Sunday, 8/27/2017 to Saturday, 9/2/2017 - Summerfest 12K

I ran 5 times this week, 37.17 miles.

Sunday, 8/27/2017: 14675 steps during the day, 9.35 miles, 1:19:07, 8:28 pace, 64F, 68% RH, 3 mph N wind, partly cloudy.


I got out late for the second day in a row. My darling wife, Christine, needed a hug before I left so I obliged her. I decided to test my left ankle a bit more by going out longer. It loosened up quickly but ... a right hip discomfort set in around mile 8. It wasn't a sharp pain but I think it would have headed that way soon ... **** (fill in the blank)! My splits were: 8:31, 8:14, 8:15, 8:23, 8:29, 8:24, 8:21, 8:35, 9:03, and 8:15 over the last 0.35 mile. Maybe next weekend I can chance a 20 mile run.

I relaxed afterward with a mug of coffee and one of Christine's breakfast squares that she made up on Thursday. Mmm! Later I got downstairs to the basement and straightened a bit while I did a load of sheets and pillowcases from the second bedroom. I really need to spend some quality time in the basement just sorting and throwing away old crap that I do not need to keep lugging around anymore. So many things to do ... so little time.

There were other athletes out there being awesome. The Green Lakes Endurance Run 50K (the 100K is on hiatus until 2018) was held out at Green Lakes State Park in Fayetteville NY. 77 runners finished, results here.

Monday, 8/28/2017: 4440 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 8/29/2017: 16475 steps during the day, 7.55 miles, 1:02:59, 8:19 pace, 73F, 44% RH, 9 mph SE wind, partly cloudy.


I could have bagged this run very easily. I walked around at work at 4 PM yawning because I was tired plus my left ankle twinged a bit when I walked. But ... I didn't. I run on Tuesdays so I got dressed just before 5 PM so I could leave right away and drove out to Greece Arcadia High School for my usual Island Cottage and Janes run. I didn't know what to expect as I set out ... I thought that some sort of right hip pain would ensue eventually. But ... it didn't and I had a pretty good run. I concentrated on hitting with the middle of my feet not the heels. It was excellent weather for a run ... not too hot, not too cold, not too humidity and not too sunny! My splits were: 8:20, 8:18, 8:16, 8:25, 8:19, 8:19, 8:18, and 8:17 over the last 0.55 mile. Now, if I could hold this pace for an entire marathon ... which I know I can't.

Wednesday, 8/30/2017: 4267 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 8/31/2017: 19802 steps during the day, 10.65 miles, 1:28:52, 8:21 pace, 64F, 52% RH, 12 mph N wind, partly cloudy.


I didn't want to go gentle into the end of the month of August so I went out for a long run. I took a hour of PTO, dressed after work and went to my usual (of late) running haunt at Greece Acadia High School. I decided to add a second time up and down of Jane would add another 3 miles to my usual Island Cottage - Janes route of 7.55 miles. I set out at a nice and steady pace along with concentrating on striking with my mid sole instead of my heel. I shortened my stride but increased my pace a bit to keep a good pace. My left ankle loosened up after 1 mile but did twinge a bit at mile 8 but went away. It felt good though. My splits were: 8:07, 8:17, 8:17, 8:14, 8:21, 8:32, 8:22, 8:24, 8:20, 8:27, and 8:32 over the last 0.65 mile. I hydrated like usual at every 2 miles. Pretty consistent.

Stats for the month of August and so far in 2017:

I biked twice during the month for 40 miles ((20 miles on 8/6 and 20 miles on 8/13).
I ran 18 times during the month for 146.22 miles, 8.12 miles/run.
I ran one race during the month (Dirt Cheap #5 on 8/16).
I took 334,384 steps during the month.

I have run 150 times during 2017 so far for 1080.75 miles, 7.21 miles/run.

What's on tap for September? A bit of marathon training and 4 races (Summerfest 12K on 9/2, Dirt Cheap #6 on 9/6, the Rochester Half on 9/17 and the Heather Boyum 5K on 9/23).

Friday, 9/1/2017: 2480 steps during the day, rest day (the usual the day before a race).

I surprised my darling wife, Christine, by taking the day off. We had a nice but late breakfast and then busied ourselves watching a ton of DVR'ed episodes of "The Librarians". I took breaks occasionally while I also busied myself doing 6 loads of laundry. I even got the nipple blood off of a yellow 2015 Sauerkraut 20K tech shirt (a lot of pre-wash sprays with Oxi Clean Max Clean were involved)!

Saturday, 9/2/2017: 16039 steps during the day, 2 runs of 2.22 and 9.5 miles, 52F, 76% RH, 3 mph SSE wind, sunny.

Today's race was my eighth Summerfest 12K (2009 - 1:02:42, 2010 - 1:01:05, 2011 - 1:00:41, 2013 - 59:23, 2014 - 58:47 and 2015 - 58:03). I ran the Summerfest 5K in 2012 in 22:02 when I was coming back from a left Achilles heel injury. I woke up when my alarm went off at 6:10 AM. It's a good thing I set it. I usually wake up when the sun comes up and the fact that the sun is rising later and later means I'll be setting my alarm for the next several months I guess.

I had my usual pre-race of cereal and banana, dressed quietly, got my running gear together, kissed Christine good-bye and headed out at 7:40 AM. I chose to wear a white Freezeroo long sleeve tech shirt (it was 45F when I woke up), black shorts and calf sleeves. I got down to the Beach parking lot of Mendon Ponds Park (MPP) around 8:10 AM in plenty of time for the 9 AM start. Then I walked up to Stewart Lodge to get my mason jar and bib. I couldn't find my running sunglasses in my running bag when I got back to the Cruze. I didn't let it bother me. I just wore my regular glasses when I got out a nice, if a bit long, warm up run of 2.22 miles at 8:46 pace, link here. I got back to the Cruze for a swig of water about 10 minutes before the start.

Boots (David Boutiller) and Ellen Brenner Boutillier in a calm moment before the race ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

The group of runners that gathered by the Fleet Feet blow-up Start arch seemed a bit small. I figured that some runners were resting today since tomorrow is tbe Oak Tree Half down in Geneseo NY. I lined up behind the little 10 year old, Ari Redack. I read about her in a Democrat and Chronicle article, link here. She is speedy. She has won the Women Run the ROC 5K, Sauerkraut 5K and Shoreline 5K. I got pretty close to the start line, fired up my RoadID to let my wife and kids track me and waited for Ellen to voice her "boisterous GOOOOOO!!".

The start ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

And ... we were off. My mindset before the race was to just take it nice and steady. I tried to concentrate on not going out too hard while trying to not heel strike. Well ... the first mile passed in 7:02 but I felt good so I went with it. I was up near the front ... I counted that I was eighth before everyone stretched out. I was behind Ari by about 100 feet and didn't pass her for another 1/2 mile. She certainly is fast for a 10 year old. The rolling hills of Mendon were ever present though and I did slow down some. I glanced at my Garmin when it buzzed with every mile. I remember seeing a lot of times around 7:30 so I knew I was running well. I did have a 7:58 on one uphill stretch. What? Hills in Mendon? I had my 20 ounce water bottle with me so I blew through the water stops at miles 2, 4 and 6 as I took a couple of squirts of water. I did walk for about 100 feet when I came back into MPP on Canfield Rd just before the 10K flag. I needed to catch my breath. I got back up to whatever running gear I had left as I sucked it up. Get it done ... down Canfield Rd ... take the tangents on the curves ... left onto Douglas Rd ... up the hill by the cobblestone house ... mile 7 flag ... one more hill ... Kevin Clinefelter saying "You got this" as I barely (it seemed to me at the time) ran by him ... turn right down the stone road to the Finish arch ... Ellen calling my name ... done in 56:33 (according to my Garmin)!

Caught in mid air digging for the finish ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

I was parched so I grabbed a couple cups of water before I went into Stewart Lodge for a hot dog and a couple of cookies. I checked my time at a walk up kiosk and found that I officially finished in 56:31, 8th overall and was second in my M 55-59 age group. That time of 56.31 seemed fast and I wondered if it was a lifetime PR (it was!).

I talked a bit with Tom Hawkins, "Mr. Half Marathon" (my nickname for him since he told me he ran 22 half marathons last year). Well ... they took a toll on him. He told me that he ran the Summerfest 5K as he was just getting back in running shape after recovering from Plantar Fasciitis ... ouch! I've never had that (knock on wood) and from what I've heard don't ever want it!

Soon I was back home with Christine. I got my obilatory mug of coffee, put my feet up and uploaded my Garmin data. I learned that I did indeed run a 12K lifetime PR ... I was totally shocked! I thought my lifetime PR setting days were behind me ... my legs still have a bit of spark in them! I didn't set out to set a PR. I just ran nice and steady as I concentrated on my running form in my totally unscientific fashion.

Anyway, I was 8th out of 124, link here. I was 2nd out of 5 in my M 55-59 age group, link here. My splits were: 7:03, 7:39, 7:28, 7:33, 7:41, 7:58, 7:40 and 7:04 over the last 0.50 mile. The last 1/2 mile totally felt like 9:04 instead of 7:04 pace.

Later, I cooked supper! Granted it was easy, two racks of ribs and sweet potatoes. I followed instructions in the kitchen from Christine in the living room (who was suffering from tinnitus). And yes, they tasted very good. Christine did look after them while I went to Wegmans for a bit.

Sunday, 8/20/2017 to Saturday, 8/26/2017

I ran 3 times this week, 16.95 miles.

I took 53598 steps during the week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

The Bluetooth connection between my Pebble 2 HR smartwatch and Ricoh Samsung Galaxy S5 cell have been flakey lately (even the two are never more than 3 feet away from each other) so some of my steps during the day are estimated. The Pebble does not remember its step count from day to day. That info is forwarded to the connected cell. I deleted the connections between the two devices and also any extra Pebble apps on my cell besides the essential Pebble app to see if that will fix the problem. UPDATE: It has helped.

Sunday, 8/20/2017: 1200 (estimated) steps during the day, rest day.

Yes, a total rest day. I had wanted to get some stuff in the basement done but ... I didn't get up the gumption. My darling wife, Christine, cooked the spare ribs that she didn't cook last night. I ate spare ribs at noon ... mmm! Later we watched two movies. The first was "The Lone Survivor" off of the DVR. The movie was based on a true story but there are differences, links here, here and here. There are actual websites that details the differences between movies and books. The second was "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" with Daniel Craig was off of the Free Movie list on OnDemand.

Meanwhile, other athletes were out there being awesome. I noticed on Facebook that the Peasantman in Penn Yan, results here and Lucifer's Crossing in Ithaca were held, results here.

Monday, 8/21/2017: 5822 (I looked before I went to bed) steps during the day, rest day.

My left ankle still feels wonky like I sprained it but I know I didn't. Weird.

Today was the day of the "Great American Solar Eclipse", links here (BBC), here (greatamericaneclipse.com), here (eclipse2017.org), here (time.com) and here (space.com). Local links, Buffalo and Rochester. I went outside to take a selfie at 2:35 PM when partial eclipse hit the 69.4% totality maximum.

A composite image of what the solar eclipse looked like from the Lowell Observatory in Madras, Oregon

The Lowell Observatory Solar Eclipse Experience at Madras High School in Madras, Oregon on Aug. 21, 2017.  Jason Redmond—Reuters 

Buffalo - WGRZ

 The solar eclipse at 2:35 PM shown over the "Wings of Progrss" status atop the Times Square building in downtown
Rochester - Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - Shawn Dowd

John Kucko Digital - Solar Eclipse Day in Rochester NY

John Kucko compilation of photos from Rochester NY

I have room for improvement in taking a partial eclipse selfie

So ... I guess I have some room for improvement in my solar eclipse picture taking skills. But ... Rochester NY (along with Cleveland OH and north of Syracuse NY) will get their own total solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024, just 2422 days away, link here (timeanddate.com).

One area in particular will get both eclipses, link here, here and here. Some other solar eclipse in 2024 links: here and here.

Tuesday, 8/22/2017: 10048 steps during the day, 3.15 miles, 29:54, 9:29 pace, 73F, 89% RH, 12 mph SW wind, overcast.

Another day, another day my left ankle felt wonky in the morning. It gets better the more I'm on it during the day but it's enough to get me miffed. It was humid this morning and before lunch so I didn't take my running gear.



But ... my new Brooks Transcend 3 running shoes (review here) that I bought online from Holabird Sports were waiting for me when I got home ... saying "Doug, take me out for a run ... you know you want to ...". I tried to resist ... my ankle still felt achy and weird. I went upstairs and changed into half running gear ... cargo shorts and a 2017 Shoreline Half tech shirt but I did slip on my Garmin Forerunner 220. My darling wife, Christine, had put some leftovers in the oven that would take 15 minutes to warm. So ... I told her that I was going out for a walk. Well ... the walk lasted for 0.4 miles. Then the walk because a slow and steady run. I cut it way short ... just on the LOSP trail out to Dewey Ave and back. The promised cold front had not been all the way through yet ... it was a wee bit cooler but just as humid. I was still drenched with sweat when I got back. My splits were: 11:29, 8:39, 8:31 and 8:16 over the last 0.15 mile. They didn't feel too bad. I will try to ease into long run slowly ... though probably not since a long run on Saturday morning is looming. It probably won't be a 20 mile run though.

Wednesday: 4333 steps during the day, rest day.

Yes, my ankle felt wonky, achey or whatever you want to call it during the day. It's really beginning to piss me off!

Thursday: 16068 steps during the day, 7.55 miles, 1:03:36, 8:25 pace, 66F, 60% RH, 11 mph NNW wind, overcast.


Yes, my ankle ached during the day but I took it out running anyways ... because it was Thursday and I run on Thursdays. There was construction down the road from where I was working before lunch at the intersection of Lee Rd and Lexington Ave so I felt it was safer to run after work. I took a hour off as PTO, dressed at work and drove to the Greece Arcadia Middle School on Island Cottage. I geared up with a 20 ounce water bottle, stretched and headed out. I struck up a careful, slow and steady pace. My left ankle ached but I didn't have sharp pain so I kept running. It was my second run on my new Brooks Transcend 3 road shoes. I tried to hit on the middle of my feet most of the time but I do tend to heel strike. I was afraid to really push off because of my left ankle. Slowly ... then pain moved from the top of my ankle to the outside bottom middle of my foot. Oh joy ... not! Whatever. My splits were: 8:25, 8:29, 8:27, 8:20, 8:28, 8:29, 8:21, and 8:20 over the last 0.55 mile. It was cooler than normal but I was just as dripping with sweat as usual.

Friday, 7/25/2017: 5079 steps during the day, rest day.

I wanted to do a long run on Saturday morning but knew I couldn't so I stayed up late reading a new Kindle book that I picked up for free, "Sea of Shadows".

Saturday, 7/26/2017: 11048 steps during the day, 6.25 miles, 53:10, 8:30 pace, 61F, 77% RH, 5 mph SW wind, sunny.


I slept in until around 8:30 AM. My darling wife, Christine, needed some hugs so I didn't get out until later. I didn't go as far as I wanted or as fast as I wanted but I wanted to get out for a run and get out I did. I was afraid that my left ankle would complain and complain it did. I ignored it and just took it nice and easy at first. I decided that an out and back 5K was just enough for today. My splits were: 9:05, 8:23, 8:24, 8:29, 8:21, 8:27 and 7:57 over the last 0.25 mile.

There were other athletes out there being awesome in their own fashion. Fleet Feet Rochester held a Rochester Marathon preview run down at Ontario Beach Park with paced runs of various distances. Medved held A Midsummer's Night Madness down at Mendon Ponds Park, overall results here. The Rochester Triathlon was held by RATS, results here.

We did a bit of movie watching later in the day, "Inferno" with Tom Hanks and "Logan" with Hugh Jackman.

Sunday, 8/13/2017 to Saturday, 8/19/2017 - Dirt Cheap #5

I ran 4 times this week for 31.1 miles.
I biked once this week for 20.02 miles.
I took 72335 steps during the week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 7/13/2017: 2967 steps during the day, 20.02 miles on the bike, 13.4 mph average, 20.0 mph peak, 70F, 73% RH, 7 mph NNW wind, mostly sunny.



I definitely wasn't going to run but I thought all the trail runners down in Letchworth running the Dam Good Trail Race as I biked 20 miles on the LOSP trail, Island Cottage and Janes Road. I saw 8 runners and lot of bicyclists. I guess I missed the memo that today was a much better day to run than yesterday! Or ... maybe it felt better because I was bicycling instead of running? Anyway ... it was a nice ride!

I settled in with a nice mug of coffee and had a bite to eat before I showered and make my way out to my daugheter's apartment in Palmyra for a quick visit. I delivered and set up a cat tree that she had bought off of Amazon and had sent to our townhouse. She was afraid that she wouldn't have been able to get it up her stairs since it was 33 pounds. It went together quite well ... and with no parts left over!

Karen's cat, Hermonie, did warm up to this cat tree after I left

Then it was back home after a side trip to Wegmans for groceries. My darling wife, Christine, roasted a chicken along with a sweet potato for our supper while we watched Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. She went upstairs while I watched Doctor Strange. The ringing in her ears during loud movies bothers her.

Monday, 7/14/2017: about 5000 (? ... see Tuesday) steps during the day, rest day.

I had my running gear in the Cruze and I toyed with the idea of running ... either before lunch or after work. But ... I hadn't slept well so I was tired all day and my left ankle felt weird. I definitely need new running shoes. I have gone away from the Brooks Adrenaline for my last two pair of road running shoes ... the Pearl Izumi and now the Asics GT-1000. I tolerated them but I was (and am) not a fan of either. So ... I am looking at searching the web for the best online shoe deals that I can find for a good running shoe for a medium distance runner who over pronates. I am looking at going back to Brooks for either the Ravenna 7 or the Transcend 3. Yes ... last year's models but it's what I can afford not what I want that ends up feeding my running habit. I have the Empire State Marathon in less than 60 days ... I need new running shoes!

Tuesday, 7/15/2017: 4000 (estimated) steps during the day,

Well ... today is that day where my tech hit the fan. My Droid (personal cell) which had been presenting problems (locking up, random reboots) went down with the "Droid stuck at red eye". I Googled it, link here.

It's a thing where a Droid locks up on bootup with the red eye. Any reboots just get stuck at the red eye. I figured out how to flush the cache memory (which isn't easy) but it went back to the red eye ... which kind of looks like the "Evil Eye of Mordor" when you think about it. Then ... it gets better! I managed to lock my Samsung Galaxy S5 (Ricoh cell) and Pebble 2 HR smart watch in a locker at RTP B5 outside a secure area where that tech is not allowed. I must have locked it and scrambled the lock before I noted the combo which is the wrong way to do it. I felt like taking "I'm pissed at the world" run after work but ... didn't since I had Dirt Cheap #5 on Wednesday.

Wednesday, 7/16/2017: 12000 (estimated) steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.35 and 3.95 miles, 73F, 53% RH, 7 mph NNE wind, mostly sunny.

I (and a guard) retrieved my Samsung and my Pebble 2 HR smart watch from the locker opposite the RTP B5 secure area in the morning. Then ... I forgot to link the two back together which prevented me from know exactly how many steps I took during the day. I remember looking at it before I went to bed.

Anyway ... tonight's race was Dirt Cheap #5 held at Durand Eastman Park off of Lake Shore Blvd. My running gear had been in the Cruze since Monday so all I had to do was add my underused (but with 660 miles) blue Salomon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes. I dressed after work, put ice in my 20 ounce water bottle and went straight to the venue. I arrived at 5:30 PM so I got a great parking spot within 100 yards of the finish. I struggled a bit but I put on my calf sleeves and changed from my road shoes into my trail shoes. I got out for a really nice and easy warm up run of 1.35 miles at 10:20 pace, link here.

My wife will be astonished that I looked up. saw this swan on Eastman Lake and took its picture!

I took a swig of water when I got back to the Cruze. I thought I was all set for the start of the race ... but I didn't leave enough time to set up my Garmin for the Wave 1 start at 6:30 PM so ... I was running for about one tenth of a mile while I got it finally started. Luckily I was running on even ground so I didn't fall flat on my face!

A bit after the start ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

I settled into a nice and easy trail pace and let the race progress. Up, down, sideways ... I talked with Joe Ciecieraga for a bit during the first mile. I told him that I was going to do Empire and he told me that he was doing xx. I almost tripped so I slowed down and let him go on ahead. The trail was dry with just a very few damp spots and no mud to speak of. I almost choked on some water that I tried to breath in instead of swallow at about mile 3. I told Boots about it, "You can't breath water, Boots!", when I saw him just as I turned up the long last hill before the finish. He chuckled. I had concentrated on staying upright and taking it easy but I still didn't have much left in the tank when I crossed the finish line in 41:54. I went to the Cruze to take a long swig of water before I headed to get some of the post race food. I chose 2 hot dogs, 2 pieces of watermelon and 4 cookies.

Then I headed straight home ... my darling wife, Christine, had taken care of the necessary shopping at Wegmans. I did OK. My splits were: 8:57, 10:46, 11:03 and 10:23 over the last 0.95 mile. I was 76th out of 332, and I was 3rd out of 10 in my M 55-59 age group, link here.

Thursday; 7/17/2017: 14129 steps during the day, 6.55 miles, 53:15, 8:08 pace, 72F, 61% RH, 4 mph ESE wind, partly sunny.



I wanted to get back to my schedule so I got out for my usual Thursday run. I ran before lunch on my new usual 6.55 mile route. It's a bit shorter than it's not an out and back so it's a wee bit less montonous. I took it as a not so easy pace so I was absolutely dripping when I got done. My splits were: 8:19, 7:54, 7:58, 8:22, 8:09, 8:15, and 7:48 over the last 0.55 mile.

You gotta love Hammer Gel! I ordered another 26 serving bottle of Hammer Gel in my go-to Apple Cinnamon on Tuesday and got it plus another Hammer Gel 5 serving flask (free and very useful) and 2 sticks of Fully Charged as a free sample! I love this stuff!

Friday, 8/18/2017: 2239 steps during the day, rest day.

Just your typical Friday. The usual rest day before a long run on Saturday. I have given more thought to this run than usual. I loaded the TuneIn Radio app to my Samsung so I can play some music out its speakers when I run tomorrow. I am going to stash a jug of water at the intersection of the LOSP trail and Island Cottage so that I get to it when I go there twice. I am going to wake up at 5 AM and get started at 6 AM. Lots of "I am going to" for tomorrow ... let's see if I can do them. So ... it's going to be an early bedtime.

Saturday, 8/19/2017: 32000 (estimated) steps during the day, 19.35 miles, 3:15:57, 10:08 pace, 68F, 83% RH, 8 mph WSW wind, mostly sunny

I lied in bed for a couple of minutes after the alarm went off at 5 AM. I checked out Facebook while I had my usual pre-run bowl of cereal and banana. I saw that the 101 trail runners down at the Twisted Branch 100K (a grueling point-to-point trail run between Naples and Hammondsport with around 10,000 feet of elevation gain/11,000 feet of elevation loss and a 20 hour time limit) had started at 4 AM.

Time to head out myself. I filled one of my Hammer Gel flasks with Hammer Gel, filled my 20 ounce water bottle with ice and water, filled my water jug (an old 2 liter juice container) with water and got outside. I remembered to put Body Glide on my nipples (and forgot ...) and put my sunglasses on top of my head. I started up my newly installed TuneIn Radio app and tuned it to Legends 102.7 (60s, 70s, and 80s) and adjusted the volume so I could hear it when I ran. I needed something to overcome the boredom .. why not music?


I headed out around 6:15 AM. My original plan was to carry my water jug to the intersection of the LOSP trail and Island Cottage and stash it there. I found out within 1/4 mile that my plan for stashing water sucked. I should have stashed it there last night. But ... I ran 2.55 miles with that water jug before I got rid of it as planned. I ran at a nice and steady pace up Island Cottage (IC) to Edgemere Drive (ED), turned around and back down IC to Latta. The sun had come up but I didn't need my sunglasses yet because I wasn't running east. I had Hammer Gel at mile 6. Then back up IC and turned left onto Janes. There was a headwind heading west on Janes to Long Pond (LP).  I turned around at LP and headed into the sun so I put my sunglasses on. They were a bit sweaty and foggy but cleared up. I ran back to IC, turned left, ran up to the LOSP trailhead and hit my water stash ... 10 miles in. Just one more loop but I was slowing. So ... up IC to ED, back down IC to Latta, up IC to Janes, down Janes. I got about 2/3 down Janes when my right hip started to hurt. I usually ignore a lot of aches and pains but this pain I didn't ignore. I tried a run/walk ... not good. I turned around and heading home. I tried a shorter run/walk ... not good. Plus I forgot to put Body Glide around my groin region. I know TMI but it's the truth. I have never had any problem down there except for today! I must have been the humidity and my short choice. Anyway ... I gave up and walked home ... which was a long 4 miles.

So ... my second 20 mile run attempt didn't go so well. My splits were: mile 1 - 8:34, 2 - 8:11, 3 - 8:38, 4 - 8:27, 5 - 8:42, 6 - 8:18, 7 - 8:32, 8 - 8:40, 9 - 8:49, 10 - 8:38, 11 - 9:15, 12 - 9:28, 13 - 9:08, 14 - 8:37, 15 - 9:44, 16 - 11:31, 17 - 15:18, 18 - 16:15, 19 - 15:17 and 16:46 over the last 0.35 mile. So ... I was the pace I wanted for the first 10 miles, 8:33 pace and kind of OK for the first 14 miles, 8:43. But ... definitely trending upward. I have to maintain a 8:45 pace for a 3:50 marathon, link here.

What did I learn? Well ... music worked, Hammer Gel worked, hydration every 2 miles worked. Hmm ... I think my wonky left ankle caused my gait to change and that along with my Asics GT-1000 running shoes having 539 miles caused my right hip pain. I'm cheap so I try to stretch my running shoes as far as I can and then add on some string to get them to last even longer. My blue Salomon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes have about 680 miles on them. Anyway ... I have a pair of Brooks Transcend 3 (last year's model I know) running shoes coming from Holabird Sports next week sometime. I found them when I was searching on shoekicker.com and also Googling "cheap running shoes overpronation" (I think). I hope they work better. I have read that this model is cushier than the Adrenalines but do take a bit to break in, link here. I prefer to look at the positives. I still have plenty of time for successful 20 mile runs. But the Rochester Half on 9/17 and the Empire State Marathon on 10/8 do loom large in the future!

I was a bit sore and tired afterward. I lost 3 pounds according to our Withins Smart Scale. I recovered outside with a mug of coffee and a banana before I went back inside for another mug of coffee and 2 donuts. I caught on Facebook and stalked Danielle Feligno's progress down at Twisted Branch. I was rooting for her to complete it this year after taking a learning DNF last year.

I kind of waited for my darling wife, Christine, to make the spare ribs that I had pulled out of the freezer around noon. But ... she wasn't feeling like cooking so I gave up at 6:40 PM and just headed downtown to see the Rochester Crit, link here. I got down there quickly and parked on State St. I walked over and got there in time to see the Amateur Mens 1 mile run, the Elite Women 1 mile run, and the Elite Men 1 mile run right away. I knew one of the male runners, Chris Patterson, and congratulated him on his fifth place finish of 5:02:26.

The Amateur Mens 1 Mile Running Race finish
The course was blocked off with crosswalks that only opened up when nothing (runner or bicycle) was coming. There was a bit of break before the pro mens bicycle race. This race lasted about two hours. These guys were going about 30 mph lap after lap so they would make a lap of the course about every 2:10 or so. They were hauling! They were preceded by a pace car beeping its horn and then by a pace motorcycle. They were tailed by a pace motorcycle.

The Pro-1 Men whizzing by!

I eventually got hungry and had a chicken, bacon and avacado salad from the Effortlessly Healthy food truck along with a couple adult beverages. Mmm! I wandered around a bit. The riders got quite close when they leaned into the corners! It was dark and a bit windy when the race ended.

The Pro-1 Mens finish!

A rider by the name of Curtis White won, results here. The announcer, music and people by the start/finish line were quite loud and I had a bit of a headache by the time I headed home. I don't think Christine's tinnitus would have liked it. I saw Ellen Brenner and Barb Boutiller of Fleet Feet trying out a couple of Rochester Bike Share bicycles to get back to their cars as I walked back to the Cruze.

Not a bad day! I try to look on the bright side of things! Oh ... Danielle Feligno finished the Twisted Branch 100K in 19:24:21, 68th out of 74 finishers. The opensplittime.org results link here and the ultrasignup.com results link, here. She started at 4 AM and finished at 11:24 PM ... awesome!! 74 runners finished out of 101 who started ... a testament to how tough this race is.

Sunday, 8/6/2017 to Saturday, 8/12/2017

I ran 5 times this week: 41.25 miles
I biked once this week: 20 miles.
I ran/walked 75,765 steps during the week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 8/6/2017: 10054 steps during the day, a Du of 5K, 20 miles, 5K, 2:27:28, 66F, 73% RH, 6 mph WSW wind (it felt a lot stronger), mostly sunny.



I didn't want to run long so I settled for a longer Du than last time: 5K, 20 miles and 5K. I set up like before by chaining my bicycle to the tree outside the townhouse. I filled my 20 ounce water bottle and half filled a flask with Hammer Gel. The 5K was accomplished by running on the LOSP trail out to Dewey and back. I struck up a nice and easy pace. I was dripping by the time I got back. I toweled off as best and as quickly as I could as I unlocked my bicycle, put on my gloves and helmet and set forth. I headed out the LOSP trail again and then onto Island Cottage and Janes twice before I headed back. I saw Wilt Alston running the second time I was on Janes. He saw me first ... then I recognized him (he was out on a 8.11 mile run according to www.dailymile.com). I found that I was lagging and hungry as I fought the wind while on Janes the second time so I stopped for a couple gulps of Hammer Gel and some water. It was pretty painful to get off the bike after so long but I managed to lock my bike back up, take off my helmet and gloves and set back out for the second run. Ouch!!! I felt like I was running in molasses the whole way ... I even took a couple of walking breaks. I was more than happy to stop when I got done. The stats for my second Du: the first 5K was 25:27 at 8:13 pace, T1 was 2:26, the bike was 1:30:55 with an average speed of 13.2 mph, T2 was 2:23 and the second 5K was 25:48 at 8:20 pace. I thought the second 5K was a LOT slower!

It was already past noon since my Du took almost 2.5 hours. I got my obligatory mug of coffee and plopped my butt down in front of the TV. It was Sharknado Sunday! I watched most of Sharknado (it had already started at noon), and then all of Sharknado 2: The Second One, Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! and Sharknado 4. The Fourth Awakens. Yes ... my darling wife, Christine, and I are Sharknado fans. Somehow we got up long enough to make a pizza so we had enough energy to watch the world primerie of Sharknado 5: Global Swarming! It didn't disappoint ... the one-liners ("London Bridge is falling down", "I swear something was inside" by Geraldo Rivera, "Oh, the humanity!", "The hills are alive", "Tell me about it, stud!", "Forgive me Father for I am Fin"), the D-List cameos (Bret Michaels, Fabio, Charo, Geraldo Rivera, Olivia Newton John,Gilbert Gottfried), the Shark Sisterhood in tight black leather, semper paratus ("Always Prepared"), the "Back to the Future" tie-in, the implausibilities, the ridiculousness of sharks in tornadoes! Here are some links, here, here and here. Long live Fin, April, Nova and Gemini!

Monday, 8/7/2017: 3544 steps during the day, rest day.

Yes, a full rest day. I took a look at the calendar. It is definitely time to schedule some hill and long runs for the month of August and September! Time to build my mileage up past 40 miles per week. Time to look for sales on running shoes!

Tuesday, 8/8/2017: 15184 steps during the day, 11.75 miles, 1:40:05, 8:31 pace, 75F, 36% RH, 9 mph WNW wind, sunny.


Tonight's run was brought to you by the need to start preparation for the upcoming Rochester Half on 9/17. There is nothing like running the course! So ... I took a hour of vacation, dressed after work and then drove out to the Maplewood Rose Garden. I carried a 20 ounce water bottle and a flask filled with Hammer Gel. I had done a bit of due diligence and had found that a Mapmyrun had put my route at 11.82 miles ... hence the flask of Hammer Gel. I set out at a nice and easy pace. My left ankle protested for a bit but I ignored it as I headed south. I thought about how crowded this race route would be for the first miles or so until everyone spread out. I suffered through the Thomas Ave hill and took a swallow of Hammer Gel at the top. The long stretch on St Paul seemed quite long. I encountered a dirt bike on the pedestrian bridge across the Genesee River. Then I had to wait for 3(!) dirt bikes before I could cross under the 104 bridge on Bridge View Drive. Then I suffered through the climb on the path back to the Maplewood Rose Garden. I was a bit tired and thirsty when I got done. My splits were: 8:09, 8:18, 8:07, 7:56, 8:18, 8:35, 9:19 (Hammer Gel), 8:35, 8:34, 8:38, 9:37 (waiting for the 3 dirt bikes) and 8:22 over the last 0.75 mile. Boom ... done. I think I will make this a regular Tuesday run for the next month. It's good for both half and full marathon training.

Oh ... don't wash your heart rate monitor accidentally and expect it to work the next time you put it on. Luckily I have some extra CR2032 batteries lying around. Now ... I just have to find a itty-bitty screwdriver to take it apart so I can get to the battery and remember to actually do it (and not just type it). Also ... my Pebble 2 HR smart watch step count was probably low since it was off when I got done with my run. It did say that I had one more day remaining ... I guess I am hard on it!

Wednesday, 8/9/2017: 6451 steps during the day, rest day.

No, I didn't run the Pound the Ground 10K which was a Rochester Runner of the Year (RROY) race. 92 people did run the Pound the Ground 10K, link here.

 I just didn't have the money to spare to race it. I am already over my self imposed budget for 2017 races. I signed up for the Empire State Marathon in October so I can't race as much. The chopping block was littered with the Pound the Ground 10K ($25-$35) tonight, the Dam Good Trail Race ($36) this weekend, A Mid-Summer's Trail Race ($30 initially - $40 now) on the last weekend of August and the Oak Tree Half ($50 - hate the course anyway) on Labor Day weekend. I have to start doing 20 mile runs for the ESM ... which should keep me out of trouble. I still have races that I would love to sign up for ... the Dirt Cheap Stage Race and either just the Grocery Run 5K, the Grocery Run 5k (a RROY race)/Mendon Trail Run 30K combo (8:15 AM and 9:30 AM start times) or just the Mondon Trail Run 50K at 8 AM (all on Saturday morning, 10/4).

Thursday, 8/10/2017: 12200 steps during the day, 6.55 miles, 53:27, 8:10 pace, 75F, 61% RH, 7 mph SW wind, mostly sunny.


It was hot, hazy and humid but I run on Thursdays. I wanted to do a pre-lunch run because I wanted to get home relatively on time since my darling wife, Christine, wasn't feeling well. I regretted not having my cooling towel within 100 steps but I wasn't going to turn around and not run. I struck up a somewhat not so nice and easy pace and held it until after mile 6 when I got a bit overheated. My splits were: 8:09, 8:04, 8:01, 8:17, 8:12, 8:24 and 7:52 over the last 0.55 mile. I was absolutely dripping when I got done. I took a cold shower but still was a bit overheated when I tried to dress afterwards.

Friday, 8/11/2017: 3647 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 8/12/2017: 24685 steps during the day, 16.75 miles, 2:32:27, 9:06, 70F, 78% RH, 8 mph SW wind, sunny



I woke up during the night around 4 AM, who knew that I should have gone out then? I went back to sleep and got up at 6: 30AM. I had my usual pre-run bowl of cereal and banana, got dressed and got out a bit after 7:30 AM. I had on my hydration pack with 1.76 liters of water and a flask of Hammer Gel in the pocket of my shorts. I had wanted to do my first run of 20 miles. It was just too humid. The weight of the hydration pack on my back slowed me down to between 8:30 and 9:00 pace at the start. I just didn't have it. I let fear, pain and self-doubt creep into my head. The heat and humidity just got to me. I like to think that miles 8 and 9 were OK but my pace says otherwise. My splits were: 8:41, 8:30, 8:29, 8:34, 8:54, 8:44, 8:44, 9:50, 8:55, 8:49, 9:16, 9:38, 9:49, 8:53, 9:35, 10:18, and 9:04 over the last 0.65 mile. I was absolutely dripping and beat down when I got down. Three things ... I definitely started too late. I definitely don't like wearing my hydration pack and I need new running shoes. My Asics GT-1000s have a bit over 500 miles on them. I think it's time to start scoping out running shoes deals on shoekicker.com, roadrunnersports.com and 6pm.com. Plus I need another 26 ounce bottle of Hammer Gel from hammernutrition.com.

I could barely walk all day. Luckily, Syfy.com was playing all the Sharknado movies in order. I got in around the mid point of Sharknado 2 and watched them again. Ahh ... Fin, April, Nova, and Gemini!