Sunday, 1/18/2015 to Saturday, 1/24/2015 - Winterfest 10K, SnowCheap #3 & Freezeroo #4

I ran 10 times this week, 32.35 miles (3 were warmups of 1, 0.7 and 1.3 miles; 1 was a snowshoe run of 1 mile and 1 was a cooldown of 1 mile).

Sunday, 1/18/2015: 3 runs of 1, Winterfest 10K of 5.97 and 1 miles, 41F, 56% RH, 12 mph WSW wind, mostly cloudy.

It was a lot warmer than the yesterday's -2F so I dressed a bit different but mostly the same. I wore the usual CW-X tights on the bottom along with my Muddy Sneaker 20K long sleeve tech, Medved Madness short sleeve tech and 1/4 zip pullover. I brought my beanie and heavy running gloves. I knew I would ditch the 1/4 zip pullover before the race. I brought all my traction choices: new blue Salamon Speedcross 3, old black Salomon Speedcross 3 with screws and my "virgin" unused Dion snowshoes.

Today's race was a newbie for me, the Winterfest 10K down in Mendon Ponds Park. It was a "no frills" Roads Are Poison trail race. Their races are always well done with a low key vibe. A different crowd shows up and it's cool. I got down to Cavalry Lodge on Douglas Rd just before 10AM in plenty of time for the 11AM 10K start. I saw the 5K runners head out at 10AM. I got my bib and waited. There wasn't enough snow for snowshoes so I went with my black Salomon Speedcross 3 trail shoes with the screws for traction.

Some runners had shorts on ... I wish I had thought of that! I got out for a nice and easy 1 mile run at 12:25 pace to warm up, link here. I found that my traction choice was spot on. The footing was about 2 to 3 inches of packed snow. I should have done some strides to keep my heart rate up just before the race but didn't. I lined up towards the front with a lot of Medved's Dion snowshoe team.



And ... we were off! I started off a bit hot like usual and had to back off a bit. Boom ... about 10 members of the Medved Dion snowshoe team passed me ... whoosh (it seemed like it).

Some of the Medved Dion snowshoe team - courtesy of "I am Lesher"

Being chased by a couple of Dion women - courtesy of "I am Lesher"

Just trail racing - courtesy of Ron Heerkens Jr

The course was the usual blue and green trail that I had run so many times before. But it was a bit different running it with packed snow though. I mostly kept my position the rest of the way. I walked a few of the hills and made sure I ran the downs and flats at a nice and easy but definitely racing trail pace. The aid station with water or Gatorade just before mile 3 was most welcome. Onward ... up, flat, down ... onward. I got passed by a woman in the Dion snowshoe team and I heard more behind me. I knew that the race was almost over so I kept up with her. And ... done with 5.97 miles in 56:10, 9:24 pace.

A happy snowman - courtesy of "I am Lesher"

I stayed outside for a bit to watch a big snowman being built. Then it was into the Cavalry Lodge for a bit of post-race grub: Fritos and a brownie muffin. The two Red Bull girls showed up again giving out free Red Bull. I was talked into trying my first Red Bull. I didn't sprout wings but it did taste OK.

The Red Bull girls - courtesy of "I am Lesher"

I did OK. My splits were: 8:41, 9:52, 9:17, 10:07, 9:37 and 8:53. I was 31st out of 64, link here. I was 2nd out of 4 in my M50-59 age group.

I talked with Prem Kumar after the race. He said that he had gotten out for a 2.5 mile snowshoe run before the race on his "virgin" Dion snowshoes. So ... I knew my set of "virgin" Dion snowshoes were in the trunk. I broke them out, put them on and headed out. I took it nice and easy for a mile at 11:54 pace around a field near the parking lot at Douglas and Pond Rd, link here. Man, do you kick up a lot of snow when running in snowshoes!

A pair of "virgin" Dions ... what to do?

Soon it was home for a bit of rest, coffee, a shower and then out again. Christine and I headed down to Sticky Lips in Henrietta to meet up with my youngest son, David, at 5PM. We ate with one eye on a TV in the distance that was past a light fixture. I knew that the score of the Packers - Seahawks game was 16-0 when we came in. The lead was to 19-7 late in the 4th quarter. Well ... David and I both wish that we could have had a better seat because Seattle mounted a historic comeback to take the lead 22-19. The Packers tied it at 22 to force OT. The Seahawks got the ball at the beginning of OT and scored the winning TD to win 28-22, highlights link here. Here are more lnks: here, here, here, here and here. We watched the next game: Colt - Patriots at home. A boring game ... the Patriots won 45-7, link here.

Monday, 1/19/2015: 6.2 miles, 49:15, 7:56 pace, 28F, 68% RH, 11 mph NW wind, wind chill 19F, partly cloudy

Garmin Connect Activity for A cold and crisp 10K

I got out after work for a needed run. I wore the usual gear plus I added a headlamp and off I went. I struck a bit harder than nice and easy pace to start kept it going. My splits were: 7:57, 7:59, 7:57, 8:10, 8:03, 7:40 and 7:17 over the last 0.2 mile. Sweet!

Tuesday, 1/20/2015: Rest day.

My darling wife, Christine, made bowtie pasta with homemade sauce for supper ... yummy!

Wednesday, 1/21/2015: 2 runs of 0.7 and Snow Cheap #3 of 3.08 miles, 25F, calm and partly cloudy.

I had to interrupt work for an emergency dentist visit to the Dr. Randy Raetz, the "running dentist". I found out yesterday that I could wiggle my back left bottom molar ... never a good sign. He welcomed in, numbed me up, explored and told me the past news. It was cracked below the gum line and was not salvageable. He referred me to a oral surgeon for an implant.

My cracked left bottom molar ... kind of gross! I'm definitely chewing on the right side!

I momentarily thought of bagging this Snow Cheap race but ... it was a scheduled race and I try not to Did Not Start (DNS). Two races this month is two too many. So I ate my customary pre-race bowl of cereal and got dressed. It was the mid 20s so I wore my usual: CW-X tights, long sleeve Sugoi tech and short sleeve tech with my golden bib attached. I brought my full balaclava, beanie, headlamp, 1/4 zip long sleeve tech pullover (just in case) and skiing mittens. I wore my new blue I arrived at the Riley Lodge at Cobbs Hill Park around 6:30PM in plenty of time for the 7:15PM start.

I got out for a nice and easy 0.7 mile warmup run at 10:52 pace, link here. I found the snow around the start to be rutty and hard to run on. It was easier to run in the loose 2 or 3 inches of snow off of the trail and less hazardous to my ankles. My black Salomon Speedcross 3 trail shoes with screws were the correct traction choice again. I got a drink of water from the car and got back to the start line.



And ... we were off! I didn't start as fast as I usually do and just followed the leaders for about a mile.

A bunch of headlamps at Cobbs Hill ... must be Snow Cheap #3!

I'm just off to the right behind 57

Then I started to pick off runners one by one when I could find an opening. There weren't as many flags as there could have been and my group had to stop twice to hunt for flags. I didn't really have to stop for any hills. I was running under control on both the ups and downs. There was one pretty steep downhill as we entered the switchback. The trail went straight down at about a 45 degree angle for about 50 feet before we made a hard right turn. Luckily someone was there to warn us of what lay in wait. I could hear the finish as we made our way down the switchback. I kicked it up a notch and finished strong. And ... done with 3.08 miles in 28:21, 9:12 pace.

I headed into Riley Lodge and had a bit of the post-race grub ... soup and a couple of cookies. I knew all was right with the world ... Tom Butler ran the race in compression shorts and no shirt. He said that he forgot his gloves and that his hands got cold. He also said that his group had to search for flag four times so my group was fortunate.

I did OK. I was 37th out of 265, link here. I was 4th out of 12 in my M55-59 age group, link here. Soon I was home at 9PM. Some people would have stayed home ... I am not some people. Running on trail in the woods on a weeknight with a headlamp is fun ... lol!

Thursday, 1/22/2015: Rest day ... though I do believe that I "shoulda, coulda but didn't" instead.

Friday, 1/23/2015: 6.2 miles, 48:29, 7:49 pace, 28F, 63% RH, 8 mph SW wind, wind chill 20F, partly cloudy.

Garmin Connect Activity for A nice and kind of fast 10K

I had to get out so I did. I wore the usual and got out at the usual pace for the usual distance on the usual 10K route. I'm so predictable. My splits were: 8:02, 7:55, 7:46, 7:58, 7:45, 7:37 and 6:54 over the last 0.2 mile.

Saturday, 1/24/2015: 3 runs of 1.3, Freezeroo #4 of 5.9 and 1 miles, 27F, 80% RH, 9 mph W wind, wind chill 18F, mostly cloudy

It was a Freezeroo kind of Saturday so I was up around 7:30AM to just wake up a bit, catch up on Facebook, eat my usual pre-race bowl of cereal, get dressed, kiss my darling wife goodbye, get dressed and head out the door by 8:50AM. It's all kind of automatic when you've done 308 races.

The race venue for Freezeroo #4 was the Rand Lodge of Powder Mill Park, map link here. It's called the Hearnish 10K and is actually 6.385 miles at its past reincarnations. I have raced this race 4 times (2011 to 2014) with my fastest time being 2012's 47:07. Well ... this year's course was slightly modified. It seems that GRTC was told a couple of weeks ago by Ontario County that since this course was in two counties that they needed a $5 million insurance policy which would have cost $4K. So ... GRTC modified the course to keep us out of Ontario County ... but the Railroad Mills Rd hill up to Fisher Rd was left out, :-(.

I got out for a nice 1.3 mile warmup run at 9:03 pace, link here. Then I walked over to the start on Corduroy Rd. I got in one stride before the start and lined up in my customary spot ... off to the right and about 5 yards from the front. The race suddenly started ... we were off!


I got up to speed quickly. Down Corduroy Rd, then a hard left onto Park Rd, past the Rand Lodge.

Just before the Rand  Lodge on Park Rd - courtesy of MRWarephotos

Just past the Rand Lodge on Park Rd - courtesy of Alex Tong

I could see Heather Danielson about 10 yards ahead and decided to keep pace with her. Bill Beyerbach, Prem Kumar and Andy Ciaio passed me. Up the hill on Park Rd with mile 1 at 7:17 pace. Then a right onto East St and up the long hill with mile 2 at 7:53 pace. I had passed Bill, Prem and Andy back as I got closer to Heather. She knew I was there, behind and to her right and we ran together for the majority of the race. Some rolling hills were endured on East St, then a left onto Probst Rd with mile 3 at 7:39 pace. Probst Rd was mostly downhill until we turned left onto Miles Cutling Lane. Then it was up a curvy hill that I knew well. I almost slowed to a walk at the top. Heather encouraged me and I didn't. Onward! A nice down ... mile 4 at 7:15 pace. We turned left onto Railroad Mills Rd (instead of right like last year) and went right onto the Auburn Trail for about 1/2 mile. It was icy so I slowed down until we made a hard right onto Woolston Rd. I snuck a quick look and could see Andy and Bill behind me. Some small rolling hills on Woolston Rd with mile 5 in 7:34 pace. Then a left on Conduroy Rd. Heather and I picked up the pace. We came up on where the finish line usually was ... and kept sprinting ... no finish line yet. A hard left onto Park Rd. The finish line was at the Rand Lodge. Heather crossed at 44:03 just before my 44:04. Done!

Sprinting for the finish ... Heather finished in 44:03, I finished in 44:04 - courtesy of Alex Tong

Another view of Heather and I sprinting for the finish - courtesy of MRWarephotos

Andy Ciaio finished in 44:26

Bill Beyerbach finished behind Andy Ciaio ... but forgot his timing chip. "No chip, no time" as Ellen would say! - courtesy of Alex Tong

Prem finished in 45:26 - courtesy of Alex Tong

Charlie Sabatine, the "old goat" and 81 years young, finished in 1:04:14 - courtesy of Alex Tong

Andy cruised in right behind us at 44:26, then Bill and Prem in 45:32. Bill had forgotten his timing chip so he was not in the results.

Heather suggested a cooldown run so we headed right back out for a mile at 8:54 pace, link here. Heather told me of her 3 day per week running plan as she prepares for Boston in April. She had run 16 miles on Thursday and wanted 8 on Saturday. I would say that she is healing from her stress fracture. She will probably be faster than me again soon. I didn't eat too much post-race ... just a half bagel with peanut butter.

Soon it was home for coffee and a bit of lunch before my darling wife and I had to get dressed for the GRTC Banquet at the Diplomat Banquet Center.

Christine and I - courtesy of Tim Matthews

Christine wore a purple dress which I supplemented with her birthday gift of an amethyst necklace and bracelet set. They matched very well. We met up with Bill Beyerbach, Tina Pellegrin and Tom Butler and his wife, Amy. It was nice to see fellow runners in their street or dress-up clothes. Well deserved awards to well deserving runners were given out.

(l-r) Bill Beyerbach, Wilt Alton, myself and Lou Beato

Bill won our Rochester Runner of the Year (RROY) 55-59 age group, Wilt Alton was second and I was third, Mike Sayers was fourth (not present) and Lou Beato was fifth. A link to the 2014 RROY standings is here.

2014 GRTC Banquet swag

Bill, Tom and I also received our platinum mileage patches for greater than 300 racing miles and RROY glassware. Tom ran the most ... 1206 racing miles from 65 races. I had 394 racing miles from 57 races. Bill had 301 racing miles from 53 races.

All in all, a pretty epic week with 3 races and the GRTC Award Banquet!

Oh ... meanwhile ultrarunners were running the Beast of Burden out in Lockport NY. It's the winter version of a either a 25, 50 or 100 mile jaunt 12.5 miles out and back on the Erie Canal. Here are the results, 30 runners finished the 100 mile, link here; 40 runners finished the 50 mile, results here; 19 runners finished the 25 miles, results here.

Sean Storie - running in the Beast of Burden - courtesy of Ron Heerkens Jr

Sean Store ran 70 miles before his support team pulled him. One of his pacers, Eric Eagan, wrote a blog post, link here. An awesome run on such a not so awesome day and night!

Sunday, 1/11/2015 to Saturday, 1/17/2015

I ran 3 times this week for 19.9 miles.

Sunday, 1/11/2015: Rest day

A full rest day after running the Winter Warrior Half Marathon the day before. I enjoyed being a slug. My darling wife, Christine, helped!

Monday, 1/12/2015: 6.2 miles, 51:06, 8:15 pace, 30F, 80% RH, 11 mph NNW wind, wind chill 21F, light snow.

Garmin Connect Activity for A not so easy 10K

I didn't really need to get out and run but run I did. 2 inches of snow had fallen during the day. It was relatively warm ... around freezing so I just wore tights, a long sleeve tech, 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, beanie and heavy gloves. I wore my Salamon Speedcross 3 trail shoes. I was glad I did. This run was harder than I thought it was going to be. The main streets were a bit slushy and the side streets were unplowed and snow covered. The snow was slushy and hard to run through. It was an effort. My splits were: 8:23, 8:34, 8:24, 8:16, 8:10, 7:53 and 7:32 over the last 0.2 mile. The mile splits were a lot faster than I thought when I got done. I felt like I was running 9:00 pace. The faster splits were when I was tried to run in the road or close to it where the road was clear on the way back. All in all, I was glad I went out because the weather was supposed to turn colder again. It is January in Rochester NY ... so there.

Tuesday, 1/13/2015: Rest day ... yada, yada.

Wednesday, 1/14/2015: 6.2 miles, 49:20, 7:57 pace, 21F, 49% RH, 6 mph W wind, wind chill 13F, partly cloudy.

Garmin Connect Activity for A nice and fast 10K

When I woke up it was -8F and clear! I read Facebook posts of morning runners who got up and got out there for their runs. Awesome! I knew that I had to get out there after work. It was cold (but a lot warmer than -8F) and it had not snowed. I wore my usual gear, added a headlamp and set out. The roads were pretty clear and the side streets had hard packed snow on my usual 10K route. So ... I put the hammer down a bit. My splits were: 8:02, 7:54, 7:48, 8:03, 8:14, 7:48, 7:19 over the last 0.2 mile. The 8:14 split was when I was running the sidewalks on Cooper Rd and Titus Ave which weren't as clear of ice and snow. Pretty sweet though!

Thursday, 1/15/2015: Rest day ... yada, yada.

Friday, 1/16/2015: Ditto ... I'll run tomorrow ... excuses, excuses.

Saturday, 1/17/2015: 7.5 miles, 1:02:57, 8:24 pace, -2F, 77% RH, calm and sunny

Garmin Connect Activity for A cold, crisp and sunny 7.5 miles

I got up around 8AM. It was sunny and calm. I suspected it was cold but I needed to run so I looked at the temperature and dressed accordingly. It's all about the attitude, the layers and the proper clothing so you can be a bit cool at the start but not overheat once you get up to speed. I wore the usual layers: CW-X tights and GRTC shorts on the bottom along with the Sugoi heavy long sleeve, a short sleeve tech and 1/4 zip long sleeve tech pullover on the top. I topped it off with a full balaclava, beanie and skiing mittens.

I struck up a really nice and easy pace in the cold and crisp air. The main streets were clear and the side streets were packed snow. I had only one slip as I turned from Winona Blvd onto St Paul Blvd ... but I caught myself and ran onward. My splits were: 8:12, 8:26, 8:29, 8:24, 8:26, 8:32, 8:25 and 8:05 over the last 0.5 mile. Just nice and easy. I knew I had the Winterfest 10K snowshoe or trail race down in Mendon Ponds Park tomorrow.

The rest of the day was just spent relaxing. I couldn't get my darling wife, Christine, up until 1PM. I did go out and forage at Wegmans for a sub later. Oh, we finally watched "The Queen" from Netflix. We have only had it for a couple of months. Netflix must love us!

Saturday, 1/10/2015 - Freezeroo #3 and Winter Warrior Half

Saturday, 1/10/2014: 5 runs of 1.2, Freezeroo #3 (5.04), 1.1, 0.88 and Winter Warrior Half (13.38) for 21.6 miles

An epic double race day ... yeah, baby! I was up early at 6:40AM to surf the web and do the dishes. Then it was time to get ready. It was sunny, 9F and the wind chill was below zero so I dressed warmly and quietly. I knew my darling wife, Christine, wouldn't be interested in joining me so I left her curled up warm in bed.

This was my 4th time running Freezeroo #3. I have ran it in 2010 and 2011 as Freezeroo #1, then in 2014 as Freezeroo #3. I wore my usual CW-X tights and GRTC shorts on the bottom and my heavy Sugoi long sleeve tech, short sleeve tech and 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover on top. I brought my full balaclava, beanie and heavy gloves. I wore my New Balance 860 running shoes and brought my Salamon Speedcross 3 trail shoes just in case. The venue was the Pineways Park in Spencerport. I found the roads were a mixture between bare pavement and hard snow pack so I changed into my trail shoes for better traction. A couple of fellow runners chuckled at my shoe choice but I was comfortable with it.

The weather conditions were 9F, 78% RH, 11 mph SW wind, wind chill of -6F and sunny. I wore my sunglasses to protect my eyes from the wind. I got out for a nice and easy 1.2 mile warmup run at 8:24 pace, link here. I didn't really warm up but I did get my blood pumping a bit to my legs.

Milling around before the start - courtesy of Tim Matthews

The start was delayed for about 4 minutes due to a long line at the one bathroom in the heated lodge. Understandable but a bit chilly to be standing and waiting to start. I said "Hi" to Chris O'Brien, Bill Beyerbach, Prem Kumar and Andy Ciaio.

Getting up to speed - courtesy of Tim Matthews

And ... we were off! I warmed up quickly with a first mile of 7:00 pace. The footing was a bit interesting on hard snow pack in the first two miles but was OK. The footing improved on the open road. I had to stop twice around mile 2 to catch my breath. I remembered that I had a longer race in the afternoon and backed off a wee bit. Heather Danielson passed me around mile 4. She laughed when I told her that I knew it was her by how she cleared her throat behind me. She is coming off an injury quite nicely and training for the Boston Marathon in April. Now I can start trying to stick with her at races. She is a master of pacing. And ... done in 36:43, 7:21 pace. I quickly went inside the lodge for a couple cups of water. I didn't partake of the soup or bagels.

Almost to the finish - courtesy of Tim Matthews

A picture by Alex Tong

The girls from Red Bulls were giving out free Red Bull - courtesy of Tim Matthews

I did OK. I was 43rd out of 154, link here. I was 3rd out of 12 in my M55-59 age group, link here. My splits were: 7:00, 7:24, 7:33, 7:28, 7:03 and 6:52 over the last 0.04 mile (which is 211 feet in case you are wondering). I went out of a short cooldown run with Heather. I cut it short to just 1.1 miles at 9:05 pace, link here, since I did have another race to run later.

Soon I was home with my feet up with just one mug of coffee while I uploaded my data to my usual running sites: Garmin, Dailymile, Runningahead and Strava. My darling wife, Christine, made a filling lunch of leftover turkey pot pie. I relaxed for a while but had my eyes on the clock ... tick, tock.

Soon ... I was getting ready for my next race, the Winter Warrior Half Marathon. I found that my heavy gloves, balaclava and beanie were still damp so I found an old pair of skiing mittens that were probably 30 years old and a backup beanie. I put on my other clothes from the morning ... they were dry and already "warmed" up so to speak. My darling wife, Christine, stayed home again. She said that she thought that she would be a distraction ... though I could have used her tender loving care (and a warm set of clothes to change into) later after the race.

I drove down to Monroe Community College (MCC) and parked next to the Bill Gray's Regional Iceplex around 3:15PM in plenty of time for the 4PM start. I found out later that this was the wrong lot ... oops! I got my bib and WW Half hat (which I didn't wear until after the race). I saw Steve Levitsky and Wendy Abbot and headed out with them for a 0.88 mile warmup run at 9:21 pace, link here. The weather conditions were: 18F, 53% RH, 16 mph SW wind, wind chill of 3F and sunny. Relatively balmy compared to just 6 hours ago ... lol! I carried no water and just two vanilla HammerGel packets that I kept warm close to my belly in an Amphipod pouch.

A random shot of runners milling around before the start of the Winter Warrior Half

I lined up with a lot of other runners and soon we were all boxed in pretty tight ... at least it was blocking a bit of the wind! The course was basically 5 loops clockwise around the MCC campus. We ducked into a couple of parking lots to add distance. The relay change point and timing strip (TS) was in the 2nd parking lot "duck" almost to the start/finish area at the iceplex. The USATF map is here.

And ... we were off! The start was a bit congested but I got up to speed relatively quickly.

A 1000 or so runners just after the start of the Winter Warrior Half

I found Chris O'Brien and ran with him for a mile. He said that he wanted to run 8:00 pace but that his Garmin's battery was dead. I told him that our first mile was 8:06 pace. He picked up the pace a bit or did I slow down? I let him go. There was still a long ways to go.

The relay point and timing strip

I made it to the TS on loop 1 (about 2.45 miles) at 19:22 at 8:08 pace. I noticed the lights, warming tent for relay runners and two porta-potties as I ran by. I was running well and didn't take any water. It was cold but not unbearable. It did get worse when we ran into the wind just past the start/finish area as we ran up a wee small hill. The TS on loop 2(about 5.09 miles) passed in 20:59 again at 8:08 pace. I took water now every time at the water stop just after the TS from the same guy. I had caught up to slower runners and picked my way around them for the rest of the way. The TS on loop 3(about 7.72 miles) passed in 21:16 at 8:15 pace. It was 5PM and the sun had just set.

Sunset around 5PM ... about two loops to go

Just two more loops to go. I did notice that a lot of cars were trying to enter or exit the MCC parking lots and were being held up. The TS on loop 4 (about 10.35 miles) passed in 22:05 at 8:33 pace. It was dusk and getting dark. I had no headlamp. I was getting hungry so I took a HammerGel just before the water stop. I was slowing but only one loop to go!

Chris O'Brien (l) and Jeff Rose (r) enjoying the moment?

I found a woman with a long coat and brown hair that was running my pace. I didn't say a word to her but ran with her throughout this loop. She mostly ran to the inside and I ran to the outside when we passed runners.I don't know if I could have talked anyway. I think my mouth was frozen. On, on ... it was dark ... onward with no headlamp and street lights for illumination. Passing runners with headlamps helped. The fifth loop (about 13.02 miles) passed in 23:16 at 9:02 pace. I took water for the last time and willed myself forward. It was totally dark. I had no idea how to cross to the left to get to the finish. There was a bit of confusion but someone said "Go this way" so I did. I saw bright lights, heard a crowd and saw the finish. I saw the clock tick past 1:50:00 ... shoot. I got from the TS at loop 5 to the finish in 3:12 at 8:00 pace.

The finish line!

I was done! Someone put the WW snowflake medal around my neck. I clicked off my Garmin at 13.38 miles, 1:50:12. My mittens didn't turn it off so well. They are big and bulky but nice and warm!

I made my way inside the iceplex. I received the first piece of the Four Season Challenge from Luen. I found out where the Bill Grey's food was and was soon handed a hamburger, chips and a well earned beer. I tried to call Christine but my iPhone died. There were TVs and I saw that the Ravens - Patriots game was 14-21 at halftime. I met up with Steve Levitsky. He had ran a 1:41:04 for 29th overall and 7th in his tough M45-49 age group. We talking for a while. Then I noticed that my fingertips were all white due to Raynaud's phenomenon. It happens all the time to me and doesn't bother me too much. But ... I needed to warm up. I made my way, OK I ran, out to the Equinox. I was shivering uncontrollably for about 5 to 10 minutes as I waited for the car to warm up and for my iPhone to charge a bit. I pulled off my 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover and put on my Sehgahunda hoodie. I also put on my well earned Winter Warrior Half hat. I got a bit of charge so I called Christine and told her of my situation. Soon I was warm enough so I made it home, got my gear out of the car without incident, up the stairs, she handed me a mug of hot chocolate and I put my feet up. I felt OK ... 21.6 miles for the day later.

I remember seeing some signs around the course: "Smile, Your paid money to do this", "Baby, It's #$%^&*@ cold outside!" and "Run hard when it's harder to run".

A lot of people were certifiable crazy!

"Yay, you!"

I heard that there was a sign with the frozen Jack Nicholson from "The Shining" but I didn't see it. I sometimes "zone out" and just run.

I found that the Patriots had won their game at home against the Ravens, 35-31, link here. Then I watched the next game. The Seahawks at home beat the Panthers, 31-17, link here. I wasn't really hungry until later. My supper consisted of chocolate cake ... yummy!

I looked at Winter Warrior Half results, link here. I did OK with a 1:50:07, 91st out of 841. I was 5th out of 35 in my M55-59 age group, link here. All in all, not bad.

The WW Half swag: The race snowflake medal on the left and the first 4 Season Challenge medal on the right.

Here are a few news video clips. You can see me at 0:40 seconds on this TWC News clip, link here. I am pretty sure that I am in this clip too, link here.

  Interesting YouTube video ... I assume that I was in the Top 100 that was passed by the winner, Kenny Goodfellow, at the beginning of the 3rd loop

A YouTube video from behind the finish. I assume that I am in this video somewhere.
The link for above video is here in case you want to open it in a browser. Yellow Jacket Racing has a YouTube channel, link here.

I looked at the many Facebook posts about the Winter Warrior Half. Everyone thanked the volunteers (as did I) and recounted the tales of their journey on this night. I did find a thread about the traffic hassle at MCC. MCC and Monroe County gave the approval to Yellow Jacket Racing (YJR) for the WW Half months ago. YJR had asked for a night with no activities planned ... well no one checked the MCC activity calendar or just added to it later. It seems that there was a hockey practice, basketball practice, lacrosse practice and a swim meet going on at the same time as the WW Half. This is why many of the volunteers holding up traffic were bitched out by some of the drivers trying to exit or enter the MCC parking lots. I read that Ellen and Barb had a run-in with a MCC Campus Security officer and that the route to the finish line was changed during the race from the 1st to the 2nd entrance of the iceplex. I finished by heading in the first entrance. She said that this added 0.2 mile to the race (some runners did report 13.5 miles). Drama during the race ... wow! I would have loved to hear Ellen go toe to toe and yell "I am the race director!"

All in all, an epic day!

Sunday, 1/4/2015 to Friday, 1/9/2015 - Snow Cheap #2 (DNS)

1 ran 1 time during 6 days, 7.6 miles.

Sunday, 1/4/2015: Rest day

I could have gone out but I had a lot of running at the end of the week. I just chilled and watched football. The Colts beat the Bengals, 26-10, link here. My darling wife, Christine, and I took a nice halftime break before we went back to the game. Then the Cowboys beat from 7-20 to beat the Lions, 24-20, link here. This  game had  a bit of controversy with a picked up pass interference flag against Dallas in the 4th quarter with Dallas behind 17-20. This led to a punt by the Lions. Then Dallas goes down to score the winning TD with about 3 minutes to go. Game over.

Monday, 1/5/2015: Another rest day

I thought about running ... but I was tired. Plus the temperature had fallen all day with high winds so the wind chill was below zero.

Tuesday, 1/6/2015: 7.6 miles, 59:35, 7:50 pace, 16F, 73% RH, 11 mph WSW wind, partly cloudy

I needed to get out. The wind is supposed to pick up again tomorrow and the win chill is supposed to be -10F to -20F. So I wanted to make sure that I got a run in if tomorrow's Snow Cheap #3 was canceled due to wind chill.

Garmin Connect Activity for A nice and cold 7.6 miles

Yes, it was 16F with a wind chill of 3F ... but I needed to run so run I did. I wore my heavy Sugoi tech and a 1/4 zip pullover tech on top, a full balaclava and beanie on my head along with my usual CW-X tights and GRTC short on the bottom. I was warm within a mile and just ran. My splits were: 8:01, 8:02, 7:37, 7:37, 8:06, 7:51, 7:48 and 7:34 over the last 0.6 mile. Nice!

Wednesday, 1/7/2015 - Snow Cheap #2 - Did Not Start (DNS)

Well ... another DNS, two in a row now. I had trouble fighting the traffic on the way home and I just didn't want to venture out again. Call me a wuss ... the temperature was 3F and the wind chill was seriously below zero with the wind. I salute the 162 brave souls who finished Snow Cheap #2, link here. I am not worthy.

Thursday, 1/8/2015: Another rest day

I "shoulda, coulda but didn't" get out to run. I have a major headache and was tired. Excuses, excuses.

Friday, 1/9/2014: The rest day before a race day with 2 races

Sunday, 12/28/2014 to Saturday, 1/3/3014 - Freezeroo #2 & Frozen Assets 5K (DNS)

I ran 5 times this week, 38.2 miles.

Sunday, 12/28/2014: 13.1 miles, 1:48:00, 8:14 pace, 37F, 70% RH, 10 mph WNW wind, partly cloudy.

Garmin Connect Activity for A nice and half half just because

I woke up and needed a long run. So ... I dilly dallied a bit and got out there. I took up a nice and easy pace on my usual clockwise bridge route. I added some miles out to Durand Eastman Beach to dip my running shoes in Lake Ontario.

My left shoe is about to get wet. That's the nipple of my water bottle in the foreground.

I took a HammerGel at mile 5.5 and then took an off the Garmin break for about 2 minutes at mile 7.7 at the beach. My splits were: 8:09, 8:07, 7:55, 7:57, 8:09, 8:52, 8:16, 8:20, 8;22, 8:30, 8:13, 8:23, 8:04 and 7:16 over that last 0.1 mile.

This paragraph is a condensed history over several days:
I started to work on Bill Beyerbach's laptop. He had got hit with the CBT Locker virus with absolutely no backups whatsoever. It got into your computer, searches out all your data, encrypts it and then posts a message on your desktop to try to ranson your data. He had told me about it and I told him that I would like to take a whack at helping him. He had 6.7 GB of work files on his desktop and 6.7 GB of personal files in his My Documents. All of them were encrypted with a .vwdfdf suffix. I Googled the CBT Locker virus and found some ways to try to attack it. I made a copy of his encrypted files to give to him. It seems that his appraisal software made some output files that were not encrypted so that was good. I found the Task Scheduler task that started it on bootup and killed it. I ran RogueKiller, Malwarebytes and emptied the Temp folders. But all the data files were still encrypted: JPGs, PDFs, DOCXs, XLSXs. Wow! I tried to go to Previous Versions, no. I tried to load ShadowExplorer to look for other versions, no. I loaded Recuva to look at all the deleted files to see if something wasn't encrypted. I found a few. I feel bad but there is absolutely nothing that I can do to help him. So ... dear readers ... PLEASE MAKE BACKUPS! And then keep those backups disconnected from your computer except when making the backup!

I watched the Bills play the Patriots out in Gillette Stadium in Foxboro MA. The Patriots had nothing to play for and play their backups. The Bill had pride to play for and a winning record of 9-7 (the best since 2004). Well ... the Bills won 17-9, link here. I felt sure that the Patriots would tie it up and win in OT but they didn't.

Monday, 12/29/2014: Rest day.

A total rest day after running a half marathon the day before.

Tuesday, 12/30/2014: 6.2 miles, 51:43, 8:20 pace, 23F, 72% RH, 3 mph S wind, overcast.

Garmin Connect Activity for A cold and easy 10K

The temperature fell below freezing and two inches of snow fell in the morning. I had 98.12 miles for the month of December. But ... a streak needed to be maintained. I have run more than 100 miles per month since July 2013. Seventeen months in a row and counting ... knock on wood. So ... I bundled up a bit more and headed out. I struck up a nice and easy pace and was very mindful of my footing. I had mistakenly put on my road shoes instead of trying out my new trail shoes. I was careful ... not that you would know it by my pace being only about 10 seconds per mile slower. My splits were: 8:28, 8:25, 8:13, 8:14, 8:40, 8:11 and 7:23 over the last 0.2 mile. The mile 4 of 8:40 was on the icy sidewalks of Cooper Rd and Titus Ave. I could have extended to a 15K but decided against it ... my face was cold.

Wednesday, 12/31/2014: End of the year.

Just a nice and easy rest day on New Year's Eve. I was asleep on the couch at midnight.

The stats for the month of December: 16 runs for 104.32 miles, 6.5 miles/run.
The stats for 2015: 229 runs for 1361.31 miles, 5.9 miles/run.

Thursday, 1/1/2015: 2 runs of 1 mile and the 7.5 mile Freezeroo #2, 23F, 63% RH, 17 mph SW wind, wind chill 9F, partly cloudy.

Well ... New Year's Day. Time to rise, shine and get ready for my 6th running (2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and now 2015) of Freezeroo #2. Yes, it was cold. Yes, my bed with my darling wife, Christine, still sleeping in it was cozy. But ... a runner who loves to race gets up and races. So ... I got ready and go out. It was 22F according to Yahoo! Weather so I wore my usual: CW-X tights, long sleeve tech, 1/4 zip tech pullover, beanie and heavy gloves. I put some "after the run" stuff in my bag (and was glad I brought it).

I got down to the beach parking at Mendon Ponds Park at 9:05AM. Plenty of time before the 10AM start. I do like to get a race about a hour early. It was cold. I got my bib and timing chip up at Stewart Lodge. I put my bib on the left leg of the tights in case I changed my mind about what I was going to wear on top. I met up with Prem Kumar for a moment and then headed back to the car. It was cold. I decided that I needed more warmth. So ... I dug in my bag and put on a short sleeve tech over my long sleeve tech and a neck gaiter around my neck I really need to find my balaclava. I got out for a nice and easy 1 mile warmup run at 9:19 pace ... which really didn't warm me up.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before Freezeroo #2

I saw Bill Beyerbach when I was just heading to the start line and walked with him to our usual starting positions. He likes to start in the middle. I like to start more to the right side. I saw shirtless Tom Butler and felt warmer, lol!

Tom Butler said that he got the Superman shorts as a gag Christmas gift and decided to wear them.

And ... we're off! - courtesy of Tim Matthews

Getting up to speed after the start - courtesy of Tim Matthews

And ... we were off! 7.5 miles through the rolling hills of Mendon were ahead. The course was back on Douglas Rd and left on Canfield Rd back to Rt 65 (Clover St). Mile 1 passed in a quick 7:10. Then a left onto Clover St into the wind. Wow ... was it cold and difficult to run into the wind. Mile 2 passed in 7:36. I had to take a couple of tiny walk breaks to get my breath back as we turned left onto Pond Rd. We ran past Devil's Bathtub. Mile 3 passed in 8:05. Then a right to stay on Pond Rd. Mile 4 passed in 7:41. I didn't take any water at the water stop nor did I carry any.

This looks to be Pond Rd - courtesy of Tim Matthews

A left onto Pittsford-Mendon Center Rd with more rolling hills. Mile 5 passed in 7:46. I was cruising, 2/3 done. I was keeping pace with two girls and then passed them. Mile 6 passed in 7:26 about 1/2 mile before another left back onto Canfield Rd. Up the hill, down Canfield Rd. Mile 7 passed in 7:45. The left turn back onto Douglas Rd was in sight.

Up the last hill on Douglas Rd near the cobblestone house - courtesy of Tim Matthews

Time to gut it out, the finish line was sight! I couldn't catch the guy in front and I heard no one behind me. I got up to 6:33 pace at the finish. And ... done in 57:31. I thought I hit the stop button but really didn't. Oops!

Cruising into the finish at 57:31 - courtesy of Sue Scheuch 

Almost done! - courtesy of Sue Scheuch

I waited and saw Heather Danielson (58:14), Frank Quattrone (58:45), Steve Levitsky (58:59), Andy Ciaio (59:22), Bill Beyerbach (59:36) and Prem Kumar (1:05:45) come in.

I had a bit of post race grub up at Stewart Lodge ... pasta, garlic bread, soup and chips. It was crowded so I went home. It felt strangely warm out now. It had warmed up to 25F but the wind wasn't as fierce, lol!

I did pretty OK. I was 62nd out of 340, link here. The 57:31 was about a minute faster than last year's 58:36 (but nowhere near 2012's 53:26. I was 5th out of 30 in my M55-59 age group, link here. A news link here.

Christine had a hot mug of coffee ready went I got home so I stripped out of my wet gear, put on warm clothes and relaxed the rest of the day. Sweet!

Friday, 1/2/2015: Rest day.

Saturday, 2/3/2015: All in all, a day that I would like to start over and do better

I had signed up for the Frozen Assets 5K, a snowshoe race, down in Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area  (about 50 minutes south of Rochester). Well, it was posted on Facebook on Friday night that since there not enough snow that it was just going to be a trail shoe race of about 3.4 miles. I got ready, got dressed, got my gear ready. I brought a change of clothes and thought I had everything all wired. I had convinced my darling wife, Christine, to come along. We started about 20 minutes late from when I had wanted to but still made it to the race site at 9:20 AM in plenty of time for the 10AM start. I got my bib, pinned it on and started to get ready at 9:40 AM. Well ... I didn't have my trail shoes with the screws. I had only my road shoes.

I was pissed. I should have just walked up to the start line and asked if anyone had any traction that I could have borrowed. But I was embarrassed that I had forgotten to check that I had everything. I later learned that Prem Kumar had some crampons that I could have borrowed. But no ... I just started up the car and drove home. It was my fault for not making sure that I had everything that I needed to run this race. I finally went out for a run to clear my head and get some use out of the day. So ... my first Frozen Assets 5K was a DNS (Did Not Start).

Garmin Connect Activity for A clockwise bridges run

So ... 10.4 miles, 1:25:54, 8:15 pace, 32F, 64% RH, 9 mph SE wind

I just went out and ran at my usual nice and easy pace. A tiny section to the left of most sidewalks was mostly clear so that is where I ran when I couldn't run on the road so I had to be careful. On and on I ran. It started to snow lightly. I crossed the O'Rorke bridge, headed back to St Paul Blvd and then headed back north. The light snow changed to light freezing rain. It had started to get slippery and I was wet when I got back.  back. I apologized again. I was in the wrong.

I had my usual post run coffee, realized I was cold and then showered. I watched the two NFL Wild-Card games. The Panthers beat the Cardinals at home, 26-17, link here. The Ravens beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh, 30-17, link here.

Today: lesson learned. I really need to make a list of thing I might need for a race and check it off before I leave for a race. I am so used to just "winging it". It's a bit harder and more involved in the winter when there is more gear to haul and more traction options to consider. I know have road, trail, trail with screws and snowshoes to consider in the winter.

12/31/2014 - looking back at 2014

12/31/2014: Looking back and looking ahead

Who am I? I'm a 57 year old runner. I'm 6' 4" and weigh about 172 pounds. I discovered running about 9 years as a way to get out of the house to avoid arguing with my ex wife. I stuck with it through the divorce, after the divorce and now into my second marriage. My darling wife, Christine, found me on Facebook again when she was looking for sponsors for a running event that she was interested in. We had gone out in college way back in 1978 when I went to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland but had gone our separate ways. She said she found a Facebook picture of me splashing through the water at the 2008 Jensen Stables 12K and wondered if that was me. Well, a question on Facebook chat on 8/27/2009 quickly led to a visit on 9/5/2009. This visit soon led to her moving to Rochester in October 2009 which led to marriage on 11/30/2012.

I continue to run. I started short as all runners do. First one, then two and then three miles at a time.First only when I felt like it and it was sunny. Soon two or three times a week for 15 miles total when it was nice. Then three or four times a week in almost any weather condition for 20 to 25 miles total. Soon, the long run became anything up to 10 miles or more. I have finished the Rochester Marathon twice (3:51:57). I have attempted a trail marathon named Sehgahunda four times, went to the hospital the first two times in 2010 and 2011, finished the next two in 2012 and 2014. I have finished a trail 50K, the Mendon Ponds Trail Race, mostly in the rain, in November 2013. So I have done a few long races.

I guess you could say I am a runner.  I wasn't sure about this thing called a "runner's high" when i first began. Now I know it does exist ... I have felt it. Sometimes running is a chore ... and then sometimes you feel like you could run forever.

Anyway ... a look back into 2014

Yes, a picture of my feet. The left three black toes are from the 15 mile WTF on 12/13/14. I don't know about the right two.

I ran 229 times in 2014 (including warmups and cooldowns) for 1361 miles, 5.9 miles/run, a PR.

I ran 57 races (391 racing miles) in 2014, another PR. I like to say I'm faster than some and slower than others. Those 57 races were split between 32 road races and 25 trail races. The "popular" road race distances were: 12 5Ks, 1 5M, 4 10Ks, 3 15Ks, 1 20K and 3 half marathons. I didn't run a full marathon last year. The trail races were more relaxed and were of various distances up to Sehgahunda's 26.3 miles. I like to race so I spent $1244 on race applications.

I finished 3rd in my 55-59 age group in the 12 race Rochester Runner of the Year (RROY) standings with 48 out 60 points, link here. The rules are explained here. My friends, Bill Beyerbach and Wilt Alston, finished with 53 and 49 points, respectively. I finished 2nd in my 55-59 age group in the 6 race Freezeroo standings, link here.

It's the competition that I like. The act of getting out there and seeing what I can do. A local man wrote an article about winning 4th in his M30-34 RROY age group with a single hard-earned point, link here.

My first race was the Newark Turkey Day 5 Mile way back in 2007. The result of that race is unknown but I still love racing 304 races later.

A look ahead into 2015

What is in store for 2015? Half marathons for one thing. My body right now is more set up for a half marathon than a full marathon. I have already signed up for Fleet Feet's 4 Season Challenge, the Lake Effect Half Marathon in February and the Syracuse Half Marathon in March so that is 6 already. I signed up for the Ontario Summit Trail Marathon on 5/30 instead of Sehgahunda on 5/23 and the new Webster Trail Classic on 6/6/15 instead of the Mendon Mauler basically because I want new challenges. I got a pair of Dion snowshoes for Christmas so I have signed up for some snowshoes races: the Frozen Assets 5K on 1/3/15, the Winterfest 10K on 1/15/15 and maybe the Cast a Shadow on 2/7/15. I have a bicycle so I may sign up for more duathlons (Flower City Du, Fly By Night and Shoreline Du). Will I sign up for as many races as in 2014? Who knows?

I run solo nowadays mostly because it is cheaper and easier just to run as soon as I get out my apartment door. My nice and easy pace of 8:00 to 8:20 minute per mile. Sometimes I run faster. I just get out there and run.

I would like to start using the LA Fitness membership that my darling wife, Christine, dutifully pays every month. I would like to lose about 10 pounds ... though exchanging it for muscle would be OK. I have never been very muscular except in my legs.

That's about it ... Happy New Year!

Sunday, 12/21/2014 to Saturday, 12/27/2014

I ran 3 times this week, 26.4 miles.

Sunday, 12/21/2014: 14 miles, 1:53:52, 8:08 pace, 30F, 80% RH, 5 mph WSW wind, sunny.

Garmin Connect Activity for Clockwise bridges run + extra

I needed a long run. I dilly daillied as per usual but not as much as usual. I decided on my usual clockwise bridges run but I ran down Lake Ave to the O'Rorke bridge instead of through Turning Bridge Park just to be different. I struck up a nice and easy 8:00 pace and headed out. It was kind of nice out and sunny (for once). The miles passed. My legs felt a bit achy after mile 10 or so but I dragged them along for the ride. My splits were: 8:14, 7;55, 7:54, 7:55, 7:46, 7:55, 8:25, 8:19, 8:12, 8:10, 8:21, 8:09, 8:17 and 8:17.

Later, I watched the Bills - Raiders game out in Oakland. Yes, the Bills did need to win the last two games to even have a glimmer of hope to make the playoffs. But .. the Bills couldn't even win the first game and lost 24-26, link here. The Bills need a lot ... an offensive line, a decent QB and a run defense. Wow!

Monday, 12/22/2014: Rest day.

Laundry needed to be done ... after at least a month. I had asked my darling wife, Christine, to sort the laundry and start it downstairs in the 1 washer, 1 dryer in the basement of our apartment unit (1 of 5). It doesn't really seem to be an unreasonable request since we were running out of clean clothes. Well ... I got home to no Christine, sorted laundry, no note and just a voicemail that she had gone to MassageEnvy for a massage and then Christmas shopping. Well ... I did almost 3 loads (1 whites and 2 darks) of laundry before she came home around 9PM. It was what it was. Christine does suffer from depression and especially in the winter. I do the best I can to help her.

Tuesday, 12/23/2014: 6.2 miles, 45:46, 7:23 pace, 50F, 82% RH, 7 mph S wind, clear.

I put the rest of the laundry in the basement and asked my darling wife, Christine, to have it done and folded when I got home. She was up when I left. Win! Half the laundry was done when I got home and I helped with the other half after my run.

Garmin Connect Activity for A warm and fast 10K on the usual route

I got dressed for a run and got out. I was pretty amped up because it was warm out. I started fast, stayed fast and ended fast on my usual 10K route. It was one of those runs that just felt great ... wow! My splits were like a metronome: 7:22, 7:24, 7:24, 7:24, 7:28, 7:23 and 6:43 over the last 0.2 mile. Sweet!

Wednesday, 12/24/2014: Rest day.

I took the day off because I knew it would less stressful for my darling wife, Christine, to be able to leave for Cleveland when she got ready. Well ... we took our time plus I helped my friend, Bill Beyerbach, with his laptop that had the CBT Locker virus and a hard drive full of encrypted files that I might or might be able to decrypt. I will work on it next week.

We left for Lakewood OH around 3PM. This is Beth and her finance, Nick, live. She is Christine's daughter. It was a nice drive with temperatures over 50F the entire way. We did run in a line of intense rain for about 5 minutes just as we got to Cleveland. We got there around 7:30PM and proceeded directly to the Buckeye Beer Engine for a much needed supper. I had the '76 burger along with a 12% Scaldis Noel draft beer. Yum!

We were all tired when we got back to their house and all went to bed. Zzzz!

Thursday, 12/25/2014: Merry Christmas from OH!

Christine and I were up early but drifted in and out of sleep before we came downstairs around 9:30AM. Nick had been busy cooking up a delicious breakfast of waffles with a topping of bananas and butterscotch , eggs over easy and bacon along with coffee. Yum.

We showered and then headed over to Bill's house in Ravenna OH by 1PM. Bill is one of her older brothers. He is married to Patty and lives next to her father, John Wisniewski. Bill's kids; Jamie (with husband John and kids Johnny and Jordan) and Michael (along with wife Brooke and kid Michael). We had a nice buffet brunch and lots of sweets after. We were full but managed to eat something.

We had a good visit with everyone. Then we headed over to the Hampton Inn and Suites in Streetsboro OH to stay the night. We got a excellent king size suite on the third floor. We had packed our bathing suits and this time we actually used them, The pool was very nice.

We have the whole pool to ourselves

Christine demostrated how well she could float. Me ... I sunk!

The hot tub. It was nice after swimming in the pool.

It wasn't very big but we had it all to ourselves. We dipped it a bit in the hot tub before we toweled off and headed back upstairs. We watched the end of Jim Carrey in "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" before we sawed wood for the night. My darling wife, Christine, sawed more than her share of wood for sure!

Friday, 12/26/2014: 6.2 miles, 49:23, 7:56 pace, 30F, 100% RH, 3 mph S wind, sunny.

Garmin Connect Activity for A 10K in Streetsboro OH

I woke up around 7AM. Christine was snoring with a pillow that she had put over her head to try to keep quiet. I needed to run so I had a candy bar that I found in my gym bag, dressed quietly and got downstairs to the lobby. I stood there thinking about the difficulty of the first step out the door. The woman at the front desk was a runner and she wished me a good run. So ... I headed out at a nice and easy pace. I had looked up a nice route down that took me down Mondial Parkway, 303 and back on 14. I added some mileage by heading into some car dealerships.

I brought up some coffee from the free breakfast in the dining room for my sleeping beauty upstairs. We woke up enough to have a bit of breakfast downstairs. Yum. We got out of our hotel at noon, exactly on time. I must say that this Hampton Inn and Suites was the best hotel we have ever stayed in.

Christine was open to doing anything in Cleveland that I wanted to do. So ... I decided that we would go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame downtown since we had talked about going there during the past several visits to Cleveland. We had a bit of trouble getting there even with Google Maps helping me. But we did get there and spent the entire afternoon there. Wow! What a place!

"We are Devo" - Devo

A 1981 Rolling Stones tour poster.

"Like a Virgin" - Madonna

"Blondie" - Blondie

A guitar and suit of Johnny Cash. I still have the "Folsom Prison" LP I bought many years ago.

The Santa suit and boots that Pamela Anderson wore.

A suit and guitar of Chuck Berry's.

We started back to Rochester just before 6AM and got home around 11PM. We stopped at an Eat'n'Park in Erie PA for a nice sit down dinner with lots of coffee. It felt nice just to relax.

I took this to heart and ordered a chocolate creme pie.

Sleep came quickly after a long day ... zzzzzzzz.

Saturday, 12/27/2014: Rest day.

I could have gotten out, I should have gotten out. But I didn't get out and just relaxed. I did get out to get Christmas stamps from the post office next that we can see out our front window.

We caught up on some programs in the DVR. We finally saw the live "Peter Pan" from December 4th. Yes, Christopher Walken didn't do too well as Captain Hook ... but he tried. Then, we saw "It's a Wonderful Life". Yes, we both had the sniffles at the end.