drop from last year.


Gardening:
I got out to the garden this morning to pick another 5 gallon bucket of carrots. I still have a couple rows left that I will cover with straw and a covering so I can continue to harvest them through the winter.

I also found a few more kohlrabi and a little bit of lettuce that were still looking good.

 

I mentioned in the last couple posts about the concolor fir tree. This tree is also known as a white fir. Here is a picture of what they look like.

A lot like a blue spruce except they are very fragrant and the needles are long and soft, not short and stiff. I'll still post a picture of the Rittenhouse tree decorated for Christmas when I have them in my possession. They really do make a nice Christmas tree.

Hunting recap

I hope everyone had a good week and a great and memorable Thanksgiving.  While this was a sad year for me there is still lots to be thankful for.  Except for my brother Tad the rest of my brothers and sister were able to be together on Thanksgiving.  Several of us were able to take in the Wassail dinner concert at the Rittenhouse Inn on Saturday 11/28 to kick off the Christmas season as well.  It was a good time.  This update will primarily be a recap of my hunting week.  

Running
I was able to get out for a run mid day on Tuesday 11/24 so at least I won't have 9 days with no running. I got out for an 8 mile run in 1:03:58. The legs really felt fresh with the few days off. I hope having 5 more off won't put me back too far. As long as I'm distracted with the hunting season it's probably a good thing to take some kind of a break from training for a while each year. Things should become more regular during December although I won't pick up the mileage until January.


Hunting
This was a very different hunting season. It was sad and lonely at times missing dad, it was frustrating spending so much time on stand and not seeing anything, it was fun to hunt with my friend Wayne, my brother Todd and my daughter Kylli, and it was both satisfying and successful by bagging one of the best bucks of my life.


The season started off so slow. All the preparation and anticipation for opening day ended up just disappointing. I think I mentioned in my last post about how opening day is like Christmas morning as a kid. This season was like coming down and finding nothing under the tree for you. On opening day Wayne and I got in the woods early. A good hour before legal shooting time. For both of us after 11 hours on stand and no sightings it was quite frustrating. Especially when you hear a few shots close by. Sunday turned out pretty much the same way. I did see one deer briefly as it quickly passed through my area. Again another 11 hours with nothing to show for it. Monday morning it was raining and forced me to change stand locations. I was glad for the early prep work and to have a dry place to go, but still no deer sightings. Monday afternoon I went back to my primary location only because I felt it was the best place to be successful. Five more hours (now 27) looking at the same thing and no more sightings. Tuesday morning Wayne decided to head back early. He would have hunted in the morning had we been seeing anything, but they way things were he left right after getting up. I stayed up north as my wife and daughters would be coming the next day and I would go back with them.

Tuesday was a strange day. I decided to change spots and hunt out of my primary bow stand. As a gun stand it's a little tight as you can't see very far in the woods, but I've seen several deer at this location and welcomed the change of scenery. I've hunted alone a lot. In fact probably most of the time, but never felt as lonely in the woods as I did this day. I have to walk past what we call "dad's stand" on the way to mine. His not being there really hit me on this day as thoughts of being with him on past hunts kept circling through my head. Wouldn't you know at the very end of this day, the last minute of legal shooting time one of the nicest bucks I've ever gotten shows up. After 41 patient hours of waiting I didn't hesitate a second as the first shot presented itself. I heard the deer run 5 or 6 seconds and then silence. I knew I had gotten it. I quickly got down and checked for any sign of a blood trail to follow. With the fading light, no snow, and my small flashlight I wasn't able to see any thing. I went down the old trail in the direction the deer went but could not find it. I had resigned myself that I would have to find this deer in the morning hoping wolves, coyote's, or bears did not find it before I did. When I got back to mom's house she told me my brother Todd was coming early and that he would be there soon. When he arrived about 7:30pm I asked him if he wanted to go out in the dark and look for it. I'm glad he said yes. We went back in the woods armed with a lantern and bigger lights. After a brief search we were able to find the deer. Only 30 or so yards from where I had stopped earlier. What an impressive deer. Beautiful dark horns with eight perfect points. He was very muscular looking with swelled neck and glands from rutting. Probably the most handsome deer I've ever gotten. The drag out was very hard. With no snow and all up hill, this heavy deer was quite a workout to get back to the truck. We stopped on the way home to register and weigh the deer. He weighed 184 pounds. We arrived back at the house at 10:30pm. I just have to believe dad in some way had something to do with this deer showing up and being able to get it.   Here he is.

Wednesday I was looking forward to the rest of the family arriving for Thanksgiving and having my daughter to hunt with. The rest of my season was going to be all about trying to find a deer for her. She is quite a trooper and patient hunter. Despite our best efforts and spending lots of time in the woods over the next few days there was nothing more to show for it. I can't tell you how I wish I had a better story to tell here. Unfortunately the last several days there were no deer sighted by her or I. On Saturday night our last time out we both heard some deer milling about, but they didn't show up before we had to leave.

This puts another season in the books and certainly one with mixed emotions. December will bring a few more opportunities both with bow and gun. Hopefully I can put Kylli on one during the special holiday gun season. She has been able to harvest a deer the last three seasons and it would be nice to keep that going.

Gardening:
When we took in the Wassail concert at the Rittenhouse we were able to see how beautiful the tree we delivered a few days earlier really was.  Dad really picked out a special one for them this summer.  I'm glad this last one turned out to be so special.  The owner of the Inn mentioned a few words about the tree and dad to make it even more special. I'll post a picture once we download them.

The hunt is on

Running:
Catching up a bit.  Thursday was an off day from running and a travel day.  My friend Wayne and I headed north to Bayfield to get ready for gun hunting.  I did make it out early Friday morning for an 8 mile run in 1:06:08.  If I don't get a deer soon this could be my last run for about 9 days.  Maybe I'll have to take a mid day break sometime in the middle of the week anyway.  9 days off is a long time.

Hunting:
Thursday when we arrived we made it out to the woods to finish getting the stands ready.  While we were doing that we saw a nice buck chasing a doe around.  Certainly looked promising along with all the sign we saw.  Opening morning of gun season is always like Christmas morning when you were a kid to me.  It is so exciting to be out there.  This opening day turned out to be one of my worst in a long time.  11 hours on stand and not a single deer.  The weather was fairly warm so it was easy to sit, but all that time with no action wears on you.  Sunday turned out similarly.  Only saw one deer that obviously had been spooked.  He quickly entered and exited my area without giving me a shot.  I never even got a good look to see if it were a buck or doe.  11 more hours in the same place with only one sighting.  At least part of the afternoon went OK as I listened to the Packer game while I was sitting there.  Time to make a change on Monday. 


Gardening:
Only thing happening here is we took some time to go to the Christmas tree field and cut a few.  We cut one for Wayne, my mom, a big one for the Rittenhouse Inn and one for me.  All of these were Concolor Fir's.  They are really beautiful trees.  They have a different kind of smell to them, actually kind of citrus like and are real blue like a blue spruce except they have long soft needles.  I'll post a picture at some later time.

Lunch time running

Running:
Three days in a row running during work lunch breaks.  I ran the same 7.5 mile course each day.  Two big hills to get through on this run.  One on Springdale and another on Davidson.  The hill on Davidson is the same one I run on my 5 mile route.  The first one is at mile 3.5 the second about 5.5.  Monday I ran it in 1:00:11, Tuesday 1:00:52, and today 1:00:06.  Thursday will be an off day and a travel day.  I might get a run in Friday depending on what needs to get done.  Hopefully early morning before anything starts.  I hit 1700 miles even YTD after my run today.  So far my totals through today.
WTD 22.5
MTD 94
YTD 1700
ODO 24966


Hunting:
I had hoped to sneak out for a morning or evening this week.  That didn't happen for a variety of reasons.  I'm heading north in the morning to get ready for the gun season that starts Saturday.  I'll be heading up with my friend and coworker Wayne.  Right now I'm really looking forward to this season.  I didn't see a lot of deer on my previous trips up to Bayfield, but there was a lot of good sign.  Certainly more than last year which turned out OK.  My daughter will be hunting here in the back yard on opening weekend and then hopefully heading up on Tuesday after school.  She's done this the last two years and got a deer both times.   


Gardening:
Gardening chores around here the last few days were just keeping the pond clean and cleaning gutters one last time.  Friday I'll be heading into the Christmas tree farm to cut a few trees.  We have an agreement with the landowner to get a few last trees off the property this year.  After that I'll be totally relying on the patch I have in the back yard for all my trees.

Packer Game

Running:
No running on Saturday.  Sunday I had tickets to the Packer/Cowboy game in Green Bay.  A friend and coworker had an extra ticket and asked me to come along.  He's done this before and I'm really grateful he thinks of me when he has an extra.  It was a great game and lots of fun and the Packers even won 17-7.  I wore my dad's lucky fleece Packer shirt so maybe that was the difference.  He would have so enjoyed this game.  Sunday morning I did get out for an 8 mile run before I got ready for the game.  It was a really nice morning for a run.  I ran it in 1:06:08.  


Hunting:
Saturday I got out both in the morning and afternoon for a hunt.  I was disapointed to not see anything.  It's hard to tell if the big 8 point is still around or not.  The scrape seems to be inactive at the moment.  That could be because he's busy chasing does, or that someone else got him.  I hope it's the former.  In the afternoon the landowner (a non hunter) chose to come out and say hi to me while I'm in the stand.  This didn't help my chances of seeing something.  Nice guy, but I can't believe he did that.   I hope to get out once or twice this week before or after work, but don't know if that will work out.  Lot's to do this week before I'm out for a while for gun season and the Thanksgiving holiday.


Gardening:
The lawn is cut for I think the last time.  All the leaves are picked up and the garden cleaned up about as good as it can be.  I'm sad my rototiller won't start though.  I'll need to bring it in for service and get by without turning all the leaves over in the garden until spring.  Let it snow.

Work day routine

Running:
Back to the work day routines for a while at least. My runs over the last few days have all been during my lunch breaks. On Wednesday I ran my 4 mile and 2 mile loops for a total of 6 miles in 47:50. Thursday was one of those days where I wasn't sure I would get out because of a production issue. I got out a little late, but still made it. I decided because of time to just run on the treadmill. I did a typical 5 mile run in 40:00. Today I went out with my coworker Kevin. We've run together a few times over the past few months. It was good to have the company today. We ran the usual 5 mile route in a decent clip of 37:37. I have a little more than 300 miles to get to 2000 for the year. That has been my minimal annual goal since 2004, but I'm not sure I'll be able to make it this year. Losing 8 weeks completely to injury back in the spring is the only reason I'm not past it already. Running that many miles in December probably isn't a good idea, especially with no goal race on the agenda.


Hunting
No hunting since I got the deer last Sunday. I'm itching to get out again. I'll likely go both morning and evening on Saturday. Now that there is something in the freezer I'll likely be a little more patient and make sure it's a decent size buck before I shoot. At least until late season. Sunday I'll be going to the Packer/Cowboy game in Green Bay so there won't be any hunting on that day. Gun season opener is one week from tomorrow. Can't wait. Here's an interesting video I found about a bow hunt gone bad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD5zjUbWpXY&feature=player_embedded



Gardening
Saturday afternoon will have to be spent on a few remaining lawn chores. With the lack of daylight and the priority shift to hunting this doesn't leave a lot of time right now. I have most things done, but one last mowing and picking up the final leaves is in order for sure along with a few other odds and ends.

Bow hunt long weekend

I guess I have some catching up to do. I just spent four days up north bow hunting and just got back last night.

Running:
Thursday and Friday I worked 1/2 day from home last week. This allowed me to bow hunt a little and also get my weekday runs in. Thursday and Friday mornings I ran my favorite home loop of 6.5 miles. This run is very nice. Lots of rolling hills on quiet county roads through the country and part of the State Forest. Thursday I ran it in 52:06 and Friday in 53:21. Friday afternoon I headed on my way up to Bayfield. I took Saturday and Sunday off from running. Lots of other exercise though which I'll discuss a little more below. Up in Bayfield I have a couple of favorite loops to run as well. The challenge up there is finding the flattest route you can. No way around still hitting lots of hills. Monday I ran an 8 mile loop in 1:05:28 and Tuesday I ran a 6 mile loop in 47:50 before packing up for the drive home.

Hunting:

Last week Thursday I was able to get out hunting near my house both morning and afternoon. Both uneventful as I saw nothing. Friday morning I again went out and was able to get my second chance at the big eight point. So many things can go haywire bow hunting. Around 7:30 the big guy made his way towards his scrape just as the previous week. This time I waited until he committed moving forward before I drew back. He headed straight towards the scrape only 20 feet in front of me. I thought for sure he would stop at the scrape so I was waiting until then for the shot when he would not be moving. My mistake. He didn't stop. He walked straight through. By the time I grunted at him to stop in the next opening he was already 30 yards away. I took the shot which sailed right over his back. I was sick. I retrieved my arrow and left. As mentioned earlier I then headed up to Bayfield for some hunting. I hunted most of the day Saturday with no result. It was rather windy. I took a break mid day to complete a few other chores. Sunday morning was a different day. It was cold, calm and quiet in the woods. About 7:30 the woods erupted with activity. A spike buck first showed up and then a doe with a buck hot on her heals. The small buck really bothered the big one and he spent time chasing him off. They chased around me for a good 1/2 hour. Lots of fun to watch, but no shot. Sunday afternoon when I got back on stand it didn't take long for a smaller buck (3pt) to make his way up the trail I was watching. He stopped right in front of me to sniff a scent canister I had put out. I decided to take this deer. I made a good shot and was able to see where it fell. It was a heavy enough deer without any snow to drag on. Plenty of exercise for the day. I spent most of Monday and part of Tuesday morning butchering the deer. The temps were so warm it needed to be taken care of quickly. This kept me out of the woods as much as I would have liked, but it was good to fill the tag. I probably won't get a chance to bow hunt up there again this year. I still have tags available for hunting here. Also this weekend I spent a bit of time putting up a couple of gun stands and repairing a couple others. Everything is ready for the gun season opener two weekends from now. It was sure strange for me not to be helping dad with his stand or having him help me. This gun season is going to be filled with loss and emotion for me.

Gardening:

Being gone I didn't get much done gardening in my yard. I did notice that a buck is frequenting my back yard again this year. He wrecked another two of my Christmas trees by scraping them up with his antlers. I also assisted my mom with cleaning and shutting down her pond for the season. I also helped rake and mulch lots of leaves from her yard. Those big maples sure drop lots of leaves.

I'll take a bottle

Running:

With the start of the work week it was back to lunch break runs again. After the weekend off the legs felt pretty good. Monday I went out for a 7.5 mile run in 59:58. I purposely sprinted the last few blocks to make it in under 1 hour. Yesterday was one of those days at work that I didn't think I'd get out. I was working on a production issue through lunch time. I finally decided at 3:00 in the afternoon after finishing things up to go. I ended up on the treadmill to save time, but got 5 miles in 40:00 into the books.

Hunting:
For you hunters there is an interesting post on the whitetail365 blog. As a hunter scent control is talked about as the most critical element to success. This guy says deer aren't afraid of human urine. He even pees in the deer scrapes to rile them up. I don't think I'll try it. http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/whitetail-365

I haven't been out since the weekend. I will have to find a way to get out either before or after work a couple times over these next couple weeks. Prime time to be out there.

Gardening:
Spent some time cleaning up the pond for winter. This involved cutting back some of the dying vegetation, cleaning all filters, fishing leaves out, adding stuff to retard algae growth, and beneficial bacteria to keep the pond healthy. Not time to add the heater just yet.

Hunting weekend

Running:
There was no running for me this weekend.  First time that's happened since back in May I think. 
On a positive note for USA running Meb Keflezighi won the New York marathon last weekend.  First time someone from the US won the race in 27 years.  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/sports/02men.html?_r=1


Hunting:
Full out hunting, both AM and PM both days.  Saturday morning was very windy.  With the rut about underway I went anyway.  Earlier in the year I would not have.  I should have stayed home or gone running.  I stayed 4 hours but saw nothing.  Saturday afternoon was still breezy but the forecast called for things to quiet down a bit.  Got out with about three hours of light left.  I heard some deer moving at last light, but again saw nothing.  When I got back to the car there was a deer I scared as I was putting my stuff away.  Sunday morning I think was my chance.  It was cold and quiet.  I saw nothing until 8:00.  All of a sudden I picked out movement.  It was the big guy I had seen last week.  He walked in on the same trail I had seen him last Sunday.  He got to the same place behind the trees and brush and stopped to scent his scrape.  He then turned left and started to walk towards an opening I have.  I drew back.  Just before reaching the opening he stopped.  Now I'm at full draw.  He did not move for what seemed like forever.  My arm was in pain and shaking holding the bow back.  He was so close I couldn't let up though or he would hear/see it.  Finally he started walking and I knew this was my chance.  I let loose the arrow, but completely missed.  All I can think of is I wasn't still at full draw because of the length of the hold, or lost my peep sight, or maybe the tears in my eyes from the pain of holding so long.  The deer ran off seemingly not scared or unaware of what happened.  Maybe he'll be back, but he'll likely be off chasing does the next weeks.  I think this was my chance though at this big 8 point.  I passed on the ballgame Sunday and went hunting instead.  I had deer all over me all afternoon.  Several does and fawns and a young four point chasing them around.  I could have taken a shot at a few of these, but passed.  Maybe because the big guy left the area for awhile the others were free to roam about.  Another fun weekend of hunting.       


Gardening:
Finished putting remaining lawn things away.  Also got all the leaves picked up and the lawn mowed for maybe the last time.  Still have a little work to do on the pond before it gets too cold.  Feel good about catching up a bit though.

Lap 2 underway

Running:
I'm off and running towards completion of earth lap 2.  Actually October, November and December are usually my off season months for running.  I tend to run primarily just on weekdays during lunch.  Just enough miles so that when January training starts again I don't have to start all over.  Weekend days become reserved for hunting and remaining yard work and whatever other chasing is required.  After reaching the milestone earth lap on Tuesday I've run five miles each day during my lunch break.  I ran my usual five mile loop on Wednesday (42:08) and Thursday (40:44).  Today was raining pretty hard so I opted to stay in and run on the treadmill (40:00).   Since I'll likely not run again this weekend here are the totals through today.
27 WTD
135 MTD
1606 YTD
24872 ODO


Hunting:
All indications are the rut is close.  Notice all the dead deer on the side of the road all of a sudden?  I've seen deer even on my midday runs this week.  Activity is definitely picking up.  I'm looking forward to getting out the next couple days.  I hope the wind dies down before tomorrow morning.  It's really howling outside right now.  What will I do Sunday?  Watch the big game or go hunting?  I think hunting will win.


Gardening:
The leaves have really dropped the last few days.  With the wind right now I wouldn't be surprised to see them all off when it gets light in the morning.  Lot's of raking and blowing to do, but at least I should be able to get it done before it's real cold or we have snow on the ground.

Ceremonial lap 1 2009-10-27

Click here to view these pictures larger

Link to more pictures:  http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=Jeff.Paavola&target=ALBUM&id=5397854893743966401&authkey=Gv1sRgCKyay-DLjZnoIw&feat=email

Milestone reached!

Today's blog entry is dedicated to my completion of my around the earth milestone. I'll edit with pictures as I have them available from today.





Running:
Monday I was able to get out for a six mile run during my lunch break. I ran this in 48:12. I was raining most of the way, but I had to get this run in to set the stage for Tuesday and completion of my first earth lap. On the milestone run today I was joined by Dan Murphy from work. It was great to share the day with a friend and fellow runner. Dan and I talk frequently about marathon running. This is the first time we have run together though. I was happy he joined me and look forward to doing it again. We needed to time our return to the office because there was going to be some other coworkers there to observe the ceremonial breaking of the tape and take some pictures. We ended up needing to take an extra 1/2 mile loop to time our arrival for 1:00. We ended up running it (5.5) miles in 46:23. But time didn't matter today. It was all about completing the lap. Several people were waiting by the drive when we returned. It was great to celebrate the milestone completion with several friends from work.

The history:
While I actually probably reached this milestone some time ago, any miles I put on before 1988 were not kept track of. When I was 11, I actually started to run every morning on my paper route. This was more efficient than using a bike in hilly Bayfield. I ran cross country in high school all four years. I also belonged to the YMCA and Vic Tanny health clubs during the early 80's. So I've always ran some, but never consistently until 1988. So who ever would have thought that two job changes because of layoff, a new pair of Nike Pegasus running shoes, and the free running log that came with them would have lead to this. After 21 years of running almost every lunch break since 1988 and lots of weekend days, I have on October 27th 2009 logged enough miles to complete my first documented lap of the earth. 24,857 miles according to the run log I use. That's an average of 3.24 miles every day for 7670 days.



1988 was a very turbulent year for me. After being in one place for seven years the two job layoffs completely disrupted my routine. I no longer could easily make it to the YMCA where I had been going all that time. Because of that I decided I would begin to run more. I didn't need a gym for that. I went to a local running store and purchased a brand new pair of Nike Pegasus running shoes. These shoes just so happened to have a free running log given away with purchase. Early in 1988 my new routine was to run a few miles every work day either in the morning or at my lunch break. Since I worked in downtown Milwaukee I could run along the Lakefront and use the shower at the downtown YMCA where I had transferred my membership. In the fall another layoff came, but in November 1988 my new employer Fiserv had a shower I could use at work. Since there was no YMCA close I figured I would just run at my lunch break.

In the early years when our office was located on 114th street my running would be along a couple different routes. Unless there was snow I usually ran west along the power line which was close by, or if there was snow I ran loops around and in Greenfield park. When we moved to the current location in Brookfield I quickly found different loops of varying length, but pretty much settled on two different routes one four and another five miles. Thousands of miles have been put on these same couple loops. I do use the treadmill once in a while, but I much prefer to go out. And I have gone out all year round in all types of weather. I've run in -26 air temp, I've run in -50 wind chill, I've run in 100+ temps and hotter with heat factor, wind, rain and whatever else mother nature can throw out there. In 2004 a friend and coworker (now ex-coworker) Jerry Cameron talked me into training for and running a marathon. This has lifted my running to a whole new level. Over half of the earth lap miles have come over the past six years. Almost 13,000 of them. Living west of Milwaukee where I do is awesome for a runner. There is so much varying and interesting terrain. There is state forest, quiet country roads, paved bike trails, or many wooded trails to choose from. For me it makes running fun.

That original hand entry log was filled up in a couple years, as were a few more. In 1994 I created a simple .XLS spreadsheet, transferred my hand written miles into it and logged my new time there. Each tab was a new year. In 2004 I found a real run log on the Internet that I have been using since to log all my miles. Every year I've run in the neighborhood of 300 days each year. I've now run in 15 marathons, two ultra marathons, 4 half marathons and numerous other shorter races. Being able to run the Boston marathon in 2006 was definitely a highlight of this journey.

I don't know how long the next earth lap will take, but I'll keep at it as long as I possibly can. The next lap starts tomorrow.

Big buck sighted

Running:
First off congrats to my friend Jerry who completed the North Face endurance challenge 50k race on Saturday. I'm looking forward to his race report to hear details on how it went. I made it out Saturday morning to see the race start. Ottawa lake where the race start/finish was, is only 6 minutes from my house.

After I returned home I got out for my own run. I did 8.5 miles in 1:05:21. This leaves me with only 11 miles to go for my first earth lap. I'll likely hit it on my Tuesday lunch break run.

Hunting:
Hunting was a lot of fun this weekend. I ended up not going on Saturday morning. It was rather nasty with drizzle still coming down and a stiff breeze. Saturday afternoon I went out to a property I have permission to hunt about 5 miles from my house. At about 5:45 a large deer was approaching from behind me. I could see it was a big buck, but had no shot back there where it was. Soon the deer stomped it's feet and snorted loudly. I thought it must have heard/smelled me. Turned out it saw a black barn cat that was wondering through the woods. I wouldn't have thought such a big animal would be so bothered by such a small one. Anyway it ended up not coming any closer and never gave me a shot. Sunday morning I got out before light. About 7:15 the big guy came back. He approached right down the trail towards the scrape I'm hunting over. He stopped about 15 yards away behind some trees and brush. Only 5 feet from giving me a shot. He just stood there for what seemed like forever. Finally he turned and walked out the way he came, grunting while it walked away. Again no shot. Tonight I got out again and saw the same deer for the third time. This time it was very late, right at quitting time. Again it never came right in and just walked away not giving me a shot. It's encouraging to have seen it three times in a row. I hope over the next couple weeks as the rut gets in full swing he'll be a little less cautious and give me a chance.

Gardening:
I finally got caught up a bit over the last couple days. With the wind and rain over the previous days probably 50% of the leaves came down. I spent time yesterday and this morning raking them and piling them in the garden. After finishing that I mowed the entire lawn this afternoon. I also got the last of the potato's and sweet potato's dug as well as picked enough carrots for the week.

Buck rubs appearing

Running:
First I want to wish my friend Jerry the best on his scheduled 50k trail effort tomorrow morning. The weather has been awful for two days and will make the trail conditions less than optimal for his run. Last night I went to watch my daughter run at her last XC meet of the year. The coach decided not to run her in the varsity sectional tomorrow even though she has the teams 5th fastest time this year. So she ran in the JV race. I have not seen her time posted yet, but I know she finished 21st overall in the 16 school meet. There had to be 150 or more kids running in the terrible conditions. So she did well.

The last three days my running has been during my lunch break. On Wednesday I got outside for a 7.5 mile run in 1:01:55. The last two days it's done nothing but rain. I run outside in almost any weather, but cold drenching rain is one of the conditions I usually don't. I spent two days in a row inside on the treadmill. Both days I posted 5 miles in 40 minutes. Today I bumped up the incline a bit to change it up a little. I listened to my iPod today too, to help ease the boredom a bit. Anyway that brings me to within19.5 miles of my first earth lap. Likely I will make it on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday of next week depending on if I get out for a run this weekend.

Hunting:
Since the last post I finished butchering the deer from last weekend. I really don't mind doing this if I have the time. I'm looking forward to getting out a bit this weekend bow hunting. I'll be out early in the morning if it's not still raining. Bow hunting in the rain can be done and can be productive but if you need to do any tracking of an animal it can be near impossible. For that reason I usually choose to not go. I will likely get out for an evening hunt on Saturday and again on Sunday morning. The rut should be starting soon, so things will start to get exciting in the woods. There has been signs of buck activity (rubs on the trees) showing up around the yard this past week.

Gardening:
With the short days, lots else going on, and the crappy weather gardening has gotten the short end this week for sure. Fishing buckets of leaves out of the pond every day has been about the extent of it.

37 until milestone

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YWj8z8OqmBsIJZmSOXJpjg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJqk0uLBz8S2rgE&feat=directlink

Running:

Now I'm really closing in on that first earth lap. The snap of the page from my run log didn't show very well so I provided a link to the picture also. I'm only 37 miles away from reaching this milestone. By my calculation I will hit this next week. Now I need to figure out when I want to do it. In some ways I'd like to reach it on a weekend day. I have a few favorite runs that I like to do from home, and it would be easier to do something special afterward. On the other hand most of the miles on this journey have been accomplished at work and most of those over the same 5 mile route. It almost seems wrong to not do it there. What it looks like I should have done is sign up for the North Face 50K this weekend. Then I could do it in an exciting way. The race filled up last week though. I still have a few days to figure this out.

Yesterday I got another 5 in during my lunch break on my usual course. It took me 38:33.

Hunting:
One more leg to cut up and I'll be finished processing the deer from last Saturday. So maybe about an hour. I'm already thinking of my next hunts. This weekend I will likely hunt on my wife's bosses property where I have permission. The last couple years I've scored on a big one on this property. It's only a five mile drive from my house to get there. It's definitely one of my favorite places to go.

Gardening:

I keep thinking of all the things I need to get done yet in the yard this year. It's so hard to fit everything into the weekend days though. By the time I get home at night now it's usually dark or to late to start anything at least. May have to think about a day off from work to catch up a bit.

Packers win

Running:
Because I was able to get a deer on Saturday, that freed up my morning to get out for a run on Sunday. Sunday morning there was a very heavy frost. The temperature was down in the mid twenties. It was very calm though. I dressed up about as warmly as I do for many winter runs. I ran 8.5 miles in 1:05:35. I kind of expected to see some hunters out while I was on my run, but I saw no one in the usual spots and heard no shots the time I was out there.

Totals through Sunday:
34 WTD
72 MTD
1544 YTD
24810 ODO (47 miles short of my first earth lap)

Today I got out during my lunch break for a 5 mile run in 39:26.
Here's a link to a few more marathon pictures. These are all just thumb size. http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=Jeff.Paavola&target=ALBUM&id=5394511573709379905&authkey=Gv1sRgCPnWmdegxfbCPQ&feat=email

Hunting:
On Sunday I was hoping to get out hunting in the evening for a couple hours. After watching and/or listening to most of the Packer game, then going to watch the kids soccer game I just kind of ran out of time. The Packers won by the way, beating the Lions 26-0. I spent some time last night and this morning cutting up the deer I got Saturday. I decided I couldn't justify the cost of processing with a deer of it's size. I've got most of it done. I put the parts not done in the extra refrigerator to finish later. I have just a little more work to do before I'm finished.

Gardening:
After watching the Packer game until about half time I got out to mow some of the lawn. I listened to the second half while I push mowed and bagged the sections of lawn I usually do that way. Most of the clippings and chopped leaves end up going directly on the garden this time of year. Hopefully then I can rototill them in before the ground is frozen.

Earned my buck

Running: This picture is from last Saturday 10/10 when I was up in Bayfield. The first snow of the year.

On Friday I got out for an easy five miles on my lunch break. I ran my usual 5 mile route in 40:39. Today was a hunting and work in the yard day so I took the day off from running.
My youngest daughter was to have run in the Conference XC meet this morning. She has been sick most of this week, and woke up this morning not feeling well at all. She had to take take the day off. I don't know if this will affect her chances to run varsity at the sectional meet next week or not.

Hunting:
Well this evening I "earned" my buck. I finally scored on a small doe. It feels kind of weird though. Dad would always be the first one I would call when I got one. This is the first time I couldn't do that. Anyway after a couple of mornings and evenings without getting anything it feels good to take this pressure off. Tonight is the homecoming dance at our kids high school. I had some duties including driving them to the dance so I wasn't even sure I would get out tonight. I was able to finally make it out in the back yard around 5:45. A little later than I would have liked, but on this day it would have to do. I was only there about 15 minutes when a deer appeared out of the woods. It proceeded to make it's way into the food plot I put in. I watched it feed for about 15 minutes when it started walking towards me, but out of the food plot. I was pretty sure another bigger one wasn't coming so I had to take my chance. At about 25 yards, out of my new stand I put up I took the shot. The deer ran about 30 yards and fell within my sight. Thank goodness no tracking tonight. I tagged the deer and left it there to deal with later. I had to take the kids and some friends to the dance so I took care of that first and then came back to finish cleaning and hanging up the deer. Tomorrow I will take it in for registration and processing. I'd process it myself if I had the time tomorrow, but I know I won't. It's a nice cool night so the meat will stay in good shape.

Gardening:
Today I had to clean all the leaves from my gutters. I did both stories of the house. Not many of the leaves have come down, but there were plenty to fill up all the gutters. I also got most of the lawn furniture, lawn ornaments, and planters put away into storage. This took most of the afternoon. I don't have room for everything until bring my lawn tractor in for winter storage. The local John Deere place offers free storage for the winter if you allow then to take care of any tune up or mechanical issues over the winter. I've done this the last several years. I think there could be 2 or 3 mowings yet this year.

Hate the "mill"

Running:
Wednesday I was able to get out for my run during my lunch break. I managed 8 miles in 1:00:45. It was cool and cloudy but a real good day for a run. I broke out the tights and a long sleeve shirt for the first time this fall. Today was just a real nasty day. There was rain or drizzle all day. I opted to stay in for my run today. I ran on the treadmill at work. Did I ever say how much I dislike the "mill". Anyway I did 5 miles in 40 minutes. I'm now somewhere around 60 miles away from my first earth lap. I hope to make it by the end of October.

Hunting:
Today started a special gun season for antlerless deer. This season runs for four days. I managed to get home from work in time to get out for the last hour or so of light. Because of the earn-a-buck rules in place in this part of the state I'm really hoping to put my tag on an antlerless deer before the rut kicks in and bow hunting gets serious. How sad would it be to have to pass up that big buck because I didn't have my "buck sticker". I would not be happy.

Gardening:
A nasty day today and little time for gardening. I have a few chores that are lining up to get done before the weather gets too cold. There will be lots of leaves to clean up too, once they turn and start to fall. Most of the leaves are still way to the green side around here yet. The wind over the past week did knock some down before they turned. I did notice that the gutters need to be cleaned from the ones that have come down.

To run or not to run

Running:
Not much has been going on in the running area for a while. I’ve still been primarily in recovery mode since the marathon. Last Thursday I did manage to run 4 miles on the treadmill in 32:00.
My plan for this past weekend was to head north to Bayfield. I took Friday and Monday off from work to get in a long weekend. I had lots of chores to do before I left and of course everything took longer than anticipated so I got off to a late start. All the way up I kept playing in my mind that I should run in one of the Whistlestop races on Saturday. I was feeling pretty recovered and thought maybe I could run in the half marathon. I mean as long as I was up there why not. I was confident I would try this until I got closer and heard the local forecast for Saturday. Cold, windy and wet. I still went to the expo with the intent of signing up and actually had the form in my hand. When I saw the $75 cost for the half, my mind changed. I just couldn’t justify the cost of running in miserable weather for a non goal race that I probably wouldn’t do that well in. I scored a new pair of Asics Nimbus running shoes for $50 at the expo and left confident I made the right decision. When I woke up Saturday morning and things were even worse than forecast I was happy I made this decision. I didn’t get out to run at all over the weekend so I ended up with a measly 8 miles for the week. Tuesday I got out for a 7.5 mile run during my lunch break in 59:03. The legs felt great and it was real good to get out there.

Hunting:
I finally got out for my first hunts of the year. My original goal for Friday was to leave in enough time to get out hunting in Bayfield when I got there. Because of my late start this didn’t happen. All the way up north Friday afternoon and evening there were deer out everywhere. Probably feeding with the storm heading towards Wisconsin. The weather was perfect too, so I wasn’t happy I didn’t get out. Saturday morning was terrible. No deer in its right mind would be moving around with the kind of wind we had. I stayed home. Saturday evening it was still breezy, but considerably less than most of the day. I got out for my first hunt of the year. I was only out a couple hours and didn’t see anything, but it was good to be out there. Sunday morning I headed out well before light. There’s something unnerving about walking in the woods in the pitch blackness when you know there are bears in the woods with you. I kind of get used to this a bit after a couple of times, but I was sure jumpy on my way in. I hunted for a couple hours and again saw nothing. Sunday evening things really changed. The weather really calmed down. The woods became very quiet. The leaves on the trees were not moving at all. I could hear things as small as a mouse rustling in the leaves below me. Almost from the time I arrived I had deer all around me. Several passed by pretty close, but I saw nothing I could or wanted to shoot at. I don’t know how many I actually saw because several of the deer passed by a few times. Maybe there were 6/7 total. It was exciting though and the time passed quickly. On Monday morning I decided to try an alternate stand site. It was a nice morning but I didn’t see anything but a few squirrels.

Gardening:
As mentioned earlier I had a lot of work to do Friday before I left. This work was all garden related. With the impending freeze that was coming I had to haul all my pumpkins (maybe 60 of them) from the field up near the house and into the trailer to cover them. The squash also needed to be brought in the garage for protection. I picked about 2 wheelbarrows full. I picked about three bushels of apples of different varieties too. There also was other things to pick and other vegetables to cover to protect them from the cold. The leaves are beginning to fall too, so the pond gets covered with netting to protect from most of the leaves ending up in the water. If it weren’t for May and October the garden chores aren’t so bad. These months can be overwhelming with all the things that need to be done.

Recovery mode

Running:
This is recovery time from the marathon effort last Sunday. As of this morning I feel pretty good. Monday I took completely off from any physical effort. Tuesday I made it down to the workout room at work and did 20 minutes on the elliptical machine, some weights, and stretching. Wednesday I got out for a four mile run without the watch. I'm guessing at about 9 minute mile pace. The first half mile or so I was a little stiff, but things loosened up and the rest of the run was great. I also did a few more weights and stretching after the run. Not sure what's next. I'll have to see if there are any more races I'd like to do this fall. Usually my focus turns to hunting after my fall marathon so there may be no more this year.

Hunting:

I'm really looking forward to getting my hunting season off to a start this year. I still haven't been out yet this fall. That will change this weekend. I have some clothes to wash and some gear to get ready yet but I'll be out there.

Gardening:
I have picked all the pumpkins and squash and have them in piles down by the garden. The pumpkins really turned out great this year. We have a freeze predicted for this weekend so I'll need to cover them with a tarp to save them. I've begun to sell the pumpkins. A couple of people from work came out with their kids/grand kids and got some. Several more have been brought into work to sell, and the rest will be sold through a local garden center. I have a second crop of lettuce and some brussel sprouts that will also need to be covered, everything else left in the garden is a root crop and will be OK through a short freeze.

Race report

Running: Lakefront Marathon race report

Thanks for the picture Jerry!

Good thing I had a decent nights sleep on Saturday. As usual I woke up at about 3:00 and couldn't get back to sleep. At 4:00 I got out of bed and started the usual pre-marathon routine. By 5:20 I was ready to go and headed off to meet Jerry and his dad Tom for the drive to Grafton for the start of the race. Found Jerry's house just fine and after brief hello's and loading the car we were off. We stopped to pick up another friend of Jerry's (Dave) along the way. We made it out to Grafton nice and early and set up camp in the school cafeteria waiting for the start.

The start eventually came off without a hitch. My plan was to start the race at 7:10 to 7:15 pace and keep this up through at least half way to give me a chance at a PR. I knew it would take a great second half to reach this. I started back a little farther to try and avoid the usual jack rabbit start. The first mile was easy, but my Garmin registered the first mile early. I had set the auto lap feature so I didn't have to worry about hitting the lap button each mile. So the first mile looks worse than it was. They were calling out the times at the miles so I know I hit the first one at 7:15 minus the 7 seconds it took me to get across the start line. So right where I wanted to be. The next several miles I just tried to lock into pace. I did real well through the first 8 miles. I know I need to run a little faster than 8 MPH to be close to where I think I can finish time wise. So in my head I try to think about the race by 8/8/8 and 2.2. So I know if I run each 8 mile segment in just under an hour and get to 24 miles in a few minutes under 3 hours I'll be close to where I want to be. I hit the first 8 miles at 57:37 (7:12 pace) which was perfect. The next eight miles I just slowed a bit. Nothing really happened here and I felt fine, I just lost the pace. At half I was 1:36:50 (7:24 pace). At this point I started figuring out all my top goals for the day were already gone. This can really start to play in your head. When I met Jerry at about mile 15.5 I was still feeling and running pretty well. I made it to mile 16 at 1:57:54 (7:22 pace). There is a slight discrepancy here because the half time is from the clock and the miles are from my Garmin. Anyway I'm still not far off from my goal, but I know I don't have it in me to speed up. The next 8 miles were really a struggle and a mind game. It's hard when your goals have passed you by and you know how far you still have to go. Somewhere in here a guy passed me that had a shirt that said "for U dad" and had his dad's picture. I talked to him briefly and tried to keep up for a while. This got me back on track to at least not give up. Any time I hurt and wanted to stop I just thought about running the rest of this race for my dad and to finish without walking to make him proud of this day. I struggled on. At mile 23 you finally hit a downhill portion where you get a good view of the lake and start to see the city skyline just beyond the race finish line. When we made the turn onto this section the wind seemed to pick up and blow directly in your face, even though the main direction was West. Frustrating when you are struggling to feel the wind work against you. At mile 24 I was already at 3:03:04. These last few miles were tough and on concrete, which is really hard on those tired muscles. I just kept pushing one foot out in front of the other. I passed several people who had to stop and walk during this stretch. Finally I made it to the break wall and a last right turn to the finish. Some guy had closed in on me the last half mile, but I was not going to let him pass me. I picked up the pace for the final .2 to finish in 3:23:14. I finished 215th overall out of 1885 finishers. This also keeps my streak of Boston qualifying races alive at 14. It's interesting that my finish time is almost exactly what my 5k time plugged into the race conversion calculator told me I'd get. It's not my best time, but considering the way this year has been and coming all the way back from a stress fracture in March I'm OK with it.

After I finished I made it for a quick massage. I then picked up my gear bag and changed clothes. Found my way to the food and of course the beer tent. I then found Jerry and we went to watch for his dad to finish. We talked about a lot of things running and non running related. Just after 5 hours Tom came around the corner. We then met up and we all headed back to the car for the trip home. Over all it was a pretty good day, and good company.

Here are my splits taken off the Garmin:

Mile 01 6:47 (short mile - actually 7:08)
02 7:01
03 7:19
04 7:17
05 7:08
06 7:23
07 7:17
08 7:20 - 57:37
09 7:21
10 7:32
11 7:27
12 7:29
13 7:34 - (13.1 1:36:50 actual clock time not Garmin)
14 7:32
15 7:42
16 7:37 - 1:57:54
17 7:48
18 7:54
19 7:54
20 8:19
21 8:17
22 8:10
23 8:29
24 8:15 - 3:03:04
25 8:42
26 8:56
last .20 2:30 - 3:23:14 (garmin was .34 not .20 so 26.34 total instead of 26.2)