Slow & Steady 2016 - Race #4
Muddy Sneaker 20k Trail Race
Saturday, April 16, 2016
2016 Event Totals
Run 58.8 mi, 15 hr 41 min
Bike 0 mi, 0 min
Snowshoe 6.2 mi, 1 hr 39 min
Kayak 0 mi, 0 min
states visited: CT, MA, NY, RI
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
AND THE MYSTERY DUCK IS...
2.1 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
... a red-necked grebe.
I don't typically go for a walk at the same place two days in a row... but I didn't feel like going far, and tonight's weather was very different than yesterday (sun and clouds vs clouds and showers)... and I was really hoping the mystery duck would still be around. And it is... from what I'm seeing in my guide books and on whatbird.com, they're not that common around here - I'm not sure if I've ever seen one before (possibly out at Iroquois NWR or Montezuma... we've seen a few different grebes out there.)
I wish I'd brought my better camera, but even the SX110 was able to get some decent shots of the grebe.
As well as some nice shots of the interplay of sunlight and shadow. Or in other words - it was a nice evening for a walk around the pond.
JMH
2.1 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
... a red-necked grebe.
I don't typically go for a walk at the same place two days in a row... but I didn't feel like going far, and tonight's weather was very different than yesterday (sun and clouds vs clouds and showers)... and I was really hoping the mystery duck would still be around. And it is... from what I'm seeing in my guide books and on whatbird.com, they're not that common around here - I'm not sure if I've ever seen one before (possibly out at Iroquois NWR or Montezuma... we've seen a few different grebes out there.)
I wish I'd brought my better camera, but even the SX110 was able to get some decent shots of the grebe.
As well as some nice shots of the interplay of sunlight and shadow. Or in other words - it was a nice evening for a walk around the pond.
JMH
Monday, April 11, 2016
SLOW GOING ON TIRED LEGS
5.6 Mile Run at Saratoga Spa State Park
Monday, April 11, 2016
It's funny how fond I've become of running at Saratoga Spa State Park - and even more so that roughly half the times I've run there, it's been raining to one degree or another (of course, I've also been treated to a couple of glorious, sunny fall days there too.)
One plus to the chilly, grey weather (and probably the time I was there) - very few other folks in the park. I only encountered two other people actually out on the trails.
Legs were functional but definitely tired after 10 miles Saturday and 20 miles yesterday. I think tomorrow's going to need to be a walk day, if I want to have any hope of making it through Muddy Sneaker on Saturday.
JMH
5.6 Mile Run at Saratoga Spa State Park
Monday, April 11, 2016
It's funny how fond I've become of running at Saratoga Spa State Park - and even more so that roughly half the times I've run there, it's been raining to one degree or another (of course, I've also been treated to a couple of glorious, sunny fall days there too.)
One plus to the chilly, grey weather (and probably the time I was there) - very few other folks in the park. I only encountered two other people actually out on the trails.
Legs were functional but definitely tired after 10 miles Saturday and 20 miles yesterday. I think tomorrow's going to need to be a walk day, if I want to have any hope of making it through Muddy Sneaker on Saturday.
JMH
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Saturday, April 09, 2016
Thursday, April 07, 2016
SURROUNDED BY TIMBERDOODLES...
14.8 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Thursday, April 7, 2016
When I left work it was raining hard enough that it looked like this evening would be a washout. But then the rain stopped and we even got a few flashes of sun through the clouds, and I successfully resisted inertia and took my bike over to the Lions Park for a ride. It was a bit chilly at first; the storm late this afternoon was apparently triggered by a cold front which dropped the temperature around ten degrees. But as I kept at it, I found warmed up a bit and by the time I was done I found myself wishing I could stay out for a few more miles. But it was getting late...
On my way back to the car I heard the first woodcocks (otherwise known as timberdoodles) so far this year calling away. In a couple of cases I was close enough that I actually caught glimpses of them as they launched themselves into the air for their courtship flights. There were certainly plenty of them out there - I heard them consistently all the way back where the bike path parallels River Rd. They were definitely the highlight of tonight's ride.
JMH
14.8 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Thursday, April 7, 2016
When I left work it was raining hard enough that it looked like this evening would be a washout. But then the rain stopped and we even got a few flashes of sun through the clouds, and I successfully resisted inertia and took my bike over to the Lions Park for a ride. It was a bit chilly at first; the storm late this afternoon was apparently triggered by a cold front which dropped the temperature around ten degrees. But as I kept at it, I found warmed up a bit and by the time I was done I found myself wishing I could stay out for a few more miles. But it was getting late...
On my way back to the car I heard the first woodcocks (otherwise known as timberdoodles) so far this year calling away. In a couple of cases I was close enough that I actually caught glimpses of them as they launched themselves into the air for their courtship flights. There were certainly plenty of them out there - I heard them consistently all the way back where the bike path parallels River Rd. They were definitely the highlight of tonight's ride.
JMH
Wednesday, April 06, 2016
INSTEAD OF A RIDE...
2.0 Mile Walk at the Crossings of Colonie
0.8 Mile Walk Around Buckingham Pond
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
I had planned to go for a ride after work, since tomorrow it's supposed to rain... but it was grey and windy, and I really couldn't muster up any enthusiasm for going out on the bike. So instead I did a bit of shopping and then wandered around the Crossings of Colonie for a bit. Overall it was pretty quiet - more folks than I saw yesterday at the Corning Preserve, but nothing like the kind of numbers that turn out on a warm afternoon.
On the way home it seemed like a shame to waste perfectly good daylight, so I stopped at the pond and did a short walk there as well.
It seems strange to look around and see snow... like it's February instead of April. Of course, tomorrow's warmer weather and rain should finish off the remains of Monday's storm...
JMH
2.0 Mile Walk at the Crossings of Colonie
0.8 Mile Walk Around Buckingham Pond
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
I had planned to go for a ride after work, since tomorrow it's supposed to rain... but it was grey and windy, and I really couldn't muster up any enthusiasm for going out on the bike. So instead I did a bit of shopping and then wandered around the Crossings of Colonie for a bit. Overall it was pretty quiet - more folks than I saw yesterday at the Corning Preserve, but nothing like the kind of numbers that turn out on a warm afternoon.
On the way home it seemed like a shame to waste perfectly good daylight, so I stopped at the pond and did a short walk there as well.
It seems strange to look around and see snow... like it's February instead of April. Of course, tomorrow's warmer weather and rain should finish off the remains of Monday's storm...
JMH
Tuesday, April 05, 2016
10.2 Mile Ride Through the Corning Preserve
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
A shorter ride tonight than I would have preferred, for a couple of reasons:
One plus to the cold weather - I saw very few other people on the path. Three guys riding, two runners, and one fellow walking. Very nice!
I did spot dozens of robins, a few geese, a single deer - and at least two woodpeckers.
And this marks the 4th month of 2016 that I've gotten out riding... I'm definitely on track for another year of riding every month.
JMH
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
A shorter ride tonight than I would have preferred, for a couple of reasons:
- while it was sunny and warmer today than the past two days - it was still pretty chilly, so I really wasn't that enthused about a lengthy ride
- my legs are definitely still tired from Sunday's slog through the snow
- since I wasn't sure what condition the Corning Preserve path would be in, I took my mountain bike, which is heavier and more tiring to ride than my road bike
One plus to the cold weather - I saw very few other people on the path. Three guys riding, two runners, and one fellow walking. Very nice!
I did spot dozens of robins, a few geese, a single deer - and at least two woodpeckers.
And this marks the 4th month of 2016 that I've gotten out riding... I'm definitely on track for another year of riding every month.
JMH
Monday, April 04, 2016
FEBRUARY PAYS A VISIT...
1.6 Mile Walk Around the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Monday, April 4, 2016
Woke up to more snow, as expected from the forecast... what was unexpected was that the storm continued all day. But even with the extended duration, we only ended up with about six inches or so, which will undoubtedly be gone in a couple of days. Still, with the temperature hovering right around freezing and the air very damp, the sidewalks were pretty slick in spots.
The birds definitely appreciated the feeders in the backyard... I filled them when I got home, and when I looked out the window an hour or so later, there were at least two dozen sparrows, two or three grackles, three or four mourning doves, a couple of starlings, and surprisingly, a red-winged blackbird all chowing down on all the seed they could get. I ended up refilling the feeders again before heading out for my short walk.
JMH
1.6 Mile Walk Around the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Monday, April 4, 2016
Woke up to more snow, as expected from the forecast... what was unexpected was that the storm continued all day. But even with the extended duration, we only ended up with about six inches or so, which will undoubtedly be gone in a couple of days. Still, with the temperature hovering right around freezing and the air very damp, the sidewalks were pretty slick in spots.
The birds definitely appreciated the feeders in the backyard... I filled them when I got home, and when I looked out the window an hour or so later, there were at least two dozen sparrows, two or three grackles, three or four mourning doves, a couple of starlings, and surprisingly, a red-winged blackbird all chowing down on all the seed they could get. I ended up refilling the feeders again before heading out for my short walk.
JMH
Sunday, April 03, 2016
Saturday, April 02, 2016
One of THOSE Days...
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Despite having slept well when the alarm went off at 4 AM (I needed to leave by 5:30 to get to Tenafly, NJ, in plenty of time) I couldn't muster up much enthusiasm for the travel, so I went back to bed instead of heading south to the Lost Brook trail race... didn't sleep all that much more, so I probably should have just sucked it up and gone.
This afternoon was an example of really bad timing... left the house with temperatures in the low 50's, but by the time I got to Shenantaha Park, I passed through several rain squalls, the temperature had dropped more than 10 degrees, and the wind was blasting away. If I'd brought tights I would have ridden anyway, but as it stood my legs would have frozen, so I turned around and drove back home. At least I managed to fill the gas tank on the way...
Hopefully tomorrow I will have more success at getting off my butt and outdoors than the walk to the store and back that I finally managed today.
-JMH
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Despite having slept well when the alarm went off at 4 AM (I needed to leave by 5:30 to get to Tenafly, NJ, in plenty of time) I couldn't muster up much enthusiasm for the travel, so I went back to bed instead of heading south to the Lost Brook trail race... didn't sleep all that much more, so I probably should have just sucked it up and gone.
This afternoon was an example of really bad timing... left the house with temperatures in the low 50's, but by the time I got to Shenantaha Park, I passed through several rain squalls, the temperature had dropped more than 10 degrees, and the wind was blasting away. If I'd brought tights I would have ridden anyway, but as it stood my legs would have frozen, so I turned around and drove back home. At least I managed to fill the gas tank on the way...
Hopefully tomorrow I will have more success at getting off my butt and outdoors than the walk to the store and back that I finally managed today.
-JMH
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