Sunday, 11/16/2014 to Saturday, 11/22/2014

I ran 2 times this week for 18.6 miles.

Sunday, 11/16.2014: A full rest day.

I thought about going to LA Fitness but that's as far as it got.

Monday, 11/17/2014: Another rest day

Technically, a "coulda, shoulda but didn't" day. I was tired from not getting much sleep on Sunday night and went to bed at 9PM.

Tuesday, 11/18/2014: Yet another rest day.

Well, this is getting old. I woke up at 5AM and thought about going out for a rare morning run but thought better of it when I realized that it was 18F and the wind was howling. I was glad I did when I went out at 8AM and found that the parking lot was a sheet of ice. The howling west wind off of Lake Erie buried areas south of Buffalo with up to 4 feet of snow. Rochester got a dusting, clear skies and lots of wind all day.

Wednesday, 11/19/2014:  Yet, yet another rest day.

This cold and windy weather in November has zapped my running mojo. It's way too early for this crap. I looked at my running journal. I have run when it's 3F in January but I couldn't get out the door when it was 20F and windy ... though the wind chill was probably below zero. I am just having trouble getting motivated to get out there and face the cold and wind.

Here is a Buffalo News story about "Snowvember", link here. A highly localized lake effect snow dropped 2 to 3 more feet in areas south of Buffalo. Unfortunately, 5 people have died in Buffalo.

Thursday, 11/20/2014: 9.3 miles, 1:14:09. 7:58 pace, 25F, 80% RH, 12 mph WSW wind, a real light snow

Garmin Connect Activity for A "getting back my mojo" run

I needed to run so I did. It was 25F and a bit windy so I wore tights, long sleeve tech, Brooks jacket, beanie and heavy gloves. I took it nice and easy. The main roads were clear and the side streets were a mixture of snow packed, a bit icy and bare. I was a bit careful but I wore my Salomon Speedcross 3 trail shoes so everything was all good. My splits were: 8:21, 8:01, 7:57, 7:58, 7:59, 7:52, 7:49, 7:56, 7:56 and 7:43 over the last 0.3 mile.

More news from Buffalo: the death toll is up to 13. The Jets - Bills game has been moved from Buffalo on Sunday at 1PM to Detroit on Monday at 7PM.

Friday, 11/21/2014: Rest day.

More news from Buffalo: the worry is about roofs collapsing and flooding with rain and warm temperatures up to 60F by Monday.

Saturday, 11/22/2014: 9.3 miles, 1:15:52, 8:09 pace, 37F, 41% RH, 11 mph SSW wind, a real light mist at times

Garmin Connect Activity for A nice 15K on the usual route

I dilly dallied on a Saturday morning like usual. I barely got out before noon for 15K on my usual route. I started at 11:58AM so it was technically a morning run. It had warmed up a bit. The main roads were bare and the side streets were a mixture of snow pack, ice and bare pavement. The only spot I really had to be really careful was for 3 icy patches on Fairview Crest. My Salomon Speedcross 3 trail shoes handled it ... so no problem. My splits were: 7:49, 7:54, 8:00, 8:25, 8:13, 8:13, 8:04, 8:25, 8:13, 8:21 and 8:05 over the last 0.3 mile. My legs were OK but didn't have the usual "get up and go" feeling.

Monday, 11/10/2014 to Saturday, 11/15/2014

I ran 2 times in 6 days, 20.3 miles

Monday, 11/10/2014: A needed rest day

Tuesday, 11/11/2014: Another rest day.

I really should have gone out since the high was 65F during the day and a "polar vortex" was going to descend the next day.

Wednesday, 11/12/2014: 9.3 miles, 1:14:11, 7:59 pace, 37F, 52% RH, 9 mph W wind, partly cloudy.

Garmin Connect Activity for A "Back in the Saddle" 15K

Yes, it was a lot colder. Yes, the wind was blowing. Yes, it was dark. But ... I am not a wuss so I went out running like I planned. I ate my usual pre-run cereal, geared up and got out there. I wore tights, a long sleeve tech, a short sleeve tech, Brooks beanie and heavy gloves. I wore my reflective belt and headlamp. I also brought a 20oz hand bottle for hydrating when I stopped. I struck up a nice and easy pace and held it no matter what aches my body presented to me ... and my body did try to get me to take the turn to do only 10K. But I continued onward for a full 15K of running goodness. Yes ... I ached a bit afterward but it was a good ache.

Thursday, 11/13/2014: Rest day.

The Buffalo Bills played the Miami Dolphins in prime time on the NFL Network so I followed them on nfl.com and my oldest son, Michael, was FBing me during the game. The Bills were up 9-3 going into the third quarter but ending up losing 9-22, link here. Yes, the Bill QB, Orton, missfired and had a bad game. But I did hear that the refs cost the Bills 9 points on a 40 yard "pass interference" play on a 3rd and 10 which ultimately gave Miami a TD and an intentional grounding flag in the endzone where Watkins went right and Orton flew left which have Miami a safety. So the Bills are pretty much irrelevant with a 5-5 record and all 5 losses in their division.

Friday, 11/14/2014: Another rest day.

Saturday, 11/15/2014: 11 miles, 1:28:15, 8:01 pace, 36F, 52% RH, 12 W wind, sunny

Garmin Connect Activity for A nice and easy clockwise bridges run

I usually am not a "jump out of bed and run" type of guy on a non-race Saturday morning. Plus I signed up for the Zero Degree WTF Trail run (15 mile version) on 12/13, the Freezeroo series (six road races between 12/6/14 and 2/28/15) and the Ontario Summit Trail Races (full trail marathon) on 5/30 (125 out of 150 slots are filled between the half and full).

So ... I got out just before 10AM. It was sunny and in the mid 30s so I wore tights, a long sleeve tech, a short sleeve tech, Brooks beanie and heavy gloves. I struck up a nice and easy pace and did a clockwise bridges run. That means that I ran down E Ridge, crossed the 104 bridge, went south on Lake Ave, went through the Turning Point Park, crossed the O'Rorke bridge, went up Thomas Ave, south on St Paul to Cooper to Seneca and home. I found that I run faster in that direction than counter-clockwise for some reason. It was a nice sunny morning and I enjoyed the run. Nice!

My honey had broken a nail so she went out to New Nails to get it repaired and then onward to MassageEnvy for a 90 minute massage. I did a bit of housework before I met her at Famous Dave's to use a Groupon that I had bought yesterday.

Mmm ... I had the 1/2 slab of ribs and Christine had the beef brisket! Did I say Mmm?

11/8/2014 - 11/9/2014 - Dirt Cheap Stage Race

I ran 5 times during the Dirt Cheap Stage Race,  miles.

This was my sixth running of the Dirt Cheap Stage Race (DCSR). The DCSR is three races over two day. Race #1 at 9AM on Saturday is a 3.1-ish mile race set out on Pond Rd with runners going out in a time trial every 5 seconds. Race #2 at 1PM on Saturday is a 4.7-ish mile race set out at Devil's Bathtub on the usual Dirt Cheap Trail Race #4 course. Race #3 at 9AM on Sunday is a 11-ish mile race set out at Stewart Lodge that meanders throughout Mendon Ponds Park (MPP).

11/8/2914

I accidentally set the alarm for 6AM instead of 6:45AM so I just laid in bed trying to get back to sleep ... to no avail. My wife, Christine, was already up. She had not slept since 1AM due to her insomnia. I did the dishes from the previous night and then ate my customary cereal with banana along with juice. I looked at the temperature (34F, overcast with a light wind) ... I decided on tights, a medium weight long sleeve tech, short sleeve tech, Brooks jacket, beanie and heavy gloves. Since I was going to be gone for both the first race at 9AM and second race at 1PM I brought along a change of pants, short sleeve tech, 2014 Sehgahunda hoodie, socks and road shoes. I headed out at 8AM for the 20 minute drive down to MPP.

There were a lot of people on the roads in MPP since both No-Bo and HFM were meeting down there. The beach parking lot and both the access and egress roads were full of cars. I checked in at Stewart Lodge and then headed out to the DSCR #1 venue. I had to park about a 1/4 mile away from the race start so I got there about 15 minutes before the race started. I did run up the trail for about a minute and so I didn't really take a mile warmup run like I usually do before a race. I ditched my Brooks jacket before the race. The race conditions were: 36F, 75% RH, 7 mph S wind and overcast.


And I was off! I can't say "we" since it was a time trial start. The Golden Bib runners started first. I was first, then Daniel, then Chris O'Brien, and then Mark. Then it was runners in numerical order. I was in the lead for about 15 seconds before Daniel passed me. I was not running too well since the first 1/2 mile of the course seemed to be all uphill. Chris O'Brien passed me in this section also. I settled down and continued onward. Yes, I walked some hills. I can powerwalk just as fast as I can run up a steep hill and it saves a bit of energy.

I think this was taken on a steep hill ... notice my usual grimace - courtesy of Kim Smith

Three more runners passed me. Then we were back on the 2 way section of the course since it was close to the end. Andy Franks said "Hi" as he passed. I tried to keep pace. Another runner passed about a tenth before the finish. So ... 7 runners physically passed me.

And ... done with 3.15 miles in 29:04, 9:14 pace! I walked over to where Chris O'Brien was hanging with the finishers. He gave me grief about groaning during the uphill where he passed me. Yes, I did groan. Chris had ran the NYC Marathon just 6 days ago also and was still faster than me ... the 21 year age difference might work in his favor, lol. I did well, 37th out of 170, link here. I was 8th out of 22 in my M50-59 age group. Historically, this was my 2nd fastest DCSR #1 (2013-28:33).

Your basic post DCSR #1selfie

I walked back to the car and drove over to Stewart Lodge to eat a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs, several doughnut holes and 2 apples. Then it was off to the Devil's Bathtub to get a prime parking spot on top of the hill about 50 feet from the race start/finish at 11AM. I just surfed Facebook and chilled until 12:30PM.

This time I did get out for a 1.25 mile warmup run before the race, link here. I had to convince myself that it was warm out before I ditched my Brook jacket again.




I lined up in my usual spot ... off to the right about 20 feet from the start line. And ... we were off!

The start of DCSR #2 - courtesy of Kim Smith

I settled in with a nice 7:53 first mile. I followed Beth DeCiantis through the bog area. She seemed to know where the knee deep mudholes were and avoided them by stepping up to the twisty trail off the right now and then. Onward ... I walked the hills I needed to. I can powerwalk as fast as I can run a steep hill most of the time. Then we crossed the bridge to the other side of the pond. I had caught up to Beth again and followed her through the muddy spots over there. I mean ankle deep, shoe sucking mud when I type muddy spots by the way. I had cinched up my laces on my Salomon Speedcross 3 trail shoes so I didn't lose a shoe but I certainly tried! I tried to keep up with her on the flats on the way back to the finish.

(l-r) Beth DeCiantis and Michelle Weiler - courtesy of Kim Smith

Keeping pace - courtesy of Kim Smith

I am not sleepwalking here ... just looking at the ground - courtesy of Kim Smith

Andy Ciaio in light green - courtesy of Kim Smith

My feet were tired and my trail shoes were wet and muddy. I walked up Cardiac Hill ... onward. I concentrated on keeping my position. Then, it was up the infamous Devil's Bathtub stairs to the finish.

And done in 44:06! I did well, 44th out of 187, link here. I was 7th out of 18 in my M50-59 age group. Historically, this was my 3rd fastest DCSR #2 (2010-40:56 and 2011-42:13).

Your basic post DCSR #2 selfie

I hung out for a bit. I fist bumped Beth DeCiantis on her 43:34 finish. Then I congratulated Chris O'Brien on his 42:05 and Andy Ciaio on his 47:13. I ate one hot dog, wiped off as much mud as I could, changed out of my muddy trail shoes into my clean road shoes and motored home. A nice shower and bath really felt nice. So did a hot mug of coffee prepared by my lovely wife, Christine.

Sunday, 11/9/2014

Well, another crisp morning for the running of DSCR #3 ... just like yesterday's DCSR #1. I had most of my gear already packed from yesterday so the only mystery was whether my Salomon Speedcross 3 trail shoes had dried out from the mud bath of DCSR #2 from the previous day. I pulled out the newspaper that I had stuffed in there yesterday and ... the insides were dry. The outside were a bit damp but I had a feeling that they would just get wet again. I tried to wake up my darling wife, Christine, and was successful on my third attempt. Well ... a hug and coffee helped convince her. She had a MassageEnvy appointment at 9AM. She said that she might be waiting for me when I got done.

So ... I headed back to MPP. I got there in plenty of time at 8:30AM for the 9AM start. I took a leisurely walk up to Stewart Lodge, stashed my gym bag and got ready. I was stretching when a guy mentioned that he searched for info about this race and found this blog. I chuckled, told him that it was a public service and gave him a few pointers about the course. I got out for a nice and easy 0.5 mile warmup run at 9:08 pace, link here. I cut it a bit close though since I got to the start line only about 2 minutes before the race started. I said "Hi" to Chris O'Brien before the start. I noticed that we were both "Men in Black" again.

And ... we were off! I stuck up a nice and easy trail pace and settled in for a long run. I tried to keep up with Beth DeCiantis like I did for a while yesterday but she was in another gear today and I soon lost sight of her.

Beth DeCiantis - courtesy of Kim Smith

The first 5 miles of the race were on the familiar blue and green trails. Then we crossed to the other side of Canfield Rd and then across S Winmarth Rd over by the horse farm. The trail over here was nice with a few gentle ups and a long gentle down. I was running well.

Somewhere around here Chris O'Brien came up behind me ... which was unusual since I thought he was front of me.

Chris and I running together for a bit - "Men in Black"

He told me that he was pissed at himself for missing a turn about 2 miles back. I knew exactly where he had done it because I had done it 5 years ago. I told him not to worry about it. He pulled ahead when I walked to down a vanilla HammerGel at mile 6.6 just before we crossed Canfield Rd again almost by Route 65. It had warmed up a bit to the mid 40s. I was still running well. I was walking most of the hills and running the downs and flats. The course was heading down towards Devil's Bathtub. I transversed the bog there without sinking knee deep in the mud (always a good thing) and went down the infamous stairs. I saw Boots at the top of the last hill (so he said). He said that there was only a bit more than a mile to the finish. I passed Tina Pellegrin at mile 9.6. She told me that she thought she had broken one of her toes. She was power walking so I knew she would finish. We headed down Cardiac Hill, around Hundred Acre Pond and by the boat launch. I could hear the finish, a bit more mud and then up the last hill to Stewart Lodge.

I was in full grimace as I powered up to the last hill to the finish - courtesy of Barb Boutillier

And ... done in 1:50:28! Boots announced me into the finish. I walked up to Stewart Lodge in a bit of a daze. I stood in line to get my coveted DCSR hoodie. This color this year was yellow. Soon there were an awful lot of DCSR series finisher runners proudly wearing well earned yellow DCSR hoodies ... myself included. I soon enjoyed swapping stories with other runners. I sat at Tom Butler's table. He had brought a sheet cake to celebrate his upcoming 50th birthday ... so I helped him eat it and helped pass out paper plates and forks. My wife did make it. She sat and talked to Tom's wife, Amy. I also talked with Chris O'Brien, Andy Ciaio and Beth DeCiantis who won her 50-59 age group.

Tina Pellegrin

Tom Butler ... the soon  to be 50 year old

A post DCSR #3 selfie while proudly wearing an earned 2014 DCSR hoodie

More proud wearers of the DCSR hoodie - courtesy of Kim Smith

Officially, I did well. I finished 10.54 miles in 1:50:28, 10:29 pace for my third fastest DCSR #3 out of six. I was 60th out of 173, link here. I was 10th out of 19 in my M50-59 age group. I was 7th out of 19 in my DCSR M50-59 age group, link here. I was 39th out of 88 in the DCSR male overall, link here. My splits were: 8:51, 9:12, 11:13, 10:21, 11:09, 10:01, 10:22, 11:18, 12:30 and 9:06 over the last 0.54 mile. 

Yes, I know it's a lot of stats. Yes, I am competitive (perhaps in my own mind). But ... trail running is not all so much about running hard but enjoying the journey and that I did. It was a beautiful morning to spend in MPP with my running friends. So many more people know me than I know them. I am trying. I probably helped them today since I wore my golden bib with my name in big, bold letters ... lol!

We left after a while. I went straight home. I stripped as soon as I got in the door and was all showered, dressed and had a mug of coffee at the ready by the time the Bills vs Chiefs game was on at 1PM. My wife ... went shopping at Target and Wegmans. So ... I had more than a few bags to carry inside when she arrived home.

The Bills put a bit of a downer on western NY when they lost 13-17, link here. The game was close but ... it didn't help when the offense fumbled and the punt returner also fumbled in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs got the 2 TDs that they needed to win. So ... the Bills snatched defeat from the jaws of victory to fall to 5-4. Oh well. I was looking at Facebook updates and pictures of the DCSR anyway.

All in all, another great DCSR! Thank you to Fleet Feet and Yellow Jacket Racing and the volunteers!

Sunday, 11/2/2014 to Friday, 11/7/2014

I ran 2 times during these 6 days, 9.3 miles.

Sunday, 11/2/2014: A full rest day!

Yes, I rested ... err, just not sleepwise. I went to bed early on Saturday morning at 10 PM after running 2 races (a 5K and a 30K)_ for 22.3 miles. I fully anticipated using the extra hour of sleep that setting the clocks back would proverbially give me. Well ... my darling wife, Christine, came to bed at 3 AM and woke me up with her snoring. So ... I got up. I surfed the web, contemplated going to Wegmans for groceries, watched a wee bit of TV (nothing on between 3 AM and 6 AM pretty much). I did watch a bit of TCM though, 1948's "On an Island with You" with Esther Williams, Peter Lawford, Ricardo Montalbon, Jimmy Durante and Cyd Charisse. I picked it up about 5 minutes and couldn't turn away. Yes ... there were swimming scenes for no reason, who knew that Ricardo (aka Khan!!!) could synchronize swim, Esther was engaged to Ricardo but chose Peter, Ricardo very quickly rebounded to Cyd and Jimmy Durante sang. It was a hoot!

I woke up my honey when I started laundry around 8:30AM. I put in a load of tech clothes while she sorted the laundry. My honey helped me fold and I did all the leg work. Six loads later and we were done. We also watched a bit of the New City City Marathon. I knew some people who ran it: Chris O'Brien in 4:17:30, Cyndy Schroeder in 4:28:04 and Richard Doe in 5:10:49. Chris told me that "It was all wind" with 20 to 30 mph winds all day.

I went to bed early again before 11 PM because I was tired for some reason. It could be due of "falling back" to EST.

Monday, 11/3/2014: Another rest day. My thighs felt tight during the day so I rested them.

Tuesday, 11/4/2014: 6.2 miles, 47:37, 7:40 pace, 66F, 18% RH, 7 mph WSW wind, partly cloudy.

Garmin Connect Activity for A negative split 10K

I wanted to vote but I needed to run first. But first I had to mess with my Garmin Forerunner 310XT. I was all geared up (shorts, short sleeve tech, reflective vest and headlamp) and ready to go outside when it would not go beyond the Garmin splash screen no matter how many times I cycled the power. So I headed inside, Googled "Garmin Forerunner 310XT hard reset", got the link here,  and applied it. The soft reset didn't do anything. I had to do a master reset to purge all entries and when that didn't work I had to do a "non-prompted non-vol clear" to return it to factory settings. It took about 15 minutes of fussing but I was successful.

So ... I went back outside and headed right out without any warmup. My thighs were a bit tight and I considered turning back at 1 mile. But I am made of sterner stuff and continued onward. I gradually sped up and clicked off a negative split 10K. My splits were: 8:04, 7:56, 7:46, 7:37, 7:19 and 6:51 over the last 0.2 mile. Sweet!!

I jumped in the shower so I wouldn't stink. FYI, I have been known not to after many a run. My darling wife, Christine, had supper ready when I got out. Then we headed out to vote for the candidates of our choice. We both are of like political mind. Let's just say that some of my candidates won and some lost. Nationally ... most of the ones that I would have liked (if we had lived in that state) lost and not so many won. So ... an astute reader would know my political bent. It should be an interesting next 2 years with GOP control of both the House and Senate chambers of the US Congress.

Wednesday, 11/5/2014: Rest day

My darling wife, Christine, and I watched a Redbox DVD by the name of "Edge of Tomorrow" with Tom Cruise. An interesting premise of living the same day over and over until you conquer the alien invader.

Thursday, 11/6/2014: 3.1 miles, 37:54, 12:11 pace, 43F, 87% RH, 3 mph ENE wind, light mist.

Garmin Connect Activity for A "Run with Zach" trail run at Cobbs Hill

I read on Facebook that if you ran the "Run with Zach" trail run down at Fleet Feet Armory that you would get a discount on in-stock Salomon trail shoes. Since my Salomon Speedcross 3 trail shoes have 702 miles on them I thought I would head down to see if I could get hooked up. So ... I went out and ran trail at Cobbs Hill in the dark with a headlamp with wet leaves, roots, rocks and a light mist falling. It was a really super easy run with lots of stopping to gather everyone (20 or so) back together. I was the only I knew of that took a tumble. I was running down to the rugby field when there was a sudden depression beneath my right shoe ... so I did a sudden barrel roll on my right side. I was no worse for the wear and tear. Well ... back at the store I found out that Fleet Feet had no Salomon Speedcross 3 trail shoes in size 13 in stock. So I will have to pay full price when they arrive next week. Oh well!

Sunday, 11/26/2014 to Saturday, 11/1/2014 - Grocery Run 5K & Mendon Ponds 30K

I ran 5 times this week, 41.61 miles.

Sunday, 11/26/2014: 13.1 miles, 1:44:56, 8:00 pace, 48F, 66% RH, 14 mph W wind, overcast, a real light mist at time.

Garmin Connect Activity for A nice, easy and flat half marathon

I slept in until 7:40AM ... it felt nice. I puttered around for a bit, then a longer bit while I gathered up the gumption to get on out there for a needed long run. I did the dishes from last night and ate the usual pre-run cereal. I posted on Facebook that "A long run doesn't get done but itself ...", kissed my darling wife, Christine, "good bye" and headed out.

It was a bit chilly and windy so I wore shorts, calf sleeves, a long sleeve and short sleeve tech, hat and light gloves. I carried a hand bottle along with 2 Gus. I  struck up a nice and easy pace on my usual 10K route and added enough 5K loops to add up to a half marathon. I took three mini-stops for water but didn't take my Gus. Just on and on I went. It was a bit boring actually just taking two extra 5K loops to get to 20K and then another 0.7 miles ... and done in 1:44:56. A not bad time actually. My splits were: 8:12, 8:03, 7:52, 7:52, 7:51, 7:53, 8:22, 7:54, 8:16, 8:00, 7:55, 8:18, 7:47 and 6:37 over the last 0.1 mile.

Ahh ... the joys of putting the coffee on, toasting a bagel, kissing my darling wife awake and putting my feet up after a nice run! I enjoyed watching the Bills - Jet game. The Bill went to the Jets and pounded them 43-23, link here. The defense was excellent and forced 6 turnovers (4 picks and 2 fumbles) but the offense sputtered with a lot of run, run, pass, punt or FG. Still, a win is a win.

Monday, 11/27/2014 and Tuesday, 11/28/2014: A rest day and a "watched it rain so I stayed in" day.

Some interesting links: Why we all hate your 13.1 stickers and a rebuttal Why we love your post why we all hate your 13.1 stickers and A local woman was picked up TWICE for DWI within three hours.

Wednesday, 11/29/2014: 6.2 miles, 46:16, 7:27 pace, 52F, 66% RH, 6 mph WSW wind, overcast.

Garmin Connect Activity for A fast 10K

I got home, ate a bit of pre-run cereal, got changed and got out there just before dusk. I just wanted to do a 10K on my usual 10K route. I wore shorts, calf sleeves, a short sleeve tech and light gloves. I also wore my reflective belt and headlamp. I started out nice and easy with a 7:57 first mile. Then I hiked it up. My splits were: 7:57, 7:39, 7:23, 7:13, 7:24, 7:14 and 6:55 over the last 0.2 mile. The run felt good and all was well.

Thursday, 10/30/2014 and Friday 10/31/2014: Rest day and another "day before a race" rest day.

My running stats for the month of October:
I ran 18 times in 31 days for 107.27 mile which yield 6.0 miles/run. 6 were warmup runs of 1.7, 0.75, 1.45, 1.1, 1.5 and 0.9 miles. I ran 7 races during the month of October (Scarecrow 5K, Ready Set Glow, Finish Strong 15K, Moore than a Race 10K, Scare Brain Cancer Away 5K, Grocery Run 5K and Mendon Ponds 30K). I have run 1139.24 miles and 49 races so far this year.

Saturday, 11/1/2014: 3 runs of 0.9 mile, Grocery Run 5K and Mendon Ponds 30K.

Yes, I did 2 races today, the Grocery Run 5K and the Mendon Ponds Trail Run (MPTR) 30K. I was up at 6AM to get ready for the first race, the Grocery Run 5K. My darling wife, Christine, was still up from the previous night. She has had a lot of trouble sleeping lately. She said she was going to stay home so I quietly ate my pre-race cereal, geared up and headed out. I wore my tights, a long sleeve and short sleeve tech along with my yellow hat and light gloves. The race venue was at the Third Presbyterian Church on East Ave. I had a bit trouble geting around to the Rochester Museum and Science Center due to roadblocks but I soon had my bib and race T-shirt. This was my first Grocery 5K.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before the Grocery Run 5K

I took a 0.9 mile warmup run so I could drop off my race T-shirt and grab a drink of water. The weather conditions for the warmup and the Grocery Run 5K were 41F, 88% RH, 12 mph NE wind, overcast and raw. This was a Rochester Runner of the Year (RROY) race so there were a lot of fast runners up near the front. I met up with Bill Beyerbach just as we were finishing our own warmup runs. Bill told me that he woken up at 7:46AM and had jumped into his clothes to make it down to the race ... luckily he had packed his stuff the night before since he was running the Mendon Ponds 10K afterward. I also saw Mark Herberger and Bob Dyjak before the race started at 8:15AM.

The start ...

Bill and I just after the start ...

And we were off! Bill and I got off to a clean start. I matched his pace for about 0.9 mile. Mile 1 passed in 6:33 pace.

Bill and I at the mile 1 mark at 6:33

I eased off a bit for the next 2 miles but I only let Bill enjoy a 20 foot lead. It started to spit a bit of rain. Mile 2 passed in 6:57 pace and mile 3 in 6:56 pace. I had pulled even with Bill and then passed when I could see the finish. I sprinted in at 5:53 pace. Boots announced me in. He mentioned that I was running this race and then heading out to run the MPTR 30K. I guess he must read Facebook since that is what I posted before I left. So I walked through the finish chute along with Bill, grabbed a bottle of water and walked to my car.

Later, I learned that I finished 3.13 miles (according to my Garmin) in 21:14, 6:51 pace, 46th out of 786, link here. I was 3rd out of 39 in my M55-59 age group, link here. Bill Beyerbach finished in 21:19, Mark Herberger in 21:34 and Bob Dyjak finished in 26:38.

Anyway though ... I proceeded onward to Mendon Ponds Park for the MPTR 30K. There were a variety of races being held which were all based on a 10K loop based on the blue and green trails that I knew well. There was a new course this year which ran by Stewart Lodge instead of the East Lodge. The 50K (which I ran last year) had already began at 8AM. The 10K, 20K and 30K started at 9:30AM. I have run this race 5 times before at various distances (the 20K in 2006, 2011, 2012; finished 30K of the 50K in 2010 and completed the 50K in 2013).

I got there around 9:05AM which allowed me me to change my wet long sleeve and short sleeve tech shirt for a dry set . I also changed from my New Balance 880 road shoes to my Salalon SpeedCross trail shoes. I got my bib and dropped off my drop bag that I filled with a spare short sleeve tech, orange 2014 Sehgahunda hoodie  and my heavy gloves. I got ready for my next run but didn't warm up before this race. I figured to just start out nice and easy. The weather conditions at the race start were: 39F, 93% RH, 14 mph NNE wind, overcast with a real light mist.

The start of the 10K, 20K and 30K - courtesy of the Rochester Orienteering Club

Just a little after the start of the 10K, 20K and 30K - courtesy of the Rochester Orienteering Club

And we were off! I settled in for a long run. I clicked off several sub 10 minute miles. I walked some of the hills but not all of them on the 1:00:08 first loop. I remember seeing Tom Butler, Angela Kynazeva and Diana Kynazeva.

Loop 1 at the 6 mile mark - courtesy of Rochester Orienteering Club

The weather changed a bit for the worse during the second loop. The real light mist had changed to a light rain. The wind blew water off the leaves and the mud started to get mucky and slippery. I slowed to a 1:08:38 for the second loop. My hands were cold from my wet light gloves so I looped through to the pavilion where I had stashed my drop bag and changed to my heavy gloves. I wanted to change from my wet hat to a dry beanie but couldn't find it. I gave up and walked onward ... and tried to run when I can. I remembered to run the flats and downs and tried to power walk the ups. Mind over matter. One foot in front of the other and repeat. There were a lot less runners on the course so I was alone most of the time with no one near me. I was tired but onward I went. I was glad to see the last hills and the run to the finish for a third loop of 1:18:39. And ... done in 3:27:34.

I slowly walked to Stewart Lodge, cold and wet. I grabbed what food I could find. I settled on some cookies, a powder doughnut with chocolate filling and several cups of apple cider. I knew I couldn't warm up until I changed into dry clothes so I ambled over to get my dry clothes. My short sleeve and 2014 Sehgahunda hoodie felt good. I ambled over to where I had parked the Equinox. I was shivering and my fingertips were white. It took 15 minutes of blasting the heater before I felt warm and able to drive home. I had trouble lifting my left foot to work the brake but I managed.

I did OK. I finished 18.28 miles (by my Garmin) in 3:27:35, 26th out of 38 in the 30K, 6th out of 8 in my M50-59 age group, link here. My lap splits are above but the link is here. My mile splits were: 9:36, 9:38, 9:52, 10:37, 9:35, 10:09, 11:09, 10:13, 10:41, 12:24, 11:25, 11:23, 15:25, 11:49, 12:40, 11:58, 13:39, 11:51 and 10:55 over the last 0.28 mile.

Lots of people were out doing various distances. The 10K had 94 finishers. I knew Bill Beyerbach (54:52), Eric Eagan (55:43), Prem Kumar (57:47) and Amy Lord (1:30:08). The 20K had 68 finishers. I knew Chris Patterson (2nd, 1:33:51), Jason "Jmac" McElwain (3rd, 1:34:16), Sean Storie (1:49:31), Mark McArdle (2:19:01) and Diana Knyazeva (2:22:06). The 30K had 38 finishers. I knew Mark Monachino (2:58:16) and Kathy Reardon (3:53:44). The 50K had 81 finishers. I knew Ed Housel (7th, 4:39:19), Laura Rekkerth (5:24:33), Chris Washburn (6:13;48), Wilt Alston (6:19:15), Andy Ciaio (6:33:39), Tammy Abbe (6:34:55), Steve Levitsky (6:45:27), John Muoio (6:45:27), Anzhela Knyazeva (6:57:54), Sheila Eagan (6:57:55), Kim Rapp (7:38:19) and Tom Butler (7:54:24).

I struggled to get all my gear into the apartment. I just dumped it down, stripped and got into the shower for a nice, long shower and then a bath. It felt nice!

Later, I trolled the Ironman website to see how Jim McLaughlin did in his 12th Ironman in Panama City, FL. The swim was canceled due to high winds and rip tides. He finished in 10:12:23 with a 112 miles bike in 5:46:31 followed by a marathon of 4:18:49. Wow! Jim is in the M45-49 age group and is in incredible shape. Jim, on his mountain bike, was the first person to find me when I wandering down in Letchworth with a broken rib during Sehgahunda 2010.