Happy New Year, 2009!

Time to look back ... lots of changes this past year. Let's see ... my divorce was finialized, living in a one bedroom apartment up in Rochester close to work and play, new job (twice), more stuff that I just can't think of.

A good year in the running department. I ran 1144.8 miles during the year, high of 145.7 in August, low of 57.3 in November, average of 95.4 miles per month. I ran 163 out of 365 days with an average of 7 miles per run. I ran 15 races, set lifetime PRs in the 5K, 5 Mile, 10K, 15K and 20K. I ran my first marathon, the hot and humid Rochester, two days before my 51st birthday. I have a nagging injury in my right knee that I seem to have thwarted with my IT band wrap. I ran some trail races during the year. Trail races are a challenge ... my long legs seem to be built for road races.

I need to start working out my upper body. I need to unpack my apartment and toss the stuff that I don't need.

I am the lookout for a woman who shares my desire to be in the best shape of their life. I know she is out there ... somewhere.

I have my faults ... procrastination being one of them. I need to start doing stuff, making decisions of the way I want to live life instead of accepting whatever comes my way.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, December 21st to Saturday, December 27th: 15.5 miles

Flights (24 steps/flight)
Sun: -, Mon: 10, Tue: 8, Wed: 12, Thu: -, Fri: 14, Sat: -

Steps
Sun: 2304, Mon: 4144, Tue: 4367, Wed: 7682, Thu: 10411, Fri: 10219, Sat: 14198

I ran three times this week.

Sun: Caught up on my sleep ... 11 hours. Lazed around ... sick with a head cold and sore throat. I listened to the wind howl around the apartment. Outside it was 15F (or lower) with 10 to 30 mph winds sending the wind chill below zero. I do know someone who snowshoed in the AM. I haven't tried snowshoeing yet ... but that will have to wait until I am better.

Mon & Tue & Wed: Getting better. Tuesday was the first day I actually felt close to 100%. I put up some Christmas decorations, strung some Christmas lights and played some Christmas music. I made me feel in the spirit of things. I could have gone running down at the Fleet Feet Cobb's Hill run but decided to play it safe. Wednesday I was all ready to head out in the 50F weather after work but it started raining! So I played it safe ... again!

Thu: 4.4 miles, 36:28, 8:17 pace, 32F, easy, sunny, a little windy, nice and easy, icy, mild left knee pain, no stops. I took a nice and easy Christmas morning run. It was a bit icy so I made sure of my footing. I wore my neck warmer ... I looked like a running robber when I wore it over my nose! I went out to see my kids, my father, then back to a cousin's house for Christmas dinner. A nice Christmas day but sort of empty in a certain sort of way.

Fri: 4.1 miles, 32:07, 7:50 pace, 36F, a little hard, mild left knee pain, no stops. Your usual Friday night Fleet Feet happy hours run. Just letting it loose, no stops ... a good run!

Sat: 7 miles, 58:16, 8:19 pace, 53F, easy, mild left knee pain, no stops. A nice Saturday morning run that I squeezed in between rain showers. I went out easy, kept it going, a bit overdressed. I felt a mild left knee pain early but it went away. I wore the IT band wrap on my right knee. I had to be careful of the odd icy patch plus puddles.

I took my 36-36 dress pants to Mens Warehouse to have the waist taken in. I think my waist is around 34 now. I also got three 50% off 15.5 / 34-35 dress shirts at Sear's. Then I headed out to Newark to work on my youngest son's laptop that had a corrupt config/system file. It turned out the config folder had issues. I ran chkdsk which fixed the problem. I also got my haircut and had a couple of beers with my best friend from high school who was home from KY for the holidays. The weather is really balmy tonight. Right now at 11:30PM it is 61F!

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, December 14th to Saturday, December 20th: 18.7 miles

Flights (24 steps/flight)
Mon: 29, Tue: 9, Wed: 29, Thu: 10, Fri: 16

Steps
Mon: 11360, Tue: 19595, Wed: 15321, Thu: 7669, Fri: 7899, Sat: 7687

I ran 3 times this week.

Sun: 9 miles, Seneca-Titus-St Paul-Zoo-Pond + Seneca-Titus-St Paul, easy, 40F, morning, 4 stops, it band, 8:12 pace. I didn't eat anything before heading out so I bonked to four stops, no energy. Lesson learned ... have a little something to eat before a long run. It's been a while since I have run long.

Tue: 6.7 miles, FF Cobbs Hill Run, easy, 25F, night, calm, no stops, 4.24 miles in 8:14 pace. I went out for 3.5 loops: 4 right side, 3 left side. I wore exactly the right stuff for the conditions but I forgot to wear my IT band wrap. Not too much pain, a little on my left side instead of the right.

Wed: 2.7, Snow Cheap #1, 29:55, 11:04 pace, easy, 30F, night, calm, some stops. We had about 3 inches of wet snow in the morning so there was snow. I ran an easy 29:55, walked some hills, good for 50th out of 124, results here. I was slipping and sliding! I walked some hills. Trail races just hammer my legs. I need to buy some Yaktraks (so I won't slip and kill myself) and leg gaiters (so I won't nick up my ankles).

Thu, Fri & Sat: Real life gets in the way of running as it will do on occasion. I am not feeling 100%. I have a head cold that came on after the Snow Cheap race ... a running nose, headache and cough. Joy ... not.

Fri: I drove down to Ithaca College to pick up my oldest son, Michael. The conditions were not good. The Rochester area got about 10 inches of snow. It took about 3.5 hours to get down there and 2.5 hours to get back. Michael stayed at his grandparents for the night while I ended up heading back up to Rochester.

Sat: I lended a helping hand to my kids and ex and helped them move. It was not the best day to move: 20F and falling, a light snow to make the ramp slippery. I ended up falling and hurting my right knee when I fell while pulling up the appliance dolly with a portable dishwasher on it. That's not to mention the usual cuts, aches and pains. All in all, a long day.

I am finding out living up near Irondequoit has its disadvantages in the winter ... almost a daily occurrence of lake effect snow.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, December 7th to Saturday, December 13th: 21.6 miles

Flights (24 steps/flight)
Mon: 16, Tue: 30, Wed: 15, Thu: 19, Fri: 29

Steps
Sun: 6241, Mon: 11249, Tue: 18282, Wed: 9950, Thu: 21239, Fri: 12129, Sat: 2081

I ran 4 times this week.

Sun: 3.1 miles, Polar Cat #1, 24:14, 7:49 pace, 15F, very windy, too cold to feel any pain! I ran the first Polar Cat #1 5K down in Honeoye Falls. It was a little sunny and very windy with wind chills probably sub-zero. I didn't warm up ... too cold. We turned the corner at mile 1 so the wind was in our face and then turned another corner so the wind was on our left ... brutal! I had to stop twice ... my face almost froze off plus I was almost blown over! Anyway, I finished 16th out of 44, 4th in my age group, results here. The free hot chocolate provided by the Brewery Resturant was much appreciated.

Mon: I baked some bake-n-stick cookies and an apple pie. I also pounded some nails in my bookcase ... the shelves needed more support for my books and magazines. I posted it on Facebook so I was urged to bring the cookies into work. The apple pie was mine ... all mine!

Tue: 6.1 miles, FF Cobbs Hill run, 4.81 miles in 41:14, 8:32 pace, 48F, slushy, calm, no stops. I wore my trail shoes and headlamp. I ran 3 loops before heading back. I forgot to wear my IT band wrap.

Thu: 8.3 miles, 2 x Seneca-Titus-St Paul + Seneca, 69:53, 8:25 pace, 25F, easy, icy, no stops, it band. I needed some major endorphins so I just put on the IT band wrap and ran. Perhaps I shouldn't have added the extra up and back on Seneca. But the extra pain was worth it.

Fri: 4.1 miles, FF Happy Hour run, 34:29, 8:25 pace, 25F, a little hard, light snow, no stops. The FF Happy Hour run was light snowy goodness. I like to just go out and run. I tend to leave the pack behind ... I can't run slow. There are people who run faster (mostly young whippersnappers) but most don't.

Sat: I needed sleep so I didn't do the first Freezeroo out in Spencerport. I heard that the conditions were great ... 20F, sunny and calm. I went down to Lyons in the afternoon to see my father at the Wayne County Nursing Home in Lyons and also took more of my empty boxes to my ex. That's one way to get rid of all my empty boxes in my apartment! I will be helping her and the kids move from a 2 bedroom apartment to a 3 bedroom house next Saturday. I will be driving the 14 foot Uhaul truck she is renting. She will have plenty of help from what she tells me. So it should be an easy move.

Right now I am watching It's a Wonderful Life. I have never watched it from the beginning before. Even with all the commercials that NBC is throwing in I will be sniffling by the end.

Oh, gas prices are great! I filled up at the Deltasonic on Ridge Rd E by Hudson for $1.79 after I passed gas stations at $1.99 on the way back ... sweet!

Keeping active, Doug

P.S. I like to think that I am active ... but there are people that I have met that make me look like a slug! They inspire me sometimes or discourage me other times ... but not enough to go back out after a 5K with sub-zero wind chills! I definitely need to get more and/or better cold weather gear! Today I got a Drylete Neck Warmer from Dick's Sporting Goods. It should help next time there are subzero wind chills!

Sunday, November 30th to Saturday, December 6th: 15 miles

Flights (24 steps/stair)
Mon: 15, Tue: 5, Wed: 8, Thu: 27, Fri: 26

Steps
Mon: -, Tue: 18291, Wed: 6061, Thu: 18241, Fri: 12145

I ran 3 times this week.

Sun: 5 miles, Seneca-Titus-Paul-Zoo Run, sucked, 32F, cloudy, calm, right knee pain. The pain really sucked.

Mon: The IT Band Wrap from Ithacasports.com came today. It's really made by www.injurybegone.com. I had to hold myself back from running but today is an off day.

Tue: 5 miles, FF Winter Warrior Cobbs Hill run, 34F, night, calm, really mild right knee pain. Fleet Feet Hill Winter Warrior initial meeting. I ran three round trips of Cobbs Hill (wanted to see the whole thing), walked one and then ran the right way once (up the right side, down, up the left side, down). I am guessing that I ran 5 miles. I wore the IT Band Wrap ... my knee didn't hurt as much.

Wed: Yes, I watched the Victoria's Secret Runway Show with Heidi Klum and all the other angels. I am a guy, I do like lingerie and I have a pulse ... and intend to for a long time to come. Though if I saw a woman in lingerie and huge wings coming my way I might run the other way!

Thu: 5 miles, Seneca-Titus-Paul-Zoo Run, 39:50, 7:58 pace, easy, 30F, dusk, calm, it band, no stops. The IT Band Wrap seems to help. Maybe I will get one for the other knee.

Fri: I was late coming home from work so I couldn't make the FF Happy Hour run. A friend and I tried to go out ballroom dancing at a place in Webster but it had just closed its doors forever. After walking over to Starbucks for some get acquainted coffee, we ended up dancing to Gap Mangione up at the Woodcliffe Hotel in Bushnells Basin. Lesson learned ... I shouldn't drink regular coffee after dark ... much less two! I couldn't sleep the rest of the night!

Sat: I couldn't make it down to see my father at the Wayne County Nursing Home in Lyons but did make it down to Ithaca College to see Michael in the Symphony Orchestra. I was pretty tired on the way back up to Rochester.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, November 23rd to Saturday, November 29th: 10 miles
Month of November: 57.3 miles, I ran 14 out of 30 days

Flights (24 steps/stair)
Mon: 18, Tue: 15, Wed: 18

Steps
Mon: -, Tue: -, Wed: 8261

Post 100!!

I ran twice this week plus a run/mostly walk.

Sun: 5 miles, Seneca-Titus-St Paul run plus over to the Seneca Zoo and down the hill, easy, 20F, calm, icy, mild right knee pain, no stops, 8:28 pace. A weird thing happened. My left kneecap popped in and out about a mile in. A very strange feeling! I continued on cautiously plus it was a bit icy in spots. Then when I was lightly stretching out afterward I pulled a muscle in the back of my left knee. I iced it right away. It seemed better. Then when I felt a twinge in it during work on Tuesday. So I did not run on Tuesday and applied heat all night until I went to bed.

Wed: I was out window-shopping at the Marketplace Mall. I bought a Princeton Tec Fuel LED Headlamp at Dick's Sporting Goods. It was on sale for $19.99, regularly $24.99. It will be useful for night runs.

Thu: 5 miles, Newark Turkey Trot, 37:28, 7:30 pace, 40F, cloudy, calm, mild right knee pain. I told myself I was just going to run slow, don't hurt myself. Well ... the gun sounds and off I go. I felt the usual right knee pain after a mile, ignored it and ran on. No pain in my left knee, so I ran on. I didn't have my Garmin or my stopwatch and there was no shout out at the 1 mile mark. So I had no idea about my time. I was 53rd out of 172 and 3rd in my age group. So much for running slow, I guess ... only 10 seconds off my 7:20 mile PR pace for 5 miles. There were a lot of runners in the Rochester area today ... 1096 at the 4.4 Webster Turkey Trot, 531 at the 2.5 Mile Webster Turkey Trot, 886 at the Race With Grace 10K and 172 at my race.

The bling and sweatshirt!
I went to my ex's apartment in Newark to see my daughter. My youngest son was not home. My ex is going to rent a 3 bedroom house in Newark next month. So ... since she helped me move ... I will help her move. Quid pro quo, you know. Plus I will give her all my empty boxes! It should be a relatively easy move ... all my kids should be able to help, plus she is only moving a mile or so.

Then I went out to my cousin's house in Penfield for Thanksgiving dinner. Many thanks to them for inviting me. I enjoyed myself.

Fri: 3 miles, FF Black Friday run, 36F, 10% run/90% walk. I attempted to run the Fleet Feet Black Friday morning run but could only manage a very short run of a couple hundred yards before I was forced to a walk. Oh, I tried to run but I could tell it wasn't worth it. The pain was not something I could ignore. I did some Google research and I think it is time to face the fact that I have a IT band injury on my right knee. I definitely need to attend to this injury ... ignoring it will not work. I ordered an Iliotibial Band Compression Wrap from nearby Ithaca Sports for $19.99 with free shipping. I hope it will help.

A thought: Is there privacy on the internet? If you Google me, Doug DeWeaver, you will find all sorts of stuff ... this blog, my LinkedIn page, my NHS alumni page, my Classmates page and lots of race results. In fact, the first two pages are all about me. If you Google most anybody (unless it is a common name), you will find something about them if you are willing to look and sort through the chaff. Is this good or bad? That answer depends, I guess. I am comfortable with my results.

Oh, I listed my blog on the Complete Running Blog Network.

Keeping active, Doug

P.S. Gas prices are great! I got gas for $1.96 at the cheapest place in Rochester, the 7-11 in Henrietta, according to www.rochestergasprices.com.

Sunday, November 16th to Saturday, November 22nd: 15.4 miles

Flights (24 steps/stair)
Mon: 10, Tue: 15, Wed: 18, Thu: 16, Fri: 31 flights

DM gave me a pedmeter on Wednesday. I will try to wear it during my workday. I didn't think I walked that much at work!
Steps
Thu: 8852, Fri: 9820

Winter came early to Rochester but I ran 4 times this week.

Sun: 5 miles, Upstate XC Series #5, 42:39, 8:32 pace, 37F, easy, very windy, mild right knee pain, multiple stops. The day dawned very windy and snowy. The women raced their 6K first at 11AM. I cheered on KK when she finished. The men raced at 11:45AM. It was still very windy, a little snowy and a little sunny. It was a long run with the usual right knee pain. I talked with CR afterward. He suggested that I rest my knee for two weeks while exercising on a bike. I ran a 42:39, good for 138th out of 147, results here. I saw KK at the race on Sunday and talked a bit.

Monday ... our family (ex and I) dog, Blackie, died unexpectedly. We got the dog on Halloween nine years ago. He was a cocker spaniel and black labrador mix, tall like a lab with the fur of a cocker. He was a nice dog, friendly. When my ex moved out in September 2005, I inherited the dog and an old cat named Inkie. I took care of Blackie until March 2008 when I persuaded my ex to take him. I adjusted to just having Inkie. When I moved up to Rochester I had to give Inkie to my ex. I do miss him, he is 21 years old, "older than dirt", and absolutely adores me. Well, Blackie was having some issues and my ex was going to take him to the vet tomorrow. He became worse and she was taking him tonight. Well, she was stopped at the stoplight by BurgerKing in Newark when Blackie started howling. She was petting and reassuring him when he died right there. She continued on the vet who said that there was nothing she could have done ... that he must have had a heart attack. My ex called me with the news ... crying her eyes out. My daughter, Karen, is heart-broken. My ex is going to pick up Karen tomorrow from Houghton so she can see Blackie before he is cremated. A sad ending to a Monday.

RIP Blackie
Tue: 3.1 miles, Seneca Zoo run, 25:17, 8:10 pace, easy, 25F, night, light snow, calm, real mild right knee pain, no stops, excellent. A short 5K in real light snow, 25F, calm winds ... just a nice run. Thursday's Seneca-Titus-Paul run was excellent. Another great winter run. Friday's Fleet Feet Happy Hour run was good. The roads were icy for the first mile or so. But a run is all good when it's done.

A friend and I went to the Cracker Barrel in Henrietta for a leisurely dinner then to see Quantum of Solace. I didn't particularly like this Bond movie ... too much cold-blooded vengeance, no chemistry between Bond and his leading lady. We both rightfully took issue with the bad science behind the finale.

Thu: 3.3 miles, Seneca-Titus-Paul run, 25:52, 7:50 pace, a little hard, 30F, dusk, calm, no right knee pain, no stops.

Fri: 4.4 miles, FF Happy Hour run, 34:00, 7:44 pace, easy, 20F, night, calm, mild right knee pain, no stops.

Saturday, I headed down to Ithaca College to pick up Michael and take him to stay with my ex in Newark, then I headed to see my father at the Wayne County Nursing Home in Lyons.

Well, I really should unbox, sort, put away and/or throw out my junk.

Oh, I signed up for the 33rd Annual Newark Turkey Day 5 Mile Race.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, November 9th to Saturday, 15th: 13.2 miles

Since I climb a lot of stairs at work I am going to include my daily stair flight count. I don't take the elevator unless I am carrying something heavy.

Flights (24 steps/stair)
Mon: 15, Tue: 17, Wed:17, Thu: 20, Fri: 22

I ran three times this week:

Tue: 5.3 miles, 43:00, easy, 40F, cloudy, calm, right knee pain, no stops, 8:07 pace
Thu: about 3.5 miles, 27:21, Seneca-Titus-Paul run, 55F, easy, dusk, calm, little right knee pain
Fri: 4.4 miles, Fleet Feet Fun Run, 60F, a little hard, night, calm, really mild right knee pain

Tuesday, I ran out to the zoo plus two loops around the pond. By the time I got back my right knee pain had worsened from mild to moderate which slowed me quite a bit. I did climb up and down 17 flights of stairs at work so that may have had something to do with it. This pain that only comes on when I run is really beginning to piss me off. I want to run longer but can't.

Thursday's night run was nice and easy as I discovered a new run route up Seneca Ave to Titus and back down St. Paul St. The aftermath was not. I had my apartment and door key on a key ring in my left shorts pocket wearing shorts and a ss tech shirt. I heard them jingling all the way up Seneca Ave. Well, by the time I got back to my apartment ... they had bounced out somewhere. I retraced my steps all the way back to Seneca Ave but could not see them in the gathering gloom and cold. It got a bit cold and windy during the time I was out hunting for my keys. I had to buzz the nice woman in C so I could get in. I must have looked like a sight! I was cold and shivering when I stopped concentrating on looking for my keys. She let me call maintenance for an emergency key which cost me $20. I need to get some extra keys made for sure. Next time I will run with my keys knotted in my sneakers! I walked my running route up and back on St. Paul Street and Titus Ave during the daylight on Friday with no results.

I ventured out to Newark on Saturday to fix my youngest son's laptop. He said that the LCD was gone. I had a similar laptop that wouldn't boot so I thought it was just a LCD transplant. Well ... it turned out that his video cable between the LCD and mainboard was severed so I had to replace the video cable. How did it get severed? Well, let's just say that he is rough on his stuff. I updated all the usual stuff and he was all set. I also headed out to the Wayne County Nursing Home to see my father. We watched the end of the last Nationwide race on ESPN2, link here.

I really need to unpack my apartment ... but I am procrastinating. That is one of my weaknesses.

Oh, I have started drinking coffee after all these years. Just at work and not straight black ... but if you add enough half and half it just tastes like bitter hot chocolate.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, November 2nd to Saturday, November 8th: 13.4 miles

I ran three times this week:

Sun: 6.2 miles, 48:42, Turkey Trot + 1.2, a little hard, 28F, sunny, calm, mild right knee pain, no stops, 7:51 pace
Fri: 4.4 miles, Fleet Happy Hour, a little hard, 55F, calm, mild right knee pain, no stops
Sat: 2.8 miles, Seneca Zoo run, easy, 55F, dusk, calm, mild right knee pain, no stops, 8:07 pace

The Sunday morning run was beautiful. It was shortly after 7AM just after the time change back to EST. The ground was frosty, the sun was coming up, it was calm and peaceful. The run just came out of me. I was thinking that this would be my last run from my house.

The Friday night run was pretty good. I broke away from the slow pack and just ran ... enjoying the night. I have found that I have to run my pace ... I can't run slow. My pace is usually 8 minute mile or a little better ... I guess it's because of my long legs. I met a woman afterward, we talked and exchanged contact info. I enjoyed the short drive back to my apartment.

I took a short run from my apartment to the Seneca Park Zoo and back on Saturday just to see how far it was. I must remember to take both my apartment key and door key next time ... having just my apartment key does not get into my door. Luckily, someone in my unit came ... after 30 minutes or so.

The past several days have been a blur of sorting, packing, moving and unpacking (more to do). I thought I had already gone through my stuff ... boy was I wrong! I ended up making several "Misc" boxes with who knows what in them! The move day was Wednesday with the help of a 24 foot U-Haul truck (I only rolled one curb), my ex, my youngest son and Pedro. It was a long day but I am 95% moved out of Newark and up to Rochester. All I did on Wednesday night was set up my bed, unpacked some clothes and crashed. Thursday, in typical guy fashion I set up the TV, electronics, stereo and internet first. The cable guy said he did that too ... it must be a guy thing. Then I watched a heart wrenching episode of Grey's Anatomy.

I am going to toss the stuff that I don't need ... which is quite a bit. Though talking about tossing stuff and actually tossing it are two different things.

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, October 26th to Saturday, November 1st: 13.1 miles
Month of October: 73.8 miles, I ran 15 out of 31 days

I ran 3 times this week:

Sun: 3.7 miles, 30:58, Upstate XC Series #3, a little hard, 50F, sunny, calm, 8:20 pace
Wed: 5 miles, no time, zoo run, 40F, windy, easy, 40F, cloudy, windy, mild right knee pain
Fri: 4.4 miles, 31:52, FF Happy Hour run, a little hard, 55F, dusk, calm, mild right knee pain, 7:15 pace

I ran the Upstate XC Series #3 down at Ithaca College on Sunday morning. It was a beautiful fall day (50F, sunny, a little windy) after an all day rain on Saturday. The course was uphill for the first two miles (including up the local Mt. Everest) and then downhill back. The start was pretty congested ... someone fell behind me when we turned a corner. I finished in 30:58, 121st out of 131 males, results here. This XC Series attracts a fast group which was why I at the bottom of the group. Michael and her girlfriend, who go to Ithaca College were at the start and finish and invited me to a leisurely brunch before I headed back home. Oh, Michael's senior recital is Wednesday, April 9th at 9PM.


I gave blood for the 65th time on Wednesday after work. My pulse was 60, blood pressure was 120/70. If you want to give blood, go here to sign up.

I was busy all week looking for a one bedroom apartment up in Rochester. I looked at several and found one at Pine Ridge Crossing on Seneca Manor Drive in Rochester, website here. This apartment (with heat and water included) is the Taj Mahal compared to all the ones I have seen ... trust me. This will give me an opportunity to start over.

Those who know me know I have been living alone for a little over three years now, officially divorced for about four months ... afraid to make a decision about almost anything. I should have sold the house years ago. I have fixed it up as much as I could. Moving from this house will force me to downsize ... well, not unless I just start dumping stuff into boxes. So I will busy this weekend for sure.

Gas prices have continued to fall. I saw $2.79/gal in Palmyra and 2.88/gal in Newark on the way home on Friday from the FleetFeet Happy Hour run. According to www.rochestergasprices.com the cheapest is $2.52. I talked to my brother in Syracuse and he said that www.syracusegasprices.com says his cheapest gas price is $2.19/gal. Hey, anything under $3/gal is a bargain to me. My new apartment is 2 miles away from work. Newark is around 40 miles one way from work. If you crunch the numbers assuming that I will work 22 days/month, gas mileage of 25 miles/gal and gas price of $3/gal, I will save around $200/month. Now I will have to head out to Newark to see my children and out to Lyons to see my father but still I will be ahead. When gas goes back up to $4/gal (and you know it will) I will save even more.

Keeping active, Doug