Sunday, 9/13/2015 to Saturday, 9/19/2015

I ran 3 times this week, 26.4 miles.

Sunday, 913/2015: 10 miles, 1:22:11, 8:13 pace, 55F, 88% RH, 13 mph W wind, overcast.



I thought I needed to preview most of upcoming (Sunday, 9/19) Rochester Marathon course, link here. I have already run the majority of this course many times since I did live in Rochester and ran in Irondquoit for almost 7 years before I moved to Charlotte this May. But I wanted to run it just to refresh my memory. So I drove over to Herrema's on Pattonwood Drive and parked there. This is the northernmost point of the course. My plan was to run up Thomas Ave to St Paul St, cross over on the pedistratian bridge, run up Lake Ave to the Genessee River Trail, cross the O'Rorke Bridge and been done. That is what I did a caveat: the west side of the pedistrain bridge was closed so I had to run up the stairs. Also note to self: DON'T run in the bike lane of Pattonwood Drive at the intersection of Thomas Ave ... it confuses cars and they are much bigger and faster compared to me. Anyway, my splits were: 8:42 (up the Thomas Ave hill), 7:56, 7:59, 8:06, 9:13 (up the aforementioned stairs), 8:01, 7:55, 8:01, 8:13 and 8:04. I did take my 20 ounce water bottle but only took a couple sips.

Meanwhile other runners/athletes were out being awesome. The Rochester Tri, results here, The Ossian Mountain Run down in Swain, 8 mile results here and 4 mile results here. Challenge Point 70.3 with Wendy Abbott, results here and 140.6 with Steve Levitsky and Kimberly Levitsky, results here, The Erie Marathon at Presque Isle with pacing by Chris Patterson and Prem Kumar, results here. The Ovarian Cancer 5K, results here. The Pete Glavin XC Series #1 was held in Syracuse, results here. Wow ... that was a lot of work!

Monday and Tuesday: Rest days.

Monday was the usual rest day after two days of running (5.3 and 10 miles). Tuesday was a case of my lovely wife, Christine, making pasta that was almost ready so we ate soon after I got home.

My 58th birthday, Wednesday, 9/16/2015: 8.2 miles, 1:05:58, 8:02 pace, 59F, 94% RH, 4 mph SW wind, clear.

Garmin Connect Activity for An early run on Edgemere Drive

I set my Droid for 4:30AM to make up for "missing" my run yesterday. It didn't go off(!?!) but somehow I was awake at 4:35AM anyway. I got up, got dressed along my reflective vest, had half a banana, a swig of water and got out there in the darkness. I was going to do my 15K route but switched to my 8.2 mile route on Edgemere Drive when I noticed that the one lane bridge was gone. I was happily surprised when I noticed that the road had swept also. The road still needs lane markings though. It was a beautiful and quiet pre-dawn morning with just the stars to keep me company. I saw a runner, 3 dog walkers and maybe 15 cars along the route. My splits were: 8:03, 8:04, 7:59, 7:57, 8:04, 8:01, 7:59, 8:14 and 8:02 over the last 0.2 mile. I have run 4 or 5 times this summer during the early morning before sunrise ... I am slowly starting to become a fan. It does get the run in but getting up around 4AM does still give me the pause of "What the hell am I doing up this early?" and my legs say "What are you doing to me at this ungodly hour?" ... until they get used to the idea.

Thursday, 9/17/2015: 8.2 miles, 1:06:59, 8:12 pace, 82F, 40% RH, 6 mph W wind, sunny.

Garmin Connect Activity for A nice and sweaty run

I thought I needed one more run before the Rochester Half on Sunday so out I went. My lovely wife, Christine, was dressed to go down to the fitness center in our complex but lost her gumption. Maybe next time, honey! Anyway, I thought about doing my 15K route by bailed onto Ling Rd to shorten the run to another 8.2 miles. Different route, a bit more mild hills and a bit slower. I was drenched with sweat when I got done and took a shower as soon as I got in. I am sure that Christine appreciated that, lol! My splits were: 8:14, 8:03, 8:06, 8:06, 8:23, 8:00, 8:0, 8:23 and 8:11 over that last 0.2 mile.

Friday, 9/18/2015: Rest and travel out to OH day.

I went down to Fleet Feet Armory during my lunch to pick up my Rochester Half packet and look over the Expo. I didn't see anything that I really wanted so I kept my wallet in my pocket.

My lovely wife, Christine, and I headed out to Streetsboro OH to stay at the Comfort Inn and Suites. It was an uneventful 4 hour, 8 minutes trip. We were both tired. I slept like a rock even with Christine's rhythmic snoring.

Saturday, 9/19/2015: Rest and travel back from OH day.

We went over to Ravenna OH to see Christine's father. He's 94 years old and looked a lot better than we saw him last month. He sure can tell some stories! Our trip back was uneventful. While I was driving back Christine was keeping me undated on all the Facebook posts on the Fleet Feet Rochester page. The weather had turned cooler and everyone seemed to be a tizzy about how to prepare for it.

Other runners were out being awesome. The Mighty Niagara Half Marathon was held. It's a point to point half which starts in Lewiston NY and ends at Porter on the Lake Park in Youngstown NY. The result are here. Rochester's Kip Tisia won in 1:07:43. UPDATE: Kip also won the Rochester Marathon the next day in 2:33:21! The Virgil Crest Ultras was held down in Virgil NY. The 50K results of 24 finishers and 10 DNFs are here. The 50 Mile results of 61 finishers (Michael Meynadasy in 14:42:00) and 25 DNFs are here. The 100 Mile results of 16 finishers and 29 DNFs are here.

Once we got home I got down to laying down my running stuff for tomorrow's Rochester Half, my seventh half of 2015. My feeling was short tights, last year's Rochester Half tech and calf sleeves. I thought about arm warmers and gloves so I found them just in case. Then it was to bed for what I was sure would be a short night. My alarm was set for 5:20AM. The Rochester Half and Full Marathon was set to start at 7:30AM.

Sunday, 9/6/2015 to Saturday, 9/12/2015 - Oak Tree Half and Dirt Cheap #6

I ran 6 times this week, 26.64 miles.
I biked once this week, 17.4 miles.

Sunday, 9/6/2015: 2 runs of 0.5 and Oak Tree Half of 13.16 miles, 70F, 78% RH, 5 mph SE wind, sunny

I set my alarm for 5:20AM for my second Oak Tree Half (2006 in 1:59:51). Oak Tree was my first half way back in 2006. I remember that I didn't like the dirt roads of the middle of the course. But I signed up because it was a Rochester Runner of the Year (RROY) race. My lovely wife, Christine, was still recovering from her head cold so I got dressed, loaded all my gear, had my usual pre-race bowl of cereal and remembered to put on BodyGlide before I left at 6:15AM for the drive to Geneseo Central School. I got there just after 7AM in plenty of time for the 8AM start.

I purposely didn't do much of a warmup. I had raced the Summerfest 12k yesterday. I just ran 0.5 miles up to the start, link here. I met up with Prem Kumar, Heather Patterson, Wilt Alton and Andy Ciaio before the start.


And ... we were off! I settled into a fast pace alongside Heather Patterson as we ran a short out and back to come back to the start. The 5K runners were there just about ready to start at 8:15AM, two minutes later. They cheered us on as we ran by. I stayed with Heather for 1.77 miles before I let her go on ahead.

It was a left turn onto the dirt roads at mile 3. Now ... miles of dirt road, looking for smooth lanes of mostly stone free road. Always looking at the road ... looking for hazards, looking for the next place to put my feet over and over. The next mile was a long downhill. I remember seeing 37:47 at mile 5, pretty fast! But it was all mostly level or downhill up to that point. I had my first Gel at mile 5 and then my second at mile 9. I was slowing down. It was getting hotter but the breeze did help. Andy Ciaio passed me and then Wilt Alston. The hill at mile 11 was the very one I had sped down at mile 4. Yes, I walked a lot of it. No one passed me during the last part of the hill so why not? I had taken water at every water stop. Now my hips really hurt on the last 1.5 miles. I just kept running, practically closed my eyes from the pain and ran onward. The course led back up route 39 and then onto the track for a 3/4 lap. I ran around the track the best I could. And .. done in 1:49:14! I must have looked a bit ghastly because I soon had a woman escort me to where I could sit down for a couple of minutes. I revived myself and met up with Prem, Andy, Wilt, Heather and Bill Beyerbach (who I didn't see before the start). All had done well and all agreed it was hot and the course was brutal.

I stuck around for a while to have a 1/2 banana, 2 pieces of pizza and three cups of Gatorade. I felt OK. The results were posted here. I was 76th out of 304 and didn't do too well in my M55-59 age group, 9th out of 23. My splits were: 7:22, 7:28, 7:38, 7:12, 7:53, 8:26, 8:40, 7:46, 8:20, 8:29, 9:08, 10:34, 8:09 and 7:33 over the last 0.16 mile.

Other people did well: Kevin Woodruff finished 2nd in my M55-59 age group in 1:37:28 to take over 2nd in the M55-59 RROY standings (48 to 43). Prem finished in 1:42:42. Andy Ciaio finished in 1:44:07. Wilt Alston finished in 1:45:13. I wished I had stuck around for the awards. Chris Patterson in 1:26:43, won his M30-34 age group. Tim Dwyer in 1:29:16, won my M55-59 age group, Heather in 1:37:33 was 3rd woman overall and first masters woman.  Bill Beyerbach in 1:41:22, won his M60-64 age group. The official Oak Tree summary is here.

I caught up on coffee, Facebook and generally lazed around for a while before we absolutely had to do something for lunch.

A half rack of ribs, fries and beans really hit the spot!

So ... we headed out to The Original Charbroil House which is conveniently located just 2.5 miles away. Mmm!

Monday, 9/7/2015: Rest day

A truly needed day off from running. We lazed, lazed and lazed some more ...

I cooked chicken on the Weber while Christine made rice and ratatouille inside

Tuesday, 9/8/2015: A bike/run of 17.4 and 2 miles, 79F, 70% RH, 5 mph SW wind, partly sunny.

I probably should have stayed in on my day off but ... I had this crazy idea of getting out for a bike/run so I did. The bike was 17.4 miles at 13.8 mph average, 23.9 mph peak. The run was 2 miles on sluggish legs, 8:34 pace. I should have run the road instead of around the complex parking lot ... it would have been safer. I tried to use the Multisport mode on my Garmin FR310XT but messed it up so it came in as one run. I chopped up the TCX file by hand using Wordpad to get a bike and run into Strava.


 I enjoyed having 4 days off but back to work for a short 3 day work week.

Wednesday, 9/9/2015: 2 runs of 1 and Dirt Cheap #6 of 4.74 miles, 77F, 57% RH, 8 mph NNW wind, overcast.

My third race in 5 days, the Dirt Cheap #6 down at Stewart Lodge in Mendon Ponds Park. I had all the gear packed in the Equinox when I went to work so I just went there after work. A line of thunderstorms had moved through with some heavy rain during the late morning / early afternoon ...  the mud was waiting for us.

My lovely wife, Christine, wanted to meet me down there but her GPS got her lost so she went home  I was down there at 5PM in plenty of time for the 6 PM start. I got out for a nice and easy 1 mile trail run to check out the trail around Stewart Lodge, link here. There was a bit of mud and standing water so I knew that there was a lot more out there. I met up with Prem Kumar, Jeff Rose and Mike Meynadasy before the race.



The race director, Ellen Boutillier, had some words before the race about FOLLOWING the pink flags instead of the runner in front of you. The last Dirt Cheap #5 results were thrown out due to runners not following the course. And ... we were off!

Going down the hill just after the start - courtesy of Kim Smith

Going up the first hill - courtesy of Kim Smith

The first 1/4 mile was a couple of hills to get your heart racing and also to spread us out the trail went into single track. There was a brief bottleneck but I soon got up to speed and settled down. I have run a lot of Dirt Cheaps (40!) and soon saw some familiar terrain ... and mud, water, roots and rocks to boot. I was in trail running mode ... run the flats, run the downs, run the ups as much as possible, run through the mud (not around it), pass other runners as needed, say "Eh" if you know someone ... have fun! There was one spot near Devil's Bathtub where the flags led through a creek or you could have bailed out and ran across a bridge 20 feet away ... I went through the creek.

Catching some air - courtesy of Kim Smith

My Garmin FR310XT chirped after 4 miles so I knew that the race was almost over. I picked up the pace a bit ... I could see Jeff Rose 100 feet ahead. I tracked him down and passed him with 1/4 mile to go. And ... done in 46:48! Prem had finished ahead in 46:31, Jeff was behind in 46:57 and Mike behind him in 47:00. I had some water right away since I was parched. My splits were: 8:33, 11:22, 10:26, 9:54 and 8:49 over the last 0.74 mile.

I finished 48th out of 251-ish (ish because Yellow Jacket Racing never updated the list with all the runners), link here. I was 3rd out of 11 in my M55-59 age group, link here. I did OK in the series (best 3 out of 5 scored races since #5 was thrown out). I was 50th out of 155 overall, link here. I was 3rd out of 11 in my M55-59 age group overall, link here. It was pretty tight between Mike Viteresie and me with a 0.3 point separation but we were way behind the incomparable Ed Housel.

I hung around outside and was rewarded by the sunset. I snapped a few pictures like some others did.

Sunset over Hundred Acres Pond

I stuck around for pizza and the awards before heading home. Another Dirt Cheap series under my belt ... sweet!

Thursday, 9/10/2015 and Friday, 9/11/2015: Rest day.

I took a couple of days off from running because my right hip hurt a bit when I walked. So ... I rested. Boring but necessary at times.

Saturday, 9/12/2015: 5.3 miles, 42:44, 8:04 pace, 63F, 94% RH, 3 mph ENE wind, rain

Garmin Connect Activity for A rainy run

The forecast was a rainy weekend ... and it started to sprinkle and rain in the mid morning. I was up around 8AM. It was sprinkling and I could have gone out for a run but didn't. I read on Facebook of other runners being out and being awesome running the Rochester Marathon course or running various races. I dilly-dallied around and watched it rain, rain and rain some more. It seemed to stop for a while but I didn't get out. Finally I got tired of watching the DVR and watching it rain. So I got dressed and went out in a light rain anyway. The thing about a warm rain is that once you get drenched you can't get any wetter. I just got out there and ran. Yes, it rained and yes, I was drenched. But I was out there running so it was all good. My splits were: 7:57, 8:02, 8:00, 8:06 and 8:14 and 8:00 over the last 0.3 mile.

Other runners were out and about being awesome. The Old Forge Half in Old Forge NY was held, results here., The Pound the Ground 5k/10K was held out at Mendon Ponds Park, 5K results here and 10K results here. The Heart and Sole 5K was held at Camp Eastman, results here.

Sunday, 8/30/2015 to Saturday, 9/5/2015 - Summerfest 12K

I ran 3 times this week, 17.84 miles

Month of August 2015
I ran 26 times for 127.6 miles, 4.6 miles/run.
7 were warmups of 2.1, 1.8, 2.6, 1, 1, 1.5 and 1.2 miles.
4 were cooldowns of 1.9, 1.5, 1, 1.2 miles.
I ran 7 races (even with 2 weekends off): Sauerkraut 20K, Young & Wyld 5K, Bergen 5K, Innovative Edge XC Race #2, Dirt Cheap #5, James Franis / Andrea Kofahl 5K and Dam Good Trail Race.
I biked 2 times, 12.6 and 23.3 miles.

Sunday, 8/30/2015: Rest day

Other runners went big ... the 18.12 Challenge up in Watertown NY, results here and the Mendon Trail Half Marathon, results here. Me ... I stayed in and felt like a slug.

Later, I went out to see my daughter, Karen, out in Farmington to look at her laptop. I encouraged her to use Hibernate instead of Sleep to solve her BSOD problem and set up her backup routine on her external hard drive just in case. Then I did laundry (again) when I learned that my lovely wife, Christine, had spilled coffee on the bed sheets while I was gone. I could have gone out for a run at any point ... but didn't unfortunately.

Monday, 8/31/2015: Another rest day

A bit too hot and humid when I got home. Plus, my lovely wife, Christine, was itching to cook hamburgers on the grill for supper. I am getting good at making up the buns and condiments while she grills. Well ... maybe I can wake up early and get out before sunrise tomorrow.

Tuesday, 9/1/2015: Yet another rest day.

I had wanted to get up early to run before the heat of the evening but didn't. I thought about running in the heat of the evening but didn't. So ... I went to bed early so I could try again.

The used Garmin FR310XT that I bought off of Ebay came in today. I was amazed. I purchased it on Saturday from a woman in Oregon and it arrived in 3 days! It looked like new. I charged it up so it will be ready to go for a run tomorrow morning.

Wednesday, 9/2/2015: 9.4 miles, 1:16:47, 8:10 pace, 66F, 94% RH, 4 mph SW wind, a bit foggy.

Garmin Connect Activity for An early morning run

I woke up just after 3AM to go to the bathroom and just stayed up. My alarm was set for 4:30AM and I knew I wouldn't have been able to go back to sleep anyway. My lovely wife, Christine, was still up. She sometime can't sleep and just pulls an all nighter. I was out the door by 4:30AM. It was dark, warm and humid. I wore shorts, a short sleeve tech and my reflective vest. Yes, no headlamp. The route I ran had streetlamps and the waxing moon provided enough light on the sections of Island Cottage Rd that didn't have them. It really wasn't too dark. It was quiet and peaceful. I saw maybe 20 cars and two people walking their dogs on the entire run. My splits were: 8:08, 7:59, 7:57, 8:06, 8:28, 7:58, 8:04, 8:41 (stopped to take off my sweaty shirt), 8:13 and 8:00 over the last 0.4 mile.

Thursday, 9/3/2015: Rest day.

My right hip twinged when I walked today. It really kind of hurt. I had to stop and hope it would go away. I even walked slow ... which is highly unusual for me. Usually I walk fast and pass slower people at work all the time.

Friday, 9/4/2015: Taper day.

Yes, a taper day. I have two races this weekend. The Summerfest 12K down in Mendon Ponds Park is on Saturday, 9/5/2015 and the Oak Tree Half down in Geneseo is on Sunday, 9/6/2015. I plan to run the Summerfest 12K at a nice and easy (Ha! ... during a race?) pace so I hopefully run the Oak Treek Half a bit harder since it is a Rochester Runner of the Year race. I am in a fight for second place in the M55-59 age group with 43 points. The third place guy has 39 points and has only raced 5 races (and beat me in all 5). The points from his next race will all count. I have to place greater than sixth in my age group to improve my points since I have raced in greater than 6 races. Not that I keep score or anything, right? Not.

Saturday, 9/5/2015: 2 runs of 1 and Summerfest 12K, 73F, 78% RH, 4 mph SW wind, partly sunny.
I was up early (with 2 alarms set) at 6:30AM for my seventh running of the Summerfest (12K - 2009 in 1:02:42, 2010 in 1:01:05, 2011 in 1:00:41, 2013 in 59:23 and 2014 in 58:47; 5K - 2012 in 22:02).

Sunrise over the finish line - photo courtesy of Kim Smith

My lovely wife, Christine, still had a touch of a summer cold so she stayed home asleep. I dressed quietly, loaded my gear and hit the road around 7:40AM for the brief drive down to the Beach parking lot of Mendon Ponds Park. How many times have I been here on a race day morning I wondered. Anyway, I got there around 8:05AM to find the parking lot 95% full already. But I found a nice parking spot quickly enough and in plenty of time for the 9AM start. I met up with Prem Kumar before the start. He said he was going to run nice and easy too since he was also running the Oak Tree Half tomorrow.  I got out for a nice and easy warmup run of 1 mile at 8:01 pace, link here.

Just after the start - courtesy of Kim Smith

Somewhere in the middle of the race - courtesy of Kim Smith

And ... we were off! I tried to run nice and easy the entire race. I walked and drank water at all three water stops but didn't walk any hills. The race was hot and humid. I had forgot to put on BodyGlide so I was happy that the race was only 12K. The hills of Mendon were never ending like usual but they ended soon enough. And ... done in 59:27!

About a 1/2 mile from the end - courtesy of Barb Boutillier

I had a couple of hot dogs and some watermelon as my post race grub. Yellow Jacket Racing always puts on a great race ... lots of practice. I did pretty well. I was 24th out of 245, link here.  I was 5th out of 14 in my M55-59 age group, link here. Maybe I will race this race hard next year. My 12K PR is a relatively "soft" 58:47. Prem didn't run too nice and easy ... a 56:11.

The rest of the day was a pleasant blur of coffee, relaxing, lazing around and enjoying the day with my lovely wife, Christine. Now that I think about it ... I did get out to get my hair cut at the Sport Clips (I have gone to a super simple 3/4" on top cut). I do remember going to bed early around 10PM with an alarm set for the ungodly hour of 5:20AM due to Sunday's Oak Tree Half down in Geneseo.

Sunday, 8/23/2015 to Saturday, 8/29/2015 - Dam Good Trail Race

I ran 5 times this week, 33.86 miles.
I biked once this week, 23.3 miles.

Sunday, 8/23/2015: 2 runs of 1.5 and Dam Good Trail Race of 13.06 miles.

You know you are a runner when you wake up earlier on the weekend than you do during the week. This morning it was 5:30AM instead of 6AM. I got up, dressed a bit, made some coffee for Christine and did the dishes in the sink from the previous night that don't use the dishwasher (knives and a big pot). I woke up Christine up at 6:15AM. I geared up, got dressed, ate my usual pre-race bowl of cereal and remembered a change of course for afterward.

We left for the Mount Morris Dam at 6:47AM and arrived around 7:40AM in plenty for the 8:30AM start of my sixth Dam Good Trail Race (DGTR), (2009: 2:22:43, 2010: 2:19:52, 2011: 2:17:56, 2013: 2:15:35 and 2014: 2:21:45). I looked around and saw the usual trail runners by name and reputation: Andy Ciaio, Prem Kumar, Tom Butler, Kathy Reardon, John Muoio, Bambi Jasmin, Liz Matthews, Brian Matthews and Tina Pellegrin to name a few.

I got out for a nice 1.5 mile warmup run at 9:13, link here. It was half trail out on the Finger Lake Trail (LFT) for 0.75 mile and half back on the Park Rd. I kissed Christine for luck and got ready for the start. I carried my 20 ounce water bottle and 2 HammerGels. I remembered to apply BodyGlide and a bit of sunscreen. The course is your basic lollipop, with an out of about 6 miles with a loop turnaround.


It was low key start from the co-leaders, Doreen and Michele Fanton. And ... we were off! I kept to the right on the early part of the FLT just I did on my warmup run. We were a bit packed in and I kept up with everyone at a kind of hard trail pace.

Going out ... courtesy of Anita Cornell

Going out --- courtesy of Alex Tong

Andy Ciaio passed me around mile 1. I walked a bit when I had to on the hills but not too many of them on the out. I had my first HammerGel at mile 5. The fast runners started to come back as I got closer to the turnaround. Liz Matthews was 6th overall at that point. I met Tina, who had a hour early start, just before the turnaround. I had my second and last HammerGel at the turnaround. It was warm but I was still keeping up a nice and easy trail pace. Prem Kumar passed me. Just before I exited the lollipop I slipped a bit as I went down into a creek. John Muoio passed me, he looked strong. Now it was back the way I came for a little over 6 miles. I remember just running and running. I said "Hi" to Tina when I passed her as I walked up a hill. I ran out of energy with about 4 miles to go but I kept on running. I tripped a couple of times but didn't fall. I got to the last aid station ... 2 miles to go.

Coming back ... courtesy of Alex Tong

The roots seem a lot bigger now ... courtesy of Anita Cornell

Onward ... onward ... 3/4 mile to go. I picked up a bit of speed ... then a double trip on the right and left foot but I didn't fall ... no one ahead or behind so I just dialed it back into a really nice, easy and careful pace to the finish. And .... done with 13.06 miles in 2:21:35. I was a bit overheated and parched. Chris O'Brien was a bit concerned for a minute or two. I do push myself and can look a bit ragged when I finish.

My splits were: 9:05, 9:58, 9:47, 10:04, 11:13, 11:39, 12:07, 11:57, 12:28, 10:28, 11:22, 12:10, 9:15 and 10:52 over the last 0.06 mile. The results are up on ultrasignup.com, link here. I did OK, 55th out of 125, 6th out of 18 in my M50-59 age group.

The post race grub at the DGTR was impressive as always ... pizza, bananas and a large assortment of homemade cookies and breads. Mmm ... yummy! I sat down and was really tired. I did a complete change from my wet and sweaty running clothes ... that did feel better. I let Christine drive the Equinox back up to Rochester. Then we dragged ourselves upstairs and both took a nap. A late supper ensued along with a later bedtime.

All in all, an excellent racing weekend ... the James Francis / Andrea Kofahl Memorial 5K on Saturday, 8/22 and the Dam Good Trail Race today!

Monday, 8/24/2015: Rest day.

The normal day off after racing on Saturday (1, 2.93 and 1 miles) and Sunday (1.5 and 13.06 miles).

Tuesday, 8/25/2015: Laundry day.

Hey ... sometimes you just need to do laundry instead of run. My tech clothes were first though ... followed by two more and setting up more in the washer and dryer for the next morning. This GE washer and dryer that we bought from Charlotte Furniture work well. The washer spins the clothes so well that the dryer doesn't take long to dry the clothes.

Wednesday, 8/26/2015: 3 runs of 1.2, 7.6 and 1.2 miles.

Fleet Feet held a Fleet Feet Brooks Power Hour event at Hose 22 tonight. This restaurant is 1.2 miles away from the townhouse so I decided to run there. First ... I got a late start because I couldn't find my SpiBelt that I use to stash my Droid. I looked in the usual hiding spots but no luck. Maybe I left it down at the Mount Morris Dam Visitor's Center where I changed after the DGTR ... the answer would be no ... I called and asked the next day.

Enough time wasted ... I ran 1.2 miles over to Hose 22 and got over there just before the Power Hour started. Luckily it started a bit late so I had some time to catch my breath. The instructions from Ellen were simple: run as far as you can on the prescribed Rochester Marathon course for 30 minutes and then come back for 30 minutes.


And ... go! I started out quick and soon I was behind just Jim McLaughlin, then Kevin Clinfelte and another runner. The course out was north on the Turning Point Park boardwalk and then north on Lake Ave past the Holy Sepulchre and Riverside Cemeteries. I was at mile 3.8 just past the St. Bemard's Apts when I turned around. So back I came ... thirsty but back I came anyway. Me ... carry water? Hmm ... no. I started to pass other runners on the boardwalk and more as I got closer to Hose 22. And ... Ellen announced that the hour was up! Done with 7.6 miles in 60 minutes at 7:53 pace ... nice! Well ... not so nice when I looked down at my white tech shirt. I had forgotten to put on BodyGlide. So ... my left nipple had gotten irritated and bled.

I really need to remember to apply BodyGlibe!

I was a bit embarrassed. Yes, it was mentioned on Facebook and my lovely wife, Christine, noticed that. I showed Boots and he said "It happens, just wait until you shower." Yeah ... it was a bit painful. I had some adult beverages with Jeff Rose and his wife. Then I ran the 1.2 miles back to the townhouse in the gathering gloom of nightfall.

I tried to upload from my Garmin and had mixed results. The GPS tracks of two out of the three runs were off back and didn't start or end where I was. I didn't run across the Genesee River on the way back for instance. That's the first time that has happened in years. I can remember that it happened once before.

Thursday, 8/27/2015: Rest day ... the usual after runs totaling 10 miles the night before.

I still haven't found my SPIbelt. I reached out to the race directors of DGTR via Facebook and posted on my Facebook wall but nada. I run a lot of races (41 so far this year and over 341 lifetime) and this is the first thing that I can remember losing so I do take care of my stuff ... oh well. Though I may not be able to find a specific item for a bit or a while in the townhouse ... I do usually find it when I want it.

Friday, 8/28/2015: 9.3 miles, 1:15:55, 8:10 pace, 70F, 64% RH, 9 NNE wind, sunny.

Garmin Connect Activity for A soothing 15K

My lovely wife, Christine, had other plans when I got home but I did get out for a run later. It was more than a bit frustrating trying to make up for not having my SPIbelt. I tried to carry my Droid in a belt with a water bottle behind my back ...too bouncy. I tried to carry my iPhone in a ApiPod on my shorts with no drawstrings ... too droopy. So I changed into my short tights ... OK so out I sent. I really needed to run by now to release stress. The 15K at a nice, easy and steady pace really helped. I should have put on BodyGlide again ... the shower afterward stung my left nipple which hadn't really healed from Wednesday night.

Well ... I bought a used Garmin FR310XT off of Ebay from a woman in Oregon. It was a good price so I went for it. I was enticed by the new Garmins but I got sticker shock and decided to stay with my tried and true FR310XT. I like that fact that it can jump between running and biking. Now ... maybe I can trick it out with a foot pod for running, a quick release kit for changing between the run and the bike and a cadence/speed sensor for the bike

Saturday, 8/29/2015: 23.3 miles, 1:43:26, 13.5 mph, 59F, 88% RH, 6 mph WSW wind, sunny.




Today is a big day for a lot of runners. The ultra running crowd that I knew were either at Green Lakes Endurance Runs with 16 100K finishers and 121 50K finishers, link here; Twisted Branch 100K with 47 finishers, link here; or the last Megatransect ever with 752 finishers down in PA, link here. You know who you were!

I wanted to do something big on this beautiful Saturday morning ... what to do? So ... I went on my longest bike of the year. I lost my water bottle on a bump somewhere but it was still a nice ride!

The rest of the day was just lazing around and catching up on Facebook to see how all the ultrarunners were doing. Some day ...

Sunday, 8/16/2015 to Saturday, 8/22/2015 - Dirt Cheap #5 and James Francis / Andrea Kofahl Memorial 5K

I ran 4 times this week, 19.32 miles.

Sunday, 8/16/2015: 8.3 miles, 1:13:41, 8:52 pace, 73F, 73% RH, 3 mph WSW wind, sunny

Christine and I spent the night in Streetsboro OH in a Wingate by Wyndham Hotel. We had a very nice room with a king bed, desk, chair and nice sized bathroom along with refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker and even a safe! Plus this room had 13 outlets! The only thing bad I could say about the room was that the pillows were small and had not too much fluff to them. A small quibble and that's it. My alarm went off at 6AM ... I thought about trying to go back to sleep ... I really did. But ... I got up, got dressed and got out for a run. I did stop in the gym to move some weights around before I headed outside.



It was sunny and getting warm already. I had stayed in Streetsboro before so I knew a nice route. I added in parking lots this time plus I saw a trailhead into Seneca Ponds Park off of Mondial Parkway so I went in there ... and got lost for a bit on the Beaver and Swan trails. Every trail looked the same and I meandered around for a while until I hit upon the exit. I had forgotten water ... which I regretted because I had only half done with the run and it was getting warmer. But I pressed onward to Jefferson St, Route 303 and back on Route 14 before I got back to the Wingate. My splits were: 7:59, 7:55, 7:54, 9:33, 11:57 (lost in the woods), 8:51, 8:18, 8:45 and 8:12 over the last 0.3 mile

I was drenched with sweat and had some water and food at the breakfast bar before I headed back to our room. I woke up Christine and suggested that she eat breakfast. I changed and hit the swimming pool again to cool off.

We checked out and proceeded to Ravenna OH where we visited with her father, John Wisniewski. He is 94 years young and still sharp as a tack. He had fallen a couple of weeks ago and looked a bit worse for wear and tear but he is a scrapper for sure! We left for NY around 3PM and arrived safe and sound around 8PM. A quick but relaxing trip to OH.

Meanwhile, other runners and triathletes were out being awesome during the day. The Old Forge Tri was held up in Old Forge NY, results here. The swim was cancelled due to fog so it was just a bike-run. The Peasntman Tri was held in Penn Yan,  results here. The Catherine Valley Half was held in Watkins Glen, results here.

Monday, 8/17/2015: Rest day ... 91F when I got home.

Tuesday, 8/18/2015: 6.2 miles, 48:42, 7:51 pace, 70F, 88% RH, 3 mph SSW wind, overcast

Garmin Connect Activity for An early 10K

I usually don't run the day before a race but I thought I would get out before the sun came up to get in a run. I was woke up even earlier than I had planned by the snoring of my lovely wife, Christine. No matter, she needed her sleep. I was up, dressed and out by 5AM and got in a cooler and just as sweaty 10K. My splits were: 8:04, 7:52, 7:50, 7:43, 7:47, 7:55 and 7:28 over the last 0.2 mile. Call me crazy but I am starting not to mind getting up early and getting a run in before I go to work. It is dark, peaceful and there is hardly any cars out at 5AM to 6AM.

Wednesday, 8/19/2015, 2 runs of 1 and Dirt Cheap #5 of 3.82 miles.

Tonight was a Dirt Cheap #5 kind of a night. This time is was at a new venue, Durand Eastman Park at the Magnolia Lodge. I hadn't run here in quite a few years so it was kind of new and exciting. I had packed all my stuff before work so I went there straight after work and got a primo parking spot. It was hot and muggy. I got out for a warmup run of 1 mile at 10:56 pace, link here. The weather was 84F, 62% RH, 7 mph SSE wind, overcast.

The start was divided into 4 waves. I was in wave 1. I met up with Prem Kumar and Jeff Rose. I carried my 10 ounce water bottle, my beat up Garmin FR310XT and stuffed a small towel in the side of my shorts. I thought maybe I could use it to wipe the sweat off my face during the race. I knew it was hot so I told myself I needed to take it really nice and easy since I have races coming up on Saturday and Sunday. I certainly did not want to fall and hurt myself.

Just after the start ...

 And ... we were off. I started off nice and easy ... and settled in. It was hot but not unbearably so. The race course led around some ponds, had some ups and downs and was quite a nice course. I could see the sweat drip off my face as I ran ... I ran on. I ran almost all the ups. There was a section in the middle that didn't seem to have enough flags but it was a main trail. The group of runner I was in just ran along and found another flag soon enough and we went on. I just concentrated on staying in my position. I didn't feel the need to go all out ... just nice and easy. There was another section near the end that didn't seem to have too many flags either but I just followed everyone else up the hills to the finish. And ... done with 3.82 miles in 44:23! My splits were: 9:21, 12:41, 11:44 and 13:08 over the last 0.82 miles. See ... nice and easy.

Prem's shirt really showed the sweat!

I was really thirsty ... I got near the water and stayed there and drank cup after cup until I felt better. A couple of hot dogs helped too. I started hearing stories of runners off the course. Well ... someone did think someone had picked up flags. Ellen and Boots swung into action. Ellen called the SAG person who started to check flags. Boot went in from the finish back to the start to check flags. They found no flags missing. But by then the damage had been done. The results were thrown out ... link here. Oh well, I had a good time anyway.

Nothing a bandage can't cure

I did pick up a cut and some blood on my right shin though. I do remember saying "Oww" at one point and running onward.

Thursday, 8/19/2015: Rest day.

The calling hours for my Uncle Ed were tonight at Murphy's Funeral Home in Palmyra, obituary here. He was my deceased Dad's older brother. He died at the age of 98. Christine and I met up with my brother, Don, to pay our respects to his family.

Friday, 8/20/2015: Another rest day.

I thought about getting up early to run but it was just a thought. I usually don't run before a race, sometimes I do ... but not today. Christine and I watched "Labor Day" with Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin off of EPIX On Demand. Quite the chick flick but quite enjoyable.

Saturday, 8/21/2015: 3 runs of 1, JF/AK M 5K and 1 mile,

Another Saturday, another race ... it's just how I roll. This race was the James Francis / Andrea Kofahl Memorial 5K (JF/AK). It was a cross country 5K held out at Black Creek Park on Churchville-Chili's cross country course so it drew a lot of high school cross country runners It was a also Rochester Runner of the Year (RROY) race so it also drew the usual fast RROY runners. It was my third JF/AK (2013: 22:34 and 2014: 23:11). My lovely wife, Christine, got up and accompanied me to her first JF/AK.

We got there early and got a primo parking spot ... nice! I like to get to a race venue about 45 minutes to a hour before so I can calmly get my bib and get our for a nice and easy warmup run. This time it was for 1 mile at 8:44 pace, link here. This was a cross country course with grass, trail and a wee bit of mud so I wore my road shoes, I made sure that my warmup run had the sledding hill that the course would go up twice so I could take its measure ... it was just as steep as ever but runnable.

I got Christine a nice shady spot and set up her chair so she could watch the proceedings. I met up with Heather Patterson and nodded to other runners that I knew by name or reputation before the start.



And ... we were off! The start was a bit tight as everyone fought for the inside of the right turn around the pond. I found my own spot to run and let the race progress for a bit. I started to pick off a few runners just past the pond and waved my hand at Christine. Then it was up the sledding hill, back down and out toward trail ... mile 1 in 7:25 pace. Heather passed me at mile 1.25. He told her "I was her rabbit and that maybe I could use her as my rabbit" .. she chuckled. As she pulled away, I said "Or not" and she chuckled again. She is a master at pacing. I tend to rabbit and then go slower at a race. She starts slow and then goes faster at a race. I concentrated on holding my position and picking off any runners that I could. I was behind Amy Fox for a while and found the only mud on the course just past mile 2 as I passed her on the right ... right through the mud. Then it was around the pond again, up the sledding hill again, down and onward to the finish. I saw a runner ahead and sprinted to beat him (a 17 year old) at the line. Hey ... sprint for the finish, baby! I was parched and grabbed a few cups of water as Christine came over to see if I was OK.

Heather and I went out for a nice and easy cooldown run of 1.05 mile at 8:58 pace, link here. She told me of her plan to qualify for Boston again. I told her of how I want to qualify when I turn 60 as my qualifying time jumps by 15 minutes since a 3:55 is a lot easier than a 3:40.

Heather Patterson won female masters with a 22:09!

I checked the results when they were posted. I did OK, 67th out of 224, link here. I was 5th out of 15 in my wide M50-59 age group, link here. I was 3rd out of 7 in my RROY M55-59 age group, link here, so I picked up 8 points to bring me to 43 out of 60. I had two pieces of pizza and 2 little Fritos snacks and stuck around for the raffle awards but I wasn't lucky this year.

The rest of the day was spent just lazing around, drinking coffee, catching up on Facebook, watching a bit off of the DVR and trying to remember to go to bed early ... the Dam Good Trail Race was looming in the morning.

I had the opportunity to attend my 40th Newark High School reunion this weekend. I could have gone down to Parker's Grille in Newark for a "free" get together on Friday night or gone down to New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua for a $50 per person dinner/dancing on Saturday night. I didn't do either one. I saw the Facebook pictures ... it looks like I missed a good time. Maybe for the 50th.

Sunday, 8/9/2015 to Saturday, 8/15/2015 - Innovative Edge XC Series Race #2

I ran 7 times this week, 29.63 miles.
I biked once this week, 12.6 miles.

Sunday, 8/9/2015: A Du of 4, 12.6 and 4 miles.

I got up kind of late at 8:45AM. I read a bit of Facebook and learned of other athletes being awesome. The Sodus Point Triathlon (0.45 mile swim, 13.1 mile bike and 5K run) was held with 172 finishers, link here. I saw one person, Brian VanBuren, completed all 99 miles of the Mighty Mosquito 99 Mile Relay in 28:42:17, link here. I saw that Rob Wilder completed 100 miles in the Beast of Burden in 5th place out of 44 in 20:55:16: 100M results here, 50M results here and 25M results here.

I was determined that I wasn't going to be a slug like I was last Sunday. Hmm ... what to do? Hmm ... how about a run-bike-run (R-B-R)? Hmm ... how long? The numbers; 4, 12, 4 come into my head. So ... I went out and did them. Maybe I should call this the DeWeaver Du?

Christine said "You're awesome, baby!" and mostly stayed out of my way except to remind me to put on sunscreen and to be careful ... sound words of loving advice. I dressed, geared up and got out at a nice and easy pace for a 4 mile out and back run at 7:46 pace. My splits were: 7:35, 7:50, 7:52 and 7:50. The weather conditions were: 73F, 57% RH, 5 mph ESE wind, sunny. I was definitely a bit sweaty when I got back.


I got back to the townhouse, toweled off, had a long swig of water, backed out my bike, put on my helmet, lit up my front and rear lights and then set off. My transition was about 3 minutes. I made up a bike course of 12.6 miles on the fly. Most of the course had wide shoulders except for Edgemere Drive. I did use the left sidewalk on Latta between Island Cottage and Dewey for 1/2 mile since I was going to make a left on Dewey anyway. My average speed was 14.2 and my top speed was 28.4 mph. The weather conditions were: 75F, 54% RH, 3 mph N wind, sunny.


I got back to the townhouse, toweled off, had a HammerGel, another long swig of water and got back out on my run course. I took it a bit easier and put it into "get 'er done" pace at 7:56 pace. My splits were 8:12, 7:50, 7:57 and 7:45. The weather conditions were unchanged from the bike.


And ... done! I didn't feel like a slug and relaxed by watching lots of American Ninja Warrior ... nice!

Monday, 8/10/2015: Rest day.

I got home a bit early ... just in time to put together four lamps that Christine had bought online 2 weeks ago. They was very well boxed ... I even had to assemble the lampshades. Now I need to buy some 3 way energy efficient light bulbs.

I also discovered that I had broken the band of my RoadID on Saturday afternoon when I carried in a bag of topsoil to the back patio. I ran, biked and ran on Sunday without knowing that I didn't have it on which is kind of weird. I did have a spare band so I just put it on ... no fuss, no muss. I did cut it so it was a bit looser.

Tuesday, 8/11/2015: 5.3 miles, 42:33, 8:01 pace, 77F, 57% RH, 11 mph NW wind, sunny

Garmin Connect Activity for A short and easy 5

It was Tuesday so I got out and ran. I did cut it short since I wanted to run the Innovative Edge XC Race #2 down at Cobbs Hill on Wednesday. My splits were: 8:01, 8:12, 8:01, 8:11, 7:57 and 7:12 over the last 02. mile.

Wednesday, 8/12/2015: 3 runs of 2.6, Innovative Edge XC Series Race #2 of 2.83 and 1.5 miles, 73F, 53% RH, 10 mph NW wind, partly sunny.

I loaded my gear into the Equinox before work so I could pop down to Cobbs Hill for the Innovative Edge XC Series Race #2. It's a 4 night XC race held on four consecutive Wednesday nights in August, link here. I ran the entire series in 2011 (including the Tour de Pain) and 2013. It's a low key race with not too many amenities. Just show up and run.

I parked in the Fleet Feet Armory parking lot and ran over for a 2.6 mile warmup run at 8:35 pace, link here. I met up with Andy Ciaio and shot the breeze for a bit before the race. The kid's race held at 6PM ran long so we waited for a bit. Coach Reif introduced a celebrity in our midst. David Coyne, runner of 44 consecutive Boston Marathons, was running the race. I learned later that Bill Beyerbach started out and ran from his house at 6:10PM and arrived just before the race started.


And ... we were off! The course is almost a mile of grass, then the grass hill up to the reservoir road, over to the Washington Grove for a mile of trail and then back onto grass for the run back to the finish. It's billed as a 5K ... but it's short. I had it as 2.83 miles. Anyway ... I was behind Bill Beyerbach for 1/2 mile before he pulled away. Andy passed me shortly afterward. I took off my sunglasses when I entered the woods and shortened my stride (which seems to be working for me). I passed a few runners in the woods by taking a better tangent on the corners. I held my position as I sprinted (as well as I could) for the finish. And ... done in 23:25! I stayed around and talked a bit with Andy and Bill before I headed home. The hills at Cobbs Hill hadn't gotten any easier!

Thursday, 8/13/2015: Rest day.

My mind wanted to run but my body said pizza ... so I went and got pizza!

Friday, 8/14/2015: 9.3 miles, 1:13:44, 7:55 pace, 75F, 74% RH, 7 mph W wind, overcast.

Garmin Connect Activity for A quick 15K

I needed to get out tonight since tomorrow will be a travel day for a quick trip to Ravenna OH. It was a mixed bag of weather: partly cloudy to a light rain for 1/2 mile around mile 2 to partly sunny by the time I finished. I struck up a kind of hard pace and just kept it up ... I don't do really nice and easy too much when I run on the road. My splits were: 7:52, 7:46, 7:49, 7:52, 8:16, 7:45, 7:52, 8:03, 8:09 and 7:32 over the last 0.3 mile. I was drenched with sweat when I got done ... sweet!

Saturday, 8/15/2015: Travel day

My lovely wife, Christine, and I traveled to Streetsboro OH to spend the night. We planned on seeing her father the next day. We arrived around 3:30PM after an uneventful trip. We stayed at the Wingate by Wyndham Hotel. We had a very nice room with a king bed, desk, chair and nice sized bathroom along with refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker and even a safe! Plus this room had 13 outlets! We even got into the pool for a swim before we walked over to eat supper at Ruby Tuesday's. We both had steak ... oh, so good!

Sunday, 8/2/2015 to Saturday, 8/8/2015 - Young & Wyld 5K and Bergen 5K

I ran 7 times this week, 27.48 miles.

Sunday, 8/2/2015: Rest day.

I really, really, really should have done something ... anything! But ... I didn't and felt like a slug. I caught up on Facebook and saw awesome posts about the Keuka Tri, results here. The usual long runs and long bikes were also celebrated. But ... I rested and felt like a slug.

Monday, 8/3/2015: 6.2 miles, 48:26, 7:48 pace, 81F, 48% RH, 13 mph WSW wind, sunny

Garmin Connect Activity for A nice 10K

I got out there for a quick and not so easy 10K. I could have gone longer but cut it short. My splits were: 7:49, 7:37, 7:47, 7:57, 8:03, 7:44 and 7:10 over the last 0.2 mile.

The band on my Garmin Forerunner 310XT broke when I took it off. Parts went flying! The piece that held the clasp on went flying. I was sweaty and didn't feel like kneeling on the bedroom floor and searching for it.

A screen capture from gpscity.com of a replacement band

The piece is not one of the two that hold each side of the band to the FR310XT but the one that holds the clasp to the bottom band above.

I cobbled together my FR310XT so I could hold it in my hand

I really should buy either replacement band or another fitness watch. I do like the Garmin brand but ... the Magellan Switch is looking really good. The sale price of $84 for the Switch Up is really talking to me, link here.

Tuesday, 8/4/2015: Rest day ... ugh!!

The usual rest day before a race ... boring!!

Wednesday, 8/5/2015: 2 runs of 2.1 and Young & Wyld 5K (3.08 miles)

I had signed up for my second Young & Wyld 5K a couple of weeks ago. I knew that I needed to run 5Ks to actually get used to running 5Ks. This race is down in Honeoye Falls on a familiar, flat and fast course that I have run about 5 times between various races. It's a bit of a drive but there is nice scenery and a waterfall to boot!

I loaded all my gear in Equinox before when I went to work. Well ... I did have to go home for lunch to pick up my gym shorts! I kind of thought that I had forgotten them and I had. So I changed after work and headed straight there. I arrived at 6PM in plenty of time for the 7PM start. The weather conditions were pretty ideal: 73F, 44% RH, 12 mph WNW wind that shifted to 13 mph NNW wind before the race, partly sunny.

Well .. Honeoye Falls does have a falls

I saw Andy Ciaio and Bob Dyjak before the race. I got out for a nice and easy 2.1 mile warmup run at 8:28 pace, link here. I adjusted my FR310XT so I could just hold it in the left hand while I ran. It seemed to work so I ran with it ... lol!

I started up my eCrumb so that my darling wife, Christine, could track me in the last minute before the race. It was a small race with around 100 runners.  I lined up a few feet from the start and to the extreme right to get around.some of the little kids that were up too close to the start.


And ... we were off! The course was your basic loop with the added twist that all the turns were to the right so we had traffic to our backs. It's slightly more dangerous but it's the course so I ran it. I struck up a hard pace and struggled to hold it as well as I could. Andy Ciaio passed me during the first mile (6:59). I knew I slowed down a bit during mile 2 (7:14). I grabbed a cup of water at the halfway point and gulped a mouthful of water without breaking stride. I tried to hold on for mile 3 (7:11). I turned the last corner ... sprint (5:55 during the last 0.08 mile) ... clock under 22 ... done in 21:50! I found, grabbed a bottle of water and downed it quickly. I was a bit parched.

A post race root beer float hit the spot!

I looked at the results when they were posted and found that I finished 18th and won my M55-59 age group. Andy was 12th in 21:55 for 2nd in his M50-54 age group. Bob Dyjak finished in 26:51. The overall results, link here. The age group results, link here. I won a $10 gift certificate to the JoJo Bistro & Wine Bar in Pittsford. Nice!

Thursday, 8/6/2015: 9.3 miles, 1:14:13, 7:59 pace, 73F, 50% RH, 8 mph N wind, partly sunny

Garmin Connect Activity to A new 15K route

It was Thursday and it was my night to run ... so I did. I brought up mapmyrun.com to try to find a new 15K route because I was a bit bored with running out onto the pier by the Ontario Beach Park on my old 15K route. I found a nice route that involved running out Edgemre Drive to Island Cottage to Latta to Dewey back to Edgemere Drive. It popped up as an exact 15K so I ran it. I struck up the usual nice and easy pace ... which I pushed like usual after I warmed up. Island Cottage, Latta and Dewey all had wide shoulders. My first first 5K was 24:50, second 5K was 24:55 and the last 5K was 24:28. My splits were: 8:04, 8:01, 7:59, 8:01, 8:13, 7:50, 7:53, 8:00, 7:56 and 7:27 over the last 0.3 mile.

Friday, 8/7/2015: Rest day ... boo, hiss!

Saturday, 8/8/2015: 3 runs of 1.8, Bergen 5K and 1.9 miles, 64F, 77% RH, calm, overcast.

I woke up at 6AM for my fourth Bergen 5K (20:31 in 2011, 21:36 in 2013, 21:32 in 2014). It's a Rochester Runner of the Year race that I enjoy running. It brings out the cream of the western NY runners with lots of fast runners from Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and other locales. I had my pre-race bowl of cereal, dressed quietly and got my gear ready. I kissed my darling wife, Christine, goodbye. She surprised me by getting ready quickly and coming with me. We left at 7:23AM and arrived out in Bergen at 7:50AM in plenty of time for the 8;30AM start..

I got my bib and black tech shirt at packet pickup. I saw Prem Kumar, Bill Beyerbach, Mark Herberger and Bob Dyjak before the race. I got out for a nice and easy 1.9 mile warmup run at 8:40 pace, link here.

I lined up next to Bob a bit farther back than usual because of the fast crowd. I remembered to start my eCrumb just as the gun started.

The start - courtesy of Wayne Fingerlakes Cross Country and Track and Field

Getting up to speed at the start - courtesy of Bergen Road Race

And ... we were off! I got a bit busy as I tried to get up to speed while trying to stow my Droid in my SpiBelt ... and not drop anything. Hence ... I forgot to start up my Garmin FR310XT for about 0.2 mile. I didn't let it bother me. I just concentrated on letting the slower runners ahead of me give me room to pass them. The course was a new one. I hit the 1 km mark in 4:16 and the 1 mile in 6:42. I concentrated on keeping my pace and shortened my stride.

4K mark - courtesy of Tim Matthews

I started to pick off runners the rest of the way ... probably 5 or 6. I turned back into Hickory Park at mile 3.

Trying to catch 117 - courtesy of Wayne Fingerlakes Cross Country and Track and Field

Trying to draw even - courtesy of Wayne Fingerlakes Cross Country and Track and Field

Sprinting for the finish  - courtesy of Bergen Road Race

She beat me by a foot! - courtesy of Bergne Road Race

Bergen 5K swag

I saw a woman in front of me as we moved off the road to the finish on the grass. I sprinted ... she heard me coming and finished a foot in front of me ... and done in 21:30, 6:56 pace! Fastest 5K of the year! I knocked a fist with Prem ... he finished in 21:07, He had a relay race to go to afterward. Mark finished in 22:03. Mark and I congratulated Bill on his 20:00. He PR'ed at age 60!! He knocked 26 seconds off his previous PR. His workouts with GVH are really paying off!

I checked out the results, link here. The male winner, Sam Morse, finished in 14:44 and the female winner, Hannah Davidson, finished in 16:03! The first 52 finished under 17:00, 77 finished under 18:00 and 99 finished under 19:00 ... a truly fast field of runners! I finished 151st out of 337 and was 3rd out of 14 in my M55-59 age group. I received a plastic cup with the Bergen 5K logo ... nice! I got out for a nice cooldown run of 1.9 miles at 9:00 pace, link here.

Christine and I headed home with a stop at BJs on the way home. Soon she and I were relaxing with coffee. Well ... after I carted in the groceries and she put them away that is!

Meanwhile ... lots of other races were going on. The Women Run the ROC had 516 finishers (515 women and 1 lucky guy), link here. The Beast of Burden was held out in Lockport.

A map of the Mighty Mosquito relay course

A view of some of the tents

I headed out to Hopkinton Lodge at Mendon Ponds Park to check out the Mighty Mosquito 99 Mile Relay. The 5 solo runners started at 6AM and the relay teams started at 10AM. I chatted with the race director, Eric Eagan, and saw Prem Kumar go out for his second of three runs. There were teams of 6 runners who each ran loop 1, then each ran loop 2 and then all ran loop 3. Each loop was about 5 to 6 miles and would take about a hour or more. So each runner would run about every 6 hours. Headlamps were certainly necessary to run after dark. Maybe next year ...