Hi All,

Sunday, June 29th to Saturday, July 5th: 12 miles run, 96.5 miles bike
Month of June: 69.8 miles run, 220.7 miles bike

I ran twice this week:

Tue: 7 miles, a little hard, 75F, cloudy, no stops, 7:46 pace
Fri: 5 miles, Fairport Firecracker, hard, 70F, sunny, calm, 1 stop, 7:20 pace PR

I ran the Fairport Firecracker 5 Mile Run on Friday morning, July 4th. The hills of Fairport were higher than I remembered. I went out fast at a 7:04 first mile and held it together with a tiny stop and finished in a PR of 36:39 by 55 seconds, 7:20 mile pace, results here. I finished 96th out of 552, 5th in my age group. I still have some kick left in me ... lol!

I biked three times this week:

Mon: 25.3 miles, bike to Quaker Rd, easy, 65F, cloudy, no stops, 5:34 pace
Wed: 29.9 miles, bike to CA Rd, easy, 70F, sunny, calm, 1 stop, 4:59 pace
Sat: 41.3 miles, bike to Fairport, easy, 75F, sunny

I biked all the way to Fairport to buy a rear view mirror from RVE Bike and Skate. I got one that I will have to stick in my left handlebar end. I stopped at Mulconry's Irish Pub & Restaurant for a Turkey Toastie and Diet Pepsi before heading back. My butt and left quad were sore when I got home.

Well, I am officially divorced as of July 3rd ... I received my official papers. I have a bottle of chilled champagne still ready to drink. You see, I gave up drinking about two or three months ago. I just decided that it really wasn't for me any more. I mean it's expensive ... even if you drink at home, you have to be careful to not drink and drive, it is not healthy for you and it makes you go to the bathroom ... a lot. That's what did it for me.

I am still looking for a woman who shares my interest in exercise. I am chatting with L down in Olean who has a hot tub ... excellent for soaking sore muscles. DS up in Kingston has decided that she wanted to chat with someone closer and LB down in DE just wants a running friend. My membership in Fitness-Singles has lapsed for the time being.

Keeping active, Doug

Hi All,

Sunday, June 22nd to Saturday, June 28th: 21 miles run, 59.6 miles bike

I ran three times this week:

Mon: 7 miles, a little hard, 75F, a little shower, rainbow, no stops, 7:33 pace
Thu: 7 miles, easy, 80F, sunny, humid, 1 stop, 8:04 pace
Sat: 7 miles, easy, 78F, very humid (78%), 3 stops, 8:00 pace

The Monday run was a great one. I heard rumbles of thunder when I headed out. I saw a rain shower up ahead on Filkins Road. I ran into it, it quit and the road just steamed ahead of me. Then there was a rainbow! The other two runs were during some hot and sticky days. I am listening to my body and walking when I need to in the heat.

I biked twice this week:

Wed: 29.3 miles out to Macedon, a little hard, 75F, sunny, calm, 1 stop, 4:58 pace
Fri: 29.3 miles out to Macedon, out hard, back easier, 80F, cloudy, 1 min stop, 4:57 pace

My longest bike ride now is 29.3 miles out to Canandaigua Rd past Macedon. Main St in Fairport is only 6.5 more miles. The past two times I have gone by Lock 30 in Macedon on Wednesday I have heard the Towpath Volunteers practicing.

I gave blood for the 63rd time on Tuesday in Palmyra on the way home. My pulse was 56, blood pressure was 112 over 70.

I am chatting with DS in Kingston on Fitness-Singles.com. She is quite a busy woman. We went out running at roughly the same time on Saturday morning. I thought of her running in the rain. I wonder if she thought of me while I was running in the heat and humidity of Newark?

Well, I am out of work yet again. I got a call from Adeccco that my contract with EK had been terminated. I could see it coming but hoped it would not be me.

Keeping active, Doug

Hi All,

Sunday, June 15th to Saturday, June 21st: 27.3 miles run, 63.8 miles bike

I ran 3 times this week:

Sun: 10.3 miles, slow, hot, sunny, 80F, 3s, 9:03 pace
Wed: 7 miles, a little fast, 70F, sunny, calm, no stops, 7:39 pace
Fri: 10 miles, easy, 75F, sunny, a little windy, 1 stop, 8:06 pace

I biked 3 times this week:

Tue: 26 miles out to Macedon, steady, 60F, light mist, 1 stop, 1 ps, 5:26 pace
Thu: 18.9 miles out to Palmyra, a little fast, 60F, cloudy, calm, 1 stop, 5:04 pace
Sat: 18.9 miles out to Palmyra, average, 70F, cloudy, calm, no stops, 5:17 pace

I amped up my exercise this week. I kind of enjoy getting out there every day. I accessorized my bike with a rear view mirror (need another one, doesn't work well), a bell (ring, ring) and a wireless speedometer (all kinds of data: speed, distance, time, calories, temp).

Tiger Woods is the man ... even on one leg. He won the US Open in a playoff, then sudden death on Monday. Then he revealed that he played against his doctor's orders ... he had trouble with the ACL in his left knee plus two stress fractures in his left leg. No wonder that Jack Nickalus once said, "Tiger Woods plays a game with which I am not familiar". Related story here and profile here.

Well, the Celtics won the NBA finals, story here. They blew out the Lakers in Boston on Tuesday night by 39 points to win 4-2, story here. The big three of the Celtics were too much, story here. Kobe needs more help, story here.

I am chatting with DS in Kingston on F-S. She is quite the bike rider ... a 100K ride in 3.5 hours! I am out of my league with my POS bike. My long bike ride so far is 26 miles in 2:21 ... a whole bunch slower once you plod through the mile-km conversions. But we are both active for sure. I wish we didn't live so far apart ... four hours is a bit of a drive.

Keep running, Doug

Hmmm ... now that I am running and biking my blog is misnamed and my end phrase is off. Oh well. Things change. My legs can't take running all the time and I do like biking. Cross training is good for you. Now if I could start working my upper body too.

Hi all,

Sunday, June 8th to Saturday, June 14th: 12.5 miles run, 57.7 miles bike

I ran twice last week:

Tue: 7 miles, a little fast, 75F, light rain, calm, no stops, 7:47 pace
Fri: 5.5 miles, slow, hot & humid, 80veF, 65%, 4 stops, 8:28 pace

Friday's run was awful. It was hot and very humid. I didn't carry water. I had to stop after 3 miles and then ran, walked in ... cutting it short to 5.5 miles.

I biked three times last week:

Sun: 19 miles, a little fast, 85F, sunny, windy, 1 stop, 5:08 pace
Wed: 19 miles, a little fast, 70F, sunny, 1 stop, 5:09 pace
Thu: 19.7 miles, easy, 70F, sunny, calm, 1 stop, 5:18 pace

The distances on the bike are approximate. I keep on forgetting to press my lap button after I start back up from my rest stop in Palmyra. I keep on pushing my distance ... going farther and farther with my POS bike. I need to get a car bike carrier.

Newarkfest was this weekend. I walked down on Saturday night to get supper. I got something different ... a steak and cheese sandwich with a strawberry sundae for dessert. I listened to a country rock band by the name of Flint Creek while I people-watched and looked for people I knew. I saw Aunt Eleanor and Uncle Bud and her daughter Mary and her husband Steve. I saw Ron Ambros who cautioned me about internet dating. I saw Ellie Eckert who graduated with my sister Diane. She gave me her number to give to Diane. Hopefully, Diane will give her a call. Then I saw some fireworks. It is really something to see how other people don't take care of themselves ... overweight and smoke to boot! Just digging their own grave I guess.

I saw the tail end of Tiger Woods third round at the US Open, then all the replays. The guy is simply amazing. A bad shot off the tee into the rough on the 13th, a shot on the green 65 feet away, then drains an eagle putt that broke about 3 feet left to right. 14th - bogey, 15th - par, 16th - par. A shot in the rough on the 17th, chips in on one bounce for a birdie. A shot in the rough on the 18th, a shot onto the green 30 feet away, drains another eagle putt that broke about 5 feet left to right. The result ... he came from 5 shots down to leading by 1. All this in the first tournament after getting surgery on his knee!

I am chatting with DS in Kingston on Fitness-Singles. She is into the same things I am ... running and biking (a lot farther with a better bike) plus swimming. It is amazing how you can feel a mutual connection with someone you have only chatted, texted and talked with. I hope there is mutual chemistry between us. Hopefully I will be making a visit soon.

Keep running, Doug

Hi All,

Sunday, June 1st to Saturday, June 7th: 14.5 miles
Month of May: 70.7 miles, 11 out of 31 days

I ran twice this week with a bike ride in the middle: 14.5 miles run, 15.3 miles bike

Mon: 5.5 mile run, slow, 78F, sunny, calm, 3s, 8:20 pace, right hamstring tight
Thu: 15.3 mile bike, a little fast, 80F, cloudy, humid, 1 stop, 5:13 pace
Sat: 9 mile trail run, easy, 80 to 90F, sunny, windy, 10:20 pace

I ran the Power Bar Trail Run at Mendon Ponds this morning put on by Fleet Feet Rochester. The nicest running store in Rochester in my opinion, where they know you by name. I chose to run the 4.5 mile loop twice for 9 miles. Race conditions were sunny, about 80F at the start and humid but it was windy and the trail was shaded. I took it easy and walked the hills if I needed to. I ran a 1:32:45, a 10:18 pace. I did take a wrong turn on the second loop. I made a right turn when I jumped down to a main trail and proceeded along until I came to an unmarked Y and figured out that I was headed in the wrong direction. So I backtracked ... I estimate that I lost about 3 minutes. Part of the fun of running trails out by yourself ... I got so tired that I totally didn't see the cones that pointed me to the left. It was a great run with about 170 runners. The 9 mile overall results are here. The age group results are here. I did pretty well ... I was 37th out of 74 and third in my 50-54 age group.

My bike ride on Thursday was out to the Swifts Landing Park and back on the Erie Canal trail. I wanted to exercise but didn't want to run.

I think I will continue to mix up running and biking. I definitely don't want to hurt myself running like I did last summer. So I think twice a week running and twice a week biking will be my plan for a while. I definitely want to run the Rochester Marathon in September. Then I can say that I ran a marathon. I will be still 50 (by 2 days).

Well, I need to take a shower. My lower legs are still covered in trail dirt. LOL!

Keep running, Doug

Update: My chatting on Fitness-Singles.com is picking up. But there is a difference between chatting and meeting in real life.

Hi All,

Sunday, May 25th to Saturday, May 31st: 11.1 miles

I only ran once this week. I wanted to rest my right hamstring. I thought of running on Thursday night but I was dog tired and went to bed early ... gasp!

Saturday, 70F, humid, 11.1 miles, 89:56, 8:06 pace, slow and steady, 1 stop, no hamstring pain!

I was in some pain after my run. My left knee and hips were sore when I walked down to the post office to get my father's mail.

I did manage to get in some cross-training on Monday and Tuesday. Monday, I bicycled 15.3 miles, ~ 80:00, 5:14 pace, the canal trail out to Swifts Landing Park (almost all the way to Palmyra) and back. Tuesday, I tried to find out if the canal trip went east from Newark (it doesn't). You can see the canal trail map here. I could ride the canal trail all the way to Lockport if I wanted to but my butt would be awfully sore! I need to get a padded bicycle seat, I guess.

Karen is home from her Mayterm at Houghton College. She got an A in her math course ... she knuckled down and did well! Her mother's car needs another(!) fuel injector so she had to rent a van to go get her and her stuff.

Michael's girlfriend, Lisa, is visiting this weekend. I don't think she was impressed with my Saturday night supper of hamburgs ... considering that they had hamburgs for lunch. It could also be the bun ... there were four and the one she got had a spot of mold. Maybe I should have made spaghetti instead. I never said I was the world's greatest cook. I cook well enough to get by. I definitely could use some instruction. Oh well!

Keep running, Doug

Hi All,

Sunday, May 18th to Saturday, May 24th: 19.5 miles

I ran the usual three times last week:

Sun: 7 miles, 52:43, a little hard, 50F, cloudy, no stops, 7:32 pace
Tue: 7 miles, 51.55, hard, PR, 55F, sunny, calm, no stops, 7:25 pace, right handstring tight
Fri: 5.5 miles, 43:25, easy, 60F, sunny, calm, no stops, 7:54 pace, right handstring tight

My right hamstring has bothered me the past two times I have run. I am going to take it easy and do some bike riding on the Canal Trail for a week. I know that I need to rest it now before I hurt myself.

I have hit the online dating sites lately ... fitness-singles, singlesnet and plentyoffish. No dates yet. The type of woman that I am attracted is pretty, active, and slim (has to weigh less than I do) ... couch potatoes need not apply. Exercise is not a four letter word to her. However, it seems that the women are still in control. The ones who post pictures probably have lots of email and IMs. I am conversing with a woman down in DE from fitness-singles. She is a runner like me ... so she knows how crazed (in a good way I hope) I am!

My oldest son, Michael, got a 3.983 GPA for the spring semester at Ithaca College. He got all As except for an A- in a 1 credit course. He just started a summer job at Ultralife Batteries in Newark. Karen got 2 Bs and 2 B+s at Houghton College. She is down there taking a math course during their May-term. She is doing very well ... surprising herself. My youngest son, David, is doing well at his job at Wal-Mart.

I have decided to take down my 24 foot round pool in the backyard. I haven't opened it in going on three years ... ever since N and the two youngest kids moved out. I just didn't see the point. Any pool I ever have from now on will be a hot tub.

Keep running, Doug

Hi All,

Sunday, May 11th to May 17th: 20.2 miles

I ran the usual three times this week:

Sun: 7 miles, 53:12, 65F, sunny, no stops, 7:36 pace
Tue: 7 miles, 53:54, 70F, sunny, no stops, 7:42 pace
Fri: 6.2 miles, 44:04, 55F, cloudy, 2 stops, 7:06 pace

The runs were all different.

Sunday's run had a little extra. A blond walker passed when I was stretching after my run. I talked to a neighbor and he suggested that I run after her. So I did. I caught up to her after almost 2 miles. I walked with her for a while. She walks seven days a week, 27 miles total. I did find out that she is married but she is exactly the type of woman that I am looking for ... active and easy to talk to. Trying to meet someone is outside my comfort zone but I will try.

Tuesday's run was a tired run. I went out even though I was tired. My slower pace says it.

Friday's run was at the Williamson Appleblossom 10K ... race temp of 54F and cloudy. I forgot my Forerunner 305 and was a bit lost without it. I went out too fast with a 6:20 first mile. I passed all the water stops. I couldn't see all the mile markers so I was a bit nervous about my pace. Two people passed me on the run plus I walked a bit on two hills and two more youngsters passed me. I picked it back up and finished 9th overall (the joys of running a small local race). Results are here. I found out that I got first in my age group (50-59), then that I ran a PR (by 1:09) of 44:04, a pace of 7:06! Wow! Afterwards, I was quite tired, hungry and went to bed early at 10PM.

Today I was a bit sore but I am satisfied with the results of the week.

I did give my soon-to-be ex-wife, N, my signed divorce papers for her to give to her lawyer. Hopefully we will not have to go to court again. How long before it becomes official ... who knows? I am not the world's best dater and starting over at 50 will be a challenge but I will.

Keep running, Doug

Hi All,

Sunday, May 4th to Saturday, May 10th: 24 miles

I ran three times last week:

Mon: 7 miles, 52:11, 60F, cloudy, calm, no stops, 7:36 pace
Wed: 10 miles, 80:52, 70F, cloudy then misty rain, 1 stop, 8:05 pace
Fri: 7 miles, 53:54, 60F, cloudy, no stops, 7:27 pace, PR

I mixed up getting my car fixed with my run on Wednesday. I dropped my car off at RTR Enterprise in Palmyra for a right wheel bearing replacement and then ran the 10 miles home on the canal trial. Since it was warm, I carried water in my Camelbak Rogue.

N and I went down to Ithaca College to get Michael. We took separate cars and got down there at 10:30AM ... then had to wait while he packed. We didn't start back until around 2PM. I didn't do too much on Saturday night. I watched the Cavs beat the Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern semifinals and the end of the Nascar race.

Keep running, Doug

Sunday, April 27th to Saturday, May 3rd: 21 miles

I ran 3 times this week:

Monday: 7 miles, 53:29, 65F, sunny, calm, no stops, 7:38 pace
Wednesday: 7 miles, 52:17, 50F, sunny, a little windy, no stops, 7:28 pace, PR
Saturday: 7 miles, 53:09, 60F, sunny, a little windy, no stops, 7:36 pace

I ran pretty hard on Wednesday and got a PR for my usual 7 mile route. I wanted to run longer on Saturday but just couldn't run any more after I hydrated at my house.

Oh, I got my new RoadID this week. I got the RoadID Interactive so I can keep my info current. I keep it in the back pocket of my running shorts that way I will always have it. Here is a RoadID coupon code worth $1 off any order of $10 or more: TAF5865, TAF5866 and TAF5867 (first come, first served).

Another Oh, I got an email that I have been rated a 8.0 out of 10 on www.blogged.com. You can read about it here.

I went down to Ithaca College on Friday to see Michael's last Wind Ensemble concert of this semester. I will have to head down to Houghton College tomorrow to pick up Karen since her mother's car is having troubles.

I took my youngest son, David, out to see Iron Man at the Newark Showplace 5. It was a good movie and it was good to get out for a change.

Keep running, Doug