Run 581 and 582: Down, but not out

Run 581
Average pace: 6:15/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 12:40 pm
Distance: 1.98 km
Time: 12:25
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 28ºC
Humidity: 33%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 164
Weight: 164 pounds
Total distance to date: 4487 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone 8

Run 582
Average pace: 6:22/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 1:02 pm
Distance: 3:01 km
Time: 19:14
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 28ºC
Humidity: 32%
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 164
Weight: 164 pounds
Total distance to date: 4490 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone 8

I got started later than expected, but it didn’t look like it would be too hot, as the temperature was around 24ºC when I headed out. I originally planned on running at the river but the lack of shade convinced me to go ahead and do a counter-clockwise circuit on the lake instead. Was this a miscalculation? Read on to see!

By the time I got to the lake the temperature had gone up to 28ºC. This is Africa Hot territory, it’s significantly warmer than the last run (16ºC) and I’d kind of skipped out on the runs during the week, so I was going in with a full week off. Plus I’d walked the lake loop yesterday, which might have left me feeling tired (though I felt fine heading out).

I started off and thought I’d push just a little for the first km, knowing my pace would surely droop after, so it might lift my average time a bit. I averaged 6:04/km, which is already not great. By the time I neared the 2K mark I had crashed out to 6:28/km, which is very bad for less than 2 km of running. I did not feel good. I mulled my options, then decided to call the run there (had I looked at the watch I would have pushed the wee bit to make it an even 2 km because I’m obsessive like that).

I switched to a walk and after about a km I felt recovered enough to start running again. I set a goal of 5 km but would be satisfied by just picking up the remaining 3km of my original 5K.

I definitely felt better hitting the 2K mark this time, but I was exercising a lot of caution. Even then, as I got into the sun-baked stretch leading up the bridge at Deer Lake Brook, I knew I would stop at 3 km. I looked at my watch a lot. I finally hit 3K shortly before the bridge and happily switched over to walking again.

The walk out actually went fairly well.

The factors playing into this stop-start run would seem to be:

  • lack of regular running leading to generally lower stamina level
  • the knees complicating things in their own way
  • significantly hotter weather
  • strong breeze contributing to dry mouth/thirst

On the plus side, I did get in 5K, just not all in one go. I didn’t give up, I regrouped and tried again–and succeeded. My BPM, despite the high temperature, was actually down from last week. If you combine the two times you get an average pace of 6:18/km, which is nearly identical to last week when the weather wasn’t really hot and gross.

On the negative, I felt like I was running on the proverbial empty tank. I was hot and bothered in the not-sexy way. I know I could have kept pushing on the first run and probably made it to 5K, but it would have been a protracted experience of misery. I’m happy to know my limits and work with them.

With Jeff away on dirt bike vacation next week, I have no real reason to not run after dinner, though it looks to still be hot. I ponder my options. Maybe I can carry a watering can and just keep sprinkling water over my head. Or hook up some VR simulation and go for a very convincing facsimile of a run.

My steadily improving vision

Today I got my eyes examined [joke about having head examined here] for the first time in six years.

I didn’t realize it had been that long until the receptionist at the optometrist told me my last visit was in 2012. I felt bad. And lazy. Because I was very lazy.

The good news is my eyes are happy and healthy, and I got to see full color 3D images of them, which was both neat and a little creepy.

I also got the drops that keep your pupils dilated and it was sunny out, so things were a little bright for a few hours after. I should have remembered sunglasses. Except I don’t have any. So what I really need is to remember to buy them first.

The weirdest part of the exam was the doctor confirming something I mentioned at the start of the exam. I told him that I could see distant objects better with the glasses off. He confirmed this–my far distance vision has actually gotten better, defying logic and age. I’m okay with this. The old prescription for the progressive lenses was -75 for distance and is nil for the new prescription.

Near distance is another story, a story that is slightly out of focus. The doctor had me look through a lens mirroring my current prescription and letters were a bit fuzzy. He then switched to the new prescription and they were razor sharp. I actually felt a small thrill of excitement at this. I’m not sure if this makes me nerdy, old or both. But yes, I’m excited about getting new glasses and I’m going to start shopping with my new prescription in hand tomorrow.

And I pinky swear I will not wait six years next time to get my eyes checked.

In which I tell Microsoft what to do with its Surface line

Fix the Surface line-up. Here’s how (you can find other posts similar to this around the internet–I don’t claim to be original, but this is my take). It’s mostly about adding Thunderbolt 3 ports and current processors, nothing too demanding. And then a few “I’m feeling a smidgen entitled” requests for good measure.

Surface Pro

  • round the corners a bit. It’s not ugly, exactly, but it’s not handsome, either
  • add a Thunderbolt 3 port
  • 8th generation Intel CPU
  • INCLUDE THE TYPE COVER AT NO ADDITIONAL COST

Microsoft has actually advertised the Surface Pro as a laptop, the first to apparently not include a keyboard. It’s time they make it standard with every model and eat the cost in doing so.

Surface Laptop

  • add two Thunderbolt 3 ports and keep the USB 3.0 port
  • 8th generation Intel CPU
  • faster SSD
  • offer a version that acts as a 2-in-1, with a 360 degree hinge

Surface Studio

  • lower the price by $1000. It’s stupidly overpriced.
  • give it a proper desktop CPU (Intel 8th generation)
  • Thunderbolt 3 ports
  • offer a smaller 24″ model
  • include the pen and dial

Surface Book

  • find a way to make the hinge gap smaller
  • this is one laptop where making it thinner is not about sacrificing functionality, it’s pretty bulky compared to most
  • better battery for tablet mode
  • Thunderbolt 3 ports
  • include a stronger power supply–it can’t do some tasks while plugged in without the battery being hit due to how weak the included power adapter is

Book review: And Then Begin Again: Six Tales of Hope

And Then Begin Again: Six Tales of Hope (Dark Collections Book 2)And Then Begin Again: Six Tales of Hope by Ann Christy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ann Christy’s second collection of six stories covers an eclectic mix of time travel, super powers, far-future doom and alternate history. Some spoilers ahead, so be warned.

“Sedge” puts together a young man and woman on a newly-settled world, each of them not quite fitting their own culture. There is an abrupt tonal shift due to a rather significant event happening right at the end, and I felt it was glossed over a little too readily, but it’s still charming to watch these two flirt on this new world before that happens.

“The Mirroring” is a weird story about a new counselor investigating some very strange self-worth issues some students at a private college are experiencing. A strong (and agreeable) Twilight Zone vibe here.

“Life/Time in the New World.” Alpha male business guy gets frozen for 300 years, pops out of his capsule and continues being an alpha male business guy in the future, which is part paradise, part sneaky Twilight Zone hell. All the pieces are here, but the story felt a bit perfunctory at times, and the character’s growth as an individual almost seems deliberately undercut by the ending.

“Unnatural” imagines an alternate history where Pope John Paul I doesn’t die after only 33 days and basically announces that births as a result of in vitro fertilization are A-OK, resulting in a future where natural birth is…illegal? Again, all the pieces here are put together well, but the basic premise, while a fun “What if?” exercise, doesn’t seem that plausible. Maybe this is just a reflection of the world we live in now.

“Yankari” tells the story of Olisa, an eight year girl in Africa who has some very potent abilities that she struggles to control and use to protect wildlife from poachers. I felt the ending broadened out the story in a way that was unnecessary, but this is still a tight, enjoyable tale of a little girl learning to harness some amazing abilities to do the right thing.

“Lulu Ad Infinitum” is an SF piece about a colony ship that suffers a catastrophic failure, forcing its lone survivor, the titular Lulu, to survive by cloning, then learning to live with, herself. Despite the grim backdrop, the tone remains surprisingly light as Lulu grapples with a possibly untrustworthy AI, the process of raising her clones and more. Christy does an excellent job here with the setting, fleshing it out in satisfying detail.

Overall, even the lesser stories were eminently readable and I enjoyed all six, just some more than others. An easy recommendation if you’re looking for a blast of SF/fantasy variety with a (mostly) hopeful theme.

View all my reviews

Run 580: Trick or tree

Run 580
Average pace: 6:17/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 12:05 pm
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 31:44
Weather: Sun and cloud
Temp: 16ºC
Humidity: 54%
Wind: light to strong
BPM: 168
Weight: 162.1 pounds
Total distance to date: 4485 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone 8

I originally planned to run at the river today, as it would involve less walking and the run itself would be on a much gentler course. I changed my mind and headed to the lake, opting for a counter-clockwise course. I set out on a deliberately slower pace to see if I could overcome the feeling of my stamina collapsing and the nausea I felt at the very end.

And then two trees got in my way.

I started off the run, crossing the small bridge at Silver Creek, hooked left, then hooked right…and a rather large tree was sitting across the trail. A runner from the other direction popped out on the left side, demonstrating that is was possible to get by, but I opted to turn around and reluctantly do a repeat of the same clockwise route I’d done on Wednesday. I made the decision after only a few moments, so I kept the run timer going.

A parks worker was on hand with chainsaw, just getting started on the fallen tree.

I made my way over the dam, past the parking lot, then turned onto the Avalon Trail…where another fallen tree laid across the path.

This is the view looking back, toward the parking lot:

I stopped my run (0.75 km completed) and contemplated. I decided to get on the other side of this tree, start my run over and hope the trail was not festooned with more trees blown down by yesterday’s apparently vicious rainstorm.

Fortunately these were the only two, it was just weird that they were both near the start of the trail, as if it was an omen telling me to stay away.

The slower pace worked, though. I came in at 6:17/km, so three seconds off the previous run. What that bought me in exchange was, sadly, not a lower BPM, which stubbornly stayed at 168, but it did result in a run that was a lot more comfortable.

The first two km were very similar to last time, while the last km was much slower (it actually matched the overall pace of 6:17). The difference today is that I didn’t feel like I was running out of gas, I just kept going along at a deliberate pace and when the run was over, a stream of expletives did not emerge from my mouth, I just switched to an outdoor walk and kept going (the walk back broke the 9:00/km average again).

While I am disappointed at the average pace consistently being over 6:00/km now, I must admit that the knees are probably a bigger factor than the stamina. While they don’t hurt in a painful way during the run, I can feel them and I suspect they are inhibiting my speed without me being fully aware of it. Oh well. All I can do is take good care of them between runs, perhaps by petting them and telling them how great they are. “Who’s a good knee? You’re a good knee! Yes, you are!”

Importantly, this was the first time in a long time that I completed three runs in a week, having run on Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday. I’ll try to repeat this going forward and will report the results, possibly in tears, possibly through clenched teeth, but always on this here blog.

Also, they were paving Major Street, which added about half a km as I detoured on my walk back. I didn’t want to risk walking over extremely fresh asphalt, though I was temped. In the end common sense won out over laziness. This meant the last few blocks were up a somewhat steep grade, which is not exactly the way I prefer ending a run, but it’s better than being hit by a blimp.

I like lists (of old songs)

As expected, my three month trial of Apple Music has turned into a giant Music Nostalgia Machine.

I’ve been adding songs to a playlist cleverly called Pop Stuff. If I Think of a song, I add it. Most of them were songs I liked but not enough to buy the albums they were on because I was cheap and/or picky.

Here’s the list so far because, as has been established, I like lists. The songs are in the order I added them, which is random.

Save a Prayer. Duran Duran’s weirdly soothing mix of synths and guitars is both very 80s and yet timeless.
Don’t You Want Me. This was notable in being the first all-synth song to go #1. That seems positively quaint today, but in 1981 it was the first taste of what was to come.
The Safety Dance. The video is silly, the song is silly, the name of the band is silly, but it’s just so catchy. Also, synths because the 80s.
Ray of Light. From 1998, this may be Madonna’s best song. Effervescent, propulsive and vocally exciting.
Got to Get You Into My Life. I always liked this Beatles song. I think the brassy horns did it because as a kid I didn’t know what brassy horns were, I just knew I liked them.
Something About You. What lifts this song is both the soaring falsetto of keyboardist Mike Lindup and the funky bass of Mark King. The video features King as this weird pantomime character that turns seriously creepy toward the end of the song. I have no idea what they were going for.
Beat It. Never had enough interest in Jackson to commit to his albums, but really liked “Beat It.” The start of his vocal tics doesn’t diminish it.
Billie Jean. More tics and as David Letterman pointed out in 1982, he totally says “chair” instead of “child.”
Voices Carry. This song doesn’t hold up as well as I thought it would, but the chorus is still sweetly sung.
Radio Ga Ga. A guilty pleasure of sorts. The video, which intercuts clips from Metropolis, doesn’t make a lot of sense, but it’s fun to watch, especially the bits with the band in the flying car. Most of them look vaguely uncomfortable.
Under Pressure. This song is a lot weirder than you probably remember. Freddie Mercury vamps it up while Bowie treats it Very Seriously.
We Will Rock You. Queen enters arena mode. And it works.
We Are the Champions. Arena mode, but quieter.
We Belong. Pat Benatar turns nice and this is a nice song.
White Rabbit. Amusingly subversive, the way Grace Slick’s vocals build to a crescendo is still really effective.
I Want You to Want Me. A fellow student was constantly playing Cheap Trick in Drawing & Painting class, so I pretty much knew their first two albums by heart. This song is even slighter than I remembered. Surrender is better.
Heat of the Moment. Asia was one of those “supergroups” that had the unfortunate luck of peaking with their debut, making everything after a bit of a disappointment. This song is still catchy and serves as a kind of template for what some call the widescreen music of the 80s.
Beds are Burning. Peter Garret has a weird voice and dances like a chicken, but this song delivers its message about the plight of Australian aboriginals in a slick package. Also the other band members were all really hot. I’m just sayin’.
A Horse With No Name. The lyrics are silly (“the heat was hot”) but the layered vocals are as smooth now as they were in 1971.
The Reason. The jewel robbery of the video bears no relation to the content of the song, but that’s okay. There’s nothing outstanding here, but it all fits together so well it doesn’t matter. Plus more hot band members. Just sayin’.
She Loves Everybody. One of the newer songs on the list. I don’t recall how I came across Chester French, the short-lived duo, but this song (and video) are amusing and catchy. I like catchy music. I need to find a synonym for “catchy.”
Skyfall. As Bond themes go, this is one of the best. It’s theatrical, Adele’s vocals lend it the proper gravitas, and the orchestration works perfectly. The lyrics range from opaque to silly, fitting with Bond, really.
Empty Garden. Elton John’s tribute to John Lennon. This one really takes me back to 1981.
(Just Like) Starting Over. The above inspired me to get this, Lennon’s fun take on renewal, which gleefully changes style throughout, not to mention Lennon’s occasional riffs on Elvis. Enough time has elapsed that listening to it no longer makes me feel sad.
9 to 5. Short, catchy and perfectly calibrated to the movie that it served as the theme for. In the 1980s Dolly Parton could do no wrong.
Can’t Smile Without You. Barry Manilow came out as gay at the age of 73. I hate to tell you this, Barry, but we kind of knew. This is classic Manilow–big, schmaltzy, but also kind of irresistible.
Waiting for a Girl Like You. My favorite Foreigner song. I love the icy keyboards.
Can’t Fight This Feeling. Another guilty pleasure. A bit too slick for its own good, this REO Speedwagon hit is terrific in small does.
Angel of the Morning. I love the brief martial drum in Juice Newton’s cover.
Africa. I know there’s some Toto song I really liked back when they were big (around the time of Toto IV). I thought this was it, but listening to it, I’m not so sure. Maybe it was Rosanna?
Take On Me. Everyone remembers the video, but I’m still impressed at how lead vocalist Morten Harket climbs through the octaves during the chorus.
Hold Me Now. Not sure if guilty pleasure. But dare I say it–catchy? The Thompson Twins also serve as an early example of inclusiveness.
Some Like It Hot. Power Station was another supergroup that debuted big, then disappeared (they did do a second album about a decade later). The song opens with big, crunchy percussion and Robert Palmer growls and croons his way through this with aplomb.
Sledgehammer. Everyone remembers the video, but the song itself is an amusing delight all on its own.

Run 579: The longest run ever

Run 579
Average pace: 6:14/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 12:36 pm
Distance: 5:03 km
Time: 31:21
Weather: Sun and cloud
Temp: 18-20ºC
Humidity: 44%
Wind: light
BPM: 168
Weight: 163.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 4480 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone 8

Or at least it felt like it.

I headed out again with two full days off, my first back-to-back(ish) runs in a long time. Usually when I do this my pace is faster on the second run because I am a tiny bit more in shape than the previous run.

That did not happen today.

I expected the knees to be sore from the start and they were. In fact, the 4 km walk to the lake seemed to stretch out way beyond 4 km, which was not a good sign. But it was warmer and semi-sunny, so I set off with slow-and-steady being the favored approach.

The first km was actually not that bad. I came in at 5:48/km, which is faster than the previous run. By the second km the wheels were wobbly, slipping to 6:12/km, a fair bit slower than the previous run.

And then the wheels came off. For the third and fourth km, my pace was 6:34 and 6:49/km. By this point my knees actually didn’t feel bad, but my stamina had packed up and left the country. The gas had been siphoned from the tank. Elvis had left the building.

I didn’t just feel slow today, I was slow. I plodded. I thought about pausing the run and walking for awhile. I thought about stopping at the 4K mark. As I neared the last stretch by the athletic fields every step felt like I was getting no closer. I looked at my distance. 4.84 km. Normally that’s a number I laugh at as I sail to the finish. Instead, it felt like it would not move. I keep looking, seeing it go up in horribly small increments. I finally heard the triumphant ding that signaled 5K completed and congratulated myself for still being upright.

My external monologue immediately after (and it was external, between gasps for oxygen) went something like this:

“Fuck.”
“Fuck.”
“Fuck.”
“Fuck, that was hard.”
“Fuck.”

I used my potty mouth quota for the entire month in the space of a few seconds.

In a final irony, the walk back went fairly briskly, with a rare sub-9 minute pace of 8:58/km, so neither knees nor stamina were an issue once I actually finished the run (or perhaps more accurately after the run finished me).

The higher temperature and sun likely played a factor. I sweated a small amount, which is more than I have for most of the spring. Still, the complete bottoming out was weird and a little disturbing. I even ran the “easier” side of the lake, going clockwise. It made no difference.

On the plus side, I didn’t stop early, I never switched to walking, and I actually picked up the pace in the final km, even if I felt a little like barfing those final few steps. On the neutral side my BPM was the same as last time–168–which is higher than I like, but still below the threshold of 170.

I am both curious and terrified at what the next run might be like.

Here are the splits with bonus commentary.

KM Time per km Comment
1 5:48 A decent start. Knees sore.
2 6:12 Getting kind of tired already. Not thinking about knees as much.
3 6:34 It feels like walking except super tiring now.
4 6:49 Please make it stop. Can I stop? I want to stop.
5 5:50 Running faster will make it stop sooner.

Why you don’t write iOS articles on iOS devices

This is an excerpt from a Forbes opinion piece posted shortly before Apple’s WWDC event on June 4th. I can’t actually verify that it was written on an iOS device, but the crazy autocorrect suggests…a definite possibility.

Maybe iOS 12 will support a Siri command to run a grammar check on a document.

Smells Right Interns is the name of my etc. etc.

Hey Siri, hire an editor (lol?)

My knees are amazing

Amazingly sore, that is. So much so that I elected to skip my usual lunch walk today.

Now, I’m not complaining, I’ve come to accept that the combination of age and nine years of jogging has clearly taken their toll on my knees, I’m just surprised that it went from not manifesting in any way while running (or walking) to suddenly doing that on a near-permanent basis. I think I’m also working through the stages of grief at the loss of my old, healthy knees.

Things will no doubt get even more interesting when I reach the bargaining stage, where I’ll start researching kooky, medically unsound fixes and cure-alls. Actually, I think I may be at that stage now, I just haven’t come up with any kooky ideas to pursue yet.

But I will. Oh yes, I will.

Run 578: Cyclist caught, slugs, rain and some running, too

Run 578
Average pace: 6:03/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 1:36 pm
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 30:31
Weather: Light showers
Temp: 15ºC
Humidity: 75%
Wind: light
BPM: 168
Weight: 163 pounds
Total distance to date: 4475 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone 8

My last run was on May 12. That was 22 days or two infections ago.

Surprisingly, my pace actually improved after three weeks off.

I was not looking forward to the run for three reasons:

  • the long time off meant the run would feel a lot harder than it would otherwise
  • my knees
  • the rain because I can say with 100% certainty, I never enjoy running in the rain

The knees were not a real factor. I could feel them at the start, but after a few minutes they were fine and not a factor. They felt worse, as they have the last few months, on the walk back.

The rain was fairly light throughout, though it never fully stopped. Still, it was as close to not being obnoxious as it could get, and dry mouth was not an issue. Or dry anything.

Stamina was definitely an issue. At several points (I remember around the 3K mark in particular) the idea of just stopping and not running was a delightful and enticing notion. I pressed on, even as the slight uphill grade on the Cottonwood Trail seemed like a mighty mountain pass.

My pace was fairly steady, slowing a few seconds for the first three km, then actually picking up for the last two. The last km I actually came in under 6:00/km and my overall pace of 6:03/km was six seconds better than the previous run.

Despite the rain there were more people out than I expected and save for a couple at Piper Spit, none of them had umbrellas and many didn’t even have any headgear. I guess people don’t mind getting wet if it’s warmer.

Speaking of getting wet, I ran into some weird technical issues on the walk back that I think were weather-related.

For the run, I shuffled a playlist on the phone and locked the screen of the watch, so wacky things wouldn’t happen if it got wet (I have verified said wacky behavior in the past). After the run I switched to an Open Goal Outdoor Walk, and I did not lock the watch as the rain was very light at that point. That may have been an error, as after .45 km, the walk spontaneously turned into a 5K outdoor run. I was alerted to this when it noted I was at the halfway point after 2.5 km. I stopped the run shortly after, switched to an outdoor walk, locked the watch, and all was well until I got home.

Meanwhile, I assume the wet watch was also responsible for my music playback going bonkers. The music player kept stopping songs early and skipping to the next track. It got so annoying I paused the music and kept it paused. It spontaneously unpaused about a minute later, then started madly skipping ahead of songs again. I paused once more and at that point the watch display was locked, so it behaved after that. Lesson learned. If it rains–even a little–lock the watch.

The rain also brought out the first slugs I’ve seen in a long time, testing my rusty slug-dodging skills. I don’t believe I orphaned any slug families.

Also, as I was nearing the Cottonwood Trail I spotted a cyclist. Before starting my run, a parks worker had set out on the same counter-clockwise route and sure enough, she met the cyclist. They appeared to have a pleasant exchange, she asked him to dismount and walk his bike, then they parted ways, so he apparently got off with a warning. About 1.5 km father along I passed a young couple riding bikes, heading toward the same park worker. I figure there was a 50/50 chance she fined rather than warned them, having already used her “friendly reminder” up on the first guy (also, there is no way to enter the trail without passing at least one “No Cycling” sign, so claiming ignorance is not an especially convincing strategy). I can’t say I wanted the couple to be fined, but I wouldn’t have been sad, either.

Overall, the run went a little better than expected, though my BPM was on the higher side at 168, but that was perhaps to be expected with the amount of time off between runs. I really ought to start going out more often, knees willing.

Woodpecker therapy in Central Park

(In which I took some time this afternoon to stroll around Central Park in Burnaby.)

Okay, I can’t really say woodpeckers would offer much in the way of therapy, unless you were looking for the cheapest, most excruciating trepanation possible. But I did see a woodpecker, not up in a tree, but sitting on a fallen one (also known as a log) and it was following script, merrily pecking away at it.

I didn’t want to get too close and scare it off, so the photo is kind of blah (optical zoom is something I definitely miss on typical smartphone cameras), but here ya go:

And at the lower pond, things were ducky. It’s also tough to shoot ducks (with a camera), not because they frighten easily, but because you have to be a worm to get down low enough for a good angle.

I took a photo of some of the fish they have stocked in the same pond, but due to reflection, refraction and the dull colors of the fish, I have not included the photo here. Just imagine a beluga whale majestically breaching or something. Yes, I know whales aren’t fish. But they breach a lot better.

There’s no Waldo hiding in this shot, I just like the interplay of light and shadow. The weird, bleached out color is accurate.

And now flowers!

And a few more on the way out of the park:

Finally, on one of the trails I don’t usually hit I saw this atop a giant tree stump. I don’t know.

May 2018 weight loss report: Down 5.2 pounds

Something weird happened this month.

I lost weight!

True, a large part of it was due to a kidney infection killing my appetite for the better part of a week, which led to an impressive 3.5 pound weight loss over a 24 hour period, but still, I stayed on track even after getting my appetite back. If it wasn’t for a small uptick right in the last two days of the month I would be down even more.

For May I dropped 5.2 pounds. For the year I am still up 0.7 pounds, but that may actually change by the end of June to a negative number. Woo, I say.

I have largely curtailed the snacking and when I do snack, I am sticking to lighter, healthier things like apples and yogurt.

The stats:

May 1: 168.2 pounds
May 31: 163 pounds (-5.2 pounds for the month)

Year to date: From 162.3 to 163 pounds (up 0.7 pounds)

And the body fat:

January 1: 18.5% (30.2 pounds of fat)
May 31: 19% (30.9 pounds of fat–up 0.7 pounds)