Rained Out

As you may have surmised from my last post, I didn't necessarily have a lot of confidence in my ability to race this past weekend's Pisgah 55.5k. So it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that given the opportunity to not start, I would leap at it. And the excuses rained down on me quite literally Saturday night.

We had camped out directly across from the race start and after a wonderful day sailing at Lake Murray and a good night in Asheville, I was thinking the race would turn out okay. I was disabused of this thinking around midnight when the skies opened up and delivered what ended up being over three shoes full of water(every time I got up in the night, I emptied my boat shoes which every time were brimming over). We ended up soaking ourselves because I didn't close the zipper all the way and soon we had a nice little water bed.

I had intended to wake up at 8a to get ready for the race but it was still pouring and because of my less than optimal sleep, I dozed off for another hour only to awaken to no better conditions. We hurriedly disassembled the tent in the downpour and quickly changed into dry clothes in the car. After having almost cracked my skull on the sprint to the car, I was already pretty confident I would not be racing.

We did swing by the start line and I saw about 10 hardy souls milling about before the start. I knew I would not be one of them. Instead Kenny and I explored via car the area, stopped for a short run through the rain to a waterfall in Dupont State park, had lunch, drove home, showered and did laundry and still had an hour to spare before I would have likely finished the race. Some may call it cowardly but I'd prefer judicious or prudent maybe.

But now I'm short for mileage and only four weeks until my marathon in Finland so it looks like I'll be doing the typical Ferreira training plan of holding my breath and flexing my stomach.

oh well, some things never change.

Until next time,

Danny

Pisgah 55.5k Trail Race-Silly Impulsive Decision

Somehow I thought I would be a good idea to enter myself in a 36 mile trail race this weekend. In fairness, I thought it was, as advertised, 33 miles(55k would be about that), not the actual 36 miles I'm now seeing on the course map. But still...

Craziness. But it takes place right outside of Asheville NC so Kenny and I are planning on journeying in to see what all the fuss is about. And camping right at the start line in our hammocks sealed the deal. 

I'm taking this race as a really long hike and am really just trying to get some strength back in my legs and build my endurance a bit more before my Finish marathon in mid-June. I want to be fit enough for that to actually be able to enjoy it. 

Still... This weekend's race looks brutal and I'm questioning my decision. And the 10:30a start time makes for a really hot race. So yes I'll probably be really questioning my decision on Sunday. 

Here's the course profile:

Yep. Awful.

I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Until next time,

Danny

Oral Health-the Silent Killer

I have some embarrassing news. So much so I'm hesitant to tell y'all. But since we're all friends here, I might as well say. At my recent dentist appointment, it was discovered that I had THREE cavities. That is exactly three more than I have previously had in my life time. And also exactly three more than I was expecting as I thought I was just going in for a routine cleaning; having had no tooth pain or discomfort and no perceived issues. I must admit that after hearing this devastating news, I began wearing sweatpants to work and giving up on life. It is all downhill from here.

Okay a bit of an exaggeration, but only slightly. Oral health is a HUGE deal. It's been linked to so many debilitating health conditions but often only manifests itself when things get really bad and hard to recover from.

And that's why oral health is such an insidious issue. Most people don't even know they have issues until they are pretty advanced. Which is a big problem as oral health has been linked to heart health, metabolism as well as brain function. The mouth is the Canadian border of bacteria freely allowing bacteria inside your body. These germs travel through your swollen gums getting into your bloodstream and wrecking havoc downstream. In fact, researchers have found oral bacteria in the clogged arteries of coronary bypass patients. And a recent article in Circulation estimates an increase of 30% risk of heart attack for patients with  periodontal disease even after accounting for other risk factors such as hypertension, smoking and education. Just as bad is your chances of developing diabetes if you have gum disease. And worst, in my opinion, is the 6x increase rate of cognitive decline with gum disease.


The good news?
A little goes a long way. A 2014 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that people who had at least one routine teeth scraping had a significant reduction of being hospitalized. Which means it's not too late!

Make an appointment to for a teeth cleaning as it's only with a dental hygienist that you can remove that tartar which allows for bacteria to accumulate and cause pockets in your gums. Then add in twice daily teeth brushing, flossing and a fluoride-based mouth rinse and you should be golden. Or pearly white.


PS. My dentist blames my year in Guyana without fluoride in the water for my teeth's decline.  It at least made me feel somewhat better.


It definitely got me thinking more about my own oral health.


Until next time,

Danny

The Water Keeps Rising; or A Hike at Congaree National Park

As the water rose to mid-thigh, I started really hoping that the old man had been right about alligators. A few months ago while doing my training to become a hiking guide at Congaree National Park, a few volunteer who'd been at CONG for many years said that the alligators only come once every three years. And they had just come last year so we wouldn't be seeing any this year. Something do to with turtle populations.

That seemed reasonable albeit somewhat esoteric, as I had no intention of being anywhere near the murky swamp that may house them. Or so I thought. Fast forward to this past Saturday and I am now nearly waist deep in water.

I had arrived to do my monthly guided long-hike to a sign saying all trails were closed due to flooding(all except the Bluff trail and a portion of the raised boardwalk). Inquiring at the front desk, I was told that the trails weren't technically closed, just underwater. They weren't sure exactly how deep underwater either since no one had ventured much further than the boardwalk.

After seeing I had no takers for a very much abbreviated Bluff trail hike, I decided to just head out on the boardwalk and see if I could a) help out anyone with trail info/guidance etc, and b) see just how flooded the trails really were.

I actually ran into many confused visitors who must have skipped the signs and headed out only to encounter water encroach on their walk. I was able to answer questions and redirect them so that was a good thing. I also came to the low boardwalk and saw what appeared to only be a few inches of water covering it. I took off shoes and socks and decided to see how far I could go.

 It didn't take too long before the water got a bit deeper.

I decided to retreat to dry ground and put my trail shoes back on so I wouldn't step on anything precarious as I'd now be venturing off the boardwalk onto Sims Trail. I was glad that Sims had trail markers on the trail because there would be no way at all to see the path.

As it was 90 degrees, it was actually quite relaxing in the cool clear water. For the most part it was very clear, but every few hundred yards, I'd come across a patch of clay and the water color would be brown and I couldn't see my feet. That became more frightening when the water got deeper and I saw a water snake scurry away from me. I really started hoping the old man was correct about the alligators.

Luckily, no more snakes and no alligators. Definitely a different hike than I had planned when I set out that morning, but what an adventure!

I volunteer at Congaree once a month so come by next month and I'll take you out somewhere fun:)


Until next time,

Danny