Sunday, 11/7/10 to Saturday, 11/13/10

I ran 4 times this week, 19.35 miles.

Sun, 11/7: Rest day. I watched the Bills (0-8) lose their latest, 19-22, to the Bears. They have lost their last three games by 3 points. Their offense is putting up points , their defense is giving up more ... especially during the four quarter or overtime.

Mon, 11/8: Another rest day. CJ made turkey burgers, cauliflower and salad for supper.

Tue, 11/9: 6.8 miles, 53:29, 7:52 pace, 40F, cloudy, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 3 Y's, long way up, short way back

CJ and I went down to Fleet Feet for the usual Cobbs Hill run ... the first one in the dark. I dressed a bit cool: ls, ss tech shirt, shorts, hat and light gloves. I wore my reflective vest and headlight ... of course. I went up the long way, did 3 Y's, then blazed down Monroe Ave back to the store. A sweet run! CJ did 1.5 Y's, 3.1 miles ... 53 minutes, a PR! Afterward, we had the usual pasta dinner ... yum like usual!

Wed, 11/10: Rest day.

Thu, 11/11: 5 miles, 39:51, 7:58 pace, 44F, night, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Data for Remington's Run #7

CJ and I headed down to Reminton's for the final Remington's Run of the year. I ran the usual 5 miles. Along Winton I encountered CJ resting on the sidewalk. She had tripped on uneven sidewalk. I helped her up. She dusted herself off and walked back to Remington's. I ran on into the night. She was no worse for the wear I found out later. She was a bit peeved because she was really moving ... 11 minutes/mile pace!

Later, after a supply run to the usual Wegmans, CJ made an excellent late dinner of pan-fried catfish, sweet potato fries and salad with shrimp as an appetizer ... yummmmm!

Fri, 11/12: Rest day. CJ would not let me run or even walk. We had a nice pre Dirt Cheap Stage Race pasta dinner.

Sat 9AM, 11/13, 3.15 miles, 29:52, 9:25 pace, 60F, sunny, calm, walked hills, no pain.



Picking my way up one of the steep uphills

After Stage #1
CJ and I had some logistics problems at the first race. We just didn't get out the door quite early enough. I had to pick up my tag at Stewart Lodge, drive the mile over to the corner of Pond Rd and Douglas Rd, then walk a quarter mile up to the start with my gym bag. I arrived about two minutes before the start still needing to put on my trail shoes. I didn't get a chance to stretch or warm up. I looked up at the clock and realized that they were starting people. Lucky for me, it was a time trail start, one runner every 10 seconds. I walked up ... looking for my place in the line. I slipped in my place one person behind the next one to go off. Fifteen seconds later, I was my turn and off I went ... totally unprepared and unstretched. It was a difficult 3 mile course ... it seemed like it was all uphill. I know it's not possible but that's how it seemed. I did OK ... I finished 49th out of 109, results here. I finished 5th out of 13 in my age group, results here. I won a pair of Hex Ryder sunglasses at the raffle after the race.

CJ and I stayed down at Mendon Ponds Park between Race #1 and #2. There was a nice breakfast of pancakes and muffins for the runners after Race #1. It was nice to just chill and rest. The weather warmed up quite nicely.

Sat 1PM, 11/13, 4.45 miles, 40:52, 9:11 pace, 60F, sunny, calm, walking stops, no pain.


The start of Stage #2

The second race at Devil's Bathtub went off well at 1PM. I wore the amber shades in my sunglasses. They really helped me pick out the rocks and roots among all the leaves. I motored along ... walked the hills that I needed to walk, ran the downhills and flats. After a bit, I started running right through the mud ... seeking the straightest line to the finish. The infamous up the stairs finish was tough but I survived. I finished in 48th out of 125, results here. I was 5th out of 13 in my age group, results here.



Many thanks to Fleet Feet for putting on another most excellent event!

Later, after some rest, we had my youngest son over for quick dinner of rotisserie chicken and potato salad. He was the first person who has eaten supper at our apartment ... well, besides us that is!

Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, 10/31/10 to Saturday, 11/6/10

I ran 3 times this week, 29.2 miles.
Month of October, 18 runs in 31 days, 127.55 miles, 7.1 miles/run.
I have run 100 miles a month for the past 4 months!
Up to end of October 2010, 132 runs in 304 days, 850.05 miles, 6.4 miles/run.

Sun, 10/31, run #1: 3.15 miles, 36:10, 11:26, 44F, cloudy, calm, multiple stops, a bit of ankle pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for DCSR #1 - Group run

I headed down to Mendon Ponds Park for a group run of the Dirt Cheap Stage Race, Stages 1 and 2. It was an easy run with lots of stops, lots of leaves, lots of stuff to tweak my left ankle on. Somewhere it happened. I kept on running but I could feel it somewhere during this run.

Sun, 10/31, run #2: 1.15 miles, 9:22 pace, 44F, cloudy, calm, a bit of ankle pain.

Group run from DCSR #1 to DCSR #2 - Devil's Bathtub

We ran from the start of DCSR #1 over to Devil's Bathtub where DCSR #2 starts. In hindsight, I should have turned around and went back to my car ... my ankle was starting to hurt.

Sun, 10/31, run #3: 2.65 miles, 33:22, 12:33 pace, 44F, cloudy, calm, more ankle pain.

About 1/2 of DCSR #2 - Group run

We started to run the DCSR #2 course with the infamous up the stairs finish. My left ankle started to feel worse, I started to lag behind and eventually lost contact with the group. I kind of knew where I was so I started walking onward. Eventually, I saw where I was in relation to Douglas Rd and walked back to my car. Back home, I started to RICE ... rest, ice, compression and elevation. It aches a bit.Mon, 11/1: Rest night. CJ and I did laundry at the laundromat. Then we had a quiet dinner of leftover chicken, baked potato and salad. Leftover rotisserie chicken is tasty! My left ankle feels much better.

I signed up for the Mendon Trails 50K on Saturday, 11/6. Just 5 loops of 10K with 1100 feet of vertical climb per loop. I am certifiable for sure!

Tue, 11/2: 6.2 miles, 50:21, 8:07 pace, 42F, clear, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 3 Y's

CJ and I went down to Fleet Feet for the usual Cobbs Hill run. It was a bit chilly ... but I still work a ls tech with a ss tech over it and shorts. I went out a bit slow. I warmed up as I did 3 Y's. I saw CJ on her trips up the reservoir.

Afterward, we went out and voted for the candidates of our choice. Later, we caught up on the latest episode of Castle.

Wed, 11/3: Rest night. CJ made a most excellent supper of round steak, stuffing and salad ... mmmm!

Thu, 11/4: Rest night. CJ made another excellent supper of fish and shells! A nice relaxing night ...

Fri, 11/5: 4.1 miles, about 8:30 pace, 38F, dusk, light mist, no stops, no pain.

It rained a steady mist all day but I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Friday night Happy Hour run. I met up with John and told him that I would like run easy. We did. It was a dreary run but enjoyable, good for a pre-50K tuneup. CJ went down separately and walked with the walking group. We prepared the usual pre-race pasta dinner.

Sat, 11/6: 19.3 miles, 36F, light mist and snow, multiple stops, some joint pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Mendon Trail 50K attempt

I went down to the East Lodge at Mendon Trails 50K, 5 loops of 10K. CJ was my support crew. It was cold with a light mist. I started out with a ls and ss tech top, jacket, shorts and pants. I wore light gloves. I started out OK with a first loop of 1:05 along with Chris. I slowed a bit on the second loop of 1:12. A light snow started to fall during the first loop and part of the second loop. I changed my gloves and hat before I started the third loop. During the third loop ... the wheels started to come off. All of a sudden I started to run out of energy and had some joint pain on the right side. I finally came in at 1:25. I tried to eat and drink enough to go back out again but decided that I had been through enough for the day. The results are here ... I am down at the bottom with the DNFs.

CJ helped me over the East Lodge to eat something. When I took off my light gloves I saw that I had white fingertips on my right hand which CJ tried to warm up. CJ drove home. I had some lunch and went to bed for a long nap. My mistakes were many ... I didn't hydrate enough, didn't carry gels (I forgot), didn't dress properly. I probably could have continued to walk the next two loops but I wanted to run but just could not ... it hurt to run or even shuffle. Clint as Dirty Harry said in Magnum Force, "A man has to know his limitations". There will be other races, other days.

After I woke up, CJ made an excellent supper of ribs, sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Mmmm ... tasty!

Sunday,10/24/10 to Saturday, 10/30/10

I ran 4 times this week, 25.9 miles.

Sun, 10/24: 12 miles, 2:05:44, 10:29 pace, 65F, cloudy, calm, multiple stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Running Around Mendon Ponds

CJ and I managed to get out to Mendon Ponds at 3PM. It was a perfect day, 65F and cloudy. We parked up on the hill at the Devil's Bathtub. I set out ... got lost several times. The trails in that area of the park at not too well marked. I ran on the bright blue, red, pink and green trails at various. I tried to make it to the bottom of Devil's Bathtub so I could run up the stairs. I eventually made it back, then ran down and back up the stairs. A long run ... I found mud for sure! CJ hiked 1.78 miles.

Mon, 10/25: Rest night. We learned via Facebook that a fellow runner, Dave, was murdered on Sunday night, link here and here. Senseless violence ... words escape me. I had said "Hi" to him, CJ had talked with him.

Tue, 10/26: 6.8 miles, 55:03, 8:06 pace, 68F(!), dusk, a bit windy, 2 stops for hydration, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 3 Y's, long way back

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Cobbs Hill run. CJ dropped me off and then up to Riley Lodge for her walking group. Ellen said some heartwarming words about Dave before we headed off. I did the usual 3 Y's, ran hard a bit with Bill, went the long way back. My headlight was needed on the way back. The usual supply run to Wegmans ensued as well as a pasta dinner.

We watched Iron Man 2 from redbox.com after supper. Then I tried to watch the Lakers first home game of the season versus Houston ... I was mostly successful. They ended up winning by 2 with some drama at the end ... that I slept through.

Wed, 10/27: Rest night. We watched Twilight from Netflix.com. A pretty good movie!

Thu, 10/28: Another rest night. It was a long day at work and my feet were killing me. CJ cooked up a beef stew and biscuits. We had German chocolate with pecan coconut frosting ... yum! We caught up on some DVRed shows: Castle, Hawaii Five-O and NCIS.

Fri, 10/29: 4 miles, 30:02, 7:30 pace, 44F, dusk, a bit windy, just traffic stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Backwards Happy Hour run

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Friday night Happy Hour run. Since it was the last Friday of the month, we ran it backwards. I started out a bit slow but kept it on. Good warm up for Pumpkins in the Park tomorrow morning!

Sat, 10/30: 3.1 miles, 22:12, 7:10 pace, 46F, cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Pumpkins in the Park 5K ... forgot to turn off the Garmin

CJ and I headed down to Cobbs Hill for our first Pumpkins in the Park. A whole bunch of people in costume for sure! I headed out hard, 7:04 pace. I slowed a bit in the hills, then up the reservoir, 15:00. Then downhill to mile 3, 21:30. I finished in 22:12 ... pretty darn good for such a hilly course. I cooled down, then walked out to CJ and walked her in at 56:56, a PR! Afterward, I checked the results, found that I had finished 31st out of 467 and 1st in my 50-54 age group, link here! I got a plaque at the award ceremony!


Before the start

The bling ... my first plaque! Meet Fleet Feet Pete!
The rest of day we just lazed around. CJ went to bed early after we wated a DVR'ed NCIS-LA. Then I watched Transformers ... kind of loud, it's a guy thing.



Keeping active, Doug

Sunday, 10/17/11 to Saturday, 10/23/10

I ran 5 times this week, 33.6 miles

Sun, 10/17: 10.2 miles, 1:43:39, 10:06 pace, 60F, some stops, no pain.

FLT north from Parade Grounds

CJ and I went down to the Parade Grounds entrance of Letchworth State Park to try the Finger Lakes Trail from the south going north. I headed out, made it through 2 gates ... and went to what I thought was the trail which went into the mud of a creek. I tried to backtrack but got sort of lost. I ended running in a loop to put in mileage so I wouldn't get totally lost. CJ walked my straight line route and turned around before she headed into the mud that I went into. Now that I have looked at the Garmin satellite view and the FLT map, we can see where we went astray. Oops!

My compliments to CJ, she is the girl for me! Some girls would have liked to stay home ... she went down to Letchworth and walked trail on a beautiful fall day! She wants to be a active girl ... yahoo! I'll make a trail runner out of her yet!

Sun: 6.4 miles, 1:10:22, 10:59 pace, 58F, 1 stop for hydration and gel at the turn, no pain.

FLT south from the dam


Another view of the gorge

A view of the gorge

A view from the edge, a mile south from the dam

After the run from the dam

On the way back, we stopped at the dam entrance. I went back out 3.1 miles, then back 3.3 miles. I was very careful not to trip on roots ... especially on the way back when I knew I was tired.Mon, 10/18: Well deserved rest day. I didn't sleep well on Sunday night, felt like crap all day, survived on caffeine and determination. I think I am bit allergic to fall. Went to bed early.

Tue, 10/19: 6.7 miles, 53:24, 7:58 pace, 50F, dusk, calm, 1 stop for hydration and light, no pain.

FF Cobbs Hill run, 3 Y's, long way back

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the Tuesday night Cobbs Hill run. I did 3 Y's and took the long way back. I stopped at the bottom before I headed back to hydrate and put on my headlight. CJ did a 1.8 mile walk with the walking group.

I felt a bit better today but still had allergies. But staying home from a run was not even an option. A rolling stone gathers no mosss. We stopped at Wegmans for supplies. We ate a leisurely chicken and potato salad dinner. Later, we had cherry pie and vanilla ice cream for dessert. Yummm!

Wed, 10/20: 3.2 miles, walk with CJ, 55F, sunny, a bit windy, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Walk with CJ

CJ and I got out for a nice walk around the neighborhood. It got a bit chilly by the time we got done.

Thu, 10/21: 6.2 miles, Garmin died, 42F, dusk, light rain at the start, no stops, no pain.

I got home and knew I needed to run, no matter what. It was tough getting out the door. My Garmin died pretty quickly but I continued onward. There was a light rain at the start that went away after 20 minutes. I think I ran about a 8:00 pace. I ran up Seneca to Titus to Winona, then up to Cooper Rd. I ran back down St Paul to Ridge and back. It felt good to get out.

Fri, 10/22: 4.2 miles, 31:40, 7:32 pace, 50F, dusk, cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Happy Hour run

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Friday night Happy Hour run. I had someone keeping my pace for a little over 2 miles. I pushed up the Highland Ave slight grade, lost him and blazed down Monroe Ave like usual. A sweet run! CJ walked 2.2 miles. She has been out four times this week!

Sat, 10/23: A perfect rest day ...

Sunday, 10/3/10 to Saturday, 10/9/10

I ran 3 times this week, 25.3 miles.

Sun, 10/3: 9 miles, 1:29:23, 9:56 pace, 50F, cloudy, a bit windy, damp, no pain.

CJ and I headed down to Mendon Ponds Park for the Autumn Classic Trail Race. There was a lot of stuff going on ... a 4.5 and 9 mile trail race and a Formula 1 and Sprint Duathlon. I was there for the 9 miler, 2 loops of 4.5 miles on the hilly Blue and Green trail. It was a long, hard course .. but I settled in with a good speed and finished strong. I was 31st out of 67, results here. I was 6th out of 14 in my age group, results here.

The rest of the day was lazy ... reading the Sunday paper, watching a bit of the Bills going down to 0-3 against the Jets, taking a nap. We watched Alice in Wonderlandfrom Netflix later in the evening.Tue, 10/5: 6.8 miles, 56:13, 8:17 pace, 48F, cloudy, a light mist, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobb's Hill run, 3 Y's, long way back

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the Tuesday Cobb's Hill run. I ran up, did 3 Y's and took the long way back. CJ went to the walking workout and did 30 minutes. We hit up Little Casear's for $5 pizza on the way back.

On the positive side, I got my new RoadID. I choose a blue Wrist ID Elite Interactive. CJ almost cut the wrist band too tight but it fits ... barely. Here is a link to a $1 off coupon good until 10/30.

Thu, 10/7: Another rest day. I wanted to run but was held up until 5:30PM at work due to a meeting that ran long (which meeting doesn't?) and then finished up some paperwork.

Fri, 10/8: 9.5 miles, 1:17:22, 8:08 pace, 68F, sunny, windy, dry, 3 mini stops for hydration, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Up to Cobbs Hill, 5 loops, back long way

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Friday night Happy Hour run. I had decided that I needed to run long so I warned CJ that I would be a while before I was back. I ran up the usual route to the Cobbs Hill reservoir ... then did 5 loops and took the same way back. It was so dry that I barely worked up a sweat but I did stop 3 times for a mini hydration break. CJ went out with the walking group for 2 miles.

Sat, 10/9: Rest day. Didn't do much.

Sunday, 10/10/10 to Saturday, 10/16/10

I ran 4 times this week, 30.7 miles

Sun, 10/10: 12.4 miles, , 8:49 pace, 42-60F, sunny, calm, 3 stops , no pain.

20K - Up to the lake

I wanted to run at least 10.1 miles on 10/10/10 at 10:10 AM. So I headed down to the lake ... more or less straight down St Paul St, 5.2 miles. When I got to the lake I dipped my Brooks in the lake and ran along the beach. I thought about the runners I knew in the Chicago and Steamtown marathons. One of these days I will run another marathon ... maybe. My left knee ached a bit after my run.Mon, 10/11: Rest day. CJ said I deserved a steak dinner. Who am I to argue? We headed out to Kennan's Restaurant for dinner. I had steak and cake, CJ had scallops. Yummm!

Tue, 10/12: 9.2 miles, 1:19:22, 8:30 pace, 48F, sunny to dusk, clear, no wind, 1 stop, no pain.

Zoo trail up to Thomas Ave

I needed to run trail. I didn't want to drive so I headed out to the east Seneca Park Zoo trail out to Thomas Ave and back. I ran at a pretty good pace out (4.55 miles, 37:04, 8:09 pace, hydrated at the turn and an easy 8:52 pace back. Dusk was setting in on the way back ... I thought my headlight didn't need batteries. Boy, was I wrong! I am lucky that I didn't trip or worse! A nice run, nicely dressed in shorts, a long sleeve tech top, reflective vest, light gloves and my orange hat.

Wed, 10/13: Rest day. CJ made a most excellent pot roast along with a baked potato and broccoli. She is a good cook, I am so glad that she is in my life since Labor Day, 2009. Hugs and kisses, my darling!

Thu, 10/14: 5 miles, 39:01, 7:48 pace, 48F, a light mist, no stops, no pain.

Remington's Run #6

CJ and I headed down to Remington's. It was a bit damp, a light mist to light rain was falling ... but we went regardless. I headed out for 5 miles, ran easy and turned a 7:48 pace. CJ walked two miles.

Fri, 10/15: 4.1 miles, 31:32, 7:40 pace, 48F, a light mist, a bit windy, no stops, no pain.

FF Happy Hour run

I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Friday night Happy Hour run. I gave a thought or two of bagging it since it was kind of a raw night, a light mist to a light rain, a bit windy, maybe 50F. But when I came home from work, CJ was still washing clothes so I went forth. There were only 7 runners and maybe a few more walkers. I found someone who wanted to run my pace ... we were both cold and needed to run fast to keep warm, no detour up the reservoir this time. An easy 7:58, a 8:04, a 7:49 and a quick 6:58 down Monroe Ave.

Sat, 10/16: Rest day. CJ and I went out to Newark to see two of my kids. I had a bit of allergy headache that was made worse by exposure to cats and trying to fix a vacuum cleaner which had a broken belt. Then we went over to see my father at the Wayne County Nursing Home. He was happy to see us.

Sunday, 9/26/10 to Saturday, 10/2/10

I ran 4 times this week, 30.6 miles.
Month of September, 118.1 miles, 17 runs in 30 days, 6.9 miles/run
Up to the end of September, 722.5 miles, 114 runs in 273 days, 6.3 miles/run

Sun, 9/26: 10.6 miles, 1:26:43, 8:10 pace, 50F, sunny, calm, 1 stop, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Up to the lake and back

I managed to get out around 9:20AM for a long run. I had a bit of trouble convincing myself since it was only 46F ... in a couple of months that will be warm! But once outside, I thought that I was just being a wuss!

I put on my new green Brooks Adrenaline GTS10s and headed down to the lake. After 5.2 miles I christened them by dipping them in Lake Ontario. I stopped for about 4 minutes to walk along the beach and hydrate. Then I headed back for 5.4 miles. A nice run, nice sun, nice temp!

CJ's daughter and her bf were in town from Cleveland. We met up and headed to the lake. We ate at Bill Gray's on Lake Shore by the swing bridge. We gabbed and wished them well as they motored back to Cleveland. After a brief respite, I put some seal restorer in my Grand Am to hopefully help the transmission, changed the oil at the 245K mark and cleaned it out. Then I finally cleaned out CJ's car. CJ helped by cleaning all the windows in both cars. All in all, a nice relaxing Sunday.

Mon, 9/27: Rest day. CJ made an excellent dinner of salmon, rice, broccoli and salad ... yum! We spent a quiet evening catching up on some reading then watched the latest episode of Hawaii Five-O of network TV ... wow.

Tue, 9/28: 7 miles, 55:47, 7:57 pace, 70F, 1 stop for hydration, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 3 Y's, long way back

I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Cobbs Hill run. I ran kind of hard, 3 Y's and took the long way back. A sweet run, nice temp, nice wind! CJ wanted to walk but was held by lots of people hogging machines at the laundromat. CJ made the usual excellent pasta with salad for dinner.

Thu, 9/30: 7.5 miles, 59:53, 7:59 pace, 58F, cloudy, light rain to mist, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Up to Thomas Ave and back

I waited for most of the all day rain to mostly subside before heading out around 6PM. I took it nice, easy and just enjoyed the run. I was rewarded by a faint rainbow for my effort as I was coming up Ridge from St Paul. CJ made me up an electrolyte drink when I got back. At the risk of TMI ... I should have worn some Body Glide before I headed out. But ending on a positive note ... I have run 100+ miles for the third straight month! My goal is to keep it up!

We caught up on a DVR'ed Fringe. I tried to go to sleep early but just couldn't get to sleep for a while.

Fri, 10/1: 5.1 miles, 38:27, 7:32 pace, 60F, sunny, a bit windy, no stop, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Happy Hour run + loop

CJ and I went down to Fleet Feet for the usual Friday night Happy Hour run. I thought about doing an easy run ... I did start a bit slow but my first mile was 7:27 so I just kept it up and concentrated on my form. I ended up running a pretty awesome 7:32 pace even factoring in the slow down of the Cobbs Hill reservoir. My lap times were: 7:27, 7:43, 8:03, 7:23, 7:10. I was surprised to say the least. CJ walked about 3 miles. CJ and I signed up for Pumpkins in the Park 5K and I signed up the Dirt Cheap Stage Race.

We hit up Wegmans for supplies on the way back. Then we settled in for a late supper of chicken and potatoes. We caught up on DVR'ed Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.

Sat, 10/2: Rest day. Just your usual lazy Saturday. Pizza for lunch, sandwiches for supper. We caught up on a DVR'ed NCIS: LA.

Sunday, 9/19/10 to Saturday, 9/25/10

I ran 4 times this week, 28.8 miles.

Sun, 9/19: 7.7 miles, 65:02, 8:26 pace, 56F, cloudy, damp, 1 stop for hydration, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Run to Wildmere Drive and back

I headed out around 9:30AM for a nice, easy run. I headed up Seneca to Titus to Cooper to St Paul. I turned around at Wildmere and headed back down St Paul, side trip on Winona, back to Ridge and home. It wasn't the best run. My left edge of my left foot hurt ... probably due to the old shoes. Oh well!

After a bit, CJ and I headed down to the Palmyra VFW for my father's 85th birthday party. We rented a van and 'sprang' him out of the nursing home for a bit. Afterward, my brother, sister, CJ and I went to Parker's Restaurant in Newark for a bite to eat and to catch up. A good time was had by all!

Mon, 9/20: Rest day.

After a day of work, CJ and I just relaxed ... a good time was had by all :-). The network shows are starting up, we watched Chuck and Castle. Thank goodness, we have a DVR plus you can watch shows on the internet!

Tue, 9/21: 6.1 miles, 51:22, 8:26 pace, FF Cobbs Hill run, 78F, sunny, calm, 1 stop for hydration, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 3 Y's

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Cobbs Hill run. It was the last day of summer and fittingly it was warm: 78F, sunny but not humid. I ran up in an easy pace and did 3 Y's. CJ went to the Fleet Feet Walking Program.

After a stop to Wegmans for some supplies, we had our usual pasta dinner. We watched our usual Tuesday shows: NCIS and NCIS:LA off the DVR.

Wed, 9/22: Rest night. Just your old fashioned left-over dinner.

Thu, 9/23: 10 miles, 1:27;42, 8:46 pace, Zoo trail run, 72F, sunny, calm, 1 stop, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Zoo trail run up to Rourke Bridge and back

I went out for a nice Zoo trail run. I went out to the Rourke Bridge and back. I got there in 4.6 miles, 37:50, 8:13 pace. I hydrated for 2 minutes or so, then headed back: 5.4 miles, about 47:52, 8:52 pace. I built up a nice sweat, it was pretty sweet! CJ went out to Planet Fitness for a 26 mile bicycle ride burning 400-ish calories.

We watched a DVR'ed Fringe and Grey's Anatomy. Nice!

Fri, 9/24: 5 miles, 41:27, 8:17 pace, 85F, sunny, windy, 4 stops for hydration, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Happy Hour run + loop

CJ and I went down to Fleet Feet for the usual Friday night Happy Hour run. Since it was the last Friday of the month, it was backwards. It was hot and somewhat humid, I stopped 4 times for hydration ... still I ran 8:17 pace. I must have been running faster than what I felt, I felt sluggish. But you can't argue with the Garmin I guess. CJ walked 2.7 miles. I was a bit worried when she wasn't back when it started to get a bit dark.

After the run, I spent some money. I signed up for the Fleet Feet Autumn Class Trail Race. I also took advantage of the Expo sale and hooked myself up with a pair of green Brooks Adrenaline GTS10s in size 13 for only $80, a sweet $20 off! I can finally retire my old blue pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS9s with 713.6 miles on them! Yes, they were getting way long in the tooth ... they had definitely lost more than a bit of cushion!

We watched a DVR of Monday's Hawaii Five-O.

Sat, 9/25: A rest day. After a lazy morning, CJ and I headed out to Newark to get my father's mail from his PO Box and to get my hair cut at Mason's. Maybe I should get a barber up in Rochester ... I have only lived up here for almost 2 years.

Supper was exceptional. CJ made a shrimp salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and mushrooms! We washed it down with some Hardy's Riesling.

Sunday, 9/12/10 to Saturday, 9/18/10

I ran 4 times this week, 29.3 miles.

Sun, 9/12: 14.1 miles, 2:01:04, 8:35 pace, 60F, overcast, humid, 2 stops for gel and water, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Up to the lake and more

I didn't run the Rochester Marathon or Half this year again. So I headed out around 9AM to go at least 13.1 miles. I headed down to the lake as usual. I took a slightly different route. I headed down Seneca to Titus to Cooper to St Paul to Lake Shore to the lake. I ran slowly along the beach. I discovered that I had accidentally stopped my Garmin on the way down. I estimate that I shut it off for 0.9 miles or 7:12 while I was running 8:00 pace. It was not the greatest run. I ran OK down to the lake but not so well back from the lake. I ran faster down to the lake but slower from the lake ... like usual. But a run is always better than no run.

Kudos to all the runners in the Rochester full, half and relay marathon today. Maybe next year ...

Tue, 9/14: 5.3 miles, 44:40, 8:25 pace, 64F, sunny, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 2 y's, 1 hill

I went down to Fleet Feet for just your average Cobbs Hill run. I did 2 Y's plus ran down and up the hill on the left hand Y for good measure. I didn't push since Dirt Cheap #6 is tomorrow.

Wed, 9/15: 3.7 miles, 38:02, FF DC #6, 60F, sunny, calm, walked some hills, no pain.


Actually 38:02 ... I forgot to turn off my Garmin!

Taken just before a big downhill that Barb warned us about
CJ and I headed down to Ellison Park Wetlands for the final Fleet Feet Dirt Cheap of the year. The weather was excellent, there was just a bit of mud. I started out too fast and had to let some people pass to catch my wind. I did pretty well actually. I finished 58th out of 174, results here. I finished 5th out of 13 in my age group, results here.

Thu, 9/16: 3.05 mile walk, Benches on Parade, 65F, cloudy, rainy, a bit of knee pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Benches on Parade

CJ and I went down to Henry B's for Fleet Feet's Benches on Parade scavenger run/walk. We headed out to collect a piece of a puzzle from each of 20 painted benches. It was a warm, sometimes rainy night. We were a bit damp when we got back to Henry B's to assemble our puzzle and scarf some appetizers! Then it was back to the apartment to celebrate my 53rd birthday!

Fri, 9/17: 6.2 miles, 49:49, 8:02 pace, FF Happy Hour run, 60F, 1 stop for hydration, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Happy Hour run + 2 loops

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Friday night Happy Hour run. I ran a bit hard. I did the usual route plus I added 2 loops around the reservoir. I was dripping wet with sweat when I finished. A nice, sweet workout. CJ baked me a nice chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for my birthday! Yum, yum!

Sat, 9/18: CJ and I took a road trip down to Painted Post near Corning. We met her brother and his wife at an Applebees for lunch. Afterward we made a side trip over to Houghton to try to see my daughter. We learned that she was at the Lower Falls at Letchworth State Park. We tried to met up with her but later learned that she was on the west side and we were on the east side. We were at the Parade Grounds entrance where we saw the south entrance of the Finger Lakes Trail heading north. It was compelling ... just thinking about putting on my trail running gear that I just so happened to have in the trunk and just heading north. I so wanted to do it ... just for the fun. But ... we motored home instead. Some day soon I want to run south from the Dam all the way to the Parade Grounds just to prove to myself that I can do it. It will require a bit of planning though ... and 3 to 4 hours of trail running.

Sunday, 9/5/10 to Saturday, 9/11/10

I ran 3 times this week, 15.6 miles.

Sun, 9/5: A definite rest day for both CJ and I. The most exercise I got was walking to get the Sunday paper. We did get out to pay the rent on the apartment, her storage unit and to the Racino out in Farmington. Lots of people and slot machines. We tried our luck ... entertainment was had, luck was not.

Mon, 9/6: Happy Labor Day! CJ and I lazed around ... celebrating the first anniversary of our first meeting in 32 years on 9/5/09, last Labor Day. So ... we celebrated one day late, we were resting up ;-)! My long long love, CJ, and I are together ... enjoying life together!

Tue: 9/7: 5.5 miles, walked some hills, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Ellison Park Wetlands White Trail

CJ and I didn't want to run or walk on the road. CJ suggested the Ellison Park Wetlands. A good idea since I will be running the Dirt Cheap there 2 Thursday from now. I went out on the White trail and came back on the White and Red trails. CJ walked almost up to the gazebo. She took a tumble just before she turned around. She tripped her left foot on a root and landed on her right side, skinned her right knee and got dirty. I tried to take a pic of her first trail injury but she deleted it because it "didn't look pretty" ... trail running is about the unknown, the mud, the injuries. Yes, I got another blister on top of my left pinkie toe ... I really have to look into how my trail Salamons are affecting my poor toe!

Thu: 9/9: 5 miles, Remington's Run, 58F, cloudy, no stops, no pain.

CJ and I went down to Remington's for a nice bit of exercise. I ran the 5 miles without a Garmin ... I think I ran around a 8:00 min or less pace. CJ walked 2.6 miles. She ran a bit with the pack before walking the rest of the way. A nice after the run spread and conversation.

Fri: 9/10: 5.1 miles, Happy Hour run, 64F, sunny, calm, 1 stop for hydration, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Happy Hour run + loop

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the Friday night Happy Hour run. As usual, I did my usual 4.1 mile run plus a loop around the Cobbs Hill reservoir. I ran a bit hard, 7:57 pace, even up the hills to the reservoir. A nice, sweet, sweaty run. CJ walked 2 miles.

Sat, 9/11: A 'wham-bam" trip to Cleveland to pick up the last of CJ's stuff that didn't fit into the 10' U-Haul truck at the end of June. It just amazed me that the new residents moved her stuff, seemed to have gone through it and then put some of their stuff in her boxes. Words were exchanged between the CJ and the new residents, we were there 30 minutes. But it is done.

On the bright side, on the way back I took the free $10 that the Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie PA gave me as a new player and walked out with $12.50. A long drive with just sandwiches, cookies to eat and coffee, Diet Pepsi to drink all day. We did have apple pie a la mode when we got back to Rochester. Yum!