Sunday, 10/211 to Saturday, 10/8/11

I ran 3 times this week, 18.5 miles

Sunday, 10/2/11: 6.31 miles, 1:01:26, 9:44 pace, 50F, partly cloudy, 3 walks, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Mendon Ponds Park - Blue and Green trail

The weather Sunday morning was quite wet ... around the mid 40s and a driving rain. I thought of the people who were doing the Du down at Mendon Ponds Park. I felt like a wuss but stayed in. The weather improved and I made it down to Mendon Ponds Park around 1:30PM. I decided to wear my Garmin like usual and also try out the iMapMyRun app on my Commando. So I started up the app, stowed the phone in my Spibelt, kicked off my Garmin and headed out. I just ran nice and easy. I avoided the mud initially but after a while ... not so much. The sun actually came out for a bit and it warmed up. I thought about heading out for another run of the Blue but decided that 6.3 miles was enough ... maybe next week.

I am not so enthused with the iMapMyRun app. It took about a minute to mess with my phone to start and stop the app but it only tallied 6.07 miles. My Garmin ... just hit the Start/Stop button twice. Though it was geeky and cool to upload my run to Facebook before I headed home.

Well, the Buffalo Bills won't be going undefeated. They headed down to play the Cincinnati Bengals. They had a 14 point halftime lead. Then the Bengals did the same thing to the Bills as the Bills did to the Raiders and Patriots ... kick a game winning field goal as time expired, link here. Alas!

Christine cooked up the shoulder roast, potatoes and peas ... yummmm! We settled in to watch DVR'd episodes of Charlie's Angels and Grey's Anatomy.

Monday, 10/3/11: Rest day.

A very busy day at work with lots of running around. Then we headed out to do laundry. Like last week, Christine headed out to do her "No-Bo" workout ... this time on the treadmill at Planet Fitness. She said that the 'mill was easier on his legs.

We ate leftover chicken, potatoes and peas ... still yummy! We settled in to watch DVR'd episodes of The Mentalist and Pan Am.

Tuesday, 10/4/11: 6.01 miles, 47:03, 7:50 pace, 60F, partly cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.

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

Christine had a rest night from "No-Bo", so I headed down to Fleet Feet solo. I was already signed up for next Saturday's Run for Hospice 5K so I put in race entries for this Saturday's Scarecrow 5K, Pumpkins in the Park on 10/29, the Dirt Cheap Stage Race on 11/12-13 and the Webster Turkey Trot on 11/24. I got Brooks Fleet Feet Racing Team discounts on the last three entries ... sweet! I also signed Christine up for her "No-Bo" graduation race, the Webster Turkey Trot. Then I headed out with Bill Beyerbach. We started slow up Monroe Ave, then started picking off runners. When we got up to Cobbs Hill we settle into a routine ... pounding up each Y and running easy down each Y. Then we jetted down Monroe Ave back to Fleet Feet. So ... it was a tempo run at pretty much full throttle!

Christine cooked up a roaster chicken with peas for supper ... mmmm! Then after catching up on what was going on internet-wise, we settled down to watch a DVR'd episode of Private Practice.

Just a shout out to my darling, Christine. Thank you for dragging me into 123Shoes so I could buy a pair of black Clarks Wave shoes. They were a way bit more than I wanted to pay but after a month I would have to say I haven't complained about my feet hurting ... and I do a lot of walking!

Wednesday, 10/5/11: 6.2 miles, 47:38, 7:40 pace, 60F, sunny, calm, 1 stop at the turn, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Genesee Valley Park - East on the Canal Trail

Christine and I went down to Genesee Valley Park for her usual Wednesday "No-Bo" workout. I went out east on the Canal Trail for 5K in 23:37, 7:37 pace. I took a break at the turn before heading back in 24:01, 7:45 pace. A nice workout! Christine had a painful workout ... her left thigh and both shins were hurting.

Thursday, 10/6/11: Rest day.

Just your average day. I rented Transformers: Dark of the Moon from the local Redbox. Excellent flick ... Shia LaBeouf is still the man, Megan Fox was quickly forgotten since Rosie Huntington-Whiteley just oozes curves and sex appeal. Yes, we knew who was going to win but it's a sci-fi action movie and yes, I like to play it loud! Yeah, baby!

Friday, 10/7/11: Rest day.

I walked with Christine during her 4800 step "No-Bo" workout around our neighborhood. She has made progress. Afterward, we had a leftover dinner of chicken, stuffing and corn. We settled down with DVR'd episodes of Hawaii Five-O and Castle.

Saturday, 10/8/11: 3.1 miles, 20:41, 6:40 pace, 60F, sunny, calm, no stops, no pain.


We went in separate directions in the morning and met up afterward. Christine was off first to her "No-Bo" workout at the JCC. I headed off with Bill Beyerbach to Fairport for the Scarecrow 5K, a RROY race. My idea was run with Heather and Bill. The race started out fast. We were all together at mile 1, 6:25 pace. Heather pulled away first, then Bill. I caught Bill at mile 2, 6:43 pace. I just hung on in mile 3, 6:49 ... I just hoped that the finish line was somewhere close. I ran the last tenth in 6:23. I was kind of disappointed to run a 20:41 (10 seconds off my PR) but I did the best I could. Heather ran a 6 second PR at 19:58 and Bill ran a 13 second PR at 20:52.

The start!

Heather en route to a 19:58 PR!

 Me en route to a 20:41.

 Bill en route to a 20:52 PR!

I ran well, 53th out of 539, results here. I placed 3rd out of 31 in my M50-54 age group, results here. Bill picked up my award, a SafeJourney handtowel.

Christine and I met up after the race, once she found a parking spot in the bustling and busy village of Fairport. We toured a farmer's market that was being held nearby. We headed to the Starbucks on Monroe Ave before heading out to Newark to see my youngest son before he went off to work. We stopped by my Aunt Pat's house in Palmyra before heading home.

Meanwhile down in Canandaigua, the Can Lake 50 went on for the ultrarunner gang in unseasonably high temperatures.

Autumn in the Finger Lakes

Chris Washburn

Tom Butler finishing the 50 miles!

Kudos to all those who ran!

Sunday, 9/25/11 to Saturday, 10/1/11

I ran 3 times this week, 13.80 miles

Sunday, 9/25/11: Yet, yet another rest day.

My right rib still hurts when I move. I really wanted to run this morning down in Mendon Ponds Park. But ... it seems to be getting better.

Christine and I spent the usual lazy Sunday morning when I don't run. She made french toast for breakfast ... mmmm! Then we settled into watching the Buffalo Bills play the New England Patriots. The Bills were down 21-0 quickly but pulled withing 21-10 at half, then 21-17. The Patriots went to 24-17 but the Bills scored 2 TDs to go to 31-24 before the Patriots pulled even at 31-31. Then the Bills scored on the last play to win 34-31, link here, to go to 3-0! Later, we caught up on Rooster and the latest episodes of The Mentalist, Hawaii Five-O and Fringe.

Monday, 9/26/11: Yet, yet, yet another rest day.

Christine and I did laundry. While I babysat the laundry, Christine went out for a "No-Bo" workout. I was so proud of her! A late pasta supper ensued plus some DVR'd episodes of NCIS and NCIS: LA.

Tuesday, 9/27/11: Yet, yet, yet another rest day.

I really wanted to go down to Fleet Feet for the first Hills workout but my right rib still hurt. It has really distressed me … but then I realized that back in May 2009 when I cracked a right rib due to a fall doing the Sehgahunda that I didn’t run for 8 days. It has only been 6 days.

Christine went down to Fleet Feet for the Women's Health Talk. Afterward, we watched some DVR’d Charlie's Angels and Grey’s Anatomy.

Wednesday, 9/28/11: 4.6 miles, 39:05, 8:30 pace, 70F, cloudy, light rain, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Genesee Valley Park – out the River Trail, back the Greenway Trail

It was raining and it rained even more on the way to Genesee Valley Park … but it was “No-Bo” night so out we went. Other people might have stayed home. The rain let up a bit once we got there. I went out for a really nice and easy run out the Riverway Trail to where the Greenway Trail hits Scottsville Rd and back. On the way back I passed a lot of the “No-Bo” 2.0 people on their way back. I gave encouragement to most of them as I passed. My right rib didn't bother me but I didn't push it either.

We stopped at Wegmans for supplies on the way home. We got done with a late supper of rotisserie chicken and beans before the real excitement started to happen. During the morning, a tree was taken down in the apartment complex next door. Maybe they jiggled a wire, maybe they didn’t.

Well, while we sat down and started to watch a DVR’d Pan Am, we started to hear pops, the lights started to flicker and the TV started to turn off and on. Christine wanted to unplug everything … I should have listened. She wanted to call Maintenance. Well, within 10 minutes I heard a weird noise. I got up and found smoke coming from the surge protector behind my night stand! I pulled its plug quickly, opened the window and turned on the fan. More pops and flickering ensued. Then the surge protector by the computer desk started to smoke! I pulled its plug too. Christine started to pull every plug out of the wall she could find. She called Maintenance and we waited in the dark. A fire truck pulled up out in front around this time. We thought we were the only ones affected. Maintenance came and he started to check the voltage at the outlets. Most of the outlets were around 90V, one which powered all the electronics (TV, DVD players, converter box, cable modem, wireless router, wireless printer, radio/DVD/tape player) was 150V. We turned off all our breakers. Other people in the building started to complain about surge protectors and TVs blowing. He went out to the fire truck and found out that a transformer with a bad neutral was arcing which affected several buildings. By this time it was past 10:30PM. We lit a romantic candle for a while and went to bed.

Thursday, 9/29/11: Rest day.

I got up early and looked over most of our electronics and found another 2 dead surge protectors for a total of 4.

I hooked everything back up and found that almost everything still worked ... which was a relief.

Just your usual rest day. We found out that Christine's microwave also didn't work anymore. We watched DVR'd episodes of Pam Am (from last night), Castle, Hawaii Five-O.

Friday, 9/30/11: Rest day.

Month of September: 67. miles, 12 runs in 30 days, 6.1 miles/run
So far in 2011: 832.6 miles, 134 runs in 272 days, 6.3 miles/run

My badge at my client company didn't work until 11:30AM ... even thought everyone knew that it would be renewed I had to wait. Then a hectic day ensued. Then I had trouble logging into my company's domain and logging into their new email address. Suddenly I had over 7000 emails that I had deleted from the old email address that reappeared in the new email addres that had to be dealt with. We watched DVR'd episodes of NCIS and NCIS: LA.

Saturday, 10/1/11: 2 runs!

3.25 miles, 52F, cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Brooks Pure Project midnight run

I headed down to Fleet Feet for their Brooks Pure Project Midnight run. Brooks launched its new line of Pure Project shoes on October 1st. So Fleet Feet decided to hold a party at midnight with a run, snacks and mimosas! At least 50 people showed up. I headed out on the run (a backward 3 mile Happy Hour) nice and easy and soon picked off some runners. I caught up with the lead group of 5 and hung with them. Soon we slowly, almost imperceptibly picked up the pace ... at the end we were running a 7:03 pace. Afterward I tried on a pair of PureCadence shoes. The shoes were very light and only had a 4mm rise from toe to heel. They felt a bit different. Ellen made a big announcement! Fleet Feet is going to open a second store at Ridgeway and Long Pond in late November!

5.85 miles, 47F, cloudy, light mist, a bit windy, 1 stop at the turn, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Unity at Ridgeway - Out the Canal Trail to Manitou Rd

Christine and I got up early and made it out to Unity at Ridgeway for her "No-Bo" workout. I went out on the Canal Trail to Manitou Rd and back while she did her walk. She said that pain in her upper left thigh and shin splints was worse. Afterward I thought I had lost my RoadID. After a lot retracing my steps I found that I had left it home and didn't even have it on!

I went out to Wegmans to do the hunter/gather thing and picked up ribs, shoulder roast and a roaster chicken. So we had ribs and baked potato for supper ... mmmmm!

Sunday, 9/18/11 to Saturday, 9/26/11

I ran 2 times this week, 10.4 miles.

Sunday, 9/18/11: 7 miles, 1:05:36, 9:20 pace, 60F, sunny, calm, no stops, really mild hip pain after 5 miles

Garmin Connect Activity for Summit County Bike-Hike Trail plus lots of off road trail

Everyone was still asleep when I headed out at 10AM for the nearby Barlow Rd trailhead of the Summit County Bike-Hike Trail in OH. I met up by chance with a guy named Joey who showed some sweet and pretty trails off the pavement. I learned that he is a sort of running pied piper, head of Phillips Phylers and has run in 15 Bostons. It was great to run with him, he showed some things I would never seen. The level bike-hike trail would have been OK but really, really boring and a lot harder on my hips. A nice happenstance on a really sunny morning!

A long day in Ohio before we headed back at 6PM ... Christine wanted to upload wedding pictures, we saw her father, her older brother and ate supper at a Subway in Ravenna. We pulled into our parking lot at 11:45AM, bushed.

I later learned that the Buffalo Bills won their home opener versus Oakland Raiders in thrilling fashion 38-35 ... scoring 5 consecutive TDs in the 2nd half with the winner at 14 seconds to go! Still, they had to sweat it out at the end when a simulaneous reception in the Oakland endzone was ruled a touchback instead of a touchdown. Later, I saw replays that showed it was clearly an interception.

Monday, 9/19/11: Rest day.

A really hectic day at work after taking Friday off! There was lots of tedious work getting more printers deployed. It's harder than just unboxing the printer.

Tuesday, 9/20/11: A "No-Bo" walk with Christine.

Garmin Connect Activity for Genesee Valley Park - "No-Bo" walk

Christine and I were 10 minutes late getting down to Genesee Valley Park and found that everyone had left already. So Christine convinced me to head out for a "No-Bo" walk with her. She was hurting a bit with shin splints for most of the walk but she continued onward.

Wednesday, 9/21/11: 3.4 miles, 36:06, 10:31 pace, 76F, cloudy, calm, not humid in the woods, some walks up hills, a bit of pain.


Christine was feeling very sad, so I headed out the final Fleet Feet Dirt Cheap of 2011 solo. The usual crowd of trail runners were gathered at McGregor's. I started out kind of hard down the dirt road. A left hand turn after 1/4 miles put us on single track quickly. I kept up until I came upon a steep, slippery downhill ... I slipped and fell on my butt and right side. I collected myself and ran on. I could feel that I hurt one of my right ribs. I slowed a bit but I didn't feel any sharp pain when I ran ... so I continued onward. Some of the turns were pretty quick and slippery but I didn't fall again. I took a look at my right arm when I got done ... it was covered in mud. I was sure that other parts of me were mud covered also, ;-).

I did OK ... even after falling, 50th out of 206, link here and 4th out of 17 in my M50-54 age group. I was 3rd out of 20 in my M50-54 age group in the series, link here. I didn't stay long at the post race party. My right side was hurting. I didn't break anything, just bruised and battered. It kind of hurt all night when I moved.

Thursday, 9/22/11: Rest day.

A busy day at work ... even though I hurt when I moved. Christine fixed a nice supper of spare ribs, rice and broccoli. Mmmm!

Friday, 9/23/11: Another rest day.

An even busier day at work ... I deployed another 6 printers before noon. I should have taken Christine out for a "No-Bo" and I should have done a Happy Hour run down at Fleet Feet but I was beyond tired. We watched our latest DVD from NetFlix, Tron: Legacy. It was a bit scratched so Christine's DVD player played it with frequent flashes of blue screen. My DVD player called it a Bad Disc. We put up with it for a while before I tried it in my laptop where it played just fine.

Saturday, 9/24/11: Yet another rest day.

Christine and I woke up around 6:40AM for her "No-Bo" workout out at Durand Eastman beach. She didn't want to do go ... I heard "I am not a runner" before she left. I really wanted to go but my ribs still hurt plus I needed more sleep. She was so proud of herself when she came back. She had a great workout with several bursts of running!

Later we managed to get out for Groupon aided late lunch / early supper at McGraw's Irish Pub in East Rochester. The Guiness and Sherpard's Pie were excellent! Afterward, we watched the original True Grit with John Wayne and Glen Campbell. A bit later, we watched the two most recent episodes of Battlestar Galactica.

Sunday, 9/11/11 to Saturday, 0/17/11

I ran 2 time this week, 12.8 miles.

Sunday, 9/11/11: Rest day.

Christine and I just rested. I didn't even go out and get the Sunday paper or donuts! I watched the Bill beat the hapless KC Chiefs, 41-7.

Monday, 9/12/11: Another rest day.

I kind of needed another day off from running ... though I did think about it.

Tuesday, 9/13/11: 6.6 miles, 59:28, 9:01 pace, 78F, cloudy, windy, no pain during the workout.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF speed workout, 8x400m repeats

I took a nice, slow run up from the store to the Cobbs Hill reservoir, maybe 7:45 pace. I did 4 400m repeats around 1:36. Then I met up with Bill Beyerbach and picked up the pace ... we did 4 more around 1:26 which is under 6:00 mile pace. We did them going both upwind and downwind ... sweet! Then we took a slower run back to the store. I nursed a bit of a left quad cramp ... which I ignored until it went away. We ran back in some sprinkles. The wind is blowing in cooler weather ... it will be in the high 50s by Thursday.

Bill told me all about his 1:39:30 at the Onondaga Half on Saturday, results here. He was 59th out of 438 and took first in his M55-59 age
group! Awesome!

Wednesday, 9/14/11: 6.2 miles, 51:23, 8:17 pace, 74F, cloudy, 2 stops, some hip pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Genesee Valley Park out the Greenway Trail 10K

Christine and I headed down to Genesee Valley Park for her "No-Bo" workout. She headed out for a 2 mile walk with 4 runs of 30 seconds. She said she got some pain in her shins while she ran. I headed out the Greenway Trail until almost the railroad crossing on Sottsville Road before I turned back. My hips started hurting after a couple of miles.

After a nice dinner, we watched a DVRed King Arthur, then went to bed.

Thursday, 9/15/11: Rest day

A hectic day at work ... the usual before I take a day off. After a relaxing, enjoyable evening, I watched a DVRed McLintock! with John Wayne ... the Duke!

Friday, 9/16/11: Another rest day

I took a day off to celebrate my 54th birthday. I took a side trip out to Newark to pick up some stuff that my daughter out in Kent OH needed and to see my youngest son. Christine and I don't start out on trips well. We eventually got started on our trip to OH at 5:13PM. We only stopped to change drivers for 2 minutes and go to Cuyahoga Falls, OH at 9:45PM. We ate supper at the Wing Warehouse and had some beverages before bunking out at her daughter's apartment. Many thanks to her and her boyfriend, Nick, for letting us stay with them for 2 nights!

Saturday, 9/17/11: 1.3 miles, "No-Bo" walk with Christine

Garmin Connect for Summit County Metro Park - Hampton Hills

We slept in and had a leisurely morning. It got a bit hectic when we all got dressed up for the wedding. It was an outdoor wedding with his father doing the minister duty. There was a 3.5 hour gap between the wedding and reception. Christine and I changed and got out to one of the Summit County Metro Parks. We "No-Bo"ed on a semi-gnarly up and down walk on a trail loop. Christine threw in 3 30 second runs ... she is a trooper!

We changed back into our dress clothes and headed to the reception. We had a good time. I met more of her relation ... this time as her fiancee! We danced one dance before the music turned too young for our tastes. I am beginning to know my way around the Cuyahoga Falls, Kent and Ravenna area. All in all, a pretty nice day out in OH.

Sunday, 9/4/11th to Saturday, 9/10/11

I ran 4 times this week, 28.3 miles

Sunday, 9/4/11: Rest day.

A definite rest day. Christine and I just lazed around. I did the hunter/gatherer thing at Wegmans and got some ribs for supper.

I learned from my ex that my daughter got fired from her new job in OH. She couldn't get to work (3.7 miles away according to Google). Though if she had tried to walk as the crow flys it would have been less. She said that: a) she couldn't get a ride from her roommates; b) the buses weren't running often enough; c) she didn't want to walk. Maybe she should get a used bicycle. Well, she learned that she was just a number with lots of other people that would take her job. Hopefully she will find another job closer to her apartment.

Kudos to all my running peeps who did long runs, ran the Oak Tree Half down in Geneseo or the Monster Half or Full Marathon down in Virgil. You know who you are ... I salute you!

Monday, 9/5/11: Another rest day.

I thought about running ... not very hard obviously! Christine and I just relaxed and chilled. We like being engaged ... but beginning to plan a wedding makes eloping sound attractive!

Tuesday, 9/6/11: 6.7 miles, 1:02:36, 9:20 pace, 64F, cloudy, calm, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF speed workout, 5x800 repeats with 400m recovery

Christine and I headed down to Fleet Feet to partake in the usual FF speed workout. I ran up to the Cobbs Hill reservoir nice and easy ... but slowly picked up the pace. The workout was 800m repeats with 400m recovery. Up on the reservoir I teamed up with Bill Beyerbach. We just built off of each other and ran some great splits: 3:13, 3:15, 3:11, 3:09 and 3:07. We ran each repeat hard but somehow they felt easy ... it was hard to describe. It was a super sweet run!! I ran nice and easy back to the store while Bill did some hill repeats in preparation for the upcoming Virgil Crest 50M on 9/24.

Wednesday, 9/7/11: Rest day.

Just your average rest day, with a supper before 8PM(!) and some DVRed crime dramas.

Thursday, 9/8/11: 5 miles, 37:04, 7:25 pace, 74F, cloudy, calm, 4 traffic stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Remington's Run

Christine and I headed down to Remington's for the usual Remington's Run. I headed out with Bill Beyerbach for 5 miles. We ran negative splits for 4 out of 5 miles: 7:39, 7:29, 7:34, 7:12, 7:07. Nice! Now if I could do this in a race! Christine walked the 2 mile route. We stayed for some rehydration and to talk about wedding plans. Nothing was decided.

Friday, 9/9/11: 4.1 miles, 30:58, 7:33 pace, 76F, sunny, calm, not humid, 1 traffic stop, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Happy Hour run

I headed down to Fleet Feet solo for the usual Happy Hour run. It was a No Boundaries graduation night so there were a lot of "No-Bo"s there. I headed out a bit slow but soon limbered up and put a hurt on the pavement ... lol! I just ran nice and easy then cranked it up like usual. It felt nice to get out and sweat after a long Friday at work.

Saturday, 9/10/11: 2 runs of 6.2 miles, first of 53:21 at 8:36 pace, second of 56:09 at 9:04; 70F, sunny, calm, not humid, mild hip pain on the way back

Garmin Connect Activity for Genesee Valley Park - 10K west on the Canal Trail
Garmin Connect Activity for Canal Trail East, 10K back to Genesee Valley Park

Christine and I headed down to Genesee Valley Park at 8AM. She has enrolled in the the latest Fleet Feet No Boundaries program. She walked 2 miles her first time out. While she was "No Bo"ing I went out the Canal Trail for 10K at a nice and easy pace. I had some Gu at the turn, then headed back at a slower nice and easy pace. My hips started hurting about halfway back. I think a new pairs of running shoes are in my near future ... 533.8 miles are on my current pair.

After a brief rest I headed out to Newark to pick up my father's mail at the post office, then out to the Wayne County Nursing Home to see him.

Sunday, 8/28/11 to Saturday, 9/3/11

I ran 2 times this week, 15.38 miles

Sunday, 8/28/11: 7.58 miles, 1:34:50, 10:46 pace, 70F, cloudy, windy, multiple stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Durand Eastman Park run

I headed out to Durand Eastman Park for a run with the Fleet Feet Endurance Team. Rochester was feeling minor effects of Hurricane (then Tropical Storm) Irene. Namely, it was cloudy and there was a stiff north wind that really whipped up the waves on Lake Ontario. About 30 runners showed up. I stayed with the lead group. We ran really nice and easy as we explored the many trails. I had an option to run another 5 miles but chose to just head up to the west end of the beach and ran back on the beach to add another couple more miles. There were a couple of wind surfers running on the surf, it looked like they were having fun!

Monday, 8/29/11: Rest day.

CJ and I did laundry after work. My Casio G'zOne Commando came today via FedEx. I activated it, downloaded my contacts using Backup Assistant, set up Yahoo, Gmail and Facebook, and paired my Bluetooth. It will take a bit of getting used to.

Tuesday, 8/30/11: 7.8 miles, 1:04:48, 8:18 pace, 74F, sunny, calm, not so humid, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for 4x1000m repeat with 400m recovery

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual speed workout up on Cobbs Hill Reservoir. I warmed up running up to the hill nice and easy. The workout was 1000m repeats with 400m recovery. I did 4 loops. My times were around 4:00 (I had trouble with the lap button), 4:12, 4:12 and 4:13. I took the long way back. I started nice and easy, then started to push it a bit. CJ walked up to the corner of Monroe and Highland and back. Hopefully she will find her Nike+ soon.

Wednesday, 8/31/11: Rest day.

Just your average rest day. I watched Killers, a NetFlix Instant movie on my new phone. Kinda cool ... I had to hook up headphones.

I ran 100.71 miles during the month of August
9 races, 55.8 racing miles, in the month of August
16 days out of 31 days, 6.3 miles/run.
To the end of August 2011: 122 runs out 242 days, 765 miles, 6.3 miles/run

Thursday, 9/1/11: Another average rest day.

Friday, 9/2/11: 4.2 miles 33:35, 7:58 pace, 85F, sunny, calm, humid, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Happy Hour run

I just had to run so I headed down to Fleet Feet for packet pickup for tomorrow's Summerfest 12K and also CJ's 5K and for the usual Happy Hour run. Only 5 other runners showed up so per usual, I was on my own. I tried to hold back and for the most part succeeded. I was dripping wet when I got done ... it was very muggy.

Saturday, 9/3/11: 1:00:41, 8:09 pace, 82F, sunny, calm, muggy, 4 walks, no pain.

 

The start ...

 

Just after the start ...

 

Just before the turn back onto Douglas Rd ...

Gritting my teeth for the finish!

Christine (henceforth CJ is Christine) and I headed down to our home away from home, Mendon Ponds Park, for the Fleet Feet Summerfest. I ran the 12K. The conditions were brutal ... just like at the Hamlin Half. I went out a bit fast like always, a 6:58 first mile. I was passed by Bill, Wilt and Heather just before the first mile. John passed me when I walked through the water stop at mile 2. I walked through the other two water stops to make sure I stayed hydrated ... I did not handle the heat and humidity well. I soldiered on, Wendy passed me around mile 6 but I kept her in view. I kept on running and crossed the line in under 1:01, a 24 second PR from last year. I had wanted to break one hour but I considered it a good effort considering the conditions. I finished 65th out of 325, results here. I was 6th out of 25 in my age group, results here. Christine walked/ran the 5K in 56:43, results here. She may have finished last but she told herself that she was going to finish. She lapped the people that weren't there!

Ellen, the race director, calling in the racers!

I had asked Ellen, the race director, if I could make a special announcement before the awards ceremony. I had not expected her to hand me the microphone. I managed to ask Christine to join me. I told her (and everyone else) that we had been together since Summerfest 2009 2 years minus 2 days ago after being separated 32 years ago, then I asked her to marry me. She was crying (she said she was sweating) as she said yes! Everyone thought it was so sweet! She was completely surprised that I had asked her to marry me so publicly! I can keep a secret!

Asking Christine to marry me!

  

Putting the engagement ring on her finger!

A post engagement kiss ... after she said yes!

Engaged!

Ellen gave us 2 tickets to tonight's Red Wings game. On the way home we stopped at Starbucks. When Christine mentioned that I had asked her to marry me, they gave us free coffee! She called her 2 kids, father and 2 brothers while she sipped her iced tea. I called my 3 kids, ex, brother and sister when we got home. A nice bath and shower helped cool us down from all the excitement.

Later, we went to Red Wings game. We ate supper there, then settled in the excellent front row seats down the first base side that a Fleet Feet Brooks Racing Team member donated. It was an excellent game. The Red Wings fell behind 3-0 early but rallied to tie in the 7th, go ahead 6-3 in the 8th and win by going 1-2-3 in the top of the 9th, link here. We enjoyed the post game fireworks before celebrating our new status of being engaged!!

Sunday, 8/21/11 to Saturday, 8/27/11

I ran 4 times this week, 27.91 miles

Sunday, 8/21/11: 13 miles, 2:17:56, 10:37 pace, 70F, cloudy with a light to moderate rain then sunny, walked a few hills, a bit of pain after the run.


CJ and I woke up around 5:30AM and made it down to Fleet Feet around 7:05AM where we left my car so we could carpool with Bill Beyerbach down to Mt Morris and the Letchworth Dam for the start of the 'Dam' Good 14 mile Trail Run. The usual long, trail race types were there ... they know who they are! We started off around 8:30AM. We were told that the rain made the mud slippery. That was very true! I started off pretty well. But I just didn't have much energy after mile 3 or so. Still, I soldiered onward through the roots, mud and slop. I had a couple of GUs at the turn which seemed to help for a couple of miles. On way back, it started to rain. The trees helped to break the rain from completely soaking me and it did feel good. I continued onward. I could smell the finish line. I just put my mind to the task of making my feet continue forward.

I am getting pretty good at stopping my Garmin at the end of races this month!

The bling!

By the time I got to the finish line the sun was out. I was completely exhausted ... if a stiff breeze had come up I would have fallen over. I rehydrated and refueled, then some more.I did OK, 43rd of 89, results here. I was 8th out of 19 in my M50-59 age group, results here.I won a year subscription to Trail Runner Magazine at the raffle drawing after the race.Hours later, I was still tired. Trail running is fun but sure can tucker you out! I also discovered that you need to use BodyGlide in other places besides your nipples ... enough said!

Monday, 8/22/11: Rest day.

A most definite rest day, for sure! CJ and I just relaxed. She cooked up some bacon in the electric skillet and fixed up some luscious BLTs while we watched some DVRed crime dramas on TV. I was tired for some odd reason and went to bed early.

Tuesday, 8/23/11: 3.93 miles, 45:57, 8:34 pace, 72F, sunny, calm, a bit dry, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF speed workout, 10x200m repeats, 200m recovery.

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Tuesday night speed workout. CJ dropped me off at the store while she drove up to the Cobbs Hill reservoir. I ran up nice and easy around 7:50 pace. The workout was down on the rugby field at the base of the hill. The course was your basic 200m loop. I ran each loop pretty hard. I tried to use the lap function on my Garmin but didn't do it correctly. I think I ran most loops in 43, 45, 47 seconds. I think I remember one at 39 when I went all out. A pretty good workout. I ran nice and easy back to the store. CJ was up on the reservoir loop where she walked 3 loops or about 2.1 miles. Afterward, we had the usual pasta dinner ... at 9PM, like usual.

Wednesday, 8/24/11: Rest day in advance of the Tour de Pain

CJ and I just chilled. I made up a Things to Do list and got up the gumption to do all of 11 of them! Most of the things were not very big things but sometimes you have to do the small things just to get them done! Just do it, baby!

I even bit the bullet and ordered a smart phone to replace my ailing Motorola E815 with its busted inside LCD. I have suffered with it for a month (or more according to my darling CJ). Oh, I oould barely still use it for just a phone through direct dialing, voice commands or via Bluetooth. I could not take pics or text.

After much "I don't know which one to pick", "I don't want to pay for a data plan", "Everyone ever loves or hates their smart phone" from reviews and even comtemplating just getting another E815 off Ebay; I picked the Casio G'Zone Commodore through Verizon with my $50 every 2 years that has been waiting for me since 11/2007. It is a ruggedized Android smart phone. It is coming from Verizon via FedEx ... soon. We will see how tough it is, lol!

Thursday, 8/25/11: Tour de Pain!

CJ and I headed down to ... let me guess ... the rugby field below the Cobbs Hill Reservoir for the GVH Tour de Pain, a multiple race event. We got there with time to spare.

 

The list of events ...

 
Before the start ...

 
Trying to chase down Wilt ... it didn't happen!


Bringing it home with the usual grimace!

The 1st race was on the usual XC 5K course. There were no surprises. I ran a 6:54 first mile according to the timekeeper on the hill. I didn't stop at all at the top of the climb to the reservoir. I got passed by Mitch and just was about even with him when we hit the finish. I ran 22:39, a couple of seconds faster than I ran last week. I did OK, 49th out of 154, results here. I was 9th out of 18 in my M50-59 age group. I did notice that I would have easily been first in the M40-49 age group. Anyway, we had about a hour to cool down and get stiff.

 

Again I am trying to catch up to Wilt.

The 2nd race was a mile run up and around the reservoir with a finish down on the sidewalk on Highland Ave and Monroe Ave. The men over 40 were the last to go off. We had to wait for the high school boys, the open men and the women. My start was slow ... I was still chewing an energy bar plus I was stiff. I warmed up about halfway up and started to pick off slower runners. I let it all out when we got to the downhill by the gate and the sidewalk. I ran a 6:27 which I thought was quite good considering the uphill start. We had about a half hour to cool down.


The 3rd race was a 400m sprint up the hill to the reservoir. Again the men over 40 were the last to go off but at least we had a lot less time to wait. Again I started a bit slow then started to pick off slower runners going up the hill. I ran a 1:09. I was glad to get the "I survived the Tour" tank top at the finish. Overall, I was 6th out of 11 in my M50-59 age group, results here.

CJ and I waited around for the awards ... didn't get anything. Then we slowly walked all the way back to her car. We stopped by Little Caesars for pizza and had a very late supper.

Friday, 8/26/11: A most definite rest day.

The pain from yesterday's Tour de Pain was very evident to me during the day. My left hip and knee hurt. The faster I walked the more it hurt so I had to slow down. Unfortunately ... my job required me to do a lot of walking today.

After work, I ordered some smart phone accessories ... like a couple of car chargers and a case. The only thing is that I will get the phone on Monday but won't get the accessories for at least a week later.

Saturday, 8/27/11: 6.63 miles, 1:03:11, 9:32 pace, 75F, sunny, calm, no pain.


CJ and I headed down to Victor for Charlie's Old Goat Trail Run. It seems that anytime we head south on I590 on Saturday morning we have to go through road construction ... but after dealing with it we made it on time.

The start!

 
Just after the start ... 
 
Somewhere in the woods ...

 On the road before heading back into the woods ...

  

Hopping into the creek ...

Somewhere in the latter stages ...

Just before the finish ...

The run started easily. I warmed up on the trail and just enjoyed the ups and downs on nice, easily runnable trails. It was nice and sunny, nice temperatures, not too humid ... just a great time on the trails! Charlie had a great number of raffle prizes but I went home empty. I did OK, 21st out of 97, results here.

Charlie with the post race champagne!

Afterward, CJ and I went shoe shopping at 123 Shoes in Fairport where I picked up a pair of Chaco flip flops and preordered a black pair of Wave walking shoes.

We stopped by the Lobster Trap where we picked up a pair of lobster culls (one legged lobsters) for supper. CJ and I celebrated our two year anniversary of her 'friending' me on Facebook! We met for the first time after 32 years back on 9/5/2009 and have been together since!

Sunday, 8/14/11 to Saturday, 8/20/11

I ran 3 times this week, 16.0 miles.

Sunday, 8/14/11: A run day that turned into a rest day.

I woke up and wanted to run. I thought about running ... and said, "Not so much". I realized that I had a whole lot of running this week though it might not seem it. I plan on running on Monday, take Tuesday off, race the Dirt Cheap #5 on Wednesday, race the GVH XC 5K #3 on Thursday, take Friday and Saturday off and race the 'Dam' Good 14M Trail race on Sunday. 3 races in 5 days ... sweet!

So CJ and I just chilled ... listened to the torrential downpour and thunderstorms during the afternoon, watched The Day The Earth Stood Still on TNT, ate a late supper, did some late grocery shopping and chilled some more. All in all, a nice and romantic day. Though I did leave my car windows open about an inch ... with predictable results the next morning. I had to drive on a towel for a couple of days!

Monday, 8/15/11: Another rest day.

Man, I felt like a slug! I should have gotten up and ran somewhere, anywhere! Instead ... after supper I went out to a couple of Verizon Wireless stores so I could fondle a Droid Pro. It felt nice but didn't have the endorphins of a sweet run, lol!

Tuesday, 8/16/11: 7.3 miles, 1:00:17, 8:16 pace, 80F, sunny, calm, a bit humid, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF speed workout, 10x400m repeats with 165m recovery.

CJ and I headed down to our usual Tuesday night haunt, Cobbs Hill reservoir, for the FF speed workout. I took an easy run up from Fleet Feet. The workout started fast, I followed the lead guy who is quite fast. I stayed with him for the first 400m ... I looked down and saw a 5:20 mile pace on my Garmin! My average mile paces after that were more mundane: 6:00, 6:00, 6:15, 6:45, 6:30. Then I remembered that I have a Dirt Cheap #5 race tomorrow so I tried to slow it down to 7:00 pace and above. Then I ran slow and long back to the store. CJ walked 1.6 miles around the reservoir.

CJ made the usual postrun pasta dinner but I wasn't really hungry. I was very tired so I tried to go to bed around 10:45AM. Alas, the good people in apartment 22 which is kitty corner to our apartment decided to have a party ... complete with a whiny, crying baby. I got to sleep on the couch around 12:30AM. Oh, well!

Wednesday, 8/17/11: 5.72 miles, 50:00, 8:45 pace, 80F, sunny, calm, a bit humid, no pain until after the race.

CJ and I headed out to the Webster Park for Dirt Cheap #5. I ran pretty well for the majority of the race. You have to pay pretty close attention to your footing ... lots of roots to avoid. I did find some mud and splashed through the water during the run in the stream. I did poop out a bit around mile 4 when I walked a bit of one hill. I was dripping wet when I finished! I did OK, 66th out of 264, results here. I finished 6th out of 22 in my age group. All in all, yet another great race put on by Fleet Feet and a great night to hang out with the XC crowd!

Thursday, 8/18/11: 2.99 miles, 22:51, 7:39 pace, 76F, sunny, calm, a bit humid, no stops, no pain.



A Thursday night in August ... what better way to spend it than down at the rugby field at Cobbs Hill running a GVH XC 5K? I ran pretty well, a 7:02 first mile, a 22:51, 36th out of 97, results here, good for yet another 4th place out of 8 in my M50-59 age group.

I finished right behind the 3rd place guy in my age group, Mitch. Thanks to Bill Beyerbach who came down to cheer us on! All in all, a great August night for a sweet run!

Yes, CJ and I had another 9PM supper after a night of running ... it's what we do!

I have noticed that I grimace in almost any picture taken of me while I am running a race. Hey, it's a race ... the clock is ticking so I put out the maximum effort that I can. It's how I am wired ... even during practice runs. I don't really run 'social' or hold conversations while I run. I really don't know how to run easy. Though I do run trail a lot easier than I run road ... you do have to look out for roots and such. Just saying ...

Friday, 8/19/11: Rest day

Most definitely a rest day after three straight days of hard running. CJ and I just relaxed after I got home from work. We did watch our latest NetFlix DVD, True Grit. An excellent flick that was just as good as the original.

Saturday, 8/20/11: Another rest day in advance of the 'Dam' Good Trail Run

CJ and I totally relaxed all day. We finally surfaced to do a bit of grocery shopping. Then we had a silly argument that resulted from a bit of miscommunication that involved a bit of slipped pizza. We kissed, made up and tried to go to sleep early.

Sunday, 8/7/11 to Saturday, 8/13/11

I ran 4 times this week, 19.1 miles.

Sun, 8/7/11: Definite rest day.

A most needed rest day after the Phelps Sauerkraut 20k yesterday. I walked out to get the Sunday Democrat and Chronicle and the usual two donuts from Dunkin Donuts, a marble chocolate for me and a double chocolate for CJ. Mmm! Later, we got sucked into a TNT Falling Skies marathon. This summer series seemed to be set up from a slam bang ending ... but settled for a little boom, then an ET ending! Yuck!

Mon, 8/8/11: 6.2 miles, 1:00:01, 9:41 pace, 78F, sunny, calm, dry, walked a just few hills, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Mendon Ponds Park - Blue & Green trail

I knew I needed a trail run after work .... so I headed out to my usual trail haunt, Mendon Ponds Park. I ran the usual Blue and Green trail route. I had a pain in my left hip at the start but kept on going ... it went away. It was a bit hot but I soon got used to the heat. After a warm up on the Blue trail, I settled in an economic pace and just motored up and down the hills on the Green trail where I found my usual running zen. Sweet! CJ made the usual post run pasta dinner. Yum!

Tue, 8/9/11: 6.7 miles, 54:18, 8:06 pace, 74F, cloudy, calm, a bit humid, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Speed workout, 5x800m repeats

CJ was feeling under the weather so I went down to Fleet Feet solo for the speed workout. The run up to Cobbs Hill Reservoir was nice and easy, around 8:00 since I didn't stretch. The workout was 5x800m at 5K pace with 325m recovery. My paces were maybe about 6:30, 6:40, 6:50, 7:00, 7:45. I ran my usual pace. The run back to Fleet Feet was nice and easy, around 8:00. My right calf muscle was a bit tight afterward though.

Wed, 8/10/11: Rest day.

Just your usual rest day. CJ and I watched our latest NetFlix DVD, Red. It was a nice flick with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, and Helen Mirren.

Thu, 8/11/11: 2.96 miles, 22:27, 7:35 pace, 72F, sunny, calm, dry, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for GVH XC 5k #2

Milling around waiting for the start

CJ and I headed down to the rugby field below Cobbs Hill Reservoir for the GVH XC 5k #2. It was a bit cooler and drier than last week. The course seemed a bit easier, I ended up running 30 seconds faster than last week. I placed 25th out of 106, results here. I placed 4th out of 11 in my M50-59 age group.

I always seem to be grimacing in pain ...

The kid ended up passing me just before the finish.

Fri, 8/12/11: Rest day.

I wanted to give the Bergen 5K my all so I decided to stay in. CJ cooked up a yummy roaster chicken with pasta. Later, I found a treasure drove of 5 movies on TV that I switched between ... much to CJ's dismay of my volume choice. Three that I remember were: Men In Black II, Con Air and Die Another Day. A man has got to do a man has got to do ... when he had the remote!

Sat, 8/13/11: 3.1 miles, 20:31, 6:36 pace, 65F, sunny, calm, dry, no stops, no pain.



CJ and I headed down to Bergen for the Bergen 5K, a RROY race with a fast field. It was a perfect morning for a race. I ran fast and hard, 6:13, 6:31, held on with a 7:02 and 6:01 final tenth. I was passed by a woman around the 2nd mile and hung within 30 feet of her the rest of way. The result was a 20:31, a 30 second PR! Sweet, baby! Many thanks to Fleet Feet for their Tuesday night speed workouts ... I really think they have helped me know that I run faster and hold that speed! Well ... I did tire a bit in the last mile but still a PR, baby! Is a sub 20 5K possible this season?

The gazelles get ready for the start ...

Just after the water stop ... notice the grimace!

Sprinting for the finish ... I saw that the time was under 21:00!

A PR by 30 seconds ... sweet!

The field was indeed fast, news article here. The lead male finished in 14:24, the lead female in 16:29. I finished 92nd out of 260, results here. I finished 5th out of 17 in my age group, results here. An interesting part of this link is that I ran a 17:31 age graded equivalent at 73.66%. I moved up a bit on the RROY leader board in my age group, I am now tied for 7th out of 26, results here.

Later, we just hung out and lazed around. Nothing too special. We heard an awful lot of sirens during the evening ... maybe 3 separate shootings in Rochester on Saturday night explains it, link here.