Sunday, September 30, 2018

9/30/2018 to 10/6/2018 - Heather Boyum 5K

I ran 2 times this week: 7.12 miles.
I took x steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.
Common abbreviation: OMEP is Orange Mud Endurance Pack

Sunday, 9/30/2018: 8913 steps during the day; 2.98 miles, 26:30, 8:50 pace, 50F, 94% RH, 4 mph SW wind, overcast.

Well ... I was already signed up for my fifth Heather Boyum 5K (23:02 - 2013, 22:54 - 2014, 23:15 - 2015 and 24:43 - 2017) so I raced it. It was probably not my best decision since my left calf was still bugging me. This race was the 8th race of 12 in the GRTC Rochester Runner of the Year series. This race benefits the Heather Boyum Foundataion and was founded after Heather Frazier Boyum was tragically killed while on a training ride in 2012, obit here and news article here.

I puttered around, ate my usual pre-race bowl of cereal and made the coffee. My darling wife, Christine, woke up enough to realize that I was really going to race and thought that I might hurt myself so got up and out ... just in case. I told her that "it's just a 5K" but she came to keep me company.. Anyway ... we arrived at the Center Park in Fairport NY around 8:15 AM in plenty of time for the 9 AM start. I was saddened to learn during the pre-race announcements that one of the Boyum kids, Paigey, has Euler's Sarcoma (which is a soft tissue cancer) in her arm. She is responding well to chemotherapy!

I didn't take any warm up run for obvious reasons. And ... we were off! I intentionally started near the back in case I couldn't run and had to walk. I started slow ... and found that I could run. I didn't push the pace ... but I up my pace a little bit and kept it there. I passed the runners that I could. I didn't stop to walk at all ... and done in 26:30. I had not carried any water so I was parched at the end. I grabbed a pint of water and scarfed down three or four pieces of breakfast pizza ... mmm! I brought a couple pieces back to Christine.

I did OK. The score-this.com results say that I was 42nd out of 146 and 3rd out of 4 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. I was actually 43rd out of 147 and 4th out of 5 in my M 60-64 age group. Why? Well ... I was talking with Bill Murphy after the race when a guy with grey hair that had passed me in the last 1/4 mile came up to us. He knew me and complained that his bib didn't have a timing chip on it and that he was in my age group. So ... he was actually 3rd and I was 4th. He walked up to the timers and pleaded his case but they couldn't do anything. So ... when I got my 3rd place medal I handed it to him. It was the least I could do. I have had trouble with the Score-This timing at this event twice before in 2013 and 2014 so I knew how he felt. Anyway ... this was my slowest Heather Boyum 5K. My splits were: 9:25, 8:22 and 8:54 over the last 0.97 mile. The Relive link to the Heather Boyum 5K is here.

Heather Boyum 5K swag
Fun fact ... I met Christine when I was (and still am) a member of Phi Kappa Theta way back in 1977 in Cleveland OH. Yes, I was in a fraternity (during my sophomore and junior years) back when I attended (and flunked out of after my junior year) Case Western Reserve University from 1975 to 1978. We went out for about a year before we broke up. I moved back to Newark NY and graduated from RIT with a BSEE in 1982. Fast forward ... Christine and I met again in 2009 via Facebook (she found me) and have been married for almost 6 years now.

Brent (rocking the Tribe hoodie) and I
Well ... I met another Phi Kappa Theta brother after the Heather Boyum 5K. Brent Kecskemety ... heard my name announced during the awards and introduced himself to me afterward (with the secret handshake). I probably met him since he did pledge in the spring of 1978. He had memorized my name while he pledged. He graduated from CWRU in 1981, moved to Rochester to work for Eastman Kodak and now works elsewhere (I forgot where). His wife had run her first half marathon, the Rochester Half, in 2:52:43, last weekend. What a small world!

Meanwhile ... the Wineglass Half and Full Marathon was held down in Corning. These races are both point to point rather than a loop. The Half had 2774 finishers, chip results here. The Full had 1674 finishers, chip results here. David Sinclair lowered Tim Chichester's 2016 course record of 1:08:24 to 1:06:02.  I have heard that the Wine Glass Full is a net downhill marathon ... hmm.

Christine and I headed out to Macedon to take my oldest son, Michael, grocery shopping at the Walmart and Wegmans in Newark. The first of many trips to help him and my daughter, Karen, now that my ex has moved lock, stock and barrel to Hickory NC.

It's the end of September so it's stat time!

I ran 16 times for 110.19 miles, 6.89 miles/run.
I ran 4 races during September and 27 races so far in 2018:
 09/05 Dirt Cheap #6, 4.7 miles, 47:31, 10:07 pace
 09/16 Palmyra Canaltown Days 5K, 3.10 miles, 23:14, 7:30 pace
 09/23 Rochester Half, 13.18 miles, 1:47:32, 8:09 pace
 09/30 Heather Boyum 5K, 2.97 miles, 26:30, 8:54 pace
I have run 156 times for 1089.78 miles, 6.94 miles/run so far in 2018
I took 312,195 steps in September and 3,336,451 steps so far in 2018 according to my Pebble 2 HR smartwatch.

Monday, 10/1/2018 to Friday, 10/5/2018: 6338, 5874, 5583, 7232 and 5638 steps.

My left calf continued to bother me all week so I rested it. I couldn't really stop walking so I did the best I could. It felt better each day which was a win ... I guess. I am still considering (and dreading) a decision to drop down to the Empire State Half on next Sunday.

Christine got a new color, lobster bisque, on Monday
I think I left the 2014 Cruze unlocked for 90 minutes from 6 AM to 7:30 AM on Thursday morning ... it would cost about $200 to fix. Vandalism ... nothing was stolen or disturbed.
Saturday, 10/6/2018: 11613 steps during the day, 4.15 miles, 36:59, 8:54 pace, 55F, 94% RH, 3 mph SE wind, overcast.

I drove out to Palmyra and combined a nice and easy run on the Canaltown Day 5K course with taking my daughter, Karen, grocery shopping. I took this run very cautiously and set a really nice and easy pace. I could feel a slight tightness in my left calf but it didn't bother me. My splits were: 9:08, 8:53, 8:47, 8:55 and 8:22 over the last 0.15 mile. I was dripping with sweat when I got done so I wiped the sweat off and changed my shirt before Karen and I headed off to do her grocery shopping.

Perhaps the last sunflower in Palmyra NY
Pumpkin spice coffee?
Actually quite good!
Well ... we got to the Walmart in Newark just before the rain hit. I was worried that it would continue so I ran out and retrieved my Brooks jacket and orange Fleet Feet hat. One thing ... Karen definitely shops slower than my oldest son, Michael. Her mother did tell her to stock up though ... perhaps she knows that I won't be down to take her grocery shopping weekly. Then it was onward to the Wegmans in Newark to do more grocery shopping. Two trips were needed to get all the groceries up to her apartment.
The O'Rorke Bridge brings traffic to a stop
Oh ... the rain made for a very wet Autumn Classic Duathalon in Mendon Ponds Park according to what I read on Facebook. The Super Sprint (2 mile run, 10 mile bike, 2 mile run) had 78 finishers, results here. The Formula 1 (2 mile run, 10 mile bike, 2 mile run, 10 mile bike, 2 mile run) had 42 finishers, results here. I did the Formula 1 back in 2013 in 2:13:38. It rained back in 2013 too but not as hard I bet. The Lake Placid Classic half marathon was held up in Lake Placid. Cheryl Paine-O'Connor (who sold me my Brooks Transcend 5 shoes at the Fleet Feet Armory store and my OMEP at the Fleet Feet Ridgeway store) ran a 3:02:35 to finish among the 327 finishers.