Sunday, August 16th to Saturday, August 22th

Sunday, August 16th to Saturday, August 22th

I ran 5 times this week, 32.4 miles

Sun: 8.5 miles, unknown time or pace, 82F, sunny, hot, hazy and humid, multiple stops, no pain. I ran with BD today for the first time. We ran on the Zoo trail up to the Rourke Bridge then crossed to the other side, ran down the River Trail, crossed back at the pedestrian bridge. I ran pretty well until Lake Ave but after that, I was pooped! The humidity was oppressive!

Mon: Still hot ... 91F, hot, hazy and humid! Rest day ... watched World's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed! It's kind of interesting how the masked magician does it!

Tue: 4.5 miles, 35:26, 7:52 pace, Fleet Feet speed run, sunny, a bit humid, no pain. The workout was 8 laps of the 600m loop, 400m hard with 200m recovery. I did 3 laps before and 1 lap afterward.

Wed: 6 miles, 55:12, pace, Fleet Feet Dirt Cheap #5, 75F, sunny, calm, not so humid, nice and easy, walked some hills, no pain, no worries.

This Dirt Cheap edition was in Webster Park. I ran easy, allowed people to pass when they were breathing down my neck. I got some cuts from all the pricker branches that covered the trail. I finished 96th out of 187, link here; 7th out of 10 in my age group, link here.

Just before the finish!
Fri: 4.1 miles, 32:40, 7:58 pace, Fleet Feet Happy Hour run, 76F, sunny, calm, very humid, 3 walking stops, no pain. Everyone was dripping wet when they finished. A passing rain shower provided some relief after the run. The resulting rainbow was nice.

Sat: 9.3 miles, 85:42, 9:13 pace, Zoo Trail up to Thomas Ave and back, 75F, sunny, humid, numerous stops, no pain. I got my butt out at 9:30AM. I have to admit that I do NOT like to run when it is humid ... I just wilt. Oh, I am OK for 3 miles or so but after that ... not so good. Well, at least I am out there running ... more than most people can say. I think I would be a good ultra runner ... as long as it wasn't too humid.

Seen on the road:
NY plate ... RUNNING26
VA plate of the Air & Space Museum with a SR-71 ... BK IN BLK

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sr-71
Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, August 9th to Saturday, August 15th

Sunday, August 9th to Saturday, August 15th

I ran 4 times this week, 29.5 miles

Sun: 13.6 miles, 143:42, 10:33 pace, Medved 'Dam' Good 22K Trail Run, 70F, cloudy, very humid, walked some hills, no pain. I finished in 2:23:42, 51st out of 102. I was 7th out of 12 in my 50-59 age group.

Just starting out
Somewhere in the middle
Gritting my teeth for the finish line!
The inaugural 'Dam' Good 22K Trail Run was nice, held on a twisty, technical trail with lots of roots, some mud and stream crossings down in Letchworth Park. Basically it was 7 miles out, 7 miles back, actually 22K, 13.6 or so miles by Garmin. On the way out there was a bit of fog in the woods! On the way back, the sun came out a bit and make it quite steamy. Luckily any rain held off until the run was over. I held my own, sucked it up after a couple of gels and fell in behind a guy for most of the way back. I ran through the mud on the way back ... just git 'er done! The course took a lot out of me but I had a good time. There was a lot of good homemade food (large cookies, bread, cupcakes) along with the usual pizza at the end to refuel on afterward. I won a door prize ... I chose a winter hat. All in all, a nice inaugural event and a nice way to spend a Sunday morning.

Tue: 6.2 miles, 53:27, 8:37 pace, Fleet Feet speed workout course - 16 loops, 76F, sunny, calm, humid, real easy, no pain. Almost everyone else did the Cobbs Hill run. Another guy and I did the speed loop. I don't think I could have handled the hills.

I ran well for 2 miles, then developed a stitch in my right side after I stopped for a water break. I couldn't get going again for a bit. Then I ran straight like a clock until I stopped: 8:18, 8:15, 10:36, 8:18, 8:21, 8:06 pace. I tried out a pair of Spenco PolySorb Cross Trainer Replacement Insoles in my running shoes. Cushion ... what a concept! I think I will buy a pair for my trail shoes!

Thu: 5.5 miles, 45:03, 8:11 pace, Fleet Feet Social run, 80F, sunny, calm, humid, a bit hard, 2 stops, no pain. There was a new route. I ran with a guy who pushed me a bit faster than I wanted to go. We got a bit lost in Corn Hill but made it back. I was social at the Social afterward. Quite an interesting supper: skinny chicken wings, cucumber and celery washed down with 2 Coronas. Then 3 cookies along with chocolate marshmallow ice cream and chocolate syrup. A balanced diet? Perhaps not!


Fri: 4.2 miles, 35:22, 8:25 pace, FF Happy Hour run, 82F, sunny, calm, humid, nice and easy, 2 walking stops, no pain. It was quite humid so I took it easy, no pressure.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, August 2nd to Saturday, August 8th

Sunday, August 2nd to Saturday, August 8th

I ran 4 times this week, 25.8 miles

Mon: 6 miles, 49:42, 8:17 pace, Seneca-Titus-St Paul-Zoo-pond-St Paul-Ridge run, 78F, sunny, a bit windy, not so humid, 2 water stops, no pain. Just your average run out to the zoo and around the pond. A busy night ... signed up for the 'Dam' Good Trail run, www.traillesstravelled.com, in Letchworth on Sunday, paid my rent, got a haircut.

Tue: 6.4 miles, 57:27, 8:59 pace, Fleet Feet Speed workout, 82F, sunny, humid, a bit windy, multiple stops, no pain. We went up to Cobb's Hill for this workout. I did 3 Y's. It was hot and humid ... the wind was very welcome! A very sweaty, slow workout!

Wed: Rest day. Didn't sleep well, kind of grouchy.

Thu: 9.3 miles, 79:17 total, 8:31 pace, Seneca-Collingwood-Zoo Trail (RR with some trail out to Rourke Bridge back on RR)-Collingwood-Seneca. Out: 4.6 in 38:10, 8:18 pace, 2:30 water break, Back: 4.7 miles in 41:07, 8:45 pace with 2 water stops. 72F, sunny, calm, a little humid, no pain though my IT Band wraps did slip down onto my knees. I escaped the couch and got out for a run! Sweet!

Fri: 4.1 miles, 31:54, 7:48 pace, Fleet Feet Happy Hour run, 72F, sunny, calm, a little hard, 1 big stop for traffic, no pain. I found a couple of guys who almost run my pace, who can push me if I slack. A beautiful night for a run!

Sat: Rest day before the 'Dam' Good Trail run, www.traillesstravelled.com on Sunday. I picked up my goodie bag from MedVed. It had a cotton T-shirt, a small water bottle, my tag, the current issue of Trail Runner, a coupon for RoadID and a flyer for the Oak Tree Half Marathon on Labor Day weekend.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, July 26th to Saturday, August 1st

Sunday, July 26th to Saturday, August 1st

I ran 4 times this week, 23 miles
Month of July: 110.5 miles, 19 out of 31 days, 5.8 miles/run
2009 to the end of July: 751.2 miles, 120 out of 212 days, 6.3 miles/run

Mon: 6.9 miles, 60:14, , Seneca-Collingwood-Zoo Trail run, 75F, sunny, a little windy and humid, 3 stops, no pain. A tale of two run like usual. 3.4 miles out in 28:40, 8:26 pace, 2 min walking water stop, 3.5 miles back in 29:34, 8:27 pace.

Tue: 5.6 miles, 49:24, 8:49 pace, Fleet Feet Speed workout, 82F, sunny, humid, lots of stops, no pain. The speed workout was 2 loops of 400/200, 800/400, 1200/600 (m hard/m easy) with 3 loops of 600m warmup. I think I did the warmup too fast because I had a stitch in my side whenever I tried to run more than 200m until the 600m of the 1st loop. Or it could have getting been getting used to the heat and humidity. I ran the 2nd loop of the entire set much faster than the first. A Chocolate Lover's Sundae at Abbott's afterward was well earned!

Thu: 6.4 miles, 60:06, 9:23 pace, Medved Seneca Park run up to the Rourke Bridge, 75F, sunny, humid, multiple stops, no pain. A group run with stops every mile or so. Went off with 2 other guys to the Rourke Bridge. On the way back some bee get stuck up in my sock and shoe. It bit me ... it hurt like the devil! It didn't swell up though.

Fri: 4.1 miles, 32:26, 7:55 pace, Fleet Feet Happy Hour run, 75F, sunny, a bit humid, easy, 3 stops, no pain. A bit too humid for my taste. When I took off my right shoe I found that I had a bloody sock ... kind of gross! I guess I should have trimmed my toenails this morning!

Sat: I thought about running the Phelps 20K but ... been there, done that, twice. I know about the hills at miles 5 and 6, the mostly no shade route. I am thinking about the Letchworth trail half marathon next weekend, www.traillesstravelled.com.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, July 19th to Saturday, July 25th

Sunday, July 19th to Saturday, July 25th

I ran 4 times this week, 23.3 miles

Sun & Mon: Rest days. The passion of real life sometimes gets in the way of running.

Tue: Two runs out at the called off Fleet Feet speed workout.
2.7 miles (7 laps of 600m), 21:13, 7:52 pace, 65F, mist to heavy rain with lightning, easy, no stops, no pain. I went back to FleetFeet when I was drenched. My trail shoes were like boats!
3.7 miles (9 laps of 600m), 30:00, 8:06 pace, 65F, after the storm, real easy to a little hard, no stops, no pain. I changed into another shirt and shoes and went back out. After I warmed up, I ran harder. The last full mile was 7:41 pace.

Wed: 6 miles, 49:32, 8:15 pace, Seneca-Titus-St Paul up to Carter-Ridge, 68F, cloudy, humid, real easy, no stops, no pain. I fought off the couch and got out for a run.

Fri: 4.1 miles, 31:52, 7:46 pace, Fleet Feet Happy Hour run, 68F, cloudy, humid, easy to a bit hard, no stops at all, no pain. I started out a bit slow, then kept the hammer down about half way the whole way.

Sat: 6.8 miles, 62:01 min, 9:07 pace, Seneca-Collinwood-Zoo Trail-Collinwood-Seneca run, 72F, sunny, humid, some stops, no pain. Really a tale of two runs. First was down the Zoo trail on the railroad tracks, 3.3 miles in 28:38, 8:41 pace. I took a 2 minute water break, then headed back taking the trail instead of the railroad tracks, 33:23, 9:32 pace. I took 3 walking water stops. I was dripping wet when I got back. A nice run with some nice mud.

The weather was the story later in the day. Two tornados hit in the afternoon. One in Corfu near Darien Lake. The other in Hilton. My youngest son was at Darien Lake and took a cell phone picture of the tornado.

Links from 13Wham.com here, whec.com here, rochesterhomepage.net here and here.

Update: There were 2 more tornados on Sunday in Cattaraugus County in the Southern Tier according to rnews.com, link here.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, July 12th to Saturday, July 18th

Sunday, July 12th to Saturday, July 18th

I ran 4 times this week, 24.1 miles

Sun: 9.4 miles, 77:54, Seneca-Titus-St Paul-the lake-St Paul-Ridge run, 72F, sunny, a bit windy, some stops, no pain. I ran easy all the way to just before the lake, 4.4 miles, 35:28, 8:04 pace. I took a long walking break to take a Gu and look out onto Lake Ontario. I ran real easy 5 miles back, 42:46, 8:28 pace. I thought about all the partiers ... err, runners who ran the Boilermaker in Utica. Maybe next year.

Tue: 6 miles, 48:05, 8:01 pace, Fleet Feet Speed workout, 70F, sunny, calm, no stops, no pain. 3 600m warmup loops, 10 loops of 400m hard and 200m easy, then 3 600m cooldown loops. Sweet!

Wed: 4.5 miles, 40:12, 8:56 pace, Fleet Feet Dirt Cheap #4, 72F, cloudy, calm, some walking on the hills, no pain. Dirt Cheap #4 was out at Mendon Ponds. We ran out of the Devil's Bathtub in time trail fashion going down the steps first this time. The creek was mostly mud but still deep in spots ... trust me, I did find some mud! I finished 113th out of 211, results here. I finished 8th out of 11 in my age group, results here. The usual great race put on by Fleet Feet.

Thu: Rest day. My car is having issues ... the worst one is that the transmission is shifting really bad between gears. I have talked with my brother, Don. He said to add transmission seal conditioner. He told me what to do, where to look and how to do it over the phone. I waited 3 hours until the engine was cool and added 16 oz plus I changed my oil while I was at it. When I took the used oil back to Pep Boys I noticed a vast improvement in the shifting. Don said the real test will be tomorrow morning when it is cold. A big thank you to Don ... who has all the car skills in the family! I change my own oil every 3000 miles ... that's about it!

Fri: 4.2 miles, 32:36, 7:46 pace, Fleet Feet Happy Hour run, 67F, cloudy, calm, a little humid, 1 long traffic stop, 1 walking stop, no pain. I ran a fast 7:06 1st mile, then had to wait at least 30 seconds to cross Highland, 8:34 2nd mile, 8:08 4rd mile, 7:49 4th mile. A nice, fast, sweet run!

I saw a great bumper sticker ... Run Easy is an Oxymoron. I want one!

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, July 6th to Saturday, July 11th

Sunday, July 5th to Saturday, July 11th

I ran 4 times this week, 23.9 miles

Sun: 8.6 miles, 79:00, 9:11 pace, Seneca-Collinwood-Zoo Trail-St Paul-Ridge run, 70F, sunny, calm, not humid, multiple stops, no pain. I felt very sluggish, no energy. It was the third running day in a row.

Mon: Rest day. Watched Star Wars III - Revenge of the Sith on DVD.

Tue: 5.2 miles, Fleet Feet Speed Workout, 65F, sunny, calm, no pain. I ran 1200m warmup, then 3 loops of 1200m hard, 600m easy ... plus 3 more 600m easy. A lot harder than it sounds. My first speed workout.

Wed: Rest day. Vacuumed out my car ... which is a production when you live in an apartment involving parking close, an extension cord and lugging the vacuum, etc. Been on a bit of a Star Wars kick lately. Watched Star Wars IV, A New Hope on VHS. Let's show some love for good old VHS tapes!

Thu: 6 miles, 8:00 pace, Fleet Feet Social Run, 75F, sunny, calm, no stops (except for traffic), no pain. No one was with my pace but I was social afterward. Had some fun.

Fri: 4.1 miles, 8:15-ish pace, Fleet Feet Happy Hour run, 80F, sunny, calm, a bit humid, multiple walking water stops, no pain. A night of firsts ... a pedicure and ice cream at Abbott's. Watched Star Wars V - The Empire Strikes Back on VHS.

Sat: Rest day. Went down to Marion to surprise my Aunt Eleanor and Uncle Bud with a visit from the DeWeaver clan (my brother and sister too). Then off to put an urn on my mother's grave, see my kids and see my father at the nursing home. Watched Star Wars VI - The Rise of the Jedi on VHS ... though I did watch some of it with my eyes closed.

Congratulations to Fleet Feet for their 5th anniversary!

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, June 28th to Saturday, July 4th

Sunday, June 28th to Saturday, July 4th
Month of June: 93.1 miles, 14 out of 30 days, 6.7 miles/run
So far in 2009: 640.7 miles, 101 out of 181 days, 6.3 miles/run

I ran 4 times this week, 24.8 miles

Sun & Mon: My left IT Band ached so I tried to rest it. Which isn't easy since my job involves a lot of walking.

Tue: 8.6 miles, first 4.2 in 37:00 (mostly railroad bed), last 4.4 in 42:00 (more trail), Seneca-Collingwood-Zoo Trail, 60F, rain, 1 long walking water stop, no pain. I absolutely had to get out and run ... it was 6:30PM when I started, no rain shower was going to stop me. Yes, I did get wet and muddy ... especially when I took mostly trail back. But it's all good! It was a warm rain and mud wipes off!

Wed: 7 miles, 60:24, 8:37 pace, Seneca-Titus-St Paul-Zoo-2 x Pond-St Paul-Ridge run, 72F, sunny, calm, humid, 4 walking water stops, no pain. Just your average humid run. I was dripping wet with sweat when I got done. Gonna have to get used to the humidity.

Fri: 4.1 miles, 31:55, 7:47 pace, Fleet Feet Happy Hour run, 65F, easy, sunny, a bit windy, no stops, no pain. I managed to disengage myself from the couch long enough to head down to Fleet Feet for the Friday Happy Hour run. I ran my usual fast pace. I run for enjoyment not speed ... but my natural pace is kind of fast. OK, fast compared to some people, slow compared to others.

Sat: 5 miles, Garmin for 5 miles - 39:06, 7:49 pace, Fairport Firecracker 5 mile, 62F, cloudy, a little windy, a little hard, 2 walking stops, no pain. I really have no love for the hills of Fairport! The clock at the finish said 40:11 but I don't believe it. I will have to wait for the posted results. Well, the posted results say I finished 172 out of 588 in 40:11, overall results here, 12th out of 44 in my age group, results here. I found out the race was actually 5.1 miles, so my pace was 7:53.

I'm the guy in the middle in the orange hat and dual IT Band wraps
A whole lot running was going on in the Rochester area ... besides 589 at the Fairport Firecracker 5 mile, 488 at the Brighton 5K, 218 and 252 at the Irondequoit 2 mile and 10K and 423 at the Sodus Point 5K. The ultrarunners were doing the Finger Lakes Fifties: 58 did the 25K, 69 did the 50K and 23 did the 50 mile.

I stayed in the rest of the day, listening to the sounds of fireworks all around my neighborhood. No fireworks were going on in my apartment ... I watched Star Wars II - Attack of the Clones on DVD.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, June 21st to Saturday, June 27th

Sunday, June 21st to Saturday, June 27th

I only ran 3 times this week, 19.8 miles

Sun: 7.5 miles, 62:34, 8:20 pace, Seneca-Titus-St Paul-Ridge, 74F, sunny, calm, really nice and easy, 2 water stops, no pain. I was really feeling gimpy due a night cramp in my left leg. I really needed this run to get out and DO something rather than just sit and think.

Tue: 6.3 miles, 52:44, 8:20 pace, Fleet Feet Cobb's Hill run, 4 loops, 78F, sunny, not humid, real easy, walking water stops, no pain. I am a creature of habit, I wanted to do the Cobb's Hill run.

Wed: 6ish miles, 60:09, Green & Blue trails at Mendon Ponds, 80F, sunny, a little humid, walking water stops, no pain. I needed a trail fix so I trekked down to Mendon for a nice run.

Thu: I gave blood for the 68th time. Vital stats: BP - 120/60, Pulse - 50. I guess I am in OK health.

Fri: Still a bit wonked from giving blood plus I wanted to save my muscles for Sat.

Sat: I helped my kids (and ex) move from their rented house to a very nice 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment outside of Newark. We had a lot of help ... it took 2 trips and 8 hours. I wore my IT Band wraps all day which really helped.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, June 14th to Saturday, June 20th

Sunday, June 14th to Saturday, June 20th

I only ran 3 times this week, 14.4 miles

Sun: A travel day to be sure. I went over to Corning to see the Corning Museum of Glass. It was nice seeing a museum by myself ... I can look at stuff by myself at my own pace. I was there about 5 hours. Then I headed north on 414 to Watkins Glen. I walked around Main St, around the pier and looked out on Seneca Lake. I reflected on my life ... I am determined to see what I can, no more just coasting. Then I headed up 14 to Geneva, then to Newark to see my daughter ... and retrieve my trail shoes that I accidentally left at my ex's house. Then finally, back to my apartment to see Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Lakers and the Magic. The Lakers really took this game in the 2nd quarter and didn't look back. So ... the Lakers won their 15th NBA Championship, 4 for Kobe. I fell asleep during the game ... it was boring.

Mon: A rest day. My knees ached. Now that the NBA Finals are over and the networks are showing repeats ... I really should get some stuff done.

Tue: 6.2 miles, 52:03, 8:23 pace, Fleet Feet Cobb's Hill run, 3 Y's, 67F, sunny, calm, walking water stops, no pain. I hydrated before the run, didn't push, took walking water stops when I needed them, and got a good workout. What more is there to life? Well ... besides that.

Wed: 4 miles, 54:23, 13:36 pace, Fleet Feet Dirt Cheap #3 in Ellison Park Wetlands, 60F, heavy rain, lots of mud, slipping and sliding and falling, no pain (yet). This race had to be the muddiest I have ever run in. We are talking rivers of mud here, wrath of God, 40 days of darkness ... (oops, a bit of Ghostbusters there). I fell down more times than I could count. The first couple of miles were tough. I had to learn how to run in the mud. Uphill you could run if you angled your feet outward. Downhill was dicey. If it wasn't too steep, you could maybe run leaning forward but if you leaned backward, you would probably fall on your butt. Sometimes, I just looked for better traction out of the mud on the side of the trail ... a slightly lower chance of falling on your butt. I started to get the hang of it and picked up the pace a bit ... you can only get so wet and so muddy! By the time I finished my shorts were all mud, and I had mud all over my legs arms and hands. Kudos to MacGregor's for putting up with 200 sweaty, muddy and hungry runners. The first thing I did when I got back to the apartment was to take a hot shower, wash my clothes (the mud came out), then drink a beer.

Looks like I am clean and dry ... actually muddy and drenched!
YouTube video here
Fri: 4.2 miles, 32:53, 7:50 pace, Fleet Feet Happy Hour run, 67F, sunny, calm, no stops, no pain. A sweet run to get the kinks out and swap war stories about Dirt Cheap #3! This race has already reached epic status in Rochester running lore!

Sat: Went out to Newark to see my kids ... a trifecta, I got to see all of them, two at Wal-Mart at work and one at home. I also met up with my brother and saw my father at the Wayne County Nursing Home to wish him a Happy Father's Day.

Wanted to have spaghetti and meatballs for supper ... no sauce, ate fish instead. It rained all day. I should have gone out for a run but didn't.

Keeping active, Doug