ALBANY CRITTERS
Monday, January 30, 2012

I can't claim to be a fan of Albany much of the time (not that it's personal - I'm not a fan of any city!) so it always pleases me to see wildlife around here. Today had three moments that made me smile -

• As I got out of my car to go into work, I heard geese, looked up, and saw a small group circling the school, probably just before landing out on the playing fields - I saw them out there several days last week munching on the grass. Perhaps I'll actually get a picture of them sometime this week (if they keep coming around.)


• Heading toward the door, I heard something in the trees nearby and watched two squirrels chasing each other around the tree while another one looked on.


• While walking back to work this evening for a late meeting, I saw the local crows heading for wherever they roosted last night... hundreds and hundreds of crows flying against the dark blue of the dusk sky. I imagine they are really annoying to the people who live near where they roost - but it was an impressive, beautiful sight to see them flying last night.

JMH

0.7 Mile Walk Around Buckingham Lake
Sunday, January 29, 2012

BRIEF VISITS
Greylock Glen, Farnum's Crossing, and Hand Hollow
Sunday, January 29, 2012

Season of the SnōShū 2012 - Race #4
Curly's NEMBA Trails 4.5mi Snowshoe Race
Sunday, January 29, 2012

2012 Event TotalsRun 3.1 mi, 0 hr 44 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 14.3 mi, 3 hr 37 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 min

states visited: MA, NY

Weekly Activity Summary
1/22/2012 - 1/28/2012

running (1x) - 7.5 mi
riding - 0 mi
walking/hiking (1x) - 2.5 mi
snowshoeing (1x) - 8.0 mi

JMH

SNOWSHOES WOULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER PLAN...
7.5 Mile Run at Thacher Park
Saturday, January 28, 2012

You'd think I'd have learned by now, given all the times I've gone up to Thacher in the last couple of winters and found significantly more snow there than we had down in Albany. Actually, I have learned - I brought my snowshoes with me instead of leaving them at home. But when I was gearing up in the Ryan Road parking area and saw mainly ice on the trail, I decided to go with screw shoes, and I should have known better... any trails that hadn't been snowmobiled were ankle-deep in snow and ice, which made for difficult, slow going - it would have been much easier to be on snowshoes.

Despite that, it was a good day to be out - it was grey and cloudy when I left Albany, but then the Sun mixed in with the clouds for much of my run and treated me to some glimpses of a very nice sunset. The only area that was totally clear of snow was the farm fields near the Long Path parking lot, and that was filled with dozens of robins looking for food. I had hoped to follow the mountain bike trail to the water treatment plant and run down to the Hailes Cave overlook, but the snow slowed me down too much and it was getting dark by the time I reached the hang glider launch area, so I decided to take the snowmobile trails back - I could run fairly consistently on them. Along the way I had some great views of the crescent moon framed by Jupiter and Venus - beautiful!

JMH

HURRAY!!!!
Curly's Snowshoe Race is ON!
Saturday, January 28, 2012

Just got word that the snow held up better than anyone expected in Pittsfield State Forest and Curly's Record Run will be held as a snowshoe race tomorrow! Great news indeed!!!

JMH

OUTDOORS AT LAST!
2.5 Mile Walk on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Friday, January 27, 2012

This was a tough week. I put off doing some things for work way too long and paid for it big time this week, both in lost sleep and no time outdoors. Last night I finally had time to get out for a run, but initially I was too tired, and once I'd finally gotten my second wind for the evening it was raining and I just couldn't summon up the motivation to go out and be cold and wet. So tonight was the first time since Sunday that I've been outdoors this week, other than to go back and forth to work.

I considered going for a short run but in the end my best option was a walk instead... took the bike path from the Lions Park out past the Niska Isle bridge and back. Not too cold, but very windy, which made for a chilly walk out. Very little activity - even with the warmer weather we've been having, it looked like there was still a lot of ice on the river. Maybe it will be warm enough tomorrow and I'll have time to go for a short bike ride, so I can see things in the daylight.

JMH

JUST A BIT TOUGHER THE 2ND TIME AROUND...
4.2 Mile Snowshoe at Constitution Hill
Sunday, January 22, 2012

Season of the SnōShū 2012 - Race #3
Constitution Hill 3.8mi Snowshoe Race
Sunday, January 22, 2012

2012 Event TotalsRun 3.1 mi, 0 hr 44 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 9.8 mi, 2 hr 28 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 min

states visited: MA, NY

Weekly Activity Summary
1/15/2012 - 1/21/2012

running (1x) - 3.2 mi
riding - 0 mi
walking/hiking (2x) - 3.5 mi
snowshoeing (3x) - 15.8 mi

JMH

BARELY ENOUGH SNOW...
4.8 Mile Snowshoe at Schodack Island State Park
Saturday, January 21, 2012

Season of the SnōShū 2012 - Race #2
Brave the Blizzard 5k Snowshoe Trail Race
Saturday, January 21, 2012

2012 Event TotalsRun 3.1 mi, 0 hr 44 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 6 mi, 1 hr 28 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 min

states visited: NY

2.1 Mile Walk at Five Rivers EEC
Friday. January 20, 2012

Yet Another Change of Plans... Sigh...
Thursday, January 19, 2012

A very unproductive week... too many evenings of falling sleep after eating dinner and then spinning my wheels while trying to do work after waking up. I haven't gotten outdoors since Monday either... sigh.

I was really looking forward to running Brave the Blizzard on Saturday morning, then driving out to Rochester to spend time with Ann and run the Lake Effect Half Marathon Sunday morning - I did the Lake Effect duathlon the first two years it was held and really want to do the long race that's replaced it one of these years. Doesn't look like it's going to be this year... with all the work I have to do, it doesn't make sense to spend all that time on the road this weekend. Guess I'll go over to Massachusetts and run Constitution Hill instead - word is it will actually be a snowshoe race (unlike BtB, which is almost certain to be a trail run.)

There I go doing what makes sense again... the Apocalypse must be inching closer...

JMH

OK... This Is Too Weird...
Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Farewell, Ice Cleat...
Monday, January 16, 2011

THAT'S A LOT OF GEESE...
5 Mile Snowshoe at Green Lakes State Park
Monday, January 16, 2011

CALM DEER, HUNGRY DEER, FRIENDLY DEER - AND ONE VERY WHACKO DEER!
1.4 Mile Walk at Tinker Nature Park
Sunday, January 15, 2012

Season of the SnōShū 2012 - Race #1 (FINALLY!)
Mendon Winterfest 6mi Snowshoe Race
Sunday, January 15, 2012

2012 Event TotalsRun 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Bike 0 mi, 0hr 0 min
Snowshoe 6 mi, 1 hr 28 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 min

states visited: NY

Weekly Activity Summary
1/8/2012 - 1/14/2012

running (2x) - 10.2 mi
riding - 0 mi
walking/hiking (2x) - 3.3 mi
snowshoeing - 0 mi

JMH

2.1 Mile Walk on the Erie Canalway Trail (Utica)
Saturday, January 14, 2012

BREAK OUT THE SCREW SHOES!
5 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Thursday, January 12, 2012

Not enough snow for snowshoeing, but too much for my trail shoes - time for the screw shoes. Actually, I spent a good deal of time wondering if I should have worn my snowshoes after all - with only a couple inches of snow I didn't need flotation, but the traction would have been nice.

Ended up at Blueberry Hill, which is one of the sections where they've recently rerouted the trails. I had walked some of the new trails in the dark, so it was good to get a chance to see them in the daylight. The main drawback to the new trails is they run close to the edges of the preserve, so while one side has a view of the woods or the meadows, the other tends to be backyards and the office complex that borders this part of the preserve. Still, I wish I'd brought along my waterproof Kodak - while the picture quality isn't great, the preserve was quite scenic with a layer of snow covering much of the ground.

The resistance provided by even a couple of inches of snow made for tough going, especially since my legs were a bit tired from my short run last night (and possibly from almost two weeks of no running... sigh.) I had originally thought to run an extra loop for another mile or more but abandoned that idea after slipping and slogging through the very wet snow. Kind of makes me glad I didn't end up running the Squirrely Six in the snow back at the end of October...

JMH

FINALLY SOME SNOW!
But Not Enough to Save Turner Trail
Thursday, January 12, 2012

... especially when it turned to sleet/freezing rain and then just rain for much of the day. So there's a couple of inches of very wet snow on the ground in many spots, but that's not enough for snowshoeing.

Looks like the first race of the 2012 WMAC Dion series will be Brave the Blizzard next Saturday... we'll just have to wait and see if it's a snowshoe race or a trail race...

Despite the rain today, Rochester has snow in the forecast for tomorrow and Saturday - it's not impossible there may be just barely enough for the Mendon Winterfest race to be run on snowshoes... again, just have to wait and see...

JMH

GETTING BACK ON TRACK?
5.2 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Back to Virginia in March...
Tuesday, January 10, 2012

I've been thinking that I want to run a marathon sometime in the spring, to get ready for a late-spring/early summer 50k (possibly the Nipmuck 50k in early June.) Unfortunately trail marathons within driving distance are few and far between that time of year, as are trail 50k's... briefly considered a road marathon, but none leaped out as being all that appealing. I also found out that some of the long trail races have reached their registration limits, and some have registration fees that are bordering on being, well, nuts ($110, having missed the early-early and early registrations.) In the end I bit the bullet and signed up for the Instant Classic Marathon Trail Run, which very ironically is in Virginia in mid-March. My last race of 2011 was in VA, and it looks like my first race (after snowshoe season) will also be in VA.

I'll have my work cut out for me, too... there's a 7 hr time limit for finishing. I completed Stone Cat in 7:17, and ran the first 26 miles of the Seashore Nature Trail 50k in 6:33... so I think it's doable, if I don't do anything stupid (and if the course isn't significantly harder than the descriptions I've read online.)

One downside is that it's the same day as the last race of the WMAC Dion Snowshoe Series, Catamount Sunset. Then again, that's easily my least-favorite race of the series, so while I'll miss seeing my snowshoeing friends one last time and I'll feel slightly bad for not supporting the series by being there... I can't really say I'll miss Catamount Sunset all that much.

The other downside is it's early enough in the spring that I'll still need to keep busting my backside for a good long time afterwards... no taking it easy using the excuse of resting up for an upcoming 50k!

JMH

Weekly Activity Summary
1/1/2012 - 1/7/2012

running - 0 mi
riding (2x) - 26.9 mi
walking/hiking (6x) - 14.8 mi
snowshoeing - 0 mi

JMH

3.2 Mile Walk at Five Rivers EEC
Saturday, January 7, 2012

12.3 Mile Ride Through the Corning Preserve & Schuyler Flatts Cultural Park
Saturday, January 7, 2012

Since the weather today was more like late March than early January, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity for some riding... headed down to the Corning Preserve and rode over to the Riverfront Park and then out to Watervliet and around Schuyler Flatts park. Not much wildlife out - a few ducks and gulls, and a large flock of geese grazing just before the I90 bridge. The path wasn't too crowded, which is always a plus.

The leftover mud on the path itself has washed away, but there are still plenty of signs of the late summer floods - spots where the grass is covered in mud, and several stretches of path have piles of mud where the path was plowed clear. It will be interesting to see if Albany and Watervliet put some resources into fixing things up once spring gets here.

Riding felt pretty good today, if a little bit chilly... in retrospect maybe I should have done a few more miles. Or maybe it's best that I saved something in my legs for a run tomorrow...

JMH

Change of Plans...
Friday, January 6, 2012

Latest word is there's not likely to be enough snow left at Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area (that's a mouthful!) for a snowshoe race tomorrow, so Frozen Assets will probably be a sloppy trail race. As much as I'd like to go out there and run (and spend a good chunk of the weekend with my sweetheart afterwards) - I'm tired and have a ton of work to catch up on, and it just makes more sense to stay here, get in some runs and rides closer to home, and get some work done.

What has the world come to, when I'm doing what makes sense instead of heading off to a run in parts unknown? Perhaps we've slipped into a parallel universe or this is just another sign of the coming Apocalypse... or maybe I've just earned a tiny bit of wisdom as I've gotten older. In any case, looks like this will be a relatively local weekend for me.

Unfortunately, the long term forecast isn't looking good for next weekend either, but there's still time for Mother Nature to throw a curveball and bury us in some wonderful winter snow. Keeping my fingers crossed...

JMH

THAT'S A LOT OF CROWS...
2.5 Mile Walk Through the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Thursday, January 5, 2012

Fell asleep after work instead getting out for a run - but did manage to drag my backside out the door for a walk to the store. Took the "scenic route" on the way there - it was much warmer tonight that two days ago, and still very quiet - I wish that was going to last!

Not far from the store I heard something above me and looked up - and saw about 200 crows roosting for the night in a couple of trees. I wish I'd had my camera along; there was enough light reflecting off the cloud cover that I probably could have gotten some shots of them. Stood watching them for a bit... a couple of times something startled groups into flight (it's impressive how much noise 50 or so crows make when they all take off at the same time) but they always returned to the same trees after a bit.

JMH

LACK OF SNOW STRIKES AGAIN...
Turner Trail Snowshoe Race Postponed A Week
Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Again, no surprise, there's no currently no snow so the Turner Trail snowshoe race scheduled for this Saturday has been moved the the following weekend (weather permitting) and Greylock Glen, which I co-direct, has been postponed indefinitely. So I will definitely be heading west for the Frozen Assets race, which as of two days ago looked like it will be a snowshoe event. I was hoping to do a little snowshoeing before the first race of the season, but we don't always get what we want. At least it's only a 5k... and if I had to guess, the snow probably isn't very deep.

On the plus side - finding this out today saved me a trip to Greylock Glen tomorrow after work to run the trails and check if there were trees down, etc... now maybe I can drag my sorry backside out the door closer to home for a run!

JMH

BRRR...
1.6 Mile Walk Through the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Actually, it wasn't nearly as bad as the news agencies made it sound, or maybe that was just because I bundled up to the nth degree. There was a bit of a breeze, which is always problematic - it sneaks in around all the gear keeping me warm and toasty. But I wasn't out long enough for it to be a problem. Hopefully it will be less breezy tomorrow when I finally get out for a run...

Streets were very quiet, partially because the college kids are still mostly away (hurray!) and probably in part due to the cold. But I like it that way... wish it could be this quiet all the time.

JMH

Beaver Lake Snowshoe Race Postponed to February
Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Again, no surprise (though I had slight hope Baldwinsville might get enough snow between now and Sunday) - the Beaver Lake Nature Center snowshoe race has been postponed to Sunday, February 12. Which unfortunately puts it in conflict with both the Highland Forest race and Hoot Toot & Whistle in Readsboro, VT.

Hard to say what the upcoming weekend holds for me... I'm guessing that the Turner Trail snowshoe race will either be postponed or cancelled due to lack of snow, so I'll probably be heading out west to run Frozen Assets - either on snowshoes or as a trail race, depending on how much white stuff Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area gets between now and Saturday morning...

UPDATE: Apparently Harriet Hollister currently has enough snow... looks likely I'll be snowshoeing Saturday morning!

JMH

2.9 Mile Walk in the Pine Bush
Monday, January 2, 2012

WINDY... BRRR...
14.6 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Monday, January 2, 2012

Another day where I'd planned to run and did something else instead... given the cold weather that's on the way and the limited chances I have to ride during daylight hours in the winter, I loaded the bike on the car and headed over to the bike path for a bit of pedalling. Just as well, too... despite air temperature in the mid-to-high 30's, the wind was blowing pretty briskly, making it effectively a lot colder. If I'd gone running I'd have probably underdressed and frozen my backside off.

It feels like it's been forever since I was last on the bike (actually, five weeks...) so I was a bit surprised that riding felt pretty good initially... though in the end my legs got tired a lot quicker than they would have if I'd been riding more consistently over the past year. Of course the cold air didn't help, nor did battling a stiff headwind for half the ride. In the end I stuck to the relatively flat sections of the path - between the wind and my grumbling knees, it didn't seem worth it to battle my way up any of the steeper hills. There'll be more time for that once warmer weather gets here...

JMH

A Brief Visit to Montezuma NWR
Sunday, January 1, 2012

I had hoped to go for a run this afternoon, but grumbling guts and some very uncertain weather made me reconsider. Instead I swung by Montezuma to see what critters were welcoming in the new year. Not much out of the ordinary to see - geese and ducks mostly, with the geese in the majority - despite the wind blasting across the wetlands, flocks of geese flew in while I drove through. Spotted a couple of raptors off in the distance, low over the main part of the preserve, but they were too far off for me to identify what they were.

When I drove out to the spot where we watched the eagles on Wednesday, the "snow geese" were still up on the hillside overlooking the barn, in exactly the same spot - I'm now certain they are actually decoys, probably to lure geese in so the farmer can hunt them. No eagles today, but I did see a number of tundra swans, and located another of the four eagle nests when I stopped along Rte 31 to photograph some swans and possibly some geese. Not an easy day for shooting pictures - the wind was so strong that it was tough to hold the camera steady.

So no run today, but there are definitely worse ways to welcome in 2012 than wandering around Montezuma...

JMH

Weekly Activity Summary
12/25/2011 - 12/31/2011

running (1x) - 7.5 mi
riding - 0 mi
walking/hiking (8x) - 17.1 mi
snowshoeing - 0 mi

JMH