To Calgary.
… Or was it Chernobyl? 😀
I was prepared. With a POINT 1 NANO mask. Supposedly N97.
Shield. And Shadyrays.
But Alberta is suffering badly from COVID. 1,828 new cases Friday and 15 additional deaths.
So I decided to stay on Vancouver Island at least through New Years.
Hardest and dumbest race in the world.
The Barkley Marathons is an ultramarathon trail race held in Frozen Head State Park near Wartburg, Tennessee.
If runners complete 60 miles (97 km) this is known as a “fun run.”
The full course is 100+ miles (160 km) (distances are approximate). The race is limited to a 60-hour period, and takes place in late March or early April of each year. …
The full, five-loop race has been completed 18 times by 15 runners as of the 2019 event. …
Jared Campbell finished 3 times. #respect
Click PLAY or watch Gary Robbins‘ – 2016 & 2017 races on YouTube. What a man!
I’m happy for John Kelly too, a 2017 finisher.
Over the past year my main economics / tech guru has been Professor Scott Galloway.
He summarized his thinking in a new book:
I’ve not been so optimistic about the future since February 2020.
IF we can survive another 6 months or so — psychologically, financially — we could see another boom like the Roaring Twenties.
A new Roaring Twenties.
… a period of economic prosperity … Everything seemed possible through modern technology …
That’s how people reacted after the pandemic of 1918.
We got lucky this time. Vaccine technology has improved so quickly that I’m likely to get the Oxford before having to join the herd immunity segment of the population.
IF the majority of the population has either had the virus or taken one of the vaccines, I might be able to avoid it myself.
IF only 5% of those who were infected have lifelong problems — and most of those not too serious — …
OK. This is the most optimistic scenario.
Hope for the best. Plan for the worst.
But days are too short in November – January in Canada to do multi-day hiking or cycling trips. I’m stuck with it.
Right now I’m alternating:
For runs I head off from home towards my favourite park. Turn around at the half way point in time / distance.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
RELATED:
Click PLAY or watch running Parksville in the Spring on YouTube. Flowers!
Click PLAY or watch running Bermuda on YouTube.
Just back from 17 days cycling Vancouver to Calgary, more cycling wasn’t going to do much more for my fitness.
I decided to run stairs, instead.
Over time I’ll …
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. Stairs are UP ONLY due to COVID-19 distancing.
Click PLAY or see Glenmore Park on YouTube.
Related – Running stairs at the University of Florida stadium in Gainesville.
The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World is a surprise hit.
“Captivating . . . The Book of Eels is, in the end, not really about eels but about life itself.” – Wall Street Journal
The European eel has a lifespan of at least 80 years.
It’s a a critically endangered species.
Like Salmon, this eel has a crazy difficult method of reproduction. They must migrate all the way to the Sargasso Sea near Bermuda.
How do you feel about eels?
For reasons that aren’t the eel’s fault — its shape, color, lateral movements, nocturnal nature — you may feel the way I do, which is: Yuck.
Svensson is the most recent thinker to contend with what scientists call, I’m not kidding, the “Eel Question.” …
First, eels are fish, not aquatic snakes. …
Also, after roughly 40 million years on Earth, eels are mysteriously dying off at a rapid rate. Probably it is our fault.
What’s the Deal With Eels?
On the 4th of July I want to send best wishes to all Americans navigating dread 2020.
So many challenges.
American entrepreneurship is best at coming up with new business formation, survival, and growth. Looking forward to better days.
One permanent change from COVID-19 will be more physical distancing of strangers.
On the one hand, it will be more sanitary.
On the other, physical touching does connect people. Hugs. Kisses on the cheek. Even a touch on the arm.
It won’t affect me much as I was already quite frigid. But less touching will be culture shock for some societies.
I’ve been in and around Parksville nearly 3 months now during COVID-19.
The Pacific N.W. truly is fantastic for walking, running and cycling year round.
Mostly I cycle. But running I find to be better, more demanding exercise.
Here’s a tour of some of my favourite trails.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (2min 35sec)
In 2020 I tried Diphenhydramine HCI 25 Mg – Kirkland Brand.
They did seem to work. It helped my Dad, as well.
My brother bought Kirkland in the States, inexpensively. Over the counter. Pink tablets.
Some people do experience side effects.
As I couldn’t find it quickly in Canada, I ordered something that looks identical from Amazon.ca.
More expensive.
I acquired allergies later in life. In Calgary they start about May 15th, end about July 1st.
In B.C. with a much milder climate, everything is about 2 months earlier. In 2020 I was suddenly mostly better about May 1st. And stopped taking the pills.
Before this year I mainly treated Spring Allergies by fleeing somewhere else in the world. OR … a combination of exercise and frequent showers.
Rick McCharles 