SO LONG 2020
Thursday, December 31, 2020

Approx 2020 totals

RUN 1050.0 mi
RIDE 1540.8 mi
SNOWSHOE 31.4 mi
HIKE/WALK 875.2
PADDLE 1.6 mi
XC SKI 0 mi
DAYS OUTDOORS 366/366
MONTHS BIKED 12/12

2020 event totals

Run 266.7mi, 63 hr 36 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 28.5 mi, 8 hr 26 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
states visited: MA, NY, RI

7.7 Mile Run at Genesee Valley Greenway State Park
Thursday, December 31, 2020

1.5 Mile Walk at Tinker Nature Park
Thursday, December 31, 2020

0.4 Mile Walk on the Erie Canalway Trail (Rotterdam Junction)

1.9 Mile Walk on the Erie Canalway Trail (German Flatts)

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Weekly Activity Summary
12/23/2020 - 12/29/2020            

running (3) - 27.5 mi

riding (1) - 12.0 mi
walking/hiking (7) - 22.6 mi

outdoors 7/7 days

DDPY - 

JMH

10.4 Mile Run on the Albany County Rail Trail
Tuesday, December 29, 2020

3.8 Mile Walk on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail
Monday, December 28, 2020

3 Mile Walk on the Albany County Rail Trail
Sunday, December 27, 2020

9.9 Mile Run on the Genesee Valley Greenway, Genesee Riverway, and Erie Canalway Trails
Saturday, December 26, 2020

LIKELY MY ONLY RIDE IN DECEMBER...
12 Mile Ride at Schodack Island State Park
Thursday, December 24, 2020

I was last on my bike on November 11, so I suspect I'm going to be feeling this ride tomorrow even though it was pitifully short. But I can't complain, had a day with temperature in the 40's and the rain held off.

Hopefully I can get out to ride a few more times in January than I did in December (or November, for that matter...)

4.6 Mile Walk on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Wednesday, December 23, 2020

GOTTA LOVE THOSE SCREW SHOES
7.2 Mile Run at the Crossings of Colonie
Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Weekly Activity Summary
12/16/2020 - 12/22/2020            

running (2) - 14.8 mi

riding - 0 mi
walking/hiking (5) - 12.9 mi

outdoors 7/7 days

DDPY - 

JMH

8.3 Mile Run at Schodack Island State Park
Tuesday, December 22, 2020

ONE OF MY FAVORITE DAYS OF THE YEAR
Monday, December 21, 2020

Last night was the longest hours of darkness and today the shortest hours of daylight - welcome to the winter solstice. This particular solstice is noteworthy because it is also hosting a Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.

But I like today because we finally start regaining a few minutes of daylight each day... while I enjoy being out at night, the majority of my time to walk, run, ride, snowshoe, and XC ski is after work, and right now that's pretty much got to be in the dark. Soon (well, in two months) that will no longer be the case...

FINALLY!!!
6.5 Mile Run on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Sunday, December 20, 2020

After almost two weeks of not running, all I can say is

(1) Thank you Town of Colonie for plowing that stretch of the bike path so quickly!

(2) Happy happy happy happy!

(3) Ow ow ow ow.

JMH

TOO MUCH SNOW!
Thursday, December 17, 2020
Friday, December 18, 2020

I know as a snowshoe runner I'm supposed to want ample snow but this is ridiculous. This was the view out my porch door when I opened it Thursday morning:

I'd estimate we got somewhere between 18" and 2 ft of snow.

Thursday afternoon the city announced that the anticipated snow emergency would start tomorrow at 8 AM so once I wrapped up today's classes I headed outside to dig out my car and finish digging out the sidewalk. This is what my street looked like at around 3:40 PM:

It looked pretty much the same Friday morning at 8 AM - a plow finally came through around 11 AM and I spent about an hour between classes and during my lunch break to finish dig out from the freshly plowed snow and move my car to a legal parking spot. Fortunately it seems the city was so overwhelmed that they didn't bother ticketing around here, though honestly that started annoying me later in the day Friday when things were clear enough for people to move their cars and some folks were obviously parked on the wrong side of the street - having places where the snow removal crews can't do their jobs makes life more difficult for everybody after the cleanup effort has finished because there are still areas that are buried because someone couldn't be bothered to comply with the snow emergency.

I'm finally able to go out and run again (no more house arrest!) and at the moment I'm really not sure where I'll be able to go. Most of the sidewalks are still buried and somehow I doubt the bike paths that get plowed in the winter will be done yet. And shoveling and hiking to and from my car has left me tired enough that I really don't want to tackle snowshoes yet. Oh, well, I'll figure something out.

Weekly Activity Summary
12/9/2020 - 12/15/2020            

running - 0 mi

riding - 0 mi
walking/hiking (7) - 10.7 mi

outdoors 7/7 days

DDPY - 

JMH

DISORIENTING...
Friday, December 11, 2020

Today is the first day this year that I have zero mileage to log and it definitely feels strange. Yesterday I was notified that I have been identified as a contact of someone who tested positive for Covid and will be required to quarantine until probably next Friday, which means that my outdoor options are limited to my very small backyard. After school wrapped up yesterday I spent half an hour walking around out there (and accumulated mind-numbing 0.5 miles woo hoo...) and concluded that I'm probably not going to want to do that again. So for the remaining duration of my house arrest, I'm modifying "outdoor activity" to mean "spend some time out in the backyard breathing fresh air, preferably at least 30 minutes if possible" - today I spent an hour after school sitting out there, reading for a bit and also ordering some bird seed and critter food that's supposed to be delivered on Monday so that perhaps I can get the squirrels and birds visiting again.

This too shall pass... if nothing else I'll have more time to get work done before the upcoming holiday break and maybe I can get my backside in gear and start working on some of the indoor workouts (stuff like DDP Yoga and maybe even some tai chi-yoga fusion that I've been interested in trying) that I never seem to have time to do.

Weekly Activity Summary

12/2/2020 - 12/8/2020            

running (3) - 20.6 mi

riding - 0 mi
walking/hiking (5) - 21.6 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY - 

JMH

8.5 Mile Run Around the Neighborhoods
Tuesday, December 8, 2020

52 MEDAL QUEST MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
Monday, December 7, 2020

Back in June I came up with the idea of earning a finishers medal in a virtual race in all 50 states plus DC and Puerto Rico (thanks to one of my good friends from work for the PR suggestion!) As time went on I also tried to get at least one medal in each state from an actual race (as opposed to some sort of distance challenge like the Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee, or an event that would have been virtual even before the pandemic.) In the end the two states that proved the most challenging were South Dakota and Maine - SD because even finding virtual races there became difficult as the summer and fall progressed, and ME because while I did a number of virtual races there and even won my age group in a couple, most didn't offer medals. For SD I eventually signed up for the Chocaholic Frolic, and after being unsure if I'd get a medal for the Maine Half Marathon, I found the South Portland Santa Hustle for ME.

Today my swag from the Santa Hustle arrived and I have officially completed the 2020 Medal Quest. (Of course, being me I really got into it and ended up doing a lot more than 52 virtual races. Not to mention a bunch of distance challenges. My medal collection has expanded considerably... so much so that I need to find a way to reorganize them to make room for 2021 and beyond.)

(The top row are medals from purely virtual events in 2020, the bottom both live events dating back to 1997 and virtual "solo" events that I did in 2020.)

It will be interesting to see what 2021 holds in store, especially given that I've already signed up for several of my "regular" races that are planning to be virtual. I may also try for more of of state virtual races, possibly with the additional challenge of no "double dipping" for finishing times that I abandoned pretty rapidly this past year when I was sometimes doing half a dozen (or more!) virtual races in a given week... if I start in January that may be more feasible for 2021.

6.3 Mile Walk to Buckingham Pond & Back
Monday, December 7, 2020

DO BETTER 2020 - Race #60
Utica Ugly Sweater 5k Road Race
Sunday, December 6, 2020

2020 Event Totals

Run 266.7mi, 63 hr 36 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 28.5 mi, 8 hr 26 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
states visited: MA, NY, RI

9 Mile Run on the Cohoes Delaware Ave Bike Trail & Through Peebles Island State Park
Saturday, December 5, 2020

4.8 Mile Walk to Buckingham Pond & Back
Friday, December 4, 2020

4.5 Mile Walk to Buckingham Pond & Back
Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Weekly Activity Summary
11/25/2020 - 12/1/2020            

running (6) - 50.2 mi

riding - 0 mi
walking/hiking (5) - 12.9 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY - WU(1)

JMH

7.2 Mile Run on the Old Champlain Canalway Trail
Tuesday, December 1, 2020

And with that, I have a little over 50 miles of running for the last week - probably the most I've ever done in a single week. If someone had asked me a week ago if I thought I could do that much running in a week I'd likely have said no...

Raven Rocks Challenge 300k+!
Monday, November 30, 2020

When the Raven Rocks 10k was cancelled the organizers replaced it with a month-long challenge, one part of which was mileage-based. I knew I'd get 200k without much difficulty but really didn't think 300k was doable - that's an average of 10k a day. During the summer I was able to do even more than that (7-8 miles a day) but since school started back up that just isn't feasible - most weeks I can average 5 miles a day but not much more, it's simply too difficult to put in several hours outdoors after work more than a couple of times a week.

As of last Wednesday morning I had only accrued about 210k, which left me 6 days to get 90k. And somehow I pulled that off - well, I say somehow, but really it was simple - I ran a hell of a lot more than I usually do in a week, which was only possible because of the time I had off for the holiday.

I pleased to say that my legs didn't self-destruct, so I guess all the miles I walked and ran this spring and summer did some good. But I should still probably back off a bit and give them some rest.

10.2 Mile Run on the Erie Canalway Trail (German Flatts - Little Falls)
Sunday, November 29, 2020

2 Mile Walk at Tinker Nature Park
Saturday, November 28, 2020

6.9 Mile Run at Mendon Ponds Park
Saturday, November 28, 2020

DO BETTER 2020 - Race #59
Rochester Cross Country Classic 5k Trail Race
Saturday, November 28, 2020

2020 Event Totals

Run 263.6 mi, 63 hr 4 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 28.5 mi, 8 hr 26 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
states visited: MA, NY, RI

4.8 Mile Walk Through Meridian Centre Park & Along the Erie Canalway Trail

Friday, November 27, 2020

14.2 Mile Run on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail
Thursday, November 26, 2020

8.6 Mile Run Through the Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve & on the Mohawk Towpath
Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Weekly Activity Summary
11/18/2020 - 11/24/2020            

running (1) - 5.0 mi

riding - 0 mi
walking/hiking (7) - 21.4 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY -

JMH

GEESE, DUCKS, COOTS, TUNDRA SWANS, & SANDHILL CRANES
A Brief Visit to Montezuma NWR
Saturday, November 21, 2020

DO BETTER 2020 - Race #58
Clyde Turkey Chase Kee Kee Run 5mi Trail Race
Saturday, November 21, 2020

2020 Event Totals
Run 260.5 mi, 62 hr 31 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 28.5 mi, 8 hr 26 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
states visited: MA, NY, RI

2.5 Mile Walk on the Erie Canalway Trail
Friday, November 20, 2020

Weekly Activity Summary
11/11/2020 - 11/17/2020            

running (6) - 44.0 mi

riding (1) - 20.6 mi
walking/hiking (3) - 6.6 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY -

JMH

8.1 Mile Run on the Albany County Rail Trail
Tuesday, November 17, 2020

1.8 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Sunday, November 15, 2020

TURTLE'S REPLACEMENT STAGE RACE DAY 3:
13.6 Mile Run at Minnewaska Park Preserve
Sunday, November 15, 2020

TURTLE'S REPLACEMENT STAGE RACE DAY 2:
7.9 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Saturday, November 14, 2020

TURTLE'S REPLACEMENT STAGE RACE DAY 1:

4.9 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Friday, November 13, 2020

2.2 Mile Walk at Five Rivers
Thursday, November 12, 2020

VETERANS DAY DUATHLON IN THE RAIN, Part 3:
3.2 Mile Run on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail
Wednesday, November 11, 2020

VETERANS DAY DUATHLON IN THE RAIN, Part 2:
6.3 Mile Run on the Appalachian Trail
Wednesday, November 11, 2020

VETERANS DAY DUATHLON IN THE RAIN, Part 1:
20.6 Mile Ride on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail
Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Weekly Activity Summary
11/4/2020 - 11/10/2020            

running (1) - 10.1 mi
riding (3) - 38.4 mi
walking/hiking (8) - 22.9 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY - WU(1)

JMH

16.6 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Tuesday, November 10, 2020

10.1 Mile Run on the Erie Canalway Trail, Through Fort Hunter, and at Schoharie Crossing Historic Site
Sunday, November 8, 2020

3 Mile Walk at Onondaga Lake Park
Sunday, November 8, 2020

6.2 Mile Walk at Long Branch & Onondaga Lake Parks
2.7 Mile Walk on the Limestone Creek Trail & the Old Erie Canal Trail
Saturday, November 7, 2020

11 Mile Ride on the Erie Canalway Trail
Thursday, November 5, 2020

10.8 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Weekly Activity Summary
10/28/2020 - 11/3/2020            

running (5) - 39.0 mi
riding - 0 mi
walking/hiking (5) - 10.4 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY - 

JMH

7.5 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Tuesday, November 3, 2020

DO BETTER 2020 - Race #57
Sky Lakes & Landscapes Autumn Series Wk 4:
O&W Rail Trail 4.5mi Trail Race (SOLO)
(Actual Distance Run: 6.9mi)
Sunday, November 1, 2020

2020 Event Totals
Run 255.5 mi, 61 hr 39 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 28.5 mi, 8 hr 26 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
states visited: MA, NY, RI

DO BETTER 2020 - Race #56
Fall Back Into The Trails 10k Trail Race
Sunday, November 1, 2020

2020 Event Totals
Run 251.0 mi, 60 hr 26 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 28.5 mi, 8 hr 26 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
states visited: MA, NY, RI

DO BETTER 2020 - Race #55
Hairy Gorilla Trail Half Marathon
Saturday, October 31, 2020

2020 Event Totals
Run 244.8 mi, 58 hr 52 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 28.5 mi, 8 hr 26 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
states visited: MA, NY, RI

LAST RUN AFTER WORK IN DAYLIGHT FOR A WHILE...
5.3 Mile Run at Saratoga Spa State Park
Friday, October 30, 2020

2.4 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Thursday, October 29, 2020

2.7 Mile Walk in the Albany Pine Bush (Six Mile Waterworks/Rapp Barrens)
Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Weekly Activity Summary
10/21/2020 - 10/27/2020            

running (4) - 39.1 mi
riding (2) - 22.5 mi
walking/hiking (4) - 8.3 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY - WU (4)

JMH

DO BETTER 2020 - Race #54
Sky Lakes & Landscapes Autumn Series Wk 3:
O&W Rail Trail 7.3mi Trail Race (SOLO)
(Actual Distance Run: 8.4mi)
Tuesday, October 27, 2020

2020 Event Totals
Run 231.7 mi, 55 hr 44 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 28.5 mi, 8 hr 26 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
states visited: MA, NY, RI

AN ABUNDANCE OF FALL FOLIAGE
10.3 Mile Ride on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail
Sunday, October 25, 2020

DO BETTER 2020 - Races #52 & #53
FIT Frills 5mi Trail Race
FIT Frills 5k(ish) Trail Race
Sunday, October 25, 2020

2020 Event Totals
Run 224.4 mi, 53 hr 57 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 28.5 mi, 8 hr 26 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: MA, NY, RI

12.2 Mile Ride on the Zim Smith Trail
Saturday, October 24, 2020

DO BETTER 2020 - Race #51
Great Pumpkin Challenge 10k Road Race (SOLO)
(+ 1.9mi To the Start/From the Finish)
Saturday, October 24, 2020

2020 Event Totals
Run 216.0 mi, 52 hr 18 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 28.5 mi, 8 hr 26 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: MA, NY, RI

3.2 Mile Run on the River to Ridge Trail
Wednesday, October 21, 2020

DO BETTER 2020 - Race #50
Sky Lakes & Landscapes Autumn Series Wk 3:
Castle Point Gallop 8.4mi Trail Race (SOLO)
(+ 2.6mi Around Lake Minnewaska & To/From the Start/Finish)
Wednesday, October 21, 2020

2020 Event Totals
Run 209.8 mi, 51 hr 9 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 28.5 mi, 8 hr 26 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: MA, NY, RI

Weekly Activity Summary
10/14/2020 - 10/20/2020            

running (2) - 18.8 mi
riding (1) - 20.3 mi
walking/hiking (5) - 17.6 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY - 

JMH

A TRIO OF BARRED OWLS CALLING AT DUSK IN THE RAIN
8.6 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Monday, October 19, 2020

4.2 Mile Walk to Buckingham Pond & Back
Sunday, October 18, 2020

20.3 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path & the Erie Canalway Trail
Sunday, Ocotber 18, 2020

10.2 Mile Run at Schodack Island State Park
Saturday, October 17, 2020 

A VERY FRUSTRATING MORNING
Saturday, October 17, 2020

My original plan was to get up early enough to get on the road by 7:30 and arrive at Minnewaska right when it opened... but I didn't get my butt in gear until 9:30, I knew I was in trouble when I passed the Mohonk Preserve visitor center which posted a sign saying "trailhead full." After that every parking area was full, including Minnewaska.

Eventually I managed to turn around so that I could get some food, gas, and use a restroom, but it was probably almost an hour before I was back on the Thruway headed north. I decided to try to run at the Greenport PCA, but found the parking lot there overflowing too, so even though I could have parked at the Town Park I decided to keep going - that's a small enough area that I would have been tripping over people the entire time I was there.

In the end I made it too Schodack Island State Park and found the parking lot not as busy as I'd feared it would be - but that also meant I 5 hours driving today to finally end up running at a park only an hour round trip from home.

It's also clear I'm going to have to rethink how I'm going to run the Summer Solstice course at Minnewaska (next week's Sky Lakes and Autumn Landscapes series run) since I'm sure the park will be packed tomorrow and probably next Saturday too (and while I could be disciplined and get there first thing, it will still end up being very busy for at least the latter parts of the run, and I just don't feel like dealing with that - plus with Covid cases on the rise, the fewer people I'm around, the better it is for my physical health as well as my mental health.)

3.1 Mile Walk at the Crossings of Colonie

Friday, October 16, 2020

Weekly Activity Summary
10/7/2020 - 10/13/2020            

running (6) - 31.2 mi
riding - 0 mi
walking/hiking (9) - 15.0 mi

outdoor activity 7/7 days

DDPY - WU (2)

JMH

DO BETTER 2020 - Race #49
Sky Lakes & Landscapes Autumn Series Wk 2:
Lake Maratanza 10k Trail Race (SOLO)
Tuesday, October 13, 2020

2020 Event Totals
Run 201.4 mi, 49 hr 15 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min
Snowshoe 28.5 mi, 8 hr 26 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 hr 0 min

states visited: MA, NY, RI