Ubiquitous Birds Post-Windpocalypse

American robin on tree branch. (3/10/17)

It has been months since taking my camera (and not the picture taking function of my cell phone) out for a walk but conditions being what they have been the past 48 hour this morning seemed a good time to do so. Following upstate New York's Wind Storm 2017, we and 100,000 of our neighbors find ourselves without power and I find myself with two days off from school. There are only so many hours one can listen to local politicians pat themselves on the back for being such amazing public servants during a catastrophe, so the silence of the trail provided a welcome break.

Emptied pond on Erie Canal. (3/10/17)

A short drive up the road from the Comfort Inn we have relocated to for the (sadly) foreseeable future, the Lock 32 Canal Park is part of a path I am very familiar with both walking and running with my wife and children. I did not really anticipate seeing too much of great interest beyond the traditional barren terrain of the emptied canal bed, but was pleasantly (okay, really) glad to come across some common park birds. It was like seeing old friends after a long absence. Amongst the creaking trees and polar winds, it was heart-warming to come across a few wood peckers, robins and crows on my short trip down the canal trail...

American robin on the ground. (3/10/17)

American robin keeping watch. (3/10/17)

Erie Canal in Winter-time. (3/10/17)

Pileated woodpecker doing his thing. (3/10/17)

Pileated woodpecker. (3/10/17)

American crow. (3/10/17)

Crows. (3/10/17)

Downy woodpecker. (3/10/17)

Duped water birds in winter. (3/10/17)

700 Miles(tone) and More

When comic books hit issue 700 of a single continuous run, it is a tremendous accomplishment. It is an especially  rare occurrence nowadays for industry deeply enamored of the potential financial windfall of frequent #1's; as a result, every title seems to hit the reset almost annually.

Seven-hundred sounds like a lot. This morning when I scrawled "709" in my hard copy training journal as the to-date cumulative mileage since March, it seems like I've come a long way. In addition to comfortably completing a 12.5 mile training run, the 700 miles(tone) is a personal accomplishment. To 35 year-old me, 700 miles might have represented a rare year marred by injury. To 46 year-old me, it is thrilling, especially with a few more weeks to go in the calendar year.

This morning's surprisingly frosty (31°F, but felt like 26°F at 7 a.m.) and foggy early morning run also reminded me why I once preferred cold weather running--something I've avoided for most of the past 4 years. Though I have continued to register and train for the occasional road race, most have been limited to early summer or late fall events where I could train outside of my teaching/coaching schedule and in warm(er) temps. This current calendar year, I began much earlier (albeit on treadmill) than in recent history (February) and am registered to run a half marathon the first weekend of January 2016. While we have yet to have had measurable snowfall in Western New York just yet, it is a very real possibility for January 9, and I am almost assured that the temps will not be much higher than a balmy 40°F.

Now that I've reached the unanticipated 700 mile mark, it's time to continue moving forward toward other benchmarks. Like comic books, I too will hit the numbering reset button in January and begin with a brand new #1. Ultimately, the primary goal, one for which I am most thankful, is simply getting up and out every once and a while, regardless of how fast or slow or far I go.

McQuaid's Varsity 4A at the 2013 Pittsford Regatta

At the finish line for the semi-final against Albany. (5/26/13)

This past Memorial Day weekend was my stepson's last scholastic regatta for McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, New York. (McQuaid Crew is sponsored by Friends of Scholastic Crew (FoSC).) Last year one of the boat's in which Greg rowed did make it to Nationals, but this year things did not come together as well. While it would have been preferable to have qualified to row in the Scholastic Rowing Association of America National Championship Regatta in Camden, New Jersey, it was great to have the team competing locally. Both the fall and spring seasons concluded on the Erie Canal at Pittsford Regattas, and this final season would be no different. On Saturday Gregory rowed in a the McQuaid Varsity 8A, making it to semifinals, and failing to medal.


Rowing down to the start line of the 1100 meter Erie Canal course. (5/26/13)

Unable to attend the Saturday races, I made a point of being at the Sunday portion. Sunday's races would find boys competing in "fours" and girls in "eights," the opposite of previous day's races. As a spectator sport, spring crew is generally more interesting than fall season as following the first round of time trials, all the semis and finals are head-to-head. The teams participating this year were very strong, especially a resurgent boys program from the neighboring canal town of Fairport.


The Erie Canal is fairly narrow at points, so boats had to be careful when heading to
the start, as well as when competing. (5/26/13)

The Varsity 4A, consisting of Greg, seniors Cameron Pizzo, Andrew Dardaris, and underclassman Steven Gerringer, had to accept a challenging task if they were to make it to finals this year. In addition to host Pittsford, and the aforementioned Fairport club, teams from Albany, Cascadilla and Brighton, among others, were in attendance.

McQuaid Varsity coxswain Grant Gifford during time trials. (5/26/13)

Racing to a third place finish in the time trial (5/26/13)

Finishing the trials in great position (5/26/13)

The boat got off to a strong start placing third overall, behind Albany (4:23.94) and Fairport (4:21.34), with a time of 4:25.01. The race launched shortly before 8:30 a.m. and went of just before 9:00 a.m. One of the challenges of rowing is the long periods between races. Thought he time does allow for some recovery time, psychologically, it can seem like quite a bit of time to wait to get at it again. After getting the boat out of the water, there is little else for the student-athletes to do than commiserate with one another and maybe grab a light snack before the next race. One always hopes there is a "next race" as that suggest that things went well. Some teams/boats are done after the trial, which is a disappointment for spectators and student-athletes, many of whom have been waiting around since the early morning hours of the day to compete.

Carrying the boat back following the trials. (5/26/13)

Heading out for the semifinals race with Albany. (5/26/13)

The semifinals featured the first head-to-head competition of the day for our Varsity Boys 4A boat, a race in which they drew a strong Albany team. The semifinals use the trial times to seed the semifinals so: #1 races #4, and #2 (Albany) rows against #4, McQuaid. If both were to "row to their seed," McQuaid would be done for the day and Albany would move on to head-to-head racing against #1 Faiport. In what was a tremendous race, the McQuaid boat defied the teams pattern of  performance for the meet (running even until the last 20 meters, then being passed by stronger boats) and nosed out Albany for the win. As you can see in the picture at the top of the post, the win was a close one. McQuaid's boat finished in 4:30.8, just ahead of Albany who came in at 4:32.1.

Heading back to the starting line for the final race. (5/26/13)

Crossing the finish just behind Fairport... but greater things are ahead for all these boys. (5/26/13)

The finals against Fairport went as seeded, which means that despite rowing well, the McQuaid 8A earned  silver. Given the struggles this spring season, a second place finish in a close race to a better boat is not such a tragedy, I suppose. Fortunately for those boys graduating, they were able to conclude their scholastic careers with not just a Pyrrhic victory of sorts, but also a silver medal and memories of a fine day o the water.

A tired boat savors the spectators encouraging cheers. (5/26/13)

Many of the fantastic alumni families and rowers were on hand to cheer on and congratulate the boys between races and after finals. It was great to see many of the faces that first greeted my wife and I when Greg started five years ago, little knowing how good the sport would be to him and his teammates. Much pride can be taken away by these lads who began middle school (and rowing) knowing little about the sport, but graduate as seasoned and accomplished veterans.

The four rowers (minus coxswain Gifford who had a prom to attend) receive their silver medals. (5/26/13)

Au Revoir! (5/26/13).

With the boats are loaded back on the trailer for the last time, another page is turned. For seniors who will be graduating next weekend, this was their last regatta. Next weekend, the underclassmen head to Canada for their last regatta of the season, and their first as the upperclassmen-cum-upperclassmen of McQuaid Crew.

2011 Pull-the-Plug Regatta Recap

Scenic Pittsford, New York, site of the 2011 Pull the Plug Regatta (11/6/11).

The final regatta of the fall season was held today on the Erie Canal--a body of water which in a few weeks will be drained as the locks are dropped, the "plug" effectively being "pulled." But before the shopping carts and discarded bottles could rise from the bottom of the canal there were races to be run! The Pull the Plug, organized by Pittsford Crew, is always an extremely pleasant way to close the fall season, and we were once again fortunate this year, to have wonderful autumnal weather in which to watch the races. This would be the final weekend of "timed races," wherein the spectating is challenging (especially for those like myself with a low crew-IQ) as you have to watch bow numbers carefully to gauge what places (and therefore medals) are in play as they pass by.

The boats of the Varsity 8+ (A) make their way down the Erie Canal.

The McQuaid Men's Varsity 8+ (A) in the final race of the day.

For the first time this fall, my stepson's team, McQuaid Jesuit, had a full slate of A and B "fours" (four rowers and a coxswain) and "eights" (eight rowers and a coxswain) set to compete. As is usually the case with these close-to-home meets, I spectated for long enough to see him row, went home to grade papers and returned for the second race some three hours later. The Men's Varsity 4+ (A), a race that I failed to take pictures of, was the first for him of the day, and it turned out to be the high point for the team as they medalled by placing second. This was a significant feat, especially given the competition at the regatta. Despite a valiant effort, the Varsity 8+ (A), seen above, finished fourth in a tough field, failing to medal.

Quiet has returned to the Erie Canal... until next year!

With the fall crew season complete, and the swimming (my stepson Gregory) and Indoor Track and Field (my son, Jack, and I) seasons on the horizon, I look forward to the Spring when we'll do it all again... but with the even more exciting head-to-head races!

Run: 11.4 miles in 1:37.42 @ 6:15 a.m

Au revoir, my beastly friends... I look forward to seeing you on the trails!
Weather: Fog/Mostly Cloudy, 59°F/63°F, 94% Humidity, Wind: WSW @ 5 mph; feels like 59°F/63°F.
Route: Monroe-Edgewood-Erie Canal-Genesee River Loop.
Pace: 8:34 min/mile
Effort: 4 of 5
How did I feel? Good.

Anticipating a long, slow distance run (lsd) today, and looking to avoid the pitfalls that resulted in a "fast," shorter (8 miles) run last weekend, I ate a little more heartily and rested more fully yesterday to prepare for a more successful morning. Of course, despite the physical challenges encountered last weekend, in retrospect, it may have been my lack of mental toughness that did me in more than my physical preparedness. But, that was last week, and this week is another opportunity to follow through with a properly paced lsd,,a run which will also serve as an appropriate send-off to my current pair of Brooks Beast Trainers :)

Things went much better this morning, and despite my adjusting my course midway through (in an effort to avoid running into the rising sun--I'd not worn my sunglasses due to fog early on) I unintentionally exceed my mileage goal today by about a mile-and-a-half. I am a little flummoxed by my pace which I had thought was easier, but was still short of my goal of 9:00 minute miles. By bringing some gel I definitely addressed the loss of energy that kept me from finishing the run last week and attempted to use discipline in not over exceeding my mileage, choosing to walk the last mile home rather than over do it.

Be here now!

Run: 3.4 miles in :28.03 @ 4:45 p.m

Weather: Partly Cloudy, 77°F, 95% Humidity, Wind: WSW @ 12 mph, gusting up to 21 mph; feels like 77°F.
Route: Short section on the Erie Canal Trailway.
Pace: 8:15 min/mile
Effort: 3 of 5
How did I feel? Good.

Despite doing a little running this morning at practice, I took advantage of my own son's practice later in the day to run for 30 minutes on the Erie Canal path. When I was running longer distances, I would spend quite a bit of time going up and down the Erie canal and Genesee River paths. It was nice to get on the section between Ayrault and Perinton Park for a short time this afternoon and I look forward to retuning back, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Be here now!

Ubiquitous Unique? Birds: Wood Duck

"The Wood Duck is one of the most stunningly pretty of all waterfowl"... agreed!
Last Sunday, during my stepson's regatta on the Erie Canal, I passed some time taking what I thought were ubiquitous bird photos. On that day, however, an uncommon fellow popped up in the midst of the standard fuzzy ducklings and brown-streaked females. The male Wood Duck, according to Allaboutbirds.com from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, in addition to being one of the most attractive water fowl, "live(s) in wooded swamps, where they nest in holes in trees or in nest boxes put up around lake margins." Though humid last weekend, I would hardly characterize the area along the Erie Canal as "swampy," but there he was nonetheless!


While clearly the male is a wood duck, I'm not too sure about his paramour.
This particular wood duck seemed to have mated with the adult female Mallard, pictured with him above. The two of them, along with a gaggle of ducklings, spent much of the morning splashing along the edge of the canal way avoiding oars and looking for food.

Proud Mama and Papa keep their eyes on the babies...
While the female Wood Duck looks very similar to a Mallard, the absence of the white outline around the eyes leads me to believe it was not a wood duck but rather a Mallard. I wonder how common it is to cross-breed between these similar species of bird?

Run: 13.7 miles in 1:57.35 min. @ 5:45 a.m.

Despite the warning sign at the park entrance suggesting that one enters
"at their own risk," I haven't come across any causes for concern.
Weather: Cloudy, 62°F, 75% Humidity, Wind: From SW @ 6 mph; feels like 62°F.
Course: Half Marathon Training Run from USATF Map It!
Pace: 8:34 min/mile
Effort: 3 out of 5
How did I feel? Great!
Gear: Amphipod RunLite Trail Runner

Note the absence of the "≈" in my training log above; today, rather than running "nekkid" I brought my watch to gauge my overall effort, with a target towards an 8:30 pace which, given the distance, would equate to a (roughly) two hour run time.

A very consistently paced long slow distance run which I accomplished with a fair degree of active comfort, and during which I benefited from the welcome, slightly cooler (62°F!), temperatures. Following up on last week's hydration questions, I did cut my two flasks of H2O with blue PowerAde to fairly good effect--one variable that was to my benefit this morning (and will likely not be the case on the upcoming weekend races) was the coolish temps and the fact that I was partially running undercover of the dusky morning. It might be helpful to commit to some training runs later in the morning or (ugh!) maybe even in the afternoon.

No more stoppping for long periods of time to get across the
busy street for local canal-goers!
This morning's course took me onto the Erie Canal for the first time in over a year and some wonderful civic improvement projects have been completed, specifically at the Clover Road lock park where one no longer needs to stop to walk across a fairly busy road mid-run. How fortunate I feel to live in an area that is so supportive of its community of athletes (bicyclists, walkers, runners)!

Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!

Ubiquitous Duck Flight

While attending my stepson's regatta on the Erie Canal last weekend, I couldn't help but continue my fascination with watching the ducks interact with one another and the boats.



Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!

Sites on the Trip Home by Bike

This artistically decorated electrical panel(?) is directly outside Genesee Valley Park. I enjoy, not just the art work, but the sentiment it expresses, so often take a new picture of it each time I'm going by (and have a camera handy).
Bicycle: 9.5 miles in :48:00 min @ 12:10 p.m.
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 73°F, 90% Humidity, Wind: From NNE @ 1 mph; feels like 73°F.
Course: To Summer School 2009 from home to Gates-Chili High School.

Surprisingly, the ride home was easier than the ride out. I guess the downward slope of the canal path (and roads) was more of a benefit than shaking off the weariness of a (albeit short) work "day."

As threatened promised this morning, here are some pictures, with minimal editorial, of the ride home.

The entrance point onto the Erie Canal Trailway at Buffalo Road,
roughly two miles from school.
This is what the area immediately around the Erie Canal bicycle path from Buffalo Road east to Genesee Valley Park looks like. About forty yards to the left is the canal and to the right are any number of oil silos, old industrial parks or hotels. This part of the path runs by the Rochester International (tee-hee) Airport.
Upon entering Genesee Valley Park, there are any number of small one-vehicle bridges from which to take photos. You can see that the "bridge" is a little worn, is used mostly for foot traffic, and runs parallel to some old train tracks.

This is the point at which the Erie Canal meets the Genesee River. The Erie continues straight ahead below the bridge, while the Genesee cuts to the left.
My route also passes by the Mt. Hope Cemetery, a frequently photographed area of my community. I felt like a high school artist taking pictures in the cemetery... now if I could figure out how to convert them to be black and white :)
As is almost always the case, there was much more to see, but somehtings need to be kept for the naked eye...

Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!

A Long, Wet Run Fit Only for Ducks

Ducks, or in this case geese, seem to be my constant companions on the road. Whether passing Ellison Park (above) or along the canal (below) these hissing, protective birds seem to be ever-present. These geese also inspired a new run-ku, viewable here or on Twitter.
Run: 18.1 miles in 2:32:16 min. @ 5:40 a.m.
Weather: Cloudy, 61°F, 100% Humidity, Wind: CALM; feels like 61°F.
Pace: 8:25 min/mile
Course: An abbreviated Ultra Prep Run made using USATF Map It!

Pre-Run Ruminations: After checking the weather forecast last night at 11:00 p.m. (just prior to going to bed) it became clear that one of two things would take place this morning--or some combination of the two--I would have to shift my super-long run to Sunday in hopes of avoiding the rain or I would be in a situation during which I might need to "outrun the rain clouds" in an effort to avoid being caught in the downpour.

As of 5:10 a.m. it has yet to rain, but I'm heading out anyway (after patiently waiting to let my first cup of joe do "its thing") in an effort to get the mileage in that I can ran or shine.

The mirror-like surface of the Erie Canal is broken only by the persistent showers which followed me throughout my run.
Post-Run Reflections: Ironically, it wasn't the rain falling from the sky that caused my run to be cut slightly (7 miles) short, but rather the lack of water available on my hydration belt and roughly the seventeen mile point. Once again, I finished the two 10 oz. flask, but still found myself thirsty for more of something. I had hoped to find a water fountain along the way, but when it became apparent that I would not, I made the decision to cut off my run at Lock 32 along the canal. From there I called my wife, who kindly came to pick me up with both a bottle of water and a peach.

In a comment to a previous post, fellow runner/outdoors man/blogger Jedi-Turtle of The Way of the Turtle suggested an alternative to the flask hydration system. While the flask belt has worked (and continues to at distances of 15 miles or less), I think I am going to take his advice and explore some other options, especially if following the 50k on July 4 I continue to pursue training for ultra runs.

Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!