In the Long Run

After the umpteenth thunderstorm induced communication interrupting power outage, we are back in business.

The big news is that the VT100 is in the bag.  Teresa and I finished our 100K on Saturday into Sunday in a bit over 17 hours.  Our time out on the roads and trails of central Vermont left plenty of time to talk.  One of the things that I was telling Teresa was how, on the starting line of my first marathon in Philadelphia, I thought to myself that I was, "in for a long run."  I now stand corrected...100K is a long run.  After seeing the 100 milers and hearing about those who were out for almost 30 hours, that is a really long run.  We did pretty darn well for ourselves, though.  Considering a relative lack of training, I think that we can be satisfied that we achieved our goal of finishing.  Teresa can be especially proud with a solid ultra marathon debut.  We were both thankful for absolutely perfect conditions and a beautiful course.  It continues to amaze me that this type of an event occurs almost quite literally in our backyard.  I can't say enough about how well organized the event was and we are now looking forward to joining the great volunteers of the VT100 for many years to come.

A post on the blog would not be complete if we didn't mention some type of animal.  The farm report is as follows:  chickens are laying eggs, turkeys are still stinking the place up.  The injured turkey is mounting a strong recovery and is no longer separated from the others.  The goats are back to their normal selves after a rocky start to the week.  We noticed that Abby was acting a bit dazed and was having coordination issues on Monday evening.  I dove into my many goat books to make a diagnosis.  The excellent  book on goat veterinary medicine from our friends Bob and Missy via my parents had me convinced of goat polio.  Polio in goats is a potentially deadly but reversible neurologic disorder caused by a thiamine deficiency.  Some ferns in the "back 40" were the likely culprit.  Our vet was able to make a visit on Tuesday and we have been treating her for a variety of issues until a more definitive diagnosis can be made.  Thankfully, she was looking back to her normal self on Wednesday morning and she continues to do well.

There is a "surprise" weekend getaway in the works to which I am blinded.  Updates to follow.