Sunday, 6/1/2014: 7 miles, 1:09:23, 9:54 pace, 79F, 28% RH, 10 mph S wind, sunny.
It would have been better to run in the morning when it was cooler but my darling wife, Christine, had a two hour massage and facial appointment at MassageEnvy at 1PM. So ... I dropped her off and then proceeded down to Mendon Ponds Park for another day of running trail.
Garmin Connect Activity for Nice and easy miles at Mendon Ponds Park
I didn't have a lot of time so I just did a usual tour on the Green and Blue trail. I tried to run it counter-clockwise and got lost a bit just like usual. I can run it clockwise with my eyes shut but not the other way! I tried to run it at a not so easy trail pace but it was hot so I took some walk breaks on some hills. Still ... a 9:54 pace wasn't too bad.
I picked up Christine as she got out of MassageEnvy and we had lunch at the nearby Subway. We stopped by the Wegmans in Irondequoit on the way home. Man ... was it busy! Nascar drivers could learn from these shoppers with their grocery carts on a Sunday afternoon!
I did some Facebook browsing and caught up on other runner's exploits. The Pittsford Tri was held on Sunday morning, results here. The Cayuga Trails 50 was held down in Ithaca NY, results here. There were 176 finishers with 54 who dropped. I followed the runners that I knew via text. The elevation change chart on the CT50 is insane!
Personal note: I have had my new short haircut for exactly a month now. Christine reminded me of that as she wanted to give me a trim. I let her. I am still trying to get used to it. There are advantages and disadvantages like to most things. Advantages: no bad hair days, no need to comb, no combover, no hat hair, no cowlick, more aerodynamic when I run. Disadvantages: radical change, need to wear sunscreen or a hat if I am running long.
Personal Note 2: I am sporting a starter mustache for a bit while I am waiting for a power plug to arrive via Ebay that fits the Norelco 8500X electric razor that my youngest son, David, gave me. He had lost its power plug during a move. My old electric razor disappeared after Sehgahunda. The Alligiance Bed and Breakfast doesn't have it and all I can find in the apartment is its power cord. No, my old power plug did not fit the "new to me" razor. Update ... the starter mustache was gone by Saturday afternoon. My darling wife, Christine, did appreciate having her clean shaven husband again.
Monday, 6/2/2014: Rest day.
I really needed to wash all my trail stuff so I did 2 loads of laundry. Exciting stuff ...
Tuesday, 6/3/2014: 6.4 miles, 56:15, 8:47 pace, 81F, 45% RH, 20 mph WSW wind, sunny.
The McMullen Mile is coming on Thursday so I thought I really should get in one night of speedwork. Yeah ... I should have done a lot more than one but I felt that I needed to run trail for Muddy Sneaker, Medved Madness and Sehgahunda more than I needed to run speedwork.
So I headed down to Cobbs Hill to do 1 km repeats around the reservoir. Yes, it was hot. The time/temp clock on Monroe indicated 85F. Yes, it was windy. But ... I ran anyway. I took a 0.8 mile warmup. I did three hard 1 km runs of 3:53, 3:56 and 4:00 with a cooldown 1 km of 4:15. The 1 km course is clockwise on the road around the reservoir from the stone building to the crooked tree up the hill just past the entrance. It was tough running in the heat plus I really needed to bring a larger water bottle. Then I did a really nice and easy 2.5 mile cooldown run at around 8:40 pace.
Wednesday, 6/4/2014: Rest day.
My darling wife, Christine, made a scrumptious dinner: lamb roast, french fries and coleslaw!
Thursday, 6/5/2014: 2 runs: 1.1 miles and the McMullen Mile
A cool Thursday night but the McMullen Mile was scheduled so down to the Nazereth College track for my third running of the McMullen Mile. I didn't run track way back in the day at Newark High School so it's still a learning experience.
I warmed up with a really nice and easy 1.1 miles on the outside lanes, link here. The weather conditions were ideal for running: 61F, 59% RH, 9 mph NNW wind, overcast. My race was number 4 for men under 8 minute pace but greater than 4:50 pace, Heat 2 so I had about 45 minutes to wait for the youth, high school and men over 8 minute pace and Heat 1 of my race to finish.
I drew number 10 so I started on the outside of the first row. Up to the line and .... Go! I started out fast and when no one took the lead ... took it. I was in the lead!
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| The start! |
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| Breaking for the lead! |
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| Running in the lead |
What do you think about? Well, I did think about not tripping as I flirted with the metal rail that I was hugging as I ran around the track. Lap 1 ... people clapped as I came by in 1:27 at 5:56 pace. Lap 2 ... halfway done at 3:00 at 6:14 pace. I heard people yell for me and also Wilt Alston. Lap 3 at 4:38 at 6:21 pace. I started to get tired. More rooting for me and then Wilt. How far was Wilt behind me? I struggled on the back stretch. I so wanted the race to be done ... did I have anything left? Less than one half lap to go now. I started to hear footsteps, closer and closer. Wilt passed me with 1/4 lap to go. Suddenly I was 10 feet behind him! I swung into lane 2 and kicked as we came to the home stretch. I put everything I had left into catching Wilt. He heard me coming and did the same.
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| Wilt and I sprinting for the finish! |
The yelling got louder as we got closer. I got within a foot as we hit the line. I finished in 6:11.92, Wilt was 0.09 seconds faster. I checked my Garmin later ... I got up to 4:41 pace! What a race! People congratulated us. I so wanted to win the race but I did my best and that's a good thing. Maybe I should have done more speedwork? Competition ... that's why I race!
Bill Beyerbach raced in a faster division and ran a 5:54.49. He placed 1st out of 6 in our M55-59 age group, Wilt, who just aged up, was 2nd and I was 3rd.
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| I finished 3rd in my M55-59 age group, Wilt Alston finished 2nd, Bill Beyerbach finished 1st. |
The results are here and the age group results are here. Valuable Rochester Runner Of the Year (RROY) points for all three of us.
What to do if this happens again? Should I try to be a faster rabbit? Or let someone to let lead the way and try to nip them at the line? My money is on a smarter rabbit.
Friday, 6/6/2014: Rest day ... between two races.
Saturday, 6/7/2014: 2 runs of 0.5 and the Mendon Mauler of 12.69 miles, 59F at race start, 77% RH, 5 mph SW wind, sunny.
I had a restless night and woke up at 5:45AM, did the dishes from last night and woke up my darling wife, Christine. I quietly got ready while she oscillated between going with me or going back to bed. When I found her sneakers around 7AM, she said she was going and out the door we went at 7:09AM. We were down at the Beach parking lot at Mendon Ponds Park by 7:30AM for the 8AM start. I said "Hi" to Prem Kumar, Todd Sappen Sr and Tom Butler before the race.
This was my fourth time at the Mendon Mauler. This trail race is either 4, 8 or 12 miles. I signed up for the 12 so I had three loops to do before I was done. The weather was a bit cool and sunny at the start. I went out for a short 0.5 miles run to get my legs warm, link here. Boots and Ellen came up a bit late. Boots yelled his pre race instructions. The ever popular "Don't blindy follow the runner in front of you" and "If you get lost, it's your own fault" were two of them. And ... we were off at 8:03AM.
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| The Mendon Mauler 12 start - taken by Susan Schneider |
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| Boots and Ellen after we started ... runners on Facebook contemplated on what they said after we were gone - taken by Susan Schneider |
Loop 1 ... I settled into a nice trail pace. What can I say? The only mud that I found was in the field that we ran in for the first two hundred yards. Then there was just roots, rocks, tree branches and horse poop to watch out for ... beside running uphills, flats and downhills as fast as you can while not falling.
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| After 1/2 mile in on Loop 1 - taken by John Simpson |
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| A bit further on - taken by John Simpson |
I ran about 30 feet behind Prem for a while and said "Hi" as I passed him. I thought he would soon catch me again but he didn't. I did get lost a bit on Loop 1. I went straight at one point instead of turning right. It was a shortcut so I caught up with some faster runners when I found the trail again. Up hills, flats, down hills ... onward. I ended Loop 1 of 4.17 miles in 40:41.
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| The signs at the aid station at the end of each loop |
Loop 2 ... I continued onward. I slowed a bit on this loop.
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| Just after the start of Loop 2 - taken by John Simpson |
Soon I caught up with the 4 and 8 mile runners who had started at 8:30AM. I was in pass mode on the left or right for a long while on the ups, flats and downs. I said "Hi" to the runners that I knew and didn't know as I motored by. I took the correct turn this time and just followed the flags on this loop. I examined my Garmin data and found that I only took a 0.14 mile shortcut on Loop 1. I completed Loop 2 of 4.17 miles in 44:00. The distance and time so far was 8.34 miles and 1:24:41.
Loop 3 ... I refilled my water and had a Gu before I started up again. It had warmed up a bit so I was a bit thirsty and hungry on this loop. There were fewer slower runners on this loop. I was a bit more careful but just motored onward. I did the usual ... walk the hills that I had to, run the flats and run the downs ... onward. I completed Loop 3 of 4.17 miles in 48:25. The distance and time so far was 12.51 miles and 2:13:06. Then it was a run across Douglas Road and down the field to Stewart Lodge for 0.14 miles and 1:18 to the finish.
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| Cruising into the finish - taken by Kim Smith |
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| Running for the finish ... on fumes! - taken by John Simpson |
And ... done! 12.69 miles in 2:14:24 for my second fastest Mendon Mauler. I was spent and really needed water at the finish. Luckily, Christine was there like a guardian angel and gave me Fluid and then water. I staggered a bit but calmed down and made it into Stewart Lodge. I had a most excellent and needed hot dog, banana and chips. I was sweating like a pig for a bit. Prem came over and we talked for a while. He had slowed.as he overheated and finished in 2:25:30.
I did OK. Officially I was 41st out of 110, link here. I was 5th out of 16 in my M50-59 age group, link here. Other runners that I knew: Todd Sappen, Jr ran the 12 and finished in 2:06:52, Rob Tyler ran the12 and finished in 2:19:01, Joe Muczynski ran the 12 and finished in 2:33:30, Tom Butler ran the 12 and finished in 2:51:15, Diana Kynaveza ran the 8 in 2:18:26, Jim Norris ran the 8 in 2:41:06, Tina Pellegrin ran the 8 in 2:59:29, Don Dow ran the 4 in 46:59, Becky Honecker ran the 4 in 1:05:25 and Amy Lord ran the 4 in 1:06:35. 66 runners ran the 8 and 137 runners ran the 4.
Soon ... Christine and I were home. She made pizza for lunch and soon took a nap while I drank coffee, ate pizza and caught up on Facebook. This was a major undertaking because it was a busy day for runners in and from Rochester.
I looked through hundreds of Mendon Mauler pictures. The Fast and Furriest 10K (220 runners, Wendy Abbot won Female Masters in 42:48, Andrew Claio won his 45-49 age group in 43:32, Steve Levitsky was 2nd in his 45-49 age group, Bill Beyerbach won his 55-59 age group in 44:34 and Charlie Sabatine won his 70+ age group in 1:05:09) and 5K (274 runners) were run. The Walk/Run with Me 5K had 63 runners. The RSD River Ramble 5K had 81 runners. The "Survive for 5" 5K had 98 runners (Jason "JMac" McElwain won overall in 17:35 and Bob Dyjak "won" his 60-69 age group of 1 runner in 26:37.
The Rothrock 30K was held down in Tussy Ski Are in Boalsburg PA near State College PA. 322 runners finished with locals Mort Nace in 4:54:09, Ben Murphy in 4:57:09, Mark Monachino and Tammy Abbe in 5:52:09.
The Ironman Boise 70.3 was held. Our Katie Myszka (aka Katie from Cali) rocked it in 5:20:40. 39:34 for the 1.2 mile swim, 2:54:28 for the 56 mile bike and 1:41:04 for the 13.1 mile run.
