Sunday, 1/28/2018 to Saturday, 2/3/2018

I ran 4 times this week, 28.36 miles.
I took 75,057 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 1/28/2018: 13762 steps during the day; 8.25 miles, 1:12:00, 8:43 pace, 34F, 86% RH, 6 mph SW wind, wind chill 28F, mostly sunny.

I was up before 7 AM but didn't get out until 9 AM. I almost got sucked into the couch when I was sorting through my Yahoo! email. I use Mozilla Thunderbird when I really want to delete email since it allows me to sort by correspondents (and thus delete or sort tons of email) so much easier. I really should do a massive unsubscribe to a lot of correspondents!


But ... I did get out. It was around freezing and I wore my usual: CX-X tights, long sleeve tech, yellow/black Brooks 1/4 zip pullover, yellow/black Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. Well ... I endured another blah run. I had to contend with some issues: black ice on the LOSP trail, feeling like a slug due to eating out 2 nights in a row, being a bit overdressed, my left ankle ached a bit and personal stuff. I did take walk breaks but I got it done. My splits were: 10:26, 8:21, 8:16, 8:30, 8:54, 8:31, 8:33, 8:28 and 8:02 over the last 0.25 mile. I'm still not over 100 miles for January so I will have to get out on Tuesday to put me over the top.

Later in the morning... Christine's daughter, Beth, and her mother-in-law, Linda, came over to say goodbye before heading back to Cleveland. It was not a pleasant goodbye ... which is all I will say. Christine was still grieving for her father and her emotions were quite raw. Later in the afternoon ... I went out to Herrema's to get some groceries. Christine had gone through their ad and I had a "honey-get-this" list. Sometimes you just have to go to the local mom'n'pop supermarket rather than go to Wegmans. We had Lloyd's Ribs for supper ... mmm!

Monday: 1/29/2018: 6692 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 1/30/2018: 18101 steps during the day; 5 miles on the treadmill

I thought about getting outside for the last run of the month ... I really did. But ... 6 inches of snow fell in the morning, it was cold, it was windy and I thought that the road shoulders would be sloppy. So ... I opted for a treadmill at the Greenleaf Meadows exercise room. Yes ... lame. I endured 5 miles of boredom at 8:34 pace. Time does seem to go exceedingly slow when you run on a treadmill.

Time goes a LOT slower when you run on a treadmill!

Wednesday, 1/31/2018: 5750 steps during the day, rest day.

Stats for the month of January:
I ran 17 times for 101.04 miles, 5.94 miles/run.
I ran 4 races:
   Freezeroo #2 on 1/1/18 - 7.5 miles, 59:36, 7:57 pace
   Winter Warrior Half on 1/6/18 - 13.1 miles, 1:55:15, 8:48 pace
   Freezeroo #3 on 1/13/18 - 5 miles, 41:36, 8:10 pace
   Freezeroo #4 on 1/27/18 - 4.88 miles, 37:21, 7:39 pace
I took a walk/run on snowshoes of 2.2 miles.
I walked 320,848 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smartwatch.

It was a struggle to get past 100 miles of running this month due to many factors. Let's see ... snow, cold, wind, ice, a death and just lack of motivation. I had to resort to running with trail shoes on the road several times and even the dreaded treadmill once. But ... I got it done.

Thursday, 2/1/2018: 12744 steps during the day; 5.76 miles, 46:09, 8:01 pace, 37F, 75% RH, 14 mph W wind, wind chill 29F, overcast.


The forecast was for a cold front to take away the temperature that was in the low 40s and drop it back to the teens by morning. I got out after work just as the cold front swept in so I had to contend with a cold wind from the west. I doubted my clothing choice of no balaclava and no heavy Craft long sleeve tech at first until I warmed up. I also had to contend with a dim and dying InnoGear headlamp so I cut the run short to get in while it provided a bit of light. I guess I should just recharge its NiCad batteries once a week. Anyway, my splits were: 7:44, 8:10, 8:17, 7:53, 8:03 and 7:55 over the last 0.76 mile.

Funny story. I went to BJ's last night. I bought a big bag of toilet paper and tried to throw it upstairs. Well ... my wedding ring flew off my finger! I heard it clink as it hit something in the townhouse ... who knows where. I didn't tell Christine. I looked around for it for a couple of minutes but couldn't find it. Christine didn't notice during the night. I woke up at 5 AM this morning and looked for it until just before 6 AM but didn't find it. I told Christine about my lost wedding ring ... she gave me a hug. She told me that it was just a material thing and that it was probably in the plastic trash bags that were hanging on the stair rail. I went to work and came back home. She had found my lost wedding ring ... in the bags that were hanging on the stair rail.

Friday, 2/2/2018: 6354 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 2/3/2018: 11654 steps during the day; 9.36 miles, 1:17:00, 8:17 pace, 19F, 67% RH, 18 mph WSW wind, wind chill 4F, mostly sunny.


Yes, it was cold and windy but ... it was Saturday so I got out there and ran. Call what you will ... mental discipline, gumption or sheer will. The first step out the door is the toughest and it gets even tougher when the wind chill is in the single numbers. I put on almost all of my cold weather gear: CW-X tights with shorts, heavy Craft long sleeve tech, yellow/black Brooks 1/4 zip pullover, balaclava, yellow/black Brooks beanie, GRTC neck fleece and ski mittens. I added ski goggles to protect my eyes. I wore my Brooks Transcend 3 road shoes. Yes, they have 565 miles and are a bit worn but I went back to them because I like the Brooks better than the new Scott Palani road shoes. I set up a nice and steady pace to start and kept it there except for taking a tiny walk at the start of Greenleaf Rd on the way back. The drivers that saw me must have thought I was nuts but I'm used to it. My splits were: 8:20, 8:05, 8:13, 8:25, 8:30, 7:49, 8:03, 8:07, 8:41 and 7:54 over the last 0.36 mile.

Sunday, 1/21/2018 to Saturday, 2/27/2018 - Freezeroo #4

I ran 5 times this week, 27.78 miles.
1 walked 75,873 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 1/21/2018: 11029 steps during the day; 7.25 miles, 58:02, 8:00 pace, 43F, 70% RH, 3 mph SW wind, overcast.


The cramp in my left calf was gone and it was still above 40F so ... I wore shorts when I went out for my Sunday run. Christine wanted to go the Greenleaf Meadows exercise room so I drove her down there and set off on my run. I wore shorts, calf sleeves, yellow/black Brooks 1/4 zip pullover, yellow/black Brooks beanies and heavy running gloves. There wasn't too much of my legs exposed but I bet I did scare some drivers, LOL! Oh, I also wore my new orange Scott Palani road shoes that I bough off of Left Lane Sports a couple of months ago. They did put a bit of a "new shoe" spring in my step. The outside of my right ankle rubbed against the top of the shoe but I paid it no mind ... this time. I decided to not go too awfully long since Christine was at the exercise room. My splits were: 7:41, 7:50, 8:03, 8:05, 8:04, 8:15 and 8:08 over the last 0.25 mile.

Soon ... I was warming up to a couple of mugs of coffee while I watched the NFL Conference Finals. Game 1 was the Jaguars versus the Patriots. The Pats came from 10 down in the 4th quarter to win 24-20, link here. Game 2 was the Eagles versus the Vikings. The Eagles completely dominated and won 38-7, link here. It was not a good day to beat against the spread. Both the Pats (-7.5) and Vikings (-3) didn't cover or lost outright.

Monday, 1/22/2018: 7534 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 1/23/2018: 14928 steps during the day; 5.05 miles, 42:27, 8:24 pace, 39F, 81% RH, 18 mph W wind, wind chill 30F, overcast.


Tuesday was a run day so I ran. It had turned colder again so I wore my usual cold weather gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, yellow/black Brooks 1/4 zip pullover, balaclava, yellow/black Brooks beanie and ski mittens. I wore my Nathan Tracer360 and Innogear headlamp to be seen and to see. I'm a creature of habit so I set out from Greece Arcadia High School like usual. I wore my new Scott Palani road shoes ... ouch!! The outside of the right ankle rubbed against the shoe. I stopped and adjusted it but to no avail. I had to really shorten my stride and hit mid-sole to alleviate the pain and I cut the run short which pissed me off. My splits were: 8:02, 8:46, 8:25, 8:07 and 8:39.

My darling wife, Christine, had cooked ribs and potatoes which really helped me post-run. Oh, how I love ribs! Oh, I love Christine too!

Wednesday, 1/24/2018: 5850 steps during the day, rest day.

My Ricoh cell and Pebble 2 HR smartwatch talk to each other ... as they should. Well ... my smartwatch vibrated just as I was going to step out the door to go to work. It told me of heavy traffic with a 21 minute delay to work. So ... I opened the Google Maps app and found that it suggested that I take Latta to Mt Read to Ridgeway to work. So ... I did and got to work on time. Well ... 15 minutes early which what time I like to get to work. Google ... so sweet but a little creepy!

Thursday, 1/25/2018: 13944 steps during the day; 6.25 miles, 50:52, 8:08 pace, 27F, 36% RH, 6 mph WNW wind, wind chill 20F, overcast.

I was determined to get my new Scott Palani road shoes to work for me so I added a pair of cushioned insoles that I had lying around. I wore them all day during work. I got a couple of comments during the day about my "loud" orange shoes. They were OK. The additional insole raised my right foot so my right ankle wasn't hitting the shoe but my left pinkie toe was up against the other shoe. So ... that was on my mind all day. Plus, I couldn't get my drivers window to roll down all day due to the cold. I know ... #firstworldproblems. I called up my darling wife, Christine, to ask her to make hamburgers for supper.


Anyway ... I needed to run. Work demands didn't let me get dressed to run just before work and run at Greece Arcadia High School so I went home. I got dressed there and headed out in my usual "cold but not too cold" running gear. I thought that the LOSP trail would be clear and I was correct. The 50F weather early in the week and no snow since then helped make it 95% clear except in a few shaded spots. The result was that I was able to get up some speed as I just did a 10K out and back in the dark (well lit by my InnoGear headlamp). My splits were: 7:59, 8:10, 8:03, 8:11, 8:13, 8:15 and 7:58 over the last 0.25 mile. Christine didn't want to use bread for the hamburgers so she made rice instead and served the hamburgers over rice with gravy ... mmm ... delicious!

Friday, 1/26/2018: 5562 steps during the day, rest day.

Christine's daughter, Beth, and her mother-in-law, Linda, came out from Cleveland to help celebrate Christine's 60th birthday. So we all met up at the Distillery on West Ridge Rd for supper. I had the Philly Cheesesteak for supper ... kind of tasty.

Christine with all her birthday presents from her daughter, Beth

Saturday, 1/27/2018: 17026 steps during the day, 2 runs of 4.35 and 4.88 miles.


I weighed myself when I got up at 6 AM and I had gained 3 pounds! So ... I got out for a short 4.35 mile run before the sun rose. I tried to hold myself back but I run how I run so I kept it short since I had to run a Freezeroo at 10 AM. The clouds in the east sky were kind of pretty. The weather was: 45F, 45% RH, 12 mph SW wind, wind chill 39F, mostly cloudy. My splits were: 8:13, 8:18, 8:06, 8:34 and 8:19 over the last 0.35 mile.

I rested a bit and then got geared (I thought) for Freezeroo #4. The race venue was a lodge at Victor Municipal Town Park for the second year. The distance of Freezeroo has varied over the years I have run it: 6.385 miles at Powder Mill Park with the big hill before mile 5 in 2011 (48:22), 2012 (47:07), 2013 (50:11), 2014 (50:43); 5.9 miles at Powder Mill Park in 2015 (44:04), 6.34 miles at Powder Mill Park in 2016 (47:21) and 4.88 miles at Victor Municipal Park in 2017 (36:26).

I wore my usual cold weather gear: CW-X tights, a long sleeve tech and my yellow/black Brooks 1/4 zip pullover. But ... I saw the temperature increase to about 50F as I drove out to Victor. So ... I was thinking I would be overdressed. But ... I checked my running bag and found no shorts. So ... I ditched the long sleeve tech and made do. I met up with Andy Ciaio, Prem Kumar and Heather Patterson. Andy ribbed me about my lack of shorts, Prem said "Hi" and Heather looked great for having a baby 3 months ago. Chris and her baby were out in the parking lot. I saw Bob Hamilton and knew I was second in my age group since he's faster. I got my bib and waited for the start after I did an itty-bitty unrecorded warmup run. Oh, the weather was: 45F, 45% RH, 12 mph SW wind, wind chill 39F, mostly cloudy.

The start ... photo courtesy of Christina Darlak Ruhland

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

 And ... we were off! I got up to speed quickly. I never saw Prem after the start. Heather and Andy talked for a bit while they ran ahead of me for a 1/2 mile or so. Then Andy pulled away. This course had rolling hills for the first mile and I was hurting after the first mile. I maintained my speed as the course flattened out with a long uphill to mile 2. I'm told that there was a downhill for the last 2 miles but I can't verify that.

At Break of Day Rd ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

But I kept running .. it's only 5 miles! I saw Heather about 100 yards ahead but I couldn't get any closer. Her running is really coming along!

Flying for the finish ... photo courtesy of Christina Darlak Ruhland

I could see the finish line up ahead ... and ... done in 37:21 according to my Garmin.

I headed over to the 14 Cruze to get a sweatshirt since I was pretty sweaty. I had a couple pieces of pizza up at the lodge and then headed home. The results were soon posted: my official time was 37:21, 7:39 pace. I was 37th out of 150, link here. I was 2nd out of 9 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. My splits were: 7:33, 8:09, 7:42, 7:31 and 7:17 over the last 0.88 mile. A good morning with 2 runs! The Relive link for Freezeroo #4 is here.

Christine, Beth and Linda were out and about at one of Beth's friend's house in Churchville and then over to Casa Larga Vineyards in Fairport. I met up with them at the Genesee Brew House while I watched them eat.

A Genny poster at Genesee Brew House

High Falls from the Genesee Brew House roof

I had a couple of bites of Christine's Sausage Platter since I had the GRTC Annual Banquet at 6 PM. I cut out to head out to the Bergundy Basin Inn in Bushnells Basin around 4:45 PM.

The agenda ... photo courtesy of Vicky Beaver

I used Google Maps and got there a bit after 5 PM. I sat with Tom and Amy Butler, Kevin Clinefelter and his wife, Prem, Jack and Tom Lamme. The GRTC Annual Banquet proceeded as usual: the food was better than usual, the GRTC Hall of Fame presentations for Pete "One Mile" and Tim Dwyer went well and I got the usual swag for finishing 4th in the 2017 Rochester Runner of the Year M 55-59 age group. I never knew that Pete had a tryout with the Dallas Cowboys back in the day! Kudos to Tim Dwyer for running 82 marathons and 50 triathlons in 15 years!

Walking back to my table with my swag ... photo courtesy of Vicky Beaver

Pete "One Mile" Van Peursen ... photo courtesy of Vicky Beaver

Tim Dwyer ... photo courtesy of Vicky Beaver

The 12 race 2018 Rochester Runner of the Year schedule was released:

3/17/2018	Johnny's Runnin' of the Green 5-Miler	5 Miles
5/13/2018	Highland Hospital Lilac Run (10K)	6.2 Miles
5/26/2018	Sunset House 5K	3.1 Miles
6/15/2018	Charlie McMullen Mile	1 Mile
6/17/2018	Medved 5K to Cure ALS	3.1 Miles
6/30/2018	Charlie's Old Goat Trail Run	7 Miles
9/2/2018	Oak Tree Half Marathon	13.1 Miles
9/23/2018	Iron Angel (XC) 5K	3.1 Miles
10/13/2018	Finish Strong 15K	9.3 Miles
10/20/2018	Scare Brain Cancer Away 5K	3.1 Miles
11/3/2018	East Avenue Grocery Run	3.1 Miles
11/22/2018	Race with Grace 10K	6.2 Miles

Johnny's always kicks off the racing season. The Lilac 10K is always there along with the Charlie McMullen Mile, Medved 5K to Cure ALS 5K, Oak Tree Half Marathon (I hate that course), Iron Angel 5K, Finish Strong 15K, Scare Brain Cancer Away 5K, Grocery Run 5K and Race with Grace 10K. Charlie's Old Goat Trail Run is returning after a year hiatus. The Sunset House 5K is new. It looks like I have some races to sign up for!

Sunday, 1/14/2018 to Saturday, 1/20/2018

I ran 2 times during this week, 16.9 miles.
I took 61,519 steps during this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 1/14/2018: 4701 steps during the day, rest day.

John H Wisniewski, 2/13/1921 - 1/10/2018, may he rest in peace

Christine, my darling wife, and I got up, packed, and got going by 8:20 AM. The driving weather was calm and sunny. I lost one of my gloves during the drive. I think it fell out of my left pocket at a rest area just before Buffalo ... oh well. It made for a bit of a story later since it was so cold. We got out to the funeral home, sscfuneralhomes.com, in Ravenna OH a bit after 1 PM. The calling hours for her father, John Henry Wisniewski, obituary here, were from 2 PM to 6 PM. I stayed close to Christine and we got through it. It was kind of nice to see most of Christine's relations ... just not under these circumstances. There were several picture boards of family pictures that showed Christine long before I first knew her when she was 18 and also during her first marriage when her two children, John and Beth, were children. We were exhausted afterward and went straight to the Townehouse Suites in Streetsboro OH, link here. Our reservation was set up by Christine's grandniece-in-law, Natalie, who works for Marriott. She got us a great rate! It was a studio apartment with a full kitchenette, wow! So I just went to the Walmart across the street to get a rotisserie chicken and a couple of salads. The glove selection at Walmart was pretty picked over so I passed and continued to be gloveless. We ate off of real plates, silverware and glasses back at the hotel!  Hotels brought out the lovey-dovey in us ... nice!

Monday, 1/15/2018: 4058 steps during the day, rest day.

I may bitch and moan about how Christine over packs when we got somewhere because I have to lug it around. But ... she did happen to bring a pair of Greater Rochester Track Club (GRTC) gloves that I got as a series gift for signing up for last year's Freezeroo. They're light but a lot better than not wearing anything when it's cold outside. So ... I guess it's a good thing that I lug around her luggage!

We had a bit of trouble getting up and back to the funeral home by 9 AM for a short service before the coffin was taken to the church. Christine's brother, Rich, fell when he was leaving the funeral home but he bounced back up without any trouble. The funeral was at the Immaculate Conception Church at 10 AM. The Catholic funeral involved a lot of standing, praying and reciting rote responses (that I didn't know). There was a reception at the church's community center afterward. We hung out there until it was time to head out to the burial. We stopped to get gas and coffee. We didn't dawdle but we were 12 minutes late. So ... the very short burial side service was over by the time we got there. Oops! Then we headed back home to Rochester. The travel went fine until it got dark. I got a bit antsy while driving from Buffalo onward. I held it together and we got home safely.

Tuesday, 1/16/2018: 2541 steps during the day, rest day.

Christine and I vegged out all day. I had the day off. I thought about getting outside for a run but couldn't move my butt off the couch.

Wednesday, 1/17/2018: 10504 steps during the day, rest day.

Back to the salt mines. I got out of work a half hour after I "officially" clocked out ... so no run.

Thursday, 1/18/2018: 19150 steps during the day; 7.55 miles, 1:02:55, 8:20 pace, 21F, 79% RH, 8 mph W wind, wind chill 12F, overcast.


My mind and body took turns to make all kinds of excuses so I could bag this run. I refused to listen to them. I didn't have my shorts to go over my tights (I made do). I didn't have my Nathan Zipster (I made do by putting my cell in my Nathan SpeedDraw). I didn't have my RoadID (I ran without it). I dressed just before I clocked out of work and drove to my usual winter after work run venue, the Greece Arcadia High School. I put on my Nathan Tracer360 lighted vest and InnoGear headlamp. I forgot to put on my ski goggles but I did have my ski mittens. I got going before I could change my mind. I set up a nice and easy pace. The 1.5 miles into the wind on Janes Rd sucked a bit but I put my head down and got through it. Other than that ... the run didn't suck so much. I think I need new road shoes since my knees hurt a bit after the run. My splits were: 7:44, 18, 23, 09, 18, 40, 34 and 48 over the last 0.55 mile. Back home ... I found all my "lost" gear. My shorts were on my laundry pile. My Zipster and RoadID were in the gear bag that I had taken to Cleveland ... just in case I got a chance to run on a treadmill.

Friday, 1/19/2018: 7238 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 1/20/2018: 13327 steps during the day; 9.35 miles, 1:20:48, 8:38 pace, 39F, 60% RH, 22 mph W wind, wind chill 29F, mostly sunny.


I don't normally have a blah run but today I did. I woke up with a cramp in my left calf. I limped around but ... I run on Saturdays so I did. I didn't how my body would react ... it didn't react so well. My thighs and feet were a bit achy. I had a few walk breaks during miles 4 and 5. Then I sucked it up and got it done. I think my Brooks Transcend 3 road shoes (565 miles) have a few too many miles on them. My splits were: 8:18, 8:39, 8:48, 8:55, 9:30, 8:11, 8:21, 8:15, 8:55 and 8:16 over the last 0.35 mile.

But ... no rest for the weary. I showered and got out to see my daughter, Karen, in Palmyra and my oldest son, Michael, in Macedon. Karen had just bought a new HP laptop when her old laptop had a startup problem the night before she started another class at SNHU. I transferred 224 GB of data without any trouble while her mother and Karen went out looking for a therapy dog. Michael and I caught up on what had happened since we last saw each other.

Sunday, 1/7/2018 to Saturday, 1/13/2018 - Freezeroo #3

I ran 4 times this week, 18.91 miles.
I took 65,281 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 1/7/2018: 2427 steps during the day, rest day.

I got out early to BJs and Wegmans before the first Bills playoff game since 1999. It seemed that most of Greece decided to hit up Wegmans around noon also.

So ... the Buffalo Bills versus the Jacksonville Jaguars Wild Card game. It was close. The Bills had the ball at the 1 and they ran right? Wrong, they passed and got called for offensive pass interference. The end result? A FG instead of a TD. So ... Bortles, the Jag QB, ran for 88 yards, 1 more than he passed (2nd time in the playoffs since Michael Vick did it for the Eagles in 2004). So ... Taylor was knocked out in the 4th quarter. What did Peterson do? Throw a game ending interception! So ... the Bills lost 3-10. Links here, here, here and here.

Monday, 1/8/2018: 6559 steps during the day, rest day.

Just your normal non-running Monday. Bah!

Tuesday, 1/9/2018: 6901 steps during the day, an unscheduled rest day.

I had all intentions of running today but just couldn't do it. I think I was suffering from epic race letdown ... aka the 2018 Winter Warrior Half.

Wednesday, 1/10/2018: 15236 steps during the day; 7.55 miles, 1:03:20, 8:23 pace, 45F, 70% RH, 10 mph SSW wind, wind chill 39F, overcast.

Christine, my darling wife, received sad news this morning around 3 AM. Her father, John Wisniewski, died in Ravenna OH. He was 96 years young and until the past 6 months or so had been pretty spry and volunteered at the Center of Hope food bank. I enjoyed hearing his stories of WW II and his service in the Phillipines. May he rest in peace.


I needed to run so I got out after work. I dressed just before 5 PM and got to my usual night time haunt, Greece Arcadia High School, around 5:20 PM. I probably overdressed with CW-X tights, a long sleeve tech, yellow/black Brooks 1/4 zip pullover, yellow/black Brooks beanie and ski mittens. I wore my Nathan Tracer360 and InnoGear headlamp. My pace varied on this run. My legs grew tired either due to the Winter Warrior Half 4 days ago or old road shoes with 550 miles on them ... or both. My splits were: 7:41, 8:07, 8:18, 8:22, 8:39, 8:37, 8:46 and 8:44 over the last 0.55 mile.

Thursday, 1/11/2018:  15083 steps during the day, 4.05 miles, 36:54, 9:07 pace, 54F, 62% RH, 15 mph SW wind, overcast.


The weather have gotten warmer over the past day ... so I thought maybe I would take a pre-lunch run on the Erie Canal path. It's gotta be somewhat free of snow ... right? That would a solid NO! Yes, I wore shorts, yellow/black Brooks 1/4 zip pullover and heavy running gloves along with road shoes. Well ... the Erie Canal path had some tiny sections of pavement but the vast majority of it was covered with 2 to 3 inches of wet snow along with a bit of ice. So ... my road shoes and socks were soaked in short order. It was a tough slog out with my shoes slipping and sliding for a mile until my 220 clicked to 2 miles ... and then I turned around and went back. I didn't see the need to punish my legs any farther. My splits were: 8:35, 9:38, 10:22 and 7:59. You can tell that miles 2 and 3 were on the Erie Canal path!

Friday, 1/12/2018: 4686 steps during the day, rest day.

A really weird weather day in Rochester. The high was 60F around noon and then the temperature fell. Rain and then freezing rain by 5 PM and then snow after dark. The forecast was for at least 6 to 12 inches of snow by morning.

Saturday, 1/13/2018: 14389 steps during the day; 5.11 miles, 14F, 81% RH, 10 mph NW wind, wind chill 1F, mostly cloudy.

Today's race was Freezeroo #3 out at Pineways Pond Park in Spencerport. I trolled Facebook and there were posts that the roads in Spencerport were clear so ... I geared up for a cold weather run, kissed Christine goodbye and stepped out the door. A foot of snow greeted me. I had the foresight to put on my boots so I hoofed out to the 2018 Cruze, cleared it off and headed out.

I got to the race venue early enough that I helped set up the tables and chairs. I brought in my running gear bag so I could take off my boots and put on my trail shoes. I wore my usual "really cold" running gear: CW-X tights with shrts, long sleeve tech, Craft long sleeve tech, yellow/black Brooks pullover, balaclava, Winter Warrior hat along with goggles and ski mittens. The turnout was light because many people were still digging out from the overnight snowfall.

The start ... photo courtesy of Christina Darlak Ruhland

I didn't warm up and just headed to the start. It was cold. And ... we were off! I almost slipped and fell on my ass ... but I didn't and got up to some semblance of a race pace. The footing was not the best with about an inch of snow on the road.

The turn around mile 1 ... photo courtesy of Vicky Beaver

The footing didn't improve much on the various roads that the course was on. Luckily there wasn't much wind. I went into a "get it done" race pace. I wasn't getting passed and I could pass anyone as stretched out. And ... done in 42:03 according to my Garmin (I forgot to turn off for a few seconds).

Just before the finish ... photo courtesy of Christina Durlak Ruhland

Crossing the timing strip ... photo courtesy of Vicky Beaver

I walked up to the lodge and just sat for a while. I had a cup of chicken noodle soup and a bagel with peanut butter ... delicious. I am not normally a soup man after a run but today it spoke to me. I forgot to bring my wallet so I went straight home.

The results were posted shortly after I had relaxed with a mug of coffee. My official time was 41:46, xx pace, 14th out of 64, link here. I was 1st out of 5 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. My splits were: 8:04, 8:14, 8:20, 8:16, 8:03 and 9:46 over the last 0.11 mile (with a bit of walking). The Relive link for Freezeroo #3 is here.

I didn't think that I should rest on a mere 5.11 miles on a Saturday. But what to do? I thought a snowshoe was in order. So ... I geared up and got out there again. It was still cold but I settled into a snowshoe walk out on the Lake Shore Country Club. The weather conditions were: 12F, 66% RH, 12 mph WNW wind, wind chill -2F, overcast.


The snow wasn't so deep that I couldn't break into a slow run ... so I did when I could. Boom. My splits were: 18:59, 17:36 and 15:03 over the last 0.2 mile.

Christine and I had thought abut heading out to Ravenna OH for her father's funeral the night before but we didn't. She had trouble sleeping so she was up most of the night. I had trouble sleeping also.

1/6/2018 - Winter Warrior Half

Saturday, 1/6/2018: 22216 steps during the day; 2 runs of 0.71 and 13.22 miles, 3F, 78% RH, 11 mph WNW wind, wind chill -13F, overcast with light snow after loop 2.

Today's race was my fourth Winter Warrior Half (2015 at Monroe Community College in 1:50:07, 2016 at Rochester Tech Park (RTP) in 1:47:44, 2017 at RTP in 1:46:06). It's an epic race ... so it deserves its own blog post.

I was up around 8 AM. There was no need to get up early ... the race wasn't until 4 PM. I had a mug of coffee and a muffin with one side of peanut butter and one side of strawberry jelly.

I read Facebook posts about people testing out their cold weather gear and it made sense. It seemed like a bother but I thought it would give me more confidence if I knew that all this gear actually did its job ... keep me kind of warm. So ... I got found all the "really cold" running gear, dressed and got outside. I added my new ski goggles and Innogear headlamp (even though it was daylight). Then I set out to take the Netflix DVD to the mailbox on Greenleaf Road around 10:30 AM. I found that my goggles fogged up but I could still see about 10 feet in front in me. I went 0.71 miles at 8:44 pace, link here. It was cold: 1F, 77% RH, 15 mph WNW wind, wind chill -18F, overcast. My running gear seemed to be spot on: blue Salamon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes (with close to 800 miles on them), CW-X tights with shorts, long sleeve tech, Craft long sleeve tech, yellow/black Brooks 1/4 zip pullover, balaclava, 2015 Winter Warrior hat, goggles, headlamp and ski mittens. It all felt OK so I decided that I would not afford myself the option of doing only 1, 2 or 3 loops but would attempt all four no matter the conditions.

Flat "Doug" ... all my gear except I wore the new green Winter Warrior hat (Ellen said we could)

Test run selfie

I whiled around the time just lounging around. Christine got a cowbell, went outside and started yelling "Go, runners", etc. I didn't know what she was doing. She was quite cold when she came back inside. She explained she was doing her cheer for me from home. She had trouble uploading it to Facebook so she uploaded it to her laptop and emailed it to me to upload.

Christine cheering for Winter Warrior Half ... from the front of our townhouse 13.6 miles away from RTP
I started to get ready around 2 PM. I put on all my running clothes except the head gear. I put a Foot Warmer in my trail shoes (they didn't feel any warmer AT ALL). I put warm water in my Nathan SpeedDraw water bottle and also brought my Hammer Gel flask. I took the 2018 Cruze down to the Rochester Tech Park (RTP). The traffic was light and I arrived around 2:45 PM. So ... I got a close parking spot right by the porta-potties within 100 yards of the warming tents.

Boots setting out traffic cones ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

Ellen Boutillier arriving ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

It was 3F when I arrived at the RTP and it didn't get any warmer!

I pinned my bib onto my shorts and put a Hand Warmer in each ski mitten (they worked a little). I spent most of the time before the 4 PM start right inside the car just chilling. I got out twice to "hit the head" but that's about it. I just people watched.

I got out at 3:45 PM, locked the car with the side door locking button (note that fact), adjusted all my gear (turned on my Nathan Tracer360 vest, pulled up my GRTC neck gaiter, made sure that my goggles were tight, put on my ski mittens) and headed over to the start/finish line. I didn't take my water bottle or Hammer Gel ... too much bother. Man ... was it cold!!! I met up with Prem Kumar. We talked a bit as we jumped around to keep warm. There were a minimum amount of announcements ... and we were off!

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

I got up to some semblance of a race pace. The road was covered with about an inch of snow so my trail shoes handled it OK with just a bit of slipping and sliding. The course was 4 loops so any wind would be felt (and enjoyed ... NOT) 4 times. The wind was felt in the face just as soon as we turned left onto Les Harrison Drive E and ran up the incline to Les Harrison Drive W. The traction varied so I had to move around a bit to find the best spot to run. There was a little bit of ice too so I had to be careful. It didn't help that my goggle fogged up a bit. The 200 yard section on Manitou Road was the clearest section of the course. Then we turned out of the wind onto Creative Dr. I always seemed to speed up when I was going downwind. There was a volunteer woman by Harris B101 (I found out that she was Meghan Smith) who must have danced the whole time to keep warm as she gave us encouragement. Then there was the jog left onto Innovation Way to add a bit of distance before turning around and heading back over to a left onto Initiative Drive. Then another left onto Lazar Drive and another left into the start/finish line.

Lazar Dive about 1/4 mile from the end of Loop 1 ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

So I stayed left the first 3 times and right the last time ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

Boom ... loop 1 done. I either yelled out (sometimes no words ... my voice got a bit frozen)  or waved every time I went by a volunteer. Only 3 more loops ... as it got darker. I started to lap slower runners about halfway into loop 2. I stopped to have some sips of icy water after loop 2. I felt a bit sick to my stomach so I didn't stop after that. I just put my legs and body into a "get it done" pace. I turned on my headlamp as it got darker. It started to snow. I was amazed that some runners wore no reflective gear or a headlamp! I had to keep my head up to make sure that I didn't run into other runners. I started to get passed by the faster runners on loop 3. I felt a bit hungry during loop 4 but I just sucked it up and kept on running at whatever pace I could muster ... forward.

Ellen gave me (and almost everyone else according to her) a high five each time when I went through the start/finish line. Soon it was my time to head into the right lane as I approached the start/finish line .... and done in 1:55:17 (according to my Garmin)! I accepted the finishers medal and the 4 Season Challenge medal with pride (and a bit of exhaustion). I stopped my eCrumb, took a selfie and walked toward the 2018 Cruze.

The start/finish line ... photo courtesy of "Boots" Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

This video of the finish line is almost like being there ... minus the cold and wind chill of course!

End of Loop1 at 9:08, Loop 2 at 37:30, Loop 3 at 1:07:12, Finished at 1:36:36. (The video did not catch the start and was started later).

Number of finishers was 269, number of male finishers was 130

A bundled up post race selfie

Then everything went to shit (for a bit). I reached into my Nathan Zipster for my car key ... and didn't find it! I was a bit wet from sweat so I was cold and shivering out there in the elements. I made my way back to the start/finish line and then into a heated lobby. I told a Yellow Jacket Racing staff member that I had lost my keys. He sent out a text for everyone to be on the lookout for them. I called Christine so she could come down to get me. I warmed up for a while next to a heating grate (ahh!) and then realized that I needed to eat something. I made my way to the warming tents where the food was staged and had 2 bowls of mac'n'cheese along with 4 cookies. It's kind of tough to eat mac'n'cheese when your hands are shaking from the cold ... a fork really helped! I stopped by the award table and found that I had won my M 60-64 age group. I got a plaque and a jar of Once Again peanut butter. More peanut butter ... mmm! I now have 4 jars with different levels left in each.

The roads were treacherous so it took Christine a while to get down to the RTP with the 2014 Cruze and then a bit for her and I to find each other once she got down there. She unlocked the 2018 Cruze ... and there were my car key safe and sound in the ignition! We were both a bit cranky toward each other ... mostly from the cold. She hadn't expected to go outside and I was just really cold. But we were also relieved that the keys were found! I put on my coat and cranked up the heater fan in any car that I happened to be sitting in. Christine made me drive the 2014 Cruze home since she hadn't driven the 2018 Cruze yet.

Soon ... we were both home. I got home about 10 minutes before Christine did. She got stuck behind some slow pokes. Christine heated up some leftovers (chicken thighs and lamb roast) and also made up a pizza for supper. I complained a bit but realized I was hungry and went in for seconds a couple of hours later. I was also thirsty and had 2 mugs of milk. My right foot hurt and I complained about that too ... Christine made me take off my sock so she could make sure that it wasn't frostbite. I think I picked up two more black toenails from them hitting the toe box as I slipped and slid during the race. The socks I had on Saturday night certainly did hurt my toes!

The results were posted in a couple of hours. Yellow Jacket Racing outdid themselves trying to get all the results together. I finished in 1:55:15, 33rd out of 267 solo finishers, link here. There were a lot of runners in the overall results that didn't start, dropped after 1 loop, dropped after 2 loops and dropped after 3 loops. I was first out of 15 in my solo M 60-64 age group, link here. Loop times were: Loop 1: 27:46, 8:29 pace; Loop 2: 28:22, 8:40 pace; Loop3: 29:42, 9:05 pace and Loop 4: 29:27, 9:00 pace. My splits were: 8:35, 8:12, 8:17, 8:44, 8:23, 8:29, 9:30, 8:47, 8:42, 9:01, 9:02, 8:39, 9:06 and 8:28 over the last 0.22 mile. The Relive link to Winter Warrior Half is here.

There was a 1 loop race with 251 finishers, link here; a 2 loop or quarter marathon race with 44 finishers, link here; and a 3 loop race with 1 finisher, loop here. There was also a relay race with 7 male (link here), 12 female (link here) and 11 coed (link here) teams.

The Winter Warrior Half bling (4 Season Challenge, Finisher's Medal, hat and bib)

The Winter Warrior Half Age Group Winner bling (plaque and Once Again peanut butter)

I started to read all the Facebook posts. There were lots of stories of epic adventures! I would like to touch on two. One, Bill Murphy, a 69 year rock star walker. I passed Bill twice during the race. I said, "Hi, Bill!" as I went by. He replied in his customary "Go! Go! Go!". Bill was on an epic adventure in 2017. He had 1340 race miles, did 26 full marathons, 48 half marathons and did races with Mainly Marathons in 48(!!) states! Second, is a little girl that I passed on loop 3. I didn't really notice her but I remember a little girl all bundled up wearing fairy wings with lights on them. Well .. she was 10 years old and ran her second half marathon. Her mother posted on Facebook that she was nervous about letting her run but that she wanted to do it, would wear what clothes her mother wanted, would run with someone and would stop to be checked every lap. Awesome!

I would like to thank Fleet Feet, Yellow Jacket Racing, their staff, all the volunteers along with the ambulance crews and police who helped keep us safe!

Fleet Feet was selling this design until Tuesday, 1/9/2018, for $13/$18/$25 (ss shirt, ls shirt and hoodie)

There were new crews there also: RochesterFirst.com link here, WROC link here, 13Wham link here, Spectrum News link here (you can see me run by at 0:17 to 0:19 seconds).

All in all ... an epic day for an epic race!

A look back at 2017 and a look ahead to 2018

A tale of the feet ... where they took me in 2017 and where I hope they take me in 2018.

Yes, I do have black toenails ... I think every runner does.

2017 was a good running year. Here are the stats:

I ran 226 times for 1662.3 miles (most ever by 100+ miles), 138.5 miles/month, 31.97 miles/week, 7.64 miles/run.
198 road runs for 1465.36 miles, 7.4 miles/run.
28 trail runs (4 were trail shoes on the road) for 196.96 miles, 7.03 miles/run.
I took 3 snowshoe walks, 7.37 miles, 2.46 miles/walk.
I biked 10 times, 179.19 miles, 17.9 miles/ride.
I took 2,023,154 steps from June 27th to December 31st or 10,761 steps/day, according to my Pebble 2 HR smartwatch.

Here are the 2017 race stats:

I ran 36 races: 25 races were on the road, 224.25 miles, 8.97 miles/race; 11 races were on trail, 103.5 miles, 9.41 miles/race for a total of 327.75 racing miles.

Notable 2017 races:
1. Ran my third 4 Season Challenge (52.4 version)
2. Ran 5 out of the 6 Dirt Cheap races (missed 1 due to a Ricoh company picnic)
3. Ran/walked 40 laps of Mind the Ducks in May
4. Survived 41.64 miles of the Many on the Genny in June
5. Ran my fifth Boilermaker 15K in July
6. Ran Summerfest 12K in September (a lifetime PR)
7. Survived a hot day in October during the Empire State Marathon
8. Finished my ninth Dirt Cheap Stage Race
9. Broke 22 minutes in the Grocery Run 5K
10. Finished 4th in the 2017 GRTC Rochester Runner of the Year M 55-59 age group

What's ahead for 2018? I have signed up for 11 races already: the Freezeroo series (5 left), the 4 Season Challenge (52.4 version), Mind the Ducks in May and the Empire State Marathon in October.

I am still thinking about a return to Many on the Genny. My darling wife, Christine, is decidedly against this idea. I guess she didn't like worrying about me at the finish hour after long hour while I walked the last 20 miles. Some would say I bit off more than I could chew when I signed up for that race. But ... I did go out too hard and paid the price. But ... I did press on and finished what I started. I could have bailed at Check Point 5 or 6 ... but I found it within myself to forge ahead step after step until there were no more steps left to take. I learned a lot about myself during that race.

Same may say ... why run, why race? Well ... I like running and I like racing. It's hard to describe but I like being in control of body while I am running ... whether it's running easy during the week or running harder during a race. I like running races to see what that clock will reveal when I get there. It's just fun!

Sunday, 12/31/2017 to Friday, 1/5/2017 - Freezeroo #2

I ran 3 times during 6 days,  14.29 miles.
I took a snowshoe walk this week, 2.07 miles.
I took 58,438 steps during 6 days according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 12/31/2017: 6784 steps during the day; 2.07 miles on the snowshoes, 46:23, 22:23 pace, 7F, 72% RH, 12 mph NW wind, wind chill -9F, overcast with real light snow


I had told my darling wife, Christine, and oldest son, Michael, that I wouldn't run since it was a rest day before Freezeroo #2 the next day ... but I didn't mention anything about a snowshoe walk. Yes, it was cold and windy ... but I do what I do. I added another long sleeve tech so I had 3 layers on top. I was still cold. You just don't generate as much head when you walk as when you run. But I set out the front door, put on my Dion snowshoes and walked about the perimeter of the Lake Shore Country Club anyways.

A snowshoe selfie.

The only part of me that was uncovered was a bit of my cheeks between my sunglasses and my balaclava ... and it was cold! I went straight upstairs, stripped and into the bathroom for a hot shower and bath when I got back inside. Brr!

Then ... it was time for the Buffalo Bills versus the Miami Dolphins game down in Miami. The Bills were still in the playoff hunt. They needed to win and some help. The game was a nail biter. I texted back and forth to my oldest son, Michael, like we usually do during Bills games. The Bills leading rusher, Sean McCoy, was carted off during the 3rd quarter ... not good. The Bills were up 22-9. Miami scored a late TD, kicked the extra point and recovered the onside kick ... not good, 22-16. But ... the Bills got an interception ... the Bills win, link here!

Oh .. the Bills had another TD taken away by the replay officials in NYC. This time it was a 98 yard fumble recovery. This gave Miami new life at the Bills 1 yard line. They scored a TD on the next play to climb to 22-9.

The CBS coverage cut right to the Cincinnati Bengals - Baltimore Ravens game down in Baltimore. The Bills needed the Ravens to lose to make the playoffs and end their 17 year playoff drought. It didn't look promising. The Ravens were up 28-24. The clock was at 0:44 in the 4th quarter and the Bengals faced a 4th and 12 from the Baltimore 49. The Bengals QB, Dalton, back to pass ... 49 yard TD, video link here!! Christine and I screamed like crazy people ... like most of western NY!! The Bengals won 31-28, link here!! Reaction videos ... links here, here, here, here, , . Article about DT Kyle Williams TD, here. The Bills will face the Jacksonville Jaguars down in Jacksonville next Sunday!

Christine and I spent a quiet New Years Eve just watching a bit of TV. We saw the ball drop and went to bed shortly after. My alarm was set for 6:50 AM.

Oh, stats for December:

I ran 19 times in December for 145.07 miles, 7.64 miles/run.
I ran one race, Freezeroo #1, on 12/9.
I took out the snowshoes once on 12/31 for 2.07 miles.
I took 315,275 steps during the month of December.

Monday, 1/1/2018: 14880 steps during the day; 2 runs of 1.32 and 7.57 miles, 3F, 84% RH, 8 mph SW wind, wind chill -10F, partly cloudy with some sun.

I'm a GRTC member and I'm signed up for the Freezeroo series so New Years Day meant Freezeroo #2 out at Mendon Ponds Park at 10 AM. The temperature was 0F so I decided to wear my "really cold" winter running gear: CW-X tights with shorts, a long sleeve tech, heavy Craft long sleeve tech, yellow/black Brooks 1/4 zip pullover, balaclava, Winter Warrior hat along with ski mittens. I wore my Brooks Transcend 3 road shoes and brought my Salomon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes just in case.

This was my ninth Freezeroo #2: 2009 in 1:02:33, 2011 in 57:24, 2012 in 53:26, 2013 in 1:02:13, 2014 in 58:35, 2015 in 57:31, 2016 in 59:44 and 2017 in 59:19. So ... I know the course. But ... every year my fitness level, the temperature and conditions were different.

The drive out there was a bit dicey. I left early so I was not in a hurry. A snow plow veered into my lane as I merged from I-390S to I-490E, there was a car into the guardrail at the Monroe Ave exit on I-390S and the ramp down to Monroe Ave was a bit icy ... but I got down to MPP around 8:50 AM.

The temperature outside the Cruze when I got to MPP.

I went up to Stewart Lodge to pick up my bib. Laura Ciaio told me that the roads were icy so I went back down to the Cruze to put on my trail shoes. I saw Andy Ciaio and Prem Kumar came back from their warm up run. Andy came over and told me the same thing.

I walked up to the start with everyone else. I lined up next to Andy, Prem and Joe Ciecierega. I didn't carry any water. I usually don't drink much during a race anyway. And ... we were off!


I settled into what resembled a race pace. Everyone pretty much opted to run in the tire tracks so that is where I ran also since it gave the best traction. We moved over when a car came and then moved back.

The 10AM start of Freezeroo #2 ... photo courtesy of https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

Prem (on the extreme right) and I just after the start ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

I passed Joe on Douglas Rd and then Andy on Canfield Rd before mile 1. I stayed on Prem's shoulder for a bit and then passed him somewhere on Clover St before mile 2. I was running well. I had to take a couple of tiny walk breaks during miles 4 and 5 to get my breathing under control. I settled into a tiny bit slower race pace ... a "get it done" pace. There wasn't as much traction on Canfield Rd when we came back into MPP.

Heading down Douglas Rd toward the finish ... photo courtesy of Christina Darlak Ruhland

I tried to push the pace after the left onto Douglas Rd but I had nothing left. I saw the clock under 1 hour ... and done in 59:40, 7:53 pace according to my Garmin. My splits were: 7:46, 7:54, 7:53, 7:57, 8:03, 7:47, 8:02 and 7:30 during the last 0.57 mile.

A post race selfie.

I went to the Cruze to put on my parka. I saw Andy and Prem. They asked me if I had flown ... I answered "No ... I slowed down after mile 5." I had some pasta and a cup of hot coffee at Stewart Lodge. I listened and hung out for a bit as fellow runners warmed up after what to us was a usual activity on New Year's Day ... running Freezeroo #2 no matter what the temperature or conditions. Other people might consider us crazy ... but it all depends on your point of view. I though about that on the way home ... how I love running races and the things I have experienced during them.

I stripped as soon as I got home and headed upstairs to take a hot shower and bath. A mug of hot coffee helped warm me up also. I checked the results ... I did OK. I was 26th out of 179, link here. I was 1st out of 17 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. The Relive link for Freezeroo #2 is here.

There was also another "race" at 11AM. Fleet Feet held their second Donut Mile. It's a race where you eat a donut, run 1/4 mile and repeat until you have run one mile.

The course looked to be an out and back ... photo courtesy of Barb Bourtillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

Results are here. Hmm ... more people ran this than Freezeroo #2 ... 212 versus 179. I have never run a race like this (beer, taco or donut) ... but never say never, I guess.

Tuesday, 1/2/2018: 7999 steps during the day, rest day.

It was back to work after 10 days off. I was amazed that I still remembered all my passwords.

Wednesday, 1/3/2018: 13232 steps during the day; 5.4 miles, 44:28, 8:12 pace, 21F, 58% RH, overcast.


I decided to get in a night run before it really gets cold. I headed out to my usual spot ... Greece Arcadia High School to run Island Cottage and Janes Rd. Anyway ... I forgot my Garmin Forerunner 220 and my 310XT didn't get beyond the start-up screen after 5 minutes so I downloaded the Strava app on my Ricoh cell. I don't like using a cell app because you have to start it, tug the cell away, run, dig the cell back out and stop it. I wore my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights with shorts, heavy Craft long sleeve, yellow/black Brooks 1/4 zip pullover, balaclava, yellow/black Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I added my InnoGear headlamp and Nathan Tracer360 for light and reflectivity. I set forth at a nice and steady pace. I immediately regretted not wearing mittens. But ... I ran onward. My fingertips warmed up after a long 3 miles. I decided to cut the run short to 5 miles since my wife was a bit sick at home and I worry about her. My splits were: 7:56, 8:05, 8:14, 8:06, 8:25 and 8:44 over the last 0.4 mile. Boom ... done.

The forecast is for temperatures around 0F along with high winds from Thursday night to Sunday morning. The upcoming Winter Warrior Half has been modified so that solo runners can either sign up for 1, 2, 3 loops or continue as before with 4 loops and still get their bling and relays runners can mass start for 1 loop or continue as before and still get their bling. Modified runners get put in their race of that "loopage". Runners who don't modify and quit get credit for their loops and a DNF. But ... the volunteers and staff will still be out in the elements. Perhaps more modifications are forthcoming though.

Thursday, 1/4/2018: 6575 steps during the day, rest day.

It was snowing and getting colder so I did what everyone else did it seemed ... shopped for bread at Wegmans. Other people posted in Facebook their bread aisle pictures so it wasn't just me that didn't find much bread!

A portion of the bread aisle at Wegmans Latta

Willie, our salesguy from Bob Johnson Chevrolet, delivered our new lease, a 2018 Cruze, to our townhouse later that night. What a guy! So we now have 2 Cruzes: a 2014 Cruze that Christine's father bought for us and a 2018 Cruze with a 24 month/10K per year lease.

Friday, 1/5/2018: 8968 steps during the day, rest day.

There was a lot of chatter on Facebook about the upcoming conditions for tomorrow's Winter Warrior Half. Some people posted that they were doing 1 loop or 2 loops. I thought about it. I had until noon to go to that option so I delayed until I could see the conditions tomorrow. UPS delivered a box around 6 PM ... 2 cheap ski goggles that I had ordered off of eBay for $17.67 on Tuesday.