Tag Archives: cold

I Wish I Didn’t Have The IRON Self-Discipline I Have — Life Would Be So Much Easier — & Drier — For I.

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by Anura Guruge
on July 2, 2023

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Stats & GPS track from my ‘Garmin Epix 2’.

I really wish I could be less hard on myself!

I can’t remember HOW I ended up with this unwavering, IRON, self-discipline I have.

I was in the cadets (in the U.K.) BUT never in the armed services. Yes, my adoptive father beat me to a pulp, regularly, when I was young, BUT that, as far as I can remember, was never a big reason for the self-discipline.

I KNOW I HAD IT by the time I was 16.

That is why I never did drugs, never smoked & only started drinking 7-years AFTER I was legally able to.

NOW, I am too SCARED to make any exceptions. I know that if I do it would be DOWNHILL from then.

So, yet again today, as has been too often the case this Summer, I had no choice but to walk my daily, morning 4-miles in the PELTING, SOAKING RAIN.

I wore heavy, solid rain gear. I still got drenched. There was no part of me that was dry.

The DOGS refused to walk.

So I walked on my own, which was good because I can walk faster.

So, this is my life.

I wish I could be a slacker.

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Getting 500,000 Steps In During What Was A Very Rainy June Was A Challenge — But I Scraped Through.

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by Anura Guruge
on July 1, 2023

We got a lot of rain. Towards the end we had like 9-days of rain on the trot. It was relentless. I much prefer ambling in the snow rather than rain. Rain just gets me down.

Plus, for a rare change I did NOT have any multi-day trips to Maine — just a quick trip to ‘Kittery’, Maine on Father’s Day. So, getting in all the steps to make sure that my now multiyear streak of always exceeding 500,000 steps/month was not broken was a bit hard. But I kept at it. I knew what I had to do each day. SMILE. It is NOT easy being I. Smile.

Getting Soaked In Today’s Relentless Rain In Order To Get In My Mandatory 10K Steps Morning Walk.

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by Anura Guruge
on April 23, 2023

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I knew it was going to rain all day. But, that, alas, won’t do as an excuse.

I have to get in my steps (~17,000/day, 500,000+/month) Rain, SNOW or SHINE. Plus, with the temperature in the mid-40Fs (7C) I was way ABOVE my (self-imposed) 5F (-15C) cutoff threshold.

I hate the RAIN. I will take snow any day of the week, provided it is not blowing in your face too much. Well today it was all rain & it was relentless. Kept on coming down. No escaping it.

I wasn’t dressed for the cold. It wasn’t cold. I was dressed for the rain. I had three layers. I was actually dry underneath. Just the outer layer was SOAKED. SOAKED.

It is still raining. But, I still have to go out in it TWICE.

It is NOT easy being I.

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Getting 500,000 Steps In A 28-Day February, In New Hampshire’, Requires Special Pigheadedness & A 3-Day Trip To Acadia.

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by Anura Guruge
on March 1, 2023

28-day Februarys are a BIG challenge when it comes to meeting my self-imposed 500,000 steps/month goal (with at least 10,000 steps each & every day). End of January 2023 I was on a 31-month UNBROKEN streak. I wasn’t going to LOSE that streak without a fight.

500,000 steps in 28 days requires you to average 17,857 steps a day — just over 8 miles a day. It is 1/2 mile a day less on a 30 day month. Yes, it can be done & I have done it thrice now BUT it requires work, especially as February, in New Hampshire, also tends to be COLDEST month.

I have learnt that the easiest way to achieve my goal is to go for a quick 3-day break to ‘Acadia‘. Then, I can get in 90K — 100K in 3-days & that helps a lot. And that is exactly what I did. Yes, I check the weather & picked 3 good days. They turned out to be exceptional. No precipitation, not too cold & not too hot. Goldilocks for ambling. And that is what I did. On the 2nd day, my ONLY FULL DAY there, I got in 17 miles of ambling & that was a breeze. I wasn’t tired. SMILE. Yes, all this ambling does have some benefits. SMILE.

So, another February in the bag. Thanks to Acadia I actually ended up walking more steps in February than I did in January, December or November. Wow.

Last Night Was Brutal, But Today at 1.4F (-17C) It Was BEAUTIFUL — Ambled Lazily For 1 hour 46 minutes.

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by Anura Guruge
on February 4, 2023

Click to **ENLARGE**. No special gear. Just what I have lying around.

Last night when the temperature plummeted to -18F (-28C) & the wind was HOWLING, it was BRUTAL. Scary. I was worried we would lose power. That would have been dangerous & not too much fun. But, luckily we didn’t. So relieved.

We had been told that the temps would start rising as of Saturday morning & they sure did IN FRONT of your eyes. -13F when I woke up (at 9am (SMILE)). They said it would be 4F (-16C) by 3pm. It never got to that, BUT we are also at a 800′ altitude.

It was 1.4F (-17C) at 3pm & that was PLENTY WARM ENOUGH for I.

After my first decade in New Hampshire (& I am now in my 3rd), I always maintained that anything above 0F (-12.2C) was a breeze. I am FINE with above 0F. 1.4 was bloody balmy.

Had a great amble. Good book on ‘Audible‘. NO WIND. Nothing.

I had a blast. I feel sorry for those who don’t go out in beautiful weather like this.

I sure had fun.

I have walked at least 10,000 steps, EACH & EVERY DAY, since April 17, 2020.

Today was day 1,023 if my unbroken 1,022 STREAK.
2 years 9.5 months.

And I had 3 eye surgeries during that time. I got in my steps before & AFTER the surgery. The surgeon knew of my need to walk & put in EXTRA STITCHES!

I Did Go Out In The Cold (& Wind Chill) This Morning — Had To Get In My 10K Steps/Day (Or Die Trying).

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by Anura Guruge
on February 3, 2023

OCD & discipline are terrible things. I will NOT wish them on anyone.

I have walked at least 10,000 steps, EACH & EVERY DAY, since April 17, 2020.

That is an unbroken 1,022 day STREAK.
2 years 9.5 months.

I couldn’t the cold defeat me WITHOUT a valiant fight.

Plus -5F (-20.5C) is my nominal cut-off.

This morning it was 3.4F (-15.8C). So, I had NO EXCUSE.

Dressed up as much as I could. Use a face warmer. It still did a job on my LUNGS. SMILE. What can I say.

Wasn’t too bad. I even built up a sweat. Might still get a lung infection.

Well, another 18 hours to go. Keep your fingers crossed for I. I need it.

Not thinking about tomorrow. Need to get tonight out of the way.

It Is NOT Easy Being I, Having To Spend 2-Hours In The SNOW To Meet My Self-Imposed Step Goals.

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by Anura Guruge
on December 16, 2022

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It was snowing & it never let up. I need that hat to stay warm.

From ‘Garmin Connect’. 4.17 miles & 2-hours in the snow.

I have to get in my steps (~17,000/day, 500,000+/month) Rain, SNOW or SHINE — provided it is 5F (-15C) or above. Hate the RAIN. Snow is better as long as it is not blowing in your face too much. That was the case today. Hardly any wind. So the snow was gently falling, straight down. Not too bad. Wasn’t that cold either. Hovering around 32F. I will take that.

Have to wear my Russian fur-hat. In my dotage I really feel the cold. That has been the biggest thing about getting old. I never used to feel or mind the cold. Now that I am old, I am always cold.

7pm now & I have to go out again now, albeit just for about 15-minutes. Dogs need walking.

Then a brisk, 20-minute, ~1 mile, between 11:40 & midnight for my postprandial amble.

My life is not easy. But, I kind of like it. Wouldn’t trade it.

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