Sunday, 4/5/2020 to Saturday, 4/11/2020

This blog post is saved as I write it to avoid the Blogger "Auto Save" feature. I have found (as have others) that if you accidentally delete your entire blog post before you publish it that "Auto Save" will kick in within seconds to take you to a blank page. I have done this more than once! This feature is turned off once you publish the blog post. Then if you accidentally delete your entire post it is not final until you click Update (so you have a chance to realize that you are about to do something stupid).

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 4 times for 20.31 miles this week.
I took 49,995 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 4/5/2020

7277 steps, 54/133 resting/peak HR, 7:29 hrs sleep, 10 floors climbed
run: 4.35 miles, 38:19, 8:48 pace, 102 feet elevation gain, 127 avg HR, 161 avg cadence, 44F, 89% RH, 5 mph SW wind, wind chill 41F, overcast

I got up around 7:30 AM and got together Christine's breakfast of tea and rye toast with apricot jelly. Then ... I got dressed and got out there for my fourth run in a row. It was a bit above 40F with little so I wore shorts, a long sleeve tech, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I set up a slow and steady pace. I just wanted to be out there. I was out early enough so that I saw very few people which was just fine with me. I kept it short with my Out to the pier route. My splits were: 8:51, 8:48, 8:52, 8:52 and 8:21 over the last 0.35 mile.

My darling wife, Christine ... her temperature is normal and she is still weak and achy. I brought up a toasted cheese sandwich for lunch and leftover potatoes and carrots from last night. I didn't feel much like cooking tonight.

COVID-19 news as of 8:42 PM ... Worldwide - 1,274,282 cases, (up  72,8250, 69,428 deaths (up 4,766); Europe - 637,826 (up 30,355), 49,113 deaths (up 3,036); US - 336,673 cases (up 25,316), 9,616 deaths (up 1,165); NY - 123,018 cases (up 8,327), 4,159 deaths (up 594); Monroe County - 516 cases, 19 deaths

Monday, 4/6/2020: 5969 steps, 46/103 resting/peak HR, 7:31 hrs sleep, 171.7 lbs, 7 floors climbing

Well ... a day of rest from running and another day of work at Ricoh. I had 3 teleconferences before 1:30 PM. Along with a bit of getting stuff to work remotely ... a printer there and a printer than wouldn't work here (but not for me). Then ... I headed in to post signs for a new printer. Sometimes you just have to do stuff onsite.

What's for supper? Well ... my darling wife Christine ... told me to "wing it" with the chicken breasts that I had defrosted for supper. So ... bwhahaha! So I winged it with our new Instant Pot for the third time. I could hear Han Solo .... "Don't get cocky, kid!". I put in olive oil to coat the basin ... sauteed the chicken breasts ... cut the potatoes, celery, carrots ... seasoned it with poultry seasoning, maple syrup, 2 bay leaves, a beef bouillon cube and a smidge of ground tumeric. Then ... wait for a hour while the Instant Pot does its magic. Open it up ... dish it out ... delicious! I take all the credit ... I am getting better ... lol!

COVID news ... grim as usual as of 9:45 PM. Worldwide - 1,347,401 cases (up 70,112), 74,701 deaths (up 5,125); Europe - 664,881 (up 25,650), 52,518 (up  3,321); US - 367,004 cases (up 30,647), 10,896, (up 1,301); NY - 131,916 cases (up  8,658), 4,758 deaths (up 599); Monroe County - 543 cases, 26 deaths (up 7). Trump ... twitting that his teleconferences tell important info about COCID-19 and that all else is "fake news" that America has been told for years ... wow! While the US deaths rise over 10K ... and some South states with Republican governors OK Sunday services as "essential services".

Tuesday, 4/7/2020

11733 steps, 46/139 resting/peak HR, 8:29 hrs sleep, 171.5 lbs, 7 floors climbed
run: 5.35 mile, 45:00, 8:24 pace, 121 feet elevation gain, 133 avg HR, 161 avg cadence, 52F, 43% RH, 9 mph NE wind, overcast with light sprinkles

My darling wife, Christine, is feeling blah. Her temperature is normal or below but she is still as weak as a kitten. I take care as best as I can. She likes tea and toast. She is always appreciative of my efforts at taking of her.
 
But .. after my work-from-home day which involved going on-site to take meter reads from almost all my SCIF and not networked Ricoh printers ... I needed to get out. So ... I did. It had clouded over and it felt colder than the actual temperature. I chose shorts, a long sleeve tech and light running gloves. I chose my Out to the pier route for a bit over 5 miles. There weren't too many people out so it was easy to be socially distant. It started to sprinkle on me after mile 3 so I sped up a bit. My splits were: 8:30, 8:25, 8:21, 8:27, 8:20 and 8:22 over the last 0.35 mile.

More COVID-19 news ... grim as usual. Worldwide - 1,430,999 cases (up 84,465), 82,009 deaths (up 7,447); Europe - 699,743 cases (up 35,505), 57,273 deaths (up 4,820); US - 397,525 cases (up 30,677); NY - 138,863 cases (up 8,147), 5,489 deaths (up 731); Monroe County - 570 cases, 31 deaths (up 5).

Wednesday, 4/8/2020

10715 steps, 49/138 resting/peak HR, 8:10 hrs sleep, 170.4 lbs, 11 floors climbed
run: 5.35 miles, 45:22, 8:28 pace, 95 feet elevation gain, 131 avg HR, 161 avg cadence, 54F, 64% RH, 10 mph W wind, partly cloudy

The usual work from home stuff: try to keep up on stuff virtually, do meter read virtually, only go in when you can't do stuff virtually. I clocked in at 9:30 AM since I had to make a grocery run at BJs during "senior hour" from 8 AM to 9 AM. I tried to use a home-made mask that I made out of Christine's silk scarf ... epic fail! It fell off before I got into BJs. I made do with just light running gloves. I would estimate that 75% of the shoppers had face masks. I was able to score some Lysol spray that kill 99.9% of viruses ... win!

I had to get out after work ... but first I had to work up supper for Christine and I. I had put out a pork tenderloin to thaw. I didn't even ask Christine for instructions on how to do the Instant Pot. I sauteed the pork while I cut up potatoes, carrots and celery. I added maple syrup, ketsup, poultry seasoning, Simply Spain from Penseys as seasoning. Boom ... one hour on Meat pressure cook. Then ... boom ... I was out for a Out to the pier route run. I set up an easy pace and got out there. It was 54F so I wore shorts, a long sleeve tech and light running gloves. I endured it ... and was dripping sweat when I got done. My splits were: 8:20, 8:23, 8:37, 8:33, 8:37 and 8:07 over the last 0.35 mile.

Well ... I had to towel off a bit before I got to dish out our supper. I dished out Christine's supper first. She yelled down that it was excellent before I got to mine ... a good sign. Mmm ... tasty! My fourth Instant Pot supper ... even "cooks" like me can make great meals!

COVID-19 news ... grim! Worldwide - 1,519,014 cases (up 86,783), 88,551 deaths (up 6,564); Europe - 434,062 cases (up 31,951), 14,774 deaths (up 1,926); US - 434,581 cases (up 31,951), 14,779 deaths (up 1,931)' NY - 151,171 cases (up 10,480), 6,268 deaths (up 779); Monroe Count - 627 cases, 34 deaths (up 3). I fear that once it gets warm (granted that it's already warm in the south) that social distancing will get out the window and that the number of deaths will skyrocket because TRUMP wants to open the economy back up to save his re-election chances.

Thursday, 4/9/2020: 3363 steps, 48/99 resting/peak HR, 8:02 hrs sleep, 4 floors climbed

Another day of working from home. I slept in late, didn't shower, wanted to monitor my Ricoh printers at L3Harris from home ... silly me. I got an IM from their help desk just before noon of a printer that had a SC670-03 error. So ... I got dressed and headed into B601. I called my go-to Ricoh tech and she suggested that I replace the ELP surge suppressor, cycle the power and monitor the printer. My Ricoh boss told me that we had a box of 50 dust masks at B601. I took 10 and left at least 30. So it was a good thing to get the masks so I can look socially acceptable when I got into a store like BJs, Wegmans or Aldis.

COVID-19 news ... grim as usual! Worldwide: 1,604,570 cases (up 53,353), 95,714 deaths (up 5,792); Europe - 764,987 cases (up 22,631), deaths 65,668 ( up 4,148); US - 468,566 cases, )up 18,132), 16,691 deaths (up 1,236); NY - 161,504 cases (up 10,621), 7,067 (up 799); Monroe County - 680 cases, 40 deaths (up 6). 

Friday, 4/10/2020: 1821 steps, 50/111 resting/peak HR, 7:37 hrs sleep, 171.6 lbs, 7 floors climbed

I was in a cranky and tired mood all day. Christine was still feeling weak but did come downstairs before breakfast to show me how to cook oatmeal in the microwave (just 1/2 cup oatmeal plus1 cup water and microwave for 3 minutes). I dressed it up with yogurt and some fruit for her. There was a bit of wet snow in the morning that accumulated (but not up by Lake Ontario) which had a lot of my Facebook friends posting pictures. 

Then it turned sunny and very windy. I thought about running after work but was very tired and didn't really relish the idea of running in April with a wind chill of about 20F. I was relieved when Christine called me and told me she had called the Olive Garden and had ordered a Good Friday supper.

Curbside pickup at the Olive Garden was adjusted for the CoronaVirus era. A woman in a mask took my name and about ten minutes later brought out my food and placed it on a tray behind my car. I got out and got it while she backed away. It was excellent! Christine had ordered salad,, breadsticks, shrimp alfredo and pasta.

COVID-19  news ... grim as usual! Worldwide - 1,701,783 cases (up 95,687), 102,900 deaths (up 6,958); Europe - 804,534 cases (up 38,941), 69,887 deaths (up 4,138); US - 502,876 cases (up 33,749), 18,747 deaths (up 2,012); NY - 172,358 cases (up 10,575), 7,844 deaths (up 777); Monroe County - 712 cases, 46 deaths (up 6)

Saturday, 4/11/2020

9117 steps, 47/134 resting/peak HR, 7:15 hrs sleep, 174.6 lbs, 13 floors climbed
run: 5.25 miles, 46:09, 8:47 pace, 105 feet elevation gain, 128 avg HR, 162 avg cadence, 36F, 59% RH, 13 mph W wind, wind chill 26F, sunny

Well ... the sun and wind beckoned me out for a long run that didn't happen! Why? Well .. the first clue was that my weight from up 3 pounds. This was probably due to still being full from last night's Good Friday supper from the Olive Garden. I set up a very sluggish pace and struggled to hold it during the entire run. It was windy and it was even tougher to hold a pace into it. I went out onto the pier and got my feet drenched when a wave crashed over the edge when I was 99% out and on the way back. There were walkers and runners out but all seemed to be maintaining the proper social distances. Still any run is better than no run. My splits were: 8:47, 8:33, 8:42, 8:47, 8:59 and 9:10 over the last 0.26 mile.

I made it back home and just lazed around the rest of the day. I had no energy whatsoever. My darling wife, Christine, is still weak. I didn't make anything for supper. We relied on tuna fish sandwiches, tomato soup and frozen waffles. Not exactly gourmet food but enough to sustain us.

COVID-19 news - Worldwide - 1,780,587 cases (up 80,030), 108,937 deaths (up 6,073); Europe - 835,457 cases (up 30,923), 73,448 deaths (up 3,576); US - 531,864 cases (up 29,468), 20,524 deaths (up 1,788); NY - 180,458 cases (up 9,946), 8,627 deaths (up 783, 5th day in a row above 700); Monroe County - 742 case, 49 deaths (up 3). 

Sunday, 3/29/2020 to Saturday, 4/4/2020 - COVID-19K virtual run

I ran 4 times for 27.14 miles this week.
I took 55,986 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 3/29/2020

9028 steps, 55/140 resting/peak HR, 8:24 hrs sleep, 172.0 lbs, 6 floors climbed
run: 5.25 miles, 45:43, 8:42 pace, 98 ft elevation pace, 132 avg HR, 160 avg cadence, 63F, 68% RH, 16 mph S wind, mostly cloudy

Well ... I went out to BJ's early during senior (over 60 only) hour (8 AM to 9 AM) to hunt and gather. Christine had given me a list and I did the best I could. I got the last sandwich meat package and last powdered milk that I could find. I got a selection of meat (chicken breast, pork, beef and shrimp), I maintained my social distance from my fellow shoppers.

I puttered around for a while after I got home but just had to get out into the sudden warmth. I wore shorts and a short sleeve tech with no hat and no gloves! I set up an easy pace. There were a lot of people out and I did have to veer a bit to try to keep my social distance.

COVID-19 news from https://ncov2019.live/data: Worldwide - 726187 cases (up 57216), 33926 deaths (up 3052); more deaths in Italy, Spain, France -  756, 821, 292 respectively; US - 140,458 cases (up 17,591), 2,466 deaths (up  237); NY - 59,648 cases (up 6,255), 965 deaths (up 82); Monroe County - 223, 33 in hospital, 22 of those in ICU, 6 deaths. Governor Cuomo extended the social "pause" for 2 more weeks, Trump extended social distancing guidelines until April 30. 

Monday, 3/30/3030: 6804 steps, 50/99 resting/peak HR, 6:40 hrs sleep,171.0 lbs, 7 floors climbed

No COVID-19 data today ... just a bit of news. Trump's daily press briefing for instance. Let's see ... the hospitals are hoarding face masks (and maybe selling them out the back door) and ventilators. Then there was a shortage of ventilators that he likened to the "shortage of bullets" when he entered office (but Obama). He says his daily press briefings have higher ratings than "The Bachelor" or "Monday Night Football". He says that all the state governors are happy with the aid that he has given him and that they should be "appreciative".. He accuses a few reporters that were asking about his direct quotes of lying. It goes on and on ... just another daily press briefing. Oh ... he also turned the press briefing for a bit over to the My Pillow CEO who said “God gave us grace on Nov. 8, 2016, to change the course we were on,” and “God had been taken out of our schools and lives. A nation had turned its back on God.” The US Comfort docked in NYC to provide another hospital to NYC where people are dying. I hope we all survive until 11/3/2020.

Tuesday, 3/31/2020: 2461 steps, 54/94 resting/peak HR, 7:09 hrs sleep, 172.8 lbs, 4 floors climbed

Update: Christine came down a fever overnight: 101.3 at 11 AM, 102.4 at 3 AM, 103 at 6 AM, 101.8 at 11 AM. I am still normal. How did she get it? She was last out of our townhouse over 2 weeks ago when she went to Aldi's. Am I an asymptomatic carrier or did I bring it in on a food package? I have a below normal temperature according to our digital meat thermometer. There is no way I am using the medical one that Christine uses. I am now on a Ricoh COVID-19 quarantine. I am to work at home for at least a week. I emailed my boss of where I went yesterday since I went in and touched some of my printers/plotters.at L3Harris. So ... I will be working remotely for at least a week.

Later update: I got out to get Christine some Tylenol and an Albuterol inhaler. I had to go to the Walgreens on Long Pond and Spencerport Rd to get the Tylenol and Wegmans Latta to get her Albuterol inhaler. She was wiped out from the fever but felt better after a dose of Tylenol, sleep and some toast with apricot jelly and tea. I am just a bit stressed as I am expected to continue working for Ricoh remotely but also keeping an ear out for anything that Christine wants.  

It's the end of March so it's stat time ... I have to run to relive my stress and just get my mind off COVID-19.

I ran 19 times for 102.95 miles in March, 5.42 miles/run.
I have run 53 times so far in 2020 for 255.82 miles, 4.8 miles/run
I ran 2 races in March (1 official and 1 virtual)
 3/1 Polar Cat #3, 3.1 miles, 23:55, 7:40 pace
 3/15 Virtual Runnin' of the Green, 5 miles, 40:18, 8:04 pace
I have run 9 races so far in 2020.
I took 257,744 steps in March and 776.264 steps so far in 2020.

COVID-19 news: Worldwide: 861,532 cases, 42,135 deaths: Italy: 106128 cases, (up 4053), deaths 2443 deaths ( up 833); Spain - 95923 cases (7967 cases), 8464 deaths (748); Germany: 71,985 cases (  up 4,923), 778 deaths (up 130);  Francs: 52,375 cases, up 7,578 cases, 3,523 deaths, (up 499 deaths);  UK 25,150 cases (up 3,009); 1789 deaths (up 381), US 187,347 cases (up 23,559), 3,976 deaths (up 719), NY 75,795 cases (up  8,470), 1,714 deaths (up 208), Monroe County : 300 cases, 57 cases in hospital,, 37 in ICU, 9 deaths. Worried ... to say the least.

Wednesday, 4/1/2020: 728 steps, 54/97 resting/peak HR, 6:03 hrs sleep, 172.2 lbs, 2 floors climbed

COVID-19 news: Worldwide - 933,737 cases, 46,926 deaths; Italy - 110,574 cases (up 4,782), 13,155 deaths (up  727); Spain - 104,118 cases (up 8,195), 9,387 deaths (up 923); France - 57,270 cases (up 4,861), 4,032 deaths (up 509); UK - 29,474 cases (up 4,324), 2,352 deaths (up 563); US - 212,980 cases (up 24,450), 4,935 deaths (up 706); NY - 83,901 cases (up 7,918), 2,176 deaths (up 227); Monroe County: 359 (up 59), 62 in hospital, 28 in ICU, 477 quarantined, 90 recovered, 9 deaths. Florida finally issued a stay-at-home order. There are 3 cruise ship moored at Ft Lauderdale wanting to dock with sick passengers. The US may have 200K deaths in the next 30 days ... sad.

I stayed in today ... I thought about running but remained in isolation as I took a couple hours of sick time to care for Christine. She is better with a temp around 100F. She has had tea, toast with apricot jelly, tomato soup and crackers today. She is feeling wiped but took a brief bath. She sleeps a lot. I go up and check on her ... relieved to hear her snoring.

Thursday, 4/2/2020

9304 steps, 49/134 resting/peak HR, 6:30 hrs sleep, 2 floors climbed
run: 5.75 miles, 49:21, 8:35 pace, 52 ft elevation gain, 128 avg HR, 164 avg cadence, 30F, 88% RH, 5 mph SW wind, wind chill 27F, mostly cloudy

I couldn't fall back asleep when I woke up around 4:40 AM. I could have just laid there ... but ... I got up, got dressed and got out there. It was 30F so I wore my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. It was dark so I wore my Noxgear lighted vest and eBay headlamp. It was very quiet when I got out at 5:30 AM. There wasn't a hint of dawn in the east sky and it was pretty quiet. I set up a steady pace and ran without music ... just me, my footfalls and the darkness. I met no one as I broke my isolation from caring for my darling wife, Christine, for a hour. My plan was just an out and back on the LOSP trail. I saw only a cat's eyes and a rabbit. There wasn't much traffic on the Parkway. The eastern sky was brighter when I got back but sunrise was still 30 minutes away. Well ... time for coffee. My splits were: 9:09, 8:22, 8:28, 8:28, 8:34 and 8:25 over the last 0.75 mile.

So .. I worked a full 8 hours. I checked the Ricoh printers at my SAS side of L3Harris and did some so exciting (NOT) Ricoh training. I watched Cuomo's daily press briefing about the COVID-19 pandemic ... must see TV in this day and age.

My darling wife, Christine ... I continued to care for her. I brought her tea and toast in the morning. Then .. I attempted to cook. I used our new Instant Pot Viva to cook up chicken along with some leftover rice. Christine gracicously said it was the best chicken she had ever eaten ... I knew that there was room for improvement but it was a good start.

COVID-19 ... grim news: 1,021,638 cases, 53,386 deaths, US - 244,877 cases, 6,070 deaths; NY - 93,053 cases, 2,538 deaths; Monroe County - 390 cases, 70 in hospital, 25 in ICU, 10 deaths. Florida and Georgia finally issued a stay-in-place order. Two cruise ships off Ft Lauderdale were allowed to dock. The Oklahoma governor said (paraphased) that his state has more cows than people and it was too troublesome to shut down. The month of April will be a cruel month while thousands die daily while Trump and his administration try to blame everyone else other than themselves. Lots of sad news to come. Remember ... VOTE BLUE in November!!!!

Friday, 4/3/2020 

9741 steps, 51/132 resting/peak HR, 7:13 hrs sleep, 16 floors climbed
run: 4.35 miles, 37:50, 8:42 pace, 82 feet elevation gain, 126 avg HR, 164 avg cadence, 38F, 70% RH, 12 mph NW wind, wind chill 30F, overcast

A busy day ... so I got up around 6 AM and got out for a short and steady run around 6:30 AM. I wore my Noxgear lighted vest even though it was already light. My splits were: 8:47, 8:38, 8:52, 8:35 and 8:26 over the last 0.35 mile. 

I took a quick shower and was ready to head down to the couch at 8 AM for work at home for Ricoh. I had a couple of teleconferences and a Skype meeting with my boss. I bit the bullet and headed down to the basement to set up a home office with a larger work area. I had to move some stuff and dust off a kitchen table. First I set up a two screens (laptop and monitor). I had to get out and do some onsite work at L3Harris and brought home my docking station and then set up three screens (laptop and 2 monitors. Sweet!

My darling wife, Christine, is doing a bit better. Her fever is gone but she is weak and still wheezes a bit. Her appetite is getting better. She had tea and toasted rye bread with apricot jelly for breakfast, tea and a rye toasted cheese sandwich for lunch. It was Friday so I headed out to the Char Broil on Island Cottage for their fish fry takeout. It was a bit chaotic there so I think they forgot about my order until I called them to ask about it. No worries ... it was excellent!

COVID-19 news ... grim news: Worldwide - 1,099,626 cases (up 84,162), 59,188 deaths (up 6,045); Europe - 554,192 cases (36,617), 42,221 deaths (up 4,191); US - 276,965 cases (32,088), 7,391 deaths (up 1,320); NY - 103,476 cases (up 10,482), 3,218 deaths (up 580); Monroe County: 436 cases, 14 deaths (up 4). The CDC advised that people wear cloth medical masks in public. Over 500 people died in 24 hours in NYC. Cuomo signed an executive order that authorized the NY National Guard to take "excess" ventilators from upstate NY to help out the the apex COVID-19 cases that are expected to hit NYC in the next 2 weeks. A bus driver in Detroit died from COVID-19 two weeks after he complained that a rider had coughed on him.

Saturday, 4/4/2020

17920 steps, resting/peak HR, hrs sleep, lbs, floors climbed
run: 11.79 miles, 1:40:37, 8:32 pace, 98 feet elevation gain, 130 avg HR, 163 avg cadence, 41F, 100% RH, 3 mph NNE wind, overcast

Well ... I said on Facebook that I was going to run my COVID-19K today, link here. I had signed up on Thursday night. I woke up around 7 AM (actually I had 2 cell alarms that I forgot to turn off at 5 AM and 5:50 AM). I didn't have any motivation so I checked my email and Facebook. Christine woke up around 9 AM and asked how many miles I had run and I answered "zero". She wanted breakfast so I made her tea and rye toast with apricot jelly. 

I found my motivation ... got dressed and got out there. It was a bit above 40F (perfect running weather) so I chose shorts, a short/long sleeve tech, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I brought water and a flask of Hammer Gel. I needed 19K or 11.78 miles. I chose an out and back out route. I struck up a "get it done" pace. I had 2 gulps of Hammer Gel at the turnaround. I was amazed at how many people were out with the temperature in the low 40s: walkers (sometimes 3 or 4 at a time), runners, bicyclists and fishermen. People were trying to be socially distant ... but still be able to talk to each other. My right hip twinged a bit after 9 miles but I ignored it. Boom ... I got it done. My splits were: 8:25, 8:35, 8:31, 8:33, 8:31, 8:37, 8:24, 8:27, 8:29, 8:23, 8:45 and 8:55 over the last 0.79 mile. How did I did virtually? I was 11th, link here. It totally doesn't matter since no one ran the same course ... some ran road, some ran trail.

My darling wife, Christine, woke up to ask me how my run went. Then she went back to sleep until 5 PM. Her temperature is normal but she is still quite exhausted. 

I made a beef roast with pototoes, carrots and mushrooms in the Instant Pot. I am getting a bit better at it. I am learning that cooking isn't an exact science. Dinner was delicious!


COVID-19 news as 7:40 PM ... grim as usual. Worldwide - 1,200,772 cases (up 83,657), 64,946 deaths (up 5,862); Europe - 608,283 cases (up 36,414), 46,092 deaths (up  3,942- Spain 749, Italy  681, Francs 1,053, UK 708; US - 309,728 cases (up 32,567), 8,737 (up 1,345); NY - 113,704 cases (up 10,841), 3,914 deaths (up 696); Monroe County - 481 cases, 17 deaths. The usual shitshow from DC. 

Sunday, 3/22/2020 to Saturday, 3/28/2020

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 4 times for 23.4 miles this week.
I took 52,069 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 3/22/2020

8795 steps, 52/133 resting/peak HR, 8:30 hrs sleep, 170.7 lbs, 7 floors climbed
run: 5.25 miles, 45:54, 8:45 pace, 131 ft elevation gain, 127 avg HR, 162 avg cadence, 21F, 59% RH, 9 mph ESE wind, wind chill 11F, sunny

My fourth running day in a row so I was a bit sluggish and kept it relatively short on a clockwise Out to the pier route. It was sunny and brisk so I wore my usual winter gear ... any regular reader knows that I wear the same gear all winter. I only change into a balaclava or ski mittens when it is really cold. My lower face was a bit cold without my winter beard ... lol! My splits were: 8:47, 8:53, 9:09, 8:29, 8:28 and 8:33 over the last 0.25 mile.

I dug into my DVD pile and pulled out Terminator: Dark Fate. Awesome ... Carl (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Sarah (Linda Hamilton) team up!

COVID-19 news: 57 (NYS website) or 63 (Spectrum News) cases of CNOV-19 in Monroe County. NYS has over 15K cases as testing ramps up. I spent time every day now listening to Gov Cuomo's daily news conference. He is very informative and reassuring .... unlike almost anything that comes of Trump's news conferences. Christine really thinks that I had it 2 months ago when I took 2 sick days. I rather doubt it but who knows how long this virus has been loose in the US? You practically have to die of it to get a test in upstate NY from   what I have heard.

Monday, 3/23/2020: 4205 steps, 52/104 resting/peak HR, 7:12 hrs sleep, 172.1 lbs, 3 floors climbed

Back to work at Ricoh. My job at Ricoh has been deemed essential. I provide printer support for L3Harris which is also an essential industry. I busied myself trying to set up my printers so that they report errors and when the error is fixed. I tried to get a soft token so that I could VPN into the L3Harris network with my L3Harris laptop but no luck yet. Their help desk sent me a soft token for Android which is not helpful since I do not have a L3Harris Android phone. A rest day from running which is good since I didn't sleep well last night. Why do I feel like I'm a walking target for COVID-19 when I am out and about in the world? Because I am ... we all are.

COVID-19 news: Monroe County: 81 confirmed cases, 12 in hospital, 395 in quarantine, 2 deaths. Lots of testing down in NYC with over 20,000 confirmed cases. A war of words between Cuomo and Trump as NY begs for more federal aid. Trump held a news conference around suppertime (so he could control the evening news cycle) where he said that "America will be open for business sooner than later" (paraphrased) and tweated around midnight Sunday night "WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM" (paraphrased). WTF? If you stop the lock downs and social distancing across the country to "save" the economy (and Trump's reelection chances) the US will have an explosion of deaths without a doubt IMO. I hope that 11/3/2020 elections are held, our votes count and that millions of voters across the US vote his ass and his Republican cronies out.

Tuesday, 3/24/2020

8539 steps, 49/135 resting/peak HR, 6:41 hrs sleep, 173.3 lbs, 7 floors climbed
run: 3.85 miles, 34:00, 8:50 pace, 95 ft elevation gain, 128 avg HR, 158 avg cadence,

I was tired but I had made a reservation for 2 Redbox DVDs (1917 and Five Feet Apart) at the local 7-11 so out I went. A sluggish pace and I cut the run as short as possible by not going out onto the pier and cutting through the fence back into Greenleaf Meadows. My splits were: 8:40, 9:04, 8:50 and 8:44 over the last 0.85 mile.

COVID-19 news: 106 confirmed cases, 3 dead in Monroe County. More testing in NYC. Cuomo said in his news conference that NYC needs 30,000 ventilators. FEMA sent 4,000. Cuomo estimates that the peak in NYC will be 14 to 21 days. Trump said that he wants to open the US for business by Easter which is 19 days away ... health officials are saying that is way too soon. Meanwhile ... India with its 1.3 billion people grounded its domestic flights and went into a lockdown for 3 weeks.

Wednesday, 3/25/2020: 5577 steps, 47/102 resting/peak HR, 8:18 hrs sleep, 172.3 lbs, 2 floors climbed

COVID-19 news AM: At least 130 cases locally, 4 dead locally (including surround counties), 25565 cases in NY, 210 dead. The US Senate passed a $2 trillion stimulus package at 1 AM ... we could be getting a $1200 check per person / $2400 per couple. I will believe it when I see it. Clicking on the links, https://ncov2019.live/data or https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ is depressing. Every time I click ... more people have died.

COVID-19 news PM: Monroe County - 121 cases, 25 in hospital, 15 in ICU, 534 in quarantine, 2 recovered; Wayne County - 5 cases, Livingston County - 5 cases, Ontario County - 13 cases, Stuben County - 11 cases.

I thought about running but I was dog tired. I haven't been sleeping as well lately.

Thursday, 3/26/2020: 2501 steps, 48/101 resting/peak HR, 7:23 hrs sleep, 170.1 lbs, 2 floors climbed

COVID-19 news AM: Worldwide: 495758 cases, 22181 deaths; US - 68875 cases, 1047 deaths; NY - 33013 cases, 366 deaths; Monroe County - 142 cases, 32 in hospital, 18 in ICU, 545 in quarantine.

COVID-19 news PM: Grim news - US cases over 85,000 which is the most in the world, NY cases also 39,000 with 469 deaths. It's all kind of depressing.

I took my L3Harris laptop home and tried to get it hooked up to their network. It took 4 reboots with some success. The 4th reboot finally got my P drive up so I can get to my files and "see" my Ricoh printers but Outlook doesn't work. I can see my email but new email won't come in and I can't send an email. No running since I didn't stop messing with my new L3Harris "toy" ... err ... laptop until 5:30 PM (30 minutes after I clocked out). One plus is that I got a LR41 button battery in the mail that I bought from eBay. Now our digital thermometer works ... in case we need to use it in the coming days or weeks.

Friday, 3/27/2020

9261 steps, 50/140 resting/peak HR, 7:54 hrs sleep, 171.6 lbs, 7 floors climbed
run: 5.26 miles, 45:41, 8:41 pace, 112 ft elevation gain, 133 avg HR, 162 avg cadence, 38F, 73% RH, 5 mph NE wind, overcast

I took my last day of PTO from Rioch fiscal year 2019 ... gotta "use it or lose it". I am kind of depressed reading all the COVID-19 news but got out anyway. It was a bit warmer so I wore a long/short sleeve tech on my top ... it was weird. I was a bit sluggish but I got it done on the Out to the pier route. My splits were: 8:35, 9:01, 8:51, 8:42, 8:25 and 8:16 over the last 0.25 mile.

Oh, I got my L3Harris laptop to work. Now I can be socially distant and work for Ricoh while I access the L3Harris network and monitor their Ricoh printers. I still get paid ... for as long as I can ... who knows how long that will be?

COVID-19 PM update: Worldwide - 598019 cases, 27346 deaths; US - 105012 cases (might have missed the morning and evening updates), 1707 deaths; NY - 46262 cases, 606 deaths; Monroe County AM - 160 cases, 31 in hospital, 4 deaths.

Trump signed the 2.2 TRILLION COVID-19 stimulus package with only Republicans in attendance. What an asshole! Words fail me about what to say about how he weaponizes every single aspect of everything. He freaking said that NY didn't need 30000 ventilators! Basically it seems that if the governors of each state don't kiss his ass you don't get federal aid ... and most of the states that have high numbers of COVID-19 cases have democratic governors (NY, Washington, Illinois).

Saturday, 3/28/2020

13191 steps, 49/193 resting/peak HR, 8:14 hrs sleep, 170.6 lbs, 5 floors climbed
run: 9.05 miles, 1:16:03, 8:24 pace, 95 feet elevation gain, 186 avg HR (obviously wrong ... 140 mostly likely, 164 avg cadence, 42F, 64% RH, 8 mph ESE wind, wind chill 38F, overcast with light sprinkles/rain

I had a serious lack of motivation this morning. I was up at 6:38 AM ... then puttered around for 4 hours catching up on email, Facebook and NOT updating the COVID-19 latest numbers. I finally got motivated when I caught Boot's (co-owner of Fleet Feet Rochester and Buffalo) weekend forecast on Facebook. It said that it would start to shower at 11 AM. So ... I got up, got dressed and got out there. It was a bit warmer so I wore shorts and a long/short sleeve tech combo along with my Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I wanted to take it long so I made up a new route. I combined an Around the block route with an out and back some of Edgemere Dr. It was a light mist when I started ... then a light sprinkle ... then a light rain. I got damp but it wasn't really bad. I kept my social distance from any walkers (2) and bicyclists (3). My splits were: 8:22, 8:13, 8:22, 8:25, 8:19, 8:22, 8:38, 8:29 and 8:31.  I thought I was running slow so I was surprised when I found that I did a 8:24 pace. My thought is that I have always run a bit faster in the rain ... to get done and out of the rain ... lol!

COVID-19 news: Worldwide - 658580 cases, 30355 deaths (Italy, Spain, France and UK hit hard with 889, 674, 319, 260 deaths respectively); US - 118365 cases, 1994 deaths, NY - 52318 cases, 728 deaths; Monroe County - 202 cases, 5 deaths, 32 in hospital, 22 in ICU, 442 quarantined. Why my fascination with these numbers? It does seem morbid ... I don't know. It's my way of chronicling this danger to my and my loved ones health, I guess.

There were a lot of runs posted on Facebook. One caught my eye from Josh Kramer (who I don't know). He ran 102.75 laps around a track in 3:56 for a track marathon, Facebook link here. Wow!

Sunday, 3/15/2020 to Saturday, 3/21/2020 - Virtual Runnin' of the Green

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 5 times for 32.91 miles this week.
I took 58,594 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 3/15/2020

5556 steps, 49/145 resting/peak HR, 9:16 hrs sleep, 170.4 lbs, 2 floors climbed
run: 5.05 miles, 40:18, 7:58 pace, 49 ft elevation gain, 138 avg HR, 167, avg cadence, 30F, 51% RH, 12 mph NE wind, wind chill 21F, sunny

My "real" can opener from the 2020 Virtual Runnin' of the Green

I did my virtual Runnin' of the Green this morning. I chose a simple out and back course just like the Runnin' of the Green course of Blue Cross Arena out to the U of R and back. It was a bit weird running hard all by myself but we all have to maintain social distance now. My splits were: 7:46, 7:56, 8:02, 8:01 and 8:10. I submitted my results to runsignup.com since it was a virtual race, link here. UPDATE: 147 entered ... I won my virtual M 60-64 age group out of 3 other runners. No prize ... just virtual bragging rights for a race that never happened.

Coronavirus update: the number of cases in Monroe County rose to 10. The new normal is daily briefing from NY Governor Cuomo. I know a lot of upstate NYers are Republicans and hate his guts ... but he really gives good advice and is very informative. Personally I like him ... but then I lean to the left. Oh ... all public schools in NYC are closed.

Monday, 3/16/2020

8150 steps, 51/140 resting/peak HR, 7:23 hrs sleep, 170.9 lbs, 5 floors climbed
run: 5.25 miles, 45:46, 8:43, 141 ft elevation gain, 132 avg HR, 161 avg cadence, 44F, 23% RH, 6 mph SSE wind, wind chill 41F, mostly cloudy

Well ... I am off on vacation all week. Ricoh has a "use it or lose it" vacation and floating holiday policy so I have 6 days to use before the Ricoh fiscal year ends at the end of March. I get 4 weeks vacation and 5 floating holidays per year.

So ... I got out for another run. I took my time before I headed out but I did get out. I took up a steady pace. My splits were: 8:56, 8:57, 8:41, 8:34, 8:32 and 8:13 over the last 0.25 mile.

I say an article on the Atlantic, "10 Days Later: What Italians Wish They Had Known", link here. Everyday Italians wishing they had known better about COVID-19 ten days ago. I also saw this NSFW link, #STAYTHEFUCKHOME.

Tuesday, 3/17/2020

8256 steps, 49/136 resting/peak HR, 8:07 hrs sleep, 171.2 lbs, 10 floors climbed
run: 4.75 miles, 42:05, 8:51 pace, 98 feet elevation gain, 127 avg HR, 161 avg cadence, 42F, 82% RH, 12 mph SW wind, wind chill 36F, overcast

I got out early for my fourth run in a row. I kept it really easy ... got it done. My splits were: 8:51, 8:46, 8:42, 8:59 and 8:59 over the last 0.75 mile. There are news articles that it is illegal to run in France and Italy due to their shelter-in-place lockdowns.

A very quiet St Patrick's Day. All the bars are closed in NY, CT and NJ (they closed on Monday at 8 PM) except for takeout. Yes ... you can order and take home beer. All the gyms and movie theaters are closed (not that we go to either nowadays). The news from across the country is that other states are beginning to close various venues to #FLATTENTHECURVE. NYS says that companies should have 50% of employees in non-essential companies stay home.

Wednesday, 3/18/2020: 2329 steps, 48/121 resting/peak HR, 7:42 hrs sleep, 3 floors climbed

Today was a rest day. So ... I thought I would wake up early so I could venture out to grocery shop. I woke up Christine and she prepared a grocery list ... and caused her to worry while I was out I was sure. I didn't get into Wegmans Latta until 8:45 AM. Their hours have been reduced from 24 hours to 6 AM - 12 AM (a few days ago) to 7 AM - 10 PM (yesterday). Well ... I got what I could. There was no bread, meat, no eggs, no toilet paper and a few tubs of vastly overpriced Cascade dishwasher pellets. I just got what I could ... muffins, OJ, beans, bananas, tomatoes, carrots, canned beans, canned tomato products. I had a faux pas when I got to the checkout. I had left my wallet at home ... luckily I remembered that I had loaded Google Pay on my Ricoh cell and paid with that. I took my haul home, retrieved my wallet and headed to BJs. Well ... BJs had meat so I got a rotisserie chicken, hamburger, pork chops, evaporated milk, condensed milk, oranges, potatoes, dishwasher pellets.

One thing ... hoarding. I didn't go down the paper products aisle so I don't know if BJs had a sign about any limits per products but I saw some shoppers with multiple toilet paper megapacks. Another thing ... I saw shoppers with face masks. I didn't have one. I maintained my distance from everyone and I hope I didn't spread anything that I might have (I don't think I do) ... or picked up anything.

The news is depressing. There are 14 COVID-19 cases and 1 death (who was a Rochester General Hospital employee) in Monroe County. There are about 2382 cases in NY and 20 deaths now according to https://ncov2019.live/data. A military hospital ship has been dispatched to NYC. The stock market is down, up and down so far this week. The DJIA is roughly 19100, down 2000 points right now at 3:36 PM. There were digital road signs on 390 that read: SAVE LIFES, #FLATTENTHECURVE, STAY HOME, STOP THE SPREAD.

Thursday. 3/19/2020

10233 steps, 47/140 resting/peak HR, 9:06 hrs sleep, 171.5 lbs, 12 floors climbed
run: 6.05 miles, 51:55, 8:35 pace, 112 ft elevation gain, 132 avg HR, 162 avg cadence, 42F, 92% RH, 5 mph S wind, overcast

I needed to run ... it's the only thing that makes sense nowadays. I got out and went around the block. It was warmer (42F) so I wore shorts, short sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I was a bit overdressed on the top but not overly so. I maintained my social distance as I passed by 2 bicyclists. My splits were: 8:36, 8:33, 8:32, 8:43, 8:33 and 8:30.

More depressing news: 30 cases on COVID-19 and 1 death in Monroe County. NYS says that only 75% of employees in non-essential companies should stay home. Trump is starting to give mini-rallies at his daily press conferences (rah USA, rah economy, lying media, me, me and not that I could watch more than 10 seconds),  ... he actually seemed semi-presidental on Tuesday. Now it's the "China virus" instead of COVID-19. More people have died now in Italy (41035 cases, 3405 deaths) than in China (80928 cases, 3245 deaths) per  as of 3/19/2020 at 6:36 PM.

Friday, 3/20/2020

12281 steps, 50/139 resting/peak HR, 6:59 hrs sleep, 171.1 lbs, 12 floors climbed
run: 5.26 miles, 47:07, 8:58 pace, 144 ft elevation gain, 130 avg HR, 157 avg cadence, 65F, 76% RH, 20 mph WSW wind, overcast

Well ... it's first day of spring. I trimmed off my beard that had grown since 12/23/2019. It only took 15 minutes. I used my trimmer at 3/8", 1/4", stubble and bare cutter. Then I finished up with my regular electric razor. Back to shaving every weekday morning! I also put away my snowshoes. Boy ... did I tempt old man Winter!

Then ... I got dressed and got out into the first day of spring warmth. It was 65F so I wore shorts and short sleeves! I was very sluggish and stiff. It felt like I was moving in slow motion. The warm weather brought out more people but I maintained a social distance. The weather was variable: it was windy (especially when I was headed back from the pier), then a glimmer of sun and then light rain. I was kind of damp when I got done. My splits were: 9:09, 8:43, 8:54, 9:07, 9:03 and 8:28 over the last 0.26 mile.

More depressing news: 34 cases on COVID-19 and 1 death in Monroe County. Now NYS says that 100% of employees in non-essential companies should stay home, NY on PAUSE link here. My Ricoh boss has told me that a L3Harris work order has been placed so I can get a soft VPN installed so I can check on the L3Harris printers that I manage from my L3Harris laptop from home. But ... until that is installed I have to go in every day for a bit to check on the printers onsite. Still ... I have a job which is a good thing in these uncertain times.

Saturday, 3/21/2020

11789 steps, 51/136 resting/peak HR, 8:23 hrs sleep, 10 floors climbed
run: 7.56 miles, 1:05:47, 8:42 pace, 151 ft elevation gain, 129 avg HR, 164 avg cadence, 25F, 62% RH, 13 mph NNE wind, wind chill 14F, partly cloudy

Wow ... did the temp fall overnight! It was a full 40F (50F with the wind chill) colder than yesterday! So ... it was bad to my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, shorts, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I thought about my balaclava and ski mittens but had hope that I would warm enough not to need them. It was Saturday so I took up a steady pace and then stretched the run out to Beach Ave and Dewey Ave instead of turning left on Greenleaf Rd. It felt good to push it to over 7 miles. My MP3 player was set to shuffle but I had 5 Rolling Stones songs in a row! My splits were: 8:30, 8:38, 8:52, 8:55, 8:48, 8:35, 8:43 and 8:33 over the last 0.55 mile.

More depressing news: 46 cases of COVID-19 and 1 death of Monroe County. Today was my daughter, Karen's, 32nd birthday. It has been our tradition in past years of going out to IHOP or Applebee's to eat lunch. This year ... I called her and wished her a happy birthday. I would have had to drive out to Palmyra and we would have had to do take-out at a restaurant. It wouldn't have been the same.

Sunday, 3/8/2020 to Saturday, 3/14/2020 - Running of the Green (Deferred)

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 3 times for 15.77 miles this week.
I took 56,227 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 3/8/2020

8369 steps, 48/140 resting/peak HR, 8:40 hrs sleep, 169.3 lbs, 8 floors climbed
run: 4.85 miles, 43:14, 8:54 pace, 105 ft elevation gain, 130 avg HR, 159, avg cadence, 43F, 45 % RH, 14 mph W wind, wind chill 36F, a few clouds

Today's run was done because I was stubborn and knew that I would be cranky if I didn't run on a Sunday. I knew my legs were tired from yesterday's Round the Bay run of 14.65 miles. I groaned when I got off the couch. I groaned when I went up or down the stairs ... but I got up, puttered around, got dressed and got out. It was above freezing and close enough to 40F so I wore shorts! It was windy as well so I did my "Out to the pier" route at a nice and steady pace. My "just get it done" pace of just put one foot in front of the other. There were icicles on the guide wires on the pier that I knew would be gone by the afternoon. The temperature was forecast to be in the mid 50s in the afternoon. It was actually in the mid 60s! Anyway ... my splits were: 9:14, 8:37, 9:11, 8:58 and 8:28 over the last 0.85 mile.

Monday, 3/9/2020: 6028 steps, 53/108 resting/peak HR, 6:37 hrs sleep, 170.9 lbs, 1 floors climbed
Tuesday, 3/10/2020: 4854 steps, 51/102 resting/peak HR, 6:08 hrs sleep, 174.0 lbs, 3 floors climbed

Wednesday, 3/11/2020

14669 steps, 50/140 resting/peak HR, 6:56 hrs sleep, 172.8 lbs, 8 floors climbed
run: 4.85 miles, 42:19, 8:43 pace, 92 ft elevation gain, 132 avg HR, 159 avg cadence, 39F, 45% RH, 14 mph NW wind, wind chill 31F, mostly cloudy

I was tired after work but I dragged myself out for a tired run. I could have bagged it but I am stubborn. I just set up a nice and steady pace. Then I pushed past the feeling that I wanted to turn around and head back inside before I even got out of the Greenleaf Meadows complex. It was a bit tough running into the NW wind when I heading out on the pier but I knew it would be better when I turned around and had a tailwind. I got it done. My splits were: 8:57, 9:12, 8:34, 8:34 and 8:15 over the last 0.85 mile.

Thursday, 3/12/2020:  8252 steps, 47/106 resting/peak HR, 7:21 hrs sleep, 170.1 lbs, 0 (!) floors climbed

Today ... a lot of America came to a halt due to the Coronavirus. The DJIA crashed 10%, the Rochester St Patrick's Day parade was cancelled, the Running' of the Green on Sunday was cancelled, Yellow Jacket Racing cancelled all its races up to the end of April, March Madness and all conference games were cancelled, the NHL and AHL cancelled, the NBA suspended its season, the NCAA cancelled all winter and spring seasons in all sports. You name it ... it was either cancelled or suspended. Christine and I had tickets to see Jay Leno at the Del Lago on Saturday night ... I got our money refunded even though it had been rescheduled to September. We still have a non-refundable reservation to the Microtel in Waterloo on Saturday night.

Friday, 3/13/2020: 4400 steps, 49/131 resting/peak HR, 6:18 hrs sleep, 171.1 lbs, 6 floors climbed

Christine went out to Aldi's to get groceries. Her reaction? Lots of people, lots of items that were out or almost out (meat, bread, toilet paper, cleaning supplies). There were various news and Facebook articles about "social distancing". Luckily ... I will be off next week on vacation from Ricoh. Ricoh has a "use it or lose it" vacation policy. Their fiscal year ends at the end of March. I get 4 weeks vacation and 5 personal days per year. I have 6 days to use so it's time to use them.

Trump (or Dumbass as we politely call him) declared a National Emergency ... after weeks of calling it a "Dem Hoax". So ... any reader of this blog now knows our political leaning. Let's just say that we don't listen to "Faux" News and prefer CNN. Yes ... we are liberal. We voted for Obama, Hillary and Cuomo. and are proud of it. VOTE BLUE!

Saturday, 3/14/2020

9655 steps, 51/139 resting/peak HR, 8:40 hrs sleep, 169.1 lbs, 11 floors climbed
run: 6.07 miles, 51:54, 8:33 pace, 144 ft elevation gain, 132 avg HR, 162 avg cadence, 34F, 64% RH, 12 mph WNW wind, wind chill 26F, overcast

Well ... no Running the Green 5 Mile race this morning ... so no hurry. I puttered around for a bit checking email and Facebook before I got up, got dressed and got out. I just struck up a steady pace and got it done. My splits were: 8:37, 8:37, 8:38, 8:22, 8:36 and 8:34.

More Coronavirus news. Monroe County had its 2nd case. It was a mid 60s year old woman who works at the Greece Arcadia Middle School ... I run past this school. The result was that all Greece Central School District were closed ... and then all Monroe County schools were closed later in the day.

Sunday, 3/1/2020 to Saturday, 3/7/2020 - Polar Cat #3 & Round the Bay

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 4 times for 24.27 miles this week.
I took 72,561 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 3/1/2020

10944 steps, 47/150 resting/peak HR, 8;32 hrs sleep, 171.2 lbs, 7 floors climbed
run #1: 1.15 miles, 14:04, 9:04, 120 avg HR, 156 avg cadence, 32F, 51% RH, 13 mph W wind, wind chill 23F, sunny
run #2: 3.12 miles, 23:55, 7:40 pace, 143 avg HR, 167 avg cadence, 34F, 47% RH, 8 mph WNW wind, wind chill 28F, partly cloudy

First off, my Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale recognized me this morning after 3 days. I stepped on it, it read me at 171.4, DOU (it's name for me) and then gave me my Fat % and HR. It read that I gained about 8 pounds though. The whole thing started on Wednesday when I fed it fresh batteries and it claimed that I lost 6 pounds. It didn't recognize me on Thursday, Friday or Saturday when my weight was actually a bit over 170 pounds. Life back to normal between Withings and me.

Today's race was Polar Cat #3 at noon. I know that Rochester Running Company probably set the time to not conflict with church services but a noon start feels like the day is half over. I was so tempted to go out for a run at 7 or 8 AM. But ... I puttered around instead. I had a bit of mishap though ... I reached for a small chopper that had fallen out of a box and sliced open my right index finger on its blade. It bled quite well for 20 minutes before it stopped enough to put a bandage on.

The race venue a pavilion in Lion Park which is off of Kentucky Ave (off of Long Pond Rd down near Lyell Ave). We actually run by this pavilion when we run Freezeroo #1 in December. I never even knew it was there so I was glad I looked at the course PDF before I left to know where I was headed.

The temperature was about 20 degrees warmer than yesterday so I didn't have to dress like "Nanuck of the North". I chose my CW-X tights (thought about shorts), short sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I got down there about 45 minutes before noon so I chose to park at the nearby church (that we ran by twice). I got out for a little 1.15 mile warm up run at 9:10 pace, link here. I was a bit warm so I took off my short sleeve tech layer.

I paced around a bit to bleed off a bit of excess energy before the start. And ... we were off! Another 5K ... up to race pace quickly ... winding through neighborhood streets ... mile 1 at 7:24 pace ... slowed down a bit ... mile 2 at 7:46 pace ... suck it up ... mile 3 at 7:58 pace ... finish arch in sight .... rest of the way at 6:53 pace. And ... done in 23:48 chip time, 23:52 gun time at 7:40 pace. I gave it my best.

I headed to the lodge after I went back to the 2019 Trax to retrieve my coffee and to change out of my wet Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover. I had a couple pieces of pizza and a banana while I waited for the awards. I did OK. I was 31st out of 122 and 3rd out of 7 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. I also place 2nd in my M 60-64 age group in the race series. I received a $10 gift certificate to Rochester Running Company. I asked the owner(?) if I could buy a pair of Polar Cat sweatpants for Christine to go with her 2010-2011 Polar Cat sweatshirt and he just gave them to me. So Christine and I both could wear Polar Cat attire from head to toe!

Monday, 3/2/2020: 7392 steps, 48/96 resting/peak HR, 7:58 hrs sleep, 170.4 lbs, 2 floors climbed

Tuesday, 3/3/2020: 3523 steps, 47/98 resting/peak HR, 7:19 hrs sleep, 171.9 lbs, 1 floor climbed

Wednesday, 3/4/2020

13251 steps, 49/139 resting/peak HR, 6:43 hrs sleep, 172.0 lbs, 13 floors climbed
run: 5.35 miles, 46:17, 8:39 pace, 131 avg HR, 159 avg cadence, 38F, 73% RH, 12 mph W wind, wind chill 30F, mostly cloudy

The temperature was iffy and it was windy ... did I have my CW-X tights? I only had my shorts in my running bag so I went home to change before I went out for my run. I didn't want to run into the wind on the LOSP trail so I chose my "Out to the pier" loop. Boom ... done. My splits were: 8:50, 8:26, 8:41, 8:42, 8:35 and 8:37 over the last 0.35 mile.

Thursday, 3/5/2020: 3603 steps, 45/115 resting/peak HR, 6:44 hrs sleep, 170.0 lbs, 4 floors climbed

Friday, 3/6/2020: 10809 steps, 47/93 resting/peak HR, 6:20 hrs sleep, 171.9 lbs, 5 floors climbed

I read on Facebook that the "official" Round the Bay run was on Saturday so I held off from running on Thursday. I went to bed somewhat early on Friday since 5 AM does come early and whether you are rested or not.

Saturday

23039 steps, 46/143 resting/peak HR, 6:02 hrs sleep, 171.1 lbs, 51 floors climbed
run: 14.65 miles, 2:15:02, 9:13 pace, 696 ft elevation gain, 132 avg HR, 159 avg cadence, 24F, 65% RH, 7 mph N wind, wind chill 16F, a few clouds

Today's run was my 17th Round the Bay run. I have run Round the Bay every year since 2009. Twelve have been "official" and five have been extras (one in 2016, three in 2017 and one so far this year). I like running from the "official" start at the Irondequoit swing bridge more than I like running from the Bay Front restaurant down on Empire Blvd. I like getting the hills on the west side of Irondequoit Bay out of the way in the first half of the run not the second half.

Anyway ... I was up at 5 AM and puttered around like usual. It was chilly so I dressed accordingly: CW-X tights, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I did remember to bring my flask of Hammer Gel but ... chose poorly on my running shoes. I grabbed my old pair of Brooks Transcend 5 running shoes that I retired with 614.29 miles back on 3/21/19 (AND have been using for my walking shoes besides!) when I headed out the door. I didn't notice my error until I got down to the swing bridge at 6:50 AM. I thought about driving back home to change into my Brooks Adrenaline GTS19s and then back to the swing bridge but ... decided to run onward in old shoes. I kind of figured that my joints would not be happy with me.

There weren't as many runners as usual for the 2020 edition of Round the Bay ... about 25. Matt Kellman took the usual selfie with us in the background before he headed us off.

I decided to take a nice and steady approach. I hooked up with Bill Sandow and the woman he was running with through the hills on the west side of Irondequoit Bay. It was pretty down there with snow clinging to the trees. I did run up most of the 2 major uphills in this section before I walked up the rest of them. There wasn't any ice on the roads or on Irondequoit Bay. I took three gulps of Hammer Gel at the water stop just before the downhill on Empire Blvd. I endured the long uphill on Empire Blvd without a stop. I just kept my nice and steady pace ... one foot in front of the other. I sensed that the drivers on Bay Rd weren't too happy with so many runners when we didn't have any shoulder to run on but we all made due. My right hip started to nag me ... onward ... left onto Lake Rd ... I saluted like I always do when I passed where two firefighters died ... across the swing bridge ... done with 14.65 miles in 2:15:02, 9:13 pace. I stretched and had some gulps of warm coffee before I headed home. I stopped at Herrema's on the way to get something sweet to eat ... I had earned it! My splits were: 9:10, 8:49, 8:42, 8:33, 9:45, 9:14, 10:00, 8:35, 9:42, 9:24, 9:18, 9:13, 9:11, 9:12 and 9:36 over the last 0.65 mile.

Sunday, 2/23/2020 to Saturday, 2/29/2020

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 3 times for 25.49 miles this week.
I took 66,748 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 2/23/2020

23302 steps, 48/136 resting/peak HR, 7:16 hrs sleep, 171.1 lbs, 51 floors climbed
run: 14.39 miles, 2:16;16, 9:28 pace, 129 avg HR, 153 avg cadence, 33F, 49% RH, 10 mph SW wind, wind chill 25F, mostly cloudy

Today's run was my 16th Round the Bay run. I had talked with Prem Kumar about running with him last week at Freezeroo #6. Now ... in hindsight I will admit that it was a stretch for such a long run.

The plan was to meet down in the public parking opposite the Bay Front restaurant at the bottom of Irondequoit Bay at 8 AM. It was around freezing with a forecast in the 40s later in the day. So I wore my winter usual: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, short sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve tech, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I got there around 7:50 AM.

It turned out that 5 of us were there. Andy Ciaio, Prem, and 2 other guys whose names escape me. We set an easy pace up the 1.25 mile long Empire Blvd hill. I began to lead. I did set a faster pace when the shoulders began to get narrow on Bay Rd since I was nervous about the traffic. I was running well. The miles began to click off. I stopped for a couple of gulps of Hammer Gel at the swing bridge at mile 6.5. Then ... the wheels began to fall off. I was tired. I couldn't hold a good run pace all the way down Culver Ave and Titus Ave. Then it was down and up the hills on the west side of Irondequoit Bay. I walked up the 2 major hills. Then a slow run down Empire Blvd back to the 2019 Trax. Everyone was waiting for me. It seems that they had taken the shortcut of running up the I590 path. I was beat!

I didn't take a post run selfie since I didn't want to scare my kids. I felt like death warmed over and I am sure that I looked it too. My splits were: 10:33, 9:10, 8:45, 8:20, 8:23, 8:11, 10:19, 9:37, 9:38, 9:30, 9:15, 10:38, 9:47, 10:58 and 8:07 over the last 0.39 mile.

What should I have done differently? I don't run easy well. Maybe I didn't have my mind set on running more than just to the swing bridge and the thought of the hills to come just bothered me. I do like the "official" Round the Bay where you start at the swing bridge and get the hills out of the way first. Who knows? I got it done ... but felt like crap the rest of the day.

Monday, 2/24/2019: 3269 steps, 57/98 resting/peak HR, 5:47 hrs sleep, 168.9 lbs, 1 floor climbed

The number 2 and 24 ... 2 for Gigi Bryant and 24 for Kobe Bryant. The Staples Center held a Celebration of Life in LA, Staples Center link here. I looked at the CNN live link here during the ceremony. Lots more here, here, here, here, here and here. I must admit that I sobbed a bit in private ... so sad that Kobe, Gigi and the other 7 people were taken from this earth. The Mambamambacita Sports Foundation plans on furthering their legacy through charitable endeavors in sports, link here.

I was more than a bit tired today. I think yesterday's 14.39 mile run and not getting enough sleep caught up to me. My darling wife, Christine, wasn't feeling 100% and left me to put in 2 baked potatoes and Lloyd's Ribs in the oven. I fixed her tomato soup when they were done. She came down to the kitchen to make sure that they were done. Mmm ... so delicious along a glass of milk. I was in bed by 9 PM and asleep by 9:30 PM.

Tuesday, 2/25/2020

12920 steps, 54/145 resting/peak HR, 7:42 hrs sleep, 3 floors climbed
run: 5.05 miles, 43:56, 8:42 pace, 136 avg HR, 157 avg cadence, 36F, 79% RH, 10 mph NE wind, wind chill 29F, overcast

I needed to get out tonight since I had a Ricoh event at Dave and Buster's after work on Wednesday. I clocked in and out 15 minutes early so I could get up to Greece Arcadia High School and out on my run by 5 PM. I set up a nice and easy pace. My legs told me in no uncertain terms that they hadn't forgiven or forgotten my 14.39 miles on Sunday so I held the pace easy and the run short. My splits were: 8:36, 8:50, 8:45, 8:42 and 8:39.

Wednesday, 2/26/2020: 5723 steps, 50/95 resting/peak HR, 6:48 hrs sleep, 163.7 lbs, 7 floors climbed

I had to change the 4 AAA batteries in my Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale. I lost about 6 pounds instantly ... who knew that was the secret to weight loss!

Thursday, 2/27/2020: 4583 steps, 49/125 resting/peak HR, 7:19 hrs sleep, 0 (??) floors climbed

OK ... not so funny, lol! My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale with the day old batteries told me I weighed about 173 pounds (back to normal) but refused to recognize me as Doug. I think it thinks that no one can gain almost 10 pounds in a day so ... who is this person stepping on me! The LED lit up FAT, HR X. I hope it was saying that it didn't recognize my fat % or heart rate.

Friday, 2/28/2020: 5442 steps,  52/93 resting/peak HR, 7:00 hrs sleep, 8 floors climbed

I thought about running but it was cold so I bagged it.

Saturday, 2/29/2020:

11509 steps, 54/134 resting/peak HR, 5:58 hrs sleep, 24 floors climbed
run: 6.05 miles, 59:11, 9:47 pace, 129 avg HR, 157 avg cadence, 16F, 71% RH, 12 mph NW wind, wind chill 3F, partly cloudy

It was cold, breezy and 2 to 3 inches of snow had fallen overnight ... but I knew I was going out for a run ... but where? I decided on staying off the road and on the LOSP trail instead. It was in the teens and the wind chill was in the single digits so I wore a lot: CW-X tights, shorts, Craft long sleeve, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve, balaclava, Brooks beanie, sunglasses and ski mittens. I wore my Salomon SpeedCross 4 trail shoes also. I took it real nice and easy. The snow was unbroken (except by animal tracks) between the hole in the fence by our Greenleaf Meadows townhouse and Island Cottage. I didn't use any music so it was just me and my footsteps crunching in the snow. My splits were: 9:57, 9:19, 9:50, 9:41, 9:57 and 10:01.

It's the end of February so it's stat time!
.
I ran 18 times (4 were warm up runs before races) for 88.3 miles, 4.91 miles/run
I ran 3 races in February:
 02/08 Freezeroo #5, 7.98 miles, 1:06:05, 8:17 pace
 02/16 Polar Cat #2, 3.07 miles, 23:27, 7:33 pace
 02/22 Freezeroo #6, 3.12 miles, 23:55, 7:40 pace
I took 271,782 steps in February and 518,520 steps so far in 2020.

Sunday, 2/16/2020 to Saturday, 2/22/2020 - Polar Cat #2 & Freezeroo #6

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 5 times for 17.94 miles this week.
I took 60.780 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 02/16/2020

8168 steps, 54/150 resting/peak HR, 6:10 hrs sleep, 169.7 lbs, 7 floors climbed
run #1: 1.15 miles, 10:24, 9:01 pace, 117 avg HR, 155 avg cadence, 35F, 78% RH, 10 mph W wind, wind chill 27F, overcast
run #2: 3.07 miles, 23:44, 7:44 pace, 142 avg HR, 165 avg cadence, 35F, 78% RH, 10 mph W wind, wind chill 27F, overcast

Today's race was Polar Cat #2 at noon. I almost got up to go out for a run in the morning but I got a text alert from Rochester Running Company about Polar Cat #2. So ... I didn't and just relaxed until 10:45 AM. It was 32F warmer this morning (3F yesterday vs 35F today) so I wore a bit less: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I probably could have just gone with the Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover.

The course venue was unusual: the Elmwood Ave entrance to the Mt Hope Cemetery. The course turned out to 2 loops inside the Mt Hope Cemetery. I parked at the College Town parking lot on Mt Hope around 11:25 AM. I ran over to the registration tent, picked up my Polar Cat series swag: a pair of Polar Cats sweatpants, ran back to the 2019 Trax and back for 1.15 miles at 9:01 pace, link here.

I talked with Prem Kumar before the race. I had not run before the race. Prem thought about running around the Bay, running 10 miles or running 5 miles before the race. He choose to run 5 miles ... what a guy!

We had to wait a couple minutes after noon but ... we were off! I was a bit cold and the first 1/2 mile was tough. I chuckled to myself when I saw a mile 2 sign on the first loop. "I wish" I said out loud. I settled in, ran as well as I could through loop 1 ... mile 2 ... keep going ... mile 3 ... turn left into the finish arch. I forgot to turn off my Garmin for 15 seconds. I ate a bagel, grabbed a banana, a pint of water and walked back to College Town.

I took a side trip to BJs on the way home for gas and a bit of groceries. The results were up on runsignup.com when I got home. My official time was 23:27, 7:38 pace. I was 29th out of 135, 3rd out of 8 in my M 60-64 age group, link here.

Monday, 0217/2020: 3819 steps, 50/104 resting/peak HR, 6:35 hrs sleep, 170.5 lbs, 0 (!) floors climbed
Tuesday, 02/18/2020: 4217 steps, 50/107 resting/peak HR, 7:09 hrs sleep, 172.5 lbs, 3 floors climbed

Wednesday, 02/19/2020

17426 steps, 50/145 resting/peak HR, 7:34 hrs sleep, 171.7 lbs, 11 floors climbed
run: 8.15 miles, 1:10:21, 8:37 pace, 136 avg, 159 avg cadence,

I so needed to run tonight. I took a half hour lunch so I could punch out at 4:30 PM. I got up to the Greece Arcadia High School and got out for my run by 5 PM. It was chilly so I wore: CW-X tight, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. My clothing choices were spot on except for the heavy running gloves. My fingers were cold for the first 3 miles before they finally warmed up. Ski mittens would have been a better choice. Oh well ... I chose my "Loop from GAHS" so that I couldn't turn back and make the run shorter. Even so I thought about just heading out 3.1 miles and then heading back. But ... I kept running north on Long Pond Rd to make it a full 8 mile run. Boom ... done! I should have brought my headlamp instead of just my Noxgear Tracer360 lighted vest but ... I was lit up at the very least. It was only just getting dark when I got back to GAHS. My splits were: 8:22, 8:37, 8:40, 8:36, 8:28, 8:33, 8:49, 8:53 and 8:50 over the last 0.15 mile.

Thursday, 02/20/2020: 11116 steps, 48/103 resting/peak HR, 7:08 hrs sleep, 170.5 lbs, 5 floors climbed

Friday, 02/21/2020: 5965 steps, 42/95 resting/peak HR, 7:25 hrs sleep, 173.7 lbs, 5 floors climbed

Saturday, 02/22/2020

10069 steps, 49/147 resting/peak HR, 7:45 hrs sleep, 171.4 lbs, 16 floors climbed
run #1: 1.15 miles, 10:35, 9:10 pace, 120 avg, 155 avg cadence, 32F, 59% RH, 10 mph WSW wind, wind chill 24F, sunny
run #2: 4.32 miles, 34:46 (34:15 officially), 8:03 (7:56 officially), 142 avg HR, 164 avg cadence, 34F, 55% RH, 12 WSW wind, wind chill 26F, sunny

Today's race was Freezeroo #6. This race was another which has had various venues and various distances. This year was the fourth at the White House (Lake Rd in Webster near Holt Rd) and 2 loops of 2.2 miles. My previous times were: 2017 - 31:20, 2018 - 32:31 and 2019 - 33:46.

I got out to the race venue early enough to get a good parking lot at the White House. I got out for a nice warm up run of 1.15 miles at 9:10 pace, link here. I met up with Prem Kumar and Andy Ciaio like usual. Andy wanted to draft off me but I knew he would be ahead of me shortly after the start.

I don't particularly like this course since we run with traffic instead of against it but ... it's tradition so GRTC runs it that way. The original Polar Cat series ran by the late Bill Kehoe ran it that way too. And ... we were off! I got up to race pace quickly ... and held on as best I could. The race progressed ... and done!

The start, loop 1 and loop 2 ... photos courtesy of  Christina Darlak Ruhland

My official time was 34:15, link here. I was 3rd out of 14 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. The post race food was excellent. I had 2 pieces of pizza and a donut. I was also 3rd in my M 60-64 age group in the 2019-2020 Freezeroo series, link here and received $10. My splits were: 7:48, 7:56, 8:04, 8:06 and 8:54 (off because I forgot to turn off my Garmin for 31 seconds).