Sunday, December 6th to Saturday, December 12th

Sunday, December 6th to Saturday, December 12th

Note: I am on the mend from hernia surgery on Thursday, December 3rd. So I am on short term disability for the time being until my doctor OKs my return to work.

Sun: A quarter mile hobble, 30F, dusk, calm, no stops, a stretchy pain on my left side.

I took my bandage off and took a much needed shower. I got outside around 4:30PM with CJ just in case. I hobbled off to the mailbox to mail some letters, then to the corner of Ridge and Seneca and back. Man, walking kind of hurts!

Tue: Drove out during the night to Cleveland to spend time with CJ while she went through the stuff in her apartment. Exhausted, crashed when we got there. I didn't find out until the next day that the only thing I had brought with me was the clothes on my back, my computer, my briefcase, and my pillow! Luckily I did bring a parka! Everything else that I wanted to bring ... like underwear, sock, shirts, sweatshirt and toiletries are back in Rochester. Well ... I have been told that you always leave something behind when you travel!

Thu: Man, has it gotten colder here in Cleveland! It from 52F yesterday to 18F with wind chills near 0F! Sometimes I am feeling pretty good, sometimes I feel pretty tired. I did manage a bit of a run for about 1/10 of a mile at a very slow pace ... just trying to see if everything still works!

Sat: It has warmed up in Cleveland today! Perfectly sunny, above freezing! We are trying to find someone to take care of CJ's dog so CJ can take me back to Rochester. I really need a shave! Each day post surgery is different. Most of the time I feel pretty good and then all of a sudden I get tired. CJ says that I push myself too hard and am not resting like I should.

Trying to keep active, Doug

Sunday, November 29nd to Saturday, December 5th

Sunday, November 29nd to Saturday, December 5th

I ran once this week: 6.2 miles
Month of November, I ran 15 days of 30 (actually 18 times), 90.9 miles, 6.1 miles/run
2009 to end of November, I have run 182 days out of 334, 6.2 miles/run

Sun: A rest day for CJ and I after three days of exercise. We headed down to Geneva to see the Nutcracker performed by the Ithaca Ballet and the Finger Lakes Symphony Orchestra. We enjoyed the ballet very much, it was very well done.

Tue: 6.2 miles, 51:59, 8:23 pace, Fleet Feet Cobb's Hill run, 40F, easy, night, calm, no stops, no pain.


CJ and I made it down to Fleet Feet for the Cobbs's Hill run, also the first night of Winter Warrior ... a lot of people showed up! The weather was excellent! I love running when it's around 40F and calm!

Thu: I have had a left inguinal hernia for a couple of months. It has not really affected my running but I wanted to get it taken care of before it did.

So today I had it repaired at the Clifton Springs Hospital and Clinic. My surgeon could not do a laprascopic (too skinny I was told!) but did a straight cut. I was out of surgery by 11:15AM and on my way home by 2:30PM or so. Everything went well, I have nothing by good things to say about the whole experience. I was calm before I went in for surgery ... my BP was 115/70 and my pulse was 43. I was in a bit of pain whenever I moved. My girlfriend, CJ, is taking good care of me. Her cinnamon toast is awesome! Hopefully I will be back to running soon! I do want to run a race this month so I can run a race in every month of 2009!

Fri and Sat: Still on the mend with CJ's help. Pain when I get up, not much pain when I stay in bed. Kind of sucks ... it seems that the cure was worse than the bite.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, November 22nd to Saturday, November 28th

Sunday, November 22nd to Saturday, November 28th

I ran 4 times, 17.2 miles

Thu: 5 miles, 38:50, 7:46 pace, Newark Turkey Day Race, 48F, sunny, calm, no stops, no pain.

CJ and I ran the Newark Turkey Day Race, my 5th and her 1st. I finished 45th out of 144, 5th in my age group on a great day to run a race, results here. Up in Rochester, 1424 ran the Webster 4.4 mile Turkey Trot (result here, 880 ran the Webster 2.5 mile Turkey Trot, results here and 934 ran the Race with Grace 10K out in Hilton, results here.

Afterward, we saw my father at the Wayne County Nursing Home. On the way back up to Rochester, we saw my youngest son. CJ fixed her first Thanksgiving dinner in several years with excellent results ... and lots of leftovers!

Fri: 4.2 miles, 33:48, 8:03 pace, Fleet Feet Black Friday run, 34F, easy, sunny, calm, no stops, no pain.

I made it down to Fleet Feet for my third Black Friday run where we run the Friday Happy Hour route backwards. It was definitely different but sweet none the less!

Fri: 5 miles, 43:21, 8:40 pace, Fleet Feet Happy Hour run, 38F, really easy, night, calm, no stops, no pain.

CJ and I made it down to Fleet Feet for the Happy Hour run. She was a bit afraid of night running but she is glad she went. Many thanks to Becky for walking with CJ.

Sat: 3 miles, treadmill at Planet Fitness, real easy at 8:34 pace with a burst to 7:30 pace.

A real lazy day. CJ and I went out to Planet Fitness for a workout. I got a guest pass in the mail and used it so CJ could try out my gym. She worked out well, easy and not too hard with no ill effects. I think she is a keeper!

Keeping active, Doug

Monday, November 16th to Saturday, November 21st

Monday, November 16th to Saturday, November 21st

I ran 2 times over 6 days, 12.9 miles

Mon - Thu: I took a break from running. I almost went out for a run on Wednesday. I almost went out to Planet Fitness on Thursday. But I rested instead.

Fri: 4.1 miles, 33:00 (I think), 8:03 pace, Fleet Feet Happy Hour run, 45F, night, calm, no stops even for traffic, no pain.

Fri: 3.4 miles, 28:43, 8:27 pace, FF Happy Hour run just to Highland then to Monroe and back, 45F, night, calm, no stops even for traffic again, no pain.

Yes, I am back to running. I couldn't get my Garmin to lock in for the first run, got it up for the second run. I ran happy just with the joy of running. After about 5 minutes or so I went out for more running at an easy pace. Sweet!

Sat: 5.4 miles, 45:03, 8:21 pace, Seneca-Titus-St Paul to Cooper Rd-Collingwood-Seneca run, 45F, night, calm, no stops, no pain.

Tough getting motivated to do anything. I finally got out at 6:30PM for a perfect night time run. It felt good to just run in the dark putting the miles under my feet. Sweet! I have run 1100 miles so far this year sccording to my running spreadsheet.

My Garmin Forerunner 305 would not turn on during the afternoon. I Googled the problem and found this link that solved the problem.

I uploaded the data on my Garmin Forerunner305 to connect.garmin.com. I got my inner geek on and looked at all the Google Maps of where I have run my past several months!

A sad tech note: My Panasonic SA-HT790V DVD/VCR Home Theater Sound System died. It threw up a F09 error, then refused to power on. A Google search found that the power supply has died. I liked that DVD/VCR with its booming 5.1 speaker system. I only had 3.1 speakers hooked up but watching and listening to action movies like Iron Man, Transformers, Transporter 3 was quite the experience! I do have another DVD/VCR but it doesn't have a speaker system so the sounds comes just from the TV ... so not the same!

Keeping active, Doug

Fleet Feet Dirt Cheap Stage Race

Saturday, November 14th to Sunday, November 15th

I ran 3 times on 2 days, 19.5 miles in the Fleet Feet Dirt Cheap Stage Race held in Mendon Ponds Park. CJ came in from Cleveland to give me support and watch me run. She took most the pics that are posted. She was also my masseuse for pre and post run stretches.

Sat: 3 miles, FF DC Stage Race 1, 45F, easy, walking stops, no pain. I missed a turn up Cardiac Hill and was DQed. There were some injuries ... a girl broke her ankle and another girl sprained her ankle. There were 73 runners, overall results are here, age group results are here.

Full of energy before Stage 1
Finishing Stage 1
Sat: 5.5 miles, 45:04, 8:12 pace, FF DC Stage Race 2, 60F, easy, walking stops, no pain. A long run in the Devil's Bathtub area. I took a tumble going down a hill and did a somersault over my right shoulder. I shook myself off and continued onward. Later, I found some serious mud like everyone else. I finished 45th out of 82, overall results are here. I was 11th out of 15 in my age group, results are here.

Somewhere during Stage 2
Climbing up the stairs at the Devil's Bathtub as I finished Stage 2
The battle scars of Stage 2 after I took my head over heels tumble
Sun: 11 miles, 2:05:51, 11:28 pace, FF DC Stage Race 3, 45-55F, sunny to cloudy, calm, walking stops, no pain.

I survived the 11 grueling miles of Stage 3. I ran in economy mode, just putting one foot in front of the other ... watching out for roots, rocks, logs and the occasional pile of horse poop as usual when you run trail. I had two Gus, one at 5 miles and one at 7 miles. I usually ran in a loose group of other runners. An encouraging word, a warning or help with trail selection every now and then helped on the journey ... especially around mile 2 when the trail made a sharp right off the main trail that I and another runner so wanted to follow. I finished 49th out of 74, overall results are here. I finished 9th out of 12 in my age group, age group results are here. Here is a map of Fleet Feet Dirt Cheap Stage Race #3 course, link here, 2645 feet of vertical climb, 1254 calories burned!

Somewhere during Stage 3 with my "posse" that I ran with for 5 miles or so
Digging up the hill as I finished Stage 3
I was a bit out of it for a couple of minutes after I finished
The swag ... a sweet sweatshirt and Salomon water bottle

All in all, a great way to spend a weekend! Many thanks to Fleet Feet and Yellow Jacket Racing for putting on an excellent event. Can't wait until next year!

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, November 8th to Friday, November 13th

Sunday, November 8th to Friday, November 13th

I ran 4 times over 6 days, 21.5 miles

Sun: 6.8 miles, 55:51, 8:13 pace, Seneca-Titus-St Paul up to Carter-Zoo-St Paul-Ridge run, 55F, sunny, calm, 2 stops, no pain.

Just your average run. I carried water, took 2 little stops to hydrate. A beautiful Sunday afternoon ... ideal for a run after taking 3 days off!

Tue: 6.2 miles, 52:24, 8:27 pace, Fleet Feet Cobb's Hill run, 46F, night, calm, 2 stops, some pain.

Just your average FF Cobb's Hill run, 3 Y's with a sharp stitch in my right side thrown in for good measure. It lasted about 1/2 Y on the first Y. It was right underneath my ribcage and hurt like hell for a bit. I slowed to a walk. I ran OK after that.

Wed: 4 miles, 8:34 pace with a burst to 7:30 pace, Planet Fitness workout.

Just your average PF workout ... 2 miles on the treadmill at 8:34 pace with a burst to 7:34, 2 sets on the machines, then ditto on the treadmill.

Thu: 4.5 miles, 39:38, 8:48 pace, FF Social run, 40F, night, calm, no stops except for traffic, no pain.

I ran social with the 4.5 mile group because I didn't want to get lost. It was a really nice run ... very scenic running back along the Genesee River with the street lights and Freddie-Sue bridge reflected in the river.

Fri: Rested up for Fleet Feet Dirt Cheap Stage Race on Saturday and Sunday.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, November 1st to Saturday, November 7th

Sunday, November 1st to Saturday, November 7th

I ran 4 times this week, 19.8 miles

Sun: 3.4 miles, 27:34, 8:13 pace, Cleveland Metro Park, easy, 60F, sunny, calm, 1 stop, no pain.

Went with CJ and her dog to one of the parks. I ran out to the covered bridge at the Short Line Bridge then ran back, met up with CJ and walked back to her car. Had a bit of problem afterward because I hadn't eaten much and ran out of energy until we had a sort of late, late lunch / early supper. A nice enjoyable run, beautiful day!

Tue: 6.7 miles, 58:49, 8:17 pace, Fleet Feet Cobb's Hill run, easy, 40F, 4 stops, no pain.

I dressed pretty well for the weather ... no issues with being too hot. I carried water this time. I still had a problem with having to stop a couple of times. I am still getting used to the colder weather. Well ... then here I am running outside at night ... lots of people are inside and think runners are crazy!

Wed: 4 miles on the Planet Fitness treadmill. 2 miles on the treadmill at around 8:00 pace with a burst to a 7:34 pace, then a good 2 set workout on the machines, then 2 more miles on the treadmills at around 8:30 pace with a burst 8:00 and 7:34 pace. Sweet!

Thu: 5.7 miles, 47:31, 8:20 pace, Seneca-Titus-St Paul up to Carter-Ridge Run, easy, 38F, night, windy in spots, 1 stop at the turn, no pain.

I managed to disengage myself from the couch and surfing the web long enough to venture forth in the night for a sweet run! Lots of leaves on the sidewalk, need to put new batteries in my headlight. I am leaning towards buying rechargeables.

Fri: Took my oldest son home from his GRE test instead of doing the Fleet Feet Happy Hour run.

Sat: Took my oldest son back to Ithaca College. I left just as the football game was ending. I probably could have squeezed in a run before or after but I figured my body needed a rest. I caught up on some shows I had missed ... NCIS, Fringe and Private Practice. Watching TV shows over the internet is so nice plus you save time!

Oh, I am signed up for the Dirt Cheap Stage Race next weekend. Should be awesome!

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, October 25th to Saturday, October 31th

Sunday, October 25th to Saturday, October 31th

I ran 5 times this week, 21.5 miles
Month of October: I ran 17 times out of 31 days for 93.3 miles, 5.5 miles/run

Sun: 2 miles on the treadmill at Planet Fitness.

Kicked back. Beautiful day, had to get out around 2 PM, to Pepboy's for some oil, Walgreen's for a 50 pack of DVD-Rs, then to Planet Fitness for a sweet workout ... 1 mile on the 'mill, the upper body circuit, 1 mile on the 'mill, 1 mile on the elliptical, home to watch the Bill wins over Tampa Bay, 20-9. Then watched the macho fest, Transformer, Revenge of the Fallen. Feel the testosterone!

Tue: 6.1 miles, 51:29, 8:29 pace, Fleet Feet Cobb's Hill run, 52F, dusk, calm, 6 stops, no pain.

I did not hydrate enough before the run. My mouth was so dry I could not even spit ... not that I do. I did not have any stamina ... I was very thirsty. But lesson learned.

Wed: 3 miles on the treadmill at Planet Fitness.

Disengaged from the couch to go to Planet Fitness for a sweet workout. 1.5 miles on the 'mill, then a weight workout, then another 1.5 miles on the 'mill. Feels good to sweat on a misty, rainy, damp and dreary Wednesday!

Thu: 7 miles, 57:07, 8:10 pace, Seneca-Titus-St Paul-Zoo-2xPond-St Paul-Ridge run, 47F, dusk to dark, cloudy, calm, steady, no stops except to turn on my headlight, no pain.

I got out there into the scenic, damp and slightly dreary outside world for a sweet 7 mile run.

Sat: 3.4 miles, 29:29, 8:40 pace, Harvard Grove cemetery in Cleveland, real easy, 45F, cloudy, windy, 1 stop, no pain.

Went out to Cleveland to see CJ. We celebrated Halloween by running in the Harvard Grove cemetery at the corner of Harvard and Lansing. Yes, it was during the daylight. Yes, the cemetery was old and somewhat rundown. A first time for me ... old hat for CJ. Later we went out to De Nobile's for some good old-fashioned pizza, beer and rock-n-roll. Afterward, we watched Knowing.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, October 18th to Saturday, October 24th

Sunday, October 18th to Saturday, October 24th

I ran 3 times this week, 20.1 miles

Sun through Thursay: CJ was visiting from Cleveland while the furnace in her apartment was replaced. It turned out that her furnace was not replaced as of Sunday, 10/25.

Sun: The Bills won against the Jets in OT, 16-13. The Browns lost to Pittsburgh by 13 as expected. We took my daughter back to Houghton College.

Monday: 1.4 mile walk with CJ around the neighborhood. We tried to calibrate her Nike+ Sportsband.

Tue: 6.1 miles, 48:27, 7:57 pace, Fleet Feet Cobb's Hill run, 55F, dusk, calm, 1 stop, no pain (didn't wear my IT bands). I ran a bit hard with a few traffic stops. CJ went up to Cobb's Hill and back for a 2.6 mile walk. We watched New in Town. Renee Zellweger did a fine job ... she eventually warmed up to Minnesota!

Wed: I gave blood for the 70th time. My vitals: pulse was 50, BP was 110/74. CJ and I went out to Lyons to see my father in the Wayne County Nursing Home. We stopped at the Newark High School and walked 1 mile around the track to try to calibrate her Nike+ Sportsband ... no joy. It uploads fine but the distance is off. We watched Eastwick.

Thu: CJ left to go back to Cleveland. I puttered around the apartment after work, washed the dishes, ate leftovers, tried to catch up on my email, balanced my checkbook, watched FlashForward and Grey's ... mundane stuff. She left stuff for me to remember her by.

Fri: 8.2 miles, 66:04, 8:04 pace, Fleet Feet Cobb's Hill run x 2, 42F, night, calm, misty rain, no stops, no pain.

We definitely light up the night!
For the first time, I ran the Cobb's Hill run twice. I ran the first loop a little hard in 32:20, 7:53 pace. I cooled down for a bit, chatted a bit. Then I decided on the spur of the moment to head out again for another lap ... 4.1 miles was just too short! I ran easy in 33:44, 8:14 pace. I used my headlight on the second lap. It was dark, misty, damp ... and sweet times two! Hulu.com is great for catching on the shows ... like NCIS, NCIS LA, Fringe, and Castle that I have missed plus it saves time with a lot fewer commercials!

Sat: 5.8 miles, 46:32, 8:03 pace, Seneca-Titus-St Paul up to Carter back to Ridge run, 52F, dusk, a little windy, 2 tiny stops, no pain.

I just had to get out! I felt like a slug just watching Boston College play Notre Dame and surfing the web just mindlessly. I could have gone to Planet Fitness but I pounded the pavement instead. I felt a bit sluggish but I really wasn't I guess. My total running mileage for the year is now 1004.5 miles! I looked at my running spreadsheet and saw that I broke 1000 running miles at the same time last year.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, October 11th to Saturday, October 17th

Sunday, October 11th to Saturday, October 17th

I ran 4 times this week, 22.2 miles

Sun: 6.2 miles, 48:35, 7:50 pace, Towpath 10K, 45F, cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.

I ran the Towpath 10K in Cleveland OH along with the lovely CJ. CJ was nervous at the start since it was her first race. It was cold at the start. Luckily, it was not windy! I went out hard and kept it up the whole race ... though I did slow down a bit towards the end. I was 45th out of 418, results here. I finished 5th out of 16 in my male 50-54 age group, results here. CJ was so happy to finish her first race. I think she is hooked!

Mon: Occasionally, you have to do mundane things like laundry.

Tue: Long day of driving back and forth between building for work, then drove down with my youngest son to Ithaca College to see my oldest son in his first Wind Ensemble concert.

Wed: 6.5 miles, 51:53, 7:59 pace, Seneca-Titus-St Paul-Ridge run x 2, 38F, dark, calm, no stops, no pain.

I ran a little hard in the gathering gloom and darkness of upstate NY. I got back in just before 8PM. My body tried every argument to be a slug but I escaped for a sweet run with splits of 7:54, 7:56, 8:10, 7:56, 7:55, 8:00, 7:56. I think I will need to find my headlight next time!

Thu: 3 miles, treadmill. 2 miles as a warmup, 1 mile as a cooldown after working the circuit.

I have joined Planet Fitness as a basic member at the Dewey and Latta location in Greece. My first impression is good ... lot of cardio machines, need to schedule my visits to avoid lots of people for the weight machines.

Fri: 6.2 miles, 49:39, 8:00 pace, Seneca-Titus-St Paul-Zoo-pond-St Paul-Ridge run, easy and steady, 40F, no stops, no pain.

Just your normal just before dusk run. I needed to get out there. CJ is coming to Rochester tonight! The furnace in her apartment is broke ... hopefully I can warm her up!

Keeping active, Doug