Monday, August 11, 2008

A WOW RUN

Well.
Saturday morning was a surprise.
I had exerted myself off and on last week (installing vents and whatnot) and wondered if I would have any BBs left for the sabbath AM jaunt.
This included a leg workout on Tuesday with weights and a three mile run on Wednesday.

I started late - it was 6:09 AM when I started out and my lower back was immediately squeaking about being forced to bend at the angle I wanted it to be.
After a few hundred steps the spinal angle made peace with itself and everything there was fine for the rest of the trip.

I flirted with accelerated breathing at the top of Hill One and Two but settled down again each time with little problem.
I daydreamed through mile two and three and was deep into mile four when I realized that I was feeling pretty good.
Just prior to the end, my left knee started toying with collapsing.
This is not new and decidedly unwelcome every time it happens.
It only tried for five or ten steps then went away.

As soon as that was over, I was within sight of the finish line/crack and still felt like I had bullets left in the gun.
So I sprinted (such as I can) the last one hundred yards or so to the line.
My watch said 6:50.
Forty minutes? (rounded off)
Incredible. (for me lately.)
We will see if the trend continues.

After the run Saturday morning, I was pondering the schedule for the rest of the day.
I still have to put a final/pretty layer of compound on my walls to cover the insulation holes.
They look pretty good now, but need a final touch-up.
And I need to install a couple more soffit vents to help my attic breathe.
And the grass was getting longer....
But I was so proud of my performance on the running course that morning that after the usual shopping trip, I took the day off.
Certified couch potato.
I wrote a little and watched the Olympic games.

Another blog mentioned some new signs at a church and I happened to be going by the facility a week or so ago and snapped this picture of one of them.





My current congregation is located on a busy corner and it is common for people to take a short cut through our parking lot.
We put up some signs to discourage such behavior - but it has not helped.
We have discussed installing gates.

Today (Monday), I installated two more soffit vents.
They turned out the be more troublesome than the first five were.
The first one managed to locate itself astride a 2 x 2 support piece installed where two pieces of the old plywood soffit covering came together.
I had to get another saw to carve through it.
Once that was done, the vent went on with no problem.
The last vent wanted to make a historical statement, apparently.

The plan was to space the vents across the front of my house approximately evenly - about every six feet or so.
Well, the last vent found itself next to a rafter.
I've done this before so I started cutting away from the rafter expecting the other end of the hole to be next to the adjacent rafter.
Wrong.

The builders of forty years ago must have had two extra trusses to use up and they installed both of them side-by-side about eight inches from the other rafter.
So instead of cutting a single vent hole about 5 by 15 I had to cut two holes about 5 x 5.
Lets just say that this last vent is solidly supported.
Have I told you that I hate remodeling?
.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why does it matter if they cut throught the parking lot. It's saving them gas, saving the planet and that should make Al Gore and Oboma happy.

Paw said...

True.

Actually, most of the people who travel through our parking lot have missed the turn at Sam Thomas Road and are circling back to get on it.
That is, technically, extra gas use.

But I don't care if B. Husein Obama and Al Gore are happy.

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