Sunday, 12/30/2018 to Saturday, 1/5/2019 - Freezeroo #2 and Winter Warrior Half

I ran 5 times: 28.93 miles.
I took 69,923 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Common abbreviations: OMEP is my Orange Mud Endurance Pack, NT360 is my NoxGear 
Tracer360 vest, UWRG is my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava and Brooks beanie.

Sunday, 12/30/2018: 543 steps during the day, rest day.

My thighs hurt so I took it easy.

Monday, 12/31/2018: 710 steps during the day, rest day.

The usual rest day before a race the next day. So ... my lovely wife, Christine, and I watched a lot of "Charmed" and ate leftovers.

My blue Salomon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes have 823 miles on them. Yes ... they have holes in them ... but I have worn them since January 1st 2015. I have worn them through multiple snowy Frezeroos, multiple Dirt Cheaps, a Muddy Sneaker 20K, multiple Mess the Dress trail races, an Ontario Summit Trail Marathon, a Webster Trail Classic, multiple Charlie's Old Goat Trail Runs, multiple Dam Good Trail Races, multiple Heather Boyum 5Ks, multiple Dirt Cheap Stage Races, multiple 0 Degree WTF! trail races, a Mendon Trail Run 50K, multiple MFAMTLs, a Many on the Genny, a Winter Warrior Half and multiple snowshoe run/walks. I love their aggressive tread and the traction that the SpeedCross 3 gave me. Any time I ran off road and on sketchy roads during the winter I reached for my trusted and true Salomon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes ... sniff!

So ... I broke down and went back to Holabird Sports to buy the Salomon SpeedCross 4 trail shoes using their YEAREND15 coupon code. I did read that some reviewers complained about a tighter toe box and ordered up to size 12.5 instead of my normal 12. Stay tuned.

It's the end of December and also the end of 2018 so it is definitely stat time!

The bib wall, medals and 4th Four Season Challenge medals

I ran 15 times in December for 106.53 miles, 7.1 miles per run.
I ran 205 times in 2018 for 1423.23 miles, 6.94 mile per run.
I ran 181 runs (1331.68 miles) on road and 22 runs (81.55 miles) on trail in 2018.
I ran 2 races in December:
 12/08, 0 Degrees WTF!, 5.18 miles, 58:45, 11:20 pace
 12/15, Freezeroo #1, 3.1 miles, 22:04, 7:07 pace (fastest 5K of 2018)
I took 290,789 steps in December and 4,250,928 steps during 2018.

Tuesday, 1/1/2019: 14882 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.15 and 7.57 miles, 168 avg race cadence, 37F, 79% RH, 17 mph WNW wind, wind chill 27F, overcast.

Today's race was my tenth GRTC Freezeroo #2, a 7.5 mile race, held out on the roads around Mendon Ponds Park. My previous times: 2009 - 1:02:33, 2011 - 57:24, 2012 - 53:26, 2013 - 1:02:13, 2014 - 58:36, 2015 - 57:31, 2016 - 59:44, 2017 - 59:19 and 2018 - 59:36). The race venue was the newly remodeled Stewart Lodge. Please note: the GRTC website has not been updated for quite some time and it still refers to the 39th Freezeroo series of 2017-2018 not this year's 40th 2018-2019 series.

I was up early and had time to putter around. The temp was 38F so I wore my usual: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, a long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. The temp for the 2018 Freezeroo #2 was 3F so ... 38F was balmy!

The 30 minute drive down to the Beach parking lot below Stewart Lodge was uneventful. I arrived at 9:16 AM. I had plenty of time to take a 1.15 mile warm up run at 9:16 pace, link here.

I took off my Brooks jacket and got a drink of water before I slowly walked up to the start. Andy told me that I had pinned my bib on upside down about 2 minutes before the start. Oops ... no late to make it right side up!

The start of Freezeroo #2 ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews and https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

And ... we were off! I got up to race pace quickly. Andy and Bill surged ahead. I let them go as I concentrated on my own race. Down Douglas Rd, left onto Canfield Rd ... mile in 7:18 according to "1 mile" Pete (actually 7:44) and then left onto Rt 65 for miles 2 and 3.

I think this is just after the turn onto Pond Rd ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews and https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

I had a stitch in my side around mile 4 that concerned me for a bit so I walked a few times. It doesn't really show in my splits. Bill Sandow was a bit concerned and asked if I was OK every time I stopped to walk. I passed Joe Ciecierega just after I passed his ex girlfriend (I think), Tina Pellegrin. The stitch went away and I felt good so I pushed the pace a bit. I passed Bill around mile 6.

About 1/2 mile to go ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

I power walked the hill that led back into MPP (no one passed me) ... down the winding turns on Canfield Rd ... left onto Douglas Rd ... last hill by the cobblestone house ... finish line in sight ... clock at 59:47 ... sprint ... done at 1:00:00 according to my Garmin (59:58 officially)! Christine Antonino was right behind me at 1:00:03. Joe came in at 1:01:27.

I waited around a couple of minutes for Bill to finish (1:02:48). He said that he lost his mojo right about when I passed him. I relaxed a bit before I changed into some dry upper clothers. I went up to Stewart Lodge for a couple helpings of pasta and cookies. I met up with Prem (who I didn't see before the start) and Andy. Prem had finished in a speedy 56:51. He told me about his Run across Haiti, his crowdrise account here, coming up in 6 weeks and that he had signed up for the Mighty Mosquito 99 miler in early August. Andy came in at 57:55.

I ended home and had the usual couple mugs of coffee. Hourglassworks had the race results up soon. I was 58th out of 229, link here. I was 5th out of 22 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. My splits were: 7:44, 8:00, 8:00, 8:04, 8:07, 7:54, 8:07 and 7:09 over the last 0.57 mile.

Later, Christine didn't want to cook so I went out to get some Chinese takeout at Lake Chinese Food on 4462 Lake Ave just a couple of miles away. I had the Sweet and Sour Chicken and Christine had the Moo Goo Gai Pan. I only had to wait about 10 minutes and it tasted good ... so thumbs up!

Wednesday, 1/2/2019: 7973 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 1/3/2019: 14988 steps during the day, rest day, 5.65 miles, 47:03, 8:20 pace, 164 avg cadence, 33F, 84% RH, calm, cloudy

I wanted to get a run right after work but didn't a chance to change until I got home after a short trip to Wegmans so I was already a bit late. It was dark and around freezing so I wore the usual: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, short sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover and Brooks beanie ... as I have so many times before and will again since it works. I put on my NT360 vest and the headlamp from Ebay (I really need to look up the model). The headlamp had charged batteries ... which really make a difference. I headed out my newly found trail from the back of Greenleaf Meadows to the LOSP trail and just ran one end to the other and back. I set up a nice and easy pace ... but it just felt blah for some reason. My splits were: 42, 12, 07, 24, 22 and 06 over the last 0.65 mile.

Friday, 1/4/2018: 8193 steps during the day, rest day.

Nothing much ... I picked up my Winter Warrior Half bib and hat. The new color is sky blue.

Saturday, 1/5/2019: 22634 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.35 and 13.11 miles, 166 avg cadence, 36F, 100% RH, 8 mph N wind, wind chill 30F, overcast.

Today's race was my fifth Winter Warrior Half and fifth time signing up for the Four Season Challenge. The race venue was the fourth time it's been held at the Rochester Tech Park (4 laps). All the previous were held at 4 PM versus noon this year. This year also had the relay like usual and the new quarter marathon distance of 2 laps. My previous times were: 2014 - 1:50:07 (5 laps held at MCC), 2015 - 1:47:44, 2016 - 1:46:06 and 2017 - 1:55:15. The 2017 Winter Warrior Half was epic ... 3F, 78% RH, 11 mph WNW wind, wind chill -13F, overcast with light snow after the 2nd loop.

I slept in until around 7:30 AM and puttered around like usual. I had my usual pre-race bowl of cereal and banana around 8 AM. I had a muffin with ham and cheese around 10 AM. It was just a bit above freezing with light wind and overcast so I wore the usual for the race: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I was down to the race venue by 11:10 AM in plenty of time to get a parking spot near the porta-potties.

Speaking of porta-potties ... the line was quite long by the time I was ready to head out for my warm up run around 11:30 AM. I headed out for a nice and easy loop that included a stop at the Harris B6 building that I just so happened to have a badge for so I could stop and make a pit stop at their heated bathroom ... nice! My warm up run was 1.45 miles at 8:42 pace, link here. I found that there was a bit of a wind out on the back half of the course.

I took one more swig of water from the 2014 Cruze and fired up my earbud and MP3 player combo before I ambled up to the start with 10 minutes to go. I met up with Prem Kumar and Bill Crowe at the start. I started up my RoadID eCrumb a minute before the start ... took a couple of deep breaths ... and we were off!

The Winter Warrior Half, Quarter Marathon & Relay start ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

It took about 100 yards of jockeying for clear running room before I got up to full race pace. I ran the first loop pretty well but ... then the bottom sort of fell out. Maybe I went out too fast? Naah ... well maybe. My thighs started to tighten up. I lapsed into a long run and short walk routine for laps 2, especially lap 3 and part of lap 4. I didn't start lapping the walker until the middle of lap 2 and was lapped by the first place runner by the end of lap 2. I had a couple mouthfuls of Hammer Gel at the beginning of lap 3 and 4 (note the over 9 minute miles for miles 7 and 10). I slapped hands with Ellen, the race director, as she announced my name when I passed the start/finish for laps 1, 2 and 3.

Ellen, the race director, gave a lot of hand slaps ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

Ellen, the race director, and her husband, Boots Boutillier, have provided the impetus for so many runners to become more fit. I found a bit of mojo over the last 2 miles and kept up a solid run for the last 2 miles after I figured out that I could break 1:50 if I kept up a "get it done" run. I was tempted to stop at the Brooks tents about 1/2 mile from the finish when I heard that they had shots of Jack Daniels but I kept on running since I am on a Dry January (no alcohol). I kicked up the pace a bit ... saw "Selfie" Sue at the last turn ... kicked it to a sprint ... saw the clock under 1:50 (yes!) ... done in 1:49:15, 8:20 pace, according to my Garmin Forerunner 220.

The Winter Warrior and 4 Season Challenge along with the new stocking hat

I took my Winter Warrior Half and Four Season Challenge medals and proudly put them around my neck. I earned them ... so I wore them. Yes, they clanged when I walked. I headed back to the 2014 Cruze. I met up with Kevin Clinefelter for a few minutes who had won our age group in speedy 1:30:48. I rested a bit and changed my sweaty upper body clothing into dry tech clothing. I walked over to the food tent and had a couple bowls of delicious mac'n'cheese and some cookies. I did stagger a few times when I sat down, got back up or walked for a bit in the food tent. I was beat. I found out from the race results laptop that I had finished 4th in my age group (3rd place was 30 seconds faster) so no age group glass this year.

A Facebook Fleet Feet Rochester page grab of all 5 Winter Warrior Half hat that I have earned (2015 on the left to 2019 on the right)

I headed home and had the usual post race mugs of coffee while I sat on the couch with my legs up. This half marathon took a lot out of me. It hurt to get up. It hurt to sit down. It hurt to go up or down the stairs. I felt better by 6 PM or so. Yellowjacketracing.com had the results up by 5 PM. My official chip time was 1:49:10, 8:20 pace. I was 99th out of 530, link here. I was 4th out of 18 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. My lap time were: #1 - 25:44, 7:51 pace, rank 3rd; #2 - 26:57, 8:14 pace, rank 4th; #3 - 28:13, 8:37 pace, rank 4th and #4 - 28:23, 8:40 pace, rank 3rd. My splits were: 7:45, 7:47, 7:57, 8:24, 7:54, 8:16, 9:13, 8:13, 8:22, 9:25, 8:37, 8:36, 8:02 and 6:58 over the last 0.11 mile. There were 299 finishers in the new quarter marathon, link here. There were 28 teams in the relay, link here.

My lovely wife, Christine, and I got up and off the couch long enough to head out to the Texas Roadhouse on W Ridge Rd around 7 PM. She told me that she wanted to make sure that I had enough protein after the taxing Winter Warrior Half. Alas ... a lot of people beat us there since there was a 1:10 to 1:20 wait time. We ended getting the takeout $20 Fill Up (8 pieces, potatoes, gravy, coleslaw and buns) at KFC across the street. I think we should have headed out about 2 hours earlier ... oh well!

Race recap .... I survived my 34th road half marathon. What did I learn? I think I got caught up in the crowd and went out too hard on lap 1. Then I paid the price for that. I think I did manage the long run / short walk kind of OK. My pace did slow a bit above 8:30 on laps 11 and 12 though. I did break 1:50 which was my on-the-spur-of-the moment goal. I don't think I like the new noon start time. There was more traffic trying to exit the parking lots we were circling and the whole idea of ending in the dark made this race somewhat special.

Sunday, 12/23/2018 to Saturday, 12/29/3018

I ran 5 times: 34.25 miles.
I took 75,038 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Common abbreviations: OMEP is my Orange Mud Endurance Pack, NT360 is my NoxGear 
Tracer360 vest, UWRG is my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava and Brooks beanie.

Sunday, 12/23/2018: 12960 steps during the day, 9.45 miles, 1:18:31, 8:18 pace, 31F, 5 mph SSW wind, overcast.

I woke up at 7:38 AM and was out 2 hours later after the usual puttering around after eating the usual pre-run bowl of cereal and banana. It was the same temp as usual so I wore the usual: CW-X tights, Darn Tough sockes, short sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover and Brooks beanie. I set up an easy pace and headed west on my Out to Lowden Point Rd route that I knew so well. Boom ... done. My splits were: 8:19, 8:20, 8:15, 8:15, 8:29, 8:16, 8:19, 8:24, 8:22 and 7:53 over the last 0.45 mile.

A tech note: I changed out Christine old Samsung PM730 250 GB SSD in her laptop with a brand new Samsung 860EVO 250 GB SSD that I bought from NewEgg.com. Her old drive had failed its SpeedFan fitness test and was giving her an error message about imminent hard drive failure at boot up. Easy peasy. I just hooked the new drive up in an USB external drive and ran the Sansumg migration software available at Samsung, link here. It took about 4 hours to clone the drive and then another couple of minutes to do the hard drive transfer. I only lost one teeny tiny screw, lol!

Monday, 12/24/2018: 10218 steps during the day, 5.45 miles, 42:28, 8:05 pace, 36F, 74% RH, 5 mph SSW wind, wind chill 32F, partly cloudy.

Up and on the road on Christmas Eve. It was the same temp so I wore the same as yesterday. I went rogue and chose a different route ... out to the pier so it was a bit shorter. My thighs were a bit tight so I was OK with the run being over a bit sooner. My splits were: 8:10, 8:11, 8:19, 7:53, 7:53 and 7:23 over the last 0.25 mile.

Christine's new Hamilton Beach food processor

Christine exchanged our gifts on Christmas Eve. I got her two items: a auto charger/glass breaker/seat belt cutter with android/lightning cabel (2 pack so I got one) from QVC and a Hamilton Beach food processor from Walmart, link here. She put the food processor to work with 30 minutes of opening the box by making potato pancakes along with shrimp and apple sauce.

Tuesday, 12/25/2018: 9629 steps during the day, 6.25 miles, 52:07, 8:20 pace, 31F, 92% RH, 6 mph WNW wind, wind chill 26F, partly sunny.

I was up early like usual, puttered around like usual and got out like usual. It was just as cold as usual so I dressed like usual. I put on the usual pace and the run happened like usual. My splits were: 8:27, 8:23, 8:23, 8:26, 8:15, 8:13 and 7:53 over the last 0.25 miles. I did enjoy the run ... like usual, lol! There was about an inch of snow on the ground so we had a white Christmas!

Later, Christine and I took my daughter, Karen, out to Denny's in Perinton. I think I got the last turkey dinner! It was good though I will remember to present my AARP card to get 10% off.

Wednesday, 12/26/2018: 991 steps during the day, rest day.

Oh ... I found a great deal on a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS18 running shoes at Holabird Sports. The GTS18 is last year's model so MSRP was $120 and they were on sale for 82.82. I noticed that other websites were selling this model for $100. I plugged in a YEAREND15 coupon code to bring it down to $72.40 along with free shipping and no tax. Boom! I think I saved $55 over buying it at Fleet Feet ... though they might have this model on sale for $100 too but still it's a savings that I can use for a race or two. So ... I may not buy local but I race local.

Thursday, 12/27/2018: 7671 steps during the day, rest day.

Friday, 12/28/2018: 23192 steps during the day, 11.05 miles, 1:32:16, 8:32 pace, 54F, 91% RH, 5 mph SW wind, partly cloudy.

I got out of work early by using 2 hours of vacation. The weather was at least 20F warmer than the day before so I had to get out for a run ... but not before I gave Christine more than a few hugs and kisses though. It was 54F so I wore shorts, a long sleeve tech, no hat and no gloves. It was about 4 PM when I got out so I wore my NT360 vest and my headlamp. I set up a really nice and steady pace. It was a bit amazing to run in shorts just 4 days before New Year's! I turned on my NT360 vest and headlamp around mile 7. I thought my headlamp had a charged battery but ... I was wrong. My NT360 vest was brighter than my headlamp by the time I got back as it got darker and darker after the sun went down. I was coming back up the LOSP trail when I saw a couple of bright headlamps coming toward me. It took me a a second to figure out that the headlamps were on the trail and that it was a bicycle. I was blinded for a couple of seconds after though since those headlamps were a LOT brighter than my headlamp. But ... I got home OK. My splits were: 8:24, 8:20, 8:16, 8:27, 8:31, 8:35, 8:42, 8:39, 8:41 and 8:38.

Saturday, 12/29/2018: 5446 steps during the day, 3.25 miles, 28:20, 8:43 pace, 26F, 83% RH, 4 mph NW wind, wind chill 21F, partly cloudy.

My thighs hurt from my 11 mile run yesterday and I was fully planning on not running today and getting in a short run on Monday. But ... I had a Redbox DVD to take back and then Christine said that she needed tomatoes. So ... I thought why not a run as transportation? Thus ... a run to the 7-11 to take back the Redbox DVD and then over to Herrema's to get tomatoes and grapes happened around 4 PM. I don't think I have ever run to a grocery store before. I have run to and from getting my car fixed. It was a lot colder than it was yesterday so I went back to my Brooks pants, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I set up a steady and a bit slow pace to get it done. My splits were: 8:32, 8:57, 8:45 and 8:23 over the last 0.25 mile. Just getting it done.

Sunday, 12/16/2018 to Saturday, 12/22/2018

I ran 3 times: 19.45 miles.
I took 67,728 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Common abbreviations: OMEP is my Orange Mud Endurance Pack, NT360 is my NoxGear 
Tracer360 vest, UWRG is my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava and Brooks beanie.

Sunday, 12/16/2018: 14719 steps during the day, 9.35 miles, 1;15:21, 8:02 pace, 36F, 85% RH, 6 mph E wind, wind chill 32F, overcast

I slept in until 7:30 AM and then puttered around like usual. It was the same temperature it has been for the last couple of days so I dressed in the usual: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, a short sleeve tech, my Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover and Brooks beanie. I am very predictable in my clothing choices in the winter. I bet people know who I am just by what I am wearing (well ... maybe by height too).

Anyone ... I got out by a bit after 9 AM. I set up a nice and steady pace. I thought about running 11 (out to Lowden Point Rd) but decided on 9.35 (out to Long Pond Rd). I pushed the pace a bit but not terribly so. My splits were still pretty fast: 8:02, 8:02, 8:02, 8:02, 8:14, 7:59, 7:53, 8:02, 8:01, 7:53.

Monday, 12/17/2018: 6744 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 12/18/2018: 8146 steps during the day, rest day.

Another day that life got in the way. Let's see ... I woke up at 4:30 AM and couldn't get back to sleep so I was tired all day. My running gear was at home. Traffic sucked with an accident on I-390N on the way home. The outdoor light wasn't on so I couldn't see the keyhole very well while I had 4 things draped on my me (messenger bag, lunch bag, and 2 gym bags). I dropped something as soon as I came in. Christine asked if I was going to run ... aarrgghh! I was already going to bag my run which pissed me off ... that sent me over the edge. I retreated upstairs and tried not to argue ... maybe not too successfully. I went to bed and got a good 7 hours of sleep.

Wednesday, 12/19/2018: 12994 steps during the day, 5.05 miles, 41:19, 8:11 pace, 40F, light wind, partly cloudy (Garmin picked up the 72529 Cherokee Village AR airport weather instead of KROC which is the Rochester airport)

Well ... back out there. I thought out that I had left my tights hanging up down in the basement while I was changing to go running after work. What to do? Well ... it was 40F so I ran in shorts and my Brooks 1/4 zip pullover. I started out from my usual weekday haunt ... the Greece Arcadia High School. It was a bit chilly ... but I pushed out 5 miles in the dark with my NT360 vest and headlamp. My splits were: 7:52, 8:09, 8:13, 8:14 and 8:26.

Thursday, 12/20/2018: 13394 steps during the day, 5.05 miles, 8:20 pace, 46F, calm, partly cloudy.

Another warmish day so another run in shorts, a long sleeve tech and short sleeve tech. I got out an hour early from work. I forgot to charge my Garmin so it died at mile 3.06. My legs were a bit tired so my pace was a bit slower at 8:26 pace. But ... 5 miles is better than 0 miles.

Today was the 33rd birthday of my oldest son, Michael. I love my son dearly. I got a Facebook reminder that I helped my kids and my ex move to their Ford St apartment ten years ago.

Friday, 12/21/2018: 6800 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 12/22/2018: 4931 steps during the day, grocery day.

Today was my day to take my oldest son, Michael, and my daughter, Karen, grocery shopping. Karen was first. We went to America's Best to pick up her new glasses, the Perinton Wegmans (super crowded) and the Macedon Walmart. Then I took Michael to the Macedon Walmart. I also did some grocery shopping of my own with a list from my lovely wife, Christine.

Sunday, 12/9/2018 to Saturday, 12/15/2018 - Freezeroo #1

I ran 4 times: 22.77 miles.
I took 72915 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Common abbreviations: OMEP is my Orange Mud Endurance Pack, NT360 is my NoxGear 
Tracer360 vest, UWRG is my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava and Brooks beanie.

Sunday, 12/9/2018: 12720 steps during the day, 9.45 miles, 1:18:38, 8:19 pace, 27F, 74% RH, 9 mph SW wind, wind chill 18F, overcast.

I got up, got dressed and got out there for my usual Sunday long run. The weather was just about the same as yesterday so I wore about the same: CX-X tights, Darn Tough socks, a long sleeve tech, my Brooks 1/4 zip pullover, balaclava, Brooks beanie and ski mittens. I am pretty predictable in the winter. I just go with what works. It was overcast so I didn't bother with sunglasses. I set up a easy and steady pace to start with and just go it done. I was tempted to go for 11 miles but turned around at Long Pond Rd to do a 15K. My splits were: 8:20, 8:24, 8:21, 8:26, 8:19, 8:17, 8:19, 8:22, 8:17 and 7:51 over the last 0.45 mile. Boom ... done. I opened the townhouse door to hear the sweet sounds of the post-run coffee brewing.

I could have gotten stuff done ... but I didn't. I really should ... yes ... I really should. Oh well.

Monday, 12/10/2018: 7414 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 12/11/2018: 9417 steps during the day, rest day.

The usual "life got in the way" of running excuse. I needed to grocery shop so I got it done. Christine had made not 1 but 2 pumpkin pies.  The first piece was delicious!

Wednesday, 12/12/2018: 18063 steps during the day, 8.65 miles, 1:13:06, 8:27 pace, 28F, 96% RH, 6 mph SW wind, wind chill 22F, overcast



This Wednesday run was a struggle. I didn't have the usual pep before the run. I added a bit of distance by running the majority of the side streets north of Janes Rd plus there was the cold wind. I just felt off and struggled a bit on the way back. But ... I got it done. My splits were: 8:04, 8:37, 8:15, 8:19, 8:20, 8:40, 8:40, 8:36 and 8:34 over the last 0.65 mile.

Thursday, 12/13/2018: 7353 steps during the day, rest day.

Your basic "stuff gets in the way" day. Christine was felt down so I brought some supper home.

Friday, 12/14/2018: 7868 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 12/15/2018: 10080 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.55 and 3.12 miles, 39F, 93% RH, 6 mph NE wind, wind chill 36F, overcast.

Today's race was Freezeroo #1, the first Freezeroo of six in the GRTC 2018-2019 season. It was my seventh Freezeroo #1, 2 were a 5 mile version at Pineways Park in 2010 and 2011 (36:44 and 34:18) and 5 at Northstar Christian Academy in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 (22:52, 21:41, 22:06, 22:11 and today's 22:04). I would love to include links to the GRTC website but it seems that GRTC does not update its website anymore. The story is that the webmaster took off with the passwords several months ago and that GRTC doesn't want to either take back control or doesn't want to take back control. So ... no calendar, no results, nada!

My alarm went off at 6:45 AM ... but I went back to sleep and woke up around 7:30 AM. No worries ... I had plenty of time. I had my usual pre-race of cereal and banana and puttered around a bit like usual. It was 37F so I dressed in the usual: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, short sleeve tech and Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover. I got out a bit early so I was down to NCA by 8:50 AM. I went in to get my bib and GRTC series gift. This year's gift was a GRTC blue and white scarf ... sweet!

Now ... the Fleet Feet Reindeer Run 5K was at 8:30 AM. I had thought about doing the double 5K .... so I thought that Prem Kumar would do it. I saw him and asked him ... he did! He ran a 20:23 (close to his PR) and said he was running easy (sure). I got out for a really nice and easy warm up run with Bill Beyerbach of 1.55 miles at 9:26 pace. Oh ... 1320 runners finished the Reindeer Run 5K, results here.

I was a bit warm after my warm up run so I took my short sleeve tech off from under my Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover. I lined up next to Andy Ciaio like usual and waited for the start ... and we were off!

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

This Freezeroo course was a twisty turny out out and back. So ... twist and turn we did. I hit "One Mile" Pete as he said "7 minutes!"

On the way out just after Heather passed me ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

On the way back trying to keep with Prem ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

I was running well ... Heather Patterson with her dual pigtails had passed me, Andy was just ahead, Bill and Prem were behind me. Bill passed me at the turnaround when I took it wide. I kept my pace as fast as I could. Prem passed me around mile 2.25. I asked if he was running easy ... he answered that he was ... lol! I took off after him ... I wanted to keep him in sight. Down the last straight ... around the buildings ... 3 mile sign ... digital clock just over 22 ... sprint ... done in 22:04! Fastest 5K of 2018 by 45 seconds! Nice! Heather finished in 21:00, Andy in 21:22, Prem in 21:50 and Bill was just ahead of me in 21:56.

I fist bumped Andy and Bill before I went inside for some nice post race grub (PB&J sandwiches, trail mix, donuts and chocolate milk) and conversation. Carolyn Kristen told me about her first 0 Degree WTF! trail race last weekend ... she didn't know about the course or the rope to climb the hill before the race, lol! Trail races can be ... interesting!

I went out with Bill after the race to have some post race breakfast and coffee at Mel's Diner at the corner of Maiden Lane and Mount Read. We caught up on what's been up in our world. It was a short turnaround back at our townhouse before I had to leave again. My next task was to take my daughter, Karen, out to America's Best so she could get measured for new glasses.

I caught up with the official results from Hour Glass Works. I finished in 22:04, 38th out of 185, results here. I was 4th out of 20 in my M 60-64 age group, link here.

Sunday, 12/2/2018 to Saturday, 12/8/2015 - 0 Degree WTF!

I ran 3 times: 22.79 miles.
I took 69,720 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Common abbreviations: OMEP is my Orange Mud Endurance Pack, NT360 is my NoxGear 
Tracer360 vest, UWRG is my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava and Brooks beanie.

Sunday, 12/2/2018: 17308 steps during the day, 11.05 miles, 1:30:38, 8:12 pace, 46F, 93% RH, 13 mph S wind, wind chill 41F, overcast with a few sprinkles in the middle

I was up at 6:55 AM and puttered around like usual with a pre-run bowl of cereal along with catching up on Facebook and emails. It was in the mid 40s so I wore shorts, a short sleeve and long sleeve tech, earwarmers and light Brooks running gloves. I set up a nice pace with the wind to my back on the way out to Lowden Point Rd. But ... not so much on the way back with the wind in my face. I also ran out of energy and struggled a bit. It doesn't look it when you look at my pace though. But ... I got it done. My splits were: 8:12, 8:04, 8:05, 8:02, 8:03, 8:12, 8:11, 8:21, 8:22, 8:27 and 8:15.

A couple mugs of coffee soon ensued along with doing 3 loads of laundry. I watched the Bills - Miami game down in Miami. The Bills had their chances but stupid penalties didn't help. Their rookie QB, Josh Allen, ran for 135 yards (runs of 28, 26 and 25 yards helped) and almost had a game winning TD on his last throw. But ... the Bills lost 21-17, link here. It had warmed up to the mid 50s (high was 58) so I rushed out and vacuumed out the Cruzes before it got dark.

Monday, 12/3/2018: 5139 steps during the day, rest day.

Yeah ... 24 hours after a high of 58F .... it snowed when I drove home. Rochester weather in December ... don't put away your winter coat.

Tuesday, 12/4/2018: 6522 steps during the day, rest day.

My darling wife, Christine, noticed that I didn't have a dentist appointment so she made one for yesterday for today at 4:30 PM at the same time as hers. So ... instant date night! We went out to eat at Sticky Lips in Henrietta. Verdict ... the beef brisket was OK but not warm. We should have said something but we were hungry so we just ate it. I think we will try the Texas Roadhouse out on Ridge Rd next time we are in the mood for BBQ.

Wednesday, 12/5/2018: 6828 steps during the day, rest day.

Yes, another rest day. I let my achy knees talk me out of running. I don't much like running in the dark either ...even with my NT360 and headlamp from eBay. I am keeping the batteries separate from the headlamp though.

Thurday, 12/6/2018: 14832 steps during the day, 6.56 miles, 53:54, 8:13 pace, 34F, 75% RH, 13 mph WSW wind, wind chill 25F, overcast

I needed to run ... when, where and how long? Well ... I got back to B601 at 800 Lee Rd just before 11 AM so ... why not now in the daylight, from B601 and a nice and steady run of 6.46 miles? I hadn't done a before lunch run in quite a while. I set up a nice and steady pace into the wind down Lee Rd. The Erie Canal had just a dusting of snow on it and was runnable. There were some shady spots where it was covered with about 1/2 inch of snow. My splits were: 8:26, 8:16, 8:12, 8:25, 8:15, 8:09 and 7:32 over the last 0.56 mile.

Friday, 12/7/2018: 7550 steps during the day, rest day.

I had a notice on my Harris office that told me that my office would be carpeted on Tuesday night. It's a good excuse to go through all my crap that I have accumulated. I wish I had that motivation (ala time pressure) to do that at home.

Saturday, 12/8/2018: 11541 steps during the day, 5.18 miles, 59:38 (didn't turn off for a minute), 11:31 pace, 28F, 69% RH, 14 mph W wind, wind chill 17F, partly sunny

Today's race was the TrailsROC 0 Degree WTF! held down in Powder Mill Park down in Perinton. This race has a 5 mile loop can be run in 1 loop (11 AM start), 2 loops (10:30 AM start) or 3 loops (10 AM start). I have run the 3 loop version in 2014 - 3:37:00, 2015 - 3:21:21 and 2016 - 3:12:30. The 2 loop race was renamed the Jill Jackett Memorial 10 miler. Jill Jackett was killed by a hit and run driver on a training run near the U of R on 12/1/2017, link here. The 1 loop race was renamed the Lisa Vallone Memorial 5 miler. Lisa died recently, obituary here. I ran it to support Mike, her husband (he hugged me when he saw me).

I got down there around 10:10 AM. I saw Andy Ciaio as I parked the 2014 Cruze. I parked right next to his car as a matter of fact. He was running the 2 loop. I got my bib and walked around a bit. There was about 2 inches of snow on the ground and a bit of ice on the parking lot. I saw people with various traction devices (Yak Trak or Micro Spikes) ... and here I was with just my trusty and old Salomon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes with a bit over 800 miles on them. I was a bit nervous but what could I do? I have run enough to know that all I could do was take it easy and concentrate on my footing. It's not rocket science. It's putting one foot in front of the other while making sure that you absolutely concentrate on where you are putting that foot and looking out for obstacles in the instant before you plant that foot. Trail running is fun but can be dangerous if you are not careful ... but at least you don't have to worry about cars, lol!

I got to the start line a bit after Eric Eagan gave out some instructions ... something about ice and be careful. Prem Kubar came through the start/finish line after completing his first loop a couple of minutes before the start of my one loop race. Mike Vallone talked a bit about how this race was Lisa's first trail race, how much he loved her and how much he misses her. There were some family members that wore personalized T-shirts who were running the race. Death can come for us and those whom we love at any time ... make sure you hug them a little tight when you say goodbye.

And ... we were off! It was a bit of a scrum at first. I almost tripped over a large branch in the first 100 yards but I managed to keep going. The first hill or two was a bit slow to climb with everyone bunched together. Everyone was spread out after a mile. So ... up, down, left, right, look out for any ice or roots or rocks, keep running, walk the hills (if necessary). The girl in the banana suit was a welcome distraction for a few seconds. The steep hill across Woolston Rd at mile 3 was as steep as ever. Then the even steeper but merciful shorter hill with the rope just after crossing back across Woolston Rd mile 4 was also just as steep as ever. I didn't really use the rope too much. I did stop for a few seconds to catch my breath when I got to the top though. But ... I just kept running. I passed Prem on his second loop just before I finished. And ... I gave Eric Eagan a high five ... done! I saw and talked to Amy Lord for a minute before I remembered to turn off my Garmin.

The obligatory post 0 Degree WFT! selfie

I hung out for a minute before I went into the lodge for a bowl of vegan vegetable soup and some cookies. I talked with Chris Barry from Newark and Andy Ciaio for a bit before I changed into my 2018 DCSR hoodie.

The results were posted shortly after I got home. I finished in 58:38, 22nd out of 74, 2nd out of 7 in my M 60-69 age group, results here. The 10 miler had 55 finishers (Andy was 21st in 1:55:25), results here. The 15 miler had 37 finishers (Prem was 23rd in 3:07:33), results here.

The usual 2 mugs of coffee and some serious relaxing ensued. I do love running races!

Sunday, 11/25/2018 to Saturday, 12/1/2018

I ran 4 times: 30.0 miles.
I took 65,981 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Common abbreviations: OMEP is my Orange Mud Endurance Pack, NT360 is my NoxGear 
Tracer360 vest, UWRG is my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava and Brooks beanie.

Sunday, 11/25/2018: 9311 steps during the day, 6.25 miles, 52:07, 8:20 pace, 8:20 pace, 43F, 87% RH, 5 mph SSW wind, overcast.

I was up at 6:10 AM and out just before sunrise again. I wore what I wore the day before. It was a bit warmer than yesterday and it turned out I was a bit overdressed. I wasn't feeling like a long run on the fourth day of running in a row (Thursday - 7.3, Friday - 5.15 and Saturday - 9.45). so I just went for an out and back 10K at a light and steady pace. My splits were: 8:21, 8:16, 8:19, 8:23, 8:22, 8:21 and 8:16 over the last 0.25 mile. I was done and back before 8:15 AM. A couple cups of coffee ensued per usual.

So ... a long four day Thanksgiving weekend. I didn't enter it with an agenda of getting things done. I just relaxed and let the days happen. I ran 4 days in a row. I didn't get much of anything else done and I am OK with that. Maybe the next long weekend I will make more of a commitment to get something done.

Monday, 11/26/2018: 4469 steps during the day, rest day.

My knees were a bit cranky when I went down stairs. I did run 4 days in a row ... lol!

Tuesday, 11/27/2018: 14244 steps during the day, 6.45 miles, 54:22, 8:26 pace, 34F, 86% RH, 16 mph WNW wind, wind chill 24F, overcast with light snow

Yes, there was a light snow and wind but it was Tuesday so I ran. I had my running gear in the car and took a hour of vacation so I could run before it got dark ... which was a good thing as it turned out.

I dressed warmer than usual: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, heavy running gloves, balaclava, Brooks beanie, NT360 vest and my charged headlamp. I parked on Jane Rd by the I390 overpass since I wanted to run over to the LOSP trail to stay off the road as much as possible. The LOSP trail will be OK to run until it gets really icy or snow covered. I lit up NT360 vest and set out east at a nice and steady pace. The wind was a bit cold and I was glad that I had overdressed. My hands eventually warmed up ... eventually. I only had to worry about 2 road crossings (Dewey and Greenleaf). It started to get dark on the way back. No worries ... I clicked on my headlamp ... nothing. Well ... it must have gotten bounced around in my running bag and drained its batteries. So ... I just had my NT360 vest as I ran on Island Cottage and Janes Rd back to the 2014 Cruze. I made it back since as it got completely dark. My splits were: 8:17, 8:31, 8:28, 8:32, 8:24, 8:21 and 8:27 over the last 0.45 mile.

My headlamp, batteries and charger (all bought off of eBay)

I commented about my lack of light to my smart wife, Christine. She suggested that I pack my light and batteries separately so it can't do this again. Mmm ... smart idea!

Christine rocking her nails. I think the color is China Rogue.

Christine broke one of her nails making supper ... an emergency trip to Polish Me Up stat! Ok ... her appointment will be on Monday.

Wednesday, 11/28//2018: 6348 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 11/29/2018: 6592 steps during the day.

I had all my running gear but ... pushed my run to Friday. I knew I was taking Friday off so I'll run three days in a row: Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Friday, 11/30/2018: 15951 steps during the day, 11.05 miles, 1:32:14, 8:21 pace, 34F, 86% RH, calm, overcast.

Well ... today is our 6th wedding anniversary with my darling wife, Christine. I am sure that we will get some shenanigans in during the day ... like going to dinner or such. But first things first.

I had the day off as a Ricoh floating holiday but first I needed to get a run in. The scale says I have gained 8 pounds up to 173 ... ugghh! Anyway ... the weather was around freezing with calm winds so I wore my usual gear: CW-X tight, Darn Tough socks, a short sleeve tech and Brooks 1/4 zip pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I needed 11 miles so I just headed out to Lowden Point Rd. I set up a nice and steady pace. I felt a bit sluggish but I pushed through it. My splits were: 8:28, 8:17, 8:18, 8:15, 8:21, 8:17, 8:21, 8:20, 8:16, 8:28 and 8:28.

Christine and I were a bit miffed with each other all morning and into the afternoon until she had the common sense to make sure that we cured that before it festered. Mission accomplished ... lol! Then we headed out to The Distillery for an anniversary dinner. We used a coupon for a buy one entree get one free coupon that Christine had in her inbox. She had the Guiness Bacon Burger and I had the Hangover Burger. Both were a bit greasy since we both had them cooked medium but they were quite tasty.

It's the end of November so it's stat time!

I ran 19 times for 119.09 miles in 30 days, 6.27 miles/run.
I have run 190 times for 1316.7 miles so far in 2018, 6.93 miles/run.
I ran 5 races in November:
 11/03 Grocery Run 5K, 22:49, 7:21 pace
 11/09 Dirt Cheap Stage Race #1, 3.1 miles, 35:51, 11:34 pace
 11/10 Dirt Cheap Stage Race #2, 4.65 miles, 50:20, 10:49 pace
 11/11 Dirt Cheap Stage Race #3, 10.3 miles, 2:00:23, 11:42 pace
 11/22 Race with Grace 10K, 47:39, 7:38 pace
I have run 34 races so far in 2018.
I took 319,452 steps in November and 3,960,139 steps so far in 2018.

Saturday, 12/1/2018: 9066 steps during the day, 6.25 miles, 50:09 pace, 8:01 pace, 36F, 87% RH, 6 mph SSE wind, wind chill 31F, overcast.


I slept in until around 6:45 AM. I puttered around per usual before got out around 8:30 AM. It was just as cold, calm and overcast as yesterday so I wore the same running gear. I decided on just a 10K on my out and back LOSP trail and a bit of Island Cottage course. I started a bit slow but sped up especially on the way back. I felt good so I just ran. My splits were: 8:24, 8:00, 8:04, 7:58, 7:57, 7:57 and 7:14.

Sunday, 11/19/2018 to Saturday, 11/26/2018 - Race with Grace 10K

I ran 5 times: 32.95 miles.
I took 76,939 steps  according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Common abbreviations: OMEP is my Orange Mud Endurance Pack, NT360 is my NoxGear 
Tracer360 vest, UWRG is my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava and Brooks beanie.

Sunday, 11/18/2018: 16703 steps during the day, 11.05 miles, 1:31:17, 8:16 pace, 34F, 69% RH, 3 mph S wind, overcast.

I slept in until 7:30 AM and puttered around like usual. I had my usual pre-run bowl of cereal and banana, started 1.5 loads of laundry, took out the garbage and cleaned the pots that were soaking in the sink. But ... I got out there. I figured that an Out to Lowden Point run was in order. It was the same temp as yesterday so I wore the almost the same: CW-X tights, a long and sleeve tech, Darn Tough socks and my Brooks beanie (no balaclava). I also married up my new earbud (just one ear) with my MP3 player, topped off my Nathan SpeedDraw flask with water and set forth. I set up a nice and steady pace. Out 5.5 miles .... and ... back 5.5 miles. Done! My splits were: 8:14, 8:15, 8:22, 8:14, 8:20, 8:09, 8:17, 8:00, 8:20, 8:30 and 8:14. Boom ... done!

The usual 2 mugs of coffee ensued along with finishing the laundry I had already started .. all told 4 loads. Done!

Monday, 11/19/2018: 6828 steps during the day, rest day.

The usual rest day on a Monday. Other stuff happened ... of course.

I got my replacement ESL ATM card today. Why is that important? Well ... it got hacked back on Friday, 11/9. I checked my ESL account on Saturday afternoon, 11/10, because I wanted to pay some bills and verify my previous couple of days worth of POS purchases. Well ... I saw 3 bogus charges ... WTF? One was an Aldi's purchase of $270 in San Francisco, another was a FTDFlorist purchase of $123.14 somewhere in Orange County CA and the last was IP Vanish of $10. I quickly called the ESL Fraud line and told them of it. The first 2 bogus purchases fell off on Sunday, 11/11. I also called the regular ESL line to tell them to halt all purchases on the ATM card. I called them on Tuesday 11/13 when the bank reopened after the Veteran's Day holiday to order a new ESL ATM card. I was told that it would be 7 to 10 business days or I would pay $15 to have express delivery. I waited and it took 4 business days (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Monday) ... not bad. Now ... I have to change all my accounts that use the ESL card. I already changed almost all the accounts to use my ESL checking account if they didn't already.

So ... how was I hacked? Did I put in my PIN into a skimmer at a gas station or POS? Was I scanned by someone as I passed them by? Who knows? I use a front pocket wallet that holds 8 cards pretty securely and has a pocket in the middle for paper money and receipts. But does not have RFID protection. I like it but I am on the prowl for something similar that does have RFID protection.

Christine went up to bed early so I watched Pulp Fiction off of OnDemand. I had only seen parts of it before. Disjointed like Kill Bill but entertaining.

Tuesday, 11/20/2018: 4937 steps during the day, rest day.

I had all my running gear to go for a run after work but I thought that I would take my wife out to grocery shop instead. Well ... Christine didn't want to go out after supper so we watched the first four episodes of the new Doctor Who Season 11 (with the quirky woman doctor) instead, link here. It was interesting. I have never watched Doctor Who before believe it or not. One of the episodes was about Rosa Parks and her refusing to give up her bus seat in Montgomery Alabama on 12/1/1955. I looked up the Wiki of Rosa Parks and found that they found an actress who looked almost exactly like her.

Wednesday, 11/21/2018: 9481 steps during the day, rest day.

Christine went out to grocery shop during the day but left the heavy lifting of bringing the groceries in from the 2018 Cruze for me ... how sweet! I had gone to BJ's and Wegmans to get some stuff that I thought she had forgotten so I had double heavy lifting to do in the cold. Cold and windy weather had returned just in time for Thanksgiving.

Thursday, 11/22/2018: 14636 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.05 and 6.25 miles, 18F, 73% RH, 9 mph WNW wind, wind chill 7F, partly cloudy.

Today's race was my seventh Race with Grace 10K (RwG 10K). My previous six times were: 2012 - 46:04, 2013 - 45:07, 2014 - 44:29, 2015 - 45:58, 2016 - 46:26 and 2017 - 46:11. It was also the last of the 12 GRTC Rochester Runner of the Year races. I am 2nd after 11 races in my M 60-64 age group with 51 points out of 60. Kevin Clinefelter is first with 57 points.

One of my alarms was set for 5:45 AM and the second was set for 6:40 AM. I chose to sort of snooze after the first one and get up on the second one. I had my usual pre-race bowl of cereal and banana while I pondered what to wear ... it was 16F on Thanksgiving day. I ended up going back to the tried and true: CW-X tights with shorts and Darn Tough socks on the bottom along with a long sleeve tech and my trusty yellow/black 1/4 zip pullover on the top. I brought all my other cold weather running gear. I put on my Brooks jacket and red parka for warmth. Man ... did it feel cold when I stepped outside!

I headed out early for the 15 minute drive to the First Bible Baptist Church and got there at 8 AM in plenty of time for the 9 AM start. I saw Bob Dyjak right away. He is back on the mend after an aneurysm in his knee. He was going to take the early start.

I put on my balaclava, Brooks beanie and ski mittens ... and headed out for a warm up (?) run. It was 1.05 miles at 8:51 pace, link here. Man ... was it cold heading into the wind! I stopped by the 2014 Cruze to put on my sunglasses to protect my eyes and to put on my blue GRTC neck gaiter. I headed slowly up to the start.

And ... we were off! I felt like my feet were frozen for the 2 miles that we ran north on Manitou Rd into the NW wind. A lady passed me at about 1/2 mile and said "Hi, Doug". It took me a few seconds to figure out that it was Wendy "Flash" Abbot. OK ... the fact that she wore her trademark runner's skirt underneath all her garments helped too, lol! OK ... she usually passes me in the first 1/2 mile too, lol! I was happy when we made the turn east onto Hincher Rd. I hiked up my sleeves and pushed the pace a bit. I turned south onto N Greece Rd at mile 3. I caught up and passed Andy Ciaio as we made the turn west onto Frisbee Hill Rd at mile 4. He yelled out "You're killing it, Doug!" I passed Steve Levitsky shortly afterward. We turned south back on Manitou Rd. I slowly caught up to a runner who turned out to be Joe Ciecierega. I matched his pace for a bit before I pulled away. The mile down Manitou Rd seemed to last forever. Mile 6 was just before the turn into FBBC ... only 2/10s to go ... push ... right turn into the finish chute ... no inflatable Score-This arch ... over 47:30 ... and done. It was cold so I grabbed a pint of water. I fist pumped Joe (47:51) and Andy (47:52). Then I headed right inside the church. I had a chocolate milk and a blueberry bagel before I headed out to change into some dry upper clothes. It's always challenging to change clothes in the front driver's seat, trust me. I came back and checked the results. I finished first and Kevin Clinefelter was 10 seconds behind me! I talked to him during the awards. He had suffered a hamstring pull during the Syracuse Half 11 days ago and was upon doctor's orders to run easy. So ... running a 7:37 pace was his idea of easy. I saw his pace on his Garmin ... he was catching with a 7:26, 7:26 last 2 miles. He told me that he saw me and that he wanted to catch me but his "hammie told him no". Charlie Waters was pulled out of the M 60-64 age group since he won first Veteran so I was first. Well ... first in each age group won $25 cash!

Warming up after the race

Race with Grace 1/4 pullover, bib, medal and cash

Officially I finished in 47:39, 7:38 pace, 102nd out of 603, 1st out of 34 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. My splits were: 7:47, 7:47, 7:38, 7:44, 7:32, 7:31 and 6:47 over the last 0.25 mile.

There were other Thanksgiving races of course. The 47th Turkey Trot was run out in Webster. There were 1547 finishers in the 4.4 mile race, link here. There were 1605 finishers in the 2.5 mile race, link here. The Feast of Burden 5 Miler was held downtown. There were 304 finishers, link here. The Newark Turkey Day 5 Mile Race had 114 finishers, link here. I do have history with some of these races (except the 2 year old Feast of Burden race). I ran the Newark Turkey Day 5 Mile Race in 2005 though 2010. I ran the Turkey Trot 4.4 Mile race in 2011. I have run the Race with Grace 10K ever since 2012. Fact: the 2005 Newark Turkey Day 5 Mile Race (results lost forever) was my first race. I have run 468 races since in the last 13 years (I counted on my fingertips to make sure it was 13)..

I headed home and helped Christine with our turkey dinner. I helped mostly with the cleanup though. Ohh ... and with the eating too. Christine did a basic Thanksgiving dinner this week: turkey, stuffing, a celery salad along with cranberries. No potatoes. She did make not 1 but 2 excellent apple pies. One apple pie disappeared once we had room in our tummies.

I found out at the WeatherUnderground website that the KROC airport had the official low of 7F and high of 19F, D&C link here and KROC link here. This gave Thanksgiving 2018 the coldest low (old record 11F in 1196) and coldest high (old record 20F in 1903) on record.

Friday, 11/23/2018: 7303 steps during the day, 5.15 miles, 44:00, 8:33 pace, 18F, 48% RH, 8 mph S wind, wind chill 8F, overcast.

I slept in until around 7:30 AM, puttered around for a bit like I usually do but I got out there. It was just as cold as yesterday so I wore exactly the same. My legs felt a bit tired so I just set out at a really nice and easy pace. I cut the run short to 5 miles too. My splits were: 8:46, 8:33, 8:27, 8:25, 8:33 and 8:16 over the last 0.15 mile.

The 173 spots of the 2019 Mind the Ducks opened up at midnight. The race filled up by 8 PM. Egil Robs, the Race Director, posted on Facebook to sign up for the wait list since 50 got in from the wait list in 2018.

I managed not to shop, either physically or online, at any of the Black Friday sales that I was constantly bombarded with in my Yahoo! inbox.

Saturday, 11/24/2018: 17051 steps during the day, 9.45 miles, 1:17:44, 8;13 pace, 34F, 59% RH, 8 mph SSW wind, wind chill 28F, partly cloudy.

I was up at 6:10 AM and out the door by 7:20 AM. I had just a banana and got dressed with what I had the day before and the day before that. I think I might have thrown on another long sleeve tech though, didn't wear my balaclava plus I wore my heavy running gloves instead of ski mittens. I didn't want 11 but needed at least 9 so I went out to Long Pond Rd. It was a crisp, quiet and beautiful morning! I just set up a nice and steady pace. The miles flew by! My splits were: 8:20, 8:16, 8:14, 8:17, 8:11, 8:05, 8:07, 8:15, 8:18 and 8:06 over the last 0.45 mile. Boom ... done!

The usual mug of coffee soon ensued along with some general relaxing. But ... not too much. I showered and got dressed since I had to head out to neighboring Wayne County to take my oldest son, Michael, and daughter, Karen, out grocery shopping. Michael in Macedon was first and Karen in Palmyra was next. Michael's new 17" gaming laptop looked sweet and Karen's dog, Pooka, looked a lot lighter with his new grooming. I got back up to Rochester by 6 PM.

Monday, 11/12/2018 to Saturday, 11/17/2018

I ran 2 times: 14.35 miles.
I took 73,288 steps  according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Common abbreviations: OMEP is my Orange Mud Endurance Pack, NT360 is my NoxGear 
Tracer360 vest, UWRG is my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava and Brooks beanie.

Monday, 11/13/2018: 1138 steps during the day, vacation and rest day.

I have 11 Ricoh vacations days to take before the end of March 2019 so I took one today. I slept in until 8 AM and lazed around until 5 PM. Then ... I got up, showered, got dressed and went off to Lisa Vallone's calling hours at the , Kevin W Doughtery Funeral Home, obituary here. I sent what I thought were the directions to my cell but somehow I got to the wrong funeral home in Honeoye. It was dark so I was a bit stumped at first. I searched for the obituary, found it and then Google Maps routed me on a desolate, hilly and winding (and kind of scary) road over to Livonia. But I got there.

Mike Vallone was not taking his young wife's death well. Mike hugged me and thanked me for coming. He was very emotional. I don't think I would be much better come to think of it. I got there just before everyone went outside for an Irish song and ceremonial shot of Irish whiskey. I stood out there and eventually I saw people that I knew. Trail runners look a lot different when we are in street clothes. I talked with Mike Meynadasy for a while. He told me that Eric and Sheila Eagan have essentially moved in with Mike Vallone until he is ready to be on his own. I got choked up for a bit. Death and dying young at age 37 are sad subjects. Mike and Lisa had only been married for 6 years. I talked with Chris O'Brien. He told me about his Oil Creek 100K battle of walking the last 17 miles in the rain through peanut butter mud while enduring lots of chafing. I didn't ask where ... though I really wanted to, lol! I got turned around a bit on the way home too. My cell did give visual directions but not audible so I have to sneak looks at it once I was off the beaten path during the entire trip. I have not been able to figure out why either. I found later that there is also another Stephenson-Doughtery Funeral Home in Avon and a O'Connell-Doughtery Funeral Home in Lima. So I was glad I made it to right place in the dark thanks to modern technology. Let's not talk about me not making sure I was heading to the right place in the first place ... hmm?

Tuesday, 11/13/2018: 6819 steps during the day, rest day.

I got out of work late so I bagged the run.

Wednesday, 11/14/2018: 13577 steps during the day, 5 miles on the treadmill, 9:39 pace.

Yes, 5 miles on the treadmill at the Greenleaf Meadows fitness center. I was cold during day and the ideas of running outside just didn't do it for me. So ... I dressed just before work ended and headed to a treadmill in November for heaven's sake. I set it for 6 mph (10:00 pace) and 2% incline. I endured that pace for 3.8 miles and then kicked it up to 7 mph (8:34 pace) just to get 5 miles done. One thing about running on a treadmill in November ... you sweat a lot more than if you were running outdoors. Anyway ... running 5 miles on a treadmill is better than running 0 miles outdoors.

Thursday, 11/15/2018: 5163 steps during the day, rest day.

It snowed during the night but had quit early enough so that the main roads were clear. Six inches of wet snow fell up where we live. More snow fell east in Wayne County. Macedon and Palmyra got about 10 to 12 inches. I didn't want to hit the treadmill again nor did I want to risk the roads so I stayed in.

Friday, 11/16/2018: 8982 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 11/17/2018: 16703 steps during the day, 9.35 miles, 1:19:39, 8:31 pace, 39F, 70% RH, 13 mph W wind, wind chill 32F, overcast.

I set my alarm for 5:50 AM so I could go on a Race with Grace 10K (RwG 10K) run at 7 AM. I didn't do much puttering around ... so enough to check a bit of email and Facebook and then eat a banana. I dressed like usual for upper 30s: CW-X, a long and short sleeve tech, balaclava, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I wore the Darn Tough socks that I won for placing first in the Dirt Cheap Trail Race series back in September ... had to let them age a bit ... lol! I got out a bit late but I would have made it if I hadn't turned on N Greece Rd instead of Manitou Rd to get to the First Bible Baptist Church (FBBC). I got there at 7:05 AM just as all the runners were heading out. I set off after them about three to four minutes later. I set up a nice and steady pace. I just let the run happen. I added another 5K afterward by heading down Manitou Rd past FBBC and out Parma Center Rd to Butcher Rd. My splits were: 8:20, 8:25, 8:18, 8:32, 8:24, 8:37, 8:43, 8:57, 8:34 and 8:02 over 0.35 pace.

Friday, 11/9/2018 to Sunday, 11/11/2018 - Dirt Cheap Stage Race

I ran 4 times: 19.06 miles.
I took 45.665 steps  according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Common abbreviations: OMEP is my Orange Mud Endurance Pack, NT360 is my NoxGear 
Tracer360 vest, UWRG is my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava and Brooks beanie.

This blog post is devoted to the 3 day, 3 race Dirt Cheap Stage Race (DCSR). It's an epic event so it deserves a blog post of its own.

Friday, 11/9/2018: 14233 steps during the day, 3.1 miles estimated, 35:51. 11:34 pace, 39F, 93% RH, 7 mph SW wind, wind chill 34F, overcast with light sprinkles

I took ibuprofen at 7 AM and noon to help make my right knee feel better. I also wore my new black P. W. Minor shoes that Christine bought for me last month. Both of these actions helped. My right knee slowly felt better until it didn't ache.

It started to snow during the day. A real heavy wet snow. Then it changed to rain. Tonight was DCSR #1 held out on Pond Rd in Mendon Ponds Park. I got out of work at 4 PM and got dressed for the conditions. I chose my CW-X tights, an orange long sleeve tech, an orange short sleeve tech, old Salamon SpeedCross 3 shoes and Darn Tough socks. I wore blaze orange (and all weekend) because I was my way of paying tribute to Lisa Vallone, obit here,  who had died from Crohns Disease on Wednesday. Then ... I couldn't find my race bib. I called Christine at home and sure enough it was there. So ... I drove home to get it. It took 45 minutes in rush hour traffic to get back out to Mendon Ponds Park. Still ... I was there by 5:40 in plenty of time for the 6:30 PM start. It was still raining so I tried to find everything in my 2014 Cruze without getting out of the car. But ... I couldn't find my Brooks beanie. So ... I wore an ear warmer and my orange Fleet Feet hat. I wore my Brooks jacket for warmth and brought my 2017 DCSR hoodie to wear afterward. I also wore my NT360 vest and the headlamp that I bought off of eBay last year. I walked slowly the 1/4 mile up to race venue and got there about 6:20 PM.

DCSR #1 was started in time trial fashion with a runner going off every 5 seconds. Luckily the rain has mostly stopped. I had bib 150 so I had to 12.5 minutes before my start. I didn't warm up so I had a bit of trouble getting my breathing under control during the roughly 1/2 mile uphill at the start. I concentrated on just running under control and not falling. There were lots of wet rocks, wet roots and slippery mud to look out for so I had to really concentrate on every foot placement. Soon enough ... I could hear Ellen calling out the finishers ... and I was done.

before DCSR #1

The DCSR logo and a bit of crusty snow

After DCSR #1 with a bit of runner fuel

I checked my Garmin ... it had been paused at 0:23. I must have hit the pause button with my gloves so ... no Garmin data for this run. Oh well! Stuff happens. Christine sent me the eCrumb link that I sent here when I started. It's not official since I started it about 20 seconds before I started and stopped it about 20 seconds after I finished, link here. I did OK, I was 95 out of 225 and 1st out of 7 in my M 60-69 age group, link here.

I ate a couple of hot dogs and cookies after I changed out of my damp tech shirts and into my 2017 DCSR hoodie. I walked the 1/4 mile back to my car and drove home. The drive back was a lot better without rain and rush hour traffic.

Saturday, 11/10/2018: 10526 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.01 and 4.65 miles, 30F, 47% RH, 20 mph W wind, wind chill 21F, sunny.

Today's race was DCSR #2 out at Devil's Bathtub in Mendon Ponds Park. I woke up at 6:10 AM. I puttered around like usual as I ate my usual pre-race bowl of cereal and banana. It was about the same temp so I wore the same as yesterday. I got out at 7:35 AM and got down to the race venue at 8:05 AM. I was surprised that I got a prime parking spot right at the top of the hill. So ... I surfed Facebook ... then I checked my email ... and still not too many cars. I checked the yellowjacketracing.com website. The race start was at 10 AM. OK ... I ditched my Brooks jacket and donned my Brooks beanie. I headed out for a 1.01 mile warm up run at 9:02 pace, link here. It was just an out and back ... like I usually do on DCSR #2 or a Dirt Cheap that starts at Devil's Bathtub.

I lined up next to Andy Ciaio. He had left DCSR #1 last night after only 1 hot dog so I had told him that I had stayed for 2 hot dogs. It's a three day race so you don't waste energy after DCSR #1. Ellen warned of the usual: follow the pink flag and not the runner in front of you, if you get lost it's your own fault and don't litter. She also warned of ice on all the wood planks and told us to be careful. And ... we were off.

I got up to a nice trail race pace. The first mile is rolling hills out in the open so we could feel the wind. I didn't warm up until mile 2. Then ... the mud started. The rain from last night caused a lot of mud that we all slogged through off and on for 2 miles. I slipped onto my butt once on a steep downhill. I was getting pretty tired with trying to raise up my feet through the mud. Then ... I could hear Ellen from the finish above me ... the wood planks were still a bit ice covered so I was careful ... up the infamous stairs to the finish ... and done in 50:20. I had a half bagel with Nutella ... which hit the spot. My feet were freezing so I went to my 2014 Cruze, put the heat on full to the feet and went home ... boom, done.

My muddy CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks and Salomon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes (I washed the first two)

I did OK. I finished 4.65 miles in 50:20, 10:40 pace. I was 86th out of 264, 1st out of 7 in my M 60-69 age group, link here. My splits were: 8:13, 10:47, 12:20, 9:52 and 14:01 over the last 0.65 mile.

Sunday, 11/11/2018: 20906 steps during the day, 10.3 miles, 2:00:26, 11:42 pace, 36F, 69% RH, 9 mph WSW wind, wind chill 29F, sunny.

Today's race was DCSR #3 out at Stewart Lodge at Mendon Ponds Park. I woke up at 6:10 AM. I puttered around like usual as I ate my usual pre-race bowl of cereal and banana. It was about the same temp so I wore the same as yesterday.  I got out at 7:35 AM and got down to the race venue at 8:05 AM. How many times have I parked in the Beach parking lot at MPP ... who knows?

I ambled up to Stewart Lodge and hung out a while. I stashed a bag that had my Brooks jacket, orange Fleet Feet hat and Brooks light running gloves to change into afterward. I put my heavy running gloves by the fire in an attempt to dry them out a bit before the race (didn't work). I just stretched before the race. I lined up next to Andy Ciaio again and settled in for the start. And ... we were off.

I started in the middle of the pack so I could warm up slowly. No need for a fast pace at first ... it's a long trail race. Boots and Sean Hendricks were everywhere. I saw them 4 times during the race ... the road crossing on Douglas Rd just after the start at 0.5 mile, the road crossing on Canfield Rd at mile 4.8 (I had a Chocolate Gu) and twice on the same hill at mile 8 or 9 as we came from two different directions. I developed a hot spot on my right heel around mile 5. I stopped just after the S Wilmarth Rd crossing at mile 6. I took off my shoe and banged out any debris but the damage had been done. About 10 runners passed me. I put the shoe back on and kept running. It hurt for another mile before it either quit or I got used to it. There was about just about as much mud and water as yesterday. I avoided some of the mud if it wasn't too much trouble but I tended to just go straight through it too. You know ... the shortest distance and all. I concentrated on the terrain and my foot placement but ... did look up occasionally to check out the scenery. I walked the hills when I needed to so I could catch my breath. I can walk some hills faster than I can run them with my long legs. I started to get hungry around mile 9. I have run DCSR #3 enough (10 times) to know when I am getting closer to the finish ... just keep going. I could hear the music from the finish ... I was really hungry ... a bit more mud ... up the final hill ... up the 5 more steps to the new deck on the Stewart Lodge and done!

I was famished and went inside to find something to eat as soon as I caught my breath. I found cookies and had 4 of them ASAP. I stood in line for the coveted DCSR hoodie ... hunter green was the color this year. Ellen told me what she told everyone: "You earned this hoodie. Don't let anyone other than you wear it." I went outside, peeled off my wet tech shirts and put on my newest favorite DCSR hoodie. OK, I put it on backwards for a second (one guy saw it and promised not to tell anyone).

Wearing my newest favorite DCSR hoodie

Just your basic well enjoyed and mud covered pair of Salomon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes and Darn Tough socks

I ate a half bagel with Nutella ... not bad. I am beginning to like Nutella. Then I had a moment of panic. I checked my Zipster and then my Nathan SpeedDraw flask for my key to the 2014 Cruze ... no key. So ... I quickly walked out the car ... it was unlocked ... and the key was in the ignition. Whew! Sometimes I do really stupid stuff. It didn't bite me this time. I went back up to Stewart Lodge for the awards. I was first in my DCSR series M 60-69 age group. I won a DCSR tea glass and a jar of Once Again peanut butter.

DCSR bling

I did OK. I was 95th out of 217 and 1st out of 6 in my M 60-69 age group, link here. I was also 1st out of 6 in the DCSR series M 60-69 age group, link here. My splits were: 10:01, 9:42, 11:28, 11:42, 12:45 (ate a GU0, 9:44, 10:36, 12:58 (emptied my right shoe), 13:11, 10:42 and 10:22 over the last 0.30 mile

I initially thought that I did really well but I found out later that I have run 7 of my 10 DCSR #3 races faster than today. But ... I have to keep telling myself that I am still out there ... still running ... still moving forward ... so that is a good thing. The couch may call me but I don't have to answer its call.

I went home and lazed around the rest of the day. I discovered that I did indeed get (earned) a blister on my right heel. I don't usually get blisters so I bet I caught some debris in my shoe. Oh well.