Sunday, 11/20/2016 to Saturday, 11/26/2016 - Race with Grace 10K

I ran 5 times this week, 28.84 miles

Sunday, 11/20/2016: Rest day

Yes ... a rest day. I decided that I needed one after running three days in a row. I could have squeaked one by running in the morning but I didn't. The wind kicked up, the temperatures dropped. it rained by mid-afternoon and it snowed by evening ... and it snowed and blew some more.

Christine and I watched the Bills - Bengals game. The Bills squeaked out a victory, 16-12, link here. The Bengals kicker doinked two PATs off the right upright. Thus the Bengals needed a TD to win at the end ... which they didn't get. So the Bills have climbed back to a 5-5 record.

I went to bed early since I figured that I would need to leave early due to the snow. The forecast was for high winds and 8-12 inches of snow south and west of Rochester with limit accumulation up near Lake Ontario.

Monday, 11/21/2016: Rest day

I didn't sleep well due to the howling wind which rattled the window screens all night. I left 15 minutes early for work. I was met with clear roads and little traffic so ... yay! I saw on Facebook that Pittsford got 15" of snow. My son, Michael, texted me that Newark got 18" of snow. We had 2" of snow up 1/2 mile from the lake on Greenleaf Rd.

Tuesday, 11/22/2016: 5.5 miles, 44:33, 8:06 pace, 34F, 59% RH, 16 mph NW wind, wind chill 24F, overcast.


I swear I would forget my head if it wasn't attached. I left my wallet home when I went to work. What to do? Well ... I dressed for a pre-lunch run, drove up to where the LOSP trail hits Island Cottage, ran from there and stopped for my wallet on my way back to work. I chose Island Cottage and Janes Rd because they had wide shoulders that were "runner friendly". The wind was still there and it wasn't a warm wind either ... but I got the run done. Hey ... it was Tuesday and I run on Tuesdays. I didn't want to run in the dark and I needed to grocery shop for Thanksgiving in the evening too. Anyway ... my splits were: 8:09, 8:10, 8:16, 8:05, 8:02 and 7:43 over the last 0.5 mile.

I looked at my running spreadsheet and noticed that I was over 100 miles for November (11th straight month) and was at 1371 miles for 2016 (the most ever!) with 39 days to go.

Wednesday, 11/23/2016: Rest day ... like usual.

Thursday, 11/24/2016: Race with Grace 10K

Today's race was the Race with Grace 10K. The night before I looked at my running spreadsheet and found that this is my 12th running of a Thanksgiving race. I ran the Newark Turkey Day 5 mile Race for 6 years from 2005 (my very first race) to 2010, the Webster Turkey Trot in 2011 and now my fifth Race with Grace 10K from 2012. My times are: 2012 in 46:04, 2013 in 45:07, 2014 in 44:29 and 2015 in 45:58. Today was my 396th race ... how time flies!

I slept in until 6 AM. I heard Christine's alarm go off at 5:45 AM. Mine was set for 6 AM. I puttered around for a hour before I started to get ready at 7 AM. The weather was just above freezing with a light sprinkle so I chose to wear my old CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve tech along with my Brooks jacket for pre-race warmth. My Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves were in my running bag  I left a bit early and got to the First Bible Baptist Church (FBBC) a bit earlier than usual. I was 1 hour 15 minutes early for the 9 AM start.

I hung around for a bit and talked with Andy Ciaio. He told me that one of his first races in college was the Newark Turkey Day Race. He also told me that a new group was running it this year and made it into a 5K instead of a 5 mile race. Sacrilege! The info that I found is here and here. It was rather pricey at $30 pre-race and $35 day of race, The course looks that the old Run for the Red 5K course that I ran back on 6/11/2011.

I got out for a little 1 mile warmup run at 8:52 pace, link here. I stopped at the Cruze to take off my Brooks jacket. I thought twice about it since it was cold but I knew I would warm up during the race. I walked up to the race start and waited. The weather was: 36F, 80% RH, 4 mph ESE wind, overcast with real light sprinkles of rain.

The start ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shutterfly.com

I lined up at my usual spot ... a bit to the right and about 10 feet from the start line. And .. we were off! I got to speed pretty quickly. I saw Andy up ahead around the 1/4 mile mark and then Steve Levitsky passed me around the 1/2 mile mark.

Funny story ... Tim Matthews took the start pictures and then came sprinting by me. He said something like "I'm the rabbit". Then he stopped in the middle of the road and took pictures as runners ran by him.

Just after the start ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shutterfly.com

I hit 1 mile at 7:15 and just kept going. I knew I could run the race ... I just hoped I could at the pace I was running since I usually run a 8:10 pace. I hit 5K at 23:00. Halfway done. I saw Tom Butler cheering just before mile 4. I found out later that it was his birthday. I passed up the mile 2 and mile 4 aid stations. Then the turn back onto Manitou Rd with a bit more than 1 mile to go. I could see the police lights at the turn back to the FBBC in the distance. I was running hard but the turn didn't seem to get any closer.

Just before the finish ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shutterfly.com

But ... it did ... very slowly ... a bit farther ... the 6 mile mark was at the turn into the parking lot of the FBBC ... only 0.2 miles to go ... push it up ... the turn into the chute ... sprint ... past 2 runners ... done with 6.24 miles in 46:30.

I was parched and downed 3 small cups of water. Then I wandered into the FBBC. I had a bagel, a cup of yogurt and a couple of chocolate milks. I looked at the results and saw that I was 97th and 7th in my M 55-59 age group. I went home. Later, I found my results on Score-This. Officially, I finished in 46:26, 97th out of 798 and 7th out of 48 in my M 55-59 age group, link here. My splits were: 7:15, 27, 27, 41, 29, 29 and 6:58 over the last 0.24 mile. I sprinted into the chute at 4:59 pace.

Soon I was home with a mug of coffee. I tried to find out if my youngest son, David, was going to come over for Thanksgiving dinner on either Saturday or Sunday. His mother wanted to know if he was coming to her place in Newark for Thanksgiving. But neither of us could reach him. Finally, Christine started to cook our dinner around 3 PM so that we could eat at a reasonable hour. She cooked a small turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and cranberries. We ate around 6 PM. Mmm ... it was tasty! I had seconds ... and then we couldn't move. Christine started to put everything away and then had to quit from exhaustion. I took over and cleaned everything up. We are a team. She cooks well and I clean up well. Though I think I will have to run the next three days to try to maintain my weight of 165 pounds since she cooks so well. We didn't even touch the cherry pie that she baked.

Friday, 11/25/2016: 8.05 miles, 1:07:18, 8:22 pace, 43F, 100% RH, 6 mph WSW wind, wind chill 39F, overcast.


I didn't get out too early but I did get out. I overdressed a bit with a short sleeve tech over a long sleeve tech. I tried out a new route but it's not a keeper. I ran really nice and easy without pushing the pace once I warmed up. My splits were: 8:27, 8:21, 8:26, 8:14, 8:15, 8:30, 8:22 and 8:17. I got out later to check out the Black Friday shoe sales at Fleet Feet Ridgeway and Armory but didn't see anything I liked.

I stopped by the Red Box at Wegmans Hudson Ave and picked up "Independence Day: Resurgence" and "The Legend of Tarzan". They were quite good. A bit of action sci-fi for me and a bit of romance (and man candy) for Christine.

The Greater Rochester Track Club (GRTC) sent out a link for $5 off for 4 items so I used it on three of them. I signed up for the Freezeroo series and the 2017 individual membership. I also signed up my darling wife, Christine, and I for the 2017 Mind the Ducks in May. This time Christine and I plan on running or running/walking or walking until the end. Boom.

I tried to reach my youngest son, David, via text to find out where he was on Thanksgiving. I explained that we had leftovers and asked him to tell us whether he would be over on Saturday or Sunday. Simple, right? His cryptic three word response: "Why did you" ... no punctuation either. Still ... it was three words. It's a bit better than the answer earlier in the week of "weekend" as to when he was going over. I think he expected that Christine and I were going to wait to cook our turkey until he came over. Hey ... we were hungry plus the turkey and all the fixing were stuffing (pun intended) our refrigerator.

Saturday, 11/26/2016: 8.05 miles, 1:07:22, 8:22 pace, 39F, 87% RH, 7 mph W wind, wind chill 34F, overcast.


I was out again in my effort to keep from gaining weight over the Thanksgiving holiday. I was on my usual 15K route at a nice and easy pace when I decided to detour to the left onto a paved trail that had a barrier across it. Well ... the paved trail degraded to a double track trail about 200 yards in ... and then got worse. I had to cross a stream and got my shoes wet. I did get over to Dewey and then decided to take the LOSP trail back to Greenleaf Rd. I just had 7 miles so I decided to go up and down Greenleaf Rd a bit to get to 8 miles. This route will NOT be a keeper. My splits were: 8:11, 8:10, 8:13, 8:18, 8:23, 9:20, 8:20 and 8:03.

My darling wife, Christine, and I relaxed for a while before I took her out to New Nails to get her nails touched up. She hadn't been in a month so they did need it, :-). We delved into the leftovers from Thanksgiving for our supper. Still ... mmm!

Monday, 11/14/2016 to Saturday, 11/19/2016

I ran 4 times during these 6 days, 28.6 miles.

Monday, 11/14/2016: Rest day ... well deserved.

I got some sad news from my cousin, Lea Ann Sawyer. Her father, Elmer VerPlank, had died. He had suffered from Alzheimer's. He was 84. He was my mother's brother and was the last VerPlank of his generation. His parents, William and Edith (DeCracker) VerPlank were my grandparents and had Arthur who died at age 6, Doris (my mother) who died in 2004 at age 79, Eleanor who died in 2011 at age 84, Shirley (who died in the 70s) and Elmer. Elmer had three kids; Paul, Heidi and LouAnn by his first marriage to Ann and Lean Ann with Pat. There was a bit of confusion about the days but it ended up with the following at the Bob Yost Funeral Home, link here: calling hours were 5-8 PM on Wednesday, the funeral at 11 AM on Thursday and burial at the East Palmyra Cemetery. The obituaries are here and here.

Uncle Elmer VerPlank - 10/21/1932 to 11/13/2016, may he rest in peace

Tuesday, 11/15/2016: 7.05 miles, 57:32, 8:09 pace, 52F, 43% RH, 4 mph WSW wind, mostly sunny


I got out from Harris B601 on Lee Rd for a pre-lunch run. I took it out at a nice and easy pace. I didn't push the pace after I warmed up. I was running the canal path between Long Pond Rd and Elmgrove Rd when I passed by a blue heron, link here, that was standing just off the path. One thing ... this blue heron looked mostly gray.

A blue heron ... grabbed off a "blue heron" Google search

I ran by within 10 feet the first time and within 15 feet on the way back. The bird just looked at me. I didn't stop to take a picture but just ran on by. I ran a nice and easy pace. My splits were: 8:18, 8:20, 8:15, 8:11, 8:01, 8:13 and 7:51 on my old, old Brook Adrenaline GTS15 (black) running shoes with 652 miles.

Rant begin: One thing that pisses me off is looking for stuff that I have misplaced. Somehow ... between running the Mendon Ponds Trail Run 50K on Saturday, 11/5/2016, I have misplaced two pairs of shorts (my Brooks shorts and my CW-X shorts) and my Brooks running gloves. I looked everywhere I could think of in the townhouse ... nada. I looked in the Cruze and Equinox ... nada. I looked in my Harris B601 office (I do change in there) ... nada. Aaarrrgggghhhh!! Rant off ...

Update: I found them in the bedroom ... they had been put in a box that had fallen over. I really need to organize the townhouse. I will try not to upset my darling wife, Christine, when I have to move her stuff but I absolutely have to organize the living room and both bedrooms. The basement is also on the "must do" list but it's a task best left for a vacation week ... that's how bad it is.

Wednesday, 11/16/2016: Rest day.

Christine and I headed out to Bob Yost Funeral Home for my Uncle Elmer's calling hours. We met up with my brother, Don. We saw lots of my relatives that we don't normally see. We hugged and expressed our condolences to LeaAnn and her mother Pat (2nd wife) and also his son Paul, daughter Heidi and LouAnn (from his 1st wife, Ann).

A picture of Pat and Elmer near the casket

Thursday, 11/17/2016: 6.25 miles, 50:14, 8:02 pace, 39F, 93% RH, 6 mph W wind, wind chill 35F, sunny.

I took today off as a bereavement day so I could attend the funeral at 11AM and be a pallbearer for the burial at the East Palmyra Cemetery where my parents, Doris in 2004 and Bernard in 2014, are buried.


I got up early so I could go for a morning run. I put on my virgin Pearl Izumi M3 running shoes. I just took it nice and easy. My splits were: 8:10, 7:49, 7:54, 8:07, 8:01, 7:55 and 7:39. The M3s felt a bit different and a bit more cushy.

My darling wife, Christine, had a doctor's appointment at 1:15 PM so she stayed home. I arrived at the Bob Yost Funeral Home about 30 minutes and met up with my brother, Don, who was also a pallbearer. The funeral was like most funerals. Lea Ann gave a eulogy and some people came up to talk about Elmer. I guess he cheated at Uno with other people too. My mother always watched like a hawk when they played Uno. They had a hoot of a time when they played back in the day. Them were the days ...

Taking the casket out to the hearse ... photo courtesy of Jennifer Verplank

I'm the middle left and my brother, Don, is front right ... photo courtesy of Barry Dingman

Uncle Elmer was buried with military honors ... photo courtesy of Paul VerPlank

This was my first time being a pallbearer. I found out that a casket was heavy but the six of us carried it without incident. I drove my cousin, Sandy Bastian (Shirley's daughter), out to the burial since her husband, Bill, had to go back to work. Elmer served in the US Army in Korea and was buried with military honors. I took small comfort in that Uncle Elmer and my Mom and Dad are buried within 30 feet of each other at the East Palmyra Cemetery. We talked for a while afterward and then went over to the American Legion in Palmyra for a scrumptious lunch. I had seconds and then dessert, mmm! I took Sandy home also. I took a paper plate of desserts home. Everyone made jokes that I will have to run the dessert off.

Here are some "blast from the past" pictures that were on the poster boards at the funeral home captured from Facebook and my Droid.

The VerPlank kids in the early 1950s (I think). Aunt Shirley, Doris (Mom), Uncle Elmer and Aunt Eleanor (left to right) ... photo courtesy of Barry Dingman

Aunt Eleanor with Terry on the left and Mom (Doris) with Don n the right, Terry is 2 months older than Don. I wasn't born until 1957.

A bowling picture from 1985. Uncle Elmer is on the left and Dad (Bernie) is next to him ... photo courtesy of Barry Dingman

Elmer, Lea Ann and Pat ... photo courtesy of Lea Ann Sawyer

It seems a shame that the only time I see the relations on my Mom's and Dad's side is at weddings (not any in the future that I know of) and funerals. I don't see my brother, Don, much since he lives in Syracuse. I see my sister, Diane, even less since she lives in Kentucky.

Friday, 11/18/2016: 7.05 miles, 55:55, 7:56 pace, 63F, 55% RH, 9 mph SSW wind, mostly sunny.


I don't normally run on Friday but ... the weather forecast was for at least 70F on November 18th. So ... I ran. I felt good so I pushed the pace a bit once I warmed up. My splits were: 8:10, 7:49, 7:54, 8:07, 8:01, 7:55 and 7:39. I was drenched with sweat when I got done. I must have looked a bit when I came back into work to go to the shower.

Saturday, 11/19/2016: 8.25 miles, 1:07:06, 8:08 pace, 63F, 48% RH, 8 mph SSW wind, mostly cloudy.


I enjoyed not having my alarm set and slept until 8 AM. I didn't get out early but I did get out. I knew that the weather was doing to turn colder and wetter in the afternoon so I went out for my fourth run in 5 days. I am trying to break in my M3s so I just went a mile farther than yesterday. My splits were: 8:06, 8:10, 8:13, 8:14, 8:23, 8:00, 8:02 and 8:04. My thighs were a bit tight when I stopped. I think I will take a rest day tomorrow.