Sunday, 7/30/2017 to Saturday, 8/5/2017

I ran 4 times this week, 38.5 miles.
I biked once this week, 15.04 miles.
I took 90,253 steps during this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 7/30/2017: 14489 steps during the day, A run of 9.35 miles, 1:23:38, 8:56 pace and a bike of 15.04 miles, 1:12:18, 12.5 mph average, 20.4 mph peak; 81F, 54% RH, 5 mph NNE wind, mostly sunny.

I slept in until almost 9 AM and then relaxed for a bit with my lovely wife, Christine. We were a bit hungry so she made me a delicious egg and cheese muffin ... mmm! I had to wait for my breakfast to digest so ... I didn't get out for my long run until after the heat of the day had set in.



I tried to prepare myself by putting ice in my hydration pack along with about 55 ounces of water. I also put sunscreen on my face and stuffed a hand towel in a pocket of my shorts before I headed out. The hydration pack slowed me down as I plodded onward. I had wanted to do maybe 11 miles or so. I was OK for 6 miles. Then ... I was overheated and began a run/walk on the way back. My splits were: 8:38, 8:15, 8:25, 8:32, 8:45, 8:50, 9:23, 10:01, 9:36 and 9:11 over the last 0.35 mile. I was drenched when I got back. I couldn't find the towel that I had in my shorts so silly me decided to go out on my bike to look for it.


Well ... I ended up taking a nice and easy bike ride when I looked for my lost hand towel. I didn't push and enjoyed the breeze in my face. There were certainly a lot of bicyclists on this route! I must have seen 20 if not 30! Oh, I didn't find my hand towel out on the ride ... I found it on the kitchen countertop in the townhouse. Lol ... but I did get in another exercise activity!

Monday, 7/31/2017:  2737 steps during the day, rest day.

Stats for the month of July:
I ran 19 times for 118.9 miles, 6.26 miles/run.
I have run greater than 100 miles in a month for 19 months in a row.
I ran 4 races (Irondequoit 10K on 7/4 - 48:00, 7:47 pace; Boilermaker 15K on 7/9 - 1:15:38, 8:08 pace; Shoreline Half on 7/15 - 1:49:00, 8:16 pace, and Karknocker 5K on 7/28 - 22:25, 7:14 pace)
I biked 4 times (7/2 - 20.26 miles, 7/16 - 18.35 miles, 7/16 - 13.65 miles, 7/30 - 15.04 miles) for 67.3 miles.
I walked/ran 302,636 steps (this is the first full month that I have worn my Pebble 2 HR smart watch).

I have run 131 times so far in 2017 for 934.5 miles, 7.1 miles/run.

What's up for the month of August? Not too much. I have only Dirt Cheap #5 on 8/16 scheduled. I passed on the Pound the Ground 10K on 8/9, the Dam Good Trail Race (one of my favorites) on 8/13 and A Midsummer's Madness (a new summer version of the Medved Madness held at Mendon Ponds Park in early May) on 8/26 to pay for the Empire State Marathon (ESM) on 10/9. I guess I will spend August and September slowly building up to 20 milers for the Rochester Half on 9/17 (the day after my 60th birthday) and the ESM. I don't scientifically plan my running ... I just do it by feel. My long run pace is probably too fast but I just can't go slow.

Tuesday, 8/1/2017: 17971 steps during the day, 7.55 miles, 1:04:20, 8:31 pace, 81F, 70% RH, 4 mph SSE wind, partly sunny.


It was going to a hot and humid day but the question was not whether I was going to run but when? I kind of knew I was going to busy before lunch and didn't want to sweat a lot into my nice clothes after taking a pre-lunch run. I sweat for a while even after taking a shower when it's hot out. I resolved to take a post-work run. So ... I dressed after work and drove up to the Greece Arcadia High School like usual. I had filled most of my 20 ounce water bottle with ice before I left work so it was pretty cold when I filled the rest of it up with water. I wet my cooling towel down with water and wrapped it around my neck. All set ... I struck up a nice and easy pace and just let the run proceed. I hydrated with 2 squirts of water, 1 squirt on my front and 1 squirt on my back every 2 miles. Boom ... no troubles. Yes, it was a little hot. My splits were VERY consistent: 8:33, 8:34, 8:33, 8:32, 8:30, 8:31, 8:29 and 8:25 over the last 0.55 miles. I went upstairs to take a shower as soon as I got home. I think my darling wife, Christine, appreciated it ... lol!

Wednesday, 8/2/2017: 8915 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 8/3/2017: 15298 steps during the day, 7.55 miles, 1:02:54, 8:19 pace, 81F, 58% RH, 9 mph ENE wind, mostly cloudy.


I didn't feel like running before lunch so ... it was run after work. I dressed after work and made a beeline for Greece Arcadia High School. It was a bit hot but didn't seem as muggy as Tuesday. I made sure my cooling towel was wet anyway, tugged it around my neck and took along my 20 ounce water bottle (no ice this time). I struck up a bit hard than a nice and easy pace and let the run happen. I hydrated every 2 miles with 2 squirts to my mouth, 1 squirt to my front and 1 squirt to my back. My splits were: 8:15, 8:16, 8:17, 8:20, 8:17, 8:22, 8:23 and 8:26 over the last 0.55 mile. Boom ... done.

I was thinking of pasta during my run ... my darling wife, Christine, must have read my mind because pasta with homemade sauce was almost done when I got home. Mmm ... it was delicious!

Friday, 8/4/2017: 7293 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 8/5/2017: 23550 steps during the day, 14.05 miles, 2:00:44, 8:35 pace, 64F, 77% RH, 9 mph SW wind, mostly cloudy.

I didn't get out as early as I wanted (cough ... Christine ... cough) but I did get out. The temp and humidity had done down overnight. It was quite refreshing. I almost thought of wearing a long sleeve tech shirt ... almost.


Anyway ... I have to start training for the Empire State Marathon coming up in 2 months so I pushed my long run to 14 miles. I took 2 20 ounce water bottles and a couple of half full flasks of Hammer Gel. I struck up a nice and easy, "get 'er done" pace. I stashed one of the water bottles at the end of the LOSP trail where it intersected with Island Cottage. I kept on running. I found that I needed that extra water bottle as I was running back. I was dripping when I got done. My splits were: 8:31, 8:26, 8:34, 8:20, 8:27, 8:19, 8:21, 8:40, 8:49, 8:30, 8:49, 9:13, 8:42 and 8:39.

I took my darling wife, Christine, out to New Nails to get her lovely nails relined, filled and sharpened. Then we drove around for a bit. We ended up out by the swing bridge in Irondequoit and walked out to the pier.

We stopped for a light snack at Vic's Place before we headed home. Christine cooked up a lamp roast and sweet potatoes for supper. Mmm!

Sunday, 7/23/2017 to Saturday, 7/29/2017 - Karknocker 5K

I ran 5 times this week, 14.76 miles
I biked once this week, 13.65 miles.
I took 56,874 steps during the week.

Sunday, 7/23/2017: 7528 steps during the day, A Du of 2.05, 13.65 miles, 2.05 miles, 70F, 83% RH

I was up just before 7 AM. It's getting easier to sleep in with the sunrise getting later. First I had my usual pre-run cereal and banana while I read on Facebook that the Candlelight 12, results here, was done and that the Ironman in Lake Placid (IMLP) was just starting. I wanted to do something different so I decided to do a duathon. I put on my padded bike shorts, black short on and an orange Charlie's Old Goat Run short sleeve tech shirt. I backed up out my bicycle and locked it to a tree. I wore my Garmin Forerunner 310XT and put it in multisport mode (run, bike, run with transitions).



So ... I set forth. My left ankle was a bit cranky but I set up a good pace out on the Lake Ontario State Parkway Trail (LOSP) for a mile and back. I remembered that I hadn't locked the front door just as I got to the one mile mark ... oops! When I got back I toweled off, locked the front door, unlocked my bike, geared up for a bicycle and set back out. I decided on riding my usual bike route of LOSP, Island Cottage and Jane Rd at good clip. I chained the bike back to the tree, took a swig of water and set back out for my last run. My nipples felt a bit raw so I took off my shirt. My legs kind of hurt but I kept on running. Boom ... done!

My 310XT uploaded pretty readily once I figured out how to turn it off. It was stuck in multisport mode for a bit. But I was unimpressed with its data. It brought up just my run 1 pace of 8:13 (no distance except if you look at the time my heart rate dipped at mile 2.05, bike average of 14.0 mph (no distance (maybe 15.69 - 2.05 or 13.64 miles or max speed), run 2 pace of 8:08 (no distance but a guess of 17.77 - 15.69 or 2.08 miles). But I did execute the 310XT multisport part correctly. All you have to do is press the lap button to advance from Run to T1 to Bike to T2 to Run.

Monday, 7/24/2017: 4188 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 7/25/2017: 5575 steps during the day, another rest day.

I took today off because my left ankle felt weird. It just ached and I didn't want to do anything stupid to it. I stopped by Wegmans to do the usual grocery shopping. I picked up Kong: Skull Island from the Redbox. My darling wife, Christine and I made it a hot dogs, chips and a movie night.

Wednesday, 7/26/2017: 12,738 steps during the day, 6.55 miles, 52:16, 7:59 pace, 70F, 64% RH, 5 mph S wind, mostly cloudy



My left ankle felt so I decided to make use of my running gear that I still had in the Cruze. So .. a pre-lunch run ensued. It was a bit warmer than yesterday and not very humid. I struck up a nice and easy pace to start ... and then pushed it up a notch. I was drenched when I got done ... sweet! My splits were sweet too: 8:16, 7:52, 7:56, 8:01, 8:01, 7:53 and 7:48 over the last 0.55 mile.

I picked up another new move at Redbox when I returned yesterday's Kong: Skull Island. This time it was Ghost in the Shell with Scarlett Johansson It was certainly different with heavy sci-fi action.\

Thursday, 7/27/2017: 8,350 steps during the day, rest day.

We watched another sci-fi move that my darling wife, Christine, had downloaded onto the DVR, Oblivion. It was an interesting movie with Tom Cruise with an excellent plot twist at the end.

Friday, 7/28/2017: 15,553 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.0 and 3.11 miles, 70F, 53% RH, 11 mph ENE wind, partly cloudy.

Today's run was a rare Friday race, the Karknocker 5K. It was also the same day as the East Rochester Fireman's Carnival. This was my fourth run of this race (2012 - 20:18, 2014 - 21:34, and 2015 - 21:54) held on the same course as the Scare Brain Cancer 5K (2014 - 21:06, 2015 - 21:08, and 2016 - 21:46). So I knew the course well. Since I don't do speed training I didn't expect I would do as well as I would like but it was a Rochester Runner of the Year (RROY) race so I had signed up.

I got down to the East Rochester High School around 5: 30 PM in plenty of time for the 7 PM start. It was a beautiful night for a run. I had just back from picking up my bib and sweet short sleeve tech shirt when I encountered Prem Kumar. He told me that he had ran from his house after he had spent all afternoon on a plane flying back from Miami with a stop in DC. I talked with him for a bit before I got out for a 1 mile warm up run at 8:28 pace, link here.

Why thank you! ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shutterfly.com

I lined up pretty close to the start line next to Prem and a bit behind Tony Gingello. Tony is an older runner and plenty fast so I thought I would try to stay close to him and hope for the best.

The start of the Karknocker 5K ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shutterfly.com

And ... we were off! A 5K race is just a controlled sprint ... I got up to speed and tried to stick to Tony. The first mile passed in around 7:00. I just tried to hold on. I could feel myself slow down and I let Tony got a bit farther ahead.

I'm pretty sure that this guy took 3rd in my age group ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shutterfly.com

A guy with gray hair passed me with about 1/4 mile to go ... I could see the finish ... over 22 minutes ... done in 22:25.

I was parched and quickly got a couple cups of water. I found the results and saw that the guy who passed was also in my M 55-59 age group and got third so I was fourth. I knew I should have tripped him .. lol! I have found that to do well in 5K races you have to PRACTICE running fast ... which I don't do. I used my food and drink coupon for a cheeseburger and a Labatt's Bud Light beer. Mmm ... tasty!

I bundled all my gear (work and run related) onto my arms and into my hands as I made my way into the townhouse. One of my Contigo coffee mugs dropped onto concrete and broke. I guess they aren't indestructible!




I checked the PCR-timing.com results. I was 55th out of 272, link here. I was 4th out of 10 in my M 55-59 age group, link here. My splits were: 7:03, 7:21, 7:20 and 6:46 over the last 0.11 mile.

Saturday, 7/29/2017: 2,942 steps during the day, rest day.

Some days I just have to take off. Today was one of them. I went out  to Palmyra to delivery a "new to her" Windows 10 laptop to my daughter's friend, Shannon that I had prepared over the past couple of days. I had a bit of initial trouble starting up the data transfer from her old laptop due to a loose connection but it was easily fixed with a needle nose pliers that Karen provided. Then the 100 GB or so of data transferred easily. Shannon seemed pleased and paid me for my efforts ... sweet! Then we went up the street to Nima's for some deep dish cheese pizza deliciousness! Then it onward to see my oldest son, Michael, in Macedon. I enjoyed talking with him. Our conversation was wide ranging. Then it was back home to my darling wife, Christine, with a stop first at Papa John's to pick up a free (via a email giving me temporary 25 point Papa John's bonus points) medium pizza with extra sauce, pepporoni, and pineapple).

Sunday, 7/16/2017 to Saturday, 7/22/2017 - Dirt Cheap #4 (DNS)

I ran 3 times this week, 23.25 miles.
I biked once this week, 18.35 miles.
I took 70,091 steps during the week.

Sunday, 7/16/2017: 3603 steps during the day, 18.35 miles on the bike, 1:23:56, 13.1 mph average, 24.9 mph max, 77F, 85% RH, 6 mph N wind, mostly sunny.

I needed to get out since I knew if I stayed in I would feel like a slug. There were so many athletes out there being awesome! The Musselman (a half Iron) was held down in Geneva. The athletes I knew of the 414 finishers: Bill Beyerbach with a 5:14:46. Jim McLaughlin with a 5:49:10, Megan Hammersmith with a 5:56:16, Barry Cherney with a Half Iron of 6:34:49 (a huge 42 minute PR), Score-This results here. Blake Landry was out in PA at the Presque Isle Half Marathon doing a 1:24:57 PR (results here).  Bambi Jasmin was out in her native Vermont finishing the Vermont 100 mile in 29:12:51, 265 finishers in the 100 mile with results here and 61 finishers in the 100K with results here. The Jungle Jog 5K was held locally at the Seneca Park Zoo with 671 finishers, results here. Whew!



So ... with a hard (on me) half marathon the previous day, I decided to get out on my "Black Beauty" bike and take it relatively easy. "Black Beauty" is what I nicknamed my bike in Strava. I wore almost the summer usual: padded bike shorts, cargo shorts over that, an orange long sleeve tech top, bike gloves and my trusty helmet. I was a bit hot on the top but I thought that then I wouldn't have to put sunscreen on my arms. So ... six of one and half a dozen of the other. I went on my usual 18 to 20 mile route ... nothing too exciting. I did see Tina Pellegrin on her bike for a second. She was out on a 43 mile bike ride to celebrate her 43rd birthday!

A lazy rest of the day ensued. Christine and I did celebrate National Ice Cream Day though!

Monday, 7/17/2017: 12,225 steps during the day, 5.05 miles, 41:29, 8:13 pace, 77F, 68% RH, calm, partly cloudy.


I got out before lunch for a short 5 mile run. I decided to cut it short because it was very humid. I set up a nice and easy pace and kept it going (except for traffic). I was drenched with sweat after I got done. I had to sit for a bit after I took my cold shower so that I won't just sweat through my work shirt (I did a bit anyway). My splits were: 8:17, 8:06, 8:21, 8:12 and 8:11.

Tuesday, 7/18/2017: 8504 steps during the day, rest day.

I had a headache most of the afternoon. I did a bit of grocery shopping at Wegmans on the way home, and sat outside for a bit. I went to bed before 8 PM and was alseep by 8;30 PM. I haven't done that in a long time.

Wednesday, 7/19/2017: 7195 steps during the day, picnic day instead of Dirt Cheap #4

I fully intended to run Dirt Cheap #4 out in Webster tonight instead of attended a hastily planned (2 days notice) Ricoh picnic at Cobbs Hill Park. But ... I just had to think of an excuse. I learned that it was going to be sparsely attended plus it was really humid ... so since I don't run well in the heat I decided to go to the picnic. I left work a hour early so I could swing home and pick up my darling wife, Christine. But ... she decided she wasn't up to it.

I was a bit miffed and I almost bailed on the picnic too but ... decided that I needed to put in some face time with the higher ups at Ricoh and headed down to Cobb's Hill Park. I ended up attending a small (8 people max) picnic (right behind the basketball courts) with lots of food and not enough people to do the food justice. I took home 2 hamburger, 2 hot dogs, a zucchini, a yellow squash and a bag of Wise Barbecue Chips. One boss gave me two Perfect Cooling Cooling Towels.

I also have a yellow one.

So ... bottom line ... I bailed on Dirt Cheap #4. I felt bad but life sometimes gets in the way of running races. There were 343 finishers in what I was sure was a hot and sweaty Dirt Cheap #4 out in Webster, results here.

Thursday, 7/20/2017: 14,056 steps during the day, 6.45 miles, 53:04, 8:13 pace, 79F, 70% RH, 5 mph SSW wind, overcast.


I needed to run ... it was Thursday plus I didn't run Dirt Cheap the night before. I wanted to run before lunch so I would get the run done. It was just as humid as Tuesday so I decided to try out one of the cooling towels that I had got last night. I wet it down, wringed it out a bit, tucked the ends into my shirt and set out with a 20 ounce water bottle at a nice and easy pace. I took in a couple of squirts of water, squirted some on my front and some down my back at miles 2, 4 and 6. My splits were: 8:14, 8:06, 8:14, 8:25, 8:22, 8:11 and 7:43 over the last 0.45 mile. My impression of the Cooling Towel was incomplete. It seems to help. I think I will need another test run on another hot day.

Friday, 7/21/2017:  6509 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 7/22/2017: 17,999 steps during the day, 12.25 miles, 1:47:18, 8:46 pace, 72F, 85% RH, 5 mph SSW wind, overcast

I slept in until almost 7 AM but didn't get out early. I puttered around until after 8:30 AM. It probably wouldn't have made any difference. It was ungodly humid. I wanted to do at least 11 and maybe 17 (a single or double loop of Island Cottage - Edgemere, Long Pond - Janes). I set off at really nice and easy pace. My left ankle ached for about 1/2 mile. I changed it up a bit and just did an out and pack to Lowden Ppoint Rd. The humidity really affected me past mile 8 or so. I just trudged onward. I did do a couple of run/walks. I was totally drenched when you got done. My Droid's eCrumb app locked up tighter than a drum so I posted the results to Facebook manually. Someone posted that a 8:45 pace is fast to some people. I usually run about 15 to 25 seconds/mile faster. The humidity really cooked me. My splits were: 9:12, 8:19, 8:23, 8:24, 8:27, 8:33, 9:20, 8:42, 9:11, 8:45, 8:57, 9:02 and 8:10 over the last 0.25 mile. It took a while to calm down afterward.

Ribs, sweet potato and salad ... mmm!!!

My darling wife, Christine, knows I like ribs so she cooked up a double batch while we watched a movie, Serenity, that she downloaded onto the DVR. I had always wanted to see this Joss Wheldon written and directed movie from 2005 but had never gotten around to it. It wasn't bad. It was nice seeing Nathan Fillion (pre-Castle), Morena Baccarin (pre V and pre Gotham), Adam Baldwin (pre Chuck and pre The Last Ship) and Summer Glau (pre Dollhouse and pre Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles).

Monday, 7/10/2017 to Saturday, 7/15/2017 - Shoreline Half

I ran 4 times these 6 days, 30.74 miles.
I took 66,987 steps during these 6 days.

Monday, 7/10/2017: 8605 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 7/11/2017: 14898 steps during the day, 7.5 miles, around 8:30 pace, 81F, 66% RH, 6 mph NE wind, mostly cloudy.

I brought my running gear to work so I could go out right after work. So I did the usual: dressed after work and drove out to the Greece Arcadia High School. I was gearing up when I found out something ... you can make your nose bleed. I put a dab of sunscreen (my darling wife has gotten me in the habit of putting on sunscreen) on my left index finger and vigorously went to apply it to my nose. Well ... I missed and jabbed it up my nose instead. Ouch! I didn't think much of it until ... I started sniffing and realized that my left nostril was bleeding. I had to take care of that before I could start up. I also had to set up my Ricoh cell for RoadID before I could start out.

Then ... I forgot to start my eCrumb until about a mile into the run. So ... the route was 7.5 miles but the pace and splits were from a 6.5 mile run. It was a bit humid so I was totally drenched when I got done. My splits were: 8:16, 8:24, 8:24, 8:38, 8:40, 8:34 and 8:30 over the last 0.5 mile.
I was still dripping with sweat when I got home so I went upstairs straight away to take a cool shower. I cut my toenails and noticed that I had four (yes, four) old blisters on my feet. Two around my left heel (from Many on the Genny), one on my left 2nd toe (from Sunday's Boilermaker) and one on my right big toe (from who know what). Lovely ... but what can a runner who runs do? Just keep on running.

Wednesday, 7/12/2017: 8346 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 7/13/2017: 15736 steps during the day, 9.3 miles, 1:15:17, 8:06 pace, 66F, 88% RH, 7 mpn ENE wind, overcast.

The usual run out towards home after work. This time I started out on Janes Rd. It was cooler since a cold front has pushed through and given Rochester a not so necessary burst of rain. I started out a bit slow and then decided to push it longer and harder. I was definitely feeling strong at the end. Now if I could just do that during the Shoreline Half on Saturday. My splits were: 8:02, 7:54, 8:04, 8:05, 8:14, 7:59, 8:14, 8:11, 8:12 and 7:54 over the last 0.3 mile. OK ... maybe I didn't start out so nice and easy.

Friday, 7/14/2017: 4250 steps during the day, rest day.

The usual rest day before a race. I stopped by Fleet Feet on Ridgeway to pick up my bib and olive short sleeve tech shirt for tomorrow's Shoreline Half. The lady who took care of me told me about the course changes in the last mile. The last mile of the old course was along the paved paths along Lake Ontario. Well ... the high lake levels "ate" some of the paths so the course was changed. She told that the last mile was a bit "twisty and turny". I do know that I like the last mile of a half course to be straight so I just gut out the finish. Oh well ... I got my gear together and set my alarm for 5:45 AM.

Saturday, 7/15/2017: 23,757 steps during the day, 2 runs of 0.75 and 13.19 miles, 64F, 88% RH, 8 mph W wind, overcast.

Today's race was my sixth Shoreline Half Marathon (2011 - 1:56:12, 2012 - 1:36:21, 2014 - 1:45:26, 2015 - 1:47:04 and 2016 - 1:44:24).

I was awake a bit before the alarm. I went downstairs to put away the dishes from the dishwasher, make the coffee and have my usual pre-race bowl of cereal and banana. I woke my lovely wife, Christine, up at 6:15 AM (which was not early enough). She had signed up to volunteer and needed to be there at 7 AM. I got ready quickly. I wore my usual: black shorts and an old green Shoreline Half short sleeve tech shirt. Christine took more than she needed. We left at 6:57 AM for Hamlin State Park which is about 19.5 miles away. We encountered a few sprinkles on the way. I begun to wonder if my clothing choices were wrong. We arrived at 7:20 AM.

Then ... Christine got "stuck" in the car and couldn't fulfill her volunteer duties. I knew enough not to inflame the situation. I found the volunteer tent and told them. They had already reassigned her duties since it was 7:30 AM. I went back to the Cruze and told her. I got out for a nice and easy warm up run of 0.75 miles which ended up at the start line. I had decided to carry my 20 ounce hand bottle filled with water and maybe a bit of ice along with a 5 ounce flask of Hammer Gel. I tried to fire off a RoadID eCrumb so that Christine and my kids could track me but I was unable to get a strong enough cell signal.


Ellen reminded us about the course change at the end before letting us go with a boisterous "Goooooooooooo!" I had a clean start except for some idiot with ear buds in front of me hopping from one side to the other side to a clearer lane. I changed my step to avoid him and yelled "Hey, watch it!" but I doubt he heard me.

The start  ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

This girl was also around mile 1, I touched the lightning bolt for more power ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

I set up a sensible pace around 8 to 8:10 pace. It was overcast and very humid. We got to mile 3 just as we left the park. The race progressed. I had water at miles 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 and Hammer Gel at miles 6 and 8. I developed a pain in my right cramp. It wasn't a hard cramp but enough to bug and slow me down ... which I did. I went into a run/walk past mile 10 or so. Mile 11 ... back in the park ... the new course was on the park road ... mile 12 ... the new twisty and turny course at the end (not a fan) ... I was still running but felt like I was in quicksand ... it hurt to run ... I had nothing left ... last left ... I heard Ellen call my name ... push ... the finish line just as the clock turned to 1:49 ... done!

Somewhere around the end ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

Two ladies put the Shoreline Half and 4 Season Challenge medals over my neck. I was parched and quickly downed 2 cups of water. I took a few minutes to rest and then walked over to the Cruze to tell Christine that I was done.

A post race selfie ... you can barely see the 4 Season Challenge medal

Shoreline Half swag

I sat with Christine in the Cruze for a bit. Yellow Jacket Racing had contracted with Sticky Lips  BBQ to serve our post race food. I stood in line for about 5 minutes before it was my turn. I talked with a woman who told me that at mile 9 she had stayed with a guy who had fainted. Someone called 911. She and I hoped that he was OK. The pulled pork on a bun, beans and pasta tasted excellent.

I went to the beach and watched the waves come in for a bit.

I checked out the results when we got home. I finished 95th out of 639, link here. I was 6th out of 21 in my M 55-59 age group, link here. My splits were: 8:08, 8:10, 8:12, 8:20, 8:14, 8:16, 7:59, 8:11, 8:09, 8:24, 8:36, 8:13, 8:29 and 8:25 over the last 0.19 mile. There was 175 finishers in the Shoreline 5K, link here. So .. out of six Shoreline Half races this was my second slowest. Oh well ... it's what I could do today. I guess I have to race against who I am today ... not 5 years ago in 2012.

Meanwhile other athletes were out there being awesome. Trails ROC held their 5th 0 SPF Trail 1/2 Marathon out in Victor with 127 finishers, results here. The Musselman Mini was held out in Geneva. The athletes I knew of the 614 finishers: Jim McLaughlin in 1:24:59, Tom Dutton in 1:33:01, Bob Hamilton in 1:35:30, Jeff Rose in 1:39:06, Sarah Hardy Strossman in 1:39:23, Ellen Boettrich in 2:02:18, Frank Colavecchia in 2:14:21

Sunday, 7/9/2017 - Boilermaker 15K

Sunday, 7/9/2017: 20522 steps during the day, 2 runs of 2.1 and 9.44 miles, 61F, 82% RH, calm, sunny.

Today was my fifth (chip times - 2013: 1:18:07, 2014: 1:13:41, 2015: 1:11:54 and 2016: 1:12:25) running of the Boilermaker 15K in Utica NY. I will try my best to put down in words the Boilermaker experience. My alarms (yes, I set 2 alarms) went off at 3:05 AM. I was sound asleep when they went off so I was bolted awake. I got about 4.5 hours of sleep. It would have to do since I can't sleep on a bus or airplane. I have tried. I let my darling wife, Christine, sleep. She wasn't coming to this race unlike the previous four. We had deemed a $35 bus trip as a frivolous expense. I suggested that maybe she should consider running or walking next year's Boilermaker. She is signed up for the Race with Grace 10K on Thanksgiving. I set up the coffeemaker for 8:50 AM so she might have some coffee once she woke up. I dressed quickly and had my usual pre-race cereal and banana. It was going to be a bit cooler in Utica with a high around 70F but humid. I chose my Reebok shorts and an orange 2015 Shoreline Half short sleeve tech shirt. I applied BodyGlide on my nipples just in case. I packed my small running bag with a 20 ounce water bottle, sunglasses, another pair of shorts, another short sleeve tech shirt, some small towels, some protein bars and a long sleeve tech shirt (just in case).

I took the Cruze and left at 3:51 AM. I arrived down at the Park and Ride lot next to SJFC for the 11th GRTC Boilermaker bus at 4:12 AM. Strangely there wasn't much traffic on the Ontario State Parkway, I-390 or I-490, lol. This year there was only one bus making the trip. The bus was already almost full. I sat in back next to a woman named Jackie.

The bus ride was uneventful. Soon it got light as we rode eastward to Utica. I ate a bagel after we made a short pitstop at a rest area on the other side of Syracuse. I decided not to carry water or wear a hat ... but I did put on sunscreen. I do tend to be a minimalist runner that doesn't carry much. I know that if I carry a water bottle during races that I tend to stop less at water stops but don't drink as much water. I also know that if I don't carry water that I do stop at some water stops to make sure that I drink all of the water in the cup. I guess it all depends on my mood, how hot it is and the length of the race whether I carry a hand bottle of water or not. The Boilermaker 15K has lots of aid stations so you can usually get a cup of water when you need one.

The bus dropped us off around 6:50 AM. The bus drove onward to the Saranac Matt Brewery since the Boilermaker is a point to point race. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun was quite bright. I started to walk about a 1/4 mile up on Dwyer Ave to the tent where the bibs were being given out. There was a long line for the A-D bibs but it moved along. This year I had a green bib which entitled me to a corral about 1/10 mile from the start. I saw some runners warming up in what looked to be a trucking company parking lot above Dwyer Ave. I met up with Prem Kumar (who was running his first Boilermaker) and ran a 2.1 mile warm up at a really nice and easy 9:19 pace, link here. I really ran just to pass the time. I took care of some business in the bushes (like a lot of runners, male or female) since the line for porta-potties was quite long. With about 30 minutes to go before the race start at 8AM I started to make my way through the crowd of runners to my green corral and made my way up to stand next to Andy Ciaio and Prem.

The view ahead before the start

The view behind before the start

The long line of runners was absolutely silent while a trumpet player played the Star Spangled Banner. I started up my RoadId eCrumb with about a minute to go before the start. Christine does like to track me during my races.

Two versions of the race: Garmin and Strava.



And ... we were off! I could see runners moving in front of us. Soon I was walking ... trotting ... and running slowly and then running on Culver Ave. I would say that it took at least 45 seconds to get up to the start line. I slowly got up to speed. The house at the 0.1 mile mark had the same music and a guy announcing that we had 9.2 miles to go. It did amuse us for a couple of seconds! It was a bit of scrum for the first mile with faster runners trying to get around. I almost tripped twice by a couple of idiot runners who tried (successfully) to get through openings that were not wide enough. I didn't get tripped from behind either so it was all good. The road ahead was a solid sea of runners. Culver Ave turned into Memorial Parkway just after mile 1. The mile 1 clock flashed 9:05 as I ran past. I had the urge to hit the bathroom but the two porta-potties at mile 1 were occupied. I remember seeing a funny sign ... "Run Daddy! My diaper needs changing!" which made me laugh. We turned left onto Valley View Rd just before mile 3 as we made our way out to the golf course. Then it was a right onto Steele Hill Rd into the Valley View golf course. This is the "big" hill. It's a long and winding hill and is longer than it looks.

I could see a line of runners going up and up. So I did too. I slowed a bit as I made my way up. Soon I was at the top. The Strava map shows that this hill was 107 feet in elevation over 0.7 mile. I saw a porta-potty and made a beeline for it. Unoccupied! I quickly took care of business ... out and back to running! Now .. down a long downhill on Master Garden Rd at mile 4 (best pace of 6:34 according to Garmin!) and then back onto Memorial Parkway. A jog onto Genesee St, Shepard Place, Sunset Ave and then on Burrstone Rd led to mile 6. A long slight uphill started and led past the 10K mark, which doubles as the 5K start and continued on ... and on .. and on ... until a right onto Champlin Ave just past mile 7. The Strava map shows that this was 93 feet of elevation in 1.0 mile. A mild incline but just on ... on ... onward. I was determined to not stop on this stretch but I definitely was not running as fast either. I shortened my stride to deal with this. I started to walk into some (I think about 3) water stops to make sure that I downed all the water in the cup. The crowd about both sides of the streets started to swell and get louder. I remember the guy on stilts between mile 7 and 8 giving out low fives for him but high fives for us. I also saw the person in the T-Rex costume waving at us. I was definitely ready for the race to end but kept on running as best I could. I just put my head down and kept running. A right onto Whitesboro St between mile 8 and mile 9. Then a right onto Court St just before mile 9 ... getting there. There were bells and clapping and yells from both sides ... getting there. A nice downhill ... I saw Christine Antonio with her green Rochester Running Company shirt to my left ... finish line in sight .... sprint ... taking the right side of the wide chute ... finish clock around 1:15 ... done!


MarathonFoto was taking pictures .. here are a screen capture of the best three.

I was parched but kept on walking ahead with other runners. I didn't get any liquid for a while ... which would have been bad if I had needed some. The fruit cup stand gave out fruit cups that tasted heavenly. I was given a free hand towel and a small chocolate milk. Then I arrived at the Saranac Matts Brewery parking lot. I got in the food line where I picked up a banana, chips and a couple of small protein bars. I made my way across the parking lot to pick up my swag bag with its Boilermaker glass. I brought cash this year so I actually bought some Boilermaker merchandise.

A post race selfie

The 40th anniversary Boilermake medal was a bit pricey at $10.95 so I took a pic instead

Top left to bottom right: free sticker, 40th bumper sticker, DVD, bib and 40th glass

I passed on the 40th anniversary medal but did buy a Boilermaker bumper sticker and DVD. I stopped at a beer truck for a nice and cold free cup of Saranac beer. Mmm ... tasty! The parking lot was populated with runners but walking was easy. I met up with Matt Roberts for a bit. He was quite happy that he had broken the 1 hour mark for the 12th year in a row. He reminded me that only elite runners need to care about gun time and that everyone else can use chip time for their times.

Then I went into "people watching" mode in the park as the parking lot got more and more crowded with runners of all kinds and just took in the scenery. I had a few more nice, cold and free cups of beer from time to time. There was a lot of see. The one thing that I remembered was a woman's shirt that read: Looks like walking, feels like running. I can relate. My running during the last three miles felt like walking too. Just getting it done, man.

My stats were: gun time of 1:16:35, chip time of 1:15:38 (57 seconds to reach the start mat), 8:07 chip time pace, 1683th out of 11711, link here. I was 75nd out of 489 in my M 55-59 age group. My splits were: 8:32, 8:12, 8:08, 8:46, 7:54, 7:37, 8:05, 7:45, 8:03 and 7:04 over the last 0.44 mile. It felt like I was crawling for the last 3 miles! There was also a Boilermaker 5K with 4082 finishers, chip time link here.

So ... of the 5 Boilermakers that I have done this is my 2nd slowest ... oh well! I know I can go faster ... maybe next year or not. My faster days may be behind me but I'm still out there getting it done. The bus departed Utica a bit after noon and arrived back at where we started around 2:57 PM. I picked up pizza from Papa John's on the way home. I synced up my Garmin Forerunner 220 and caught up on Facebook. Later, Christine called me upstairs even before the sun went down ... once we dozed off I slept for about 11 hours!

 All in all, a great day!!

Sunday, 7/2/2017 to Saturday, 7/8/2017 - Irondequoit 10K

I ran 4 times this week, 22.57 miles.
I biked once this week, 20.26 miles.
I took 59,179 steps during the week.

Sunday, 7/2/2017: 2561 steps during the day, 20.26 miles on the bike, 1:36:06, 12.6 mph average speed, 20.2 mph maximum speed, 82F, 42% RH, 20 mph WNW wind, mostly sunny.



I slept in until almost 9 AM so I missed the window for an early run. I wanted to do a ride and thought it would be nice to hook in my Pebble. I downloaded Endomondo and MapMyTracks to both my cell and my Pebble. Lots of tech ... but I chose to give Endomondo the first whirl. I geared up and got dressed in summer biking attire: padded bicycle shorts, shorts and an orange Charlies's Old Goat Run short sleeve tech. I brought along water and Hammer Gel to give me sustenance. I started up a RoadID eCrumb, started Endomondo on my cell, put my Endomondo face on my Pebble, started my Garmin Forerunner 310XT. My plan was for my cell to send data to my Pebble ... which it did for about 3.63 miles and then quit. Endomondo was still working because it would tell me mileage and lap splits every miles. Oh well ... first world problems. My 310XT worked as always. It was a bit windy when held down my speed a bit. A good thing because I almost ran down a woman runner on Island Cottage. I was on the extreme right shoulder of a left hand turn and she on the extreme left shoulder of a left hand turn ... so we were on a collision course. It was just past Jane Rd going toward Latta Rd. It would have been my fault. I had my head down and wasn't looking far enough ahead. She screamed "Look out" when I was about 30 feet away and jumped to her right. I veered a bit to my right. She might have more to say once I passed. I know I would have ... and none of it kind words.

Monday, 7/3/2017: 4518 steps during the day, rest day,

I received a set of 5 Volutz USB to Micro USB cables (3 x 3.3', 1 6' and 1 10') that I bought off of Ebay. I immediately tested the 3 3.3' cables using Ampere. They all charged at about 660 to 700 mA which is about the best my old Droid can handle. Good deal! Now I will just have worry about just keeping the thing working.

Tuesday, 7/4/2017: 15591 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.4 and 6.17 miles, 63F, 88% RH, 5 mph SW wind, sunny.

Today's race was my third running of the Irondequoit 10K. Why? The Irondequoit 10K was the cheapest ($20) I could find at a late date, the longest (thus the best race distance per mile ratio) and the hardest course. I have run a variety of July 4th races and had 4 to choose from this year: the Brighton 5K (21:01 in 2011 and 21:36 in 2016), the Firecracker 4 (Firecracker 5: 39:49 in 2006, 36:39 in 2008, 40:12 in 2009 and 38:06 in 2010; Firecracker 4: 28:49 in 2014), the Greece Freedom Run 5K (I have never run it) and the Irondequoit 10K (44:09 in 2012 and 45:14 in 2015). The Sodus Point Lighthouse 5K (23:06 in 2013) was on July 2nd this year.

I was up before the sun like usual. My bedroom faces north and the room gets light with the approaching sunrise ... so I wake up. I had a banana for my pre-race meal since the milk in the refrigerator smelled funny. I dressed for the summer: black shorts, an orange Charlie's Old Goat Trail Run short sleeve tech along with my Asics GT-1000 road shoes. I got down to Christ the King Church around 7:20 AM and was rewarded with a shady parking spot right along the building. The 2 mile race started at 7:45 AM and the 10K started at 8:15 AM so I knew to get there early both to pick up my race packet and for easy parking.

I geared up for a warmup run and broke the larger of the two zip pockets in my running belt when I tried to zip it shut. Granted that I had bought 2 of these for only $9.97 from Yugster.com about 3 months ago it won't be a great loss. But still ... I had to adjust. I put my Droid in the smaller pocket ... a tight squeeze and put my car key in the pocket on my 20 ounce water bottle which I was forced to carry now. I went out to watch the 2 mile race start and then got out for a nice and easy 1.4 mile warmup run at 8:51 pace, link here.

I noticed this colorful guy starting the 2 mile race ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https:runnerpics.shutterfly.com

I had plenty of time to stop by the Cruze for a drink of water. I also had a Hammer Gel before the race. I lined up next to Bill Beyerbach. The race had a friendly neighborhood vibe with about
200 runners. And ... we were off!

The 10K start ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shutterfly.com

I have run this race before and knew not to go out hard ... easy to say, hard to do ... especially for me. The start was flat but soon was rolling hills (mostly down) on Kings Highway down to Lake Shore Blvd. Mile 1 passed by in 7:15 which was OK. I was running well. I had a guy with a stoller pass me ... huh? I thought I'll pass him back soon enough. Out onto Lake Shore Blvd ... 5K in 23:10. Now .. the hard part ... going back up to the finish on Titus Ave. Luckily it's mostly shaded. I stopped to walk through 2 water stops but didn't lose a position. The guy with the stroller was still in front by about 50 yards. This race does have its perks ... people sit by the roads aiming sprinklers onto the course. I ran through about 5 of them! Mile 4 ... mile 5 ... the gentle, winding uphill sucked. The right turn onto Oakview Drive .. I knew the finish was soon ... one more hill ... then a left onto Titus Ave and then the finish. Gut it out ... the guy with the stroller still ahead ... couldn't catch him ... clock ticking toward 48 ... done!

A dripping wet selfie

I drank some water right away. This 10K course was a tough one! I looked at the results. I ran a 48:00 even and was 2nd in my M 55-59 age group by seven seconds. The guy in the stroller was 34 years old so I didn't feel so bad about being behind him. I stuck around for the awards. The guy who won my age group was Dale Gerew. Bill, Dale and I talked during the awards and while we walked back to our cars. Dale was a talker. We even don't like the same race (Oak Tree Half) and fallen at the same race (Charlie's Old Goat Trail Run). I'll probably see him at the Shoreline Half on July 15th.

I went home with a side stop at BJ's. I had a coupon for Lloyd's ribs that expired on July 9th that needed to be used. Soon I was home ... feet up, coffee mug at the ready ... checking for race results from PCR-timing.com and checking up on Facebook. I did OK. I was 47th out of 235, link here. I was 2nd out of 14 in my M 55-59 age group, link here. It was my slowest (by far) of my three Irondequoit 10Ks ... but at least I'm still out there. My splits were: 7:16, 7:41, 7:41, 8:21, 8:09, 7:47 and 6:47 over the last 0.17 mile. I guess I took a lot of tangents with all the twists and turns on this course! The 2 Mile race also had 235 finishers, link here.

The other races going on: the Brighton 5K had 508 finishers, link here; the Firecracker 4 had 697 finishers, link here; and the Greece Freedom Run 5K had 150 finishers, link here. The Sodus Point Lighthouse 5K back on Sunday, 7/2, had 514 finishers, link here.

The construction of the Erie Canal (aka Clinton's Folly of Big Ditch) was started on July 4, 1817. Some links here, here, here, here, and wiki here. It opened on October 26, 1825, link here. I grew up in Newark NY on Whitbeck Rd about 1/2 mile from it. I used to watch barges push cargo back in the late 60s and early 70s. I remember skipping stones underneath the bridge long before the Erie Canalway Trail (links here and here, interactive map here) was built.

We stayed home and listened to all the fireworks going off around. I saw a neat picture that Richard Detwiler took of the City of Rochester fireworks reflecting in the Genesee River.

Wednesday, 7/5/2017: 7431 steps during the day, rest day.

I went out to the free Rochester Philarmonic Orchestra (RPO) concert at Ontario Beach Park. I was pleased to see that there is beach to walk on now. The RPO concert was well attended. I think I was on the low end of the age scale of people who attended, lol!

I left at "halftime" (when the RPO took their break) because I parked the Cruze in a grass field with about 300 cars and one exit. I might have been there until 10 PM if I had waited and tried to exit with everyone else. I will park across the Genesee River and park at Herrema's the next time I attend one of these free Wednesday concerts, list here.

I prowled Facebook earlier in the week and found a link for 20% off the Empire State Marathon which will be held on Sunday, October 9th, out in Syracuse. It was advertised as flat, fast and a good BQ course. I am kind of familiar with the course since I ran the Lake Effect Half on part of it in February 2015. I pushed myself over the edge and clicked Submit ... I saved $21. I have never run a marathon in October. All three of my road marathons have been in Rochester (2008, 2013, and 2016). Can I BQ this time? Well ... this will give me something to train for during the summer for sure!

Thursday, 7/6/2017: 17,307 steps during the day, 7.5 miles, 1:02:54, 8:23 pace, 86F, 48% RH, 4 mph NE wind, partly sunny.

It was a hot and humid Thursday. It would have been easy to not run ... but I run on Thursdays. So I dressed after work, drove out to Janes Rd, geared up, brought my hand bottle with 20 ounces of water and set forth.


I kept up a good pace until around mile 6 when I stopped for some water three times. I got overheated a bit. I gutted out the rest. My splits were: 8:11, 8:14, 8:19, 8:18, 8:16, 8:42, 8:51 and 8:06 over the last 0.5 mile.

Friday, 7/7/2017: 8588 steps during the day, 7.5 miles, 1:02:38, 8:21 pace, 82F, 55% RH, 10 mph WNW wind, mostly cloudy.

I don't usually run on Fridays but Saturday is going to be a rest day because the Boilermaker 15K is on Sunday. So I ran in the heat and humidity right where I ran on Thursday. It's convenient, has wide shoulders and is on the way home. I even took a hour off of work at PTO. I filled up my 20 ounce water bottle with ice, dressed after work, drove out to Jane Rd, geared up and set forth.


My plan was to better hydrate on this run. The icy water in my 20 ounce water bottle did help. I hydrated at 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. I did walk a wee bit just before mile 6. My splits were: 8:11, 8:06, 8:12, 8:24, 8:22, 8:39, 8:32 and 8:28 over the last 0.5 mile.

Saturday, 7/8/2017: 3183 steps during the day, Rest day.

Definitely a rest with the Boilermaker 15K tomorrow morning. We did get out in the afternoon so I could take my lovely wife, Christine, to New Nails. I did a grocery run at Wegmans while she got her french manicured nails sharpened and polished, ;-). She made up the shopping list for the Irondequoit Wegmans at Wegmans.com beforehand. I printed it out (all 6 pages), went to the appopriate aisle and got the items ... easy, peasy.