Sunday, August 3rd to Saturday, August 9th: 34.8 miles run, 29.3 miles bike

I ran 4 times last week:

Mon: 6.2 miles, easy, 75F, sunny, calm, 1 stop, 7:46 pace
Wed: 6.2 miles, easy, 70F, sunny, a little windy, 1 stop for traffic, 7:41 pace
Thu: 6.2 miles, easy, 70F, sunny, a little windy, no stops, 7:40 pace
Sat: 16.2 miles, easy, 62F, sunny, 55:17 no stops @ 7, 106:00 @ 13.1, 8:14 pace

The first long run since signing up the Rochester Marathon went well. It was 62F, cloudy, with little humidity. I had an Expresso Love Gu before I headed out. I ran the first 7 miles with no stops in 55:00, 7:51 pace. I stopped about 2 minutes for more gu and water and headed back out. I ran out to 13.1 miles before stopping again, approximately 106:00, 8:06 pace, unofficial PR by 5 minutes. Then I stopped every mile or so until I stopped. I am satisfied ... I was cranking out a 8:05 to 8:15 mile pace between miles 7 and 13.1, then slowed with some run, walk miles. Only ten more miles make a marathon. I think given good (read that as cool, not warm) conditions I could crank out a sub 4 hour marathon. But ... there is the whole "wall" that I have heard about that could throw all that out the window. Next weekend ... maybe 18 miles and the weekend after that 21 miles will help give more experience with the "wall". Oh ... I need to apply Body Glide next time ... trust me. I am a bit sore right now but nothing a good night of sleep won't cure.

I am thinking of running the Oak Tree half marathon down in Geneseo on Labor Day weekend as a training run. I ran it two years ago.

I biked once last week:

Tue: 29.3 miles, ride out to Canandaigua Rd in Macedon, easy, 75F, sunny, a little wind

I wanted another bike ride on Friday but it rained practically all day. A four hour soaking in the morning, then it would clear up, rain again and repeat. There was a waterspout on the lake off Webster in the morning. Newark had about 1.5 inches of rain according to Channel 10 news.

Nothing else going on. Some emails with a couple of women, no dates ... hopefully I haven't sunk into "friend" status. No job, no interviews. Only exercise keeps me sane ... thinking positive thoughts.

Michael quit his job at Ultralife on Tuesday. He is now busy practicing his trumpet upstairs while I am typing this. He will be going back to Ithaca College in a couple of weeks. The children living with my ex; Karen will be going back to Houghton College the week after and David hopefully will be going to Finger Lakes Community College.

The Beijing 2008 Olympics started last night. The opening ceremonies were quite impressive. I have been watching NBC coverage today while I rest from my long run. I plan on watching some online coverage from www.nbcolympics.com tonight.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, July 27th to Saturday, August 2nd: 30.8 miles run, 20 miles bike
Month of July: 102.7 miles run, I ran 15 out of 31 days; 160.1 miles bike, I biked 6 out of 31 days

I ran four times this week:

Tue: 6 miles, easy, 70F, sunny, calm, no stops
Wed: 6.2 miles, easy, 70F, cloudy, calm, 1 stop, 7:41 pace
Thu: 6.2 miles, easy, 75F, sunny, calm, 2 stops, 7:45 pace
Sat: 12.4 miles, a little hard, 70F, light rain, calm, some stops, 7:44 pace

I modified my running route this week in preparation of running the Phelps Sauerkraut 20K on Saturday. I ran the Turkey Trot route (going up the 88S hill twice).

I ran the Phelps Sauerkraut 20K today. I did very well, 65th, 8th in my age group, 7:15 first mile, 37:30 at 5 miles, around 77 min for 10 miles, finished in 95:48, a 7:42 pace, a PR by 9 minutes. The weather was perfect: 70F, calm, light rain for the first 9 miles! Many thanks to Body Glide for no nip burn. I felt pretty good with only a light pain in my left knee once or twice. Though I was glad to stop for sure! Results here, age group results here.

I just signed up for the Rochester Marathon! I beat the $10 increase by signing up today.

I biked once this week:

Mon: 20 miles, easy, 78F, cloudy, light sprinkle, did some shopping

I rode out to Division St in Palmyra and back. I returned a DVD at Blockbuster and did some shopping at Savalot on the way back.

I am still on my DVD watching kick. Blockbuster: The Illusionist and Lady Chatterly's Lover. The latter movie would have been a great one to watch with a gf.

Sunday, I went up to the ESL airshow. The USAF Thunderbirds were great! I tried to get video but had trouble with my camcorder. I did get one pic (not very good).

Tuesday, I went to Showplace 6 in Newark with my daughter to see Batman: The Dark Knight. Wow! If Heath Ledger does not win an Oscar for his role as the Joker there is no justice!

Saturday, after recovering from the 20K, I went over to Waterloo to see the "Pageant of Drums". Class A competition: White Sabers, Fusion Core, Carolina Gold, Kingston Grenadiers, and Excelsior. Open class competition: the host Brigadiers, Rochester Crusaders and the Empire Statesmen. The Fusion Gold won the Class A and the Statesmen won the Open competition, results here.

Keeping active, Doug

Hi All,

Sunday, July 20th to Saturday, July 26th: 39 miles run, 10.3 miles bike

I ran 5 (yes, 5) times last week:

Sun, 7 miles, 55:21, easy, 75F, light to heavy rain, humid, no stops, 7:54 pace
Tue, 7 miles, 54:16, easy, 70F, cloudy, humid, light rain, no stops, 7:45 pace
Wed, 7 miles, 53:56, a little hard, 70F, cloudy, light rain, no stops, 7:42 pace
Fri, 7 miles, 55:38, easy, 75F, sunny, calm, 3 stops, 7:57 pace
Sat, 11 miles, 89:35, easy, 70F, sunny, a little windy, 3 stops, 8:06 pace

Until the middle of the week, it was hot, hazy and humid with lots of rain and thunderstorms (sometimes twice a day). It dried out on Friday and the first part of Saturday. I don't like running in the sun and heat so I tried to run in the rain. The rain on Sunday was quite nice ... sprinkles to light rain to heavy rain to light rain to nothing by the time I stopped. I ran a nice 11 miles on Saturday. I will sign up for the Phelps Sauerkraut 20K next Saturday. I am running pretty good right now.

I biked once this week:

Mon, 10.3 miles, 53 minutes, a little fast, 75F, cloudy, humid, no stops

I wasn't going to go out ... but I felt like a slug so I hopped on the bike around 8PM and rode around my usual running route.

I have been losing weight lately ... down to 156 last week. So I have started to eat ice cream after supper. I weigh around 158 now.

I am still trying to find someone online. Still no dates yet. I am chatting on Fitness-Singles.com and via email. Nothing ... not much hope either ... from www.plentyoffish.com or www.singlesnet.com. Meeting someone that I want will be difficult: blond (preferred), around my age, weighs less than I do and exercises (no couch potatoes allowed). I am willing to travel.

I have been on a major movie watching kick this week. From www.movie6.net (yes, the illegal way): Hell Boy II and Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D. From the Redbox: 21 and 10000 BC. From Blockbuster: Absolute Zero, Species: The Awakening, Starship Troopers and Starship Troopers 2.

Oh, I was a finalist in the Fox951 40,000 gallons of gas contest today. I, along with 41 other finalists, headed out to LeBrun Toyota in Canandaigua. Basically, you had to roll 6 dice and try to spell out GALLON ... which no one did. I did get a $25 gas/merchandise card from GettyMart and a Led Zeppelin - Mothership CD. I saw a Toyota Prius Hybrid (48/45) there ... the list price was only $24,300! Of course there were other gas guzzlers there ... a Sequoia (13/17) costing $51K took the cake!

Milestones: my youngest son, David, turned 19 on Thursday. He celebrated by going to the Turning Stone Casino.

Keeping active, Doug

P.S. Can you believe that Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones turned 65 today?

Sunday, July 13th to Saturday, July 19th: 14 miles run, 58.6 mile bike

I bought a new pair of size 13 Brooks Men's Adrenaline GTS 8 Running Shoe from Fleet Feet.

I ran twice last week:

Thu: 7 miles, 54:55, easy, 75F, light rain, calm, 1 stop, 7:51 pace
Sat: 7 miles, 57:53, easy, 75F, sunny, humid, 4 stops, 8:16 pace

I biked twice last week:

Wed: 29.3 miles out to Ca Rd, 2:30:00, easy, 80F, sunny, calm
Fri: 29.3 miles out to Ca Rd, 2:37:00, easy, 85F, sunny, calm

The last part of the week was HHH: hot, hazy and humid. The highs on Thursday and Friday were in the 90s, Saturday just a little less but just as humid. I don't like running when it is HHH.

Rant ... Internet dating sucks! Trying to get a woman to respond to your initial inquiry, then chat is very hard ... much less meet and then date! Then there are women who once you get to the chatting stage seem to analyze your chats to find a reason not to meet you in person. I do not want to just chat with a woman ... I want to meet and date them. I have rejoined Fitness-Singles.com. I am willing to travel to meet a woman since it seems that the women that I want to date are not local. Rant off!

What do I want? My profile is simple ... I want to meet a woman who values exercise as much as I do. I do not want a couch potato (had that, didn't like it). I want a woman who weighs less than I do (157 pounds). I am a normal guy who enjoys the usual: finding the comic side of life (of which there is plenty), hugs, kisses, holding hands, sunsets and nice conversation between two people.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, July 6th to Saturday, July 12th: 19.3 miles

I ran three times this week:

Sun: 7 miles, easy, 80F, sunny, humid, 5 stops, 8:12 pace
Thu: 7 miles, easy, 75F, sunny, a little windy, 1 stop, 7:54
Sat: 5.3 miles, easy, 80F, sunny, right hamstring problem after 2.5 miles, walked in

A week of frustrations. I didn't bike because of a left quad problem. Very humid on Sunday so I walked when I had to. A right hamstring problem on Saturday so I had to run-walk in. I think my right hamstring problem is because I need to buy new running shoes one half size larger. My middle right toe is hitting the end of the toe box.

I watched a lot of movies this week from the Redbox at Wegmans: The Bucket List, Vantage Point, Fool's Gold, Rambo, Jumper and Meet the Spartans.

More frustration on the friend front thanks to MK from Clarkson. I try to be nice as the day is long, try to say what I mean. I drove all the way out there, getting there around 4PM on a Friday night. I helped MK with her back yard, hauling lots of mulch (about 2.5 cubic yards) while she spread it. We had a nice steak dinner with a nice dessert and coffee afterward. She made an offer (not what you are thinking) that I will need in the coming months then retracted it less than a day later due to a personal problem which she will not tell me about. Some emails flew back and forth. Why can't people say what they mean and think before they speak? Granted that I shouldn't be the one to talk since I have been accused on this from time to time. Oh, well. L down in Olean and DS in Kingston are still friends I chat with.

Keeping active (or at least trying), Doug

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.