Sunday, 3/23/2014: 10.6 miles: 1:49:00, 21F, 78% RH, sunny to overcast to light snow.
Garmin Connect Activity for Sehgahunda Preview Run #1 - 2014
I was up early with not enough sleep ... but I got ready to head down to the Mount Morris Dam for Sehgahunda Preview Run #1. The conditions were variable on the drive down: sun, then clouds, then light snow, then back and forth. I arrived at 8:40 with plenty of time for 9AM start. Soon Boots gave his customary pre-run speech of how "this is a self supported run", "you may injure or kill yourself" and "you really should be wearing some sort of traction device and if you aren't ... there is the road". Stuff I have heard before.
I started out near the front as usual and struck up a really nice and easy trail pace. The route was 6.1 miles from the Dam to CP1. I paid close attention to the trail. The trail condition were a bit slippery and then varied from better to worse. Let's see ... regular trail to snow to frozen mud to my personal favorite ... snow covered ice plus the usual roots, rocks, branches and gullies to look out fo. I almost slipped and fell at least a half dozen times. Soon I got to the power lines and knew that the turn up to CP1 was just around the corner. The climb up to CP1 was long like usual with some crusty snow to crunch through. The views were great though.
I stopped for a minute and hydrated. I decided that I wasn't going to push my luck with a return trip on trail back to the Dam. So I ran back on the road. North on River Rd, north on Rt 408 and left onto Park Rd. But ... running back on the road meant running into the wind and light snow. But at least the road wasn't slippery and I could hold a 8:30 pace or so.
I changed into a sweatshirt and headed out to Newark to see my oldest son, Michael, and my daughter, Karen. I enjoyed spending some time with them.
Monday, 3/24/3014: Rest day.
Tuesday, 3/25/2014: 7.7 miles, 1:03:12, 8:12 pace, 37F, 31% RH, wind chill 31F, sunny.
Garmin Connect Activity for 7.7 miles on the usual route in Irondequoit
It was Tuesday night which is a usual run night for me. My darling wife, Christine, was in the middle of cooking a roaster chicken and told me that I had a hour. So I had a bite to eat, dressed for the weather (CW-X tights, red long sleeve tech, Brook vest, heavy gloves and Brooks beanie). I swear runners in Rochester wear cold weather gear .... A LOT!!!
Anyway, I got up and out. My right Achilles had given me twinges all day and it did during the first two miles. So I took it easy and shortened my stride. I gave some thought to turning around and heading home but ... I continued onward to see if my right Achilles would loosen up. I trusted the run and it did. My splits were: 8:20, 8:34, 8:10, 8:04, 8:26, 7:52, 8:08 and 8:04 over the last 0.7 miles.
I guess I will need to stretch out both of my Achilles now during the day and before runs. Will I do it? Probably not.
Ralph Wilson, the owner of the Buffalo Bills, died today at age 95, various pics from news, link here. I'm a Buffalo Bill fan ... through and through. I remember the glory years of the early 90s and have suffered since for all the non-playoff years.
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| Ralph Wilson & Jim Kelley before a game between the Bills and the Jets, 2011. |
Another "spring" day ... which in Rochester NY means 20F with winds 20-to 30 mph winds.
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| Definitely not spring like this morning! |
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| A pic from Facebook ... perfect! |
Thursday, 3/27/2014: Could have been a run day.
I had on and off right foot pain all day. It was centered on the right edge of my right foot. So I decided to take it easy and rest. I could have gone to bed early but ... didn't like usual.
Friday, 3/28/2014: Rest day before race day
Rochester weather teased us again today. It got up to 55F during the day. But the forecast for Sarurday night was for a winter storm advisory!
Saturday, 3/29/2014: 9.63 miles, 1:18:00, 8:06 pace
I was up early but as it would turn out not early enough. I had looked up this race on the GRTC calendar a couple months ago and it said 8:30AM. So I left at 7:37AM to get there at 8AM, park in a lot a ways away from the race and run in as a warmup. Simple, right?
Well, I parked in the lot at the corner of Douglas and Pond Rd about a mile east of the race start. I heard in the distance a voice yelling "Gooooooooooooo!!!!!!" I passed Barb on the run in and she said that the race started at 8AM. I didn't believe her but I soon started to see familiar lead runners. Shit! Not again!
If I had parked on the west side of the race (say at Douglas and Canfield Rd) I could have run in behind the race and just been a bit late. But I had my post run gear with me so I had to drop it off at Stewart Lodge first before I started. I did notice on an official sign up card that the race started at 8AM. It took it a bit wind out of my sails and a lot of gumption to set off after everyone. I forgot that I needed to cross the timing line down on Douglas Rd. I started to pass slower runners and followed them too far because at their turn around I was told that I had missed the 15K turn onto Pond Rd.
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| Oops! I was about a mile to the east when the race started. |
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| Courtesy of Heather Bailey Ostrander around mile 3 |
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| 1:18:00 later at the finish |
I went home, showered, ate a light lunch and packed for our next journey. Christine's father had made us a sweet deal on a 2014 Chevy Cruze and we needed to go to Ravenna OH to pick it up. Our collective jaws dropped to the floor when he told us on Thursday!
The trip out was uneventful but the weather got worse as we headed west. It started to rain as we hit PA and started to sleet a bit as we hit OH. The traffic slowed to a crawl in spots but we made it to Ravenna around 6PM. We talked with Christine's father, brother Bill and wife Patty. We got the paperwork and headed out to Lakewood OH about a hour ago in good conditions. But ... the weather had turned worse with sleet, slush and heavy wet snow plus it was dark. Christine drove the new Cruze and I drove the old Cavalier. We both had Google Maps working on our smart phones and navigated separately in some white knuckle driving conditions. Wow ... I haven't driven in such crappy weather in quite some time. Christine was driving a brand new car and hadn't driven in quite some time.
We enjoyed catching up with Christine's daughter, Beth, and her boyfriend Nick. They have put a lot of work into fixing up their new duplex. A long day. I had a bit of trouble sleeping but soon I was ...... zzzzzzz .....
