Happy New Year's Eve, 12/31/11

Happy New Year!

What happened running-wise during 2011?

I ran 1136.9 miles, 184 runs in 364 days, 6.2 miles/run.
I ran 53 races during the year with 296.2 racing miles, 5.6 miles/race.

I lowered my 5K PR from 21:58 in 2010 to 20:31.
I lowered my 5 mile PR from 36:44 in 2010 to 34:18.
I lowered my 10K PR from 46:22 in 2010 to 43:48.
I lowered my 12K PR from 1:01:05 in 2010 to 1:00:41 ... when I was engaged to my beautiful Christine!
I lowered my 7.5 miles PR from 1:02:33 in 2009 to 57:24.
I established an 8 mile PR of 1:01:36.
I lowered my 15K PR from 1:17:05 in 2010 to 1:10:20
I lowered my Half Marathon PR from 1:46:43 in 2010 to 1:40:11.
A personal PR ... 131 in 2011 from 124 in 2010.

One might think that all I think about is running and PRs. Well, yes, this year has been a special year. I seem to be getting a bit faster. I basically try to just run as fast as I can as far as I can when I race. Thus pacing was a problem, but I have tried to learn to start slow. I ran a lot more races this year, 53, versus 35 in 2010. I enjoy running, enjoy the competition of racing and competing in my competitive M50-54 age group.

I thank my darling Christine for all her support during this past year. I was so proud of her running this past year in the Fall No Boundaries program. She is trying to become a runner! Yea, baby girl!

What am I looking forward to in 2012? Well, I would like to go sub 20 in the 5K if I can find a fast, flat 5K and latch onto someone to pace with or draft off. Also ... I would like to lower my PR in my only marathon, 4:29:27, set during the hot as blazes Rochester Marathon way back in 2008. However ... I seem to handle anything under a Half Marathon pretty OK. Anytime I have attempted anything greater than 13.1 miles ... things have not turned out so well. Sehgahunda  I in 2010, Mendon Ponds 50K in 2010, Sehgahunda II in 2011 come to mind.

Can I slow down enough to accomplish the greater distance? Well, I DO intend to take on Sehgahunda III in 2012 and the Rochester Full Marathon in 2012 ... come hell or high water

Sunday, 12/25/11 to Saturday, 12/31/11

I ran 4 times this week, 27.3 miles
During the month of December I ran 14 times, 86.2 miles, 6.2 miles/run.

Sunday, 12/25/11: 6.2 miles, 7:42 pace, 32F, sunny, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Beth's Apt - Out to 303

We woke after a restful sleep and nice morning stretch out in Cuyahoga Falls at Beth and Nick's apartment. I slipped out before breakfast for a nice run. I just run up towards the canal path on Barlow Rd but just get going on Akron-Cleveland Rd to Rt 303 instead which turned out to be 3.1 miles. It was a nice and easy run.

We had a bit of navigation argument on the way to her brother's, Bill, house in Ravenna since my smart phone decided to reboot right when we needed it. The usual folks were over. I slipped out after lunch to see my daughter in Kent. I brought all the boxes I could fit in Chris's car. We had a nice conversation. Later I had to go back so I could give her my Christmas card and the tape gun to put together all the boxes when she needs to pack.

Monday, 12/26/11: Travel day.

We packed and got on the road around 10AM. The first stop was Bob Evan's for breakfast, another chain restaurant that we had a bad experience in. Yes, they had a lot of customers and seemed to be understaffed. But I was starving ... so their blueberry pancakes did fill me up. We paid cash and fled. Their waiting room was full ... poor suckers! The trip home was uneventful ... once I got to the left hand seat. We got home at 3PM. We really should have gone out for a run but we just stretched for a while.

Tuesday, 12/27/11: 6.0 miles, 47:34, 7:56 pace, 38F, night, light mist, no stops, no pain.

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

Christine and I really needed sleep and slept in until 12:22PM. Breakfast was a couple tall cups of coffee and some Cinnamon Toast Crunnch. Later we had pasta around 5PM. Which was a bit of a problem considering we went running at 6PM.

Yes, it was a light mist. Yes, it was just above freezing. Yes, we were Winter Warriors. Yes, we went out anyway! We felt better for it ... but we were still glad when we finished! Just a bit sluggish but still sweet!

Wednesday, 12/28/11: 9.1 miles, 1:21:39, 8:58 pace, 20F, night, a bit crisp, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for East Zoo trail out to Thomas Ave

I really needed to get out for reasons that were obvious to Christine and I. Yes, it was cold, a bit windy and had snowed during the day. But a bit after six out I was. I put on my Salamon XT Wings 2 along with my Yaks and headed to the east Zoo trail. There was about 1 inch of snow when I started. The snow slowly increased the further north I got toward Thomas Ave where there was about 4 to 5 inches. I ran the 4.55 miles down to Thomas Ave, nice and easy, 39:01, 8:35 pace, with no stops. I walked for a bit at the turn, then headed back at a slower pace. I walked a couple more times on the way back. There was a bit of wind at times but nothing too much.

Thursday, 12/29/11: Rest day.

Just a usual rest day. We rented an On Demand movie though, Cowboys and Aliens. It was pretty good with Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde.

Friday, 12/30/11: 6.0 miles, 44:14, 7:22 pace, 45F, night, calm, a real light sprinkle, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Ridgeway - Hendrick loop with another loop

Christine has developed a head cold so I headed out to FF Ridgeway solo. I headed out out a bit slow then picked it up and held it most of the way. I headed out to Pickdale Drive and did the Hendrick. When I got to Dolores I headed back to Pickdale Drive for a second loop. I didn't slow too much on the second loop.

Saturday, 12/31/11: Rest day ... well, maybe not.

I headed out to Newark to help my youngest son move to his grandparents in Lyons. It went OK. He had to go to work at Byrne Dairy in Phelps from 2-9, then 6-2 tomorrow morning. My ex was feeling poorly so I helped my ex vacate her old apartment. We took 2 trips to her new apartment. Some may question how I can help my ex ... I have an amicable situation with her. If she needs help I will help. My 3 kids are still needing help on occasion. Because if I help her she will be more able to help my kids.

Later, Christine and I dined on barbeque ribs, potato salad and sweet potato to celebrate New Year's Eve while watching Marie Antionette with Kirsten Durnst.

Sunday, 12/18/11 to Saturday, 12/24/11

I ran 3 times this week, 12.7 miles

12/18/11: 4.4 miles, 30:21, 7:01 pace, 20F, sunny, crisp, no stops, no pain.


Christine and I headed out to the Webster Town Park at the corner of Lake and Hold Rd for Polar Cat #2. Yes, it was my 52nd race of the year. Yes, it was sunny, cold and crisp ... but it was a race morning so off we went! Some non-runners would have stayed in their beds ... but we are certifiably crazy! We met up with all the usual Polar Cat runners and got our series hoodie sweatshirts. It was Christine's first one so she is quite proud of it.

Christine got an early start around 9:35AM. The rest of us started at 10AM, a two loop 2.2 mile route. I started out kind of hot, passed a few runners, mile 1 at 7:04. Then I just kept it amped, chased a blond ponytail that I never caught, mile 2 in 6:56, the halfway point was around 15:00, mile 3 in 7:09, mile 4 in 6:57. The last 0.4 mile was up an incline in 6:55 pace. I was perfectly dressed and didn't overheat at all. I passed Christine just before mile 3. She was running in good form, she finished in 1:18:14. She was very happy with her effort and knows this course like the back of her hand after practicing on it before and running the Turkey Trot.

Our overall results can be found here, the age group results here. I finished 6th out of 55 and 2nd out of 4 in my M50-54 age group.

We had chicken and rice for lunch, then subs later. The Buffalo Bills lost to the Miami Dolphins, 13-30, their 7th in a row, link here. Thankfully, this home game was not on TV. Later, we watched a DVR'd episode of The Mentalist. Christine watched a TCM classic, Gypsy ... I went to bed.

Monday, 12/19/11: Rest day. Nothing unusual.

Tuesday, 12/20/11: Another rest day. I should have run ... but I just didn't have the energy. I just dragged all day so I just bagged it, went to bed early and got 8 hours of sleep.

Wednesday, 12/21/11: 2.9 miles, 29:20, 10:07 pace, 52F, night, windy, no pain.



Christine and I headed down to Cobbs Hill for the first Snow Cheap of the 2011/2012 season. Christine gave some thought to running this race ... but wisely reconsidered given that it would be her first trail race and it was dark, wet and slippery. Her day will come! It was warm (above 50F) and windy so I wore shorts, short sleeve tech top, my Brooks Racing Team singlet and arm warmers, light gloves and my headlight (of course).

The race was two loops of roughly 1.45 miles. The race started out in a bit of a scrum with some tight quarters when we edged by the tennis courts and up some hills. It took a bit to get into trail racing mode with the lots of ups and downs. I did pick off some runners when we got up to the reservoir loop. Then we headed into Washington Grove when it got muddy, rocky and rooty quickly. Luckily I put the brakes on and stepped wisely. Everyone called out hazards as best we could. I came through loop 1 in 14:27, heard Christine yell, "Go, Doug, go!" and headed back out. I passed Bill Beyerbach shortly afterward. The second loop was more strung out but similar with more of the same ... with wetter mud it seemed. I ended loop 2 in 14:53 for a total of 29:20. Stats ... I was 35th out of 165 in the No Snowshoe category, link here. I was 1st out of 13 in my M50-59 age group, link here.

Afterward, we went into Riley Lodge for the obligatory and always filling post-race grub. I relaxed and talked with fellow runners ... always a pleasure. Over 200 runners took part in the festivities ... we are getting out there! It may be winter according to the calendar but not tonight! It will get colder, hopefully there will be more snow by the next race on January 4th ... but it won't stop us!

Thursday, 12/22/11: Rest day.

I really should have gone out for a run ... but Christmas is coming so I went to my company's get together. Then while watching The Santa Clause and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause I worked on my annual Christmas letter. I hope to mail them before Christmas!

Friday, 12/23/11: 5.4 miles, 40:37, 7:31 pace, 24F, night, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Greece run

Christine wasn't feeling it, so I headed out to Fleet Feet Greece for the usual Friday night Happy Hour run. It was a bit cold than usual ... but if you dress for 20F warmer ... it's all good! I went out for the Hendrick route, than wrapped back in at Cobbleskill Drive for another 2 miles. I just ran ... sweet!

Then I went out some surgical grocery shopping at Wegmans which resulted in a frozen pizza supper with apple pie for dessert ... though we never got around to eating the apple pie, :-(

Saturday, 12/24/11: Travel day.

I had to go out to Newark to get my father's mail and to see my youngest son. His car was having left front tire issues ... the out of round kind. I tried to pump it up with my mini air compressor but air was going out as fast as it was going in. I couldn't do too much on Christmas Eve plus he had to go to work 2-10 and 6-2 on Christmas.

I have learned that I have to wait for Christine to get ready on her own. Pressuring her to get ready to travel only results in her getting ready slower. We started out for Cuyahoga Falls, OH around 4:45PM and got there sometime around 9:30PM. We used my Google Maps off my smart phone for navigation once we got close ... kind of cool!

Sunday, 12/11/11 to Saturday, 12/17/11

I ran 4 times this week, 19.8 miles.

Sunday, 12/11/11: 5 miles, 34:18, 6:52 pace, 28F, sunny, crisp, no stops, no pain, PR!



I headed out solo for the first Freezeroo out in Spencerport. Christine wanted to sleep in. It was sunny, cold and crisp with just a breath of wind. I wore my tights, long sleeve tech shirt, Brooks racing singlet and Brooks nightlife jacket. I also wore my heavy running gloves and stocking hat. In retrospect I could have not wore the jacket and gone with lighter gloves and just a hat.

I went out easy at the start, sticking with and just ahead of Heather who I heard wanted to run sub 34. The first mile was announced as 6:58, my Garmin said 6:47. I picked up the pace a bit and picked off some runners ... too early, mile 2 and 3 were 6:51 and 6:46. Heather passed me around mile 2.5. I had a lull around mile 4, 7:04. I was running but not flat out. I did pick it up a bit around mile 4.5 until the finish, mile 5 was 6:44. I sprinted to the line at 5:51 pace as I tried to hold off a runner ... who turned out to be 14! I forgot to turn off my Garmin for a bit ... it said 34:50 when I did. So I figured that I was close to my  5 mile PR of 34:35 that I set at Johnny's Runnin o' the Green way back in March.

I couldn't wait so I checked the side of the Fleet Feet van when I left and saw that I ran a 34:18 ... a PR by 17 seconds! Sweet! So ... I was pretty pumped when I got back home and told Christine. I was 43rd out of 240, results here. I was 4th out of 30 in my M50-54 age group, results here.

Christine and I went for what probably is our last ride in my 1999 Pontiac Grand Am with 254K miles on it. That was my mother's car ... may she rest in peace. I have had that car since it had 40K. It needs brakes, has transmission seals that don't really let it change gears when turning left except when it gets warm and gets abysmal gas mileage. We had to jump it to get it started and then drove it out to Williamson and back. I am looking into selling it for scrap. I have heard that you can get about $200 ... which isn't bad.

Afterwards Christine agreed that I deserved ribs ... so she got some when she endured the crowds at BJs. I stayed home to take a shower and wash the dishes. Mmmmm ... ribs and sweet potatoes!

Why do I believe? The Buffalo Bills lost their 6th game in a row to the San Diego Chargers, 10-27, to go to 5-8 and officially eliminate themselves from playoff contention, link here. They might have a bit of trouble selling tickets to the rest of the home games this season at the Ralph.

Monday, 12/12/11: Rest day.

Just your average rest day. After a production pre-dinner stretch, Christine fixed up a nice dinner of leftovers: chicken, broccoli, rice along with macroni and cheese. We spent some time with the TV off before we watched some classic DVR'd episodes of ST:TNG, The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1 and Part 2.

Tuesday, 12/13/11: 3.1 miles, 24:52, 8:02 pace, 42F, night, calm, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Greece run

Christine and I headed out the new Fleet Feet Greece store for the official ribbon cutting ceremony, Winter Warrior kickoff and ... cake! I felt like a rookie runner again ... being handed a sheet of instructions at Fleet Feet and just heading out into the night. I did find all the turns for the 3 mile run OK. Christine headed out for a 2.6 mile run. She said she ran pretty well and didn't overheat at all.

Wednesday, 12/14/11: Rest day.

A busy day at work. I would have loved to go for a run after work but instead headed out to Fleet Feet Greece for Dudes night where dudes hung out, ate dude food, drank dude beverages and played dude games like Tic-Tac-Toe (won a pair of Darn Tough socks) and table pong. Dudes rule! Or as I was corrected ... Girls rule, guys drool! Just as long as we all know and celebrate the differences, ;-)

Christine made a nice late dinner of pulled pork sandwiches and salad. We watched a DVR'd episode of The Mentalist before going to bed ... late, like usual.

Thursday, 12/15/11: 6.2 miles, 45:42, 7:22 pace, 54F, night, windy, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Out to Cooper Rd

Upstate New York's unusual December weather continues for another day! It was 54F when I went out at 6:22PM for a run. I wore just shorts, long sleeve tech top, hat and light gloves. I had my headlight and flasher on, of course! I just ran ... hard and concentrated on form, flying through the night, sweet!

We caught up on DVR'd episodes of Hawaii Five-O and NCIS. We do like our crime dramas!


Friday, 12/16/11: 5.5 miles, 41:22, 7:31 pace, 34F, night, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Greece run, Hendrick + Barbara Lane

What a difference a day makes! 20F cooler and a cold wind by nightfall!

Christine and I headed down to Fleet Feet Greece for the usual Friday night Happy Hour run ... just in a different location. The new Greece location in the Long Pond - Ridgeway location does have its advantages: an ESL ATM, a bridal shop (that Christine noticed), a pizza shop named Pizzeria 5, a nail salon, a hair salon, a liquor store, a sit down restaurant, a BurgerKing, and a Tim Horton's. All you need in life, I guess.

We got there about ten minutes early. I headed out on the Hendrick route of 3.5 miles, then tacked on an extra 2 mile by looping back to Barbara Lane at a nice and easy 7:31 pace. I kind of like the new Greece Happy Hour routes; a more residential, less business route.Christine headed out on the 2 mile route, I gave her a touch as I passed her on the Hendrick route.

Christine and I got a medium pizza from Pizzeria 5 and ... it was nice and tasty!! We watched a nice DVD that I found ... Battlestar Galactica - The Plan. Awesome!

Saturday, 12/17/11: Rest day.

Christine and I don't like to get out too much on non-race Saturdays. Kudos to all the runners out at Fleet Feet at Brighton and Greece who went out for long runs.

We finally emerged so Christine could go to her nail salon, New Nails. We headed out to Quaker Steak & Lube for a nice supper, thanks to a coupon from Living Social. Then we caught up with DVR'd episodes of Chuck, NCIS: LA and Battlestar Galactica.

Sunday, 12/4/11 to Saturday, 12/10/11

I ran 3 times this week, 26.4 miles.

Sunday, 12/4/11: 13.1 miles, 1:49:33, 8:22 pace, 55F, sunny, a bit windy, 3 stops, foot pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Up and Down the Genesee River

Christine and I really don't get out early to exercise ... but after some pre-run stretches we did. Christine headed to Planet Fitness for a hard cardiac workout on the bicycle.

I christened my new pair of Brook Adrenaline GTS 12s and headed out.

 I stopped for two packets of Gu at 6.43 miles, 51:53, 8:03 pace. I adjusted the sock on my right foot. I continued onward on the west side of the Genesee River. My feet started to hurt around mile 10 but I just continued onward. I did slow, the last 6.67 miles were in 8:34 pace. I made it up the stairs to the apartment and just about collapsed. Christine gave me a bottle of Powerade, then I just sat. I discovered that I had a small blister on my 2nd left toe.

Yes, the Buffalo Bills lost yet another game ... 17-23 to the Tennessee Titans to go 5-8, link here.

A nice supper of spare ribs, rice and broccoli also helped wit the post-run recovery. We watched our latest Redbox.com DVD, The Adjustment Bureau.

Monday, 12/5/11: A most definite rest day!

I definitely felt the effect of yesterday's impromtu half marathon. My right foot and left hip twinged at various points in the day. Plus I didn't get enough sleep the night before. The combination made for a long day. Christine didn't feel up to snuff either.We should have gone to bed early but we stayed up to watch a DVR'd episode of Pan Am and Hawaii Five-O. It's how we roll.

Tuesday, 12/6/11: 6.0 miles, 46:02, 7:40 pace, 37F, night, calm, no stops, no pain.

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

A busy day at work so I was more than ready for a run. I picked up Christine at the doctors and then we headed down to Fleet Feet in Brighton just in time. We headed out from where we parked. I wound my way through the middle of the pack up Monroe Ave, mile 1 was 7:46. I caught up with Bill Beyerbach just as I got to Cobbs Hill. We pounded out 2 Y's (miles 2, 3 and 4 were 8:14, 7:51 and 7:58) before he headed back. He is still getting over a cold. I pounded out another Y, mile 5 was 7:25, then I sped down Monroe Ave back to the store, mile 6 was 6:48. Sweet! The new Adrenalines felt a lot better than last Sunday. Maybe I had my Zensah compression socks on too tight.

Wednesday, 12/7/11: Rest day.

Just your average rest day after a day of work. Christine and I had a marvelous supper of leftover ribs, chicken, rice and salad. We settled down to watch DVR'd episode of Castle, NCIS: LA and Pan Am.

Thursday, 12/8/11: Rest day.

A slow day at work plus  my right thigh was tight during the day plus I was incredibly hungry after I shopped at Wegmans. Christine and I had a quick supper of rotisserie chicken and salad. We ended up watching a old James Bond movie, A View to a Kill.

Friday, 12/9/11: 7.3 miles, 56:33, 7:45 pace, 33F, night, a bit windy, real light snow, 1 stop for hydration, small blister on 2nd left toe.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Happy Hour run, 4.2 + 3.1

A slow day at work is usually followed by a busy day ... so it was very busy today. I definitely needed a run so Christine and I headed down to Fleet Feet. I headed out just nice and easy and just kept running. I did the 4.2 mile route, then followed it up the 3.1 mile route. I found that you have to have an eye out for small potholes in the dark ... and even then you can't really see them. I caught the edge of several of them. My blister was caused by a bunched sock. Christine headed out for a 2 mile run.

Christine made a very nice (and late) supper of salmon burgers, potato pancakes along with a salad of spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes.

We were kind of tired for some odd reason ... and went to bed early.

Saturday, 12/10/11: Rest day.

After a nice morning stretch, I headed out to Newark to get my father's mail, sort and pick up my oldest son's stuff that he left behind when he moved to UMass and see my father at the Wayne County Nursing Home. He seemed alert but slurred his words a bit more than when I last saw him.

Back home, we had leftovers for supper. Then we watched the current DVR'd episodes of Battlestar Galactica. Just gotta get our weekly fix!

Sunday, 11/27/11 to Saturday, 12/3/11

I ran 2 times this week, 10.3 miles
Month of November: 105.6 miles, 17 runs in 30 days, 6.2 miles/run
2011 to date: 1050.7 miles, 170 runs in 333 days, 6.2 miles/run

Sunday, 11/27/11: 3.1 miles, 20:54, 6:45 pace, 62F, cloudy, a bit windy, no stops, no pain.


Christine and I did our usual pre-race stretching before we headed down to the Brewery in Honeoye Falls for the first Polar Cat. Christine and I both signed up for the series. The weather was quite pleasant for late November, certainly not polar! I started out hot at 6:22 pace for the first mile when one runner passed me. I held my position the rest of the way. I felt sluggish during mile 2, 7:05 pace, and mile 3, 6:43 pace, but kept going. I cruised the last tenth in 6:15 pace. I think I should have warmed up better with a mild jog but I did break 21 minutes. I wore my Zensah compression socks for the first time ... they certainly felt funny at first!


I came in around 2:00 on this YouTube video.

I cooled down for a bit, then waited for Christine to come in. I was a bit worried but she come in at just under 1 hour.

I did OK. I finished 9th out of 64, link here. I was 2nd out of 5 in my M50-54 age group, link here. Christine's last name got misspelled but she is in there.

We stopped and looked around the new Fleet Feet store in Greece on our way home. Shortly afterward, the Bills lost to the Jets, 24-28, link here. One glaring cause was an excessive celebration by Stevie Johnson after a Bills TD that gave the Jets a short field to score an easy TD in the 2nd quarter. Hello ... are you brain dead?? Kinda of just like the bicycle riders who wear all black at night with their hoodies up and expect me to see them!

Monday, 11/28/11: Rest day.

Just a tedious day at work. I checked what my company thought the serial number was and what it actually was for 201 printers which took all day. After 3 years, there were some errors. Opps!

Christine and I finally watched our dusty NetFlix DVD, The Fighter. I looked online and found that it has been sitting around since 9/26/11. It was a very good boxing movie ... we were impressed!

Tuesday, 11/29/11: Another rest day.

Not very much sleep ... coupled with a very hectic day at work produced a rest day. Christine and I took a nap before supper then lounged around before we watched a nice DVR'd episode of Battlestar Galactica, Scar.

Wednesday, 11/30/11: 7.2 miles, 56:53, 7:53 pace, 34F, night, a bit windy, 1 stop, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Out to Winona Blvd and back

It was the end of November so I just had to get out for a run. I really wanted to get to 100 miles for the month. I headed out and just ran. I added a bit of hill and took a bit of walk when I came back up. I concentrated on speed and form on the last 2 miles or so. Sweet! Christine went out to Planet Fitness for her workout.

We had a rather late supper of fish, rice and salad while we watched a DVR'd movie, The Rocketeer.

Thursday, 12/1/11: Rest day.

We watched our new NetFlix move, Aeon Flux. A nice movie with Charlize Theron.

Friday, 12/2/11: Another rest day.

I picked up my Brooks Racing Team order from Fleet Feet Sports .. a new pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTX 12 and Brooks Cascadia GTX ... sweet!!!!

A long day that would have better when followed by a run but I bagged it. Christine fixed up a homemade stew for supper, mmm! We watched a Redbox movie, Captain America, The First Avenger. This time I remembered to go past the credits to see the trailer for the follow on movie, The Avengers, coming out in May 2012.

Saturday, 12/3/11: Yet another rest day. But ...... I anticipate a long run on Sunday!

Chistine did some morning stretches before I slipped out to change her 2000 Cavalier's oil, after 5000 miles,  at Deltasonic. I managed to deflect their upsells on anti-freeze, power steering and fuel line products. We watched the latest DVR'd episodes of Battlestar Galactica.

Sunday, 11/20/11 to Saturday, 11/26/11

I ran 4 times this week, 25.8 miles

Sunday, 11/20/11: 7.4 miles, 1:01:55, 8:22 pace, 58F, cloudy, windy, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Turkey Trot x 2

Christine and I really don't get started very well on weekend mornings when there isn't a race We do like to laze around! We finally got out to somewhere around the start line for the Turkey Trot in Webster sometime around 1:30PM. It was unseasonably warm, cloudy and windy. I ran with Christine until she turned off onto Burnett Rd, then picked up the pace and ran the road course twice. I picked up the pace in the last mile and then sprinted when I got back to the car. I was hauling ... the last pace was 4:51!

We stopped by Fleet Feet on the way back to pick up our Turkey Trot sweatshirts and race bibs. Then we settled down to watch the rest of the Bills-Miami game ... for about 10 seconds. The Bills lost 8-35, link here. The Cowboys-Redskins game was more interesting. The Cowboys won 27-24 in OT, link here.

We had a nice supper of spare ribs, sweet potato and salad. Then we settled in to watch 3 DVR'd episodes of The Mentalist ... Redjohn is back!

Monday, 11/21/11: Rest day.

Just your average rest day ... we watched DVR'd episodes of Hawaii Five-O.

Tuesday, 11/22/11: 10 miles, 1:19:48, 7:59 pace, 38F, cloudy, light rain, 1 stop, no pain.

Lots of stress ... so rather an argument with Christine I went out for a long run. I ran out to the lake nice and easy, 4.8 miles, 37:30, 7:48 pace. I stopped at the lake for a minute to watch the waves come in. I headed back, 5.2 miles, 42:19, 8:08 pace. My headlight appeared to getting dim on the way back plus I was getting drenched ... and a right nipple burn started to bother me. The stress was back at the apartment waiting for me ... the spectre of my relationship with my ex and my children that bothers Christine so much.

I found the door chained when I got back from my run. I had to beg Christine to let me in ... I was cold, wet and tired. When she let me in, I immediately stripped and took a hot shower. I started shivering uncontrollably for a bit, then took a hot tub soak. During the shower Christine left, then came back. We talked and agreed not to argue. Anyway, we kissed, made up and went to sleep.

Wednesday, 11/23/11: Rest day.

Not such a slow day at work as one would expect. We finally did our Thanksgiving grocery shopping ... all the whole turkeys were frozen so we got a huge turkey breast and a couple drumsticks.

Thursday, 11/24/11: 4.2 miles 29:26, 7:00 pace, 40F, sunny, calm, no stops, no pain.

Christine and I made it out the site of the Webster Turkey Trot about an hour early. We parked our car at the Willink Middle School and took a shuttle bus. It was cold and frosty but there were anticipation in the air. The people just kept on coming ... over 4800 raced either the 2.5 or 4.4 mile race.

 The No Boundaries graduation pic!

Chilling before the start!

The start of the 4.4 mile race

I got to the start line with about 10 minutes to go ... but people kept on lining up in front of me. There was no start gun that I heard, people just started running. It was tough work getting around the slower runners, but after a 1/2 mile I was up to speed. The trek into the park was longer and more trail than I expected, and I ran out of energy but sloshed through the puddles to the finish line in 29:26.I did OK, I was 205th out of 2535, results here. I was 7th out of 103 in my M50-54 age group, results here.

I took some water and a banana and waited for Christine to finish her 2.5 mile race. She came across in 45:34, 3:01 faster than her practice run 2 weeks ago! She was drenched in sweat but glowing! She set a PR, 44:58, results here. She was 66th out of 75 in her F50-54 age group.

The finish of all 4400 finishers in 5 minutes!

We picked up our drop bags ... and then saw that the line for the shuttle bus to take us back to our cars was very long. So ... we walked 3.77 miles in 1:14 minutes back to our car. It was a long walk!

Later, Christine cooked up a marvelous Thanksgiving dinner ... a turkey breast and drumsticks, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, asparagus and cranberry sauce. The sweet thing is the loving touches that she put in each dish!

Mmm!

We ate until we were full ...the finishing touch was pumpkin pie ... much later!

Friday, 11/25/11: 4.2 miles, 30:19, 7:13 pace, 56F, night, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Fleet Feet Backwards Happy Hour run

I, along with Christine, enjoyed a well earned day off from work. I headed down to the Wegmans in Newark to see my daughter. She was enjoying their free wi-fi. We caught up on things.

Christine and I headed down to the Brighton Fleet Feet for the Happy Hour run ... backwards since it was the last Friday of the month. I went out for the run. Christine was sore from her exercise yesterday so she stayed behind to Christmas shop. I ran easy ... for about 100 yards (maybe less), then kicked up into gear. I ran hard into the night and the miles flew by. I was kind of surprised to note my pace of 7:13. Sweet!

Christine and I had turkey leftovers - day 1. We watched DVR'd episodes of NCIS, a couple of Chucks and Castle before we hit the hay.

Saturday, 11/26/11: Rest day.

Christine and I just vegged all day. We watched DVR'd episodes of Greys Anatomy (2), Fringe, Private Practice (3) and Battlestar Galactica (2). By the end of the day, we really needed to get out of the house and be active, trust me!

Monday, 11/14/11 to Saturday, 11/19/11

I ran 2 times this week, 11.5 miles.

Monday, 11/14/11: A definite rest day.

A slow day at work. Christine and I stretched our aching muscles before we enjoyed leftovers for dinner. The hard drive in my laptop would not boot ... no worries though. Most of my data was on a thumb drive. I sucked a bit of data from the old hard drive onto another laptop, installed some apps and was soon back in business. We watched DVR'd episodes of Pan Am, and got up to date on Fringe and Charlie's Angels. It is nice just fast forwarding through commercials ... when we remember!

Tuesday, 11/15/11: 5.2 miles, 42:42, 8:13 pace, 44F, night, calm, no stops, mild lower right hamstring pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 2 Y's

Christine and I went down to Fleet Feet for the usual Cobbs Hill run. I wore my old Brooks Adrenalines with 550 miles on them and took along my trail shoes. I didn't pound off the mud off my trail shoes like I should have and just ran ... which I regretted after about the first Y. I started to feel a pain in my lower right hamstring. I did another Y and then just ran really nice and easy to the store. The pain stopped as soon as I stopped running so I think it was the shoes and not the Dirt Cheap Stage Race miles over the weekend.

A lot of drama with my youngest son ensued. He is being forced to find a place to live by January 1st because his mother is moving to a 1 bedroom apartment. So he most likely will have to find another job and quit FLCC. One of these days he will start treating other people like he would like to be treated. But he has a lot of anger to work through. One of his beefs with his mother and I is that he has never got the support that his older sibliings had. I had to move them out of state plus going to see them while in college, etc. In retrospect, I think he is correct. I hope he can forgive me some day.

Wednesday, 11/16/11: Rest day.

Christine went out for her "No-Bo" run down at Genesee Valley Park. She said the wind was a bit brutal. She had left a plate of lasagna cooling before she left. We warmed it up and it was delicious! Then we watched an DVR'd episode of NCIS before I fell asleep.

Thursday, 11/17/11: Another rest day.

I got home from work late, the wind was whipping, a light snow was falling ... so I bagged it and we had warmed up lasagna for supper. More DVR'd episodes of NCIS and NCIS: LA ensued.

Friday, 11/18/11: 6.3 miles, 48:43, 7:44 pace, 37F, night, a bit windy, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect for Out to Cooper Rd

Work was particularly bad for a Friday ... time just dragged plus my pay didn't have my travel expenses. So I will be short until next pay period when it was made up. Aargh! So I really needed to run. I finally got out and just ran ... I concentrated on reaching out and noticed that my heart rate went down with the same pace again. I achieved my goal ... zen. Now if non-running life was so easy.

Saturday, 11/19/11: Rest day.

Christine could have gone down to Genesee Valley Park for her last Saturday morning "No-Bo" run but we had other ideas. When we emerged I got my hair cut ... goodbye curls! Then we headed down to Newark. We picked up my father's mail and ate lunch at Wendy's. Then we headed to my ex's where we disassembled my oldest son's digital piano and wrapped the various pieces in blankets. A road trip to UMass Amherst is in our future to deliver this and all his other stuff that he left behind. While we were there my youngest son continued his new silent treatment and slipped out to go to work. Then we headed out to the Wayne County Nursing Home to see my father. Christine had allergies and stayed out in the car. My father looked good. His memory isn't too good so I explained to him again what has happened in my life and what everyone is doing. Later, back up at the apartment, we had leftover lasagna for supper and watched 6 (yes, 6) DVR'd episodes of Battlestar Galactica.

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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



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

 Me, Mark, John & Heather

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

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

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

Heading into the Devil's Bathtub at mile 9

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

Gritting my teeth and digging for the finish!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I ran 3 times in 6 days, 15.1 miles

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

Garmin Connect Activity for Out to Wegmans for quarters

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

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

Monday, 11/7/11: Rest day.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday, 11/10/11: Rest day.

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

Friday, 11/11/11: Rest day.

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