Howdy,

Sitting here typing with blue stained finger tips having picked and processed 15 litres of blueberries.  Marian, Nolan, and I had a fine time wondering through the Tilton Barrens on a dual mission of checking out an orienteering map and picking blueberries.  When I looked at the upload of data from my new Garmin Forerunner 305, I noticed that blueberry picking got much more of our attention.  The Garmin is a training tool that is a combination of heart rate monitor and GPS.  It tracks how far, how fast, and how fast my heart beats.  It is already giving me new windows into and understanding of my training.  Using a heart rate monitor allows me to work out in a specific heart-rate zone to give my various energy systems an opportunity to grow stronger and more efficient. 

By uploading the data to the Garmin Connects site, I can view the terrain I covered.  If you’d like to see the berry-picking track, you can click here. http://bit.ly/4h103p  If you zoom in (by pushing the plus button) you’ll see the little squiggles that I made when pursing the almighty blue antioxidant and breakfast staple.  In just a few days of having it, I can see that I’m going to use the new toy (tool) when teaching students about backcountry navigation.  It’s both invigorating and a challenge to keep current with all the technology that exists for outdoor recreation these days.  What in the past may have been ten essentials may have grown to 15 or 20 now.

It was a bit of a post-partum week after Camp Glow, the valley after a peak experience.  Fortunately, I knew that was likely so did my best to wait it out.  The house renos made big leaps forward this week and I think the summit ridge may just be visible through the clouds ahead.  I got a few long standing house projects done and that felt good. 

Training is moving forward.  My running distances are slowly growing and the ankle mostly does pretty well.  I get some soreness and stiffness with it and on occasion, the other leg hurts in the same place for solidarity even though it’s never been injured (bodies are funny things). 

I notice that training begets training.   As I get back to a more disciplined approach, it gets easier to be disciplined.  As my training schedule becomes more routine, I find it easier to get it done.  As I begin to sense training and strength gains, I get excited to do more.  Momentum is key.  I see that more and more.  I am a creature of momentum.  I like to create it and use it to keep things moving forward. 

If I (or a project) lose momentum, I notice how hard it is to pick it up again and get it going once more.  Sometimes things go on the wayside for weeks, months or years, half done…just waiting for a hit of energy to see them through.  With this insight of late, I’m more choosey.  I don’t start things if I don’t have the time or energy to see them through.  I try to not split my attention too many ways.  I am simplifying my existence so that I can focus my momentum on nurturing the most critical tasks through to completion.

Inertia is hard to overcome…both personally and in training but once I have some of that momentum I’ve been talking about, I tend to remain in motion.  I like to use the “body in motion” trick to manage all the things I need to pull off but also have learned that sometimes “a body must remain at rest.”  My life as a science experiment! 

Not feeling all that articulate today so I’ll sign off knowing that in almost seven short months to the day, I will be arriving in Kathmandu to start another Everest adventure.

Take care,

TA