Sunday, 2/3/2013 to Saturday, 2/9/2013

I ran 3 times this week, 20.2 miles

Sunday, 2/3/2013: 5.5 miles, 46:35, 8:28 pace, 14F, sunny, calm, no stops, mild right Achilles ache.

Garmin Connect Activity for Cold 5.5 miles around the streets of Seneca Falls

I didn't sleep all that well in Seneca Falls so I got up and out of the Hotel Clarence for a run. The weather was sunny, cold and calm. I headed over the Seneca River and just headed out a nice wide street named E Bayard St and back. I just ran at a nice and easy pace. I ended my run in sight of the school that I ran my second 10K from way back in 7/22/2006.

Christine was up by the time I got back. After a quick shower and change of clothes we ended down to a nice continental breakfast. We checked out at 11AM and shopped a bit at the local Wal-Mart before heading over to Lyons to the Wayne County Nursing Home to see my father. We were distressed to see that they had lost his glasses again. This was an added insult to their losing his bottom dentures several months ago. As a result we can barely understand every tenth word he said. Kind of frustrating.

Eventually we did get back up our apartment where my darling Christine cooked up some yummy ribs for Super Bowl Sunday. She and I both agreed that we are "ribbed out" for the time being.

The Super Bowl (and its commercials) were quite exciting. The Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49er's 34-31, link here. There were a lot of plays that will be talked about for sure ... including a non-call of the 49er's 4th and goal with 1:50 left with obvious pass interference. But I guess it was a case of let the players play ... play on.

On a more personal note ... it was the first sober Super Bowl for me in many years. I have been sober since 1/11/2013 and counting. That stretch of days, 23 to be exact, may not seem long to some but for me it is. I have my own list of reasons why that I am keeping to myself but suffice to say this decision has been good for me.

Meanwhile, the LA Lakers continued their 7 game road trip with a visit to Detroit. They won 98-97, link here. A win almost lost by missing 4 free throws in the closing seconds. But the Lakers improved to 2-1 on their 7 game road trip.

Monday, 2/4/2013: Rest day.

My daughter accidentally bought her return ticket from New York City a month in advance (3/4 instead of 2/4) and was forced to buy a MegaBus ticket that let her off in downtown Rochester. So I picked her up and drove her out to her apartment in Newark. She told me all about her trip. This was her fourth trip there. This time she saw Guns 'N Hoses (an all woman tribute band to Guns and Roses) on Saturday and went to the American Museum of Natural History on Sunday.

Tuesday, 2/5/2013: Another rest day.

I thought about running but that's as far as it went. I did get to watch the LA Lakers play the Brooklyn Nets on YES. The LA Lakers were without Dwight Howard and Meta World Peace but won 92-83, link here. However, Pau Gasol went out injured in the 4th quarter. The Lakers are rolling, 3-1 on their 7 game road trip. The next stop is Boston on Thursday.

Wednesday, 2/6/2013: 6.2 miles, 50:01, 8:04 pace, 20F, night, calm, no stops, mild right Achilles ache.

Garmin Connect Activity for Cold 10K around the streets of Irondequoit

I was in bachelor mode today. Christine's daughter drove all the way from Cleveland to pick up my darling wife, Christine, to take her for an overnight Groupon-fueled stay at a hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario. I cautioned her to not use her cell while in Canada but some texts did sneak back and forth the border. I did learn that she made out like a bandit on the slots at the casino, more than hextupling her buy-in stake. She was sensible ... she took her winnings and walked out of the casino.

What to do without her for a night? So ... after work I went for a run. I headed out a bit hard, trying to stretch out my stride. As a result my right Achilles did ache a bit during and after the run. Oh well! Later I put together an Rolling Adjustable Garment Rack, similar link here, that we purchased at Wal-Mart. It truly went together without tools and looks like it will be able to hold clothes ... though Christine hasn't loaded it up yet. I cleaned out the refrigerator and ate leftover ribs while I watched a couple of Clint Eastwood movies; the violent The Gauntlet with his then-girlfriend Sondra Locke and the sexual obsession thriller Play Misty For Me. I got a bit of stuff done around the apartment but not as much as I had hoped.

Thursday, 2/7/2013: 6.2 miles, 53:33, 8:39 pace, 30F, night, calm, no stops, some right side pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for 10K around the streets of Irondequoit

Christine's daughter dropped her off at work right around when I got out so I had my darling wife in the car all waiting for me ... sweet! She had a broken nail so I took her straight to New Nails for her bi-weekly appointment and got her a cup of coffee since she was tired from her excursion in Canada.

When we got home I went out for a run on my usual 10K loop. It was a bit warmer plus I had a moderate right inside knee pain and the usual right Achilles discomfort. As a result I took it really nice and easy. I was going to give my pain 2 miles to settle down before I made a decision to turn around. It did ... so onward I went. It turned out to be a nice run.

I settled down to watch LA Lakers play the Boston Celtics. The Lakers were undermanned and it showed with a 116-95 result, link here. When the DVR cut away at 10:01PM to tape two shows I was more than willing to stop watching since the Lakers were down 25 at the end of the 3rd quarter. The Lakers are 3-2 so far on their 7 game road trip.

Friday, 2/8/2013: Rest day.

A winter storm that the Weather Channel named "Nemo" (don't get me started) dumped about 6 inches of snow before I left work. I got home relatively quickly considering the road conditions, proper and timely lane changing to get around stuck or slow cars did help. Christine and I hunkered down for the night as about 6 more inches fell during the night. I was on Facebook and followed email from the Relentless Forward Progress running group. I learned that Greater Rochester Track Club (GRTC) Freezeroo #5 out at the Greece DPW was not going to be held on Saturday morning. It seemed that they could not give the GRTC the use of the building.So I stayed up a bit late and watched Anaconda and From Dusk Till Dawn (with George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino) on AMC. Both were edited for length and content.

It was also nice to read that the LA Lakers won their road game against the Charlotte Hornets 100-93, link here. They are now 4-2 on their 7 game road swing. Next stop is Miami on Sunday afternoon at 3:30PM.

Saturday, 2/9/2013: 2.3 snowshoe miles, , 16F, night, calm, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for 2.3 miles on snowshoes around the Zoo pond

Christine and I slept in until 11AM. I awoke her with coffee, a bagel and the Saturday paper. We dressed quickly once we realized that it was already 12:45PM and she had a Massage Envy appointment at 2PM. While she was there, I visited Fleet Feet Brighton and Medved Run and Walk. After a relaxing lunch at Subway, I rented a pair of Dion snowshoes from Medved for $10. Fleet Feet lost since their daily charge was $15.

When we got home, I immediately changed into my running gear and head to the Seneca Park Zoo parking lot. I put on my rented Dion snowshoes and headed down to the pond on the west trail. The heavy snow on the trees was beautiful in my headlamp. I emerged and ran on the road and then went back on trail for a while. I soon found that running trail in snowshoes was quite tiring and headed back. I wanted to not tire myself out since I heard that the Relentless Forward Progress running group planned to meet at the Beach parking lot at Mendon Ponds Park