Sunday, 2/20/11 to Saturday, 2/26/11

I ran 5 times this week, 27.1 miles.

Sun, 2/20/11: 3.1 miles, 23:15, 7:30 pace, 25F, sunny, calm, no stops, no pain.


CJ and I headed down to our home away from home, Mendon Ponds Park, for Polar Cat #4. The weather had calmed down ... it was sunny and calm. I wore my Yaks because the road was a bit slimy and wet in spots. I ran a bit hard over the rolling hills of Douglas Rd in a double out and back with no stops. I was 18th out of 55, results here. I was 3rd out of 8 in my age group, results here.

After a bit of recovery ... I watched the Daytona 500 with a whole lot of double car bump drafting at 190+ mph. CJ made some nice pea and ham soup, mmmm! Later, I watched the NBA All-Star Game. The West won 148-143 with Kobe winning his 4th MVP.

Mon, 2/21/11: Rest day.

CJ and I did the laundry. We found out that if you leave laundry detergent in a sub-freezing car that it will freeze ... who knew? Plus I did some shopping. I picked up a couple of tech buys ... a 8GB Sandisk flash drive and a roll of 100 Sony DVD-Rs from Staples. The Sandisk flash drive will replace a similar one that I managed to bend about 30 degrees at the connector ... before it snaps!

Tue, 2/22/11: 7.2 miles, 1:01:38, 8:35 pace, 10F, clear, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 4 Y's

Yes, it was cold ... but it was clear and calm. CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Cobbs Hill run. I went nice and easy and added another Y just for fun. CJ walked 2.5 miles.

Wed, 2/23/11: 6.4 miles, 49:49, 7:47 pace, 25F, clear, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Out to the Zoo plus 3 times around the pond

An absolutely perfect day ... a nice stretch before breakfast, 6F when I went to work. The sunny sky was a crystal blue all day, warming up to just above freezing, followed by an extra special stretch after work. Then I went out for a magically sweet run out to the Zoo plus 3 times around the pond. It was crystal clear, calm as a bell, so quiet, I concentrated on my form, stretching out my stride, pumping my arms, pushing to 95%, totally in the zen of the run, sweet!!

Thu, 2/14/11: Rest day ... truly needed.

CJ and I watched DVR'ed episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise and NCIS.

Fri, 2/25/11: 4.2 miles, 38:03, 9:03 pace, 26F, cloudy, calm, walked a bit, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Backward Hapy Hour run

A winter storm came to Rochester during the morning and early afternoon, about 6 inches worth of wet snow. Driving was hazardous, I listened to the jazz of 105.9 to keep mellow while I was out and about during work. But by the evening it was all over and the main roads were all plowed. So CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual end of the month Backward Happy Hour run. I started out slow up Monroe Ave. Once past Winton Rd the sidewalk was not plowed for a bit. I high stepped through it for a bit, then walked for a bit, then ran in the street for a bit until I saw the sidewalk plow coming down Monroe Ave, then I switched back to the sidewalk. The roads down Highland Ave and back to Fleet Feet were snow covered, my Yaks came in handy. CJ walked the entire 3.3 mile loop! Afterward, I joined the Fleet Feet Racing team and signed up for the Spring Forward 15K. I bought CJ a pair of Puma Complete Nightfox Trail Shoes in black, dark shadow, red and dandelion. Snazzy! She says they are very comfortable but just a bit loose in the right heel.

Sat, 2/26/11: 6.2 miles, 45:13, 7:18 pace, 25F, cloudy, light snow, no stops, no pain.

CJ and I headed out to Churchville for Freezeroo #6, a 10K out and back on a slushy road. I ran out fast and slowed just a bit before I sprinted for the finish. Everyone pretty much stayed in the middle in the road or a yard or so on either side, the sides were a bit slushy. I ran pretty well. I finished 46th out of 186, results here. I was 6th out of 25 in my age group, results here.

I was surprised to learn that I was 3rd in my age group overall in the series, results here. I won $10! Thank you, GRTC!

Sunday, 2/13/11 to 2/19/11

 I ran 5 times this week, 22.27 miles.

Sun, 2/13/11: Rest day.

CJ and I woke up in Canton OH. We headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame after breakfast. We wandered through the exhibits and took pics. You might think that I am a Buffalo Bills fan and Chris is a Cleveland Browns fan ...

  

 

 

 

Then we headed to Ravenna OH to see her father and brother, Bill. We ate lunch and celebrated his 90th birthday. He told lots of good stories about his WWII days as a supply sergeant in the Pacific. We headed back to Rochester around 4PM and arrived safely home at 9PM.

 

Chris and her father

Chris's brother, Bill, (on the right) and I

Meanwhile, back in Rochester ... kudos to those who braved the 34F waters of Lake Ontario in the Polar Plunge, link here.

Mon, 2/14/11: 5.4 miles, 43:49, 8:07 pace, 32F, cloudy, windy, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Out to the Zoo plus 2 times around the pond

I needed to run and got out after 6PM. I took it nice and easy because it was around freezing. There was a bit of black ice but I just slid a bit. A nice recovery run just to get the joints moving. A nice, romantic Valentine's Day evening ensued.

Tue, 2/15/11: 5 miles, 41:17, 8:15 pace, 22F, clear, calm, no stops, no pain.

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

CJ and I got in some quality stretching when I got home so we got a late start. We went down to Fleet Feet and got a quality parking spot. The Monroe Ave sidewalk was icier than usual. I went nice and easy up, did 2 Y's, then nice and easy back. No worries, nice workout.

Wed, 2/16/11: 2.67 miles, 25:39, 9:36 pace, 43F, clear, calm, no stops, no pain.

Before the start

The start!

The finish!

CJ and I headed down to Cobb Hill for Snow Cheap #5. It was a warm (relatively) night with a full moon. The snow was mushy with just a wee bit of ice up in the woods. I got out fast and got passed a bit by some faster runners. I stayed behind a guy with snowshoes most of the way ... he packed down the snow for me. I ran well, 27th overall. I was 20th out of 83 no snowshoe runers, results here. I was 1st out of 8 in my 50-59 age group, results here.

Thu, 2/17/11: Rest day.

A very much warmer day ... around 50F. A lot of the snow is melting. Winter will return but not right now. CJ and I had a nice supper ... spiral baked ham, baked potato, green beans and salad. Yummmmm!

Fri, 2/18/11: 5 miles, 38:42, 7:44 pace, 42F, clear, windy, 1 traffic stop, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Happy Hour run plus 1 loop

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Happy Hour run. It was getting colder and quite windy. I ran on my Brooks Adrenaline GTS10s for the first time in a while. I ran easy at first, then harder ... a sweet run. CJ walked 2.44 miles. Afterward, CJ made up cheese ravioli and meatballs for supper. Yummy!

Sat, 2/19/11: 4.2 miles, 35:47, 8:31 pace, 20F, snowy, windy, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Backward Kimstock run

Winter returned to Rochester overnight while we were sleeping. In the afternoon I headed out to Newark to pick up my father's mail, Lyons to see him at the Wayne County Nursing Home and then back to Newark to see my daughter.

Then, CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet to participate in Kimstock, Kim running for 24 hours on a treadmill to raise money for the Rochester General Hospital Cardiac Unit. We were there when she passed the 50 mile mark just before 10 hours. But before we headed out for a backward Happy Hour run. Sane people would have stayed in the store but ... out we went! Yes, it was cold, snowy and windy ... perfect weather for a run deep into the cold wind and snow on Monroe Ave, maybe? The turn down Highland Ave and back toward the store was a bit warmer after I got warmed up. I wore my Yaks and took it nice and easy. CJ walked 2.64 miles and got rid of her headache for a bit.

Sunday, 2/6/11 to Saturday, 2/12/11

I ran 3 times this week, 13.0 miles

Sun, 2/6/11: 3.1 miles, 23:11, 7:29 pace, 28F, cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.


CJ and I headed down to Hopkinton's Point at Mendon Ponds Parkfor the Rochester Roots 5K. I ran well. The road was snow covered and a bit slushy in spots. I finished 8th out of 99, results here. I finished 2nd out of 15 in my age group, results here. CJ walked/ran the 5K also, she finished in 54:42, a PR for her! Way to go!

Sun, 2/6/11: 4 miles, 53:55, 13:29 pace, 28F, cloudy, calm, walked some hills, no pain.

I rested for a bit then put on snowshoes for the first time. I went out and ran the Rochester Roots 4 mile Snowshoe Run, twice around a 2 mile loop. The first quarter mile was congested with trail shoe and snowshoe runners all jockeying for position in foot deep snow ... plus I was trying to figure out how to run in snowshoes. I settled down, remembering that I had to run with my feet farther apart so I wouldn't clip my ankles ... which I still did occasionally. All in all, it was kind of fun ... definitely slower than running in trail shoes. I ran the first loop in 27:30 and the second loop in 26:25. I finished 15th out of 41, results here.

The start ...

 The finish ... I was exhausted and thirsty!

After we got home, a nice lunch and afternoon nap ensued. We got up in time to watch an exciting Super Bowl between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, link here ... the commercials were quite good too, link here. All in all, a very busy and satisfying weekend!

Mon, 2/7/11: Rest day.

CJ and I did laundry, nice to have clean clothes ...

Tue, 2/8/11: 6 miles, 54:05, 8:41 pace, 11F, light snow, windy, 2 traffic stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 4 loops

Yes, it was only 11F out ... but I headed down to Fleet Feetfor the usual Cobbs Hill run. About 40 fellow Winter Warriors were there. The sidewalk up and back from Cobbs Hill was kind of plowed ... I took it easy. I did loops around the reservior instead of Y's just to be different. I dressed warmly ... almost too much but I just unzipped a bit ... sweet!

Wed, 2/9/11: Rest day.

CJ and I chilled. I converted "The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl" album to MP3, then we watched some DVR'ed episodes of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and Castle.

Thu, 2/10/11: Another rest day.

I really wanted to run but I just didn't want to fight sub-zero windchills. Good things did happen though. I scored a slot in the Muddy Sneaker on April 16th, lottery results here. I never run it before. Plus the Lakers beat the Celtics in Boston, 92-86, link here. Turnabout is fair play, eh? The Lakers are 3-0 on their 7 game road trip so far.

Fri, 2/11/11: 5.9 miles, 47:30, 8:08 pace, 20F, clear, calm, 1 traffic stop, no pain.

Garmin Connect for FF Happy Hour run + 2 loops

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Happy Hour run. I ran easy at first and added 2 loops. It was kinda of warm, 20F, the warmest it had been for a bit. It's amazing but it seemed warm! I ran by the LED speed sign on Highland Ave and got it cranked to between 8 and 9 mph, lol! The upper Monroe Ave sidewalk was icy but manageable. I had to slow down a bit but I still did OK.

Sat, 2/12/11: 8 miles, 1:01:36,  7:42 pace, 25F, cloudy, light snow, a bit windy, no pain.


I headed out to Greece for Freezeroo #5, an 8 miler. I started out fast, 7:10 first mile. The first four miles are under 7:30 pace. When I hit Edgemere Drive, I ran into a 20 mph headwind which slowed and tired me out. I walked for about 100 feet at mile 6. After a bit I realized that I was near the end and gutted it out to the finish. I was 66th out of 216, results here. I was 8th out of 28 in my age group, results here.

 Along Edgemere Drive ... with at least a 20mph headwind!

Turning for the finish!

After a nice nap, CJ and I went out to Canton OH. By the time we got out here, I was grouchy ... my left hip and knee ached. Tomorrow we will visit the NFL Hall of Fame and visit her father in Ravenna OH for his 90th birthday.

Sunday, 1/30/11 to Saturday, 2/5/11

I ran 4 times this week, 21.65 miles.

Month of January: 100.04 miles, 19 runs, 5.3 miles/run

Sun, 1/30/11: Rest day.

After the company party the night before, CJ and I were at the Millennnium Hotel in Buffalo. We made it out into the cold just before checkout at 11AM. We did some tourist stuff as long as we were there ... we saw the American Falls from the Niagara Falls Observation Tower and from Goat Island.

 

 

Next we saw the Niagara Power Project Power Vista exhibit.

Then we drove home on Route 104 ... the scenic route. A downer was watching the last 16 minutes of the Lakers - Celtics game in LA ... the Lakers lost 96-109 despite Kobe's 41, link here. The Lakers seem to have to lost a step compared to the NBA's elite teams ... which does not bode well when it comes to the playoffs.

Mon, 1/31/11: 7 miles, 57:05, 8:09 pace, 13F, clear, a bit windy, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Out to the Zoo and 3 times around the pond

I wanted to get up to 100 miles for the month of January so out I set forth. I ran out on my usual run ... a bit icier than usual. I was dressed very well for the cold and warmed up quickly. The run passed smoothly, my mind zoned out and concentrated on my footing, my gait and my breathing. A very sweet run!

Tue, 2/1/11: 6.1 miles, 51:40, 8:26 pace, 19F, cloudy, a real light snow, a bit windy, no stops, no pain.

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

I don't hibernate in the winter ... so I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Cobbs Hill run. I did the usual 3 Y's. The Monroe Ave sidewalk was pretty greasy on the way up and way back, Cobbs Hill was fine.

Wed, 2/2/11: 2.65 miles, 32:16, 12:11 pace, 18F, cloudy, a light snow, walked a few hills, no pain.


I headed down to Cobbs Hill for Snow Cheap #4. Saner people would have stayed home ... but then I'm a runner. 183 other runners were there ... I was in fine company. The snow out in the open was at least 8 to 12 inches deep, in the woods it was thankfully less. The start was a bit of a scrum, I ran on the outside to pass ... while I had the energy. I settled into a rhythm and got in with the same runners for the majority of the race. It was a fun race, I felt pretty good throughout. Sweet! I finished 36th out of 116 in the no snowshoes category, results here. I was 3rd out of 8 in my age group, results here.

Thu, 2/3/11: Rest day.

CJ got her baking mojo and baked 4 loaves of homemade bread ... yum! Later, after a nice siesta, we stayed up to watch the Lakers play the Spurs ... sadly, the Lakers lost on a tip-in at the buzzer, 89-88, link here.

Fri, 2/4/11: 5.9 miles, 47:14, 8:00 pace, 22F, clear, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Happy Hour run + 2 loops

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the Friday night Happy Hour run. I started out easy, looking at the tiny crescent moon in the old moon's arms. I concentrated on my form, pushing through and swinging my arms. I added 2 loops around the Cobbs Hill reservoir. The run down around the Monroe Ave sidewalk was icy so I had to slow down. Still I was amazed at how easy and faster I seem to be running compared to last year.

Sat, 2/5/11: Rest day.

A busy day for sure. I got my hair cut then headed out to Newark to get my father's mail and to see my daughter. After lunch, CJ and I went down to the Blue Cross to watch the Rochester Knighthawks play the Philadelphia Wings. The Knighthawks got their home mojo back, winning 11-6, link here. Thanks to groupon.com for the half price tickets!

Later, we sipped some Red Stag Black Cherry bourbon. Mmmm!