Runs in the rain
Art - You are still doing great with the long bike rides and the pull-ups, too bad you haven't licked the knee problem. Perhaps the doctor visit may help, but if he is not a sports specialist I doubt if he will have an answer. Yeah, any repair to the house or car nowadays you better have the right tools! Guess it was the right call to hire a plumber. A lot of work you have repairing the drywall, but looks like you're getting it done. I told my friend about reading Caesar's war commentaries where he had to overcome a number of walled cities, but he just tosses the pumpkin into his woods!
Rich - As usual you mix it up with trail runs, the Tryke and the mt. bike. Good to include some sprints in your run, I'm trying to add a little speedwork myself, not just doing long runs. I looked at the quad stretches, I've not had much issues with my quads, maybe because I don't lift my legs up high when I run and do more with a gliding quick stride. I think the deer being attracted to the acorns resulted in one getting struck by the car. Did someone dispose of the dead deer afterwards? I typically see dead animals including deer on my long runs and may have to hold my breath as I run past. The greenway here is mostly an old railroad bed converted to a trail, so I think it is very similar to your rail trail. Closer to Rochester some of it is old canal towpaths the mules used to pull the barges like in the song - ("I got a mule and it's name is Sal, 15 years on the Erie canal")
az - You're an infrequent visitor now, but good to hear how you are making out. Nice to have the friend with son visit and get to take them hiking. Sometime I've got to see the Grand Canyon! They got their exercise with the 6 mile hike and then kayaking the next day! Nice you have a new friend to hike with. I suppose it is a legitimate concern that while way out on a trail you could injure yourself running, although since you could be with her I think you could support each other in an emergency. Of more concern is being a female alone in the woods. I guess when you go out there you are ready to defend yourself or run away, or maybe it is not as big a problem where you live. Anyway, best to be alert, the world needs more lerts!
Richard - I have not forgotten you, I just reply with my comments in the order of the postings. I looked at your log and you seem very consistent in running close to a 20 mile week. Although I'm doing some longer runs I am not as nearly consistent this fall about getting in a good weekly mileage. Many of us have also had injuries and I'm glad that after a 2 year break you are back to running! Not all of us here are old men, az is a female and occasionally we hear from Ray who I think is in his late 50s
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Well my attempt to recruit new members to this forum had over a hundred people read the invitation and maybe a dozen visited and glanced at out posts. The two people who wrote a response just said how great the Masters forum is. I might check that out, but I like our little group and hope it continues.
No time now to report on what I've been up to, got to get ready for work!
Long distance runner, what you standin' there for?Get up, get out, get out of the door!
Saturday morning did a 3.9 mile walk/run Still lingering knee pain but it fluctuates.
Sunday morning did a 14 mile bike ride before finishing up that water leak repair. You all know how that goes. Finished patching all the holes and got to painting. Unfortunately, the paint didn't exactly match. So ended up painting more walls and ceilings while I had the space. Then came the rearranging of the furniture. Glad that everything is finished.
I saw Altair's note about the invite to join this group for others. Good idea. I did read the posts and looked at the other groups as suggested.
Senior masters was pretty quiet.
Masters was certainly busier but I don't like the daily or weekly format. Things get hard to track and follow in my opinion. Remember we had something like that some time ago before moving to this monthly format. I feel our format is better for having a conversation with the others. Just my thoughts.
Art in AZ
Mesa, AZ
Nice 6.5 in a cool mist on a hilly course this morning. Age 53, no lingering soreness or injuries to nurse through or anything. I'm quite a lucky fellow.
I found out I am transferring to Houston in January. Probably will end up in the North suburbs. Does anyone know anything about that area?
Darn. What a couple days difference in temps. This morning the temps were in the mid to upper 40s. I had to break out the sweats and long sleeve shirts for today's 3.9 miles. But not to worry. We're supposed to be back in the 90s by the weekend. That's a 20 degree plus drop from the weekend. At least the sun is still shining.
Richard - No soreness or injury is a good thing, I was in Houston once. During the summer I was there it was hot and humid. But then most areas of the South are hot and humid during the summer. So I don't think I'm telling you anything new.
Nice 6.5 in a cool mist on a hilly course this morning. Age 53, no lingering soreness or injuries to nurse through or anything. I'm quite a lucky fellow. I found out I am transferring to Houston in January. Probably will end up in the North suburbs. Does anyone know anything about that area?
Great to have you on this active, fun, easy going group!!
I'm the 'female' and 60, a dirt trail runner, live in northern AZ with all the mountains and snow. Semi-retired from the oral health field/researcher. Also live in northern MN too. I think we have that in common as well as you will be moving to TX. I lived/worked/attended University in San Antonio (S.A.)....... back in the 90s. I've visited Houston a couple of times but not enough to give you extensive knowledge/background. I do know it is hot and humid like S.A. from Spring till Fall, then it's cold and clammy through Winter....... similar to MN. Oh, it seems like it is getting more hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding risks but other than that, it's a huge city with lots to do, LOL!
When you mentioned you may be moving to the SW, I thought it would be further 'west' than TX........ oh well.
Fri: 12 mile hilly trail run near home. A herd of deer was my only cheering squad, haha!
Sat: virtual meeting of the American Trail Running Assc, (ATRA) held in Arkansas this year. Been a member for years. Very informative, all day event.
Sun: 25-35 mph wind with dust kept me indoors! Holy Cow!! I don't like that, scary but it tends to blow away all the loose bushes, shrubs, weeds, etc from my backyard to NM, LOL!!
Mon: We woke up to snow!! And temps in the teens. Dirt Trails are muddy and slippery. Stayed home but in-home exercises with weights, PiYo and foam rolling.
Today: virtual meeting this morning. Will run later this afternoon............I think. Because I found out that I can get 'dry needling' from my provider now, YAY!! Yes, it's really weird that I'm excited about this!! It's scheduled for today.
So I gotta go!
Oh, I would like to suggest we introduce ourselves to Richard.
Take care! Stay safe!
Thank you to the above poster. Not sure where you are in northern Minnesota. I actually work in Christian ministry and evangelism, and end up with short term residence in various places as a result. I have lived and worked from Ely to Carlton (NE Minnesota), but that was 2 years spent more on a bike than running, and also in a corner from Bemidji to Crookston to Roseau to Baudette. Those were some of my best years running. I would not call it cold and clammy there at all. Either it was "nice' or it was "cold", but I much prefer the "cold".
Anyway, today...
3.7 in 50 degrees, with clouds and little wind. Done fairly hard, although not quite all out.
One thing I have noticed quite clearly in the last 5 years is that older bodies take longer to warm up to where they work efficiently. So, often the first mile is the worst.
Tuesday, 10/27... decided to walk today, so grabbed the walking sticks and Nordic walked 2.5 miles on the railtrail. Weather was 50 degrees, partly sunny and breezy...
Art... Temps in the 40's!! Lol That'll get your attention, eh? You must have felt like Santa at the North Pole in that 3.9 miler! Lol
Az... still hammering out those tough, hilly trail runs! And needling again! Would you describe it as a chronic trigger point you're dealing with? Seems like it was a hamstring the last time, is that right? Good luck with it Az!
RichardR... welcome aboard! I live in NH, am 2 months shy of my 72nd birthday and retired. I try to stay active and do something most days, either a bike ride, run, walk, either with walking sticks or snowshoes, cross country ski, or ride the 3 wheeled rowing tricycle pictured in my avatar. A runner first, everything else is cross training.
I started running when I was your age, have run 9 marathons and too many shorter races to mention. Never qualified for Boston, just ran smaller local marathons 'til the distance got to be too far to handle. A machinist by trade, I was self-employed the last 20 of my working years, married with kids, grandkids and one great granddaughter.
Looks like you've gotten in a couple of nice runs lately, eh? Good for you! And yes, it takes longer for all systems to get up to speed as you start a run and getting up to speed isn't quite the speed it used to be, but it's all good...Lol
We have had a lot of drizzly damp days so my runs have been less frequent. Thursday 10-22 it rained in the morning, but stopped by 2 pm. It was still overcast and 57 degrees but I did over four miles.
Another view of distant hills, a little faint from the humidity from the morning rain. .
The next day, Friday 10-23, was exceptionally warm for late October, sunny and hitting 81 degrees! The leaves had been piling up under the trees from the rainy days and I needed to take care of them. I mowed over them with the lawnmower and then emptied the bag in a pile. I will use the leaves in the spring for mulch.Because there was a lot of fallen leaves I had to empty the bags often and in some places I had to go over the area a few times to get all the leaves. This work took me like 2 or 3 hours and it was already 2 pm by the time I finished.
I then got ready for a run. Since we may not have a day this warm for a while I decided to do a 10 mile run, 5 miles out and 5 back, along the Greenway Trail. I figured I would look at the colorful trees. I now have a goal to run the entire 90 mile length a section at a time. I have just joined the Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway group on Facebook and took my camera so I'd have pictures to post. With the warm temperature I just wore my shorts and was shirtless. I started on a section that I have never been on before running north. I noticed that the uneven grassy surface of this part of the trail seemed harder to run on than the smooth asphalt roads, my feet would brush against the grass causing some friction. The trail has trees on both sides for the most part but crosses by an occasional field. The Genesee River runs just east of the trail, but because of it's many curves it rarely is seen from the trail. I passed a few groups of people walking and several people were riding bicycles, but was alone most of the time. I started to tire even before I passed the five mile turnaround point, actually going like a quarter mile past it. I decided to rest a while on one of the benches found every mile or so along the trail. I took off my shoes and damp socks and let my feet air out. It was over 10 minutes before I got moving again and I found myself struggling. I began to stop and rest on a bench briefly almost every mile and when I sat down I would feel lightheaded. Now 10 miles used to just be a short run for me, why was I having difficulty? Later I thought of a number of reasons: Doing a few hours of yard work before the run had me tired at the start. I have been inconsistent with my training, sometimes just doing 2 or 3 short runs a week. Although I had a good breakfast I did not eat lunch, neither did I drink fluid before or during my run. My age might be catching up with me. Perhaps it was side effects from the medications I now take. Anyway, I was determined to finish and the sun was getting low, but I knew I would be done before it got dark. There is a trench or stream of stagnant water that is just west of the trail for a section and it can bring pesky insects, in this case it was several flies that came out at dusk to take at least three stinging bites of my legs, one right through my sock! One of the reasons I don't often run this trail in the summer. When my Garmin read I had done 10.05 miles I just stopped the timer and walked the rest of the way back to my car. It took me about two hours fifty minute to do the run, Stava said that about 40 minutes of that was not moving time so I did spend many minutes on the benches. Perhaps I was too ambitious, but I just had to do something special on an 81 degree day in late October! To give an idea how variable the weather can be here come Friday there is a good chance of the first snow!
Blue sky over one of the fields the trail goes by
White birch and orange leaves
Pond scum, a ghastly green with the orange fall leaves and blueish grey trees provides a Halloween color scheme.
A rare view of the Genesee River through an opening in the trees..
This is the same section of trail I posted two weeks ago, but seen from the opposite direction
.Another field, this with a windmill.
This taken from the bench I rested on after the halfway turnaround point. The long red leaves on this bush were very colorful
This was taken near the end of my run showing one of the mile markers. I think this indicated 26 miles from the start of the Trail in Rochester
Wednesday, 7/28... today was an all day rain event, so I took the opportunity to get reacquainted with my treadmill. It's been close to 8 months since I've run on it and I'm really not crazy about running on the thing...lol So, I started out slow and spent a half hour gradually increasing the pace and getting used to it again. The pace it shows I'm running feels easier than when I'm running outside, but for some reason, my breathing's more labored...Lol Oh well, when it's cold outside or the weather's bad, it's nice to have. But for today, 30 minutes was enough...
Altair5... congrats. on the 10 miler! You run in some really nice country and as usual, the pictures in your post were an added treat. The bush with the long red leaves is Sumac I believe. I know this because there's a version of it called Poison Sumac and it's not to be used as a substitute for T.P. if you have to take a nature break. It's like Poison Oak or Poison Ivy, but the oil on the leaves is what irritates the skin. The condition is described as blisters and there's no cure, the only way to clear it up is to wipe the effected area with rubbing alcohol. And wash your clothes repeatedly as you continue to wipe the effected area with alcohol. Eventually, you'll remove the oil from your clothes and skin following this process and the blisters will go away. I have the leave's image burned into my brain to guarantee I never have to deal with Poison Sumac again...
Rich - I looked online and I think that red bush is indeed sumac! However it seems there are different varieties and some are not poisonous and can even be used to make a lemonade substitute drink! The distinguishing characteristic is that the poison sumac has white berries and the non toxic has red. I think the variety shown in my photo is called Staghorn Sumac and is not poisonous, but I am not going to chance messing with it!
I'm 69 years old. I originally lived on the south shore of Long Island, not far from New York City and used to run on boardwalks by the ocean. In 2001 I moved to Geneseo in western NY. I'm in the Finger Lakes region and within running distance of the westernmost lake, Lake Conesus. You can see it on this map east of Buffalo and south of Rochester.
I always liked to walk and ride my bicycle but just did a little bit of running. In 1993 had a 3 pound tumor removed that was attached to my stomach. I had heard that cancer does not like oxygen and running seemed a good way to flood my body with oxygen so I started doing like 3 mile runs. After just a few months under a suggestion from a coworker I ran my first half marathon in May of 1993 and after several of those ran a full marathon in 1997. I have now completed 6 marathons, the last being in 2018.
I have a family history of running, my grandfather ran the Boston Marathon in 1903 and came in 6th place. I have ambitions to qualify and run the Boston myself, but have a ways to go before I can be fit enough to do that.
I currently work in a NY State group home for disabled individuals. My other hobbies are collecting books, mostly science fiction, listening to music CDs, vegetable gardening and playing chess online.
Thursday, 10/29... 6 mile railtrail run this morning, pace was easy. It's started raining since I ran and we're forecast for a low in the 20's tonight with 1 to 3 inches of snow for tonight into tomorrow. A lot of the leaves in my yard are still on the trees, so hopefully we get another warm spell before winter sets in for good...lol
Altair5... 'tis a wise man who gives Sumac a wide berth...Lol
Hey everyone!
Tues: had my dry needling procedure, on the lateral mid-section of my calf. I've had that issue since Nov 2015, docs couldn't diagnose it even after my telling them what happened. So I have my own 'diagnosis' of a severe stretch/pull muslce/tissue. None of the specialists were runners so I left it at that. The PT at that time is the one who agreed with me and introduced me to dry needling. It's been a life saver!!
Anyway, the procedure took about 15 minutes. In my case, it's mainly to disperse the knotted scar tissue deep inside the calf connective tissue that tends to pull at the back of my knee, and knee swells, aches and not very comfortable for running. I don't have pain, just discomfort when that happens. The procedure was painless, no after effects ..... so I ran a short 4.5 miles in the afternoon before the cold wind picked up.
Wed: another short 4 miler on a different dirt trail with a couple of good hills.
Today: 6 miler morning run on another different trail, threw in some 40 sec intervals the last 2 miles. Around 50 degrees and sunny. All by myself on the trail. Love it!! I donated my '98 Nissan Maxima to Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America. They picked it up this morning......after my run. They had to drive up from Phoenix! The guy was wearing winter clothing, LOL!! He couldn't believe I ran in that 'cold' .....in short sleeves and shorts! I was using the Nissan for my errands into town, it's gotten alot of miles so needed to part with it. I'm down to one vehicle now. Well, I have DH's truck here too but I drive it now and then so it doesn't sit too long. Too cold to ride my Harley now. BRRRR!
RichardR: I'm just not cut out to live in humid areas. I don't mind the winters but it just lasts tooo long, and I find it dreary and depressing. But most of all, it's flat as a pancake, I miss my mountain trails. That's a lot of places you have lived and worked. Interesting, that your work relocates you that often. Is TX the most 'south' you would have traveled?
You know, I hear that about aging bodies, LOL!! But we keep plugging along. Good job on the miles!
NH: the dreadmill ...... I feel for you! But I know I will probably go to the wellness center here to run the dreadmill when my trails are too muddy, icy, slippery. I have to make an appt so to allow only a few to work out for safety and physical distancing. Way to go on the 6 miler! Your area is getting early winter? So, no, it isn't my hamstring. It's the right calf area, the extensor longus muscle.
Altair: Love the photo with the birch tree with colorful autumn leaves! thank you for the map too. Every now and then, you post it and it helps to know where you are. But I love maps so I'm looking at all the other areas as well. We have friends who live/work in Rochester, not too far from you. We keep saying we need to visit them ........ but I prefer to travel there for a trail race obviously, LOL!!
WOW, you really wanted the 10 miles, no matter what. I'm sure if you were more consistent, the distance would have been no problem. But it could be a number of other factors as you pointed out. I know my planned long runs of 10-12 miles are sluggish if I don't run consisent 6-8 milers. I don't push it. I don't have any races planned for this year so I'm not in 'training' mode. Just keeping my base with slow easy runs, with walk breaks if I want and enjoying the outdoors.
I have another zoom meeting so gotta go!
Take care and stay safe!
3.9 miles Wednesday morning doing the normal canal route. Took a little to warm up but then felt comfortable.
2.5 miles walking to a client location and back this morning. Since I had to start early I figured getting 2 things done together. Getting in some exercise and fixing what they needed. I then spent the rest of today handling problems for clients.
AZ - Saw the weather up there. No thanks. Good that you're getting in your miles on the trails up there.
Richard - I'm located in Mesa, AZ and enjoy the weather here. Moved here from near Chicago, Illinois and don't miss the cold from there at all. I have a friend that moved from Bemidji to here. We both did construction stuff together. You might have noticed that I'm not to thrilled with "cold" weather.
Altair - Nice 10 miler there. And an added bonus of more scenic pictures.
Since I finished my dinner I'm off to have some homemade brownies.
3.9 miles Friday morning then a couple of hours working in the garden. I got the empty sections ready for planting my next batch of plants and seeds.
Another 3.9 miles Saturday morning. A great morning to be out. Cool and cloudy. I'm adding more exercise into my routine on most days. I still do the set of pull-ups, then at the half-way point I do some push-ups. Back at the park I do the set of chin-ups and then walk about 100 feet to the push-up station and do another round of push-ups. I vary the push-ups by placing my hands close together and then normal position.
I saw a lot of runners and bike riders on the canal path. Like 3 - 4 times what I normally see. It was almost crowded. There was one couple who each had a infant carrier back pack out. Looks like they might be training for something or just liked bringing the kids along.