Sunday, 8/2/2015 to Saturday, 8/8/2015 - Young & Wyld 5K and Bergen 5K

I ran 7 times this week, 27.48 miles.

Sunday, 8/2/2015: Rest day.

I really, really, really should have done something ... anything! But ... I didn't and felt like a slug. I caught up on Facebook and saw awesome posts about the Keuka Tri, results here. The usual long runs and long bikes were also celebrated. But ... I rested and felt like a slug.

Monday, 8/3/2015: 6.2 miles, 48:26, 7:48 pace, 81F, 48% RH, 13 mph WSW wind, sunny

Garmin Connect Activity for A nice 10K

I got out there for a quick and not so easy 10K. I could have gone longer but cut it short. My splits were: 7:49, 7:37, 7:47, 7:57, 8:03, 7:44 and 7:10 over the last 0.2 mile.

The band on my Garmin Forerunner 310XT broke when I took it off. Parts went flying! The piece that held the clasp on went flying. I was sweaty and didn't feel like kneeling on the bedroom floor and searching for it.

A screen capture from gpscity.com of a replacement band

The piece is not one of the two that hold each side of the band to the FR310XT but the one that holds the clasp to the bottom band above.

I cobbled together my FR310XT so I could hold it in my hand

I really should buy either replacement band or another fitness watch. I do like the Garmin brand but ... the Magellan Switch is looking really good. The sale price of $84 for the Switch Up is really talking to me, link here.

Tuesday, 8/4/2015: Rest day ... ugh!!

The usual rest day before a race ... boring!!

Wednesday, 8/5/2015: 2 runs of 2.1 and Young & Wyld 5K (3.08 miles)

I had signed up for my second Young & Wyld 5K a couple of weeks ago. I knew that I needed to run 5Ks to actually get used to running 5Ks. This race is down in Honeoye Falls on a familiar, flat and fast course that I have run about 5 times between various races. It's a bit of a drive but there is nice scenery and a waterfall to boot!

I loaded all my gear in Equinox before when I went to work. Well ... I did have to go home for lunch to pick up my gym shorts! I kind of thought that I had forgotten them and I had. So I changed after work and headed straight there. I arrived at 6PM in plenty of time for the 7PM start. The weather conditions were pretty ideal: 73F, 44% RH, 12 mph WNW wind that shifted to 13 mph NNW wind before the race, partly sunny.

Well .. Honeoye Falls does have a falls

I saw Andy Ciaio and Bob Dyjak before the race. I got out for a nice and easy 2.1 mile warmup run at 8:28 pace, link here. I adjusted my FR310XT so I could just hold it in the left hand while I ran. It seemed to work so I ran with it ... lol!

I started up my eCrumb so that my darling wife, Christine, could track me in the last minute before the race. It was a small race with around 100 runners.  I lined up a few feet from the start and to the extreme right to get around.some of the little kids that were up too close to the start.


And ... we were off! The course was your basic loop with the added twist that all the turns were to the right so we had traffic to our backs. It's slightly more dangerous but it's the course so I ran it. I struck up a hard pace and struggled to hold it as well as I could. Andy Ciaio passed me during the first mile (6:59). I knew I slowed down a bit during mile 2 (7:14). I grabbed a cup of water at the halfway point and gulped a mouthful of water without breaking stride. I tried to hold on for mile 3 (7:11). I turned the last corner ... sprint (5:55 during the last 0.08 mile) ... clock under 22 ... done in 21:50! I found, grabbed a bottle of water and downed it quickly. I was a bit parched.

A post race root beer float hit the spot!

I looked at the results when they were posted and found that I finished 18th and won my M55-59 age group. Andy was 12th in 21:55 for 2nd in his M50-54 age group. Bob Dyjak finished in 26:51. The overall results, link here. The age group results, link here. I won a $10 gift certificate to the JoJo Bistro & Wine Bar in Pittsford. Nice!

Thursday, 8/6/2015: 9.3 miles, 1:14:13, 7:59 pace, 73F, 50% RH, 8 mph N wind, partly sunny

Garmin Connect Activity to A new 15K route

It was Thursday and it was my night to run ... so I did. I brought up mapmyrun.com to try to find a new 15K route because I was a bit bored with running out onto the pier by the Ontario Beach Park on my old 15K route. I found a nice route that involved running out Edgemre Drive to Island Cottage to Latta to Dewey back to Edgemere Drive. It popped up as an exact 15K so I ran it. I struck up the usual nice and easy pace ... which I pushed like usual after I warmed up. Island Cottage, Latta and Dewey all had wide shoulders. My first first 5K was 24:50, second 5K was 24:55 and the last 5K was 24:28. My splits were: 8:04, 8:01, 7:59, 8:01, 8:13, 7:50, 7:53, 8:00, 7:56 and 7:27 over the last 0.3 mile.

Friday, 8/7/2015: Rest day ... boo, hiss!

Saturday, 8/8/2015: 3 runs of 1.8, Bergen 5K and 1.9 miles, 64F, 77% RH, calm, overcast.

I woke up at 6AM for my fourth Bergen 5K (20:31 in 2011, 21:36 in 2013, 21:32 in 2014). It's a Rochester Runner of the Year race that I enjoy running. It brings out the cream of the western NY runners with lots of fast runners from Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and other locales. I had my pre-race bowl of cereal, dressed quietly and got my gear ready. I kissed my darling wife, Christine, goodbye. She surprised me by getting ready quickly and coming with me. We left at 7:23AM and arrived out in Bergen at 7:50AM in plenty of time for the 8;30AM start..

I got my bib and black tech shirt at packet pickup. I saw Prem Kumar, Bill Beyerbach, Mark Herberger and Bob Dyjak before the race. I got out for a nice and easy 1.9 mile warmup run at 8:40 pace, link here.

I lined up next to Bob a bit farther back than usual because of the fast crowd. I remembered to start my eCrumb just as the gun started.

The start - courtesy of Wayne Fingerlakes Cross Country and Track and Field

Getting up to speed at the start - courtesy of Bergen Road Race

And ... we were off! I got a bit busy as I tried to get up to speed while trying to stow my Droid in my SpiBelt ... and not drop anything. Hence ... I forgot to start up my Garmin FR310XT for about 0.2 mile. I didn't let it bother me. I just concentrated on letting the slower runners ahead of me give me room to pass them. The course was a new one. I hit the 1 km mark in 4:16 and the 1 mile in 6:42. I concentrated on keeping my pace and shortened my stride.

4K mark - courtesy of Tim Matthews

I started to pick off runners the rest of the way ... probably 5 or 6. I turned back into Hickory Park at mile 3.

Trying to catch 117 - courtesy of Wayne Fingerlakes Cross Country and Track and Field

Trying to draw even - courtesy of Wayne Fingerlakes Cross Country and Track and Field

Sprinting for the finish  - courtesy of Bergen Road Race

She beat me by a foot! - courtesy of Bergne Road Race

Bergen 5K swag

I saw a woman in front of me as we moved off the road to the finish on the grass. I sprinted ... she heard me coming and finished a foot in front of me ... and done in 21:30, 6:56 pace! Fastest 5K of the year! I knocked a fist with Prem ... he finished in 21:07, He had a relay race to go to afterward. Mark finished in 22:03. Mark and I congratulated Bill on his 20:00. He PR'ed at age 60!! He knocked 26 seconds off his previous PR. His workouts with GVH are really paying off!

I checked out the results, link here. The male winner, Sam Morse, finished in 14:44 and the female winner, Hannah Davidson, finished in 16:03! The first 52 finished under 17:00, 77 finished under 18:00 and 99 finished under 19:00 ... a truly fast field of runners! I finished 151st out of 337 and was 3rd out of 14 in my M55-59 age group. I received a plastic cup with the Bergen 5K logo ... nice! I got out for a nice cooldown run of 1.9 miles at 9:00 pace, link here.

Christine and I headed home with a stop at BJs on the way home. Soon she and I were relaxing with coffee. Well ... after I carted in the groceries and she put them away that is!

Meanwhile ... lots of other races were going on. The Women Run the ROC had 516 finishers (515 women and 1 lucky guy), link here. The Beast of Burden was held out in Lockport.

A map of the Mighty Mosquito relay course

A view of some of the tents

I headed out to Hopkinton Lodge at Mendon Ponds Park to check out the Mighty Mosquito 99 Mile Relay. The 5 solo runners started at 6AM and the relay teams started at 10AM. I chatted with the race director, Eric Eagan, and saw Prem Kumar go out for his second of three runs. There were teams of 6 runners who each ran loop 1, then each ran loop 2 and then all ran loop 3. Each loop was about 5 to 6 miles and would take about a hour or more. So each runner would run about every 6 hours. Headlamps were certainly necessary to run after dark. Maybe next year ...