Tuesday, October 31, 2017

CHILLY & WINDY
16 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path & Through Riverfront Park
Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Monday, October 30, 2017

A LONELY BRANT
3 Mile Walk at the Crossings of Colonie
Monday, October 30, 3017
HAPPY 88th BIRTHDAY, RICH BUSA!
Monday, October 30, 2017

Sunday, October 29, 2017

RAIN, RAIN, RAIN
1.4 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Slow Going 2017 - Race #47
Busa Bushwhack 10mi Trail Race
Sunday, October 29, 2017





2017 Event Totals
Run 339.2 mi, 89 hr 27 min
Bike 80.2 mi, 6 hr 32 min

Snowshoe 30.0 mi, 10 hr 16 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT
Weekly Activity Summary
10/22/2017 - 10/28/2017

running (4) - 21.8 mi
riding (1) - 13.3 mi
walking/hiking (5) - 15.2 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY -

JMH

Saturday, October 28, 2017

2.8 Mile Walk at Odiorne Point State Park
Saturday, October 28, 2017
A LITTLE RUNNING IN MAINE...
1.5 Mile Run on the Mousam Way Trails
3.7 Mile Run on the Sanford-Springvale Rail Trail
Saturday, October 28, 2017



PERFECT FALL WEATHER!
Slow Going 2017 - Race #46
Spooky Sprint 5k Road Race
Saturday, October 28, 2017





2017 Event Totals
Run 329.2 mi, 87 hr 2 min
Bike 80.2 mi, 6 hr 32 min

Snowshoe 30.0 mi, 10 hr 16 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

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

Friday, October 27, 2017

A TOUGH RIDE
13.3 Mile Ride Through the Corning Preserve & Schuyer Flatts Cultural Park
Friday, October 27, 2017


A Morning of Work at the Pond
Friday, October 27, 2017

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

THANKS, VERIZON.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017

My home internet service has been out since Tuesday evening - what I discovered when I got home today is that's because I have no signal whatsoever coming in over the phone lines, not even a telephone signal. So I powered up my mobile access that I use when I'm at Ann's house and went looking for help filing a repair request with Verizon. After wading through a number of pages that tried to get me to do a bunch of diagnostic procedures (because after all I'm paying Verizon a bunch of money every month so I can work for them for free) I finally reached a page that essentially said "No dial tone - contact Customer Service by calling 1-800-VERIZON"

Now I realize most people would just pull out their cell phones and make the call (don't have one and I'm certainly not getting one just to do this... besides if I did get one, my first choice would NOT be Verizon!) but did no one at Verizon see the potential problem with having their answer to "No dial tone" be "call us"? That's right up there with telling the tech help guy that your email isn't working and having him tell you that if you'll just send him an email describing the problem he'll get right on it.

JMH

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

CALM AFTER THE MONSOON
2.4 Mile Walk To & Around Washington Park
Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Sunday, October 22, 2017

PLEASE, SIR, MAY I CLIMB ANOTHER ROCKY HILL?
Slow Going 2017 - Race #45
Hot Iron Trail Half Marathon
Sunday, October 22, 2017



 

2017 Event Totals
Run 326.1 mi, 86 hr 23 min
Bike 80.2 mi, 6 hr 32 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
10/15/2017 - 10/21/2017

running (4) - 23.2 mi
riding (2) - 25.9 mi
walking/hiking (5) - 7.2 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY -

JMH

Saturday, October 21, 2017

13.5 Mile Ride at the Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve
Saturday, October 21, 2017

6.3 Mile Run on the Old Champlain Canal Trail
Saturday, October 21, 2017

Friday, October 20, 2017

NOISY LEAVES ON THE TRAIL...
6.1 Mile Run at Schodack Island State Park
Friday, October 20, 2017

Thursday, October 19, 2017

12.4 Mile Ride on the Albany County Rail Trail
Thursday, October 19, 2017

THE LAST DANCE
Runrig's Final Concert Set For August 2018
Thursday, October 19, 2017


A little over a year ago (has it really been over a year since I got my copy of The Story, Runrig's last studio album?) I wrote about how hearing that they had made their last studio album made me sad, because it reminded me that the day would come sooner rather than later that they would retire.

Looks like 45 years is the end for Runrig. About three weeks ago they announced that in 2018 they would have their Last Mile tour wrapping up with a massive farewell concert in Scotland on August 18.

From the official Runrig website:

After 45 wonderful years in the music business, we have finally taken the very difficult and heart wrenching decision to pull the curtain down on our long career, in 2018.  We are now simply at that point in time where longevity and circumstance have to be balanced against what is right for the art and the muse. We feel that the time for this decision is now upon us, and we embrace it with a sense of positivity, but tinged with understandable sadness and reflection.

It was always inevitable that this day had to arrive, but it’s arrival does not make our situation any easier.
Taking the decision in 2015 to record the final studio album, The Story was a positive decision for us all. It was musically cathartic, creatively exciting, and it brought our recording career to a completed circle. It was very much a closing statement. We want to do the same for the live side of the band. To leave it unresolved would be a negative: to complete the circle with a series of farewell shows and celebrate our story together is the positive, meaningful, Runrig thing to do.

Will Runrig ever perform in some way again? – no one can say, but a door can be left open for any possible future, creative ventures. It would not be possible for us, as musicians, to stop writing, to stop recording and to stop the joy of live performance, but Runrig in its present form, as we’ve known it for 45 years, will come to an end. 

Runrig the brand will of course continue and there are various exciting legacy projects in the pipeline and in the planning. We will leave information about all of that for another day, but for now, we are in a position to announce our series of farewell concerts for 2018. Entitled The Final Mile, the tour will take in shows in Germany, Denmark and England throughout the early summer, culminating in August with The Last Dance, the big final farewell concert in the heart of Scotland. The venue, City Park, Stirling, below the castle ramparts, is one that has newly been created for live performance events.

Needless to say, as soon as I found out about this I went online to check on tickets. Ann has been talking about going to Ireland, and going to Runrig's final concert is a darn good reason to go to the UK next summer.

What I discovered is that the 25000 tickets for the concert sold out the morning they went on sale.

But then a week later the band announced that they would do a 2nd concert the night before, presumably with another 25000 tickets. Hope!

But no, all of those tickets have sold out too. And I am bummed.

(There is some slight hope... while the venue apparently can't handle any more people, the organizers are looking for a way to allow more people to the concert despite that.)

It would be incredibly ironic if I did get to one of their final concerts, since I heard Silly Wizard do a live concert in CT way back in 1988 and it turned out to be their final tour. And we may still go to the UK next summer. Part of me very much hopes that somehow we can go to one of the concerts - and part of me almost wishes it doesn't work out, both because I really dislike huge crowds (and 25000+ people at a concert is a damn huge crowd) and partly because it will be a very bittersweet experience.

JMH


Wednesday, October 18, 2017

1.3 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

2.8 Mile Walk at Five Rivers
Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Sunday, October 15, 2017

TRYING OUT A NEW PAIR OF SHOES
5.8 Mile Run Around Albany
Sunday, October 15, 2017

0.4 Mile Walk at the Manlius Swan Pond
1.5 Mile Walk at Onondaga Lake Park
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Slow Going 2017 - Race #44
Eastwood 5mi Road Race
Sunday, October 15, 2017



 



2017 Event Totals
Run 312.6 mi, 81 hr 40 min
Bike 80.2 mi, 6 hr 32 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
10/8/2017 - 10/14/2017

running (3) - 15.4 mi
riding (2) - 37.3 mi
walking/hiking (7) - 12.8 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY - WU(1)

JMH

Saturday, October 14, 2017

2.6 Mile Walk at Onondaga Lake Park
Saturday, October 14, 2017
Slow Going 2017 - Race #43
Amy's Adventure Run 5mi Trail Race
Saturday, October 14, 2017









2017 Event Totals
Run 307.6 mi, 80 hr 33 min
Bike 80.2 mi, 6 hr 32 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

Friday, October 13, 2017

RUNNING ON PACKED GRAVEL SUCKS
7.3 Mile Run on the Albany County Rail Trail
Friday, October 13, 2017

Thursday, October 12, 2017

3.5 Mile Walk at Saratoga Spa State Park
Thursday, October 12, 2017

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

A SUNNIER DAY
17.2 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path & Through Colonie Mohawk River Park
Tuesday, October 10, 2017


Monday, October 09, 2017

A TURTLE & AN EAGLE
20.1 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Monday, October 9, 2017

Sunday, October 08, 2017

A Brief Visit to Ontario Beach Park
1.8 Mile Walk on the Genesee Riverway Trail (Turning Point Park)
Sunday, October 8, 2017
1.2 Mile Walk at Tinker Nature Park
0.8 Mile Walk Sandra Frankel Nature Park
Sunday, October 8, 2017
Slow Going 2017 - Race #42
Go Pink! 5k Trail Race
Sunday, October 8, 2017




2017 Event Totals
Run 302.6 mi, 78 hr 54 min
Bike 80.2 mi, 6 hr 32 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
SAD NEWS
Grand Master Pan Qing Fu (? - 2017)
October 8, 2017
Weekly Activity Summary
10/1/2017 - 10/7/2017

running (3) - 16.4 mi
riding (3) - 45.4 mi
walking/hiking (4) - 9.7 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY -

JMH

Saturday, October 07, 2017

3 Mile Walk at Hamlin Beach State Park
0.3 Mile Walk at Ontario Beach Park
Saturday, October 7, 2017
NOT EVEN CLOSE TO MAKING THE CUTOFF...
Slow Going 2017 - Race #41
Danby Down & Dirty 10k Trail Race
Saturday, October 7, 2017






2017 Event Totals
Run 299.5 mi, 78 hr 12 min
Bike 80.2 mi, 6 hr 32 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

Friday, October 06, 2017

1.2 Mile Walk at the Crossings of Colonie
Friday, October 6, 2017

Thursday, October 05, 2017

20.1 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path & Rt 5S
Thursday, October 5, 2017

Wednesday, October 04, 2017

15.3 Mile Ride on the Albany County Rail Trail
Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Tuesday, October 03, 2017

3 Mile Walk at Peebles Island State Park & Waterford Harbor
A Brief Visit to Cohoes Falls
Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Sunday, October 01, 2017

Slow Going 2017 - Race #40
Wendell Hercules Running With The Angels 10k Road/Trail Race
Sunday, October 1, 2017






2017 Event Totals
Run 293.3 mi, 76 hr 18 min
Bike 80.2 mi, 6 hr 32 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
Slow Going 2017 - Race #39
Autumn Classic Supersprint Duathlon
Sunday, October 1, 2017






2017 Event Totals
Run 287.1 mi, 74 hr 51 min
Bike 80.2 mi, 6 hr 32 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
9/24/2017 - 9/31/2017

running (1) - 3.1 mi
riding (3) - 45.6 mi
walking/hiking (5) - 8.0 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY -

JMH