Sunday, 5/27/2017 to Saturday, 6/3/2017

I ran 5 times this week: 36.4 miles.
I biked once this week: 21.25 miles.

Sunday, 5/27/2017: 21.25 miles on the bike, 1:35:21, 13.4 mph average, 20.9 mph max, 57F, 88% RH, 4 mph ESE wind, mostly sunny.


I decided to get on "Black Beauty" (the Strava nickname for my Trek) for a bicycle ride. I wore my padded bicycle shorts, another pair of shorts and a long sleeve tech shirt. I was a little cold on my legs initially but I warmed up. I got out early so that traffic wasn't a problem. It was a nice change of pace. I saw some high water on Edgemere Drive and had to ride through a bit of water. I was passed by a faster bicyclist on the LOSP trail which startled me.

I put my feet and had my usual 2 mugs of coffee and a bagel when I got home. I caught up on Facebook and thought of all the Buffalo Marathon (both half and full) runners with its 6:30 AM start, results here. Score-this.com had live results. All told, 2979 finished the half and 1184 finished the full, news link here. Rochester's Kip Tipsia won (for the third time) in 2:21:04 (he also won the Cleveland Marathon last week in 2:20:24!), Jason "Jmac" broke 2:55 with a 2:54:34, Tim Dwyer ran a 3:13:58 and so many others did well. Maybe next year! A road marathon does beat me up though.

Monday, 5/28/2017: 9.35 miles, 1:18:03, 8:21 pace, 75F, 44% RH, 19 mph W wind, mostly sunny.


I could have gotten out earlier but I got a bit more done around the townhouse. I vacuumed the carpet, cleaned the bathroom a bit and swept the back porch. But the important thing is that I did get out. I muttered "run don't get done by themselves" as I stepped out the door. It was a bit windy and I struck up a nice and easy pace on my usual LOSP & IC 15K route. I thought about adding Janes to push to 13 miles but I knew that my darling wife, Christine, was cooking ribs plus I didn't think I had enough energy nor water. I stopped for a sip of water at mile 3 and 6. I could feel sweat drop on my hands which kind of distracted me a bit. My splits were: 8:13, 7:58, 7:58, 8:24, 8:21, 8:21, 8:44, 8:44, 8:35 and 8:21 over the last 0.35 mile.

Sure enough, the ribs were done when I got home. I wasn't really hungry so soon after a run ... but forced myself. Mmm!

Tuesday, 5/30/2017: Rest day ... needed after 3 days in a row.

Wednesday, 5/31/2017: 7.05 miles, 1:07:39, 9:36 pace, 73F, 33% RH, 14 mph W wind, partly cloudy.


I needed hills since Many on the Genny is coming up. So I headed to Cobbs Hill after work. I took it really nice and easy with 3 switchbacks, 3 grassy Vs and 3 Ys. It was a bit warm so I drank all of my 20 ounce water bottle by the time I was done. My splits were: 11:13, 9:50, 10:25, 9:19, 9:01, 9:16 and 8:12.

Stats for the month on May: I ran 16 times for 148.06 miles, 9.25 miles/run. I ran 2 races: Mind the Ducks and Dirt Cheap #2. Stats for 2017 so far: I have run 97 times for 705.46 miles, 7.27 miles/run.

Thursday, 6/1/2017: 4.32 miles, 34:50, 8:04 pace, 64F, 39% RH, 14 mph NW wind, overcast.

First ... a look ahead. I have 4 races on my schedule during the month of June: the McMullen Mile on 6/9, Dirt Cheap #3 on 6/14, Medved 5K on 6/18 and Many on the Genny (MOTG) on 6/24. The 40(!) mile MOTG down in Letchworth State Park is the big one staring me in the face. I need to get my trail shoes on and get trail ready. I have been running long enough to know that there is road ready and there is trail ready. Trail running requires training on ... gasp! ... trails. So I need to run on more trails but also keep some speed since I also have a fast 1 mile race and 5K coming up. My lovely wife, Christine, is terrified of MOTG. She is worried that she won't be able to hike down to the last 2 aid stations on FLT when I am on the late stages of MOTG. I can't say I blame her since I have a 50% success rate on Sehgahunda on the east side of Letchworth and have never run on the west side. Though I do have a 100% success rate (knock on wood) at the Dam Good Trail Race (again on the east side of Letchworth). She surprised me this morning by telling me that we should drive down to Letchworth tomorrow morning so that she could let me run on the west side while she waits for me at the first 3 designated aid stations of MOTG. It sounds like a good idea that I should probably do this weekend and maybe next weekend.


Anyway ... today I shifted gears. I wanted to run fast but it was windy. Wind even with it being 64F can make it feel cold and raw. I thought of heading over to Cobbs Hill and running the reservoir but couldn't pull the trigger so I headed home a bit dejected. I called Christine on the way and she suggested that I run the track at Greece Arcadia. She even went to their website and saw that the athletic fields were unused. So I went home, dressed (I put on shorts and a long sleeve tech) and headed over. I wore my old Garmin Forerunner 310XT since it had a dedicated lap button that I knew how to work. I didn't want to waste time and try to figure out how to do it on my Garmin Forerunner 220. It was desolate except for a lone walker. I ran a slow 440 and then began my workout. I ran 4 440s of 1:41, 1:38, 1:32 and 1:34 with slow 440s in between. Then I ran 2 880s of 3:40 and 3:26. I ran another mile at a slow pace to cool down. Running flat out for a 440 is certainly a LOT different than a nice and easy road pace! Though I guess I could get faster if I really worked at it. It would involve work ... just like all things.

Friday, 6/2/2017: Rest day

I looked up the MOTG directions for runners and crew, put them in a Word document and then printed them out. Hopefully, we will be able to figure out when to do down in Letchworth tomorrow. Then I crashed early and was asleep shortly after 10 PM.

Saturday, 6/3/2017: 15.68 miles, 3:44:09, 14:17 pace, 57F, 67% RH, 5 mph NNW wind, sunny

I was up at 5: 45 AM and Christine was up a bit earlier. Did we get started early? Err ... no. But we did get started and got down to the east entrance of Letchworth State Park by 8:41 AM, a scant 19 minutes before they started charging $10 per car so it was a win.

We parked at the dam viewing area. I wore my green Brooks shorts, calf sleeves, Darn Tough socks, an orange long sleeve tech and my orange Fleet Feet hat. I even put on a bit of sunscreen. I carried my 20 ounce water bottle, 3 Hammer Gels and my instructions. The weather was sunny and about 60F with mild winds. My plan was to run down to Aid Station (AS) #3 or about 20 miles. I kissed Christine for luck and asked her to meet me at AS #1 (and maybe where I crossed Park Rd.


My instructions to AS #1 said: "Start to High Banks aid station - 7.5 miles. Starting at the Dam Overlook, runners will take Trail 20 along the gorge. Trail 20 will turn into beautiful single-track, then it ends at a road crossing. Trail 19A picks up on the other side of the road.  **Cars have the right-of-way here.  Please be cautious when you cross the road.** 19A turns right onto Trail 19.  You will run past an old Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) barracks (all that’s left is the chimney!) and down to the Silver Creek Outlet. Cross the creek, pass by a beautiful waterfall and take Trail 18 up across a bridge and out to the road. Make a left onto Park Road and continue along the road for about 1 mile to the camping check-in entrance road and your first aid station.  There are bathrooms behind the camper check-in building."

Well ... I soon found that the trails were largely unmarked except at the trail head. Trail 20 had a few trees marked with a yellow hash with a 20 inside it but that was about it. So ... I was mostly on my own. Trail 20 wasn't marked initially so I just followed a mostly paved path that led along the fence for a mile. Eventually, there was single track. I had to search for Trail 20 a few times. I crossed the road to Trail 19A. I saw the trailhead marker but couldn't find the trail for about 5 minutes. I flushed out a fawn when I was looking though, lol! It turned out that Trail 19A was right next to the sign, The path was quite narrow and easily missed. I passed the CCC barracks and crossed the creek right away ... big mistake. The creek there was about shin deep and other side was quite steep with no obvious trail. What did I do? Did I turn around? Well ... no, of course. I proceeded to climb the hill hand over hand in spots and look for the trail. I spent about 15 minutes climbing up and up before I quit and climbed back to the creek. Now I had to find where I crossed in the first place. I had to wade through the creek to get back. I found the trail and got to running again. I never did find Trail 18. I made it up to Park Rd and ran the mile to the High Banks AS#1 (which was Christine sitting in the Equinox). Luckily she was sitting near the road. I had a few choice words about my runners instructions when I saw her. Christine had similar words about her crew instructions. She told me that she had driven up and down Park Rd looking for trailhead signs but with little luck figuring out if they were the correct ones.

A falls I saw on the way to AS #1

I had a drink of water, a PB&J sandwich, refilled my 20 ounce water bottle and took 2 Endurolytes. I kissed Christine for luck (again and well ... just because) and asked her to meet me at AS #2 (and where I crossed Park Rd). She had found a bigger and better map of the trails in Letchworth. The guy who gave her the map had chuckled when she told him of what I was doing. She and I looked over her map and matched it up to my instructions to AS #2. I did feel a bit better after I had sort of memorized the layout of the trails that I was about to run on.

My instructions to AS #2 said: High Banks to St. Helena aid station - 7.8 miles. Take Trail 17 down and it will connect with Trail 15, which will eventually loop back up toward the road (via a huge climb).  This section will take about 2.75 miles. Go left on Park Road for another 2.5 miles —Again you will be running this section alongside the road, but not ON the road. Cross the road at trail #11. Stay on trail 11 (for about 1.5 miles) all the way back to Park Rd. Crossing it, making a right and entering Trail #13. Make a left on Trail 13(for about 1 mile) which will cut down to Trail 1 and the St. Helena Picnic Area, where Aid Station 2 is located.  There are also bathrooms here.

I didn't have much trouble with the instructions to AS #2. Trail 17 did go down and flatten out. I didn't see where Trail 15 came in but did find the HUGE and LONG hill that Trail 15 took to get back to Park Rd. This hill was the hill that "time forgot". It seemed to take forever. The 2.5 mile run/walk on Park Rd to Trail 11 was quite long and monotonous. Trail 11 was an old overgrown paved path up to a road, turned left and went back down. I crossed Park Rd and found Trail 13. There was no trailhead marker for Trail 1 and had to backtrack to it when Trail 13 went back to Park Rd. Trail 1 went to a dirt road. Which direction to take? Well ... left went to the Genesee River bank. Two guys I met told that the other direction went to a parking area. So I turned around. I was walking up a hill when a guy in a park truck stopped and asked me if I was thirsty. I told him "yes". He pointed me to a bag of bottled water in the back of his truck. I eagerly accepted a bottle and said "Thanks. My wife is around here somewhere." Well ... Christine was really close because she heard me say that. I walked about 50 feet before I had a couple of honks from the Equinox. Christine said that she was just starting to get worried.

I walked over and told her "I'm done" ... as in 15.68 trail miles done. I didn't see the need to run onward to AS #3. I took a break while I changed my shirt and had a lunch of a PB&J sandwich and an orange. I also changed from my wet trail shoes to a dry pair of running shoes. A little TMI but I also discovered that my green Brooks shorts had a hole in the crouch.  Oops if I have actually been unexpectedly flashing anyone!

Then ... we played tourist and visited the Lower, Middle and Upper Falls. We took pictures until all our cell phones were dead. My personal cell had died while I was running to AS #2.

Christine and I at one of the many overlooks

Lower Falls

Middle Falls

A video of Middle Falls
We exited LSP and took the long way home up Routes 246 and 19 to I-490 at LeRoy. We were famished so we stopped at MacGregor's on W Ridge Rd for some meat: Charbroiled Steak Burgers (Cow vs Pig for me and Cobb for Christine). Mmm!

I caught up on Facebook. There were other awesome events going on: the Cayuga Trails 50M and Marathon down in Ithaca and the Fast &the Furriest 5K in Rochester (324 finishers, results here) and 10K (210 finishers, results here). There was some chatter on Facebook about what trail marathons are the toughest in our area. The consensus was that in order of easiest to hardest: Sehgahunda, Ontario Summit and Cayuga Trails. I have run two of them (Sehgahunda and Ontrario Summit) and I would agree ... but Sehgahunda can racket up in difficulty very easily if it is muddy. Running a trail marathon (for me at least) is an exercise in conserving your energy, doing your hydration and nutrition correctly and running/walking smart. I will need all of that when I run MOTG in three weeks.

Sunday, 5/21/2017 to Saturday, 5/27/2017 - Lilac 10K and Dirt Cheap #2

I ran 6 times this week, 31.39 miles

Sunday, 5/21/2017: 2 runs of 0.93 and 6.26 miles, 63F, 68% RH, 9 mph SSE wind, partly cloudy to overcast.

Today's race was my 8th running of the Lilac 10K. My previous times were: 2007 - 46:22, 2010 - 49:03, 2011 - 46:28, 2012 - 43:53, 2013 - 47:41, 2014 - 44:53 and 2015 - 48:03. It's a challenging course with its downhill start which teases you into going out too fast and its uphill finish which punishes you for going out too fast. I got up around 6 AM. Why? I guess because I like to putter around before I get ready. I had my usual pre-race bowl of cereal and banana, checked the weather and got dressed. I chose my green Brooks shorts and a yellow Phelps Sauerkraut 20K short sleeve tech shirt. I left around 7:30 AM. I'm glad I did because I chose the wrong way to get down to Highland Park. I meandered down the streets of downtown Rochester until I got to Elmwood Ave and parked in my Al Sigil Center spot. They charge a $5 donation fee but well worth it for the convenience. Note to self for next year: Head down I-590S and exit on Elmwood Ave!

I did get down there around 8:15 AM in plenty of time for the 9:15 AM start. Well ... first I had to find where you pick up your bibs. It wasn't in the usual spot which was a brick building that isn't too hard to find. This year is what in an unlabelled tent in a sea of tents. I had to ask several people to find it. You know you have run more than a few races when someone you don't know just hands you your bib when you saying anything except "What size shirt do you wear, Doug?". I walked back to the car to deposit my new and latest short sleeve tech shirt.

I saw Jeff Rose around 9 AM. He told me of his great idea: He needed to get in a long run before the Lake Placid Marathon coming up and he was signed up for the Lilac 10K. So ... he left his house in Honeoye Falls around 6:15 AM and ran all the way to Highland Park ... which is around 14 miles away. His wife was running the Lilac 5K and drove there after he left on foot. He went off to get a drink of water and stretch. His plan was then to run the Lilac 10K at marathon pace, go out to breakfast with his wife and then drive home. Only a runner would think of and do that, lol! I did do that once ... kind of. I ran 7 miles before I ran an 11 mile River Chase back in 2014. I remember that I suffered for that decision.

I got out for a short warm-up run 0.93 miles before the race at 9:09 pace .. link here. I was able to slip into line but further back from the start that I would have liked. And ... we were off!


I could see the front runners run and the ripple effect as more and more runners in front began to shuffle, walk and then run. Then it was my turn ... it took about 20 seconds to cross the start line. I slowly picked my way through slower runners and got up to race pace. Yes ... I went out too fast with a first mile of 7:09. Hey ... it's a downhill start! What's not to love? The Rochester Running Company had a tent at around the 0.6 mile mark which was a nice touch. I knew some of those who yelled encouragement. I started to feel the "too hard" pace around mile 3. I stopped for a couple of seconds to drink a cup of water at an aid station and then got back up to a slightly less insane race pace. I ran up the incline back to Highland Ave and drink another two cups of water at the aid station just before mile 5. Come on! Just over a mile! I did catch up, pass or at least kept pace with everyone who passed me when I stopped to drink water.

Mile 6 ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

Keep running ... pick up the pace ... mile 6 sign ahead ... around the corner ... finish line ... timer below 47 ... and done in 46:45 according to my Garmin Forerunner 220. It started to sprinkle just as I got done. I went off to find the $5 pancake breakfast that I had signed up for. I had to ask several people which tent the pancake breakfast was being sold at ... but I did find it. I went underneath a large tent that held several other food vendors while the shower came and went. There were all sorts of food being sold by all sorts of food vendors ... I almost needed run another 10K just from smelling all that food (most all of it was probably no good for you)!

Had to grab a pic with the lilacs!

I walked around for a bit, bought a vial of Highland Lilac perfume for Christine and then went home.

I had my obligatory 2 mugs of coffee along with a bagel while I uploaded my Garmin and checked out Facebook. My official times for the Lilac 10K were: 46:46 (gun time, 7:32 pace), 46:29 (chip time, 7:29 pace), 83rd out of 783, 4th out of 44 in my M 55-59 age group, link here. My splits were: 7:09, 7:13, 7:19, 7:41, 8:02, 7:27 and 7:12 over the last 0.26 mile. That last mile did seem to last forever. Here are news links, here and here.

Later, Christine and I reconnected before she cooked a great supper. She knows that the way to my heart is through my stomach!

Monday, 7/22/2017: Rest day.

Tuesday, 7/2/2017: 6.55 miles, 53:06, 8:06, 64F, 60% RH, 7 mph SSW wind, partly cloudy.


I got out before lunch. It was warm so I wore my green Brooks shorts and a 2015 yellow Phelps Sauerkraut short sleeve tech shirt. I knew that I should have taken it nice and busy. But ... did I? I did start a bit easy ... and then pushed the pace with every mile. The result ... negative splits, baby! My splits were: 8:23, 8:14, 8:11, 8:07, 8:06, 8:02 and 7:20 over the last 0.55 mile. It might not have been wise with a Dirt Cheap #2 the next day ... but it felt good so I went with it.

Wednesday, 5/24/2017: 2 runs of 2.0 and 5.4 miles, 75F,

Tonight's race was Dirt Cheap #2 (delayed 2 weeks due to poor conditions) out at Black Creek Park in Chili. I dressed after work and went straight there. It was warm so I just wore my green Brooks shorts and an orange 2013 Spring Forward short sleeve tech shirt. This year I took the correct exit (4 instead of 3 like last year). I arrived in time enough to snag a relatively close parking spot.

I hung out with some of the 6 PM early start runners (Tom, Bill and Duane) before I got for a nice out and mostly back run of 2 miles at 9.55 pace, link here. I found Boots about 0.75 mile out hacking away at brush that was mostly blocking a section of single track. I tried to help for a few seconds but the branch I grabbed broke off plus he seemed to have it under control. I got back to the start with 7 minutes to go and settled in for a nice trail run.


And .... we were off! This race has an uphill start that we encounter twice (the start and about 4.5 miles later). The uphill start got my legs and heart pumping.

The start of Dirt Cheap #2 ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

A left turn at the top and then a gentle down. Everyone was still kind of bunched together. Boom! I tripped and went down! I thought I had tripped on a rock or root so I quickly got up and started running again. Boom! Down again! I thought "WTH? (or words to that effect)" and looked down. I saw that my right lace of my Salamon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes had come untucked and that was why I tripped. I quickly tucked it back in and got back to running. The damage? An empty water bottle (I had fell on it) and a jammed left thumb. I didn't see any blood (but then I didn't really look either). I was now behind runners who didn't run my pace so I went into pass mode and got back up to where I felt comfortable. The race progressed. There was a long, long section of single track and I started to get parched. I tripped on a root at one point and came really close to going down again but I caught myself just in the nick of time.

Trying hard not to fall again ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

Then I burst out of single track and almost passed a self-serve water station. I circled back, filled up my water bottle and took a long swig. Ahhh!! It was warm and this race is rather long so I really appreciated a bit of water. Then it was back to running and catching up to where I was ... and then some as I used my long legs to good advantage on the flat. I may not be the fastest but I try to hold my own ... at least in my age group. At long last it was back up the start hill and then right back into single track. I could hear Ellen calling in runners at the finish but we werent' there yet. I was tired and concentrated on not tripping or misplacing my feet when I had to jump over roots, rocks or logs. It's tougher when you're tired for sure. Then ... out of single track ... past the Cruze ... finish line in sight ... Ellen calling out my name (priceless) ... and done in 49:26!

I got a drink of water and tried to stop my eCrumb (so Christine could track me if she was so inclined) but my Droid froze for a while. I guess it was a bit overheated ... I know I was dripping with sweat so I didn't blame it. I hung out for a bit and ate 2 hot dogs and some cookies. You gotta say that Fleet Feet and Yellow Jacket Racing do know how to put on a good event. I thank them for getting and keeping me running! I hold a special place in my heart for Boots and Ellen. I may not spend as much at Fleet Feet any more but I do like to run their races.

I brushed off most of the mud when I got to the Cruze and changed into my old road shoes that I wore to work. I was glad that Christine had put some old Wegmans plastic bags in the one of our shopping bag ... useful when you have a pair of muddy trail shoes!

I found some Black Creek Park mud!

Anyway ... I did OK. I checked the results, link here. I was 62nd out of 323, 3rd out of 20 in my M 55-59 age group. My splits were: 9:09, 8:36, 9:05, 9:42, 9:44 and 10:42 over the last 0.3 mile. I took stock when I got home ... my left thumb kind of hurt, my left ankle was a bit touchy, I picked up a couple of scrapes on my right forearm plus I was a bit achy. Ahh ... a couple falls on a trail run ... what fun!

Thursday, 5/25/2017: Rest day.

It was kind of tough going down stairs today for some reason. It rained most of the day. If Dirt Cheap #2 had been tonight instead of last night ... there would have a whole lot of muddy runners!

Friday, 5/26/2017: Another rest day. Hmm ... where am I going to run this weekend?

Saturday, 5/27/2017: 10.25 miles, 1:28:12, 8:36 pace, 57F, 94% RH, 3 mph W wind, overcast.

I was up early at 6:05 AM. I puttered around. I knew I wanted to get stuff done, but what first? I started the laundry, had my usual pre-run breakfast of cereal and banana, made the coffee, caught up on email and Facebook, started another load of laundry. I could have continued onward but I knew I would feel like a slug if I didn't get out for a run. So I dressed in my green Brooks shorts, my 2015 yellow Phelps Sauerkraut short sleeve tech shirt and got out there.


I struck up a nice and easy pace and took Edgemere Drive to see both side of the water across it near Dewey Ave. I took a picture on each side of where Lake Ontario crosses Edgemere Drive. The sound of the pumps was quite loud.

Edgemere Drive near Dewey Ave looking west toward Island Cottage

Edgemere Drive near Dewey Ave looking east back toward Dewey Ave

My left ankle twinged a wee bit around mile 6 so I backed off and cut the run short to just 10 miles. But a ten miler was good enough for today. My splits were: 8:17, 8:33, 8:22, 8:30, 8:35, 8:45, 8:50, 8:42, 8:50, 8:46 and 8:10 over the last 0.25 mile.

I had my usual post-run two mugs of coffee along with a cinnamon roll. Then ... I got busy. I did ten loads of laundry in total. Hey .. I got in some stair work by going down the stairs to the basement and up to the bedroom many times!

Meanwhile, the Canandaigua Classic (a 5K and half marathon) was held, 5K results here with 219 runners and half results here with 407 runners. I have never ran this half marathon but maybe one of these days.

Sunday, 5/14/2017 to Saturday, 5/20/2017

I ran 2 times this week, 15.0 miles.
I biked once this week, 15.35 miles.

Sunday, 5/14/2017 and Monday, 5/15/2017: Rest days.

I hurt a bit on Sunday and was pretty OK on Monday (which I took off from work). Sunday was Mother's Day so I spent it with my darling wife, Christine. Her healing from last Saturday's Mind the Ducks was going slower than mine so she spent most of the day in bed. I did manage to give her a present ... which fit perfectly!

Tuesday, 5/16/2017: 6.25 mile, 53:08, 8:30 pace, 61F, 59% RH, 6 mph WSW wind, overcast


I like to get out for a pre-lunch run and today was no different. The venue was different since I was out at the Rochester Tech Park. I had bought a pair of Airr Ultra Sport cushioned insoles from Wegmans and put them into my ASICS GT-1000 running shoes.

I bought a pair of these at Wegmans for $7.49 and immediately put them in my Asics GT-1000 runnng shoes

I took it out at a really nice and easy pace both to test out the insoles and also to test out how the blister on the bottom of my left foot felt. Both were OK so I picked up the pace after a couple of miles. My splits were: 8:54, 8:43, 8:29, 8:31, 8:18, 8:12 and 8:03 over the last 0.25 mile. A refreshing sprinkle fell on me during the last mile or so ... nice!

Wednesday, 5/17/2017: Rest day ... nothing unusual about that.

Thursday, 5/18/2017: 8.75 miles, 1:16:05, 8:42 pace, 75F, 61% RH, 7 mph SW wind, partly cloudy.


I decided to take the Ridgeway loop. It was hot and felt warmer than 75F (measured at KROC) for sure. I brought my 20 ounce water bottle and swigged two or three mouthfuls every 2 miles. I struck up a nice and easy pace but overheated at 6 miles. I went into a fast run/walk and finished. My splits were: 8:20, 8:10, 8:30, 8:06, 8:54, 8:20, 9:56, 9:29 and 8:29 over the last 0.75 mile.

Friday, 5/19/2017: Rest day.

Saturday, 5/20/2017: 15.35 miles on the bike. 52F, 58% RH, 13 mph ENE wind, mostly cloudy.

I wanted to get up early, get dressed and get out there. But ... I had my usual pre-run bowl of cereal and banana while I Facebook surfed. I knew that a lot of trail runners were either down at Sehgahunda or the Ontario Summit Trail Half or Full Marathon. I watched the video of the Sehgahunda Women's and Men's start. I also found that the GCV&M's 5K, results here and Outrun the Sun 5K, info here. were being held today.

I knew I had to get out there ... but what? I had the Lilac 10K the next morning so I biked instead. I found my padded bike shorts. It was a bit cool and windy so I wore my Brooks pants, a short sleeve tech top, yellow Brooks jacket, and green Brooks beanie (for my ears). I needed all that clothing since biking does not get me as warm as running.


I headed east to take a look at Ontario Beach Park. Wow!

The water of Lake Ontario is all the way up to the boardwalk!

Then I headed up the west side of the Genesee River (Thomas Ave, Van Voorhis Ave to Saint Paul St all the way to 104), back down the east side (Lake Ave to the Genesee Riverway Trail) and then back to the LOSP trail and home. I averaged 11.8 mph and hit 26.3 mph on the Van Voorhis Ave hill.

Then it was time for my usual 2 mugs of coffee along with a bagel (1/2 peanut butter and 1/2 jelly) ... mmm! I saw on the news that 4000(!) runners attended the Color Run at Frontier Field, Color Run link here. I could not find any news articles to verify this claim though. Yeah ... a run with color air guns and no clock just doesn't do it for me.

Sunday, 5/7/2017 to Saturday, 5/13/2017 - Mind the Ducks

I ran 3 times this week, 59.42 miles.

Sunday, 5/7/2017: 10.25 miles, 1:25:52, 8:22 pace, 39F, 93% RH, 12 mph WNW wind, wind chill 32F, overcast with a light mist.

I was up and out earlier this morning. The temperature was 39F and it looked to be windy from my upstairs bedroom vantage point. What to wear? Well ... the calendar said early May but ... I wore my usual winter garb: my old CW-X tights, yellow 1/4 zip Brooks pullover, yellow Brooks beanie and heavy running glove. Yes .. it was a bit cold and windy! But ... a runner runs!


I decided to head east to take a look at Lake Ontario. A light mist started to fall as I turned to head east on Beach Ave. I took a coupld of pictures when I got almost to the pier. The beach at Ontario Beach Park was littered with tree branches and the water was washing up to the volleyball courts.

I went out onto the pier a bit more than halfway before I decided that the water washing over was a bit too deep for my running shoes. I turned back ... and got them soaked! Well ... I still had more than 7 more miles to run as it turned out so I got used to running in kind of wet shoes. I ran along the Genesee Riverway Trail through Turning Point Park to Lake Ave and then back on Lake Ave to Latta Rd before heading back. I stayed at a really nice and easy pace while I thought some more about Mind the Ducks on Saturday. My splits were: 8:29, 8:24, 8:42, 8:31, 8:22, 8:45, 8:22, 8:02, 8:08, 8:08 and 7:50 over the last 0.25 mile.

Later, I went out to see my oldest son, Michael, at his new apartment in Macedon. I brought along a 40 mile digital antenna that I wasn't using. We fiddled with its orientation and now he can get 12 digital OTA channels (CBS, PBS and Fox) on his 32-inch HDTV in the living room. I didn't know that orientationa and location made such a difference.

Part of the wreckage from the 16 car crash on lap 169

We watched the Geico 500 from Talledaga. Yes ... the "big one" happened on lap 169 which claimed 18 cars (2 other cars had oil leaks duing the 27 minute red flag to clear the track). Ricky Stenhouse Jr won (yes, Danica Patrick's boyfriend), links here and here.

Monday, 5/8/2017 and Tuesday, 5/9/2017: Rest days.

I am going to change up my usual Tuesday, Thursday running schedule in favor of just a Wednesday this week so I can rest up for lots and lots of miles during Mind the Ducks on Saturday.

Oh, the Dirt Cheap #2 originally scheduled for Wednesday 5/10 at Black Creek Park was postponed two weeks until 5/24 due to all the rain.

Wednesday, 5/10/2017: 8.85 miles, 1:13:19, 8:18 pace, 46F, 61% RH, a bit windy, partly cloudy


I took it a bit longer during lunch at a nice and steady pace of 8:18 pace. It was sunny for a change but the wind was chilly. I wore my Brooks shorts, a long sleeve tech, yellow Fleet Feet hat and Brooks running gloves. My splits were: 8:22, 8:07, 8:13, 8:14, 8:34, 8:29, 8:19, 8:18 and 7:52 over the last 0.85 mile.

Thursday, 5/11/2017: Rest day.

A bit unusual but necessary. Now ... my mind will probably magnify any ache and pain over the next two days into nagging reasons to stop and quit during Mind the Ducks. My plan right now is to divide the 12 hours into chunks. I am thinking that a chunk will be 6 laps initially. I will take care of my hydration and nutrition needs after each chunk. I will adjust the chunk length as the day progresses. I want to go a lot of laps so I just need to keep moving. How many laps you ask? Well ... let me say ... quite a few.

Friday, 5/12/2017: Another rest day.

I didn't do any day before race prep. Christine and I just went to bed around 10:30 AM. I couldn't sleep and probably didn't fall asleep until after midnight ... my alarm was set for 4:30 AM. I don't know what time Christine fell asleep but I don't think any earlier.

Saturday, 5/13/2017: 40.32 miles, 8:33:12, 12:44 pace,

My alarm went off  ... way early but today's race was Mind the Ducks (MtD) which started at 7:00 AM. Christine and I quietly got ready. The weather was going to be in the mid 50s with a chance of rain in the morning so I brought a couple of long sleeve tech shirts, my heavy running gloves, my yellow Brooks beanie and a couple of hats. I wore my green Brooks shorts, Darn Tough socks and a yellow long sleeve tech. I chose my old Garmin Forerunner 310XT as my timekeeper due to its long battery life. Christine was also walking. She wore shorts and a red long sleeve tech.

We got over to the race venue, North Ponds Park, around 6:10 AM and got a close parking spot. We got our bibs, a drawstring bag with two pens and a water bottle along with our Mtd hats. I immediately put my hat. We set up our chairs next to Prem Kumar's tent. Prem was volunteering all day while his wife, Anita walked. It was a bit chilly due to a cool breeze so Christine got a pair of blankets to warm our cold legs.

Pre-race swag: drawstring bag, water bottle, MtD hat, a couple of business cards and a couple of pens

I didn't stretch before the race since I didn't get up until 2 1/2 minutes before the race started. I kissed Christine for luck and made my way up towards the front. I barely got my RoadID eCrumb started before we were off!

My pre-race plan was to divide the race into 6 lap chunks and then hydrate and take nutrition. I lasted one chunk before I started to take water and "graze" from the aid station as I came by. I did try not to stay for more than a minute though. I favored grapes, PB&J squares or chips. Still ... I did OK for the first 12 miles or so. I followed a blonde lady with a Marathon Maniacs shirt for several laps. I called out "Hi Sexy" when I passed Christine. She took a break after 3 laps and napped in the Equinox. Luckily the sun never came out. There was a slight breeze that I felt when I made turn to go south toward Route 104. Some droplets came down for a couple of minutes once or twice in the morning. I noted that 13.1 miles passed in 2:02:12. I started to walk more after that. 20 laps passed in around 2:56.

A picture from Race Director, Egils Rob

My feet started to hurt and my running shoes felt like bricks. 26.2 miles passed in 4:38. I was walking complete laps by now. The pizza that was in the aid station around noon tasted excellent! 30 laps passed in just under 6 hours. I got a brief running spurt and ran a couple of laps but then I was back to walking lap after lap after lap. I passed slower walkers and faster runners (there were fewer of them now) passed me. My feet hurt. I thought that if I kept between a 15 and 20 minute pace I could get to 50 miles before the race ended. But my mind and body couldn't last that long. I vaguely remember people that I knew (or didn't know by name) giving me encouragement as I walked by each lap. I was definitely tired and beat. I told Prem that I was going to quit at lap 40. He tried to talk me out of it but I had had enough "fun". I sat down and took off my left shoe. I could see a blister on the ball of my foot ... so that was the issue.

I looked "drawn though a knothole" as my mother used to say.

I didn't know where Christine was so I painfully sat down. I kept myself warm with a blanket on my legs. It was very painful to get up but I hobbled into the lodge to get my and Christine's goodie bags. Christine's bag had a jar of Once Again peanut butter and a small MtD glass. My bag also had a 26.2+ and 40+ MtD sticker and a 31+ MtD travel mug.

We each got a jar of Once Again (mine was chunchy eanut butter and Christine's was sunflower seed butter)

Christine came around the bend and joined me. We watched the race for a while. She had been walking her 9th or 10th lap. She had forgotten which. She was proud that she walked over 27,000 steps according to her Garmin Vivofit. She hadn't worn it in month since it had an old band that kept on falling off. She had bought a band with a clasp like a watch that she liked better.

We sat and watched the race for a while and then slowly took our stuff to the Equinox. Our steps were slow and painful. We made it home. I drove slower than normal ... no hurry. I took my two gym bags and our Mtd bags up the stairs, plopped them down in the master bedroom and plopped down on the bed ... where I stayed a few hours. Christine made it to the couch downstairs. I don't remember what we ate for supper ... I just know that I could barely walk or even move for several hours. I was walking a bit better by the time I fell asleep.

Looking back ... of course there were other runners, some I knew (Tom, Rob, Wilt, Courtney, Steve, Wendy, John, Sean, Kathy, Chuck, Bambi) and some I didn't know. I remember some members of the Marathon Maniacs (some slower and some faster) wearing matching T-shirts. I remember a blonde lady that was running with a blue knapsack who pumped her arms as she ran ... how did it weigh? I remember a guy (from Buffalo?) with the pink, fluffy hat. I passed some walkers in the afternoon who were walking three abreast and at one point five abreast ... not cool. I wondered how runners could run longer than I could. Their really slow and easy pace was faster than my walking pace that was for sure. I need to develop a pace like that. I really was afraid that I would break ... so I walked.

What did I learn? Well, I got farther (40.31 vs 26.3) and longer (8:33 vs 5:42) than I did last year. There is something that is so easy yet so very hard about this race. The course is simple ... maybe too simple. The "hill" between 0.2 and 0.3 mile may be only 8 feet in elevation but it wears on you lap after lap. A short 1.01203 mile loop is not my cup of tea. I don't like short loops. I tolerate them. Bigger loops are OK. I have run the five 10K loops of the Mendon Ponds Trail Run in November twice (2012 in 6:35 and 2016 in 5:57). MtD is much more mental than it is physical. Running at my nice and easy pace of 8:15 to 8:30 pace is OK for 2 or maybe 3 hours. But after that ... I had and still don't have a plan about how to slow down into a really nice and easy run/walk pace for hour after hour. What do I do after it hurts to run? I got farther and longer this year due to Saturday's perfect running conditions but my mental game is still not up to a whole 12 hours.

Anyway ... my splits were mile 1 - 9:37, 2 - 8:57, 3 - 8:45, 4 - 8:50, 5 - 8:41, 6 - 8:50, 7 - 10:59, 8 - 9:08, 9 - 8:40 (my fastest lap), 10 - 8:50, 11 - 9:02, 12 - 9:05, 13 - 11:51, 14 - 9:36, 15 - 9:26, 16 - 11:04, 17 - 10:09, 18 - 13:15, 19 - 11:43, 20 - 11:36, 21 - 13:05, 22 - 12:55, 23 - 12:25, 24 - 11:31, 25 - 15:10, 26 - 13:23, 27 - 15:38, 28 - 17:01, 29 - 17:15, 30 - 17:03, 31 - 24:03(?), 32 - 15:46, 33 - 10:13, 34 - 9:59, 35 - 16:40, 36 - 14:25, 37 - 18:08, 38 - 16:49, 39 - 17:48 and 40 - 17:42. The provisional results say: I was 55th out of 145, link here; I was 8th out of 20 in my M 50-59 age group, link here. The lap times are here. I found that Christine only did 9 laps. Her 10th lap was only about 15 minutes so I guess she got too close to the timing strip somehow.