Fleet Feet Dirt Cheap Stage Race, 11/12/11 to 11/13/1113th

11/12/11: 3.4 miles, 30:42, 8:59 pace, 38F, sunny, windy, no pain.

The Dirt Cheap Stage Race, 2011 edition. Another excellent Yellow Jacket Racing event! Here are the highlights that I can remember ...

Christine and I made it down to the Beach parking lot of Mendon Ponds Park around 7:55AM just in time for her "No-Bo" workout. She ran the Summerfest 5K course. She did well with a few walks. She faced a stiff headwind on the way back. Later she said that she didn't know she had so many muscles that could ache. I am very proud of her. I can feel the difference in her legs.

The weather was a bit chilly so I wore my tights, long sleeve T and my Brooks Racing Team tank. Of course I wore my lucky orange Fleet Feet hat. I ran/walked the 1.25 miles out to the site of Fleet Feet Dirt Cheap Stage Race (DCSR) #1 on Pond Rd. There I hung out with fellow Brooks Racing Team members before the race started at 9AM.



DCSR #1 was a time trail race with runners going off at 5 second intervals. My bib number was 27 so I went off pretty early. The course was mostly uphill for the first 1/2 mile or so but I settled into a rhythm.

Up and down went the tough course ... but as I went over a rise I followed the runner in front of me and missed a hard right turn (marked by at least 10 flags). I heard some yells behind me but just followed the runner in front of me for a bit and other runners followed me. Hey, I was on a wide trail ... then I saw flags in front of me and thought I was just coming up on a marked trail. But then I saw runners coming up that trail in the opposite direction. Then I put 2 and 2 together and figured out that I had missed a turn. I turned around and tried to tell the runners who were following me. I saw the turn (and the 10 flags) I missed and went back on course. Judging from the Garmin map I think I went about 1/4 mile off course and lost about 2 to 3 minutes. Oh well! I continued on and finished.

Even with the detour, I did OK. I finished 68th out of 146, results here. I was 12th out of 24 in my M50-59 age group, results here. I had run this stage three times now and missed that turn twice ... this time I turned back and ran the course as it should be ran. Boots uploaded a video of runners walking up one of the steep hills, I am at the end of the 30 second video, link here.

Christine and I hung out at Stewart Lodge where I chowed down on 2 pancakes, scrambled eggs and a banana. Then we headed out the site of DCSR #2, the Devil's Bathtub, so we could get a good parking spot. There we hung out some more until the race started at 1PM. The weather warmed up nicely before the race.

11/12/11: 4.63 miles, 42:13, 9:07 pace, 50F, sunny, not as windy, no pain.



The pre-race instructions by Ellen included "It's up to you to follow the trail, don't follow the runner in front of you or you will get LOST". It was kind of funny! DCSR #2 was a mass start with 176 runners. It was a bit crowded at first but soon opened up as I settled into a trail groove. One of the steep downhills was very slippery due to the fallen leaves. The path soon entered a muddy creek bed right next to the twisty trail. I chose the mud most of the time, it seemed easier and safer than the roots on the twisty trail. The familiar trail went on as we came upon new challenges (roots, mud, leaves, etc).

 The infamous climb up the Devil's Bathtub stairs was enjoyed by all, lol!

I enjoyed the post race feat of hot dogs, cucumbers, carrots, cookies and an apple as we all talked about the day. I did OK. I finished 47th out of 176, link here. I finished 6th out of 29 in my M50-59 age group, link here.

Christine and I had an excellent dinner of spare ribs, baked potato and salad. Good food to stick to my ribs before tomorrow's DCSR #3. Afterwards, we got up to date with DVR'd episodes of Pan Am before hitting the hay. We are enjoying this 60s period drama with the women in dresses, heels and gloves ... it may only last a season though.

Sunday, 11/13/11: 10.43 miles, 1:45:51, 10:09 pace, 56F, cloudy, windy, some stops, a bit of pain.



Christine and I headed back down to Mendon Ponds Park for DCSR #3. We arrived around 8:40AM. The weather was warmer than yesterday morning. I wore compression shorts, a short sleeve T and my Brooks Racing Team tank. I pounded off yesterday's mud off my trail shoes, picked up my race bib and tag.

 Me, Mark, John & Heather

The pre-race instructions by Ellen were even funnier than yesterday with 4 different "... or you will get LOST!" Here is a link to Ellen's instructions here.

The start was a bit tricky with lots of leaves and rocks but I soon settled into a fast trail groove as we ran along the beach for a bit.

I was soon ahead of Heather, Mark and Bill. I knew I was going out a bit hot but I felt good. I ran with Heather for about a mile when she caught me around mile 3ish.The course took us over a lot of the same trails that I ran for DCSR #1 and #2. This time I made that sharp right uphill turn that I had trouble with in DCSR #1. I had a couple of Gu packets stashed in the back of my shorts but with my gloves on I couldn't get them out when I approached a water stop at mile 5. Luckily they had some Powerbar Gel on the table. I gulped one and some water while Bill and about 10 other runners passed me. I had a bit of trouble getting back into the groove but put mind over matter and continued. I felt a cramp in my right thigh at times but I just ignored it and it just came and went. I had water at mile 7. I ran in the same muddy creek bed as DCSR #2 at one point while the trail was right next to it all twisty and full of roots ... and found a LOT of mud as my right foot went down in the mud to about mid calf ... nice! I ran with Holly who is moving to Cali for a bit at mile 8, Mark passed me after she talked with him for a bit. I had asked Christine to meet me up at Devil's Bathtub. She was there with a jug of water and encouragement at mile 9.

Heading into the Devil's Bathtub at mile 9

I had been slowly catching up to Bill and soon passed him shortly afterward. I gave him encouragement as I passed. The finish line was soon in sight. Christine just made it back to Stewart Lodge before I steamed up the final hill to finish in 1:45:51, a 7:03 minute PR from last year. Sweet!!

Gritting my teeth and digging for the finish!

I took a couple drinks of water after the finish and then realized that I really had to refuel right now! I chowed down on a full plate of pasta, salad, cookies, cucumbers, carrots along with apple cider and felt much better. The swag was a 2011 DCSR hooded sweatshirt in navy blue. As Ellen said, "We earned it!".

My muddy legs ... my right leg is not really a different color, just a trick of the lighting

I wiped off the mud and changed my muddy trail shoes, socks and sweaty top for my road shoes, fresh socks and new swag. I talked with fellow runners as we cooled down from a most excellent DCSR. I noticed some trail wounds on other runners ... scratches, scrapes and a sprained ankle but nothing serious.

Here are more pics of finishers charging up the last hill to the finish.

I know that some people would think that my running and this blog is all about competition between myself and others but it is about fun too. Yes, I run hard and I try to run competitively but I thoroughly enjoyed running this weekend.

So ... I did pretty well. I finished 56th out of 164, link here. I was 9th out of 31 in my M50-59 age group, link here. For those keeping score, I was 45th out of 126 in the series, link here.

Christine and I made it home shortly after noon and collasped. She took a nap, she was still hurting from yesterday's 5K "No-Bo" run. I uploaded my Garmin, followed all the various comments about the DCSR on Facebook and continued writing this post on Blogger. When Christine woke up, she uploaded her pics and video to her Kodakgallery site and fixed a tasty supper of homemade beef and vegetable soup, mmm! We tried to watch TV but just couldn't concentrate. I couldn't stay awake so we went to bed at 9PM.

What a sweet weekend of trail running ... long live the Dirt Cheap Stage Race! Thanks to everyone at Fleet Feet, Yellow Jacket Racing and all the volunteers for a fanastic event!

Sunday, 11/6/11 to Friday, 11/11/11

I ran 3 times in 6 days, 15.1 miles

Sunday, 11/6/11: A rest day that turned into 3.6 miles, 29:21, 8:09 pace, 44F, night, calm, no stops.

Garmin Connect Activity for Out to Wegmans for quarters

This day started out so well but went downhill. It was the end of Daylight Savings Time so we got an extra hour of sleep ... so Christine and I got more sleep than usual; 14 and 9, respectively. I headed out to get the Sunday paper (which is getting worth less and less) and Dunkin Donuts for 2 coffee danishes. Then we watched the Buffalo Bills lose to the New York Jets, 27-10, link here. It was a beautiful afternoon so I vacuumed out our cars.

Meanwhile Christine and I had started a disagreement about ... what else? The only thing we disagree about is my relationship with my ex and my children. I love her dearly but I made the mistake of telling her stuff that shall remain best kept in private. Suffice to say that the disgreement continued while we started laundry and ate supper. Supper was excellent though: spare ribs and sweet potatoes. When Christine misplaced the purse with the quarters in it she just up and left with her car. I pondered what to do as I folded the towels. My solution was that I ran to Wegmans to get $3 worth of quarters so I could dry the 2nd load. While I was typing this Christine came home from who knows where ... just saying that she was looking for quarters. There was a bit of tension between us but we kissed, made up and went to bed.

Monday, 11/7/11: Rest day.

I took Christine to get her nails done. Then we settled down for an excellent pasta dinner, just relaxed and listened to some jazz.

Tuesday, 11/8/11: 6.1 miles, 49:21, 7:46 pace, 55F, night, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 3 Y's

Christine and I headed down to Fleet Feet for our usual Cobbs Hill run. Two reps from Craft were there. Christine noticed that I had on my long sleeve half zip tech shirt on wrong-way out so she had some fun stripping me so I could try on one of their Craft baselayers, (my impression after wearing it during the workout was that it was nice but way too hot for a 55F night). I headed up nice and easy but that is faster than everyone else. I just motored up each Y and cruised down each Y. I carried a hand bottle of water this time so I was OK. My nice and easy this year used to be my fast last year.

We had leftovers for supper and then settled down to watch a couple of DVR'd episodes of Battlestar Galactica.

Wednesday, 11/9/11: 5.4 miles, 41:28, 7:41 pace, 56F, night, calm, no stops, no pain.

Genesee Valley Park - east on the Canal Trail, back on streets

Christine and I headed down to Genesee Valley Park for her "No-Bo" workout. We got there with 5 minutes to spare. I saw her heading north before I headed south to the Canal Trail, then out east. I went out 2.55 miles in 20:00, 7:51 pace. I was a bit concerned about how dark and desolate the Canal Trail was so when I got to East Henrietta Rd I headed back on streets just making up my own way ... 2.85 miles, 21:28, 7:32 pace. I just ran nice and easy, enjoying the night. Christine enjoyed her workout ... she said her breathing was good and that she didn't have a problem with shin splints.

Afterward, Christine and I stopped at the Distillery in Greece for a couple of turkey burgers and hydration. When we got home listened to jazz, stretched again and fell into a satisfied sleep.

Thursday, 11/10/11: Rest day.

A very hectic day at work turned into a kind of hectic night as I just puttered around the apartment getting stuff done ... stuff like balancing my checkbook and doing a little work from home. Christine made an excellent supper of haddock, baked potatoes and brussel sprouts.

Friday, 11/11/11: Rest day.

I headed down to Fleet Feet after work to pick up my race bib for tomorrow's Dirt Cheap Stage Race #1 and to pick up Christine's pink No-Bo shirt. It was the last one in her size ... sweet!

Sunday, 10/30/11 to Saturday, 11/5/11

I ran 4 times this week, 30.85 miles.

Sunday, 10/30/11: 6.45 miles, 59:21, 9:12 pace, 52F, sunny, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Mendon Ponds Park - Blue and Green trail loop

I never get up too early on Sunday mornings. I made it out to Mendon Ponds Park around 1:30PM. I met up there with Bill Beyerbach. We ran out on the now familar Blue and Green trail with a loop out to the East Lodge. There were a  lot of horseback riders on the trail. We passed a group of three and a group of four several times. I do feel a lot safer when I see horses coming towards me instead of catching them from behind. I am feeling more confident about running 20K in the Mendon Trail runs next Saturday. Bill suggested that I treat the first 10K loop as a warm up and then start picking off runners on the second 10K loop. Maybe, maybe not.

It is truly unbelievable ...  the Buffalo Bills are 5-2 after running over the hapless Washington Redskins 23-0, link here.

Monday, 10/31/11: Rest day.
I ran 19 times in 31 days during October,  112.6 miles, 5.9 miles/run. 5 out of 10 months > 100 miles!
Up to the end of October 2011, 153 times in 303 days, 945.1 miles, 6.2 miles/run

I wanted to get our laundry done ... but we never seemed to want to leave the apartment. So we did a couple of loads down in the basement. My dress clothes and our tech running wear are clean at least! We watched a DVR'd episode of Greys Anatomy before hitting the hay.

Tuesday, 11/1/11: 5.7 miles, 48F, dusk, no pain.

Christine and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Cobbs Hill run. I ran up with Bill Beyerbach nice and easy, 1.65 miles. Our plan was to run loop repeats of 3/4 mile on the reservoir road. I tried to use the lap function on my Garmin which was unsuccessful so all the info is from Bill's Garmin. The first loop was 6:36 pace, the second loop was 6:38 pace. We didn't take any water so I was parched. I had to take the third loop easy, 7:20 pace. The 1.8 mile run back to the store was nice and easy at first, then a bit harder. Next time I will just reset my Garmin for each loop, no worries. Christine's legs bothered her so she ran up to the corner of Monroe Ave and Highland Ave and back, about 2 miles.

We watched Primetime On Demand episodes of NCIS, NCIS LA and Castle before hitting the hay. I guess we like crime dramas!

Wednesday, 11/2/11: Rest day.

I convinced Christine to go out to her "No-Bo" workout at Genesee Valley Park without me. I stayed home to do the dishes and clean the bathroom. She came back all glowing about her workout: 1 minute walk, 6 minutes run times 6. She said she did every run except one in the middle and picked off runners in the last one. I am so proud of her!

We watched more Primetime On Demand: 3 episodes of NCIS: LA to get caught up before going to bed. 45 minutes per episode with only one commercial per break versus 60 minutes with tons of commercials certainly was nice!

Thursday, 11/3/11: 6.3 miles, 49:48, 7:54 pace, 50F, dusk, a bit windy, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Out to Cooper Rd

Christine and I headed in different directions for our runs. She headed out to Planet Fitness for a treadmill. I headed out onto the roads of Irondequoit. I did just your ordinary run: 6.3 miles. The first 5K was 24:28, 7:54 pace. The next 3.2 miles was 25:20, 7:55 pace. I did concentrate on my form, stretching out. pushing off with my ankles and trying to pump my arms (which I ordinarily don't do). My heart rate was interesting, it spiked right away up to 160 with a max of 171 which is normal for me. Then after 10 minutes it leveled off to around 140 for the rest of the way ... I didn't decrease my effort or speed. Maybe concentrating on form led to more efficient and less strenuous running ... hmm! I did find out that my old and reliable (up to now) Princeton Fuel headlight would not stay on unless I held the on/off button down ... oh well! I really could have used it once it got dark, eek!

Christine made an old family recipe for supper called potato chip casserole. Mmm, it was good! Then we settled down to watch DVR'd episodes of The Mentalist, Pan Am and Hawaii Five-O.

Friday, 11/4/11: Rest day.

I stopped by Fleet Feet to pick up my race number for tomorrow's Mendon Trail Run. I also purchased a Black Diamond Cosmo 55 lumen headlight to replace my faulty Princeton Fuel headlight. We watched DVR'd episodes of Castle and Greys Anatomy after a pizza supper.

Saturday, 11/5/11: 12.4 miles, 1:55:25, 9:18 pace, 27-40F, sunny, calm, no pain.

I took Christine out to her "No-Bo" workout out in Webster. She ran the 2.5 mile Turkey Trot course in 48 minutes. She was quite happy and very glad to be out on such a beautiful morning. Then she caught a ride with a No-Bo mentor down to Mendon Ponds Park to meet back up with me and her car which I had driven down there.

The start ...

I made it down to Mendon Ponds Park around 9:15AM for the start of the 5K, 10K and 20K Mendon Trail Runs at 9:30AM. The 50K run had already started at 8AM. I was surprised that the course was backwards ... I had practiced for the past month but in the opposite direction so all the ups were now down and all the downs were now ups. The start was frosty and very sunny.  I struck out a fast trail pace as I settled into the pack of runners. I still managed to not stop on loop 1 as I had planned. I slapped hands with Bill Beyerbach as I finished loop 1 in 54:44, 8:50 pace. I didn't see Christine, I later learned that she was making a run to Wegmans for the race organizers. I quickly changed my heavy gloves for a lighter pair, took a slug of water and headed back out for loop 2. Wilt Alston passed me around mile 8, then I passed and exchanged pleasantries with shirtless (of course) Tom Butler who was in his loop 3 of 5. I did trip but managed not to fall a couple of times so I knew I was getting tired. I focused on my footing the rest of the way and did walk a couple of hills. I looked at my Garmin at about a mile to go, 1:46. I knew the course was relatively flat until the end so I just put it in gear and knew that sub 2 hour finish was mine. I managed a loop 2 of 1:00:41, 9:47 pace, for a total time of 1:55:25, 9:18 pace. I last ran this 20K way back in 2006 with a time of 2:12:55. I felt pretty good afterward with some minor stiffness.

Loop 1

Loop 2 (my light gloves are a different color)

All in all, what a beautiful and frosty morning for a race! I did OK. I was 32nd out of 69, results here. I was 8th out of 13 in my M50-59 age group, results here.

Wilt Alston, cruising in about 2 minutes ahead of me ... 5th in my age group.

Gritting my teeth for the finish line ... like usual!

Shirtless Tom Butler ... cruising in after 5 loops of 10k!

3 ultra ladies with "What you think, you become" T shirts

We stopped by Starbucks on the way home so we could relax, have a couple of skinny vanilla lattes and warm up my hands. We lounged around for a long while as we uploaded our Garmins and updated our status to Facebook. Since we had a Groupon deal that begged to be used, we headed out to the Crab Shack. I had lobster and Christine had fish fry. The manager gave us a free dessert so we shared chocolate cake ... Mmm! Then we enriched the local economy at BJ's, Walgreens and Wegmans before calling it a day. For some reason, we were kind of tired. I should have went to bed early like Christine did but instead stayed up and puttered around. All in all, a pretty enjoyable Saturday!

Sunday, 10/23/11 to Saturday, 10/29/11

I ran 4 times this week, 28.9 miles.

Sunday, 10/23/11: 15.5 miles, 3:00:07, 11:38 pace, 57F, sunny, calm, stops for food and hydration, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Mendon Ponds Park - BGBGB trails

I set my alarm for 6:45AM so I could head down to Mendon Ponds Park for the Fleet Feet - Saloman Endurance Team hosting the final training run for the upcoming Dirt Cheap Stage Race. Well ... I turned off the alarm and went back to sleep.

After a nice pre-run stretch, I finally got up and out to Mendon Ponds Park around 12:30PM. I took Christine's Garmin with me, so I was sporting 2 Garmins! I wanted to make sure that it captured my run. I started off nice and easy, just motoring up and down the familiar Blue and Green trails. I didn't stop at all on the first lap ... nice! I walked and had a energy bar after the first lap. I started to run a few of the major hills on the second lap. I also walked and had another energy bar after the second lap. By this time I was a bit tired. I finished up with just a loop of the Blue trail for 15.5 miles. I called ahead so Christine had a lunch of a sandwich, carrots and celery waiting for me when I got home.

Later, we watched a DVR'd The Black Stallion with Mickey Rooney. Kind of nice that the final race was 2 miles so that "The Black" could catch 'em and win going away!

Monday, 10/24/11: Rest day.

A most definite rest day for me. Christine impressed me by heading off to Planet Fitness after supper for a "No-Bo" workout on the treadmill. I stayed home and moved my computers from her dining table to my smaller computer desk ... she wants to put plants there. Christine did have a bit of trouble getting to sleep with all the exercise endorphins coursing through her body!

Tuesday, 10/25/11: Rest day.

I felt a twinge in my right hip so I decided to run tomorrow instead. After a nice stretch Christine said I deserved a tunafish sandwich supper! We watched DVR'd episodes of Charlie's Angels, Greys Anatomy and Private Practice.

Wednesday, 10/26/11: 6.2 miles, 46F, cloudy, calm, a light mist, 1 stop at the turn, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Genesee Valley Park - 5K west on the Canal Trail and back

The first 30 minutes or so on the Garmin are from a sweet and very productive aerobic workout that Christine and I did the day before that I forgot to upload before I started out.

Christine and I headed down to Genesee Valley Park for her "No-Bo" workout like usual. It was a Wednesday ... rainy like the past 2 Wednesdays. Christine was nervous, like usual before a workout. She was overdressed since I told her to dress like me instead of her. She is always warmer that I am. Her workout was impressive: 2 minutes walk, 5 minutes run times 5 with a walking warmup and cooldown. I am so proud of her! Mine was just a nice and easy run 5K west out on Canal Trail and back for 10K total.

We settled for heating up a frozen pizza for dinner while we watched a Redbox DVD that Christine got as a surprise. I only tried Thor on 2 of our DVD players before we settled down to watch it on my laptop.

Thursday, 9/27/11: Rest day.

Christine and I didn't do much ... we watched our DVR of Basic Instinct with Sharon Stone and went to bed.

Friday, 9/28/11: 4.1 miles, 31:01, 7:34 pace, 44F, dusk, calm, a couple of traffic stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Backwards Happy Hour run

After a typically busy Friday at work, Christine and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Happy Hour run - backwards since it was the last Friday of the month. Christine was not feeling up to par so she stayed behind. I ran off with Bill Beyerbach. We started out nice and easy ... which didn't last long knowing Bill and I. We picked it up after the hills on Cobbs Hill Drive with negative splits. We ran splits of 7:45, 7:53, 7:31, 7:16 and a final .1 of 6:17. Bill and I just seem to run well together!

Saturday, 9/29/11: 3.1 miles, 21:51,7:03 pace, 36F, cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.

Christine and I headed down early to Riley Lodge at Cobbs Hill for her "No-Bo" workout and the Pumpkins in the Park 5K. It was chilly for sure! I hung out in the lodge looking at all various Halloween costumes and keeping warm while Christine was out doing her "No-Bo". She is doing quite well! She said that she felt good and had no pain.



I didn't shed my Brooks jacket before the race and regretted it on the climb up to the reservoir. Ellen said the race was "2 miles up and 1 mile down". She was right! My splits were: 6:57, 7:45, 6:34 and 5:00 over the last tenth. I put it into a full sprint over the last tenth as I saw a guy that I wanted to pass ... and did at the line ... sweet! I did OK, 45th out of 656, link here. I was 5th out of 27 in my M50-54 age group, link here. I did notice that I would have won the M55-59 age group.

Jim Roche and his "bicycle" costume

John and Holly

Heather in her bumble bee costume with a sharp stinger!

I was in full sprint ... my Garmin said 5:00 pace over the last tenth.

What we were all sprinting towards ... the finish line!

We stopped by IHOP for a nice post-race breakfast of omelots and coffee. The service and food was good but I was rather surprised at the price. Next time we will go to a Mom and Pop place like Uncle Danny just around the corner. Christine and I had a really sweet post-race stretch. We finally emerged in the late afternoon. Later, we watched a Redbox movie named Hanna. We ended up watching this DVD on my laptop again ... but this time I hooked up some speakers!

Sunday, 10/16/11 to Saturday, 10/22/11

I ran 4 times this week, 27.03 miles

Sunday, 10/16/11: 10.7 miles, 01:51:34, 10:25 pace, 56F, cloudy, windy, light sprinkles, 1 stop for water and fuel, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Mendon Ponds Park - Blue, Green, Blue, Blue trail

Christine and I spent a leisurely Sunday morning together before we headed down to our home away from home, Mendon Ponds Park. Christine went out on the road for her "No-Bo" workout. I headed up to the Blue and Green trails. My plan was also to head out to the East Lodge to simulate running the Mendon Trails run on 11/5/11. I am still trying to figure out what version (20K or 50K) of this race to run. I did feel a twinge in my right hip once.

After a quick shower and lunch, I headed out to Newark to pick up my youngest son, David, then to Palmyra to pick up a friend, Harold, of my ex. Then I headed back up to my apartment so Harold could teach David how to drive stick.

Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills lost by a FG to the New York Giants, 24-27, link here. David listened to the game via NFL Mobile on the way back up to Rochester.

I was saddened to hear that Indy Car driver Dan Wheldon died as a result of a horrendous 15 car crash at the final race of the season, youtube line here.

After a nice BLT dinner, we settled down to DVR'e episodes of Fringe, Hawaii Five-O, Pan Am and Charlie's Angels.

Monday, 10/17/11: Rest day.

A well deserved rest day. We just settled in to watch Scream 4 again with a polish sausage, potatoes and green beans supper. Later, a DVR'd episode of Castle fit the bill.

Tueday, 10/18/11: 6.03 miles, 46:50, 7:46 pace, 52F, cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 3 Y's

Christine had a headache but I convinced to come on down with me to our usual Tuesday night haunt, Fleet Feet for the Hills workout. It was a Mizuno night with the opportunity to test drive Mizuno shoes and clothes. I headed out with Bill Beyerbach so I knew we would run well. We started a slow run up to Cobbs Hill, then pounded up and eased down the hills. We just seemed to glide along. We looked at the splits when we got back to Fleet Feet and were impressed: 7:50, 8:13, 8:05, 7:44, 7:31, 7:15. We ran negative splits from mile 2 on even on the hills at miles 3 and 4! Half of mile 5 and all of mile 6 were running back to the store.

When we got back to the store, we also met up with and heard stories from runners who were back from the Columbus Marathon and the Toronto Marathon.

Wednesday, 10/19/11: 6.2 miles, 47:29, 7:40 pace, 52F, cloudy, a bit windy, light mist, 1 stop at the turn, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Genesee Valley Park - East on the Canal Trail

After a vigorous pre-run stretch, Christine and I headed down to Genesee Valley Park for her "No-Bo" workout. We got there just in time. I headed out easy at first, then hard out east on the Canal Trail. I ran hard 5K in 23:06, 7:28 pace. I walked a couple of minutes, then headed back. I ran easy back ... 5K in 24:23, 7:52 pace. Yes, it was a light mist ... but we know how to have fun! Christine walked/ran over 2 miles during her workout.

Afterward, we enjoyed a rotisserie chicken along with some DVR'd episodes of The Mentalist and Private Practice.

Thursday, 10/20/11: Rest day.

Just your average rest day. We didn't do much besides watch a DVR'd episode of Pan Am.

Friday, 10/21/11: 4.1 miles, 50F, cloudy, calm.

Christine and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Happy Hour run. Christine picked out her new pair of Mizuno's, a pair of Wave Inspires. I headed out with Bill Beyerbach and some new guys. We started out nice and easy. I felt a twinge in my right hip and knee around mile 1 so I slowed for a bit until it settled out. I kept it nice and easy, maybe around 7:45 pace. My Garmin was full of data so it stopped recording new data. Afterward, we somehow found our way to Fairport High School to hear a GVH talk by Joan Benoit Samuelson and John Tuttle. Quite interesting with some good stories. Then Bill invited us out to Pizza Hut for some late dinner. A late night ... usually we are at home by 8PM.

Saturday, 10/22/11: A rest day ... though I didn't want to.

Christine got up and went for her "No-Bo" workout at Ontario Beach Park. I still needed sleep so I stayed home. Christine tried to upload data from her Garmin but it didn't record anything.

Congratulations to Becky Duberry for her 4th place finish in 21:04 at the USA Track and Field's National Masters Cross Country Championships held at Center Park in Fairport, link here. Christine and I are sorry we missed it. "Yeah, baby!" as Becky would say!

We got out and about after a nice post-run stretch. We picked up my father's mail at the Newark post office. I really need to get all his mail sent up to Rochester. I live practically next door to a post office for heavens sakes! Then we saw my youngest son at Bryne Dairy. He told me all the little(?) things that are wrong with his car: headlights have no low beam, O2 sensor is bad, muffler is not attached, right passenger windows doesn't work (though it worked on the way down from Rochester) and the sunroof doesn't open. The first three need to be fixed before the car can pass inspection. He says that the headlights will be half the price if he gets them off eBay. Ahh, the joys of buying a car from a private individual ... let the buyer beware! Then we saw my father at the Wayne County Nursing Home in Lyons. On the way back up to Rochester we enriched the local economy by stopping at Wal-Mart, Jo-Ann's Fabric and Crafts and Wegmans. We had a nice barbeque rib and potato salad supper while we caught up on all the Battlestar Galactica episodes that we hadn't watched yet.

Sunday, 10/9/11 to Saturday, 10/15/11

Sunday, 10/9/11: 6 miles, 1:03:10, 10:32 pace, 72F, sunny, calm, 1 trip, 1 stop, slight upper hamstring pain

Garmin Connect Activity for Mendon Ponds Park - Blue and Green trail

I got a good 9 hours of sleep then got up and hunted on the internet until I found a live feed of the Chicago Marathon. I saw Mose Mosop finish, link here. Then I decided to head out ... thinking of all the 45000 people who ran the Chicago Marathon.

I didn't get an early start but I did make it down my familiar trail haunt, Mendon Ponds Park. My plan was to run two loops. I was a creature of habit and ran the Blue and Green trail like usual. I ran nice and easy, just motoring up and down the familiar hills. I tripped on an unfamiliar root at mile 4.5 and picked up a scrape on my left elbow. By this time my upper right hamstring was giving me a twinge. So when I got to the end of the first loop I decided that one loop was enough. When I got home I iced it, then sat on a heating pad all night. At first, I was pretty hombled but by the end of the night I was walking OK. I felt this twinge before yesterday's Scarecrow 5K but didn't feel it during the race. Hopefully I will be able to do the Mendon 50K Trail Run in early November.

I caught most of the Bills - Eagles game. The Bills had a 17 point lead but it got exciting. Buffalo intercepted Vick yet again during the last minutes then got an incroachment penalty due to a 4th down "hard" count to preserve a 31-24 victory, link here. The Bills, 4-1? "Bill-lieve" it!

Christine and I got sucked into watching live TV on FX ... the end of Jurassic Park and all of Transformers: Rise of the Fallen. I really missed not being able to fast forward through the commercials.

Monday, 10/10/11: Rest day.

Garmin Connect Activity for No-Bo walk with Christine

Christine and I headed out to Durant Eastman Park beach for a change of scenery for her "No-Bo" workout. I am not the best coach but I did advise her to stretch more before she heads out. Maybe that will help her shin splints.

Tuesday, 10/11/11: A cautious rest day.

I decided to stay in. When I was walking during work I felt a twinge in my upper right leg when I was moving my right leg forward.

Christine made an excellent dinner of pork chops, green beans and zucchini. Then we settled down and watched a DVR'd movie: El Dorado with John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and James Caan.

Wednesday, 10/12/11: 5.4 miles, 43:22, 8:02, 56F, cloudy, light sprinkles, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Out to the Zoo, 2 loops

I helped my youngest son buy his first car, a red 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT coupe with 87K miles, 5 speed and sunroof. I remember my first car, a 1969 Chevy Nova ... decidedly not as good looking!

Christine had already headed out to her No-Bo workout at Genesee Valley Park. She had a good workout ... she did a light jog during the runs! Before the run, she bought a used Forerunner 305 from Krista who upgraded to a Forerunner 610.

So I headed out to the Zoo with 2 loops in a light sprinkle. Nothing hard, nice to out for a run, just nice and easy!

Thursday, 10/13/11: 5 miles, 37:09, 7:24 pace, 66F, cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Remington's Run

Christine and I headed down to Remington's for the final Remington's run of the year. Christine headed out first on her "No-Bo" workout wearing her Forerunner 305. I started slow, then hiked it up. I concentrated on stretching out with each stride and on my form. I seemed to glide ... I didn't look at my Garmin until the end. Sweet!

Friday, 10/14/11: Rest day.

Christine and I got Black Swan from Redbox last night but didn't get to see it. I wanted to see it before 9PM ... we tried on all three of our DVD players, no go. So we watched it on my laptop. I must say it was nice, dark and twisty ballerina flick with Natalie Portman! I took it back just before 9PM ... to get Scream 4. A nice sequel to the Scream franchise!

Saturday, 10/15/11: 3.1 miles, 21:07, 6:49 pace, 48F, cloudy, windy, no stops, no pain


Christine and I headed out to north Greece for my first try at the Run for Hospice 5K. It was a Rochester Runner Of the Year (RROY) race so your typical fast group of runners showed up. The weather was a bit raw ... 48, cloudy, windy with a bit of spitting rain during the race. I started out fast with a first mile of 6:26. During the second mile Wilt passed me. During the second mile mile we turned back into the wind ... the second mile was 13:54. I passed Bill around mile 2.5, third mile at 20:20. I finished just behind Wilt at 21:07.

I did OK, 67th out of 614, results here. I finished 3rd out of 30 in my M50-54 age group, results here. There was a mixup at the awards, I was posted and announced 2nd. Kudos to my darling Christine for sticking with me while I waited during the tedious award ceremony for my award ... a $25 gift certificate to Jim Dalberth Sporting Goods. It turned more windy and cold during the morning. We were shivering ... luckily we know enough to bring warm and dry clothes to running events.


We enjoyed the rest of the day and evening by watching a DVR'd The Sons of Katie Elder, eating ribs, and a DVR'd Fringe.

Sunday, 10/211 to Saturday, 10/8/11

I ran 3 times this week, 18.5 miles

Sunday, 10/2/11: 6.31 miles, 1:01:26, 9:44 pace, 50F, partly cloudy, 3 walks, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Mendon Ponds Park - Blue and Green trail

The weather Sunday morning was quite wet ... around the mid 40s and a driving rain. I thought of the people who were doing the Du down at Mendon Ponds Park. I felt like a wuss but stayed in. The weather improved and I made it down to Mendon Ponds Park around 1:30PM. I decided to wear my Garmin like usual and also try out the iMapMyRun app on my Commando. So I started up the app, stowed the phone in my Spibelt, kicked off my Garmin and headed out. I just ran nice and easy. I avoided the mud initially but after a while ... not so much. The sun actually came out for a bit and it warmed up. I thought about heading out for another run of the Blue but decided that 6.3 miles was enough ... maybe next week.

I am not so enthused with the iMapMyRun app. It took about a minute to mess with my phone to start and stop the app but it only tallied 6.07 miles. My Garmin ... just hit the Start/Stop button twice. Though it was geeky and cool to upload my run to Facebook before I headed home.

Well, the Buffalo Bills won't be going undefeated. They headed down to play the Cincinnati Bengals. They had a 14 point halftime lead. Then the Bengals did the same thing to the Bills as the Bills did to the Raiders and Patriots ... kick a game winning field goal as time expired, link here. Alas!

Christine cooked up the shoulder roast, potatoes and peas ... yummmm! We settled in to watch DVR'd episodes of Charlie's Angels and Grey's Anatomy.

Monday, 10/3/11: Rest day.

A very busy day at work with lots of running around. Then we headed out to do laundry. Like last week, Christine headed out to do her "No-Bo" workout ... this time on the treadmill at Planet Fitness. She said that the 'mill was easier on his legs.

We ate leftover chicken, potatoes and peas ... still yummy! We settled in to watch DVR'd episodes of The Mentalist and Pan Am.

Tuesday, 10/4/11: 6.01 miles, 47:03, 7:50 pace, 60F, partly cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 3 Y's

Christine had a rest night from "No-Bo", so I headed down to Fleet Feet solo. I was already signed up for next Saturday's Run for Hospice 5K so I put in race entries for this Saturday's Scarecrow 5K, Pumpkins in the Park on 10/29, the Dirt Cheap Stage Race on 11/12-13 and the Webster Turkey Trot on 11/24. I got Brooks Fleet Feet Racing Team discounts on the last three entries ... sweet! I also signed Christine up for her "No-Bo" graduation race, the Webster Turkey Trot. Then I headed out with Bill Beyerbach. We started slow up Monroe Ave, then started picking off runners. When we got up to Cobbs Hill we settle into a routine ... pounding up each Y and running easy down each Y. Then we jetted down Monroe Ave back to Fleet Feet. So ... it was a tempo run at pretty much full throttle!

Christine cooked up a roaster chicken with peas for supper ... mmmm! Then after catching up on what was going on internet-wise, we settled down to watch a DVR'd episode of Private Practice.

Just a shout out to my darling, Christine. Thank you for dragging me into 123Shoes so I could buy a pair of black Clarks Wave shoes. They were a way bit more than I wanted to pay but after a month I would have to say I haven't complained about my feet hurting ... and I do a lot of walking!

Wednesday, 10/5/11: 6.2 miles, 47:38, 7:40 pace, 60F, sunny, calm, 1 stop at the turn, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Genesee Valley Park - East on the Canal Trail

Christine and I went down to Genesee Valley Park for her usual Wednesday "No-Bo" workout. I went out east on the Canal Trail for 5K in 23:37, 7:37 pace. I took a break at the turn before heading back in 24:01, 7:45 pace. A nice workout! Christine had a painful workout ... her left thigh and both shins were hurting.

Thursday, 10/6/11: Rest day.

Just your average day. I rented Transformers: Dark of the Moon from the local Redbox. Excellent flick ... Shia LaBeouf is still the man, Megan Fox was quickly forgotten since Rosie Huntington-Whiteley just oozes curves and sex appeal. Yes, we knew who was going to win but it's a sci-fi action movie and yes, I like to play it loud! Yeah, baby!

Friday, 10/7/11: Rest day.

I walked with Christine during her 4800 step "No-Bo" workout around our neighborhood. She has made progress. Afterward, we had a leftover dinner of chicken, stuffing and corn. We settled down with DVR'd episodes of Hawaii Five-O and Castle.

Saturday, 10/8/11: 3.1 miles, 20:41, 6:40 pace, 60F, sunny, calm, no stops, no pain.


We went in separate directions in the morning and met up afterward. Christine was off first to her "No-Bo" workout at the JCC. I headed off with Bill Beyerbach to Fairport for the Scarecrow 5K, a RROY race. My idea was run with Heather and Bill. The race started out fast. We were all together at mile 1, 6:25 pace. Heather pulled away first, then Bill. I caught Bill at mile 2, 6:43 pace. I just hung on in mile 3, 6:49 ... I just hoped that the finish line was somewhere close. I ran the last tenth in 6:23. I was kind of disappointed to run a 20:41 (10 seconds off my PR) but I did the best I could. Heather ran a 6 second PR at 19:58 and Bill ran a 13 second PR at 20:52.

The start!

Heather en route to a 19:58 PR!

 Me en route to a 20:41.

 Bill en route to a 20:52 PR!

I ran well, 53th out of 539, results here. I placed 3rd out of 31 in my M50-54 age group, results here. Bill picked up my award, a SafeJourney handtowel.

Christine and I met up after the race, once she found a parking spot in the bustling and busy village of Fairport. We toured a farmer's market that was being held nearby. We headed to the Starbucks on Monroe Ave before heading out to Newark to see my youngest son before he went off to work. We stopped by my Aunt Pat's house in Palmyra before heading home.

Meanwhile down in Canandaigua, the Can Lake 50 went on for the ultrarunner gang in unseasonably high temperatures.

Autumn in the Finger Lakes

Chris Washburn

Tom Butler finishing the 50 miles!

Kudos to all those who ran!

Sunday, 9/25/11 to Saturday, 10/1/11

I ran 3 times this week, 13.80 miles

Sunday, 9/25/11: Yet, yet another rest day.

My right rib still hurts when I move. I really wanted to run this morning down in Mendon Ponds Park. But ... it seems to be getting better.

Christine and I spent the usual lazy Sunday morning when I don't run. She made french toast for breakfast ... mmmm! Then we settled into watching the Buffalo Bills play the New England Patriots. The Bills were down 21-0 quickly but pulled withing 21-10 at half, then 21-17. The Patriots went to 24-17 but the Bills scored 2 TDs to go to 31-24 before the Patriots pulled even at 31-31. Then the Bills scored on the last play to win 34-31, link here, to go to 3-0! Later, we caught up on Rooster and the latest episodes of The Mentalist, Hawaii Five-O and Fringe.

Monday, 9/26/11: Yet, yet, yet another rest day.

Christine and I did laundry. While I babysat the laundry, Christine went out for a "No-Bo" workout. I was so proud of her! A late pasta supper ensued plus some DVR'd episodes of NCIS and NCIS: LA.

Tuesday, 9/27/11: Yet, yet, yet another rest day.

I really wanted to go down to Fleet Feet for the first Hills workout but my right rib still hurt. It has really distressed me … but then I realized that back in May 2009 when I cracked a right rib due to a fall doing the Sehgahunda that I didn’t run for 8 days. It has only been 6 days.

Christine went down to Fleet Feet for the Women's Health Talk. Afterward, we watched some DVR’d Charlie's Angels and Grey’s Anatomy.

Wednesday, 9/28/11: 4.6 miles, 39:05, 8:30 pace, 70F, cloudy, light rain, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Genesee Valley Park – out the River Trail, back the Greenway Trail

It was raining and it rained even more on the way to Genesee Valley Park … but it was “No-Bo” night so out we went. Other people might have stayed home. The rain let up a bit once we got there. I went out for a really nice and easy run out the Riverway Trail to where the Greenway Trail hits Scottsville Rd and back. On the way back I passed a lot of the “No-Bo” 2.0 people on their way back. I gave encouragement to most of them as I passed. My right rib didn't bother me but I didn't push it either.

We stopped at Wegmans for supplies on the way home. We got done with a late supper of rotisserie chicken and beans before the real excitement started to happen. During the morning, a tree was taken down in the apartment complex next door. Maybe they jiggled a wire, maybe they didn’t.

Well, while we sat down and started to watch a DVR’d Pan Am, we started to hear pops, the lights started to flicker and the TV started to turn off and on. Christine wanted to unplug everything … I should have listened. She wanted to call Maintenance. Well, within 10 minutes I heard a weird noise. I got up and found smoke coming from the surge protector behind my night stand! I pulled its plug quickly, opened the window and turned on the fan. More pops and flickering ensued. Then the surge protector by the computer desk started to smoke! I pulled its plug too. Christine started to pull every plug out of the wall she could find. She called Maintenance and we waited in the dark. A fire truck pulled up out in front around this time. We thought we were the only ones affected. Maintenance came and he started to check the voltage at the outlets. Most of the outlets were around 90V, one which powered all the electronics (TV, DVD players, converter box, cable modem, wireless router, wireless printer, radio/DVD/tape player) was 150V. We turned off all our breakers. Other people in the building started to complain about surge protectors and TVs blowing. He went out to the fire truck and found out that a transformer with a bad neutral was arcing which affected several buildings. By this time it was past 10:30PM. We lit a romantic candle for a while and went to bed.

Thursday, 9/29/11: Rest day.

I got up early and looked over most of our electronics and found another 2 dead surge protectors for a total of 4.

I hooked everything back up and found that almost everything still worked ... which was a relief.

Just your usual rest day. We found out that Christine's microwave also didn't work anymore. We watched DVR'd episodes of Pam Am (from last night), Castle, Hawaii Five-O.

Friday, 9/30/11: Rest day.

Month of September: 67. miles, 12 runs in 30 days, 6.1 miles/run
So far in 2011: 832.6 miles, 134 runs in 272 days, 6.3 miles/run

My badge at my client company didn't work until 11:30AM ... even thought everyone knew that it would be renewed I had to wait. Then a hectic day ensued. Then I had trouble logging into my company's domain and logging into their new email address. Suddenly I had over 7000 emails that I had deleted from the old email address that reappeared in the new email addres that had to be dealt with. We watched DVR'd episodes of NCIS and NCIS: LA.

Saturday, 10/1/11: 2 runs!

3.25 miles, 52F, cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Brooks Pure Project midnight run

I headed down to Fleet Feet for their Brooks Pure Project Midnight run. Brooks launched its new line of Pure Project shoes on October 1st. So Fleet Feet decided to hold a party at midnight with a run, snacks and mimosas! At least 50 people showed up. I headed out on the run (a backward 3 mile Happy Hour) nice and easy and soon picked off some runners. I caught up with the lead group of 5 and hung with them. Soon we slowly, almost imperceptibly picked up the pace ... at the end we were running a 7:03 pace. Afterward I tried on a pair of PureCadence shoes. The shoes were very light and only had a 4mm rise from toe to heel. They felt a bit different. Ellen made a big announcement! Fleet Feet is going to open a second store at Ridgeway and Long Pond in late November!

5.85 miles, 47F, cloudy, light mist, a bit windy, 1 stop at the turn, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Unity at Ridgeway - Out the Canal Trail to Manitou Rd

Christine and I got up early and made it out to Unity at Ridgeway for her "No-Bo" workout. I went out on the Canal Trail to Manitou Rd and back while she did her walk. She said that pain in her upper left thigh and shin splints was worse. Afterward I thought I had lost my RoadID. After a lot retracing my steps I found that I had left it home and didn't even have it on!

I went out to Wegmans to do the hunter/gather thing and picked up ribs, shoulder roast and a roaster chicken. So we had ribs and baked potato for supper ... mmmmm!