Sunday, 5/24/2020 to Saturday, 5/30/2020

I walked once for 1.45 miles this week.
I ran 0 times for 0 miles this week ... unfortunately.
I biked 3 times for 37.93 miles this week.
I took 13,571 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 my weight.

Sunday, 5/24/2020

3428 steps, 53/131 resting/peak HR, 8:09 hrs sleep, 174.9 lbs, 0 (!) floors climbed
walk: 1.45 miles, 26:00, 17:56, 13 feet elevation gain, 81 avg HR, 82F, 43% RH, 13 mph SW wind, mostly sunny

There was a #runforkara event that I found on Facebook for Kara Hall, the runner who was killed in Bergen on 5/18. I couldn't run so I walked while I thought of her ... a fellow runner who I will never know. Yes ... I couldn't run. I walked and had to be careful when I placed my left foot. I felt a twinge of pain when I didn't. A mild aarrgghh ... on my #runwithkara. My splits were: 18:18 and 17:08 over the last 0.45 mile.

Monday, 5/25/2020

1730 steps, 48/107 resting/peak HR, 8:59 hrs sleep, 175.3 lbs, 9 floors climbed
bike: 11.01 miles, 54:59, 12.2 avg mph, 20.4 max mph, 56 feet elevation gain, 77F, 65% RH, 4 mph SSW wind with gusts to 21 mph, sunny

I can't run, I can walk with a bit of pain if I misplace my left foot. But can I bike? Well ... I set out to find out on Black Beauty ... my nickname for the Trek bike that Christine bought for me from the Bike Zone seven (I think) years ago.

"Black Beauty"

I had a bit of trouble mounting the bike because of my left knee issue but I was up so I went. Well ... I can bike. I chose a simple :Out to Lowden Point Rd" route out and back. It was nice ... sunny and a bit windy. I saw Eric and Sheila Eagan on a walk by Old Edgemere Drive and Long Pond Rd and Tom Butler on a run by the LOSP trail on Island Cottage. There were a lot of people out ... bicyclists, runners (5) and walkers. My avg speed was 12.2 mph and max speed was 20.4 mph. I dismounted the bike gently and just let it fall to my right so I wouldn't hurt my left knee.

Tuesday, 5/26/2020: 3021 steps, 52/91 resting/peak HR, 7:12 hrs sleep, 174.5 lbs, 2 floors climbed

The new form of litter just 30 feet from our townhouse door

A 46 year old black man named Eric Floyd was killed on Monday by a white police officer who knelt on his neck for almost 9 minutes while 3 other white police officers helped or watched. It was caught on cell phone video and surveillance cameras. So sad ... link here. The news out of Minneapolis overnight was protests that descended into looting and violence.

Weather ... so changeable in Rochester during May.

13 days between a record low of 27F and a record high of 92F

Wednesday, 5/27/2020

740 steps, 52/127 resting/peak HR, 7:27 hrs sleep, 176.0 lbs, 1 floor climbed
bike: 13.6 miles, 1:07:57, 12.0 avg mph, 19.5 max mph, 66 feet elevation gain, 96 avg HR, 71F, 71% RH, 8 mph SW wind, mostly cloudy

I was awake at 4:52 AM ... I tried to get back to sleep to no avail. So ... I looked at email and Facebook while the day got a bit brighter. I dressed and got out on my bike for a bit farther ride. I disturbed more than a few birds and almost ran over a squirrel. I also ran out of energy on the way back since I only had a small peach before I headed out.

I've always loved lilacs!

Thursday, 5/28/2020: 1056 steps, 51/88 resting/peak HR, 8:15 hrs sleep, 175.6 lbs, 1 floor climbed

Governor Cuomo has signed an executive order allows stores to not allow entry to anyone who doesn't wear a mask, link here. Almost everyone in Rochester did before that I could see when I was out and about.

Friday, 5/29/2020

2991 steps, 50/119 resting/peak HR, 6:46 hrs sleep, 175.0 lbs, 0 (!) floors climbed
bike: 13.33 miles, 1;00:18, 13.3 avg mph, 20.7 max mph, 75 feet elevation gain, 107 avg HR, 72F, 79% RH, 3 mph SSW wind gusting to 14 mph, overcast

I made sure that I had more to eat before I headed out for my morning ride. I put out a little effort but also made an effort to look around at the trees and listened to the birds.

Saturday 5/30/2020: 605 steps, 53/90 resting/peak HR, 8;38 hrs sleep, 173.2 lbs, 1 floor climbed

I felt blah all day. It wasn't until it was almost evening when I realized why. I hadn't gone for a run, walk or bike. Also ... the Pandemic 5 is real. I have gained 5 pounds.

Sunday, 5/17/2020 to Saturday, 5/23/2020 NFSW - Power Hour

I ran 2 times for 8.67 miles this week.
I took 32,226 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 my weight.

UPDATE: My darling wife, Christine, is in her 7th week of a suspected COVID-19 illness (or the flu ... who knows). She has recovered and this will be the last week I report on this. She has returned to cooking for us ... thankfully.

COVID-19: I work for Ricoh as an essential employee. I support the 169 Ricoh printers in the four L3Harris SAS buildings. I am required to wear a cloth mask when I enter any L3Harris building. I also do this whenever I enter any public building ... like Wegmans or BJs. I realize that a cloth mask isn't a N95 mask but it's better than nothing. I don't have disposable gloves so I wear light running gloves, news links about gloves and clothing here, here and here. I don't want to spread COVID-19 if I am asymptotic (heaven forbid). I have read all the COVID-19 news and have seen the confirmed cases and death toll rise daily in the world, Europe and the US. I think there will be just virtual races and no public running races during the rest of 2020, link here.

Sunday, 5/17/2020: 2471 steps, 52/108 resting/peak HR, 6:48 hrs sleep, 175.4 lbs, 6 floors climbed

I headed out to Palmyra to see my daughter, Karen, for a few hours. I hadn't seen her about 3 months. I broke down all her boxes, took her recycling out and put in her bedroom A/C before I headed back up to Rochester.

Monday, 5/18/2020: 2587 steps, 52/105 resting/peak HR, 7:05 hrs sleep, 176.1 lbs, 2 floors climbed

I broke down and bought a Mueller knee brace from Walmart. Why? I have no idea. My knee doesn't really hurt. I can mostly walk fine. It only twinged if I really do something like stretch it weird.

A sad day. A young 25 year old runner, Kara Hall, was killed while running on Rt 262 in Bergen, link here.

Tuesday, 5/19/2020

7793 steps, 51/136 resting/peak HR, 7:05 hrs sleep, 176.7 lbs, 3 floors climbed
run: 3.15 miles, 29:56, 9:30 pace, 49 feet elevation gain, 123 avg HR, 154 avg cadence, 54F, 64% RH, 7 mph E wind, overcast

I hadn't run in 9 days and I have been crabby ... just ask Christine. So ... I decided to throw caution to the wind and try to run after I put in another day of work-from-home for Ricoh. It still cool so I wore shorts, a long sleeve tech and light running gloves. I wore my left knee brace but I took it off before I left the parking lot. My left and right knee felt weird but there was no pain so I slowly hobbled onward. I almost turned back at Greenleaf Rd but I wanted to see how I felt after one mile. I felt OK so I continued onward to Dewey Ave on the LOSP trail or 1.5 miles. I had sped up a bit so I just turned around and headed back. I got back and felt somewhat OK. So .. success, I guess. My splits were: 10:17, 9:32, 8:54 and 8:03 over the last 0.15 mile. Negative splits ... big whoop.

I think I will change to my new pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS20 shoes. My current pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS19 running shoes have 462.1 miles. Maybe my knee problem is shoe related.

Another sad day. A young 13 year old bicyclist, Liam Ronan, was killed on West Henrietta Rd at Martin Rd, link here. This is just past Covered Wagon Trail where I lived for 4 years what seemed to be a lifetime ago.

Wednesday, 5/20/2020: 532 steps, 47/91 resting/peak HR, 7:12 hrs sleep, 176.1 lbs, 1 floor climbed

Thursday, 5/21/2020: 5320 steps, 48/96 resting/peak HR, 7:17 hrs sleep, 176.3 lbs, 0 (!) floors climbed

Friday, 5/22/2020

10021 steps, 50/139 resting/peak HR, 7:25 hrs sleep, 175.3 lbs, 5 floors climbed
run: 5.52 miles, 1:00:01, 10:52 pace, 115 feet elevation gain, 123 avg HR, 141 avg cadence, 62F, 74% RH, calm, mostly sunny


Today's run was the Power Hour, a Fleet Feet virtual run. I was going to do this on Sunday ... but I got out on Friday night after I was done with my Ricoh work-from-home day and just decided to stretch my planned 5K into a hour run on the spur of the moment. Well ... my left knee made me regret it before I had gone one mile. I don't know what the fuck is wrong but there is something wrong with it ... AARRGGHH!! Anyway ... my splits were: 9:44, 9:23, 11:17, 14:29, 10:08 and 9:34 over the last 0.52 mile. My "run" was actually more of a fast limp/run ... AARRGGHH!!

Saturday, 5/23/2020: 3502 steps, 50/96 resting/peak HR, 6:19 hrs sleep, 173.3 lbs, 0 (!) floors climbed

My darling wife, Christine, and I made it out early (for us) to the Garden Factory in Gates. What a huge place! We bought a flat of salvia, marigolds, purple petunias and begonias for our itty-bitty patch of dirt outside our townhouse. We also bought some fertilizer, potting soil, 25 foot hose and a nozzle. Well ... we bought too much. I made peace with my left knee long enough to plant the salvia and marigolds. Christine planted one row of petunias. The soil isn't all that good so but still ... hope springs enteral that our planting will be fruitful.

Before and after

I got the tires of our bicycles pumped up ... I think I will be biking more than running this summer. A bit disappointing since I like to run ... but true.

Sunday, 5/10/2020 to Saturday, 5/16/2020 - Bigfoot Virtual Half & Spring Spirit 5K Virtual Run (Walk)

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).

I ran 1 times for 13.15 miles this week.
1 walked (couldn't run) for 3.1 miles this week.
I took 40,205 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 my weight.

UPDATE: My darling wife, Christine, is in her 6th week of a suspected COVID-19 illness (or the flu ... who knows). Her symptoms have been mild thankfully. She had a low grade fever that spiked to 103.8 on Monday night, March 30th, She called URMC on Tuesday, March 31st, and was told to self-quarantine. I got her Tylenol which lowered her fever during the rest of that week. She has had a bit of trouble breathing from time to time but it had been taken care of with an inhaler. She is just now starting to get back her strength. We don't know how she got it since she had not been out for 2 weeks prior. I probably brought it home. I am asymptomatic as of right now. I take care of her while I work from home for Ricoh taking care of the L3Harris printers.

COVID-19: I work for Ricoh as an essential employee. I support the 169 Ricoh printers in the four L3Harris SAS buildings. I am required to wear a cloth mask when I enter any L3Harris building and I also wear my light running gloves, news links here, here and here. I also do this whenever I enter any public building ... like Wegmans or BJs. I realize that a cloth mask isn't a N95 mask but it's better than nothing. I don't have disposable gloves so I wear light running gloves. I don't want to spread COVID-19 if I am asymptotic (heaven forbid). I have read all the COVID-19 news and have seen the case and death toll rise daily in the world, Europe and the US. I am definitely looking forward to the 11/3/2020 elections. I think there will be just virtual races and no public running races during the rest of 2020, link here.

Sunday, 5/10/2020

20037 steps, 48/137 resting/peak HR, 6:56 hrs sleep, 174.7 lbs, 9 floors climbed
run: 13.15 miles, 1:58:00, 8:58 pace, 312 feet elevation gain, 129 avg HR, 159 avg cadence, 43-48 F, 40% RH, 9 mph W wind, wind chill 38F, mostly cloudy

Today's race was the Bigfoot Virtual Half. Yes, a virtual race that I found last month. I chose not the 5K, not the 10K, but the Half because I like to go big or go home. I didn't choose the full because full marathons and I do not get along (and for good reason as it turned out afterward).


I had run the Fleet Feet Virtual Mile the day before in 7:18 but I had only ran 2.05 miles in total so I figured I was all good. Yes ... it was my 4th day in a row of running but I figured I was made of stern stuff.

Anyway ... I was up early around 6 AM, puttered around a bit with catching up on email, Facebook and having some cereal. I got out there after 8 AM. It was cold on May 10th ... yet again ... so I dressed in my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. Runners who know me can probably know who I am for a distance since I wear basically the same gear all winter (I know what works and stay with it). I used my Nathan Zipster to carry a Hammer Gel flask. I had my MP3 player and new eBay (and cheap) bone conduction earphones along with the run along with my Nathan water bottle. I got everything set (RoadID eCrumb and music) and set out. My left knee and joints (everywhere) hurt a bit but I got up to a nice and easy pace on my Half Marathon route. I felt OK for the first six or seven miles. My earphones died at mile 2.4 (weird ... I had fully charged them the night before). Onward. I saw Eric and Shelia Eagan in their truck as I turned onto Edgemere Drive from Island Cottage ... I waved and they beeped. I had some gulps of Hammer Gel at mile 5 along with some water. My left knee nagged me but I kept running. I had some more gulps of Hammer Gel at mile 10 and more water. Just a 5K but my left knee insisted that I walk a bit more. I was around 1:32 at mile 10. I tried to ignore it as much as I could. I had looked at my Garmin and knew that I would be tight on breaking 2 hours if I did much walking. Onward ... keep going. I turned into Greenleaf Meadows with only 0.2 miles to go ... and ... done with 13.15 miles in 1:58:00. My 40th road half marathon in the books. I did my usual stretches but noted that my left knee really hurt. My splits were: 8:50, 8:44, 8:43, 8:52, 9:03 (Hammer Gel), 9:33, 8:38, 8:33, 9:11, 8:44, 10:18 (Hammer Gel), 8:43, 8:57 and 8:01 over the last 0.15 mile.

I think this shirt is on backwards ...

I got my coffee and sat down for a long while. I did put on my Bigfoot shirt that I had received earlier in the week. You can't put it on until you earn the shirt you know!. I limped the rest of the day when I did get up. It hurt to even balance on my left foot when I took a shower before supper. Oh well ... I will heal. My darling wife, Christine, does worry about me ... but knows that I do stupid stuff sometimes when I run. Monday will be a rest day for sure.

Monday, 5/11/2020: 3891 steps, 47/124 resting/peak HR, 8:22 hrs sleep, 0 (!) floors climbed

Well ... I limped painfully all day. I had to go into 3 of the 4 L3Harris buildings to look after some of the Ricoh printers. I had to be careful not to overstep ... else I felt a really painful twinge from my left knee. Oh ... the joys of running a half marathon when your left knee told you to quit after 4 miles or so. I guess I told it who's in charge ... lol!

Tuesday, 5/12/2020: 973 steps, 46/100 resting/peak HR, 7:19 hrs sleep, 174.4 lbs, floors climbed

Wednesday, 5/13/2020: 343 steps, 46/122 resting/peak HR, 7:39 hrs sleep, 172.9 lbs, 0 (!) floor climbed

Thursday, 5/14/2020: 5420 steps, 46/114 resting/peak HR, 7:13 hrs sleep, 172.3 lbs, 0 (!) floors climbed

Friday, 5/15/2020: 3301 steps, 50/105 resting/peak HR, 8:22 hrs sleep, 173.1 lbs, 2 floors climbed

Saturday, 5/16/2020:

6240 steps, resting/peak HR, hrs sleep, lbs, floors climbed
walk: 3.1 miles, 52:57, 17:04 pace, 62 feet elevation gain, 76 avg HR, 104 avg cadence

I signed up for Medved's Spring Spirit 5K virtual run ... but it turned into a walk. I got up at 5:42 AM, puttered around for a while with email and Facebook, had some cereal, got dressed (shorts, long sleeve tech, buff, light running gloves) and got out there. My left knee was cranky but it had be getting slowly better all week. I walked without pain on Friday. So ... I tried to run ... but both knees (mainly the left though) told me "Not today buddy" ... so I walked to the 7-11 to take back my Redbox DVDs (The Current War and Jumanji: The Next Level) and make a loop until I got to 3.1 miles. I did walk faster the last mile. My splits were: 16:52, 18:40, 15:37 and 17:45 over the last 0.1 mile.

I have been enjoying watching some old NBA games: the 2010 NBA Finals Game 7 Lakers game (Kobe's 5th NBA championship) full YouTube link here and ESPN summary here. The 2016 NBA Finals Game 7 Cleveland Cavs vs Golden State Warriors (with Warriors only scoring 13 in the 4th quarter, the Lebron Block and the Kryrie dagger 3) highlights here, last 3:39 here. Kobe's last game with 60 points, scoring 17 straight points in the 4th, then an assist on the last 2 for the win by 5, link here.

Sunday, 5/3/2020 to Saturday, 5/9/2020 - Fleet Feet Virtual Mile

I ran 5 times for 19.43 miles this week.
I took 47,793 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 my weight.

UPDATE: My darling wife, Christine, is in her 5th week of a suspected COVID-19 illness (or the flu ... who knows). Her symptoms have been mild thankfully. She had a low grade fever that spiked to 103.8 on Monday night, March 30th, She called URMC on Tuesday, March 31st, and was told to self-quarantine. I got her Tylenol which lowered her fever during the rest of that week. She has had a bit of trouble breathing from time to time but it had been taken care of with an inhaler. She is just now starting to get back her strength. We don't know how she got it since she had not been out for 2 weeks prior. I probably brought it home. I am asymptomatic as of right now. I take care of her while I work from home for Ricoh taking care of the L3Harris printers.

Sunday, 5/3/2020

10304 steps, 49/135 resting/peak HR, 7:57 hrs sleep, 173.4 lbs, 16 floors climbed
run: 5.35 miles, 45:45, 8:46 pace, 69 feet elevation gain, 127 avg HR, 162 avg cadence, 57F, 64% RH, 8 mph W wind, sunny

A magnolia on Beach Ave

A flowering tree on the Secret Sidewalk

I got up and out for an achy Out on the pier run. The first 100 yards of the run tried to convince me to stop but I kept on going. It was warmer so I wore shorts and Brooks 1/4 long sleeve pullover. I was a bit overdressed on top by the time I got done. I stopped on Beach Ave and the Secret Sidewalk to take a couple pictures of the blooming trees. My splits were: 

My darling wife, Christine, felt a bit stronger today. She made Mediterranean baked cod with lemon and garlic along french fries. Meanwhile I was keeping busy with 3 loads of laundry. Well ... when I went down to tend to the second load in the washer I saw water on the basement floor. I was worried about a leaky hose or drain but I found that the sink that the washer drains into was clogged. I mopped up the 2 inches of water on the floor by the drain ... which took a while. Meanwhile ... my supper was waiting for me. The french fries were a bit crispy but the supper did taste good. I went down in the middle of the third washer load and was glad I did. The sink was still clogged and needed to be unclogged. I really need to get a better plunger.

It got way warmer during the afternoon. It got up to 73F at the airport but maybe the mid 60s up by  Lake Ontario.

Monday, 5/4/2020: 2635 steps, 47/102 resting/peak HR, 7:33 hrs sleep, 3 stairs climbed

I found my pair of Ryders sunglasses today ... I had left them outside. I think it's time for a new pair!

They got run over by a lawn mower ... with predictable results

Tuesday, 5/5/2020

12333 steps, 47/132 resting/peak HR, 6:36 hrs sleep, 175.0 lbs, 4 stairs climbed
run: 4.45 miles. 40:24, 9:05 pace, 112 feet elevation gain, 124 avg HR, 156 avg cadence, 34F, 67% RH, 6 mph NE wind, wind chill 29F, sunny

A sunrise from the beginning of the pier

I woke up early a bit after 5 AM and knew that I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. I had to get to work a bit early because I had to pull out a jammed Ricoh printer from the L3Harris B101 SCIF for a Ricoh tech to fix. So ... I got out early for a Tuesday morning run. It was less than 2 days after it was 73F on Sunday afternoon ... it was 34! So it was back to my winter running gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, Brooks 1/4 long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I did have to find most of this since I put them in my winter running box. I set up an achy and slow pace when I started out ... my body really wanted me not to got out ... trust me. There was a north breeze and 1 to 2 feet waves on Lake Ontario when I got to the pier so I didn't go out.


My pace was abysmally slow because my knees didn't want to run this morning. My splits were: 9:16, 10:00, 8:46, 8:34 and 8:30 over the last 0.45 mile. I think the 2 mile 10:00 was because I forgot to shut off my Garmin when I took a picture of the sunrise.

Wednesday, 5/6/2020: 504 steps, 50/99 resting/peak HR, 7:54 hrs sleep, 175.0 lbs, 0 (!) floors climbed

Yada, yada, yada ... a no run day. It's kind of hard to climb 0 floors when you live in a 2 floor townhouse with a basement ... lol!

Thursday, 5/7/2020

12413 steps, 47/137 resting/peak HR, 7:06 hrs sleep, 174.2 lbs, 7 floors climbed
run: 5.35 miles, 46:26, 8:40 pace, 98 feet elevation gain, 127 feet elevation gain, 162 avg cadence, 36F, 79% RH, 6 mph SW wind, wind chill 31F, sunny

A sunrise from the end of the pier

I was awake at 5:22 AM ... so why not go out for a run before I did my work-from-home for Ricoh? So ... it was 36F. Back to the usual winter running gear (see Tuesday). My knees felt a bit achy so I took 2 ibuprofen before I headed out. My knees barked for the first 100 yards ... I ignored them ... and continued onward. I was rewarded with another nice sunrise. My pace was a bit better. My splits were: 8:54, 8:48, 8:41, 8:36, 8:27 and 8:29 over the last 0.35 mile. Almost a negative split, baby!

Friday, 5/8/2020

4981 steps, 50/133 resting/peak HR, 6:30 hrs sleep, 173.5 lbs, 11 floors climbed
run: 2.23 miles, 19:36, 8:47 pace, 56 feet elevation gain, 126 avg HR, 160 avg cadence, 40F, 33% RH, 15 mph N wind, wind chill 32F, cloudy

.I ordinarily would not have run today but I chose to run 2.23 miles instead for Ahmanud Arbery. He was a black 25 year old black runner who will murdered on 2/23 in Georgia. A video surfaced this week taken just before he was allegedly murdered by a father/son duo. The father worked in law enforcement for almost 30 years ... which probably explains the 2 months and 3 prosecutors it took for him and his son to be charged with Ahmaud's murder. News links here and here along with a GoFundMe link here, #IRunWithMaud.

Saturday, 5/9/2020

4623 steps, 51/140 resting/peak HR, 8:06 hrs sleep, 173.5 lbs, 5floors climbed
run: 2.05 miles, 17:24, 8:29, 128 avg HR, 162 avg cadence, 30F, 61% RH, 12 mph NW wind, wind chill 20F, partly cloudy

Today's race was the Fleet Feet Virtual Mile. Some runners don't want to run virtual race. This runner misses races so I will run virtual races. It's not the same but it is what it is. There are a lot to choose from so I pick ones that speak to me. I really don't see any road or trail races in the foreseeable future until there is a COVID-19 vaccine. Believe it or not, there are STUPID people that actually will not get it because they don't believe in vaccines!

Anyway ... it was a cold and windy Saturday morning to run a mile race. You still have to race it ... I wasn't going to mail it in. I may have gotten slower but it doesn't mean that I don't want to run the fastest I can on that particular day. It was May 9th ... It's supposed to be Spring ... but it was cold and windy. I wore my usual winter running gear: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I started out fast ... and hung on as best I could. My breathing wasn't very good and I struggled past the 1/2 mile mark. I got it done ... 7:18 pace. My route was just out the Greenleaf Meadows, turn right on Greenleaf Rd. I turned around, walked a bit and then got into a slow run. I was 20th out of 89 runners, link here.

May snow showers ....

The 6th green of the Lake Shore Country Club (about 100 yards away)

I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon coughing. Racing a mile as hard as I could always does that. I remember coughing the same way during the McMullen Mile last year too and it was 40 F warmer too. My darling wife, Christine, made a turkey meatloaf and mashed potatoes for supper. Mmm!