Sunday, September 27th to Saturday, October 3rd

Sunday, September 27th to Saturday, October 3rd

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, September 20th to Saturday, September 26th

Sunday, September 20th to Saturday, September 26th

I ran 2 times this week, 10.2 miles

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

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

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

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, September 13th to Saturday, September 19th

Sunday, September 13th to Saturday, September 19th

I ran 2 times this week, 17.5 miles

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

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

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

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

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

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, September 6th to Saturday, September 12th

Sunday, September 6th to Saturday, September 12th

I ran 3 times this week, 11.5 miles

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keeping active, Doug