Sunday, 9/24/2017 to Saturday, 9/30/2017 - Heather Boyum 5K

I ran 4 times this week, 24.46 miles.
I took 71,573 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smar twatch.

Sunday, 9/24/2017: 8632 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.15 and 3.01 miles, 70F, 83% RH, 6 mph SW wind, sunny.

Today race was the 5th Heather Boyum 5K held out at Center Park near the intersection of Turk Hill Rd and Ayrault Rd. I have run this race 4 out of the past 5 years. This race was the 9th GRTC Rochester Runner of the Year race of the 12 in 2017. I have run 7 of them (I missed the Pound the Ground 10K and the Oak Tree Half).

Heather Boyum (obituary here) was a triathlete tragically killed by a DWI motorcycle driver and then run over by his DWI girlfriend (who is regrettable not in jail) while she out on a training ride on Route 250 on 7/29/2012, original story here and updated 2017 story here. I didn't know Heather but it is a race close to my heart. This race was originally set up to benefit the education of her children left behind but now does to the Heather Frazer Boyum Iron Angel Foundation to benefit students at the Fairport High School and community members in crisis.

I set my alarm correctly (unlike yesterday) and was up at 6:15 AM. I didn't have any cereal (that I wanted) so I had an English muffin with turkey and cheese along with orange juice for breakfast. I dressed, kissed Christine goodbye and headed out. I also had clothing for after because I planned to see 2 of my 3 kids after since I was going to be so close to Macedon and Palmyra. I got a bit of a late start but I got down to the race venue around 8:15 AM in plenty of time for the 9 AM start.

It was a warm morning .... I joined others who were out for a really nice and easy warm up run of 1.15 miles at 9:36 pace, link here. I was sweaty already so I decided to go shirtless for this race (2nd time in 2017). Tom Butler ... also shirtless ... approved, lol!

Shirtless proof ... lol!

I had run my warm up run in my Brooks Transcend 3 road shoes and found the grass still damp from the dew and uneven. I knew that there were trail sections to this cross country course so I changed into my old Salomon Speedcross 3 trail shoes for more traction and stability.


I have run this race in 2013 (23:02), 2014 (22:54) and 2015 (23:15) so I knew what to expect. We were warned about the warm and humid conditions before the start so I started off under control. I slowed down for the one big hill (with its false top) just after mile 1. Then I tried held my position and pick off any slower runners. The long flats past the one big hill helped ... my long legs tend to eat up the flats. I got "chicked" by two women about a mile from the finish and couldn't catch them ... there were 20 years (or more) younger ... I don't mind. I finished in 24:43. I was handed a plastic bottle of water and downed it pretty quickly while I also ate a slice of breakfast pizza with sausage. I checked my results and saw that I was 2nd in my M 60-64 age group and that I was second in my old M 55-59 age group. I will be 59 all of of 2017 in the RROY standings ... so it looks like I will pick up 9 RROY points and erase the 3 points from race #1. The top 6 races are scored so I will start erasing points from previous races if I score better. I have 46 points in the RROY M 55-59 age group standings with 3 races (Grocery Run 5K, Finish Strong 15K and Race for Grace 10K) to go.

Monday, 9/25/2017: 6324 steps during the day, rest day.

Your normal rest day .. worked, grocery shopped and watched 'The Orville', 'The Last Ship', an old Battlestar Galactica episode and 95% of a live 'The Brave'. 'The Orville' is a pretty good show. 'The Brave' is good also but I don't know if it will make it into our schedule.

Tuesday, 9/26/2017: 5663 steps during the day, another a rest day.

I wanted to run but I needed to work on a printer that had been printing reams of garbage printouts from time to time for a couple of weeks. I believed ... OK, hope ... that someone was printing using wrong print drivers to the old IP address. Hopefully ... changing the IP address and then the print queue for that printer will solve that problem ... or not. It was best to change the IP address after normal work hours and post a sign for everyone to log out and log back in so that they can print to the new IP address in the morning. UPDATE: It seems to have worked ... no garbage printouts so far.

Wednesday, 9/27/2017: 12303 steps during the day, 6.25 miles, 51:36, 8:15 pace, 70F, 88% RH, 7 mph SW wind, clear.



I got out for an early morning 10K at 6:20 AM. It was still warm, humid and a bit dark so I wore shorts, a short sleeve tech and a reflective vest even though I was only on a road for about a mile. I took it nice and steady. It was kind of fun seeing the sun rise as I was coming back. My splits were: 8:37, 8:19, 8:09, 8:12, 8:14, 8:12 and 7:27 over the last 0.25 mile.

My darling wife, Christine, cooked up a roaster chicken, for supper ... mmm!

Thursday, 9/28/2017: 16368 steps during the day, 7.75 miles, 1:05:07, 8:24 pace, 63F, 52% RH, 9 mph NNW wind, overcast.

Summer finally ended overnight. There were 4 straight days in the 90s (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday). The high today was in the low 60s (maybe).

I got the pair of Nathan SpeedDraw Plus Insulated Flasks that I ordered from LeftLaneSports today. I shopped well ... I got them for $11.95 each and the MSRP was $35. So ... I saved $46.10. Paying $5.95 for shipping versus paying a retail 8% sale tax of $5.60 was a wash. So ... I will either pocket the difference or use it to run a race. Hmm ... Grocery Run (a RROY race) and/or Dirt Cheap Stage Race come to mind.



Anyway ... I had to take one of them out for a run. I went out on my 10K out and back ... and stretched it a bit. I thought that you have tilt the SpeedDraw Plus up to your lips and suck the water out ... added effort but I don't get myself wet like I was before when I squirted the water out my old water bottle into my mouth. So ... that is a plus. I took it nice and steady. My splits were: 8:20, 8:28, 8:20, 8:35, 8:19, 8:28, 8:19 and 8:28 over the last 0.75 mile.

Friday, 9/29/2017: 2909 steps during the day, rest day.

I spent half the day at my PCP having a physical with Dr Marc Lavender and his medical student, Jesse. My blood pressure was: 107/70 (I think) and my pulse was 47. I spent more than a bit of time talking about running. I only had a few concerns that I wanted to talk about. One of them was the psoriasis on my right elbow, both knees and scalp. I forgot to get any real answer on that so I guess I will to talk to him on MyCharts about it.

I spent the other half of the day wrestling with the print drivers of a Ricoh MPCW2200 plotter. The AutoCAD users were having problems sizing their drawings. I fought with my Harris laptop too. I ended rebooting and updating the PS drivers for the plotter from 2012's v1.0.0.0 to 2017's v1.3.0.0. I think the whole problem was the users updating their workstations from Window 7 to 10 and their version of AutoCAD not agreeing with the old PS drivers on their plotter. I think I will have to update a lot of printer drivers for the entire fleet of Ricoh printers at Harris since an slow upgrade of all the desktops from Windows 7 to 10 is ongoing.

Eric Eagan captured this picture.

A spectacular double rainbow was caught on Facebook by several people.

Saturday, 9/30/2017: 19374 steps during the day, 14.05 miles, 1:58:14, 8:25 pace, 54F, 77% RH, 12 mph N wind, overcast

I vaguely remember it being windy overnight. I slept in until 7:30 AM. I switched up and had a bit of Christine's breakfast delight for breakfast. I puttered around a bit. I waited a bit for it to warm up ... I haven't done that in months! I loaded up with both Nathan SpeedDraw Plus flasks (2 x 18 ounces of water) and a full flask of Hammer Gel. It was a bit chilly so I wore wore shorts, a white Freezeroo long sleeve tech, hat and light gloves. I was thinking of just doing a 15K when I first started out. I struck up a nice and easy pace. It felt a bit weird at first to run with 2 handheld flasks but I got used to it quickly. I hydrated every 2 miles with 2 mouthfuls of water and took gel at miles 6 and 10. I was running well so I decided to stretch the run. How far? I decided to head down Janes Rd for an extra 3 miles and down Beach Ave for an extra 2 miles. I felt pretty good ... though I was slowing a bit by the end. My splits were: 8:08, 8:15, 8:19, 8:17, 8:17, 8:17, 8:23, 8:22, 8:36, 8:30, 8:41, 8:31, 8:40 and 8:29.

My two SpeedDraw Plus flasks, Hammer Gel and post-run mug of coffee ... the tools of a good long run!

Well ... it's the end of September so it's stat time.
I ran 20 times for 160.75 miles, 8.04 mile/run. I believe that is the most miles per month since I ran 167.5 miles in May 2012 when I finished Sehgahunda 2012.
I ran 4 races (Summerfest 12K, Dirt Cheap #6, Rochester Half, Heather Boyum 5K).
I have run 170 times for 1241.50 miles, 7.3 miles/run.
Sadly, I didn't get out on my bicycle during September.
I took 357,387 steps during September.

So ... now begins the taper before the Empire State Marathon.

Monday, 9/18/2017 to Saturday, 9/23/2017

I ran 3 times in 6 days: 31.85 miles
I took 79543 steps during the 6 days.

Monday, 9/18/2017: 4421 steps during the day, rest day.

I took my heather gray Nathan Flipster, size L back to the Fleet Feet Armory and exchanged it for a heather blue, size M. I went it into a dressing room to try the new one on to make sure it fit. It felt snugger. I also got the pricing of my 4 Balega socks (Buy 4, Get 1 Free) fixed.

Tuesday, 9/19/2017: 13905 steps during the day, 6.25 miles, 52:35, 8:24 pace, 81F, 62% RH, 8 mph NE wind, mostly cloudy.



I got out of work a bit late so I went straight home. I knew I would be cranky if I didn't run so I went straight upstairs to change into my running gear. I told my darling wife, Christine, that I would be gone for a hour. My goal was a nice and easy run ... so I got it done. My left ankle and legs felt pretty well. I was tempted to stretch the run to a 15K but decided that 10K was enough. A nice and easy recovery run was accomplished. My splits were: 8:18, 8:18, 8:25, 8:28, 8:30, 8:34, and 7:78 over the last 0.25 mile.

Wednesday, 9/20/2017: 7997 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 9/21/2017: 18088 steps during the day, 8.15 miles, 1:07:21, 8:15 pace, 75F, 65% RH, 10 mph NNE wind, partly cloudy.


I had to go to Fleet Feet Armory after work to pick up my Four Season Challenge shirt. I had dropped it off on Monday to have Finisher heat transferred onto the back. It was Thursday so I had my running gear in the Cruze and changed into it after work like usual. The Pub Run down at the Char was having the Four Season Challenge awards but I didn't want to drive over so since I was dressed for running  I just headed out and ran loops at Cobbs Hill. I ran nice and steady ... 5 loops clock-wise on the road and 4 loop counter-clock-wise on the reservoir loop. My splits were: 8:50, 8:11, 8:03, 8:07, 8:19, 8:12, 8:25, 7:56 and 8:25 over the last 0.15 mile. Boom ... done.

I am slightly optimistic about the upcoming Empire State Marathon on Sunday, 10/8. My left ankle is starting not to ache. I am taking the full dose of Hammer Nutrition Tissue Rejuvenator every day (though I have forgot the evening dose the past two nights). I plan on doing my last long run on Saturday morning. I may not do the full 20 miles since I do have the Heather Boyum 5K coming up the next day, Sunday, 9/24. I would be happy with any long run that didn't involving any right hip pain.

Friday, 9/22/2017: 9453 steps during the day, rest day.

I learned from Facebook chatter that there were Four Seasons Challenge overall and age group awards given out during a ceremony at the Char last night. I found a PDF of the awards and I found that I had placed second in my old M 55-59 age group, link here. I was 16th out of 84 males overall, link here. So ... I headed down to Fleet Feet Armory to pick up my award.

Durand Eastman beach has beach!!

I decided to stop at Durand Eastman beach on the way home and found that there was a beach! I had stopped there back in July and there wasn't one due to the high level of Lake Ontario.

Saturday, 9/23/2017: 25681 steps during the day, 17.45 miles, 2:40:11, 9:11 pace, 63F, 77% RH, 8 mph WSW wind, sunny.

I thought I set my alarm early but I forgot to click Saturday on my phone. So ... I groggily waited around 6 AM ... and went back to sleep until after 7 AM. Oops! I had a bowl of cereal, dressed,  filled 2 20 ounce water bottles, filled my Hammer Gel flask and headed out. I had found my old Blueant T1 Bluetooth headset, charged it, paired it and tried it out on iHeart Radio. I fired off a RoadID eCrumb to my wife and kids and started a nice and steady run.


I stashed one of my 20 ounce water bottles at the intersection of the LOSP trail and Island Cottage like usual. The first 10 miles went without incident. I took a couple of squirts of water every 2 miles and a couple gulps of Hammer Gel at mile 6 (a minor Hammer Gel explosion ensued) and 10. I liked the music coming out of the headset but I put it in my pocket at mile 8 because it kept on trying to fall out of my sweaty ear. I refilled my handheld 20 ounce water bottle with my stashed water and continued on. It was getting warmer. I knew I didn't want to go down Jane so I went past Edgemere Dr and down Beach Ave almost to Dewey Ave instead. I knew I would run out of water but took another gulp of Hammer Gel at mile 14 anyway. I ran out of energy on the LOSP trail on the way back and lapsed into a run/walk. My splits were: 8:24, 8:38, 8:24, 8:30, 8:45, 8:26, 9:06, 8:43, 8:47, 9:57, 8:57, 8:58, 9:35, 9:27, 9:57, 10:41, 10:52, and 8:55 over the last 0.45 mile.

I found out when I got back that it had warmed up to 82F by the time I got back. The plus side is that my right hip didn't start hurting. But ... I don't know if I can hold 8:45 pace for a full marathon. I just hope for a cool morning on Sunday, October 8th for the Empire State Marathon. Training for a fall marathon during the heat of July, August and now September sucks!!

I didn't do much during the rest of the day. My darling wife, Christine, didn't feel well and didn't come downstairs. I mostly stayed downstairs. Positive note: my joints have been feeling better since I started taking Hammer Gel Tissue Rejuvenator a bit more than 2 weeks ago.

Sunday, 9/17/2017 - Rochester Half

An epic day deserves its own blog post! This will be a long post with lots of pictures. Everyone has a camera nowadays!

Sunday, 9/17/2017: 25736 steps during the day, 2 runs of 2.05 and 13.21 miles, 61F (start), 100% RH, 4 mph SW wind, partly cloudy.

Today's race was the Rochester Half Marathon, the last race in the Four Seasons Challenge (the link explains the 2018 version). I completed what will now be called the Road 52.4. I had signed up for way back in October 2016. SPOILER: I finished so I earned my third straight Four Seasons Challenge medal!

I was up with the alarm went off at 4:55 AM. I was glad that I had laid out my running gear the night before so I could just slip into it. I went downstairs and had my usual pre-race bowl of cereal and banana. I did smell the milk before I poured it ... I really should mark the date I buy it on the jug. I had given my darling wife, Christine, the morning off so she could sleep in. I geared up with a full 20 ounce water bottle, full Hammer Gel flask and heather blue Rochester Marathon short sleeve tech shirt (for later after I earned it), kissed her goodbye and headed out the door in the pre-dawn darkness at 5:50 AM. The sky was pretty ... Venus was next a sliver of the crescent moon aka the old moon in the new moon's arms. I wore Balega socks, yellow calf sleeves, black shorts and an old white Rochester Marathon short sleeve tech shirt.

A Rochester Police Department (RPD) car was at the intersection of Lake Ave and Maplewood Drive (the start was down there) and a truck was lying cones on Lake Ave. I was down to the finish line at Frontier Field around 6:05 AM. There really wasn't too much traffic for some reason.

The finish line at 6 AM waiting for finishers

I grabbed my sunglasses from my running bag and realized that I didn't remember to make sure that I had packed a bottle of water to drink after my warm up run. Luckily I rummaged through my running bag and found one. I hit the head at Frontier Field and then boarded a school bus for the 5 minute ride down to the start. I was down there by 6:30 AM just like I wanted. There were runners and volunteers bustling around with more runners coming by the busload and being dropped off by the minute.

I met up with Andy Ciaio who was running the full for the second year in a row and Prem Kumar who was running the half. I went out with Prem for a slow and easy 2.05 mile warm up run at 9:40 pace just to pass the time, link here. I learned that he had paced the 4 hour marathon runners down at the Erie Marathon last weekend and was going to run a difficult 10 mile race down in Virginia next weekend. He does get around! I downed my bottle of water. It was humid so I was a bit drippy with sweat.

It's all smiles before the race!

Ellen was doing her pre-race announcements and remarked about the sunrise so I went over and took a picture and a selfie of the start line.

The sunrise looking out over the Genesee River

I chatted with Roger Dahl as I lined up for the start. He was glad that I was leaving the M 55-59 age group, lol! I fired off my RoadID eCrumb app so that my wife and kids could track me and got my Garmin Forerunner 220 (DC Rainmaker review here) all ready. Then ... Ellen gave her usual boisterous "Goooooo!!!!" and off we went!


I got up to speed sort of quickly. There was one tight spot but everything opened up as we ran down Maplewood Drive. I ran with Roger for the first mile or so. The Rochester Fire Department had the large US flag hanging over the road just before Lake Ave.

Bridge View Drive passing under the Veterans Memorial Brige about 1/2 mile in ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

Running under the US Flag on Maplewood Drive at mile 1 ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

I tried to hold my pace back and succeeded with a 8:00 first mile pace. Then we ran down Lake Ave past the Holy Sepulchre and Riverside Cemeteries, mile 2. We took the entrance to the Genesee Riverway Trail and Turning Point Park. I crossed the 5K timing strip at 24:14, 7:49 pace (a bit fast). I was running well and it was a downhill so ... no matter. I don't think ... I just run.

A line of runners and their reflections on the boardwalk in Turning Point Park along with a seagull ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

We hit mile 4 just as we climbed out of the boardwalk along the Genesee River. I took shorter steps as I ran up Petten Street back to Lake Ave ... mile 5. Tom Butler yelled "Hi Doug!" as I passed him. He had run a 50K last weekend. Then it was over the O'Rorke Bridge and onto Thomas Ave. This was the first major hill. I was a bit demoralized when the 1:45 pace leader and his group passed me. I did walk for about 50 feet while I collected myself. I crossed the 10K timing strip in 49:44 (25:30 second 5K, 8:14 pace), 8:01 pace. I was doing pretty well. We turned onto St Paul Blvd and I heard the trombone player playing the "Theme from Rocky" ... always a favorite running song. The route on St Paul Blvd was a bit long with miles 7, 8 and 9. I remember seeing a kid holding a sign "Keep it up, keep it up ... That's what she said" ... I chuckled. I also saw a shirt with the logo "Sore Not Sorry".

The intersection of St Paul St and Titus Ave ... photo courtesy of John Brind'Amour

The Winoma Blvd section of St Paul St had their usual strong cheering sections. The theme this year was movies. I remember a Star Wars section ... I got a high five from someone dressed as a Jawa. I also remember sections about Disney and the 50s (maybe American Graffiti?). I ran/danced a bit to the 50's twist music as I ran by. I dug out my Hammer Gel flask from my shorts and had two gulps along with a couple squirts of water around mile 9. I was trying to hydrate every 2 miles. We turned right into the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County parking lot. I passed the 15K timing strip just as we neared the road to the Seneca Park Zoo in 1:15:30 (25:46 third 5K, 8:19 pace), 8:07 pace. Then back to the Genesee Riverway Trail. We ran down to, across, and back up from the pedestrian bridge across the Genesee River. Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester was down on the bridge taking pictures and yelled out "Happy birthday, Doug" as I passed! Yep, I was 60 years old plus 1 day!

The pedestrian bridge across the Genesee River ... photo courtesy of Game Face Media

The pedestrian bridge across the Genesee River ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

I was getting affected by the heat and humidity now. There was a 100 yard section where we saw the full marathon runners as they headed back out for their second loop. I slapped a sideways five with Chris Patterson as he ran. He seemed to be running fine and had a smile on his face. I walked a bit of the hill as we went back onto the Genesee Riverway Trail along Bridge View and Maplewood Drive back to the start. The finish was about 2.5 miles away. The trail here was a bit dusty and rooty so I took off my sunglasses to be sure of my footing. The full marathon runners turned at the Maplewood Rose Garden while the half marathon runners went straight across Driving Park Ave, mile 11. My shirt was drenched with sweat and my right nipple was a bit sensitive so I figured I would have blood on my shirt when I got done (I did).

Lower Falls ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

I could hear the Lower Falls on my left as we ran down a short hill and then across a bridge over the Middle Falls. I was running out of energy.

This was taken at 9:04 AM so I think it's Middle Falls ... photo courtesy of Game Face Media

I power walked up the entire Brewer St hill back up to St Paul St. Only 1.5 miles to go! I got back up to as much speed as I could. I passed a few of the runners that had passed me as I walked up the last hill. Mile 12 ... 1.1 miles to go! We crossed Bausch St ... ran past North American Breweries (where they make Genesee Beer) ... right onto Cataract St ... past the Genesee Brew House ... onto the Pont de Rennes bridge ... High Falls on the left (I didn't look or even hear it) ... focus on running (and not stopping) ... I could see the Finish arch ... Platt St ... cross State St ... up Morrie Silver Way ... cross Plymouth Ave N ... in the finish chute ... still 100 yards ... hearing Ellen call my name (priceless!) ... see the clock just past 1:49 ... done around 1:49:15! I took my Rochester Marathon finisher's medal and my last 4 Seasons Challenge medal and put them around my neck. I earned them!

High Falls as seen from the Pont de Rennes bridge ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

Looking down Platt St and the Pont de Rennes Bridge ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

Morrie Silver Way looking toward the finish arch and line ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

St Paul St before the intersection of Bausch St & Upper Falls Blvd ... photo courtesy of Game Face Media

Getting real close to the finish ... photo courtesy of Game Face Media

Grimacing on my way to the finish ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

Ellen Brenner ... the "voice of the Rochester Marathon" ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

Post race selfie showing off the bling

I gulped down 2 cups of water as I exited the chute and then made my road to the food tent. I picked up a piece of pizza, a bag of Fritos and another bottle of water while I pocketed an apple and 2 energy bars. I hit up the chocolate milk tent next door for a bottle of cold chocolate milk, a towel and free picture.

Their chocolate milk was COLD and DELICIOUS!!

I went to the results tent and found that I had finished in a chip time of 1:49:07 and had placed third in my new M 60-64 age group. So I hung around for a while waiting for an award announcement from Ellen. Her amplifier seemed to be cranked up to 11 so I could definitely hear her. I went out to the Cruze to change out of my wet tech shirt into the heather blue 2017 Rochester Marathon short sleeve tech shirt. I consider it bad juju to wear any race shirt before I have earned it. I was right ... my white Rochester Marathon shirt did have blood from my right nipple on it. I know the drill ... take it downstairs when I get home, spray it with copious amounts of Oxi Clean Max Force several times and wash it until it comes out. UPDATE: It came out.

I also retrieved my wallet and license from the Cruze ... but first I had to find it. It had been dark when I parked it. I used the license and a free beer pull tab from my bib to get a free LaBatt's Premiere Extra Light Lager (4% ABV, 92 calories). A young guy asked me where I got the beer. It turned out to be one of Barry and LouAnn Dingman's kids! LouAnn is my cousin on my mother's side (her father was my mother's brother) Two of their kids and two friends have formed a Mixed Open relay team named "Chafing the Dream!" and placed second, results here. I hung with them for a while until they left.

One woman crossed the finish line in style ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

I eventually found out where the age group award were being handed out ... just look for a gathering of runners with awards. I picked up mine and found out that they were giving relay awards to the winners only.

I learned from Tim Dwyer that Chris Patterson had a right Achilles issue and was having trouble in the Riverside Cemetery. I later learned from his Apex Performance Running blog that he was running well for 14 miles and then his legs simply couldn't run anymore. He finished in 4:00:02. His right Achilles tendon caused him to lose 2 months of training before the Rochester Marathon. I had a left Achilles tendon issue back in 2012 and it took several months to heal.

My 3rd place M 60-64 age group bling

All the Four Season Challenge (4SC) medals put together and my 2nd place in the M 55-59 age group 4SC series award

I was going to leave but saw Andy Ciaio come out of the finish chute. He looked a bit woozy so I led him over to the chocolate milk tent so he could have some cold refreshment. He told me that he had backed off to a 2 hour half but had gotten overheated during the second half. He finished in 4:28:29. He looked a lot better when I left him as he was going into the food tent. Then I went to the Cruze to go home.

Henry Rueden of De Pere, Wisconsin finishing in 6:27:33 ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

William Murphy who runs the half and full marathons put on by Mainly Marathons posted about Henry Rueden on Facebook. He remarked that this was Henry's 11th marathon in the 17 days of September! He had run 10 marathons during the Mainly Marathons NW Series and Center of the Nations Series. Wow!

Soon ... after a bit of grocery shopping at ... wait for it ... Wegmans ... I was home with my road shoes off, my feet up and drinking a mug of coffee. Ahh!! I looked up the results and uploaded my Garmin data. I did OK. I finished in 1:49:07 chip time, 1:49:16 gun time, 8:16 pace, 171st out of 1539, overall results here. I was 3rd out of 39 in my M 60-64 age group, age group results here. The timing strips were: 5K - 24:14, 7:49 pace; 10K: 49:44 (second 5K in 25:30, 8:14 pace), 8:01 pace; 15K: 1:15:30 (third 5K in 25:46, 8:19 pace), 8:07 pace. My splits were: 7:50, 7:56, 7:36, 7:41, 8:06, 8:12, 8:02, 8:10, 8:15, 8:32, 9:00, 9:30, 8:02 and 7:33 over the last 0.21 mile.

Yes, there was also a marathon going on. There were 288 individual finishers and 112 teams, results here. There were 450 finishers of the first Rochester 5K held the previous day, results here ... which just so happened to be my 60th birthday.

I did OK on the Four Season Challenge 52.4 Distance side also. I would have 15th out of 78 overall with 7:07:25 total time (assuming the Yellow Jacket Racing fixes the results), link here, and 2nd out of 8 in my M 55-59 age group, (assuming the Yellow Jacket Racing fixes the results), link here.

Some might say that I pay too much attention to the results. You might be right but there is a clock at the finish and I aim to not let it click too much before I get there. Yes, I value the experience and running with people I know but I do try to be competitive in my age group. Everyone who finishes or attempts to finish is a winner.

Rochester Marathon medals at the ready ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

The 2017 Four Seasons Challenge puzzle pieces all fit together like they're supposed to!

I have completed the 4 Season Challenge three years in a row: 2015 (Winter Warrior Half, Flower City Half, Shoreline Half and Rochester Half), 2016 (Winter Warrior Half, Flower City Half, Shoreline Half and Rochester Full) and 2017 (Winter Warrior Half, Flower City Half, Shoreline Half and Rochester Half).

Yellow Jacket Racing is adding three more variations to the 2018 Four Season Challenge. Besides the familiar (and renamed) Road 52.4 (4 road half marathons) and Road 65.5 (3 road half marathons and the Rochester Marathon); there will be a Road Short (4 5Ks), Trail Short and Trail Long. A new race named Cabin Fever out in Webster on 2/17/2018 will run 3 to 4 and 10 to 13 mile versions will be part of the Trail Short and Trail Long variations. Wow!

Sunday, 9/10/2017 to Saturday, 9/16/2017

I ran 4 times this week, 40.0 miles.
I took 90,009 steps during the week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 9/10/2017: 29066 steps during the day, 19.35 miles, 2:57:18, 54F, 88% RH, 4 mph SW wind, sunny

I wanted to try another 20 mile run so I set my alarm for 6:45 AM. I tried to talk myself out of it but I had my pre-run bowl of cereal and banana, dressed (shorts and an orange Charlie's Old Goat Run short sleeve tech, filled my Hammer Gel flask with (what else?) Hammer Gel, filled 2 20 ounce water bottles, put Body Glide on my nipples and groin (I know TMI), forgot to put on sunscreen and got outside before I could change my mind.



I fired off an eCrumb so my wife (still asleep) and kids (probably still asleep) could track me, fired up my TuneIn Radio app and headed out. My plan was to try my LOSP trail, Island Cottage and Janes route to see if a third 20 mile run attempt was the charm. I stashed one of my 20 ounce water bottles at the intersection of the LOSP trail and Island Cottage as I passed by. The first 10 miles went pretty smoothly, I took a couple squirts of water every 2 miles plus a swig of Hammer Gel at miles 6 and 10. I had set up a nice and steady pace. I think it was initially around 8:30 or so but did slow to around 9:00. Anytime I felt the urge to speed up I ignored it. I refilled my 20 ounce water bottle at mile 10. Just once more up and down Island Cottage,  then up and down Janes, and then back on the LOSP trail ... piece of cake, right?. Well, no ... my right hip pain started to ease its way into my head around mile 11. I tried to ignore it ... one foot in front of the other. I took Hammer Gel at mile 14 and kept on hydrating every 2 miles. It was a bit too painful to ignore by mile 18 ... plus I could tell that my left nipple was starting to bleed (joy). I did fall to a painful run/walk and gave it all I had. My splits were: 8:21, 8:18, 8:45, 8:29, 8:30, 8:24, 8:41, 8:53, 8:56, 9:53, 9:01, 9:04, 9:06, 8:54, 9:30, 8:59, 10:05, 10:44, 11:27 and 9:19 over the last 0.35 mile.

I tried to think of all the other athletes out there today. I knew about the Erie Marathon out in Erie PA, the Finger Lakes Tri down in Canandaigua and the Iron Man Lake Placid out in Lake Placid. Another guy was running the Crescent Trail out towards Victor from end to end and back for 36 miles. We all do what we can ... when we can.

I have given my left ankle some thought. It has been bothering me for months now but it has slowly got worse. It aches when I walk now most of the time ... not a sharp ache but rather a dull ache. It does loosen up the more I walk on it but it's stiff initially. I can run on it but I think it eventually throws off my gait and causes my right hip pain. I will not go to the doctor unless I absolutely have to so I am going to try some OTC medicine. I ordered a bottle of Hammer Nutrition Tissue Rejuvenator. It's basically designed for joint health. The 196(!) reviews are positive. I have taken something like this in the past from BJs, the usual glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM sort of tablets, but I stopped taking it several months ago. I will ramp up to the full dosage and not try to extend its life like I usually try to do. I need to have a healthy left ankle if I am to do well at the Empire State Marathon in 4 weeks.

I went downstairs and stripped right in front of the washer when I got home. I knew the drill ... spray liberal amounts of Oxi Clean Max Force on the blood of my tech shirt and then wash a couple of days later. I know my left nipple would have smarted if I took a shower right away ... so I didn't. UPDATE: It came clean.

Anyway ... I had my usual mug of coffee and 2 donuts (for nutrition, lol) as I sat down to watch the Jets play the Bills. It was the first game of the NFL season. I've been a downtrodden Bills for a long time and the glory days of Jim Kelly, Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas of the early 90s were a long time ago. But ... the Bills did win 21-12, links here and here.  Yes, the Bills are in first place in the AFC East since the New England Patriots lost on Thursday night 42-27 and the Miami Dolphins didn't play because of Hurricane Irma. The Bills ALWAYS have a hot September ... lol! Then reality sets in ...

Monday, 9/11/2017: 6938 steps during the day, rest day.

I watched Part 2 of the first night of the American Ninja Warrior (ANW) finals out in Las Vegas. Jesse Graff didn't make it, link here! She was almost all the way to end and couldn't catch the cargo net to climb up the hit the buzzer! I do love watching ANW! I wish I had the willpower to work on strength training ... though my 60th birthday is coming up and I could make a resolution. Hmm ...

Tuesday, 9/12/2017: 16865 steps during the day, 9.75 miles, 1:20:17, 8:14 pace, 73F, 57% RH, 7 mph NE wind, partly cloudy.


Yes, my left ankle was a wee bit cranky but it was Tuesday so I had my running gear in the Cruze. I had a choice ... either run my regular 7.55 mile route from Greece Arcadia High School or run my Bridges route from Herrema's. I didn't want to run the slightly longer Bridges route from Maplewood Drive (more driving). I hadn't run the Bridge route and the Rochester Half is only 5 days away so ... I drove to Herrema's. I took a swig of water, geared up and headed out. The Thomas Ave hill was a good wake up for my left ankle and legs but I powered up it and settled in. I don't like to do nice and easy so I didn't. I let the legs run on the second half as I ran down Lake Ave and the Genesee River Trail through Turning Point Park, link here. My splits were: 8:47, 8:02, 8:10, 8:22, 8:34, 8:05, 8:06, 7:58, 8:24 and 7:44 over the last 0.75 mile. I hydrated like usual every 2 miles. Boom. Done. I was drenched with sweat when I got done ... it felt good.

Wednesday, 9/13/2017: 4289 steps during the day, rest day.

My darling wife, Christine, called me up during the day and asked what I wanted her to make for supper. I had an one word reply ... "Ribs". Yeah, baby! I knew we had a package of Lloyd's Ribs in the refrigerator. Mmm!

Thursday, 9/14/2017: 18159 steps during the day, 9.75 miles, 1:20:01, 8:13 pace, 79F,



I had my running gear in the Cruze so ... where to go after work? I decided to not play it safe and do the 7.55 mile flat IC & Janes route out in Greece but to revisit the 9.75 mile Tuesday's bridges from Herrema's route. You gotta practice the Rochester Half route if you want to do well. I tried to go slow but ended up at my usual not so slow and steady pace. My splits were: 8:40, 7:48, 8:10, 8:03, 8:24, 8:19, 8:14, 7:49, 8:35, 8:00 over the last 0.75 mile. I was dripping with sweat after I got done. I had forgotten to put on Body Glide but didn't have an issue with my nipples ... this time.

Friday, 9/15/2017: 8009 steps during the day, rest day.

I picked up my bib and Rochester Half short sleeve tech shirt at Fleet Feet Armory. I looked through most of the deals at the Rochester Marathon Expo. I decided on 4 Belega Enduro socks (Buy 4 get 1 Free ... the cashier screwed this up so I will have to go back), a Nathan Zipster (10% off) and a red Rochester Marathon short sleeve tech shirt for $5.

Then it was off to BJ's after work and got plenty use of my coupon book. I bought 10 items and 8 of them with coupons. I saved $13.74 ... nice!

Saturday, 9/16/2017: 60th birthday, 6683 steps during the day, 3.15 miles, 26:47, 8:30 pace, 72F, 73% RH, 4 mph SSW wind, sunny.


The Nathan Zipster has 4 pockets and comes in sizes S, M, L and XL. I tried my L on and it felt a bit loose. I normally don't run the day before a race but I felt a little shakeout run with the Zipster was warranted. So I went for a short and easy run to find out. I guess I will be exchanging the L for a M. Anyway ... my splits were: 8:25, 8:26, 8:34, and 8:54 over the last 0.15 mile.

Yes, today was my sixtieth birthday. I could go into a chronology of my life to present but that would be boring. Suffice to say ... I've done stuff. Some of it was smart, some of it was so so ... some of it was stupid. I prefer to look forward and not backward. You can't change the past ... just learn from it and strive to not make the same mistake twice and do better. One of the best decisions I have made was to start running back in 2005. I have been keeping a running spreadsheet since 9/14/2006. I have run 2167 times (1512 - road, 641 - trail and 14 - snow shoe) for 13459 miles. run 424 races (237 road, 184, 3 Du) and gone through 20 pairs of running shoes. So ... I have aged up from the M 45-49 when I started, to the M 50-54, to the M 55-59 and now to the M 60-64 age group. I'm still running so let's see what I can do in the M 60-64 age group. Let's hope I can slow slower than I get older ... lol!

Presents? My boss at Ricoh gave me a cake. My darling wife, Christine, gave me three presents: a small gear bag (supposedly for my clothes when I need it but I'll put towels in it), a rechargeable hand warmer and a dry bag/phone holder (I don't know how I will use it yet). Then ... she made Lloyd's ribs along with mac'n'cheese for supper ... mmm!

I gave Christine the morning off tomorrow. I will run the point-to-point Rochester Half solo tomorrow morning. I'll drive to the finish at Frontier Field first and catch a bus to the start at the tennis courts on Maplewood Drive so she can stay home and sleep ... zzz. So ... my alarm was set for 4:55 AM.

Sunday, 9/3/2017 to Saturday, 9/9/2017 - Dirt Cheap #6

I ran 4 times this week: 29.76 miles.
I took 72158 steps during the week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 9/3/2017: 1197 steps during the day, rest day.

I felt like a slug but a slug I was. I only got over 1000 steps because I went out to Wegmans later in the day. I stashed a jug of water against a sign post at the intersection of the LOSP trail and Island Cottage on my way home. My darling wife, Christine, and I got into a "Good Behavior" watching marathon.

Meanwhile ... other athletes were out there being awesome. The Oak Tree 5K/Half was held down in Geneseo NY. 247 finished the 5K, results here. 267 finished the Half, results are here. Mort Nace of Medved fame was way out in Montana running (and climbing) the Rut 50K, the Rut (VK, 11K, 28K, 50K) info here and 50K overall results here. The 50K elevation chart (along the warnings about the "EXTREMELY STEEP & TECHNICAL" portions of the course along with rockfall hazards) looked totally insane (7500 to 11000 feet)!

Monday, 9/4/2017: 25123 steps during the day, 16.75 miles, 2:33:31, 9:10 pace, 61F, 82% RH, 10 mph SW wind, partly cloudy.



I got up around 6 AM to prep for my second 20 mile  attempt in advance of the Empire State Marathon on October 9th. I had my usual pre-run bowl of cereal and banana, put on Body Glide (nipples and groin), filled my 20 ounce water bottle, filled my flask with Hammer Gel, fired up WLGZ on my TuneIn Radio app and headed out around 7:15 AM. I settled into a nice and steady pace. I tried to remember to not heel strike after I loosened up. My water jug was still by the sign post when I passed the intersection of the LOSP trail and Island Cottage ... 2.55 mile in. Now ... going up and down Island Cottage and Janes Rd is 7.5 miles. My plan was to do that twice for 15 miles. That plus getting back home from there would equal 20 miles. The "60s all Labor Day" music on WLGZ didn't help (Michael Row Your Boat Ashore?) ... too slow. I did well though for the first 10 miles ... all my paces were under 8:30. My Hammer Gel flask "exploded" a bit when I opened it at mile 6 so my hands and shorts pockets got a bit gooey. I stopped at mile 10 to have more Hammer Gel and refill my 20 ounce water bottle.Then ... I had right hip pain at mile 12 (again!!). I definitely did not want to get injured on a training run so I lapsed into a run/walk, cut the run short and headed back. But ... I did run the last mile. Huh? Was this something I could have pushed through?

I called up to Christine (who had been "stalking" me via my eCrumb), poured a mug of coffee and went to sit on our back porch to cool down. She joined me for a bit bearing a plate of warm apple pie. I was a bit discouraged. Should I go down to the Empire State Half? I don't know. I do know that I might have a fear of the marathon distance. All three of my Rochester Marathons (2008 in 4:29:29, 2013 in 3:51:49 and 2016 in 4:31:32) haven't been pretty. 2008 (old course) was hot and sucked, 2013 (old course) was my best one but sucked (a bit less) and 2016 (new course) was hilly and still sucked.

So ... I bled from my left nipple.

I didn't even know that I had bled from my left nipple until Christine told me. I peeled off the shirt (along with everything else) and took it down to the washing machine. I gave it several shots of Oxi Clean Max Clean before I threw it in. UPDATE: it didn't come out completely, :-(. I guess I should have looked at the shirt before I threw it in the dryer. I guess I will try, try, try again ... but I am not hopeful. And yes ... it stung more than a wee bit when I took a shower. SECOND UPDATE: it did come out after several treatments and washes.

Anyway ... my splits today were: 8:14, 8:14, 8:21, 8:26, 8:20, 8:16, 8:26, 8:30, 8:31, 8:32, 9:48, 8:53, 10:26, 9:59, 11:14, 12:13, and 9:26 over the last 0.75 mile. I kind of ached all day. I did pick up my stashed jug of water when I went to Wegmans. It seems I go to Wegmans a lot.

Tuesday, 9/5/2017: 6261 steps during the day, rest day.

My Facebook "On This Day" feed is full of Summerfest comments and pictures. Yes ... eight years ago today I ran the 2009 Summerfest 12K, went home, showered and headed out to Cleveland to see Christine again. I had not seen her in 31 years since we dated between February 1977 and January 1978 when I went to Case Western Reserve University and she went to Ursuline College. She had "found" me on Facebook (she saw a GVH Mudslog picture and wondered if it was me) and we started a chat session which led to phone calls. Well ... nine days later I made a "leap of faith" visit. I remember that I almost turned around at the Ohio border as the thought "What am I doing?" flashed through my mind. But I didn't. I found her apartment and met her at the bottom of her stairs. I kissed her within a minute, followed up the stairs and kissed her again at the top of the stairs. She said later that my kisses made her knees weak. Maybe I kiss well, lol! Anyway ... I stayed all weekend. I remember that we ate, drank wine and walked her dog occasionally. She moved in with me a couple of months later. We got engaged on 9/3/2011 and married on 11/30/2012. Ahh ... the magic of Facebook!

I was a bit cranky when I got home. My left ankle had been achy all day. It's really starting to annoy me. I think that this is causing the right hip pain during my long runs that I am trying to get in to prep for the Empire State Marathon.

Wednesday, 9/6/2017: 14986 steps during the day, 2 runs of 0.7 and 4.76 miles, 59F, 88% RH, 4 mph NE wind, overcast.

Tonight's race was Dirt Cheap #6, the last Dirt Cheap Trail Series race of 2017. The venue was Mendon Ponds Park and home base was Stewart Lodge. I took a hour of PTO since the men's "Gooooo!" time was 6 PM (women's at 6:05 PM) instead of 6:30 PM (like the past 5 Dirt Cheap races) due to it getting dark earlier. So I got down to the Beach parking lot around 5 PM even with fighting the I-390 (before Winton Rd), Monroe Ave and Clover St traffic. I relaxed before I got out for a short warm up run of 0.7 mile at 9:46 pace, link here. I ran within 50 feet of a doe that just stood in a field looking at me. I think she knew that I was following the red flags, lol!

I had about 7 minutes to get a swig of water, refill my 20 ounce water bottle and get ready for the start. Ellen gave her usual boisterous "Gooooo!" .... and off we went!



My mindset was just a nice and easy trail pace, get 'er done, not to injure myself and just have a muddy time. Well ... I succeeded in all respects. I just ran and "went through the mud not  around it". There was a point about a mile in that had me (and several other runners) confused. The red flags were laid across the trail leading to another trail. Some runners wanted to continue on the same trail but we came to a group decision to follow the red flags ... which was the right call. The mud and standing water on the trail was ankle deep (or more) in lots of spots. There was a lot of splashing going on! I saw a few runners who had their shoe sucked off but my blue SpeedCross 3 trail shoes were cinched tight so I just tip-toed as I ran through the mud and continued onward. The first woman (actually a 11 year old girl) passed me when I was wading through a creek downhill of the Devil's Bathtub at mile 2.5. It was a bit discouraging but I soldiered onward. My shoes were water-logged after the creek but were soon caked with mud again ... along with my legs and arms. I almost slipped and fell at one spot. My left foot landed at an angle on a patch of mud and tried to slip out from under me to the left. I would have really landed hard (and quickly) on my right side but I caught myself just as quickly thankfully. I yelled out "Slippery!" and ran on. I was running in a patch of single track with a guy on my heels who I knew wanted to pass. He blew by when we got back to a wider trail (with a patch of mud and water). I had the satisfaction of passing him back when we got to a flat section. I'm not so good on hills but I can get going on the flats. I could hear Ellen's voice in the distance so I knew I was getting close to the end. I saw Barb Boutillier taking pictures and tried to smile but probably grimaced instead! I rounded the last corner, heard Ellen call out my name (priceless) and was done in 50:27!

Not too much mud here ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

I went inside for a couple pieces of pizza and a couple of cookies. There was a long line of runners washing off their legs and shoes at the water spigot by Stewart Lodge so I resigned myself to just changing my wet shirt, calf sleeves, socks and shoes and going home. But ... I found another water spigot by the parking lot before I left so I could wash the mud off my shoes before I left.

There was a long line at this water spigot ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

I found a lot of mud!

My right arm.

I took a hot shower as soon as I got home and then took my wet gear down to the laundry where I put them through the washer twice before I put them in the dryer. My yellow calf sleeves are once again mostly yellow and my white Swim Cheap towel is now white again. Success!

I did OK. My splits were: 8:39, 11:55, 11:47, 10:30, and 9:58 over the last 0.76 mile. I finished officially in 50:27, 62nd out of 241, link here. I was 3rd out of 14 in my overall M 55-59 age group, link here. I was a distant 2nd out of 14 in my series M 55-59 age group, link here.

My darling wife, Christine, was out and about during the day at the Empire Beauty School on Ridge Rd. She got her hair colored to a sexy blonde!

She didn't have much trimmed either!

Thursday, 9/7/2017: 5491 steps during the day, rest day.

My left ankle was cranky all day. The slipping and sliding around last night during last night's Dirt Cheap probably helped! Hey ... I would have my muscles and joints sore because I used them! Now ... if I could just motivate myself to work out on rest days instead of them being "not running" days.

Friday, 9/8/2017: 16526 steps during the day, 7.55 miles, 1:04:09, 8:30 pace, 63F, 63% RH, 11 mph NNW wind, mostly cloudy.

My left ankle twinged when I walked all day. yes, I thought about not running. I had my running gear in the Cruze. I thought about running before lunch ... I would have got drenched because there was a passing shower at 11:30 AM. I knew I would be a total grouch if I didn't run so I got dressed just before I clocked out, drove out to Greece Arcadia High School, geared up and headed out. Look ... if I rested my left ankle it wouldn't make any difference. I can run on it so I run. I'm unsure whether I can run a marathon at a BQ level on it. BTW, a BQ level marathon for a 60 year old male (such as myself in 9 days) is a 3:55. You realistically have to beat the BQ time by 5 minutes to make sure you get in so it works out to a 8:45 pace. Yes, I can easily run that for a half marathon ... but I don't honestly know if I can run that for an entire marathon. I do tend to get a lot slower on the second half of a marathon.


Anyway, my left ankle did feel achy for the first half mile and then it settled down. I just ran at a nice and steady pace as I ran my usual IC and Jane route. Boom. Done. My splits were: 8:48, 8:27, 8:21, 8:25, 8:24, 8:35, 8:23, and 8:35 over the last 0.55 mile. Yes, I ached afterward. I limped up and down the stairs. It's what I do so I can run.

Saturday, 9/9/2017: 2574 steps during the day, rest day.

I rested today so I see how far I can run tomorrow morning. I don't think I have a 20 mile run in me but I would be happy with 16 relatively pain free miles.

Later I took my darling wife, Christine, out to New Nails so she could have her French tip nails replaced. She had lost 4 of them so she needed a new set ... sexy! I went to Wegmans to did a minimal amount of shopping but really so I could get some cash. I noticed that the Shear Ego International School of Hair Design next door had a sign out front advertising men's haircuts for $6 ... so I stopped in. I was the last guy to get the deal that day. I paid $10 ($6 plus $4 tip) after I was done about 20 minutes later. The guy who cut my hair (short with 1/2" on top) was graduating in 2.5 weeks and drove all the way from Syracuse to attend the school. It was still cheaper than paying $13 and $2 tip at the OK Barber Shop down Hudson Ave by E Ridge Rd. I think he did a better job too. So ... I just had a short time to wait before Christine was done. The joys of getting out and getting things done early!

I looked into the Shear Ego website. They have courses in Barber - Styling (600 hours - $10,100), Hair Dressing and Cosmetology (1000 hours - $14,900), Esthetics, Skin Care & Makeup (600 hours - $10,100), Nail Specialty (250 hours - $2800) and Waxing (75 hours - $875). All prices are before financial aid and all graduates have to pass their respective NYS license before plying their trade.