Month: September 2013

Spiderwebs

I have a full on eco-system going on in the backyard. On a regular basis I catch a new pest or two.
This guy (or those like him) have been hanging around for a while now. They pretty much set up webs anywhere they want to in the yard. This spinybacked orbweaver claims to be beneficial so I won’t destroy its home unless it is directly in my way.

 
In other news, I also saw a Tarantula Hawk in the yard the other day. I didn’t get a chance to snap a photo but the wasp was quite big. In fact I first thought I was following a hummingbird, until it stopped on the key lime bush. Some reading up on it told me that it will pretty much leave me alone unless provoked (then it is the worst wasp pain you can have). However it will totally take down a tarantula – there is a video on youtube to prove it.

Miracle Miles Recap

My first distance race of the season is complete. I completed the miracle miles 15k for the second year in a row. It looks like my pre-race meal worked out for me.
We ended up having a beautiful and cooler fall morning here in Orlando. It was still hot but not blistering like in years past. It got a bit tough running sometimes in the sun but I was rewarded with cool winds and shady trees. Miles 1 and 2 were run at too fast a pace. It could’ve backfired on me but luckily I had energy to complete the race. Things started to get a bit challenging at mile 4 but by the time I got to mile 5 I got another energy boost. It wasn’t until around mile 8 that my energy stores were depleted. Mind over matter I kept at it. A last boost at the end made me complete the race in just a bit over 2 hours. If I keep up this time improvement, I am on track to meet or beat my best half-marathon time.
I still haven’t found a way to beat the post race headache (or migraine as I call them). I think they are a stress headache related to repeated movements from the race. They cause the same result as my regular migraines though. I am not sure how to prevent them; I tried hard to relax my shoulders and stretch my neck and shoulders during walking breaks. If anyone has any suggestions for these I would love to hear.
Happy running…….