Sunday, 2/18/2018 to Saturday, 2/24/2018 - Freezeroo #6

I ran 6 times this week, 34.54 miles.
I took 84,454 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 2/18/2018: 13866 steps during the day; 9.35 miles, 1:16:25, 8:10 pace, 32F, 80% RH, 8 mph WSW wind, wind chill 25F, overcast.


I slept in until after 8 AM and then puttered around a bit. But ... I got dressed and got out there. It was around freezing so it was the usual "cold" weather gear. I am so predictable in the winter. I wear the same running clothes run after run. I just throw on more if it's colder. There was about 1/2 inch of snow overnight. The shoulders weren't plowed but it didn't bother me. I ran in the road when I could. Anyway ... I set up a nice and steady pace. I think I picked up the pace a bit after mile 4. My splits were: 8:07, 8:22, 8:12, 8:24, 8:27, 7:48, 7:56, 8:04, 8:15 and 8:02 over the last 0.35 mile. Boom ... done. I have 32 miles to go until I get to 100 miles for the month. I'll make sure that I get there.

Christine and I didn't do much the rest of the day. We watched most of the Daytona 500. I called the crash with just over 1 lap to go. I've watched enough Daytona 500s to know that there is practically ALWAYS a crash with under 5 laps to go. I could sense that someone was going to get someone else to crash. We watched three episodes of "60 Minutes" off of the DVR instead of the taped Winter Olympics coverage.

Monday, 2/19/2018: 7929 steps during the day, rest day.

Typical rest day ... watched a lot of old "X Files" off of Spectrum OnDemand.

Tuesday, 2/20/2018: 16525 steps during the day; 8.65 miles, 1:10:29, 8:09 pace, 64F, 88% RH, 8 mph SW wind, overcast.

The temperature rocketed up to 71F during the day! Two Rochester NY records were set: the highest low and the record high (62 back in 1994). It was the 2nd highest high for February since records have been kept (73 was the highest on 2/21/1993).

It was mentioned on the channel 10 weather that 3 years ago in 2015 the low was a record low of -11F and the high was 2F!. I looked at my running spreadsheet ... I ran dreadmill on 2/19/2015 and 2/20/2015. Who knew that there is a Rochester Weather Alamanac, link here? Cool!


Anyway ... needless to say I wore shorts and a short sleeve tech for my usual Tuesday run. I took a couple hours of vacation so I could get out earlier. I pushed it a little farther to celebrate the warmth. It felt weird to have a wipe off sweat during a run in February! My splits were: 7:49, 8:06, 8:10, 8:04. 8:07, 8:14, 8:13, 8:23 and 8:15 over the last 0.65 mile. I was dripping with sweat when I got done so I took a shower when I got home.

My darling wife, Christine, cooked up a chicken breast, baked potato and salad for supper ... mmm!

Bronze medalist Lindsey Vonn, right, celebrates on the podium with gold medalist Sofia Goggia of Italy, center, and silver medalist Ragnhild Mowinckel of Norway, after the women's downhill in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.- Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Then we watched the Winter Olympics ...  Lindsey Vonn captured the bronze in the Women's Downhill, link here, here and here. The US men's hockey team was "C'zeched" out of the Olympics after losing in a shootout. The game was tied at 2-2 a bit into the 2nd period ... I went to sleep.

Wednesday, 2/21/2018:  5000 (estimated) steps during the day, rest day.

Well ... the record warmth didn't last. It was back to 40F by 9 AM. Easy come ... easy go.

Rest day ... more Winter Olympics. The women, Jessica Diggins and Kikkan Randall, won a gold medal for the first time ever in the team sprint, link here. Jessica passed Norway's Maiken Caspersen Falla  on the last winding downhill and passed outsprinted Sweden's Stina Nillson to the finish by 0.19 second. I knew it before I saw it ... it was still exciting to watch it on tape!

Jessica Diggins edging out Stina Nillson in the Cross Country Ladies Team Sprint Free Final ... photo courtesy of Sporting News

Diggin (left) and Randall (right) - NY Daily News

Crazy ... skiers skiing in a half pipe? The US men, David Wise and Alex Ferriera, won gold and silver, respectively, link here! There was a crazy crash when a guy hit the edge hard on his first trick and then skidded to a stop. He laid there as medical personnel attended to him for a few minutes ... he got up and skied to the bottom.

From left; Silver medal winner Alex Ferreira, of the United States, gold medal winner David Wise, of the United States, and bronze medal winner Nico Porteous, of New Zealand, celebrate after the men's halfpipe final at Phoenix Snow Park at the 2018 Winter Olympics - ABC News

David Wise and his family celebrate after winning gold in the Freestyle Skiing Ski Halfpipe ... photo courtesy of Sporting News

US skiers, Mikaela Shriffin and Lindsey Vonn, skied in the women's alpine combined (downhill and slalom). Vonn led all skiers on the downhill but failed to finish the slalom. Shriffin trailed Vonn by 1.98 seconds after the downhill and skied third in the slalom to bag the silver.

Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin competing in the women's combined slalom at the 2018 Winter Olympics

JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/Getty Images

Finally ... US womens hockey. Such storylines ... the US women hockey team last won gold to Canada 5 Winter Olympics ago in 1998 and have lost the gold medal to Canada the last 4 times. The game didn't start until after 11 PM and I watched a bit of it before falling asleep. But ... I left the TV on. I woke just as the game, tied at 2-2, went into a shootout. The US outshot Canada 3-2 to win the gold medal!! Monique Lamoureux knotted the game late in the third period and her twin, Jocelyn Lamoureux scored the winning goal on the sixth shot of the shootout! Lots of links here, here and here. Factoid ... the game was on the 38th anniversary of the "Miracle on Ice" when the US mens hockey team defeated the CCCP 4-3 at Lake Placid, YouTube link of the last minute, here.

Jocelyne Lamoureux scoring the winning goal on the 6th shot of the shootout vs Canada - photo courtesy of Sporting News

The United States team celebrates winning the women's gold medal hockey game against Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) 

Thursday, 2/22/2018: 14719 steps during the day; 7.55 miles, 1:01:18, 8:07 pace, 34F, 86% RH, 7 mph E wind, wind chill 28F, overcast.


Back to the usual winter running apparel. I got out a bit and made it to Greece Arcadia High School at 5 PM so I could run my usual route. The wind was chilly but I powered through without any trouble. It was getting a bit dusky when I got done ... without any reflective gear or a headlamp. Well ... I did have on my usual yellow/black Brooks 1/4 zip pullover and beanie (what else). My splits were: 7:47, 8:02, 8:09, 8:20, 8:14, 8:13, 8:08 and 8:00 over the last 0.55 mile.

I warmed up ribs, baked potato and beets for supper and watched a bit of the Winter Olympics. Nothing too spectular ... a bit of biathalon and women's free skating finals. The Russian women, Zagitova and Menvedeva went 1-2 (after I was asleep), link here. A technical explanation of why they are hard to beat, link here.

Alina Zagitova of the Olympic Athletes of Russia performs during the women's free figure skating final in the Gangneung Ice Arena at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 23, 2018. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Friday, 2/23/2018: 6635 steps during the day, rest day.

My darling wife, Christine, went out to OH solo today. She joined her brothers, Bill and Rich, in going through her father's belongings. Her emotions are still raw but she knew that she had to do it s she went. I had other obligations on Saturday that I really didn't want to break plus I thought it was something that she and her siblings had to get through together.

I took down my 36 2017 race bibs and medals ... a bit late since I have already run 6 2018 races.

My 2017 race bibs and medals

So ... I ate leftovers and watched more of the Winter Olympics. Let's see ... men's 4 men bobsled, men's 1000m skating and men's big air.

Germany went 1-2 and South Korea captured the bronze in the men's 4 men bobsled, link here. I can't imagine being in a 1400 pound sled rocketing at up to 88 mph down an icy track! The German pilot, Francesco Friedrich, became the second man in 30 years to take home gold in both the 2 men and 4 men bobsled.

MARK RALSTON/Getty Images

Justin Olsen of the US pilots during 4 man bobsled training ... photo courtesy of Sporting News

Kjeld Nuis of the Netherlands captured the men's 1000m speedsking by 0.04 second, link here.

Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Sebastien Tourant of Canada won the inaurgural mens snowboard big air, link here. Its best two out of three format added extra excitement. Tourant landed his first two jumps with great scores, 84.75 and 89.5. Only 2 of 11 competitors landed their third jump cleanly.

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Saturday, 2/24/2018: 15652 steps during the day; 3 runs of 2.39, 4.35 and 2.25 miles.

I slept in until 6:45 AM. I didn't have to get ready until 8:20 AM so I had plenty of time to have a breakfast muffin and putter around for a bit.

I saw a tape of the men's curling final between US and Sweden. The shot that sent the US from a 5-5 time to 10-5 at the 8th end was awesome! A video of that shot, link here, and a NPR link here.

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Today's race was Freezeroo #6, the last race of the 6 race series. It was my eighth. The race has moved around and has been various distances. Churchville 10K - 2010, 52:02; 2011, 45:13 and 2012, 46:35. Northstar Christian Academy 5K - 2013, 23:11. Webster Casey Park 10K - 2014, 46:39; 2015 was canceled due to high snow banks and 2016, 46:03. Webster White House 4.4 mile - 2017, 31:20. The drive only took 20 minutes. I got there a bit before 9 AM so I snagged a prime parking spot.

The course was the old Polar Cat #2 2 loop course that I ran 2010, 31:31 and 2011, 30:21. I, along with other runners that I talked to, was not a fan of the clockwise course that runs with traffic at our backs.

I got out for a warm up run on the course as it should be run: counter-clockwise. I just took it nice and easy: 2.37 miles, 8:25 pace, link here. I met up with Prem Kumar and Andy Ciaio before the race. The RD explained the course and .... we were off! The weather conditions were: 41F, 70% RH, 7 mph N wind, wind chill 36F, overcast.



I was a bit farther back than I liked and there were a few elbows and apologies before I found some good running room.

The start ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

I got up to race pace and talked a bit with Andy before he went ahead. Heather Patterson said "Hi" as she passed me just before mile 1. The "running with traffic at our backs" got a bit dicey on one of the side streets with traffic going both ways trying to get by but not hit us. The run up the hill before the end of loop 1 ... begin loop 2 ... and repeat.

Loop 1 ... photo courtesy of Christina Darlak Ruhland

Pushing up the last hill on loop 2 ... photo courtesy of Christina Darlak Ruhland

I was a bit tired but I kept my pace and kept going. I wasn't going to catch the runner in front of me but I made sure no one passed me either. I gave encouragement to every slower runner that I passed on the second loop. Passed mile 4 ... downhill ... last uphill ... and done with 4.35 miles, 32:33, 7:29 pace according to my Garmin Forerunner 220. I started to walk back to the White House lodge but ... hooked with several runners out for a cool down run. I did another loop of the course: 2.25 miles, 8:37 pace, link here.

Post run loop with Prem ... photo courtesy of Christina Darlak Ruhland

There wasn't much pizza left when I got to the lodge so I had 3.5 donuts along with several cups of apple cider. I won my series M 60-64 age group and got $25 in cash. Bill Kehoe, the RD of the upcoming Johnny's Runnin' of the Green on 3/17 was there ... so I filled out the app and gave him the money. He and I got a chuckle out of it.

Bill Kehoe took my $25 from winning the Freezeroo series M 60-64 AG and my app so I could enter the 3/17 Johnny's Runnin' of the Green

The race results were up by the time I got home. Quick! Oh, my splits were: 7:24, 7:33, 7:35, 7:31 and 7:09 over the last 0.35 mile. I finished in 32:31, 42nd out of 146, link here. I was 3rd out of 13 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. I was behind Kevin Clinefelter and Bob Hamilton. I was 1st out of 7 in my series M 60-64 age group, link here. The Relive link to Freezeroo #6 is here.

I finally took down the 2017 race bibs and medals that had been decorating one of the walls in our townhouse. I figured it was time ... I've already ran 6 races in 2018.


I led the bachelor life with Christine away ... I ate leftovers. I made up a "Things to Do" list ... and proceeded to not "X" off many of the items (unfortunately). I also watched the Winter Olympics ... what else?

Ester Ladecka of the Czech Republics became the first women to win gold in alpine (Super G) and snowboard (Parallel Giant Slalom), links here and here. She is the reigning World Cup champion in the Parallel Giant Slalom for the past 2 years. Awesome!

Ester Ledecka powers down the parallel giant slalom course en route to her second gold medal of the 2018 Winter Games. (Martin Bureau / Associated Press)

Sunday, 2/11/2018 to Saturday, 2/17/2018 - Freezeroo #5

I ran 3 times this week, 17.52 miles.
I took 59,258 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 2/11/2018: 2631 steps during the day, sick and laundry day.

Yes ... I felt like crap. But ... 4 loads of laundry (towels, dark, tech and white) needed to be done so I did them while I felt like crap.

Monday, 2/12/2018: 5546 steps during the day, rest day.

I took a half day off of work in the afternoon to do a little grocery shopping. Then I stayed in bed and watched the Olympics. A nice touch of foreshadowing by NBC was to be had. They did a piece about 17 year old Chloe Kim who competed live in the women's half pipe later that night.

Chloe Kim won the gold medal in the snowboard women's halfpipe final at Phoenix Snow Park in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images

Kim’s gold-medal run. Composite image by Alexandra Garcia and Jeremy White of the NY Times

Well ... she laid down a first run of 93.75 to take (and keep) the lead and then a final run of 98.25 to win gold. “I knew that if I went home with a gold medal knowing I could do better, I wasn’t going to be very satisfied,” Kim said at the bottom of the pipe. - NY Times article. 

Awesome! Links here, here, here, here and here.

Tuesday, 2/13/2018: 6208 steps during the day, rest day.

I felt a bit better today. Christine seemed a bit surprised when I told her I was coming straight home instead going out for a run. I guess I have trained her that she has to make a late supper on Tuesdays and Thursday, lol!

The Winter Olympics was a bit of a bust early with delays due to wind for the alpine events along with some boring curling, hockey and warm ups for pairs in the ice dancing. But ... then it was time for the men's halfpipe. Shaun White took first with a 94.25 first run. He fell on his second run and then fell to second when Ayumu Hirano did a 95.25 with twin 1440s.

Shaun White is a gold medalist once again. (Gregory Bull/Associated Press)

So ... the stage was set for the last run, White's third and last run. He put down a 1440, 1440, and a double McTwist 1260 ... for a 97.75 and the gold medal. Awesome! Links here, here, here and an interesting take on White as a flawed hero here.There was a bit of online controversy ... in his excitement he let the US flag drag on the ground, link here.

Wednesday, 2/14/2018: 7245 steps during the day, rest day.

I came straight home after work, it was sunny ... I could have gotten for a 4 mile run but I didn't. I have to get back the 25 miles of running that the cold stole from me ... but not today.

Mikaela Shiffrin, gold medal in giant slalom - Screen grab from NY Post

Mikaela Shiffrin won the women's giant slalom while I was sleeping ... it was televised on tape in the evening due to the 14 hours time shift, link here.

Thursday, 2/15/2018: 15206 steps during the day; 7.55 miles, 1:02:35, 8:17 pace, 55F, 77% RH, 16 mph WSW wind, overcast.

So ... funny story. I took 2 hours vacation so I could get out in the 55F weather before sunset. I had my running gear so my plan was to change at work and work 7.55 or 10 from Greece Arcadia High School. Well ... I didn't have shorts or tights. Yep ... nothing to wear below the waist. So ... I went home. My shorts were in my running gear pile and my tights were still hanging up in the basement after being washed on Sunday. Well ... I changed and got out there.


I was a bit cold first due to the wind but I warmed up. The LOSP trail was 95% clear from Greenleaf Rd to Dewey and about 70% clear from Dewey to Island Cottage (there was a 200 yard shaded spot where I ran in 2 inches of wet snow ... no worries). I felt a bit sluggish but still thought about a 15K run instead of a 10K so I split the difference and ran Island Cottage up to Janes before turning for home. I saw and said "Hi" to Tom and Amy Butler on the LOSP trail. My splits were: 7:58, 8:31, 8:11, 8:19, 8:22, 8:34, 8:16 and 8:00 over the 0.55 mile.

Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Skeleton racing at the Winter Olympics is crazy! Imagine heading down an icy track face first!! Well ... South Korea won its first non-skating medal. Home court advantage for "Ironman" Yun Sung-bin who won gold, link here.

Friday, 2/16/2018: 6774 steps during the day, rest day.

Just your normal Friday ... work, groceries at Herrema's, supper, Olympics, bed.

Linsay Vonn after her "wide turn" run - Getty Images

Lindsey Vonn took a wide last turn in the Super G and finished out of the medals in a tie for sixth, link here. Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic won the Super G in an upset by 0.01 second, link here. She asked a cameraman after her run, "How did this happen?"

"I just wanted to leave here satisfied with what I have done and I definitely am," Nathan Chen said, after rebounding from a rough short program to make a personal-best score in the men's free skate. - Aris Messinis /AFP/Getty Images

Nathan Chen landed 6 quads in his free skate, link here. He was first for a while and eventually finished in fifth.

Saturday, 2/17/2018: 15648 steps during the day; 2 runs of 2 and 7.97 miles.

Today's race was Freezeroo #5. The race venue was Braddock Bay Park which is just a 10 minute hop, skip and jump down the Parkway from my townhouse. This was the second year at this venue. I ran 1:00:24 last year. The race wasn't held in 2016 due to below zero wind chills. I ran this 4 out of 5 years when it was held at the Greece DPW on Long Pond Rd (2011 - 1:01:36, 2012 - 59:41, 2014 - 59:26 and 2015 - 1:01:56). The weather was ideal: low 20s, sunny and light wind.

I was up at 6:30 AM. I had been emailed 5 or 6 times about the early Freezeroo #5 start of 9 AM so I started to get ready at 7:30 AM. I had already had my usual pre-race breakfast of cereal and banana. The temperature was in the low 20s so I wore my CW-X tights with shorts over, a long sleeve tech, yellow/black Brooks 1/4 pullover, yellow/black Brooks beanie, ski mittens and sunglasses. I drove the 2014 Cruze and got to the race venue just after 8 AM. I picked up my race bib and got out for a 2 mile nice and easy warm up run at 9:04 pace with Prem Kumar and Steve Levitsky, link here. The weather was: 21F, 79% RH, 6 mph S wind, wind chill 13F, sunny.

The start .... photo courtesy of Christina Darlak Ruhland

Everyone seemed a bit bashful about lining up for the start until the last second. And ... we were off! I ran next to Andy Ciaio for a bit. He almost didn't miss a patch of ice just as we made it to E Manitou Rd. I started a bit fast and that did catch up to me. Runners started to pass me as I slowed a bit ... Steve Levitsky and Heather Patterson. The miles slowly went by ... there were ice fishermen on Cranberry Pond. I gave a "You can do it" or something like that to every early runner that I passed. Eric and Sheila Eagan who lived about 100 yards away from the course on Cranberry St (around mile 6) were out giving everyone encouragement.

Heather Patterson passing by Eric Eagan. I'm the yellow speck in the background.

I had a slight pain in my right thigh that I tried to ignore ... but I was tired and did slow a bit. I didn't stop to walk but just sucked it up and kept going. Mile 7 on East Manitou Rd ... the turn back into Braddock Bay Park ... still 1/2 mile ... keep going ... timer over 1 hour ... done in 1:00:58, 7:39 pace by my Garmin Forerunner 220. The weather was: 25F, 74% RH, 6 mph SW wind, wind chill 18F, partly cloudy.

Cruising into the finish .... photo courtesy of Christina Darlak Ruhland

I headed into the lodge. I had a delicious bagel with 1/2 strawberry jelly and 1/2 Reeses peanut butter/chocolate spread along with a pint of water. Soon I was home with my feet up and a mug of coffee in my left hand. The results were soon up on hourglassworks.com. I was 34th out of 125, link here. I was 3rd out of 13 in my M 60-64 age group (behind Charlie Andrews and Kevin Clinefelter), link here. My splits were: 7:29, 7:34, 7:38, 7:40, 7:36, 7:42, 7:52 and 7:38 ... so I didn't slow down as much as I thought. The Relive link to Freezeoo #5 is here.

Lots of Winter Olympics watching ensued. Women's Biathlon, US Men's Hockey, Long Hill Ski Jump, Short Track, Aerial Jumping and more. We also watched most of the Saskatchewan Rush - Rochester Knighthawks lacrosse game held live downtown at the Blue Cross Arena. The Hawks held on to win 16-11 versus a previously undefeated road team and improved to 4-6 on the season.

Sunday, 2/4/2018 to Saturday, 2/10/2018

I ran 3 times this week, 24.45 miles.
I took 69,915 steps during the week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 2/4/2018: 12840 steps during the day; 9.35 miles, 1:15:50, 8:07 pace, 36F, 87% RH, 7 mph SSW wind, wind chill 30F, overcast with a light mist.


Sunday ... time for another run. I didn't get out until just 10 AM. Better late than never. It was warmer so I choose my "cold" gear: CW-X tights, a long sleeve tech, yellow/black Brooks 1/4 pullover, yellow/black Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I wore my Brooks Transcend 3 running shoes age ... gotta get them up to 600 miles! I set up a bit quicker pace on the same route as yesterday. My splits were: 7:54, 8:02, 7:58, 8:15, 8:33, 7:48, 7:56, 8:10, 8:25 and 7:57 over the last 0.35 mile. Just getting it done.

Soon I had changed out of my sweaty clothes, had my feet up with a mug of coffee by my side and I was watching the pre Super Bowl hype. My darling wife, Christine, had a cold so she was upstairs nursing it. I brought up food and drink occasionally ... chicken noodle soup and a cheese sandwich along with water.

The Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots was epic full of twists and turns. The Eagles won, 41-33, links here, here, here and here. The ads were pretty good, link here and here.

Monday, 2/5/2018: 6571 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 2/6/2018: 17342 steps during the day; 7.55 miles, 59:54, 7:56 pace, 23F, 63% RH, 9 mph W wind, wind chill 13F, mostly cloudy.


I got ... err ... snuck .... out 20 minutes early from work so I was up at Greece Arcadia High School at 5 PM. It was great to run after work in the daylight! I didn't turn on my Tracer360 and InnoGear headlamp until heading back on Island Cottage. I pushed the pace a bit ... boom. My splits were: 7:34, 8:00, 8:07, 7:45, 7:52, 8:00. 8:02 and 8:09 over the last 0.55 mile.

Wednesday, 2/7/2018: 8605 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 2/8/2018: 16920 steps during the day; 7.55 miles, 59:19, 7:51 pace, 19F, 67% RH, 13 mph W wind, wind chill 6F, mostly sunny.


A couple of things ... I got out early again so I was up at Greece Arcadia High School at 5 PM. I didn't remember that I had forgot to lock the doors of the '18 Cruze until I was about 1/2 mile down Island Cottage. But ... I didn't turn around. The car was parked in a high school parking lot and it was daylight. It did put a bit of pep in my step though. It was just windy enough to make it feel a bit nippy. I wore my balaclava and ski mitten along with my usual "cold" running gear. My splits were quick: 7:31, 7:58, 7:57, 7:42, 7:49, 7:55, 8:00 and 8:04 over the last 0.55 mile. The '18 Cruze had been undisturbed in my absence. I got really cold shortly after I got home. A mug of hot chocolate and leftover ribs cured that ... ahhh and mmm!

Friday, 2/9/2018: 6887 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 2/10/2018: 750 steps during the day, sick day.

I woke up with a head cold ... and pretty much stayed in bed all day. I wanted to run ... but couldn't. How did I catch it? Well ... I got too close to my darling wife, Christine, and caught her cold. I'll leave to the reader's imagination how that happened ... the perils and pleasures of being married. So ... I laid in bed and watched a couple of free TNT On Demand movies off of Spectrum: The Man from U.N.C.L.E and Ant-Man along with the Winter Olympics. Christine was still getting over her cold so we did what we had to do and not much more.

Sunday, 1/28/2018 to Saturday, 2/3/2018

I ran 4 times this week, 28.36 miles.
I took 75,057 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 1/28/2018: 13762 steps during the day; 8.25 miles, 1:12:00, 8:43 pace, 34F, 86% RH, 6 mph SW wind, wind chill 28F, mostly sunny.

I was up before 7 AM but didn't get out until 9 AM. I almost got sucked into the couch when I was sorting through my Yahoo! email. I use Mozilla Thunderbird when I really want to delete email since it allows me to sort by correspondents (and thus delete or sort tons of email) so much easier. I really should do a massive unsubscribe to a lot of correspondents!


But ... I did get out. It was around freezing and I wore my usual: CX-X tights, long sleeve tech, yellow/black Brooks 1/4 zip pullover, yellow/black Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. Well ... I endured another blah run. I had to contend with some issues: black ice on the LOSP trail, feeling like a slug due to eating out 2 nights in a row, being a bit overdressed, my left ankle ached a bit and personal stuff. I did take walk breaks but I got it done. My splits were: 10:26, 8:21, 8:16, 8:30, 8:54, 8:31, 8:33, 8:28 and 8:02 over the last 0.25 mile. I'm still not over 100 miles for January so I will have to get out on Tuesday to put me over the top.

Later in the morning... Christine's daughter, Beth, and her mother-in-law, Linda, came over to say goodbye before heading back to Cleveland. It was not a pleasant goodbye ... which is all I will say. Christine was still grieving for her father and her emotions were quite raw. Later in the afternoon ... I went out to Herrema's to get some groceries. Christine had gone through their ad and I had a "honey-get-this" list. Sometimes you just have to go to the local mom'n'pop supermarket rather than go to Wegmans. We had Lloyd's Ribs for supper ... mmm!

Monday: 1/29/2018: 6692 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 1/30/2018: 18101 steps during the day; 5 miles on the treadmill

I thought about getting outside for the last run of the month ... I really did. But ... 6 inches of snow fell in the morning, it was cold, it was windy and I thought that the road shoulders would be sloppy. So ... I opted for a treadmill at the Greenleaf Meadows exercise room. Yes ... lame. I endured 5 miles of boredom at 8:34 pace. Time does seem to go exceedingly slow when you run on a treadmill.

Time goes a LOT slower when you run on a treadmill!

Wednesday, 1/31/2018: 5750 steps during the day, rest day.

Stats for the month of January:
I ran 17 times for 101.04 miles, 5.94 miles/run.
I ran 4 races:
   Freezeroo #2 on 1/1/18 - 7.5 miles, 59:36, 7:57 pace
   Winter Warrior Half on 1/6/18 - 13.1 miles, 1:55:15, 8:48 pace
   Freezeroo #3 on 1/13/18 - 5 miles, 41:36, 8:10 pace
   Freezeroo #4 on 1/27/18 - 4.88 miles, 37:21, 7:39 pace
I took a walk/run on snowshoes of 2.2 miles.
I walked 320,848 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smartwatch.

It was a struggle to get past 100 miles of running this month due to many factors. Let's see ... snow, cold, wind, ice, a death and just lack of motivation. I had to resort to running with trail shoes on the road several times and even the dreaded treadmill once. But ... I got it done.

Thursday, 2/1/2018: 12744 steps during the day; 5.76 miles, 46:09, 8:01 pace, 37F, 75% RH, 14 mph W wind, wind chill 29F, overcast.


The forecast was for a cold front to take away the temperature that was in the low 40s and drop it back to the teens by morning. I got out after work just as the cold front swept in so I had to contend with a cold wind from the west. I doubted my clothing choice of no balaclava and no heavy Craft long sleeve tech at first until I warmed up. I also had to contend with a dim and dying InnoGear headlamp so I cut the run short to get in while it provided a bit of light. I guess I should just recharge its NiCad batteries once a week. Anyway, my splits were: 7:44, 8:10, 8:17, 7:53, 8:03 and 7:55 over the last 0.76 mile.

Funny story. I went to BJ's last night. I bought a big bag of toilet paper and tried to throw it upstairs. Well ... my wedding ring flew off my finger! I heard it clink as it hit something in the townhouse ... who knows where. I didn't tell Christine. I looked around for it for a couple of minutes but couldn't find it. Christine didn't notice during the night. I woke up at 5 AM this morning and looked for it until just before 6 AM but didn't find it. I told Christine about my lost wedding ring ... she gave me a hug. She told me that it was just a material thing and that it was probably in the plastic trash bags that were hanging on the stair rail. I went to work and came back home. She had found my lost wedding ring ... in the bags that were hanging on the stair rail.

Friday, 2/2/2018: 6354 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 2/3/2018: 11654 steps during the day; 9.36 miles, 1:17:00, 8:17 pace, 19F, 67% RH, 18 mph WSW wind, wind chill 4F, mostly sunny.


Yes, it was cold and windy but ... it was Saturday so I got out there and ran. Call what you will ... mental discipline, gumption or sheer will. The first step out the door is the toughest and it gets even tougher when the wind chill is in the single numbers. I put on almost all of my cold weather gear: CW-X tights with shorts, heavy Craft long sleeve tech, yellow/black Brooks 1/4 zip pullover, balaclava, yellow/black Brooks beanie, GRTC neck fleece and ski mittens. I added ski goggles to protect my eyes. I wore my Brooks Transcend 3 road shoes. Yes, they have 565 miles and are a bit worn but I went back to them because I like the Brooks better than the new Scott Palani road shoes. I set up a nice and steady pace to start and kept it there except for taking a tiny walk at the start of Greenleaf Rd on the way back. The drivers that saw me must have thought I was nuts but I'm used to it. My splits were: 8:20, 8:05, 8:13, 8:25, 8:30, 7:49, 8:03, 8:07, 8:41 and 7:54 over the last 0.36 mile.

Sunday, 1/21/2018 to Saturday, 2/27/2018 - Freezeroo #4

I ran 5 times this week, 27.78 miles.
1 walked 75,873 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 1/21/2018: 11029 steps during the day; 7.25 miles, 58:02, 8:00 pace, 43F, 70% RH, 3 mph SW wind, overcast.


The cramp in my left calf was gone and it was still above 40F so ... I wore shorts when I went out for my Sunday run. Christine wanted to go the Greenleaf Meadows exercise room so I drove her down there and set off on my run. I wore shorts, calf sleeves, yellow/black Brooks 1/4 zip pullover, yellow/black Brooks beanies and heavy running gloves. There wasn't too much of my legs exposed but I bet I did scare some drivers, LOL! Oh, I also wore my new orange Scott Palani road shoes that I bough off of Left Lane Sports a couple of months ago. They did put a bit of a "new shoe" spring in my step. The outside of my right ankle rubbed against the top of the shoe but I paid it no mind ... this time. I decided to not go too awfully long since Christine was at the exercise room. My splits were: 7:41, 7:50, 8:03, 8:05, 8:04, 8:15 and 8:08 over the last 0.25 mile.

Soon ... I was warming up to a couple of mugs of coffee while I watched the NFL Conference Finals. Game 1 was the Jaguars versus the Patriots. The Pats came from 10 down in the 4th quarter to win 24-20, link here. Game 2 was the Eagles versus the Vikings. The Eagles completely dominated and won 38-7, link here. It was not a good day to beat against the spread. Both the Pats (-7.5) and Vikings (-3) didn't cover or lost outright.

Monday, 1/22/2018: 7534 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 1/23/2018: 14928 steps during the day; 5.05 miles, 42:27, 8:24 pace, 39F, 81% RH, 18 mph W wind, wind chill 30F, overcast.


Tuesday was a run day so I ran. It had turned colder again so I wore my usual cold weather gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, yellow/black Brooks 1/4 zip pullover, balaclava, yellow/black Brooks beanie and ski mittens. I wore my Nathan Tracer360 and Innogear headlamp to be seen and to see. I'm a creature of habit so I set out from Greece Arcadia High School like usual. I wore my new Scott Palani road shoes ... ouch!! The outside of the right ankle rubbed against the shoe. I stopped and adjusted it but to no avail. I had to really shorten my stride and hit mid-sole to alleviate the pain and I cut the run short which pissed me off. My splits were: 8:02, 8:46, 8:25, 8:07 and 8:39.

My darling wife, Christine, had cooked ribs and potatoes which really helped me post-run. Oh, how I love ribs! Oh, I love Christine too!

Wednesday, 1/24/2018: 5850 steps during the day, rest day.

My Ricoh cell and Pebble 2 HR smartwatch talk to each other ... as they should. Well ... my smartwatch vibrated just as I was going to step out the door to go to work. It told me of heavy traffic with a 21 minute delay to work. So ... I opened the Google Maps app and found that it suggested that I take Latta to Mt Read to Ridgeway to work. So ... I did and got to work on time. Well ... 15 minutes early which what time I like to get to work. Google ... so sweet but a little creepy!

Thursday, 1/25/2018: 13944 steps during the day; 6.25 miles, 50:52, 8:08 pace, 27F, 36% RH, 6 mph WNW wind, wind chill 20F, overcast.

I was determined to get my new Scott Palani road shoes to work for me so I added a pair of cushioned insoles that I had lying around. I wore them all day during work. I got a couple of comments during the day about my "loud" orange shoes. They were OK. The additional insole raised my right foot so my right ankle wasn't hitting the shoe but my left pinkie toe was up against the other shoe. So ... that was on my mind all day. Plus, I couldn't get my drivers window to roll down all day due to the cold. I know ... #firstworldproblems. I called up my darling wife, Christine, to ask her to make hamburgers for supper.


Anyway ... I needed to run. Work demands didn't let me get dressed to run just before work and run at Greece Arcadia High School so I went home. I got dressed there and headed out in my usual "cold but not too cold" running gear. I thought that the LOSP trail would be clear and I was correct. The 50F weather early in the week and no snow since then helped make it 95% clear except in a few shaded spots. The result was that I was able to get up some speed as I just did a 10K out and back in the dark (well lit by my InnoGear headlamp). My splits were: 7:59, 8:10, 8:03, 8:11, 8:13, 8:15 and 7:58 over the last 0.25 mile. Christine didn't want to use bread for the hamburgers so she made rice instead and served the hamburgers over rice with gravy ... mmm ... delicious!

Friday, 1/26/2018: 5562 steps during the day, rest day.

Christine's daughter, Beth, and her mother-in-law, Linda, came out from Cleveland to help celebrate Christine's 60th birthday. So we all met up at the Distillery on West Ridge Rd for supper. I had the Philly Cheesesteak for supper ... kind of tasty.

Christine with all her birthday presents from her daughter, Beth

Saturday, 1/27/2018: 17026 steps during the day, 2 runs of 4.35 and 4.88 miles.


I weighed myself when I got up at 6 AM and I had gained 3 pounds! So ... I got out for a short 4.35 mile run before the sun rose. I tried to hold myself back but I run how I run so I kept it short since I had to run a Freezeroo at 10 AM. The clouds in the east sky were kind of pretty. The weather was: 45F, 45% RH, 12 mph SW wind, wind chill 39F, mostly cloudy. My splits were: 8:13, 8:18, 8:06, 8:34 and 8:19 over the last 0.35 mile.

I rested a bit and then got geared (I thought) for Freezeroo #4. The race venue was a lodge at Victor Municipal Town Park for the second year. The distance of Freezeroo has varied over the years I have run it: 6.385 miles at Powder Mill Park with the big hill before mile 5 in 2011 (48:22), 2012 (47:07), 2013 (50:11), 2014 (50:43); 5.9 miles at Powder Mill Park in 2015 (44:04), 6.34 miles at Powder Mill Park in 2016 (47:21) and 4.88 miles at Victor Municipal Park in 2017 (36:26).

I wore my usual cold weather gear: CW-X tights, a long sleeve tech and my yellow/black Brooks 1/4 zip pullover. But ... I saw the temperature increase to about 50F as I drove out to Victor. So ... I was thinking I would be overdressed. But ... I checked my running bag and found no shorts. So ... I ditched the long sleeve tech and made do. I met up with Andy Ciaio, Prem Kumar and Heather Patterson. Andy ribbed me about my lack of shorts, Prem said "Hi" and Heather looked great for having a baby 3 months ago. Chris and her baby were out in the parking lot. I saw Bob Hamilton and knew I was second in my age group since he's faster. I got my bib and waited for the start after I did an itty-bitty unrecorded warmup run. Oh, the weather was: 45F, 45% RH, 12 mph SW wind, wind chill 39F, mostly cloudy.

The start ... photo courtesy of Christina Darlak Ruhland

The start ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

 And ... we were off! I got up to speed quickly. I never saw Prem after the start. Heather and Andy talked for a bit while they ran ahead of me for a 1/2 mile or so. Then Andy pulled away. This course had rolling hills for the first mile and I was hurting after the first mile. I maintained my speed as the course flattened out with a long uphill to mile 2. I'm told that there was a downhill for the last 2 miles but I can't verify that.

At Break of Day Rd ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

But I kept running .. it's only 5 miles! I saw Heather about 100 yards ahead but I couldn't get any closer. Her running is really coming along!

Flying for the finish ... photo courtesy of Christina Darlak Ruhland

I could see the finish line up ahead ... and ... done in 37:21 according to my Garmin.

I headed over to the 14 Cruze to get a sweatshirt since I was pretty sweaty. I had a couple pieces of pizza up at the lodge and then headed home. The results were soon posted: my official time was 37:21, 7:39 pace. I was 37th out of 150, link here. I was 2nd out of 9 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. My splits were: 7:33, 8:09, 7:42, 7:31 and 7:17 over the last 0.88 mile. A good morning with 2 runs! The Relive link for Freezeroo #4 is here.

Christine, Beth and Linda were out and about at one of Beth's friend's house in Churchville and then over to Casa Larga Vineyards in Fairport. I met up with them at the Genesee Brew House while I watched them eat.

A Genny poster at Genesee Brew House

High Falls from the Genesee Brew House roof

I had a couple of bites of Christine's Sausage Platter since I had the GRTC Annual Banquet at 6 PM. I cut out to head out to the Bergundy Basin Inn in Bushnells Basin around 4:45 PM.

The agenda ... photo courtesy of Vicky Beaver

I used Google Maps and got there a bit after 5 PM. I sat with Tom and Amy Butler, Kevin Clinefelter and his wife, Prem, Jack and Tom Lamme. The GRTC Annual Banquet proceeded as usual: the food was better than usual, the GRTC Hall of Fame presentations for Pete "One Mile" and Tim Dwyer went well and I got the usual swag for finishing 4th in the 2017 Rochester Runner of the Year M 55-59 age group. I never knew that Pete had a tryout with the Dallas Cowboys back in the day! Kudos to Tim Dwyer for running 82 marathons and 50 triathlons in 15 years!

Walking back to my table with my swag ... photo courtesy of Vicky Beaver

Pete "One Mile" Van Peursen ... photo courtesy of Vicky Beaver

Tim Dwyer ... photo courtesy of Vicky Beaver

The 12 race 2018 Rochester Runner of the Year schedule was released:

3/17/2018	Johnny's Runnin' of the Green 5-Miler	5 Miles
5/13/2018	Highland Hospital Lilac Run (10K)	6.2 Miles
5/26/2018	Sunset House 5K	3.1 Miles
6/15/2018	Charlie McMullen Mile	1 Mile
6/17/2018	Medved 5K to Cure ALS	3.1 Miles
6/30/2018	Charlie's Old Goat Trail Run	7 Miles
9/2/2018	Oak Tree Half Marathon	13.1 Miles
9/23/2018	Iron Angel (XC) 5K	3.1 Miles
10/13/2018	Finish Strong 15K	9.3 Miles
10/20/2018	Scare Brain Cancer Away 5K	3.1 Miles
11/3/2018	East Avenue Grocery Run	3.1 Miles
11/22/2018	Race with Grace 10K	6.2 Miles

Johnny's always kicks off the racing season. The Lilac 10K is always there along with the Charlie McMullen Mile, Medved 5K to Cure ALS 5K, Oak Tree Half Marathon (I hate that course), Iron Angel 5K, Finish Strong 15K, Scare Brain Cancer Away 5K, Grocery Run 5K and Race with Grace 10K. Charlie's Old Goat Trail Run is returning after a year hiatus. The Sunset House 5K is new. It looks like I have some races to sign up for!

Sunday, 1/14/2018 to Saturday, 1/20/2018

I ran 2 times during this week, 16.9 miles.
I took 61,519 steps during this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 1/14/2018: 4701 steps during the day, rest day.

John H Wisniewski, 2/13/1921 - 1/10/2018, may he rest in peace

Christine, my darling wife, and I got up, packed, and got going by 8:20 AM. The driving weather was calm and sunny. I lost one of my gloves during the drive. I think it fell out of my left pocket at a rest area just before Buffalo ... oh well. It made for a bit of a story later since it was so cold. We got out to the funeral home, sscfuneralhomes.com, in Ravenna OH a bit after 1 PM. The calling hours for her father, John Henry Wisniewski, obituary here, were from 2 PM to 6 PM. I stayed close to Christine and we got through it. It was kind of nice to see most of Christine's relations ... just not under these circumstances. There were several picture boards of family pictures that showed Christine long before I first knew her when she was 18 and also during her first marriage when her two children, John and Beth, were children. We were exhausted afterward and went straight to the Townehouse Suites in Streetsboro OH, link here. Our reservation was set up by Christine's grandniece-in-law, Natalie, who works for Marriott. She got us a great rate! It was a studio apartment with a full kitchenette, wow! So I just went to the Walmart across the street to get a rotisserie chicken and a couple of salads. The glove selection at Walmart was pretty picked over so I passed and continued to be gloveless. We ate off of real plates, silverware and glasses back at the hotel!  Hotels brought out the lovey-dovey in us ... nice!

Monday, 1/15/2018: 4058 steps during the day, rest day.

I may bitch and moan about how Christine over packs when we got somewhere because I have to lug it around. But ... she did happen to bring a pair of Greater Rochester Track Club (GRTC) gloves that I got as a series gift for signing up for last year's Freezeroo. They're light but a lot better than not wearing anything when it's cold outside. So ... I guess it's a good thing that I lug around her luggage!

We had a bit of trouble getting up and back to the funeral home by 9 AM for a short service before the coffin was taken to the church. Christine's brother, Rich, fell when he was leaving the funeral home but he bounced back up without any trouble. The funeral was at the Immaculate Conception Church at 10 AM. The Catholic funeral involved a lot of standing, praying and reciting rote responses (that I didn't know). There was a reception at the church's community center afterward. We hung out there until it was time to head out to the burial. We stopped to get gas and coffee. We didn't dawdle but we were 12 minutes late. So ... the very short burial side service was over by the time we got there. Oops! Then we headed back home to Rochester. The travel went fine until it got dark. I got a bit antsy while driving from Buffalo onward. I held it together and we got home safely.

Tuesday, 1/16/2018: 2541 steps during the day, rest day.

Christine and I vegged out all day. I had the day off. I thought about getting outside for a run but couldn't move my butt off the couch.

Wednesday, 1/17/2018: 10504 steps during the day, rest day.

Back to the salt mines. I got out of work a half hour after I "officially" clocked out ... so no run.

Thursday, 1/18/2018: 19150 steps during the day; 7.55 miles, 1:02:55, 8:20 pace, 21F, 79% RH, 8 mph W wind, wind chill 12F, overcast.


My mind and body took turns to make all kinds of excuses so I could bag this run. I refused to listen to them. I didn't have my shorts to go over my tights (I made do). I didn't have my Nathan Zipster (I made do by putting my cell in my Nathan SpeedDraw). I didn't have my RoadID (I ran without it). I dressed just before I clocked out of work and drove to my usual winter after work run venue, the Greece Arcadia High School. I put on my Nathan Tracer360 lighted vest and InnoGear headlamp. I forgot to put on my ski goggles but I did have my ski mittens. I got going before I could change my mind. I set up a nice and easy pace. The 1.5 miles into the wind on Janes Rd sucked a bit but I put my head down and got through it. Other than that ... the run didn't suck so much. I think I need new road shoes since my knees hurt a bit after the run. My splits were: 7:44, 18, 23, 09, 18, 40, 34 and 48 over the last 0.55 mile. Back home ... I found all my "lost" gear. My shorts were on my laundry pile. My Zipster and RoadID were in the gear bag that I had taken to Cleveland ... just in case I got a chance to run on a treadmill.

Friday, 1/19/2018: 7238 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 1/20/2018: 13327 steps during the day; 9.35 miles, 1:20:48, 8:38 pace, 39F, 60% RH, 22 mph W wind, wind chill 29F, mostly sunny.


I don't normally have a blah run but today I did. I woke up with a cramp in my left calf. I limped around but ... I run on Saturdays so I did. I didn't how my body would react ... it didn't react so well. My thighs and feet were a bit achy. I had a few walk breaks during miles 4 and 5. Then I sucked it up and got it done. I think my Brooks Transcend 3 road shoes (565 miles) have a few too many miles on them. My splits were: 8:18, 8:39, 8:48, 8:55, 9:30, 8:11, 8:21, 8:15, 8:55 and 8:16 over the last 0.35 mile.

But ... no rest for the weary. I showered and got out to see my daughter, Karen, in Palmyra and my oldest son, Michael, in Macedon. Karen had just bought a new HP laptop when her old laptop had a startup problem the night before she started another class at SNHU. I transferred 224 GB of data without any trouble while her mother and Karen went out looking for a therapy dog. Michael and I caught up on what had happened since we last saw each other.

Sunday, 1/7/2018 to Saturday, 1/13/2018 - Freezeroo #3

I ran 4 times this week, 18.91 miles.
I took 65,281 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 1/7/2018: 2427 steps during the day, rest day.

I got out early to BJs and Wegmans before the first Bills playoff game since 1999. It seemed that most of Greece decided to hit up Wegmans around noon also.

So ... the Buffalo Bills versus the Jacksonville Jaguars Wild Card game. It was close. The Bills had the ball at the 1 and they ran right? Wrong, they passed and got called for offensive pass interference. The end result? A FG instead of a TD. So ... Bortles, the Jag QB, ran for 88 yards, 1 more than he passed (2nd time in the playoffs since Michael Vick did it for the Eagles in 2004). So ... Taylor was knocked out in the 4th quarter. What did Peterson do? Throw a game ending interception! So ... the Bills lost 3-10. Links here, here, here and here.

Monday, 1/8/2018: 6559 steps during the day, rest day.

Just your normal non-running Monday. Bah!

Tuesday, 1/9/2018: 6901 steps during the day, an unscheduled rest day.

I had all intentions of running today but just couldn't do it. I think I was suffering from epic race letdown ... aka the 2018 Winter Warrior Half.

Wednesday, 1/10/2018: 15236 steps during the day; 7.55 miles, 1:03:20, 8:23 pace, 45F, 70% RH, 10 mph SSW wind, wind chill 39F, overcast.

Christine, my darling wife, received sad news this morning around 3 AM. Her father, John Wisniewski, died in Ravenna OH. He was 96 years young and until the past 6 months or so had been pretty spry and volunteered at the Center of Hope food bank. I enjoyed hearing his stories of WW II and his service in the Phillipines. May he rest in peace.


I needed to run so I got out after work. I dressed just before 5 PM and got to my usual night time haunt, Greece Arcadia High School, around 5:20 PM. I probably overdressed with CW-X tights, a long sleeve tech, yellow/black Brooks 1/4 zip pullover, yellow/black Brooks beanie and ski mittens. I wore my Nathan Tracer360 and InnoGear headlamp. My pace varied on this run. My legs grew tired either due to the Winter Warrior Half 4 days ago or old road shoes with 550 miles on them ... or both. My splits were: 7:41, 8:07, 8:18, 8:22, 8:39, 8:37, 8:46 and 8:44 over the last 0.55 mile.

Thursday, 1/11/2018:  15083 steps during the day, 4.05 miles, 36:54, 9:07 pace, 54F, 62% RH, 15 mph SW wind, overcast.


The weather have gotten warmer over the past day ... so I thought maybe I would take a pre-lunch run on the Erie Canal path. It's gotta be somewhat free of snow ... right? That would a solid NO! Yes, I wore shorts, yellow/black Brooks 1/4 zip pullover and heavy running gloves along with road shoes. Well ... the Erie Canal path had some tiny sections of pavement but the vast majority of it was covered with 2 to 3 inches of wet snow along with a bit of ice. So ... my road shoes and socks were soaked in short order. It was a tough slog out with my shoes slipping and sliding for a mile until my 220 clicked to 2 miles ... and then I turned around and went back. I didn't see the need to punish my legs any farther. My splits were: 8:35, 9:38, 10:22 and 7:59. You can tell that miles 2 and 3 were on the Erie Canal path!

Friday, 1/12/2018: 4686 steps during the day, rest day.

A really weird weather day in Rochester. The high was 60F around noon and then the temperature fell. Rain and then freezing rain by 5 PM and then snow after dark. The forecast was for at least 6 to 12 inches of snow by morning.

Saturday, 1/13/2018: 14389 steps during the day; 5.11 miles, 14F, 81% RH, 10 mph NW wind, wind chill 1F, mostly cloudy.

Today's race was Freezeroo #3 out at Pineways Pond Park in Spencerport. I trolled Facebook and there were posts that the roads in Spencerport were clear so ... I geared up for a cold weather run, kissed Christine goodbye and stepped out the door. A foot of snow greeted me. I had the foresight to put on my boots so I hoofed out to the 2018 Cruze, cleared it off and headed out.

I got to the race venue early enough that I helped set up the tables and chairs. I brought in my running gear bag so I could take off my boots and put on my trail shoes. I wore my usual "really cold" running gear: CW-X tights with shrts, long sleeve tech, Craft long sleeve tech, yellow/black Brooks pullover, balaclava, Winter Warrior hat along with goggles and ski mittens. The turnout was light because many people were still digging out from the overnight snowfall.

The start ... photo courtesy of Christina Darlak Ruhland

I didn't warm up and just headed to the start. It was cold. And ... we were off! I almost slipped and fell on my ass ... but I didn't and got up to some semblance of a race pace. The footing was not the best with about an inch of snow on the road.

The turn around mile 1 ... photo courtesy of Vicky Beaver

The footing didn't improve much on the various roads that the course was on. Luckily there wasn't much wind. I went into a "get it done" race pace. I wasn't getting passed and I could pass anyone as stretched out. And ... done in 42:03 according to my Garmin (I forgot to turn off for a few seconds).

Just before the finish ... photo courtesy of Christina Durlak Ruhland

Crossing the timing strip ... photo courtesy of Vicky Beaver

I walked up to the lodge and just sat for a while. I had a cup of chicken noodle soup and a bagel with peanut butter ... delicious. I am not normally a soup man after a run but today it spoke to me. I forgot to bring my wallet so I went straight home.

The results were posted shortly after I had relaxed with a mug of coffee. My official time was 41:46, xx pace, 14th out of 64, link here. I was 1st out of 5 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. My splits were: 8:04, 8:14, 8:20, 8:16, 8:03 and 9:46 over the last 0.11 mile (with a bit of walking). The Relive link for Freezeroo #3 is here.

I didn't think that I should rest on a mere 5.11 miles on a Saturday. But what to do? I thought a snowshoe was in order. So ... I geared up and got out there again. It was still cold but I settled into a snowshoe walk out on the Lake Shore Country Club. The weather conditions were: 12F, 66% RH, 12 mph WNW wind, wind chill -2F, overcast.


The snow wasn't so deep that I couldn't break into a slow run ... so I did when I could. Boom. My splits were: 18:59, 17:36 and 15:03 over the last 0.2 mile.

Christine and I had thought abut heading out to Ravenna OH for her father's funeral the night before but we didn't. She had trouble sleeping so she was up most of the night. I had trouble sleeping also.