Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Hi All,

Sunday, June 17th to Saturday, June 23rd: 0 miles

Yes, zero miles. The pain in the right calf prevented me from running. I did a walk around the parking lot at B6 one day. No, I have not gone to a doctor. I am trying the age-old method of trying to let it heal on its own. I am signed up to run in the Boilermaker 15K in Utica on July 8th. I will walk this race if I have to but I will be there!

I have turned some of my energy to home improvement. Last weekend my girlfriend and I pulled the carpeting leading to the upstairs bedrooms and cleaned the back room. I have been told to think of all the work that my house needs as room sized weekly projects. Just think of what you want to accomplish that week, else you will get paralyzed by all the work that needs to be done. That philosophy can be applied to life as well.

Keep running, Doug

Monday, June 18, 2007

Hi All,

Sunday, June 10th to Saturday, June 16th: 6 miles

Yes, you read that right ... a whopping 6 miles. I ran a slow 5 miler (greater than 9:00 pace) on Sunday to try out my new Pearl Izumi trail running shoes. I felt the usual pain in my right calf but this time it was sharp. I iced it and took ibuprofen. Then I ran a measured mile at Fleet Feet on Wednesday. I ran a 6:56. The same sharp pain was there. Ellen says I have a knot in my calf that needs to be worked out. I did manage to get a massage on Friday. So I am not running for the time being. I think I will try to get my bicycle tuned up so I can crosstrain.

Personally, it was a busy weekend. I hung out with JK on Friday night watching 'Night at the Musuem' and went up the Rochester Jazz Festival on Saturday to listen to the The Capitals and Rusted Root. There were thousands and thousands of people at the Jazz Festival. I was a first-timer and was totally amazed. I also tried a DeCaf Mocha Latte at Spot Coffee afterwards.

My brother and I saw my father at the nursing home for a father's Day party on Saturday afternoon. We took him outside to see the car show in the parking lot. We had some hotdogs and pop for lunch. It was a good day to see Dad, he was 'there'.

Keep running, Doug

Saturday, June 9, 2007

Hi All,

Sunday, June 3rd to Saturday, June 9th: 21.5 miles

I only ran twice this week. Real life plus a tight right calf got in the way. I took my car in for service at RTR Enterprise in Palmyra on Wednesday for a left wheel bearing, front pads and rotors. Rather than wait around for two hours while it was done I decided to go out for a run. I headed over to the canal trail and headed west out and past Macedon 6.2 miles (49:00, a 7:54 pace), with a 0.2 mile break and 6.2 miles back (total 1:44:21, a 8:20 pace). The weather was perfect, mid 60s and sunny.

Today I ran in the PowerBar 9 mile Trail Race at Mendon Ponds put on by Fleet Feet. This was the second trail run for me ... by far the most difficult. The course was up, down, sideways and a little slippery ... particularly when we have to come down a rather steep hill. I finished 100th out of 136, in 1:29:46, a 9:58 pace. The results are here. As usual Fleet Feet put on a great race with a great post-race party. Afterwards I checked out the Outdoor Expo close by. I tried out a kayak for the first time. It was quite relaxing and fun.

This is Newarkfest weekend. Friday was quite the washout. The weather was initially around 90F. A severe thunderstorm rolled in around 7PM with lightning and high winds. A transformer blew and cut the power in a lot of Newark. I headed over and saw a couple of trees down on Bartle Ave. I tried to get something to eat but just ended up have a couple of beers at the Elks Lodge. Tonight there was quite the crowd ... quite young and perhaps looking for trouble.

My father has been moved upstairs at the Wayne County Nursing Home. He still knows who I am but often doesn't know where he is, where I live, etc. All I can say if that you should cherish your parents while they are alive and aware ... you can never tell when that may change.

Keep running, Doug

P.S. Oh, I signed up for the BoilerMaker 15K in Utica on July 8th.

Friday, June 8, 2007

Please Give Blood, June 7th, 2007

Hi All,

I gave blood for the 59th time today. I have had a drop of my blood spun to check if my iron level was high enough. A first for me.

My pulse was 50, my blood pressure was 118/68. My blood draw took 10 minutes. I was in and out in 45 minutes.

So remember ... please give blood. If you are squeasmish about needles, just shut your eyes ... I do. If you don't give blood, please consider donating money to the American Red Cross. You may not save your own life but you could save someone you care about. Sign up at: http://www.donatebloodnow.org.

Keep healthy, Doug

Sunday, June 3, 2007

Hi All,

Sunday, May 27th to Saturday, June 2nd: 26.6 miles
Month of May: 120 miles, I ran 17 out 31 days

I only ran three times this week. I ran 6.75 on one of my usual routes in Newark on Monday (Memorial Day), 52:42, a 7:49 pace and Wednesday night, 52:21, a 7:46 pace.

I also ran 13.1 miles, a slow 2:02:05, a 9:16 pace, on a new route around Newark on Saturday morning ... like a dummy. I did carry water though ... a point in my favor. When I started around 9:30AM, it was already 77F. By the time I finished around noon ... running out of water at 10 miles, it was 88F. I was close to my house and drenched myself with water since I was seeing spots. I made it inside and immediately drank a Gatorade and spent some time on the floor with my legs up waiting for the tingling in my hands to go away. Well at least I know the warning signs. I should have run early Sunday morning but I am stubborn.

Things are really starting to pop on the running front. I have signed up for Fleet Feets Long Distance training program to give me some pointers on running the Rochester marathon in September. Race-wise, I am signed up for the Powebar 9 mile trail run in Mendon Ponds next Saturday and will probably run in the Medved 5K at Frontier Field on Father's Day. Janet will be in town from WA and might run. It will be fun to catch up if I see her. I am not going to sign up for many 5Ks so I may run all out. Maybe I can figure out my Forerunner 305s Virtual Runner feature to push myself. Then after that is the Harborfest 10K, the Furry Scurry 10K, the Firecracker 5 Mile and the Boilermaker 15K. Yes, I have signed up the GRTC bus trip to the Boilermaker on July 8th ... now to sign up for the race. I know I said that I wouldn't sign up for so many races ... but I have succumbed to the siren call of the race!

I went up to the Green Lantern on Friday night for a singles dance. I danced some. I hung out with a friend, JK, on Saturday night to watch a movie. I thought ahead and watched the Cleveland Cavs close out the Detroit Pistons to advance to the NBA Finals against the San Antonia Spurs via tape delay. I may have found the motivation that I have needed to get off my ass and starting doing the stuff that I need to get done. Time will tell.

Keep running, Doug