GOOD RIDDANCE 2019
Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Rather than spend time whining about how much this year has enjoyed kicking me around, all I'm going to say is - so long, I'm NOT going to miss you.

APPROX. 2019 TOTALS

RUN 427.4 mi

RIDE 724.6 mi
SNOWSHOE 26.4 mi
HIKE/WALK 434.5 mi
PADDLE 0 mi
XC SKI 0 mi
DAYS OUTDOORS 318/365
MONTHS BIKED 12/12

2019 Event Totals
Run 259.4 mi, 68 hr 37 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 19.0 mi, 6 hr 43 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

REBUILDING 2019 - Race #56
New Year's Eve 5k Classic
Tuesday, December 31, 2019

 

 

Had I known ahead of time that Ann would want to go to a New Year's Eve party in Syracuse tonight, I probably wouldn't have signed up for a New Year's Eve (day) race near Niagara Falls (a little over 3 hours west and north of Syracuse.) Honestly, the smart thing would have been to skip this one, but I really wanted to run a race on the last day of the year, and I liked the idea of visiting Fort Niagara State Park again (we stopped there once before back in 2015.)

 

After near-record highs yesterday morning (50 degrees!) today hovered around freezing with a brisk wind and periodic snow squalls. Without the wind it would have been perfect December running weather (well, when it's not going to be in the 50's!)

 

Tomorrow will prove to be a more significant challenge, due to distance (7.5 miles instead of 5k), terrain (hills instead of flat) and significantly less sleep (thanks to the "holiday" tonight.)

 

JMH

2019 Event Totals
Run 259.4 mi, 68 hr 37 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 19.0 mi, 6 hr 43 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

BRRRR...
0.8 Mile Walk on the Niagara River Shoreline Trail
2.2 Mile Walk at Niagara Falls State Park
Monday, December 30, 2019

0.7 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
1.3 Mile Walk at the Crossings of Colonie
1.5 Mile Walk on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Sunday, December 29, 2019

2 Mile Walk at Green Lakes State Park
Saturday, December 28, 2019

0.8 Mile Walk at Seneca Park
1.7 Mile Walk at Tinker Nature Park
Friday, December 27, 2019

0.6 Mile Walk at Mendon Ponds Park
2.5 Mile Walk on the Erie Canalway Trail (Greece)
Thursday, December 26, 2019

3.6 Mile Walk on the Erie Canalway Trail (Newark)
Wednesday, December 25, 2019

2.3 Mile Walk at Hamlin Beach State Park
0.5 Mile Walk at Ontario Beach Park
Tuesday, December 24, 2019

3.7 Mile Walk on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Sunday, December 22, 2019

I really should have gone for a run today, but instead had the rare opportunity (when Ann's not around) to go for a walk with a friend - sometimes it's nice to have company and to have someone to talk to other than myself.

JMH

QUIET SOLSTICE NIGHT
Saturday, December 21, 2019

One plus to the holiday season - a lot of the college kids are gone for a while, so parking is a whole lot easier and it's much quieter than when they're around.

Tonight is the winter solstice, probably my favorite "holiday" of the year - because it means for approximately the next six months we'll be regaining a few minutes of daylight each day. As someone who does most of his outdoor activities after school, this time of year can be a real challenge (heading out into the cold AND the dark) so I really look forward to a couple of months from now when it will still be light at 6 (and even more to the change back to Daylight Savings Time, which adds an additional hour to that evening daylight.)

JMH

Productive Yet Disappointing Too
Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Snow day today, though honestly with the small amount of snow we got I'm not sure the school's really needed to close - but I'll almost never bemoan an extra day off, though this once is going to have some of my students scrambling the get everything done that they need to by the end of the week.

Between the weekend and today I did manage to get a lot of the updates done for this season's series races on the Dion WMAC Snowshoe Series website that I manage - pretty much the only series races I haven't updated the info on are the ones that haven't posted updated info yet. In the past I've also tried to maintain a listing of as many of the other snowshoe races in the northeast as I can, but I need to think of a better way to do that, because keeping it up-to-date in very time consuming for something that essentially becomes just a public service (and it's not like I'm not already volunteering my time and paying for the website - though I do save money of a few series races each winter from RD's who thank me for my efforts by letting me run for free.)

The disappointment of the day came this afternoon when I wanted to go for a run and had a case of grumbling guts... I got geared up and everything but then after about 45 minutes gave up and changed into my hang around the apartment clothes. Hopefully tomorrow will be better - I'm going to take my gear with me to school and see if I can go for a run between the end of the school day and coming home for the evening (both because there will still be a little daylight left at that point and because it's difficult to get to sleep at a reasonable time when I run later in the evening, and I've been pretty sleep deprived lately.)

Anyway, enough whining and moaning, woe is me. I've got it good and just need to get my head out of my you-know-what and start seeing that again.

JMH

0.7 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Sunday, December 15, 2019

REBUILDING 2019 - Race #55
Gore Mountain 2.7mi Snowshoe Race
Sunday, December 15, 2019

It never fails to amaze me how much I've forgotten about how much snowshoe "running" sucks at the start of the season (and the whole time, if one doesn't work at improving, like I didn't last season.)

 

Good news, the "5k" at the Gore Ski Bowl reminded me today.

 

The pluses - there was a decent turnout (21 people.) It started out sunny and not too cold (mid-30's), The snow was in much better condition than I expected it to be. I was able to get some decent photos of the start and the runners coming off the 1st downhill before starting my own race about 5 min behind everyone else.

 

The minuses - I haven't been on snowshoes since late last February, and as I alluded to above, I was barely on them last season. So my legs are most definitely not in snowshoeing shape. I might be able to fake it if I were in decent distance shape (comfortable half marathon to 15 mile runs) but I'm not that either. So I walked everything even vaguely resembling an uphill on the first two laps. By the third lap my legs were finally starting to warm up and I was able to run more (albeit very slowly) but I can't claim I was upset that there wasn't a 4th lap for me to really cut loose on, because I likely would have either thrown up or been reduced to walking much of the course.

 

I have several colleagues who like to point out that one definition of insanity is to keep doing the same things and expect different outcomes. Clearly I need to do something different in 2020, assuming I survive to the end of 2019.

 

JMH

2019 Event Totals
Run 256.3 mi, 67 hr 57 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 19.0 mi, 6 hr 43 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

7.6 Mile Run on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Saturday, December 14, 2019

Yesterday was definitely the better day to ride, though more of the path was clear today. The rain today was more of an everpresent mist than distinct water droplets, and even after sunset there was enough light to see the fog rising up off the river.

I was a bit worried at first - sometimes when I have a lot on my mind running is the perfect way to distract myself, and other times I find myself thinking about whatever it is the entire time I'm running. Today started out more of the latter, to the point where I almost thought I'd turn around after a mile and a half - but eventually I found my groove.

I ended up running all the way to the intersection of the bike path and the road running through the Colonie Water Treatment Facility - it even looked like the path had been plowed from Forts Ferry to where I turned around (if so, I hope they keep that up all winter!) Along the way I saw three deer and several bunnies.

I had originally planned to stop once I got back to Lions Park, but I had less than a mile left at that point to get to 7.5 miles, so I decided to push on and go a little further. My legs definitely didn't appreciate that, nor did my guts, which had been griping on and off since I turned around when the plowed path ran out. Sometimes winter running on the bike path would be much easier if Niskayuna and Colonie kept the bathrooms open.

Tomorrow should bring my first time on snowshoes in 10 months. That's going to hurt...

JMH

9.1 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Friday, December 13, 2019

 

Tonight wasn't ideal weather for riding - there was a very light spattering of rain the entire time - but I have no idea if I'll get another chance at 40 degree weather and the possibility of a rideable link between the Niskayuna and Colonie sections of the path that are plowed in the winter. And since I haven't yet hauled my fat bike up from the basement, riding over any snow or ice is a risky proposition. So after work I headed over to the mostly deserted Lions Park to do a little riding.

As it turned out I ended up walking about a quarter mile each way, where the snow and ice just hadn't melted enough for me to feel safe riding. The rest was slow going - both due to the wider tires on my bike for winter riding and the fact that not only haven't I ridden nearly enough this year, but in the last two months I've only ridden three times, which means my legs spent most of the ride objecting to what I was asking them to do. On other hand, I had the path mostly to myself, and I did see the heron I spotted Monday night and several bunnies dashed off into the brush as I rode toward them.

JMH

6 Mile Run on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path & Lock 7 Rd
Monday, December 9, 2019

 

Way back in 2007 I signed up to run the Eastern States 20 mile road race, which starts in Maine, runs along the New Hampshire seacoast, and finishes just over the Massachusetts border. One of the biggest challenges to getting ready for it is the timing, at the end of March. Albany has a definite lack of safe places to train on pavement in the winter, especially if you work for a living and need to do most of your running either before work (bleah!) or in the evening. One place that was available was the 1.9 mile stretch of the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path from Lions Park in Niskayuna to Lock 7 Rd - the town actually plows it in the winter. (As an aside, we now have twice as much plowed bike path, because the Town of Colonie typically plows a stretch of about 2.4 miles from Mohawk Riverside Landing Park over to Forts Ferry Rd.) So night after night that winter I went over to what I quickly dubbed "The Gerbil Wheel" and ran back and forth in the dark. From the park all the way to Lock 7 is about 2.25 miles, so if one does the math - it takes a bit of patience to do 16-17 miles, which is the most I think I ever managed. Especially when one is slow like I am (I was typically wrapping up those long runs after 9 at night and sometimes even later.)

 

(Another aside - I wrote in my race report for the Eastern States 20 miler that I doubted I'd ever do it again... now I've visited that part of New England often enough that I very much want to run it again, and am just looking for the right time.)

 

Yesterday I stopped by the Lions Park after my walk to see if the path was plowed and it was, so it was a no-brainer to head over there tonight with temperatures in the high-40's. There was a little bit of rain but that's what rain jackets are for.

 

I haven't run since Thanksgiving Day so this was very slow going. I ended up going all the way to Lock 7 and then along Lock 7 Rd to the intersection with River Rd, and even did a lap around the parking lot to reach 6 miles before I stopped. Along the way I head a barred owl call, saw a large rodent-like critter twice (initially I thought muskrat but it turned out to be a possum) and spotted the silhouette of a heron down in the small patch of open water under the Ferry Rd bridge.

 

JMH

 



1.2 Mile Walk at the Crossings of Colonie
Sunday, December 8, 2019

WINTER ARRIVES A BIT EARLY...
Monday, December 2, 2019

The snow started early yesterday afternoon; by the time I got up this morning, a little over a foot had fallen in Albany. It's been coming down lightly all day, but is supposed to pick up again tonight, when we might get as much as another foot.

Maybe I'm not much of a snowshoe runner after all, because as much as I like how nice the snow looks sometimes, all I can think right now is that it's going to be a lot of hard work (like the hour I spent shoveling this morning and walking to and from work tomorrow) and a pain in the neck (snow emergency parking, bleah.)

Not to mention all the people who don't bother to shovel their walks, so even just walking around here becomes a hassle.

Though I suppose the plus side is, I might actually get a few practice sessions on snowshoes before the season opening race on December 15...

JMH

COLD, DAMP, & GREY... BRRRR
0.9 Mile Walk at Ontario Beach Park
1.1 Mile Walk on the Genesee Riverway Trail
1.3 Mile Walk at Tinker Nature Park
Friday, November 29, 2019

9 Mile Run on the Albany County Rail Trail
Thursday, November 28, 2019

4.3 Mile Walk on the Albany County Rail Trail
Wednesday, November 27, 2019

1.4 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Tuesday, November 26, 2019

AN EAGLE AT DUSK
11.4 Mile Ride on the Mohawk-Hudson Bike Path
Saturday, November 23, 2019

1.4 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Friday, November 22, 2019

REBUILDING 2019 - Race #54
Lil Rhody Runaround 10mi Trail Race
Sunday, November 17, 2019

2019 Event Totals

Run 256.3 mi, 67 hr 57 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 16.3 mi, 5 hr 57 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

4 Mile Walk at Bluff Point State Park
Saturday, November 16, 2019

REBUILDING 2019 - Race #53
Wolf Hollow 5mi Trail Race
Saturday, November 16, 2019

2019 Event Totals

Run 246.3 mi, 65 hr 03 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 16.3 mi, 5 hr 57 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

WOW - SUNSHINE AND ALMOST 50 DEGREES!
0.7 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Friday, November 15, 2019

COLD & DAMP
4 Mile Run on the Albany County Rail Trail
Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Fence Is Up!
Sunday, November 10, 2019

I spent about 45 minutes after getting back from New Paltz setting up the new post - measuring its position multiple times to make sure it was in the right spot, then filling in around it with gravel, packing the gravel down, and then putting the dirt I had previously dug out of the hole on top of that and packing it down. Then the fun part - moving the two eight foot long sections of fence into position and securing them to the posts. It's not perfect - the new post wobbles a little bit and sticks a couple of inches above the pickets, and these sections don't quite match the other ones because my landlord had someone different purchase and drop them off - but it's good enough, and definitely better than the old one which was falling down. (Though I did notice that one of the cross-bars on the next section is rotting through, that that's probably the next one that will need to be replaced.)

(the hole on the lower right is intentional, to allow the skunks, possums, and raccoons in and out of the backyard. I suspect the local cats appreciate it too.)

Some reading this may wonder why I bother writing about projects like this (especially yesterday's practical application of a simple machine, the lever and fulcrum) given that I'm a "scientist" (really I'm not, I'm a teacher trained by studying science, but that a whole other discussion.) The answer is my actual training is as a theoretical astrophysicist, which is about as far from yanking post stumps out of the ground and installing new sections of fence as you can get without being Sheldon Cooper. Unlike Sheldon, I'm pleased to have some practical skills, especially since most of them are self-taught.

JMH

REBUILDING 2019 - Race #52
New Paltz Challenge Fall 10k Trail Race
(+ 2 Miles of Walking To and From the Race Site)
Sunday, November 10, 2019

(and actually, the course was 6.5 miles long...)

2019 Event Totals

Run 241.3 mi, 63 hr 52 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 16.3 mi, 5 hr 57 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

1.4 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Saturday, November 9, 2019

Science Is Pretty Darn Nifty
Saturday, November 9, 2019

During the past summer it became evident that one of the fence posts in the back yard had rotted through somewhere below ground level - hey, it lasted over 20 years. A few weeks back I tore down the two sections of fence attached to it and started to dig out the 2 feet of post still down in the ground - and it very quickly became obvious that digging it out was not going to work, unless I was willing to dig a hole far larger than the one I needed to sink the new post.

Youtube to the rescue - where I found a video that suggested attaching a hitching ring to the top of the stump and then using the old post as a fulcrum and the new post as a lever to lift the stump out of the ground. Earlier this week I picked up the ring attachment, and today I actually found myself with sunshine and a little time, so I dug the hole out a bit more and did as the video described, and voila, the stump came right up. MUCH easier than the digging and chopping I did about a month ago. As a science teacher, I actually found it incredibly cool how easily the post lifted when I pushed down on the lever - when I grabbed the ring with my hand and pulled, the best I could do was wiggle it arounf a bit.

Now I just need to pick up some extra fill for the hole (a bag of gravel, to help the space around the post drain) and then I'll be able to sink the new post, attach the two sections of fence, and the job will de done except for breaking up the old sections of fence and putting them out for pickup on a trash day (and who knows, I might wait until spring to do that.)

JMH

1 Mile Walk in the Albany Pine Bush (Karner Barrens East)
Monday, November 4, 2019

REBUILDING 2019 - Race #51
Fall Back 5mi Trail Race
Sunday, November 3, 2019

Sometimes a good morning looks like this:

Get up feeling like you actually got enough sleep for once.

Hop in the car and drive to Saratoga Spa State Park on a sunny but chilly November morning.

Get everything ready and head to the start line on the north end of the quad.

Run 5 miles of some of my favorite trails in the area. Start slow but pick up the pace as you warm up - plus, the Fall Back course gets more runnable (for me a least) after the first mile or two.

Finish almost 6 minutes faster than expected, feeling like all things considered (knees, insufficient training, coming off of 10 miles yesterday...) you ran pretty well.

Hop back in the car and drive home on a sunny November morning.

(OK, it would have been nice to have a bit of a delay before the end there - with maybe some time to slowly run a couple more miles and have some post-race chow while sitting outside in a patch of sunshine - but today I had to be back to be at work by 1 PM, less than 2 hours after I finished the race. And regardless, it was a good morning.)

 

2019 Event Totals

Run 234.8 mi, 62 hr 18 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 16.3 mi, 5 hr 57 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

5 Mile Run on the Champlain Canalway Trail (Schuylerville) & Through Hudson Crossing Park
5.2 Mile Run on the Champlain Canalway Trail (Half Moon)
Saturday, November 2, 2019

24.4 Mile Ride on the Erie Canalway Trail (Pattersonville - Fort Hunter)
Monday, October 28, 2019

REBUILDING 2019 - Race #50
Track and Treat 5k Road Race
Sunday, October 27, 2019

OK, why exactly did this morning find me crawling out of bed at 6 AM to drive an hour to North Bennington VT to run a 5k? Well, a couple of reasons. One is that my previous race this year in VT is one I worked at rather than ran as a race -and while I covered the entire course taking down the markers and can definitely count it, I'd rather have one I actually "raced" on the books too. And since the other likely option was the Middlebury Turkey Trot in a few weeks (which is a 2.5 hour drive) - finding something a lot closer on a day I ended up having open was pretty sweet. Another is that the race I would have done, the Squirrelly Six up at Thacher Park (only half an hour away!) cost $50 for day of registration. Giving some compelling reasons I might consider paying that much for a 10k, but no such reasons existed in this case - heck, I can go up there tomorrow after work and run the course for free if I want to.

As an added bonus, the weather today was awful... cold, windy, and raining. I think there ended up being eight of us in the 5k (there was also a mile fun run which had a better turnout) and at least half of that number were people moving at paces similar to my own. 40ish minutes was just the right amount of time to be out there.

I got the impression that everyone there was affiliated with the Village School of North Bennington, a small private pre-k to 6th grade school - the race is a fundraiser for them - since they all seemed to know each other. They also had a mini festival going on in the school gym, with a bounce house and pumpkin painting as well as tons of baked treats. I suspect some folks were wondering where the heck I appeared from...

I definitely made the best decision to come back yesterday... if conditions in Framingham were like those in Bennington, the Bushwhack would have been miserable, especially for the poor volunteers waiting for me to get my slow backside through the course. And the drive back on the MA turnpike would have been truly awful.

This weekend completes my usual 9 states for 2019... with a slight possibility that I may still get to a race in OH and make it 10.

 

 

 

2019 Event Totals

Run 229.8 mi, 61 hr 9 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 16.3 mi, 5 hr 57 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

STILL NO WALK ON THE MARGINAL WAY
Saturday, October 26, 2019

I'm not sure when the last time was that I tried to walk the Marginal Way in Ogunquit - possibly after the SRTC Skills USA 5k back in 2016, because I remember the weather being somewhat iffy - but I decided to try again today, on my way back down the coast from the Wicked 5k in Kennebunk. The Marginal Way is a paved path that runs along the Ogunquit shoreline and apparently features some great views, as well as 39 benches over its mile and a quarter length, useful for taking a break from walking and just enjoying the scenery. This time I did a better job of researching parking and seemed all set... except as I drove into town there were people everywhere, and the signs I started seeing for Ogunquitfest 2019 explained why - today was the second day of the fall festival. So I gave up immediately, did a lot of growling and swearing at the horrible traffic through town (made worse by groups of people crossing the street) and eventually found my way back to the highway and the 4 hour drive back to Albany.

Here's a nice article (with photos) about the Marginal Way on New England Today Travel.

JMH

REBUILDING 2019 - Race #49
Wicked 5k Road Race
Saturday, October 26, 2019

 

 

 

2019 Event Totals

Run 226.7 mi, 60 hr 27 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 16.3 mi, 5 hr 57 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

2.3 Mile Walk at Odiorne Point State Park
Saturday, October 26, 2019

REBUILDING 2019 - Race #48
Round the Res 5mi Trail Race
Saturday, October 26, 2019

 

 

2019 Event Totals

Run 223.6 mi, 59 hr 46 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 16.3 mi, 5 hr 57 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

PLANS CHANGE
Saturday, October 26, 2019

Still no telling how my knee will behave after I smashed it into the ground yesterday morning, and now the weather forecast is cold and raining for tomorrow's Busa Bushwhack. I had originally thought I might drop down to the short course, but now I'm thinking I'll bail altogether and head back to Albany after this afternoon's Wicked 5k in Kennebunk.

The real disappointment, of course, is this means I won't have the opportunity to say hi to Rich Busa, who I believe turns 90 (!) in a few days. Rich has always been an inspiration in many different ways and no longer makes it out to many of the races where he used to be a regular, so chances to see him and chat for a bit are extra special. Hopefully next year...

JMH

0.7 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Thursday, October 24, 2019

FALL COLORS MUTED BY A GREY SKY
2.5 Mile Walk at the Crossings of Colonie
Tuesday, October 22, 2019

13 Mile Ride on the Albany County Rail Trail
Monday, October 21, 2019

I had hoped to ride the entire trail end-to-end but it became clear fairly quickly that my legs weren't up for that, so I decided to skip the steepest section from South Pearl St to Delmar. It didn't help that my rear derailleur is somehow out of whack so that it kept trying to shift without my turning the shifting lever... another chore, to see if I can get that readjusted.

The path was very busy tonight - all the parking spaces were full at the Slingerlands trailhead except for the section signed "for vehicles with trailers only". So I ended up driving out to Voorheesville, where the parking areas were also filling up. Of course, when I rode past the Slingerlands lot, that sectioned I avoided parking in was filled with a line of cars, so I guess I could have parked there after all.

JMH

REBUILDING 2019 - Race #47
Eastwood Parks 5mi Road Race
Sunday, October 20, 2019

2019 Event Totals

Run 218.6 mi, 58 hr 30 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 16.3 mi, 5 hr 57 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

0.8 Mile Walk at Labrador Hollow Unique Area
1.5 Mile Walk Through Old Erie Canal State Park
Saturday, October 19, 2019

A GORGEOUS FALL DAY
8.8 Mile Run at Onondaga Lake Park
Saturday, October 19, 2019

This one was an unexpected change of plans - I was originally supposed to be an hour south of Syracuse at the Dryden Rotary Fall 10k. But as I was eating breakfast I realized I really didn't have much enthusiasm for spending 2 hours in the car when I could have a more relaxed morning and spend some of that two hours running some additional miles.

Cool, crisp, sunny fall mornings are some of my favorite times to run, and I've also become quite fond of running at Onondaga Lake Park. I had hoped to run some of the trails at Long Branch Park as well, but it looked like they were having a cyclecross race there.

Best of all I managed just under 9 miles in the time I had, at a fairly steady pace. This gives me some hope I'll survive next weekend (with both a 5 mile and a 5k on Saturday, and then a 10 mile on Sunday.)

 

 

JMH

0.8 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Wednesday, October 16, 2019

REBUILDING 2019 - Race #46
Lawson Lake Fall Festival 5mi Trail Race
Monday, October 14, 2019

2019 Event Totals

Run 213.6 mi, 57 hr 23 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 16.3 mi, 5 hr 57 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

15.6 Mile Ride on the Zim Smith Trail
7.2 Mile Ride on the Ballston Hike-Bike Path
Sunday, October 13, 2019

0.7 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Saturday, October 12, 2019

REBUILDING 2019 - Race #45
Running SCCCared 10k Road Race
Saturday, October 12, 2019

2019 Event Totals

Run 208.6 mi, 56 hr 3 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 16.3 mi, 5 hr 57 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

AN ABUNDANCE OF BUNNIES
1.8 Mile Walk at Five Rivers EEC
Friday, October 11, 2019

7.1 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
(Karner, Truax Trail, & Kings Highway Barrens)
Thursday, October 10, 2019

2.8 Mile Walk on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Wednesday, October 9, 2019

0.7 Mile Walk at Ontario Beach Park
1.4 Mile Walk at Tinker Nature Park
Sunday, October 6, 2019

FALL TORTURE TEST, Pt 3:
REBUILDING 2019 - Race #45
Running with the Angels 10k Road/Trail Race
Sunday, October 6, 2019

As much as I was looking forward to running this race, it was clear before I even finished the 1st 5k of the ACORNS race that my legs just didn't have the juice and the best I'd be able to do is walk it - and I really didn't want to do that. So Ann and I enjoyed driving around Genesee County Park & Forest for a bit, so she could see more of it, and then had a leisurely lunch in Batavia since we didn't have to hurry back to Rochester.

 

I suspect if I'd had 4 or 5 hours between the races, rather than 2, I might have been able to pull it off.

 

So the positives of the fall torture test are (1) I finished 2 of the three 10k's and earned a nice finishers' medal at Run with the Deer, and (2) we discovered a new park near Rochester which is definitely a pretty cool place. The folks organizing the ACORNS races were also incredibly nice - Ann had a good time spectating, which doesn't always happen, and (3) Sunday afternoon ended up being a lot more relaxed than originally planned.

 

The minuses? (1) The Run with the Deer course was boring, which I should have realized ahead of time - how else is a former Army base going to be laid out other than a grid pattern? And regardless of the name of the race, there was no way any of the deer were going to hang out near the course, not with a few hundred people running around the place. (One plus to this minus - I didn't stick with the half marathon, which I had originally signed up for - and I don't feel any real desire to run the half in the future, given that it's just another 7 miles of back and forth on the connecting roads the 10k didn't use.) (2) My ability to run Monroe next Sunday is seriously in question. Between the distance, the climbs and descents (which make today's ACORNS run look flat), and the technical trails, I have to wonder if I'll end up hiking an even greater percentage of Monroe than I did the Midsummer Nights Madness back in August, and I'm really not that interested in doing that, as much as Monroe State Forest is beautiful this time of year. (3) I also have to question my ability to be ready for the After the Leaves Half in November - much less technical trails, but still substantial distance and elevation, and my "plan" to get back into shape has clearly not gone the way I was hoping it would. So this weekend has left me with some serious decision-making regarding some of the races I'm signed up for over the next month and a half.

 

JMH

 

2019 Event Totals

Run 192.2 mi, 52 hr 56 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 16.3 mi, 5 hr 57 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

FALL TORTURE TEST, Pt 2:
REBUILDING 2019 - Race #44
Run for the ACORNS 10k Trail Race
Sunday, October 6, 2019

2019 Event Totals

Run 198.4 mi, 54 hr 36 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 16.3 mi, 5 hr 57 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

0.3 Mile Walk at Mendon Ponds
1.3 Mile Walk at Tinker Nature Park
Saturday, October 5, 2019

FALL TORTURE TEST, Pt 1:
REBUILDING 2019 - Race #43
Run with the Deer 10k Road Race
Saturday, October 5, 2019

 

2019 Event Totals

Run 192.2 mi, 52 hr 56 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 16.3 mi, 5 hr 57 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

1.5 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Friday, October 4, 2019

5.5 Mile Run at the Wilton Wildlife Preserve (Camp Saratoga)
Monday, September 30, 2019

A GORGEOUS FALL DAY
6.3 Mile Run at Olana National Historic Site
3.2 Mile Run at Greenport PCA
Sunday, September 29, 2019

0.9 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Saturday, September 28, 2019

15.3 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Friday, September 27, 2019

6.1 Mile Run on the Albany County Rail Trail
Tuesday, September 24, 2019

A WELCOME CHANGE IN THE WEATHER
2 Mile Walk Around the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Monday, September 23, 2019

Apparently nature has an annoying sense of humor, because we welcomed the "official" start of autumn with high humidity and temperatures approaching 90. I really wanted to go for a run after school but I just couldn't drag myself out under those conditions.

Then a couple of storms blew through bringing a cold front with them... the rain had mostly died down by the time I got out for a walk, but the 20+ degree drop in temperature was an incredibly welcome change.

Unfortunately the current forecast calls for more hot weather this weekend, which does not fill me with confidence as I consider the Pfalz Point 10 miler on Sunday...

JMH

3.4 Mile Walk at Peebles Island State Park & Waterford Harbor
A Quick Visit to the Cohoes Falls Overlook
Sunday, September 22, 2019

LOCK TO LOCK
25.4 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path / Erie Canalway Trail
Saturday, September 21, 2019

4.7 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
(Blueberry Hills & Kaikout Kill Barrens)
Friday, September 20, 2019

1.4 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Wednesday, September 18, 2019

ANOTHER BREAKAGE 😒
Sunday, September 15, 2019

On the way to this morning's race we heard a noise from the rear of the car and suddenly the car was a whole lot noisier - apparently my Honda's muffler decided this was the morning to declare its independence from the rest of the exhaust system.

Hopefully I can limit my driving this week and get it repaired Friday morning...

JMH

REBUILDING 2019 - Race #42
The Pumpkin Trail Race 10k
Sunday, September 15, 2019

 

2019 Event Totals

Run 186.0 mi, 51 hr 26 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 16.3 mi, 5 hr 57 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

0.6 Mile Walk at the Manlius Swan Pond
1.9 Mile Walk at Onondaga Lake Park
Saturday, September 14, 2019

FEELS LIKE FALL...
5.4 Mile Run at Green Lakes State Park
Saturday, September 14, 2019

A BRILLIANT HARVEST MOON
3.4 Mile Walk on the Albany County Rail Trail
Friday, September 13, 2019

1.4 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Thursday, September 12, 2019

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY TURTLE...
Sunday, September 8, 2019

About 2 weeks ago my 5 year old television died. A few days after I replaced it, I tried to overhaul the leaking insides of my toilet, and ended up needing to replace the whole thing due to 20 years of rubber rot and metal corrosion. Last weekend my just over a year-old refrigerator stopped getting cold enough - the repair guy is hopefully coming on Wednesday to determine if it's fixable or if I get a new one (fortunately under an extended warranty, since the manufacturers warranty ran out about a week earlier.)

So when my color printer started relentlessly giving me an error message along with the instruction to contact a repair center, I was pretty sure I would be buying a new color printer this week. Fortunately I did a little research online, tried the easiest thing suggested, and - it worked!

It's not a big thing, but sometimes all it takes is something small to make me happy.

JMH

BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN...
9.1 Mile Run on the Appalachian Trail (South Egremont - Sheffield)
Sunday, September 8, 2019

TIME TO START PACKING LIGHTS...
20 Mile Ride on the Albany County Rail Trail
Saturday, September 7, 2019

STILL WORKING ON THAT NEW SECTION
10.3 Mile Ride on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail
Thursday, September 5, 2019

FINALLY EARNED THIS YEAR'S JUG END MUG
5.4 Mile Run at Jug End State Reservation
Thursday, September 5, 2019

1.5 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Wednesday, September 4, 2019

1.7 Mile Walk at Five Rivers
Tuesday, September 3, 2019

SAD NEWS
Terrance Dicks 1935-2019
Monday, September 2, 2019

28 Mile Ride on the Erie Canalway Trail (Canajoharie - Little Falls)
Sunday, September 1, 2019

6.6 Mile Run at Schodack Island State Park
Saturday, August 31, 2019

14 Mile Ride on the Erie Canalway Trail (Pattersonville - Amsterdam)
Friday, August 30, 2019

3.8 Mile Walk at the Crossings of Colonie
Wednesday, August 28, 2019

20.5 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Wednesday, August 28, 2019

JMH

PLUMBING TURTLE
Tuesday, August 27, 2019

If you only have one bathroom in your house and you need to work on the toilet, start work in the morning so you'll have plenty of time to run back and forth to the store to pick up parts you didn't anticipate needing.

I actually remember thinking that when I rehabbed the toilet in my old apartment down in Hillsdale, about 100 years ago. I seem to remember starting work on a Saturday night and then having to wait until the hardware store opened Sunday morning before I could finish.

Tonight I managed to just barely squeak it all in. The flapper valve has been leaking, and I don't remember ever replacing the parts inside the tank, so I picked up a full rebuild kit after yesterday's walk. Unfortunately, when I tried to take everything apart, all the rubber bits were disintegrating and the bolts were so badly corroded that I wasn't able to remove the tank, even after various attempts to cut them. So that left me with the option of replacing the whole thing.

Another trip to Lowes and I was killing myself hauling the box with the new toilet in it up my front steps. Removed the old one, and installed the new one - except the old water supply line was too short. 9:15 PM, so I had barely enough time to hustle to Lowes and pick up a longer supply line.

The good news is once I had everything assembled and hooked up, it worked fine and is more water efficient than the old one. I also lucked out in that tonight was trash night, so I hauled the old one down to the curb to be taken away with the rest of the week's trash.

Best of all, no more leaks and no more tapping as the tank fills (I think the latter was due to mineral deposits in the water supply line.)

JMH

3 Mile Walk at the Crossings of Colonie
Tuesday, August 27, 2019

EGRET
1.3 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Monday, August 26, 2019

CHECKING OUT THE NEW HOME FOR THE FAIRY HOUSES
0.9 Mile Walk at Mendon Ponds Park
+ A Visit to Wild Wings
Sunday, August 25, 2019

MUCH MORE WALKING THAN RUNNING...
REBUILDING 2019 - Race #41
A Midsummer Night's Madness Half Marathon Trail Race
Saturday, August 24, 2019

... and a side helping of stubborn determination and sheer cussedness.

2019 Event Totals

Run 180.0 mi, 49 hr 52 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 16.3 mi, 5 hr 57 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT