Sunday, 1/8/2017 to Saturday, 1/14/2017 - Freezeroo #3

1 ran 5 times this week, 19.17 miles.

Sunday, 1/8/2017: 5.15 miles. 47:31, 9:14 pace, 18F, 79% RH, 10 mph W wind, overcast, light snow.


I woke up around 7:30 AM and found that about 1/2 inch of snow had followed overnight. I wasn't too sore from the Winter Warrior Half last night so ... I got dressed and got out there. I decided to take it really nice and easy for an out and back on the LOSP trail. There had not been anyone out so I made the first footprints on the LOSP trail, sweet! I should have worn my trail shoes but made due with my road shoes. It was kind of nice hearing the "crunch, crunch" of my footfalls. My splits were: 9:32, 9:21, 9:23, 9:04, 8:52 and 8:51 over the last 0.15 mile.

I found out on Facebook that other runners had got out for more. I saw runs of 12, 13 and 18. Joe Ciecierega was down in AL running the First Light Marathon in 5:01:21, unofficial results here.

Monday, 1/9/2017: Rest day ... well deserved.

How did I spend it? Helping my daughter, Karen, move from her mother's couch in Newark to an apartment in Palmyra. It went OK. I drove the 17 foot U-Haul truck. My ex's boyfriend helped. All she really had was a couch, chair, full sized bed and the usual stuff. We got it done.

Tuesday, 1/10/2017: Another rest day.

The weather was crap: a bit of snow in the morning, freezing rain in the afternoon, howling winds in the evening.

Wednesday, 1/11/2017: 7.35 miles, 1:04:05, 8:43 pace, 46F, 36%, 4 mpd SSE wind, overcast.



This run started out well. What was not to like? It had warmed to 55F(!) during the day. I almost was tempted to go with short instead of tights. It wasn't windy like it had been in the early morning. I debated whether to go for 7 or 10 before the run. What went wrong? Well ... please ask my left hamstring. I had my running gear in the Cruze, dressed at B6 and drove out to the Greece Aradia High School. I wanted to have a well lit place to keep the Cruze while I ran. I struck up a nice and easy pace as I headed up Island Cottage. I could feel some mild discomfort in my left hamstring. I kept on going ... figuring that it would loosen up and go away. Well ... it didn't. I could have cut the run short but being the stubborn runner I am I didn't. It started to hurt worse. My pace slowed. It sucked but I got the run done. My splits were: 8:08, 8:30, 8:32, 8:43, 8:55, 8:57, 9:01 and 8:43 over the last 0.35 mile.

My darling wife, Christine, wanted to know if I wanted to go to Urgent Care when I told her that I was somewhat injured when I came home. I am sorry that I snapped at her. I'm perhaps a bit obsessed when running is concerned.

Thursday, 1/12/2017: Rest day.

Friday, 1/13/2017: Rest day.

Saturday, 1/14/2017: 3 runs of 1.5, 5.02 and 2.15; 23F, 63% RH, 4 mph ESE wind, overcast.

Today's race was Freezeroo #3, a 5 mile race held out in Spencerport at Pineway Ponds Park. This was my 4th Freezeroo at this venue (2013 in 37:04, 2015 in 36:43 and 2016 in 36:18).

I was up relatively early at 7:30AM. I puttered around and then got ready. It was a crisp and cold morning so I wore the usual: my CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, an old Freezeroo long sleeve tech, my yellow Brooks 1/4 zip pullover. I brought my yellow Brooks jacket for warmup warmth and the usual balaclava and ski mittens. Boom. My darling wife, Christine, was still under the weather with her cold and a cold sore so I kissed her on the forehead and left. But I only got to just before I-390S and Latta before I remembered that I forgot my race bib. I turned around and retrieved it. Then onward.

I got out to Pineway Ponds Park around 9:15AM in plenty of time for the 10AM start. I pinned on my race bib. I found my rolling stick and ran it over my left hamstring. It hurt a bit but it did loosen it up. I dressed a bit warmer and headed out for a nice and easy warmup run at 8:33 pace, link here. My left hamstring felt a bit weird but not outrageously so. I had 20 minutes before the race. I thought about going out for another race but just paced around for 10 minutes. I stashed my Brooks jacket in the Cruze and headed to the start. I met up with Prem Kumar and Andy Ciaio. I didn't think I would see them after the start. Wilt Alston told us about some ice to be careful of one of the last turns.

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

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

And ... we were off! I got up to race pace quickly. I didn't know how my left hamstring would react. It still felt a bit weird but it stayed that way so I kept my pace. "One mile Pete" gave a 7:24 first mile. I was running in a small pod of runners. I picked off a couple and kept my pace. I passed some early starters and gave encouragement or said "Hi" to one I knew like Bill Murphy, Tina Pellegrin and Charlie Sabatine. I avoided the ice on that turn and kept my race pace for the final 1/2 mile. I saw that the timer was below 38 ... and done with 5.02 miles in 37:40ish. Nice!

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

I walked up to the Cruze. I thought about heading into the lodge but went out for a rare cooldown run instead to keep my left hamstring loose. I went out for a really nice and easy 2.15 miles at 9:09 pace, link here. I saw Bill Murphy finish in just over 58 minutes (actually 1:18). Bill does a mean racewalk, 5 miles in under 12 minutes/mile! Then I headed into the lodge. I learned from Tina Pellegrin that there was about 1/2 inch of ice down in Jackson, Mississippi that cancelled the Mississippi Blues Marathon (Saturday, 1/7/17) that her and Joe Ciecierega had flown down to last weekend. She said that it would have cancelled any race up here too and that the ice vanished about 20 miles out of Jackson as they travelled to the First Light Marathon in Mobile, Alabama the next day. Then I discovered a new tasty treat for a post-race snack: a bagel with jelly ... mmm!

I headed home for my usual post-race mugs of coffee. The results from Hour Glass Works were soon up on their website. I did OK. I was 39th out of 153 in 37:42, link here. I was 6th out of 18 in my M 55-59 age group, link here. I did see that I ran my slowest Freezeroo #3 at this venue. I felt fast to me. Oh well. I'm out there. Oh, Andy ran a 35:29, Prem ran a 36:00, Charlie ran a 1:02:43, Tina ran a 1:05:04 and Bill Murphy ran a 1:18:03.

I wanted to take Christine to get her nails touched up at New Nails but ... she was still under the weather. So ... I stayed in the rest of the day, did 4 loads of laundry and watched a bit of football. A nice day!