Sunday, 2/24/2019 to Saturday, 3/2/2019

I ran 3 times: 18.15 miles.
I took 66,476 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Common abbreviations: OMEP is my Orange Mud Endurance Pack, NT360 is my NoxGear 
Tracer360 vest, UWRG is my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava and Brooks beanie.

Sunday, 2/24/2019: 9823 steps during the day, 3.25 total miles on the treadmill and elliptical.

Oh ... a severe cold front was forecast to come across upstate NY with winds up to 70 mph in the afternoon. It had been forecast for at least 5 days.

Christine and I woke up touching each other in a king bed at the Hampton Inn in Waterloo NY. There was some romance involved before I left Christine sleeping for another hour. It was 8 AM so I just headed down to the hotel exercise room ... which was well stocked with 3 treadmills (1 broke), elliptical, recumbent bicycle, weight machine, weighted ball rack, dumbbell rack and 2 TVs. I ran 2.5 miles on the treadmill at 9:17 pace, 0.75 mile on the elliptical and about 5 miles on the bicycle. It was enough to work up a sweat. I took a quick shower, changed my clothes and we headed down to a leisurely and enjoyable breakfast.

We checked out and headed to Fall St in Seneca Falls where it seemed that all the museums were according to this link: the Seneca Museum of Waterways and Industry at 89 Fall St, It's a Wonderful Life Museum at 32 Fall St and the National Women's Hall of Fame at 76 Fall St. Well ... I walked up and down a bit of Fall St and only found the National Women's Hall of Fame. It was a nice museum with plaques of lots of women. Some we knew and some we didn't. It was quite interesting. I got lots of pictures.

Christine & "Hilary" ... you can guess for which side we will vote in 2020, #voteblue2020

Then we headed over to the Del Lago casino. My youngest son, David, wasn't there. He was on a mini vacation down in Tampa FL. Christine enriched the slot machines while I wandered around and looked at the table games. I watched several rolls at a craps table ... I should read up on how to play again. An old guy walked up beside me and bought in for $800! Table games require a lot more money to properly play from what I have read of various systems for blackjack, craps and baccarat.

We could see the cold front coming when we were heading back to Rochester on the NYS Thruway around 3 PM. The rain came down for a bit and the winds picked up. There was a gust of 66 mph at the Rochester airport during the night. The winds whipped all night!

Monday, 2/25/2019: 6369 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 2/26/2019: 15868 steps during the day, 7.45 miles, 1:01:53, 8:18 pace, avg cadence 164, 18F, 68% RH, 7 mph WNW wind, wind chill 6F, mostly cloudy

Well ... back to the Greece Arcadia High School for another Island Cottage (IC) and Janes run. I had 90.07 miles for the month coming into this run and still need another 2.5 miles roughly to reach 100 miles. I set up a steady pace and let the run happen. It was cold and windy so I wore the usual plus my balaclava along with my NT360 lighted vest (I almost didn't need it). I shortened my stride during the last two miles and just got it done. My splits were: 8:05, 8:28, 8:27, 8:14, 8:13, 8:24, 8:18 and 8:15 over the last 0.45 mile.

Wednesday, 2/27/2019: 7422 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 2/28/2019: 14895 steps during the day, 7.45 miles, 1:02:24, 8:22 pace, avg cadence 162, 15F, 76% RH, 8 mph E wind, wind chill 5F, mostly sunny

Well ... my running spreadsheet told me that I needed 2.5 miles to get to 100 miles for the month. So ... I got to Greece Arcadia High School just before 5 PM and got 7.45 miles done. It was cold (yet agina) and mostly sunny but not so windy (at least). I dressed in my usual: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava, Brooks beanie and ski mittens. I added my NT360 lighted vest and turned it on to flash even though there was still a hour of daylight. I set up a steady pace and got it done. My splits were: 8:08, 8:22, 8:27, 8:25, 8:22, 8:26, 8:23 and 8:27 over the last 0.45 mile.

Boom ... over 100 miles for the 38th month in a row. Yes, 100 miles is just an arbitrary number but it's a line in the sand that encourages me to get my ass out there and run.

It's the end of February so ... it's stat time!

I ran 18 times (3 treadmill, 1 screw shoe, 1 snowshoe) in February for 104.97 miles (38 months greater than 100 miles), 5.83 miles/run.
I have run 39 times so far in 2019 for 212.55 miles, 5.45 miles.
I ran 2 races in February:
 02/09/19 - Freezeroo #5, 7.98 miles, 1:03:35, 7:58 pace
 02/23/19 - Freezeroo #6, 4.36 miles, 33:50, 7:46 pace.
I took 285,420 steps in February and 603,844 steps so far in 2019.

Friday, 3/1/2019: 6976 steps during the day, rest day.

My Pebble 2 HR smart watch locked up today after I took it off its charger. I wasn't the only one that this has ever happened too as Google soon told me, link here. It was just a matter of holding down the back, up and select buttons until it rebooted itself. Easy peasy!

Saturday, 3/2/2019: 5123 steps during the day, rest day.

Well ... I had to bag my run today because it was biweekly time to take my oldest son, Michael, and daughter, Karen, out so they could do their grocery shopping. Michael, who lives in Macedon, was first at 9 AM. Karen, who lives in Palmyra, was second around 10:30 AM. The Macedon Walmart was definitely busier the second time I visited it. I got back up to Rochester a bit before 3 PM. I suppose that I could have gone out for a run but ... I knew that my darling wife, Christine, would appreciate it if I spent some time with her instead of the pavement.

Sunday, 2/17/2019 to Saturday, 2/23/2019 - Freezeroo #6

I ran 5 times: 28.46 miles.
I took 77,145 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Common abbreviations: OMEP is my Orange Mud Endurance Pack, NT360 is my NoxGear 
Tracer360 vest, UWRG is my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava and Brooks beanie.

Sunday, 2/17/2019: 14536 steps during the day, 10.45 miles, 1:26:43, 8:18 pace, avg cadence 165, 23F, 68% RH, 10 mph E wind, wind chill 13F, overcast with flakes of snow

I almost got up early enough to think about doing a Round the Bay run ... but Christine had other plans for me. But ... long runs don't get done by themselves so I did get out later to take back the Redbox plus almost 10 more miles. I set up a nice and steady pace to start out. I did take a few tiny walk breaks when the cold wind took the wind out of my sails. Did I mention that it was a bit cold and windy? My splits were: 8:42, 8:07, 8:11, 8:08, 8:09, 8:31, 8:04, 8:01, 8:08, 8:25 and 7:59 over the last 0.45 mile.

Monday, 2/18/2019: 7210 steps during the day.

Tuesday, 2/19/2019: 13233 steps during the day, 5.05 miles, 47:06, 8:20 pace, avg cadence 163, 20F, 78% RH, 3 mph SSW wind, wind chill 15F, partly cloudy

It was Tuesday ... so I ran. It was winter break week up at Greece Arcadia High School so the parking lot was quite desolate when I got there around 5:20 PM. It was quite light out so I didn't turn on my NT360 lighted vest and forgot to bring my headlamp from eBay (both kind of bad ideas by the time I got back). I pushed the pace a bit since I was worried about my 2018 Cruze being one of two cars in the GAHS parking lot. The parking lot had a lot more cars when I got back. My splits were: 8:09, 8:24, 8:21, 8:12 and 8:35.

I saw the Super Snow Moon rising above the trees as I drove home. It was the biggest and brightest full moon of 2019 ... it did look a bit bigger.

Wednesday, 2/20/2019: 7296 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 2/21/2019: 16598 steps during the day, 7.45 miles, 1:02:29, 8:23 pace, avg cadence 162, 37F, 59% RH, 17 mph W wind, wind chill 27F, mostly cloudy.

I was only at 74 miles for the month before this run so a bit longer run after work today. It's going to be a struggle to get to 100 miles in February. I got dressed just I got out of work and drove to Greece Arcadia High School like usual. I didn't dawdle and started up around 5:20 PM. The sun was still above the horizon but I had my NT360 lighted vest already lit and headlamp from eBay at the ready. I didn't have the "cars can't see me" at twilight excuse. So ... I set up a steady pace and got it done. It was hard to turn left on Island Cottage to push to 7.45 miles instead of turning right for 5 miles before I can be stubborn (and stupid too) sometimes. I turned on my headlamp when I headed back on Island Cottage ... getting it done. My splits were: 7:58, 8:42, 8:18, 8:08, 8:07, 8:13, 8:37 and 8:38 over the last 0.45 mile. It is amazing how much the west wind can slow you down when you are running into it!

Friday, 2/22/2019: 6574 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 2/23/2019: 11698 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.15 and 4.36 miles, avg cadence 169, 30F, 64% RH, 7 mph SSE wind, wind chill 26F, sunny.

Note to self: save your blog post that you wrote about this day before you click to another Opera tab and then shut down your laptop.so you don't have to write it again!!!

Today's race was my ninth Freezeroo #6. This was the third year out at the White House lodge in Webster on the 2 loops of 2.2 mile course. Freezeroo #6 (like all the other Freezeroo races except #2) has had various venues and distances over the years. Here are my previous times, distances and venues: 2010 - 52:02, 2011 - 45:13, 2012 - 46:35 on a 10K course in Churchville; 2013 - 23:11 on the 5K course at the Northstar Christian Academy in Gates; 2014 - 46:39, 2016 - 46:03 on a 10K course at Casey Park; 2017 - 31:20, 2018 - 32:31 on the 4.4 mile course in Webster.

I was up around 7 AM and did the usual puttering around before I started to get ready. It was 30F so I knew what to wear and what to bring just in case. I was out to the White House lodge at the corner of Holt and Lake out in Webster by 9:15 AM. I snagged a parking spot 50 feet from the door ... score! I was predictable and wore: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie, sunglasses and ski mittens. I chose not to carry water or listen to music on my one earbud (I don't wear two ever).

I got my bib inside the lodge and got out for a little 1.15 mile warm up run at 8:56 pace, link here. The start was a bit disorganized. Carolyn Kriesen just blew a whistle and yelled "Go!". Luckily I had already sent my eCrumb and had my Garmin all ready. And ... we were off!

I don't particularly like running with my back to traffic but that is how this 2 loops of 2.2 mile course is set up. So ... we were bunched out into the right side of Lake Rd for almost the whole way to our first turn. Andy Ciaio caught up to me around the 1.5 mile mark. His comment was "the things we do for free pizza" before he moved ahead of me. Loop 1 passed in 16:50. I tried to keep the same pace for loop 2 but slowed a little bit to 16:56. I passed a couple of runners in the last 1/4 mile and crossed the line in 4.36 miles, 43:50, 7:44 pace according to my Garmin. My official time was 43:46. My splits were: 7:44, 7:43, 8:01, 7:50 and 7:03 over the last 0.36 mile.

Andy Ciaio (in the red) and I at mile 2 of loop 1 ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

I walked across Lake Rd and went into the lodge. The pizza hadn't arrived yet so I had 3 donuts and some apple cider. There was only garlic and veggie pizza so I passed on any pizza. I stuck around for the series awards. I was third in the 2018-2019 Freezeroo series M 60-64 age group so I won $10. Hourglassworks.com had the results up soon after I got home. I finished 51st out of 146, link here. I was 4th out of 8 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. I was 3rd out of 8 in the Freezeroo series M 60-64 age group, link here.

Walking back to the White House lodge ... what a unique race in Salem MA!

3rd place in the 2018-2019 Freezeroo series M 60-64 age group award - $10

I saw these guys about 1/2 mile east of the Swing Bridge on Lake Rd getting ready to ride motorcycles on Irondequoit Bay.

My darling wife, Christine, and I weren't finished with our day though. I puttered around a bit, took a shower and packed a bit before we took a brief trip. My hotels.com account which requires 10 nights to get a free night had 9 nights. My nights were going to start to expire on 3/4/19 so ... we had to stay somewhere. We chose Waterloo. Why Waterloo? Well ... it's close, it has a casino nearby and it has museums. We chose to stay at the Hampton Inn in between Waterloo and Seneca Falls. We did dawdle and we didn't get to our hotel until 4 PM so we couldn't go to any museums. We just had supper at Parker's Grille & Tap in Seneca Falls. Our meal (Chicken Finger Sub for me and Fresh Water Perch Filet for Christine) didn't agree with either of us. I swear we should just eat what we have had and enjoyed (BLT for me and Beef on Weck for Christine) at Parker's rather than try something new just for the sake of trying something new. So ... an upset stomach put any romance out the window for the evening. The king size bed was quite comfy though.

Sunday, 2/10/2019 to Saturday, 2/16/2019

I ran 5 times: 28.53 miles.
I took 69,026 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 2/10/2019: 11681 steps during the day, 9.35 miles, 1:18:42, 8:25 pace, 165 avg cadence, 23F, 58% RH, 7 mph SSW wind, wind chill 15F, mostly sunny

Well ... long runs don't get done by themselves. So ... I went out and did one. I just set up an easy pace and let the run happen. My MP3 player died after 2.5 miles ... I kept on going. My splits were: 8:24, 8:29, 8:22, 8:38, 8:41, 7:53, 8:03, 8:27, 8:26 and 7:45 over the last 0.35 mile.

Monday, 2/11/2019: 7410 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 2/12/2019: 8389 steps during the day, rest day.

Well ... more winter weather arrived in upstate NY. Three inches of snow, sleet and wind in the morning and then freezing rain in the evening. All this combined said ... take a rest day. I probably could have done a treadmill but got out of work late and didn't have the gumption.

Wednesday, 2/13/2019: 11922 steps during the day, 5 miles on the treadmill/elliptical

I had my running gear in the 2014 Cruze but winter weather intervened again. There was snow squalls during the evening commute home so I changed before I left work and hit the Greenleaf Meadows exercise room instead of putting myself out in the streets of Greece. I did 2 miles on the treadmill and 3 miles on the elliptical. It was much warmer inside than outside and a bit safer too.

Thursday, 2/14/2019: 14884 steps during the day, 2 runs of 6.55 and 2.08 miles, 36F, 50% RH, 3 mph E wind, wind chill 34F, mostly cloudy.

I had Valentine's Day off so Christine and I spent some leisurely time together just relaxing before I got out for a couple of runs.

The first was a 6.55 mile run, 57:52, 8:50 pace. It was a mix of the LOSP trail and road. The LOSP trail out to Island Cottage was a bit icy so I took the road back to break things up (and not slip and fall on the way back). My avg cadence was 159 and my splits were: 9:49, 9:24, 9:14, 8:33, 8:17, 8:14 and 7:53 over the last 0.55 mile.

I had the usual couple mugs of coffee but I had the thought ... there was snow still on the ground and it was just above freezing. Why not go out for a snowshoe run before the snow melts? So ... I did.


The snow was just deep enough so that I could keep up a trot the whole way. The mileage was 2.08 miles, 25:41, 12:20 pace. My avg cadence was 134 and my splits were: 12:22, 12:11 and 13:45 over the last 0.08 mile.

Happy Valentine's Day, baby!

Friday, 2/15/2019: 11418 steps during the day, 5.45 miles, 45:11, 8:17 pace, 28F, 69% RH, 12 mph W wind, wind chill 19F, overcast with a burst of sleet and sprinkles


Another vacation day ... so another run day. A couple of weeks ago my oldest son, Michael, replaced his Spectrum cable modem with a one that he had bought. Well ... he gave that to me. So ...I returned today to the Spectrum store in East Rochester. I combined that with a run afterward at Cobbs Hill. I had planned to park at Fleet Feet Armory and then run up to Cobbs Hill. Well ... the sidewalk was all water logged and icy so ... I ran back to the 2014 Cruze and just drove up to Cobbs Hill and parked up there. So ... I just ran 7 loops clockwise around on the road. A wind advisory was up ... nothing new ... and I did have a loop or two when I was sleeted and sprinkled on ... joy. But ... I kept on running. My splits were: 8:25, 8:18, 8:34, 8:15, 8:03, 7:55 over the last 0.45 mile.

My afternoon was taken up by Christine's shopping list. She had made up a dinner plan with a shopping list to match. So ... I went to BJ's and Wegmans to take care of that list. Boom ... done. It took a bit of doing however. I don't exactly shop for thyme or leeks every day.

Saturday, 2/16/2019: 3322 steps during the day, rest day.

I did the Dad thing for the two oldest kids that don't have a car. I was out in Macedon to pick up my oldest son, Michael, at 9 AM to take him to the Macedon Walmart. Then it was over to Palmyra to pick up my daughter, Karen, to take her to to same Walmart. It was definitely busier the second time.

Sunday, 2/3/2019 to Saturday, 2/9/2019 - Freezeroo #5

I ran 5 times: 29.93 miles.
I took 72,814 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Common abbreviations: OMEP is my Orange Mud Endurance Pack, NT360 is my NoxGear 
Tracer360 vest, UWRG is my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava and Brooks beanie.

Sunday, 2/3/2019: 13777 steps during the day, 9.05 miles, 1:18:01, 8:37 pace, avg cadence 164, 37F, 64% RH, 3 mph SSW wind, mostly sunny

I combined taking a Redbox DVD back to the 7-11 on Lake Ave with my long run. There had been a winter weather advisory about freezing rain that expired at 10 AM. I read later on Facebook that the few people that did the Round the Bay run at 7 AM had icy conditions. Me ... I slept in until 7:30 AM.

The temp was 37F and was forecast to climb towards 50F by the end of the day. I wore my CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, short sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I got out around 9:30 AM. I took the LOSP trail for about 1/4 mile to Latta. It was icy so I kept to the snow as much as possible. I tried to avoid icy sidewalks also but I did have some trouble on Lake Ave and in Ontario Beach Park. I ran on the shoulder on Beach Ave and out Edgemere Drive instead of the sidewalk. The SSW breeze caused me to overheat and take a few walk breaks in mile 7. I think I should have worn shorts instead of CW-X tights There is a big difference between running when the wind chill is 0F and 40F. I'm glad I only did 9 mile since my knees were a bit cranky when I got done. My splits weren't that great: 9:17, 9:26, 8:13, 8:10, 8:16, 8:37, 8:43, 8:22 and 8:32. The first 2 miles were due to the icy LOSP trail and icy sidewalks on Lake Ave.

But ... the weather warmed up all day. It was 50F by 4 PM. I could have ran in shorts if I had waited!

A bit of relaxing, a couple mugs of coffee and a bit of lunch soon ensued as I whiled away the time before the Super Bowl between the New England Patriot (boo! hiss!) and the Los Angeles Rams (cough ... should have been the Saints ... cough). The smart money said to bet on the Rams and the under 56. But ... the game had to be played first.

It turned out to to be a defensive game. The score was tied at 3 at the end of the third quarter so the under was safe. But .. the Patriots scored the last 10 points to win 13-3, links here and here. So .. the Pats along with Brady at QB and Bellichick as head coach have won 6 Super Bowls (2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016 and 2018) and lost 3 Super Bowls (2007, 2011, 2017). Joy.

Monday, 2/4/2019: 6474 steps during the day, rest day.

I got my first of two Shingles vaccine shots today, link here. The pharmacist told me that I may have some shoulder discomfort. She wasn't kidding. It soon felt like someone punched me hard in the shoulder a couple of times.

It warmed up to 63F at the Rochester airport to break the record of 58F for this day. But ... what goes up in February will go down. Back to winter for tomorrow.

Tuesday, 2/5/2019: 16376 steps during the day, 6.6 miles, 28F, 68% RH, 6 mph W wind, wind chill 23F, mostly clear.

The temperature was 47F when I woke up and fell all day. So ... it was back to the usual winter running gear. Funny story though ... I had all my running gear in my running bag ... except my tights or shorts. So ... I had to go home before I could go out for my Tuesday night. My lovely wife, Christine, grabbed me and delayed me for a while but I did get out just after 6 PM. It was dark so I grabbed my NT360 lighted vest and headlamp from Ebay. I didn't notice that I had forgotten to turn on my Garmin Forefunner 220 until about 1.5 miles so I just ran onward. The LOSP trail had a bit of ice in the Dewey Ave - Island Cottage section so I ran home via road and lengthened the run a bit to boot. The eCrumb from RoadID doesn't give an accurate mileage since it pings off cell towers or a precise start or finish time so my estimate of 6.6 miles and 58:20. The calculate pace of 8:50 doesn't seem quite right so I sent half of my run on road. But ... I got my run done so it's all good!

Wednesday, 2/6/2019: 4803 steps during the day, rest day.

Weird February weather continued today. There was freezing rain by the end of the day. It was weird though ... it was 34F went I come out from work. The ice had frozen on the car but not the windshield. I could just knock the ice off the windshield wipers, mirrors and tail lights. I remarked to Christine when I came home that all this water will turn to ice if it gets below freezing during the night.

Thursday, 2/7/2019: 13476 steps during the day, 5.05 miles, 33F, 88% RH, 5 mph SW wind, 161 avg cadence, wind chill 30F, overcast with snow/wind

Well ... the water on the ground froze overnight. The grounds crew at Greenleaf Meadows had salted the sidewalks so I didn't encounter the ice until I got to the 2014 Cruze. I started it up and then tried to scrape the ice off. Well ... I slid backwards most of the time when I tried to scrape the ice off! It was kind of comical. The roads were mostly clear. I got to work on time ... barely.

I did get out after work. The roads on Island Cottage and Janes Rd were fine. I enjoyed looking at the ice on the grass while I ran ... until it got dark. My splits were: 8:16, 8:16, 8:22, 8:25 and 8:30.

We had a bit of excitement after supper. Christine turned the oven off and we ate supper. A bit later we heard a pop and then what sounded like rain outside. Christine got up to check a few minutes later. The sound was coming from the oven. She opened it and yelled ... "There's a fire!" She wanted to go 911. Luckily there was nothing in the oven. I cleared everything off the top of the stove and kept the oven door open a bit. The small flame was coming from the left front of the coil. Christine called the Greenleaf Meadows maintenance line. The flame went out while she talked to them. The maintenance guy call over within 10 minutes. He told us that electric stove coils can arc like that and will burn themselves out when the connection is burnt through. It's curious though ... the oven knob was definitely in the OFF position when she went to the stove according to Christine. I verified that when I got to it. Weird.

Friday, 2/8/2019: 4096 steps during the days, vacation day

The wind was forecast to get up to 60 mph during Thursday night ... and I am sure that it did.

Pete, the maintenance guy, came before before 9 AM and had the stove up and going in 2 visits. One to take out the old coil (held by 2 screws to the back of the oven and 2 screws to the wires) and find out the oven model. The next to install the new coil. Christine made another call to maintenance. Pete came back to plunge the toilet and sink. He was good and efficient. I watched him and learned how I could unplug the sink the next time it happens.

I did get some stuff done. I organized my tech shirt collection on my clothes rack by race and year ... I need to get more hangers! I moved some boxes around the master bedroom ... big thrill. I tried to get more stuff done but ran out of time and maybe a bit of motivation too.

Goodbye to 12 pairs of shoes!

I did make it out to take 12 pairs of shoe to Fleet Feet Ridgeway. There were (from top and left to right): work shoes, 5 pairs of Brooks Adrenaline GTS (various years), Brooks Ravenna 8, Pearl Izumi M3, New Balance v860, Scotts Palani, Asics GT-1000 and Sacouny Kinvera.

Saturday, 2/9/2019: 13812 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.25 and 7.98 miles, 18F, 62% RH, 18 mph W wind, wind chill 3F, overcast with occasional light snow

Today's race was my seventh GRTC Freezeroo #5. Four were from the Greece DPW (2011 - 1:01:36, 2012 - 59:41, 2014 - 59:29, 2015 - 1:01:56) and the last three from Braddock Bay Park (BBP) (2016 - 1:00:20, 2017 - 1:00:57 and today's 1:03:35). The race started at 9 AM (not 10 AM as many GRTC emails told me). I live about 8 miles away so I left at 8:15, hopped on the Parkway for 3 exits and was there by 8:30 AM.

I hauled my running bag into the lodge so I could change my damp upper running clothes after the race. It was cold and windy so I wore more than usual; CW-X tight, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava, GRTC neck gaiter, Brooks beanie and ski mittens. I got out for a much needed warm up run of 1.25 miles at 8:36 pace just behind Heather Patterson, link here.

I had about 10 minutes before the start so I huddled between a wood fence and a dumpster along the GRTC president, Doug Jones, and Kevin Clinefelter to get out of the wind. It did make a difference. But ... a race doesn't get done if you don't run it.

And ... we were off! I got up to race pace quickly. The road out of BBP was a bit snow covered and into the wind. It's all good once your arms go a bit numb! But ... onward. I kept up a sub 8 minute pace down East Manitou Rd, left on Frisbee Hill Rd, right on Flynn Rd, left on Kuhn Rd, left on Long Pond Rd. I slipped and almost fell as I ran over the Parkway. I was on the snow covered shoulder as a car was coming. I got into the road as soon as the car passed. Onward ... left on Edgemere Drive.

The 6 mile mark on Edgemere Drive ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

Edgemere Drive had 2 miles of mash potato snow over most of it. It was quite tiring to run on. A little jog on Braddock Rd and 3rd Ave ... then back on E Manitou Rd ... mile 7 ... keep going ... back in BPP with 0.4 mile to go ... push ... finish! 7.98 miles in 1:03:35, 7:58 pace ... nice!

Post Freezeroo #5 selfie

I was exhausted. I staggered a few times while I found a bagel and water to eat. I sat down and changed my damp upper clothes. I had another bagel and more water while I sat and talked with Bill Beyerbach. I also picked up the GRTC Banquet swag before I left.

Hourglassworks.com had the results up before I got home. I did OK. I was 42nd out of 133, link here. I was 3rd out of 8 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. My avg cadence was 170 and my splits were: 7:52, 7:49, 7:46, 7:49, 7:58, 8:27, 8:12 and 7:52.