Sunday, 8/18/2013 to Saturday, 8/24/2013 - Dirt Cheap #5, GVH Summer XC Race #4 & James Francis 5K

I ran 7 times this week, 18.03 miles. 2 were warmups of 1.1 and 1 miles. 2 were cooldowns of 1 and 3.1 miles.
I biked once this week, 30.6 miles.

Sunday, 8/18/2013: A total rest day.

I took a well deserved rest day after running 48 miles the previous week.

My darling Christine had a 2 PM massage appointment at MassageEnvy. While she was gone I put together a Neu Home 4 tier shelf unit that Christine had bought several weeks ago. It leans just a tad to the right but it's together. On her way back Christine visited Trader Joes's for groceries and Eastern Mountain Sports for gear for her bicycle (helmet, half gloves and head band).

We had leftovers for supper while we watched our latest NetFlix DVD, "War Horse". A nice movie ... Christine cried a bit during the end. Then we watched "The Grey" off of NetFlix Instant. A man against wolf movie with Liam Neeson ... Christine cried a bit during the end.

Monday, 8/19/2013: Another rest day.

I could have ran but Christine started making stew for supper so I stayed in. Oh, well!

Tuesday, 8/20/2013: 30.6 miles, 2:31:55, 12.1 mph, 82F, 48% RH, sunny, a nice breeze.

Garmin Connect Activity for Bike 30.6 Miles around the streets of Irondequoit

I absolutely had to get out for some exercise but not too much. So I went for a long bike ride. I did my 15 mile bike route twice and got back just before dusk. Nice!

Wednesday, 8/21/2013: Dirt Cheap #5 - 5.74 miles, 54:57, 81F, 43% RH, sunny, calm.

I headed out solo to Dirt Cheap #5, race 1 in 5 days. Christine had not been aware of this event and was nowhere ready enough to get there in the timeframe that I wanted. As it was I had to park across the street. I would say more than 400 runners were there.

The start was like usual. The men went off first and the women 8 minutes afterward. A normal scrum for the first hundred yards and soon we all stretched out. About a mile into the course ... it was not exactly the best time for 2 teenagers (just guessing) to pull flags and send hundreds of runners astray. My experience was that the group of runners I was running with suddenly came to a T intersection and couldn't find flags to the right or left. I ran about 200 yards to the left, backtracked and ran even farther to the right until I came to another T with flags coming up that trail pointing to a turn to the left. But which direction? I and then the people behind me chose to follow the trail to the left. It took a bit of the wind of our sails to not know what to do. When we came upon the waterstop we started to see the lead male runners coming back towards us. What to do? Word had spread that someone had mucked with the course. The group of runners that I was with chose to continue on even as about 20 or 30 runners came towards us. No one knew whether they were running the correct course or not. So mile after mile we ran on. One thing was that there was not as much mud or water as usual. We were saying to each other as we ran that we expected to see the women running towards us any minute. So when we got "chicked" we felt that we were at the right path ... or at least these three women that passed me made the decision that we had made. Later we came upon the race director, Boots, yelling to each runner "Go all the way up the hill and take a right" so we knew that Fleet Feet was out there trying to help us. On and on we ran. The Webster Dirt Cheap always had the longest course with lots of long flat stretches where you can build up speed ... if you still had any left.

Charging up the hill to the finish!

Eventually we got back to the steep hill before the finish. Everyone seemed to have taken a different route but everyone made it back. Fleet Feet was very concerned about stranglers being lost after dark. Later I learned that the results would be thrown out.

Thursday, 8/22/2013: 3 runs of 1.1, 2.98, 1.0 miles, 81F, 66% RH, partly cloudy, calm.

I went down solo to Cobbs Hill for the GVH Summer XC 3 Mile Run #4, race 2 in 5 days. I got there in plenty of time so I took a nice 1.1 mile warmup run of 2 loops that included the grass hill.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before the GVH Summer XC 3 Mile Race #4



Soon enough the last race the GVH Summer XC Series started. I started out easy and hit the mile 1 mark at 7:21. I only walked about a dozen steps on the grass hill. I could see Wilt Alston about 100 yards ahead as I made my way down Reservoir Rd and back up to where we entered the glade. I stuck behind a high school girl in the glade. Anzhela passed me about halfway through the glade. I could not match her. I was running OK but my legs felt a bit dead and I could feel a hot spot on the bottom of my left big toe. I could see Anzhela about 200 yards ahead, three runners up as I exited the glade about a mile from the finish. I passed the high school girl as I passed the grass hill. I held her off as we sprinted for the finish. I finished in 23:30, 26th out of 72 and was 2nd out of 3 in my M50-59 age group behind Wilt Alston, link here.

I didn't run the Tour de Pain so I didn't run the 1 mile race up and around Reservoir Rd or the 400 meter hill climb afterward. I did take my legs out for a 1 mile cooldown run.

Garmin Connect Activiy for Cooldown after the GVH Summer XC 3 Mile Race #4

I took a bath as soon as I got home and saw that I had a bloody blister on the bottom of my left toe. Hopefully it will not affect my races on Saturday and Sunday.

Friday, 8/23/2013: Rest day along with 3 loads of laundry ... enough said about what I think of that!

Saturday, 8/24/2013: 3 runs of 1.0, James Francis 5K - 3.11 and 3.1 miles, 64F, 73% RH, sunny, calm.

I headed out solo to the 8th Rochester Runner of the Year (RROY) race, the James Francis / Andrea Kofahl 5K, held out at Black Creek Park and hosted by the Churchville-Chili XC teams, race 3 in 5 days. The morning was absolutely gorgeous; sunny, 64F and calm. When I got there I noticed that this race was going to held on a cross-country course instead of road. I was wearing my road shoes, Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12s so I made do. One thing ... the course was extremely well marked with flags on both sides of the course every 100 feet or even closer. No way were we going to get lost, lol!

I got out for a nice 1 mile warmup before the race at 7:34 pace. I made sure that I included the big hill to make sure that I could run it.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before James Francis 




A map of the course.

The gun goes off!

During mile 1

After a few words at the start ... then off we ran! It was a bit of a scrum at the start. The race had lots of high school runners who were in front bunching us up. I wanted to pass on the right but couldn't because there was a pond on the right. I finally got by into some clear running room just past the pond. Soon we had to run up the big hill. I heard Bill Beyerbach behind me say, "This is the steepest of the 2 hills" with a chuckle. He explained later that we had to run up this hill twice ... which I didn't know at the time. Bill passed me soon after the hill. I re-passed him for a few hundred yards before he returned the favor and kept me behind him. I traded elbows occasionally with some of the high school runners who wanted inside position on the turns. Everyone wanted to run tangents on the twists and turns.

Bill Beyerbach in at 22:03

Tony Gingello in at 22:33

I'm in right behind Tony at 22:34

The race got a bit long in the middle as I got tired. Soon we went up the big hill again. I walked a bit on the hill to catch my breath and then caught up with where I was. Tony Gingello, a speedy 67 year old, passed me a bit before mile 3. I tried to catch him before the finish but was one second behind him at the line.

I did pretty well. I finished this XC 5K in 22:34, 7:17 pace. I was 58th out of 240, link here. I was 6th out of 19 in the wide M50-59 age group, link here. It's a bit complicated but I picked up 5 points in the GRTC RROY standings, so I crept into second by 1 point in M55-59 age group with 49 out of 60 points. Bill Beyerbach is solidly in the lead with 56 out of 60 points.

Some of the post race grub: pizza, bananas, donuts and potato chips ... yummy!

Garmin Connect Activity for Cooldown after James Francis 5K

I went out for a nice cooldown of 3.1 miles at 9:01 pace with Bill and Pat afterward. I ran most the 5K course except for not going up the big hill twice.

Later, my darling Christine and I had a date night at the nearby East Ridge Diner. We both had the Deep Fried Seafood Platter and split a Bavarian Apple Tort for dessert. Tasty! Then it was to bed early since I had another race in the morning ... the Dam Good Trail Race, race 4 in 5 days.

I guess you can say that I race a lot. I did schedule 10 races in the month of August ... lol!

Sunday, 8/11/2013 to Saturday, 8/17/2013 - GVH Summer XC Race #3

I ran 8 times this week, 48.8 miles, 1 was a warmup of 1.7, 3 were cooldowns of 2.2, 1.65 and 1.4 miles.
I did not bike this week.

Sunday, 8/11/2013: 16.3 miles, 2:45:16, 10:08 pace, 72F, 53% RH, partly cloudy, a bit breezy, blecch!!!

I got up early Sunday morning so I could head out for volunteer duty out at the Sodus Point Triathlon. I picked up my flag and reflective vest and then stuck around for the start of the women and men swim.

Women's Start

Men's Start

Bicycles in transition ... waiting for riders!

Then I headed out to my flag station at the corner of Route 14 and Old Ridge Rd. Soon enough about 170 bicycles hurdled towards me. After that, I headed back to Rochester.



I met up Bill Beyerbach at his house. We had planned to run 16 miles of the Rochester Marathon course. We parked my car at the Jewish Community Center at Winton Rd South and then drove up to the Wendy's on the corner of Winton Rd North and East Ave where we parked his car. Our plan was to run from one car to the other. It was around noon which was not the best time to do a long run. We geared up with water and nutrition. Then we headed out east on East Ave. Soon we started to hit PGA traffic as we neared St John Fisher College. Bill tried to play chicken with a bus and just hopped out of the way when the bus didn't move over an inch. Oak Hill Golf Course where the final day of the PGA Championship was being held was not too far away. Some sections of this road had bike lanes while some didn't. So it was either run in the road or on what grass we could find. By mile 6 we got to Fairport and got onto the Canal Path. I was OK for a couple of miles and then the bottom fell out. I just had no energy. I tried to get some gels into me but the dullness of the Canal Path and the sun just hit me. My feet just felt "dead" like they weighed a ton each. Maybe I had a mental block from the last time I was overheated on the 2008 Rochester Marathon that I will have to expunge ... which wasn't this day. Bill stayed with me as I plunged into a run/walk for about 4 miles while we finally got to Winton Rd South. I walked up French Rd toward the JCC in defeat. I was starving and tired when I got home and just collapsed for the rest of the day. I went to bed early and got 9 hours of sleep.

Monday, 8/12/2013: Rest day ... all my tech wear needed to be washed!

Tuesday, 8/13/2013: 6.2 miles, 47:08, 7:36 pace, 66F, 53% RH, overcast, breezy.

Garmin Connect Activity for Fast 10K around the streets of Irondequoit

The call from the couch was loud and insistent and I did linger for a while. But I did get out for a really nice run on my 10K route. I warmed up with a 7:53 and then laid down a 7:44, 7:35, 7:35, 7:28, 7:29 and a 7:07 on the last 0.2. I almost ran negative splits on the entire run! I felt loose, gathered speed and just ran into the gathering dusk ... sweet! My darling Christine was out shopping at Wegman's and arrived shortly afterward. Our supper was served shortly after that ... nice!

Wednesday, 8/14/2013: Rest day.

I went to the NYS DMV office in Irondequoit to get my Enhanced Driver's License. I have replaced my birth certificate, Social Security card and substituted my passport with an EDL over the past couple of months. An EDL will get me into Canada via car which is all I need. Plus it's cheaper than a passport. Now I will probably find all my originals ... or not.

Thursday, 8/15/2013: 3 runs of 1.7, 3.0 and 2.2 miles, 72F, 43% RH, partly cloudy, calm

A Thursday night in August ... so I headed down to Cobbs Hill for the third of four GVH Summer XC 3 Mile Races. I got there in plenty of time for a warmup run of 1.7 miles at 8:07 pace. I made sure that I ran up the grass hill so I know that I could run it during the race.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before GVH Summer XC 3 Mile Race #3



I started a bit slower for this race. When I got to the grass hill at mile 1 I just walked for a couple of steps and then continued to the top.

Going up the grass hill doesn't seem so steep in this picture ... but it is!

I was breathing hard when I got there, calmed myself and continued onward. As I was running on the Reservoir Rd before entering the glade, the guy who followed me when I got lost last week reminded me not to get lost. We chuckled and ran onward. I followed a high school girl in the glade who seemed to know where she was going for a while. I exited the glade and had less than a mile to go. I started to count my steps ... every 4 steps incremented my count. I kept on ... when I got close I saw that I could break 23 minutes. I sprinted and crossed in 22:56 at 7:39 pace ... sweet!! I got 2nd in my age group. The first place guy who was first 8 seconds ahead of me wore just a regular pair of shorts and shirt.

Garmin Connect Activity for Cooldown after GVH Summer XC 3 Mile Race #3

I headed out for a 2.2 mile cooldown at 8:15 pace after the race. I did a couple loops of the Reservoir Rd.

Friday, 8/16/2013: Rest day.

I took a half day off so I could go to the eye doctor. I recently got lined bifocals and was unhappy with them. They looked me over and now I have a prescription for three different types of glasses: just computer glasses that are focused at about 18 inches, occupational glasses (a bifocal of computer and close with no distance vision) and no lines bifocals. So .. until I decide what to do I still use my old glasses.

Later I took my darling Christine to New Nails since she hadn't gone in a bit more than three weeks. She had her toes and nails done in OPI's "Vodka and Caviar". We headed straight out to Salvatore's for food and beverage ... yum on both counts.

Saturday, 8/17/2013: 3 runs of 15.36, 1.65 and 1.4 miles

I got up early ... but not early enough. My plan was head out to the Wegman's East Ave, park my car, run the Rochester Marathon route between miles 3 and 16 and then run up Winton Rd back to my car. I should have started out at 8AM. I didn't start until 10AM. The temperature was 68F, 68% RH, sunny with a nice breeze.



The run down East Ave which turns into Fairport Rd was OK. This road was not runner friendly at points: 4 lanes (2 each way) with no shoulder and guardrails on the left. My pace ranged from a 8:08 at mile 1 to 8:41 at mile 6. I had a gel at mile 6.4 as I entered the canal trail. I was running pretty well. My right Achilles started acting up at mile 9. I started to run with occasional walks. My pace slowed from high 8s, to 9s to 10s. I had a couple more gels. I gave up and exited at Edgewood Ave after 15.36 miles at 9:23 pace.

Garmin Connect Activity for Run/Walk up to Edgewood Ave to Fleet Feet Brighton

The weather had warmed up to 79F, 43% RH, sunny with the nice breeze. I reset my Garmin and trudged 1.65 miles at 10:58 pace up to Monroe Ave in a slow walk/run. I realized that I wasn't far from Fleet Feet Brighton. So I stopped there for cold water and a nice rest. I really appreciated their hospitality. The store was busy but the staff seemed to care whether or not I was doing OK.

Garmin Connect Activity for Run up Winton Rd to Wegman's East Ave

I walked up Monroe Ave to Winton Rd South. I wasn't feeling too well. But when I got past the Twelve Corners I just gathered myself, got up to a run and ran all the way back to the East Ave Wegman's, 1.4 miles at 9:08 pace. I took a slow tour of the new Wegman's East Ave. Wow! Lot of prepared food for sale for sure. I did buy a large strawberry/banana smoothie to give myself some needed nutrition before I headed home.

When I got home I found a penny sized blister on the top of the left big toe. I had felt a hot spot there. So what do I make of my latest attempt at 20 miles? Do I drop down to the Rochester Half instead of doing the Full? I know I am ramping up my mileage very quickly. It might be that I need more cushioning or new shoes. My Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12s have 300 miles on them. A bit too early to replace them I think. But I will need new shoes before the Rochester Marathon in 5 weeks. That could be it. I don't know.

Sunday, 8/4/2013 to Saturday, 8/10/2013 - GVH Summer XC Race #2 & Bergen 5K

I ran 5 times this week, 17.72 miles. One was a warmup of 0.4 miles, Two were cooldowns of 1 and 3 miles.
I biked once this week, 19.6 miles.

Sunday, 8/4/2013: Rest day.

Christine and I cocooned. I woke her up at noon with the Sunday Democrat and Chronicleand coffee. She went to bed early with a headache. Just a relaxing day.

Monday, 8/5/2013: 2 runs of 10 and 1 miles, 73F, 47% RH, sunny, absolutely calm.

Garmin Connect Activity for 10 mile run around the streets of Irondequoit
Garmin Connect Activity for 1 mile cooldown run around the streets of Irondequoit

I wanted to get out a flat and relatively fast run after work. After a bit of sitting around and eating my usual pre-run cereal I got out at 6 PM. I knew my 10K route was flat so I did a loop and almost another loop for 10 miles at 8:11 pace. Then I did a mile cooldown run back to the apartment at 9:02 pace. It was an absolutely beautiful night for a run!!

Tuesday, 8/6/2013: 19.6 mile ride, 12.4 mph, 79F, 43% RH, sunny, a bit breezy.

Garmin Connect Activity for 19.6 mile bike ride on both sides of the Genesee River

I didn't want to run so I got out on my bike. I want to extend past my usual 15 miles so I went and rode twice around Trout Pond past the Seneca Park Zoo. Mission accomplished. My darling wife, Christine, cooked up some Lloyd's ribs as a reward ... tasty!

Wednesday, 8/7/2013: Rest day ... move along!

We did take a walk over to the Thirsty Frog. I really want to like this place because it is so close to our apartment ... but I think it will be the last time we visit. A very limited menu (though it was a tasty burger), lackadisal service along with not enough TVs just makes this place (though closer) look dim compared to our usual haunt, Salvatore's which is a bit farther away on East Ridge Rd.

Thursday, 8/8/2013: 3 runs of 0.4, 3.32 and 3.0 miles, 75F, 83% RH, overcast, calm.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before GVH Summer XC 3 Mile Race #2


Garmin Connect Activity for Cooldown after GVH Summer XC 3 Mile Race #2

I headed down to Cobbs Hillfor the latest GVH Summer XC trail race. It was very muggy as I soon found out when I warmed up. I headed out just nice and easy. I got separated from the group when I got into the glade ... which when I zoned out and got lost. I should have turned around instead of going forward ... another mistake. I finally backtracked and found the correct trail and ran onward. I had wanted to improve my time from the first race but ... oh well! It wasn't the first time I zoned out during a trail race and probably won't be the last.

I was a bit disappointed so I just headed up the reservoir. I had some trouble getting my running in gear on the first loop. So I did two more before heading out to the car. Luckily I had a towel to dry myselft off and a fresh shirt to change into ... I was drenched!

Friday, 8/9/2013: Rochester German Fest

I convinced my darling Christine to go to the Rochester German Fest out in Spencerfest on Friday night. A woman where I worked was in the band, Die Lustigen Almdudler. She had been trying to get me to go for 4 years and tonight I went. We had a good time along with a German dinner and some German beer. Tasty!

Stock photo of Die Lustigen Almdudler

Theresa is in the middle playing a guitar

German folk dancing

Saturday, 8/10/2013: 3 runs of 1.65, 3.12 and 1.6 miles, 65F and 83% RH, sunny and calm at race time.

My darling Christine and I did not sync up well in the morning so I went out solo to the Bergen 5K. I got there around 7:45AM for the 8:30AM start. I had plenty of time for a nice 1.65 mile warmup run, 8:00 pace.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before the Bergen 5K

Packed like sardines before the start

Looking for running room on the right

I was fully ready before the start of the race. I lined up to the left since I knew of the sharp right turn about 300 yards from the start. I didn't want to trade elbows there. 

After the sharp right turn ... still early

I had a 4:04 at the 1K and a 8:20 (4:16) at the 2K, I did see a 6:30 at the 1 mile marker. 

Around the 2 to 3K mark

I tried to think positive thoughts as my body wanted to stop and just kept going past the 3K and 4K markers. I had an estimated 12:28 (4:08) at the 3K and 16:54 (4:26) at 4K marks. I knew I was getting slower. I tried to finish strong. I finished in 21:36 (4:42) which was the best I could do today.

Becky Duberry in at 20:30, placed 3rd in her F40-44 age greup

Bill Beyerbach in at 20:51 placed 2nd in his M55-59 age group

Wilt Altson in at 21:54

I'm in at 21:36

The winner, Michael Fout from Tallahassee FL won by 38 seconds in 14:27. The Bergen 5K always draws a fast field since it is the USATF Niagara 5K Championship. In retrospect, I did OK. I finished 147th out of 367, link here. I was 4th out of 8 in my M55-59 age group. I went out for a 1.6 mile cooldown run and then out to breakfast and coffee with Bill Beyberbach who finished 2nd in our M55-59 age group.

Garmin Connect Activity for Cooldown after the Bergen 5K

Later, Christine and I made it out to my daughter, Karen, who was suffering from bronchitis. We wished her well. Then it was back up to Rochester for a quiet evening.

Sunday, 7/28/2013 to Saturday, 8/4/2013 - GVH Summer XC Race #1 & Phelps Sauerkraut 20K

I ran 5 times this week, 30.85 miles, 2 were warmups of 2 and 1 miles.

I didn't bike this week.
I ran 13 times for 81.7 miles in 31 days in July, 6.3 miles/run. 3 of these runs were warmup runs for 2.7 miles.
I have run 117 times for 697.2 miles in 212 days in 2013 so far, 6.0 miles/run

Sunday, 7/28/2013: Rest day ...

Christine and I lazed all day. Like usual we started the day with a mug of coffee and bagel while we read the Sunday Democrat and Chronicle. I stalked the Ironman Lake Placid results webpage all day to learn the latest results from people that I knew or sort of knew competing at Ironman Lake Placid: Jim Laughlin - 11:56:41, Dan Giblin - 13:06:08, Joe Muczynski - 16:00:05. Wow!.

I read all the race reports from the first Roc the Run 5k downtown, results here. This was a woman only run with a solitary guy who was picked at random out of a pool of guys who paid $10 for the opportunity. A unique concept.!.

We managed to sneak out to Fleet Feet in Brighton to purchase a pair of New Balance 928 walking shoes for me along with a trip to Aldi's in Henrietta. Nothing eventful.!.

Monday, 7/29/2013: Another rest day ...!.

Christine had supper ready when I came home so I just rolled with it. Soon she left for her bi-weekly therapist appointment. I managed to fill the time for sorting my father's mail and getting rid of cobweb with a tissue attached to a yardstick. Exciting stuff ... not!!.

Tuesday, 7/30/2013: 12.4 mile run, 1:49:05, 8:48 pace, 73F, 45% RH, sunny, calm, 1 stop for hydration.

Garmin Connect Activity for 20K on both sides of the Genesee River

The couch's pull was strong ... but I was stronger! I managed to break away a bit after 7 PM for a long run. I headed up the east side of the Genesee River at a pretty good 8:20-ish pace (8:28, 8:18, 8:16, 8:21, 8:42, 8:23) until I got to the O'Rorke Bridge while I took a hydration break. Then I headed back on the west side of the Genesee River (9:43, 9:00, 9:36, 9:19, 8:52, 8:47), crossed at the Route 104 bridge and headed home. My right Achilles started to complain, then I had what felt like a boulder pricking my left foot during the last mile. I got back just before dark. All in all ... a great night for a run.

Wednesday, 7/31/2013: Rest day ... not much went on; just the same old, same old.

Thursday, 8/1/2013: 2 runs of 2 and 3 miles, 73F, 65% RH, sunny, kind of calm.

I headed down solo to Cobbs Hill to sign up for the GVH Summer Cross-Country 5K series. It's held on four consecutive Thursdays in August on the same course. The course doesn't have many ups and downs so it is more a sprint 5K on grass and dirt. Plus it is really a three mile course.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before GVH Summer XC 3 Mile Race #1



I got out a nice and easy 2 mile warmup, 8:59 pace. My thighs were still tight from my 20K on Tuesday night which was unusual. But a race was to ran so I lined up. Race #1 was the masters race with the 5 year age groups. I started out a bit hard. First Steve Levitsky and then Bill Beyerbach who is in my age group passed me. I got to mile 1 in 7:28. I walked a bit on the hill up to the reservoir road and then ran nice and easy in the glade on the winding trail with its gentle ups and downs, mile 2 was 8:35. I tried to pick it up on the mile to the finish, mile 3 was 7:45. I finished in 23:39, 7:48 pace, 2nd in my M5-59 age group. I picked out a mug for my prize. I think there is definitely room for improvement.

A tech shirt for registering for the series and a mug for 2nd in my M55-59 age group

Friday, 8/2/2013: Rest day.

I headed down to Fleet Feet Brighton after work to sign up for the Phelps Sauerkraut 20K tomorrow morning. I was amazed when I was handed a white tech shirt instead of the usual cotton shirt ... sweet!

Later, I got an upset stomach from a well done pizza and chips for supper. It took me a while to fall asleep.

Saturday, 8/3/2013: 2 runs of 1 mile and 12.4 miles

Christine and I got up early. I was up at 5:30AM and Christine was up at 6AM. She almost didn't go and then in 10 minutes she was ready and out the door with me ... nice! We got out to Phelps by 7:25 AM and got a close parking spot. I got out for a little 1 mile warm up run before the race: 63F, 77% RH, sunny, calm

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before the Phelps Sauerkraut 20K
63F, 77% RH, sunny, calm



Soon we lined up and were off just like that. The weather conditions were: 64F, 77% RH, sunny with a nice refreshing breeze. I started out a bit hard with 3 of the first 4 miles sub 8 (7:53, 7:52, 8:07 and 7:46). Bill Beyerbach, Steve Levitsky, Rob Wilder and Cyndy all passed me around mile 1.5. I was the usual rabbit. I had a couple of gels at the mile 5 water stop, 8:33 pace. I did a power walk up the mile 5.5 mile and then enjoyed the downhill after, 9:06 and 7:36 pace. I did the same up the mile 7 hill and its downhill, 8:47 and 7:43 pace. It was getting hotter out on the road so I just gutted it out the rest of the way, 7:46, 8:27, 7:53 with a closing 7:21 on the last 0.45 mile for a total time of 1:41:51, 8:08 pace. I played leap frog with Stacy Maier during the race where I would pass her and she would pass me at the water stops but ended up ahead of her at the finish. I passed Bill Beyerbach at mile 11.5. He said that he had slowed after mile 9ish.

I did walk through most of the water stops. I wanted to get the water in me ... not on me. I was drenched with sweat when I finished so I was glad that I used BodyGlide on my nipples before the race. I was kind of happy with my effort in the race. I was 67th out of 169, link here. I was 15th out of 38 in my wide M50-59, link here. The Phelps Sauerkraut 20K always seems to bring out the fast distance runners. One thing though ... the post race grub was awful with just one of the last bananas along with a cup of water and a small can of sauerkraut. Later finishers just got water. No hot dogs with sauerkraut this year!

Looking for the hot dogs after the race ...

Christine and I went to the Blue Ribbon Smoke House Restaurant in Phelps afterward for nutrition and coffee. We ran into Bill Beyerbach and some of the Fleet Feet runners. Even though I grew up in nearby Newark this was my first time there. I had the steak and scrambled eggs along with a short stack of pancakes while Christine had the taco salad. Yum! My youngest son and daughter were not available so we just headed over to see my father at the Wayne County Nursing Home. We watched TV with him ... the rest of Bonanza and The Big Valley. He seemed to like that.