GOOD TO BE RUNNING AGAIN!
6 Mile Run Around Albany
Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Ackk... it's been over a week since I last ran, mostly due to coming down with a nasty cold in the middle of last week, so tonight's chance to shake the rust out of my legs was very welcome, even more so because we got a bit of snow today (literally... maybe an inch, despite the fact that it's been snowing on and off since before noon.) Did something a little different and headed down toward the bright lights of Albany Med and the various colleges in the vicinity, then up Hacket (again literally... it's uphill for much of the initial stretch of Hacket), past the school, and into my usual stomping grounds in the Pine Hills neighborhood. Legs felt decent, which is reassuring given that I have a six hour race on Saturday afternoon and evening and hope to hit at least 15 miles before I'm done.

The one disadvantage to tonight's run is I didn't get out the door until after 7:30, so it's going to be a while before I can get to sleep - and as much as the kids all were hoping for a snow day tomorrow, I don't see that happening (recall, about an inch of snow in 8-9 hours.)

JMH

11.8 Mile Ride on the Albany County Rail Trail
Sunday, January 29, 2017

Tough riding on the rail trail but at least I was able to ride. Plenty of snow on the stretch out to Voorheesville, but all frozen - and postholed like crazy from all the folks who'd walked there while the snow was mushy. So the ride was very rough and at times slippery. It was definitely a plus to get to the end of the trail- at least the ride back to Slingerlands is mostly downhill, and I had the wind at my back.

The paved trail toward Delmar was initially clear but fairly quickly developed patches of ice. Still, it was easier riding than the first 8 miles. Just after the bridge over Delaware Ave it looked like the path turned to more ice than pavement - rode onto it a short distance and started to skid, so I decided it was a good time to head back to the car.

The brakes are definitely working better now that I've adjusted them. I also swapped a triple crank for the single and platform pedals instead of the MTB pedals and toe clips I'd been using. The pedals were definitely easier to use; didn't have any reason to change which chain ring I was using, which is just as well since there's no front derailleur.

JMH

Weekly Activity Summary
1/22/2017 - 1/28/2017

running (1) - 6.4 mi
riding (1) - 11.0 mi
snowshoeing - 0 mi
walking/hiking (7) - 8.3 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY -

JMH

NO OWLS
0.8 Mile Walk at the Bauer Environmental Park
0.7 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Saturday, January 28, 2017

Fat Bike Failure
Wednesday, January 25, 2017

OK, that's a bit misleading... it was my attempt to ride the bike that was a failure, not the bike itself. I figured this was a good opportunity to try to bike in a bit of unfrozen snow so I headed over to the trailhead in Slingerlands, geared up, and spent two tenths of a mile alternately trying to ride and push the bike. I think the problem is it's too darn warm, so under the snow is a layer of slushy slop, and whenever my bike tire dug down into that I found myself with no traction, which would cause me to stop and start to tip over. After about 5 minutes I decided I was wasting my time (or worse, that if I kept going I'd end up jamming a knee trying to stop from falling over) and put the bike back on the car for the drive home.

One thing this shows me is that I definitely don't want to enter any fat bike events until I have more experience riding in snow, and have a better idea of how the bike works under various conditions.

JMH

1.8 Mile Walk at Five Rivers
Monday, January 23, 2017

11 Mile Ride on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail
Sunday, January 22, 2017

My original plan was to ride the Norwottuck Rail Trail after lunch, since the trailhead is only 15 minutes away from Mt Tom... but while I was driving to Subway it started lightly raining, and I really didn't feel like riding in the rain - so I headed back toward Albany via Lanesborough. Made a pit stop at the Berkshire Mall - which is really on a downward slide, having lost both Macy's and Best Buy. The food court (which is where the restrooms are located) looked like it's down to about half the previous offerings, and word is there are more than a few empty storefronts. With Sears likely looking at bankruptcy sometime in the not-too-distant future, I don't see how this place will survive much longer.

Enough ramblings about Berkshire County retail... the Ashuwillticook Trail was icier than any of the paths around here, but still rideable until just past the Rt 8 crossing. There were a couple of places where I needed to dismount and walk the bike over stretches of ice, but they were manageable. Bit of a headwind on the ride out, nice tailwind heading back. Sadly no views of Greylock (shrouded in low cloud cover.)

On the way out I spotted a beaver in one of the small ponds next to the trail, and there were lots of ducks at Farnam's Crossing.

Quite a few people out on the ice fishing... don't know that I would go out there given all the wet patches I saw, but then again I swim like a brick even in warm water.

Incredibly, today's ride makes 100 miles since the start of the year... with a week to go until the end of the month. The fat bike definitely makes a difference but I also think I've just been better about getting out for rides - last January was warmer (I think) and I only managed 60 miles by the end of the month.

JMH

Season of the SnōShū 2017 - Race #4
Western MA No-Snowshoe Scramble 10k Trail Race
Sunday, January 22, 2017


2017 Event Totals
Run 19.4 mi, 4 hr 59 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 3.4 mi, 0 hr 59 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: MA, NY, VT

Weekly Activity Summary
1/15/2017 - 1/21/2017

running (4) - 20.4 mi
riding (2) - 39.1 mi
snowshoeing - 0 mi
walking/hiking (5) - 7.2 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY -

JMH

15.9 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path & Through Riverside Park
Saturday, January 21, 2017

Riding in shorts in January is wrong on an elemental level... but when I started riding this afternoon the temperature was in the low 50's and it was sunny, and that's shorts weather. And while I was glad I'd bundled up mu upper body - my legs were never really more than a bit chilly at times.

Hard to believe that 2 1/2 weeks ago I rode this on my fat bike and saw almost no bare pavement... today I saw almost no ice on the path, all the way out to Scrafford Lane on the western end and Riverside Park on the eastern. Pretty incredible for January... right up there with riding wearing shorts during what should be the start to the coldest part of our winter.

JMH

MORE EAGLES & LOTS OF MUD
5.5 Mile Run at Peebles Island State Park
Saturday, January 21, 2017

Instead of having to deal with ice and snow on the trails at Peebles Island, the challenge today was lots of thick mud. Ironic, since I was looking for a softer surface to run on - my knees have been sore since Wednesday's run.

I lucked out on my first time around the island and spotted a pair of eagles perched across the water near the dam on the western side. Nearby there is also a very large nest - when I was finishing up, I overheard one of the park employees saying that they were hoping that a pair would establish a successful nest there.

Lots of geese, gulls, and mergansers in the waters around the island, and lots of people walking, many with (big surprise) dogs.

Did something today I've never done before and ran on the two major trails that run through the interior of the island - usually I stick pretty much to the perimeter trail. One of the disadvantages to running at Peebles is the size of the park - it's tough to cover any real distance without running multiple loops. Running those other trails helped with that, and they had the added advantage of not being as muddy as some of the other trails.

JMH

EAGLES & MAYBE AN OSPREY?
5.7 Mile Run at Schodack Island State Park
Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Got to Schodack Island a couple of hours earlier than I'd planned, thanks to school being cancelled today due to freezing rain making the roads treacherous this morning. When I got there it was still raining on and off, and there was a surprising amount of ice in some places on the trails... not big thick patches but just a slick layer on top of the frozen dirt. Fortunately not enough to make my run risky, especially at the speed (or lack thereof) that I move at.

There are two new birding blinds, one not far from the parking lot overlooking what will be a small marshy pond in warmer weather, and the other looking out across Schodack Creek toward the east. At the latter spot I noticed a lot of large birds in the trees across the way - several were definitely eagles, one might have been an osprey, and several others were either eagles or hawks. It was tough to tell, between the grey rainy weather and my only having my smaller camera with me. I'd be surprised if it was an osprey - to the best of my knowledge they migrate south in the winter, since it's tough to fish with things frozen over - but that's really what the somewhat fuzzy picture I have looks like.

When I got back to the parking lot I followed the stone dust path around and down to the boat launch, both to get in a few more tenths of a mile and to get a few more pictures along the river, and while I was down there a mature bald eagle flew right along the shore line before veering across the river, possibly because of my standing there. I don't know that I've ever had one fly by that close to me before.

I don't go down to Schodack Island very often, because the trails can be somewhat boring - but clearly heading down there today was the right thing to do.

JMH

0.9 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Only one lap around the pond today... it was raining and portions of the path were getting slick, so I decided it was better to get home and get the car off the road in case that was the start of the freezing rain in the forecast. I really appreciate having the pond and its little bit of nature in the midst of Albany... but today it was pretty dreary.

JMH

UP & DOWN THOSE NISKAYUNA HILLS... IN JANUARY???
23.2 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Monday, January 16, 2016

My original plan was to ride the Zim Smith trail today, but when I got to Shenantaha Park, there was another rider loading his bike who said that I wouldn't get far before hitting a lot of ice... even if I'd brought my fat bike that would have been bad news. So I got back in the car and headed down to Mohawk Riverside Landing Park, where I knew I'd find at least 5 or 6 miles of clear path. What was surprising was just how much of the path ended up being ice-free...

I started out riding over to Lock 7 and then the old landfill in Niskayuna. The ride up the hill felt better than I expected after running 20+ miles over the weekend, so I decided to keep going and see how far I could get before hitting ice... and made it all the way to Balltown Rd, with only one spot where I needed to walk the bike.

Back at the park, I decided to head east for a couple more miles... and kept going all the way to the top of the hill heading down to Island View Rd. I've no doubt I could have kept going had I had more time (it was getting near sunset) and more juice in my legs.

All in all, a a much better ride than I would have had on the Zim Smith, and one heck of a ride for mid-January...

JMH

1.0 Mile Walk at Ontario Beach Park
1.4 Mile Walk at Hamlin Beach State Park
Sunday, January 15, 2016

3.7 Mile Run at Mendon Ponds Park
Sunday, January 15, 2017

Season of the SnōShū 2017 - Race #3
Mendon Winterfest 5.5mi Trail Race
Sunday, January 15, 2017


2017 Event Totals
Run 13.0 mi, 2 hr 56 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 3.4 mi, 0 hr 59 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: NY, VT

Weekly Activity Summary
1/8/2017 - 1/14/2017

running (3) - 17.0 mi
riding (2) - 26.8 mi
snowshoeing (1) - 3.4 mi
walking/hiking (3) - 5.2 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY -

JMH

1.8 Mile Walk at Tinker Nature Park
Saturday, January 14, 2016

6.2 Mile Run at Green Lakes State Park
Saturday, January 14, 2016

5 Mile Run on the Albany County Rail Trail
Friday, January 13, 2017

SHAKING OUT THE RUST...
5.8 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Wednesday, January 11, 2017

It felt really good to be out in the Pine Bush tonight, despite having to make my way around icy patches and puddles of cold water (my own fault for not bringing my screwshoes and a change of socks and shoes.) I ran the loop around Karner Barrens east and west, mostly under cloudy skies but for the last 20 minutes or so it cleared up enough that I had a gorgeous nearly full moon shining down - I was even able to shut off my headlamp for the last quarter miles or so.

Startled a few bunnies early on and then a group of deer later (all I saw of them were their eyes, reflecting the light from my headlamp.)

Best of all, my foot showed no sign of ever having bothered me... now I just have to try to keep my knees functional...

JMH

16 Mile Ride on the Albany County Rail Trail
Tuesday, January 10, 2017

The fat bike was definitely moving more easily tonight... but I can't really be sure if that was due to the work I did on the wheel hubs or the fact that there was no snow on the trail.

The bike handled well on the ice... only had one spot where it started to fishtail a bit.

After riding the unpaved stretch out to Voorheesville and back I rode all the way to the bridge over the Normanskill, despite the climbing that meant I'd need to do on the way back. Fortunately the wind that was blasting me in the face on the way out was at my back on the way back.

Still more work to be done... the new freewheel shifting is glitchy, not sure if that's something I can adjust or if it's a mismatch between the freewheel and the deraileur and shifter. I also want to see if I can tighten the brakes with having them rub... right now they slow me down but it's mainly the weight of the bike that stops it once it slows. And I may swap my MTB pedals and toe clips for a pair of platforms.

JMH

A LITTLE WORK ON THE FAT BIKE...
Monday, January 9, 2017

Tonight I swapped out my Shimano megarange freehweel (which has a 34 tooth lowest gear for easier climbing) for a Sunrace 8 speed freewheel, also with a 34T low gear. I did this because the Shimano has a large jump between the two lowest gears (24 to 34) where the Sunrace has a 28T cog in between. The tradeoff is I won't be able to use the highest gear... but I've never used that anyway.

While I had the rear wheel off I noticed the hubs were pretty tight, so I loosened them up and gave them a good shot of grease, and the wheel seems to be spinning much more readily. Now I'm wondering if I'm going to find myself using some of those higher gears after all... I really wanted to take it out for a test ride, but hopping on the bike at 7:30 at night when the windchill is down in single digits just doesn't seem like a good idea... especially since I'd need to drive for 20 minutes or so to get to a trailhead that I can access at night.

Maybe tomorrow or Wednesday I can test out the results of tonight's work...

JMH

1.5 Mile Walk At Buckingham Pond
Monday, January 9, 2017

YESTERDAY WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER FOR RIDING!
10.8 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path & Lock 7 Rd
Sunday, January 8, 2017

Unfortunately, just before heading out to ride yesterday I checked the furnace and found out it wasn't working, so I had to bail and wait for the repairman to come and fix it. Today was only a few degrees colder but much windier... much of the time it felt like single digit temperatures, and it was especially rough going until my hands warmed the gloves enough that they actually kept my fingers warm.

The river is frozen over, but at times I could hear the ice stretching and shifting... pretty eerie, actually.

Spotted a hawk perched very low in a tree along the path just before I turned around at Onderdonk Ave... he didn't move when I rode by, and I was careful not to stop and flush him, given the cold and the wind - the last thing he needed was me stressing him out.

JMH

Season of the SnōShū 2017 - Race #2
Get Rec'd 3.4mi Snowshoe Race
Sunday, January 8, 2017


2017 Event Totals
Run 7.5 mi, 1 hr 39 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 3.4 mi, 0 hr 59 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: NY, VT

Weekly Activity Summary
1/1/2017 - 1/7/2017

running (1) - 7.5 mi
riding (2) - 23.4 mi
snowshoeing - 0 mi
walking/hiking (5) - 6.5 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY -

JMH

Playing It Safe
Friday, January 6, 2016

My foot has been sore on and off at various times today... more off than on, but in the end I decided it wasn't worth risking aggravating it between Frozen Assets tomorrow morning (which will be a snowshoe race for the first time in several years) and the Winter Warrior Half Marathon tomorrow night. As much as I'd like to tackle both - I'll be very frustrated if I do so and spend the next several months or longer unable to run because I screwed up my foot instead of being smart.

So now I'm just frustrated that I'm skipping those races, and wondering if I've actually chosen wussing out under the rationalization of being cautious.

On the plus side, I should be able to do our "local" (2 hours away) snowshoe race on Sunday up in South Londonderry, VT, the Get Rec'd 5k+... if nothing else I can go and just walk the whole thing. And I'll only have to spend 4 hours in the car this weekend instead of eight.

Sigh.

JMH

A SORE FOOT = A WALK INSTEAD OF A RUN
Thursday, January 5, 2017

10.2 Mile Ride Through the Corning Riverfront Preserve
Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Misjudged the chill and my clothing today... fortunately there were a couple of mild sleet squalls that blew through while I was getting ready to ride, which convinced me to wear my rain jacket (which does a great job of trapping heat... sucks in the summer, but it's great this time of year.) So the ride was bearable but I was still pretty chilled at the end.

Deer were out and about today... nice to see, since I haven't spotted any there for a couple of years.

Pretty bizarre weather, but at least it made for some interesting cloud patterns. And I had a nice view of the first quarter moon and Venus once it got a bit darker.

JMH

WORKING HARD TO GO SLOW
13.2 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Monday, January 2, 2017

Almost no clear stretches on the bike path between Schenectady and Rotterdam Junction... but tons of ice with a little snow on top. The fat bike handled it all no problem, but it does make for very slow going... not to mention pedaling a 40 lb bike over snow and ice gives the legs a heck of a workout.

Had two people ask about the bike, guess they're still a novelty.

I briefly thought I might ride the whole stretch from SCCC to the Junction, but I turned around before heading down the hill to the playing fields... legs were definitely feeling the miles and I didn't enjoy the thought of pedaling back up that hill.

I may need to look into a smaller chain ring, since with the one I've got I can only ride in the lowest three gears. Unfortunately I'm not sure they make chain rings much smaller...

Despite my grumbling about how much work it is to ride, it's still something of a torturous pleasure to be able to ride places where previously I would have had to wait until a major thaw to clear the path. 

JMH

A Brief Drive Through the Montezuma NWR
Sunday, January 1, 2017

Headed back to Albany with daylight to spare, so I decided to head over to Lock CS-1 and see if any interesting birds were around... along the way I had a small group of snow geese fly over. Nothing to see at the Lock, but I did a drive through parts of the refuge along various roads and spotted... well, nothing, down on the ground. But hundreds of canada geese up in the sky, and at one point a large flight of what I think were some kind of ducks flew over.

No pictures, sadly, but plenty of reminders that even in winter Montezuma can be a busy place for wildlife.

JMH

A GOOD START TO A NEW YEAR
Long Distance 2017 - Race #1
Freezeroo#2 New Year's Resolution 7.5mi Road Race
Sunday, January 1, 2017


2016 Event Totals
Run 7.5 mi, 1 hr 39 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: NY

Weekly Activity Summary
12/25/2016 - 12/31/2016

running (2) - 19.1 mi
riding - 0 mi
snowshoeing - 0 mi
walking/hiking (9) - 10.9 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY - Wakeup (5)

JMH