SO LONG 2016
Saturday, December 31, 2016
RUN 807.3 mi
RIDE 2105.9 mi
SNOWSHOE 12.7 mi
HIKE/WALK 412.1 mi
PADDLE 5.5 mi
XC SKI 0 mi
DAYS OUTDOORS 366/366 (every day!!!)
MONTHS BIKED 12/12 (every month!!!)
2016 Event Totals
Run 367.7 mi, 89 hr 25 min
Bike 119.2 mi, 9 hr 1 min
Snowshoe 8.5 mi, 2 hr 12 min
Kayak 1.5 mi, 20 min
states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT
35 trail races
6 road races
6 road/trail races
7 duathlons
1 paddle triathlon
2 snowshoe races
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Monday, December 26, 2016
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Saturday, December 24, 2016
Friday, December 23, 2016
ICY UNEVEN PATH = SLOW GOING...
9 Mile Run on the Albany County Rail Trail
Friday, December 23, 2016
I spent much of my run along the unpaved portion of the rail trail thinking I should have ridden my fat bike here yesterday and run on the bike path today... the snow cover was very uneven, with almost none in a few open spots and then a couple of inches on some of the more protected stretches. Except the snow really wasn't an issue - it was all the uneven ice under the snow, where the first snowfall had been postholed by all the people walking through it and then froze that way. Very tough going overall, but I stuck it out all the way to the end of the line in Voorheesville, and found the trip back slightly easier, both because I was warmed up and because of the gradual downhill on the way back to Slingerlands. When I got back to the car I changed shoes and ran another mile on the paved path... that actually felt pretty good, and I would have liked to go a bit further, but my legs were definitely beat up from the last few days of running and riding and then the hard going during the first eight miles today.
JMH
9 Mile Run on the Albany County Rail Trail
Friday, December 23, 2016
I spent much of my run along the unpaved portion of the rail trail thinking I should have ridden my fat bike here yesterday and run on the bike path today... the snow cover was very uneven, with almost none in a few open spots and then a couple of inches on some of the more protected stretches. Except the snow really wasn't an issue - it was all the uneven ice under the snow, where the first snowfall had been postholed by all the people walking through it and then froze that way. Very tough going overall, but I stuck it out all the way to the end of the line in Voorheesville, and found the trip back slightly easier, both because I was warmed up and because of the gradual downhill on the way back to Slingerlands. When I got back to the car I changed shoes and ran another mile on the paved path... that actually felt pretty good, and I would have liked to go a bit further, but my legs were definitely beat up from the last few days of running and riding and then the hard going during the first eight miles today.
JMH
Thursday, December 22, 2016
FAT BIKE ROUND 2 A SUCCESS
10.1 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Thursday, December 22, 2016
So why ride a fat bike on the bike path? Especially since I was riding the Colonie-Niskayuna stretch, where there are 2 two mile long segments that are plowed in the winter? Well, one reason is even after those sections are plowed, there can be stretches of ice on the path. Another is the 0.4mi stretch of path connecting those two segments that isn't plowed (because, after all, it would make too much sense to actually have a continuous 4.5 mi stretch that's easily accessible in the winter - though that would probably require more wrangling than Colonie and Niskayuna can muster to work together.) And if you want to continue past the end of either of those segments, you head into unplowed territory. In fact, that's one of the reasons I bought a fat bike in the first place - so I wouldn't be restricted to going back and forth along two short sections of the path in the winter - that gets boring really quick, especially at night.
As much as I'd like to say it was much easier pedaling the bike this time... that sucker still weighs a ton (somewhere around 40 lbs, compared to my 16 lb road bike...) so it's a workout just riding it, and I can't even contemplate trying to climb a real hill. But the wide tires sailed over and through everything, including some ice patches that would have dumped me on the ground if I tried going over them on my road bike. There wasn't much snow (about an inch of fresh stuff) and it plowed through that no problem. Like snowshoeing, I just have to get used to working pretty hard to go really slow.
Since my last ride on this bike I replaced the handlebar grips (I definitely find the new ones more comfortable) and the freewheel (basically the same as the previous one but with a 34 tooth large gear rather than 32... I wish I could find an inexpensive one with all the other gears slightly larger as well.) I'm still debating whether or not I want to keep using the pedals and toe clips I installed or switch to platforms.
This is probably the last time I'll get to ride before the end of the year... for much of the next week and a half Ann and I will be together and it's tough to justify taking the kind of time I need to go out for a ride (at least 90 min to 2 hrs, depending on where I go and how long the drive to and from the trailhead is.) I'm pleased that I did manage to make it past 2100 mi for the year - a new record!
JMH
10.1 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Thursday, December 22, 2016
So why ride a fat bike on the bike path? Especially since I was riding the Colonie-Niskayuna stretch, where there are 2 two mile long segments that are plowed in the winter? Well, one reason is even after those sections are plowed, there can be stretches of ice on the path. Another is the 0.4mi stretch of path connecting those two segments that isn't plowed (because, after all, it would make too much sense to actually have a continuous 4.5 mi stretch that's easily accessible in the winter - though that would probably require more wrangling than Colonie and Niskayuna can muster to work together.) And if you want to continue past the end of either of those segments, you head into unplowed territory. In fact, that's one of the reasons I bought a fat bike in the first place - so I wouldn't be restricted to going back and forth along two short sections of the path in the winter - that gets boring really quick, especially at night.
As much as I'd like to say it was much easier pedaling the bike this time... that sucker still weighs a ton (somewhere around 40 lbs, compared to my 16 lb road bike...) so it's a workout just riding it, and I can't even contemplate trying to climb a real hill. But the wide tires sailed over and through everything, including some ice patches that would have dumped me on the ground if I tried going over them on my road bike. There wasn't much snow (about an inch of fresh stuff) and it plowed through that no problem. Like snowshoeing, I just have to get used to working pretty hard to go really slow.
Since my last ride on this bike I replaced the handlebar grips (I definitely find the new ones more comfortable) and the freewheel (basically the same as the previous one but with a 34 tooth large gear rather than 32... I wish I could find an inexpensive one with all the other gears slightly larger as well.) I'm still debating whether or not I want to keep using the pedals and toe clips I installed or switch to platforms.
This is probably the last time I'll get to ride before the end of the year... for much of the next week and a half Ann and I will be together and it's tough to justify taking the kind of time I need to go out for a ride (at least 90 min to 2 hrs, depending on where I go and how long the drive to and from the trailhead is.) I'm pleased that I did manage to make it past 2100 mi for the year - a new record!
JMH
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
MY FAVORITE DAY IN DECEMBER
6.5 Mile Run on the Albany County Rail Trail
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
That day would be the winter solstice. Known as the first day of winter in the US and as midwinter day in some locales... anyone who's read my ramblings before will know that this is an exciting day because, ever since the summer solstice we've been losing a couple of minutes of daylight each day... and now for the next six months we'll be gaining that back. And since most of my outdoor activities are restricted to after work during the week while school is in session... the more daylight we have, the better it is for me.
The paved portion of the trail had some icy patches but was mostly clear for a little over 3 miles east of Slingerlands. Unfortunately, the company that was doing work along the trail only plowed down to the trail access point near the spot where Rockefeller Rd used to cross over the rail line (on a bridge that was removed when they paved the trail.) After that there was a lot of ice, so as much as I wanted to keep going - common sense won out and I turned back.
Of course, once you start back toward Slingerlands it's an uphill climb until about the last half mile or so... I could definitely feel the grade, but despite that for the most part my legs felt able to handle it.
I considered changing into my screw shoes and doing another 2-4 miles heading west on the unpaved path... but it was getting dark and chilly. By stopping when I did hopefully I'll have enough left in my legs to do a longer run on Friday...
JMH
6.5 Mile Run on the Albany County Rail Trail
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
That day would be the winter solstice. Known as the first day of winter in the US and as midwinter day in some locales... anyone who's read my ramblings before will know that this is an exciting day because, ever since the summer solstice we've been losing a couple of minutes of daylight each day... and now for the next six months we'll be gaining that back. And since most of my outdoor activities are restricted to after work during the week while school is in session... the more daylight we have, the better it is for me.
The paved portion of the trail had some icy patches but was mostly clear for a little over 3 miles east of Slingerlands. Unfortunately, the company that was doing work along the trail only plowed down to the trail access point near the spot where Rockefeller Rd used to cross over the rail line (on a bridge that was removed when they paved the trail.) After that there was a lot of ice, so as much as I wanted to keep going - common sense won out and I turned back.
Of course, once you start back toward Slingerlands it's an uphill climb until about the last half mile or so... I could definitely feel the grade, but despite that for the most part my legs felt able to handle it.
I considered changing into my screw shoes and doing another 2-4 miles heading west on the unpaved path... but it was getting dark and chilly. By stopping when I did hopefully I'll have enough left in my legs to do a longer run on Friday...
JMH
Sunday, December 18, 2016
11.5 Mile Ride Through the Corning Preserve & Schuyler Flatts Cultural Park
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Snow yesterday, rain today, accompanied by temps in the 40's... except this afternoon a cold front was supposed to rush in and flash freeze everything. The latter led to the cancellation of this afternoon's snowshoe race (unsafe conditions for driving home) and since I'm hoping to go for a run tomorrow after having some work done at Saratoga Honda, I decided to brave the fortunately light rain and get in a ride before the big chill. Given the probability that I would be soaked by the end, I went with the quickest commute and headed down to the Corning Preserve.
The path along the west side of the feeder ponds is finally open, so I rode that for the first time. I only went as far as the visitor's center just beyond the ampitheater - didn't seem like there would be much to see on the way down to the USS Slater & back. There was a stiff, chilly breeze that picked up even more the longer I rode, but most of the time it was coming in from the side rather than the front or back. One huge plus was that the rain pretty much stopped not long after I started riding.
The path was mostly clear all the way Watervliet - only one tricky spot, and that was pretty easy to ride through. I wasn't frozen yet, so I took the road over to Schuyler Flatts and did a single loop around the park - there was one section there where I ended up walking the bike through the grass alongside the path, and two other spots where I rode in the grass to avoid the ice.
On the way back I briefly considered one more trip down to Jennings Landing and back, but decided instead that my feet were cold enough and that it was better to head home than ride another 1 1/2 miles. The temperature was definitely starting to drop - it was probably 5 degrees colder when I finished than when I started.
Not the most scenic or most interesting ride I've done... but any day you get out for a ride in December is a pretty good day. One huge success of today's ride - usually I would end a wet ride like this with a stripe of mud up the back of my seat, seat pack, and jacket. Today I used a SKS XtraDry rear fender that I bought for my fat bike - and it worked great! Best of all, it's incredibly easy to put on and take off. I don't know how well it will work on the fat bike (the tires are wider than the fender) but I was really pleased to have it with me today.
JMH
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Snow yesterday, rain today, accompanied by temps in the 40's... except this afternoon a cold front was supposed to rush in and flash freeze everything. The latter led to the cancellation of this afternoon's snowshoe race (unsafe conditions for driving home) and since I'm hoping to go for a run tomorrow after having some work done at Saratoga Honda, I decided to brave the fortunately light rain and get in a ride before the big chill. Given the probability that I would be soaked by the end, I went with the quickest commute and headed down to the Corning Preserve.
The path along the west side of the feeder ponds is finally open, so I rode that for the first time. I only went as far as the visitor's center just beyond the ampitheater - didn't seem like there would be much to see on the way down to the USS Slater & back. There was a stiff, chilly breeze that picked up even more the longer I rode, but most of the time it was coming in from the side rather than the front or back. One huge plus was that the rain pretty much stopped not long after I started riding.
The path was mostly clear all the way Watervliet - only one tricky spot, and that was pretty easy to ride through. I wasn't frozen yet, so I took the road over to Schuyler Flatts and did a single loop around the park - there was one section there where I ended up walking the bike through the grass alongside the path, and two other spots where I rode in the grass to avoid the ice.
On the way back I briefly considered one more trip down to Jennings Landing and back, but decided instead that my feet were cold enough and that it was better to head home than ride another 1 1/2 miles. The temperature was definitely starting to drop - it was probably 5 degrees colder when I finished than when I started.
Not the most scenic or most interesting ride I've done... but any day you get out for a ride in December is a pretty good day. One huge success of today's ride - usually I would end a wet ride like this with a stripe of mud up the back of my seat, seat pack, and jacket. Today I used a SKS XtraDry rear fender that I bought for my fat bike - and it worked great! Best of all, it's incredibly easy to put on and take off. I don't know how well it will work on the fat bike (the tires are wider than the fender) but I was really pleased to have it with me today.
JMH
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Friday, December 16, 2016
THAT'S A LOT OF CROWS...
7.9 Mile Run Around Albany
Friday, December 16, 2016
The streets were surprisingly quiet tonight for a Friday night... not that I'm complaining.
Near the end of the run I drew near Ridgefield Park and heard crows - they were roosting in the trees on the edge of the park along Partridge Street, at a guess at least a thousand of them.When I stopped to look large groups would take off and fly to one of the other trees... I'm not sure if they're that jumpy all night long or if it was still early enough that many of them were sill awake. I have no doubt their a major nuisance for someone who lives near where they're roosting - but I still think it's cool to see the trees covered with crows.
JMH
7.9 Mile Run Around Albany
Friday, December 16, 2016
The streets were surprisingly quiet tonight for a Friday night... not that I'm complaining.
Near the end of the run I drew near Ridgefield Park and heard crows - they were roosting in the trees on the edge of the park along Partridge Street, at a guess at least a thousand of them.When I stopped to look large groups would take off and fly to one of the other trees... I'm not sure if they're that jumpy all night long or if it was still early enough that many of them were sill awake. I have no doubt their a major nuisance for someone who lives near where they're roosting - but I still think it's cool to see the trees covered with crows.
JMH
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
BYE, DUCKIES... SEE YOU IN THE SPRING...
1.5 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
I was hoping to go for a run tonight, si nce the next two days are supposed to feature arctic cold combined with vicious wind chills... but three days of riding and running left my legs more tired than I would prefer, and I also had a bunch of errands to run. So I guess I'll just have to brave the cold tomorrow after work...
Very few people at the pond today - the chill was already moving in. The pond is frozen over, though not solidly enough for skating. Interestingly, the city seems to have plowed the path... I don't know if this was a one-time event or if they're planning to always plow it this winter. I'm also not sure how good an idea it is, given that most of the path is dirt... but it would make it a lot easier to walk there this winter if they keep doing it.
JMH
1.5 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
I was hoping to go for a run tonight, si nce the next two days are supposed to feature arctic cold combined with vicious wind chills... but three days of riding and running left my legs more tired than I would prefer, and I also had a bunch of errands to run. So I guess I'll just have to brave the cold tomorrow after work...
Very few people at the pond today - the chill was already moving in. The pond is frozen over, though not solidly enough for skating. Interestingly, the city seems to have plowed the path... I don't know if this was a one-time event or if they're planning to always plow it this winter. I'm also not sure how good an idea it is, given that most of the path is dirt... but it would make it a lot easier to walk there this winter if they keep doing it.
JMH
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
IT'S A FAT BIKE, NOT A FAST BIKE
10.2 Mile Ride on the Albany County Rail Trail
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Specifically, a Mongoose Malus. I picked it up about 18 months ago when I got a hefty discount coupon for Kmart. Why did I add a 4th bike to my "stable"? Winter riding. I don't like riding on roads, and most of the bike paths aren't plowed in the winter. Riding my mountain bike in the snow is a pain if there are more than a few inches. Everything I read indicated that a fat bike is the way to go for snow... but I wasn't willing to spend mucho $$$ for a bike that I might ride a dozen or so times a year. The Malus is solidly built and one of the few dept store fat bikes with a rear derailleur... I replaced the seat and pedals after buying it, and may make a few other minor upgrades, but overall it seemed like a great buy. Except, of course, for the almost complete lack of snow last winter. At the end of the season I moved it down to the basement, figuring I'd bring it back up if winter this year was more cooperative. While we only got 2-3 inches yesterday, temperatures today were moderate and it seemed like a good opportunity to test the bike.
One thing that became evident immediately is this sucker is HEAVY. The rail trail from Slingerlands to Voorheesville is mostly uphill, albeit at a very gentle grade, but I needed to shift to the lowest gear and still was working my tail off just to keep moving forward at a whopping 6 miles an hour, Riding this bike is a definite workout.
On the plus side, it handled the snow and ice with no problems - MUCH better than my mountain bike. The 4" tires sailed over everything and felt secure even when I rode on some ice, and after I got used to working hard to go slow (sounds like snowshoeing!) it was actually fun. Though I'm seriously thinking of swapping out the freewheel for one with some larger gears and maybe have more gears I can actually use for riding.
JMH
10.2 Mile Ride on the Albany County Rail Trail
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Specifically, a Mongoose Malus. I picked it up about 18 months ago when I got a hefty discount coupon for Kmart. Why did I add a 4th bike to my "stable"? Winter riding. I don't like riding on roads, and most of the bike paths aren't plowed in the winter. Riding my mountain bike in the snow is a pain if there are more than a few inches. Everything I read indicated that a fat bike is the way to go for snow... but I wasn't willing to spend mucho $$$ for a bike that I might ride a dozen or so times a year. The Malus is solidly built and one of the few dept store fat bikes with a rear derailleur... I replaced the seat and pedals after buying it, and may make a few other minor upgrades, but overall it seemed like a great buy. Except, of course, for the almost complete lack of snow last winter. At the end of the season I moved it down to the basement, figuring I'd bring it back up if winter this year was more cooperative. While we only got 2-3 inches yesterday, temperatures today were moderate and it seemed like a good opportunity to test the bike.
One thing that became evident immediately is this sucker is HEAVY. The rail trail from Slingerlands to Voorheesville is mostly uphill, albeit at a very gentle grade, but I needed to shift to the lowest gear and still was working my tail off just to keep moving forward at a whopping 6 miles an hour, Riding this bike is a definite workout.
On the plus side, it handled the snow and ice with no problems - MUCH better than my mountain bike. The 4" tires sailed over everything and felt secure even when I rode on some ice, and after I got used to working hard to go slow (sounds like snowshoeing!) it was actually fun. Though I'm seriously thinking of swapping out the freewheel for one with some larger gears and maybe have more gears I can actually use for riding.
JMH
Monday, December 12, 2016
6.5 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Monday, December 12, 2016
On the plus side, it was only about 2-3 inches of snow, so my screwshoes were more than up to the task. More so than my legs, which reminded me repeatedly that I haven't run in over a week, due to a combination of being exhausted after work and then fighting off a bug which has had me dealing with an occasionally sore throat and occasional fits of coughing over the past week. But having today off (snow day! yeah!) meant I had a rare opportunity to go for a weekday run on trails in daylight, which was just too good a chance to miss.
I mostly looped my way through the Great Dune section, though near the end I did a short jaunt over toward the Madison Avenue Pinelands trailhead (which technically is closed for tree thinning, but it was late enough in the day that in all likelihood they'd gone home, if they were even working today.) Slow going, between the snow and my legs having a lot of rust. Found myself thinking about how much the trails and the Pine Bush have changed since I first started running there something like 16 years ago. A lot of trails re-routed and/or closed, and huge sections of what used to be woods (both decidous and pine) thinned out or eliminated entirely to "restore" the pine barrens habitat. As an amateur naturalist I have to support preserving the ecosystem as best we can... but as a runner I really do miss some of my favorite Pine Bush trails that either are no more or have had their character changed greatly by changes in their surroundings.
In any case, it looks like once again I'll be tackling my first snowshoe race of the season (this Saturday at Gore Mountain) with no opportunity to train a few times first. Of course this is after last season when I ran exactly once on snowshoes, and that race really didn't have enough snow for them. So I guess my legs are rusty in more ways than one...
JMH
Sunday, December 11, 2016
BRRRR....
14.5 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Sunday, December 11, 2016
For some reason I was the only person out on a bike today, on a grey Sunday afternoon with temperatures right around freezing and a bit of a cold breeze. Go figure. Actually, there weren't even very many people on foot.
The barge canal has been lowered to winter water levels, though it hasn't been cold long enough for there to be much ice on the river. The old canal, on the other hand, was completely iced over except at one or two small spots where water was flowing in or out. It must be tough to be a muskrat or a beaver at times like this - then again, I imagine that's why they stock up plenty of food in their lodges, so they can hunker down through the times when food is scarce and it's a challenge to even find a way out from under the ice.
JMH
14.5 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Sunday, December 11, 2016
For some reason I was the only person out on a bike today, on a grey Sunday afternoon with temperatures right around freezing and a bit of a cold breeze. Go figure. Actually, there weren't even very many people on foot.
The barge canal has been lowered to winter water levels, though it hasn't been cold long enough for there to be much ice on the river. The old canal, on the other hand, was completely iced over except at one or two small spots where water was flowing in or out. It must be tough to be a muskrat or a beaver at times like this - then again, I imagine that's why they stock up plenty of food in their lodges, so they can hunker down through the times when food is scarce and it's a challenge to even find a way out from under the ice.
JMH
Tuesday, December 06, 2016
Sunday, December 04, 2016
Saturday, December 03, 2016
WIND & WATERFOWL
3.5 Mile Walk at Rockland Lake State Park
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Originally I had planned to head over to Kittatinny Valley State Park to ride the Sussex Branch rail trail after finishing this morning's half marathon... except I hadn't counted on how cold the wind would make the weather today, and how much the half marathon would trash my legs (I don't remember the Philips 10k that I ran in the same park being nearly as difficult as today's 10k loops were...) And I really want to ride at Minnewaska tomorrow. So instead I headed back to NY, and since the sun was shining pretty consistently, made a side trip to Rockland Lake State Park.
Lots of geese on the water and also on the grass. The bathrooms in the main building are closed for the winter, so I walked over to the boat launch to use the one there. Along the way I saw several bufflehead, and once there I spotted a group of grebes. The wind wasn't too bad along that side of the lake, so I decided to walk all the way around, which felt fine until I was about a mile from the end - at that point my feet started hurting again and my legs reminded me that I had run and trudged through 13-14 miles of tough trails this morning.
Lots of different ducks along the way... shovelers, coots, and some that I have yet to identify, as well as the usual swans and mallards. Toward the end there was also a lot of activity in the trees along the path - I spotted titmice, nuthatches, and a red-bellied woodpecker.
This is probably the last time I'll be at Rockland Lake for a while... hopefully the Hook Mountain Half will scheduled for a Sunday that I have available next April.
JMH
3.5 Mile Walk at Rockland Lake State Park
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Originally I had planned to head over to Kittatinny Valley State Park to ride the Sussex Branch rail trail after finishing this morning's half marathon... except I hadn't counted on how cold the wind would make the weather today, and how much the half marathon would trash my legs (I don't remember the Philips 10k that I ran in the same park being nearly as difficult as today's 10k loops were...) And I really want to ride at Minnewaska tomorrow. So instead I headed back to NY, and since the sun was shining pretty consistently, made a side trip to Rockland Lake State Park.
Lots of geese on the water and also on the grass. The bathrooms in the main building are closed for the winter, so I walked over to the boat launch to use the one there. Along the way I saw several bufflehead, and once there I spotted a group of grebes. The wind wasn't too bad along that side of the lake, so I decided to walk all the way around, which felt fine until I was about a mile from the end - at that point my feet started hurting again and my legs reminded me that I had run and trudged through 13-14 miles of tough trails this morning.
Lots of different ducks along the way... shovelers, coots, and some that I have yet to identify, as well as the usual swans and mallards. Toward the end there was also a lot of activity in the trees along the path - I spotted titmice, nuthatches, and a red-bellied woodpecker.
This is probably the last time I'll be at Rockland Lake for a while... hopefully the Hook Mountain Half will scheduled for a Sunday that I have available next April.
JMH
Friday, December 02, 2016
AROUND & AROUND HE GOES...
4.1 Mile Run at Buckingham Pond
Friday, December 2, 2016
Not much of a run but I do have a half marathon to run tomorrow morning, so tonight was mostly just to shake the rust loose. Didn't want to spend a lot of time travelling so I just popped over to Buckingham Pond to run a few laps... it was interesting to see the ducks descending on the pond as the sun set. When I got there a little while before sundown, there were a dozen or so ducks around... but once dusk hit the were flying in from every direction to spend the night on the pond.
Not a lot of people around which is always pleasant... I managed 5 loops (with two including the trail through the woods next to the catch basin) for just slightly over 4 miles. After that it was time to get home and get ready for the trip down to New Jersey...
JMH
4.1 Mile Run at Buckingham Pond
Friday, December 2, 2016
Not much of a run but I do have a half marathon to run tomorrow morning, so tonight was mostly just to shake the rust loose. Didn't want to spend a lot of time travelling so I just popped over to Buckingham Pond to run a few laps... it was interesting to see the ducks descending on the pond as the sun set. When I got there a little while before sundown, there were a dozen or so ducks around... but once dusk hit the were flying in from every direction to spend the night on the pond.
Not a lot of people around which is always pleasant... I managed 5 loops (with two including the trail through the woods next to the catch basin) for just slightly over 4 miles. After that it was time to get home and get ready for the trip down to New Jersey...
JMH
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Friday, November 25, 2016
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
3.1 Mile Run in the Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Well, it's just as well I didn't get here earlier today... the crew that's "rebuilding" the towpath was hard at work along one of the trails I'd planned to run. While I like the idea of resurfacing the towpath in theory, it seems like what they're actually doing is building a crushed stone road that you could drive a car down, with the removal of lots of the vegetation alongside the towpath as part of the process. In the end I think there will be a better surface for riding a bike... but when it comes to walking and running, the path will have definitely lost something.
JMH
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Well, it's just as well I didn't get here earlier today... the crew that's "rebuilding" the towpath was hard at work along one of the trails I'd planned to run. While I like the idea of resurfacing the towpath in theory, it seems like what they're actually doing is building a crushed stone road that you could drive a car down, with the removal of lots of the vegetation alongside the towpath as part of the process. In the end I think there will be a better surface for riding a bike... but when it comes to walking and running, the path will have definitely lost something.
JMH
COLD WIND...
10.6 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
A sunny day with temperatures in the low 30's isn't so bad for riding, if you're dressed right... unfortunately today there was also a 10-15 mph wind blowing, which not only made half the ride that much more difficult (riding into the wind) but also introduced a rather unpleasant wind chill. After half a dozen miles I had warmed up fairly well but my motivation to ride more than 10 miles or so basically gone. A shame really, since opportunities to ride during the day will be few and far between for the next few months.
JMH
10.6 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
A sunny day with temperatures in the low 30's isn't so bad for riding, if you're dressed right... unfortunately today there was also a 10-15 mph wind blowing, which not only made half the ride that much more difficult (riding into the wind) but also introduced a rather unpleasant wind chill. After half a dozen miles I had warmed up fairly well but my motivation to ride more than 10 miles or so basically gone. A shame really, since opportunities to ride during the day will be few and far between for the next few months.
JMH
Sunday, November 20, 2016
SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS...
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Ordinarily I'd visit Trustom Pond NWR after running the Lil Rhody, but today I decided to get on the road back to Albany immediately, because the weather forecast called for snow at higher elevations and I didn't want to be driving over the Berkshires and Taconics in a snowstorm in the dark. Turned out to be a good decision... there was almost no precipitation all the way to the MA Turnpike, and then as soon as I started the climb out of West Springfield - the snow kicked in, making for a mildly nerve-wracking 40 miles or so. The precipitation let up not long after I crossed the border into NY, but clearly snow had fallen there too - just not as much as in the mountains. I briefly wondered if I should unpack my snowshoes from storage... but once I crossed the Hudson into Albany, all traces of snow vanished. So my guess is I won't be getting any pre-season snowshoe practice in this week...
JMH
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Ordinarily I'd visit Trustom Pond NWR after running the Lil Rhody, but today I decided to get on the road back to Albany immediately, because the weather forecast called for snow at higher elevations and I didn't want to be driving over the Berkshires and Taconics in a snowstorm in the dark. Turned out to be a good decision... there was almost no precipitation all the way to the MA Turnpike, and then as soon as I started the climb out of West Springfield - the snow kicked in, making for a mildly nerve-wracking 40 miles or so. The precipitation let up not long after I crossed the border into NY, but clearly snow had fallen there too - just not as much as in the mountains. I briefly wondered if I should unpack my snowshoes from storage... but once I crossed the Hudson into Albany, all traces of snow vanished. So my guess is I won't be getting any pre-season snowshoe practice in this week...
JMH
Saturday, November 19, 2016
11.1 Mile Ride Through the Corning Preserve
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Apparently all roads lead to the Corning Preserve today. I had originally planned to leave Albany between 12:30 and 1 PM and stop at the Northampton trailhead for the Norrowottuck rail trail to ride for a while... but then I ran harder than I had planned this morning, which meant I was unlikely to ride more than half the length of the trail - and it just didn't seem worth lugging my bike all over the place this weekend just to ride 10 miles.
The Corning Preserve, on the other hand, has the advantages of being close by and relatively easy riding (though all of the root-and-frost-heaves are annoying.) It was a bit crowded today because of the unseasonably warm weather (I was riding in shorts and shirt sleeves rather than tights and a jacket.) I had a slight tailwind on the way out, which was very nice... but even riding into the breeze on the way back wasn't too bad.
It remains to be seen what kind of shape my legs will be in for tomorrow's 8 miler at Burlingame... but then the Lil Rhody is a fun trail race even if I end up plodding along like the turtle I am.
JMH
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Apparently all roads lead to the Corning Preserve today. I had originally planned to leave Albany between 12:30 and 1 PM and stop at the Northampton trailhead for the Norrowottuck rail trail to ride for a while... but then I ran harder than I had planned this morning, which meant I was unlikely to ride more than half the length of the trail - and it just didn't seem worth lugging my bike all over the place this weekend just to ride 10 miles.
The Corning Preserve, on the other hand, has the advantages of being close by and relatively easy riding (though all of the root-and-frost-heaves are annoying.) It was a bit crowded today because of the unseasonably warm weather (I was riding in shorts and shirt sleeves rather than tights and a jacket.) I had a slight tailwind on the way out, which was very nice... but even riding into the breeze on the way back wasn't too bad.
It remains to be seen what kind of shape my legs will be in for tomorrow's 8 miler at Burlingame... but then the Lil Rhody is a fun trail race even if I end up plodding along like the turtle I am.
JMH
A SEA OF GIRLS IN GOLD...
Slow & Steady 2016 - Race #49
Girls on the Run 5k Road Race
Saturday, November 19, 2016
This fall a couple of the staff at the girls' school set up a lower school chapter of Girls on the Run, an international program which seeks to " inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. " I considered volunteering to be a running buddy but decided not to for several reasons - my lack of leg speed, the time commitment, and in particular the commitment to run a 5k race with one of the girls on mid-November. Then a few weeks back the school community at large was invited to come to the 5k to cheer on the girls who'd be running or run the race in support of them - and since I didn't have anything on the calendar, this would be literally minutes from home (the Corning Riverfront Preserve), and it would be an opportunity to help with a school program, I signed up for the run and did my best to encourage other faculty to sign up to either run or walk the 5k.
The pre-race ritual was an interesting one... after a bunch of talking (which I couldn't really hear) they led the crowd through a "warm up" which looked to me like a toned down Zumba routine. (I think I'll stick with my standard warmup of either going for a short walk, going for a short run (very rarely, and really only for very short races), or just waiting for the race to start.) And then finally the crowd mobbed the starting line and counted down to the start.
It took a few minutes for the crowd to spread out enough for me to run at a comfortable pace... which, surprisingly, was faster than a lot of the crowd (I finished 85th out of about 300 timed runners and walkers.) Then again, a lot of the "running buddies" might have been going significantly faster if they hadn't been running with a 3rd-5th grader who was running her first 5k, so I won't let it go to my head. In the end, I had a good day and ran faster than I'd intended (just under 11 minute miles... easily the fastest 5k I've done in quite some time.) All of our girls completed their first 5k and seemed pretty happy and excited at the end. And I was happy because (1) I ran sub-11 minute miles and my knees didn't explode - perhaps the warmup run I did before the race helped - and (2) this would seem to be evidence that I have gotten stronger through the longer distances I've been doing... while my times for those longer runs aren't necessarily dropping very much, I had energy to burn during today's much shorter race - and that's after the past three nights of running and riding after work.
And based on what I saw today, maybe I'll sign up to help out as a running buddy next time around, since it seems like there are girls in the program I'd be able to keep up with.
JMH
2016 Event Totals
Run 346.6 mi, 84 hr 7 min
Bike 119.2 mi, 9 hr 1 min
Snowshoe 6.2 mi, 1 hr 39 min
Kayak 1.5 mi, 20 min
states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, PA, RI, VT
Slow & Steady 2016 - Race #49
Girls on the Run 5k Road Race
Saturday, November 19, 2016
This fall a couple of the staff at the girls' school set up a lower school chapter of Girls on the Run, an international program which seeks to " inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. " I considered volunteering to be a running buddy but decided not to for several reasons - my lack of leg speed, the time commitment, and in particular the commitment to run a 5k race with one of the girls on mid-November. Then a few weeks back the school community at large was invited to come to the 5k to cheer on the girls who'd be running or run the race in support of them - and since I didn't have anything on the calendar, this would be literally minutes from home (the Corning Riverfront Preserve), and it would be an opportunity to help with a school program, I signed up for the run and did my best to encourage other faculty to sign up to either run or walk the 5k.
The pre-race ritual was an interesting one... after a bunch of talking (which I couldn't really hear) they led the crowd through a "warm up" which looked to me like a toned down Zumba routine. (I think I'll stick with my standard warmup of either going for a short walk, going for a short run (very rarely, and really only for very short races), or just waiting for the race to start.) And then finally the crowd mobbed the starting line and counted down to the start.
It took a few minutes for the crowd to spread out enough for me to run at a comfortable pace... which, surprisingly, was faster than a lot of the crowd (I finished 85th out of about 300 timed runners and walkers.) Then again, a lot of the "running buddies" might have been going significantly faster if they hadn't been running with a 3rd-5th grader who was running her first 5k, so I won't let it go to my head. In the end, I had a good day and ran faster than I'd intended (just under 11 minute miles... easily the fastest 5k I've done in quite some time.) All of our girls completed their first 5k and seemed pretty happy and excited at the end. And I was happy because (1) I ran sub-11 minute miles and my knees didn't explode - perhaps the warmup run I did before the race helped - and (2) this would seem to be evidence that I have gotten stronger through the longer distances I've been doing... while my times for those longer runs aren't necessarily dropping very much, I had energy to burn during today's much shorter race - and that's after the past three nights of running and riding after work.
And based on what I saw today, maybe I'll sign up to help out as a running buddy next time around, since it seems like there are girls in the program I'd be able to keep up with.
JMH
2016 Event Totals
Run 346.6 mi, 84 hr 7 min
Bike 119.2 mi, 9 hr 1 min
Snowshoe 6.2 mi, 1 hr 39 min
Kayak 1.5 mi, 20 min
states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, PA, RI, VT
SHOULD'VE BROUGHT THE CAMERA...
2.2 Mile Run Through the Corning Preserve
Saturday, November 19, 2016
... because the river was shrouded in fog when I got to the boat launch and I could have taken some cool pictures. Oh, well.
Easy two miles and a bit to wake my legs up for the 5k to follow shortly...
JMH
2.2 Mile Run Through the Corning Preserve
Saturday, November 19, 2016
... because the river was shrouded in fog when I got to the boat launch and I could have taken some cool pictures. Oh, well.
Easy two miles and a bit to wake my legs up for the 5k to follow shortly...
JMH
Friday, November 18, 2016
ON THE WAY TO A NEW RECORD...
14.5 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Friday, November 18, 2016
Managed to get to the trailhead early enough that I was able to do much of my ride without lights... a rare opportunity over the next few months. I'd been hoping for warmer conditions - it was up in the high 50's today - but there was a damp chill in the air, and because the sky was clear it cooled down very rapidly as the sun set. Still, my legs were much more cooperative than last night, and overall it was a fairly pleasant ride for a November evening.
Tonight I also surpassed my previous record (at least since I've been keeping track, which is about 9 years now) for miles ridden during the year... for a long time I'd end the year with around 1000-1100 miles, but I really ramped that up when I tore my knee up in 2013... couldn't run much, so I did a lot of walking and riding that year. My biggest year previously was 2014, when I trained for and rode the Maine Lighthouse Century ride... I barely managed to squeak past 2000 miles that year with a late December ride in a sleet storm. This year I've topped that with six weeks to go... that might be partly due to the warm winter we had last season (I'd ridden 100 miles by the beginning of March, usually my slowest months of the year to accumulate mileage) and partly because I did a lot of short and medium length rides, which are easier on the legs and the psyche than long hauls. In any case, barring a sudden outbreak of awful weather, I shouldn't have much trouble racking up at least another 1oo miles over the next six weeks.
Of course, in 2014 I didn't think I'd have any trouble hitting 2000 miles after I'd done the century ride... and I ended up only just barely making it by going for a late December ride in a sleet storm. So what do I know?
JMH
14.5 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Friday, November 18, 2016
Managed to get to the trailhead early enough that I was able to do much of my ride without lights... a rare opportunity over the next few months. I'd been hoping for warmer conditions - it was up in the high 50's today - but there was a damp chill in the air, and because the sky was clear it cooled down very rapidly as the sun set. Still, my legs were much more cooperative than last night, and overall it was a fairly pleasant ride for a November evening.
Tonight I also surpassed my previous record (at least since I've been keeping track, which is about 9 years now) for miles ridden during the year... for a long time I'd end the year with around 1000-1100 miles, but I really ramped that up when I tore my knee up in 2013... couldn't run much, so I did a lot of walking and riding that year. My biggest year previously was 2014, when I trained for and rode the Maine Lighthouse Century ride... I barely managed to squeak past 2000 miles that year with a late December ride in a sleet storm. This year I've topped that with six weeks to go... that might be partly due to the warm winter we had last season (I'd ridden 100 miles by the beginning of March, usually my slowest months of the year to accumulate mileage) and partly because I did a lot of short and medium length rides, which are easier on the legs and the psyche than long hauls. In any case, barring a sudden outbreak of awful weather, I shouldn't have much trouble racking up at least another 1oo miles over the next six weeks.
Of course, in 2014 I didn't think I'd have any trouble hitting 2000 miles after I'd done the century ride... and I ended up only just barely making it by going for a late December ride in a sleet storm. So what do I know?
JMH
Thursday, November 17, 2016
SHOULD'VE GONE FOR A WALK INSTEAD...
8.1 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Thursday, November 17, 2016
... but I haven't been on the bike since last Saturday. I knew I was in for a tough night when I found myself almost dozing off at stop lights on my way over to the trailhead.
I quickly downgraded my plans to around 10 miles, and then downgraded them further to "whatever mileage I have when I get back to the car." Hopefully I can get a decent night's sleep tonight and maybe be in better shape for a ride tomorrow, since the weather's supposed to be unseasonably warm.
I did catch a glimpse of a buck deer when I turned onto the spur path back to the parking lot... I don't think he knew what to make of me, but he finally took off into the field near the water treatment plant. I was worried he'd head into the road and risk getting hit but it looked like he stopped about halfway up the hill.
JMH
8.1 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Thursday, November 17, 2016
... but I haven't been on the bike since last Saturday. I knew I was in for a tough night when I found myself almost dozing off at stop lights on my way over to the trailhead.
I quickly downgraded my plans to around 10 miles, and then downgraded them further to "whatever mileage I have when I get back to the car." Hopefully I can get a decent night's sleep tonight and maybe be in better shape for a ride tomorrow, since the weather's supposed to be unseasonably warm.
I did catch a glimpse of a buck deer when I turned onto the spur path back to the parking lot... I don't think he knew what to make of me, but he finally took off into the field near the water treatment plant. I was worried he'd head into the road and risk getting hit but it looked like he stopped about halfway up the hill.
JMH
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
OK, I Wasn't Expecting THAT...
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
The Sunday before Halloween I picked up a pair of discounted pumpkins (75% off) to turn into critter feeders in the backyard. Chopped an opening in the side, and for the first one I scooped out all the pumpkin guts and dried the seeds. Dumped in a bunch of squirrel food (corn, sunflower seeds, peanuts) as well as the dried pumpkin seeds, and overall the squirrels seemed pretty happy... they even chowed down on some of the pumpkin itself (which is part of what I was hoping would happen.)
Last week I put out the second one... I was lazier this time and only stirred up the pumpkin guts, but left most of it inside the pumpkin. The squirrels seem to have taken care of removing the innards... I watched one go back and forth pulling out seeds and burying them all over the backyard. Maybe I won't need to buy pumpkins next year...
This morning I took a look out the window (I'd filled the feeders last night) and saw one of the neighborhood cats sitting on the squirrel feeding platform attached to the fence. No big surprise, I've seen cats there before - apparently it's a comfortable place to watch the birds at the feeders. The surprise came a moment later - when one of the squirrels came charging down the fence line and chased the cat off (he jumped down to the ground and sat under the platform) so that the squirrel could get food from the pumpkin.
I guess the cats won't be reducing the local squirrel population anytime soon... though it's quite possible the hawks that I occasionally see around here in the winter may have that action all buttoned up.
JMH
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
The Sunday before Halloween I picked up a pair of discounted pumpkins (75% off) to turn into critter feeders in the backyard. Chopped an opening in the side, and for the first one I scooped out all the pumpkin guts and dried the seeds. Dumped in a bunch of squirrel food (corn, sunflower seeds, peanuts) as well as the dried pumpkin seeds, and overall the squirrels seemed pretty happy... they even chowed down on some of the pumpkin itself (which is part of what I was hoping would happen.)
Last week I put out the second one... I was lazier this time and only stirred up the pumpkin guts, but left most of it inside the pumpkin. The squirrels seem to have taken care of removing the innards... I watched one go back and forth pulling out seeds and burying them all over the backyard. Maybe I won't need to buy pumpkins next year...
This morning I took a look out the window (I'd filled the feeders last night) and saw one of the neighborhood cats sitting on the squirrel feeding platform attached to the fence. No big surprise, I've seen cats there before - apparently it's a comfortable place to watch the birds at the feeders. The surprise came a moment later - when one of the squirrels came charging down the fence line and chased the cat off (he jumped down to the ground and sat under the platform) so that the squirrel could get food from the pumpkin.
I guess the cats won't be reducing the local squirrel population anytime soon... though it's quite possible the hawks that I occasionally see around here in the winter may have that action all buttoned up.
JMH
Monday, November 14, 2016
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Friday, November 11, 2016
Tuesday, November 08, 2016
Sunday, November 06, 2016
Saturday, November 05, 2016
Thursday, November 03, 2016
Wednesday, November 02, 2016
Monday, October 31, 2016
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Slow & Steady 2016 - Race #45
Hairy Gorilla Half Marathon Trail Race
Sunday, October 30, 2016
I checked and apparently I've run this race 7 times in the 12 years it's been happening. One year it was cancelled because we got something like a foot of snow the day before, a couple of times I bailed at the last minute because they'd changed something that aggravated me (bringing in a time cutoff at the 5.8 mile point, changing the course to it's current version) and most recently (two years ago) I dropped down to the six mile race because the weather was awful (freezing rain) and the thought of spending another 90+ minutes out there was very unappealing.
This year the big question was whether or not I'd beat that time cutoff. I've been using a strategy of start slow and gradually increase pace, especially for longer events. It's worked very well for me... I tend to run negative splits and find myself passing other runners as the end draws closer. Unfortunately, that slow starting pace is somewhere in the mid-14's or low 15's, and making the time cutoff meant I'd need to average at least 13:30 per mile for pretty much the 1st six miles. I'd find that challenging on paved roads, much less on Thacher's trails.
It wasn't fun or pretty, but I did manage it, squeaked through with about a minute to spare. (Next time I'm going to petition for an early start option.) Unfortunately, that left my legs in the same shape they'd be in after I ran all out for a 10k or so... except I had 7+ miles still to go. Needless to say, my pace dropped substantially for the 2nd half, and overall - this race hurt.
I liked the course about as much as I expected to... in other words, I didn't particularly like it. Don't get me wrong, running at Thacher is a wonderful thing to do, especially in the fall when the weather is cool and the leaves are changing. But when the HGH course was changed to match the August Trail Running Festival course, it lost one of the features I enjoyed the most about it, namely the fact that much of the course was different from the Indian Ladder 15k route, and even the trails that the two shared tended to be run in the opposite direction. Now there's substantial overlap, and of course the current course is virtually identical to the Trail Running Festival. I'm sure there are all sorts of good reasons for doing it this way... but I really liked the old courses, and I don't know that I'll ever feel all that fond of the new one.
On the plus side - that gives me more options for the last weekend in October, since I won't mind missing the Gorilla to run a race somewhere else. And if I'm going to be in Albany that weekend, I can probably count on getting in a nice run at the Gorilla... especially if I can get that early start option so I don't have to darn near kill myself to beat a time cutoff.
One other plus to today's race - I guess the running I've been doing has done some good. All of my other half marathons this fall were quite a bit easier than this in terms of terrain and running surface, and they all took me right around three hours. So running this tougher race in 3:07 is a welcome indication that I've made some progress... even if I'm still slow as a turtle racing in a vat of molasses.
JMH
2016 Event Totals
Run 316.8 mi, 76 hr 55 min
Bike 119.2 mi, 9 hr 1 min
Snowshoe 6.2 mi, 1 hr 39 min
Kayak 1.5 mi, 20 min
states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, PA, RI, VT
Hairy Gorilla Half Marathon Trail Race
Sunday, October 30, 2016
I checked and apparently I've run this race 7 times in the 12 years it's been happening. One year it was cancelled because we got something like a foot of snow the day before, a couple of times I bailed at the last minute because they'd changed something that aggravated me (bringing in a time cutoff at the 5.8 mile point, changing the course to it's current version) and most recently (two years ago) I dropped down to the six mile race because the weather was awful (freezing rain) and the thought of spending another 90+ minutes out there was very unappealing.
This year the big question was whether or not I'd beat that time cutoff. I've been using a strategy of start slow and gradually increase pace, especially for longer events. It's worked very well for me... I tend to run negative splits and find myself passing other runners as the end draws closer. Unfortunately, that slow starting pace is somewhere in the mid-14's or low 15's, and making the time cutoff meant I'd need to average at least 13:30 per mile for pretty much the 1st six miles. I'd find that challenging on paved roads, much less on Thacher's trails.
It wasn't fun or pretty, but I did manage it, squeaked through with about a minute to spare. (Next time I'm going to petition for an early start option.) Unfortunately, that left my legs in the same shape they'd be in after I ran all out for a 10k or so... except I had 7+ miles still to go. Needless to say, my pace dropped substantially for the 2nd half, and overall - this race hurt.
I liked the course about as much as I expected to... in other words, I didn't particularly like it. Don't get me wrong, running at Thacher is a wonderful thing to do, especially in the fall when the weather is cool and the leaves are changing. But when the HGH course was changed to match the August Trail Running Festival course, it lost one of the features I enjoyed the most about it, namely the fact that much of the course was different from the Indian Ladder 15k route, and even the trails that the two shared tended to be run in the opposite direction. Now there's substantial overlap, and of course the current course is virtually identical to the Trail Running Festival. I'm sure there are all sorts of good reasons for doing it this way... but I really liked the old courses, and I don't know that I'll ever feel all that fond of the new one.
On the plus side - that gives me more options for the last weekend in October, since I won't mind missing the Gorilla to run a race somewhere else. And if I'm going to be in Albany that weekend, I can probably count on getting in a nice run at the Gorilla... especially if I can get that early start option so I don't have to darn near kill myself to beat a time cutoff.
One other plus to today's race - I guess the running I've been doing has done some good. All of my other half marathons this fall were quite a bit easier than this in terms of terrain and running surface, and they all took me right around three hours. So running this tougher race in 3:07 is a welcome indication that I've made some progress... even if I'm still slow as a turtle racing in a vat of molasses.
JMH
2016 Event Totals
Run 316.8 mi, 76 hr 55 min
Bike 119.2 mi, 9 hr 1 min
Snowshoe 6.2 mi, 1 hr 39 min
Kayak 1.5 mi, 20 min
states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, PA, RI, VT
Friday, October 28, 2016
SUCCESS!
Friday, October 28, 2016
Four or five months ago I had some trouble with the aging battery in my Honda Civic, and in addition to replacing the battery I picked up an Everstart Portable Jump Starter - just in case. Problem was, with the battery replaced I had no chance to test it... until a couple of weeks ago, when someone asked me to give them a jump-start after the Mohawk Towpath Byway Duathlon - and then I couldn't get it to work. Not reassuring!
Tonight when I got home one of my neighbors asked for help with a dead battery, so I grabbed it and tried again (this time I had actually read the directions first...) Hooked it up, she tried the key - and her car started right up. It works!
JMH
Friday, October 28, 2016
Four or five months ago I had some trouble with the aging battery in my Honda Civic, and in addition to replacing the battery I picked up an Everstart Portable Jump Starter - just in case. Problem was, with the battery replaced I had no chance to test it... until a couple of weeks ago, when someone asked me to give them a jump-start after the Mohawk Towpath Byway Duathlon - and then I couldn't get it to work. Not reassuring!
Tonight when I got home one of my neighbors asked for help with a dead battery, so I grabbed it and tried again (this time I had actually read the directions first...) Hooked it up, she tried the key - and her car started right up. It works!
JMH
END-TO-END! TWICE!
18 Mile Ride on the Albany County Rail Trail
Friday, October 28, 2016
Still pretty cold today, and this afternoon the wind really picked up... which meant riding my bike had the potential to be fairly unpleasant. But then it occurred to me that the rail trail might be a better option, since the trees would help shield the path from the wind. I originally planned to take my mountain bike, but decided instead to put the wider tires on my road bike - they worked just fine on some fairly gnarly sections of the canalway trail this summer, and they'd be a better option than the mountain bike knobbies if I decided to keep going on the paved portion of the path.
The ride out to Voorheesville was windy but fairly pleasant... and the trip back even more so, with the wind more at my back and the path predominantly downhill. The wider tires worked just as well as the ones on my mountain bike, and the lighter weight of my road bike was a definite plus.
When I got back to the parking lot in Slingerlands I decided to keep going, at least to Delaware Ave... except when I got there, I was feeling good enough that I decided to go all the way to South Pearl Street. One plus to the cold weather - there was a lot less traffic on the path than when I'd ridden it in warmer weather.
Unfortunately, what goes down must go back up... and today I was riding uphill into the wind. Slow going, but nothing I haven't done before. Still, I was glad to get past the worst of the hill and enjoyed the relatively level stretch between Delaware and Slingerlands.
I wasn't expecting the ride the rail trail end-to-end until the rest is paved... it was a nice treat today to do it much sooner than that.
JMH
18 Mile Ride on the Albany County Rail Trail
Friday, October 28, 2016
Still pretty cold today, and this afternoon the wind really picked up... which meant riding my bike had the potential to be fairly unpleasant. But then it occurred to me that the rail trail might be a better option, since the trees would help shield the path from the wind. I originally planned to take my mountain bike, but decided instead to put the wider tires on my road bike - they worked just fine on some fairly gnarly sections of the canalway trail this summer, and they'd be a better option than the mountain bike knobbies if I decided to keep going on the paved portion of the path.
The ride out to Voorheesville was windy but fairly pleasant... and the trip back even more so, with the wind more at my back and the path predominantly downhill. The wider tires worked just as well as the ones on my mountain bike, and the lighter weight of my road bike was a definite plus.
When I got back to the parking lot in Slingerlands I decided to keep going, at least to Delaware Ave... except when I got there, I was feeling good enough that I decided to go all the way to South Pearl Street. One plus to the cold weather - there was a lot less traffic on the path than when I'd ridden it in warmer weather.
Unfortunately, what goes down must go back up... and today I was riding uphill into the wind. Slow going, but nothing I haven't done before. Still, I was glad to get past the worst of the hill and enjoyed the relatively level stretch between Delaware and Slingerlands.
I wasn't expecting the ride the rail trail end-to-end until the rest is paved... it was a nice treat today to do it much sooner than that.
JMH
RAKE, BAG, REPEAT...
A Morning Working at Buckingham Pond
Friday, October 28, 2016
Today was our annual fall community service day at school... over the years my advisees and I have worked at the Pine Bush, Five Rivers, several different Little League fields, the Bethlehem YMCA, the Albany Shaker Site, and probably several other places that I can no longer remember. For the last three years we've gone to Buckingham Pond, where we mostly rake and bag leaves - actually, today that was all we did, for three hours. We managed to fill between 60 and 70 bags of leaves and left the park with fewer fallen leaves piled up in the bushes and wooded areas along the edge of the pond (which is where the city tells its workers to blow the leaves... so that we can pull them back out and bag them up for hauling away.)
It's interesting how many ducks are hanging around, after so few being around during the summer. Monday night there was a female wood duck warbling away among the many mallards, and this morning there was a male there as well. A kingfisher even put in a brief appearance right after we arrived.
I suspect by tonight or tomorrow I'm going to wish I'd done more paddling this past summer - my arms, chest, and shoulders are definitely going to be feeling the effects of 3+ hours of raking and hauling bags full of wet leaves.
- JMH
A Morning Working at Buckingham Pond
Friday, October 28, 2016
Today was our annual fall community service day at school... over the years my advisees and I have worked at the Pine Bush, Five Rivers, several different Little League fields, the Bethlehem YMCA, the Albany Shaker Site, and probably several other places that I can no longer remember. For the last three years we've gone to Buckingham Pond, where we mostly rake and bag leaves - actually, today that was all we did, for three hours. We managed to fill between 60 and 70 bags of leaves and left the park with fewer fallen leaves piled up in the bushes and wooded areas along the edge of the pond (which is where the city tells its workers to blow the leaves... so that we can pull them back out and bag them up for hauling away.)
It's interesting how many ducks are hanging around, after so few being around during the summer. Monday night there was a female wood duck warbling away among the many mallards, and this morning there was a male there as well. A kingfisher even put in a brief appearance right after we arrived.
I suspect by tonight or tomorrow I'm going to wish I'd done more paddling this past summer - my arms, chest, and shoulders are definitely going to be feeling the effects of 3+ hours of raking and hauling bags full of wet leaves.
- JMH
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Monday, October 24, 2016
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
85 DEGREES IN MID-OCTOBER?!!!
20.6 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Crazy weather for mid-October, but it did make for a pleasant ride this evening. The turtle's in the old canal seemed to like it - including a large snapping turtle that crossed the path in front of me, presumably heading for winter accommodations.
The water levels in the old canal are the lowest I've ever seen, especially west of Rotterdam Junction. The section between Leggiero Lane and the end of the path was pretty much dry except for a few puddles... I wonder what's happened to all the turtles I saw in there this summer. We'd better get decent snowfall this winter or we're going to be in trouble water-wise.
Lots of work along the path, replacing railings and bollards. Nice to see some money being spent on the path.
JMH
20.6 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Crazy weather for mid-October, but it did make for a pleasant ride this evening. The turtle's in the old canal seemed to like it - including a large snapping turtle that crossed the path in front of me, presumably heading for winter accommodations.
The water levels in the old canal are the lowest I've ever seen, especially west of Rotterdam Junction. The section between Leggiero Lane and the end of the path was pretty much dry except for a few puddles... I wonder what's happened to all the turtles I saw in there this summer. We'd better get decent snowfall this winter or we're going to be in trouble water-wise.
Lots of work along the path, replacing railings and bollards. Nice to see some money being spent on the path.
JMH
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Friday, October 14, 2016
A PEACEFUL EVENING IN THE PARK
6 Mile Run at Saratoga Spa State Park
Friday, October 14, 2016
There are some places that, when I go there to run, it just plain makes me happy... often I can't even explain exactly why. Saratoga Spa State Park is one of those places. I pulled into the parking lot tonight after a slow trip up the Northway (Friday rush hour traffic... bleah) and was just glad to be there.
I mostly followed the 5 mile trail, with a few deviations either to take it easier on my knees or to have a slightly more interesting route. I had enough light that I didn't need my headlamp until I got into the woods near the Columbia Pavilion, and I was able to shut it off again once I got back to the quad. I was a little disappointed that the owls weren't calling this time, but it was still pretty interesting to be there after dark, especially in the quad - I don't know that I've ever been there at night before.
Probably the coolest point of the whole run was coming out of the woods near the Peerless Pool parking lot and seeing a big, bright, almost-full moon over the trees. Apparently if the weather is clear it should be even more spectacular when it is completely full in the wee hours of Sunday morning. I'll hopefully be asleep, since I need to be up early to head to the Mohawk Towpath Duathlon that morning.
Yesterday I was feeling tired enough that I considered cancelling my hotel and making the full drive to Rutland tomorrow morning. I'm glad I didn't - tonight's trek around the park was definitely a good way to start off the weekend.
JMH
6 Mile Run at Saratoga Spa State Park
Friday, October 14, 2016
There are some places that, when I go there to run, it just plain makes me happy... often I can't even explain exactly why. Saratoga Spa State Park is one of those places. I pulled into the parking lot tonight after a slow trip up the Northway (Friday rush hour traffic... bleah) and was just glad to be there.
I mostly followed the 5 mile trail, with a few deviations either to take it easier on my knees or to have a slightly more interesting route. I had enough light that I didn't need my headlamp until I got into the woods near the Columbia Pavilion, and I was able to shut it off again once I got back to the quad. I was a little disappointed that the owls weren't calling this time, but it was still pretty interesting to be there after dark, especially in the quad - I don't know that I've ever been there at night before.
Probably the coolest point of the whole run was coming out of the woods near the Peerless Pool parking lot and seeing a big, bright, almost-full moon over the trees. Apparently if the weather is clear it should be even more spectacular when it is completely full in the wee hours of Sunday morning. I'll hopefully be asleep, since I need to be up early to head to the Mohawk Towpath Duathlon that morning.
Yesterday I was feeling tired enough that I considered cancelling my hotel and making the full drive to Rutland tomorrow morning. I'm glad I didn't - tonight's trek around the park was definitely a good way to start off the weekend.
JMH
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
ERIE CANALWAY TRAIL END-TO-END:
Progress So Far...
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
A couple of years ago I started thinking that I wanted to mark turning 50 by riding the Erie Canalway Trail from end to end. The obvious way to do this would be to sign up for the Cycling the Erie Canal tour that Parks & Trails NY organizes every July... except the price for that is more than I would want to pay, and I can best be described as a not terribly social animal... so spending an entire week with other riders doesn't appeal. Instead, I figured I'd take a week and do it on my own, probably with some support from Ann.
Problem was, that would mean spending a week doing very little other than riding my bike, and as my experience with the Maine Lighthouse Century showed, while I enjoy riding my bike, I don't love riding my bike, especially not enough to give up running and so on for the better part of a week. So I abandoned that plan.
Except this summer I found myself riding more of the Canalway Trail again, and got me thinking - instead of doing it all at once, why not break it up into a bunch of shorter trips? Thus was born my two year plan - ride the Trail in segments over the next two years. And I think I made pretty good progress, considering that the idea only became official in my head sometime in July.
To date I've ridden a little over 215 miles of what PTNY says is the 360 mile trail (the summer tour is closer to 400 miles, and that's most likely the guidelines I'll follow.) My two longest segments are from Hulberton (west of Brockport) to Newark (62+ miles) and from Minden (west of Canajoharie) to the Albany waterfront (82+ miles) but I've also ridden the entire Old Erie Canal State Historic Park plus the section through Rome (43+ miles), Oriskany to Utica (15 miles), and Weedsport to Warners (12+ miles.)
It's hard to say if I'll get much more done this year... it all depends on the weather. I've also got some of the toughest stretches still to do - on-road treks from Newark to Port Byron, Camillus to DeWitt, and Utica to Little Falls. But it's definitely do-able by the end of 2017.
JMH
Progress So Far...
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
A couple of years ago I started thinking that I wanted to mark turning 50 by riding the Erie Canalway Trail from end to end. The obvious way to do this would be to sign up for the Cycling the Erie Canal tour that Parks & Trails NY organizes every July... except the price for that is more than I would want to pay, and I can best be described as a not terribly social animal... so spending an entire week with other riders doesn't appeal. Instead, I figured I'd take a week and do it on my own, probably with some support from Ann.
Problem was, that would mean spending a week doing very little other than riding my bike, and as my experience with the Maine Lighthouse Century showed, while I enjoy riding my bike, I don't love riding my bike, especially not enough to give up running and so on for the better part of a week. So I abandoned that plan.
Except this summer I found myself riding more of the Canalway Trail again, and got me thinking - instead of doing it all at once, why not break it up into a bunch of shorter trips? Thus was born my two year plan - ride the Trail in segments over the next two years. And I think I made pretty good progress, considering that the idea only became official in my head sometime in July.
To date I've ridden a little over 215 miles of what PTNY says is the 360 mile trail (the summer tour is closer to 400 miles, and that's most likely the guidelines I'll follow.) My two longest segments are from Hulberton (west of Brockport) to Newark (62+ miles) and from Minden (west of Canajoharie) to the Albany waterfront (82+ miles) but I've also ridden the entire Old Erie Canal State Historic Park plus the section through Rome (43+ miles), Oriskany to Utica (15 miles), and Weedsport to Warners (12+ miles.)
It's hard to say if I'll get much more done this year... it all depends on the weather. I've also got some of the toughest stretches still to do - on-road treks from Newark to Port Byron, Camillus to DeWitt, and Utica to Little Falls. But it's definitely do-able by the end of 2017.
JMH
END-TO-END-TO-END, Year 1
19.9 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path, Through Cohoes to Van Schaick Island & Waterford, & Through Colonie Mohawk River Park
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
My original plan was to use part of my day off to head somewhere a bit further away (Pittsfield, Kingston, Rosendale, or Millerton) for a ride, and maybe get in a short run on the way there. Except in the end I didn't feel like traveling that far... so instead I settled for closing the only local gap in my attempt to ride the entire Erie Canalway Trail - the stretch east of Colonie Mohawk River Park down into Cohoes, and then through Cohoes to Van Schaick Pond.
I guess plenty of other folks had the day off too, because there was plenty of traffic and lots of people in the parks. Can't blame them - we had a gorgeous afternoon, warm and sunny.
The ride to the end of the trail at Alexander St was uneventful, and the part I was a bit concerned about - following local streets across 787 to Van Schaick Pond - turned out to be very straightforward, without much traffic. Even my biggest concern - crossing 787 - turned out to be pretty easy thanks to the crosswalks there.
The construction between the pond and the river is proceeding rapidly - the area is cleared and apparently there's going to be another complex of "luxury apartments" there - bleah.
Since it was such a nice afternoon I didn't want to just turn around and head back, so I headed down toward the river and followed the paved path - first south, to the redecked railroad bridge, and then north to Peebles Island State Park and Waterford Harbor. From there I retraced my route through Cohoes back to the bike path and made the climb back up to Colonie Mohawk River Park. Even then I wasn't quite ready to stop, so I first rode down into the park, and then followed the local roads under the Northway to the point where the bike path heads up the steep hill. After that it was just a matter of following the path (both on-road and off) back to where my car was parked opposite the entrance to the park.
A fun ride... I got to ride some places I've rarely ridden before, and I completed the local stretch of the Erie Canalway Trail in the process.
JMH
19.9 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path, Through Cohoes to Van Schaick Island & Waterford, & Through Colonie Mohawk River Park
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
My original plan was to use part of my day off to head somewhere a bit further away (Pittsfield, Kingston, Rosendale, or Millerton) for a ride, and maybe get in a short run on the way there. Except in the end I didn't feel like traveling that far... so instead I settled for closing the only local gap in my attempt to ride the entire Erie Canalway Trail - the stretch east of Colonie Mohawk River Park down into Cohoes, and then through Cohoes to Van Schaick Pond.
I guess plenty of other folks had the day off too, because there was plenty of traffic and lots of people in the parks. Can't blame them - we had a gorgeous afternoon, warm and sunny.
The ride to the end of the trail at Alexander St was uneventful, and the part I was a bit concerned about - following local streets across 787 to Van Schaick Pond - turned out to be very straightforward, without much traffic. Even my biggest concern - crossing 787 - turned out to be pretty easy thanks to the crosswalks there.
The construction between the pond and the river is proceeding rapidly - the area is cleared and apparently there's going to be another complex of "luxury apartments" there - bleah.
Since it was such a nice afternoon I didn't want to just turn around and head back, so I headed down toward the river and followed the paved path - first south, to the redecked railroad bridge, and then north to Peebles Island State Park and Waterford Harbor. From there I retraced my route through Cohoes back to the bike path and made the climb back up to Colonie Mohawk River Park. Even then I wasn't quite ready to stop, so I first rode down into the park, and then followed the local roads under the Northway to the point where the bike path heads up the steep hill. After that it was just a matter of following the path (both on-road and off) back to where my car was parked opposite the entrance to the park.
A fun ride... I got to ride some places I've rarely ridden before, and I completed the local stretch of the Erie Canalway Trail in the process.
JMH
Monday, October 10, 2016
Sunday, October 09, 2016
CRAZY RUNNING TURTLE - DONE!
Sunday, October 9, 2016
4 races in two days. 20.5 miles total. 4 hrs and 50 minutes.
I've got to be some kind of idiot (not news to anyone reading this, I realize.)
I survived and even ran halfway decently. Knees held up overall, though they were definitely unhappy at times during Saturday night's (where I ran harder than I should have) and Sunday afternoon's runs. My legs are definitely pretty well thrashed and I'm pretty darn tired. And I'm looking forward to not running tomorrow.
But I did make it. So I guess my so-called training has done something for me.
Still... I don't know that I want to do four races in two days again. Actually, I'm pretty sure I don't want to do it again. At least not without a really good reason...
JMH
Sunday, October 9, 2016
4 races in two days. 20.5 miles total. 4 hrs and 50 minutes.
I've got to be some kind of idiot (not news to anyone reading this, I realize.)
I survived and even ran halfway decently. Knees held up overall, though they were definitely unhappy at times during Saturday night's (where I ran harder than I should have) and Sunday afternoon's runs. My legs are definitely pretty well thrashed and I'm pretty darn tired. And I'm looking forward to not running tomorrow.
But I did make it. So I guess my so-called training has done something for me.
Still... I don't know that I want to do four races in two days again. Actually, I'm pretty sure I don't want to do it again. At least not without a really good reason...
JMH
Saturday, October 08, 2016
Thursday, October 06, 2016
Wednesday, October 05, 2016
Monday, October 03, 2016
Sunday, October 02, 2016
Saturday, October 01, 2016
Friday, September 30, 2016
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Sunday, September 25, 2016
#$*$%#&! COLD!!!
NO PAINE-TO-PAIN FOR THE TURTLE
Sunday, September 25, 2016
If all had gone well around now I'd either have finished the Paine-to-Pain Trail Half Marathon or be close to finishing... 13+ miles on an almost perfect early-autumn morning.
Instead I spent the morning driving back to Albany and am now rapidly demolishing a box of Puffs Plus with Lotion tissues... because last night almost non-stop sneezing kicked in and I fairly quickly found my sinuses draining more fluid than it would seem possible (if I hadn't been in this state in the past... but then, I have.)
At least I'm not running a fever (like I was two years ago on this same weekend...) - though I am pretty aggravated, both because this dang cold is miserable and going all the way down there without being able to run the race. Bleah!
JMH
NO PAINE-TO-PAIN FOR THE TURTLE
Sunday, September 25, 2016
If all had gone well around now I'd either have finished the Paine-to-Pain Trail Half Marathon or be close to finishing... 13+ miles on an almost perfect early-autumn morning.
Instead I spent the morning driving back to Albany and am now rapidly demolishing a box of Puffs Plus with Lotion tissues... because last night almost non-stop sneezing kicked in and I fairly quickly found my sinuses draining more fluid than it would seem possible (if I hadn't been in this state in the past... but then, I have.)
At least I'm not running a fever (like I was two years ago on this same weekend...) - though I am pretty aggravated, both because this dang cold is miserable and going all the way down there without being able to run the race. Bleah!
JMH
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Friday, September 23, 2016
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Monday, September 19, 2016
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Saturday, September 17, 2016
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