I took 89,896 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.
Sunday, 7/8/2018: 20492 steps during the day; 2 runs of 1.1 and 9.44 miles, 61F, 82% RH, 3 mph SSE wind, sunny.
Today's race was my sixth Boilermaker 15K (chip times were 2013 - 1:18:07, 2014 - 1:13:41, 2015 - 1:11:54, 2016 - 1:12:25 and 2017 - 1:15:38). My alarm was set for 3 AM so I could get up to catch the 12th annual GRTC Boilermaker bus which was set to leave the Park'n'Ride lot next to St John Fisher College at 4:30 AM. But ... I was up at 2:39 AM when I reached over and checked my watch. I think I got 3.5 hours of sleep. I had set all my stuff into my small running bag the night before so I didn't have too much to do. I had my usual pre-race bowl of cereal and banana, puttered around a bit, kissed Christine goodbye and got out the door around 3:50 AM. It was dark and a bit cool with a quarter crescent moon. I decided to wear my running pants over my black running shorts, my orange 2013 Spring Forward 15K tech shirt and my yellow Brooks jacket. I planned on taking off the pants and jacket once it warmed up.
There wasn't much traffic out and I got down to the bus around 4:10 AM. It was already 80% full. I found a seat in the back very close to the bathroom. I put my running bag under the seat and settled in for the long ride to Utica. It was kind of pretty seeing the mist rise off the ponds as we sped east on the Thruway. It slowly got lighter as sunrise approached. Soon the sun was up. We arrived in Utica just before 7 AM. I debated whether or not to carry water as we slowed to a stop. I grabbed the water bottle and got off. The bus left us off at the corner of Pitcher St and Dwyer Ave. I followed the steady stream of people along Dwyer Ave and got my bib. My oldest son, Michael, sent me a text wishing me good luck and have a safe run. I think he thinks I will keel over one day while I am running a race. I could think of worse ways to go ... not to be morbid or anything.
I headed up to a truck park just above Dwyer Ave and got in a 1.1 mile warm up run at 9:24 pace, link here. I met up with Prem Kumar. He had done a 2 mile warm up run. We both had yellow bibs so we ambled up to our yellow corral up Culver Ave about 100 yards from Dwyer Ave. I had a bit of trouble getting my electronics started. The music into my left earbud started fine, my RoadId didn't start for a minute and I didn't get my RaceJoy app started before I had to tuck my Samsung Galaxy S5 into my Nathan Zipster for the start. I took my usual picture ahead and behind me before I started.
I didn't hear the start. Everyone ahead just started moving so ... first shuffling, walking, trotting and then running. The guy at the 0.1 mile marker was out like usual telling us that we had 9.2 miles to go. I got up to race pace but held back a bit ... lots of race yet to come. Culver Ave changed its name to Memorial Parkway just past the mile 1 mark, 8:21 pace. My RaceJoy app must have started since I stared to hear a current elapsed time, mile split and estimated time to finish in my ear at every mile. Some guy wearing earphones cut right in front of me to get to the water on my left at the first water stop. I had my own water so I just took sips when I needed it. Mile 2 at 8:11 pace. We turned left onto Valley View Rd just before mile 3, 7:57 pace. There was a small hill there that I powered up. Then it was right turn onto Steele Hill Rd with its windy hill. I could see a steady stream of runners going up and up the golf course hill. I just kept on going ... up and up. I knew that there was a good downhill afterwards. Mile 4, 8:18 pace, was right at the top, right onto Master Garden Rd with a good mile long downhill. I put on the jets ... I hit a 6:36 pace somewhere in mile 5. We made a left back onto Memorial Parkway ... mile 5, 7:02 pace. I felt a twinge in my left Achilles heel and hopped painfully for a few hundred steps. I was a bit fearful ... but it went away. There was a jog left onto Genesee St, then a right onto Shephard Place, a right onto Sunset Ave before a left onto Burrstone Rd .. mile 6, 7:29 pace. Then ... the mile long hill that I always forget about. It had a gentle curve to the left ... under the flag where the 5K starts ... then a gentle right and a right onto Champlin Drive before it levels over at mile 7, 8:04 pace. I took a tiny walk break in that mile. The crowd noise was getting louder. I honestly really couldn't hear the music that I playing into my left ear most of the time ... mile 8, 7:39 pace. I was getting closer ... a right onto Whitesboro St ... a right onto Court St ... mile 9, 7:48 pace. The finish line was close ... I saw Christine Antonio to my left ... she passed me for a few seconds ... not today ... I pulled up into a full sprint ... I went to the right side of the chute ... and done with 9.44 miles in 1:13:51, 7:49 pace (according to my Garmin Forerunner 220)! My gun time was 1:14:15 (so I really didn't hear the gun) and chip time was 1:13:21 (start line to finish line).
I made my way with everyone else and collected a fruit cup, cup of chocolate milk, a hand towel and a pint of water as I walked to the Saranc Brewery parking lot for the post race party. This wasn't my first rodeo so I knew to hit the line for the post race food first (a couple energy bars, bag of chips and a banana), skirt across the parking lot for the bag with the Boilermaker program and 2018 Boilermaker glass next before I had my first cold beer. Ahh! It did go down well! The music was loud so I made my way across the street to the Friends and Family Park. I went to the bus and changed my wet tech shirt for my slightly less orange 2011 Spring Forward 15K tech shirt.
A part of my post Boilermaker 15K tradition is just hanging out and people watching. There are all kinds of people just hanging out, drinking beer (or not) and having a good time. I saw a woman wearing a "You bet your dupa, I'm Polish!" shirt, a guy wearing "If you can read this, I'm not last" on the back of his shirt and a few wearing something about zip code 14580 (which is Webster NY). I sat on the ground with Prem for a while. He ran really well with a chip time of 1:07:31. He really jetted down that golf course hill with a 6:06 pace ... sweet! I got in on the Rochester Running Company's picture of all the Rochester runners at 11 AM. I talked with Tina Pellegrin for a while. She finished in a chip time of 2:13:13 and was determined to make up for lost time in her beer drinking.
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| I got in on this Rochester Running Company picture. I'm in the back a bit to the left. It's kind of like Finding Waldo. |
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| A Boilermaker fan with a sweet BMW |
I wasn't in the best of moods the rest of the afternoon and night. I have no explanation ... I just wasn't. I did see my results from www.leonetiming.com. The gun time link is here, I was 1374th out of 11508, 41st out of 343 in my M 60-64 age group. The chip time link is here, 7:53 pace, I was 1526th out of 11508, 43rd out of 343 in my M 606-64 age group. The Relive link to Boilermaker 15K is here.
Monday, 7/09/2018: 5413 steps during the day, rest day.
The usual rest day the day after a race. I believe that it got to 90F in Rochester today. That's the 10th day 90F or above so far in 2018.
Tuesday, 7/10/2018: 5321 steps during the day, rest day.
The usual rest day the day before a race. So ... I guess I will be running only three days this week since I have (or had) races on Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Wednesday, 7/11/2018: 19893 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.25 and 5.02 miles, 79F,
Today's race was Dirt Cheap #4 out in Webster Town Park at 6:30 PM. I left right after work and got out there around 5:40 PM. Rush hour traffic on Ridge Rd West, then Ridge Road East and 104 East was just a treat ... but not so bad. I talked a bit with Andy Ciaio, Tom Dutton and Bill Sandow. Bill told us that he was running his first trail race. We offered him some pointers ... "pick up your feet, don't do anything stupid". I did notice that he was wearing road shoes while he noticed that my blue Salomon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes (780 miles) had holes in them. My trail shoes had a lot more traction than his road shoes though.
This race is one of the longest Dirt Cheaps so I carried water in my 20 ounce Nathan SpeedDraw flask. I also sprayed my legs with Deep Woods Off! before the race. I got out for a nice warm up run of 1.25 miles at 10:06 pace, link here. I was hot after the warm up run and though about changing my shirt but I didn't really have time.
And ... we were off at 6:30 PM! The ladies were starting 5 minutes behind us at 6:35 PM. My strategy was to pick up my feet and not do anything stupid. I succeeded. There were a LOT of roots between miles 0.5 and 2.5 along with lots of single track before the course turned more wide open. I started to pass a few runners here and there. The first female, a 12 year old by the name of Alia Spaker, passed me at mile 3.9. She just kind of floated by like it was no big thing. I ran onward ... soon I could hear Ellen at the finish line ... a few more hills ... down ... up ... dig up the last hill ... and done with 5.02 miles in 50:40, 10:06 pace according to my Garmin Forerunner 220. My splits were: 9:50, 10:11, 10:25, 9:54 and 10:10. The Relive link to Dirt Cheap #4 is here.
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| A Dirt Cheap #4 selfie |
Yellow Jacket Racing had the results up quickly, link here. I finished 68th out of 302, 1st out of 8 in my M 60-64 age group.
Thursday, 7/12/2018: 6105 steps during the day, rest day.
The usual rest day after a race. My joints ached from the pounding that they took the day before.
Friday, 7/13/2018: 8664 steps during the day, rest day, high at KROC was 90F.
The usual rest day before a race. I picked up my bib and tech shirt for the Shoreline Half tomorrow. This year it is a yellow racer tank top. My newest favorite shirt ... but I won't wear it until after the race.
Saturday, 7/14/2018: 24008 steps during the day; 2 runs of 1.65 and 13.23 miles, 75F, 69% RH, 5 mph WSW wind, mostly cloudy, high at KROC was 93F.
Today's race was my 7th Shoreline Half (2011 - 1:56:13, 2012 - 1:36:21, 2014 - 1:45:26, 2015 - 1:47:04, 2016 - 1:44:24 and 2017 - 1:49:00). I set my lifetime half PR, a 1:36:21, at Shoreline in 2012. I was up before my alarm went off at 5:35 AM. My plan was to leave around 6:30 AM to make it to Hamlin State Park around 7 AM. I puttered around and didn't leave until 6:50 AM. I did have a cooler with some ice in it though. It was a 23 minute ride on the Parkway ... boom ... there. I pinned on my bib on an orange Shoreline Half tech shirt, loaded my Nathan SpeedDraw flask with ice and water and got out for a little 1.65 mile warm up run at 8:54 pace, link here. I was a bit sweaty when I stopped by the '14 Cruze for water so I pinned my bib to my shorts so I could take off my shirt if I got really sweaty. It was hot and humid ... though the sun wasn't out of the clouds yet which was a good thing. I took a pre-race picture in front and behind me.
I walked up to the start about 1/4 mile away with Prem Kumar. I told him that I would like to run a 1:45 but would be happy with less than 1:50. And ... we were off! I was right behind the 1:45 pace leader for a little bit ... about 1/2 mile.
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| Shoreline Half start ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester |
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| Long curve of the early runners. I am probably that runner in orange with the bib on the left leg in the distance ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester |
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| About mile 1. Facebook emailed me to ask me this was a picture of me based just on this tiny view of my face, wow! ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester |
I was drenched with sweat and it took a couple cups of water to cool me down. Kevin Clinefelter walked by and told me that he had run his slowest half ... a 1:45:54, 2nd in our M 60-64 age group. Prem did well, 21st overall, a 1:41:56, 2nd in his M 40-44 age group. I wasn't really hungry but I did manage to do justice to the Texas Bar-B-Q Joint buffet line. A pulled pork sandwich, bacon and beans, pasta salad and a pickle disappeared quite quickly. I walked with Beth Deciantis to check the results. She told me that she had puked at the finish line. I was 5th so I didn't stick around and went home.
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| A Shoreline Half selfie with the bling |
My darling wife, Christine, wasn't feeling well when I got home. I had just decided to clean the gunk in the bottom of the refrigerator when she woke up and came downstairs ... got in the act! I threw out the rotten food and heated up some leftovers for supper.
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