Sunday, 9/23/2018 to Saturday, 9/29/2018 - Rochester Half

I ran 3 times this week: 18.98 miles.
I took 65,212 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.
Common abbreviation: OMEP is Orange Mud Endurance Pack

Sunday, 9/23/2018: 22431 steps during the day; 2 runs of 0.65 and 13.18 miles, 43F, 100% RH, calm, sunny.

Today's race was my fourth Rochester Half (1:43:40 - 2014, 1:43:21 - 2015 and 1:49:07 - 2017). The Rochester Marathon and Rochester Marathon Relay were also being held. All started at 7:30 AM.

This race was put on by Yellow Jacket Racing flawlessly.as far as I could tell. This race is a point to point race so I set my alarm for 5 AM.  I wanted to park down at Frontier Field near the finish line and then take the shuttle bus over the start at the Maplewood Park tennis courts.

I had gone by bed around 10 AM on Saturday night and only woke up once around 3:30 AM. I was worried that I wouldn't get back to sleep but I did. I puttered around for a bit. I ate my usual pre-race bowl of cereal and banana, dressed quietly, programmed the coffee for 10:40 AM and got all my gear together (or so I thought). It was 43F so I chose shorts and an orange Moore than a Race long sleeve tech. I took my green Super Feet insoles out of my Brooks Transcend 5 shoes and put in the old insoles since I was worried that my feet would be sore after a half marathon. I had decided to wear my Brooks jacket for warmth until just before the race start and then stuff it in my drop bag so I could pick it up after the race. My darling wife, Christine, was awake and suggested that I take a pair of gloves and a hat just in case ... so I did. I kissed her goodbye and was in the 2014 Cruze at 6:11 AM. There was almost no traffic. I could see the orange cones all ready for traffic control on the half and full marathon route along Lake Ave by the cemeteries and that Maplewood Drive was closed off on my way down Lake Ave to Frontier Field. I noticed that I didn't have my personal cell as I parked at Frontier Field at 6:30 AM. Oh well ... no eCrumb for my wife and kids! I found someone with a cell phone and left a message for Christine about this.

Boots was up early and posted pictures of the finish and start

I had no trouble with the bus ride to the race start. I sat next to a lady from Syracuse NY who in town to run the Rochester Half. She was signed up for Empire 10K next month. I told her that I was signed up for the Empire Full and she wished me luck. I milled around with everyone else. I put on my gloves, ditched my jacket and turned in my drop bag around 7:10 AM ... just as the sun came up. I put on a pair of cheap, thin white gloves to keep my hands warm (I didn't take them off until mile 12). I looked for my Hammer Gel flask in my OMEP ... no flask! Oops again! Oh well ... so I wouldn't have any nutrition unless I found someone on the course handing out Gu. Well ... I have run half marathons with or without nutrition before so I wasn't too concerned. I got out for a back and forth 0.65 mile warm up run at 8:14 pace, link here.

I lined up next to Prem Kumar and Andy Ciaio around 7:25 AM. We just seem to find each other at the races that we run together. We each run our own races but we do start together. Andy told me he worries about a PW (Personal Worst) and that our PR (Personal Record) days at all behind us. This is true ... but it's all about the effort today that counts. I chuckled and told him that I just wanted to run under a 1:50 and to keep the 1:55 pace group behind me. And ... we were off!

I tried to start out slow and thought I did (I didn't). The early miles just clicked off. Miles 1 - 4 were 7:28, 7:56, 7:45 and 7:32. The first 5K passed in 24:33, 7:55 pace. The race course is pretty easy until we start to climb out of Turning Point Park along the Genesee River just after mile 4.

Bridgeview Drive just after the start ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

The US flag across Maplewood Drive about 1 mile from the start ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

Turning Point Park ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

Tom Butler took this picture just before the O'Rorke Bridge

I saw Tom Butler just before I crossed the O'Rorke Bridge at mile 5. The Thomas Ave hill just afterward was just as long as ever. I did put in a tiny walk break. I felt a twinge in my left calf that I hoped would go away ... it did. The flat stretch on Thomas Ave and St Paul St was long. I picked up 2 Chocolate Outrage Gu packets at mile 6 but didn't use them. The 10K mark passed in 49:17, 7:57 pace (second 5K in 24:44, 7:59 pace). I felt the my left calf twinge again around mile 8 ... it went away. We didn't turn into the Cornell Coop parking lot until just after mile 9. Miles 5 - 9 clicked off in 8:19, 8:19, 8:08, 8:03, 8:07. The 15K mark passed in 1:14:31, 8:01 pace (third 5K in 25:14, 8:08 pace).

I stayed ahead of the 1:55 pacer here on the pedestrian bridge ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

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

Now ... the course gets hilly. There is the run down to and back up from the pedestrian bridge (the 1;45 pace leader said "Hi" as I exited the pedestrian bridge), the run up through Maplewood Park (and past the start), across Driving Park Ave and Lower Falls, the run down to Middle Falls and the run up the Brewer St hill until St Paul St at mile 12. Boom! I took tiny walk breaks just before Maplewood Park (Barry Cherney asked if I was OK) and a couple on the short but steep Brewer St hill. My left calf twinge had become a constant ache. I limped a bit when I ran ... but I ran onward. I was on St Paul St now and could smell the finish ... push ... I could see runners turning right by the Genesee Brew House ... across the Pont de Rennes Bridge ... I didn't see or hear the High Falls on my left ... the finish line was in sight but still at least 1/4 mile away ... still running (but in pain) ... across State St ... sprinting/limping in pain ... across Plymouth Ave ... in the finish chute ... Ellen called my name (priceless) ... and done in 1:47:33 gun time, 1:47:28 chip time.

Hearing Ellen Boutillier calling me into the finish is always nice ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

I almost doubled over in pain. Someone wanted to help me as I staggered a bit but I shook them off. I collected my Rochester Half medal and my last 2018 Four Season Challenge (4SC) medal ... earned and never given! Oh, miles 10 - 13.1 passed in 8:17, 8:46, 9:08, 8:02 and 8:15 over the last 0.18 mile. The last 3.8 miles passed in 33:02, 8:41 pace. My entire pace was 8:09 according to my Garmin. The Relive link to the Rochester Half is here.

I limped over the 4SC area and chowed down on 4 or 5 Wegmans chocolate chip cookies (I lost count). I was tired and hurting. There was a guy from Peak Performance Physical Therapy in the 4SC area that showed me how to use a foam roller on my calf and some other stretches to use. Ouch! Prem told me that he ran a 1:36:40 chip time. I found out later that Andy Ciaio ran a 1:42:17 chip time. I couldn't get the result displays to show me my result so I just limped over to the trophy tent. I was 3rd in my M 60-64 age group and collected my glass. I didn't have a cell phone so I asked "Selfie Sue" Schench to take my picture.

"Selfie Sue" Schench took this picutre of my Rochester Half bling!

My 2018 Four Season 52.4 Challenge medals along with their corresponding half marathon medals

I was still hungry so I got a banana, a couple pieces of pizza and a chocolate milk .... mmm! I stuck around for a bit longer. There were marathon runners on Lake Ave as I drove home. I ran the Rochester Marathon two years ago in 2016 (it was hot) in 4:30:42 chip time. I remember that it was very lonely out there on the second loop of this "scenic" (read hilly) course. But ... today I was home by the time the coffee stopped brewing at 10:50 AM. Done and done! It hurt to move. Do you think I could the foam roller that I know I have ... nope! So I sat and limped when I had to move the rest of the day.  But ... it was all well worth the pain and effort. I would rather being hurting from exercise than from just existing any day.

The results of the Rochester Half and Marathon were posted when I checked around 4 PM. I placed 158th out of 1316 in the Half, results here. I placed 3rd out of 35 in my M 60-64 age group, results here. There were 282 finishers of the Rochester Marathon, results here. There were also 108 Rochester Marathon Relay teams, results here. Some of the relay team names were quite imaginative.

Lots of stories during the Rochester Marathon Weekend besides mine, of course. There were 699 finishers of the Rochester 5K on Saturday, results here. Reid Coolsaet of Hamilton ON set a course record of 1:07:31 for the half marathon. Greg Selke of Buffalo NY set a PR of 2:36:44 for the marathon.

Monday, 9/24/2018 through Friday, 9/28/2018: 6021, 8023, 5430, 6403 and 8150 steps during these days, rest days.

I rested my left calf. Did I roll it, stretch it or do much of anything to help it? The answer would be mostly ... no. My lovely wife, Christine, was not surprised. I limped, then slightly limped, walked slow and could move OK by Friday.

Saturday, 9/29/2018: 8754 steps during the day, 5.15 miles, 45:31, 8:50 pace, 54F, 88% RH, 7 mph W wind, overcast.

I got up around 6:30 AM and puttered around until I got out for an ill-advised run around 9 AM. I set my pace about as slow as I could run on road as I could. I probably should have just run 1.5 miles out and back for 3 miles. But ... I went out 2.5 miles before I turned around. Well ... my left calf started to complain at mile 3 and it slowly got worse until I was more than happy to stop at mile 5. It wasn't as bad as last Sunday after the Rochester Half ... but it definitely hurt. Whatever ... my splits were: 8:44, 8:38, 8:51, 9:02, 8:57 and 8:43 over the last 0.15 mile. Damn it!!!