Sunday, 3/3/2019 to Saturday, 3/9/2019 --- Round the Bay

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.

I ran 5 times: 38.7 miles (most in a long time).
I took 84,678 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 3/3/2019: 16778 steps during the day, 12.15 miles, 1:43;52, 8:33 pace, 162 avg cadence, 27F, 73% RH, 4 mph WNW wind, wind chill 23F, light overcast

My alarm woke me out of a sound sleep at 6:45 AM. I puttered around and couldn't get my butt moving for a couple of hours. I had to talk myself into going out for a run. I knew I would be a "runhole" if I didn't so I got dressed and got out there just after 9 AM.

I had on my UWRG plus my sunglasses. Yes ... I do wash my running clothes ... just not as often I probably should, lol.

I set up a nice and steady pace. I wanted to do something long so I ran out to East Manitou Rd and back. Old Edgemere Drive was snow covered and a bit icy so I had to slow down on this stretch going out and coming back. However ... in hindsight ... this run was about 3 miles too long. I just ran out of energy and will power after 9 miles. I sucked it though and got it done. My splits were: 8:31, 8:31, 8:35, 8:30, 8:31, 8:35, 8:24, 8:33, 8:44, 8:38, 8:34, 8:32 and 8:10.

My darling wife, Christine, was still asleep. I brought her up a mug of coffee and a kiss to tell her that I was home. Coffee and relaxing soon ruled the afternoon. Christine didn't feel well later in the day so I watched the original 1937 version of "A Star is Born" with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, off of the Spectrum OnDemand free movie section. One of these days I will get around to watching the 1954 version with Judy Garland and James Mason; the 1976 version with Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson and the 2018 version with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.

Monday, 3/4/2919: 4252 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 3/5/2019: 13959 steps during the day, 5 treadmill miles.

Winter continued in upstate NY ... it was 20F with a 20 mph W wind so the wind chill was around 0F. I got all dressed in my UWRG and drove up up to Greece Arcadia High School like I usually do. I got out of the 2018 Cruze, looked at the west wind blowing the US flag ... and just couldn't get out there. I thought of the west wind in my face as I turned left onto Island Cottage and just couldn't face it. I felt like a wimp as I drove home. I changed out my gear for warm weather running gear (shorts and short sleeve tech) and tried to get into our complex exercise center ... my fob wouldn't work. Luckily one of the two guys in there let me in. I still like a wimp while I pounded out 5 miles at 9:00 pace ... but I was a warm and sweaty wimp by the time I got done.

Wednesday, 3/6/2019: 7231 steps during the day, rest day.

I thought about doing a snowshoe walk/run after work would be nice since it was still cold. My snowshoes were sitting right by the front door after all.  But ... Christine suggested that since it was Ash Wednesday that I get a fish dinner from somewhere and bring it home. Well ... my knees were a bit cranky from yesterday's treadmill run so I stopped by Wegmans and complied with her wishes.

Thursday, 3/7/2019: 13590 steps during the day, 5.45 miles, 45:40, 8:22 pace, 164 avg cadence, 22F, 52% RH, 11 mph W wind, wind chill 10F, mostly cloudy.

It was a bit warmer and a bit less windy so I got back out for yet another run from Greece Arcadia High School. I did modify my route to keep me on as much a north/south route as I could to keep me from heading into the west wind. I just kept a steady pace and let the run happen. I forgot my Darn Tough socks so I had to make due so a pair of crew socks that left about an inch between the top of the socks and my CW-X tights ... I did feel the cold for a while. My splits were: 8:17, 8:19, 8:21, 8:29, 8:24 and 8:26 over the last 0.45 mile. Boom ... done.

Friday, 3/8/19: 10698 steps during the day, 2.15 miles, 30:09, 14:00 pace, 125 avg cadence, 27F, 51% RH, 6 mph NE wind, wind chill 20F, fair

Well ... it was supposed to be a rest day but there was still snow on the ground that wasn't going to be there much longer. So ... I got out for a nice and easy snowshoe run/walk around the Lake Shore Country Club right behind our Greenleaf Meadow townhouse. I didn't go out all since I knew that I was going to run Round the Bay the next morning. It was around freezing so I went with CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, Craft long sleeve tech, balaclava, Brooks beanie and ski mittens. The wet snow was a bit cold but manageable. My splits were: 13:50, 13:53 and 16:04 over the last 0.15 mile.

Saturday, 3/9/19: 18170 steps during the day, 14.95 miles, 2:08:05, 8:34 pace, 163 avg cadence,

Today was my 10th Round the Bay run and my 15th time running the route. Five were either started from the Bay Front Restaurant at the bottom of Irondequoit Bay or from the Swing Bridge by myself. There are several variations of the route but today's run was the usual 14.9 mile route with all the hills on the west side of Irondequoit Bay.

The Round the Bay run is a long run that "happens". Someone sets the date (before the swing bridge swings on April 1st, before Daylight Savings Time begins and doesn't interfere with the Runnin' of the Green) and posts it to Facebook pages of the three running groups in Rochester (Bagel Bunch, Goldrush Runners and Oven Door) along with their old school email lists. The turnout varies from year to year depends on how many are up for a long run along with the weather. There are some runners that run this route every weekend from the Bay Front Restaurant.

I was up at 5:40 AM with my alarm but I think I was up for about 30 minutes before that. It was 14F so I dressed in my UWRG. I know what works so I don't mess with it. I got to the Irondequoit side of the Swing Bridge around 6:50 AM just a bit after sunrise. It was going to be sunny plus it was a bit windy so I added my sunglasses and GRTC neck gaiter. I would say maybe 50 people came out for this year's edition. I knew some but then it was a bit hard to recognize runners with all their cold weather gear on.

Matt Kellman took a selfie just before we started. I'm in there in the left middle.

We headed out at 7 AM on the dot. My warm up was running up Culver Ave. I settled in as I set up a nice and steady pace. I knew the course so I sped up on the downhills on the west side of Irondequoit Bay (Bay Shore Blvd and Glen Haven Rd) and suffered on the uphills. I took some walk breaks on the uphills. There was a whole bunch of trucks along the side of the road on Glen Haven Rd as I got closer and down by Irondequoit Bay. There must have been a lot of ice fishers out on the Bay. I saw some walking out and trailing the sleds holding their gear behind them. I stopped for a few minutes at the water stop at mile 7 just before Empire Blvd to have a few gulps of my Hammer Gel and a fig newton. Then .. it was onward. The mile long Empire Blvd hill into Webster was just as long as ever. But ... onward, left onto Bay Rd. A guy in a pickup truck gave me the middle finger in between Ridge Rd and 104 when he couldn't pass a car on the right ... whatever. There wasn't any shoulder or sidewalks so I had to run as far to the left as possible ... what can I do?. I hit the half marathon mark at 1:53:00. Under 2 miles to go, soon a left onto Lake Rd. I pushed past three runners that I had passed before ... 1/2 mile to go ... swing bridge in sight ... done with 14.95 miles. That was my longest run in quite some time. My splits were: 9:04, 8:29, 8:15, 8:02, 9:11, 7:54, 9:47, 8:09, 9:33, 8:33, 8:14, 8:18, 8:20, 8:19 and 8:21 over the last 0.95 mile.

Sunday, 2/24/2019 to Saturday, 3/2/2019

I ran 3 times: 18.15 miles.
I took 66,476 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, 2/24/2019: 9823 steps during the day, 3.25 total miles on the treadmill and elliptical.

Oh ... a severe cold front was forecast to come across upstate NY with winds up to 70 mph in the afternoon. It had been forecast for at least 5 days.

Christine and I woke up touching each other in a king bed at the Hampton Inn in Waterloo NY. There was some romance involved before I left Christine sleeping for another hour. It was 8 AM so I just headed down to the hotel exercise room ... which was well stocked with 3 treadmills (1 broke), elliptical, recumbent bicycle, weight machine, weighted ball rack, dumbbell rack and 2 TVs. I ran 2.5 miles on the treadmill at 9:17 pace, 0.75 mile on the elliptical and about 5 miles on the bicycle. It was enough to work up a sweat. I took a quick shower, changed my clothes and we headed down to a leisurely and enjoyable breakfast.

We checked out and headed to Fall St in Seneca Falls where it seemed that all the museums were according to this link: the Seneca Museum of Waterways and Industry at 89 Fall St, It's a Wonderful Life Museum at 32 Fall St and the National Women's Hall of Fame at 76 Fall St. Well ... I walked up and down a bit of Fall St and only found the National Women's Hall of Fame. It was a nice museum with plaques of lots of women. Some we knew and some we didn't. It was quite interesting. I got lots of pictures.

Christine & "Hilary" ... you can guess for which side we will vote in 2020, #voteblue2020

Then we headed over to the Del Lago casino. My youngest son, David, wasn't there. He was on a mini vacation down in Tampa FL. Christine enriched the slot machines while I wandered around and looked at the table games. I watched several rolls at a craps table ... I should read up on how to play again. An old guy walked up beside me and bought in for $800! Table games require a lot more money to properly play from what I have read of various systems for blackjack, craps and baccarat.

We could see the cold front coming when we were heading back to Rochester on the NYS Thruway around 3 PM. The rain came down for a bit and the winds picked up. There was a gust of 66 mph at the Rochester airport during the night. The winds whipped all night!

Monday, 2/25/2019: 6369 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 2/26/2019: 15868 steps during the day, 7.45 miles, 1:01:53, 8:18 pace, avg cadence 164, 18F, 68% RH, 7 mph WNW wind, wind chill 6F, mostly cloudy

Well ... back to the Greece Arcadia High School for another Island Cottage (IC) and Janes run. I had 90.07 miles for the month coming into this run and still need another 2.5 miles roughly to reach 100 miles. I set up a steady pace and let the run happen. It was cold and windy so I wore the usual plus my balaclava along with my NT360 lighted vest (I almost didn't need it). I shortened my stride during the last two miles and just got it done. My splits were: 8:05, 8:28, 8:27, 8:14, 8:13, 8:24, 8:18 and 8:15 over the last 0.45 mile.

Wednesday, 2/27/2019: 7422 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 2/28/2019: 14895 steps during the day, 7.45 miles, 1:02:24, 8:22 pace, avg cadence 162, 15F, 76% RH, 8 mph E wind, wind chill 5F, mostly sunny

Well ... my running spreadsheet told me that I needed 2.5 miles to get to 100 miles for the month. So ... I got to Greece Arcadia High School just before 5 PM and got 7.45 miles done. It was cold (yet agina) and mostly sunny but not so windy (at least). I dressed in my usual: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava, Brooks beanie and ski mittens. I added my NT360 lighted vest and turned it on to flash even though there was still a hour of daylight. I set up a steady pace and got it done. My splits were: 8:08, 8:22, 8:27, 8:25, 8:22, 8:26, 8:23 and 8:27 over the last 0.45 mile.

Boom ... over 100 miles for the 38th month in a row. Yes, 100 miles is just an arbitrary number but it's a line in the sand that encourages me to get my ass out there and run.

It's the end of February so ... it's stat time!

I ran 18 times (3 treadmill, 1 screw shoe, 1 snowshoe) in February for 104.97 miles (38 months greater than 100 miles), 5.83 miles/run.
I have run 39 times so far in 2019 for 212.55 miles, 5.45 miles.
I ran 2 races in February:
 02/09/19 - Freezeroo #5, 7.98 miles, 1:03:35, 7:58 pace
 02/23/19 - Freezeroo #6, 4.36 miles, 33:50, 7:46 pace.
I took 285,420 steps in February and 603,844 steps so far in 2019.

Friday, 3/1/2019: 6976 steps during the day, rest day.

My Pebble 2 HR smart watch locked up today after I took it off its charger. I wasn't the only one that this has ever happened too as Google soon told me, link here. It was just a matter of holding down the back, up and select buttons until it rebooted itself. Easy peasy!

Saturday, 3/2/2019: 5123 steps during the day, rest day.

Well ... I had to bag my run today because it was biweekly time to take my oldest son, Michael, and daughter, Karen, out so they could do their grocery shopping. Michael, who lives in Macedon, was first at 9 AM. Karen, who lives in Palmyra, was second around 10:30 AM. The Macedon Walmart was definitely busier the second time I visited it. I got back up to Rochester a bit before 3 PM. I suppose that I could have gone out for a run but ... I knew that my darling wife, Christine, would appreciate it if I spent some time with her instead of the pavement.

Sunday, 2/17/2019 to Saturday, 2/23/2019 - Freezeroo #6

I ran 5 times: 28.46 miles.
I took 77,145 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, 2/17/2019: 14536 steps during the day, 10.45 miles, 1:26:43, 8:18 pace, avg cadence 165, 23F, 68% RH, 10 mph E wind, wind chill 13F, overcast with flakes of snow

I almost got up early enough to think about doing a Round the Bay run ... but Christine had other plans for me. But ... long runs don't get done by themselves so I did get out later to take back the Redbox plus almost 10 more miles. I set up a nice and steady pace to start out. I did take a few tiny walk breaks when the cold wind took the wind out of my sails. Did I mention that it was a bit cold and windy? My splits were: 8:42, 8:07, 8:11, 8:08, 8:09, 8:31, 8:04, 8:01, 8:08, 8:25 and 7:59 over the last 0.45 mile.

Monday, 2/18/2019: 7210 steps during the day.

Tuesday, 2/19/2019: 13233 steps during the day, 5.05 miles, 47:06, 8:20 pace, avg cadence 163, 20F, 78% RH, 3 mph SSW wind, wind chill 15F, partly cloudy

It was Tuesday ... so I ran. It was winter break week up at Greece Arcadia High School so the parking lot was quite desolate when I got there around 5:20 PM. It was quite light out so I didn't turn on my NT360 lighted vest and forgot to bring my headlamp from eBay (both kind of bad ideas by the time I got back). I pushed the pace a bit since I was worried about my 2018 Cruze being one of two cars in the GAHS parking lot. The parking lot had a lot more cars when I got back. My splits were: 8:09, 8:24, 8:21, 8:12 and 8:35.

I saw the Super Snow Moon rising above the trees as I drove home. It was the biggest and brightest full moon of 2019 ... it did look a bit bigger.

Wednesday, 2/20/2019: 7296 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 2/21/2019: 16598 steps during the day, 7.45 miles, 1:02:29, 8:23 pace, avg cadence 162, 37F, 59% RH, 17 mph W wind, wind chill 27F, mostly cloudy.

I was only at 74 miles for the month before this run so a bit longer run after work today. It's going to be a struggle to get to 100 miles in February. I got dressed just I got out of work and drove to Greece Arcadia High School like usual. I didn't dawdle and started up around 5:20 PM. The sun was still above the horizon but I had my NT360 lighted vest already lit and headlamp from eBay at the ready. I didn't have the "cars can't see me" at twilight excuse. So ... I set up a steady pace and got it done. It was hard to turn left on Island Cottage to push to 7.45 miles instead of turning right for 5 miles before I can be stubborn (and stupid too) sometimes. I turned on my headlamp when I headed back on Island Cottage ... getting it done. My splits were: 7:58, 8:42, 8:18, 8:08, 8:07, 8:13, 8:37 and 8:38 over the last 0.45 mile. It is amazing how much the west wind can slow you down when you are running into it!

Friday, 2/22/2019: 6574 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 2/23/2019: 11698 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.15 and 4.36 miles, avg cadence 169, 30F, 64% RH, 7 mph SSE wind, wind chill 26F, sunny.

Note to self: save your blog post that you wrote about this day before you click to another Opera tab and then shut down your laptop.so you don't have to write it again!!!

Today's race was my ninth Freezeroo #6. This was the third year out at the White House lodge in Webster on the 2 loops of 2.2 mile course. Freezeroo #6 (like all the other Freezeroo races except #2) has had various venues and distances over the years. Here are my previous times, distances and venues: 2010 - 52:02, 2011 - 45:13, 2012 - 46:35 on a 10K course in Churchville; 2013 - 23:11 on the 5K course at the Northstar Christian Academy in Gates; 2014 - 46:39, 2016 - 46:03 on a 10K course at Casey Park; 2017 - 31:20, 2018 - 32:31 on the 4.4 mile course in Webster.

I was up around 7 AM and did the usual puttering around before I started to get ready. It was 30F so I knew what to wear and what to bring just in case. I was out to the White House lodge at the corner of Holt and Lake out in Webster by 9:15 AM. I snagged a parking spot 50 feet from the door ... score! I was predictable and wore: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie, sunglasses and ski mittens. I chose not to carry water or listen to music on my one earbud (I don't wear two ever).

I got my bib inside the lodge and got out for a little 1.15 mile warm up run at 8:56 pace, link here. The start was a bit disorganized. Carolyn Kriesen just blew a whistle and yelled "Go!". Luckily I had already sent my eCrumb and had my Garmin all ready. And ... we were off!

I don't particularly like running with my back to traffic but that is how this 2 loops of 2.2 mile course is set up. So ... we were bunched out into the right side of Lake Rd for almost the whole way to our first turn. Andy Ciaio caught up to me around the 1.5 mile mark. His comment was "the things we do for free pizza" before he moved ahead of me. Loop 1 passed in 16:50. I tried to keep the same pace for loop 2 but slowed a little bit to 16:56. I passed a couple of runners in the last 1/4 mile and crossed the line in 4.36 miles, 43:50, 7:44 pace according to my Garmin. My official time was 43:46. My splits were: 7:44, 7:43, 8:01, 7:50 and 7:03 over the last 0.36 mile.

Andy Ciaio (in the red) and I at mile 2 of loop 1 ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

I walked across Lake Rd and went into the lodge. The pizza hadn't arrived yet so I had 3 donuts and some apple cider. There was only garlic and veggie pizza so I passed on any pizza. I stuck around for the series awards. I was third in the 2018-2019 Freezeroo series M 60-64 age group so I won $10. Hourglassworks.com had the results up soon after I got home. I finished 51st out of 146, link here. I was 4th out of 8 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. I was 3rd out of 8 in the Freezeroo series M 60-64 age group, link here.

Walking back to the White House lodge ... what a unique race in Salem MA!

3rd place in the 2018-2019 Freezeroo series M 60-64 age group award - $10

I saw these guys about 1/2 mile east of the Swing Bridge on Lake Rd getting ready to ride motorcycles on Irondequoit Bay.

My darling wife, Christine, and I weren't finished with our day though. I puttered around a bit, took a shower and packed a bit before we took a brief trip. My hotels.com account which requires 10 nights to get a free night had 9 nights. My nights were going to start to expire on 3/4/19 so ... we had to stay somewhere. We chose Waterloo. Why Waterloo? Well ... it's close, it has a casino nearby and it has museums. We chose to stay at the Hampton Inn in between Waterloo and Seneca Falls. We did dawdle and we didn't get to our hotel until 4 PM so we couldn't go to any museums. We just had supper at Parker's Grille & Tap in Seneca Falls. Our meal (Chicken Finger Sub for me and Fresh Water Perch Filet for Christine) didn't agree with either of us. I swear we should just eat what we have had and enjoyed (BLT for me and Beef on Weck for Christine) at Parker's rather than try something new just for the sake of trying something new. So ... an upset stomach put any romance out the window for the evening. The king size bed was quite comfy though.

Sunday, 2/10/2019 to Saturday, 2/16/2019

I ran 5 times: 28.53 miles.
I took 69,026 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 2/10/2019: 11681 steps during the day, 9.35 miles, 1:18:42, 8:25 pace, 165 avg cadence, 23F, 58% RH, 7 mph SSW wind, wind chill 15F, mostly sunny

Well ... long runs don't get done by themselves. So ... I went out and did one. I just set up an easy pace and let the run happen. My MP3 player died after 2.5 miles ... I kept on going. My splits were: 8:24, 8:29, 8:22, 8:38, 8:41, 7:53, 8:03, 8:27, 8:26 and 7:45 over the last 0.35 mile.

Monday, 2/11/2019: 7410 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 2/12/2019: 8389 steps during the day, rest day.

Well ... more winter weather arrived in upstate NY. Three inches of snow, sleet and wind in the morning and then freezing rain in the evening. All this combined said ... take a rest day. I probably could have done a treadmill but got out of work late and didn't have the gumption.

Wednesday, 2/13/2019: 11922 steps during the day, 5 miles on the treadmill/elliptical

I had my running gear in the 2014 Cruze but winter weather intervened again. There was snow squalls during the evening commute home so I changed before I left work and hit the Greenleaf Meadows exercise room instead of putting myself out in the streets of Greece. I did 2 miles on the treadmill and 3 miles on the elliptical. It was much warmer inside than outside and a bit safer too.

Thursday, 2/14/2019: 14884 steps during the day, 2 runs of 6.55 and 2.08 miles, 36F, 50% RH, 3 mph E wind, wind chill 34F, mostly cloudy.

I had Valentine's Day off so Christine and I spent some leisurely time together just relaxing before I got out for a couple of runs.

The first was a 6.55 mile run, 57:52, 8:50 pace. It was a mix of the LOSP trail and road. The LOSP trail out to Island Cottage was a bit icy so I took the road back to break things up (and not slip and fall on the way back). My avg cadence was 159 and my splits were: 9:49, 9:24, 9:14, 8:33, 8:17, 8:14 and 7:53 over the last 0.55 mile.

I had the usual couple mugs of coffee but I had the thought ... there was snow still on the ground and it was just above freezing. Why not go out for a snowshoe run before the snow melts? So ... I did.


The snow was just deep enough so that I could keep up a trot the whole way. The mileage was 2.08 miles, 25:41, 12:20 pace. My avg cadence was 134 and my splits were: 12:22, 12:11 and 13:45 over the last 0.08 mile.

Happy Valentine's Day, baby!

Friday, 2/15/2019: 11418 steps during the day, 5.45 miles, 45:11, 8:17 pace, 28F, 69% RH, 12 mph W wind, wind chill 19F, overcast with a burst of sleet and sprinkles


Another vacation day ... so another run day. A couple of weeks ago my oldest son, Michael, replaced his Spectrum cable modem with a one that he had bought. Well ... he gave that to me. So ...I returned today to the Spectrum store in East Rochester. I combined that with a run afterward at Cobbs Hill. I had planned to park at Fleet Feet Armory and then run up to Cobbs Hill. Well ... the sidewalk was all water logged and icy so ... I ran back to the 2014 Cruze and just drove up to Cobbs Hill and parked up there. So ... I just ran 7 loops clockwise around on the road. A wind advisory was up ... nothing new ... and I did have a loop or two when I was sleeted and sprinkled on ... joy. But ... I kept on running. My splits were: 8:25, 8:18, 8:34, 8:15, 8:03, 7:55 over the last 0.45 mile.

My afternoon was taken up by Christine's shopping list. She had made up a dinner plan with a shopping list to match. So ... I went to BJ's and Wegmans to take care of that list. Boom ... done. It took a bit of doing however. I don't exactly shop for thyme or leeks every day.

Saturday, 2/16/2019: 3322 steps during the day, rest day.

I did the Dad thing for the two oldest kids that don't have a car. I was out in Macedon to pick up my oldest son, Michael, at 9 AM to take him to the Macedon Walmart. Then it was over to Palmyra to pick up my daughter, Karen, to take her to to same Walmart. It was definitely busier the second time.

Sunday, 2/3/2019 to Saturday, 2/9/2019 - Freezeroo #5

I ran 5 times: 29.93 miles.
I took 72,814 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, 2/3/2019: 13777 steps during the day, 9.05 miles, 1:18:01, 8:37 pace, avg cadence 164, 37F, 64% RH, 3 mph SSW wind, mostly sunny

I combined taking a Redbox DVD back to the 7-11 on Lake Ave with my long run. There had been a winter weather advisory about freezing rain that expired at 10 AM. I read later on Facebook that the few people that did the Round the Bay run at 7 AM had icy conditions. Me ... I slept in until 7:30 AM.

The temp was 37F and was forecast to climb towards 50F by the end of the day. I wore my CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, short sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I got out around 9:30 AM. I took the LOSP trail for about 1/4 mile to Latta. It was icy so I kept to the snow as much as possible. I tried to avoid icy sidewalks also but I did have some trouble on Lake Ave and in Ontario Beach Park. I ran on the shoulder on Beach Ave and out Edgemere Drive instead of the sidewalk. The SSW breeze caused me to overheat and take a few walk breaks in mile 7. I think I should have worn shorts instead of CW-X tights There is a big difference between running when the wind chill is 0F and 40F. I'm glad I only did 9 mile since my knees were a bit cranky when I got done. My splits weren't that great: 9:17, 9:26, 8:13, 8:10, 8:16, 8:37, 8:43, 8:22 and 8:32. The first 2 miles were due to the icy LOSP trail and icy sidewalks on Lake Ave.

But ... the weather warmed up all day. It was 50F by 4 PM. I could have ran in shorts if I had waited!

A bit of relaxing, a couple mugs of coffee and a bit of lunch soon ensued as I whiled away the time before the Super Bowl between the New England Patriot (boo! hiss!) and the Los Angeles Rams (cough ... should have been the Saints ... cough). The smart money said to bet on the Rams and the under 56. But ... the game had to be played first.

It turned out to to be a defensive game. The score was tied at 3 at the end of the third quarter so the under was safe. But .. the Patriots scored the last 10 points to win 13-3, links here and here. So .. the Pats along with Brady at QB and Bellichick as head coach have won 6 Super Bowls (2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016 and 2018) and lost 3 Super Bowls (2007, 2011, 2017). Joy.

Monday, 2/4/2019: 6474 steps during the day, rest day.

I got my first of two Shingles vaccine shots today, link here. The pharmacist told me that I may have some shoulder discomfort. She wasn't kidding. It soon felt like someone punched me hard in the shoulder a couple of times.

It warmed up to 63F at the Rochester airport to break the record of 58F for this day. But ... what goes up in February will go down. Back to winter for tomorrow.

Tuesday, 2/5/2019: 16376 steps during the day, 6.6 miles, 28F, 68% RH, 6 mph W wind, wind chill 23F, mostly clear.

The temperature was 47F when I woke up and fell all day. So ... it was back to the usual winter running gear. Funny story though ... I had all my running gear in my running bag ... except my tights or shorts. So ... I had to go home before I could go out for my Tuesday night. My lovely wife, Christine, grabbed me and delayed me for a while but I did get out just after 6 PM. It was dark so I grabbed my NT360 lighted vest and headlamp from Ebay. I didn't notice that I had forgotten to turn on my Garmin Forefunner 220 until about 1.5 miles so I just ran onward. The LOSP trail had a bit of ice in the Dewey Ave - Island Cottage section so I ran home via road and lengthened the run a bit to boot. The eCrumb from RoadID doesn't give an accurate mileage since it pings off cell towers or a precise start or finish time so my estimate of 6.6 miles and 58:20. The calculate pace of 8:50 doesn't seem quite right so I sent half of my run on road. But ... I got my run done so it's all good!

Wednesday, 2/6/2019: 4803 steps during the day, rest day.

Weird February weather continued today. There was freezing rain by the end of the day. It was weird though ... it was 34F went I come out from work. The ice had frozen on the car but not the windshield. I could just knock the ice off the windshield wipers, mirrors and tail lights. I remarked to Christine when I came home that all this water will turn to ice if it gets below freezing during the night.

Thursday, 2/7/2019: 13476 steps during the day, 5.05 miles, 33F, 88% RH, 5 mph SW wind, 161 avg cadence, wind chill 30F, overcast with snow/wind

Well ... the water on the ground froze overnight. The grounds crew at Greenleaf Meadows had salted the sidewalks so I didn't encounter the ice until I got to the 2014 Cruze. I started it up and then tried to scrape the ice off. Well ... I slid backwards most of the time when I tried to scrape the ice off! It was kind of comical. The roads were mostly clear. I got to work on time ... barely.

I did get out after work. The roads on Island Cottage and Janes Rd were fine. I enjoyed looking at the ice on the grass while I ran ... until it got dark. My splits were: 8:16, 8:16, 8:22, 8:25 and 8:30.

We had a bit of excitement after supper. Christine turned the oven off and we ate supper. A bit later we heard a pop and then what sounded like rain outside. Christine got up to check a few minutes later. The sound was coming from the oven. She opened it and yelled ... "There's a fire!" She wanted to go 911. Luckily there was nothing in the oven. I cleared everything off the top of the stove and kept the oven door open a bit. The small flame was coming from the left front of the coil. Christine called the Greenleaf Meadows maintenance line. The flame went out while she talked to them. The maintenance guy call over within 10 minutes. He told us that electric stove coils can arc like that and will burn themselves out when the connection is burnt through. It's curious though ... the oven knob was definitely in the OFF position when she went to the stove according to Christine. I verified that when I got to it. Weird.

Friday, 2/8/2019: 4096 steps during the days, vacation day

The wind was forecast to get up to 60 mph during Thursday night ... and I am sure that it did.

Pete, the maintenance guy, came before before 9 AM and had the stove up and going in 2 visits. One to take out the old coil (held by 2 screws to the back of the oven and 2 screws to the wires) and find out the oven model. The next to install the new coil. Christine made another call to maintenance. Pete came back to plunge the toilet and sink. He was good and efficient. I watched him and learned how I could unplug the sink the next time it happens.

I did get some stuff done. I organized my tech shirt collection on my clothes rack by race and year ... I need to get more hangers! I moved some boxes around the master bedroom ... big thrill. I tried to get more stuff done but ran out of time and maybe a bit of motivation too.

Goodbye to 12 pairs of shoes!

I did make it out to take 12 pairs of shoe to Fleet Feet Ridgeway. There were (from top and left to right): work shoes, 5 pairs of Brooks Adrenaline GTS (various years), Brooks Ravenna 8, Pearl Izumi M3, New Balance v860, Scotts Palani, Asics GT-1000 and Sacouny Kinvera.

Saturday, 2/9/2019: 13812 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.25 and 7.98 miles, 18F, 62% RH, 18 mph W wind, wind chill 3F, overcast with occasional light snow

Today's race was my seventh GRTC Freezeroo #5. Four were from the Greece DPW (2011 - 1:01:36, 2012 - 59:41, 2014 - 59:29, 2015 - 1:01:56) and the last three from Braddock Bay Park (BBP) (2016 - 1:00:20, 2017 - 1:00:57 and today's 1:03:35). The race started at 9 AM (not 10 AM as many GRTC emails told me). I live about 8 miles away so I left at 8:15, hopped on the Parkway for 3 exits and was there by 8:30 AM.

I hauled my running bag into the lodge so I could change my damp upper running clothes after the race. It was cold and windy so I wore more than usual; CW-X tight, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava, GRTC neck gaiter, Brooks beanie and ski mittens. I got out for a much needed warm up run of 1.25 miles at 8:36 pace just behind Heather Patterson, link here.

I had about 10 minutes before the start so I huddled between a wood fence and a dumpster along the GRTC president, Doug Jones, and Kevin Clinefelter to get out of the wind. It did make a difference. But ... a race doesn't get done if you don't run it.

And ... we were off! I got up to race pace quickly. The road out of BBP was a bit snow covered and into the wind. It's all good once your arms go a bit numb! But ... onward. I kept up a sub 8 minute pace down East Manitou Rd, left on Frisbee Hill Rd, right on Flynn Rd, left on Kuhn Rd, left on Long Pond Rd. I slipped and almost fell as I ran over the Parkway. I was on the snow covered shoulder as a car was coming. I got into the road as soon as the car passed. Onward ... left on Edgemere Drive.

The 6 mile mark on Edgemere Drive ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

Edgemere Drive had 2 miles of mash potato snow over most of it. It was quite tiring to run on. A little jog on Braddock Rd and 3rd Ave ... then back on E Manitou Rd ... mile 7 ... keep going ... back in BPP with 0.4 mile to go ... push ... finish! 7.98 miles in 1:03:35, 7:58 pace ... nice!

Post Freezeroo #5 selfie

I was exhausted. I staggered a few times while I found a bagel and water to eat. I sat down and changed my damp upper clothes. I had another bagel and more water while I sat and talked with Bill Beyerbach. I also picked up the GRTC Banquet swag before I left.

Hourglassworks.com had the results up before I got home. I did OK. I was 42nd out of 133, link here. I was 3rd out of 8 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. My avg cadence was 170 and my splits were: 7:52, 7:49, 7:46, 7:49, 7:58, 8:27, 8:12 and 7:52.

Sunday, 1/27/2019 to Saturday, 2/2/2019

I ran 3 times: 15.9 miles.
I took 63,211 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, 1/27/2019: 9288 steps during the day, 5.35 miles, 56:38, 10:35 pace, 152 avg cadence, 24F, 68% RH, 22 mph W wind, wind chill 9F, partly sunny

I slept in until just after 7 AM again. A lot of wind and a bit of snow blew through between 8 and 9 AM so I just waited. I really didn't want to run into a west wind that would almost blow me backwards. But ... I did get dress and I did get out around 10 AM. It was cold yet again so I wore my CW-X tights, GRTC shorts, Darn Tough socks, Craft long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie, balaclava, GRTC neck gaiter and sunglasses ... just my normal winter running attire when the wind chill is in the single digits.


I didn't want to run road so I dug out my black Salomon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes with the screws and ran the LOSP trail. The LOSP trail had about 2 to 3 inches of snow on 99% of it. There were a few bare patches and an icy section out by Island Cottage. It was a bit rutty also. It wasn't ankle busting rutty but I had to be careful that I didn't step in the deep ruts. I ran in an old fat tire track most of the time. I set up a really slow pace and got it done. My splits were: 10:34, 10:56, 10:10, 10:35, 10:12 and "something somthing" over the last 0.35 mile. My Garmin went totally screwy on this run with splits of 1.00, 0.08, 1.00, 0.06, 1.00, 0.09, 1.00, 0.10, 1.00 and 0.02 mile. Weird.

I relaxed with the usual couple mugs of coffee along with a cinnamon and raisin muffin. My darling wife, Christine, had a pie shell out and we did have 4 Granny Smith apples so we made an apple pie together. I was the ingredient man. My job was to measure out the sugar, brown sugar, flour, pumpkin spice (instead of cinnamon and nutmeg). Christine's job was to peel the apple, assemble the ingredients and bake the pie. I cut the pie after it cooled. We ate it after dinner ... mmm!

Monday, 1/28/2019: 7418 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 1/29/2019: 13464 steps during the day, 5.55 miles, 46:41, 8:24 pace, 156 avg cadence, 22F, 90% RH, 5 mph WNW wind, wind chill 15F, cloudy

I got out for my Tuesday run right after work. There is a definite difference in the amount of daylight at 5 PM now and last month. Last month it was dark at 5 PM. Now I didn't need to put my headlamp on until more than halfway into my run. I wore the usual running gear along with my GRTC neck gaiter and old ski mittens. I set up a nice and steady pace as I tried out a new route. I just run up Island Cottage to Dewey Ave and back. Easy peasy but a bit short at only 5.55 miles. My splits were: 8:20, 8:19, 8:22, 8:26, 8:29 and 8:32 over the last 0.55 mile. Boom ... done!

My darling wife, Christine, got out and about to take the 2018 Cruze down to Bob Johnson's Chevrolet for an oil change, tire rotation and inspection. I didn't know it needed an inspection but it makes sense since we got it for a 24 month lease in early January 2018.

My youngest son, David, fell in the Del Lago Resort & Casino parking lot where he works and broke his elbow. I don't which one, whether he has a cast or needed time off from work. I guess I am fortunate that he did text me about it and posted something to his Facebook wall. He is usually not forthcoming with details to his personal life. I did happen to meet his "friend who happens to a girl" twice.

Wednesday, 1/30/2019: 6190 steps during the day, rest day.

The "polar vortex" made a return visit to upstate NY. It was 3F (according to the nearest Weather Bug station) when I stepped outside to go to work. The thermometer in the 2014 Cruze read between 0F and 8F on my way to work. It was pretty calm so it was too bad if you dress for it. I did take some of my running gear: 2019 Winter Warrior hat, GRTC neck gaiter and ski mittens. It's supposed to get colder and windier. The cold is forecast to break on Saturday. Rochester NY, 8F with a wind chill of -8F, is balmy compared to Chicago IL, -18F with a wind chill of -46F (1/30/2109 at 11 AM).

Thursday, 1/31/2019: 14793 steps during the day, 5 treadmill miles, 46:00, 9:12 pace.

It was a solid 1F on the way to work. It didn't get above 8F all day and the wind was a constant slap in my face when I walked to and from the 2014 Cruze as I went to my usual Harris buildings. I had all my cold weather running gear but I opted in for a warm 5 miles on the treadmill at the Greenleaf Meadow exercise room instead of 5 really cold miles outside on the frozen tundra. I was sweating instead of frozen after I got done.

It's the end of January ... so it's stat time!

I ran 21 times for 107.58 miles (37 months greater than 100 miles), 5.12 miles/run (one was a 2.12 mile snowshoe walk)
I ran 4 races in January:
 1/1, Freezeroo #2, 7.57 miles, 1:00:00, 7:56 pace
 1/5, Winter Warrior Half, 13.11 miles, 1:49:15, 8:20 pace
 1/12, Freezeroo #3, 5.08 miles, 38:42 7:37 pace
 1/26, Freezeroo #4.9 miles, 37:53, 7:44 pace
I took 318,424 steps during January.

Friday, 2/1/2019: 6628 steps during the day, rest day.

It was still cold during the day ... 4F during the morning commute but had "warmed" up to 17F but the evening commute. I wanted to go for a snowshoe walk ... but my right knee acted up for some uneven reason (cough ... treadmill ... cough) and botched that idea.

Saturday, 2/2/2019: 5430 steps during the day, rest day.

I spent today taking my oldest son, Michael, and daughter, Karen, out for grocery shopping. Michael was first to the Macedon Walmart. Then Karen to the Newark Walmart and Newark Wegmans. Plus I looked at and fixed her Bissell carpet cleaner (all it needed was the dog hair removed from its beater bar). I ran out of energy a bit after all that and needed to close my eyes a bit at Karen's apartment. I also stopped for some coffee at the Perinton Wegmans on the way back. I should have gone out for a snowshoe walk when I got home but I just didn't have the gumption.

Sunday, 1/20/2019 to Saturday, 1/26/2019 - Freezeroo #4

I ran 5 times: 16.07 miles.
I took 61.621 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, 1/20/2019: 6607 steps during the day, 2.12 miles. 55:02, 25:56 pace, 93 avg cadence, 9F, 86% RH, 13 mph WNW wind, wind chill -7F, overcast with light snow


The snow storm had left 12 inches of snow outside by the time I got outside and it was still lightly snowing. It was cold so I upped my wardrobe: CW-X tights, GRTC shorts, Darn Tough socks, 2 long sleeve tech shirts, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava, Brooks beanie, GRTC scarf, ski mittens and googles. I wore my blue Salomon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes. They do have over 800 miles and they do have holes in them ... oh well. I took out the garbage before I put on my snowshoes so I really knew how cold and windy it was. Then ... I stepped around the townhouse into the wind. OK ... it was cold. Walking the snow took quite an effort. Step ... sink ... lift foot up ... step ... sink ... lift foot up ... repeat. Did I mention it was cold? The worst was when I turned into the wind. Walking so slow meant I was out for quite a while.

My Dion snow shoes

I was more than ready to come inside when I got done. I took off my snowshoes outside, came inside, took off off my trail shoes and went straight upstairs to the bedroom to peel off my cold and wet clothes. My socks were wet from the holes in the trail shoes so my feet were a bit cold. Then I went straight into a warm shower and a slighter hotter bath. I dressed and then went downstairs for some hot coffee. Man ... that snowshoe walk was gnarly on Facebook but maybe wasn't such a great idea in real life! My splits were: 20:26, 22:07 and 25:49 over the last 0.12 mile.

Then it was time to watch the NFL Conference Finals. I had some skin in this game ... I was rooting for the Saints in the Rams - Saints game and for the Chiefs in the Pats - Chief game. I was disappointed in both games. Yeah .. the refs seemed to be a bit too much of a deciding factor.

The Saints were tied with Rams late in the 4th quarter when a critical pass interference call by Nickell Robey-Coleman on Tommylee Lewis was blown. It was clear that Lewis was pushed before the ball arrived. The Saints would have had a first down on the 6 yard line, killed the clock, kicked the winning FG with little to no time left and gone to the Super Bowl. ... but the flag was not thrown and the Saints kick a FG. The Rams still had plenty of time to kick a FG to tie the game and force OT. The Rams went on to win by a FG, 34-31, to go to the Super Bowl. Links here and here

The fourth quarter of the Chiefs - Pats game turned into a shooting match with 38 points scored (24 points by KC and 14 by the Pats) and 4 lead changes. Granted that the Chiefs had a porous defense and almost no pass rush in the fourth quarter while gave Brady all day to throw the ball and dissect the Chiefs secondary. Well, the Chiefs did the same to the Pats by scoring 31 second half points after being down 14-0 at half. Here are 12 pivotal plays in the fourth quarter, link here. Here are a few "roughing the passer" calls on Brady, link here and here. My oldest son, Michael, sent a crude joke over Messenger about it: "Brady could have rough sex with Gisele and the ref would burst in and throw a flag." The refs do seem to protect Brady a bit too much. The game went to OT and the Pats won by winning the coin toss, moving the ball downfield by converting 3 3rd and long situations and then scoring the TD for the win, 37-31. Tony Romo, a former Dallas QB who was calling the game on TV predicted several Pats plays before they happened, link here. The Pats are now 3-0 by winning the coin toss and winning playoff OT games, link here. Perhaps a rule change to allow the other team in a playoff OT game to get a chance after the first team scores a TD would be in order.

The NFL is looking into this reactively rather than pro-actively as usual, links here and here. The bright lights of the games that decide what teams go to the Super Bowl will do that. There might be an expansion of what type of calls can be challenged (like pass interference).

Monday, 1/21/2019: 6884 steps during the day, rest day.

Brrr!!! It was 1F when I stepped outside this morning with a wind chill below zero. The forecasted high was 10F. So ... I dug out my Craft baselayer and wore it instead of a white T-shirt under my dress shirt. I also dug out my boots and wore them until I got to B601 around noon. My GRTC scarf came in handy too. Running pays off some days!

It was Martin Luther Kings so luckily the roads were pretty deserted because there weren't too many lane markers to aid in driving to work on the Parkway, I-390S, 104W or Manitou Rd. The roads were much better on the way home.

Tuesday, 1/22/2019: 13747 steps during the day, 5.05 miles, 45:00, 8:54 pace, 21F, 63% RH, 6 mph SSE wind, wind chill 13F, mostly cloudy

It was a bit warmer so I just wore the usual winter running gear: no scarf, no balaclava, no googles. It was almost dark so I wore my NT360 lighted vest and my headlamp from eBay. I thought the shoulders of Island Cottage and Janes Rd would be plowed better ... I was wrong. I set up a slow and steady pace. Sometimes I found myself running a bit too close to the white line than I liked and other times I ran farther to the left but was slipping and sliding a bit more than I liked. Other times the cars didn't move over as much as I would have liked. I just went down Island Cottage to Janes Rd and out Janes Rd to Long Pond Rd and back. The whole run made me nervous ... but I got it done without mishap. I was close to get done and off the road. My splits were: 8:36, 8:46, 8:51, 8:57 and 9:23.

Wednesday, 1/23/2019: 8479 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 1/24/2019: 5243 steps during the day, rest day (blah)

I had all my gear but there was some crusty wet snow and I didn't really want to dare the shoulders on Island Cottage and Janes like I did on Tuesday. I had a thought of testing out my new Brooks Adrenaline GTS18 road shoes and Saloman SpeedCross 4 trail shoes that I bought from HolaBird Sports a couple of weeks ago. I do occasionally hit the treadmill at the Greenleaf Meadows exercise room when it is really cold and/or crappy outside. Well ... I got home, I sat down, I ate pasta with meatballs ... end of that idea for that night. Whatever.

I also looked for my missing balaclava. I had last seen it after I took it off after a snowshoe walk on Sunday ... but it was nowhere to found. I checked the stairs, gym bags, under the bed and in the car. I also back walked where I had parked and the locker room where I had changed the next day.

Friday, 1/25/2019: 10464 steps during the day, treadmill day.

I don't normally run the night before a race the next day. But I had a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS18 road shoes and Salomon SpeedCross 4 trail shoes that I bought from Holabird Sports a few weeks ago that needed to be test worn. It was cold and windy so a trip to one of the Greenleaf Meadows treadmills in their exercise room was in order. The Salmon SpeedCross 4 trail shoes in size 12.5 (because of the slightly narrower toe box) were first. I only did 1.5 miles but I did vary the incline from 0 to 12.5%. I started at 6 mph (10:00 pace)and slowed to 5 mph (12:00 pace) as the incline increased. The Brooks Adrenaline GTS18 road shoes in size 12 were last. I just ran 1.5 miles at 7 mph (8:34 pace). The room was warm so I was sweating by the time I got done. Mission accomplished ... new shoes test worn and a mild workout (10 push ups and 20 sit ups).

Saturday, 1/26/2019: 10397 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.0 and 4.9 miles, 14F, 67% RH, 9 mph W wind, wind chill 2F, sunny.

I slept in until just after 7 AM. There was little need to rush. That is a nice thing about the Freezeroo races starting at 10 AM. Today's race was Freezeroo #4 out in Victor at Victor Municipal Town Park for the third year. The distance of Freezeroo #4 has varied over the 9 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) and 2018 (37:21).

Google Maps had the drive down to the race venue at 37 minutes. I had an idea of where to check for my balaclava while I was driving. I checked the inside right pocket of my winter coat after I stopped ... voila! My missing balaclava ... right when I really needed it! Why I put it there I don't know.

I went into the lodge to stash my gym bag and pick up my bib. I got out for a 1 mile out and back warm up run at 8:21 pace link here. It was cold so I wore my CW-X tights, GRTC shorts, Darn Tough socks, short sleeve tech, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava, Brooks beanie, GRTC neck gaiter, ski mittens and sunglasses. I lined next to Andy Ciaio. Prem Kumar was ahead ... like usual.

And ... we were off! I got up to race pace quickly. The course out to the Brace Rd was flat but the road up CR 41 was rolling hill (mostly up). It did slow me a bit. I got my breathing under control and sucked it up the rest of the way. I concentrated on keeping my position ... left on E Victor Rd at mile 3 ... slight left onto Break of Day Rd ... right back onto Brace Rd at mile 4 ... the turn back into the park ahead ... push ... time clock below 38 ... and done in 37:52, 7:44 pace. The mileage was a bit light at 4.90 miles ... oh well. Prem ran a 34:48 and Andy ran a 36:32.

Heading back into the park ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

Post race selfie ... sunny, cold and a bit of wind!

I went into the lodge and changed out of my damp upper clothing. The post race food was excellent ... a piece of pizza, two cinnamon muffins and a slice of bagel with cream cheese.

Hourglassworks.com had the results up before I got home at noon. I did OK. I was 42nd out of 129, link here. I was 2nd out of 8 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. My average cadence was 171. My splits were: 7:43, 8:14, 7:40, 7:37 and 7:24 over the last 0.90 mile.

My lovely wife, Christine, was a birthday girl today. She was born back in 1959 so she turned 61. Andy told me to say "Happy 29th birthday" to her, lol! The GRTC banquet was held tonight but I opted to save the $25 and take my wife out to the Texas Roadhouse on W Ridge Rd. We got there around 5:30 PM and the place was packed! We had called ahead and had a reservation so we only waited 15 minutes to be seated. I had the full slab of ribs with a baked potato and buttered corn while Christine had the sirloin tips with mashed potatoes. All I can say is Mmmm!

Prem Kumar sent me a picture of the 2019 GRTC Rochester Runner of the Year races.

Before ...

After!!!

I watched a bit of sports during the evening. The Syracuse Orangemen traveled down to play #10 Virginia Tech. Cuse lost 78-56, link here. I saw this loss coming so I changed over to the NBA game, Warrior vs Celtics from Boston. This was a lot closer. The Warriors won 115-111, link here. Curry made 2 free throws at the end so the Warriors won by 4 points and covered the 3.5 points spread ... nice!

Sunday, 1/13/2019 to Saturday, 1/19/2019

I ran 4 times: 28.5 miles.
I took 70,344 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Common abbreviations: OMEP is my Orange Mud Endurance Pack and NT360 is my NoxGear 
Tracer360 vest.

Sunday,, 1/13/2019: 12228 steps during the day, 10.35 miles, 1:27:46, 8:29 pace, 166 avg cadence, 18F, 88% RH, 4 mph ENE wind, wind chill 13F, overcast with snow flakes

I slept in until around 7:30 AM and then puttered around a bit after I ate my pre-run bowl of cereal and banana. Long runs don't get done by themselves so I started to get dressed. It was a bit colder than yesterday. I wore the usual plus a bit extra: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, a long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava and Brooks beanie. I added my ski mittens instead my heavy running gloves.

I set up my "get it done" pace as I headed down the LOSP trail. It was a bit icier than I liked. I had my heart set on my 11 mile "Out to Lowden Point" out and back route but ... I headed back on Edgmere Drive, Beach Ave and Greenleaf Rd instead for a bit shorter route. Oh well! It's better not to take the slight chance of falling on ice! My splits were: 8:27, 8:43, 8:27, 8:30, 8:31, 8:28, 8:43, 8:32, 8:19, 8:24 and 8:07 over the last 0.35 mile.

The usual couple of mugs of coffee soon ensued along with a bit of relaxing while I pulled out my guy card and watched the Patriots totally destroy the Chargers, 41-28, and then the Saints beat the Eagles 20-14.

Monday, 1/14/2019: 6753 steps during the day, rest day.

I caught the last minutes and OT of the SU - #1 Duke game. The Cuse were +17 underdogs and pulled out a win 95-91! CUSE!! CBS Sports link here and Nunesmagician.com link here.

Yada, yada, yada ... your typical Monday rest day.

Tuesday, 1/15/2019: 14731 steps during the day, 7.35 miles, 1:00:25, 8:12 pace, 163 avg cadence, 29F, 95% RH, 7 mph WSW wind, wind chill 22F, overcast

It was Tuesday so I ran after work like usual. I was up at Greece Arcadia High School at 5 PM in the gathering gloom. It was just last month when it was dark at 5 PM. Spring is coming but not yet ... there is a winter storm watch for Saturday and Sunday! Anyway but not today. It was around freezing so I wore the usual but no balaclava and just heavy running gloves. I set up a not so nice and easy pace as I headed north on Island Cottage towards Janes Rd. My pace felt good so I tried to maintain it the whole way. It was tough keeping the pace running back on Island Cottage during mile 6 and 7. My splits were: 7:57, 8:15, 8:07, 7:59, 8:10, 8:16, 8:17 and 8:16 over the last 0.35 mile. Boom ... done! 

Wednesday, 1/16/2019: 6241 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 1/17/2019: 12693 steps during the day, 5.05 miles, 42:13, 8:21 pace, 164 avg cadence, 22F, 74% RH, 5 mph S wind, wind chill 15F, overcast

It was a Thursday so it was a run day. I got out mere minutes after 5 PM. Gotta love that it is just dusk now at 5 PM! I didn't have to turn on my headlamp until after I turned around on Janes Rd. I decided to cut the run to only 5 miles. My splits were: 8:04, 8:17, 8:23, 8:23 and 8:27.

Christine was not feeling well so I wanted to get home somewhat early to check on my lovely wife. She was OK. I made her tomato soup and a toasted cheese sandwich for supper. What did I have? Leftover ribs, leftover brussel sprouts and salad, baby! Mmm!

Friday, 1/18/2019: 5728 steps during the day, rest day.

I took the 2018 Cruze today. My plan was to take a couple hours of vacation to get an oil change and tire rotation done at Bob Johnson's Chevrolet but ... it didn't happen. They were running 1 to 1.5 hours late for walk-ins. I didn't have a chance to get out so the car still is on 0% oil life. I do have a January 29th online appointment but I want to get it done earlier.

There is a forecast for 16-20 inches of snow, cold and wind during the weekend so I joined what seemed to be everyone in Greece at the Latta-Long Pond Wegmans to buy bread and milk! I actually bought pork loins, coffee creamer, potato chips and pizza. There wasn't much bread left anyway ... lol!

Saturday, 1/19/2019: 11970 steps during the day, 5.75 miles, 53:35, 9:19 pace, 158 avg cadence, 16F, 100% RH, 1 mph ESE wind, overcast with light snow

I had to take my oldest son, Michael, and daughter, Karen, grocery shopping. I wanted to get it done ASAP before the snowstorm hit. The roads were clear at 8AM. I got out early and got out to Macedon before 9 AM to take Michael to the Macedon Walmart. It started to snow a bit and the road conditions did get a bit worse but weren't bad. We didn't dawdle. Then it was over to Palmyra to take Karen to the Newark Walmart and Newark Wegmans. We didn't dawdle again. The snow appeared to take a break. The roads weren't clear but they weren't too bad either. I got back up to Rochester just a few minutes after 1 PM. Boom ... done.

I read on Facebook that some Bagel Bunch runners were out for a ten mile run and some others went for a 20 mile trail run so ... I knew I needed to get out there. It's not a competition or anything ... OK maybe it is a little. I do post my runs on Facebook after all. It was snowing so I didn't want to run on the road. I found my black Salomon SpeedCrosss 3 trail shoes with screws ... exactly where I had put them at least 2 years ago (actually 2/15/15 since I had last run on them). It was cold and windy so I wore the usual plus a short sleeve tech beneath the usual everything.

I took the back way out to the LOSP trail and just ran it up to Latta and back to Island Cottage. I took it nice and easy. There was about 3 to 4 inches of snow to run through.

An almost 4 year lapse between wears of my black Salomon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes with the screws!

It tired me out a bit and I did stop a few times to catch my breath. I should have brought water but I didn't. My splits were: 9:52, 9:11, 8:59, 9:25, 9:21 and 9:01 over the last 0.75 mile.

Sunday, 1/6/2019 to Saturday, 2/12/2019 - Freezeroo #3

I ran 4 times: 18.18 miles.
I took 66,436 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, 1/6/2019: 3778 steps during the day, rest day.

I pulled "Dad, please take me grocery shopping" duty today. I took my old son, Michael, to the Macedon Walmart first. Easy peasy. Then I took my daughter, Karen, to Love's Furniture in Newark, the Newark Walmart, the Newark Wegmans and then the Newark Pizza Hut for pizza (1/2 off when ordered online until 1/8/2019). Karen found a nice sale on a couch to replace her old couch. I was back up to Rochester by 4 PM so I could watch the end of the Chargers - Baltimore and all of the Eagles - Bears. Yahoo to the Chargers and Eagles for winning outright!

Monday, 1/7/2019: 6319 steps during the day, rest day

Tuesday, 1/8/2019: 8997 steps during the day, rest day

My darling wife, Christine, called and said she felt sick so I bagged my run and went to Wegmans to pick up supper and some Ginger Ale.

Wednesday, 1/9/2019: 16357 steps during the day, 6.45 miles, 52:06, 8:04 pace, 166 avg cadence, 34F, 80% RH, 20 mph WNW wind, wind chill 23F, overcast


I got out for a somewhat rare run before lunch run. I wanted to get in my run before it was forecast to snow in the evening. It was a bit cold and windy so I added my balaclava to my usual winter running clothes. Everyone probably knows by now what they are, lol! I started a bit easy on the way out and then pushed it a bit on the way back. My splits were: 8:12, 8:14, 8:10, 8:07, 7:59, 7:50 and 7:17 over the last 0.45 mile.

One thing I got to remember is look out for traffic at the Lee - Lexington intersection! I didn't look at the light and got fixated on a car that was turning right from Lexington onto Lee. Well ... I was standing in the road on Lexington and its light had just turned green! I noticed that ... said "Crap!" ... and sprinted across Lexington. Luckily the car in the first lane and turning lane stayed put and no one was speeding through the second lane that I sprinted across! I talked a bit to myself as I continued south on Lee Rd ... "Man, that was stupid, Doug! You gotta have situational awareness!" I paid a LOT more attention to intersections both on the way out and way back.

Thursday, 1/10/2019: 11640 steps during the day, 5.05 miles, 41:45, 8:16 pace, 165 avg cadence, 21F, 71% RH, 20 mph NW wind, wind chill 6F, overcast

Yes ... it was cold and bone-chilling windy but ... it was Thursday and I run on Thursdays. So ... I did. Some would say I was stupid ... but I do what I do. I wore the usual and wished I had more clothing: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I did wish I had my old ski mittens but my hands did warm up ... eventually. I headed out to my usual haunt after work ... the Greece Arcadia High School. I wore my NT360 vest and headlamp from Ebay since it was getting dark. I set up a nice and easy pace to start out. I knew the turn onto Janes Rd into the wind would be cold ... yeah, it was definitely chilly! I endured it for 1.5 miles before I turned around to head back. I noticed that I ran at least 50 seconds/mile faster with the wind at the back (mile 2 vs mile 4)! You can notice it on my splits: 8:16, 8:46, 18:6, 7:55 and 8:06.

Friday, 1/11/2019: 6658 steps during the day, rest day.

Joy ... my first Ricoh pay period of the week. It's great to have a raise of about $20 per period and have my Aetna Silver healthcare got up about $50 per pay period. Joy ... it's like treading water and losing ground every year.

Saturday, 1/12/2019: 12687 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.6 and 5.08 miles, 21F, 62% RH, 3 mph N wind, overcast

Today's race was my seventh Freezeroo #3 (a 10K race at Casey Park in 2013 -  49:06 and then 5 mile race at Pinewood Ponds for the past 6 years; 2014 - 37:04, 2015 - 36:43, 2016 - 36:18, 2017 - 37:42 and 2018 - 41:46). The weather this Saturday morning was a lot better than last year's Freezeroo #3 which was the morning after a snow storm (14F, 10 mph N wind, wind chill 1F) with only 64 runners. Note: the Freezeroo link is to last year's Freezeroo series since the GRTC website has not been updated for quite some time.

I slept in until 7:30 AM. I had my pre-race bowl of cereal and banana before I started to get ready around 8:25 AM. It was a bit colder so I brought my ski mitten so I would be ready for anything. I decided on the tried and true: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, white 2014-2015 Freezeroo long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. Boring, I know ... but it works for me. I got to the race venue at 9:15 AM. I got out for a 1.6 mile warm up run at 8:53 pace, link here. The early start runner went by as I was heading back in.

I lined up next to Andy Ciaio like usual. Prem Kumar and Heather Patterson were in front and Bill Crowe was slightly behind me. I fired off a RoadID eCrumb in case my wife and kids were tracking me. And ... we were off! I got up to race pace quickly. It was only a 5 mile race so I tried to hold back on the first mile. I think I did with a 7:37 mile. I tried to hold my pace and then picked it up a bit. I started to pick off some runners during miles 3, 4 and 5. I started to sprint as I turned back into the park. I saw the digital clock under 39 ... done in 38:42, 7:37 pace, 170 avg cadence, according to my Garmin. I was a bit out of breath but I soon recovered.

Side note: I ran for almost 2 miles before I realized that I had forgotten to turn on my MP3 player and earbud (I only wear one). I have run maybe 3 road races with them. I think I ran this race better without them. I think I concentrated on my breathing and gait better without music.

Post race selfie after Freezeroo #3

I hung out for a bit but I soon went home for the usual couple mugs of coffee and some serious relaxing ... well with a bit of hugging and doing some loads of laundry. Hourglassworks had the results up at 11:31 AM (even before I got home). I did OK. My official time for 5 miles was 38:44, 7:45 pace. I was 45th out of 151, link here. I was 3rd out of 8 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. My splits were: 7:35, 7:44, 7:37, 7:43, 7:31 and 6:30 over the last 0.08 mile. BTW, Heather ran a 35:06, Prem ran a 36;15, Andy ran a 37:52 and Bill ran a 41:13.

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.