Happy Independence Day for all of us that live in the U.S.A. Wherever you are reading this post, I hope you all ate well, got outside and most importantly enjoyed the day, whatever the weather was with family and friends.

If you are a runner, I hope you ran and it wasn’t too too hot. If you raced, I hope you did well and are smiling when you look back at your effort during the race. Remember the heat adds time to your results. 😉

However, sometimes life take control and makes you go mmmm?

Last night about 9:00 PM, Mary was looking under the sink in the bathroom and noticed that everything was soaked. When I looked at it, the cold water line was leaking below the shut-off valve. Which meant an emergency call to Houle’s.

They arrived about an hour later and within 45 minutes had it repaired. Costly little repair that somehow occurred as a result of our 17 year old cat that lives under the sink. That particular home has been locked up and she will have to find a new abode – probably behind the bed in our room.

By the time everything settled down it was after midnight and we were both toast. It didn’t take long to fall asleep and morning came way too quickly.

No, I didn’t race, I purposely decided not to go over to Winthrop this morning, since I am still in rehab mode and running in a race, might make me do something stoopid. See I can make good choices sometimes. 😉

This morning, by the time I got out for my run it was starting to warm-up. Not terrible but definitely warm enough that it got my attention. No, I didn’t run all that fast, but I still enjoyed getting out there and getting all sweaty. Enough that the hat was dripping pretty hard by the time I finished.

It was more a test to see how the leg would feel doing 4.0 on the hills after yesterday’s 5.0 on pretty much the same course. Everything felt good and while I thought I was pushing a little bit on the Blake and Stevens Hills, when I looked at the pace chart, I actually slowed down considerably on both.

Guess I have to work on hills when I get back to training and am not just recovery running.

After running, it was chores around the house. Always fun and exciting, but necessary.

Yep, after eating lunch, it was nap time. Bennie snuggled in and the next thing I new an hour and half had gone by. Usually, my naps are 20-30 minutes, today’s was lights-out and not being conscious of anything for a while.

After napping it was time to get back to work on something that I procrastinated doing yesterday. In other words I worked on functional upper body training, i.e. moving a clothes line.

Now that sound like an easy job, but the reality was that 15 years ago I set the base for the umbrella clothes line using three bags of Quickrete Cement and made sure that the clothes line didn’t tip over anymore. Someone (the wife) may have complained that it was always at an angle and I made sure that was not a problem again.

So I had to dig out a concrete block weighing over 150 pounds that had been poured directly into the dirt (not an easy task), transport it by dolly over to SD2’s, then dig a hole in hard-packed ground big enough to bury the base again, transport the dirt back to the house and fill in the hole.

All in 90* plus weather.

Needless to say, I worked up a bit of sweat and the old body got quite a workout. After that hour and half of fun, I needed to sit for a few minutes.

Then we decided to head into Augusta and walk the UMA trails. The temp on the bank clock on Outer Civic Center read 96*, so the walk on the trails was warm, but it was doable because it was in the shade.

Just a bit busy over the last day, but still getting the runs in, the leg is doing okay and the body holding together decently in the hotter weather.

At least I don’t have to move the clothesline ever again. At least that is the plan.

While I am a proud American, celebrations and parades are just not my thing. I prefer a quiet day working around the house, a hike in the woods and being around people that I love. In other words having the freedom to chose what I do and not being coerced or forced to participate in stuff that is not who I am.

Happy Independence Day America and always may Independence be an important part our being free.