11/8/2014 - 11/9/2014 - Dirt Cheap Stage Race

I ran 5 times during the Dirt Cheap Stage Race,  miles.

This was my sixth running of the Dirt Cheap Stage Race (DCSR). The DCSR is three races over two day. Race #1 at 9AM on Saturday is a 3.1-ish mile race set out on Pond Rd with runners going out in a time trial every 5 seconds. Race #2 at 1PM on Saturday is a 4.7-ish mile race set out at Devil's Bathtub on the usual Dirt Cheap Trail Race #4 course. Race #3 at 9AM on Sunday is a 11-ish mile race set out at Stewart Lodge that meanders throughout Mendon Ponds Park (MPP).

11/8/2914

I accidentally set the alarm for 6AM instead of 6:45AM so I just laid in bed trying to get back to sleep ... to no avail. My wife, Christine, was already up. She had not slept since 1AM due to her insomnia. I did the dishes from the previous night and then ate my customary cereal with banana along with juice. I looked at the temperature (34F, overcast with a light wind) ... I decided on tights, a medium weight long sleeve tech, short sleeve tech, Brooks jacket, beanie and heavy gloves. Since I was going to be gone for both the first race at 9AM and second race at 1PM I brought along a change of pants, short sleeve tech, 2014 Sehgahunda hoodie, socks and road shoes. I headed out at 8AM for the 20 minute drive down to MPP.

There were a lot of people on the roads in MPP since both No-Bo and HFM were meeting down there. The beach parking lot and both the access and egress roads were full of cars. I checked in at Stewart Lodge and then headed out to the DSCR #1 venue. I had to park about a 1/4 mile away from the race start so I got there about 15 minutes before the race started. I did run up the trail for about a minute and so I didn't really take a mile warmup run like I usually do before a race. I ditched my Brooks jacket before the race. The race conditions were: 36F, 75% RH, 7 mph S wind and overcast.


And I was off! I can't say "we" since it was a time trial start. The Golden Bib runners started first. I was first, then Daniel, then Chris O'Brien, and then Mark. Then it was runners in numerical order. I was in the lead for about 15 seconds before Daniel passed me. I was not running too well since the first 1/2 mile of the course seemed to be all uphill. Chris O'Brien passed me in this section also. I settled down and continued onward. Yes, I walked some hills. I can powerwalk just as fast as I can run up a steep hill and it saves a bit of energy.

I think this was taken on a steep hill ... notice my usual grimace - courtesy of Kim Smith

Three more runners passed me. Then we were back on the 2 way section of the course since it was close to the end. Andy Franks said "Hi" as he passed. I tried to keep pace. Another runner passed about a tenth before the finish. So ... 7 runners physically passed me.

And ... done with 3.15 miles in 29:04, 9:14 pace! I walked over to where Chris O'Brien was hanging with the finishers. He gave me grief about groaning during the uphill where he passed me. Yes, I did groan. Chris had ran the NYC Marathon just 6 days ago also and was still faster than me ... the 21 year age difference might work in his favor, lol. I did well, 37th out of 170, link here. I was 8th out of 22 in my M50-59 age group. Historically, this was my 2nd fastest DCSR #1 (2013-28:33).

Your basic post DCSR #1selfie

I walked back to the car and drove over to Stewart Lodge to eat a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs, several doughnut holes and 2 apples. Then it was off to the Devil's Bathtub to get a prime parking spot on top of the hill about 50 feet from the race start/finish at 11AM. I just surfed Facebook and chilled until 12:30PM.

This time I did get out for a 1.25 mile warmup run before the race, link here. I had to convince myself that it was warm out before I ditched my Brook jacket again.




I lined up in my usual spot ... off to the right about 20 feet from the start line. And ... we were off!

The start of DCSR #2 - courtesy of Kim Smith

I settled in with a nice 7:53 first mile. I followed Beth DeCiantis through the bog area. She seemed to know where the knee deep mudholes were and avoided them by stepping up to the twisty trail off the right now and then. Onward ... I walked the hills I needed to. I can powerwalk as fast as I can run a steep hill most of the time. Then we crossed the bridge to the other side of the pond. I had caught up to Beth again and followed her through the muddy spots over there. I mean ankle deep, shoe sucking mud when I type muddy spots by the way. I had cinched up my laces on my Salomon Speedcross 3 trail shoes so I didn't lose a shoe but I certainly tried! I tried to keep up with her on the flats on the way back to the finish.

(l-r) Beth DeCiantis and Michelle Weiler - courtesy of Kim Smith

Keeping pace - courtesy of Kim Smith

I am not sleepwalking here ... just looking at the ground - courtesy of Kim Smith

Andy Ciaio in light green - courtesy of Kim Smith

My feet were tired and my trail shoes were wet and muddy. I walked up Cardiac Hill ... onward. I concentrated on keeping my position. Then, it was up the infamous Devil's Bathtub stairs to the finish.

And done in 44:06! I did well, 44th out of 187, link here. I was 7th out of 18 in my M50-59 age group. Historically, this was my 3rd fastest DCSR #2 (2010-40:56 and 2011-42:13).

Your basic post DCSR #2 selfie

I hung out for a bit. I fist bumped Beth DeCiantis on her 43:34 finish. Then I congratulated Chris O'Brien on his 42:05 and Andy Ciaio on his 47:13. I ate one hot dog, wiped off as much mud as I could, changed out of my muddy trail shoes into my clean road shoes and motored home. A nice shower and bath really felt nice. So did a hot mug of coffee prepared by my lovely wife, Christine.

Sunday, 11/9/2014

Well, another crisp morning for the running of DSCR #3 ... just like yesterday's DCSR #1. I had most of my gear already packed from yesterday so the only mystery was whether my Salomon Speedcross 3 trail shoes had dried out from the mud bath of DCSR #2 from the previous day. I pulled out the newspaper that I had stuffed in there yesterday and ... the insides were dry. The outside were a bit damp but I had a feeling that they would just get wet again. I tried to wake up my darling wife, Christine, and was successful on my third attempt. Well ... a hug and coffee helped convince her. She had a MassageEnvy appointment at 9AM. She said that she might be waiting for me when I got done.

So ... I headed back to MPP. I got there in plenty of time at 8:30AM for the 9AM start. I took a leisurely walk up to Stewart Lodge, stashed my gym bag and got ready. I was stretching when a guy mentioned that he searched for info about this race and found this blog. I chuckled, told him that it was a public service and gave him a few pointers about the course. I got out for a nice and easy 0.5 mile warmup run at 9:08 pace, link here. I cut it a bit close though since I got to the start line only about 2 minutes before the race started. I said "Hi" to Chris O'Brien before the start. I noticed that we were both "Men in Black" again.

And ... we were off! I stuck up a nice and easy trail pace and settled in for a long run. I tried to keep up with Beth DeCiantis like I did for a while yesterday but she was in another gear today and I soon lost sight of her.

Beth DeCiantis - courtesy of Kim Smith

The first 5 miles of the race were on the familiar blue and green trails. Then we crossed to the other side of Canfield Rd and then across S Winmarth Rd over by the horse farm. The trail over here was nice with a few gentle ups and a long gentle down. I was running well.

Somewhere around here Chris O'Brien came up behind me ... which was unusual since I thought he was front of me.

Chris and I running together for a bit - "Men in Black"

He told me that he was pissed at himself for missing a turn about 2 miles back. I knew exactly where he had done it because I had done it 5 years ago. I told him not to worry about it. He pulled ahead when I walked to down a vanilla HammerGel at mile 6.6 just before we crossed Canfield Rd again almost by Route 65. It had warmed up a bit to the mid 40s. I was still running well. I was walking most of the hills and running the downs and flats. The course was heading down towards Devil's Bathtub. I transversed the bog there without sinking knee deep in the mud (always a good thing) and went down the infamous stairs. I saw Boots at the top of the last hill (so he said). He said that there was only a bit more than a mile to the finish. I passed Tina Pellegrin at mile 9.6. She told me that she thought she had broken one of her toes. She was power walking so I knew she would finish. We headed down Cardiac Hill, around Hundred Acre Pond and by the boat launch. I could hear the finish, a bit more mud and then up the last hill to Stewart Lodge.

I was in full grimace as I powered up to the last hill to the finish - courtesy of Barb Boutillier

And ... done in 1:50:28! Boots announced me into the finish. I walked up to Stewart Lodge in a bit of a daze. I stood in line to get my coveted DCSR hoodie. This color this year was yellow. Soon there were an awful lot of DCSR series finisher runners proudly wearing well earned yellow DCSR hoodies ... myself included. I soon enjoyed swapping stories with other runners. I sat at Tom Butler's table. He had brought a sheet cake to celebrate his upcoming 50th birthday ... so I helped him eat it and helped pass out paper plates and forks. My wife did make it. She sat and talked to Tom's wife, Amy. I also talked with Chris O'Brien, Andy Ciaio and Beth DeCiantis who won her 50-59 age group.

Tina Pellegrin

Tom Butler ... the soon  to be 50 year old

A post DCSR #3 selfie while proudly wearing an earned 2014 DCSR hoodie

More proud wearers of the DCSR hoodie - courtesy of Kim Smith

Officially, I did well. I finished 10.54 miles in 1:50:28, 10:29 pace for my third fastest DCSR #3 out of six. I was 60th out of 173, link here. I was 10th out of 19 in my M50-59 age group. I was 7th out of 19 in my DCSR M50-59 age group, link here. I was 39th out of 88 in the DCSR male overall, link here. My splits were: 8:51, 9:12, 11:13, 10:21, 11:09, 10:01, 10:22, 11:18, 12:30 and 9:06 over the last 0.54 mile. 

Yes, I know it's a lot of stats. Yes, I am competitive (perhaps in my own mind). But ... trail running is not all so much about running hard but enjoying the journey and that I did. It was a beautiful morning to spend in MPP with my running friends. So many more people know me than I know them. I am trying. I probably helped them today since I wore my golden bib with my name in big, bold letters ... lol!

We left after a while. I went straight home. I stripped as soon as I got in the door and was all showered, dressed and had a mug of coffee at the ready by the time the Bills vs Chiefs game was on at 1PM. My wife ... went shopping at Target and Wegmans. So ... I had more than a few bags to carry inside when she arrived home.

The Bills put a bit of a downer on western NY when they lost 13-17, link here. The game was close but ... it didn't help when the offense fumbled and the punt returner also fumbled in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs got the 2 TDs that they needed to win. So ... the Bills snatched defeat from the jaws of victory to fall to 5-4. Oh well. I was looking at Facebook updates and pictures of the DCSR anyway.

All in all, another great DCSR! Thank you to Fleet Feet and Yellow Jacket Racing and the volunteers!

Sunday, 11/2/2014 to Friday, 11/7/2014

I ran 2 times during these 6 days, 9.3 miles.

Sunday, 11/2/2014: A full rest day!

Yes, I rested ... err, just not sleepwise. I went to bed early on Saturday morning at 10 PM after running 2 races (a 5K and a 30K)_ for 22.3 miles. I fully anticipated using the extra hour of sleep that setting the clocks back would proverbially give me. Well ... my darling wife, Christine, came to bed at 3 AM and woke me up with her snoring. So ... I got up. I surfed the web, contemplated going to Wegmans for groceries, watched a wee bit of TV (nothing on between 3 AM and 6 AM pretty much). I did watch a bit of TCM though, 1948's "On an Island with You" with Esther Williams, Peter Lawford, Ricardo Montalbon, Jimmy Durante and Cyd Charisse. I picked it up about 5 minutes and couldn't turn away. Yes ... there were swimming scenes for no reason, who knew that Ricardo (aka Khan!!!) could synchronize swim, Esther was engaged to Ricardo but chose Peter, Ricardo very quickly rebounded to Cyd and Jimmy Durante sang. It was a hoot!

I woke up my honey when I started laundry around 8:30AM. I put in a load of tech clothes while she sorted the laundry. My honey helped me fold and I did all the leg work. Six loads later and we were done. We also watched a bit of the New City City Marathon. I knew some people who ran it: Chris O'Brien in 4:17:30, Cyndy Schroeder in 4:28:04 and Richard Doe in 5:10:49. Chris told me that "It was all wind" with 20 to 30 mph winds all day.

I went to bed early again before 11 PM because I was tired for some reason. It could be due of "falling back" to EST.

Monday, 11/3/2014: Another rest day. My thighs felt tight during the day so I rested them.

Tuesday, 11/4/2014: 6.2 miles, 47:37, 7:40 pace, 66F, 18% RH, 7 mph WSW wind, partly cloudy.

Garmin Connect Activity for A negative split 10K

I wanted to vote but I needed to run first. But first I had to mess with my Garmin Forerunner 310XT. I was all geared up (shorts, short sleeve tech, reflective vest and headlamp) and ready to go outside when it would not go beyond the Garmin splash screen no matter how many times I cycled the power. So I headed inside, Googled "Garmin Forerunner 310XT hard reset", got the link here,  and applied it. The soft reset didn't do anything. I had to do a master reset to purge all entries and when that didn't work I had to do a "non-prompted non-vol clear" to return it to factory settings. It took about 15 minutes of fussing but I was successful.

So ... I went back outside and headed right out without any warmup. My thighs were a bit tight and I considered turning back at 1 mile. But I am made of sterner stuff and continued onward. I gradually sped up and clicked off a negative split 10K. My splits were: 8:04, 7:56, 7:46, 7:37, 7:19 and 6:51 over the last 0.2 mile. Sweet!!

I jumped in the shower so I wouldn't stink. FYI, I have been known not to after many a run. My darling wife, Christine, had supper ready when I got out. Then we headed out to vote for the candidates of our choice. We both are of like political mind. Let's just say that some of my candidates won and some lost. Nationally ... most of the ones that I would have liked (if we had lived in that state) lost and not so many won. So ... an astute reader would know my political bent. It should be an interesting next 2 years with GOP control of both the House and Senate chambers of the US Congress.

Wednesday, 11/5/2014: Rest day

My darling wife, Christine, and I watched a Redbox DVD by the name of "Edge of Tomorrow" with Tom Cruise. An interesting premise of living the same day over and over until you conquer the alien invader.

Thursday, 11/6/2014: 3.1 miles, 37:54, 12:11 pace, 43F, 87% RH, 3 mph ENE wind, light mist.

Garmin Connect Activity for A "Run with Zach" trail run at Cobbs Hill

I read on Facebook that if you ran the "Run with Zach" trail run down at Fleet Feet Armory that you would get a discount on in-stock Salomon trail shoes. Since my Salomon Speedcross 3 trail shoes have 702 miles on them I thought I would head down to see if I could get hooked up. So ... I went out and ran trail at Cobbs Hill in the dark with a headlamp with wet leaves, roots, rocks and a light mist falling. It was a really super easy run with lots of stopping to gather everyone (20 or so) back together. I was the only I knew of that took a tumble. I was running down to the rugby field when there was a sudden depression beneath my right shoe ... so I did a sudden barrel roll on my right side. I was no worse for the wear and tear. Well ... back at the store I found out that Fleet Feet had no Salomon Speedcross 3 trail shoes in size 13 in stock. So I will have to pay full price when they arrive next week. Oh well!

Sunday, 11/26/2014 to Saturday, 11/1/2014 - Grocery Run 5K & Mendon Ponds 30K

I ran 5 times this week, 41.61 miles.

Sunday, 11/26/2014: 13.1 miles, 1:44:56, 8:00 pace, 48F, 66% RH, 14 mph W wind, overcast, a real light mist at time.

Garmin Connect Activity for A nice, easy and flat half marathon

I slept in until 7:40AM ... it felt nice. I puttered around for a bit, then a longer bit while I gathered up the gumption to get on out there for a needed long run. I did the dishes from last night and ate the usual pre-run cereal. I posted on Facebook that "A long run doesn't get done but itself ...", kissed my darling wife, Christine, "good bye" and headed out.

It was a bit chilly and windy so I wore shorts, calf sleeves, a long sleeve and short sleeve tech, hat and light gloves. I carried a hand bottle along with 2 Gus. I  struck up a nice and easy pace on my usual 10K route and added enough 5K loops to add up to a half marathon. I took three mini-stops for water but didn't take my Gus. Just on and on I went. It was a bit boring actually just taking two extra 5K loops to get to 20K and then another 0.7 miles ... and done in 1:44:56. A not bad time actually. My splits were: 8:12, 8:03, 7:52, 7:52, 7:51, 7:53, 8:22, 7:54, 8:16, 8:00, 7:55, 8:18, 7:47 and 6:37 over the last 0.1 mile.

Ahh ... the joys of putting the coffee on, toasting a bagel, kissing my darling wife awake and putting my feet up after a nice run! I enjoyed watching the Bills - Jet game. The Bill went to the Jets and pounded them 43-23, link here. The defense was excellent and forced 6 turnovers (4 picks and 2 fumbles) but the offense sputtered with a lot of run, run, pass, punt or FG. Still, a win is a win.

Monday, 11/27/2014 and Tuesday, 11/28/2014: A rest day and a "watched it rain so I stayed in" day.

Some interesting links: Why we all hate your 13.1 stickers and a rebuttal Why we love your post why we all hate your 13.1 stickers and A local woman was picked up TWICE for DWI within three hours.

Wednesday, 11/29/2014: 6.2 miles, 46:16, 7:27 pace, 52F, 66% RH, 6 mph WSW wind, overcast.

Garmin Connect Activity for A fast 10K

I got home, ate a bit of pre-run cereal, got changed and got out there just before dusk. I just wanted to do a 10K on my usual 10K route. I wore shorts, calf sleeves, a short sleeve tech and light gloves. I also wore my reflective belt and headlamp. I started out nice and easy with a 7:57 first mile. Then I hiked it up. My splits were: 7:57, 7:39, 7:23, 7:13, 7:24, 7:14 and 6:55 over the last 0.2 mile. The run felt good and all was well.

Thursday, 10/30/2014 and Friday 10/31/2014: Rest day and another "day before a race" rest day.

My running stats for the month of October:
I ran 18 times in 31 days for 107.27 mile which yield 6.0 miles/run. 6 were warmup runs of 1.7, 0.75, 1.45, 1.1, 1.5 and 0.9 miles. I ran 7 races during the month of October (Scarecrow 5K, Ready Set Glow, Finish Strong 15K, Moore than a Race 10K, Scare Brain Cancer Away 5K, Grocery Run 5K and Mendon Ponds 30K). I have run 1139.24 miles and 49 races so far this year.

Saturday, 11/1/2014: 3 runs of 0.9 mile, Grocery Run 5K and Mendon Ponds 30K.

Yes, I did 2 races today, the Grocery Run 5K and the Mendon Ponds Trail Run (MPTR) 30K. I was up at 6AM to get ready for the first race, the Grocery Run 5K. My darling wife, Christine, was still up from the previous night. She has had a lot of trouble sleeping lately. She said she was going to stay home so I quietly ate my pre-race cereal, geared up and headed out. I wore my tights, a long sleeve and short sleeve tech along with my yellow hat and light gloves. The race venue was at the Third Presbyterian Church on East Ave. I had a bit trouble geting around to the Rochester Museum and Science Center due to roadblocks but I soon had my bib and race T-shirt. This was my first Grocery 5K.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before the Grocery Run 5K

I took a 0.9 mile warmup run so I could drop off my race T-shirt and grab a drink of water. The weather conditions for the warmup and the Grocery Run 5K were 41F, 88% RH, 12 mph NE wind, overcast and raw. This was a Rochester Runner of the Year (RROY) race so there were a lot of fast runners up near the front. I met up with Bill Beyerbach just as we were finishing our own warmup runs. Bill told me that he woken up at 7:46AM and had jumped into his clothes to make it down to the race ... luckily he had packed his stuff the night before since he was running the Mendon Ponds 10K afterward. I also saw Mark Herberger and Bob Dyjak before the race started at 8:15AM.

The start ...

Bill and I just after the start ...

And we were off! Bill and I got off to a clean start. I matched his pace for about 0.9 mile. Mile 1 passed in 6:33 pace.

Bill and I at the mile 1 mark at 6:33

I eased off a bit for the next 2 miles but I only let Bill enjoy a 20 foot lead. It started to spit a bit of rain. Mile 2 passed in 6:57 pace and mile 3 in 6:56 pace. I had pulled even with Bill and then passed when I could see the finish. I sprinted in at 5:53 pace. Boots announced me in. He mentioned that I was running this race and then heading out to run the MPTR 30K. I guess he must read Facebook since that is what I posted before I left. So I walked through the finish chute along with Bill, grabbed a bottle of water and walked to my car.

Later, I learned that I finished 3.13 miles (according to my Garmin) in 21:14, 6:51 pace, 46th out of 786, link here. I was 3rd out of 39 in my M55-59 age group, link here. Bill Beyerbach finished in 21:19, Mark Herberger in 21:34 and Bob Dyjak finished in 26:38.

Anyway though ... I proceeded onward to Mendon Ponds Park for the MPTR 30K. There were a variety of races being held which were all based on a 10K loop based on the blue and green trails that I knew well. There was a new course this year which ran by Stewart Lodge instead of the East Lodge. The 50K (which I ran last year) had already began at 8AM. The 10K, 20K and 30K started at 9:30AM. I have run this race 5 times before at various distances (the 20K in 2006, 2011, 2012; finished 30K of the 50K in 2010 and completed the 50K in 2013).

I got there around 9:05AM which allowed me me to change my wet long sleeve and short sleeve tech shirt for a dry set . I also changed from my New Balance 880 road shoes to my Salalon SpeedCross trail shoes. I got my bib and dropped off my drop bag that I filled with a spare short sleeve tech, orange 2014 Sehgahunda hoodie  and my heavy gloves. I got ready for my next run but didn't warm up before this race. I figured to just start out nice and easy. The weather conditions at the race start were: 39F, 93% RH, 14 mph NNE wind, overcast with a real light mist.

The start of the 10K, 20K and 30K - courtesy of the Rochester Orienteering Club

Just a little after the start of the 10K, 20K and 30K - courtesy of the Rochester Orienteering Club

And we were off! I settled in for a long run. I clicked off several sub 10 minute miles. I walked some of the hills but not all of them on the 1:00:08 first loop. I remember seeing Tom Butler, Angela Kynazeva and Diana Kynazeva.

Loop 1 at the 6 mile mark - courtesy of Rochester Orienteering Club

The weather changed a bit for the worse during the second loop. The real light mist had changed to a light rain. The wind blew water off the leaves and the mud started to get mucky and slippery. I slowed to a 1:08:38 for the second loop. My hands were cold from my wet light gloves so I looped through to the pavilion where I had stashed my drop bag and changed to my heavy gloves. I wanted to change from my wet hat to a dry beanie but couldn't find it. I gave up and walked onward ... and tried to run when I can. I remembered to run the flats and downs and tried to power walk the ups. Mind over matter. One foot in front of the other and repeat. There were a lot less runners on the course so I was alone most of the time with no one near me. I was tired but onward I went. I was glad to see the last hills and the run to the finish for a third loop of 1:18:39. And ... done in 3:27:34.

I slowly walked to Stewart Lodge, cold and wet. I grabbed what food I could find. I settled on some cookies, a powder doughnut with chocolate filling and several cups of apple cider. I knew I couldn't warm up until I changed into dry clothes so I ambled over to get my dry clothes. My short sleeve and 2014 Sehgahunda hoodie felt good. I ambled over to where I had parked the Equinox. I was shivering and my fingertips were white. It took 15 minutes of blasting the heater before I felt warm and able to drive home. I had trouble lifting my left foot to work the brake but I managed.

I did OK. I finished 18.28 miles (by my Garmin) in 3:27:35, 26th out of 38 in the 30K, 6th out of 8 in my M50-59 age group, link here. My lap splits are above but the link is here. My mile splits were: 9:36, 9:38, 9:52, 10:37, 9:35, 10:09, 11:09, 10:13, 10:41, 12:24, 11:25, 11:23, 15:25, 11:49, 12:40, 11:58, 13:39, 11:51 and 10:55 over the last 0.28 mile.

Lots of people were out doing various distances. The 10K had 94 finishers. I knew Bill Beyerbach (54:52), Eric Eagan (55:43), Prem Kumar (57:47) and Amy Lord (1:30:08). The 20K had 68 finishers. I knew Chris Patterson (2nd, 1:33:51), Jason "Jmac" McElwain (3rd, 1:34:16), Sean Storie (1:49:31), Mark McArdle (2:19:01) and Diana Knyazeva (2:22:06). The 30K had 38 finishers. I knew Mark Monachino (2:58:16) and Kathy Reardon (3:53:44). The 50K had 81 finishers. I knew Ed Housel (7th, 4:39:19), Laura Rekkerth (5:24:33), Chris Washburn (6:13;48), Wilt Alston (6:19:15), Andy Ciaio (6:33:39), Tammy Abbe (6:34:55), Steve Levitsky (6:45:27), John Muoio (6:45:27), Anzhela Knyazeva (6:57:54), Sheila Eagan (6:57:55), Kim Rapp (7:38:19) and Tom Butler (7:54:24).

I struggled to get all my gear into the apartment. I just dumped it down, stripped and got into the shower for a nice, long shower and then a bath. It felt nice!

Later, I trolled the Ironman website to see how Jim McLaughlin did in his 12th Ironman in Panama City, FL. The swim was canceled due to high winds and rip tides. He finished in 10:12:23 with a 112 miles bike in 5:46:31 followed by a marathon of 4:18:49. Wow! Jim is in the M45-49 age group and is in incredible shape. Jim, on his mountain bike, was the first person to find me when I wandering down in Letchworth with a broken rib during Sehgahunda 2010.

Sunday, 10/19/2014 to Saturday, 10/25/2014 - Moore than a Race 10K and Scare Brain Cancer Away 5K

I ran 4 times this week, 22.01 miles

Sunday, 10/19/2014: 2 runs of 1.1 and 6.19 miles, 41F, 56% RH, 10 mph NW wind, partly cloudy

Today's race was the inaugural running of the Moore Than A Race 10K out in Sodus NY at 12:30PM. Which meant I could sleep in! I didn't get up until 7:30AM ... a nice and refreshing 10.5 hours of sleep more or less. I enjoyed a nice cup of coffee along with my usual bowl of pre-race cereal before I dressed and geared up for the 30 minute drive out to Sodus. This was my first race in Wayne county where I grew up since last year's Lighthouse 5K in Sodus Point. I left my darling wife, Christine, behind. She was not feeling up to being outside in the cold.

I chose to wear tights, a long and short sleeve tech shirt, heavy gloves and my lucky orange hat. It had turned colder and a brisk wind was blowing. I managed to get out for a nice 1.1 mile run at 7:45 pace, link here.



There was no one at this race that I knew so I just lined up at the front. And ...we were off! I jumped behind the leader and followed him. I heard footsteps behind me but this soon faded. The first place guy was not going to be caught by me so I just ran. Mile 1 passed in 6:51. There was a big hill just before mile 2 which I walked. I was tired, I ran onward. I concentrated on not being third. I discovered that there were hills on back roads around Sodus. We even made a slight detour through the Sodus cemetery before the final turns into the finish. And ... done in 45:33, 7:21 pace. The first place guy finished almost 4 minutes in front of me. The third place guy finished 18 seconds behind me. My splits were: 6:51, 7:51, 7:13, 7:12, 7:27, 7:40 and 6:39 over the last 0.19 mile.

I was thirsty and hungry. I took care of the thirst first and then the hunger with a banana, hamburg and hot dog. I talked with the fourth place guy, Chris Hobart, for a while. His running makes me look like a slug. He is on a 6 month running streak. He runs 3 miles around Brantling at 4:30AM M-F and then 5 miles around Newark every noon M-F. Then he runs 15 miles on Saturday and Sunday. So ... he had 9 more miles to run on Sunday as he trains for a 100K. Wow!

I did pretty well on my third day of running (6.2 on Friday, over 10 on Saturday and 7.3 today). I was 2nd out of 60, link here. I was 1st out of 4 in my M50-59 age group, link here. I received a nice plaque. 148 runners finished the 5K, link here.

The guy on the right of me won the race.

I managed a wave but no smile (like usual).

2nd into the finish line.

The male and female 50-59 age group winners.

A selfie after the Moore Than A Race 10K

The sway ... a long sleeve tech and a nice plaque

I visited my parents grave in the East Palmyra Cemetery on the way to Newark.

I visited my oldest son, Michael, and my daughter, Karen, in Newark on the way back to Rochester.

There were other races around. The MS Monster Scramble had 183 finishers of the 5K and 88 of the 10K. The Courage Run/Walk out in Hilton had 115 finishers. A lot of trail runners were either at the GVH Mudslog with 179 finishers, link here or down at the Ridgewalk (5K with 52 finishers, link here; 10K with 58 finishers, link here; or 15K with103 finishers, link here.

There was also the Empire State Marathon and Half Marathon in Syracuse with 478 and 1107 finishers. Bob Haas ran the Half in 1:35:30, Amy Lord in 2:56:59, link here. Andy Ciaio ran the Full in 3:24:34 (BQ!!), link here.

Monday, 10/20/2014 and Tuesday, 10/21/2014: A rest day and a "coulda, shoulda but didn't" day.

Wednesday, 10/22/2014: 10.2 miles, 1:21:29m, 7:59 pace, 50F, 71% RH, 7 mph N wind, overcast.

Garmin Connect Activity for A "I'm Glad I got out" run

Today was almost a "didn't" day. I had to really talk myself into getting out there and getting my run in. I overdressed as it was. I wore a long sleeve tech and a beanie. I got out and struck up a slow pace of 8:20 for the first mile. I ditched the beanie and hiked up the sleeves on my long sleeve tech. I hiked up the pace after mile 4 to under 8:00 pace. I made the turn for another 5K loop and then added a mini loop to get to 10 mile. Not a bad run. My splits were:8:20, 8:18, 8:14, 8:16, 7:54, 7:51, 7:55, 7:42, 7:45, 7:46 and 7:08 over the last 0.2 mile.

Thursday, 10/23/2014 and Friday, 20/24/2014: Rest day and "Don't run the day before a race" day.

Saturday, 10/25/2014: 2 runs of 1.5 miles and Scare Brain Cancer Away 5K, 52F, 82% RH, 5 mph SSW wind, partly cloudy.

I "slept in" a bit ... to 6:40AM. Today's race, my 47th of the year, was the Scare Brain Cancer Away 5K and timed by PCR-Timing out at the East Rochester High School ... a new race for me. It was a Rochester Runner of the Year race so lots of good runners showed up. I saw Mark Herberger, Prem Kumar, Bill Beyerbach, Beth DeCiantis and Andy Ciaio before I was there more than 10 minutes. Prem had run 3.5 miles from his home in Pittsford as a warmup. Andy has BQed at Syracuse the weekend before. Mark was warming up with his racing flats. Bill Beyerbach was a bit late like usual.

I had brought a lot of cold weather gear just in case. I wore my shorts, calf sleeves, hat, short sleeve tech, hat and arm sleeves at first.

I went out with Bill for a nice 1.5 mile warmup run at 8:34 pace, link  here. I ditched my arm sleeves and hat before the race started. I lined here at the start next to Beth and Andy. Bill was closer to the start and Mark was a bit to my right. The start was a bit tight because everyone realized that we had to cross a timing strip at the start. And ... we were off!

The start ...

The start was quite congested. I gave Beth the go ahead to get out of the box she was in and I followed her. I ran with her for 1/2 mile before she pulled ahead. I could see Bill up ahead. Andy jetted by and pulled ahead. I passed Prem but he soon re-passed me. Mile 1 passed in 6:40. During this I pulled up with Mark Herberger and ran with him a mile. Yes, I stalked him. I matched his every move. I passed him around mile 1.5. Mile 2 passed in 7:03. I don't know why mile 2 is always a slower mile during a 5K. I just tried to keep runners that I passed behind me and I set my sights on trying to pass runners in front of me. I was running flat out but I felt good. Mile 3 passed in 6:38. I don't know if I ever have run mile 3 faster than mile 1 in a 5K but I did. I could see the finish line and just finished the last 0.12 mile at 6:01 pace. And ... done in 21:08 according to my Garmin. Mark and Wilt finished right after me. Beth and Bill had already finished.

Sprinting for the finish ... grimacing like usual!

A selfie after the Scare Brain Cancer Away 5K

The post-race grub was excellent ... Dibella's subs and pizza! I hung out and shot the breeze with Andy, Mark and Prem. Officialy, I finished in 21:06, 53rd out of 866, link here. Then I waited with Bill for the awards since I was 3rd out of 17 in our 55-59 age group and Bill (20:35) was 2nd, link here. Bill told me that 3 other runners in our age group had finished with 16 seconds of me (Gary Fitzsimons in 21:12, Mark in 21:14 and Wilt in 21:22). So ... I was a marked man. Up in front, Matt Roberts tried to beat 16 and got close in 16:16, Beth ran 20:15 and Andy ran 20:28.

Awesome running by all! I usually can find fault with my running ... but today I could not. Yes, I could have run a bit faster during mile 2. But ... I did the best I could. I didn't take water and didn't even think of walking. A great way to spend a morning!!

Meanwhile ... there were other Halloween races in Rochester. Fleet Feet's Pumpkins in the Park 5K at Cobbs Hill had 621 finishers, link here and the Jack'o'Lantern Jog 5K had 238 finishers, link here.

Soon I was home. I woke up my darling wife, Christine, before I did last night's dishes and brewed up coffee. Mmm ... my feet were up with a mug of hot coffee by my side! A nice nap with my honey soon ensued along with a lazy afternoon. Sweet!

Sunday, 10/12/2014 to Saturday, 10/18/2014 - Finish Strong 15K

I ran 4 times this week, 26.25 miles.

Sunday, 10/12/2014: "Slug" day

Yes, I took a rest day. I relaxed and recharged my batteries. I did read of others exploits on Facebook. Tim Dywer, Chris Patterson and Wendy Abbott ran the Chicago Marathon.

Wendy Abbott - 3:25:43 and Chris Patterson - 2:58:36 (a 41 second PR)  - from Wendy's FB

Tim Dwyer ran a 3:05:23 - taken from Tim's FB.

Christine and I watched the Patriots - Bills game. The Bills were 2-22 versus the Patriots QB, Tom Brady coming in ... and coming out were 2-23. The Bills pass defense was shredded in the 2nd half and the Bills lost 22-37, link here. Yes, the refs sucked (what is a catch and what is pass interference?) but the Bills had their chances and blew them too.

Ron Heerkens Jr and his wife, Elyse - taken from Ron's blog.

Ron Heerkens Jr completed a 100 mile race in 30:33, the Oil Creek 100 down in Oil City PA, results here, link to his blog here, an awesome post.

Monday, 10/13/2014: 9.3 miles, 1:12:xx, 7:48 pace, 54F, 82% RH, 3 mph SSE wind, overcast.

My darling wife, Christine, woke me with her snoring at 4:47AM on a PTO day. Yes, I had the day off and I was up before the crack of dawn. I waited until daylight before getting out for a nice 15K run on my usual route.

Garmin Connect Activity for A nice 15K run

I started out a bit slow but kicked it up a bit. I just enjoyed the run. It was overcast, calm and just the perfect temperature. I did wear light gloves and a hat but just shorts and a short sleeve tech otherwise. Sweet!

Tuesday, 10/14/2014: Rest day.

Wednesday, 10/15/2014: Another rest day.

Luckily, I had gone to bed at 9PM last night because I woke up at 4:47AM to this ...

Yes ... that sound you hear is my darling wife, Christine, snoring. I brought my Iphone back to bed to check emails since I knew that I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. I had the thought to record her snoring for posterity. Now ... did I get up and get out to work out at LA Fitness or go to work early? The answer would be ... no. Yes, I should have done something besides sip coffee, look at email and Facebook ... but I didn't.

Thursday, 10/16/2014: A "coulda, shoulda and didn't" rest day, :-(

Friday, 10/17/2014: 6.2 miles, 48:40, 7:50 pace, 54F, 94% RH, 7 mph SW wind, dark, real light mist.

Garmin Connect Activity for A negative split 10K in the AM

I set my alarm for 5AM ... and got out the door by 5:30AM. I shocked my darling wife, Christine, by getting up, dressed and out the door because I almost never run in the AM darkness. But I did. I started out slow and like usual ... got faster. I turned in a negative split run with splits of: 8:11, 8:09, 7:58, 7:55, 7:37, 7:24 and 7:03 over the last 0.2 mile. Sweet! I hope I still have some kick left in my legs for tomorrow's Finish Strong 15K.

Saturday, 10/18/2014: 2 runs of 1.45 and Finish Strong 15K, 54F, 87% RH, 9 mph W wind, overcast.

I got up at 6:30AM so I could do the dishes from last night. I did my usual pre-race prep: bowl of cereal, got dressed and out the door by 7:45AM. The Finish Strong 15K race venue was the Grace and Truth Sports Park and race start time was 8AM. I got my bib and tried to decide to what to wear. I was wearing shorts, short sleeve tech and calf sleeves. I had brought along my tights, a long sleeve tech, hat and light gloves. I decided on changing into my tights in the Equinox. I decided it was better to be warm when running close to Lake Ontario.

I saw a lot of people that I knew: Prem Kumar, Mark Herberger, Bill Beyerbach, Tom Butler, Beth DiCentis, Wilt Alston, Jason "Jmac" McElwain, Bill Murphy and Bob Dyjak. I got up for a nice 1.45 mile warmup run at 8:26 pace, link here.


I lined up near the front and say "Hi" to everyone I knew. And ... we were off! Jason, Prem, Bill, Mark and Beth all jumped out ahead of me. I had thought of taking easy the first mile ... not so much with a 7:11 mile. I caught Prem around mile 3. I was 100 yards behind Bill and Mark. Running on Edgemere Drive with Lake Ontario on the right and Cranberry Pond on the left during mile 5 was a treat like usual ... a light mist had started to fall and there was a brisk headwind coming off Lake Ontario. I had caught up to Bill but took a walking break at the water station just after mile 5 before I passed him. I was tired but I resolved not to stop again. Mark picked up his pace and I soon lost sight of him. Mile 6, then mile 7, then mile 8, the water stop with only 0.85 mile to go, then the turn back onto N Greece Rd, mile 9. Sprint ... and into the finish chute. I saw that the clock was still below 1:10. And ... done in 1:09:51. My splits were: 7:11, 7:15, 7:27, 7:10, 7:40, 7:34, 7:44, 7:30, 7:39 and 7:07 over the last 0.3 mile. I was winded but I calmed down and got some water in me.

A selfie after the Finish Strong 15K

I met up with Mark (1:06:49), Bill (1:10:49), Wilt (1:15:06) and Prem (1:19:05). We shot the breeze for a while as we ate some of the excellent post-race grub: pulled pork, sausage, mac-n-cheese, chicken nuggets and pizza were the highlights. Officially, I finished in 1:09:51, 7:31 pace, my fasted 15K of 2014, 25th out of 87, link here. I was 4th out 9 in my M55-59 age group, link here (behind Kevin Clinefelter in 1:04:32, Bill Sandow in 1:05:25 and Mark Herberger in 1:06:49). There was also a Finish Strong 5K held with 129 finishers, results here. Matthew Roberts won in 16:52. All in all, a nice way to spend a morning!

Soon, I was home. My darling wife, Christine, welcomed me home with a nice mug of coffee along with bagels. Mmm! A lazy day ensued. I did make it out to Wegmans for some supplies. Bedtime was an early 9PM ... I was tired.

Other races went on. The Ossian Mountain Run was held down at Swain, results here. There was also Mendon Zombie Run, results here and the Step Out to Stop Diabetes, results here.

Sunday, 10/5/2014 to Saturday, 10/11/2014 - Scarecrow 5K & Ready Set Glow

I ran 6 times this week, 22.25 miles. 2 were warmups of 1.7 and 0.75 miles.

Sunday, 10/5/2014: "Slug" day

I contemplated running but didn't so I felt like a slug all day. I felt I needed to rest my right hip which hurt on yesterday's run. I did notice that a lot of people ran the Wineglass Half or Marathon down in Corning. The marathon was a point-to-point from Bath to Corning.

I glanced through the marathon results with 1962(!) finishers: Jason "Jmac" McElwain finished 18th overall in 2:56:22 (BQ), Liz Matthews in 3:05:32, Brian Matthew in 3:07:14, Bill Sandow in 3:30:58, Prem Kumar in 3:32:18, Wilt Alston in 3:54:39. I also glanced through the Half Marathon results with 2473(!) finishers: Bill Crowe in 1:45:12, Mary Crowe in 2:02:50.

I watched the Bills-Lions game with half an eye while I read the newspaper. The Bill had benched their starting QB, E J Manuel, and started their backup QB, Kyle Orton. They got down 0-14 and clawed back to 6-14. The Bills defense continued to hold but not break while the Lions continued to miss FGs. The 4th quarter was exciting. The Bills scored a TD and a 2 point conversion to tie at 14-14. The Lions missed a 50 yard FG with under a minute to go. The Bills took over and hit a 20 yard pass play with 9 seconds to go. Then the Bills kicked a 58 yard FG straight down the middle to win 17-14, link here!

Monday, 10/6/2014: 6.25 miles, 49:29, 7:55 pace, 66F, 49% RH, 6 mph S wind, light mist to light rain.

Garmin Connect Activity for A "Gotta Get Out There No Matter What" run

My darling wife, Christine, needed some hugs when I got home after work so ... I got a late start. It was almost dusk so I rushed ... I put on my reflective belt, grabbed my headlamp and out the door I went. Well ... I got about 50 feet when I realized that the headlamp was very dim and getting dimmer. I got about 1/4 mile when I realized that I had on my old Brook Adrenaline GTS14 running shoes that I had retired with 650 miles. Plus it was a light mist and I was pretty sure that it was going to get worse. Did I turn back? You're darn tooting I didn't! I continued onward. I adjusted my running gait to run more forward and not heel strike which helped the pain in my feet. I had wanted to do a 15K but since the light mist changed to a light rain I modified my run to a 10K instead. I was wet (OK, drenched) ... but it was well earned. I hadn't run in the rain for a bit ... and it felt good! I stripped when I got in the door and a hot shower did feel good! My splits were 7:54, 7:42, 7:57, 8:06, 7:46, 8:03 and 8:00 over the last 0.25 mile.

Tuesday, 10/7/2014: Rest day

Wednesday, 10/8/2014: "Too tired" to run day.

I was up at 5:30AM due to my darling wife, Christine, sawing the wood ... err, snoring. Two days of about 5 or 6 hours of sleep caught up to me and I didn't have the energy to head out for a run after work. If I had got out during the morning before dawn I might have seen the lunar eclipse like some people did who posted on Facebook. I did get to bed early and got a nice 7 hours of sleep.

Thursday, 10/9/2014: 11.2 miles, 1:27:28, 7:48 pace, 57F, 51% RH, 13 mph W wind, partly cloudy

Garmin Connect Activity for A nice long run

Rant: You just gotta love drivers who stop suddenly because they are so afraid of red light cameras. On the way home I was approaching the red light camera at the corner of Lake Ave and W Ridge Rd behind another car in the rightmost lane. I knew the light was getting ready to change since the left turn arrow was on. The light turns yellow. The guy in front of me was about 200 feet from the light and slammed on his brakes! I had to cram mine on and skid to a stop so I wouldn't slam into the back of him! ASSHOLE! You WILL NOT get a ticket unless your rear axle is still behind the stop line when the light turns RED! The yellow light still had 2 more seconds! /Rant.

Anyway ... what a difference a day makes! I wanted to go for a long run so I got home early, had my usual bowl of cereal, changed and headed out around 5:15PM. It was a bit chilly but I didn't need my light gloves or hat. I struck up a nice pace, concentrated on shorter strides and just motored on like a metronome. I kept on my usual 10K route with an added 5K loop plus a mini loop to get to 11. The added 0.2 miles was due to more running while waiting to cross major roads. I carried water but didn't need to drink. My splits were: 7:54, 7:48, 7:43, 7;44, 7:48, 7:49, 7:47, 7:54, 7;56, 7:40 and 7:37 over the last 0.2 mile .. pretty darn regular. Sweet!!

Friday, 10/10/2014: Rest day.

I rested the day before a race like usual. I also signed up for Ready Set Glow at the last minute. My darling wife, Christine, was a bit irked. She had made plans for us to see her daughter, Beth, at Niagara University tomorrow afternoon along with a hair appointment at NY Line of Hair Design at 11AM. I had also made plans to stay overnight in Niagara Falls, Ontario ... which I also cancelled. I am just a runner with a racing addiction, I guess.

Saturday, 10/11/2014: 4 runs of 1.7, Scarecrow 5K, 0.75 and Ready Set Glow

I "slept in" until 6:30AM. This was my 7th running (2006-2008 and 2011-present) of the Scarecrow 5K in Fairport NY so I knew the drill. I like this course because it is a mostly flat and finishes on the canal path below where it starts on S Main St. I got there early enough to snag a primo pull through parking spot at the Fairport Village Landing parking lot where the farmer's market was already going on. I sauntered over to get my bib and T-shirt. I saw Mark Herberger on the other side of the road so I knew I had stiff competition.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before Scarecrow 5K

I got out for a nice, slow and long warmup run of 1.7 miles at 8:28 pace. I headed out from the finish line backwards on the canal path so I knew that the Turk Hill Rd bridge was 0.5 mile from the finish. I went back to the Equinox where I took a last drink of water and ditched my arm sleeves. It was 46F, calm and sunny so I wore compression shorts, short sleeve tech top, calf sleeves, my orange hat and light gloves. I try to remember Heather Danielson's advice that she gave me 2 years ago of being a bit cold at the start.



Maggie Brooks showed up to give us a few words about domestic violence and sponsor of the race, resolve-roc.org. And .... we were off! I got up to speed. I said "Hi" to Mark Herberger as I passed him. I felt a couple of nips at my heels but I got away without falling as we turned left onto E Church St. This was a downhill until the left onto the Turk Hill Rd bridge and an immediate right onto Cobb's Lane. Cobb's Lane was a bit of curvy downhill as it made it way down to the canal path. I cut the tangents and heard the mile split of 6:22. A few runners around me chuckled because we all knew it was off. It was really 6:40. I had heard feet clacking behind me ... it was Mark Herberger's racing flats. I said something to him about him playing 'possum back there and he chuckled. I resolved to not lose him during mile 2 which is where I usually slow on 5Ks. Now we were on the canal path. I was about 100 feet behind Mark at the turnaround at 1.65 miles. I saw everyone streaming down from the Turk Hill bridge as we headed back ... mile 2 at 6:48 pace. I was keeping about 100 feet behind Mark. I was running at my maximum. I tried to close with him. The Turk Hill bridge, 0.5 mile to go, came and went. I saw Mark look behind him twice. I saw the sign "Drawbridge 1000 feet". The finish line was about 200 feet before that. The mile 3 split was 6:42. I saw Mark kick it up a notch. I tried to match him. I looked up and saw that the finish line clock was clicking toward 21. I flat out sprinted at 6:12 pace over the last tenth. I was about 20 feet behind Mark when I crossed the line just under 21. I patted Mark's back as I slowed to a stop. Done!!! I was out of breath to say the least. I found some water and chugged it down as I caught my breath. Wow ... what a race! I talked with Mark after the race. He accused playfully of playing possum with him as I almost caught him at the line.

Officially, I finished in 20:59, 29th out of 467, 1 second behind Mark's 20:58, link here. I was 2nd out of 19 in my M55-59 age group behind Mark, link here. What a morning!

A free hot dog is an excellent run recovery food!

I regrouped back at home and waited for my darling wife, Christine, to come back from NY Line of Hair Design. She eventually came back around 1:30PM with a nice styling with just a bit of her blonde hair cut off.

Back view ...

Front view ...

Then she was off at 3PM to see her daughter at Como's Restaurant in Niagara Falls. She called on the way for a bit of help with directions since her LG G2 wasn't talking its directions.

I busied myself before the Ready Set Glow race with some plumbing work. I had bought an Aquadance showerhead and hand shower combo off of Groupon that arrived a week ago. It was time to put it in ... and it went well. I applied finger tight pressure when it said to as I followed the instructions and it worked with no leaks! Nice!

I read on Facebook about the exploits of runners who ran either the CanLakes 50K or 50 Miles down around Canandaigua Lake. I looked at the 50K results of 83 finishers, link here. Runners that I knew: Steve Levitsky in 4:49:18, Prem Kumar in 5:16:01, the Kathy Reardon and John Muoio duo in 5:41:58, Tina Pellegrin in 8:09:20 (a 1:02 PR!). I also looked at the 50 Mile results of 93 finishers, link here. Runners that I knew: Rob Wilder in 8:39:11, Joe Packard in 9:06:19, Laura Rekkerth in 9:24:13, Kim Rapp in 10:24:54 and Tom Butler in 12:39:22. Here is a blog entry of a 50K runner, link here.

I geared up again and headed out to Victor to Dwyer Road Park for Ready Set Glow put on by #TrailsROC. The race was set to start at 7:36PM. I got there around dusk around 7PM. I got my bib and adorned myself with some glowsticks. I wasn't too imaginative with just a necklace and some hoops on my headlamp. I was surprised to see Prem Kumar. He had just run the CanLakes 50K in the morning.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before Ready Set Glow

It was getting cold so I put on my arm warmers and Brooks jacket as I took a 0.75 mile warmup run at 8:29 pace around the parking lot and up to the road to warm up both my legs and body. It was 45F with no wind and a clear sky. Well, my warmup run was a bit too long. I heard a "4 minutes to go" announcement. I don't think I took 4 minutes to get to the start line. But as I headed up to the start no one was there.



So ... I had given everyone a head start of about a minute. I was in pass mode for about a mile. People were saying "Someone is out for time" as I passed on the right or left as I found room. The course was very twisty with lots and lots of switchbacks. I stubbed my toe once. I went into a open field off a turn instead of a tree luckily. We ran up hill, down hill, sideways, around curves, past trees, over roots and over rocks with just headlamps leading the way.

Running in the dark with headlamps!

Luckily I had my Black Diamond headlamp fully charged. I slowed after mile 3 or so because there were more roots, I was tired and I didn't want to make a big mistake. The strap on my headlamp stretched and started to hang off my ears. Soon I had to hold it up with my right hand most of the time. Luckily I only had 1/2 mile or so to go. And ... done in 52:06 according my Garmin, 53:49 officially. I was 25th out of 101, 7th out of 9 in my M50-59 age group, link here. A #TrailsROC guy laughed when I told him that I may be turning in my sleep because the course had so many turns. I was cold and headed to the Equinox to put on what warm and dry clothes I had brought with me. I only had the Scarecrow 5K T-shirt to put on so I was still cold. Yes, I need to pack more warm gear ... fall is here and winter soon will be knocking.

My honey, Christine, was already home from Niagara Falls when I got home. Her daughter was more interested in seeing her college friends than her mother. But Christine did see her. Anyway ... a long day.