1/30 of the way to my 5k!
It really feels good... It's nice to stretch out my legs and walk... my legs are feeling a bit tired, which kind of shows me how out of shape I've become...
It was a beautiful day in the low to mid 70's today... Perfect weather to be outside! I went on the same route today and I got a little farther, I think. I didn't think I had a stop watch... but it's amazing the things you find in your cell phone these days!
So, I set out, this time with my iPod in one hand and my cell phone in the other. This isn't going to work when I'm running... I may need to get a fanny pack.
Yeah, that's just gross... EDIT: NO that's not me!... OK, dumbest idea ever. I just need to run in shorts that have pockets I think, or get a watch with a stopwatch on it.
I noticed one negative of my exercising... I saw this spot on my right arm... it was a HUGE mosquito bite. Thankfully it didn't itch... until I noticed it, and then it wouldn't STOP itching. Until I forgot about it. And now it's fine... really weird!
Speaking of mosquito bites... this really odd thing happened to me today. I reached my halfway point, and as I was turning, I noticed there were two mosquitoes on my left shoulder. I smacked 'em, made 'em suffer for sucking my blood.
Not 30 seconds later, I left something on my left shoulder. I looked, and there were two mosquitoes there. Smack, dead vampire bugs. 30 seconds later, rinse and repeat. No fewer than 14 mosquitoes fell upon me for an afternoon snack. I sent all of them wherever mosquitoes go when they shuffle off this mortal coil, but the most interesting thing was that they all landed on my left shoulder. Maybe they saw the big old bite on my right arm and figured that arm was sucked dry, I dunno...
But I had about 1/3 of my walk to go, and my mind started running (Hmm... there's gotta be some joke there about my mind going faster than my physical self, but...).
I thought that I should probably put on bug spray before I go out (especially when I go on this route). The way I go takes me between two golf courses, but there are these ties right next to the trail that say "wetland mitigation." Now, you may not know what that is (unless you followed the last link), but I've learned that it's a plan to keep the same amount of wetlands in a general area. When one wetland area is changed to a form more usable by humans, another area, usually one that used to be a wetland, needs to be reclaimed. It makes sense from an ecological standpoint... wetland areas absorb runoff and additional rain and can store the extra moisture and prevent flooding. In light of the flooding that occurred in Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri earlier this year, areas like this can help to prevent situations like that from happening. You'll notice that the devastation all happened in urban areas. That's a bit of a Catch-22... There is additional run-off from the extra paved areas (sidewalks, roads, parking lots, etc), so it all runs off to the streams and rivers much faster and doesn't have an opportunity to seep into the ground... and the areas that are flooded were higher populated areas. Now, we heard about it because it was populated. But, the argument can be made that it flooded because it was populated. I know certain places in Lake and McHenry County flooded for the second or third time in the last few years. Part of that is due to the fact that people have moved to historical flood zones. Whether it be a 100 year flood zone or a 1000 year flood zone... it's still a flood zone! That means that one flood in 100 years or 1000 years floods that area... but it still floods that area! Of course, though, when levies are constructed and dams are in place, it's assumed that those structures will be able to hold against potential floods. Unfortunately, as has happened more frequently of late, these structures can still fail.
I feel really bad for people who have lost so much with the floods. But living in those types of areas means there's always a chance.
Wow... that ended up lots longer than I thought it would!
Anyway... I was walking through a wetlands area and a dozen mosquitoes wanted to feed off of me, and I thought of West Nile Virus. I dunno why... may have been the story I read in the Chicago Tribune, but I almost started to get a bit scared... I didn't know what the symptoms were, but I wondered if they were achy legs, shortness of breath, dry mouth... Then I realized I really was more out of shape than I thought I was!
Opening ceremonies of the Olympics tonight. Too long, I couldn't watch the whole thing... but there were some pretty cool spectacles! Amazing that 15,000 people were involved with the show! If you missed it, check out this sideshow on the Tribune website.
Saturday is my day off... not that I really need it, physically, but it will get me in the habit. And the MWWITW and I are probably going to go to Brookfield Zoo this weekend... maybe even tomorow. It won't be at the "workout speed," but it will be better than sitting in front of a desk, like I do all day!
Hope you have a great weekend! Feel free to comment to let me know who is reading this!
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