<p>Many of them are pretty short, Snowflake- especially the Lulu ones. I’m 5’4".</p>
<p>Did you have your tent strapped on at the bottom of your backpack?</p>
<p>We were taught in the Scouts to put the heaviest stuff as high as possible, it makes it less tiring.</p>
<p>Thanks for the skirt info MoWC and Bunsen. I do like the lulu skirts–especially the hotty hot with the sheer portion on the hemline! It looks like it would be great on the beach, too, with a bikini or tankini top. I really need to get to their store and try things on for sizing. Snowflake, have you tried one of these fitness skirts on? I’m taller, and worried about the opposite problem–that these short skirts would look too short. Something about having the built in shorts builds confidence, though–that and a little volume from the skirt. I did try on a white skort–more of a tennis look I guess. It didn’t seem flattering or prudent–a little like the white bathing suit issue, imo.</p>
<p>idad, what a beautiful hike, bugs, river rocks, heavy backpack and all. If you hadn’t described the hike otherwise in an earlier post, I would never have thought of it as a death march. It’s a visual paradise, especially when viewed from the thick of Florida summer with tropical agitation in the air! I agree with MoWC–you’re looking very fit. Thanks for sharing your latest adventure.</p>
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<p>At least I have video memories of when I could still walk… 
Hiking socks and Crocs and blaze orange is quite the look, huh?</p>
<p>All of my heart rate monitor straps have died. The latest whiz bang Garmin. The Magellen. They all read OK for about fifteen minutes. Then, show that my heart rate is under 40 beats per minute when I’m panting like a dog. Then, they stop reading altogether. Same on both the watch and the handheld GPS. Completely different from the cold weather spikes. I think the thing just go kaput after a while. Probably the electrical conductors. I’ve gotta get on the horn to Garmin and sweet talk them into another replacement. Looks like they are probably good for about a year.</p>
<p>Speaking of Garmins, I finally uploaded the hike GPS. No wonder I was draggin’ my sorry butt. It was 6.9 miles each way. </p>
<p>I have some of the skirt sports running skirts (and a biking one). I love the pockets in the shorts part for my phone and other stuff. They come in several different lengths, too. I have running friends who like the sparkle skirts.</p>
<p>I love hiking, but only day hikes. I like sleeping in a real bed at night. And I don’t like lugging heavy backpacks. </p>
<p>I also love the athletic skirts for pulling over a bathing suit on the beach. </p>
<p>30 min/3.5 mile run on a treadmill at the hotel - done, and I’m now lounging on the beach in my favorite running skirt. I have it in pretty pink floral with pink mesh trim. 
Mr B can easily use his Lulu shorts as swim trunks.
Speaking of white skirts, I’m not a huge fan. And white swim suits, while pretty in theory, are nothing but trouble! </p>
<p>Two concerts in five days later this month. I think I’ll get whiplash from the divergent styles, solo acoustic to arena rock:</p>
<p>[Ryan</a> Adams](<a href=“Ryan Adams - English Girls Approximately (Live on Letterman) - YouTube”>Ryan Adams - English Girls Approximately (Live on Letterman) - YouTube)
[Queen</a> + Adam Lambert](<a href=“Queen + Adam Lambert Tour - Opening Night - YouTube”>Queen + Adam Lambert Tour - Opening Night - YouTube)</p>
<p>I hope I can walk by then…</p>
Abasket, have you figured out WHY this is so true?
I may have to conduct some research 
But seriously, when I moved to the states 11 years ago, the first things I missed the most were steak, cheese and ice cream. I’ve now found a local butcher whose meat is comparably good, (local, smaller operations) and there is a brand of Michigan ice cream I’ve come to like, but there really does seem to be some kind of difference in general. Whether its the feed, the cold, or the farming practices/restrictions…or the processing …I’ve never figured out why things that come from Canadian cows seem a little happier But I know I personally had a hard time adjusting. McH I think was astonished initially at my capacity to rack up restaurant bills given my fetish for grade of meat…
With the ice cream, I suspect the difference might be less sugar and more cream. My uncle used to own a creamery. I rarely see him but I’ll have to ask him sometime. It may have to do less with what’s in it and more with what isn’t!
Where do you vacation there? From past descriptions of Lake Huron, it sounds like the Grand Bend/Bayfield area. I was born inland from there (Stratford area) but much of my family hais from those stomping grounds. As a kid, we had a boat up at Indian Harbor in Goderich. At any rate, have a great trip!
Idad, nice death march…if I were going to go out in a blaze of glory with a 50 lb back pack it looks like a good place to do so
I do know exactly what you mean about that halo of Mosquitos phenom…they love to dance around me when I’m sweating even though the permethrin and face net keep them off me! There’s something a bit tribal about it.
Sabaray, I meant to tell you of my low-cal margarita experiment loosely based on your lemonade suggestion. I’m sad to report its an abject failure both on the caloric and the taste front. You would think organic agave would pair nicely with tequila…but survey sez not! So with the 4th approaching, I will instead treat the fresh-squeezed margarita like dessert and forego the key lime pie
<p>Great video, idad!</p>
<p>Forgot to post yesterday – run/walk for 4.37 miles. I was on the treadmill at the gym and was still sweating bucketfuls. (Yesterday was a triple H day here.)</p>
<p>All the running/fitness skirts look pretty cute, but I couldn’t wear them for that – I definitely need the built in knee support of my CW-X capris. Some could work on the golf course or as a beach cover-up, though. Hmmmm – I may need to go shopping …</p>
<p>PS Love Maui!!!</p>
<p>Kmcmom, I raised my kids on B&J ice cream, but back in Ohio we had the stuff you probably find in Michigan. I wonder if Canadian cows have less GMO corn and/or less antibiotics? </p>
<p>You folks are talking me into at least trying on a running skirt. The sparkle concept is appealing because it says not only am I wearing a skirt on this muddy trail, but I am going to celebrate being able to run on this awesome trail. </p>
<p>idad, you should ditch the heart rate strap and get a MIO. It’s so much more comfortable, plus, you just put it on and it works. I haven’t had any spikes or strange reading with the MIO. </p>
<p>Kmcmom, exactly - that’s what we have been told - higher cream content. It really is so much better. Even just the ice cream you buy at the grocery store there is much better! I’ll be sporting a white chocolate raspberry cone in a matter of hours… :)</p>
<p>And you’ve got us pegged spot on! We are right between Grand Bend and Bayfield - as you know, not much inbetween there but a gorgeous lake and nice beach. The beach is feet away out our door. Bayfield is our fav hangout - that’s where we get the ice cream! Have been to Goderich many times - when our kids were little we would frequent the playground down at the beach. Stratford is an annual trip as well. </p>
<p>IDad didn’t like something about the Mio- I think the way it wasn’t continuous???</p>
<p>Bunsen- that’s the exact hottie skirt that I have. I love that print so much that I got the stuff bra and these great pants with a gathered hem that I actually wore to work with a white blazer. </p>
<p>I was going to get up and swim this morning, but I was too tired. And- wouldn’t you know it- since I’m not able to run, we are having incredible cool weather (espec mornings) which I’m afraid is going to make the pool cool in the mornings but would be perfect for running! We are closing the office early today, so I hope to get over to the pool and at least do some aquajogging. I probably can’t swim because of the thundering herd of kids in the pool.</p>
<p>“With the ice cream, I suspect the difference might be less sugar and more cream”</p>
<p>This is usually the issue with European sweets! Less sugar, more (tasty) fats. “Tasty fat” - when she was in HS, our baby kiddo used to take a ton of time to perform “microsurgery” on her dinner steaks trying to trim every tiny bit of fat. When Mr B questioned her why she was doing that, she replied that she thought that fat was gross. “But you eat butter. Butter is almost pure fat!” In reply, she just rolled her eyes, “Oh, daaaad… Butter is <em>tasty</em> fat!” </p>
<p>What is the Michigan brand of ice cream that you like kmcmom? Ice cream is my favorite food group ;). </p>
<p>Just so I’m not such a slug, 3 mile run. </p>
<p>I sweet-talked Garmin into sending me a new HRM strap. I did learn something interesting. Even though the little plastic sensors look identical and fit identically on all of the various Garmin straps, they are NOT all identical. Some say HRM2SS on the back and some say HRM3SS on the back. Apparently HRM2 sensors don’t work that well on HRM3 straps. Ooops… I didn’t know that and because I’ve got a stack of identical looking sensors, I managed to end up with the HRM2 sensor on the HRM3 strap. Hmmm… I’ve corrected that and it’s been working fine all afternoon. Of course, I really won’t know until I workout and get good and sweaty. And, I probably shouldn’t workout until I can walk again… :)</p>
<p>The optical sensors aren’t going to work very well for me. Short battery life. They claim 8 hours. That’s probably 5 hours in the real world. Not enough for a six hour hike.</p>
<p>Walking is overrated ;)</p>
<p>Of course you did, iDad! (sweet-talk Garmin) </p>
<p>Now that I can’t do what I like, I’ve spent time thinking about what payback I like to get from whatever it is I can do.<br>
One is to sweat and get my HR up, which I’m not able to do right now with swimming and aqua-jogging. I’m sure my HR is up with the swimming and somewhat with the aqua-jogging, but I don’t want to push the pace on the aqua-jogging because of the injury.</p>
<p>Another thing is to have a sense of accomplishment. I aqua-jogged for 35 minutes, which was 5 minutes longer than yesterday, and I found myself happy about that. So-there’s that!</p>
<p>An important one is to maintain some level of fitness/conditioning. I’m doing the best I can, but a month without being able to do anything but crutch around work didn’t help. I’ve also found- even in MUCH younger years- that no matter what I did for cross-training, it sucked to start running again as far as how it felt.</p>
<p>Another is to not gain a lot of weight. I’m still about 4 pounds over where I like to be at this time of year and I feel that it shows. That’s all on me- no one makes me eat as much as I do and the kinds of foods. The boss wanted to go to the pizza/Italian buffet for lunch today. Yeah- they had salads, but who ate two pieces of pizza? Moi. Oh- and a piece of the nasty grocery store cake for his birthday mid-afternoon!</p>
<p>MOWC:</p>
<p>Not withstanding the injury and all the tribulations of that, I bet that the forced hiatus will end up being a net plus for your overall fitness. You were long overdue for some recovery time – although you certainly don’t want it to come on crutches!</p>
<p>DEB:</p>
<p>Yeah. Walking is over-rated. Actually, I can walk again, but I am still sore – all muscle soreness. Quads, back of my calves, upper arms.I don’t have anything to prove. There’s no point in layering soreness on top of soreness. I should be good to go by tomorrow.</p>