Sehgahunda Trail Marathon - Saturday, 5/26/12

Saturday, 5/26/12

Sehgahunda Trail Marathon, 26.3 miles, 6:06:21, 65-80F, sunny, calm



I didn't get much sleep the night before. I was too keyed up plus Christine snored. Luckily, our suite at the Genesee Valley Inn had 2 bedrooms so I just moved to the other bedroom and did my tossing and turning there. I think I got 4 hours of sleep ... maybe. I do know that Portageville had a rooster that was intent on waking up the entire village at 5:30AM ... plus anytime else he felt like crowing. It was really nice that I laid out my racing stuff the night before. It made things a lot less hectic. The continental breakfast downstairs was nice. Seeing hot air balloons outside at 7:13AM when we were leaving to head up to the Sehgahunda start line at the Mount Morris Dam was an unexpected bonus.

We got to the race start in plenty of time. I did no pre-race stretches. I just milled around and wished everyone a good race.

The Sehgahunda Training group before the start

Needling the bear before the start!

The solo women started at 7:45AM. We all cheered them on. I heard a story later that the first place woman had to scare off a black bear somewhere down in the course!

My goal coming into the race was to finish. Sehgahunda to me is divided into 4 sections: Dam to Check Point (CP)1 (hard), CP1 to CP3 (harder), CP3 to CP6 (hardest because of the constant up and down, roots and rocks), CP6 to the end (easier but hard after just getting to this point). You have to be aware of your footing at all times else Sehgahunda will bite you in the ass! My previous two DNFs gnawed at me. My darling Christine was my support crew. She met me at the first 6 CPs to offer me a wet towel, a Powerbar Gel, Endurolyte tablets, her support and a kiss. She was a Godsend!

Solo men started off at 8AM and the relay runners started 30 minutes later. This was a long race ... here are the highlights that I remember. I purposely started toward the back and moved up a bit at my own pace.

The start! A long way to go ... no need to rush!

I started to pass some of the solo women about mile 3 into the race. We all offered them encouragement as we passed. It was nice to see and give encouragement to people you knew as you either headed up or down from a CP ... which we did for CPs 1 through 6. So ... getting to CP1, 6.1 miles, went well. Then it was back down and onward to CP2, 2.5 miles away. The climb up to and from CP2 was quite long. Bill Beyerbach and his girlfriend Deb Wyspianski manned CP2.

CP #2

Then it was onward to CP3; a long, long 6.8 miles away. When I got there I was 15.4 miles into the race. Christine said I looked good. I felt tired. From then on I would run to the next CP, revive myself with Christine's and the vollies help, then head onward to the next CP.

CP #3

CP #3

My achilles started to bother me, then my knees started to bother me because of all the downhills and heading in and out of all the stream (mostly dry) crossings. I headed onward to CP4, 2.3 miles away. I was starting to slow down. I started running with Joe Muczynski, a fellow Sehgahunda Training member, who I had been slowly catching. His support crew was his girlfriend, also named Christine. We ran together from CP4 to CP7 and offered each other encouragement when we needed it. CP5 was a short 1.7 miles away. Onward to CP6, 2.5 miles away. Joe and I walked almost all the way up to CP6, then ran it when spectators could see us. I really tried to be aware of my footing. I did not want to trip and fall. Once I headed down from CP6 I was in virgin territory ... I had never gotten this far before. It was only 1.3 miles to CP7 on the stone road but it seemed like a long 1.3 miles! I did stub my left big toe really good just before CP7. Then it was a mile on the stone road to CP8 where I met up with Bill and Deb again who were manning another CP. Only 2.1 miles to go on a level cinder trail! Yeah, baby! I ran on in a nice and easy economical pace and headed toward the finish. I turned left at last trailhead, then ran up the last hill toward the Parade Grounds, then the last turn. I was not going to walk it in for sure! It felt really sweet to cross the line and hear Ellen call my name and tell everyone that my third time at Sehgahunda was the charm!

Christine was running behind me as I was sprinting for the finish line

30 seconds after I finished

2 minutes after I finished

Getting friendly with the bear

I was a bit miffed that Christine had not set up our chairs by the finish line. Instead of getting some nutrition (mistake) I went out to the car to get them and set them up there so I could watch other runners come in. Then I sat down ... finally. The drama was not over yet though. Suddenly, an oops moment ... I realized that I needed nutrition NOW! I got up and ambled toward the food. Somehow I said that I needed food, someone looked at me, realized that I really needed it and got it for me. I wish I knew who this guardian angel was! My fingers were tingling for a good 10 minutes as I ate like it was the best meal on earth. I came close to screwing up!

I also heard about a bear sighting later. Duane Basch was running on the stone road between CP7 and CP8 and saw a bear about 25-30 feet away in the brush. Both were scared and ran in opposite directions!

This race is not about stats ... it's about sharing the experience, earning that Sehgahunda hoodie and finisher's necklace. But I did OK, 6:06:21, 99th out of 148, link here. I finished 9th out of 19 in my M50-59 age group, link here. Other Sehgahunda Training team members: Don in 5:14:30, Jim in 5:54:18, Joe in 6:16:16, Bambi in 6:32:02, Tammy in 6:35:22, Becky in 6:37:41, Jennica in 7:07:13, Jady in 7:25:26. Others that I knew: Andy in 4:38:37, Todd in 5:35:06, Ron in 5:39:37, Marilee in 6:42:41, John in 6:58:17, Kathy in 7:13:17. I remember getting a great hug from Krista at the finish line! I really wish that the relay team members and 14 solo DNFs were recognized in the Yellow Jacket Racing results.

Some pics of Sehgahunda Training team members

Bambi, Jim, Jennica

Don, Tammy, Sean

Becky, Carl, Stacey

Duane, Nate, Todd

The Sehgahunda Training mentors (Sean also ran)

Laura, Boots, Mark

A thank you to all the people who helped put this wonderful race on: Fleet Feet, Yellow Jacket Racing, all the volunteers and all the spectators! Thank you!

Christine and I just sat in our chairs for a couple of hours before we headed back to the Genesse Valley Inn, with its free wifi, where we caught up on everyone's Facebook exploits and updated on what had happened during our day. I moved slowly ... trust me! I was really tired, I managed to make it until 9PM until I gave in and headed to bed for a nice 11 hours of sleep.If Christine snored ... I didn't hear it. The rooster across the street didn't bother me either.

The swag ... Sehgahunda hoodie, bib and neckace!

What a great day!!

Here is another perspective on Sehgahunda from TrailsROC, link here.

I finished Sehgahunda, 5/26/12!

I finished Sehgahunda in 6:06:21! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Pre Sehgahunda Trail Marathon III, 5/26/12

Pre-Sehgahunda III thoughts ...

Why Sehgahunda? Sehgahunda and I have a history, an unfinished business that I need to finish. What history? Well, strap yourself in for a couple of stories.

Sehgahunda I, blog post of 5/29/10:

I fell on a root around mile 7 between Check Point (CP) 1 and CP2. I scrapped up my right side (I still have a scar that I see everyday). I got up and continued on to CP2. I felt a sharp pain in my right ribs as I ran down from CP2. But instead of heading back to CP2, I tried to run on to CP3 about 6.5 miles away ... dumb move. But I am a runner, I run forward not backward. Anyway, I slowed from a run to a slow run to a fast walk to a slow walk as I held my right arm to my ribs. It hurt. I told fellow runners that passed me that I was having trouble. Eventually, I got some medical attention from Jim McLaughlin, then a park ranger and then 2 EMTs who made the trek down from CP3. I had walked about 6 miles before Jim got to me and walked maybe two more with assistance to the bottom of the trail up to CP3. Christine was volunteering at CP6 and met me at the bottom of CP3 after I called her. Then I got a ride up in an all terrain vehicle up to CP3 and an ambulance ride to the Dansville ER. I got a painful set of chest X-rays so I could be told that I had a broken rib. Lesson learned: do NOT wear sunglasses during Sehgahunda!

Sehgahunda II, blog post of 5/28/2011:

The year of the extreme mud. The climbs up to each CP were long and tiring ... one foot forward, half a foot backwards or sideways. I made it to CP6 (21.9 miles). I was told that I was delirous. Anyway I sat down, then was on a gurney, then in an ambulance with the same two guys as last year, then in the Dansville ER with the same ER nurse as last year. I don't think she was too happy about cleaning the mud off my legs. I received IVs and was admitted. I remember being very delirous, talkative and trembling uncontrollably for hours until I was given a sedative around 3 or 4 in the morning. Christine was VERY concerned that I was going to die. I stayed 2 days before I was discharged. The cause? Overhydration led to an electrolyte imbalance. Lesson learned: Don't drink too much water along with better nutrition and electrolytes.

Sehgahunda III:

The Sehgahunda prep going on behind the scenes at Fleet Feet

So ... what have I done differently this year before Sehgahunda III? Well, I joined the Sehgahunda Training Program about two months ago. I have run 95% of the prescribed runs. My weekly run mileage has jumped from 3 to 4 runs at 20-25 miles to about 4 to 5 runs at 40 miles. I am in pretty good shape. I have set lifetime PRs (5 miles, 15K, Half) at some of the road races that I have run this spring and came close at another (10K). I have run every Sehgahunda training run down in Letchworth. My hill climbing has definitely improved which is important. I have roughed out a gel, water and electrolyte idea for this race. The weather forecast looks to be hot and dry so I will not have to worry too much about mud. I have done everything I can to be ready. I plan on finishing Sehgahunda and posting a Facebook picture from the Fleet Feet arch at the finish line.

My financee, Christine, is nervous about my fixation with Sehgahunda. It has been causing her and I some stress. After all, she has had to follow an ambulance after the last two attempts. But I need to do this. This is my year!

Sunday, 5/20/12 to Friday, 5/25/12

I ran 4 times in 6 days, 20.08 miles

Sunday, 5/20/12: Lilac 10K, 43:53, 7:05 pace, 76F, sunny, calm, 2 stops.



Christine and I got up early around 6AM. We had a brief stretch before getting out the door and down to Highland Park around 8:30AM for the Medved Lilac 10K. I had a bit of time pre-race for a brief 0.5 mile run. Then I moved up towards the front of the pack and settled in next to Heather Danielson and Bill Beyerbach, fellow Brooks Racing Team members. My plan was the usual ... stick with Heather like glue, she is a master at pacing. I tend to go out too fast like a rabbit.

The race started. I noticed that a girl to the right of us fell within the first hundred yards, maybe she got her heel tripped. I was on Heather's left shoulder, we hit the first mile at 6:45.

Heather Danielson and I

Bill Beyerbach

It was hot but I was running well, I kept on Heather's shoulder or slightly ahead as we clocked off 6:51, 6:53 and 6:50. I appreciated the Fleet Feet cheering section at the corner of Monroe and Winton. I started to have trouble at mile 4. My legs were screaming for me to stop so I had to let Heather go. I didn't want to but I walked for 100 feet. I started back up but didn't have the same fire and walked again before we made the left turn back onto Highland. Mile 5 was 7:32. The climb back up Highland toward the finish felt like it took forever, mile 6 was 7:09. The finish line was just out of sight but the last 0.2 was 6:50 pace. Done ... sweaty, thirsty and tired!

Heather finished in 43:11. I did a lot better than I expected, 43:53. This was 5 seconds off my lifetime PR of 43:48 set in last year's Appleblossom 10K. I set a course PR, bettering last year's 46:28 by 2:25. Bill finished in 44:42. I think I let my knowledge of what still lie ahead get the better of my body, but the heat was definitely a factor also. It's tough to say. I was 133rd out of 1283, link here. I was 12th out of 76 in my M50-54 age group, link here. I met up with my lovely Christine who was happy with my time. She handed me a towel for good reason ... I was dripping wet! I headed over to the Cooperative Extension for some post race chow of a banana, cookie and gatorade. A young woman introduced herself to me as a reader of this blog ... I may have to update my estimate of how many people read this blog! She wished me well at my upcoming Sehgahunda Trail Marathon on Saturday and I wished her well at her upcoming Buffalo Marathon on Sunday, her first. Life changing events, marathons are ... as Yoda would say.

We met up with Tim Matthews who takes pictures of runners at most of the local races. He had a bit of trouble at the 5K. He tripped (I think while running backwards) and scrapped up his knees, elbows and his knuckles. Plus he busted his camera. He used his backup camera for the 10K. The hazards of taking running pics! He was headed to Best Buy to take advantage of their extended warranty which covered breakage.

Christine and I went out for a late breakfast/lunch at Uncle Danny's, a stone's throw from our apartment. Then we headed home for a brief rest, shower and then back out the door. We shuffled off to Buffalo to meet up with her daughter, Beth, and her boyfriend, Nick. They had taken a brief vacation to Niagara Falls to see the Falls, ride the Maid of the Mist and visit her alma mater, Niagara University. We had a early and quite tasty supper at AppleBee's on Walden Ave before heading back home.

Later, I finally got to watch last night's Lakers-Thunder game 4 off the DVR. I had a bad feeling about this game. Christine said as she got up ... "a horrible score from last night". I told her shussh! I tried not to watch the sports news during the day. I watched the game ... trying to will every Laker miss into the basket. The Lakers were up by 13 with 7:46 to go! But yes ... they lost on a 3 that Westbrook made with 0:13.6, 100-103, link here. So ... the Lakers are down 1-3 to the Thunder with the Spurs awaiting for the victor, link here. Meanwhile, the Heat and Pacers are tied 2-2, link here.

Monday, 5/21/12: Rest day.

Just your normal rest day. I am getting a bit antsy about Sehgahunda. The weather forecast for Mount Morris on Saturday, 5/26/12 is for a low of 57, high of 79, little chance of rain. It is supposed to be dry all week ... if you can believe a long range forecast.

We watched four episodes of Unforgettable off the DVR. It's another cancelled series; along with Pan Am, Missing and GCB, that we watched this season. Christine was bummed about Alcatraz and The Firm. It seems that Christine and I pick the shows that no one watches ... or not the right people watch. The networks don't seem to give some shows much of a chance ... but reality shows are everywhere!

Then I watched the last Lakers game of the season as the Thunder took them out, 1-4, by a score of 106-90, link here. I guess I will get more sleep now ... if I don't start watching the upcoming Spurs - Thunder series.

Tuesday, 5/22/12: Group Taper run, 2.77 miles, 72F, sunny, calm

Garmin Connect Activity for Sehgahunda Training - Group Taper Run

I met up with the group down at Riley Lodge in Cobbs Hill Park at 6PM like usual. We just headed out at a really nice and easy pace, laughing and having a good time. Mark Monachino told us, "You can't do anything to help yourself this week but you can do an awful lot to hurt yourself". He meant like do 400m repeats, trip and sprain your ankle ... stuff like that. So ... we tried not to do that. I even went to bed early and got 8 hours of sleep. Tapering sucks!

Wednesday, 5/23/12: 6.11 miles, 48:53m 8:00 pace, 75F, sunny, calm, no stops.

Garmin Connect Activity for Cobbs Hill run - long way up, 1 loop, long way down

I headed down to Fleet Feet Brighton early to head out for a nice and easy run ... which ended up a bit harder since I had to be back by 6PM for a Sehgahunda question and answer session. Then I went out to the Tap and Mallet for a bite to eat with the group. We are all a bit nervous but we all think we are ready. The Saturday weather forecast for Mount Morris is definitely warm and dry, high around 80. I have heard reports that the course has dried up ... still need to careful.

On the NBA front, the 76er's won at home against the Celtics to force a game 7 in their Eastern semis, link here. I caught the SportsCenter highlights before heading to bed.

Thursday, 5/24/12: 5 miles, 39:55, 7:59 pace, 80F, sunny, a nice breeze, no stops.

Garmin Connect Activity for Fleet Feet Ridgeway - Pickdale + Weber

I headed down with Christine to Fleet Feet Ridgeway to pick up my packet and a final tuneup run before Sehgahunda. I ran nice and easy in the heat ... as much as I could. Christine went to nearby Art Nail to get her nails done. Shopping was next, then Christine cooked up some of her luscious BLTs. She is so sweet!

I watched a bit of game 6 between the Heat and the Pacers, link here. The Heat won to advance to the East Finals against either the Celtics or the 76er's. Their game 7 is Saturday night.

Friday, 5/25/12: Vacation and travel day down to Portageville

I decided to take a vacation day to get ready from Sehgahunda tomorrow. Christine had made some appointments so she attended to them while I puttered around and made sure that I didn't forget anything. Then we headed down to stay for two nights at the Genesee Falls Inn in Portageville just a 20 minute drive from the start. We have a sweet 2 bedroom suite on the second floor. I have all my racing stuff ready to go in the other bedroom. We had a nice supper at the Letchworth Pines. All ready to go for tomorrow's Sehgahunda!!

I decided on the spare ribs

Sunday, 5/13/12 to Saturday, 5/19/12

I ran 7 times this week, 37.92 miles

Sunday, 5/13/12: Mendon Ponds Park, 12.00 miles, 1:59:06, 9:55 pace, 65F, sunny, calm.

Garmin Connect Activity for Mendon Ponds Park - Blue & Green trail x 2

I headed down solo to Mendon Ponds Park for my Sehgahunda Training of 2 hours on trails. I wore my road shoes so I needed to stay on dry trails. My trail shoes were still wet from the day before. So I chose the Blue and Green trails that I know so well. I settled into a nice, slightly hard pace and covered the first loop in 6 miles, 57 minutes. I took in 2 GUs when I walked a bit of the Blue trail for 4 minutes. Then I hiked it up and continued on. I spooked a couple of does, saw a couple of horses, several people walking their dogs and a couple of trail runners. A bit of excitement was when I had to herd a friendly and unleashed collie back to its owner when it wanted to run with me. I think it would have ran with me all the way back to the Beach parking lot, lol! All in all, a great morning run ... sweet! I am beginning to like early morning runs ... you do get the run in and have the rest of your day before you!

Later, we celebrated Mother's Day by going out and enriching the Rochester economy. We went to Charlotte Appliance and purchased a new Simmons queen bed and Lane leather recliner sofa. Both were sorely needed. Christine's back has been bothering her. Then we headed out to MacGregor's for some dinner, a Prime Rib Au Jus sandwich for Christine and a Country Club sandwich for me.

Monday, 5/14/12: Rest day.

A nice rest day. Christine and I went out to Wegmans for some supplies and ate pepporoni pizza for supper. We caught up on the season ender for Castle (Beckett and Castle hook up!) and Grey's Anatomy (I called the latest castastrophe before it happened!) from our trusty DVR.

Then I watched the end of the Celtics - 76er's game 2 of the East Semi-Finals, link here. Yay, 76er's! Though the illegal pick call against the Celtics was not a call that needed to be made with 0:12 to go. The series is tied 1-1 with 1 point wins for both teams. I tried to stay awake during the Lakers - Thunder game 1 of their West Semi-Finals, link here. Alas, it was a predictable 29-point away blowout loss against a 8 day rested home team with something to prove.

Tuesday, 5/15/12: Another rest day.

The queen bed that we bought at Charlotte Appliance was delivered today. It's a bit higher and definitely a firm mattress. Christine really likes it. Me ... I can't tell much difference.

I could have ran after work but didn't. Christine cooked up an excellent roaster chicken along with corn and green beans, yum! We settled in to watch 3 episodes of Fringe off of the DVR. Just a bit behind on Fringe ... 4 more to go!

Wednesday, 5/16/12: Dirt Cheap #2

Christine and I headed to Webster Park early for Dirt Cheap #2. We were rewarded with a close parking spot which was really nice after the race. Christine had a massive headache and stayed in the car. She provided support when I came by to check on how she felt. I really liked that she came out.

I headed out for a short warmup run before the race. Afterward, I decided to just wear my Brooks Racing Team singlet. I knew I would get too warm with a T-shirt underneath it.
Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before Dirt Cheap #2 - 2012



I started the race out hot as we raced down the dirt road for about 500 yards (according to Boots) before we hit single track trail. I ran pretty hard through the early part of the race, really hitting it to keep up. Then after a mile I slowed as we ran in a creek bed for 100 yards. My feet were water logged for the rest of the race. I took a swallow of water at the water stop and didn't cough it up! Now my plan was to hold my place but keep it cranked as best as I could. I ran behind the same guy for about 2 miles as we went up and down, through mud and slop. I passed him on a hill and then caught up to Bill Beyerbach. He somehow knew it was me behind him and graciously let me by. The course seemed to last forever but finally I was done ... with nothing left. I crossed the line in 46:50 which was a course PR for me. I was amazed that none of my mile splits were over 9 minutes. I felt a bit tired in the latter stages of the race but I didn't feel the urge to stop and walk so I just kept running.

I found some quality mud ...

I had some post race grub ... just a hot dog and banana along with a few cookies. I was getting chilled so I quickly changed into some dry clothes and shoes. Christine has taught me to be prepared. So ... usually I am. I did OK, I finished 50th out of 284, link here. I was 2nd out of 21 in my M50-54 age group ... way behind Jim Roche, who is a young and fast 51.

I stayed up and watched the Lakers go up by 7 over the the Thunder with 2:08 to go ... then fail to score the rest of the way and lose by 2, 75-77, link here. The Thunder are up 2-0. Meanwhile, the Celtics went up 2-1 on the 76er's, link here.

Thursday, 5/17/12: Rest day.

Just your normal rest day. We had some leftover pasta and chicken, yum! Then Christine went out for a massage at MassageEnvy. I puttered around and them we watched another episode of Fringe. Meanwhile, the Pacers rolled over the Heat (Boo, LeBron and Wade!), link here. The Pacers are up 2-1. Also, the Spurs continued their march through the playoffs over the Clippers, link here. The Spurs are up 2-0 on the Clippers and are on a 16 game winning streak.

Friday, 5/18/12: 10K around the streets of Irondequoit, 68F, 45:19, 7:19 pace, sunny, calm, no stops.

Garmin Connection Activity for 10K around the streets of Irondequoit

Christine and I said a long hello after I came home from work. I could have stayed on the couch and almost did. But ... what fun would that be? I got out late but I did get out. My Sehgahunda Training called for 45 minutes easy ... maybe not. I headed out as my usual 10K course that I found around the streets of Irondequoit. I started out nice and easy for a mile, then I put the hammer down. I had negative splits: 8:07, 7:28, 7:14, 7:08, 7:00, 6:57. It felt great!!

Later I did some quality NBA watching. The 76ers in Phillie against the Celtics were booed off the court at half down by 15, down 19 early in the 3rd, pulled to 5 at the start of the 4th and won by 9, 92-83, even the series at 2-2, link here. I really tried to stay awake for the Lakers against the Thunder at home. I think I made it to the 3rd quarter. Anyway, the Lakers won 99-96, going 41-42 from the line, link here.

Saturday, 5/19/12: 3 runs of 12.6 miles total during the day

I woke up early to head down solo to Mendon Ponds Park for the Spring Class Duathlon around 7:30AM, Christine had a therapy appointment at 9AM. The event started at 8:30AM. I volunteered at the water stop for runners by the boat launch along with 2 other guys. Luckily it was a shady area. It was hectic at times but kind of fun seeing all these F1 runners (2 miles run, 10 miles bike, 1 mile run, 10 miles bike, 2 miles run) and Super Sprint runners (2 miles run, 10 miles bike, 1 mile run) run past, sometimes in two directions. We were done around 11AM. Then it was time for my Sehgahunda Training which called for 2 hours of easy trails.

Garmin Connect Activity for Mendon Ponds Park - Blue and Green Trail

So I headed out for 1 loop of a normal trail run on the nice, tested and true Blue and Green trail. It had warmed up to around 76F so I just ran the 6 miles at a nice, sweaty and easy, 57:28, 9:31 pace.

Garmin Connect Activity for Russell's House to Home

I headed home via Russell's house. I dropped off our car to have him look at the A/C. I ran home, 3.2 miles, 29:52, 9:23 pace in the 82F heat. Again, nice, uphill, sweaty and easy.

Garmin Connect Activity for Home to Russell's House

Russell called and told us that our car needed a new A/C hose that wouldn't be in until Tuesday. So ... I ran back to retrieve our car in the slightly cooler 78F heat at a slightly faster, 28:07, 8:13 pace. So the total running time over the 3 runs was a bit under 2 hours.

Later Christine cooked up some luscious BLTs for supper, yum! Meanwhile down at the Blue Cross Arena, the Rochester Knighthawks beat the Edmonton Rush, 9-6, to win the Champion's Cup, link here. Yay, Knighthawks! Meanwhile in the other NBA series that I am not watching ... the Spurs are up 3-0 on the Clippers and are on a 17 game winning streak, link here. I watched a bit of the Lakers - Thunder game 4, but I am gonna try to not know the score before I see it off the DVR tomorrow. I have to get early to run the Lilac 10K tomorrow morning.

Sunday, 5/6/12 to Saturday, 5/12/12

I ran 4 times this week, 43.32 miles.

Sunday, 5/6/12: Medved Madness, 14.63 miles, 2:33:59, 10:32 pace, 40-60F, sunny, calm.



Christine and I woke up around 6AM and made it out to Hopkinton Point at Mendon Ponds Park around 7:40AM for the 8AM start. My plan was to treat this as a long training run since I had run 17 miles the day before. My legs were more than a bit achy at the start for sure.

The race was a bit of a blur but here are the highlights that I remember. We found a lot of mud on loop 1. I was closely following a woman about a mile into this loop as we ran through a technical forest of pine trees, overhanging branches, roots and rocks. We came upon a creek too wide to jump with a steep bank on the other side.  So we all jump and splash into the creek! She jumped and didn't get up back up the other side. I had to jump to the left a bit to avoid her. I had trouble getting up the other side too. I gave her a hand up after I got out. We ran about 50 feet in the lake in thigh high water at the end of loop 1. It was a bit cold but refreshing! I stopped for about 5 minutes after I crossed the line of loop 1 to drain my shoes, change my socks and take off my black T shirt. It was getting warmer. I headed back out as I took a Gu. Loop 2 had very little mud and a lot of grassy fields. I took a Gel just after I crossed the line of loop 2.

Jeanne Herrick

Wilt Alston

Loop 3 had a lot of mud. Thanks to Jeanne Herrick for helping me out on the start of this loop when I didn't know which flags to follow. I remember running through about 100 yards of ankle deep water as I approached a bridge in the middle of this loop. Thanks to another woman runner who yelled out when I turned and ran the the wrong way for about 100 yards. I just settled into an economical pace, took a straight line through the mud and finished. I was more than ready to stop. The catered chicken dinner afterward was tasty. Thanks to Wilt Alston for his suggestion to wash my shoes and legs in the lake afterward. Christine drove home. She took a nap after we cuddled for a bit. I fueled with a banana and PB&J and washed it down with a some rice chocolate milk ... mmm! My muscles were sore and a hot shower to get the rest of the mud off felt really good!

Update from Wednesday, 5/9/12: The PCR timing results were finally posted. I finished 51st out of 88, link here. I finished 9th out of 15 in my M50-59 age group, link here. My results and I am sure those of everyone else are totally off. They have my time as 2:12:53, 21 minutes off. My leg 2 result seemed to be the culprit. I looked at  my Garmin data and figured that I ran leg 2 in 48 minutes not 30:53.

Later I dragged myself off to Wegmans to do a bit of grocery shopping before Christine and I had a leftover chicken and salad supper. We caught up on the latest episodes of Grey's Anatomy off the DVR. I went to bed early and tried to get 8 hours of sleep.

Monday, 5/7/12: Rest day.

A day best forgotten. I was kind of achy and cranky all day. My customer service skills were not so evident at work. Things could have been more pleasant between Christine and I. Luckily she made up some comfort food: cheese and crackers along with some pizza. If I had a man cave I would have crawled inside it until I felt better. I really should have gone out for a run ... but I had run 37.8 miles in 41 hours over Friday night, Saturday and Sunday morning so I really needed a rest day. But it would have helped ... everything is better after a run.

Tuesday, 5/8/12: Another rest day.

I really should have ran but I was starving for meat. So I stopped by Skip's Meat Market on Ridge Rd West to pick up 3.41 pounds of baby back ribs. Christine liked how they looked ... almost no fat on them! So she cooked them up with her not so secret recipe and we devoured all of them while we watched the last two episodes of GCB. Then I went to bed early at 10PM. I have been hungry and tired the past two days. But I feel a run coming on for tomorrow.

I did see something interesting during the day at the intersection of Lake Ave and Lexington Ave ... the Google Car! I saw it the next day on I-390S by MCC.

Wednesday, 5/9/12: Chapel Hill Drive hill repeats, 8 miles, 1:06:07, 8:16 pace, 58F, sunny, calm, no stops.

Garmin Connect Activity for Chapel Hill Drive hill repeats x 7

Christine and I hugged for a bit after work then I headed out for my Sehgahunda Training run. I went to the nearest hill that I could ... though it was 2.88 miles away, Chapel Hill Drive. Then I did 7 hill repeats of 0.28 miles each, then ran 2.94 miles back home. The temp was perfect. I felt great!

Thursday, 5/10/12: Rest day.

I had to take a day off from work to take my daughter down to Houghton College to see some friends. I was back before noon. Then I just puttered around. Christine and I then did 3 loads of  laundry downstairs. Exciting stuff ... maybe not. But we did watch the Star Trek DVD, the 2009 version.

Friday, 5/11/12: Around the streets of Irondequoit, 7.2 miles, 59:01, 8:13 pace, 68F, sunny, a bit windy, 1 stop for hydration, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Around the streets of Irondequoit

My Sehgahunda Training plan was to run a hour nice and easy. So I headed out onto the streets of Irondequoit on my usual 10K course plus another mile. I ran nice and easy, just enjoying the night. Christine cooked up a nice pasta dinner post run.

Saturday, 5/12/12: Run around Mendon Ponds Park, 13.49 miles, 2:42:33, 12:00 pace, 45-65F, sunny, calm.

Garmin Connect Activity for Run around Mendon Ponds Park

I met up with the Sehgahunda Training group at Mendon Ponds Park at 7AMish. It was a perfect morning at the start, sunny and around 45F. A long, nice & easy group run ensued. We started on the Green & Blue trails. We saw Boots while he was setting up the Scrubs & Stethoscopes 5K when got back to the Beach parking lot. It had warmed up so we took a break and shed some shirts. Then we headed over towards the Devil's Bathtub where we found lots of mud ... we went straight through! Don and I did get lost for a bit. Luckily his Google Maps app showed us the right direction back to the Beach parking lot. I was definitely covered in mud ... sweet! I forgot to take a change of socks and shoes so I took them off before I even set foot in the apartment. Christine made me strip as soon as I got in, lol!

After some rest and a couple of lunches, we finally made it out. We stopped by the pond below Rochester Zoo  to watch the Mind the Ducks ultra runners run the 0.5 mile loop around the pond. We cheered on Tom Butler (53.922 miles) and Kim Rapp (56.373 miles) for a bit, results here.

The duck ... scared of the runners. The geese ... maybe not so much.

Kim Rapp

Tom Butler

Then we headed to Ashley Furniture to look at (but not buy) queen beds and leather recliner sofas. Pricey. We then headed to MacGregor's in Penfield for a well earned supper before heading to bed early.

Meanwhle, the LA Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets in a thrilling game 7 of their first round series., 96-87, links here and here. I forgot to DVR the game so I saw nada. Oh well! Now the Lakers get to play the Oklahoma City Thunder who have been resting after whipping the Dallas Mavericks 4-0 in their first round series.

Monday, 4/30/12 to Saturday, 5/5/12

I ran 5 times in 7 days, 41.57 miles (if you include the Flower City Half Maraton with its own post on 4/29/12).

Monday, 4/30/12: Rest day.
I ran 23 times in 30 days, 158.1 miles, 6.9 miles/run. The most miles in a month ever.

Just your normal rest day. Christine went out to get her nails done at Art Nails, a nail salon next to Fleet Feet Ridgeway. I stayed home and puttered around. Later we watched Six Days, Seven Nights with Harrison Ford, Ann Heche and David Schwimmer.

Tuesday, 5/1/12: Another rest day.

I thought about going out for a run.  But ... Christine had spare ribs fixed with Sylvia's Spare Ribs recipe ready ... so we ate. Mmm .... yummy, fall off the bone goodness along with a baked potato. Later we watched the lastest episodes of Hawaii Five O, NCIS: LA (the crossover episodes) and NCIS.

Wednesday, 5/2/12: Sehgahunda Training at Cobbs Hill, 5.3 miles, 51:30, 9:48 pace, 70F, cloudy, calm, 3 stops for water, no pain.

I had a bad cramp in the morning right before I got out of bed. Christine helped me stretch it out before work.

Garmin Connect Activity for Sehgahunda Training at Cobbs Hill

I knew I needed to work out but I really needed a soft run rather than a hard, harder and hardest run. So I decided to make up a Sehgahunda Training workout on my own. I did 3 loops of the switchback, stone path and the diagonal along with a brief warmup run and a longer cooldown run. There was a brief sprinkle which helped cool me down in the middle of the run. The smell of lilacs on the cooldown run was so fragrant!

I did a bit of vegetable shopping at Wegmans before I came home to a luscious BLT supper that was waiting for me ... perfect timing by my darling Christine. I think I'll keep her! Earlier in the day I received a text from Redbox, so later we watched a free DVD, Fast Five.

Thursday, 5/3/12: Rest day.

Christine and I just chilled after some vigorous cross training at Planet Fitness. We watched a bit of Frozen Planet just to have something on.

Friday, 5/4/12: 6.2 miles, 48:13, 7:47 pace, 72F, partly cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Around the streets of Irondequoit

I needed to get out for a run. So ... I just headed on my usual 10K route. My Sehgahunda Training said to go 1 hour nice and easy. But ... that is not how I run road. So I just ran, it felt great! The smell of lilacs as I ran past the the intersection of Winoma Blvd and St Paul St was so fragrant! One of the benefits of running during the month of May!

Saturday, 5/5/12: Sehgahunda Preview Run #4, 16.97 miles, 3:17:43, 10:48 pace, 50-60F, sunny, no pain.



This morning was the Sehgahunda Preview Run #4. My Sehgahunda Training workout was to run it twice. Christine and I dawdled a bit like usual and didn't make it down to CP6 until about 9:15AM. I geared up with my Camelbak and a pocket full of Gu and headed out. The route was from CP6 to the parade grounds and back. This route was the easiest of the four routes: a mile or so of trail, a mile of road and 2 miles or so of cinder trail before the parade grounds. Still ... it had its ups and downs, pun intended. The weather was kind of cool and cloudy at the start but it was warmer and sunny by the time I headed out on the second loop. I took a Gu when I got to the parade grounds and another when I got back to CP6.

Heading up to the parade grounds on loop 1

I met up with Christine when I got back to the parade grounds on the 2nd loop. She put sun screen on me when I ate a banana and a PB&J, then I headed back out. When I got back to CP6 I was more than ready to stop. Todd shared some of the sweetest pineapple that I had ever tasted ... mmm!

Christine drove home. We stopped at Medved to pick up my packet for the Medved Madness 15 mile Trail Race being held tomorrow morning. I know it's running a long race after running 17 miles ... but I intend to run it as a long training run. Then we stopped at the nearby Rookies's Bar & Grill for some fuel (bacon cheeseburger wraps) and hydration before heading home.

Flower City Half, 4/29/12

Sunday, 4/29/12: Flower City Half Marathon

Here are my recollections of the Flower City Half Marathon, another excellent race brought to the Rochester running community by Fleet Feet and Yellow Jacket Racing. There are way too many people to thank for such a large event but kudos to every last one of them. Christine ran the Wegmans Family 5K. She had not run since Easter. She was signed up so she ran.

I was up early. Christine's snoring woke me up around 4AM. I got out of bed around 4:40AM. I did some of the dishes that were left from the night before. I had my usual pre-race breakfast of cereal with banana and OJ. I woke Christine up at 5:30AM. The temperature outside was 30F and the winds were calm. We dressed quietly. I paused at 6:15AM to look at the sunrise ... quite a sight. I posted on Facebook that I was aiming for a sub 1:40 race ... just a bit of pressure. We left for the Blue Cross Arena at 6:24AM. There was almost no traffic until we got downtown. We found a parking spot opposite the Dinosaur BBQ, geared up and headed down to the Blue Cross Arena. Christine's No-Bo picture was first, then my Brooks Racing Team picture was next.

I dropped off my drop bag with dry postrace clothes down in the Fleet Feet Recovery Zone ... a perk for Brooks Racing Team members. Then I headed out for a short 1.1 mile warmup run at 7:48 pace.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before the Flower City Half



I got back from my warmup run with about 6 minutes to spare before the start. I lined up and got ready.

I dd turn around before the start ...

The lead pack of runners

Ellen counted us down and off we went at 7:30AM. The race first led us through the Susan B Anthony neighborhood where women in period costumes urged us onward.

I was running pretty well. Then we ran past Frontier Field and onto State St. When we got to Main St we could see the 5K runners up on Broad St starting their race. That was kind of cool. The race progressed up Main St and down East Ave to Brunswick St then back on Park Ave. I ran 5K in 22:52, 7:23 pace. Around the 4 mile mark, I stopped to rub my thighs for a few seconds. I was running well but they just felt off.

Mile 4.5 - East Ave and Oliver St

We turned onto South Goodman. I had a Gu and Gel at the water stop just before mile 6. I ran 10K in 46:41, 7:32 pace. We ran up South Goodman toward Highland Park. The spectator support here was very vocal along with signs and balloons.

The hills in Highland Park were certainly higher after having run 7 miles first. We entered Mt Hope Cemetery at mile 8. The cobblestone hill at the entrance was almost as difficult as a trail hill. The bagpiper at the top of that hill was nice. I ran with Mitch Moore for a bit. I ran very well past mile 9 once the Gu and Gel kicked in. I ran 15K in 1:10:58, 7:38 pace. I admit I used the "blonde ponytail" effect to pull me along before running past them and letting them follow me. We curved left and right, ran up and down for 2 miles before we exited. At mile 10, I saw Bill Beyerbach for a second to say "Hi". Just a 5K from here ...

Running through the U of R campus

Then we ran through the University of Rochester campus on the east side of the Genesee River for 2 miles. I saw Laura Church behind and beneath me as we curled up to the Ford St bridge to cross the Genesee River.

Crossing the Ford St bridge ... just under a mile to go!

I ran 20K in 1:34:07, 7:35 pace, with only 0.7 miles to go. I kept it cranked as I neared the finish line. I saw my darling Christine urging me on at mile 13 with a Go Doug! sign. I tried to pass one more runner, who just so happened to be in my age group, but he heard me and held me off. I closed the finish line ...  tired and thirsty.


Sprinting for the finish!

The bling!

The 1:40 pace leader, Andy Franks, came in behind me so I did go sub 1:40, actually 1:39:23, 7:34 pace. A lifetime PR by 48 seconds!! Woo hoo! I finished 220th out of 2251, link here. I was 16th out of 105 in my M50-54 age group, link here.

Meanwhile Christine did OK in her 5K. She ran a 54:02, 17:19 pace. She was 850th out of 892, link here. She was 60th out of 64 in her F50-54 age group, link here.

Christine and I headed inside the Blue Cross Arena for some grub and to use the Fleet Feet Recovery Zone. We stayed for a bit and swapped running stories with fellow runners. We left, walked slowly to our car and were home by 11AM. Christine took a long nap. Meanwhile, I had lunch and coffee. I uploaded my Garmin to my usual sites and caught up on Facebook. A lot of PRs were set at this race. Dan Giblin ran a 1:28:42 and then went out for a 51 mile bike ride!

Heather Danielson ran 40.785 miles in 6 hours at BPAC, 1st overall female ... awesome!

Others like Heather Danielson and Tom Butler had ultra running fun at the 6 hour BPAC out in Buffalo, results here.
I was just a bit sore the rest of the day. Christine woke up sorer than I was so I ended up going out to KFC for supper. Mmm!

There are still things I need to work on if I want to improve on road races. I need to concentrate more on my stride. I am sure I could push off more if I concentrated on it. I need to able to drink water on the run. I walked through the water stops when I took water. I looked and that cost me about 2 minutes. It is going to look funny but I think Christine and I will have to practice water stops until I figure out a way to drink water on the run without coughing most of it back up.

But still ... all in all, a great day! The Democrat and Chronicle had stories here and here. Hopefully the drivers inconvenienced by the seemingly endless stream of runners were inspired to exercise! It's good for you!