Sunday, 8/21/2016 to Saturday, 8/27/2016

I ran 3 times this week, 40.6 miles.

Sunday, 8/21/2016: Travel day

Christine and I woke up at the Motel 6 in Streetsboro OH. I really slept in until 8:45 AM so there was no time for a morning run. We had to be out of there by 11 AM and just made it.

Here is my review of the Motel 6 ... basically, it's a cheap roof over your head. We had stayed there before when it was a Microtel. It was better then. Then they had a continental breakfast ... now just coffee. Then they had toiletries ... now just soap. Then they had Kleenex in the bathroom dispenser ... now either they don't or the housekeeping guy from Nepal didn't understand me. So ... the room had 2 queen beds, a 32" LCD TV that was hooked up to antenna not cable, a closet. It did have a refrigerator and microwave which was a plus. Another plus was just $135 for 2 nights which saved us $185 over the Sheraton Suites in Cuyahoga Falls. Yes, it was 20 miles away but Christine and I drove to the wedding venue only twice.

We had a pleasant breakfast at Bob Evan's and then hit the road. We called ahead to Russo's Pizza on Long Pond for a large cheese and pepperoni pizza since Christine didn't want to make supper. We were home by 5 PM.

Monday, 8/22/2016: Rest day.

I forgot both my personal and work cell phones this morning. I guess I was still in vacation mode.

Tuesday, 8/23/2016: 11 miles, 1:32:45, 8:26 pace, 82F, 40% RH, 7 mph W wind, sunny.


It was a Tuesday and I know what I do on Tuesdays ... I run. I had the running gear in the Equinox, changed after work and headed to Herrema's like usual as of late. I made a slight detour on the way to Ontario Beach Park to hit the head before I headed out. So it was just a slightly longer variation in my usual bridges route. The weather was ideal: a bit warm but not too much humidity. I pushed the pace when I could and just enjoyed the run. I think I am getting the hang of this route ... or you could say that I am making these hills my bitch! My splits were: 8:19, 8:32, 8:13, 8:15, 8:28, 8:36, 8:54, 8:39, 8:11, 8:26 and 8:11. Christine had been cooking in my absence. The result was a delicious chicken ... yummy!

Wednesday, 8/24/2016: Rest day ... nothing unusual.

Thursday, 8/25/2016: 9.5 miles, 1:22:52, 8:43 pace, 84F, 62% RH, feels like 88F, 10 mph WNW wind, overcast.

Garmin Connect Activity for Back at Herrema's

Man, what a difference between the running conditions on Tuesday and Thursday night! It was much more humid tonight which affected my pace. I headed down to Herrema's after work. I was a bit late because I had to detour around an accident on Route 531 and I-390N. I set up a really nice and easy pace on my usual Bridges route. I made sure to hydrate every mile or so. Fleet Feet held a Pub Run from Hose 22 on Stutson St so I started to run into their runners as I hit the Genesee River Trail. They were mostly running my pace so I just ran with them. I thought about going to Hose 22 after my run but I was sweating profusely and also knew that my honey was cooking supper. My splits were: 8:53, 8:17, 8:31, 8:32, 8:49, 9:07, 8:44, 8:25, 9:29 and 8:14 over the last 0.5 mile.

I could smell food cooking when I got home ... ribs! I stripped and took a shower to cool off. Oh ... the ribs were yummy!

Friday, 8/26/2016: Rest day.

Saturday, 8/27/2016: 20.1 miles, 3:13:34, 9:38 pace, 63F, 94% RH, 3 mph WSW wind, sunny.


Well, I finally got a 20 miler done! It wasn't pretty but I got it done. I was up early at 5:15 AM and had a bagel and a bit of OJ while I waited for the sun to come up. I shouldn't have waited but I did. I got cobbled together hydration vest all geared up. I filled the 3L hydration bladder about half full and put as much Gu in my new Gu flask as I could. I had my doubts about whether I would be able to get anything out of it but I needed Gu. I set out around 6:45 AM. I set up a really nice and easy pace. My idea was put my pace at a "get it done" pace and just stick to it. So I did. I headed out on Edgemere Drive all the way (about 6 miles) and south on East Manitou Rd to Frisbee Hill Rd. I didn't like the north edge of Frisbee Hill Rd or some of the west edge of Lowden Point Rd. It was extremely narrow or non-existent with the road crumbling away. There was a lot of cars on the 1/4 mile stretch of Frisbee Hill Rd but luckily no cars on Lowden Point Rd. I had a decision to make once I got back to Edgemere Drive: go right and head back for about 16.5 miles or left for more mileage. I turned left. I didn't loop again. I just headed back out Edgemere Drive and then south for most of Frisbee Hill Rd and headed back. I thought I had enough mileage and I did. I was starting to get a bit pooped. I had started hydrating at mile 4 every 2 mile and I started to take Gu at mile 6 every 4 miles. I was correct about the Gu flask ... I couldn't get anything out of it. I solved that problem by just opening it up and sucking the Gu out. Not bad but I am certain that it was not intended to be that way. Note to self: contact the Gu people. Anything I was slowing and started to walk a tenth or two every mile from mile 16 on. I started to see the Fleet Feet Half Full Marathon (HFM) pace groups at mile 18. I saw Kathy Reardon who was pacing the 10s and also Amy Lord who was pacing the 13s or 14s. I was more than happy to stop after 20.1 miles. The coffee in the townhouse was already brewed and I drank a mug on the back porch while I toweled the sweat off me. My splits were: 8:51, 8:51, 8:46, 9:01, 8:59, 9:01, 10:07, 8:57, 9:13, 9:15, 11:12, 9:14, 9:43, 9:14, 9:44, 9:41, 11:25, 10:01, 11:10, 10:18 and 8:46 over the last 0.1 mile.

Now I have another decision to make: do the full Rochester Marathon on the 18th or drop down to the half? I'm pretty sure that I can do the full. It probably will be a sufferfest and it won't be a BQ. I know for a fact that I can't run a sub 8:58 pace (which is the current BQ pace for M 60-64) for a full marathon. I'm stubborn so I probably do the full. I have until the end of August to drop down without financial penalty. I signed up for the Summerfest 12K on next Saturday on September 3rd and plan to do another 20 miler on Labor Day, September 5th.

Facebook reminded me that my darling ex-girlfriend from the late 1970s, Christine Wisniewski, first contacted me seven years ago on August 27th, 2009. I learned that she had been married for 11 years (the marriage was just a week after I had married in 1980) and was known as Christine Ligas. Well ... long story short ... I had gone out to visit her just nine days later after I ran the 2009 Summerfest 12K. I didn't know what to expect and thought seriously of turning back when I got to the OH border. But I didn't, nor did Christine not open the door when I arrived. I made sure to kiss her within a minute of meeting her again. Sparks flew at the bottom of the stairs and again at the top of the stairs ... she did say that she got weak in the knees. It was a hot and steamy Labor Day weekend for sure! She ended up moving to Rochester in November 2009, we got engaged at 2011 Summerfest and married on November 30, 2012. So ... behold the power of Facebook to bring people together! We did celebrate appropriately after I woke her up, ;-)!

Sunday, 8/14/2016 to Saturday, 8/20/2016 - Dam Good Trail Race and Dirt Cheap #5

I ran 5 times this week, 28.22 miles.

Sunday, 8/14/2016: 2 runs of 0.5 and 12.98 miles, 77F, 83% RH, calm, mostly cloudy (thankfully)

Today's race was the Dam Good Trail Race, my seventh. I have run this race in 2:23:42 in 2009, 2:19:52 in 2010, 2:17:56 in 2011, 2:15:35 in 2013, 2:21:45 in 2014 and 2:21:35 in 2015. I missed 2012 due to an Achilles heel injury. I was up around 5:30 AM. I tried to wake Christine but she begged off for another 30 minutes of beauty sleep. I had my usual pre-race bowl of cereal and banana and got my gear ready. I woke up Christine and continued my race prep. I filled up my hydration pack with ice but didn't fill it with water. I pour about 4 ounces of Sea Salt Chocolate Roctane Gu from my Gu Flask (received yesterday) into an Ultimate Direction gel flask. It was going to be warm (low 80s) and humid so I just wore shorts and an 2009 Medved Madness tech shirt. I brought a change of shorts, shirt, socks and shoes ... because this was not my first rodeo, lol!

We left for the Letchworh dam around 6:45 AM. There wasn't much traffic and arrived around 7:35 AM in plenty of time for the 8:30 AM start. The temperature in Mount Morris was 78F when we came through. The usual trail people was out and about in the parking lot getting ready. I saw numerous runner that I knew. I met up with Andy Ciaio who let me borrow some bug spray for my legs and with Prem Kumar who gave me a fist bump. I got out for a 0.5 mile warmup run at 9:34 pace, link here. I filled up my hydration pack with 1.5 liters of water. I was surprised to find that there was still ice in it.

One of the Fanton sisters did the pre-race announcements and announced that after 8 years that this would be the last year hosting this race. The Goose guys will be taking over next year. Though the Fanton sisters will still be on the hook for the excellent post race baked goods ... which brought applause from the hungry trail runners awaiting the start. This race has a well deserved reputation for its post race food.



And .. we were off! I have run this course a lot between six (and now seven) times for this race and four Sehgahunda Trail Marathon and their training runs ... so I knew what to expect. I started out at a nice and easy trail pace ... keeping my eyes on the trail for any roots, rocks, tree branches or mud. The one quarter mile is wide enough for two runners to run abreast which is good for a start. Then everyone spreads out a bit. My hydration pack was swishing with every step. I resolved to take a sip of water every time my FR 220 buzzed at mile increments and to take a sip off my Gu flask every three miles. There is a hill at mile 1.75 which I power walked and took a sip of water. Just past that was the first aid station at mile 2. Onward. There was a nice scenic overview of the Genesee River gorge at mile 3.75. I made a mental note to take a picture on my way back. Onward. I came up on Tina Pellegrin around mile 4. She said that she was looking at a race of 4 hours as I went by. The second aid station at mile 4.5. The power lines were at mile 5. Onward. The lead runners were starting to come back toward me so I knew that the turnoff into the lollipop was coming up. I heard someone ringing a bell and there it was. A left turn and up to the third aid station. Halfway done, onward. I started to see slower runners when got back off the lollipop and onto the main trail coming back to the start. I tried to stay "Hi" or at least wave to every one. My hydration pack was getting low since I was sucking air and water. I stumped my foot on a rock and told myself out loud "Pick up your frigging feet!". I had water and Gatorade at the fourth (also second) aid station along with a sip from my Gu flask.

The Genesee River gorge at mile 3.75 and mile 9.25

Now the race was getting long. I had not looked at my FR 220 the whole way and I didn't now. I was mainly by myself just putting one foot in front of the other. I was drenched with sweat. I could feel a breeze now and then. Luckily it was mainly overcast with not too much sun. Onward. There seemed to be a lot more trail in front of me on the way back. I had just water at the fifth (also first) aid station ... only 2 miles to go. Just keep on going ... be careful ... one foot in front of the other one ... onward. The break in the trail across a parking lot ... only 3/4 mile to go. Onward. I saw someone who said "only 200 meters to go". A break up ahead ... the finish ... a high five from Mort ... done in 2:32 and change.

I must have looked a bit bad because a person asked if I was OK. I had some water right away and I felt better in a couple of minutes. Christine was right there hovering too. I asked her for something to eat and she got it but I have no idea what it was now. The Cruze was close by so I pulled a chair out of the trunk and sat down. I changed out of my sweat soaked shirt into a dry one, changed my wet socks and slightly muddy trail shoes into my dry socks and road running shoes. I was a bit cranky when Christine told me to put all my wet gear in the trunk. Uhh ... who just ran 13 miles in 2:32? I wanted to say "Darling, you have two hands also" or something less kind but ... I plunked everything down and silently just went off to get something to eat. I felt better soon and went back and kissed her as a form of unspoken apology.

I went inside to change out of my wet shorts into street short. Christine reminded me to make sure that I brought everything back out. I remembered that I had lost a pair of Brooks shorts here either last year or the year before. I had some more food, a couple pieces of cheese pizza along with some cookies and bread ... tasty! Soon enough we were on our way back to Rochester.

Mugs of coffee were soon consumed as we watched more of the Summer Olympics. Another Dam Good Trail Race under my belt! I did run my slowest of seven DGTRs at 2:32:27, 33rd out of 132 and 5th out of 14 in my M 50-59 age group, link here. But I did notice that I ran a 2:21:35 and was 55th last year. So I am thinking that I did pretty well in this year's conditions.

Monday, 8/15/2016 and Tuesday, 8/16/2016: Rest days.

I had a bit of tightness in my thighs when I walked down stairs on Monday. Tuesday was the usual rest day before a race on Wednesday.

Wednesday, 8/17/2016: 2 runs of 1.25 and 4.14 miles. 82F, 48% RH, 3 mph SSE wind, mostly cloudy.

Tonight's race was Dirt Cheap #5 held at the Magnolia Lodge of Durand Eastman Park. I loaded all my gear into Equinox, changed at work and headed out at 5 PM. I called Christine on the way to see if she wanted to come with me since I was heading right by Greenleaf Meadows but she begged off. I arrived at 5:20 PM in plenty of time for my first wave start at 6:30 PM. I had enough to talk running with Bill Murphy and Andy Ciaio. Then I headed off for a nice and easy warmup run of 1.25 miles at
10:03 pace, link here. The trail conditions were dry, it was a bit hot with no wind. I figured that I would need to carry water even though it was a short race.


I was a bit preoccupied before the race so I didn't have time to send Christine an eCrumb before the race. I barely had time to set up my Forerunner 220. So I started out a bit slow as I stowed my phone in my SpiBelt while holding my 20 ounce water bottle. I settled in at a nice and easy trail pace. Boots did find some hills. Jim McLaughlin and Jim Roche passed me around mile 1. I tried to give myself a squirt or two of water every mile. Then the course moved across Log Cabin Rd to the west side of Durand Lake. We were running on a side slope that was higher on the right than on the left. Then ... I slipped and fell. I hit hard on my right hip and right elbow.

I bounced right up. Andy Ciaio and everyone around was a bit concerned but I said I was OK. I started out a bit slow but got back up to speed. I was happy to run where I was instead of trying to constantly pass. I ran out of gas a bit after mile 3 but I kept on running. I was glad to see Boots at the bottom of a hill at mile 4 pointing us up and saying that the finish line was up that hill. And ... done in 43:26. I did OK. I was 79th out of 370 overall, link here. My splits were: 8:22, 11:08, 10:39, 11:24 and 13:20 over the last 0.14 mile.

I was parched and had a hot dog right away before I went to go to the Equinox for some water. I was dripping wet so I toweled off and changed into a dry tech shirt. I stuck around a bit and met a couple, Dan and Kelly, that met running 13 years ago! Awesome!

I was bit pissed when I got home. I found that my Vivofit 2 band had no electronics in it! Arrgghhh! It must fallen out when I fell and at any point afterward.

Thursday, 8/18/2016: Rest day.

I took an early lunch and headed back to Durand Eastman Park to look for my Vivofit 2 electronics. I knew it was probably a fool's errand but I had to look. I printed out my Garmin map from yesterday so I could look at it. I found that trying to find where we had raced the previous night was a lot different when there were no pink flags to mark the course. I think I found where I fell and I looked around but didn't find it ... :-(. Oh well, I probably had 4 million steps on that refurbished Vivofit 2!

Friday, 8/19/2016: 9.35 miles, 1:19;31, 8:30 pace, 66F, 100% RH, 5 mph WSW wind, sunny.

I took today off so that Christine and I could drive to Streetsboro OH to stay at Motel 6 in preparation for her daughter's wedding in Cuyahoga Falls on Saturday afternoon. I hope to help Christine avoid her stress points so that she doesn't any mental issues or another hospitalization. We avoided the rehearsal and its dinner so she wouldn't have contact with her ex (at least on Friday).

Garmin Connect Activity for A day off 15K

I got out in the morning for a 9.35 mile run on my 15K route at 8:30 pace. I took it nice and easy until I had to stop for a second at mile 6.3 to take off my shirt. It was hot and I knew that there was little shade the rest of the way. My splits were: 28, 15, 20, 27, 34, 15, 35, 44, 9:04 and 8:09 over the last 0.35 mile. I was very sweaty after my run so I went outside to cool off before I took a shower.

Christine head off to her therapist appointment at 2 PM while I headed down to Men's Warehouse in Henrietta to pick up my new gray suit. Once I was back I started to pack and then tried to be supportive while Chrisitine packed. We left at 4:48 PM and arrived at the Motel6 at 9:18 PM.

Saturday, 8/20/2016: Beth's wedding

Christine headed out to get her hair done with Beth and the bridesmaids around 8:30 AM and left me to my own devices. I hit up Bob Evan's (which was right next door) for breakfast and then hit the pool. Christine was back when I got out around 11:30 AM. She was disappointed that her hair had already started to fall down. We hung around for a while and then started to get dressed for the wedding. I just had to put on my new suit while Christine put on her blue dress. We cleaned up well and headed out to Cuyahoga Falls around 1:50 PM.

I had Googled for directions and knew where to go ... but not what to look for. We drove around a bit and luckily saw the groom, Nick Glaude, outside. I dropped Christine off and parked the Equinox nearby. The wedding and reception were held right in the same place ... which was kind of convenient. Christine's brother, Bill Wisniewski, was the marriage officant. Soon, Beth and Nick were married.

Presenting Mr & Mrs Nick Glaude!

Christine examining Beth's ring

Cutting the Viper cake

First dance

We clean up well!

Christine and her son, John

Then there was the usual lag while lots of pictures were taken. Luckily the open bar and appetizers helped pass the time. The food were quite different ... BBQ pulled pork and beef along with ice cream and cupcakes for dessert. The DJ put up a lot of hip hop instead of traditional wedding music. We left just as the party heated up and were back at the Motel 6 by 9:30 PM. Christine kept her calm, her distance from her ex (mostly), her daughter was glad that she came and Christine was happy she went. So ... a success!

Sunday, 8/7/2016 to Saturday, 8/13/2016 - Bergen 5K

I ran 5 times this week, 41.99 miles.

Sunday, 8/7/2016: 18.7 miles, 3:03:03, 9:47 pace, 64F, 83% RH, 5 mph WSW wind, mostly sunny


You need to be able to run 20 miles in order to run a marathon according to everything that I have read. Well ... today I tried. And ... it wasn't pretty. I got up around 5:30 AM, had a banana for breakfast, geared up with my cobbled together hydration pack (around 1.5 liters) and stuffed it with 3 Gu's and 1 Munk Pack. I wore my Brooks shorts, a short sleeve tech and sunglasses. The sun was starting to be a problem. I headed out around 6:50 AM.

I had mapped out a 20 mile route using mapmyrun.com for 20.4 miles. Everything went well until I turned left as I exited the pedestrian bridge on the west side of the Genesee River which is just before mile 9. The route runs on a crushed stone or pavement around the river to Driving Park Ave. I just lost all gumption for a while. I had to stop for a minute to examine my right big toe because I thought my sock had a seam that was irritating it but I couldn't find anything. I think I have a mental block when it comes to contemplating running more that 13.1 road miles. Anyway, I lapsed into a walk for at least 1/4 mile then brought it back to a slow run up to Driving Park, turned around, headed back toward Bridge View Dr and Maplewood Dr as I headed north to Lake Ave. I slowed to a walk again when I got to Lake Ave and downed a chocolate Gu that I had trouble opening (and ended up eating a piece of plastic). I knew that I had at least 7 miles to go but just didn't care. I got up to a slow run, got down Lake Ave and headed down the Genesee Riverway Trail. I slowed to a walk again when I downed another Gu just before getting off the boardwalk. I knew I was getting closer. I got back up to Pattenwood Drive, headed down Lake Ave, down Beach Ave. I walked a bit, pushed it to a slow run, left onto Greenleaf Rd, into the complex, done.

Luckily, my wife, Christine, was awake. I think she had been stalking me from my eCrumb, link here. I got in, sat down on the steps, had some water and then collapsed on the couch. I asked for something to eat. Christine gave me chips and grapes which I put it in my mouth with both hands. I was almost delirious, my fingers tingled and I think I heard roaring in my ears. It was an interesting 15 minutes before I felt a bit better. I do believe that Christine was concerned.

What did I do wrong? I hydrated every 2 miles. It was very hot but was kind of humid. I had a Munk Pack at mile 8, a Gu at mile 11 and a Gu at mile 15. Did I not take in enough nutrition? Did I not have enough nutrition when I started? Is it a mental block to the distance? Should I drop down from the Rochester Full to the Rochester Half? I can do so with no penalty if I do it before August 30th.

Anyway, my splits were: 8:25, 8:27, 8:45, 9:04, 9:00, 8:51, 8:57, 9:04, 11:30, 10:31, 9:09, 10.31, 12:09, 8:49, 12:58, 9:48, 11:04, 9:52 and 8:50 over the last 0.7 mile. Looking at my splits ... I have more questions than answers at this point. I also don't know how this route was 18.7 instead of say 19.8 miles. The only thing that I cut out was doing the out and back to the lighthouse.

I took a while to recover with some coffee and some agonizing trips upstairs to the bathroom along with a shower. Eventually, Christine and I headed out to the Men's Warehouse down on Jefferson Rd in Henrietta to resume looking for a new suit. We found grey suit that was on clearance so we snatched it up along with 2 long sleeve shirts and a pair of black shoes. Sweet!

Meanwhile, lots of long races were going on ... people from the Rochester area ran the Green Lakes Endurance Run, 100K results here and 50K results here, and the Burning River out in OH, 50 mile results here and 100 mile results here. Some completed, some didn't complete these races ... but the attempt itself speaks to me.

Monday, 8/8/2016: Rest day ... moving on.

Tuesday, 8/9/2016: 9.5 miles, 1:23:36, 8:48 pace, 91F, 36% RH, 11 mph S wind, mostly cloudy (thankfully)

Garmin Connect Activity for More bridge from Herrema's

It was Tuesday and I know what I do on Tuesdays. I loaded my gear (95% of it) into the Equinox, changed after work, loaded my 20 oz water bottle with ice and headed to Herrema's for another go at my bridges routes that I have been running lately. It was hot but I try to be made of sterner stuff than the weather. I didn't have my SpiBelt to tuck my phone in so I improvised and used my AmphiPod. There were other cars parked by RiteAid where I started out from. I struck up a conversation with a woman who was headed out my way for a shorter run. She had already done 5K this morning ... kind of awesome. I had suspected that some of the other cars were "runner" cars.

So .. I headed out nice and easy. The stoplight at the intersection of Pattenwood Drive and Thomas Ave was out. Traffic was backed up all the way up the Thomas Ave hill. I settled into a really nice and easy pace. I took water every mile. I was 4 miles in out when I felt around my car key ... but it was nowhere to be found. What to do? Turn around and head back? Go forward? Call Christine? I chose to go forward. There wasn't anything I could do. I ran out of water for all intends and purposes by mile 6. I had just a thimble full left so I saved that in case I needed it. I did a walk / run when I had and got it done. As I was coming down the far side of the O'Rorke Bridge I could see that the stoplight was working and ... the Equinox was still there ... whew! When I got closer I could see that my key was still on the passenger door side roof where I had left it ... a double whew! I called Christine to meet me at the Greenleaf Meadows pool and headed home. The pool did feel nice!

I don't know if this workout did me any good but sometimes runs are just runs. I do them just because I can. My splits were: 8:36, 8:16, 8:45, 8:49, 8:38, 8:51, 8:48, 8:44, 10:11 and 7:58 over the last 0.5 mile. I did notice that I had an irritation on my belly where my AmphiPod had rubbed me.

Wednesday, 8/10/2016: Rest day ... needed but endured.

Thursday, 8/11/2016: 9.5 miles, 1:26:42, 9:07 pace, 86F, 62% RH, feels like 92F, 7 mph SSW wind, partly cloudy

Garmin Connect Activity for More bridges from Herrema's

Just like usual: pack my gear along with my hydration pack in the Equinox, dress after work, fill up with ice, drive to Herrema's, gear up and head out. It was not as hot but more humid. I struck up a really nice and easy pace and reminded myself to hydrate every mile. Well ... the humidity took a lot out of me so my pace suffered as a result. I got it done. My splits were: 8:56, 8:26, 8:51, 9:42, 9:15, 9:13, 9:29, 9:00, 9:51 and 8:00.

Friday, 8/12/2016: Rest day before 3 races in 5 days.

Saturday, 8/13/2016: 2 runs of 1.25 and 3.14 miles, 82F, 74% RH, 8 mph SW wind, feels like 88F, mostly cloudy.

Today's race was my fifth running of the Bergen 5K. My previous times are: 20:31 in 2011, 21:36 in 2013, 21:32 in 2014 and 21:30 in 2015. Today's conditions were hot and humid ... not great for a 5K but every runner had to run in it so it was all good.

I did the usual pre-race routine: get up around 6 AM, have a bowl of Cheerio's with banana, took the usual summertime gear, kissed Christine good-bye and headed out to Bergen. I arrived at 7:40 AM in plenty of time for the 8:30 AM start. I took Christine's Cruze since it got better gas mileage. I didn't have to say my name at the pre-race packet pickup. Andy Frank knew me and had my bib for me when I walked up ... thanks!

I saw Prem Kumar before the race. He went out for his pre-race warmup before I was ready. I got out for a really nice and easy warmup, 1.25 miles at 8:42 pace, link here. I was dripping after the warmup and knew that the race would be grueling but would be over quick. I toweled off a bit and walked off to the start. The Bergen 5K brings a very fast field so I lined up a bit farther back than I usually do but still off the right.


And ... we were off! This was the second year with the new course so I knew what to expect. It's basically an out and back with a large buttonhook at the end. I got up to speed pretty quickly. I hit the 1K mark at 4:10 ... way fast and to the 1 mile mark at 6:50. Then I got hot and slowed down. I felt like I was crawling. I tried to pour some water from an aid station on the way back on my head but I missed half my head. I stopped for a few seconds to drink some water at the next aid station. I knew the race would be over soon and wanted to kick it up a notch but had no energy. I cruised in to the finish to see the clock just under 23 minutes ... oh well. I was parched and got some water immediately along with a banana. I checked the online scoring at www.leonetiming.com and was amazed that I placed third in my age group.

Officially, I ran a 22:53, link here. I placed 3rd out of 10 in my M 55-59 age group. Omar Boulama won overall male in 15:06, Mark Andrews took the master male in 15:55. Hannah Davidson won overall female in 17:20. The first 91 were all under 20 minutes. I was 136th out of 269. I stuck around a bit before I hit the road.

My 3rd place age group award ... a plastic glass good for all occasions.

Soon enough I was home with my feet up drinking the obligatory mug of coffee. I was glad the race was over in the morning because it got even hotter in Rochester in the afternoon. It hit 95F with a heat index of 103F before thunderstorms moved in and cooled things down. Saturday with the fifth consecutive day of 90F or greater temperatures at the Rochester airport, 22 days so far in 2016.

Tomorrow is another race, my seventh Dam Good Trail Race down in Letchworth State Park ... always a "dam" good time!

Sunday, 07/31/2016 to Saturday, 08/06/2016

I ran 2 times this week, 15.9 miles.
I biked once this week, 20.25 miles.

Sunday, 7/31/2016: Rest day ... uugghh!

I thought about getting out on my bike today but ... didn't. I was a slug while other people were out having adventures. I haunted Facebook to read about what took place down at Bristol Mountain during The Battle at Bristol Mountain where the 5K, 10 mile and 20 mile races were held. Awesomeness prevailed.

My darling wife, Christine, made my favorite supper ... ribs ... which eased my feeling of being a slug. Ok ... maybe not. But I didn't think about it as much, lol!

The stats for July and 2016 so far:
I ran 21 times in July for 128.4 miles for 6.1 miles/run.
I ran 5 races in July: Brighton 5K, Boilermaker 15K, Shoreline Half, Dirt Cheap #4 and Newark Firemans 5K.
I biked 3 times in July for 44.8 miles.
I have run 120 times so far in 2016 for 839 miles for 7.0 miles/run.

Monday, 8/1/2016: Rest day ... can't run every day.

Tuesday, 8/2/2016: 9.7 miles, 1;21:57, 8:27 pace, 81F, 54% RH, 6 mph ENE wind, sunny

Garmin Connect Activity for Bridges from Herrema's III

It was Tuesday and almost everyone knows what I do on Tuesdays ... I run. I brought my running gear to work like usual, changed after work and headed to Herrema's to continue making part of the Rochester Marathon course, link here, my bitch. It was a bit hot so I had ice in my 20 ounce water bottle. I struck up a kind of hard nice and easy pace and make sure I hydrated every mile. My water bottle was empty when I took my ninth sip. My splits were: 8:49, 8:19, 8:27, 8:25, 8:41, 8:30, 8:22, 8:05, 8:27 and 8:23 over the last 0.7 mile. The shadows are starting to get longer even this early in August ... it's been a marvelous (but kind of dry) summer so far. I didn't sit down to eat supper until 8:15 PM for some delicious leftover ribs ... tasty!

Wednesday, 8/3/2016: Rest day ... moving on.

Thursday, 8/4/2016: Too hot after work.

I got out late from work. I had clocked out at 5 PM but there was still stuff that I wanted to go done. I was hungry so I ordered take out pizza from Papa Johns on Maiden Lane. I met the owner of all the Rochester Papa John's who was working register.




My lovely wife, Christine, and I wanted to take a dip in the Greenleaf Meadows pool afterward but we didn't know that the hours had shortened from 11-8:30 to 11-8. It makes sense now because of the days are getting shorter and night is coming sooner.

Friday, 8/5/2016: 6.2 miles, 49:22, 7:58 pace, 73F, 65% RH, 7 mph SW wind, overcast.

Garmin Connect Activity for A rare pre-sunrise 10K

I wanted to make up for missing a run so I got up at 5 AM and got in a quick out and back 10K. I took it out at 7:34 pace and back at a nice and easy 8:21 pace. My splits were: 7:51, 7:23, 7:33, 8:22, 8:14, 8:21 and 7:55 over the last 0.2 mile.

I intentionally clocked in at home and went to work at 8:30 AM and intended to clock out at 5 PM to make up for working an extra 1/2 hour the day before ... but ended up work to 5:30 PM anyway because something needed to be done that I didn't want to have to do on Monday morning.

Saturday, 8/6/2016: 20.25 mile ride, 1:31:38, 13.3 mph, 73F, 69% RH, 12 mph WNW wind, sunny


I wanted to get a 20 mile run in on Saturday but wasn't feeling it this morning. I woke up around 5:30 AM but went back to sleep until 7:30 AM. I guess my body needed the sleep. So ... I went out for a 20 mile bike ride instead. I took my "Black Beauty" out on my usual route. My average moving speed was 13.5 mph and my maximum speed was 21.8 mph. There was quite the breeze but it felt good.

Later, I took my darling wife out for her biweekly nail appointment at New Nails. They do such a good job on her lovely nails! We lucked out and she was the only customer so she got first class attention ... but she always does. Then we headed to Men's Warehouse on West Ridge Rd. Christine is of the opinion that I need a new suit for her daughter's wedding on August 20th. We found one but it was kind of expensive so we left it there to think about it.