Slow Going 2017 - Race #21
AdiRUNdack 5k Trail Race #5
Tuesday, May 30, 2017

I wasn't going to go to tonight's finale for the AdiRUNdack series, until I found out that not only was a T-shirt waiting for me (for signing up for all 5 races) but the RD had even ordered one in the size I asked for. And when I thought about it, I realized that going to Glens Falls fit well with my very early morning appointment at Saratoga Honda tomorrow - I used some of the oodles of points I have accumulated to get a very nice hotel room and ended up with a much shorter drive back tonight and a wonderfully brief drive to pay lots of money for routine maintenance on the car tomorrow.

Tonight's run was in some ways the opposite of the first one - the rain held off until we started running. Fortunately being in the woods helped deflect some of the raindrops, which were coming down very steadily for a while but let up before I finished. Legs felt decent, other than some grumbling from my hip, and I managed to run my fastest time of the 4 races I did. I also had to once again snarl at some runners to get the hell out of the way as I was coming up on the finish - why are people so freaking clueless that once they're done they stand around in the way of slower runners who haven't finished yet?

I didn't stick around for the awards (not a chance) or the raffle (maybe a chance, but in all likelihood the prizes were all things I'd have to go to Glens Falls to claim... better for a local to get them.) While I'm glad I finally did this, I doubt I'll sign up in the future - the 2 hour round trip is just too much for a 5k, regardless of my good intentions to run either before or afterwards to add more distance. I would like to do a longer run in Coles Woods/Crandall Park, though, as well as a ride on the Feeder Canal Trail and the Warren County Bikeway.

JMH

2017 Event Totals
Run 184.23 mi, 49 hr 20 min
Bike 20.5 mi, 1 hr 41 min
Snowshoe 30.0 mi, 10 hr 16 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

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

A SUNNY AFTERNOON AFTER ALL...
0.6 Mile Walk at Seneca Park
3.9 Mile Walk at Hamlin Beach State Park
Monday, May 29, 2017

1.3 Mile Walk at Tinker Nature Park
1.2 Mile Walk on the Erie Canalway Trail (Greece)
Sunday, May 28, 2017

END-TO-END-TO-END, Year 2
10.3 Mile Ride on the Erie Canalway Trail & Through Brighton Town Park
Sunday, May 28, 2017

Weekly Activity Summary
5/21/2017 - 5/27/2017

running (1) - 6.1 mi
riding (2) - 32.8 mi
walking/hiking (5) - 6.5 mi
paddling - 0 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY -

JMH

0.5 Mile Walk at Ontario Beach Park
1.5 Mile Walk at Turning Point Park & the Genesee Riverway Trail'
Saturday, May 27, 2017

TRAIL WORK PROCEEDING APACE...
12.3 Mile Ride on the Albany Country Rail Trail
Friday, May 26, 2017

Since late winter work has been proceeding on paving the section of the rail trail between Slingerlands and Voorheesville. First in the form of clearing trees and brush to allow the heavy equipment room to do its stuff, then actual grading of the trail in preparation of setting down the base for the eventual pavement. There's also a big project in the works at the Hilton Rd crossing where they're trying to reduce the size of a somewhat blind hill and will be lowering the level of the trail to match the new road level.

The rain stopped early enough that I wanted to get out for a ride, but not so early that I wanted to drive too far to a trailhead... so I decided to check out where things are at along the unpaved portion of the trail, and maybe wrap up with a few miles on pavement.

The first surprise was that they've laid the base for paving (a compacted layer of gravel and stone dust) all the way from Slinglands out to Upper Font Grave Rd. That was easy ride - could have taken my road bike on it without difficulty. The first section past Upper Font Grove was graded dirt/ballast, so not much fun, but then there was another section of compacted gravel/stone dust out to Hilton Rd.

The worst part was definitely from Hilton Rd down into Voorheesville... it seems like that was only recently graded, and so it was rough going.

Of course, the trip back was easier, being mostly downhill (a gentle grade but still a very noticeable difference.) I recently read an article about the plans to change the road and crossing level at Hilton and laughed when the author talked about how the rail trail is flat other than for the first few miles of climbing away from the waterfront area... anyone who has ridden or run it knows very well that it's a mostly uphill grade almost all the way to Voorheesville.

Along the way I had several deer cross the path, and when I reached the bridge over route 155 on my way back, there was a huge flock of turkey vultures flying around over the trail - possibly the same flock I've seen roosting near there, though I had assumed they'd moved on now that the weather was nicer.

While I'm not a fan of riding my mountain bike on pavement, I didn't want to stop at just under 8 miles, so I rode all the way to the American Legion Hall in Delmar before turning around and heading back. And despite what I just said about the mountain bike and pavement - it was a welcome change from struggling over the rougher sections of the unpaved trail.

I'd guess that they'll have the rest of the trail paved in the next month or two, unless they haven't lined up a contractor for doing the paving yet... I suspect the main hold up at the moment is the work at the Hilton Rd crossing, and they seem to think that will be done by mid-June. On the one hand, it will be nice to have smooth riding all the way from Voorheesville to South Pearl St... but I'll still miss the unpaved trail. We have a serious lack of dirt rail trails around here, and sometimes it's nice to get off pavement without hitting the trails in the woods...

the "flat" section of the rail trail...

JMH

Slow Going 2017 - Race #20
Catskill Mountain Spring Series#2
Olana Star Loop 10k Trail Race
Wednesday, May 24, 2017

2017 Event Totals
Run 181.2 mi, 48 hr 40 min
Bike 20.5 mi, 1 hr 41 min
Snowshoe 30.0 mi, 10 hr 16 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

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

20.5 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path & Through Riverfront Park & Collins Park
Sunday, May 21, 2017

Weekly Activity Summary
5/14/2017 - 5/20/2017

running (2)  - 5.3 mi
riding (4) - 54.5 mi
walking/hiking (2) - 3.9 mi
paddling - 0 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY -

JMH

13.9 Mile Ride Through the Corning Preserve & Schuyler Flatts Park
Saturday, May 20, 2017


I'd been thinking about going someplace a bit further away - possibly Pittsfield or Fort Hunter - but in the end just didn't feel like doing all the driving, so instead I went for the closest option.

Spotted two more pairs of geese with goslings, having a bit of a spat - apparently the youngsters were all kind of mobbing together, which pissed the parents off to no end. At one point I watch an adult snap at a couple of goslings that presumably belonged to the other pair.

Turns out it was just as well I rode here today, since just before the parking lot in Watervliet I passed a guy on the side replacing a tube who it turned out needed a pump, and while mine didn't work great for his setup, it at least got him rolling again.

JMH

BABY GEESE, BABY BLACKBIRDS
1.4 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Friday, May 19, 2017

During the day today I received the following email:

There has been recent incident at the Buckingham Lake/Pond regarding the geese population. There has been confirmed sightings of an unknown person killing the geese that reside at the pond. I do realize the geese may be a social nuisance but still this action is unacceptable.  What I am asking is to keep a diligent observation towards any one who is in close proximity of these animals.

****Possible suspect sightings is a unknown white male dressing in a blue uniform operating a red newer model pick up with the lettering "DGS Wildlife" on the side. If you see this suspect or vehicle at or about the park area notify the police immediately ****

Note: Illegally killing  Canadian Geese is in violation of Federal Fish/Wildlfe and NYS EnCon Law   

Any questions email me directly

Officer James Brooks

Albany Police Department CSU

I have to wonder if this is what happened to the female that was nesting and then apparently abandoned her nest. 

When I got to the pond this evening there were signs all over near the parking lot. While it would be great if they'd catch the guy, my guess is all the attention will serve its secondary purpose and get him to desist.

While walking around the pond I found that at least one pair of geese managed to hatch eggs this year - they've got eight goslings that they're herding around. I also had a pair of blackbirds hovering and scolding me at the eastern end of the pond, and a with a little work I finally found their nest, very well concealed, with a couple of baby blackbirds who look like they hatched recently.

JMH

A FOUR BUNNY RIDE
20.2 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path & Through Colonie Mohawk River Park
Thursday, May 18, 2017

TOO DANG HOT...
10.3 Mile Ride on the Albany County Rail Trail
Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Long Distance 2017 - Race #19
AdiRUNdack 5k Trail Race #3
Tuesday, May 16, 2017

2017 Event Totals
Run 175.0 mi, 46 hr 56 min
Bike 20.5 mi, 1 hr 41 min
Snowshoe 30.0 mi, 10 hr 16 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

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

WHAT A GORGEOUS EVENING FOR A RUN!
2.2 Mile Run at Coles Woods
Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Too bad my legs felt both like they'd been filled with concrete and beaten with baseball bats. And it was amazing that one day of 80 degree weather was enough to bring out the damn mosquitoes.

But I did get to see a few trails I hadn't been on before, and confirmed that Coles Woods is a great spot for some easy running. I even managed to get back to the stone dust "track" a minute or so before tonight's 5k started...

JMH

2.5 Mile Walk at the Crossings of Colonie
Monday, May 15, 2017

10.1 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Sunday, May 14, 2017

Planned to ride longer than I actually did, mainly because at about 7.5 miles it started raining... and I spent more than enough time riding and running in the rain yesterday to last me for a good while. Fortunately I was headed back toward the parking lot, so it was easy to just wrap things up early.

JMH

Weekly Activity Summary
5/7/2017 - 5/13/2017

running (5) - 28.3 mi
riding (3) - 29.8 mi
walking/hiking (5) - 7.0 mi
paddling - 0 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY -

JMH

Long Distance 2017 - Race #18
Towpath 10k Trail Race
Saturday, May 13, 2017

2017 Event Totals
Run 171.9 mi, 46 hr 11 min
Bike 20.5 mi, 1 hr 41 min
Snowshoe 30.0 mi, 10 hr 16 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

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

Long Distance 2017 - Race #17
Spring Dual Against CF Duathlon
Saturday, May 13, 2017

run-bike-run

run#1

2017 Event Totals
Run 165.7 mi, 44 hr 48 min
Bike 20.5 mi, 1 hr 41 min
Snowshoe 30.0 mi, 10 hr 16 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

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

1 Mile Walk at Five Rivers
Friday, May 12, 2017

TWO PART RIDE...
6.1 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
13.2 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Thursday, May 11, 2017


Unpacked my bike at Lock 8 and immediately found that the path was closed just past there - apparently they're repaving. So I rode down to State St and back, then packed the bike back up and drove over to the I890 Park & Ride lot to ride as much of the rest as I could.

Ironically, there were no barriers to tell me that the path was closed when I came down the hill from 890, so I ended up riding almost all the way to Lock 8 before turning around and heading to the other side of Rotterdam Junction. 

JMH

2.6 Mile Walk To & Around Washington Lake Park
Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Long Distance 2017 - Race #16
AdiRUNdack 5k Trail Race #2
Tuesday, May 9, 2017

2017 Event Totals
Run 161.7 mi, 43 hr 54 min
Bike 10.0 mi, 0 hr 46 min
Snowshoe 30.0 mi, 10 hr 16 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

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

0.7 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Sunday, May 7, 2017

Long Distance 2017 - Race #15
Medved Madness 15mi Trail Race
Sunday, May 7, 2017

2017 Event Totals
Run 158.6 mi, 43 hr 10 min
Bike 10.0 mi, 0 hr 46 min
Snowshoe 30.0 mi, 10 hr 16 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

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

Weekly Activity Summary
4/30/2017 - 5/6/2017

running (6) - 16.0 mi
riding (3) - 27.7 mi
walking/hiking (3) - 3.4 mi
paddling - 0 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY -

JMH

2 Mile Run on the Geneva Lakefront Trail
Saturday, May 6, 2017

Long Distance 2017 - Race #14
Middle Finger 5k to Conquer Cancer
Saturday, May 6, 2017

2017 Event Totals
Run 143.6 mi, 38 hr 32 min
Bike 10.0 mi, 0 hr 46 min
Snowshoe 30.0 mi, 10 hr 16 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

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

0.7 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Friday, May 5, 2017

Very few ducks and only one goose around... oddly, the one nesting was not on the nest. Maybe that means the eggs are going to hatch soon? Or maybe something unfortunate happened to her?

Kingfisher went back and forth a couple of times, and everything is much greener than it was when I was last there... nice to see the trees blossoming too.

Off to western NY and a VERY early 5k (6 AM!!!! Supposed to coincide with sunrise but I suspect tomorrow we won't see much sign of that. I'll settle for it not raining...)

JMH

3.8 Mile Run Along the Betar Byway
Tuesday, May 2, 2017

A LITTLE TUESDAY "SPEEDWORK"...
Long Distance 2017 - Race #13
AdiRUNdack 5k Trail Trace #1
Tuesday, May 2, 2017

2017 Event Totals
Run 140.5 mi, 37 hr 49 min
Bike 10.0 mi, 0 hr 46 min
Snowshoe 30.0 mi, 10 hr 16 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

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

9.8 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Monday, May 1, 2017