Sunday, 11/6/2016 to Thursday, 11/10/2016 - Politics

1 ran once during these 5 days for 7.05 miles.

Sunday, 11/6/2016: Rest day ...

I was more than a bit sore than yesterday, Mendon Ponds Trail Run 50K. I watched a bit of the New York City Marathon coverage. I also virtually stalked the two people that I knew: Jim Ciecierega who ran a 4:44:18 and Chuck Traub who ran a 5:24:42, link here. Barry Cherney went down and volunteered at the finish line. I read a story about a 96 year old runner, named Johathan Mendes, who was the last unofficial finisher of the New York Marathon, link here. He has 11 official finishes and 5 unofficial finishes.

Monday, 11/7/2016: Another rest day ...

Tuesday, 11/8/2016: Voted, ran and then despair ...

Today dawned with such great hope. I woke up at 5:30 AM before my alarm. I started the coffee and then woke up my darling wife, Christine. We had this crazy idea of voting early. So ... we did. There was a Trump supporter with a Trump/Pence sign in dark clothing in front. It was dark still ... Christine saw him but I didn't. We were at the Lakeshore Fire Dept on Ling Rd around 6:20 AM. It was a bustling place. There were 2 electronic voting machines. I was 22nd on mine.


We went back home. I went to work. I needed to run so I went on a before lunch run. The weather was ... . It was a good run. I really ran well: 7:05, 55:26, 7:52 pace, 61F, 45% RH, 5 mph SW wind, partly cloudy.


I called the run: A lucky 7 ... full of hope for the future of America. My splits were: 7:57, 7:49, 7:57, 7:55, 7:57, 7:55 and 7:37. It really was a fast and excellent run.

I did a bit of grocery shopping at Wegmans for a rotisserie chicken. Then ... we settled in for some election news. Soon ... the news didn't look good. Trump was in the early lead. So we switched to some shows on the DVR. Then back to election news ... it still didn't look good. Trump was leading in FL, OH, NH, MI, PA. The Electorate College paths looked bad for Hillary and good for Trump. I stayed up until 12:30 AM before I feel asleep. I don't know when my darling wife, Christine, fell asleep since she sleeps in the second bedroom. I am a light sleeper and she snores. I feel bad about this but I need to get up in the morning.

Wednesday, 11/9/2016: A rest day and despair ...

I woke up at 5:30 AM and turned on the TV. Trump had won ... OMFG! Christine was already awake because she had only slept a hour or so. I guess she had been checking her phone during the night for election results.

Let me digress from my mostly running blog for a moment. Where to begin ... first, I identify as a liberal. You name it and I most likely hold the liberal view. Hillary was not a perfect candidate and I thought Bernie was better. But ... Trump? He was and still is a bigot, tax avoiding businessman (where are his tax returns?), can be baited with a tweet, without a plan, failure of a Republican that I thought had not a chance in hell of winning the election. Lots of digital ink has been spilled that have chosen lots of better words and reasoning than I can possibly type. Please check out Dan Rather on Facebook for his reasoned words. But ... Trump won. He is not my president and won't ever be. Here is I predict will happen ... the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer, the ACA will be ripped away and millions will lose their healthcare, the Supreme Court will be stacked with conservative judges and some laws will be changed and rights will be stripped away, his followers in the alt-right will feel emboldened to continue with their hate ... my words fail me. Let us not forget the Republican House and Congress getting a head of steam and passing their favorite legislation potentially getting rid of all sorts of stuff! Lot of nightmare scenarios go through my head. I wonder if I will recognize America in 2018 and 2020. Will we be able to vote for another president in 2020? Trump and the Republican party control the White House, the House, the Senate and soon the Supreme Court. He will be able to nominate conservative judges in the federal courts. Words fail me again about what can happen in the next 4 years. I posted a single post on Facebook this morning that largely outlined the same views.

Thursday, 11/10/2016: Rest day ... the usual before a race weekend.