Sunday, 8/16/2015 to Saturday, 8/22/2015 - Dirt Cheap #5 and James Francis / Andrea Kofahl Memorial 5K

I ran 4 times this week, 19.32 miles.

Sunday, 8/16/2015: 8.3 miles, 1:13:41, 8:52 pace, 73F, 73% RH, 3 mph WSW wind, sunny

Christine and I spent the night in Streetsboro OH in a Wingate by Wyndham Hotel. We had a very nice room with a king bed, desk, chair and nice sized bathroom along with refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker and even a safe! Plus this room had 13 outlets! The only thing bad I could say about the room was that the pillows were small and had not too much fluff to them. A small quibble and that's it. My alarm went off at 6AM ... I thought about trying to go back to sleep ... I really did. But ... I got up, got dressed and got out for a run. I did stop in the gym to move some weights around before I headed outside.



It was sunny and getting warm already. I had stayed in Streetsboro before so I knew a nice route. I added in parking lots this time plus I saw a trailhead into Seneca Ponds Park off of Mondial Parkway so I went in there ... and got lost for a bit on the Beaver and Swan trails. Every trail looked the same and I meandered around for a while until I hit upon the exit. I had forgotten water ... which I regretted because I had only half done with the run and it was getting warmer. But I pressed onward to Jefferson St, Route 303 and back on Route 14 before I got back to the Wingate. My splits were: 7:59, 7:55, 7:54, 9:33, 11:57 (lost in the woods), 8:51, 8:18, 8:45 and 8:12 over the last 0.3 mile

I was drenched with sweat and had some water and food at the breakfast bar before I headed back to our room. I woke up Christine and suggested that she eat breakfast. I changed and hit the swimming pool again to cool off.

We checked out and proceeded to Ravenna OH where we visited with her father, John Wisniewski. He is 94 years young and still sharp as a tack. He had fallen a couple of weeks ago and looked a bit worse for wear and tear but he is a scrapper for sure! We left for NY around 3PM and arrived safe and sound around 8PM. A quick but relaxing trip to OH.

Meanwhile, other runners and triathletes were out being awesome during the day. The Old Forge Tri was held up in Old Forge NY, results here. The swim was cancelled due to fog so it was just a bike-run. The Peasntman Tri was held in Penn Yan,  results here. The Catherine Valley Half was held in Watkins Glen, results here.

Monday, 8/17/2015: Rest day ... 91F when I got home.

Tuesday, 8/18/2015: 6.2 miles, 48:42, 7:51 pace, 70F, 88% RH, 3 mph SSW wind, overcast

Garmin Connect Activity for An early 10K

I usually don't run the day before a race but I thought I would get out before the sun came up to get in a run. I was woke up even earlier than I had planned by the snoring of my lovely wife, Christine. No matter, she needed her sleep. I was up, dressed and out by 5AM and got in a cooler and just as sweaty 10K. My splits were: 8:04, 7:52, 7:50, 7:43, 7:47, 7:55 and 7:28 over the last 0.2 mile. Call me crazy but I am starting not to mind getting up early and getting a run in before I go to work. It is dark, peaceful and there is hardly any cars out at 5AM to 6AM.

Wednesday, 8/19/2015, 2 runs of 1 and Dirt Cheap #5 of 3.82 miles.

Tonight was a Dirt Cheap #5 kind of a night. This time is was at a new venue, Durand Eastman Park at the Magnolia Lodge. I hadn't run here in quite a few years so it was kind of new and exciting. I had packed all my stuff before work so I went there straight after work and got a primo parking spot. It was hot and muggy. I got out for a warmup run of 1 mile at 10:56 pace, link here. The weather was 84F, 62% RH, 7 mph SSE wind, overcast.

The start was divided into 4 waves. I was in wave 1. I met up with Prem Kumar and Jeff Rose. I carried my 10 ounce water bottle, my beat up Garmin FR310XT and stuffed a small towel in the side of my shorts. I thought maybe I could use it to wipe the sweat off my face during the race. I knew it was hot so I told myself I needed to take it really nice and easy since I have races coming up on Saturday and Sunday. I certainly did not want to fall and hurt myself.

Just after the start ...

 And ... we were off. I started off nice and easy ... and settled in. It was hot but not unbearably so. The race course led around some ponds, had some ups and downs and was quite a nice course. I could see the sweat drip off my face as I ran ... I ran on. I ran almost all the ups. There was a section in the middle that didn't seem to have enough flags but it was a main trail. The group of runner I was in just ran along and found another flag soon enough and we went on. I just concentrated on staying in my position. I didn't feel the need to go all out ... just nice and easy. There was another section near the end that didn't seem to have too many flags either but I just followed everyone else up the hills to the finish. And ... done with 3.82 miles in 44:23! My splits were: 9:21, 12:41, 11:44 and 13:08 over the last 0.82 miles. See ... nice and easy.

Prem's shirt really showed the sweat!

I was really thirsty ... I got near the water and stayed there and drank cup after cup until I felt better. A couple of hot dogs helped too. I started hearing stories of runners off the course. Well ... someone did think someone had picked up flags. Ellen and Boots swung into action. Ellen called the SAG person who started to check flags. Boot went in from the finish back to the start to check flags. They found no flags missing. But by then the damage had been done. The results were thrown out ... link here. Oh well, I had a good time anyway.

Nothing a bandage can't cure

I did pick up a cut and some blood on my right shin though. I do remember saying "Oww" at one point and running onward.

Thursday, 8/19/2015: Rest day.

The calling hours for my Uncle Ed were tonight at Murphy's Funeral Home in Palmyra, obituary here. He was my deceased Dad's older brother. He died at the age of 98. Christine and I met up with my brother, Don, to pay our respects to his family.

Friday, 8/20/2015: Another rest day.

I thought about getting up early to run but it was just a thought. I usually don't run before a race, sometimes I do ... but not today. Christine and I watched "Labor Day" with Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin off of EPIX On Demand. Quite the chick flick but quite enjoyable.

Saturday, 8/21/2015: 3 runs of 1, JF/AK M 5K and 1 mile,

Another Saturday, another race ... it's just how I roll. This race was the James Francis / Andrea Kofahl Memorial 5K (JF/AK). It was a cross country 5K held out at Black Creek Park on Churchville-Chili's cross country course so it drew a lot of high school cross country runners It was a also Rochester Runner of the Year (RROY) race so it also drew the usual fast RROY runners. It was my third JF/AK (2013: 22:34 and 2014: 23:11). My lovely wife, Christine, got up and accompanied me to her first JF/AK.

We got there early and got a primo parking spot ... nice! I like to get to a race venue about 45 minutes to a hour before so I can calmly get my bib and get our for a nice and easy warmup run. This time it was for 1 mile at 8:44 pace, link here. This was a cross country course with grass, trail and a wee bit of mud so I wore my road shoes, I made sure that my warmup run had the sledding hill that the course would go up twice so I could take its measure ... it was just as steep as ever but runnable.

I got Christine a nice shady spot and set up her chair so she could watch the proceedings. I met up with Heather Patterson and nodded to other runners that I knew by name or reputation before the start.



And ... we were off! The start was a bit tight as everyone fought for the inside of the right turn around the pond. I found my own spot to run and let the race progress for a bit. I started to pick off a few runners just past the pond and waved my hand at Christine. Then it was up the sledding hill, back down and out toward trail ... mile 1 in 7:25 pace. Heather passed me at mile 1.25. He told her "I was her rabbit and that maybe I could use her as my rabbit" .. she chuckled. As she pulled away, I said "Or not" and she chuckled again. She is a master at pacing. I tend to rabbit and then go slower at a race. She starts slow and then goes faster at a race. I concentrated on holding my position and picking off any runners that I could. I was behind Amy Fox for a while and found the only mud on the course just past mile 2 as I passed her on the right ... right through the mud. Then it was around the pond again, up the sledding hill again, down and onward to the finish. I saw a runner ahead and sprinted to beat him (a 17 year old) at the line. Hey ... sprint for the finish, baby! I was parched and grabbed a few cups of water as Christine came over to see if I was OK.

Heather and I went out for a nice and easy cooldown run of 1.05 mile at 8:58 pace, link here. She told me of her plan to qualify for Boston again. I told her of how I want to qualify when I turn 60 as my qualifying time jumps by 15 minutes since a 3:55 is a lot easier than a 3:40.

Heather Patterson won female masters with a 22:09!

I checked the results when they were posted. I did OK, 67th out of 224, link here. I was 5th out of 15 in my wide M50-59 age group, link here. I was 3rd out of 7 in my RROY M55-59 age group, link here, so I picked up 8 points to bring me to 43 out of 60. I had two pieces of pizza and 2 little Fritos snacks and stuck around for the raffle awards but I wasn't lucky this year.

The rest of the day was spent just lazing around, drinking coffee, catching up on Facebook, watching a bit off of the DVR and trying to remember to go to bed early ... the Dam Good Trail Race was looming in the morning.

I had the opportunity to attend my 40th Newark High School reunion this weekend. I could have gone down to Parker's Grille in Newark for a "free" get together on Friday night or gone down to New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua for a $50 per person dinner/dancing on Saturday night. I didn't do either one. I saw the Facebook pictures ... it looks like I missed a good time. Maybe for the 50th.