As the youngest had swim tonight I decided to use all the light I could to get out for a run. However, it eventually turned dark and I found some interesting glows in the sky. 😄

A nighttime landscape with a dark, cloudy sky. Below, there is a body of water surrounded by trees and vegetation along the shoreline. In the sky, there is a circular pattern of lights creating a glowing ring, illuminating the clouds around it. The overall atmosphere is mysterious and serene.

There is something extremely satisfying about taking something that doesn’t work and fixing it to extend its life a little longer. My shop vac had a faulty switch, but after some tinkering and a $2.50 replacement switch I found online, it’s back to full functionality again.

A hand installs a blue electrical switch into a hole on a black plastic surface next to an existing black plug; a concrete wall is in the background.

Such a nice day out again today. So I decided to take the time I had and extend this run a little bit further.

A scenic view of a grassy field bordered by leafless trees under a clear blue sky. In the distance, a small body of water is visible, reflecting the light. The foreground is framed by the branches of the trees, creating a natural archway that opens up to the expansive field.

Such a nice day out with 50°F out for a recovery run after a longer run yesterday. Even though it was overcast it felt great out as I wore shorts again in this weather. However, it was very wet outside as I feel like before the end of the week all the snow might be gone in the neighborhood.

A wet, paved path stretches into the distance under an overcast sky, flanked by barren trees and dry grass. Patches of melting snow are visible on either side of the path, with a pile of tan material and black erosion control tubes lining the ground. A road sign in the upper left indicates a speed limit of 25 MPH.

What start out in hopes to match last weeks total distance I really tried to gear myself up for a 7-8 mile run. A rough start which I had thought about turning around a couple of times I actually ended up extending it and hitting double digits. The nice weather today was some great motivation.

A solitary tree stands tall amidst dry grass in a snowy wetland, under a clear blue sky, with a distant line of trees marking the horizon.

It was a nice day out today so decided to get a run in probably against my better judgement. However, I feel like I found what seems like a trail or old road don’t you think? It seemed to stop so I turned around as I didn’t want to get my shoes too wet but might have to explore again another time.

Narrow snowy path flanked by leafless trees under a clear blue sky. Bare branches create intricate patterns, while distant hills blend into the serene winter landscape.

Every day between 8-9 AM, the sun shines through this window and glares on my computer screen and it is well.. terrible. Well, problem solved now! 😅

A blanket with cartoon bear designs and heart patterns hangs on a door. Nearby, a cap with “East Champs” is displayed, along with a child’s painting and light switches.

Shed Office Heating Upgrade

On a whim last week I decided I needed to get a little more heat flowing in the Shed Office as the electric heaters I have works great until the temps at night get down to -10ºF as it is a little too much for them to keep up even blasting all night (which I don’t love doing). So some mornings I would wake up to 32ºF in the shed and if when I woke up I turned the heaters on it would take some time (sometimes half the day) to get the shed to a OK temp of in the high 40ºF so I could come out and then work. Because of that somedays I would just bail and try to work from the house.

A couple weeks back I got a email with a deal on a mini propane heater that is for “Indoor / Outdoor use”, however in the fine print is it ONLY supposed to be used indoors in an Emergency. After considering it I decided to pick one up as it was not overly expensive. Also, yes, heating my Shed Office so I can work is an emergency 😆. The heater is pretty basic as it is just a radiant propane heater instead of a forced air one so the nice thing is I can keep my other heaters going and not draw any other electricity. In a way it might have been nice to have one with a blower, I have actually been happy with how this is working with out a fan.

After using it from time to time over the course of the past week, it has been just great. I mean today is a great example where I forgot to have the electric heaters stay on longer last night as I normally have them reduce the temp overnight in an attempt to not just waste electricity. However, seeing how it got in the the negative temperatures last night I woke up this morning to a 32ºF shed. So after I got our youngest on the bus I went out to fire up my mini propane heater. In the course of the next hour that I let it run it increased the temperature from 32ºF to 57ºF which is more than comfortable for me.

A portable heater emits a warm orange glow, connected by a hose to a propane tank, situated on a black mat in a well-equipped garage.

Just to note, I do not leave this on over the night and it is only used to kind of get my shed to a warm state when I am nearby. Otherwise, I keep everything off and propane tank is off too.

Might have been the very end of the day but I got a run in however it felt terrible… I think if I didn’t have an hour to kill while my daughter was swimming I would have stopped after 30 minutes.

Bare trees stand still in a snowy forest at dusk, with footprints marking the path through the quiet, dimly lit landscape.

Besides my watch failing me today on this run, I couldn’t complain as it was sunny out and warmer than the other day. However, by cutting out when I did for it meant I needed to work now that everyone is heading to bed but I think it was worth it to keep the calm.

Snow-covered ground surrounds bare trees standing amidst a field of dry grass under a clear blue sky. Houses are visible in the distance, partially obscured by trees.

Well first for a long time but I knew I was playing with fire when I left for a run and my watch was at 11% it almost got me to the end but missed out on my last little bit down the trail and back to get to 6.2. 🤦‍♂️

Smartwatch display shows large time “3:10,” temperature “5°” with a low of “-11,” date “Wed 19,” battery icon at 11%. Activity rings, sunset at 5:48 PM, exercise icon.

A smartwatch displays “4:06” with an orange band on a wrist. The wearer stands on wooden flooring, partially visible in a household interior.

It was still cold today but decided while my oldest daughter and two friends practiced dryland for hockey I would try to get some miles in. Overall, it wasn’t bad on the run and I felt good. I mean yes it was cold out but I was bundled up so all was good.

Snow covers a wide, open field bordered by a line of leafless trees in the distance, under a clear blue sky.

So maybe I shouldn’t go outside for a run today… 🤷‍♂️

Weather interface displaying a sun icon indicating sunny weather, with a temperature of -13°F, feels like -18°F. Extreme cold warning issued. Additional details: wind 6-11 mph, gusts to 11 mph.

Didn’t want to let this sunshine get away from me today so I went for a run after the morning livestream of swimming before the hockey game in the afternoon. I feel like I should have done a longer run as I haven’t for a couple of weeks but probably did more miles today than I had planned.

Snow-covered lake with tire tracks crossing it, surrounded by leafless trees and distant houses under a clear blue sky.

Sad to not be in person at the swim meet today but thankful for technology that I can be sitting at home this morning watching it to cheer on our youngest who has 4 events today.

This her 200 Freestyle event where she took first in her heat.

For our family Christmas gift exchange this year I asked for “swim” socks so I could represent and support my youngest swimming. These work great because I mean you have to show up with good a good sock game. 🤷‍♂️

A blue shoe with lobster illustrations rests on a gray grooved surface. The wearer wears colorful socks depicting a swimming pool theme, standing beside a blue wall.

This was probably not one of my better ideas to run this morning. However, I had the day off today as my youngest has a swim meet that needed to leave the house by 10am and with sitting in a car all day and then at the swim meet I felt I should do something.

Snow-covered wooden path extends forward, flanked by bare trees on both sides, set in a winter landscape under a gray sky.|354x266

I had exactly 35 min to get a run done today to be back before a meeting. How am I feeling? Not great! Should I have gone on this run? Probably not! Oh well what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger right? Or just keeps me feeling under the weather longer maybe. 🤷‍♂️

Bare trees stand still in a snowy forest, casting shadows on the ground. The bright blue sky creates a stark contrast with the winter landscape.

Felt really good while running today in the very light snowfall outside. Once I got moving it wasn’t bad at all and I might have tried to extend the run but I was already up against the clock to get done before the company wide meeting.

Leafless trees stand amidst a snow-covered field, with scattered fallen branches on the ground, under a gray, overcast sky.

Fascinated watching these two bald eagles just sitting in the tree across the street watching over the neighborhood. Actually come to think about it the dogs and I might be prey / sitting ducks in the shed office. 🦅

Two birds perched high in bare tree branches against a clear blue sky.