The Tree Doctor has spoken

OK.. I am a TREE HUGGER and proud of it...

.. so when a few of our trees were.. well.. looking.. a bit CLOSE TO DEATH, we hired an Arborist to help determine WHY....and well the news..

IS NOT GOOD...

3 of the 25 year old rather large Maple Trees are suffering from Girdling Root.. which I come to find out is especially common in maples where trees have been transplanted from one site to another, like from nurseries to landscapes.

SO WHAT IS THAT? Basically the roots of the trees are strangling the trees…

OK.. so how does that happen?: Sometimes, when the trees are planted the transplant holes are too small and the planter chooses to “screw” the tree into the hole rather than take the time to enlarge it. In other cases, the tree is grown in a container that is too small to accommodate the increasing size of the root system. The roots are forced to grow in a circular fashion rather than their normal pattern of radiating out from the stem. Death without removing the strangling roots is 5-20 years.

SOOO…because our poor STRANGLED trees were denied proper nutrients and water... they are in a lower state of health ..

WHICH brought in a secondary infection because of their weakened state…

WHICH brought in the wood boring beetles & insects who are eating it from the inside out..

WHICH brought in the woodpeckers who are trying to eat the beetles who are marking up the trees and providing further avenues for infections to enter the trees.

WHICH is why the trees are covered in black mold soot (its actually tree sap leaking out from the woodpecker holes and turning into a black soot mold).

................AHHHHHHHHHHHH

He said unfortunately …2 of the trees CANNOT be saved.. SORRY…DONE.. FINIS... CAPUT... they would probably go into fall colors early and then just die, DIE....DIE><>DIE

He said one of them still MAY be saved... but its a stretch.. it would take excavating around the tree to get at the strangling root and remove it. However, if he opens up the area around the tree and see it's too diseased he will not go any further. He left prices for all this at the house for my review upon my return. UM THANKS?

HE ALSO examined the oak tree closest to the house… took tissue samples as he believes it has a bacterial infection…will know results in two weeks… Dude my trees are being strangled and possibly have STD'S!.. SUCH a SAD, SAD Day at Mount Krumpet!

FOCUSED

SOOO if I can remain focused..

This is my fall schedule :

9/4/11: Labor Of Pain 12 hour Run (I get to run with Joe all day.. precious) http://www.pretzelcitytiming.com/laborpain.html

10/2/11: Wineglass Marathon (get to drive 5hours to NY to run for wine..) http://www.wineglassmarathon.com/


10/23/11: Tussey 50 Miler (50 miles of hills and running “with” joe..no comment) http://www.tusseymountainback.com/


First off though...I have to get the LONE RANGER out of the way......


7/16/11: Lone Ranger Ultra 24 Hour Run…(SAY WHAT!)

So once that is done I should be able to FOCUS …a bit….so yeah the Lone Ranger Ultra… 24 hours of running… it REALLY DID seem like SUCH a good idea at the time (when I signed up 7 months ago).. but HELLO… running for 24 hours??!..

This is when you say OMG what the hell was I thinking! Like waking up after a night of drinking and OMG who the hell are you?!..

BUT I am STOKED! Seriously excited to see what I can and cannot do for 24 hours… I have my plan of attack… Pacers on board .. here is some of the info from the website:

The Stroehmann Back on My Feet Lone Ranger Ultra Marathon starts in front of Lloyd Hall - One Boat House Row and has become one of the most popular Ultra’s in the country. It’s for experienced runners who want to test themselves to see how many 8.4-mile laps they can do around Philly's Schuylkill River Running Loop in 24 hours .

All Lone Rangers must get their vitals taken when they check in (weight, temperature and blood pressure) – NO EXCEPTIONS. PLEASE DO NOT RUN or BIKE TO PICK UP YOUR BAG AS YOUR VITALS NEED TO BE PROPERLY RECORDED, or they will have to be taken again on Saturday morning
(Seriously… like why would anyone run or bike PRIOR to running for 24 hours..WTF! )

Many participants choose to bring their own tent to have outside to be a part of the great 20in24 atmosphere. There will be a lot of space to set up camp and you can see the site layout here. Some people choose to rent a van or a RV and park in the parking lot.
(Now that’s what Im talking about…. A RV!)

Pacers are only allowed for lone rangers after the 4th lap and they must be on foot – not bike. They must check in at the table and get an official bib. Anyone caught using an unofficial pacer will be disqualified
(Check pacers only after mile 30+)

We have instituted a flag system to keep all participants aware of the weather conditions and each flag color represents a different level.

1. Green Flag - Race status is normal

2. Blue Flag - Require all racers to carry electrolyte replacement (Gu Electrolyte Brew -supplied on course). In general, you can expect a blue flag when the heat index is between 90 and 101.

3. Orange Flag - Require all racers to stop at both of the medical stations on course. This flag will be shown when heat index is 102-105. Heat cramps and/or heat exhaustion are a very real possibility; heatstroke is possible.

4. Red Flag - Require all racers to walk. Please know that we are also runners on this end and we know the idea of having to walk is not appealing, but we hope you understand that we would only ask this of you if the heat index gets to a dangerous level of 105 or more.

5. Black Flag - If the risk of lightening requires intervention. Runners should proceed to the nearest rest station and the rest station personnel will record the bib number of runners who took shelter at the rest station.
(SERIOUSLY FOLKS... like I will even know my name, let alone remember what color flag means what after running for God knows how many hours....)

SO here are some helpful hints I pulled up for Pacers:
A large part of a pacer's success is his or her sensitivity to the runner's emotions. (UH - OH)Knowing the runner well allows the pacer to provide different incentives at different times. And it helps for pacers to understand the peaks and valleys any ultrarunner experiences while covering many miles over long, lonely hours. Sometimes a runner might be encouraged by praise for a fast split between aid stations or a great climb. At other times, simply mentioning the amount of distance covered or the "measly" 22 miles left to go might spark a wrathful reply from a fatigued, nauseated ultrarunner. At such times, the pacer needs to use his or her best psychological skills to redirect the runner's venting and refocus him or her on the task and goal.

The point is, first, be prepared for all requests that a runner may have, and if that fails, be creative. It doesn't take much to redirect a tired runner's limp mind.
(So whose in to pace me?!)

Ultra Website: http://www.20in24.com/the-back-on-my-feet-lone-ranger-ultra-marathon.html
Lone Ranger Start Time: 10 am - Saturday, July 16th…..front of Lloyd Hall - One Boat House Row.

Each lap is 8.4 miles ..at a 12 min pace would take around 1 hour 40 minutes..

End: 10am - Sunday, July 17th.

Tentative Pacer schedule
10am–5pm: SOLO (4 laps) 33.66 miles
5pm – 7pm: (2 laps - 16.8 miles)
7pm – 9pm:
9 pm – 12am: NIGHT
12am-5am: NIGHT
5am-7am:
7am-8am:
8am-10am:


(So whose in to pace me?!)

Altercations

I had an altercation today..

At work…

You really have to wonder if people will ever truly get it.

I am seeing it more and more every day.. people are just HURRY crazy. People are in a hurry to GET to work…in a hurry to get OUT of work.. in a hurry to get JR to soccer, baseball, guitar and swim lessons…to get to the grocery store…to a movie…even to get to church..

But what people are forgetting in their HURRY is that many of them are driving thousand pound killing machines.

I know its frustrating when someone slows up your world, heck I hate being inconvenienced, but at least I know that even though I am supreme ruler of the universe, I am not the only one in the universe...

I don’t know how many times I have been almost killed while running…people in their big ole metal machines not paying attention… driving too fast…talking on their DAMN cell phones.. well today just solidifies it.

While taking my “peaceful” walk from my truck in the far parking lot at work to the entrance of our building, some ANGLO SAXON man who thinks he is more important than the rest of world ….tried to run me over. YES, I did see him in his “really important car" ..and unless I have new magical powers of invisibility that I am unaware of…. I SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN INVISIBLE…. and the fact that he had to swerve around me should have indicated to him that perhaps there is a problem.

So lets say that MR. I AM MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD man missed the fact that he had to swerve around me because I was allocating space in front of him ……then maybe perhaps my arms in the air and screaming as-hole pointed out the exaggerated fact that dude.. “YOU ARE AN A-SHOLE.”

Somehow Mr. A-shole manages to park his car and catch up to me as I enter the building. Bad move on his part…

“Mame, I sorry but I didn’t know you were going to walk out in front of me… and you didn’t need to call me an an a-shole”

(... oh he is soo not seriously lecturing me after he just tried to run me over....)

I don't think its wise to start something with someone who is coffee and donut deficient…

"Seriously dude I was in the middle of the street and you tried to RUN ME OVER, you are an A-SHOLE. (EXCLAMATION POINT)!!"

Not sure if his mommy ever talked to him like that or what.. but he was completely shocked that OMG someone called him an a-shole.. NOT ONCE.. BUT TWICE!


I think he tried to justify trying to kill me by stating I leapt into his path.

It’s a stretch buddy.. truly now you are reaching for it, you do realize if I had "leapt" into your path you most certainly would have felt it because I would have put my fist through your windshield.

He started to mumble that he was “only going 15 mph.” Really and you know this because you were watching the road or your speedometer? And you do realize you were in a parking lot?

Conversation is done… told him to call security explain that to them and perhaps maybe they can explain right of way to him.. i did "wish him well" with a closing remark that “I hope you don't run anyone else over…”

I am sure I will see him later in the cafeteria or something.. or maybe he will try and push me down the steps or poison me…

.. perhaps if I had had a chance to have a donut..I would have been more charming…