PAVEMENT INSTEAD OF DIRT...
7 Mile Run on the Albany County Rail Trail
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
No question, paving the rail trail has gotten many more people out on it than if they had surfaced it with stone dust. And it's going to be much easier to ride my bike on it now - though with the 6 inch dropoff to the shoulder in spots, care is definitely called.
But I still miss the softer dirt surface... sigh. Dirt-surfaced rail trails are few and far between around here... that's one area in which I am very jealous of central and western NY.
All in all, though, it's turning into a well-used and very nice outdoor resource.
And word has it that the plan is to pave the remaining section from Slingerlands to Voorheesville by the end of 2017.
JMH
Monday, May 30, 2016
STRANGE COINCIDENCE
Monday, May 30, 2016
Six years ago I ran Highland Forest and after the race found myself searching for a repair shop because the warning light for my charging system was on... turns out the alternator in my 2003 Civic was going bad. Fortunately I was able to get it replaced before getting stranded somewhere.
Two days ago I ran Highland Forest and the next day, my car wouldn't start. We jumped it easily using Ann's vehicle and a long drive in the afternoon seemed to get the battery recharged to the point where the car would start with some hesitation... except yesterday after a short trip to fuel up it once again refused to start. So I pulled the battery and we took it to Advance Auto to be tested - all they could say for sure was that it needed charging, but given that it's 4-5 years old, I decided to invest in a new battery instead of making another trip there after trying to charge it. So far that seems to have solved the problem.
Granted I've run Highland Forest on two other occasions (the trail race... I've actually run at Highland Forest half a dozen other times, including several times on snowshoes) and had no apparent issues with the starting/charging system of my car, but the timing on this is definitely bizarre.
JMH
Monday, May 30, 2016
Six years ago I ran Highland Forest and after the race found myself searching for a repair shop because the warning light for my charging system was on... turns out the alternator in my 2003 Civic was going bad. Fortunately I was able to get it replaced before getting stranded somewhere.
Two days ago I ran Highland Forest and the next day, my car wouldn't start. We jumped it easily using Ann's vehicle and a long drive in the afternoon seemed to get the battery recharged to the point where the car would start with some hesitation... except yesterday after a short trip to fuel up it once again refused to start. So I pulled the battery and we took it to Advance Auto to be tested - all they could say for sure was that it needed charging, but given that it's 4-5 years old, I decided to invest in a new battery instead of making another trip there after trying to charge it. So far that seems to have solved the problem.
Granted I've run Highland Forest on two other occasions (the trail race... I've actually run at Highland Forest half a dozen other times, including several times on snowshoes) and had no apparent issues with the starting/charging system of my car, but the timing on this is definitely bizarre.
JMH
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Friday, May 27, 2016
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Slow & Steady 2016 - Race #9
CDPHP Workforce Challenge 3.5mi road race
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Well, if nothing else I proved tonight that aggravation can make me run faster.
The crowd on Madison Ave in front of the NYS museum was incredible, but I guess packing 9000+ people in that space will do that. I picked a spot about what I thought was halfway down the group - I figured that would put me with the slower runners but ahead of most of the walkers. Looked like I was about a tenth of a mile from the start.
A few minutes before race time, the chair of CDPHP and the mayor of Albany both spoke, and then someone sang the national anthem, and then - it was time to start.
And we slowly walked toward the starting line. It took me five minutes to reach it, walking the entire way.
I figured after that people would start to run, but nope... a few people tried to run by on the sidewalk, but everyone was walking, walking, walking. I picked up my pace and started running where I could, weaving in and out, but the crowd was mostly walkers for the 1st mile, and a lot of walkers for the 2nd mile too... at least at that point things were thinning out slightly, so I could run consistently, with a lot of moving back and forth to find openings.
According to my Garmin, it took me 18 minutes to do the 1st mile, 11 1/2 minutes for the 2nd, 11 1/4 for the 3rd, and I was running a 10:30 pace for the last half mile (admittedly, all downhill.) The good news is my knees behaved the whole time (we'll see what they say tomorrow...) despite the fact that I'd planned to run 13-14 min miles.
I don't know if the problem was that I badly misjudged where to start or too many walkers decided that they should start closer to the front - regardless, it made for a very aggravating race. It doesn't seem like it would be that hard to have pace groups - people holding up signs indicating where the 10 min milers should line up and so on, and especially a "walkers behind here" area. But it looks like a big chunk of the people who do this thing are walkers (maybe as much as 50%) so maybe they don't want to offend them. To me, it just seems important to have that many people better organized.
I will most likely do this again if we have a school team in the future - but I'll be starting a lot closer to the front if I do.
JMH
2016 Event Totals
Run 83.7 mi, 21 hr 3 min
Bike 21.5 mi, 1 hr 40 min
Snowshoe 6.2 mi, 1 hr 39 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 min
states visited: CT, MA, NY, RI
CDPHP Workforce Challenge 3.5mi road race
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Well, if nothing else I proved tonight that aggravation can make me run faster.
The crowd on Madison Ave in front of the NYS museum was incredible, but I guess packing 9000+ people in that space will do that. I picked a spot about what I thought was halfway down the group - I figured that would put me with the slower runners but ahead of most of the walkers. Looked like I was about a tenth of a mile from the start.
A few minutes before race time, the chair of CDPHP and the mayor of Albany both spoke, and then someone sang the national anthem, and then - it was time to start.
And we slowly walked toward the starting line. It took me five minutes to reach it, walking the entire way.
I figured after that people would start to run, but nope... a few people tried to run by on the sidewalk, but everyone was walking, walking, walking. I picked up my pace and started running where I could, weaving in and out, but the crowd was mostly walkers for the 1st mile, and a lot of walkers for the 2nd mile too... at least at that point things were thinning out slightly, so I could run consistently, with a lot of moving back and forth to find openings.
According to my Garmin, it took me 18 minutes to do the 1st mile, 11 1/2 minutes for the 2nd, 11 1/4 for the 3rd, and I was running a 10:30 pace for the last half mile (admittedly, all downhill.) The good news is my knees behaved the whole time (we'll see what they say tomorrow...) despite the fact that I'd planned to run 13-14 min miles.
I don't know if the problem was that I badly misjudged where to start or too many walkers decided that they should start closer to the front - regardless, it made for a very aggravating race. It doesn't seem like it would be that hard to have pace groups - people holding up signs indicating where the 10 min milers should line up and so on, and especially a "walkers behind here" area. But it looks like a big chunk of the people who do this thing are walkers (maybe as much as 50%) so maybe they don't want to offend them. To me, it just seems important to have that many people better organized.
I will most likely do this again if we have a school team in the future - but I'll be starting a lot closer to the front if I do.
JMH
2016 Event Totals
Run 83.7 mi, 21 hr 3 min
Bike 21.5 mi, 1 hr 40 min
Snowshoe 6.2 mi, 1 hr 39 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 min
states visited: CT, MA, NY, RI
3.2 Mile Run to the CDPHP Workforce Challenge
1.7 Mile Walk Home from the CDPHP Workforce Challenge
Thursday, May 19, 2016
The shortest route to Empire State Plaza (where the Workforce Challenge is staged) is to go two blocks over to Madison Ave and just head toward the river... it's about a mile and a half. So naturally I ran over toward the school, along Hackett Blvd and down to Lincoln Park, then through the park and over to the Plaza. On the plus side, my legs were feeling much better by the time I go there than they were when I left (which is why I ran to the race in the first place.)
Afterwards I spoke briefly with my teammates and then headed over to pick up my shirt and my goodie bag before walking home. I had planned to take the direct route, but ended up taking a detour through Washington Park instead, which was very peaceful. I even saw a male and female wood duck in the pond. I think I should go down there more often - in all the time I've lived here, less than a mile away, I've only been there on a handful of occasions.
JMH
1.7 Mile Walk Home from the CDPHP Workforce Challenge
Thursday, May 19, 2016
The shortest route to Empire State Plaza (where the Workforce Challenge is staged) is to go two blocks over to Madison Ave and just head toward the river... it's about a mile and a half. So naturally I ran over toward the school, along Hackett Blvd and down to Lincoln Park, then through the park and over to the Plaza. On the plus side, my legs were feeling much better by the time I go there than they were when I left (which is why I ran to the race in the first place.)
Afterwards I spoke briefly with my teammates and then headed over to pick up my shirt and my goodie bag before walking home. I had planned to take the direct route, but ended up taking a detour through Washington Park instead, which was very peaceful. I even saw a male and female wood duck in the pond. I think I should go down there more often - in all the time I've lived here, less than a mile away, I've only been there on a handful of occasions.
JMH
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Slow & Steady 2016 - Race #8
Olana Star Loop 10k trail race
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
I spent tonight's run feeling like I should have had a sing on my back that said "Relax - I'm 20 minutes behind you." Given that my knees have been cranky, I started 20 minutes early and self-timed my run, so that the folks manning the finish line wouldn't have to wait quite as long. I had actually planned to start 45 minutes early... but I hadn't counted on falling asleep after I got home from work.
There's something about the Olana trails that I really enjoy, despite all the hills... it was very peaceful for the first half hour, and even after the faster runners started overtaking me, it was still really nice to be out there on those trails, regardless of how slow I was going.
I think another reason I really wanted to do tonight's run is that tomorrow I'm running the Workforce Challenge in Albany... me and about 9000 other people in downtown Albany. Not my idea of a good time. So I really needed tonight's run on some quiet, gorgeous trails, and there is no question it was worth every minute and every mile of the drive down to Olana and back.
2016 Event Totals
Run 80.2 mi, 20 hr 20 min
Bike 21.5 mi, 1 hr 40 min
Snowshoe 6.2 mi, 1 hr 39 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 min
states visited: CT, MA, NY, RI
Olana Star Loop 10k trail race
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
I spent tonight's run feeling like I should have had a sing on my back that said "Relax - I'm 20 minutes behind you." Given that my knees have been cranky, I started 20 minutes early and self-timed my run, so that the folks manning the finish line wouldn't have to wait quite as long. I had actually planned to start 45 minutes early... but I hadn't counted on falling asleep after I got home from work.
There's something about the Olana trails that I really enjoy, despite all the hills... it was very peaceful for the first half hour, and even after the faster runners started overtaking me, it was still really nice to be out there on those trails, regardless of how slow I was going.
I think another reason I really wanted to do tonight's run is that tomorrow I'm running the Workforce Challenge in Albany... me and about 9000 other people in downtown Albany. Not my idea of a good time. So I really needed tonight's run on some quiet, gorgeous trails, and there is no question it was worth every minute and every mile of the drive down to Olana and back.
2016 Event Totals
Run 80.2 mi, 20 hr 20 min
Bike 21.5 mi, 1 hr 40 min
Snowshoe 6.2 mi, 1 hr 39 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 min
states visited: CT, MA, NY, RI
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Roc Du, Where Are You????
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Last year I signed up for the Rochester Duathlon in late May, didn't check the weather forecast before heading west, and found myself heading into race day with warm weather gear - when the temperatures were going to be sub 40's with rain and high winds. Common sense prevailed and I decided to bail on the race and live to do it another year. So I was quite pleased when I noticed registration being open for the 2016 edition, way back in March.
Today I went looking for race day info - and the race has vanished. Active.com shows me registered for it, but doesn't show a listing when I search for race registration. The Rochester Triathletes (the race organizers) site shows no indication that the race ever existed. All I can find is a mention on a couple of other race lists, all of which point back to the Roc Tri site.
I'm assuming it's been cancelled so - why no e-mail? Why no announcement on the Roc Tri site? I've got to say I'm not impressed at the lack of communication on this...
On the plus side - an olympic length du would have been a real struggle, so it's probably just as well, and at least this way Ann and I will get to sleep in and spend Sunday morning together.
JMH
Update - I finally found it - in the archive for the Roc Tri google group. After that I also thought to check their Facebook group and it was announced there as well. Of course I'm not a member of either group... Looks like it was cancelled last week, but at least I'm supposed to get a refund - a rare occurrence on the racing scene. But really, would an e-mail to folks who pre-registered have been that difficult to do?
Update#2 - Got the check yesterday, a group e-mail today, and a phone call as well. All good, and it tells me that I will probably try to do this one again in the future, if they decide to hold it again.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Last year I signed up for the Rochester Duathlon in late May, didn't check the weather forecast before heading west, and found myself heading into race day with warm weather gear - when the temperatures were going to be sub 40's with rain and high winds. Common sense prevailed and I decided to bail on the race and live to do it another year. So I was quite pleased when I noticed registration being open for the 2016 edition, way back in March.
Today I went looking for race day info - and the race has vanished. Active.com shows me registered for it, but doesn't show a listing when I search for race registration. The Rochester Triathletes (the race organizers) site shows no indication that the race ever existed. All I can find is a mention on a couple of other race lists, all of which point back to the Roc Tri site.
I'm assuming it's been cancelled so - why no e-mail? Why no announcement on the Roc Tri site? I've got to say I'm not impressed at the lack of communication on this...
On the plus side - an olympic length du would have been a real struggle, so it's probably just as well, and at least this way Ann and I will get to sleep in and spend Sunday morning together.
JMH
Update - I finally found it - in the archive for the Roc Tri google group. After that I also thought to check their Facebook group and it was announced there as well. Of course I'm not a member of either group... Looks like it was cancelled last week, but at least I'm supposed to get a refund - a rare occurrence on the racing scene. But really, would an e-mail to folks who pre-registered have been that difficult to do?
Update#2 - Got the check yesterday, a group e-mail today, and a phone call as well. All good, and it tells me that I will probably try to do this one again in the future, if they decide to hold it again.
A VERY SHORT TEST RIDE
9.7 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
I had decided to just walk up to the store tonight (I'm beat, and it's grey and windy) but then UPS delivered my new crankset a couple of days early... so of course I installed the new bottom bracket (longer spindle) and new cranks and headed over to the bike path to test it all out.
I noticed immediately that my gear ratios seemed off... my usual gears were much easier and higher gears that I rarely use felt like the usual ones. In fact - it felt an awful lot like the original crankset that came with the bike back in 2006! Tired and frustrated I ended the ride early... the only question was, did I order the wrong set or did the shop ship the wrong set?
Checked my note next to the computer and it showed what I remembered - 48/38/28. Checked the box from the new cranks and it showed what I suspected - 42/32/22. So I was all set to ask for an exchange - except when I pulled up the order, it showed that I'm a freakin' idiot and ordered the wrong gears. Aaaargh!
Hopefully it's only one of those days and not one of those weeks...
JMH
9.7 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
I had decided to just walk up to the store tonight (I'm beat, and it's grey and windy) but then UPS delivered my new crankset a couple of days early... so of course I installed the new bottom bracket (longer spindle) and new cranks and headed over to the bike path to test it all out.
I noticed immediately that my gear ratios seemed off... my usual gears were much easier and higher gears that I rarely use felt like the usual ones. In fact - it felt an awful lot like the original crankset that came with the bike back in 2006! Tired and frustrated I ended the ride early... the only question was, did I order the wrong set or did the shop ship the wrong set?
Checked my note next to the computer and it showed what I remembered - 48/38/28. Checked the box from the new cranks and it showed what I suspected - 42/32/22. So I was all set to ask for an exchange - except when I pulled up the order, it showed that I'm a freakin' idiot and ordered the wrong gears. Aaaargh!
Hopefully it's only one of those days and not one of those weeks...
JMH
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Thursday, May 12, 2016
AGGRAVATION
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Ann typically rides her decades-old Fuji 10 speed back and forth to work, rather than one of her newer bikes, because the Fuji is a nearly indestructible tank of a bike that she feels comfortable locking up on the bike rack outside. I say nearly indestructible because a little over a month ago some asshole deliberately clipped her rear wheel while she was riding to work. She avoided crashing but in the process there was some pretty significant damage done to one of the cranks, the rear derailleur, and the rear wheel.
I've had the bike for a couple of weeks now, working on bringing it back to life with a mixture of parts that I already have and a few parts I've needed to order - in addition to some tools I needed to order just to get the cranks off and the bottom bracket opened up. In the process of figuring out what the Fuji needs, I also figured out that years ago when I replaced the bottom bracket on my Kent Denali I used a spindle that's about 5 mm too short - which may explain why I've had a lot of trouble adjusting the front derailleur to consistently shift into the granny gear.
The new cartridge BB came today, and I was all set to swap it in... pulled the chainring crank no problem, but when I tried to pull the other one the puller kept stripping free instead of levering the crank off the taper. So it's looking like I'm going to have to get that one off using brute force, which will likely damage it - so I put everything back together until a new crankset arrives.
And now I have to make sure I test it out tomorrow, since I'll likely be using the bike this weekend (the Billy Grey ride on Sunday, and possible a duathlon on Saturday.) Hopefully it won't be raining too hard when I get out of work tomorrow.
Why is it that things which should be easy never are?
JMH
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Ann typically rides her decades-old Fuji 10 speed back and forth to work, rather than one of her newer bikes, because the Fuji is a nearly indestructible tank of a bike that she feels comfortable locking up on the bike rack outside. I say nearly indestructible because a little over a month ago some asshole deliberately clipped her rear wheel while she was riding to work. She avoided crashing but in the process there was some pretty significant damage done to one of the cranks, the rear derailleur, and the rear wheel.
I've had the bike for a couple of weeks now, working on bringing it back to life with a mixture of parts that I already have and a few parts I've needed to order - in addition to some tools I needed to order just to get the cranks off and the bottom bracket opened up. In the process of figuring out what the Fuji needs, I also figured out that years ago when I replaced the bottom bracket on my Kent Denali I used a spindle that's about 5 mm too short - which may explain why I've had a lot of trouble adjusting the front derailleur to consistently shift into the granny gear.
The new cartridge BB came today, and I was all set to swap it in... pulled the chainring crank no problem, but when I tried to pull the other one the puller kept stripping free instead of levering the crank off the taper. So it's looking like I'm going to have to get that one off using brute force, which will likely damage it - so I put everything back together until a new crankset arrives.
And now I have to make sure I test it out tomorrow, since I'll likely be using the bike this weekend (the Billy Grey ride on Sunday, and possible a duathlon on Saturday.) Hopefully it won't be raining too hard when I get out of work tomorrow.
Why is it that things which should be easy never are?
JMH
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Monday, May 09, 2016
Sunday, May 08, 2016
Saturday, May 07, 2016
SO MUCH FOR THE SUNSHINE...
Driving Through Southwestern MA & Northwestern CT
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Crossed the Taconics into the Berkshires and the sun disappeared, replaced by grey clouds and drizzle, with an accompanying temperature drop of about 10 degrees. I have a suspicion that tomorrow morning's duathlon is not going to be as pleasant as today's bike ride.
It was nice to drive down in the daylight - it's a fairly pretty drive, even in grey and drizzle, and brought back lots of memories of driving down this way for other races. I found myself really wishing I can find a way to do People's Forest this year... but since it's the day before the Lake Erie Duathlon in PA, I don't think that's too likely... I'd have to leave Barkhamstead and drive straight to Erie (about a 7 hour drive, ack) which just plain doesn't make sense.
I guess what it really reminds me of is that I miss some of the races that are no more, and I miss some of the people who either aren't doing races any more or have drastically reduced the number they do. What can I say, I don't do a great job of dealing with change, even though it is inevitable.
JMH
Driving Through Southwestern MA & Northwestern CT
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Crossed the Taconics into the Berkshires and the sun disappeared, replaced by grey clouds and drizzle, with an accompanying temperature drop of about 10 degrees. I have a suspicion that tomorrow morning's duathlon is not going to be as pleasant as today's bike ride.
It was nice to drive down in the daylight - it's a fairly pretty drive, even in grey and drizzle, and brought back lots of memories of driving down this way for other races. I found myself really wishing I can find a way to do People's Forest this year... but since it's the day before the Lake Erie Duathlon in PA, I don't think that's too likely... I'd have to leave Barkhamstead and drive straight to Erie (about a 7 hour drive, ack) which just plain doesn't make sense.
I guess what it really reminds me of is that I miss some of the races that are no more, and I miss some of the people who either aren't doing races any more or have drastically reduced the number they do. What can I say, I don't do a great job of dealing with change, even though it is inevitable.
JMH
Another DNS - sigh...
Saturday, May 7, 2016
My right knee has been bothering me since Thursday night... last night I thought I'd give the Mastodon Challenge 15k a go and just be very slow and careful, but this morning I decided discretion was the better part of valor, given that it's 9.3 miles of pavement and a LOT of hills.
At this rate I'm going to skip more races than I run this year. Bleah.
JMH
Saturday, May 7, 2016
My right knee has been bothering me since Thursday night... last night I thought I'd give the Mastodon Challenge 15k a go and just be very slow and careful, but this morning I decided discretion was the better part of valor, given that it's 9.3 miles of pavement and a LOT of hills.
At this rate I'm going to skip more races than I run this year. Bleah.
JMH
Wednesday, May 04, 2016
2.1 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
I'd originally planned to go for a run tonight but my legs are distressingly beat from the past two days... so I ended up at the Pond for some walking. Given all the other goslings I've been seeing I thought maybe the eggs would have hatched, but not yet - though while I was there the female got off the nest and spent some time in the water. I don't know if that means she can hear the munchkins getting ready to hatch or if she's given up on the eggs hatching - my guess is the former.
No female mallards in sight, which leads me to suspect they are nesting as well.
Rainy weather meant fewer people at the pond... always a plus!
JMH
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
I'd originally planned to go for a run tonight but my legs are distressingly beat from the past two days... so I ended up at the Pond for some walking. Given all the other goslings I've been seeing I thought maybe the eggs would have hatched, but not yet - though while I was there the female got off the nest and spent some time in the water. I don't know if that means she can hear the munchkins getting ready to hatch or if she's given up on the eggs hatching - my guess is the former.
No female mallards in sight, which leads me to suspect they are nesting as well.
Rainy weather meant fewer people at the pond... always a plus!
JMH
Sunday, May 01, 2016
DISAPPOINTMENT
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Tired legs and sore knees had me questioning the wisdom of running today's Medved Madness race last night, and in the middle of the night I made a decision I seem to be making too often this year - I turned off the alarm and decided to skip the run.
As disappointing as that was, there was one upside - originally I'd have left the house by 7 AM and gotten back sometime after noon, with only an hour or two before hitting the road back to Albany. This way Ann and I were able to spend the morning and early afternoon together - something that will be a rare chance over the next month, given our mutual busy schedules.
JMH
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Tired legs and sore knees had me questioning the wisdom of running today's Medved Madness race last night, and in the middle of the night I made a decision I seem to be making too often this year - I turned off the alarm and decided to skip the run.
As disappointing as that was, there was one upside - originally I'd have left the house by 7 AM and gotten back sometime after noon, with only an hour or two before hitting the road back to Albany. This way Ann and I were able to spend the morning and early afternoon together - something that will be a rare chance over the next month, given our mutual busy schedules.
JMH
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