Sunday, 10/27/2019 to Saturday, 11/2/2019 - Grocery Run 5K

This blog post is saved as I write it to avoid the Blogger "Auto Save" feature. I have found (as have others) that if you accidentally delete your entire blog post before you publish it that "Auto Save" will kick in within seconds to take you to a blank page. I have done this more than once! This feature is turned off once you publish the blog post. Then if you accidentally delete your entire post it is not final until you click Update (so you have a chance to realize that you are about to do something stupid).

My left IT band appears to be healed. I'm not as fast as I was before though.
I ran 2 times for 14.8 miles this week.
I took 62,348 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives me my weight.

Sunday, 10/27/2019

10092 steps, 49/140 resting/peak HR, 7:44 hr sleep, 172.1 lbs, 20 floors climbed
run: 5.35 miles, 46:21, 8:39 pace, 131 avg HR, 160 avg cadence, 57F, 73% RH, 10 mph SSE wind, overcast

I got out a bit late due to rain in the morning. I gave me time to putter around like usual. It was warmer than yesterday so I wore shorts and a red Charlie's Old Goat Run short sleeve tech shirt. I felt sluggish so my pace was off. I also took back the Redbox DVD to the 7-11 on Lake Ave. My splits were: 8:25, 8:45, 8:52, 8:43, 8:46 and 8:17 over the last 0/35 mile.

I was a bit hungry but waited until the Eagles - Bills games was on before I cooked up a frozen pizza. Sadly ... the pizza and chips I had while I watched the game were more interesting than the play I saw at New Era Field in Buffalo. The Bills lost 31-13.

I read on Facebook the adventures of Rochester runners at the Marine Corps Marathon (also a 10K and 50K). Heather Bailey Ostrander (1:08:54) and Sarah Strossman (1:12:39) ran the 10K. Prem Kumar ran the 50K in 4:35:27 (a PR for him).

Prem Kumar after the MCM 50K ... courtesy of his Facebook page

Monday, 10/28/2019

6410 steps, 45/99 resting/peak HR, 7:22 hr sleep, 171.7 lbs, 3 floors climbed

Tuesday, 10/29/2019

20169 steps, 47/139 resting/peak HR, 7:50 hr sleep, 173.2 lbs, 17 floors climbed
run: 9.45 miles, 1:22:51, 8:46 pace, 134 avg HR, 158 avg cadence, 66F, 60% RH, 3 mph E wind, sunny to dusk to dark

I needed 0.95 miles to get over 100 miles for October. It's been a while since I was north of 100 miles in a month ... March 2019 to be exact. My left IT band has healed. I make sure I stretch before and after almost every run. So ... what route did I choose? Well ... I thought that I would do the "Most of the Rochester Half course" from Herrema's. Why? Well ... it was different (hadn't done it in a while), scenic (lots of leaves to peak at) and long. Well ... I underestimated that amount of daylight I had when I started a bit after 5 PM. So ... I finished pretty much in the dark on the last 2 miles without a handlamp. I could have used a headlamp when I was running down the Genesee Riverway Trail with its slightly uneven paved trail. Luckily I didn't trip ... I made sure to lift up my feet as much as I could. My splits were: 9:15 (up the Thomas Ave hill), 8:43, 8:34, 8:29. 8:56. 8:42, 8:41, 8:22, 9:26 and 8:14 over the last 0.45 mile. My darling wife, Christine, was a bit amazed that I went so long on a weeknight. I guess I should stay packing my lighted vest and headlamp in my running bag for the next 6 months, huh?

Wednesday, 10/30/2019

4182 steps, 48/108 resting/peak HR, 7:26 hr sleep, 171.5 lbs, 6 steps climbed

Thursday, 10/31/2019

7546 steps, 44/97 resting/peak HR, 171.8 lbs, 5 steps climbed

I had thought about a run tonight but the weather had other plans ... it was pouring. I would have been drenched before I made it to Greenleaf Rd. So ... it was Halloween and we had 5 kids come to our door. Boo!

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

I ran 18 times this month for 108.5 miles, 6.03 miles/run
I have run 163 times so far in 2019 for 851.7 miles, 5.2 miles/run
I ran 2 races this month and 24 so far in 2019
 10/13 Empire State Half, 1:53:44, 8:37 pace, 88th out of 429, 7th out of 14 in my M 60-64 age group
 10/19 Scare Brain Cancer Away 5K, 23:36, 7:34 pace, 64th out of 627, 4th out of 21 in my M 60-64 age group
I took 318,919 steps during the month and 2,714,355 steps so far in 2019.

Friday, 11/1/2019

5773 steps, 44/101 resting/peak HR, 7:21 hr sleep, 171.0 lbs, 3 floors climbed

Saturday, 11/2/2019

8176 steps, 42/153 resting/peak HR, 7:18 hr sleep, 170.0 lbs, 9 floors climbed
run #1: 3.13 miles, 23:43, 7:34 pace, 142 avg HR, 166 avg cadence, 39F, 62% RH, 9 mph SW wind, overcast
run #2: 0.5 mile, 5:20, 10:36 pace, 142 avg HR, 142 avg cadence, 39F, 62% RH, 9 mph SW wind, overcast

Today's race was my fifth Grocery Run 5K held at the Third Presbyterian Church at the corner of Meigs St and East Ave. My previous 4 times were: 2014 - 21:13, 2015 - 22:06, 2017 - 21:54 and 2018 - 22:55. It was the 11th out of the 12 GRTC Rochester Runner of the Year races of 2019..

I was up early like usual. I remember seeing that the start time was 8:30 AM not 8:15 AM so I left around 7:30 AM. I got down where I usually park at the Rochester Museum & Science Center around 7:50 AM ... full. So I went up the Memorial Art Gallery to park. I walked up to East Ave and then heard that the wheelchairs had started ... hmm ... they usually start 3 minutes before the runners start ... huh? Well ... I got into the scrum of runners about 50 feet behind the start line about 2 minutes before the race actually started at 8:15 AM. So ... no warm up run but I got there just in the nick of time!

And ... we were off! I had a bit of trouble getting up to my race pace as I sought out clear running room. The course was different this year. It was basically an out and back to lessen the number of road closures (and probably RPD overtime). 5Ks are short but painful and this one was no different. Soon enough I was coming back on East Ave and could see the finish arch ... push it ... clock over 23 minutes ... and done!

The usual post race selfie

I was tired and grabbed a pint of water. The Grocery Run 5K always has an excellent lineup of food after their races. This year was no different ... cookies, pastries, bagels, snack bars, donuts, 10th anniversary cake, pizza, perogies, chocolate milk and coffee. There might have been more hot food since I didn't get any. I had two or three cookies and a couple of pasties. I took a little cool down 0.5 mile at 10:00 run back to the 2018 Cruze, link here.60-64

I did OK. My splits were: 7:37, 7:38, 7:31 and 7:07 over the last 0.13 mile. I finished in 23:33 chip time, 23:45 gun time. I was 123rd out of 999, link here. I was 4th out of 39 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. I guess I am happy to break 24 minutes now ... the joy of getting older. Oh well.

Christine and I got sucked into watching not 1, not 2, not 3 but 4 Hallmark Channel Christmas movies when I turned on the first one at 4 PM. Crown for Christmas at 4 PM, Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses at 6 PM, Merry & Bright at 8 PM and Christmas at Holly Lodge at 10 PM. I also got 3 loads of laundry done thanks to the DVR. They were sweet ... like maple syrup. Yes ... we went to bed after midnight.