Sunday, 6/2/2013 to Saturday, 6/8/2013 - McMullen Mile, Fast and Furriest 10K

I ran 5 times this week, 16.36 miles, 1 was a warmup, 1 was a cooldown.
I biked 1 time this week, 14.6 miles.

Sunday, 6/2/2013: Biked 14.6 miles, 1:08:54, 12.6 mph, 73F, 57% RH, 16 mph wind, no stops.

Garmin Connect Activity for Biking Out and Around the Neighborhood

Christine and I lazed around all morning and most of the afternoon. Eventually I brought her coffee and bagel in bed, lol! The weather outside was cooler but really windy.

I did get outside to check the air pressure in the tires of our car. They were all over inflated so I set them down to 32 psi. I also brought up our bicycles and checked their air pressure. Their tires were under inflated. I inflated hers to 50 psi and mine to 70 psi per their respective specs. My bike was all ready so out I went for a bike ride. It felt good to get a little exercise.

Monday, 6/3/2013 & Tuesday, 6/4/2013: Rest days

Sometimes you just need to take some time off. I was unusually tired after work on Tuesday night though.

Wednesday, 6/5/2013: 6.2 miles, 48:21: 7:48 pace, 64F, overcast, a bit of a breeze, no stops.

Garmin Connect Activity of 10K on National Running Day

I definitely needed a run especially on National Running Day. So I headed out on my usual 10K route. I started out a bit slow at 8:06 pace. Then I cranked it up a bit at 7:49, 7:48, 7:53, 7:34 and 7:41. I just cruised and concentrated on my running form. Run accomplished.

Thursday, 6/6/2013: McMullen Mile, 1 mile, 6:25, 50F, overcast, light rain.

Yes, it rained all day. Yes, there was a race scheduled. Yes, it was a Rochester Runner of the Year race. I think Christine thought I was crazy! But I am a runner ... so ... yes, I went solo to the McMullen mile down at Nazareth College. The check-in table was inside due to the rain. Most everyone kind of congregated inside the gym while we waited for our heat. I was in the third heat, the men's faster than 8 minutes and slower than 4:45 minutes. My last year's mile time was 5:52. I went out for two 1/4 mile warm up runs but I think I took them too early. I found that lane 1 on the corners was under a couple inches of water but the straights were not. I was not warmed up when I lined up for my heat in a light rain.

The gun goes off!

The end of lap 1

Trailing Tony Gingello

Bill Beyerbach finishing in 6:07

Kicking to edge Tony Gingello by 0.04s at 6:25.43

During the first half lap I almost needed a wiper to see from all the spray kicked up from the runners in front of me. I had some trouble getting my breath in the rain and wind. I tried the best I could and I did kick to pass Tony Gingello by 0.04 second during the last 100 yards to the finish line. My time was 6:25.43, link here.

I did OK. At the awards, I took third in my M55-59 age group, link here and Bill Beyerback took second. Due to a clerical error we actually took second and first, respectively. I stuck around to watch the elite men (Mike Kurvach won in 4:25) and women (Dana Buchanan won in 5:06), GVH Coach Reif's link here and a Road Kill Racing male elite's perspective here.

Friday, 6/7/2013: Rest day.

Just a usual rest night before the Fast and Furriest 10K on Saturday morning. Christine was a bit feverish and called it an early night. So I did guy stuff .. I watched the Military Channel, then The Last Samurai. Manly TV .... arrggh!

Saturday, 6/8/2013: 3 runs of 1.9, 6.26 and 1 miles during the Fast and Furriest 10K

Christine did feel better but decided to stay home and rest. So I headed solo down to the Verona Street Animal Society for my second running of the Fast and Furriest 10K. Last year I ran a lifetime PR of 42:59 in the 10K. The weather conditions were 57F, 94% RH, overcast and calm. It either a fog or a real light, light mist outside.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before the Fast and theFurriest 10K

I got out for a long warmup run of 1.9 miles. I felt loose and kind of excited before the race.



I jumped to a good pace right away. I was ahead of Wendy Abbott and Bill Beyerbach and had a 6:54 first mile. I was running well and hit the next 3 miles at 7:13, 7:20 and 7:17. Then ... I tired a bit and mile 5 was a struggle at 7:31. First Wendy Abbott and then Bill Beyerbach passed me by. I kept Bill in my sights and righted my ship to a mile 6 of 7:12. I tried to catch Bill but finished 5 seconds behind him. He was really running well! Wendy sped to a third place women overall

All in all, I did OK. I finished 35th out of 233, link here. I was 4th out of 11 in my M55-59 age group, link here. I was almost 3 minutes faster than my Lilac 10K time of 47:41 two weeks ago. I am looking forward to the ALS race on Father's Day next week. Last year, I ran a lifetime 5K PR of 20:13. I know the course and hope not to tire like I did last year. I would absolutely love to break 20 in a 5K!!

Garmin Connect Activity for Cooldown after the Fast and the Furriest 10K

I went out for a cooldown run with Bill and Mark Heberger afterward. I rarely do a cooldown run but we just got to talking and running ensued. Later Mark schooled me on the advantages of racing flats. They do seem lighter and might make a difference in a race. I will have to investigate the pricing.

Meanwhile, out at Lyndonville's White Birch Golf Course, the second New York Invitational pole vaulting competition was held by our local Olympic gold medalist, Jenn Suhr (all photos from Facebook). I have got one more chance to make it out there on June 14th.

Meanwhile, out in Inlet NY some hardy Fleet Feet Endurance Team members rode their mountain bikes to the Black Fly Challenge, results of 508(!) finishers here.

Meanwhile, out in my hometown and old stomping grounds of Newark, 150 runners ran the Run for the Red 5K, link here. Judging from their times I would have taken my age group in this 5K. Though there are some hills in Newark according to my darling wife Christine that I would have had to run up ... the hill going out of the village on Route 88S comes to mind).

Later, Christine and I made it out so she could get her nails done at New Nails. She chose China Glaze's Winterberry as her nail color which is a favorite of mine! Then we headed out via the scenic route (we got a bit lost) to Aldi's in Webster for a bit of grocery shopping. Christine felt a bit out of sorts and went to bed early so supper was pizza and potato chips.

Sunday, 5/26/2013 to Saturday, 6/1/2013 - Mendon Mauler 12

I ran 4 times this week, 38.97 miles.

I biked 1 time this week, 12.03 miles.

Sunday, 5/26/2013: run of 13.4 miles, 2:17:50, 10:17 pace, 52F, sunny, windy, mild right Achilles discomfort

Garmin Connect Activity for Mendon Ponds Park - Blue, Green Trails x 2

I was up early around 6:40 AM. I needed a long run but where to go, road or trail? I chose trail down at Mendon Ponds Park on my usual Blue and Green trails. I started out around 9 AM. I took it nice and easy though I did have some really mild right Achilles discomfort. I encountered several deer, a couple groups of horses and their riders, some runners, some walkers with their dogs and some walkers. A busy day in Mendon Ponds Park plus lots of bicyclists on the roads to and from.

I bought my darling wife a bouquet of yellow carnations from a garden store on the way back and then awoke her with coffee and a bagel. She did seem to appreciate it!

Monday, 5/27/2013: bike of 12.03 miles, 1:32:35, 7.8 mph, 70F, sunny, a bit windy.

Garmin Connect Activity for Bike Ride to the Lake with Christine

I got Christine out for a bike ride around 4 PM. She wanted to see Lake Ontario so north we went. We stuck mostly to the sidewalk. Though we did enjoy a bit of downhill on St Paul Blvd itself rather than the sidewalk.

Christine and I up at the lake

Christine didn't like the gradual uphill climb on the way back from the lake. But it did force her to learn how to use the gears on her bike. We more than doubled the amount of miles she had rode on her bike at one time from 5 miles to 12 miles.

Tuesday, 5/28/2013: Rest day.

I took a day off of work to have a four day weekend. I like to do that around Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. Well ... my birth certificate, social security card and passport have been missing for the past 5 years. I have finally given up hoping that they will just turn up. So Christine and I started to replace them. Step 1 was heading out to the Town of Arcadia office in Newark to get a replacement birth certificate. It was very easy. I just called ahead, paid $10 when I got there and presented photo ID. Though I would much rather have the original along with its faded envelope compete with a 3 cent stamp. Next up is going downtown sometime to the Social Security office and getting a replacement Social Security card.

We also finally went to Pearle Vision to select and get fitted for our new eye and sunglasses. We both chose bifocals instead of no-lines. We might curse ourselves for our choices later on.

Wednesday, 5/29/2013: run of 7.6 miles, 1:04:24, 8:28 pace, 79F, hot, humid, windy, no stops.

Garmin Connect Activity for 7.6 miles around the streets of Irondequoit

I struggled with motivation but I did manage to break out around 7:30 pm for a hot and sweaty run. I took it out with a nice and easy pace to cruise on my usual 10K course along with the hill on Chapel Hill Drive. I didn't need my sunglasses when I was done. It felt good after it all was over.

Thursday, 5/30/2013, run of 5 miles, 41:35, 8:19 pace, 86F, sunny, humid, 1 stop for hydration.

Garmin Connect Activity for A hot, humid & sweaty Remington's run

I needed a run no matter how hot and humid it was. And it was definitely hot (86F) and humid (51% RH). But it was the first Remington's run of the year. So ... down to Remington's for a nice, easy and sweaty 5 mile run. I ran nice and easy around 8:10 pace until about mile 3.5. Then I had to walk for a bit to get some hydration. After that I just took it really nice and easy back to Remington's. Run accomplished.

Friday, 5/31/2013: Rest day

I ran 15 times in 31 days during the month of May for 91.23 miles, 6.1 miles/run (2 were warm ups)
I have run 83 times in 181 days during 2013 for 512.16 miles, 6.2 miles/run
I biked 7 times in 31 days for 92.99 miles during the month of May, 13.3.miles/bike

Another unusually warm day, 88F and humid again. I am running the 12 mile version of the Mendon Mauler tomorrow morning so ... tonight was a definite rest night even though a 100 mile run month was almost in sight. Christine and I went out to the Regal Culver Ridge Cinema to enjoy some A/C and to also see "Star Trek: Into Darkness". An excellent movie that we will buy on Blu-Ray when it comes out. OK ... now we have to get a Blu-Ray player to replace our 2 DVD players that don't work.

Meanwhile, out at the Lyndonville's White Birch Golf Course our local Olympic 2012 gold medalist pole vaulter, Jenn Suhr, cleared 15' 7.48" inches, link here. She will be holding two more invitational pole vaulting competitions, the New York Invitational, out there on June 7th and 14th. I hope to get to one of them.

courtesy of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Saturday, 6/1/2013: run of 12.97 miles, 2:25:07: 11:06 pace, 73F, 73% RH, partly cloudy, a bit breezy, a bit of pain.



I woke up just like usual around 6 AM for a Saturday morning race. Christine felt poorly so I went down to Mendon Ponds Park solo to run the Mendon Mauler. The 12 mile race started at 8 AM with the 4 and 8 mile races started at 8:30 AM. I arrived around 7:30 AM to run the 12 miler.  It was a hot and humid morning but with a nice breeze. I tried to warm up but just didn't have the gumption. I should have stretched more but didn't. I just hung around and exchanged pleasantries with fellow runners that I knew ... and some I didn't.

Soon enough the race started. I struck a good kind of hard pace on the first loop. My right Achilles was a nag but I tried to ignore it. I slowed a bit but finished the first loop in 44:35. I took a couple cups of water and headed out onto the second loop. I was tired, hot and sweaty but I struck up a nice and easy trail pace. I ran the flats and downs and did the best I could on the ups. When I felt the breeze it felt good! I said "Hi" to fellow 4 mile and 8 mile runners when I passed them. The second loop passed in another 48:08. I took a couple cups of water and walked while I had a gel. I wondered why I was out there but continued on with my slow and steady trail pace. I could feel something going on in my left shoe as I ran. I figured I was getting a blister from my left foot slamming against the toe box on the downhills (I was right). It did bother me but it kind of balanced out the nag in my right Achilles ... so I ignored both. Onward ... I finished loop 3 in 51:08 for a total time of 2:25:07. Last year I ran 2:05:46. But last year I was in Sehgahunda shape ... which I am not this year.

I think this is the end of Loop 1.

The raw results

But hey ... I finished. I did OK, I was 27th out of 61, link here. I was 5th out of 15 in my M50-59 age group, link here. Meanwhile, the 8 miler had 53 finishers and the 4 miler had 81 finishers. I was pretty tired and thirsty when I finished. Some bananas and water helped that. Soon I was back home with my feet up and proudly wearing my Mendon Mauler T-shirt ... another race in the books.

Much later, Christine and I went out to Salvatore's on East Ridge Rd for some chicken fingers and a pitcher of beer while we watched the first 3 quarters of the Heat - Pacer game. The Pacers won and forced a decisive Game 7 on Monday night for the right to face the Spurs in the NBA Finals. I don't have a pony in this race but enjoyed watching the game.

Sunday, 5/19/2013 to Saturday, 5/25/2013 - Lilac 10K

I ran 3 times this week, 13.07 miles

I biked 2 times this week, 30.34 miles

Sunday, 5/19/2013: 64F, sunny, calm, 2 runs of 0.6 and 6.26 miles

Chrisine and I got up early ... as usual on the morning of a race. Though soon Christine admitted that she just didn't have the energy and elected to stay home. So I headed out solo at 8AM down to Highland Park for the 9AM start of the Lilac 10K.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before the Lilac 10K

I didn't have much time so I only got in a 0.6 mile warmup run. My legs felt OK.




Soon I was lined up in my usual spot beside Bill Beyerbach about 10 yards behind the start line. I was quickly up to speed and moved up as I passed some runners. My first mile sped by in 6:28. Then ... the wheels fell off. Bill sped by me shortly after the 1 mile mark on his way to a 10K PR of 44:26! I just had no energy ... I had to walk numerous times. So my splits fell to: 7:21, 7:35, 8:13, 8:15, 7:50. I did appreciate the Fleet Feet cheering section at the corner of Monroe and Elmwood though. I had brief spurts of energy intermixed with walks as I just mailed it in.

Ze start!

Trying to survive until the finish!

I finished in 47:41, 195th out of 1176, link here. I was 12th out of 47 in my M55-59 age group. Others would love to have a 47:41 ... but it's just not up to what I thought I was capable of. I just didn't have it today. It was probably tired legs from the Spring Classic Duathlon that I did the previous day.

Monday, 5/20/2013: 81F, sunny, calm, 16.36 bike, 1:07:31, 14.5 miles, no stops.

Garmin Connect Activity for Biking around the block in Webster

I needed a bike so I took Christine to her therapist appointment out in Webster then biked for an hour. I kind of winged the route. I headed north on Phillips, then west on Lake, south on Bay, then east on Ridge. Ridge was very bumpy and dangerous. In retrospect I should have headed east on Klem back to Phillips.

Tuesday, 5/21/2013: 82F, hot, hazy, humid, 48:21, 7:46 pace, no stops, no pain

Garmin Connect Activity for 10K run around the streets of Irondequoit

I had a case of procrastination that I had to conquer before I finish got out for this run at 6:55 PM. It required  a lot of mental fortitude to get off the couch, put my first foot out the door, take the first running step and continue onward after the first 1/2 mile. But onward I went. I was soaked with sweat by the time I finished. Christine soon had a nice supper fixed up: scallops, baked potato and kale ... mmm!

Wednesday, 5/22/2013 and Thursday, 5/23/2013: Rest days

The first because of the arrival of new tech ... a Lexmark Pinnacle Pro 915 wireless printer that I set up on our laptops. The second because of massive amounts of cuddling ... nice!

Friday, 5/24/2013: Bike 13.98 miles, 1:06:43, 12.6 mph, 52F, partly cloudy, a bit breezy, no stops.

Garmin Connect Activity for Both sides of the Genesee River

I really needed some exercise so I just got on my bike and got out there. An hour later I was done with my usual ride around on both bank of the Genesee River.

Saturday, 5/25/2013: Rest day.

I was a bit bummed this morning. I so wanted to be down at the Letchworth Dam in Mount Morris for the Sehgahunda Trail Marathon. But I was just not trained for it and just not feeling it. I was more than a bit cranky all morning. Results are here and age group results are here. Maybe next year. I did enjoy reading the Facebook posts from happy and triumphant finishers.

Later Christine and I headed out to Newark to my daughter's apartment where we had a picnic with her and my youngest son. First off was starting up us outdoor charcoal grill and hoping that it would get hot ... it did. We had the usual fare of hamburgers and salads along with a cookie cake. It was a bit cool and breezy so we wore jackets. It was a nice time ... something we should do more often.

Sunday, 5/12/2013 to Saturday, 5/18/2013 - Dirt Cheap #2 and Spring Classic Duathalon

I ran 6 times this week, 24.33 miles
I biked 3 times this week, 37.9 miles

Sunday, 5/12/2013: run 12.4 miles, 1:49:50, 8:51 pace, sunny, light rain, lots of wind, sunny, stops for gel and clothing changes

Garmin Connect Activity for Meandering to the Lake and back

I really, really needed a long run after not running since Tuesday. I had trouble motivating myself at 8AM when I saw that the temperature was 41F and heard the howling wind outside. I gave Christine her Mother's Day present along with a cuddle. Then ... I got dressed and got out. I am glad that I picked warm tech because I needed it. I struck up a nice and easy, long distance lope and just kept going. The weather changed a couple of times while I was out there. First sun, then a light rain, then sun along with lots of wind so I took off my jacket once, put it back on for the light rain and then took it back off afterward. I eventually got down to Lake Ontario and back. I was definitely slower on the way back as usual ... but I was glad I went out.

I woke up Christine when I got back and we soon enjoyed our coffee, bagel and the Sunday Democrat and Chronicle as per our usual Sunday habit. Later we ended out to the East Ridge Diner for a Mother Day's day dinner. I had a 1/2 rack of baby back ribs and Christine had steak ... Mmm! We both enjoyed our first visit ... we will be back!

Christine rented Lincoln from Redbox. But we couldn't view it because of tech not working. We tried 4 DVD players. My laptop, Christine's DVD player and both mine and were denied. My laptop had trouble with the sound. Christine's DVD player had blue screens. One of my DVD players still has a DVD stuck in it and the other doesn't recognize any DVD. We are all set if we want to play VHS tape though. Seriously, I think a new Blu-Ray player is in our future as long as it has a component video output for our old TV.

Monday, 5/13/2013: Rest night ... moving on.

Tuesday, 5/14/2013: bike 17.9 miles, 1:28:20, 12.2 mph, 55F, partly cloudy, calm, 1 stop.

Garmin Connect Activity for Both banks of the Genesee River

I needed some exercise. I chose the bike since I have Dirt Cheap #2 tomorrow. I chose my usual bike route on both banks of the Genesee with some additional loops. I went a bit faster and chose to pump up the hills rather than just ride slowly up them. A nice ride! I had a bit of trouble walking after the ride until I got my legs back ... sweet!

Wednesday, 5/15/2013: 2 runs of 1.5 and 5.43 miles, 76F, sunny, windy

What a weird day of Rochester weather! It was 50F when I woke up. A severe thunderstorm moved through at 8:30AM and produced heavy rain, pea sized hail in some areas and high winds. It was 79F and still windy by 3:30PM. So it was a hot Dirt Cheap 2.

Christine and I got out to the new location of Dirt Cheap 2 at the corner of Holt and Lake out in Webster around 5:40PM in plenty of time for the 6:30PM start. This location has plenty of parking so a new course soon ensued. My darling wife went off the Kohls to shop and New Nails for ... well, a new set of shorter nails while I prepped for the race.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before Dirt Cheap 2

I had enough time for a nice 1.5 mile warmup run at 9:04 pace before the race to get the blood flowing in my legs. I sampled the beginning 0.75 mile and last 0.25 mile of the new course. The last 0.25 mile included a new steep uphill to the finish which is longer and steeper than the uphill finish to Stewart Lodge out at Mendon Ponds Park for the Dirt Cheap Stage Race.



Soon, it was 6:30PM and time to hit the trails with all the men. The women started 8 minutes after us.

I settled into a nice trail pace on the longest race of the Dirt Cheap series. I concentrated on stretching out on the long flats while I kept an eye out for roots, rocks, branches, pricker bushes and logs plus the occasional horse droppings. We entered the creek for about 100 yards at mile 2.5. Its cold ankle deep water washed a bit of trail mud off. I soon found more mud. It was a bit hard to get back up to speed with 2 trail shoes full of water ... it took about a mile. The long part of the race ensued ... I just kept going. I could hear Ellen yelling at the finish from about a mile away but there were more than a few hills in betweeen. Then the last hill was in sight ... I dug up it and broke the finish line at 49:05, 9:03 , done!

Gritting my teeth like usual!

I did OK. I was 71st out of 316, link here. I was 3rd out of 14 in my M55-59 age group, 3 full minutes behind Bill Beyerbach's first place effort. Soon I was chowing down on the usual Dirt Cheap fare ... hot dogs cooked up by Marilee, bananas, cookies, pretzel, carrots and cucumbers. Good post race fuel!

Thursday, 5/16/2013: Rest day.

Friday, 5/17/2013: Prep day before the weekend.

Christine and I stopped off at Fleet Feet in Brighton where I signed up for tomorrow's Spring Classic Duathalon at Mendon Ponds Park. I also bought a Zoots Tri Short. I also bought a Moving Comfort capri pants and a Spibelt with pink stitching for Christine. We also signed up for GRTC's Boilermaker bus. We went to bed early but both of us didn't sleep well. Christine was congested so she snored and I had pre-race jitters.

Saturday, 5/18/2013: Spring Class Duathlon

Saturday morning came early with the alarm going off at 5:50AM ... but I was awake anyway. We had lots of time and got underway at 7:30AM. I did struggle a bit with attaching the bike carrier to the car. No worries ... the race didn't start until 8:30AM. I had plenty of time to get my Trek FX 7.2 into transition, situate my stuff and get my timing chip. I had sighed for the Formula 1 race: 2 miles run, 10 mile bike, 1 mile run, 10 mile bike and 2 mile run. I was excited ... my first duathlon!

Sean Hendrick directed me into transition and gave me some pointers.

Soon I was off with 63 other duathletes!

I knew I had to pace myself. I did the first two mile trail run in 16:00, a nice 8:00 pace. I spent 1:55 in transition 1 (T1). I had some water and a gel. Christine was standing outside of transition giving me encouragement. I put on my helmet and jacket and ran my bike out of transition to the mount line.

Running my bike out of T1 for my first 10 mile ride.

Off I went on my bike for a 10 mile ride! It went pretty well ... a lot of people passed me though. I soon kept my front gear in the third slot and cycled through the back gears as needed. There were some short ups and some great downs. The first 10 mile bike time was 39:33. I spent 1:40 in T2 while I took my jacket off, had some water and a gel before I ran out for a mile run, 8:45. That was kind of slow but I was sluggish.

Coming down toward transition after the 1 mile run

I spent 1:33 in T3 for some water and my last gel. I was warm so I didn't put on my jacket before I headed back out of my second 10 mile ride. The course was familiar now so I concentrated on going faster on this loop. I caught and passed 2 women on this loop. My bike time was 39:39. I was in T4 for 1:10 before I headed back out for my final 2 mile run. I was feeling pretty good and having fun! I motored at a good run pace and was back in 16:13, 8:07 pace. It was nice to head to a downhill finish!

This pic was taken just minutes after the finish.

Standing next to my trusty stead!

My total time was 2:06:27, 49th out of 64, link here. I was 5th out of 6 in my M55-59 age group, link here. Some mistakes ... I didn't set my Garmin between run and bike. I left it on run for the entire race. I spent too much time in transition but hey ... it was my first time! I wanted to make sure to hydrate and put some nutrition in me before heading back out. All in all, it was a great morning! It was nice to hear Ellen announcing me as I entered and exiting transition. I had fun in a new sport!

Sunday, 5/5/2013 to Saturday, 5/11/2013 - Medved Madness 15 Mile Trail run

I ran 2 times this week, 21.9 miles
I biked 1 time this week, 13.7 miles

Sunday, 5/5/2013: 16.5 miles, 2:52:40, 10:28 pace, 57F, sunny, calm, a beautiful morning!

Christine was feeling poorly so I kissed her goodbye and headed down solo to Hopkins Point at Mendon Ponds Park for the Medved Madness 15 mile Trail run. I got there about 45 minutes before the 8AM start. I didn't go out for a warmup run. I have not had much mojo lately ... I was hoping to find it at this race.



I have run this race in 2009, 2010 and 2012 with a PR in 2010 of 2:28:32. It's basically a three loop race with each loop of 5 miles or so denoted by a different color flag: red, pink and blue. I started out a bit strong and was soon passed by runners that I never saw again. Soon I settled into a groove and just took what the course gave me. I tiptoed straight through the mud so my trail shoes wouldn't get sucked off. I splashed through the pond at the end of Loop 1 and was passed by 5 runners.

These 5 runners passed me like I was standing still!

I took an apple Gel before I headed out for Loop 2, Loop 1 time was 44:03. Loop 2 took us out of long grassy stretches with lots of open field. I took a chocolate Gel before I headed out for Loop 3, Loop 2 time was 32:52. I was slowing down but I managed a good pace ... running the flats and downs. Then after 13.5 miles or so ... I missed a turn on a downhill. So ... instead of just backtracking until I saw a blue flag I walked in circles for 2(!) miles before another guy and I found the missed turn and proceeded onward. By this time, I was hungry and almost out of water ... not good. I just kept on going ... forward until I got done, Loop 3 was 1:39:54. I went straight to the scrumptious catered lunch and soon felt human again.

Personally I think I would have PRed if I can stayed on course. I was running OK. But hey ... for the 16.5 mile race I placed first! Though everyone else had 14.2 or 14.3! I placed 76th out of 89, total time of 2:56:49, link here. Still, it was a beautiful morning, I found my running mojo and I was happy!

I played with my new iPhone while I recovered back at the apartment from Medved Madness. I finally figured out how to transfer my contacts from my personal Casio Commando android. Here is the geeky explanation ... strap in! On my Casio Commando I exported my contacts to my SD card and then emailed them to my Yahoo! account. I extracted the vcf file onto my laptop. I imported the vcf file into my gmail account. Then I set up a OpenDAV account on my iPhone. Voila! It sounds easy ... but it involved many Google searches, some blind alleys and ways that don't work anymore. My darling wife, Christine, suggested more than once that I should just take my phones to Verizon and have them transfer the contacts. But ... what fun would that have been? Success was sweet! Hopefully I can transfer the pictures from the old phone easier.

Monday, 5/6/2013: 13.7 miles on the bike, 1:10:19, 11.7 mph, 70F, sunny, calm.

Garmin Connect Activity for Both Banks of the Genesee River

I needed to exercise and chose biking. So I headed out on one of my favorite run routes. I headed up the east side of the Genesee River to O'Rorke Bridge, crossed over and headed back down the west side to the pedestrain bridge. I passed Tom and Amy Butler on the Genesee River trail and stopped to talk with them. They showed me a swan that was nesting about 30 feet away from the walkway. I did learn that your butt can get sore riding and that I should dress a bit warmer when riding my bike. But it was a sweet ride!

Tuesday, 5/7/2013: 5.4 miles, 45:31, 8:46 pace, 73F, sunny, calm.

Garmin Connect for Speedwork down at Cobbs Hill

I needed to do speedwork so I headed down to Cobbs Hill Park to run the reservoir. I parked at the Riley Lodge and ran a bit of a warmup. Then I set out on 0.4 mile repeats. I ran a bit hard at what I thought was slow but really turned out to be around 6:20 to 6:40 pace for 4 of them. I ran the last run at 7:00 pace. I really felt like I was having trouble holding the pace. I did a cooldown run and headed home. Maybe riding my bike the night before and a 16.5 mile run the day before that dogged me more than I realized.

Wednesday, 5/8/2013 through Saturday, 5/11/2013: Rest days

Coulda and shoulda exercised ... moving on. I thought I had found my exercise mojo ... just as quickly it disappeared.

Sunday, 4/28/2013 to Saturday, 5/4/2013 - Flower City Half Marathon

I ran 3 times this week, 20.1 miles, one was a 1 mile warmup.
I ran 10 times in the month of April, 65.2 miles (less than my goal of 100 miles), 6.5 miles/run
I have run 68 times in 120 days in 2013, 420.9 miles, 6.2 miles/run
I biked twice during the month of April, 18.64 miles

Sunday, 4/28/2013: 2 runs of 1 and 13.1 miles.

Christine and I got up at 5AM. It takes mental fortitude to get out of a nice warm bed with your wife and out the door by 6AM. By 6:15AM we were down in our usual parking spot in the big lot south of the Blue Cross Arena.

I got out for a little 1 mile tuneup run. I decided to ditch my arm warmers, stash 2 Gels and took no water. I just had on my compression shorts, Brooks Racing Team t-shirt, light Brooks gloves, Brooks hat, Ryder sunglasses and a new pair of Brooks Adrenaline 12s (maybe not the best choice of footwear) but my current pair had 490 miles.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before the Flower City Half - 2013

The prerace ceremony was poignant with a 4-15-13 sign about the Start banner, the singing of the Star Spangled Banner and Sweet Caroline.

Soon we were off right on time. I got up to speed pretty quickly. I got boxed in, bided my time and got ahead of the 1:40 pace group by the 1/2 mile mark. The first six miles passed: 7:38, 7:22, 7:34, 7:30, 7:43, 7:49.  I was taking water at each aid station and didn't cough any of it back up.

I remember seeing Laura Church and going over to high five her as I ran past. I saw John Muoio playing bass fiddle on Park Ave. I saw Anne Espositio and Robbie repeatedly on their bikes. I saw Heather Danielson twice as she ran the course backward as a training run (I think). I waved to spectators. I heard three little kids yelling out "Run fast, Runners". I took a Gel just before the mile 6 aid station. Everything was going well.

Then ... came the hills of Highland and the Mount Hope Cemetery. The 1:40 pace group along with Bill Beyerbach passed me going up the South Goodman St hill up to Highland Park. My legs started to feel like crap. I could feel a blister on the bottom of my left foot. A sign comes to mind ... "Blisters are Braille for Awesome". The miles in the Mount Hope Cemetery seemed to drag. I  passed Bill Beyerbach just before we exited the cemetery. Miles 7, 8, 9 and 10 were: 8:19, 8:19, 7:54 and 8:13.

The last 3 miles were just getting it done. They really dragged. I didn't have anything left. I stopped to walk for a minute between mile 11 and 12. My legs were really hurting. I did pick it up from mile 12 on. I knew not to use any kick as we came north on Exchange Blvd. I gritted my teeth as I got to the chute and kicked it in to break 1:45. Hearing Ellen of Fleet Feet call out my name ... priceless. Miles 11, 12 and 13 were: 8:04, 8:57, 8:19.

I did the best I could. I am definitely not in the same shape I was last year. But I did OK. I finished in 1:44:32, 340th out of 2365, link here. I finished 6th out of 64 in my M55-59 age group, link here.

I felt light headed after the race and quickly had some water. I met up with my darling Christine and had some nutrition (pizza, Greek yogurt, cookies and more water). Soon I felt human again. My muscles were really stiff. We came out of the Blue Cross Arena just in time to see Tina finish. She was super excited with her over 3 minute PR!

By 11AM we were home ... drinking coffee, reading the Sunday Democrat and Chronicle and catching up on Facebook. There were many stories, of course. I enjoyed reading them all ... very inspirational.

Some of the memorable signs were "Don't Stop Here ... They Bury You" (in the cemetery), "Don't Stop, Don't Stop (She Said)". A news link from 13wham.com, here.

Monday, 4/29/2013: 5.8 miles on the bike, 63F, sunny, calm.

Garmin Connect Activity for Bike Around the Zoo

Chrisine and I got out for a short ride over to the Zoo. I forgot to switch my Garmin over to Bicycle until I was at the Zoo. We headed down to Trout Lake where I went around 3 times, Christine went around once. Christine wants me to find a level ride next time. She got up to 22 mph and I got up to 2.3 mph on the descent to Trout Lake ... sweet! Both of us need to install rear view mirrors and bells on our bikes. Plus I need to adjust her helmet.

Tuesday, 4/30/2013: Rest day ... felt a tightness in my right upper hamstring so I stayed in.

Wednesday, 5/1/2013: 6 miles, 49:38, 8:17 pace, 77F, sunny, calm, no stops, lots of discomfort.

Garmin Connect Activity for 6 miles around the streets of Irondequoit

I headed out at a nice and easy pace. It was a perfect evening for a run ... sunny, warm, no wind and little humidity. I could feel a bit of discomfort below my right big toe but I paid it no mind ... at first. By the time I got 3 miles out the discomfort was much greater so I cut the run a bit short .... but I was not going to walk so I just kept running in more and more discomfort and yes ... pain. Even my right Achilles start to hurt. When I got back I took off my left shoe and saw not one but two blisters. One is below my left big toe and the other is on right side of my left big toe. Ouch! Maybe I should have taken a bike ride instead!

Thursday, 5/2/2013: Rest day ... actually tech day.

I got a new corporate iPhone 5 today. I spent about three hours downloading apps on it plus unsuccessfully  trying to figure out how to put a bluetooth icon on its home screen ... something the Android could be very easily. Ugghhh ... plus my darling Christine was in ... less than usual attire and I paid her no attention. Honeymoon over? Nahhh! Just on tech hiatus!

Friday, 5/4/2013: Another rest day.

I have a slight pull in my left groin so I decided to take it easy. I figured out how to forward all my calls from my calls from my Android Casio Commando with a simple *72 + new number. I still can't figure out how to get my contacts transferred so any calls come in as just as the number. I found an app named Phone Leash which claims to forward all your texts to either another number or email. But it doesn't delete the incoming text after forwarding it even though I have it checked. Nor does it forward a text with a picture. It should be relatively easy ... not!!!

Believe it or not, my youngest son slept through the first three hours of this fire (link here) on East Main St in Palmyra, about 500 feet from his apartment. He does work overnights and catchs sleep when he can.

Saturday, 5/5/2013: Yet another rest day ... I just couldn't find any motivation to get out to do anything. Fail!

Sunday, 4/21/2013 to Saturday, 4/27/2013

I ran 1 time this week, 10.6 miles. I biked 1 time this week, 7.2 miles.

Sunday, 4/21/2013: Rest day.

Christine and I lazed around most of Sunday. I served Christine breakfast in bed along the Democrat and Chronicle. Later we crammed Christine's bicycle into our car and ran it out to the Bike Zone because we couldn't figure out how to put it on my bike carrier. So now it's there getting looked over and should be back in a week.

Monday, 4/22/2013: Another rest day.

Christine and I volunteered at Fleet Feet Ridgeway for the Flower City Challenge packet pickup. It wasn't too busy, just steady from 5 to 6:40PM. We had to split early to get Christine to her therapist appointment in Webster at 7PM.

Tuesday, 4/23/2013: 10.6 miles, 1:30:18, 8:32 pace, 62F, sunny, calm, 1 stop at the lake.

Garmin Connect Activity for Down to the lake and back

Lately I have had to drag myself out for runs, today was no exception. I did get out at 6:45PM for a much needed long run. I took it out at a nice and easy 7:50 to 8:10 pace down my usual 10K route. In the middle I broke it north and headed down to the lake, 5.75 miles in 47:00, 8:10 pace. I hydrated for a couple of minutes on the beach. Then I headed back at a slower pace, 4.85 miles at 8:42 pace. My right Achilles was just a slight nag ... but enough to bug me a bit. The Flower City Half on Sunday should be interesting. Maybe I will break out my new Brooks Adrenaline 12s ... my old ones have about 490 miles on them. Maybe I am hurting when I run because of old shoes.

Wednesday, 4/24/2013: Rest day plus laundry night ... move along.

Thursday, 4/25/2013: Another rest day.

Christine needed a 911 visit to New Nails because of a broken nail so off we went after work. Then we headed down to Fleet Feet Brighton to pick up our volunteer stuff for day 1 of the Flower City Challenge. We will be at Run 11 just over one of the pediastrian bridge over the Genesee River. We also donated $20 each to The One Fund to benefit victims of the Boston bombing. It's a win-win-win ... if you donate $20 or more this week during Flower City packet pickup Fleet Feet will also donate $20 and give you a $20 gift certificate (good until 7/1/13) toward a footwear purchase.

Friday, 4/26/2013: Another rest day.

I had to get up early to take my daughter to the Megabus station in downtown Rochester. I met her at 6:10AM at Market Place Mall where I exchanged with my ex. The bonus was seeing the full moon in the west sky ... very pretty! Though as a result I dragged most of the day and felt like crap during the night. Christine went out for a 2 hour message at MessageEnvy. We went to bed early.

Saturday, 4/27/2013: 7.2 miles on the bike

Garmin Connect Activity for Canal Path from Long Pond to Manitou

Christine and I got up early. I had signed up to volunteer at the Run 11 station on the Flower City Du course. I had asked Christine to help me. Well .... we had a spat right after we got there. No, no details. Anyway ... she drove off and I was left there with just what I had retrieved from the car. The temperature was just 42F at 7AM so I was a bit cold until it warmed up after the Du was over.

No matter ... a successful vollie ensued. I cheered on all the runners as I waved them onward in the proper direction. Afterward, I hooked up with my friend Bill Beyerbach for coffee at the Liberty Restaurant and a ride home.

Garmin Connect Activity for Canal Path from Long Pond to Manitou

Later we headed out to the Bike Zone with my old, old bike to pick up my new Trek FX 7.2 and Christine's newly tuned 10 yr old Janus. We headed to the Long Pond trailhead on the Canal path. I rode slowly with Christine for a while. I did hike it up when Christine turned around the 2.75 mile mark. A successful first bike ride ... though who knows how my legs will feel tomorrow morning during the Flower City Half!!

Sunday, 4/14/2013 to Saturday, 4/20/2013 - Dirt Cheap #1 and Muddy Sneaker 20K

I ran 3 times this week, 24.48 miles along with 2 warmups before race.

Sunday, 4/14/2013: Rest day.

I wanted to run but my thighs were killing me because of the 12 mile run yesterday. It felt like someone stabbed me everytime I took a step. So I took as few as possible. I kept up with race reports from the Athens Marathon down in Athens OH via Facebook. Kathy Reardon BQed by 3 seconds with a 3:59:57  and Bill Beyerbach ran a 3:43:25.

Kathy Reardon

Bill Beyerbach

Christine and I caught up on our DVRed episodes of Red Widow, then I watched the end of the Masters while Christine retreated to the bedroom.

Monday, 4/15/2013: 6.2 miles, 51:47, 8:21 pace, 73F, before dusk, 1 stop.

I followed three runners (Dan Giblin, Wendy Abbott and Heather Danielson) at the Boston Marathon. Others were following other runners on Facebook. I thought all was well. My brother called me around 4PM with the news that there had been a bombing at the Boston Marathon near the finish. I was in shock! My Facebook feed was full of entries of checking whether the Rochester runners were safe (they are). My mind just could not wrap around the fact that 2 explosions had been set near finish around 2:50PM and that at 7:57PM 3 were dead and over 130 were injured, link here. Wendy Abbott was interviewed over the phone by WHEC-TV, link here. Boots and Ellen were interviewed by WHEC-TV, link here.

I got home, kissed Christine and watched new coverage from Boston. I saw the video of the first and second explosion over and over. I knew I had to get out for a run.

Garmin Connect Activity for 6.2 miles around the streets of Irondequoit

I got out around 7PM. I took it out nice and easy. My thighs still hurt, then my left knee hurt, then my right Achilles hurt a bit. But I was determined to run 6.2 miles, 20 less than 26.2, in honor of the Boston Marathon.

Tuesday, 4/16/2013: Laundry night

Two loads of laundry trumped heading down to Fleet Feet for a memorial 4.09 mile run. The 4:09 denoted the time in the Boston Marathon that the bomb exploded. Here are three  news sites; a D&C link here, a MPNnow.com link here and a YNN link here. Steve Levitsky's column in MPNnow.com, link here and a blog, "Don't Let the Bastard Win", link here.

Wednesday, 4/17/2013: 2 runs of 1 mile and 4.69 miles, 50F, sunny, calm.

Christine and I headed down to Devil's Bathtub area of Mendon Ponds Park for Dirt Cheap #1. We got there around 6PM. I parked out on Douglas Rd. Christine bet me that there would be parking spots up close. Well ... she was right! After I got my bib I ran down to move up the car.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before Dirt Cheap #1 - 2013

I had just enough time to go out for a 1 mile warmup run. I pulled down my arm warmers before the race.

I started out nice and easy and settled into a trail groove. I have run this Dirt Cheap #1 since 2009 so I knew what to expect. Lots of up and down but nothing too outrageous. The mud blog section almost took off one of my trail shoes so I stopped for about 20 seconds and tightened up one. Lesson learned again ... cinch up both before a trail race! The infamous stair climb finish was just as enjoyable as ever!

I did OK. I finished in 41:45, 81st out of 318, 2nd out of 12 in my M55-59 age group, link here. All in all, a lot of fun was had! I wandered around after the race and caught up with Wendy Abbott who ran the Boston Marathon two day ago. I also talked with Kathy Reardon and Bill Beyerbach who ran the Athens Marathon on Sunday. I was a bit cold after the race so I was glad that I had packed a sweatshirt, hat and gloves for afterward!

Thursday, 3/18/2013: Rest day.

I headed to Newark to visit my daughter. I gave her old Toshiba Satellite laptop to a friend of hers. I had refurbished it with a spanking new version of Window 7 64-bit. Then I transferred her data from her old "on its last legs" laptop. No trouble at all when you have the right tools!

Friday, 3/19/2013: Another rest day.

I took a day off from work so Christine and I could get our eyes tested. I had not had my eyes tested in more than 10 years. While we were at Strong Memorial Hospital the temperature fell from 74F to 47F .... brrr! Then Christine took me out to the Crab Shack for an early supper. Afterward we stopped by New Nails so Christine could get her nails done along with a pedicure.

Saturday, 3/20/2013: 2 runs of 0.5 and 12.09 miles, 39F, partly cloudy, windy.

Christine and I got up at 6AM, out the door at 7AM and on the way down to the High Tor Wildlife Management Area for my third Muddy Sneaker 20K. We got there at 8AM in plenty of time for the 9AM start. I had time for a short 0.5 mile warmup run just to get my bones moving.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before the Muddy Sneaker 20K - 2013



What can you say about the 2013 edition of the Muddy Sneaker? Well ... it was muddy with 2 stream crossings, hilly (2815 feet of elevation change) rooty, rocky and windy with long up and downs. By long up and downs ... I mean sometimes a mile long with some serious elevation changes. Mort Nace, the race director, said, "It's the only race with both an uphill start and finish". Some light snow pellets were thrown in by Mother Nature for good measure. You definitely have to keep on your toes and be mindful of your next footing. Here is a write-up, link here.

Just milling around before the start ...

Gutting it out ...

My darling Christine walked down from the finish about 0.2 miles to cheer me on to the finish. I am not in as good shape as last year so I finished in 2:16:30 about 8 minutes slower. Still, I had fun testing myself. I did OK. My official time was 2:18:19, 87th out of 162, 14th out of 30 in my M50-59 age group, link here. A link to a race report by Ben Murphy, here.

We took the scenic route back. We stopped at the Rose Bud Cafe at the intersection of 5 & 20 and 64 for lunch and coffee. We browsed in EMP Antiques next door where I bought Christine a step stool and bowl. Then we hit up The Bike Zone in Greece where I looked at, tried out and put a deposit on a 25" Trek FX 7.2. Yes, I bought a bike. Now we have to get Christine's bicycle looked at. Maybe we can be riding our bike by next weekend.