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

Sunday, October 4th to Saturday, October 10th

Sunday, October 4th to Saturday, October 10th

I ran 3 times this week, 17.3 miles

Mon: 6.2 miles, 49:50, 8:02 pace, Seneca - Collingwood - Zoo Trail and back run, 55F, sunny, a bit windy, no stops, no pain.

I got out for a nice and easy Zoo trail run out to the second fence and back. I clocked miles of 8:09, 7:47, 7:43, 8:23, 8:20, 7:58 and 7:34. I have found that if I just run my natural speed running is fun. Sometimes those runs are fast too! The only thing is that I got something in my eye around mile 5. It bugged the rest of the night. CJ told me to put a hot compress on it, which really helped!

Tue: 6.1 miles, 49:05, 8:03 pace, Fleet Feet Cobb's Hill run, 56F, no stops, no pain.

I ran steady, just a trifle hard with splits of 8:07, 8:14, 8:20, 8:08, 7:45, 7:46 and 7:27 the last tenth. It was the perfect temp, wore shorts and a t-shirt. Sweet! Afterward, I bought 2 pair of running shorts ... 2 for 1!

Thu: 5 miles, Fleet Feet Social run, 58F, no stops, no pain.

I ran easy and steady. The Social run this month was backwards of a previous one. I still got lost in the Cornhill area. But still a nice run with some nice appetizers from The Social afterward.

Fri & Sat: Went to Cleveland to surprise the lovely CJ. She was definitely surprised and pleased. She will be walking her very first 10K on Sunday. I will be there to run it and provide support to her when I am done.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, September 27th to Saturday, October 3rd

Sunday, September 27th to Saturday, October 3rd

I ran 2 times this week, 11.5 miles
Month of September: I ran 11 days out of 30, 65.5 miles, 6.0 miles/run
2009 to the end of September: 929.6 miles, 150 days out of 273, 6.2 miles/run

Sun through Wed: CJ was in from Cleveland. We both came down with allergies due to a change in weather and spent a lot of time indoors recuperating. We did make it out on Sunday so I could show her around where I live and go to Applebees for supper and to watch the Bills lose to the Saints, 7-27. Next time, we will go to a locally owned dining establishment.

Tue: 2 mile walk, Fleet Feet Cobb's Hill run, 50F, cloudy, windy, mild discomfort. CJ bought a new pair of Brook Adrenaline GTS9's from Fleet Feet. Then I walked most of the way up to Cobb's Hill with her. I was still recovering from allergies so I did not run.

Fri: 4.1 miles, 35:09, 8:32 pace, Fleet Feet Happy Hour run, aka Hawaiian night, 50F, misty, calm, real easy, no stops, no pain, 8:32 pace.


I wore 2 leis from Karl as my Hawaiian garb. I ran a social 9:00 or so pace for 3 miles, then put the hammer down for the last mile. I ran 8:48, 9:00, 8:34, 7:38, 7:26. Just a bit of some good wine (a Twisted Head merlot and some wine from Argentina) plus conversation afterward about a variety of subjects.

Sat: 7.4 miles, 60:14, 8:08, Seneca - Collingwood - Zoo - 4 x Pond - Collingwood - Seneca run, steady and easy, 62F, cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.

I escaped the couch around 5:30PM ... I so wanted not to be a slug. I set my running gait into a nice, steady, easy pace and cranked out 8:03, 7:46, 8:12, 8:05, 8:17, 8:30, 8:13 and 7:51 laps. It would be nice if I could keep that pace up for about 19 more miles to knock down a 3:33 marathon (which would qualify for Boston, BTW). But I would be happy with a sub 4 marathon.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, September 20th to Saturday, September 26th

Sunday, September 20th to Saturday, September 26th

I ran 2 times this week, 10.2 miles

Mon: 6-ish miles, both sides of Zoo trail, 78F, cloudy, humid, numerous stops, no pain. My runs of late have sucked ... to put it bluntly. I have no stamina.

Fri: 4.2 miles, 32:13, 7:40 pace, FF Happy Hour run, 54F, sunny, a bit windy, no stops, no pain. I bought a pair of Brooks Adrenaline 9s before the run and tested them out. New shoes plus cool temps made for fast splits: 7:13, 8:00, 7:51, 7:42 and 7:12. I missed running for 4 days so I put the hammer down. I felt some tightness in my thighs initially but it passed. A hard and sweet run! I retired my old Brooks Adrenaline 8s with 767.6 miles.

A bit underdressed hatwise but I enjoyed the run!
Sat: I waited for my my girlfriend, Christine (henceforth known as CJ) to come out from Cleveland. Yes ... I have a girlfriend. CJ and I went out for about a year when I was 19 and going to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. She "friended" me on Facebook last month. Behold the power of Facebook ... nine days later I visited her in Cleveland ... the spark is still there! Since then I have been to Cleveland again to help her move to a new apartment. Wow is all I have to say!

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, September 13th to Saturday, September 19th

Sunday, September 13th to Saturday, September 19th

I ran 2 times this week, 17.5 miles

Sun: 13.5 miles, 121:45, 9:01 pace, up to the Ontario Beach Park, 65F, cloudy, calm with a mild breeze, numerous walks, no pain.

My long runs start out with such promise. I was running 7:50, 7:39, 7:52, 7:58 ... then the bottom drops out with around 9:30 miles the rest of the way. I had two GUs midway. I did go out with just an energy bar ... was I just without fuel? Questions but not an answer.

Wed: 4 miles, 38:01, 9:30 pace, Dirt Cheap #6 in Ellison Park Wetlands, 62F, sunny, technical trail, a few walks, no pain.

Doing the dirt on my 52nd birthday ... smiling before the bee stings!
I celebrated my 52nd birthday with a fitting finale to the Dirt Cheap series! I got stung three times by the cloud of ground bees around mile 3! Ouch! It slowed me down for a bit while I made sure that I didn't have any more bees on me. But it's all good! I finished 77th out of 161, results here. I finished 5th out of 10 in my age group, results here.

The rest of the week: A road trip to Cleveland presented a pleasant break from running, link here.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, September 6th to Saturday, September 12th

Sunday, September 6th to Saturday, September 12th

I ran 3 times this week, 11.5 miles

A road trip to Cleveland over the Labor Day weekend after Saturday's Summerfest 12K. Personally, my life is looking up!

Sun: 3.6 mile walk in Mill Creek Park in Cleveland OH, link here.

Mon: 3.7 miles, estimated 32:00, 8:26 pace, Garfield Park Reservation in Cleveland OH, link here, 75F, cloudy then a light mist, humid, numberous stops, no pain. A run with a beginning walker/runner who is just beginning their journey into a larger world.

Thu: 3.7 miles, 31:00, 8:22 pace, Fleet Feet Social run, 65F, sunny, calm, traffic stops, no pain. I ran with the leader, TJ. Very nice weather for a run! Everyone was talking around the Rochester Marathon ... I wish I was running it!

Fri: 4.1 miles, 31:51, 7:46 pace, Fleet Feet Happy Hour run, 62F, cloudy, calm, 1 tiny walk in Cobbs Hill, no pain. I ended up 50 yards behind the lead runner. A sweet run, perfect weather!

Rant: It seems to me that the people who most need to take the stairs up or down are the ones who seem to take the elevator the most! Meanwhile, people who most need to walk more seem to all hunt for a close parking spot at the grocery store. Life is full of exercise opportunities if you just look for them. /rant

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, August 30th to Saturday, September 5th

Sunday, August 30th to Saturday, September 5th

I ran 5 times this week, 31.5 miles
Month of August: 117 miles, 18 days out of 31, 6.5 miles/run
2009 to date: 868.2 miles, 138 days out of 243, 6.3 miles/run

Sun: A busy day. I drove out to Newark to help cart my daughter and his stuff down to Houghton College. A long drive to and from. Made easier by good conversation on the way back.

Mon: 5.3 miles, 42:42, 8:04 pace, Seneca-Titus-St Paul up to Carter and back, 63F, sunny, calm as a bell, no stops, no pain. I escaped the couch tentacles that tried to snare me for a sweet run! Perfect temp & little humidity!

Tue: 4.7 miles, Fleet Feet speed workout, 65F, sunny, calm, low humidity, no stops, no pain. The workout was 8 repeats of 400m hard, 200m easy. I did number 6 pretty much with the hammer down since that was supposed to be the last one but I added two more on just for fun. I did two 600m laps of warmup and cooldown. A hard but sweet run, perfect temp and humidity!

Thu: 7.1 miles, 63:05, 8:53 pace, Seneca-Collingwood-left side Zoo trail and back, 72F, sunny, calm, little humidity, real easy, no pain. I fought off taking a nap and got out for my running fix! Laps were: 8:18, 8:18, 8:32, 10:05, 9:17, 9:14, 8:32.

Fri: 7 miles in 2 3.5 mile chunks, easy, 72F first time with 5 stops, 66F second time with 2 stops, no pain. I have a new auto mechanic that replaced my left wheel bearing after work. So I ran home after I dropped it off, he did the work, then I ran back to pick up the car after it was done. I can actually hear the radio now! Well ... I could before but the car does run a lot quieter. Now I need an exhaust pipe replaced ... but that will have to wait.

Sat: 12K, 62:52, 8:26 pace, Summerfest 12K, 70F, sunny, calm, numerous stops, no pain.

I just didn't have it today. I treated it like a trail race ... ran the flats and downhills, walked some of the uphills. It's all good ... lots of runners, your basic good Fleet Feet good time! I finished 66th out of 212, results here. I finished 5th out of 14 in my male 50-54 age group, link here.

At the start!

After a quick shower, I headed onward to Cleveland to visit a long lost, never forgotten and newly found friend, CJ, from college. Lots of great vibes! Never underestimate the power of Facebook to bring people together! Life is full of second chances!

Keeping active, Doug