Love is in the Air and Killer's on the Trail

 

Hanna is putting in the trail work to come good at her 50k race in November. I took her to my favorite off-road running place, Greensfelder. I spent a lot of time on those trails in 2017 and 2018 getting ready for the Beulah 3-6-9 Challenge. I thought it was fitting that she cut her teeth on Beulah, hoping that these tough trails will prepare her for whatever gets thrown at her. Turned out to be a fantastic morning. 

It's just a shame that she had this as her view the whole time. I mean, I did look pretty fetching in my 10 year old jersey in that used-to-be-yellow color. But Killer Jr needs a trail guide and Killer Sr knows this place like an old nursery rhyme. Cue "This Old Man."

Where love fits into this came afterward. My oldest son Tyson and his fiance are getting married in November so there HAS to be a wedding shower. The Beautiful Mrs. K put together an amazing little get-together for the happy couple with an old-timey theme. Super cool props and good food along with great people. And we will have leftovers for weeks. Anyone want some chicken salad?

The Trend Continues

 

I've been locked into a disturbing trend of mechanical failures lately. My hip last November. The garage door motor in January. My Ford Escape engine in May. The garbage disposal. The truck starter. Wow, what next?

The lawn mower, probably. It's 10 years old now. My sweet mother-in-law bought it for my birthday in 2016. It's lived a rough life, for sure. But I changed the oil, the air filter, spark plug...sharpened the blade too many times to count. First thing a few years ago was the height adjusting carrier for the wheels in front. Wouldn't hold the height correctly. I jacked with that and it has been passible. Then I noticed a crack in the deck around one of the engine mounting bolts. Then a small oil leak that has eluded me for the last year. And the other day, for the first time, it didn't start on the first pull.

There are few things in life as fruitless as continuing to pull on a lawnmower starting cord. Pull/hope. Pull/hope. Repeat. Repeat. This one has never been like that. One pull and vroom. So I decided to pull off the air cleaner and carb mechanism. A bit more complicated than I thought, assembly-wise. Sure enough, it was pretty gummed up. I cleaned it out, reassembled it incorrectly a couple times, then successfully returned it to it's former glory. Bam. Started right up.

Engine oil doesn't cost much. A spark plug doesn't cost much. An air filter is less than $10. But I'm not going to buy a new wheel assembly. Or have the deck welded. The old work horse is going to live out it's days kind of like my hip did...limping along, reluctantly doing it's job until it's painfully obvious that a replacement is coming. 

Some Things are Sure Things

 

Killer JR is always coming up with new ways to challenge herself. First there was weight lifting. Then there was healthy food with a flair for the unusual. Then came running. And more running. And cycling. She even did a criterium. Then all of the above at the same time, many in the same day. I'm exhausted just writing about it. 

On the heels of a marathon and a few half marrys, she signed up for an ultra trail run outside of Austin over Thanksgiving. That's like, right around the corner! Complete confidence in her ability (and willingness) to do this without any official preparation, I figured I'd better bore her with fatherly advice and interference. 

Me: Let's start trail running to prepare you for this thing. We can start with something easy like Cliff Cave then progress to the harder stuff. 

Killer JR: You're going to run with me??

Me: Mmm, no. I'll be your tour guide on my bike. 

Killer JR: You think you can keep up?

Me: