2013, the year in review

2013, the year in review ... where to begin?

My right Achilles that I aggravated during a run way back on July 29th, 2012 gradually healed. Yes, I tried rehab with little success. I even tried no running for two weeks twice. Eventually, I just ran anyway ... just slower and not as long. I stretched it out before every run for most of the year. I just stopped thinking about it around July ... about a year later.

Yes, I have a black toenail like almost every runner!

Well, let's have the stats. I ran 1310.6 miles this year, 225 runs in 365 days, 5.8 miles/run. The breakdown by month: January - 108.3, Feburary - 107.4, March - 140.0, April - 65.2, May - 91.2, June - 103.4, July - 81.7, August - 154.0, September - 134.3, October - 101.2, November - 116.7 and December - 107.2, 9 out of 12 months over 100 miles. The most miles was August when I was training for the Rochester Marathon in September. Wow ... 1310.6 miles ... my most running miles during a year ever.  Some of these runs were warmup runs before or cooldown runs after races. My handy dandy running spreadsheet shows that I have run 7969.7 miles, 1307 runs in 2665 days, 6.1 miles/run since September 14th, 2006 when I started it.

I ran 51 races this year with 354.4 racing miles. So 27% of my running miles this year were during races. The breakdown of my races was 26 street (11 5Ks, 1 5M, 5 10Ks, 1 6.42M, 1 12K, 1 7.5M, 2 15Ks, 1 20K , 2 Halfs, 1 Full) and 25 trail (longest was 50K). Why so many races? I like to get out there and compete ... pure and simple. My race spreadsheet shows that I have run 247 races since my first race on Thanksgiving 2005 in Newark NY, the Newark Turkey Day 5 Mile race.

My running highlights this year were running in my first Boilermaker in July, running my second Rochester Marathon in September and running my first ultramarathon in November. The Boilermaker was my first race with thousands and thousands of runners. I was so excited that I couldn't sleep the night before. The Rochester Marathon was my first marathon since the hot and humid Rochester in 2008. I hit my goal of running under 4 hours (3:51:59). My first ultramarathon was the Mendon Ponds Trail Run 50K. The fickle November weather produced a light rain that became a downpour during the race. I continued onward and finished in 6:34:37. Some other highlights were running my fastest 5K of 2013, a 20:44 in the Photofinish 5K (31 seconds off my lifetime PR in 2012) and my fastest 12K ever, a 59:23 in the Summerfest 12K.

All in all, 2013 was a great running year! Yes, I'm 56 ... but my legs still feel young and are raring to go!

What's in store for 2014? Well ... I really should cross train. I know I have said and typed this before but I really should drag my ass out to LA Fitness and do something else to build my core. Yes ... there will be more races in 2014, it's how I roll.

Sunday, 12/22/2013 to Saturday, 12/28/2013

I ran 4 times this week, 27.5 miles.

Sunday, 12/22/2013: 2 miles out in OH

My darling Christine and I woke up down in Streetsboro OH. The pool at the Comfort Inn and Suites we were staying overnight at was closed and the "exercise room" had only a stepper hauled up against a wall. Well ... it was 57F outside (back in Rochester it was 32F) so I just went outside and went for a run without any GPS, phone or RoadID. I could have used MapMyRun.com if I had my iPhone. So I just made up a route and ran. It felt good. I checked out the route on Mapmyrun.com and saw that it was what I thought ... 2 miles.

A shower and breakfast hit the spot. We checked out and soon we were visiting Christine's father in nearby Ravenna. Her brother, Bill, and his wife, Patty, stopped by for a bit.

Christine's father, Christine and I

We all went out for lunch at a nearby Cracker Barrel in Rootstown OH. Tasty just like yesterday. We also saw her daughter, Beth, and her boyfriend, Nick, in Cleveland. Christine also talked with her son, John, while we were on our way back to Rochester.

Monday, 12/23/2013: Rest day.

Well ... technically not a rest day. Christine and I watched Christmas movies; "A Princess for Christmas", "A Christmas Wish" and "A Christmas Wedding Tail" from the Hallmark Channel courtesy of the DVR while I did 6 loads of laundry. My darling Christine sorted them for me and I did the rest ... except she put her clothes away.

Tuesday, 12/24/2013: Another rest day.

I thought about running but Christine and I watched some Hallmark Channel Christmas movies "Dear Santa" and "Holly's Holiday" instead.

Wednesday, 12/25/2013: 9.3 miles, 1:19:07, 8:30 pace, 10F, 92% RH, wind chill 2F, partly cloudy, a cold breeze.

Garmin Connect Activity for 15K on Christmas Morning

I hadn't run in three days so I needed to run. It was a bit cold so I put on an extra short sleeve tech over my long sleeve tech. I got out around 10AM and took it nice and easy. The roads were OK. The main roads had a slushy shoulder, the side streets were snow covered, the sidewalks had two inches of snow. I wore my road shoes which didn't have much traction. I didn't make any sudden turns so I was OK. My splits were: 8:15, 8:27, 8:17, 8:21, 8:48, 8:54, 8:35, 8:41, 8:22 and 8:05. I enjoyed the peace, quiet and solitude out on the road ... but I was glad that I got my run in. I only have about 30 miles until I have 1300 running miles in 2013. Definitely something to shoot for before the end of 2013.

My darling Christine watched six, yes six, Christmas movies off the DVR from the Lifetime and Hallmark channels: "The Santa Switch", "The Thanksgiving House", The Marsh Sisters at Christmas", "The Christmas Spirit", "A Very Merry Mix-Up", and "The Snow Bride". We did manage to eat a Christmas dinner of turkey loaf, sweet potato and cranberry sauce along with cherry pie .... yummy!

Thursday, 12/26/2013: Rest day ... not much to say.

Friday, 12/27/2013: 10 miles, 1:19:53, 8:11 pace, 30F, night, partly cloudy, a slight wind.

Garmin Connect Activity for 10 miles around the neighborhood

I needed to run. I had my usual pre-run bowl of cereal and dilly-dallied for a bit. But I said "This run won't get done by itself" and out I went. I struck up a nice and easy pace made faster but Seneca being clear. The side streets and sidewalks were still snow covered. But I kept up a pretty good clip the entire run. My splits were: 8:10, 8:06, 8:14, 8:05, 8:02, 8:23, 8:14, 8:03 and 8:30. I ventured a bit farther on this run as I went down into the flats and back. A nice run.

Saturday, 12/28/2013: 6.2 miles, 50:54, 8:12 pace, 40F, night, partly cloudy, calm

Garmin Connect Activity for 10K around the neighborhood

I need to run again ... so I headed out around dusk. It was a bit warmer during the day so I wore my road shoes. I took up a nice and easy pace on the main roads but I was a bit surprised by seeing the icy twinkles in my headlamp of ice just starting to form on the side streets. I started to slip a bit when I pushed off so I had to shorten my steps. I did shorten my run a bit to just a 10K rather than a 10 mile run. My splits were: 8:16, 8:14, 8:32, 8:17, 8:10, 7:57 and 7:14 over the last 0.2 mile. I did enjoy the run and stayed upright.

I found that I already had 1300 running miles for 2013 but was just shy of 100 miles for the month. I hadn't adjusted my spreadsheet to include my last two runs.

Sunday, 12/15/2013 to Saturday, 12/21/2013 - Reindeer 5K

I ran 5 times this week, 23.8 miles

Sunday, 12/15/2013, 6.2 miles, 55:45, 8:58 pace, 23F, 78% RH, overcast, calm.

I got up around 7:30AM and out by 9AM. I was eager to get out there and play in the 8 to 10 inches of fresh snow that fell during Saturday. I knew that some RFP runners were already out in Mendon Ponds Park on snowshoes. I put on my usual cold weather gear along with my Yaktraks. I noticed before I went out that both Yaks were missing a section of coil off the back.

Garmin Connect Activity for 10K in the morning snow

I headed out nice and easy. The roads were variable: mostly plowed with an OK section of shoulder to run facing traffic. I heard and saw a lot of people snowblowing or shoveling their driveway. I went slow enough so I never felt out of breath even though my legs were exerting more effort because of the slippery conditions. I enjoyed the run.

Later I headed out to Newark and Lyons. First, I saw my daughter, Karen, and her roommate. Then it was out to see my oldest son, Michael. Next it was over to Finger Lakes Gaming to see my youngest son, David. He treated me to a free dinner buffet. Finally, I saw my father at the Wayne County Nursing Home in Lyons. A busy day.

Monday, 12/16/2013: Rest day ... I fell asleep on the couch around 7:30 PM.

Tuesday, 12/17/2013: 6.5 miles, 55:53, 8:35 pace, 3F, dark, light snow, calm.

Garmin Connect Activity for 6.5 miles in the morning snow

Since I fell asleep so early last night I was up early too. I set my alarm for 5AM and was out by 6AM for a nice and easy run on my usual 10K route. I saw that it was 3F out so I grumbled a bit. I put on another short sleeve tech top over my heavy long sleeve tech top. No worries. I headed out and just took it nice and easy. I got warm and unzipped my jacket for the last two miles. Oncoming drivers probably thought I was crazy! I may wear shorts if it gets above freezing!

I thought about going for another run after work but decided to just catch up on the newspaper and some episodes of "Witches of East End".

Wednesday: 12/18/2013: Rest day.

I really wanted to run ... either down at Snow Cheap or just on my own around my usual haunts of Irondequoit. But ... I had a after work Christmas party. I guess it's kind of important to make sure that your bosses know who you are when you don't see them too often like I do.

Thursday, 12/19/2013: 6.5 miles, 50:29, 7:46 pace, 39F, clear, calm.

Garmin Connect Activity for 6.5 miles in the evening

I needed to run. I checked the temp and found it was 40F. I thought a long sleeve tech, jacket, beanie and heavy gloves were required. Not! I was a bit warm and had to put my beanie above my ears and unzip my jacket. I could have gone a bit lighter in clothing. But I did enjoy the clear road and sidewalk. So I took it kind of fast with splits of 7:53, 7:58, 7:43, 7:38, 7:40, 7:52 and 7:26.

I picked up my bib, t-shirt and antlers for Saturday's Reindeer Run. This will be my first time running this out and back 5K on the Inner Loop. I'm looking forward to it.

Friday, 12/20/2013: Rest day ... nothing of note.

Saturday, 12/21/2013: 2 runs of 1.5 and Reindeer Run 5K

Saturday was a long day. When I woke up it was 55F. So I thought that shorts, Brooks Racing Team T-shirt and arm warmers along with light gloves, hat and antlers ... right? The antlers were for the Reindeer Run 5K naturally!

I forgot to rearrange my antlers ... oops!

I got downtown around 8AM. I parked on the street around Washington Square Park since I thought the parking lot at the Strong Museum of Play would be full. I found my way over and found that the batter of my Garmin Forerunner 310XT was dead. I hooked up with the RFP group to go for what I thought was a 1.5 mile warmup run. It started to sprinkle during the run ... joy. I found some water and headed up to the start line. I talked for a bit to Prem while we waited for the course to clear of all the runners making their leisurely way to the starting line.

Off we started. The course was a simple out and back on the Inner Loop, link here. I ran with Prem for a bit. The temperature dropped down during the race to around 40F. My gloves were wet and I had trouble holding my running breath. I had to stop for a bit to walk twice during mile 2. I was passed by Wendy Abbot and Stacy Maier who said "Hi" on their way by. I did find out that the Inner Loop is definitely not flat ... with some not so gradual ups and downs.

Exchanging a high five with Suzanne McCauley after she finished

I finished in 21:27. I finished 67th out of 1667, link here. I was 2nd out of 49 in my M55-59 age group, link here. Prem finished in 21:50 which is a PR for him. Way to go!

A funny story is that I met Kevin Clinefelter who placed first when I was checking the Yellow Jacket Racing website for the instant results and asked out loud "Who is Kevin?" He was standing 5 feet away and said "That's me." I remembered him from the Race with Grace 10K on Thanksgiving. He just started running 2 years ago and is already pretty fast, 20:10.

I stuck around for the awards which was held in the auditorium. I was drenched, cold and wet. I tried to warm up a bit. The awards were pretty unique. Everyone who got an award got to pick one from their age group selection.

A most unique trophy takes its place on top of the TV

Next was heading out to Ravenna OH to wish my darling Christine family a Merry Christmas. We started out around 2PM. The drive was dreary, foggy and rainy. We stopped for supper in Erie PA at the Cracker Barrel. We found that a nice sit-down dinner was not all that much more than a quick burger at McDonald's and so much more satisfying. Christine used the time at Cracker Barrel to shop for Christmas gifts for us, her father and her children.

We spent the night in Streetsboro at the Comfort Inn and Suites. It's a nice hotel. Our room had everything .. a king bed, LCD TV and a refrigerator. It was lacking enough outlets though. I really should have packed an outlet strip. I watched "Olympus Has Fallen" on the wee screen of my iPhone ... good movie!

Monday, 12/9/2013 to Saturday, 12/14/2013 - Freezeroo #1

I ran 5 times in 6 days, 17.55 miles, One was a warmup of 0.75 and one was a cooldown of 1.25 miles

Monday, 12/9/2013 through Wednesday, 12/11/2013: Rest days all ... started to get antsy.

Nothing much happened. Monday we watched a Redbox DVD, "White House Down". A pretty good action movie. Tuesday and Wednesday were "coulda, shoulda and didn't" run nights. But sometimes I just don't and rest.

Thursday, 12/12/2013

I set my alarm for 5AM and got out the door by 5:30AM. Yes, it was dark, snowing lightly and 10F. But I decided to shake things up a bit.

Garmin Connect Activity for 10K in the morning
6.2 miles, 52:38, 8:30 pace, 12F, 78% RH, dark, light snow, calm

I took it nice and easy since the roads and sidewalks were snow covered. I wore my Salomon CrossMax 3 trail shoes. I couldn't get much traction so I couldn't get much speed. The snow was kind of pretty in my headlamp. After 4 miles or so I just wanted to get done. My darling Christine said I was "as cold as a iceberg" when I crawled back into bed to snuggle a couple of minutes before I took a hot shower and went to work.

6.2 miles, 53:12, 8:35 pace, 16F, 83% RH, dark, light snow, a bit windy

I decided to go out for another run after work. It was a bit warmer (a whole 4F) but a bit windy. I took it nice and easy again. The footing was about the same. My face almost froze off but I kept on going. I think I got double badass points for two runs in one day ... sweet!

Friday, 12/13/2013: Rest day before a Saturday morning race ... like usual.

Saturday, 12/14/2013: 3 runs of 0.75, 3.15 (Freezeroo #1), 1.25 miles

The morning dawned a bit dippy: 9F at 8AM when I checked it. But I'm a hardy Rochester runner. We run races in the winter called Freezeroos! So I dressed warmly and headed out at 9AM. So I basically brought all my cold weather gear: CW-X tights, heavy tech long sleeve, Brooks Racing Team short sleeve, Brooks beanie, balaclava and heavy running gloves. Oh ... and my Salomon CrossMax 3 trail shoes naturally.

The race site was the Northstar Christian Academy. I warmed up with a nice and easy 0.75 mile run, 8:34 pace.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before Freezeroo #1 - 2013



I lined up for this relatively small Freezeroo race in my usual spot ... about 10 feet from the start line and to the right. It warmed up to 10F with a wind chill -1F at 10AM. I exchanged pleasantries with Bill, Wilt and Mark before the race. The race horn sounded and off we went. The course was an out and back over road and bike path with some slippery turns and twists.

About one tenth of a mile from the finish!

My splits were: 7:14, 7:16, 7:21 and 7:57 over the last 0.15 mile. My lungs were crying for me to stop after mile 2 but I knew the race would soon be over ... and I didn't want anyone to pass me. I guess I'm just a bit competitive. I crossed the finish line in 22:52. I stayed around the finish to see Mark and Bill come in.

I went out for a really nice and easy cooldown run of 1.25 miles, 9:22 pace. It felt good even though I didn't really need to cool down.

Garmin Connect Activity for Cooldown after Freezeroo #1 - 2013

I almost slipped when I went down the stairs into the cafeteria but luckily I had my hand near the railing. I hung around a long while before I hit the slippery road back to the apartment. I did pretty well. I was 31st out of 181, link here. I was 1st out of 18 in my M55-59 age group, link here.

Meanwhile ... Trailsroc put on the WTF trail race out at Powdermill Park. It was a 5 mile loop with the choice of either 1, 2 or 3 loops. According to Ultrasignup.com: 39 runners finished the 5 mile race, 23 runners finished the 10 mile race and 35 runners finished the 15 mile race. I heard that one hill was so steep that a rope that a rope was needed!

I fixed my darling Christine our usual post race meal of coffee and a bagel. There was a winter storm watch until Sunday morning so I just stayed home and relaxed. No worries. We had a late pasta and chicken supper while we watched a repeat of the "Sound of Music" musical on NBC. I know a lot of people didn't like it but we thought it was nice. It was live TV ... yes, the casting was not perfect but hey, it was different.

12/8/2013, Nittany Valley Half Marathon

12/8/2013, Nittany Valley Half Marathon

The morning dawned cold and overcast. 9F at 7 AM certainly qualified! I was in a quandry about what to wear for a long and cold run. I ended up with my CW-X tights, a black long sleeve tech, my Brooks Racing Team short sleeve tech and Brooks Nightlife jacket. My Brooks beanie, balaclava and heavy gloves were along for the ride too. I filled my Saloman/Camelback hydration pack with water though it did have a tube that I knew would freeze. I had a 5 oz bottle of Hammer Gel at the ready.

Packet pickup in the Ag Arean

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before the Nittany Valley Half Marathon.

Nothing like a new pair of Brook Adrenaline GTS 14 shoes!

My virgin shoes were on my feet with only a mile of warmup at 8:25 pace on them.  The packet pickup was in the Ag Arena which was what it sounds like. A big barn with an open dirt and straw area in the middle where livestock can be paraded. My hydration pack developed a leak due to my misthreading it when I filled it so I had to go with a hand bottle of water. There was no bib ... just a tag that you interlaced onto your shoes. Anyone could bandit this race if they wanted.

Profile:

It did warm up to 21F by the race start at 10 AM with overcast skies and calm winds. There was no announcements before the start. Just a horn and off we went. I was within 20 feet of the start.

The first 2 miles were a bit boring. We just looped on some roads around the Ag Arena twice before we hit open road. I had seen the elevation chart before the race so I knew what was coming. The roads were wide and had ample shoulders at first but soon both narrowed. This forced us onto the white line of the road or further in. The course was a bit weird with lots of right hand turns which put us on the right side of the road for long stretches. I did carefully cut a lot of tangents along the way.

I overheated a bit and lowered my balaclava at mile 3.5. The cold did bother me a bit but I was also a bit warm at times. My wife, Christine, drove the course and took some pictures around the airport at mile 6.

The fast downhill of 250 feet began at mile 7.5 to mile 8. I decided to let gravity work and kicked it into high gear. I reached a 5:48 pace briefly. A mile further on there was a brief but steep and twisty 100 foot uphill that reminded me of the same type of hill on the Freezeroo Hearnish 10K course. The miles were dragging on me. I tried to take a swig from my bottle of Hammer Gel at mile 10 but couldn't get much out since it had frozen up a bit. I did give a thought to the free beer table at mile 10.8 but instead took some water in another 100 yards. The long incline to the finish started at mile 11.5. It was a gentle incline but discouraging. I did the best I could to keep up a slow run. Finally I got to the finish. I didn't have anything left. My splits were: 7:16, 7:32, 7:20, 8:33, 8:20, 7:52, 7:49, 7:22, 7:34, 8:54, 8:43, 8:29, 9:01 and 6:40 over the last 0.09 mile.

I crossed the finish line in 1:45:19, 8:02 pace. Not bad for the first time on a difficult course with 676 feet of elevation gain. I was 164th out of 666, link here. I was 12th out of 31 in my M55-59 age group, link here.

I found some water and soon I felt human again. My darling Christine parked close to the finish ... thank you! We headed over to the Ag Arena where there was lots of Subway subs. Then it was back to Bill and Jill's for a much needed shower. We left State College around 3 PM and arrived back in Rochester at 7 PM. A long and fun weekend!

Sunday, 12/1/2013 to Saturday, 12/7/2013

I ran 2 times this week, 16.3 miles.

Sunday, 12/1/2013: Rest day

My darling Christine and I cocooned and relaxed all day. I did make it out to Dibella's to get a sub for supper. Christine wanted horseradish on her half but it was put on both halves ... wow!

Monday, 12/2/2013: Another rest day

I took a couple of hours off to take my darling Christine to her mammogram appointment at 3:30 PM. After the radiologist told her that she was OK for another year, we went home to eat an early supper since we were both hungry. I should have eaten a bowl of cereal and went out for a run instead but ... woulda, coulda, shoulda. But I went with food instead.

Tuesday, 12/3/2013: 9.3 miles, 1:14:25, 8:00 pace, 36F, 69% RH, night, calm.



I was antsy and needed a run so out I went. I wore my trail shoes since my road shoes had too many miles on them. I decided to do my usual 10K route and then added on a loop which turned out to be pretty much 15K. The things I like about my 10K route are that it is pretty flat, it doesn't take me too far away from the apartment, I can throw in Chapel Hill Drive if I want a small hill and also it has lots of loops for variation. So finding a loop that adds up to 15K was a definite win!

Anyway, I took it nice and easy: 7:57, 8:05, 8:01, 8:05, 7:48, 8:01, 7:56, 8:02, 8:09 and 7:53 over the last 0.3 miles. A run and two of my daughter's cookies afterward ... exactly what I needed!

Later, Christine and I went OnDemand and rented Red 2. Nice, shoot 'em up movie!

Wednesday, 12/4/2013: Rest day.

Christine and I watched a 30th Anniversary DVD version of "Animal House" that I bought from Groupon. She had never seen it before!

Thursday, 12/5/2013: 7 miles, 54:50, 7:50 pace, about 50F, dark, a bit windy.

I needed to run, dilly-dallied like usual but got out at 6:45 PM. I did my usual 10K route plus a bit more. I went a bit faster this time. I tried to upload my Garmin 301XT data but I accidentally turned off the Garmin just as it was starting to upload and really hosed everything up!

Friday, 12/6/2013: Rest day.

I made a spur of the moment decision and signed up for the Nittany Valley Half Marathon down in State College PA. My darling Christine's brother, Rich and his wife Jill live there and came up to our wedding last year. So ... once I heard about this race about a year or so ago I had thought of running it. So I have been thinking about it off and on. Well ... I will in a couple of days. I signed up with Active.com for $25 and then got a Quality Inn in State College for Saturday night. The Brooks Racing Team order is in so I plan on picking up my new Garmin Adrenaline GTS 14 shoes and christening them on Sunday. Well, maybe on Saturday afternoon just to shake the dust off of them.

I totally uninstalled all my Garmin software and reinstalled it. I deleted my run data from Thursday off of my Garmin 310XT and Garmin Connect still thought it was there. Then I unpaired and repaired the ANT chip and my Garmin 310XT. This forced it to totally upload all its activities. It uploaded a 20 second "test" run ... so I think it's all good.

Saturday, 12/7/2013: Travel day.

I got up early at 7 AM to get ready. My darling Christine had trouble sleeping the night before so she had trouble waking up. We finally got out the door around 10 AM. Our first stop was Fleet Feet Brighton where I picked up my Brooks Racing Team order. A bright, shiny new pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 14 shoes were inside. What better way to break them in but the Nittany Valley Half Marathon?

So ... onward we went. Christine's brother, John, and his wife, Jill, live in State College PA about 2 miles from Penn State. So that's where we went and arrived at 3:23 PM. I didn't know that we were going to stay there for the night. So I had to get online and then call hotels.com to cancel my backup plan at the Quality Inn. I called at 3:45PM and the website said that I could cancel until 4 PM. They tried to give me a song and dance about the cancel deadline was 3 PM. I did get our hotel cancelled ... I'll wait and see if I get my checking account credited. UPDATE: It was.

Bill and Jill made a nice dinner for us. Christine and I went to bed early in a spare upstairs bedroom with a very nice, warm and comfy double bed. I really needed to get some sleep before the race tomorrow morning.

Sunday, 11/24/2013 to Saturday, 11/30/2013 - Race with Grace 10K & RT Turkey Run

I ran 4 times this week: 18.02 miles.

Sunday, 11/24/2013: Rest day.

The weather turned really wintry ... like 22F, occasional light blowing snow, windy with single digit wind chills. I could have gone out and run ... but I needed a rest day after drastically upping my mileage last week. Yes ... I did read Facebook posts of fellow runners that went out and enjoyed themselves.

So ... Christine and I cocooned all day. I let her sleep until noon. Then I made her our customary coffee and bagel while we read the Sunday Democrat and Chronicle. Later I braved the elements and got the groceries that we needed.

I got my hair cut at the local OK Barber Shop on Saturday with not so good results. The next day I discovered that I couldn't comb my hair without it looking like crap. So ... my darling Christine looked at a Youtube on cutting a man's hair. I trusted my darling Christine enough to let her cut my hair a bit. She did a good job.

Monday, 11/25/2013: 6.3 miles, 52:13, 8:13 pace, 34F, 39% RH, night, windy.

Garmin Connect Activity for 6.3 miles on dead shoes

I dilly dallied like usual but "a run won't get done by itself" so out I went. I wore my Brooks Adrenaline GTS13 shoes with lots of miles on them. I could feel the lack of cushioning ... now they have 600 miles on them. My legs felt like crap after the run.

Tuesday, 11/26/2013: Travel day

My oldest son, Michael, had asked me to move him back to his mother's apartment in Newark. So I drove out after work at 5:30 PM to his apartment out in Amherst MA into the teeth of a winter storm warning. The weather was a snowy mix until just after Syracuse with the usual slowdowns on the Thruway. Then it became rain the rest of the way. I arrived at 11:30 PM. Michael and I went to seek food and found a Wings over Amherst just 5 minutes before closing for some much needed food. I bunked down on his couch for the night.

Wednesday, 11/27/2013: Move day.

What a day for a move ... 50F and a light rain in Amherst MA! We picked up a UHaul 5'x8' trailer and packed his stuff in. It took a while since the trailer was about 300 feet and 2 flights of stairs away. We started west around 12:30 PM. Just Michael and I with a Chevy Cavalier and a full loaded trailer as we headed down Route 9 and onto the hilly Berkshires of the MassPike. I felt like I was driving the "little Chevy that could" as the engine upshifted and revved every time we approached a hill. It was a struggle to maintain 65mph. I put my 4-way flashers on every time we dropped below 60mph. I conquered the 6 mile hill on the MassPike by driving behind a slow tractor-trailer that was crawling up the hill at 40 mph. The driving got a bit easier as we got back into New York. The weather conditions changed to sleet and light snow as we got between Schenectady and Utica. We got to Newark at 7:15 PM. Newark had 4 inches of snow on the ground with a light lake effect snow. Michael and I unloaded what he needed at his mother's apartment and put the rest into storage. It was a long day by the time I got back up to Rochester to kiss my darling Christine awake.

Thursday, 11/28/2013: 6.24 miles, 45:07, 7:14 pace, 19F, 68% RH, sunny, calm.

I woke up early so I could sweep out the Uhaul trailer and take it back. I was surprised that someone was there to check it in on Thanksgiving morning. I got back home and changed to check out where the Race with Grace OK was being held and left around 8:47 AM ... plenty of time right?



Well ... silly me thought that the race started at 10 AM like the Webster Turkey Trot. When I pulled up near the First Bible Baptist Church at 9:05 AM I found some police barring the way because the race was starting. I sweet talked my way past them, pulled into the parking lot, ran up to get my bib and my long sleeve tech shirt (benefits of early signup), ran back to the car, geared up quickly, ran to the start and started after everyone. So ... I started 10 minutes late. I started out hot and tried to keep it up: 6:58, 7:19, 7:06, 7:30, 7:12, 7:25 and 6:37 over the last 0.24 miles. I ended up passing a lot of runners. Some I knew and I tried to say "Hi" as I passed. The weather was a bit cold but there was almost no wind so I didn't have any trouble. I ended up crossing the finish in 55:15 officially but clocked 45:07 on my Garmin. A 45:07 is a second off my fastest 10K for this year.

Kind of a weird picture ... but that's me alright!

Officially, I was 468th out of 1062, link here. I was 28th out of 60 in my M55-59 age group, link here. Unofficially ... if I had started on time I might have been 126th and 3rd in my age group, maybe. But hey ... life happens and sometimes I'm late. It was all fun anyway. Certainly something to talk about after the race!

Meanwhile ... lots of other runners were out running. The Webster Turkey Trot 4.4 mile had 2535 runners and the 2.5 mile had 2001 runners. The Buffalo Turkey Trot had 11692 runners!

Christine and I had a nice Thanksgiving dinner. I hunted and gathered at Wegmans on the way back for some last minute supplies. We had a simple dinner: a small and juicy turkey, sweet potatoes, homemade stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce, mixed vegetables along with cherry pie. I helped when I could and carved the turkey. Yummy!

Friday, 11/29/2013: Another moving day.

My daughter, Karen, asked to help her move her new roommate, Lindsay, into her apartment in Newark. The weather was sunny and around freezing. I picked up a UHaul 14' truck from Palmyra at 9AM. I met up with Karen, Lindsay, Michael and my ex in Newark and headed out to where Lindsay was moving from. I got as close as I could but the house was still about 200 feet away and up a hill. I just thought of the hill as doing hill repeats. So loading the truck went slowly. I was led to believe that they wouldn't be much to move ... but as usual there was more than I expected. We took a lunch break at Wegmans. Then we moved a bit of stuff to my ex's storage unit and then unloaded the rest at Karen's apartment. The unloading went a lot faster since I was able to park the truck a lot closer.

Saturday, 11/30/2013: RT Turkey Run, 5.06 miles, 48:07, 9:30 pace, 12F, 92% RH, sunny, calm.
I ran 15 times in 30 days, 116.20 miles, 7.7 miles/run
2013 YTD: I ran 206 times in 334 days, 1202.89 miles, 5.8 miles/run

I got up early like usual on a race morning. It was clear and cold, 9F. But Christine and I got ready quickly. I wore about all the cold weather running gear that I had: CW-X tights, shorts, Darn Tough socks, heavy base layer, Brooks Racing Team t-shirt, heavy gloves, beanie and balaclava. We made it out to Mendon Ponds Park at 7:35AM for the 9AM start. Christine had a therapist appointment out in Webster at 8AM so she dropped me off. I talked with Prem, a reader of this blog, as we waited around, trying to psyche ourselves up for a sunny and cold trail race.

The fireplace inside of Stewart Lodge was hot and inviting ... but a race was to be ran first!

Warmup before RT Turkey Run

The race started out at the Boat Launch so everyone turned that run into a warmup run ... which we clearly needed.

This looks to be early in the race

Six inches of snow outside of Stewart Lodge

Soon the race started. I settled into a trail running groove ... as fast as the conditions let me but still maintaining a bit of reserve. The snow on the 5 mile course was variable. Some parts were packed, some were parts of ski trails and some were fluffy powder. I passed Pete who called out times at the 1 mile mark. I really thought that I had gone 2 miles by then. I walked up Cardiac Hill when I got there. There was a section of field at the 4 mile mark with about 6 to 8 inches of fluffy powder that seemed endless. I caught up to Prem about then and got within 30 feet of him but couldn't catch him. I slipped and almost fell from exhaustion in the finish chute. Prem and I went immediately to Stewart Lodge for some much needed post-race grub. I met up with my darling Christine and we waited around for the awards: Prem won his M35-39 age group and I won my M55-59 age group. We received a mug and a brown t-shirt.

Soon we were home with a well deserved coffee and danish. Christine and I celebrated our first year anniversary quietly with a hug and a kiss ... or three!

Sunday, 11/17/2013 to Saturday, 11/23/2013

I ran 4 times this week, 34 miles

Sunday, 11/17/2013: 9 miles, 1:13:52, 8:12 pace, 57F, 82% RH, overcast and real light mist at the start, a bit windy.

I still had my cold but there was no way I wasn't going to run today. I slept in until 9:45AM and dilly-dallied around a while but I got dressed and headed out. At first I was overdressed with tights and a long sleeve top. I went outside for a second and then changed to short tights and a short sleeve top ... it was 57F!

Garmin Connect Activity for Usual 10K route + Chapel Hill Drive + a bit more

I didn't know how my body would react so I just took it nice and easy. My first mile was a bit fast so I cooled it down and just settled back into the 8:10ish pace that I can keep up for miles and miles. I did find some running nirvana as I ran my usual 10K route. I added on Chapel Drive and a bit more to add mileage since my body was just fine with running. My splits were: 7:52, 8:05, 7:58, 8:02 8:35 (up Chapel Hill Drive), 8:12, 8:14, 8:43 (a brief water break), and 8:09.

I got back from my run just minutes before 1PM. The Bills - Jets game at 1PM from the Ralph was entertaining as the Bills (now 4-7) pounded the Jets (now 5-5), 37-14, link here.

Later, my darling Christine and I went out on a date night. We ate at Unos out in Webster and did a bit of grocery shopping at Wegmans. While we were eating I received an email from Gmail that someone in Fayetteville NY had made an unauthorized attempt on my Gmail account. When I tried to access my account I had been locked out. I countered by resetting my password. I liked my old password ... oh well. I really should change a lot of my online passwords. Most of them have not exactly the strongest passwords ... not as bad as "12345678" though.

Monday, 11/18/2013: Rest day.

Christine and I watched our Blu-Ray of "Star Trek - Into Darkness" and its extras. A nice movie!

Tuesday, 11/19/2013: 8 miles, 1:05:10, 8:09 pace, 34F, 59% RH, night, partly cloudy, a bit windy.

Garmin Connect Activity for 8 miles in the night

I needed to get out so I did. Yes, it was dark and a bit so I dressed with reflectivity and warmth in mind. I also put my headlamp on "High". I struck up a nice and easy pace as I warmed up. I hit my usual pace and clicked off miles of: 8:04, 8:19, 8:14, 8:04, 8:11, 8:14, 8:07 and 7:57. It felt good. I have ramped up my usual run from 10K to 8 miles or so. No reason ... just need the quiet time.

Wednesday, 11/20/2013: Rest day.

I'm a man that doesn't shop for clothes for himself very often. But ... I needed pants because my black work pants had a hole near the left pocket. I must have caught it big time on something at work. Plus my jeans had holes in the wallet pocket. I am tall and need a 34 waist and 36 inseam pant that I have to order online since almost no store stocks that size anymore. My darling Christine suggested trying the Carhart brand. So a couple of weeks ago I ordered a pair of black Carhart canvas dungarees and a pair of Carhart traditional-fit straight jeans from JC Penney. A 20% off coupon helped too. They came today and they both fit ... nice!

Thursday, 11/21/2013: 8 miles, 1:02:43, 7:50 pace, 43F, 59% RH, night, a slight breeze.

Garmin Connect Activity for 8 miles in the night

It was Thursday ... a running day. I dilly-dallied like usual but I told Christine that "my run wouldn't get done by itself" so ... out I went. I settled into a faster pace this time: 7:33: 7:44, 7:50, 7:55, 7:54, 8:00, 8:00 and 7:45. The weather was crisp ... perfect for running. I was just a touch overdressed for 43F and heated up a bit too much but enjoyed the run. I still have to find a good variation of my 10K route for 8 and 9 miles.

Friday, 11/22/2013: Rest day ... nothing to see here.

Saturday, 11/23/2013: 9 miles, 1:16:37, 8:30 pace, 30F, 69% RH, sunny, a bit windy.

Garmin Connect Activity for 9 miles out to the Flats and back

Saturday morning ... a good morning for a long run. I dilly-dallied for a bit like usual but got dressed and out at 8:45AM. I struck up a really nice and easy pace of 8:30 or so pace and just kept it up. I decided to extend my usual 10K route by heading down Thomas Ave and back through the Flats. It turned out to be a route of 9 miles. I don't know if I really like the route though.

A side note: my 2013 running mileage is now 1185 miles, my most ever with over a month to go. My Brooks Adrenaline GTS 13 shoes have 593.7 miles ... my legs felt dead after my run today.

My darling Christine told me to hit the shower as soon as I got back ... I guess I smelled a bit rank. Later we had a late lunch at the Crab Shack with the help of a $10 for $25 Amazon Local coupon. Tasty!

Monday, 11/11/2013 to Saturday, 11/16/2013

I ran once in 6 days, 8.1 miles ... whoopee!

Monday, 11/11/2013: Rest day ... ahaaaaa!

OK, I did do something. I did a load of laundry and vacuumed the floor while my darling Christine was at her therapist appointment. She cooked a great roast, potatoes and lima beans for supper before she left.

Tuesday, 11/12/2013: Another rest day.

It turned really cold overnight with light snow and wind. It lasted off and on all day. I should have gone out for a run but I let mundane stuff like getting groceries get in the way. Though a hug or two from my darling Christine was most agreeable also.

Wednesday, 11/13/2013: Yes ... another rest day. Move along ... nothing to see here!

Thursday, 11/14/2013: 8.1 miles, 1:06:14, 8:11 pace, 46F, 29% RH, night, a bit windy.

Garmin Connect Activity for Usual 10K plus a bit more

My darling Christine was starting to warmup leftovers but I told her that I had to get out for a run. So ... I did. I went out on my usual 10K route plus I added another small loop. I just took it nice and easy. It felt good to be out.

Friday, 11/15/2013: Rest day.

Great ... I seem to be catching a cold. I got my geek on with my Nook Simple Touch when I rooted it with mostly unsatisatory results. I can now dual boot it from a regular Nook to an Android running 2.1. The Android part of it has a really small font which I couldn't figure out how to enlarge. I think a cheap color tablet would be a lot better ... one of these days.

Saturday, 11/16/2013: Sick day.

I have a cold. Nothing too serious ... but I just love being all stuffed up and having sneezing fits of 7 or 8 sneezes that almost shook the roof off of our apartment ... not.

Dirt Cheap Stage Race 2013

I ran 5 times in 2 days, Dirt Cheap Stage Race (DCSR), 19.94 miles

Saturday, 11/9/2013: DCSR 2013 - Race #1, two runs of 0.5 and 3.13 miles.

I woke up around 6:40 AM. My darling Christine wasn't feeling well. She had a headache and stomachache. She is still recovering from a sinus infection. I kissed her and quietly got ready. I knew I was going to run two races so I packed some extra warm clothes to wear in between and afterward if I needed them. I found my heavy running gloves before I left. I got down to Mendon Ponds Park around 8:25 AM. I parked at the horse parking lot at the corner of Douglas and Pond Rd and took a nice and easy 1/2 mile warmup run at 8:14 pace up to the race site.

Garmin Connect Activity for 0.5 mile warmup before DCSR 2013 - Race #1

I got up to the race site about 10 minutes before the start. One of the readers of my blog introduced himself before the race. Wow, people read me!



The weather for this race was 39F, 65% RH, overcast and calm. So I dressed in my CW-X tights, Brooks Racing Team T-shirt, arm warmers, heavy running gloves and orange hat. This race was a time trial with runners going off from the start every 5 seconds. My bib number was 29 so I didn't have long to wait. I passed some runners and was passed by some runners like usual on a time trial race. The course was pretty hilly with an uphill start and major hills at mile 1 and mile 2. Boots was giving us encouragement on top of the second hill. Laura Church and her dog, Saz, were at the hard right turn that I had run right past in two of the previous four DCSR race #1 that I have run. I thanked her as I took the hard right. I walked the major hills that I had to and just flat out ran as best I could. I was pleased to see that the clock was under 29 when I finished. I knew that I had set a course PR since I had checked my year by year race spreadsheet before I left this morning ... actually a 1:19 minute course PR from 2010. I don't know how I did it but ... nice!

Trying not to fall at the finish!

Not exactly the best selfie I have ever taken ... this one is after race #1

I stuck around for a bit and cooled down while I watched other runners come in. I got cold and walked the 1/2 mile back to the car. There was food at Stewart Lodge so I drove over. When I was walking up another reader of my blog introduced herself. Again ... wow! 

Mmm ... pancakes and a banana!

I got some chow: pancakes and a banana. I didn't want to eat too much but I needed some nutrition. I hung out for a while and warmed up in front of the fireplace. Mmm ... warmth!

Oh ... I did pretty OK on race #1. I finished in 28:33 and was 43rd out of 168, link here. I was 5th out of 23 in the DSCR series, 5th out of 25 overall, in my wide M50-59 age group.

Saturday, 11/9/2013: DCSR 2013 - Race #2, 2 runs of 1.2 and 4.71 miles.

I got out to Devil's Bathtub where race #2 was held around 11:30 AM. I got a great parking spot up at the top and just hung out in the car for a hour. I got out for a nice 1.2 mile warmup run at 8:53 pace. I got back from my warmup with just 5 minutes left so I quickly drank some water, took off my jacket and changed my heavy running gloves and beanie to my light running gloves and lucky orange hat.

Garmin Connect for 1.2 mile warmup before DCSR 2013 - Race #2

The weather had warmed 45F, 53% RH, overcast and a bit windy. I have run this course a lot. I looked at my year by year race spreadsheet and found that this was my 15th time on this course, 10 times in this direction. Five years of Dirt Cheap Trails Races and now my fifth DCSR, wow!

The start of race #2 ... trying not to trip.

The mass start to the left of the parking lot went well. I was soon up to speed and running pretty well. I went off course for a bit before the bog. I saw that the bog was kind of dry so I took a chance and ran through it rather than up a bit higher on a twisty and rooty path. Well ... all went well until I went through a soggy patch and sank up to my knee. I almost lost my right shoe but pulled it out. My left hamstring started to hurt a bit so I took it easier the rest of the way. I went off course for a bit again but quickly found the flags. I almost lost my right shoe again in another muddy patch. I saw Boots twice at the top of Cardiac Hill, once on each side. Soon I started to hear music and Ellen Brenner's voice as she announced finishers. I knew that I needed to save a bit for the infamous stair finish. I was definitely gritting my teeth when I was taking my last steps to finished in 45:09, lol! I was totally out of breath when I got done and headed straight for the water. Two hot dogs and a couple cookies hit the spot afterward. I found that my tights, socks and trail shoes were covered with mud.

Just 20 feet to go in race #2!

A selfie at Devil's Bathtub after race #2

A runner coming up the infamous stairs

My shoes, socks and tights may not look muddy but they were caked with mud!

I was cold so I headed home with my left hamstring aching. It hurt lifting my left leg to use the brake. When I got home I draped a towel on the floor to catch the mud so I could strip and get out of my running gear. Mud would have been everywhere if I hadn't. An immediate hot shower and bath really helped me feel human. My darling Christine helped by giving me a hot Bed Buddy to try to soothe my left hamstring. You heat it in the microwave and it can get quite hot ... yes, really hot. So I had to experiment with how long I left it in. It did feel good when I put my left hamstring on it.

Oh, I did OK in race #2. I finished in 45:09 and was 51st out of 182, link here. I was 5th out of 23 in the DCSR series, 5th out of 28 overall, in my wide M50-59 age group.

Sunday, 11/10/2013: DCSR 2013 - Race #3, 10.4 miles estimated, 1:47:18, 10:40 pace, 45F, overcast, windy

I woke up around 6:30AM like usual. Christine was on the couch again because she was restless and knew that she was going to snore. She still had a sinus headache and felt like crap. I did the dishes from yesterday and quietly got ready. I ate my usual cereal with banana along with orange juice. I put on my backup tights since my CW-X tights were still muddy. I also found a pair of old trail shoes since my ones from yesterday were still wet. I wore my Brooks Racing Team t-shirt, armwarmers along with my heavy running gloves and beanie. I wore my Salomon/Camelbak hydration vest. However, I forgot to bring my Garmin Forerunner 310XT. I didn't figure that out until I got down to the Beach parking lot of Mendon Ponds Park around 8:30AM.

Oh, well. I hung out in Stewart Lodge for a while before the race and ran around a bit to warmup before the race. I set up Map My Run and sent out a RoadID eCrumb to my wife and kids just before the race started.


This Garmin map is from 2011. It's just to show the course.

The start of race #3 ... just 10.4 miles to go!

This was my fifth DCSR race #3 so I knew that I needed to start out nice and easy. I settled in to run behind a group of runners and stayed off and on with them for several miles. I did my usual walk the hills I had to walk and then ran the flats and downs. The audio from my Map My Run app did let me know time and distance along the run. The weather was great for running ... nice and cool with a nice wind. I took some gulps of Hammer Gel at miles 4 and 9. Boots was at the top of what he said was the last hill before the finish around mile 9.5. I knew that the finish was near and just kept on running. There wasn't any music coming from the finish nor was Ellen announcing the finishers when I got to the finish. I kept digging up to the finish and crossed in 1:47:18. Wow! My second fastest DCSR race #3!

Wearing my new DCSR hoodie after completing race #3!

I quickly got some water and soon was wearing my well earned and coveted DCSR blue hoodie. Ellen told everyone that the only the person that earned the hoodie could wear it. I stuck around for the awards ... well, I was a bit exhausted too!

Oh, I ran pretty well in race #3. I finished in 1:47:18, 60th out of 178, link here. I was 7th out of 24 in the DCSR series, 9th out of 33 overall in my wide M50-59 age group. Overall, I was 49th out of 163 overall in the DCSR series, link here. I was 6th out of 23 in the DCSR series in my M50-59 age group, link here.

I met up with Bill Beyerbach afterward who invited me to breakfast at Panera Bread at the Twelve Corners in Brighton. We caught up on our running exploits. Bill had been a spectator down at the NYC marathon last weekend and ran the Marine Corp marathon down in DC two weeks ago.

Soon though I was home and greeted my darling Christine with a kiss. I made her a cup of coffee and bagel, then settled down to catch up on Facebook and watch the Bills (now 3-7) lose to Pittsburgh (now 3-6), 23-10, link here. Life is kind of predictable for the Bills and their fans who root for them ... no matter what sanity tells them!

Later I headed down to Medved in Pittsford for the Trail Runner of the Year (TROY) series award ceremony. I had run 6 of their 8 events (Muddy Sneaker, Medved Madness, Charlie's Old Goat, 0 SPF Trail Half Marathon, Dam Good Trail Race and Mendon Ponds 50K). I missed Virgil Crest and Out of Bounds this year. I was 13th with 280 points out of 400, link here. Eventually around 50 people were there. Free pizza and baked goods were a good appetizer. I met up with Bill Beyerbach again. I learned what eight races were on their 2014 schedule.

The Trail Runner of the Year 2014 races!

Then I went out for some groceries at the Wegmans on Ridge and Culver. I had to go back when I forgot a bag with a couple of dressings and coffee creamer. Luckily someone had found it and turned it over to the service desk. On the way home I went to KFC to get a $10 bucket of 10 chicken pieces for supper ... I swear the chicken they make is addictive!

I did not identify the two new readers to the blog. Some people do mind, some don't. Me ... I don't. If you Google my name you will find at least 5 pages of race results plus other info. So I am out there.

All in all, I have done a lot of running in the past nine days since the Mendon Ponds Trail Run 50K. A quick look at the blog over the past couple of weeks will show: runs of 31.61, 5, 0.5, 3.13, 1.2, 4.71 and 10.4 miles for a total of 56.55 miles. I think I will take it easy for a couple of days!

Sunday, 11/3/2013 to Friday, 11/8/2013

I ran once during 6 days, 5 miles. Not too much ... but I was between two major race weekends.

Sunday, 11/3/2013: Rest day.

I totally took the day off. I did venture out to get a pizza from PapaJohns after watching the Bills (now 3-6) give a game away via a 100 yard pick six and a TD tumble return to the Kansas City Chiefs (now 9-0), 23-13, link here.

Monday, 11/4/2013: Rest day.

A still sore day. My legs hurt when I got up from sitting and when I went down stairs. Ouch!

Tuesday, 11/5/2013: 5 miles, 39:42, 7:56 pace, 52F, 47% RH, night, calm.

Garmin Connect Activity for 5 miles around the streets of Irondequoit

I told my darling Christine that I was just going to do a "slow 5" ... she chuckled. Well ... I didn't. I did a negative split 5 miles: 8:18, 8:12, 8:07, 7:44, 7:18. It felt good to really open it up on the last two miles.

Wednesday, 11/5/2013: Rest day ... along with 2 loads of laundry.

Later, I realized that I have lived in my 1 bedroom apartment up in Rochester for 5 years now. Don't know if I am happy or sad about this. I guess ... it is what it is or you do what you gotta do.

Thursday, 11/6/2013: Rest day

The white pantry that I put together about three months ago had a shelf fall. The plastic shelf support just couldn't take the strain of our cans. I stopped at nearby Black's Hardware Store and got some 5 mm metal supports. They won't break!

Then Christine and I watched our latest NetFlix DVD, Hope Springs. We have had it about a month. It was a good "chick flix" with Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep.

Friday, 11/7/2013: Rest day

I thought about running but didn't because I was going to run the Dirt Cheap Stage Race on Saturday and Sunday. Three races of 3, 5 and 11 miles in two days. Christine had a massage appointment at Massage Envy at 7 PM so I drove her so I could pick up my race bib at Fleet Feet Brighton. While she was getting a 90 minute full body massage I shopped at Wegmans and window shopped at Pittsford Plaza. It was a bit chilly out too!

Mendon Ponds Trail Run 50K

Saturday, 11/2/2013: Mendon Ponds Trail Run 50K, 31.61 miles, 6:34:37, 12:29 pace, 46F, overcast, light mist to heavy rain and back, calm.

I woke up at 5:50AM and quietly got ready. My darling Christine had a sinus infection and elected to stay home. The temperature was 48F so I dressed in my CW-X tights, Brooks Racing Team t-shirt and arm warmers. Luckily I had another tech top, hat and Sehgahunda hoodie in my bag. It was dark when I got down to Mendon Ponds Park at 7:15AM. Someone was parking cars using a flashlight. I got my bib and got set up. I put my bag in the shelter and tried to decide what to wear.

Before the race.

I chose to add my Brooks jacket, beanie and a pair of mittens. I remembered to take 2 Endrolytes and to apply BodyGlide. I had my Salamon/Camelbak hydration vest along with a 5 ounce gel bottle of Hammer Gel. I put my iPhone in a upward facing pouch and kicked off my RoadID eCrumb so that my wife and kids could track me. The sun had come up by 8AM for the start.



Lap 1 - 1:05

I met up with Chris Washburn from Newark before the start and ran with him for the first mile. He told me that if I started out too fast that he would "kick me in the ass". So ... I hung with him until I stopped to take off my jacket. I ran pretty steady. The course was a bit moist, leaf covered with the usual roots and rocks. I found that taking Hammer Gel from my bottle was a lot better than ripping open a gel packet. You do get a lot in your mouth. It's a bit tough to swallow it all at once but it's a lot faster and easy to do while running than trying to open a 1.25 ounce packet of Gu.

Lap 2 - 1:10

I ditched my jacket, beanie and mittens when I came into transition. I changed to my orange Fleet Feet hat and went gloveless for lap 2. My recollection is a bit fuzzy but I think it started to sprinkle during this lap. I remember that a couple of does cut across the trail about a hundred feet in front of me at one point. I started to get passed by faster runners at the 2 hour mark.

Lap 3: 1:19

I put on my Brooks light gloves when I came through transition. It started to sprinkle harder. I was still pretty dry ... I think. The footing on the trail was starting to get a bit muddy.

Lap 4 - 1:30
I ditched my empty 5 ounce bottle of Hammer Gel for a 10 ounce bottle and remembered to take 2 more Endurolytes. The miles started to add up. It started to rain ... OK, pour, during this lap. I couldn't just say that it was just sprinkling anymore. I could hear the rain in the trees. I was drenched and got pretty discouraged. I walked a lot of this lap in the mud and struggled to get up to a run even on the downhills.

Lap 5 - 1:29
I thought about just quitting ... for a second. Not today! I was going to finish even if I had to walk the final lap. I was cold and wet when I came into transition. I took off my Brooks Racing Team top and gloves. I changed into my dry tech top, Sehgahunda hoodie and Brooks hat. A woman let me borrow her gloves. They were tight but I was glad to use them. Now I have to find her again sometime to give them back. I spent a bit more time in transition trying to psyche myself to head back out. I told the guys at the finish tent that I had changed my shirt and would have to tell them my number. I noticed that My Garmin 310XT was on low battery.

The rain let up just a bit as I headed out. I passed Wilt Alston around 1 mile in. He was walking because of his knee. He said he was going to finish even if he had to walk the last lap which he did. I gave him encouragement and continued on. I picked up my pace a bit. One more lap. I passed Carl Camille around mile 3. He said that he had some stomach issues early and was wet. I told him that changing into some dry clothes might help, wished him encouragement and continued on. I stopped at Carol's Cafe, the rest stop at mile 3.5, and had a half banana, 2 chocolate Oreos and some water. I thanked them for being out there in the rain all this time and continued on. I passed Tom Butler around mile 5. He said that he had put his top on after lap 3. I wished him encouragement and continued on. I found that once I walked that I had a tough time getting back to a run. The footing was wet, sloppy and slippery on this lap. I was careful on the downhills so I would keep up on my feet. My shoes were soaked and covered with mud ... I continued on trying to keep out of the mud but there was no avoiding some of it. I came down to the finish ... no need to tell them my number. Done in 6:34:37. My Garmin died from low battery five minutes later. The top three 50K finishers were under 4 hours ... but I finished my first 50K. It felt good to stop.

Crossing the finish line! Thanks for the pic, Stacy Maier!

Yep ... I'm special!

I was 57th out of 91, link here, and 8th out of 14 in my M50-59 age group. Chris Washburn finished in 5:49:15. Wilt Alston finished in 7:30:32. Tom Butler finished in 8:35:05. Carl Camille finished in 8:48:30. There were 70 finishers in the 20K, link here. There were 60 finishers in the 10K, link here. There were 17 finishers in the 5K, link here. I didn't catch up to any of these other finishers that I knew. That was kind of weird.

End of race
I wanted to take a picture of my muddy shoes and the finish line but I found that my iPhone was dead. I figured that it was either dead because it got waterlogged or a dead battery. I was just a bit tired ... OK, a lot tired. My legs were sore. I drove up to the East Lodge and borrowed someone's phone so I could call my wife and 2 of my 3 kids which I remembered the phone numbers. I left voicemails that I was done. I found out later that my eCrumb died at 12:05 during lap 4. My oldest son was watching it and got a bit worried. I had a banana and some water and headed home.

My muddy shoes 

A well earned finisher's medal!

I found that a lot of people know me ... but I don't know them by name. I am not too good at names but I recognize faces. A lot of people encouraged me during the race and congratulated me after the race. I thank them all.

I lazed around the rest of the day. A nice hot shower and bath did help. All in all, I survived with no ill effects.

Oh, I put my work iPhone in a container of rice. Hopefully that will suck any water out of its innards. UPDATE from Monday, 11/4/2013: my iPhone survived!