Hi All,

Sunday 2/18 - Saturday 2/24: 24.1 miles.

I have become somewhat obsessed with running of late. I have run 9 out of the past 10 days. This week was another bookend with outside runs on Sunday (Polar Cat #6 5K) and Saturday (5 miles) along with four treadmills runs of 4 miles each during the week after work.

I have a new routine on the 4.0 incline treadmill. It's 2 miles at 7 mph, 1.625 miles at 7.5 mph, 0.25 mile at 8 mph and 0.125 at 9 mph. It's over in 34 minutes plus a cool down of 5 minutes at 3 mph.

February has been a snowy month. I saw a weather report that said that Rochester has gotten 39.9 inches of snow this month which makes it the 4th snowiest February on record. Well, the couple of inches that we got last night will make it the 3rd snowiest ... which is why my treadmill has seen so much use this month.

One thing about running is that I can occasionally eat the "bad" foods without any effect. Over the past couple of years I have gone from 182 pounds down to around 168 pounds. This also means that I have gone from wearing a 36-36 jean on my 6' 3" frame to a loose 34-36 jean. Now if I could convince myself to work out my upper body. All the running magazines say that I should cross-train.

I like running because I can go out and think about nothing at all or "run away from my problems" as one woman put it. Non-runners find excuses, runners run. It doesn't matter how fast or how far, just run. Well, there are worse things I could do with my spare time I guess.

Keep running, Doug

P.S. I have signed up for the Runnin' of the Green 5 Mile on St. Patrick's Day, http://www.johnnysirishpub.com/greenreg.htm, and the Spring Forward 15K, http://www.yellowjacketracing.com/Spring%20Forward.htm, on April Fool's Day. I had better get out for some long runs!

Hi All,

Sunday 2/11 - Saturday 2/17: 18 miles.

The weather relented so I could run two 5 milers on Sunday and Saturday and two 4 mile runs on the treadmill on Wednesday and Friday. I have a new routine: 3.75 miles at 7 mph and a 0.25 mile at 8 mph. It's a good workout.

Plus I got three workouts outside shoveling my driveway. I am not like some people who either have a plow come do it or just drive over it. I like a clean driveway.

Today, the Polar Cat #6 5K was held in Newark. So I braved the elements: 20F, a little snow, a little wind. I ran a 23:32 and placed 7th out of 25. I was third in my age group. The male 45-49 age group is a tough one. The results are at: http://www.grtconline.org/2007Results/2007PolarCat-6.html

I picked up an application for Johnny's Runnin' of the Green on St. Patrick's Day. It's a 5 miler up in Rochester. It will be my next race hopefully. I am also thinking of the Spring Forward 15K on April 1st.

Keep running, Doug

Happy Valentine's Day, 2007!

Hi all,

A Happy Valentine's Day to all the women who read my blog ... Ok, don't all crowd in at once!

It was sunny, cold and relatively calm on Sunday, 2/11, so I did a 5 miler outside. Just up and down Grace Ave twice. It was nice to get outside but a bit nippy!

Today I am taking a snow day. We have gotten 10 inches of snow so far today and it's still snowing. The forecast is for about 6 to 12 more before it's all done tonight. Right now, it's 18F and the wind is starting to pick up.

I have made a things-to-do list and I am trying to check them off. One thing will be a nice 4 mile run on the treadmill.

Well, wherever you are reading this from I hope you are staying warm!

Keep running, Doug

Hi all,

Sunday 2/4 - Saturday 2/10: 16 miles.

Well, it's on the treadmill! I ran 4 times; Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. I have a new 4 mile routine, all at 4.0 incline: 3.5 miles at 6.5 mph, .25 mile at 7 mph and .25 mile at 8 mph. It's a good workout and it's done in about 40 minutes.

The weather was just too cold and windy for me! Most of the week had temps struggling to get into the teens and wind chill struggling to get above zero! Well, at least there wasn't very much snow ... unlike around Oswego NY which got around 100 inches in a week!

Here is a link to a CNN gallery about the snow in upstate NY:
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/us/0702/gallery.lessthanzero.ireports/frameset.exclude.html. Look at the eighth picture in this gallery. It's taken from the bridge overlooking the Lower Falls in Rochester NY. Well, that bridge is about one hundred yards from where I work. I run over that bridge to and from the Genesee River Trail when the weather is good.

My dance class is one half over and is going well. I can do an OK impression of the swing ... less so the waltz and two-step. The instructors keep on threatening us with the polka, though.

Keep running, Doug

Hi All,

Sunday 1/28 - Saturday 2/3: 14.6 miles. January: 86.1 miles. I ran 17 out of 31 days.

A slacker week! Just a 5 mile run (6mph, 4 incline) on the treadmill on Tuesday night (no dance class) and two almost 5 mile runs outside on snow covered streets on Thursday and Friday during lunch. It warmed up to just below freezing for a couple of days so I got outside! I think I twinged my left knee on Friday's run by running on a snow covered sidewalk.

Saturday brought artic windchills and the forecast is for a lot more of the same! So it looks like more sessions on the treadmill for me.

Keep running, Doug