Swimming

Running on Empty

/ adkjoe / 7 Comments

The past two years have not been kind to me in regards to running, and it is my own damn fault! I brushed off solid advice from friends, fellow runners and even my wife. When I began my running journey in 2012 I bit hard like a pit bull, I was obsessed and ran constantly. I ran 2 and 3 times a day on average of 13-15 miles daily, the weight was melting off. In 2013 I had my first injury (Torn hip flexor) and I ran a half marathon with it to a point I was in tears crossing the finish line the pain was excruciating.

I had other injuries along the way that sidelined me periodically but it was Christmas morning 2018 that began my downward spiral. On that early morning run (5 miles) with my friend Ken we were finishing up and had went our separate ways to head to our homes. In that last mile or so I was feeling some discomfort in my right knee but didn’t think too much of it. Just about home I couldn’t run as the discomfort turned to pain, I could barely walk also. As I limped towards the house I managed to grab my phone that I had tucked into our mailbox as I left and called my wife to come down and get me. She was not pleased I woke her!

Once in the house I couldn’t climb our stairs until several hours later once some of the pain subsided. I would see a doctor a few days later and they ordered an MRI. I learned I tore my meniscus and needed surgery in early 2019. While the doctors were in there they discovered some arthritis and did their best to scrap it out but could not get it all.

After several months of recovery I started running again slowly (Yeah right🤣🤣). But that didn’t last as I quickly ramped up my running and mileage once again. You’d think I would have learned! Since then I’ve had on and off setbacks and ran my final race on July 4th 2021, a local 4 mile race right here close to home. Not long after that race I started to have some pain in my left knee so I stopped running completely. Back to the doctors for another MRI only to discover my left meniscus had a slight tear. The doctors told me STOP running! But did I listen?

In November 2021 I started feeling pain in my left heel but figured it was just plantar fasciitis, however I was wrong. In February 2022 I finally went to the foot doctor and they X-rayed my foot to find I have a heel spur which is into my achilles tendon. The surgery would consist of removing my achilles in order to remove the spur and reattaching the achilles. This would have me down for months!

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas 2022 we tried a procedure to possibly ward off surgery. I spent two weeks out of work and in a boot, so far that procedure it seems to be working, fingers crossed. However I have not been running for almost a year now. I’m not going to lie I do really miss it and crave to run again! I’ve tried cycling, don’t love it. Too many people on their phones while driving. I’ve tried spin classes, they are ok. Then recently I discovered swimming, and with swimming nothing hurts (Yay). Currently I swim 30 minutes, 3 mornings a week and so far I feel good. I will admit it is hard to get up especially this time of year with the cold mornings and head for the pool. And I find it even harder for me not to push to do more. I’m trying to work on the mentality that less is more. An inner struggle for most of my life!

And lastly I’m so tempted to run my favorite race come this March, the Parade Day Mile. 🤣😂

Cheers!

July 4th 2021 finishing the 4 on the 4th Endwell, NY. Photo by: Van Zandbergen Photography

St. Regis Canoe Area of the Adirondacks…

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Earlier this month myself and friend Gary Sharp spent several days camping at the Rollins Pond campground outside of Tupper Lake, NY. That morning as I left my home a light rain was falling however the further north I drove the rain began to dissipate. Over the next several days we were rewarded with blue skies and lots of sunshine. Temperatures would barely top 80 degrees and most importantly little to no bugs. September and October are my two favorite months of the year.

One of those days we would meet up with our friend Kim Wilkes and her pooch “Winnie” for an afternoon pond hopping adventure in the St. Regis Canoe Area of the Adirondacks. I’ve paddled and camped on these ponds before but they never get old.

The weather was sunny and warm with just a slight breeze if any. The water was refreshing and perfect for an afternoon swim. Below is a link to a video from the day.

Cheers!

Greetings from the Adirondacks!

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It has been a while since I have last written but that does not mean I haven’t been busy. Seemingly time has flown by since the last flakes of winter melted into the greens of spring. As for paddling that has been somewhat quiet this year but back in July I was able to sneak away for an overnight canoe camping adventure in the Adirondacks with my friend Scott. We found this amazing campsite and pitched our tents for the night, the weather was absolutely perfect. During the overnight temperatures got down into the low 40’s which for me is perfect sleeping weather, I even brought wool socks. This was a relaxing adventure and just what the doctor ordered. Chef Ireland cooked some amazing steaks over the fire, we sipped a little Bearface whiskey and enjoyed a few New York State beers as well.

I’m headed for another Adirondack adventure next week as we head into two of my favorite months September and October.

In the essence of #tbt for your viewing pleasure is the video from my Youtube channel of this overnight canoe camping trip. As time allows I will post/write about other adventures that I have documented either in the past or current. I hope you all have enjoyed the summer as we inch closer to fall.

Cheers!

St. Regis Canoe Area

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In early September myself and two other friends went on a canoe camping trip in the St. Regis Canoe Area of  New York’s Adirondack Park. The weather would be perfect with nights dipping into the low 30’s. I loved this adventure and hope you enjoy some of the images from it.

September 8th I left my home in the Southern Tier of New York arriving in Lake Placid, NY 4.5 hours later. Here I would meet my friend Gary with Placid being our home for the night. We would do some paddling in the area, also hitting a few of the local breweries as well.

Early the next morning Gary & I would meet our friend Scott at our starting point “Little Clear Pond” for our adventure. Our canoes loaded and I mean loaded we were off for 4 days/3 nights of adventure.

Once across Little Clear Pond we would have a 1/2 mile canoe carry to St. Regis Pond. Each of us wound up doing a “Double Carry” due to our packs being so heavy. Our goal for this trip would be to hopefully snag the only lean-to on St. Regis Pond. Our hopes would be dashed as it was already occupied. No worries we scouted a great primitive campsite not too far away. We unloaded our gear, setup our site and we were off for a great little pond hopping adventure for the rest of the day.

We would paddle across the 400 acre St. Regis Pond to the 116 meter canoe carry into Green Pond, followed by a 255 meter carry to Little Long Pond, followed by a 315 meter carry to Bear Pond and lastly a 121 meter carry to Bog Pond. I’ve paddled most of these ponds mentioned here before. I love these little ponds, especially Little Long Pond. We would make it back to camp around 5:30 in order to get dinner cooking and the campfire going for the evening. Later that evening we would crack a few beers, peer through the tree canopy as millions of stars shined in the night sky.

Morning came and our first order of business was coffee! Our plan for the day was another pond hopping adventure with one of the carries being 1.4 miles. The day would contrast in many ways. I mean we had periods of sun and light mist. We also battled a little mud especially at the aptly named “Mud Pond” where I sank down to my waist. As my cohorts were laughing I was able to free myself rather quickly. 

My favorite from the day was “Fish Pond”. This pond is remote and takes some getting into. It does have two lean to’s on it and we decided to sit out some of the passing weather at one of them enjoying a hot fire and some lunch.

After spending most of the day paddling and carrying we found ourselves back at camp around 5PM. This seemed like a perfect time to get things in order, cook dinner and relax and watch the day fade into night. 

We were still exhausted the next day from our prior adventure and decided a camp day was just what we needed. We sat around and told tall tales, sipped some whiskey, paddled and even took a nap. We knew this coming night would be cold as overnight temperatures would dip to just around freezing. The night sky was clear and in the distance we could hear the thunder of Vermont’s Air National Guard and their F16’s doing some night training. The Adirondacks see’s a lot of that my guess is because of the low volume of air traffic but I’ve been wrong once or twice in my life.

With silence restored Gary and I sat and watched the Milky Way begin to appear as Scott snored away in his tent. Later we would be awakened by a crashing noise in camp and I thought to myself we have a bear in camp. I sprang up quickly grabbing my headlamp and peered out of my tent. Gary immediately did the same as Scott was sleeping😂. It turned out that we had three skunks checking out or homestead. They quickly dispersed into the woods and we never saw them again. However I had a difficult time getting back to sleep because of the loons and owls that began to jam at 0330. I will admit it was an amazing symphony.

The next morning it was cold and we quickly got the campfire started for some heat as well as coffee. We ate breakfast and chatted about our adventures. Afterwards we would break camp, douse our fire with water, load our boats and begin our journey out. 

Once we were back to our cars with boats loaded and gear packed it was time to hit Raybrook Brew House in Raybrook, NY for a late lunch and a few cold beers. Yeah that hit the spot!

Cheers!

Gary Sharp Lake Placid, NY September 8th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

Pond hopping near Lake Placid, NY September 8th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

Gary & I pond hopping near Lake Placid, NY September 8th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

Loading up our boats at Little Clear Pond near Saranac Lake, NY September 9th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

We just paddled across Little Clear Pond to the 1/2 mile canoe carry to St. Regis Pond September 9th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

Scott Ireland walking the plank St. Regis Pond September 9th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

I stepped in a little mud trying to launch at St. Regis Pond September 9th 2020. © Scott Ireland

Scouting campsites on St. Regis Pond September 9th 2020. © Scott Ireland

Coffee & campfires at our site on St. Regis Pond. © Joe Geronimo

We are at the canoe carry from Ochre Pond to Fish Pond which is 1.4 miles. September 10th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

Taking a break on Fish Pond September 10th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

Checking out the Blagden lean to on Fish Pond September 10th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

Mud Pond, need I say more. September 10th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

We’ve just carried from St. Regis Pond to Ochre Pond September 10th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

Paddling across the small Ochre Pond September 10th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

Friday was camp day on St. Regis Pond. September 11th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

Scott Ireland paddling across St. Regis Pond on our way out September 12th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

Gary Sharp paddling across St. Regis Pond on our way out September 12th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

Our adventure has come to an end at the Raybrook Brew House in Raybrook, NY.

 

Song of the Paddle

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This weekend I drove 260 miles round trip to Hemlock Canoe Works in the western Finger Lakes region of New York to test paddle they’re Peregrine. The Peregrine is a 15′ 9″ solo canoe and this particular one weighs in at 32 pounds. With its slotted spruce gunwales, butternut decks and walnut inserts, she’s a beauty!

I’m use to light weight pack canoes where the paddler sits on the bottom of the boat. I actually have two of these built by two different New York canoe builders. In my limited experience with solo canoes I believe traditionally the paddler kneels. Well I have a hard time kneeling since my knee surgery back in 2019. I spent over an hour sitting and paddling this canoe and over an hour kneeling in it as well.

Sitting: This canoe is setup for kneeling but I found it very stable while I was sitting and paddling. I also liked how I was able to move my legs around.

Kneeling: Once in the kneeling position this canoe became rock solid stable and it paddled more efficiently. I really liked it! With that said for some reason I was ok and my knees did not bother me.

I do plan on having it setup with the seat lower for sitting but will keep the shorter drops if I feel like kneeling.

This demo canoe will become available around mid October so I put a deposit on it giving me first choice at purchase of it. Is it October yet!

I consider myself extremely fortunate to have three beautiful canoes built right here in New York.

Cheers!

Hemlock Canoe Works “Peregrine” Canadice Lake © Joe Geronimo

Looking north up Canadice Lake from a Hemlock Canoe Works Peregrine. © Joe Geronimo

Finished with my time paddling a Hemlock Canoe Works Peregrine on Canadice Lake. © Joe Geronimo

Post Run Lunch

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For the past several weeks my post run lunch has been what I call utterly awesome!  So here is what I put together.

1 avocado, 2 roma tomatoes chopped and a handful of kalamata or green olives. Some kosher salt, cracked black pepper and a small drizzle of olive oil. Nothing like fresh avocado, tomatoes and olives. Can you say yummy!

Cheers!

Post run lunch of avocado, tomatoes and olives.

The Poor Me’s

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I believe in for the lack of better words “Global Warming”. I firmly believe that we cannot just strip the earth of it’s resources and not pay a price for it. I also believe the same stands true for our bodies. We are bombarded daily with countless options that are just bad for us. We are told that we are too busy to make better food or for that matter better choices.

Recently I re-watched a great documentary called “Forks Over Knives” (On Netflix) and I really focused on the science this time more than I did the first time I watched it. I am living proof that this for the most part is true.

In February 2012 I made a choice to change not only what I eat but the way I eat. And over the course of 10+ months of good eating and exercise I dropped over 100 pounds. Fast forward to December 2018 when I got hurt and I couldn’t run for over 9 months. I developed a severe case of the poor me’s and totally fell off the wagon. Actually I kind of crashed and burned a bit. I kept telling myself “Oh I’ll just run it off”, well that didn’t work. So I kept plugging along with the poor me’s.

On January 2nd 2020 I made a pact with myself to get my mind in order, my eating and my running. I’m currently working with a local coach for the running. I’m basically starting from scratch, a total re-boot so to speak. Also I’ve gotten myself on a path to better eating again and I’ll tell you I feel great, mind, body & soul. In 23 days I’ve lost 10 pounds, am sleeping better even though I work a shitty job schedule but most of all I’m extremely happy.

And lastly what I have discovered over the past several years is do what makes you happy and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. Just that can be a freeing experience.

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

Nelson Lake: September 25th 2019

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Nelson Lake which is tucked away south of Minnehaha, NY or just outside of Old Forge in the Black River Wild Forest has been on my radar for close to a year now. The week of September 23rd I found myself working very close to the Adirondack Park, combine that with beautiful weather and you have a recipe for adventure.

The Nelson Lake trailhead sits along route 28 several miles south of Thendera, NY. There is a .35 mile carry along a wide dirt road to the put-in. After you cross the railroad tracks the path narrows and drops for the remaining several hundred feet to the Middle Branch of the Moose River. Once on the river it was about .06 mile paddle to the Nelson Lake outlet according to my GPS. The outlet was shallow and loaded with Pickerel weed. I zigged and I zagged through the outlet and easily crossed a small beaver dam before entering the 84 acre lake.

A palette of red, orange and yellow was evidence that Autumn was here while the sun at my back gave me some warmth from a cool breeze. Slowly paddling the shoreline I realized I was alone, I had the entire lake to myself. As I made my way around the lake I was looking for campsites. I did see what I thought was one however it wasn’t marked. I’ll have to look into it for the future.

I would paddle 3.6 miles, hike just over a half mile but more importantly spend time in a beautiful landscape.

Cheers!

Carrying my canoe along the Nelson Lake trail to the put-in on the Middle Branch of the Moose River September 25th 2019. © Joe Geronimo

Paddling along the Moose River towards the Nelson Lake outlet September 25th 2019. © Joe Geronimo

Navigating through the Pickerel weed on Nelson Lake outlet September 25th 2019. © Joe Geronimo

Entering Nelson Lake from the outlet September 25th 2019. © Joe Geronimo

Peace and solitude on Nelson Lake September 25th 2019. © Joe Geronimo

 

A New Day

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There I was, waiting for the swimmers of the “Big George” 70.3 triathlon to enter the water. Glancing over my shoulder I spy an Adirondack Guide Boat gracefully skimming across the painted, silent waters of Lake George. Of course I have the wrong lens on my camera but I still take the shot.

I’m very fortunate to have been able to work in a beautiful place this weekend.

Cheers!

Lake George, NY September 1st 2019 © Joe Geronimo