2.4 Mile Walk at the Crossings of Colonie
Monday, February 29, 2016
Sunday, February 28, 2016
TOO WINDY & TOO TIRED...
7.7 Mile Ride Through the Corning Preserve
Sunday, February 28, 2016
After pushing the pace in two races in the past 36 hours, I knew my legs wouldn't be up to much... but it was sunny and in the low 50's when I got home, so I took the bike down to the Corning Preserve for the first ride of the year without tights. (Hurray!)
Unfortunately the wind was pretty strong and in my face as I rode from the boat launch over to the ampitheater. (My dislike for former Albany mayor Jerry J. is strong enough that I refuse to refer to it by it's given name... maybe someday someone will fund some massive improvement/refurbishment and the name can be changed.) Good news for when I back and out into the preserve - the strong tailwind had me flying along almost effortlessly at 13-14 mph. But I knew I would be paying for it on the trip back, and decided to turn around 3 miles from the boat launch rather than going all the way to the end of the path. That was definitely a good decision - I struggled to maintain 9-10 mph all the way back, and my legs spent the whole time letting me know they were not happy to be doing more work today.
JMH
7.7 Mile Ride Through the Corning Preserve
Sunday, February 28, 2016
After pushing the pace in two races in the past 36 hours, I knew my legs wouldn't be up to much... but it was sunny and in the low 50's when I got home, so I took the bike down to the Corning Preserve for the first ride of the year without tights. (Hurray!)
Unfortunately the wind was pretty strong and in my face as I rode from the boat launch over to the ampitheater. (My dislike for former Albany mayor Jerry J. is strong enough that I refuse to refer to it by it's given name... maybe someday someone will fund some massive improvement/refurbishment and the name can be changed.) Good news for when I back and out into the preserve - the strong tailwind had me flying along almost effortlessly at 13-14 mph. But I knew I would be paying for it on the trip back, and decided to turn around 3 miles from the boat launch rather than going all the way to the end of the path. That was definitely a good decision - I struggled to maintain 9-10 mph all the way back, and my legs spent the whole time letting me know they were not happy to be doing more work today.
JMH
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Monday, February 22, 2016
Sunday, February 21, 2016
CHILLY...
11.2 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Sunday, February 21, 2016
After yesterday's tease of spring, today seemed more interested in getting back to February, with warmer weather than normal but a good 10-15 degrees cooler than yesterday. Combined with a stiff breeze from the west and my legs being tired from the running and riding I'd already done, I have to admit I wasn't particularly disappointed when there was a train parked at Scrafford Lane, so that I had to turn around and ride back (with a very pleasant tail wind.)
JMH
11.2 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Sunday, February 21, 2016
After yesterday's tease of spring, today seemed more interested in getting back to February, with warmer weather than normal but a good 10-15 degrees cooler than yesterday. Combined with a stiff breeze from the west and my legs being tired from the running and riding I'd already done, I have to admit I wasn't particularly disappointed when there was a train parked at Scrafford Lane, so that I had to turn around and ride back (with a very pleasant tail wind.)
JMH
MUD, MUD, MUD, MUD, MUD!!!
Season of the (No) SnōShū 2016 - Race #6
Bypass the Blizzard 5.5mi Trail Race
Sunday, February 21, 2016
This was the 12th iteration of the Albany Running Exchange's annual snowshoe race, and from what was said before the start they've got a 50% snow rate. It's been fairly clear for a while that it was highly unlikely to be a snowshoe race - not at all unusual. What was different this year was the venue - Tawasentha Park and the Western Turnpike Golf Course in Guilderland, rather than the usual Guilderland Elementary School and woods bordering the Albany Pine Bush - and the addition of a longer distance, 5.5 mi, plus the usual 5k. Mid-week we were told to expect a lot ice, but the warm weather on Friday and especially yesterday seems to have done most of that in - there were only a few patches on the furthest reaches of the 5.5mi course. What we had plenty of was mud. And while my screwshoes helped me keep my feet (there were a couple of spots where I'm pretty sure I'd have gone down if not for the extra traction) they could only do so much when I found myself slogging up muddy hills and across muddy traverses that had already been churned up by the runners who'd gone through before me.
You know what? I think this might have actually been easier as a snowshoe race. Though all the traverses would have still been a bear.
I did learn a couple of things today -
(1) I've got a lot of work to do over the next couple of months. Today kicked my butt.
(2) I used to rate ski areas as my least favorite places to have a race. They've been demoted to 2nd place and golf courses are now my least favorite. They're boring and there's something about being able to look out across the way and see just how far you still have to go before you can finally go back to the woods.
Time to rest up for a little bit before a drag my backside out the door for some time on the bike - as much as I'd rather take the rest of the day off and just go for an easy walk, we're supposed to be back to more seasonable temperatures after today.
JMH
2016 Event Totals
Run 22.6 mi, 5 hr 17 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 min
Snowshoe 6.2 mi, 1 hr 39 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 min
states visited: NY
Season of the (No) SnōShū 2016 - Race #6
Bypass the Blizzard 5.5mi Trail Race
Sunday, February 21, 2016
This was the 12th iteration of the Albany Running Exchange's annual snowshoe race, and from what was said before the start they've got a 50% snow rate. It's been fairly clear for a while that it was highly unlikely to be a snowshoe race - not at all unusual. What was different this year was the venue - Tawasentha Park and the Western Turnpike Golf Course in Guilderland, rather than the usual Guilderland Elementary School and woods bordering the Albany Pine Bush - and the addition of a longer distance, 5.5 mi, plus the usual 5k. Mid-week we were told to expect a lot ice, but the warm weather on Friday and especially yesterday seems to have done most of that in - there were only a few patches on the furthest reaches of the 5.5mi course. What we had plenty of was mud. And while my screwshoes helped me keep my feet (there were a couple of spots where I'm pretty sure I'd have gone down if not for the extra traction) they could only do so much when I found myself slogging up muddy hills and across muddy traverses that had already been churned up by the runners who'd gone through before me.
You know what? I think this might have actually been easier as a snowshoe race. Though all the traverses would have still been a bear.
I did learn a couple of things today -
(1) I've got a lot of work to do over the next couple of months. Today kicked my butt.
(2) I used to rate ski areas as my least favorite places to have a race. They've been demoted to 2nd place and golf courses are now my least favorite. They're boring and there's something about being able to look out across the way and see just how far you still have to go before you can finally go back to the woods.
Time to rest up for a little bit before a drag my backside out the door for some time on the bike - as much as I'd rather take the rest of the day off and just go for an easy walk, we're supposed to be back to more seasonable temperatures after today.
JMH
2016 Event Totals
Run 22.6 mi, 5 hr 17 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 min
Snowshoe 6.2 mi, 1 hr 39 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 min
states visited: NY
Saturday, February 20, 2016
WARMER STILL BUT CLOUDY...
11.2 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Temps had risen to the low 60's by the time I packed the bike on the car and headed over to the bike path - but the sun had also been replaced by some ominous looking clouds. Just to be safe I wore my lighter tights, but I was pretty comfortable with just a long-sleeved shirt under my jacket.
No surprise, tons of people on the path, many of them totally oblivious to the fact that other people might want to use the path too. Legs were also letting me know that (1) I'd run this morning, and (2) it's been almost two weeks since I was last on my bike. But the rain mostly held off (a few sprinkles here and there) and even a short ride with tired legs on an incredibly warm late-winter day is better than not riding.
And I'm pretty sure I spotted two immature bald eagles doing a quick flyover - it was breezy so all the raptors I saw were moving at a pretty good clip.
JMH
11.2 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Temps had risen to the low 60's by the time I packed the bike on the car and headed over to the bike path - but the sun had also been replaced by some ominous looking clouds. Just to be safe I wore my lighter tights, but I was pretty comfortable with just a long-sleeved shirt under my jacket.
No surprise, tons of people on the path, many of them totally oblivious to the fact that other people might want to use the path too. Legs were also letting me know that (1) I'd run this morning, and (2) it's been almost two weeks since I was last on my bike. But the rain mostly held off (a few sprinkles here and there) and even a short ride with tired legs on an incredibly warm late-winter day is better than not riding.
And I'm pretty sure I spotted two immature bald eagles doing a quick flyover - it was breezy so all the raptors I saw were moving at a pretty good clip.
JMH
A WARM SUNNY SPRING FEBRUARY DAY
5.8 Mile Run at Thacher Park
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Temps in the mid-40's this morning and rising, and best of all - sunshine! It was a gorgeous spring day about a month early, and nothing beats a run on a gorgeous spring day.
Didn't want to go too far since I'm running Brave the Blizzard tomorrow and I'd also like to get out on the bike both days this weekend... so I headed over to Ryan Road and ran over to the Nature Center at Thompson's Lake and back. A little bit of everything along the way - mud, water, ice, and lots of uneven trail, which made for slow going - but it sure was good to be out there in shorts and shirtsleeves in the sunshine.
JMH
5.8 Mile Run at Thacher Park
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Temps in the mid-40's this morning and rising, and best of all - sunshine! It was a gorgeous spring day about a month early, and nothing beats a run on a gorgeous spring day.
Didn't want to go too far since I'm running Brave the Blizzard tomorrow and I'd also like to get out on the bike both days this weekend... so I headed over to Ryan Road and ran over to the Nature Center at Thompson's Lake and back. A little bit of everything along the way - mud, water, ice, and lots of uneven trail, which made for slow going - but it sure was good to be out there in shorts and shirtsleeves in the sunshine.
JMH
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
SNOW, SLUSH, ICE, & RAIN
9.2 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
First snow day this year coincided with a big warm-up... from right around freezing for the first few hours I was up (with icy precipitation to go with the temperature) the temperature shot up over 20 degrees in a few hours. 50 degree days in February are rare enough that I had to get out for a run, despite the forecast of rain all afternoon (accurate, as it turned out.)
I thought to run out of Dicaprio Park over in Guilderland, since I could do two shorter out-and-backs and swap gear if needed - but the town doesn't plow the park drives in the winter, probably because the whole focus is on the playing fields for soccer and lacrosse (just check out the park webpage, where it talks about how it's popular with hikers and birders but then mentions the recent construction of bathrooms and a pavilion for the use of the soccer and lacrosse teams) and those guys don't have much use for outdoor playing fields in the winter. So instead I headed over to Willow Street and the very icy parking for the Great Dune trailhead.
From there I headed over to the Madison Avenue Pinelands (which may need to be renamed, since they're doing major thinning of the pines there to make it an open pine barrens... whoops, I just checked the website and apparently it is now known as the Madison Avenue Barrens) and took the "new" purple trail over to Dicaprio Park. The rain was coming down pretty steadily, which meant any snow was slush and much of the trail was doubling as a stream and/or small ponds. Fortunately I'd worn my snowshoeing socks, which are great at retaining heat even when they're wet. Overall it was slow going, especially at the stream ravines - nothing like trying to descend a steep, slippery, frozen trail to cross a bridge and then climb back up on the opposite side.
At the park I decided to check out the new trail over to the Hunger Kill Barrens, which meant making a somewhat precarious descent into a stream ravine and then an equally precarious ascent on the other side along a section of trail that traverses the hillside - without a bench cut to level out the trail. Fortunately that section was fairly short. I've only visited the Hunger Kill Barrens one other time, and today didn't stay any longer than it took me to do the half mile loop through the woods before heading back. One thing that was interesting was how much the temperature dropped down in the ravine. The rain was easing up as I headed through the park, and pretty much stopped entirely by the time I got back to the Madison Avenue Barrens. I finished up with a short loop through the Great Dune section - everything was pretty icy, and I was getting tired, so it continued to be slow going.
Still, despite the wet weather - once I got warmed up I really enjoyed spending a few hours out on the trails. This time of year I don't get to do that very often during daylight... and the warmer weather was a real plus, after the deep freeze this past weekend. I've pretty much given up on snowshoe season at this point - my guess is this weekend's races will either be trail races or cancelled, though it's certainly possible we could have snow for the last few weeks of the racing season after that - and I'm definitely looking forward to warmer weather and more time out on the trails as spring arrives.
JMH
9.2 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
First snow day this year coincided with a big warm-up... from right around freezing for the first few hours I was up (with icy precipitation to go with the temperature) the temperature shot up over 20 degrees in a few hours. 50 degree days in February are rare enough that I had to get out for a run, despite the forecast of rain all afternoon (accurate, as it turned out.)
I thought to run out of Dicaprio Park over in Guilderland, since I could do two shorter out-and-backs and swap gear if needed - but the town doesn't plow the park drives in the winter, probably because the whole focus is on the playing fields for soccer and lacrosse (just check out the park webpage, where it talks about how it's popular with hikers and birders but then mentions the recent construction of bathrooms and a pavilion for the use of the soccer and lacrosse teams) and those guys don't have much use for outdoor playing fields in the winter. So instead I headed over to Willow Street and the very icy parking for the Great Dune trailhead.
From there I headed over to the Madison Avenue Pinelands (which may need to be renamed, since they're doing major thinning of the pines there to make it an open pine barrens... whoops, I just checked the website and apparently it is now known as the Madison Avenue Barrens) and took the "new" purple trail over to Dicaprio Park. The rain was coming down pretty steadily, which meant any snow was slush and much of the trail was doubling as a stream and/or small ponds. Fortunately I'd worn my snowshoeing socks, which are great at retaining heat even when they're wet. Overall it was slow going, especially at the stream ravines - nothing like trying to descend a steep, slippery, frozen trail to cross a bridge and then climb back up on the opposite side.
At the park I decided to check out the new trail over to the Hunger Kill Barrens, which meant making a somewhat precarious descent into a stream ravine and then an equally precarious ascent on the other side along a section of trail that traverses the hillside - without a bench cut to level out the trail. Fortunately that section was fairly short. I've only visited the Hunger Kill Barrens one other time, and today didn't stay any longer than it took me to do the half mile loop through the woods before heading back. One thing that was interesting was how much the temperature dropped down in the ravine. The rain was easing up as I headed through the park, and pretty much stopped entirely by the time I got back to the Madison Avenue Barrens. I finished up with a short loop through the Great Dune section - everything was pretty icy, and I was getting tired, so it continued to be slow going.
Still, despite the wet weather - once I got warmed up I really enjoyed spending a few hours out on the trails. This time of year I don't get to do that very often during daylight... and the warmer weather was a real plus, after the deep freeze this past weekend. I've pretty much given up on snowshoe season at this point - my guess is this weekend's races will either be trail races or cancelled, though it's certainly possible we could have snow for the last few weeks of the racing season after that - and I'm definitely looking forward to warmer weather and more time out on the trails as spring arrives.
JMH
Monday, February 15, 2016
MORE SNOW... BRIEFLY...
2 Mile Walk Around the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Monday, February 15, 2016
It's been snowing lightly since I went out to run errands this afternoon, though now it's coming down steadily enough to put a thin coating on the ground. Not for long, though... the temperature's risen 20 degrees since I got up this morning (though you wouldn't know it, given how damp the air is...) and it's supposed to keep rising, with the snow transitioning to sleet and freezing rain and then just plain rain by morning. In fact, some forecasts are calling for a high in the 50's tomorrow afternoon...
JMH
2 Mile Walk Around the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Monday, February 15, 2016
It's been snowing lightly since I went out to run errands this afternoon, though now it's coming down steadily enough to put a thin coating on the ground. Not for long, though... the temperature's risen 20 degrees since I got up this morning (though you wouldn't know it, given how damp the air is...) and it's supposed to keep rising, with the snow transitioning to sleet and freezing rain and then just plain rain by morning. In fact, some forecasts are calling for a high in the 50's tomorrow afternoon...
JMH
Sunday, February 14, 2016
HUNGRY CRITTERS ON A COLD DAY
1.3 Mile Walk at Mendon Ponds Park
Sunday, February 14, 2016
A hungry red squirrel near the Nature Center.
Deer hoping for a handout.
A tufted titmouse getting ready to make his move.
A cardinal waiting for me to go away so he can get back to the seed on the ground.
A rather chilly looking black-capped chickadee.
Ann feeding the chickadees.
Cardinals and a white-throated sparrow.
Chickadee getting a handout.
Cardinals, sparrows, and a red-bellied woodpecker all enjoying seeds scattered in the snow.
Another deer looking for a handout.
JMH
1.3 Mile Walk at Mendon Ponds Park
Sunday, February 14, 2016
A tufted titmouse getting ready to make his move.
A cardinal waiting for me to go away so he can get back to the seed on the ground.
A rather chilly looking black-capped chickadee.
Ann feeding the chickadees.
Cardinals and a white-throated sparrow.
Chickadee getting a handout.
Another deer looking for a handout.
JMH
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Monday, February 08, 2016
SNOW... BARELY.
2.8 Mile Walk Around the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Monday, February 8, 2016
Despite all the hoping my kids were doing today (I lost count of how many times I heard "maybe we'll have a snow day tomorrow...") the "storm" hit as I was getting home from work and in the last three hours has dropped a whopping fraction of an inch of sleety snow... last I checked the forecast is for at most an inch. But it did make for a slightly more scenic walk than usual - at least tonight it looked a little bit like February in the northeast.
JMH
2.8 Mile Walk Around the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Monday, February 8, 2016
Despite all the hoping my kids were doing today (I lost count of how many times I heard "maybe we'll have a snow day tomorrow...") the "storm" hit as I was getting home from work and in the last three hours has dropped a whopping fraction of an inch of sleety snow... last I checked the forecast is for at most an inch. But it did make for a slightly more scenic walk than usual - at least tonight it looked a little bit like February in the northeast.
JMH
Sunday, February 07, 2016
NATURE HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR...
Sunday, February 7, 2016
... albeit a twisted one. This weekend's snowshoe races in NY and MA were either cancelled due to lack of snow or held as trail races.
Meanwhile, the Belleville Pond trail race scheduled for yesterday morning had to be postponed after southeastern RI got hammered with snow.
On the plus side - there's now a chance I might be able to make the trip down to run the Belleville Pond race on its new date...
JMH
Sunday, February 7, 2016
... albeit a twisted one. This weekend's snowshoe races in NY and MA were either cancelled due to lack of snow or held as trail races.
(Fairly typical local trail... looking more like April than February)
Meanwhile, the Belleville Pond trail race scheduled for yesterday morning had to be postponed after southeastern RI got hammered with snow.
(Ryan Park in North Kingstown, RI... a look local snowshoe RDs are dreaming about...)
On the plus side - there's now a chance I might be able to make the trip down to run the Belleville Pond race on its new date...
JMH
10.3 Mile Ride Through the Corning Riverfront Preserve
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Probably shouldn't have gone out for a ride after spending 7 miles on the trails this morning AND after spending the last few days battling some kind of respiratory bug... but who knows how many more days in the mid-40's we'll see between now and March? And running this morning/early afternoon was the best I've felt in days...
At least the Corning Preserve is fairly flat, and I'm pretty sure I had a slight tail wind on the way back. Good thing I didn't try to go any further, though... the last couple of miles were definitely work, and my legs would have staged a rebellion if I'd had to go any further to get back to the car.
JMH
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Probably shouldn't have gone out for a ride after spending 7 miles on the trails this morning AND after spending the last few days battling some kind of respiratory bug... but who knows how many more days in the mid-40's we'll see between now and March? And running this morning/early afternoon was the best I've felt in days...
At least the Corning Preserve is fairly flat, and I'm pretty sure I had a slight tail wind on the way back. Good thing I didn't try to go any further, though... the last couple of miles were definitely work, and my legs would have staged a rebellion if I'd had to go any further to get back to the car.
JMH
Saturday, February 06, 2016
Thursday, February 04, 2016
PATHETICALLY SHORT RIDE...
4.7 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Thursday, February 4, 2016
... which is a shame, since 45 degree days in February are pretty rare. But this was a case of needing to listen to the body... I seem to be fighting some kind of bug, and my legs just didn't have the miles in them today.
Unfortunately, the bug also means it's very unlikely I'll be going out to Rochester and doing the Cast A Shadow 6 hour race this weekend... sigh.
JMH
4.7 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Thursday, February 4, 2016
... which is a shame, since 45 degree days in February are pretty rare. But this was a case of needing to listen to the body... I seem to be fighting some kind of bug, and my legs just didn't have the miles in them today.
Unfortunately, the bug also means it's very unlikely I'll be going out to Rochester and doing the Cast A Shadow 6 hour race this weekend... sigh.
JMH
Wednesday, February 03, 2016
Monday, February 01, 2016
BRUISED NOT BROKEN?
Monday, February 1, 2016
Given how much my foot hurt on Saturday and Sunday after I smashed my toe into a rock or root during Saturday's run, I was convinced that it was broken. Fortunately, the pain has subsided in a big way, so either I've suddenly developed a Wolverine-like healing power (which seems improbable at best) or my toe was only badly bruised rather than broken. Either way, the likelihood that I'll actually be able to participate in the Cast A Shadow 6 hr race this Saturday is now looking a lot more hopeful...
JMH
Monday, February 1, 2016
Given how much my foot hurt on Saturday and Sunday after I smashed my toe into a rock or root during Saturday's run, I was convinced that it was broken. Fortunately, the pain has subsided in a big way, so either I've suddenly developed a Wolverine-like healing power (which seems improbable at best) or my toe was only badly bruised rather than broken. Either way, the likelihood that I'll actually be able to participate in the Cast A Shadow 6 hr race this Saturday is now looking a lot more hopeful...
JMH
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
