Sunday, 4/26/2020 to Saturday, 5/2/2020 - FLRC COVID-19 19K

This blog post is saved as I write it to avoid the Blogger "Auto Save" feature. I have found (as have others) that if you accidentally delete your entire blog post before you publish it that "Auto Save" will kick in within seconds to take you to a blank page. I have done this more than once! This feature is turned off once you publish the blog post. Then if you accidentally delete your entire post it is not final until you click Update (so you have a chance to realize that you are about to do something stupid).

I ran 4 times for 29.43 miles this week.
I took 59.278 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

UPDATE: My darling wife, Christine, is in her 4th week of a suspected COVID-19 illness (or the flu ... who knows). Her symptoms have been mild thankfully. She had a low grade fever that spiked to 103.8 on Monday night, March 30th, She called URMC on Tuesday, March 31st, and was told to self-quarantine. I got her Tylenol which lowered her fever during the rest of that week. She has had a bit of trouble breathing from time to time but it had been taken care of with an inhaler. She is slowly starting to feel better. She has an appetite for soup, toasted cheese sandwiches and whatever I can cook with the Instant Pot. We don' know how she got it since she had not been out for 2 weeks. I probably brought it home. I am asymptomatic as of right now. I take care of her while I work from home for Ricoh taking care of the L3Harris printers.

Sunday, 4/26/2020:  2101 steps,  47/103 resting/peak HR,  7:11 hrs sleep,  173.4 lbs,  9 floors climbed

I looked outside in the early morning and saw that it was raining. I thought ... it will stop .... well, it didn't stop ALL day. Every time I looked outside it was still raining lightly. Not a downpour but enough to get any runner drenched before they get a mile. It was in the low 40s so it would have been a cold rain if I had gone out. I still wanted to but I didn't.

What did I do instead? Well ... I gave myself my first (and hopefully only) COVID-19 haircut. I used the beard and hair trimmer that I bought a couple months ago. I decided to cut my hair in the basement so my hair could fall to the floor. I put on the 1/2" guard and went to town. I did the best I could, went upstairs and inspected the damage. Well ... it was uneven at best. Some sections were less than 1/4" and some with about 1" (behind my left ear). The trimmer needed a recharge so I took a shower before I tried again. Christine took a look at my hair and told me where it was cut uneven. I went back to the basement for more trimming. This time I got it all. Christine gave me a neck trim with a razor. Then it was time for another shower. I think I will hug my barber at Sport Clips whenever I see her next for a proper haircut.

Monday, 4/27/2020: 3389 steps, 48/108 resting/peak HR, 9:39 hrs sleep, 173.4 lbs, 2 floors climbed

Christine and I didn't sleep well. A car alarm in the parking lot outside our townhouse  went off multiple times last night. I remember getting up at 4:12 AM to check what car it was. I thought I would get up and get a run in if I couldn't get back to sleep. Well .. I did get back to sleep but I did invent a dream that had a car alarm in it ... lol! I did wake up on my side with my arm over my ear.

I wanted to get out for a run after my work-from-home day but I got back from grocery shopping after 5 PM and just decided to bag it to cook supper in the Instant Pot.

Tuesday 4/28/2020

9581 steps, 51/133 resting/peak HR, 9:05 hrs sleep, 172.0 lbs, 5 floors climbed
run: 6.05 miles, 51:47, 8:33 pace, 105 feet elevation gain, 126 avg HR, 162 avg cadence, 45F, 58% RH, calm, overcast

I got out for a run even though I didn't really feel like it. The result was a run ... but just that. I felt a bit off, a bit tired. I decided on the Around the block route for a change of pace. I did stop and took a couple of pictures. My splits were: 8:46, 8:17, 8:28, 8:20, 8:44 and 8:47.

A couple geese and 11(?) gooslings at the pond by the LOSP trail and Island Cottage

A sign of the COVID-19 times by the Original Charbroil Restaurant on Island Cottage

I continued to feel off the rest of the day. Christine is still feeling weak and I get lonely trying to stay safe at home. The news is that COVID-19 is going to be with us for a long time to come. Over 1 million people have it in the US and over 58,000 have died. I worry that as some states begin to open up that there will be more cases, more deaths and more lock downs. Trump (or 45 or dumbass) will continue to not take responsibility, blame the governors and try to skate his way to re-election in November. Remember ... VOTE BLUE ... the life you save may be your own!

Wednesday, 4/29/2020

8502 steps, 46/137 resting/peak HR, 7:46 hrs sleep, 173.1 lbs, 7 floors climbed
run: 5.35 miles, 44:34, 8:20 pace, 105 feet elevation gain, 130 avg HR, 165 avg cadence, 9F, 74% RH, 7 mph SSE wind gusting to 20 mph, wind chill 45F, cloudy


I got up and got out early for my Out on the pier route. I was back by 7:30 AM in plenty of time to clock in for my Ricoh work-from-home day at 8 AM. I felt better this morning and it showed in my pace. Lake Ontario was very calm. It was a bit windy and thus chilly for shorts so I may have run a bit faster just to keep warm. My splits were: 8:34, 8:26, 8:17, 8:15, 8:13 and 7:58. Wow! A negative split run without even knowing it!

Thursday, 4/30/2020

15364 steps, 48/139 resting/peak HR, 6:15 hrs sleep, 173.4 lbs, 8 floors climbed
run: 6.25 miles, 52:41, 8:26 pace, 75 feet elevation gain, 131 avg HR, 164 avg cadence, 57F, 90% RH, 8 mph SSE wind, overcast with light rain

I had signed up for an Un-Cancelled Running Project 10K from www.runtheedge.com the night before so I got up and got out. It was warm so I wore shorts and a long sleeve tech with no hat and no gloves. It had just started to lightly spit rain when I started. Well ... the rain continued and progressed to a light rain before I got done. So ... I was damp but not drenched when I got done just before 8 AM. No worries though. My splits were: 8:30, 8:17, 8:08, 8:30, 8:39, 8:31 and 8:25 over the last 0.25 mile. I was glad that I got my run in before work because it rained the rest of the day until just before nightfall.

It's the end of April ... so it's stat time!

I ran 18 times for 108.35 miles, 6.02 miles/run, in April (2nd month in a row over 100 miles)
I ran 2 virtual races in April:
 4/4 - COVID-19 19K (for FF, Medved, RRC), 1:40:37, 11.79 miles, 8:32 pace
 4/18 - Spring Clean Half, 1:55:36, 13.15 miles, 8:47 pace
I have run 71 times for 364.17 miles, 5.13 miles/run, so far in 2020.
230,934 steps during April and 1,007,198 steps so far in 2020

Friday, 5/1/2020: 2435 steps, 52/96 resting/peak HR, hrs sleep, lbs, floors climbed

I took a rest day after running 3 days in row. Just your typical work-from-home work. I went in to look after my Ricoh printers three times during the week.

Saturday, 5/2/2020

18206 steps, 51/138 resting/peak HR, 7:18 hrs sleep, 170.1 lbs, 3 floors climbed
run: 11.78 miles, 1:43:21, 8:46 pace, 75 feet elevation gain, 131 avg HR, 161 avg cadence, 42F to 57F, 73% RH, 12 mph W wind, sunny

Today was my FLRC COVID-19 19K run. I got up, puttered a bit and got out. I chose an out and back 11.78 miles. I set up an easy pace. I gulped a few mouthfuls of Hammer Gel at the turn. I slowed down on the way back and took several tiny stops to catch my breath but I got it done.

A magnolia on Edgemere Drive

My splits were: 8:46, 8:37, 8:37, 8:38, 8:43, 8:31, 8:31, 8:40, 8:58, 8:49, 9:11 and 9:32 over the last 0.78 mile. I really did slow down after mile 9. I was tired the rest of the day and moaned when I moved for most of the afternoon. The joys of running ... I love when I run (mostly) ... but sometimes (OK, most of the time) I ache afterward.

I made it back out to pick up our supper at Little Caesar's. I ordered a his and hers pizza. My side was pepperoni, sausage and bacon. Christine's side was peppers, olives, onion, pineapple. I used their touchless Pizza Portal pickup and opened its door with my phone ... germ free!

Sunday, 4/19/2020 to Saturday, 4/25/2020

I ran 4 times for 20.5 miles this week.
I took 49,271 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

UPDATE: My darling wife, Christine, is in her 3rd week of a suspected COVID-19 illness (or the flu ... who knows). Her symptoms have been mild thankfully. She had a low grade fever that spiked to 103.8 on Monday night, March 30th, She called URMC on Tuesday, March 31st, and was told to self-quarantine. I got her Tylenol which lowered her fever during the rest of that week. She has had a bit of trouble breathing from time to time but it had been taken care of with an inhaler. She is slowly starting to feel better. She has an appetite for soup, toasted cheese sandwiches and whatever I can cook with the Instant Pot. We don' know how she got it since she had not been out for 2 weeks. I probably brought it home. I am asymptomatic as of right now. I take care of her while I work from home for Ricoh taking care of the L3Harris printers.

Sunday, 4/19/2020

9946 steps, 52/129 resting/peak HR, 7:23 hrs sleep, 173.2 lbs, 14 floors climbed
run: 5.35 miles, 49:29, 9:15 pace, 128 feet elevation gain, 128 avg HR, 160 avg cadence, 43F, 58% RH, 14 mph SW wind, wind chill 34F, mostly sunny

The sunshine called me outside before 8 AM. My legs felt like crap so I put up a very sluggish pace and got it done. There was a stiff SW wind when I turned to come back from the end of the pier ... wasn't a fan. Not the best run ... but any run is a good run I guess. My splits were: 9:19, 9:07, 9:10, 9:08, 9:34 and 9:02 over the last 0.35 mile.

I did 4 loads of laundry before we had leftover ribs ... mmm!

The COVID-19 website that I follow, https://ncov2019.live/data, is updating again. Worldwide - 2,404,077 cases (up 85,680), 164,740 deaths (up 5,134); Europe - 872,831 cases (up 26,215), 64,545 (up 1,773), US - 759,134 cases (up  8,071), 40,265 deaths (up 375); NY - 241,712 cases, 17,671 deaths; Monroe County - 1, 016 cases, 71 deaths.

Monday, 4/20/2020: 6758 steps, 49/92 resting/peak HR, 6:07 hrs sleep, 172.6 lbs, 14 floors climbed

I went in to look at my Ricoh printers at the SAS side of L3Harris today. I try to do it on Mondays and Thursdays. A Security guy at L3Harris gave me a cloth mask. It fits a lot better than the dusk mask that Ricoh has give me (so far). Ricoh is in the process of sending 2 masks to every employee but so far they haven't arrived.

I washed all our sheets and blankets today. It took 5 loads: my sheets, mattress pads, Christine's sheets and 2 loads of blankets and pillow shams.

COVID-19 news: Worldwide - 2,489,144 cases, 170,850, Europe - 896,617 cases, 66,569 deaths; US - 793,505 cases, 42,604 deaths; NY - 253,060 cases, 18,929 deaths; Monroe County - 1035 cases, 81 deaths (up 10).

It's all kind of stupid to have "LIBERATE" protests to open up the economy when people are still dying. There was one held in Buffalo NY today. There is a rumor that one might be held in Rochester this week. Wow! Stay the fuck home as much as possible, save lives!

Tuesday, 4/21/2020: 2585 steps, 51/91 resting/peak HR, 8:21 hrs sleep, 172.8 lbs, 5 floors climbed

I could have ran today but there was a cold wind blowing so I let it talk me out of a run. Besides ... I wanted to watch Battlestar Galactica ... Stay In, Geek Out!

Oh ... I got a new personal cell today. I decided that my old Samsung Galaxy S5 needed to be retired. I decided to use my Verizon upgrade on a Samsung Galaxy A51 (which just came out 2 weeks ago). I used Samsung Smart Switch to transfer my data. Then I activated the new cell and made sure all my apps worked. It was a bit harder because I had to dig out all my passwords but I do try to keep them all in an app called Password Safe on my personal laptop. It took a while but it wasn't too difficult.

Wednesday, 4/22/2020

8413 steps, 50/130 resting/peak HR, 6:39 hrs sleep, 8 floors climbed
run: 2.07 miles (actually 4.25 miles), 9:15 pace, 124 avg HR, 163 avg cadence, 29F, 69% RH, 20 mph NW wind gusting to 29 mph, wind chill 16F, mostly sunny

My darling wife, Christine, got up to go to the bathroom ... and yelled "It snowed"! So ... I knew that I had to go out and play ... err ... run in it before it disappeared. So ... I got dressed in my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I do tend to wear the same gear in the winter and early spring ... I know what works. So ... I got outside and noticed all the ice or sleet  on the parking lot and sidewalk. I was so concerned with that (and feeling the cold wind) as I started up that I totally forgot to turn on my Garmin. I was concentrating on not falling for 95% of the run. The road shoulders were icy, the sidewalks were icy. My Brooks Adrenaline GTS19 shoes weren't much help.

The view outside the townhouse

The view on the Secret Sidewalk

The view from Ontario Beach Park. That is not white sand on the concrete but 1/2 inch of ice/sleet.

Mother Nature on Wednesday morning

I had to run flat footed because my feet slipped if I pushed off. I remembered to turn on my Garmin about halfway into the run. There were 1 to 2 foot waves crashing into the pier so I didn't go out on the pier. There were actually some people out for walks on a cold Wednesday morning. I cut the run short by heading through the hole in the fence on the LOSP trail. I was glad I went out. I bet Christine thought I was crazy ... I have done some stupid running stuff over the years, lol!

Thursday, 4/23/2020

9335 steps, 50/135 resting/peak HR, 8:02 hrs sleep, 173.7 lbs, 14 floors climbed
run: 5.35 miles, 45:58, 8:35 pace, 135 feet elevation gain, 129 avg HR, 163 avg cadence, 37F, 78% RH, 15 mph ENE wind, wind chill 28F, overcast

I could tell that I wouldn't get a chance to run after work so I run during lunch. I only get 1 hour so I chose my Out on the pier route. It was cold (like usual) so I wore my usual winter running gear (which I am SO getting tired of). I struck a nice pace and held it. There weren't too many people out. My splits were: 8:38, 8:41, 8:43, 8:32, 8:30 and 8:12 over the last 0.35 mile.

Friday, 4/24/2020: 3634 steps, 51/92 resting/peak HR, 7:31 hrs sleep, 174.2 lbs, 0 (!) floors climbed

Just your usual work-from-home day. I had to go in (4 times this week) to look after the plotters and see if I had a shipment of face masks from Ricoh (I didn't). Christine came downstairs to make supper (tuna and tator tots) but got tired and went back upstairs. I took it out off the oven, plated it and her supper up to her. I stayed downstairs and watched more Battlestar Galactica episodes off of the DVR

Saturday, 4/25/2020

8600 steps, 51/138 resting/peak HR, 8:58 hrs sleep, 172.6 lbs, 10 floors climbed
run: 5.35 miles, 45:12, 8;27 pace, 105 feet elevation gain, 129 avg HR, 163 avg cadence, 45F, 56% RH, calm, sunny

I woke up with the sun ... but went back to sleep. I finally got out though. It was a bit warmer so I wore shorts, a long sleeve tech, neck gaiter, light running gloves and a Mind the Ducks hat. There weren't many people out so it was easy to maintain social distance. My splits were: 8:31, 8:31, 8:29, 8:41, 8:09 and 8:02 over the last 0.35 mile.

I cooked up hamburgers along with potato salad. The condiments were: mustard, ketchup, sweet relish and a tomato. Mmm! I am getting better at cooking but I have my up and down days.

Sunday, 4/12/2020 to Saturday, 4/18/2020 - Spring Clean Half virtual run

I ran 4 times for 28.2 miles this week.
I took 55,038 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

UPDATE: My darling wife, Christine, is in her 2nd week of a suspected COVID-19 illness (or the flu, who knows). Her symptoms have been mild thankfully. She had a low grade fever that spiked to 103.8 on Monday night, March 30th, She called URMC on Tuesday, March 31st, and was told to self-quarantine. I got her Tylenol which lowered her fever during the rest of that week. She has had a bit of trouble breathing from time to time but it had been taken care of with an inhaler. She has been bedridden since. She has an appetite for soup, toasted cheese sandwiches and whatever I can cook with the Instant Pot. We don' know how she got it since she had not been out for 2 week. I probably brought it home. I am asymptomatic as of right now. I take care of her while I work from home for Ricoh taking care of the L3Harris printers.

Sunday, 4/12/2020: 755 steps, 45/97 resting/peak HR, 8:51 hrs sleep, 0 (!) floors climbed

Today was Easter. I felt a bit weak and tired all day so I just stayed in. Christine stepped in and did the cooking. She used the Instant Pot to slow cook a beef roast along with pasta. She does have more skills in the kitchen than I. She also baked 4 loaves of raisin bread. It did tucker her out. Anyway ... all this cooking did make a LOT of dishes. It ended up being 2 dishwasher loads plus washing the pots the next day.

COVID-19 news ... Worldwide - 1,853,752 cases, 72,147 deaths (up 114,195); Europe - 860,971 cases (up 25,672), 76,544 deaths (up 3114); US - 560,246 cases (up 27,367), 22,101 deaths (up 1,524); NY - 189,415 cases (up 27,367), 22,101 deaths (up 758); Monroe County - 768 cases, 50 deaths (up 1).

Meanwhile ... Christine's oldest brother, Bill, emailed a picture of their Easter dinner from Ravenna OH, a small town about 40 miles southeast of Cleveland. They were definitely not socially distant ... 3 generations with her brother Bill and wife Pattie, their 3 kids and multiple grandchildren. Here ... Christine is terrified and I am concerned about going out into public places. Just hunkered down in Rochester NY.

Monday, 4/13/2020

11366 steps, 45/135 resting/peak HR, 7:19 hrs sleep, 17 floors climbed
run: 5.35 miles, 48:04, 8:59 pace, 138 feet elevation gain, 125 avg HR, 161 avg cadence, 61F, 80% RH, 11 mph SSE wind gusting to 26 mph, overcast

I was up early and felt a bit better so I got up, got dressed and out the door. It was warm and a bit windy so I wore shorts, a long sleeve tech and light running gloves. The forecast was for a strong cold front to move through in the afternoon and I wanted to get a run in and done. I set up a sluggish pace and got it done. There was hardly anyone out. My splits were: 9:14, 8:58, 9:06, 8:51, 8:51 and 8:42 over the last 0.35 mile.

Working from home ... a real short commute for sure! I did have to go into work in the afternoon to look after the L3Harris printers that are non-networked or on a secure network. I can't monitor all the Ricoh printers remotely.

COVID-19 news ... Worldwide - 1,926,860 cases (up 71,785), 119,678 deaths (up 5,415); Europe - 884,402 cases (up 23,330), 79,748 deaths (up 3,200); US - 586,813 cases (up 26,513), 23,697 deaths (up 1,514); NY - 195,655 case (up 6,387), 10,251 deaths (up 685), Monroe County - 791 case, 50 deaths

Trump had another off-the-rails COVID-19 press briefing ... what else is new? He asserted that he has "total authority", told a female reporter (Paula Reid of CBS News) that "you're so disgraceful", played a campaign style video that praised his handling of the pandemic and said "everything that we did was right", link here. I don't think Trump read the US Constitution. We do have a Constitution specifically the 10th amendment "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited y to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people". NY Governor Cuomo said on CNN that night, "The President doesn't have total authority.  We don't have a king." Cuomo's daily press briefing are "must see" TV in these troubled times. Yet a lot of Republican upstate NYers hate him ... I guess you can figure out my view. I am so looking forward to VOTING BLUE all the way up and down the ticket on 11/3/2020!

Tuesday, 4/14/2020: 1425 steps, 47/105 resting/peak HR, 9:00 hrs sleep, 172.9 lbs, 8 floors climbed

Your typical work-from-home day for Ricoh ... if there is such a thing. I took care of Christine and monitored the Ricoh printers at L3Harris remotely. Her back hurt during the night and she feels "blah". 

COVID-19 news ... Worldwide - 1,993,727 cases (up 67,713), 126,167 deaths (up 6,658); Europe - 909,759 cases (up 25,693), 83,293 deaths (up 3,676); US - 609,614 cases (up 22,673),  25,794 deaths (up 2,154); NY - 202,208 cases (up 7,127), 10,834 (up 778); Monroe County - 834 cases (up 43), 56 deaths (up 6)

Here is a CNN Politics opinion article about Trump's presser yesterday entitled "Trump rages at criticism while governors craft their own plans to reopen the economy", link here. Trump will want to open up the economy and blame the governors (some will and some won't). A total shit show for the entire spring, summer and fall heading into the 11/3/2020 election.

Wednesday, 4/15/2020

9784 steps, 52/140 resting/peak HR, 8:46 hrs sleep, 172.1 lbs, 21 floors climbed
run: 5.35 miles, 45:23, 8:29 pace, 131 feet elevation gain, 135 avg HR, 162 avg cadence, 40F, 47% RH, 21 mph W wind, wind chill 30F, overcast

Another work-from-home day for Ricoh. I took care of Christine while I monitored printers. I mixed it up a bit by taking a lunch time run. It was cold again so I wore my CW-X tights, Brooks 1/4 zip, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. April weather can be so changeable. I only had a hour so I chose my Out on the pier route. I got my feet wet on the pier which slowed me down a bit. I was also running into the wind on the way back from the pier. I had to run in the road for a bit on Greenleaf Rd when I passed 3 walkers ... gotta maintain social distance you know.

NY Governor Cuomo signed an executive order advising essential workers to wear masks by 8 PM today. He also signed another one for the general public to wear masks or cover your face with a bandanna when less than 6 feet away. I have already seen Facebook posts about people upset that upstate NY is not NYC or about Cuomo overstepping his authority ... wow.

COVID-19 news ... Worldwide - 2,072,269 cases (up 74,409), 133,802 deaths (up 7,202); Europe - 959,235 cases (up 28,481), 87,708 deaths (up 4,147); US - 640,185 cases (up 26,299), 28,306 deaths (up 2,259); NY -  213,779 cases (up 10,656), 11,586 deaths (up 752); Monroe County - 883 cases (up 49), 57 deaths (up 1)

Thursday, 4/16/2020

9544 steps, 47/135 resting/peak HR, 6:54 hrs sleep, 173.3 lbs, 5 floors climbed
run: 4.35 miles, 36:40, 8:26 pace, 105 feet elevation gain, 127 avg HR, 162 avg cadence, 24F, 77% RH, 8 mph W wind, wind chill 15F, sunny

I was up early so ... I got dressed and out there for a run before work started at 8 AM. I read in NY Times that Florida was having record warmth for March (2nd warmest) and most of April. It was 80F down in Miami at 8 AM ... meanwhile it was 24F outside when I got out for my short Out by the pier run at 7 AM. It was quiet and I easily avoided any walkers and runners. I brought my buff which did double duty as a neck warmer and face covering whenever I got near anyone. I set up a steady pace. Boom ... done. My splits were: 8:38, 8:25, 8:17, 8:28 and 8:09 over the last 0.35 mile.

I worked from home in the morning with 2 meetings via Skype. I went in for a bit to look at the Epson plotters. Their printheads need to be tested and cleaned (if necessary) about every 3 to 4 days. I did a bit of grocery shopping at BJs. I like shopping there because the aisles are wide which helps with social distancing but the selection sometimes is not the best.

COVID-19 news ... Worldwide - 2,178,149 cases (up 91,817), 145,329 deaths (up 6,855); Europe - 1,007,797 cases (up 44,062), 92,048 deaths (up 3,896); US - 675,640 cases (up 27,637), 34,522 deaths (up 2,079); NY - 226,198 cases (up 7,636), 16,106 deaths (up 606), Monroe County - 932 cases, 62 deaths

Friday, 4/17/2020: 962 steps, 53/108 resting/peak HR, 8:46 hrs sleep, 173.7 lbs, 4 floors climbed

The last day of a work-from-home week ... just monitored remotely. No worries. I didn't cook ... we had shrimp with cocktail sauce. Easy-peasy.

No COVID-19 news tonight ... the COVID-19 website, https://ncov2019.live/data, was not updated. I did learn the highest number of people in the US died of COVID-19 on Friday, 4591. The previous high was 2 days ago, 2565. Friday was also the day that Trump told the governors that "you are going to call your own shots" as to opening their economies. Then he also tweeted "LIBERATE MICHIGAN", "LIBERATE MINNESOTA" and "LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd amendment. It's under siege!" These 3 states have Democratic governors that coincidentally are states that Trump needs to win to get re-elected. Coincidence? I just know that I will VOTE BLUE!

Saturday, 4/18/2020

21202 steps, 54/137resting/peak HR, 8:02 hrs sleep, 173.5 lbs, 5 floors climbed
run: 13.15 miles, 1:55:36, 8:47 pace, 200 feet elevation gain, 132 avg HR, 163 avg cadence, 34F at the start, 40F at the end, 8 mph N wind, wind chill 29F at the start and 35F at the end, sunny

I was up a bit early and tried to get back to sleep but I dozed off and on until 6:45 AM. I puttered around a bit before I got out. My plan was to run the Fleet Feet Spring Clean Half virtual run. It took me a bit because my over-the-ear earpiece died and I had to find a backup pair of wired earphones. I used to run without music for years but I have run with music for at least 2 years now. It was 34F so I wore my CW-X tights, short sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. It was cloudy at first but turned sunny later. I set up a "get it done" pace. The first 8 miles just clicked off. I stopped at 6.65 miles, had 2 gulps of Hammer Gel and took off my Brook 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover since I was a bit warm. The next 5 miles were a bit more of a struggle but I got it done. I was more than happy to stop when I got to 13.15 miles, trust me. My splits were: 8:30, 8:32, 8:32, 8:46, 8:49, 8:31, 8:42, 8:38, 8:55 , 9:43, 8:36, 8:53, 9:09 and 8:31 over the 0.15 mile.

Virtually ... I did OK. Virtually ... I was 30th out of 110, link here and 1st out ot 3 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. There were 265 finishers in the Virtual Clean 5K, link here. There were 142 finishers in the Virtual Clean 10K, link here.

My darling wife, Christine, is starting to feel a bit better. She came downstairs to start cooking the ribs that I had bought at BJs earlier in the week. I watched her and it did seem pretty easy. Well ... they certainly tasted great along with a baked potato when I pulled them out three hours later. We had apple pie with ice cream for dessert!

Sunday, 4/5/2020 to Saturday, 4/11/2020

This blog post is saved as I write it to avoid the Blogger "Auto Save" feature. I have found (as have others) that if you accidentally delete your entire blog post before you publish it that "Auto Save" will kick in within seconds to take you to a blank page. I have done this more than once! This feature is turned off once you publish the blog post. Then if you accidentally delete your entire post it is not final until you click Update (so you have a chance to realize that you are about to do something stupid).

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 4 times for 20.31 miles this week.
I took 49,995 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 4/5/2020

7277 steps, 54/133 resting/peak HR, 7:29 hrs sleep, 10 floors climbed
run: 4.35 miles, 38:19, 8:48 pace, 102 feet elevation gain, 127 avg HR, 161 avg cadence, 44F, 89% RH, 5 mph SW wind, wind chill 41F, overcast

I got up around 7:30 AM and got together Christine's breakfast of tea and rye toast with apricot jelly. Then ... I got dressed and got out there for my fourth run in a row. It was a bit above 40F with little so I wore shorts, a long sleeve tech, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I set up a slow and steady pace. I just wanted to be out there. I was out early enough so that I saw very few people which was just fine with me. I kept it short with my Out to the pier route. My splits were: 8:51, 8:48, 8:52, 8:52 and 8:21 over the last 0.35 mile.

My darling wife, Christine ... her temperature is normal and she is still weak and achy. I brought up a toasted cheese sandwich for lunch and leftover potatoes and carrots from last night. I didn't feel much like cooking tonight.

COVID-19 news as of 8:42 PM ... Worldwide - 1,274,282 cases, (up  72,8250, 69,428 deaths (up 4,766); Europe - 637,826 (up 30,355), 49,113 deaths (up 3,036); US - 336,673 cases (up 25,316), 9,616 deaths (up 1,165); NY - 123,018 cases (up 8,327), 4,159 deaths (up 594); Monroe County - 516 cases, 19 deaths

Monday, 4/6/2020: 5969 steps, 46/103 resting/peak HR, 7:31 hrs sleep, 171.7 lbs, 7 floors climbing

Well ... a day of rest from running and another day of work at Ricoh. I had 3 teleconferences before 1:30 PM. Along with a bit of getting stuff to work remotely ... a printer there and a printer than wouldn't work here (but not for me). Then ... I headed in to post signs for a new printer. Sometimes you just have to do stuff onsite.

What's for supper? Well ... my darling wife Christine ... told me to "wing it" with the chicken breasts that I had defrosted for supper. So ... bwhahaha! So I winged it with our new Instant Pot for the third time. I could hear Han Solo .... "Don't get cocky, kid!". I put in olive oil to coat the basin ... sauteed the chicken breasts ... cut the potatoes, celery, carrots ... seasoned it with poultry seasoning, maple syrup, 2 bay leaves, a beef bouillon cube and a smidge of ground tumeric. Then ... wait for a hour while the Instant Pot does its magic. Open it up ... dish it out ... delicious! I take all the credit ... I am getting better ... lol!

COVID news ... grim as usual as of 9:45 PM. Worldwide - 1,347,401 cases (up 70,112), 74,701 deaths (up 5,125); Europe - 664,881 (up 25,650), 52,518 (up  3,321); US - 367,004 cases (up 30,647), 10,896, (up 1,301); NY - 131,916 cases (up  8,658), 4,758 deaths (up 599); Monroe County - 543 cases, 26 deaths (up 7). Trump ... twitting that his teleconferences tell important info about COCID-19 and that all else is "fake news" that America has been told for years ... wow! While the US deaths rise over 10K ... and some South states with Republican governors OK Sunday services as "essential services".

Tuesday, 4/7/2020

11733 steps, 46/139 resting/peak HR, 8:29 hrs sleep, 171.5 lbs, 7 floors climbed
run: 5.35 mile, 45:00, 8:24 pace, 121 feet elevation gain, 133 avg HR, 161 avg cadence, 52F, 43% RH, 9 mph NE wind, overcast with light sprinkles

My darling wife, Christine, is feeling blah. Her temperature is normal or below but she is still as weak as a kitten. I take care as best as I can. She likes tea and toast. She is always appreciative of my efforts at taking of her.
 
But .. after my work-from-home day which involved going on-site to take meter reads from almost all my SCIF and not networked Ricoh printers ... I needed to get out. So ... I did. It had clouded over and it felt colder than the actual temperature. I chose shorts, a long sleeve tech and light running gloves. I chose my Out to the pier route for a bit over 5 miles. There weren't too many people out so it was easy to be socially distant. It started to sprinkle on me after mile 3 so I sped up a bit. My splits were: 8:30, 8:25, 8:21, 8:27, 8:20 and 8:22 over the last 0.35 mile.

More COVID-19 news ... grim as usual. Worldwide - 1,430,999 cases (up 84,465), 82,009 deaths (up 7,447); Europe - 699,743 cases (up 35,505), 57,273 deaths (up 4,820); US - 397,525 cases (up 30,677); NY - 138,863 cases (up 8,147), 5,489 deaths (up 731); Monroe County - 570 cases, 31 deaths (up 5).

Wednesday, 4/8/2020

10715 steps, 49/138 resting/peak HR, 8:10 hrs sleep, 170.4 lbs, 11 floors climbed
run: 5.35 miles, 45:22, 8:28 pace, 95 feet elevation gain, 131 avg HR, 161 avg cadence, 54F, 64% RH, 10 mph W wind, partly cloudy

The usual work from home stuff: try to keep up on stuff virtually, do meter read virtually, only go in when you can't do stuff virtually. I clocked in at 9:30 AM since I had to make a grocery run at BJs during "senior hour" from 8 AM to 9 AM. I tried to use a home-made mask that I made out of Christine's silk scarf ... epic fail! It fell off before I got into BJs. I made do with just light running gloves. I would estimate that 75% of the shoppers had face masks. I was able to score some Lysol spray that kill 99.9% of viruses ... win!

I had to get out after work ... but first I had to work up supper for Christine and I. I had put out a pork tenderloin to thaw. I didn't even ask Christine for instructions on how to do the Instant Pot. I sauteed the pork while I cut up potatoes, carrots and celery. I added maple syrup, ketsup, poultry seasoning, Simply Spain from Penseys as seasoning. Boom ... one hour on Meat pressure cook. Then ... boom ... I was out for a Out to the pier route run. I set up an easy pace and got out there. It was 54F so I wore shorts, a long sleeve tech and light running gloves. I endured it ... and was dripping sweat when I got done. My splits were: 8:20, 8:23, 8:37, 8:33, 8:37 and 8:07 over the last 0.35 mile.

Well ... I had to towel off a bit before I got to dish out our supper. I dished out Christine's supper first. She yelled down that it was excellent before I got to mine ... a good sign. Mmm ... tasty! My fourth Instant Pot supper ... even "cooks" like me can make great meals!

COVID-19 news ... grim! Worldwide - 1,519,014 cases (up 86,783), 88,551 deaths (up 6,564); Europe - 434,062 cases (up 31,951), 14,774 deaths (up 1,926); US - 434,581 cases (up 31,951), 14,779 deaths (up 1,931)' NY - 151,171 cases (up 10,480), 6,268 deaths (up 779); Monroe Count - 627 cases, 34 deaths (up 3). I fear that once it gets warm (granted that it's already warm in the south) that social distancing will get out the window and that the number of deaths will skyrocket because TRUMP wants to open the economy back up to save his re-election chances.

Thursday, 4/9/2020: 3363 steps, 48/99 resting/peak HR, 8:02 hrs sleep, 4 floors climbed

Another day of working from home. I slept in late, didn't shower, wanted to monitor my Ricoh printers at L3Harris from home ... silly me. I got an IM from their help desk just before noon of a printer that had a SC670-03 error. So ... I got dressed and headed into B601. I called my go-to Ricoh tech and she suggested that I replace the ELP surge suppressor, cycle the power and monitor the printer. My Ricoh boss told me that we had a box of 50 dust masks at B601. I took 10 and left at least 30. So it was a good thing to get the masks so I can look socially acceptable when I got into a store like BJs, Wegmans or Aldis.

COVID-19 news ... grim as usual! Worldwide: 1,604,570 cases (up 53,353), 95,714 deaths (up 5,792); Europe - 764,987 cases (up 22,631), deaths 65,668 ( up 4,148); US - 468,566 cases, )up 18,132), 16,691 deaths (up 1,236); NY - 161,504 cases (up 10,621), 7,067 (up 799); Monroe County - 680 cases, 40 deaths (up 6). 

Friday, 4/10/2020: 1821 steps, 50/111 resting/peak HR, 7:37 hrs sleep, 171.6 lbs, 7 floors climbed

I was in a cranky and tired mood all day. Christine was still feeling weak but did come downstairs before breakfast to show me how to cook oatmeal in the microwave (just 1/2 cup oatmeal plus1 cup water and microwave for 3 minutes). I dressed it up with yogurt and some fruit for her. There was a bit of wet snow in the morning that accumulated (but not up by Lake Ontario) which had a lot of my Facebook friends posting pictures. 

Then it turned sunny and very windy. I thought about running after work but was very tired and didn't really relish the idea of running in April with a wind chill of about 20F. I was relieved when Christine called me and told me she had called the Olive Garden and had ordered a Good Friday supper.

Curbside pickup at the Olive Garden was adjusted for the CoronaVirus era. A woman in a mask took my name and about ten minutes later brought out my food and placed it on a tray behind my car. I got out and got it while she backed away. It was excellent! Christine had ordered salad,, breadsticks, shrimp alfredo and pasta.

COVID-19  news ... grim as usual! Worldwide - 1,701,783 cases (up 95,687), 102,900 deaths (up 6,958); Europe - 804,534 cases (up 38,941), 69,887 deaths (up 4,138); US - 502,876 cases (up 33,749), 18,747 deaths (up 2,012); NY - 172,358 cases (up 10,575), 7,844 deaths (up 777); Monroe County - 712 cases, 46 deaths (up 6)

Saturday, 4/11/2020

9117 steps, 47/134 resting/peak HR, 7:15 hrs sleep, 174.6 lbs, 13 floors climbed
run: 5.25 miles, 46:09, 8:47 pace, 105 feet elevation gain, 128 avg HR, 162 avg cadence, 36F, 59% RH, 13 mph W wind, wind chill 26F, sunny

Well ... the sun and wind beckoned me out for a long run that didn't happen! Why? Well .. the first clue was that my weight from up 3 pounds. This was probably due to still being full from last night's Good Friday supper from the Olive Garden. I set up a very sluggish pace and struggled to hold it during the entire run. It was windy and it was even tougher to hold a pace into it. I went out onto the pier and got my feet drenched when a wave crashed over the edge when I was 99% out and on the way back. There were walkers and runners out but all seemed to be maintaining the proper social distances. Still any run is better than no run. My splits were: 8:47, 8:33, 8:42, 8:47, 8:59 and 9:10 over the last 0.26 mile.

I made it back home and just lazed around the rest of the day. I had no energy whatsoever. My darling wife, Christine, is still weak. I didn't make anything for supper. We relied on tuna fish sandwiches, tomato soup and frozen waffles. Not exactly gourmet food but enough to sustain us.

COVID-19 news - Worldwide - 1,780,587 cases (up 80,030), 108,937 deaths (up 6,073); Europe - 835,457 cases (up 30,923), 73,448 deaths (up 3,576); US - 531,864 cases (up 29,468), 20,524 deaths (up 1,788); NY - 180,458 cases (up 9,946), 8,627 deaths (up 783, 5th day in a row above 700); Monroe County - 742 case, 49 deaths (up 3). 

Sunday, 3/29/2020 to Saturday, 4/4/2020 - COVID-19K virtual run

I ran 4 times for 27.14 miles this week.
I took 55,986 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 3/29/2020

9028 steps, 55/140 resting/peak HR, 8:24 hrs sleep, 172.0 lbs, 6 floors climbed
run: 5.25 miles, 45:43, 8:42 pace, 98 ft elevation pace, 132 avg HR, 160 avg cadence, 63F, 68% RH, 16 mph S wind, mostly cloudy

Well ... I went out to BJ's early during senior (over 60 only) hour (8 AM to 9 AM) to hunt and gather. Christine had given me a list and I did the best I could. I got the last sandwich meat package and last powdered milk that I could find. I got a selection of meat (chicken breast, pork, beef and shrimp), I maintained my social distance from my fellow shoppers.

I puttered around for a while after I got home but just had to get out into the sudden warmth. I wore shorts and a short sleeve tech with no hat and no gloves! I set up an easy pace. There were a lot of people out and I did have to veer a bit to try to keep my social distance.

COVID-19 news from https://ncov2019.live/data: Worldwide - 726187 cases (up 57216), 33926 deaths (up 3052); more deaths in Italy, Spain, France -  756, 821, 292 respectively; US - 140,458 cases (up 17,591), 2,466 deaths (up  237); NY - 59,648 cases (up 6,255), 965 deaths (up 82); Monroe County - 223, 33 in hospital, 22 of those in ICU, 6 deaths. Governor Cuomo extended the social "pause" for 2 more weeks, Trump extended social distancing guidelines until April 30. 

Monday, 3/30/3030: 6804 steps, 50/99 resting/peak HR, 6:40 hrs sleep,171.0 lbs, 7 floors climbed

No COVID-19 data today ... just a bit of news. Trump's daily press briefing for instance. Let's see ... the hospitals are hoarding face masks (and maybe selling them out the back door) and ventilators. Then there was a shortage of ventilators that he likened to the "shortage of bullets" when he entered office (but Obama). He says his daily press briefings have higher ratings than "The Bachelor" or "Monday Night Football". He says that all the state governors are happy with the aid that he has given him and that they should be "appreciative".. He accuses a few reporters that were asking about his direct quotes of lying. It goes on and on ... just another daily press briefing. Oh ... he also turned the press briefing for a bit over to the My Pillow CEO who said “God gave us grace on Nov. 8, 2016, to change the course we were on,” and “God had been taken out of our schools and lives. A nation had turned its back on God.” The US Comfort docked in NYC to provide another hospital to NYC where people are dying. I hope we all survive until 11/3/2020.

Tuesday, 3/31/2020: 2461 steps, 54/94 resting/peak HR, 7:09 hrs sleep, 172.8 lbs, 4 floors climbed

Update: Christine came down a fever overnight: 101.3 at 11 AM, 102.4 at 3 AM, 103 at 6 AM, 101.8 at 11 AM. I am still normal. How did she get it? She was last out of our townhouse over 2 weeks ago when she went to Aldi's. Am I an asymptomatic carrier or did I bring it in on a food package? I have a below normal temperature according to our digital meat thermometer. There is no way I am using the medical one that Christine uses. I am now on a Ricoh COVID-19 quarantine. I am to work at home for at least a week. I emailed my boss of where I went yesterday since I went in and touched some of my printers/plotters.at L3Harris. So ... I will be working remotely for at least a week.

Later update: I got out to get Christine some Tylenol and an Albuterol inhaler. I had to go to the Walgreens on Long Pond and Spencerport Rd to get the Tylenol and Wegmans Latta to get her Albuterol inhaler. She was wiped out from the fever but felt better after a dose of Tylenol, sleep and some toast with apricot jelly and tea. I am just a bit stressed as I am expected to continue working for Ricoh remotely but also keeping an ear out for anything that Christine wants.  

It's the end of March so it's stat time ... I have to run to relive my stress and just get my mind off COVID-19.

I ran 19 times for 102.95 miles in March, 5.42 miles/run.
I have run 53 times so far in 2020 for 255.82 miles, 4.8 miles/run
I ran 2 races in March (1 official and 1 virtual)
 3/1 Polar Cat #3, 3.1 miles, 23:55, 7:40 pace
 3/15 Virtual Runnin' of the Green, 5 miles, 40:18, 8:04 pace
I have run 9 races so far in 2020.
I took 257,744 steps in March and 776.264 steps so far in 2020.

COVID-19 news: Worldwide: 861,532 cases, 42,135 deaths: Italy: 106128 cases, (up 4053), deaths 2443 deaths ( up 833); Spain - 95923 cases (7967 cases), 8464 deaths (748); Germany: 71,985 cases (  up 4,923), 778 deaths (up 130);  Francs: 52,375 cases, up 7,578 cases, 3,523 deaths, (up 499 deaths);  UK 25,150 cases (up 3,009); 1789 deaths (up 381), US 187,347 cases (up 23,559), 3,976 deaths (up 719), NY 75,795 cases (up  8,470), 1,714 deaths (up 208), Monroe County : 300 cases, 57 cases in hospital,, 37 in ICU, 9 deaths. Worried ... to say the least.

Wednesday, 4/1/2020: 728 steps, 54/97 resting/peak HR, 6:03 hrs sleep, 172.2 lbs, 2 floors climbed

COVID-19 news: Worldwide - 933,737 cases, 46,926 deaths; Italy - 110,574 cases (up 4,782), 13,155 deaths (up  727); Spain - 104,118 cases (up 8,195), 9,387 deaths (up 923); France - 57,270 cases (up 4,861), 4,032 deaths (up 509); UK - 29,474 cases (up 4,324), 2,352 deaths (up 563); US - 212,980 cases (up 24,450), 4,935 deaths (up 706); NY - 83,901 cases (up 7,918), 2,176 deaths (up 227); Monroe County: 359 (up 59), 62 in hospital, 28 in ICU, 477 quarantined, 90 recovered, 9 deaths. Florida finally issued a stay-at-home order. There are 3 cruise ship moored at Ft Lauderdale wanting to dock with sick passengers. The US may have 200K deaths in the next 30 days ... sad.

I stayed in today ... I thought about running but remained in isolation as I took a couple hours of sick time to care for Christine. She is better with a temp around 100F. She has had tea, toast with apricot jelly, tomato soup and crackers today. She is feeling wiped but took a brief bath. She sleeps a lot. I go up and check on her ... relieved to hear her snoring.

Thursday, 4/2/2020

9304 steps, 49/134 resting/peak HR, 6:30 hrs sleep, 2 floors climbed
run: 5.75 miles, 49:21, 8:35 pace, 52 ft elevation gain, 128 avg HR, 164 avg cadence, 30F, 88% RH, 5 mph SW wind, wind chill 27F, mostly cloudy

I couldn't fall back asleep when I woke up around 4:40 AM. I could have just laid there ... but ... I got up, got dressed and got out there. It was 30F so I wore my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. It was dark so I wore my Noxgear lighted vest and eBay headlamp. It was very quiet when I got out at 5:30 AM. There wasn't a hint of dawn in the east sky and it was pretty quiet. I set up a steady pace and ran without music ... just me, my footfalls and the darkness. I met no one as I broke my isolation from caring for my darling wife, Christine, for a hour. My plan was just an out and back on the LOSP trail. I saw only a cat's eyes and a rabbit. There wasn't much traffic on the Parkway. The eastern sky was brighter when I got back but sunrise was still 30 minutes away. Well ... time for coffee. My splits were: 9:09, 8:22, 8:28, 8:28, 8:34 and 8:25 over the last 0.75 mile.

So .. I worked a full 8 hours. I checked the Ricoh printers at my SAS side of L3Harris and did some so exciting (NOT) Ricoh training. I watched Cuomo's daily press briefing about the COVID-19 pandemic ... must see TV in this day and age.

My darling wife, Christine ... I continued to care for her. I brought her tea and toast in the morning. Then .. I attempted to cook. I used our new Instant Pot Viva to cook up chicken along with some leftover rice. Christine gracicously said it was the best chicken she had ever eaten ... I knew that there was room for improvement but it was a good start.

COVID-19 ... grim news: 1,021,638 cases, 53,386 deaths, US - 244,877 cases, 6,070 deaths; NY - 93,053 cases, 2,538 deaths; Monroe County - 390 cases, 70 in hospital, 25 in ICU, 10 deaths. Florida and Georgia finally issued a stay-in-place order. Two cruise ships off Ft Lauderdale were allowed to dock. The Oklahoma governor said (paraphased) that his state has more cows than people and it was too troublesome to shut down. The month of April will be a cruel month while thousands die daily while Trump and his administration try to blame everyone else other than themselves. Lots of sad news to come. Remember ... VOTE BLUE in November!!!!

Friday, 4/3/2020 

9741 steps, 51/132 resting/peak HR, 7:13 hrs sleep, 16 floors climbed
run: 4.35 miles, 37:50, 8:42 pace, 82 feet elevation gain, 126 avg HR, 164 avg cadence, 38F, 70% RH, 12 mph NW wind, wind chill 30F, overcast

A busy day ... so I got up around 6 AM and got out for a short and steady run around 6:30 AM. I wore my Noxgear lighted vest even though it was already light. My splits were: 8:47, 8:38, 8:52, 8:35 and 8:26 over the last 0.35 mile. 

I took a quick shower and was ready to head down to the couch at 8 AM for work at home for Ricoh. I had a couple of teleconferences and a Skype meeting with my boss. I bit the bullet and headed down to the basement to set up a home office with a larger work area. I had to move some stuff and dust off a kitchen table. First I set up a two screens (laptop and monitor). I had to get out and do some onsite work at L3Harris and brought home my docking station and then set up three screens (laptop and 2 monitors. Sweet!

My darling wife, Christine, is doing a bit better. Her fever is gone but she is weak and still wheezes a bit. Her appetite is getting better. She had tea and toasted rye bread with apricot jelly for breakfast, tea and a rye toasted cheese sandwich for lunch. It was Friday so I headed out to the Char Broil on Island Cottage for their fish fry takeout. It was a bit chaotic there so I think they forgot about my order until I called them to ask about it. No worries ... it was excellent!

COVID-19 news ... grim news: Worldwide - 1,099,626 cases (up 84,162), 59,188 deaths (up 6,045); Europe - 554,192 cases (36,617), 42,221 deaths (up 4,191); US - 276,965 cases (32,088), 7,391 deaths (up 1,320); NY - 103,476 cases (up 10,482), 3,218 deaths (up 580); Monroe County: 436 cases, 14 deaths (up 4). The CDC advised that people wear cloth medical masks in public. Over 500 people died in 24 hours in NYC. Cuomo signed an executive order that authorized the NY National Guard to take "excess" ventilators from upstate NY to help out the the apex COVID-19 cases that are expected to hit NYC in the next 2 weeks. A bus driver in Detroit died from COVID-19 two weeks after he complained that a rider had coughed on him.

Saturday, 4/4/2020

17920 steps, resting/peak HR, hrs sleep, lbs, floors climbed
run: 11.79 miles, 1:40:37, 8:32 pace, 98 feet elevation gain, 130 avg HR, 163 avg cadence, 41F, 100% RH, 3 mph NNE wind, overcast

Well ... I said on Facebook that I was going to run my COVID-19K today, link here. I had signed up on Thursday night. I woke up around 7 AM (actually I had 2 cell alarms that I forgot to turn off at 5 AM and 5:50 AM). I didn't have any motivation so I checked my email and Facebook. Christine woke up around 9 AM and asked how many miles I had run and I answered "zero". She wanted breakfast so I made her tea and rye toast with apricot jelly. 

I found my motivation ... got dressed and got out there. It was a bit above 40F (perfect running weather) so I chose shorts, a short/long sleeve tech, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I brought water and a flask of Hammer Gel. I needed 19K or 11.78 miles. I chose an out and back out route. I struck up a "get it done" pace. I had 2 gulps of Hammer Gel at the turnaround. I was amazed at how many people were out with the temperature in the low 40s: walkers (sometimes 3 or 4 at a time), runners, bicyclists and fishermen. People were trying to be socially distant ... but still be able to talk to each other. My right hip twinged a bit after 9 miles but I ignored it. Boom ... I got it done. My splits were: 8:25, 8:35, 8:31, 8:33, 8:31, 8:37, 8:24, 8:27, 8:29, 8:23, 8:45 and 8:55 over the last 0.79 mile. How did I did virtually? I was 11th, link here. It totally doesn't matter since no one ran the same course ... some ran road, some ran trail.

My darling wife, Christine, woke up to ask me how my run went. Then she went back to sleep until 5 PM. Her temperature is normal but she is still quite exhausted. 

I made a beef roast with pototoes, carrots and mushrooms in the Instant Pot. I am getting a bit better at it. I am learning that cooking isn't an exact science. Dinner was delicious!


COVID-19 news as 7:40 PM ... grim as usual. Worldwide - 1,200,772 cases (up 83,657), 64,946 deaths (up 5,862); Europe - 608,283 cases (up 36,414), 46,092 deaths (up  3,942- Spain 749, Italy  681, Francs 1,053, UK 708; US - 309,728 cases (up 32,567), 8,737 (up 1,345); NY - 113,704 cases (up 10,841), 3,914 deaths (up 696); Monroe County - 481 cases, 17 deaths. The usual shitshow from DC. 

Sunday, 3/22/2020 to Saturday, 3/28/2020

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 4 times for 23.4 miles this week.
I took 52,069 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 3/22/2020

8795 steps, 52/133 resting/peak HR, 8:30 hrs sleep, 170.7 lbs, 7 floors climbed
run: 5.25 miles, 45:54, 8:45 pace, 131 ft elevation gain, 127 avg HR, 162 avg cadence, 21F, 59% RH, 9 mph ESE wind, wind chill 11F, sunny

My fourth running day in a row so I was a bit sluggish and kept it relatively short on a clockwise Out to the pier route. It was sunny and brisk so I wore my usual winter gear ... any regular reader knows that I wear the same gear all winter. I only change into a balaclava or ski mittens when it is really cold. My lower face was a bit cold without my winter beard ... lol! My splits were: 8:47, 8:53, 9:09, 8:29, 8:28 and 8:33 over the last 0.25 mile.

I dug into my DVD pile and pulled out Terminator: Dark Fate. Awesome ... Carl (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Sarah (Linda Hamilton) team up!

COVID-19 news: 57 (NYS website) or 63 (Spectrum News) cases of CNOV-19 in Monroe County. NYS has over 15K cases as testing ramps up. I spent time every day now listening to Gov Cuomo's daily news conference. He is very informative and reassuring .... unlike almost anything that comes of Trump's news conferences. Christine really thinks that I had it 2 months ago when I took 2 sick days. I rather doubt it but who knows how long this virus has been loose in the US? You practically have to die of it to get a test in upstate NY from   what I have heard.

Monday, 3/23/2020: 4205 steps, 52/104 resting/peak HR, 7:12 hrs sleep, 172.1 lbs, 3 floors climbed

Back to work at Ricoh. My job at Ricoh has been deemed essential. I provide printer support for L3Harris which is also an essential industry. I busied myself trying to set up my printers so that they report errors and when the error is fixed. I tried to get a soft token so that I could VPN into the L3Harris network with my L3Harris laptop but no luck yet. Their help desk sent me a soft token for Android which is not helpful since I do not have a L3Harris Android phone. A rest day from running which is good since I didn't sleep well last night. Why do I feel like I'm a walking target for COVID-19 when I am out and about in the world? Because I am ... we all are.

COVID-19 news: Monroe County: 81 confirmed cases, 12 in hospital, 395 in quarantine, 2 deaths. Lots of testing down in NYC with over 20,000 confirmed cases. A war of words between Cuomo and Trump as NY begs for more federal aid. Trump held a news conference around suppertime (so he could control the evening news cycle) where he said that "America will be open for business sooner than later" (paraphrased) and tweated around midnight Sunday night "WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM" (paraphrased). WTF? If you stop the lock downs and social distancing across the country to "save" the economy (and Trump's reelection chances) the US will have an explosion of deaths without a doubt IMO. I hope that 11/3/2020 elections are held, our votes count and that millions of voters across the US vote his ass and his Republican cronies out.

Tuesday, 3/24/2020

8539 steps, 49/135 resting/peak HR, 6:41 hrs sleep, 173.3 lbs, 7 floors climbed
run: 3.85 miles, 34:00, 8:50 pace, 95 ft elevation gain, 128 avg HR, 158 avg cadence,

I was tired but I had made a reservation for 2 Redbox DVDs (1917 and Five Feet Apart) at the local 7-11 so out I went. A sluggish pace and I cut the run as short as possible by not going out onto the pier and cutting through the fence back into Greenleaf Meadows. My splits were: 8:40, 9:04, 8:50 and 8:44 over the last 0.85 mile.

COVID-19 news: 106 confirmed cases, 3 dead in Monroe County. More testing in NYC. Cuomo said in his news conference that NYC needs 30,000 ventilators. FEMA sent 4,000. Cuomo estimates that the peak in NYC will be 14 to 21 days. Trump said that he wants to open the US for business by Easter which is 19 days away ... health officials are saying that is way too soon. Meanwhile ... India with its 1.3 billion people grounded its domestic flights and went into a lockdown for 3 weeks.

Wednesday, 3/25/2020: 5577 steps, 47/102 resting/peak HR, 8:18 hrs sleep, 172.3 lbs, 2 floors climbed

COVID-19 news AM: At least 130 cases locally, 4 dead locally (including surround counties), 25565 cases in NY, 210 dead. The US Senate passed a $2 trillion stimulus package at 1 AM ... we could be getting a $1200 check per person / $2400 per couple. I will believe it when I see it. Clicking on the links, https://ncov2019.live/data or https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ is depressing. Every time I click ... more people have died.

COVID-19 news PM: Monroe County - 121 cases, 25 in hospital, 15 in ICU, 534 in quarantine, 2 recovered; Wayne County - 5 cases, Livingston County - 5 cases, Ontario County - 13 cases, Stuben County - 11 cases.

I thought about running but I was dog tired. I haven't been sleeping as well lately.

Thursday, 3/26/2020: 2501 steps, 48/101 resting/peak HR, 7:23 hrs sleep, 170.1 lbs, 2 floors climbed

COVID-19 news AM: Worldwide: 495758 cases, 22181 deaths; US - 68875 cases, 1047 deaths; NY - 33013 cases, 366 deaths; Monroe County - 142 cases, 32 in hospital, 18 in ICU, 545 in quarantine.

COVID-19 news PM: Grim news - US cases over 85,000 which is the most in the world, NY cases also 39,000 with 469 deaths. It's all kind of depressing.

I took my L3Harris laptop home and tried to get it hooked up to their network. It took 4 reboots with some success. The 4th reboot finally got my P drive up so I can get to my files and "see" my Ricoh printers but Outlook doesn't work. I can see my email but new email won't come in and I can't send an email. No running since I didn't stop messing with my new L3Harris "toy" ... err ... laptop until 5:30 PM (30 minutes after I clocked out). One plus is that I got a LR41 button battery in the mail that I bought from eBay. Now our digital thermometer works ... in case we need to use it in the coming days or weeks.

Friday, 3/27/2020

9261 steps, 50/140 resting/peak HR, 7:54 hrs sleep, 171.6 lbs, 7 floors climbed
run: 5.26 miles, 45:41, 8:41 pace, 112 ft elevation gain, 133 avg HR, 162 avg cadence, 38F, 73% RH, 5 mph NE wind, overcast

I took my last day of PTO from Rioch fiscal year 2019 ... gotta "use it or lose it". I am kind of depressed reading all the COVID-19 news but got out anyway. It was a bit warmer so I wore a long/short sleeve tech on my top ... it was weird. I was a bit sluggish but I got it done on the Out to the pier route. My splits were: 8:35, 9:01, 8:51, 8:42, 8:25 and 8:16 over the last 0.25 mile.

Oh, I got my L3Harris laptop to work. Now I can be socially distant and work for Ricoh while I access the L3Harris network and monitor their Ricoh printers. I still get paid ... for as long as I can ... who knows how long that will be?

COVID-19 PM update: Worldwide - 598019 cases, 27346 deaths; US - 105012 cases (might have missed the morning and evening updates), 1707 deaths; NY - 46262 cases, 606 deaths; Monroe County AM - 160 cases, 31 in hospital, 4 deaths.

Trump signed the 2.2 TRILLION COVID-19 stimulus package with only Republicans in attendance. What an asshole! Words fail me about what to say about how he weaponizes every single aspect of everything. He freaking said that NY didn't need 30000 ventilators! Basically it seems that if the governors of each state don't kiss his ass you don't get federal aid ... and most of the states that have high numbers of COVID-19 cases have democratic governors (NY, Washington, Illinois).

Saturday, 3/28/2020

13191 steps, 49/193 resting/peak HR, 8:14 hrs sleep, 170.6 lbs, 5 floors climbed
run: 9.05 miles, 1:16:03, 8:24 pace, 95 feet elevation gain, 186 avg HR (obviously wrong ... 140 mostly likely, 164 avg cadence, 42F, 64% RH, 8 mph ESE wind, wind chill 38F, overcast with light sprinkles/rain

I had a serious lack of motivation this morning. I was up at 6:38 AM ... then puttered around for 4 hours catching up on email, Facebook and NOT updating the COVID-19 latest numbers. I finally got motivated when I caught Boot's (co-owner of Fleet Feet Rochester and Buffalo) weekend forecast on Facebook. It said that it would start to shower at 11 AM. So ... I got up, got dressed and got out there. It was a bit warmer so I wore shorts and a long/short sleeve tech combo along with my Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I wanted to take it long so I made up a new route. I combined an Around the block route with an out and back some of Edgemere Dr. It was a light mist when I started ... then a light sprinkle ... then a light rain. I got damp but it wasn't really bad. I kept my social distance from any walkers (2) and bicyclists (3). My splits were: 8:22, 8:13, 8:22, 8:25, 8:19, 8:22, 8:38, 8:29 and 8:31.  I thought I was running slow so I was surprised when I found that I did a 8:24 pace. My thought is that I have always run a bit faster in the rain ... to get done and out of the rain ... lol!

COVID-19 news: Worldwide - 658580 cases, 30355 deaths (Italy, Spain, France and UK hit hard with 889, 674, 319, 260 deaths respectively); US - 118365 cases, 1994 deaths, NY - 52318 cases, 728 deaths; Monroe County - 202 cases, 5 deaths, 32 in hospital, 22 in ICU, 442 quarantined. Why my fascination with these numbers? It does seem morbid ... I don't know. It's my way of chronicling this danger to my and my loved ones health, I guess.

There were a lot of runs posted on Facebook. One caught my eye from Josh Kramer (who I don't know). He ran 102.75 laps around a track in 3:56 for a track marathon, Facebook link here. Wow!

Sunday, 3/15/2020 to Saturday, 3/21/2020 - Virtual Runnin' of the Green

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 5 times for 32.91 miles this week.
I took 58,594 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 3/15/2020

5556 steps, 49/145 resting/peak HR, 9:16 hrs sleep, 170.4 lbs, 2 floors climbed
run: 5.05 miles, 40:18, 7:58 pace, 49 ft elevation gain, 138 avg HR, 167, avg cadence, 30F, 51% RH, 12 mph NE wind, wind chill 21F, sunny

My "real" can opener from the 2020 Virtual Runnin' of the Green

I did my virtual Runnin' of the Green this morning. I chose a simple out and back course just like the Runnin' of the Green course of Blue Cross Arena out to the U of R and back. It was a bit weird running hard all by myself but we all have to maintain social distance now. My splits were: 7:46, 7:56, 8:02, 8:01 and 8:10. I submitted my results to runsignup.com since it was a virtual race, link here. UPDATE: 147 entered ... I won my virtual M 60-64 age group out of 3 other runners. No prize ... just virtual bragging rights for a race that never happened.

Coronavirus update: the number of cases in Monroe County rose to 10. The new normal is daily briefing from NY Governor Cuomo. I know a lot of upstate NYers are Republicans and hate his guts ... but he really gives good advice and is very informative. Personally I like him ... but then I lean to the left. Oh ... all public schools in NYC are closed.

Monday, 3/16/2020

8150 steps, 51/140 resting/peak HR, 7:23 hrs sleep, 170.9 lbs, 5 floors climbed
run: 5.25 miles, 45:46, 8:43, 141 ft elevation gain, 132 avg HR, 161 avg cadence, 44F, 23% RH, 6 mph SSE wind, wind chill 41F, mostly cloudy

Well ... I am off on vacation all week. Ricoh has a "use it or lose it" vacation and floating holiday policy so I have 6 days to use before the Ricoh fiscal year ends at the end of March. I get 4 weeks vacation and 5 floating holidays per year.

So ... I got out for another run. I took my time before I headed out but I did get out. I took up a steady pace. My splits were: 8:56, 8:57, 8:41, 8:34, 8:32 and 8:13 over the last 0.25 mile.

I say an article on the Atlantic, "10 Days Later: What Italians Wish They Had Known", link here. Everyday Italians wishing they had known better about COVID-19 ten days ago. I also saw this NSFW link, #STAYTHEFUCKHOME.

Tuesday, 3/17/2020

8256 steps, 49/136 resting/peak HR, 8:07 hrs sleep, 171.2 lbs, 10 floors climbed
run: 4.75 miles, 42:05, 8:51 pace, 98 feet elevation gain, 127 avg HR, 161 avg cadence, 42F, 82% RH, 12 mph SW wind, wind chill 36F, overcast

I got out early for my fourth run in a row. I kept it really easy ... got it done. My splits were: 8:51, 8:46, 8:42, 8:59 and 8:59 over the last 0.75 mile. There are news articles that it is illegal to run in France and Italy due to their shelter-in-place lockdowns.

A very quiet St Patrick's Day. All the bars are closed in NY, CT and NJ (they closed on Monday at 8 PM) except for takeout. Yes ... you can order and take home beer. All the gyms and movie theaters are closed (not that we go to either nowadays). The news from across the country is that other states are beginning to close various venues to #FLATTENTHECURVE. NYS says that companies should have 50% of employees in non-essential companies stay home.

Wednesday, 3/18/2020: 2329 steps, 48/121 resting/peak HR, 7:42 hrs sleep, 3 floors climbed

Today was a rest day. So ... I thought I would wake up early so I could venture out to grocery shop. I woke up Christine and she prepared a grocery list ... and caused her to worry while I was out I was sure. I didn't get into Wegmans Latta until 8:45 AM. Their hours have been reduced from 24 hours to 6 AM - 12 AM (a few days ago) to 7 AM - 10 PM (yesterday). Well ... I got what I could. There was no bread, meat, no eggs, no toilet paper and a few tubs of vastly overpriced Cascade dishwasher pellets. I just got what I could ... muffins, OJ, beans, bananas, tomatoes, carrots, canned beans, canned tomato products. I had a faux pas when I got to the checkout. I had left my wallet at home ... luckily I remembered that I had loaded Google Pay on my Ricoh cell and paid with that. I took my haul home, retrieved my wallet and headed to BJs. Well ... BJs had meat so I got a rotisserie chicken, hamburger, pork chops, evaporated milk, condensed milk, oranges, potatoes, dishwasher pellets.

One thing ... hoarding. I didn't go down the paper products aisle so I don't know if BJs had a sign about any limits per products but I saw some shoppers with multiple toilet paper megapacks. Another thing ... I saw shoppers with face masks. I didn't have one. I maintained my distance from everyone and I hope I didn't spread anything that I might have (I don't think I do) ... or picked up anything.

The news is depressing. There are 14 COVID-19 cases and 1 death (who was a Rochester General Hospital employee) in Monroe County. There are about 2382 cases in NY and 20 deaths now according to https://ncov2019.live/data. A military hospital ship has been dispatched to NYC. The stock market is down, up and down so far this week. The DJIA is roughly 19100, down 2000 points right now at 3:36 PM. There were digital road signs on 390 that read: SAVE LIFES, #FLATTENTHECURVE, STAY HOME, STOP THE SPREAD.

Thursday. 3/19/2020

10233 steps, 47/140 resting/peak HR, 9:06 hrs sleep, 171.5 lbs, 12 floors climbed
run: 6.05 miles, 51:55, 8:35 pace, 112 ft elevation gain, 132 avg HR, 162 avg cadence, 42F, 92% RH, 5 mph S wind, overcast

I needed to run ... it's the only thing that makes sense nowadays. I got out and went around the block. It was warmer (42F) so I wore shorts, short sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I was a bit overdressed on the top but not overly so. I maintained my social distance as I passed by 2 bicyclists. My splits were: 8:36, 8:33, 8:32, 8:43, 8:33 and 8:30.

More depressing news: 30 cases on COVID-19 and 1 death in Monroe County. NYS says that only 75% of employees in non-essential companies should stay home. Trump is starting to give mini-rallies at his daily press conferences (rah USA, rah economy, lying media, me, me and not that I could watch more than 10 seconds),  ... he actually seemed semi-presidental on Tuesday. Now it's the "China virus" instead of COVID-19. More people have died now in Italy (41035 cases, 3405 deaths) than in China (80928 cases, 3245 deaths) per  as of 3/19/2020 at 6:36 PM.

Friday, 3/20/2020

12281 steps, 50/139 resting/peak HR, 6:59 hrs sleep, 171.1 lbs, 12 floors climbed
run: 5.26 miles, 47:07, 8:58 pace, 144 ft elevation gain, 130 avg HR, 157 avg cadence, 65F, 76% RH, 20 mph WSW wind, overcast

Well ... it's first day of spring. I trimmed off my beard that had grown since 12/23/2019. It only took 15 minutes. I used my trimmer at 3/8", 1/4", stubble and bare cutter. Then I finished up with my regular electric razor. Back to shaving every weekday morning! I also put away my snowshoes. Boy ... did I tempt old man Winter!

Then ... I got dressed and got out into the first day of spring warmth. It was 65F so I wore shorts and short sleeves! I was very sluggish and stiff. It felt like I was moving in slow motion. The warm weather brought out more people but I maintained a social distance. The weather was variable: it was windy (especially when I was headed back from the pier), then a glimmer of sun and then light rain. I was kind of damp when I got done. My splits were: 9:09, 8:43, 8:54, 9:07, 9:03 and 8:28 over the last 0.26 mile.

More depressing news: 34 cases on COVID-19 and 1 death in Monroe County. Now NYS says that 100% of employees in non-essential companies should stay home, NY on PAUSE link here. My Ricoh boss has told me that a L3Harris work order has been placed so I can get a soft VPN installed so I can check on the L3Harris printers that I manage from my L3Harris laptop from home. But ... until that is installed I have to go in every day for a bit to check on the printers onsite. Still ... I have a job which is a good thing in these uncertain times.

Saturday, 3/21/2020

11789 steps, 51/136 resting/peak HR, 8:23 hrs sleep, 10 floors climbed
run: 7.56 miles, 1:05:47, 8:42 pace, 151 ft elevation gain, 129 avg HR, 164 avg cadence, 25F, 62% RH, 13 mph NNE wind, wind chill 14F, partly cloudy

Wow ... did the temp fall overnight! It was a full 40F (50F with the wind chill) colder than yesterday! So ... it was bad to my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, shorts, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I thought about my balaclava and ski mittens but had hope that I would warm enough not to need them. It was Saturday so I took up a steady pace and then stretched the run out to Beach Ave and Dewey Ave instead of turning left on Greenleaf Rd. It felt good to push it to over 7 miles. My MP3 player was set to shuffle but I had 5 Rolling Stones songs in a row! My splits were: 8:30, 8:38, 8:52, 8:55, 8:48, 8:35, 8:43 and 8:33 over the last 0.55 mile.

More depressing news: 46 cases of COVID-19 and 1 death of Monroe County. Today was my daughter, Karen's, 32nd birthday. It has been our tradition in past years of going out to IHOP or Applebee's to eat lunch. This year ... I called her and wished her a happy birthday. I would have had to drive out to Palmyra and we would have had to do take-out at a restaurant. It wouldn't have been the same.