Sunday, 4/22/2018 to Saturday, 4/28/2018 - Flower City Half

I ran 5 times this week, 36.8 miles.
I took 88,364 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 4/22/2018: 22481 steps during the day; 2 runs of 0.61 and 13.25 miles,

Today's race was the Flower City Half (FCH). It was my ninth consecutive FCH (2010 - 1:46:21, 2011 - 1:40:11, 2012 - 1:39:14, 2013 - 1:44:32, 2014 - 1:47:12, 2015 - 1:46:01, 2016 - 1:43;26 and 2017 - 1:42:32). So ... I knew the course well. Well ... that doesn't count if you aren't prepared. I thought I was ... but I wasn't.

I set my alarm for 5 AM. I had my usual pre-race bowl of cereal and banana. It was 37F but was going to warm up to around 60 later in the day according to the forecast. What to wear? I choose shorts, Darn Tough socks and a long sleeve tech. I took along my usual gear for "Spring" time in Rochester: tights, another long sleeve tech, a couple of short techs, heavy running gloves, beanie, hat, sunglasses.

I headed out around 6:10 AM and got to an excellent parking sport right behind a Fleet Feet truck at 6:30 AM. I was about 100 feet from the finish line and 500 feet from the start line at the Blue Cross Arena. I put on my yellow/black Brooks jacket, heavy running gloves, orange Fleet Feet hat, sunglasses. I carried water in my Nathan SpeedDraw flask along with Hammer Gel in one of their 5 ounce flasks.

The finish line waiting for finishers ... courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

The VIP area for 4 Season Challenge & Fleet Feet Racing Team members

I went into the Blue Cross Arena to pin on my race bib. I found a nice perk on the BCA hockey rink floor ... a roped off area for Four Season Challenge and Fleet Feet Racing Team runners with chairs, tables, a massage table ... nice! There was coffee along with Gu and Chomps at the tables.  I sat in there for a while before I went out for a 0.61 mile warm up run at 7:57 pace, link here. The run was enough to let me know that I needed to put on a short sleeve tech underneath and change from my FF hat to my yellow/black Brooks beanie.


I made it up to the start with 7 minutes to spare. I met up with Prem Kumar for a couple of seconds and fist bumped Wilt Alston. I settled in to await the start. I felt ready ... and .... we were off!

The Flower City Half start ... courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

The start ... a screen grab from Flashframe

I got up to speed and tried to hold back. I ran a bit with Megan Hammersmith (though she didn't know it) until mile 1 (the Susan B Anthony House). The 1:45 pace group passed me around here too. I settled in and ran my own race ... miles 1 through 6 were uneventful. I had a swig of Hammer Gel at mile 6 along with water. Then ... I kind of fell apart as I headed into Highland Park. My thighs started to hurt. I heard the tiny voice of self doubt in my head. I started to have tiny walk breaks (about 4 or 5) in the Highland Park hills. I stopped (!) to use the porta-potty at the entrance to the Mt Hope Cemetery at mile 8. I took another swig of Hammer Gel along with water. The early hills in the Mt Hope Cemetery sucked ... the rest not so much. I still took tiny walk breaks. Mile 10 ... only 5K to go. The 2 miles on the U of R river trail ... I suffered through them with a few more tiny walk breaks. Another one on the Ford St bridge ... then I ran the 3/4 mile down Exchange Blvd to the finish. I didn't even have much sprint in me at the finish. I crossed the finish at 1:49:10 according to my Garmin Forerunner 220. I did keep the 1:50 pace group behind me.

The finish ... a screen grab from Flashframe

post race grub

post race bling (there is a clear mug in my right hand)

I went into the BCA and hung with Prem Kumar for a while in our 4SC area. I had a piece of pizza, banana, Fritos, several cookies, chocolate milk and a couple cups of coffee. Prem told me about his recent Rim to Rim to Rim run at the Grand Canyon, his subsequent bout with chicken pox, being off for three weeks recovering and running back into shape. He's 41, ran a 20:39 5K the day before and ran a 1:39:03 today, lol! Yeah ... he is definitely back in shape.

Post race analysis. Officially, I ran a 1:49:06 (gun), 1:48:57 (chip), my slowest FCH by far. I was 328th out of 1805, link here. I was 3rd in my M 60-64 age group, link here. My 5K time was 25:00, 8:04 pace, rank 2. My 10K time was 50:09, 8:05 pace (8:05 pace - 2nd 5K), rank 2. My 15K time was 1:17:16, 8:19 pace (8:45 pace - 3rd 5K), rank 2. So .. I was passed by the 2nd place guy who was 55 seconds behind me at the 15K and then beat me by 18 seconds by the finish. I calculate that I ran the last 3.8 miles in 31:50, 8:22 pace. So ... running the 3rd 5K in 8:45 pace instead of 8:15 pace (just to pick a number) cost me 93 seconds. Oh ... my splits were: 7:51, 7:54, 7:58, 7:51, 8:01, 8:19, 8:37, 9:27, 7:51, 8:28, 8:30, 8:27, 8:05 and 7:25 over the last 0.25 mile. I guess I was faster than I thought past mile 10. The Relive link to Flower City Half is here.

What happened? I just didn't have my usual focus. My race adjustments during the race sucked. I got discouraged and didn't pull myself out of it. I guess you have to practice hills if you want to race well on hills. I didn't so I didn't. Or ... if you fail to prepare you are preparing to fail. Well ... I got a small FCH mug for placing 3rd in my age group. I would have just gotten a slightly larger mug if I had placed second and an even bigger mug plus a jar of Once Again peanut butter if I had placed first. But ... I do like Once Again peanut butter. Oh ... remember those 93 seconds? 89 seconds separated first place and third place today. The Flashframe link in case I want to buy pictures is here. Ahem ... last year the pictures from GameFaceMedia were FREE!

Monday, 4/23/2018: 4876 steps during the day, rest day.

Here is a weird weather factoid backed up by personal observation. Lake Ontario in late April is cooler than the area south of it. It was 72F when I left B6 in Gates (about 10 miles south of the lake) around 5:20 PM. I drove straight home which took about 15 minutes. It was 52F when I got out of the '14 Cruze.

Tuesday, 4/24/2018: 12623 steps during the day; 5.05 miles, 40:07, 7:57 pace, 64F, 42% RH, 9 mph SW wind, overcast.


Spring appears to have finally sprung! I celebrated by emptying out my winter gear from my running bag (but remembering where I put it just in case) and running in shorts and a short sleeve tech! I guess "normal" runners would run a "recovery run" after 2 days after a half marathon. Me? I just run. I tried to run easy but ... the "Low Battery" alarm on my Garmin Forerunner 220 went off with 1.5 miles to go on my run so ... I sped up so I would make it back before it died. My splits were: 7:56, 8:00, 8:04, 7:56 and 7:45. I wasn't going slow before it went off either ... LOL!

Wednesday, 4/25/2018: 7805 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 4/26/2018: 16380 steps during the day; 8.55 miles, 1:08:44, 8:02 pace, 57F, 51% RH, 15 mph WNW wind, partly cloudy


It was Thursday so I ran ... but how far? I decided on my 10K loop from the Greece Arcadia High School for 8.55 miles. I tried nice and easy but ... pushed it a bit after 3 miles. My splits were: 7:55, 8:21, 8:13, 7:55, 7:45, 7:52, 8:09, 8:09 and 7:59 over the last 0.55 mile. Boom ... done.

4/27/2018: 9082 steps during the day, rest day.

4/28/2018: 15117 steps during the day; 9.35 miles, 1:16:58, 8:14 pace, 48F, 81% RH, calm, overcast.


I had a thought about going out for a "put the hammer down" run on my Greenleaf Half route. I got up at 5:55 AM and had my usual pre-run bowl of cereal and banana. But ... I puttered around and then I couldn't find some of my running gear for a bit. I looked around ... then find some and then forgot where I put it. But ... I finally got out. Then I decided that it was too cold and windy for a hat so I went back in for my usual yellow/black Brooks beanie. Back out again. I got about 100 yards and then realized that I had forgot my Nathan SpeedDraw bottle of water and the Hammer Gel flask that I needed if I was going to run a half. But ... I continued onward. I set up a nice and steady pace. I decided to go on my Greenleaf 15K route instead and let the run happen ... without water. My splits were: 7:55, 8:16, 8:20, 8:20, 8:29, 8:00, 8:17, 8:12, 8:18 and 8:08 over the last 0.35 mile.

I had forgotten that the Hallmark Channel was running a Good Witch marathon about a hour after the first movie started. I started watching ... and watching. My lovely wife, Christine, and I enjoyed the following: 1/2 of the The Good Witch (2008) and then all of The Good Witch's Garden (2009), The Good Witch's Gift (2010), The Good Witch's Family (2011), The Good Witch's Charm (2012), The Good Witch's Destiny (2013) and The Good Witch's Wonder (2014). Yes, the movies were syrupy and predictable but ... they were a nice way to spend a Saturday.

Oh ... it hurts A LOT if you drop a couch on my right pinkie finger! My darling wife, Christine, had lost her cell so I called with my cell. I heard it ringing under the couch. I got down, lifted up the couch and saw it way back so I wanted to angle my knee to hold the couch up so I could get my right hand back there to reach it. Well ... I didn't get my knee in there right away and the couch dropped on what part of my right hand wasn't out of the way ... my right pinkie ... OUCH! I didn't break it or anything but I won't be able to bend it or use it much for the next several days.