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.