Sunday, 4/28/2019 to Saturday, 5/4/2019 - Flower City Half

I ran 5 times this week, 23.18 miles.
I walked 75,836 steps during the week according to my Pebble 2 HR smartwatch.

Sunday, 5/28/2019: 23628 steps during the day, 2 runs of 0.55 and 13.22 miles, 4:50 and 1:57:23, 137 avg HR, 158 avg cadence, 37F, 90% RH, 6 mph N wind, wind chill 32F, overcast with real light sprinkles

Today's race was my tenth Flower City Half (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, 2017 - 1:42:32 and 2018 - 1:48:57). I had set my alarm for 5:15 AM the night before. I had a bit of trouble falling asleep but I think I got around 5.5 hours of sleep. I had my usual bowl of cereal and banana as I caught up on a bit of Facebook and email. But ... there was a race to run. It was a bit chilly and rainy so I dressed in my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, a Freezeroo long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve tech, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I will bet that everyone who runs my pace in the winter knows what I wear!

I put my bib, a hat, light running gloves and my newest Flower City Half long sleeve tech (about to be earned) in a drawstring running bag that I was going to stash in the Blue Cross Arena for after the race. I also brought a travel mug of cold coffee and a few energy bars. It was only a 15 minute drive with the 2014 Cruze down Lake Ave / State St to the race venue, the Blue Cross Arena (BCA). I parked only a couple blocks away on Fitzhugh St across from the Sister Cities Garage. Easy-peasy with about 50 minutes to go before the race start of 7:30 AM. I have raced a few race before ... 479 before today and counting. I went into the BCA, pinned on my bib and hung out in the Fleet Feet VIP Area for a while. Four Season Challenge members do have a few perks! I also stashed my drop bag under a table.

Hanging at the Fleet Feet VIP Area before the Flower City Half

Now for the big elephant in the room that I have left unsaid. My left hamstring had been feeling wonky since Saturday, the 20th. Then I found a tick behind my left knee on Tuesday, the 23rd that had been hanging there since either Monday, the 15th (trails in Durand Eastman), or Wednesday, the 17th (DC #1 at Devil's Bathtub)! Was my muscle issue related to the tick and/or Lyme Disease? Who knows? I did take a single dose of doxycycline on Friday, the 26th. I just know that I had only run 3.05 miles in the last week. How would my left hamstring handle a half marathon? Well ... only one way to find out!

I got out a little 0.55 mile warm up run at 8:50 pace, link here. I didn't push so I felt no discomfort. My race plan coming in was to run a bit easy, see what happens and adjust as necessary.

Just after the start ... lurking behind Josh, the 1:50 pace leader. Photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

A long line of Flower City Half runners ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

And ... we were off! I stayed near the 1:50 pace leader, Josh, for the first mile. But ... my left hamstring twinged like a knife was being thrust into it around mile 1.5. I yelled "Ouch" and slowed to a walk for a bit. Damn!! Bill Crowe asked if I was OK when he passed me. I got up to a hop-a-long gait that looked (and felt) weird for a 1/2 mile. I walked a bit and thought for a few seconds. It was way early in the race and I didn't want to walk the rest of the way. I tried a slower pace ... I felt a bit of discomfort but I could run about a 8:40-ish pace. Good! So ... I ran. I caught up to the 2:00 pace leader group, passed them and slowly passed a few runners. I had to constantly hold myself back but the fear of pain was a good motivator.

Heading west on Park Ave around mile 5 ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

Marigolds greeted some of the 5K runners ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

I passed Bill Crowe on Park Ave around mile 5 a bit before turning left onto N Goodman St. I slowed a bit as I ran up into Highland Park but I didn't walk. I had to be careful when I was running downhill in Highland Park to not stretch my left hamstring. I slowed a bit when I entered Mt Hope Cemetery at mile 8 due to the hills and took a few tiny walk breaks. I noticed that Bill Crowe passed me again (I never saw him again). I was out back onto Elmwood Ave at mile 10 ... only a 5K to go! I made sure that I avoided triping on the roots in the paved Genesee Riverway Trail ... and took a few walk breaks. I was getting tired. I knew that I would break 2 hours but ... WTF (where's the finish)! Up onto the Ford St Bridge ... less than 1 mile ... on fumes ... keep running ... Freddie Sue Bridge ... I-490 overpass ... in the chute ... nothing left ... done in 1:57:23 according to my Garmin, 1:57:22 gun time, 1:47:11 chip time.

Post FCH picture ... exhausted

I was exhausted. I might have hydrated better. I still had 1/2 of my 18 ounce Nathan water bottle left. I drained it and went inside the BCA. I gathered up some food (pizza, banana, a bag of Fritos, a few cookies and plopped my butt down in the Fleet Feet VIP Area. I ate another piece of pizza, more cookies, a pint of water and chocolate milk ... and slowly recovered. It hurt like hell to get up out of that chair. It hurt doubly like hell when I used a massage tool on my left hamstring ... ouch!!!

I talked with Carl C and his friend about ticks as I was leaving. They told me that there is a place where you can send a tick to be tested to see if it has Lyme Disease. The tick that bit Carl's friend did have it so she had to undergo the whole 21 day antibiotic regimen. So ... Google research time! I found that it is pricey ($40 to $75 per tick). Maybe I can get my PCP to pay for it?

I had changed out of my wet upper body clothing and put on my new favorite Flower City Half long sleeve tech before I headed out to the 2014 Cruze. It was a bit chilly now that I wasn't running! I headed directly home with a short side trip to BJ's for coffee and coffee creamer.

I ached the rest of the day. I got enough energy to check the Yellow Jacket Racing results. I was 506th out of 1575, link here. I was 4th out of 31 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. I did notice that Michael Viterise who took 3rd was 505th and one second ahead of me! Note to self ... always sprint in the chute no matter if it hurts! Whatever ... my splits were: 8:28, 9:25, 8:33, 8:28, 8:35, 8:31, 8:57, 10:01, 8:37, 9:01, 8:55, 9:15, 8:45 and 8:23 over the last 0.23 mile.

Ohh ... I did look around and saw some signs. Here are the four (paraphrased) that I remember: "You're not watching Avengers: Endgame! You can go to the bathroom anytime you want!" "So it's hard! So it's long! Go faster!" "If you imagine hard enough this course is flat!" and "People are still watching Avengers: Endgame!" The "Go faster!" signs or variations on that theme were held by some college age ladies. I have seen these signs before so these ladies do get around ... lol!

So ... what's the moral of this story? Yes ... I ran my slowest Flower City Half ever. I took what my body could give me today ... which wasn't what I really wanted but I made it work and finished. Another day of running, racing and making memories ... it doesn't get any better. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Monday, 4/29/2019: 7353 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 4/30/2019: 12266 steps during the day, 3.14 miles on the elliptical.

I couldn't run yet but I managed to get up on the elliptical in the exercise room at Greenleaf Meadows to get in 1.33 and 1.81 miles for 3.14 miles. I put in a bit of upper body workout in between. I set a really slow pace, 13:30 per mile. I was streak hunting. I knew that my 100 miles per month streak of 39 months was toast but I found that I had an active streak of 71 months with greater than 80 miles per month. I only needed 2.99 miles to continue that streak and I got in 3.14 miles. Hey ... anything to get motivated to get up and off the couch. Yes ... it's an arbitrary number. So .... 80 is the new 100?

It's the end of April so it's stat time!
 I ran 16 times for 80.16 miles (72 months greater than 80 miles), 5.01 miles/run
 I have run 74 times for 422.83 miles so far in 2019, 5.71 miles/run.
 I ran 2 races in April (9 so far in 2019):
 4/17 - Dirt Cheap #1 - 4.64 miles, 50:51, 10:59 pace, 99th out of 247, 3rd out of 9 in my M 60-64 age group
 4/28 - Flower City Half - 1:57:11 chip time, 8:57 pace, 506th out of 1571, 4th out of 31 in my M 60-64 age group
 I took 295,094 steps during April according to my Pebble 2 HR smartwatch, 1,225,750 steps so far in 2019.

Wednesday, 5/1/2019: 7223 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 5/2/2019: 9816 steps during the day, 3.14 miles on the elliptical and treadmill

My left hamstring still felt too wonky to chance it on the road so I hit up the exercise room at nearby Greenleaf Meadows again. I sped up at bit. I did 1 mile on the elliptical at 12:40 pace, 1 mile on the treadmill at 10:34 pace and 1.14 mile back on the elliptical at 12:40 pace. It was enough to work up a sweat.

Friday, 5/3/2019: 9489 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 5/4/2019: 6061 steps during the day, 3.15 miles, 27:39, 8:47 pace, 124 avg HR, avg cadence 155, 50F, 86% RH, 7 mph NE wind, wind chill 47F, overcast

I really didn't want to go back to the elliptical and/or treadmill again but I wasn't really anxious to test out my left hamstring either. I knew I would be grouchy the rest of the day so I got myself out at 1 PM. I didn't know what to expect so I decided on an out and back 5K. I started out slow and I could feel a bit of a knot but I felt OK otherwise. I ended up with negative splits: 9:09, 8:49, 8:28 and 8:04 over the last 0.15 mile.

Sunday, 4/21/2019 to Saturday, 4/27/2019

I ran 1 times: 3.05 miles. Yes ... only 3.05 miles thanks for a wonky left hamstring.
I took 51,051 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 4/21/2019: 1960 steps during the day, rest day.

I rested my left hamstring ... joy ... NOT! I would have much rather taken it (and myself) out for a run.

Monday, 4/22/2019: 7543 steps during the day, rest day.

I thought during the day that if I put in 4 miles on the elliptical every day until the end of the month and ran the upcoming Flower City Half that I could make 100 miles. Well ... my lovely wife, Christine, had other more lovely plans for me when I got home. So ... my elliptical "run" didn't get done. We did get a nice workout in though ... :-)!

Tuesday, 4/23/2019: 5275 steps during the day,

I forgot to do something that my boss needed me to have done for a meeting the next day so I stayed after work to get it done.

Then ... the night got interesting. My darling wife, Christine, saw something weird on the back of my left knee. Well ... upon closer inspection it was a tick. It was engorged and about 1/8" round. Christine got to work with some improvised tools ... a tweezers, needle, kitchen knife and my running headlamp. I laid on my stomach on the bed while she worked. It got a bit painful before she admitted that she hadn't get the head out. I also had a smaller one up higher to the left about 2 inches and about 5 inches below my belly button (I will leave it to the reader to guess about where that is).

Christine added the black marker outline

The dead tick preserved for posterity

Where did I get a tick bite? Well ... I ran in Durand Eastman Park on Monday, 4/15, and at Dirt Cheap #1 at Devil's Bathtub in Mendon Ponds Park on Wednesday, 4/17, ... which is about a week ago. So ... I guess this tick was hanging off me for a week!

Perhaps my left hamstring issue is due to this tick bite? The CDC has this to say, link here and PDF here. A Google Lyme disease search link here. Joy ... oh joy. I put a message in via MyChart with my doctor, a very nice Dr. Lavender, asking if I should come in to be seen or just prescribed doxycycline.

Wednesday, 4/24/2019: 12955 steps during the day, 3.05 miles, 27:08, 8:54 pace, 154 avg cadence, 53F, 55% RH, 7 mph W wind, mostly cloudy.


I needed to run but I knew my left hamstring still felt wonky plus I had the added worry about the tick bite. So I chose to run around the Greece Arcadia High School track. Boring but it provided an easy out in case my left hamstring acted up. A wise choice because it started to act up on the last lap before I got done with 3 miles. My splits were: 8:52, 8:55 and 8:55.

Ugghh! I predict here and now that the Flower City Half on Sunday will be ugly with lots of walking if I can't run more than 3 miles at 8:54 pace. But I am not backing down. I am signed up and I will be there until I get done. I have run/walked Mind the Ducks and Many on the Genny so I know that I can run/walk a half marathon.

Thursday, 3/25/2019: 8506 steps during the day, rest day.

Friday, 3/26/2019: 8897 steps during the day, rest day.

I would have liked to parked in the parking lot near Rochester Running Company and take a short run through Mt Hope Cemetery on the Flower City Half route but I have to deal with the body that I have not the one I think I have. My left hamstring will need all the rest it can get before I really need it for Sunday. So ... I picked up my Flower City Half bib and long sleeve tech shirt (gray this year) at Fleet Feet Armory before lunch. They had a 20% off sale on Brooks (a sponsor of the FCH) plus I had a $15 off coupon from the Fleet Feet app. I get points from that app from every run that I do. So ... a $130 pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS19 shoes were only $89. So ... I sprung for them. I'll run on them eventually.

My PCP prescribed a single dose of doxycycline that I picked up at Wegmans and took while I was eating supper. Hopefully that will prevent any Lyme Disease from my tick bite.

Saturday, 3/27/2019: 5915 steps during the day, rest day.

One thing about running the Flower City Half tomorrow morning is I didn't have to get up at the ass crack of dawn this morning to get a run in before I headed out on my biweekly Saturday drive out to Macedon and Palmyra to take my oldest son, Michael, and daughter, Karen, grocery shopping. The weather in late April in Rochester during the morning ... chilly (between 36F and 39F), windy and light, itty bitty snow flakes! Spring time ... not! I did see flowers blooming though. I saw posts about the Rally Round the Valley 18 Miler on Facebook ... a long ways to run around Honeoye Lake in this weather!

Sunday, 4/14/2019 to Saturday, 4/20/2019 - Dirt Cheap #1

I ran \4 times: 12.19 miles.
I took 56,500 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 4/14/2019: 1402 steps during the day, rest day.

Yes, it was Sunday but I decided that my left hamstring needed some time off of running so no run today. I watched the final round of the Masters ... and then I watched the encore to see what I missed when I didn't watch it for a hour (which was where a lot happened). Tiger Woods was in the hunt and he pounced. He was in a 5 way tie at -12 going into the 15th, birdied the 15 (leaving a 3 way tie for second behind him), birdied the 16th (almost a hole in one), had par for the 17th and bogeyed the 18th for a one shot win. His 15th major, first major win in almost 11 years in age 43 (after 4 back surgeries and some knee reconstructions) and his 5th Masters jacket (first since 2005). He had a long road back with personal problems, back problems and a pain killer addiction but America loves a come back story. The video of him hugging his two kids and mother afterward was heart touching, links here, here, here and here (lots of others out there).

Monday, 4/15/2019:12990 steps during the day, 3.25 miles, 35:54, 11:03 pace, 130 avg HR, 146 avg cadence, 44F, 49% RH, 21 mph NW wind, wind chill 36F, partly cloudy

Monday is not normally a run day but I have signed up for the Dirt Cheap Trail Race Series (my 11th year) and the first one is on Wednesday. I like to run in the mud what can I say. I almost always don't run on the day before a race so today was the day to run since I didn't run on Sunday.

These Salomon SpeedCross 4 trail shoes were too clean!

My brand new Salomon SpeedCross 4 trail shoes, review here, needed some mud on them and I needed to get my running mind in trail mode instead of road mode. Where do go though? I chose Durand Eastman Park since it was close by. I should really run it more often. Trail running is so much easier on my knees than road running. It takes longer to get mileage though ... I do like to get to 100 miles of running every month.

I got there after work. It was around 40F and windy. I had thought I had packed my CW-X tights but all I had were shorts. I did wear a long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves on top. I was a bit apprehensive about parking my '18 Cruze so near Lake Shore Blvd by the locked gate on Log Cabin Rd. But ... I did and set out on a really nice and easy trail pace. I could hear the wind but didn't really feel it unless I got to a wide open spot. Running on the road in shorts would have probably sucked. There some mud and just a few puddles. It was a bit wet over by the Durand Eastman Golf Course. I ran around Durand Lake on the red trail and then around Eastman Lake on the orange trail. It was peaceful. I only disturbed some geese and a swan on each lake. My splits were: 11:33, 11:27, 10:02 and 11:25 over the last 0.25 mile.

The Boston Marathon was held today. I am usually all hyped about this but strangely enough not this year. I just couldn't get into it. I knew people who ran it ... Tim Dwyer in 3:04:51, Heather Patterson in 3:28:59, Wendy Abbott in 3:40:37, Christine Antonini in 3:49:28 and Bambi Jasmin in 4:21:33. Marathons and me don't get along so I stopped signing up for them. I fall apart in the second half of a marathon. You don't get a BQ time when that happens. So ... I am sticking to half marathons. You get done in half the time and can walk the next day.

Tuesday, 4/16/2019: 5783 steps during the day, rest day.

Wednesday, 4/17/2019: 18837 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.15 and 4.64 miles, 58F, 41% RH, 9 mph E wind, mostly cloudy.

Today's race was Dirt Cheap #1. I looked at my running spreadsheet and found that this was my 20th time running this course , 9 times as Dirt Cheap #1 (missed 2016) and 10 times as Dirt Cheap Stage Race #2. I guess I have been racing for a while. I got dressed and got on the road just after 5 PM. The drive down to Mendon Ponds Park was uneventful ... just the usual 5 PM traffic on I-390S, I-490E, Monroe Ave and Route 65. I got to the race venue, Devil's Bathtub, jpg here, around 5:35 PM and got a nice parking spot on top of the hill.

I met up with Andy Ciaio and Wilt Alston. Wilt turned 60 in December and is now a "young punk" (according to him) member of the M 60-64 age group. I saw Joe Ciecierega. He told me that he was running the Hall of Fame Marathon out in Canton OH in 2 weeks. It will be his 32nd marathon in 5 years! He said that this race and Sehgahunda will be training(!) runs for his Many on the Genny in June. Gulp!

I got out for a 1.15 mile warm up run at 9:50 pace with Andy before the race, link here. We caught up to the early start runners and carefully ran around them when we could.

I lined up with Andy and talked with Prem a little bit before the race. I mentioned to Prem that he had 290 races in 6 years. He told me that he was up to 293 so far and tonight was going to be his 294th and had the Muddy Sneaker 20K on Saturday. Andy had run the Amigas 6 hour Ultra last Saturday and will also be running the Muddy Sneaker 20K and the Rally Around the Lake 18 mile race the week after that. I felt like a slacker .... I'll just be running the Flower City Half in 2 weeks. Prem told me that I am the one that gave him the urge to run so many races. He remembers me saying that I had run 51 races so far in 2013 way back at the Reindeer Run 5K that year when he had first moved to Rochester (and we first met). Well, I have run a few races too ... 478 so far coming into tonight's race. But I have been racing since 2005.

And ... we were off! The bearded Sean Hendrick gave a very long winded "Goooooooooo"! My left hamstring felt a bit wonky so my plan (what little there was) was to stay upright and take it nice and easy. The first mile was open grass with rolling hills so it was a fast 8:27 pace ... predictable. Then ... the fun began with single track with leaves, roots, rocks. I survived the bog around mile 2. I tried to go straight the bog without running above it on the twisty turny path along the trees to the right ... but sank ankle deep in mud the few times I tried it. Then ... mile 2.85 happened. I came to the first large mud patch that you really couldn't go around. I ran in with my left foot ... it sank into the mud ... I tried to pull it out ... and it didn't come out with a good pull ... and tweaked my left hamstring ... ouch!!! What to do? Some smarter runners might have walked the rest of the way. Well ... I found I could run without too much pain so I continue to run. I ran slower but I ran none the less. Wilt and Joe passed and asked me how I was doing. I guess my gait told them that I hurt a bit. There was a lot more mud patches. I ran straight through them and didn't avoid them. You just have to tip toe through them and even then my shoes almost came off a few times. I also slammed my right foot against the inside of my shoe when I went down a steep downhill. I guess I didn't have my Salomon SpeedCross 4 trail shoes cinched up tight enough. I walked the hills I usually walk ... I have run this race just a few times. But ... I do like running in the mud!

Ahh ... some Dirt Cheap #1 mud made my Salomon SpeedCross 4 trail shoes look better!

Anyway ... I kept on running. I was more than glad to stop once I ran up the infamous stairs and got to the finish line. I had a couple of hot dogs and cookies ... I was tired and hungry. My shoes and socks were wet and muddy so I changed them into dry ones before I headed home. I was tired and a bit cranky but still did my usual household duties before I went to bed ... early. I was beat.

Overall ... I did OK. I survived to run another day. Stat time: my avg HR was 134 and my avg cadence was 142. My splits were: 8:27, 10:59, 12:13, 10:37 and 13:35 over the last 0.64 mile. My chip time was 50:51 and gun time was 50:54 which puts this as my slowest Dirt Cheap #2 ... just a bit slower than last year's 50:29. I was 99th out of 247 and 3rd (2:34 behind Wilt at 71st) out of 9 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. Andy finished in 44:38, Prem in 45:36 and Joe in 4:39. Tina Pellegrin looked OK when I passed her but was evaluated by EMTs after she finished in 1:32:24 and was transported to a hospital.

Thursday, 4/18/2019: 6189 steps during the day, rest day.

A definite rest day after tweaking my left hamstring the night before. It felt a bit sore so I just did my normal day. It was above 70F so I did take a 2000 step walk around the Harris B601 building.

Friday, 4/19/2019: 4246 steps during the day, rest day.

Just your average middle of April Friday ... the temperature dropped 31F in 24 hours.

Saturday, 4/20/2019: 7053 steps during the day,  3.15 miles, 29:31, 9:22 pace, 119 avg HR, 152 avg cadence, 42F, 89% RH, 14 mph NE wind, wind chill 35F, overcast.


I was up at 6:30 AM and was ready to run at 8 AM ... but it was raining. I thought of all the trail runners that were going to run the Muddy Sneaker 20K down in the High Tor Wildlife Management  Area around Naples.

The power of Google ... I did a search for Muddy Sneaker 20K and then clicked on the Images tab. One of the pictures is a link to a picture from my 2015 blog post, link here, which was the last time I ran this race.

A blast from the past ... 4/12/2015 when I last ran the Muddy Sneaker 20K

I waited until a bit after 10 AM before I went out. Well ... that run didn't turn out the way I expected. My left hamstring still twinged when I stretched out to run my usual pace. I made due by shortening my stride but even then I felt  twinge or two. So ... I could have turned around at mile 1. I turned around at Dewey Ave at mile 1.5. My splits were: 9:04, 9:33, 9:30 and 9:19.

I was a bit depressed the rest of the day. I have 60.2 running miles for April and only 10 more days to get to 100 miles. I really don't want to break my 100 running miles per month streak! I've had my streak going since January 2016 ... 39 months.

Sunday, 4/7/2018 to Saturday, 4/13/2019

I ran 4 times: 24.91 miles.
I took 82,167 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 4/7/2019: 9818 steps during the day, 5.55 miles, 46:38, 8:24 pace, 129 avg HR, 161 avg cadence, 43F, 96% RH, 5 mph E wind, wind chill 40F, overcast.

Well ... I had a Redbox DVD entitled "The Mule" to go back so I ran it back to the 7-11 on Lake Ave. It was a bit warmer so I wore shorts, a short sleeve tech, a long sleeve tech, Brooks light gloves and my orange Fleet Feet hat. I decided to head on Beach Ave with a detour onto the Hidden Sidewalk ... which was tough to find when you are on the beach looking at the house above. I did find but it took a couple of trips up some stairs to find no sidewalk yet. Now I know to go almost to the north end of the beach that you can run on. I might just run on Beach Ave though ... it's faster. Anyway ... I cut the run short to just 5.55 miles. I needed coffee, lol! My splits were: 8:14, 8:02, 8:08, 9:55, 7:59 and 7:51.

Christine and I connected for a while ... finally. We had an issue to talk about. Nothing earth shaking ... lol! Later, I headed out for another Redbox DVD entitled Bumblebee. I just copy them using a dedicated Windows XP laptop that I have installed xx, DVD Decryptor and xx. One of these days I will get time to watch them! I first have to categorize and put them in order so that I can find them again. They are all in an assortment of 50 DVD boxes right now which makes any particular DVD extremely hard to find.

Monday, 4/8/2019: 7732 steps during the day, rest day.

My lovely wife, Christine, went to Polish Me Up to get her nails touched up. She chose a color nailed "I'm Not Really a Waitress" from OPI, link here, images here. We make jokes about the nail color name but they do look very nice.

I'm Not Really a Waitress ... very nice!

Tuesday, 4/9/2019: 8402 steps during the day, blah day.

Yes ... it spit snow during the morning. It didn't stick but still it sucked to look outside or much less walk in it.

Tuesday is usually my day to run but I decided to push it to Wednesday. I stayed up late the night before to watch the Virginia - Texas Tech game (yahoo Virginia!) and then had to get up to go pee 3 times during the night. So I only got maybe 5 hours of sleep. I was tired during the day and was kind of glad that I was busy during the day so I wouldn't just nod off if I sat down for any length of time.

I did go to bed a bit early ... 10 PM.

Wednesday, 4/10/2019: 17792 steps during the day, 8.05 miles, 1:06:06, 8:13 pace, 132 avg HR, 161 avg cadence, 43F, 38% RH, calm, mostly cloudy.

A make up day ... perfect for an 8 mile run. It was wee bit warmer so I wore shorts, a short sleeve tech, a long sleeve tech, heavy running gloves, ear warmers and sunglasses. I stretched out and set up a quick pace. My splits were: 8:16, 8:24, 8:18, 8:17, 8:15, 8:04, 8:03 and 8:04.

Thursday, 4/11/2019: 14302 steps during the day, 6.26 miles, 51:12, 8:11 pace, 131 avg HR, 162 avg cadence, 35F, 85% RH, 12 mph ENE wind, wind chill 27F, overcast.

It was Thursday so I ran. I didn't get out early so I ran after I got home. It had turned cold and windy again so it was back to the UWRG minus the balaclava and plus the heavy running gloves. Whatever .... I got out there. Someday I may not be able to run but today was not that day. Old age ... I run to keep that in my rear view mirror. Anyway ... I set up a quick pace to get an out and back 10K done. The east wind was just as cold as the west wind. There were other crazies out ... a guy on a fat bike and another runner who had on about the same amount of clothing I did. My splits were: 8:12, 8:19, 8:15, 8:07, 8:12, 8:11 and 7:33 over the last 0.26 mile.

Friday, 4/12/2019: 9464 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 4/13/2019: 14657 steps during the day, 5.05 miles, 43:28, 8:36 pace, 126 avg HR, 156 avg cadence, 50F, 65% RH, 5 mph SW wind, overcast.

Well ... that run sucked. I got up at 5:30 AM so I could get out early for a 10K before I had to head out at 8:15 AM to take two kids grocery shopping. So ... why did the run suck? Well ... first I had to find my Zipster when delayed me for 5 to 10 minutes so I didn't get out at 6 AM. So ... I didn't stretch out before I started out at 6:15 AM. Then ... my left hamstring started to twinge at mile 2 so I turned at Island Cottage at mile 2.5. Yes ... it got worse at mile 4 so I went into a run/walk. My splits were: 8:12, 8:09, 8:17, 8:34 and 9:50. I took a quick mug of coffee, a shower and spent a bit of time with my lovely wife, Christine, before I left at 8:20 AM.

I passed by Durand Eastman Beach and saw the walkers and runners of the Amiga's Run 6 hour Ultra very briefly on the way by. I had thought of running this race but was kind of OK with not running it.

I was at Macedon at 9 AM so I could take my oldest son, Michael, to Victor so I could go to ESL and then back to the Macedon Walmart to grocery shop. Then it was onward to Palmyra to take my daughter, Karen, to the Victor BestBuy to look at laptops with backlit keyboards. She claimed that her current HP laptop locks up occasionally and had touchpad sensitivity issues. I looked into those issues on her laptop and didn't really find any real problem. Our trip to the Macedon Walmart to grocery shop was uneventful. I took out her cardboard to her recycling bin before I headed back up to Rochester. I stopped to smell the roses (OK ... walked the beach) at Durand Eastman Beach. It was just a 1/4 mile walk on the beach but it was peaceful.

Sunday, 3/30/2019 to Saturday, 4/6/2019

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.

I ran 4 times: 30.95 miles.
I took 74,089 steps according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 3/31/2019: 11960 steps during the day, 7.85 miles, 1:04:21, 8;12 pace, 133 avg HR, 163 avg cadence, 34F, 100% RH, 5 mph ENE wind, wind chill 29F, overcast with little flakes of snow.

Well ... it's to believe but it was 70F yesterday afternoon. And ... it was 34F and spitting snow when I went out for my run on Sunday morning! I slept in until after 8:30 AM and didn't get out until almost 10:30 AM ... but I did get out. It was cold so I wore my UWRG minus the balaclava and plus my heavy running gloves. I set up a steady pace as I headed west into the wind on the LOSP trail. I didn't want to do an out and back so I looped back onto Edgemere Drive, Beach Ave and Lake Ave. I even headed out onto the Hidden Sidewalk (lots of links to click on here) and onto the beach by the Ontario Beach Park. I haven't done that in ages ... kind of fun actually. My splits were: 8:16, 8:07, 8:05, 7:58, 7:42, 9:10, 8:22 and 7:50 over the last 0.85 mile.

The light snow was pretty to look at while I sipped my usual 2 mugs of post-run coffee ... it was above freezing and it wasn't sticking to anything. Then ... the temperature fell to freezing and lower ... and it started to stick and accumulate. Yes ... it didn't amount to much ... only 2 inches. But ... still it's about April!

Oh well ... it's the end of March ... so it's stat time!

I ran 19 times during March for 130.12 miles (39 months greater than 100 miles), 6.85 miles/run.
I have run 58 times so far in 2019 for 342.67 miles, 5.91 miles/run
I ran one race during March
 03/16 Runnin' of the Green, 5.02 miles, 38:56, 7:47 pace
I took 326,812 steps during March and have taken 930,812 steps so far in 2019.

Monday, 4/1/2019: 7260 steps during the day, rest day.

Spring is here ... April Fools!

Well ... the snow stuck around. About 2 inches fell up near Lake Ontario. It didn't warm up above freezing until around noon. 95% of the snow was gone by 5 PM.

Tuesday, 4/2/2019: 5541 steps during the day, rest day.

Cryptic comment for today ... the rabbit hole is near and I must take care to avoid it every day for the rest of my life.

More of a blah day rather than a rest day. I went to bed at 9 PM after a few hugs from my wonderful wife, Christine. I woke up early but I managed to stay in bed until my alarm went off at 5:50 AM.

Wednesday, 4/3/2019: 11498 steps during the day, 4 miles on treadmill and elliptical.

Yes ... I did 2 miles on the treadmill and 2 miles on the elliptical at the Greenleaf Meadows exercise room. I also did some upper body work on the weight machine and did a bit of free weights.

Why? Well ... the wind was blowing out of the west at 20 to 30 mph and all I had on my legs were shorts. Sure ... I could have gone home and put on my CW-X tights. But ... I still would have to almost run in place to head out west on the LOSP trail and I just didn't want to so I went to the dark side instead. I broke up the monotony by switching from the treadmill to the elliptical every mile and then doing the weight machine before heading back to the treadmill. So ... I worked up a sweat rather then chilling myself to the bone by running in the cold April wind. Yes ... I know this sounds like a whine but I got a workout in and that what counts in the long run. I even worked out my upper body a bit which is something I almost never do.

Thursday, 4/4/2019: 16287 steps during the day, 8.05 miles, 1:05:21, 8:08 pace, 164 avg cadence, 37F, 48% RH, 3 mph WNW wind, mostly cloudy.

It was Thursday ... so you know what I did. It was a bit chilly so I wore my UWRG minus the balaclava and long sleeve tech shirt plus the heavy running gloves and a cotton t-shirt. Yes ... I know that "cotton is rotten". But ... I didn't have anything else to go underneath my Brooks 1/4 long sleeve pullover. I probably could have gotten along without it though. I got up to the Greece Arcadia High School, waited until 5 PM, clocked out and headed out. I set up a quick pace and held it on my 8 mile route. My splits were: 8:01, 8:18, 8:13, 8:05, 8:09, 8:05, 8:05, and 8:01. Boom ... done.

Friday, 4/5/2019: 5722 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday. 4/6/2019: 15821 steps during the day, 11.05 miles, 1:31:45, 8:18 pace, 134 avg HR, 165 avg cadence, 45F, 84% RH, 6 mph NW wind, wind chill 41F, overcast

I slept in until 7 AM and puttered around like usual. But ... I knew I would regret not running if I didn't run. I wore the UWRG but changed to a short sleeve tech instead of a long sleeve tech and minus the balaclava. Running at 40F to 50F is a bit weird and will taking a bit of getting used to. I did get out though after a few runs back in to get my heart strap and sunglasses. I wanted 11 miles since Fleet Feet did a 11 mile practice run for the upcoming Flower City Half. I had two options for 11 miles ... my Out to Lowden Point Rd or LOSP trail plus my 10K loop. I chose my Out to Lowden Point Rd route. I set up a slower "get it done" pace. It seemed to warm up suddenly at 6.5 miles so I took off my Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover and tied it around my shoulders. I took several tiny water breaks too. Still ... I got it done. My splits were: 8:21, 8:20, 8:15, 8:25, 8:24, 8:16, 8:12, 8:21, 8:23, 8:16 and 8:08.

I got out later with a grocery list that Christine had made up after she had planned menus for the week. It was complicated that it was a list without aisle numbers to help me out. I just couldn't find au jus or frozen corn on the cob. But I got the majority of the items so it was all good.