Sunday, 3/12/2017 to Saturday, 3/18/2017 - Spring Forward 15K

I ran 6 times this week - 34.52 miles.

Sunday, 3/12/2017: 13.3 miles, 2:22:02, 10:41 pace, 12F, 61% RH, 10 mph NW wind, wind chill -1F, partly cloudy.

I don't usually do social runs. I'm more of a solitary runner. But this "fat ass" event spoke to me. It started as a Facebook invitation labeled "Maybe the First and Maybe The Last (MFAMTL) 360 minute challenge" which denoted a 6 hour (8 AM to 2 PM) on a one mile trail loop down at Durand Eastman Park put on by Mike Vallone and Eric Eagan along with their wives.

It was cold ... again. So ... I dressed in what I wore for yesterday's Johnny's Runnin' of the Green: my CW-X tight, shorts, long sleeve tech, yellow Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, yellow Brooks jacket, balaclava, yellow Brooks beanie, ski mittens and clear sunglasses. I put on my Salamon Speedcross 3 trail shoes for the first time since 12/31. I slept in so I didn't get down there until 9 AM. My lovely wife, Christine, was still asleep when I left.



There was trees and wires down on Lake Shore Blvd so I had to detour into the parking lot along Lake Ontario on the way. We were instructed to park in the parking lot along Lake Ontario across from Horseshoe Rd. I took my small running bag that I had stocked with Hammer Gel, water, some energy bars and a sandwich along with me to the start. I ended up just drinking some water. Eric Eagan had me sign the waiver and away I ran. The course was easily runnable with some gentle rolling hills, a long stretch along Eastman Lake and a thigh high tree to straddle. There did seem to be some newly fallen trees from the windstorm of last week.

Mike Vallone snapped this pic as I ran by on loop 3

On my 8th loop I met up with Frank Quattrone when he was starting. He had run 17.9 miles (7 before Johnny's, Johnny's and 8 post Johnny's) yesterday and wanted to run 12 today. He still didn't have power out in Webster. I ran a bit with Prem Kumar. He was on his 9th loop. He had gotten power back on Friday night. I had water on loops 5, 8 and 10 along with a cookie on loops 6 and 10. I decided that I was done after loop 13. I had tripped but recovered twice during the run. The ground did look frozen, quite hard and I didn't want to do something stupid like fall. Oh, I ran a nice trail pace of 10:41. My splits were: 10:19, 10:19, 10:12, 10:13, 10:10, 11:52, 10:40, 10:30, 11:19, 10:19, 11:56, 10:22, 10:02 and 11:38 over the last 0.3 mile. MFAMTL was attended by 58 runners. Some ran a lot. Not a bad way to spend a cold Sunday morning. A link to the results is here. The lead male, Dan Ward, did 29 miles. The lead female, Olga Huber, did 31.64 miles.

I went straight to the shower and also took a bath when I got home. My fingertips were white like usual until I warmed them back up. It is what it is. I woke Christine up with the obligatory coffee and donuts. Later, I found out that I picked up the usual trail cuts. I got a small scrape on each leg from straddling the log plus I kicked my right inside ankle with my left shoe several times.

Monday, 3/13/2017: 5.05 mile, 41:23, 8:12 pace, 19F, 62% RH, 9 mph ENE wind, wind chill 9F, overcast with a real light snow.


Today is usually a rest day but the forecast for tomorrow was snow, snow and more snow (18 to 24 inches) until Wednesday night. So ... I got out there. It wasn't as easy as all that though. It was a test of will ... it was Monday, it was cold, it was windy, my mind of full of excuses. But I got out there and did it. I did cut it a bit short though. My splits were: 8:16, 8:10, 8:06, 8:14 and 8:11.

Tuesday, 3/14/2017: 2.7 mile snowshoe run, 36:35, 13:32 pace, 21F, 86% RH, 17 mph NNE wind, wind chill 7F, overcast with snow.


I took vacation today. I busied myself with doing laundry but I did take a break after 3 loads to get out and play in the snow. It did look a bit cold and windy ... it was. But ... I dressed for it and was fine once I warmed up. I strapped on my Dion snowshoes outside the door of the townhouse and took a nice and easy run around the Lake Shore Country Club. I found some bare spots and some spots that had a foot or more or snow. I could hear the wave crashing onto the shoreline from nearby (probably 1/4 mile away) Lake Ontario. My splits were: 14:26, 12:59 and 13:03 over the last 0.7 mile. I was pretty snow covered when I got done ... it was fun!

I still had 3 loads of laundry to do but tromping down to the basement and back up to the bedrooms was more exercise. My lovely wife, Christine, and I caught up on 5 (yes, 5) episodes of "Grimm".

Wednesday, 3/15/2017: 2.6 miles, 1:16:22 (actually 54:47), 29:25 (actually 21:04 pace) pace, 23F, 58% RH, 23 mph NW wind, wind chill 7F, partly cloudy.

Back to work today. There was a foot of snow behind the Cruze that I had to back through. The main roads were a lot better today and there seemed to be a lot less traffic so I had no trouble getting to work. Christine wanted me to get groceries on the way home but I begged off. The wind was really whipping the snow in my face and I also wanted to respect the "no unnecessary" travel advisory. So ... I went straight home.


But ... that meant that could get out and play (snowshoe) in the snow. I did ... and almost froze. I dressed with the same number of layers as I did yesterday. But ... the snow was deeper. It was at least a foot deep in most spots and sometimes up to my knees. So I couldn't run. I could only walk about 95% of the time. Thus I didn't generate as much heat, the wind was a lot worse and was out there much longer on mostly the same route. I was shivering and couldn't really talk when I got back. I went straight to the shower to try to warm up. That didn't really help but I eventually warmed up. Somewhat scary but not the stupidiest thing I have done.

My splits were: 22:35, 21:40 and 15:37 over the last 0.6 mile. It looks like I didn't turn off my Garmin right away so the actual time is estimated. I was pretty cold.

Thursday, 3/16/2017: Needed rest day after 5 days (3 days running and 2 days snowshoe) in a row.

Some personal stuff: Today marked no alcohol since my 59th birthday six months ago. I made that decision because I determined that I am a binge drinker. The best way for me to be in charge of my life is for me to have no alcohol. Yes, I have saved hundreds of dollars. Yes, I still think about having a drink ... be it a beer, a glass or wine or a mixed drink. But I make a conscious decision every day to walk past the beer aisles and the liquor stores that I come across.

Some snowstorm stuff: The Rochester airport got 16.2 inches of snow on Tuesday (5th most ever) and 26.7 inches total on Tuesday and Wednesday. 102.9 inches of snow have fallen to date versus 53.9 inches in 2016. The average snowfall in Rochester is 89.4 inches. So ... Rochester got 1/4 of its 2017 snowfall is one shot.

Some running stuff:

1) I saw a news piece about the Baikal Marathon, link here, in Russia. It's a winter marathon across the frozen surface of Lake Baikal on March 7, 2017. The winner was a Polish man in a record time of 2:53:26. Their website is still not updated with this record time as of 3/19/17.

2) Ed Whitlock died at age 86, obituary link here, news link here, on 3/13. Some quotes: "Canadian Running is saddened to announce that Ed Whitlock has passed away at 86." "Whitlock was one of the world’s all-time great runners as he set dozens of masters world records during his lengthy and illustrious running career." "The Canadian running legend is notably the first, and only, person older than 70 to have broken 3:00 in the marathon. He ran 2:54:49 when he was 73. He raced in November 2016 setting a 15K world record for men 85-89 at the Stockade-athon 15K Road Race. Prior to that, he bettered the men’s 85-89 world record in the marathon by more than 30 minutes running 3:56 at the 2016 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon last October." "When asked what advice he had for other runners, he mused “I’m not sure what I’m doing is good for me, let alone anyone else.”"

Friday, 3/17/2017: Rest day before Spring Forward 15K

I believe that the last two customers who lost power in Brighton finally got their power back.

Saturday, 3/18/2017: 2 runs of 0.5 and 9.37 miles, 30F, 55% RH, 8 mph ESE wind, wind chill 23F, overcast with a few flakes late.

Today's race was my eleventh Spring Forward 15K held down at Mendon Ponds Park (MPP). My stats: 2007 - 1:14:29, 2008 - 1:11:21, 2008 - 1:12:49, 2010 - 1:17:05, 2011, 1:10:20, 2012 - 1:09:15, 2013 - 1:11:40, 2014 - 1:18:00, 2015 - 1:15:24 and 2016 - 1:13:04. My 15K PR is 1:09:15 back in the "magical" year of 2012 when I set a lot of my lifetime PRs.

The race was at 8 AM so I set my alarm for 5:30 AM. My lovely wife, Christine, had signed up to volunteer so I woke her up at 6 AM. She put up a bit of a fuss and got up at 6:11 AM. She asked me what temperature it was outside like she always does. It was 30F so I wore the usual for a race at that temperature: my CW-X tights with shorts, a red long sleeve tech, my yellow Brooks 1/4 pullover, balaclava, yellow Brooks beanie and ski mittens. Christine wore tights with jeans over them, two tops and boots. We were out the door at 6:45 AM and arrived down at the Beach parking lot next to Stewart Lodge around 7:10 AM. We split up. She went to her assignment at the 2.5 mile turnaround. I puttered around a bit at the lodge and stashed my "after" bag (change of tech shirt and my yellow Brooks jacket) under a table before I got out for a 1/2 mile warmup run at 9:36 pace, link here. I saw Bill Sandow on my warmup. He told me that he had suffered a calf tear back in October and that this was his first race since then. He told me that he was going to run a 9 min pace. I told him that if he passed me that I would remind him of that.


I met up with Andy Ciaio and Prem Kumar near the start line. We made the usual small talk before the start ... and we were off!

The Spring Forward Banner Page captured me at the start

Andy in orand, Prem to my left in gray and me in my usual yellow on our way up the first of many hills ... photo courtesy of Kim Smit of Fleet Feet Rochester

We started together and ran together for a mile before I lagged behind. I kept both of them in sight: Prem was about 100 feet ahead and Andy was about 200 feet ahead. Christine was at our left turn onto Pond Rd just after the one mile flag so I waved to her. The 5K mark passed in 24:06. I caught up to Prem at mile 5 as we ran up one of the many hills ... for about 10 seconds. I stopped to take a drink of water at mile 6. The 10K mark passed in 48:24.

I'm in the yellow with the vertical black stripe ... taken around mile 7 by Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

I was getting a bit tired but didn't break to walk up the short hill back into MPP. I knew that there was less than a mile left with only 2 hills to go. Prem had stretched his lead to about 200 to 300 feet. One more hill and then the downhill into the finish. I was told about the ice on the downhill. I heard someone slip a bit behind me so I totally backed off racing into the finish. I just stayed to the left where the snow seemed to offer more traction rather the risky bare spots that looked to be icy.

Carefully running down the last hill into the finish ... photo courtesy of Derek Backus

I saw the timer click to 1:13 as Ellen Brenner called my name. And ... done with 9.37 miles in 1:13:04 according to my Garmin Forerunner 220 (that I bought from Prem when he upgraded to a Garmin VivoActive). I grabbed a cup of water and fist bumped with Andy and Prem who finished 10 seconds apart. I went to the lodge after a bit and had a bagel and a cookie. I changed into my dry clothes and checked the results. I was 41st and 5th in my age group. Andy was 2nd in the 50-54 age group and Prem was 3rd in the 40-44 age group. I didn't see Christine around so I ambled out to the Beach parking lot to look for the Cruze. I was just getting cold when I found it and her asleep in it.

We took a roundabout route home: Breakfast at the Char Broil House on Island Cottage followed by a bit of grocery shopping at Wegmans for ingredients to go with some corned beef that I bought yesterday. I checked out the official results. My time was 1:13:02 gun and 1:13:04 chip. I was 41st out of 321, link here. I was 5th out of 16 in my M 55-59 age group, link here. My splits were: 7:42, 7:53, 7:37, 7:47, 7:40, 7:48, 8:02, 8:03, 7:47 and 7:32 over the last 0.37 mile.

I thought about going out to get a snowshoe run in ... but I decided to bag it. I could see bare spots on the ground at the Lake Shore CC and I didn't want to dig up their grass. Still ... all in all, a great day!

Sunday, 3/5/2017 to Saturday, 3/11/2017 - Johnny's Runnin' O' The Green

I ran 9 times this week, 25.7 miles.

Sunday, 3/5/2017: Travel day to Corning

I could have ran today but didn't. I was up at 5:30 AM because I thought that my lovely wife, Christine, wanted to leave early enough to get down to Corning to maximize the 9 AM to 5 PM Sunday hours of the Corning Museum of Glass (CMOG). She didn't feel well so I didn't push her. I have learned to set "soft" travel plans whenever possible. We did get down to the CMOG by close to 2:30 PM. We saw the Contemporary Art & Design Galleries, most of the Amphitheater Hot Shop Demo, the Innovation Center and Contemporary Glass by 5 PM.

Then we used the $25 gift card that we received from her brother, Bill Wisniewski, at Applebee's. I had a half rack of ribs (ehh ... too many small bones) and she had some type of chicken and potatoes.

We spent the night at the Country Inn & Suites in Big Flats. We simply vegged out ... I fell asleep while Christine played a slide show of all the CMOG pictures that she took that day. I guess we have become an old married couple, lol.

Monday, 3/6/2017: 4.25 miles, 34:08, 8:02 pace, 28F, 39% RH, 3 mph E wind, mostly sunny


I needed to run. I was tempted to just use the nearby treadmill rather than search for a running route. Christine suggested that I run around the adjacent mall. That seemed easy ... so I ran 3 times around the Arnot Mall. It was closed at 8 AM so there was minimal traffic. I dressed in my usual for the 28F weather: CW-X tights, short sleeve tech, yellow Brooks 1/4 zip pullover, balaclava, yellow Brooks beanie and ski mittens. I took it really nice and easy but it was still a 8:02 pace ... boom. My splits were: 8:09, 8:01, 8:09, 7:56 and 57 over the last 0.25 mile.

Christine was waiting for me in the hotel's breakfast nook when I got done. I sat down for a nice and leisurely breakfast of a waffle, sausage, egg, fruit, coffee and orange juice. I wanted to use the hotel pool but couldn't because it was being shocked. Oh well. We took a little nap before we headed back over to CMOG. We arrived at noon and spent the rest of the day in the 35 Centuries of Glass gallery. I ended up taking a lot of pictures and drained the battery in my personal cell and most of the battery in my work cell. There is certainly a lot to see!

Still smiling the next day after seeing hundreds or thousands pieces of glass!

Our unused tickets to the Rockwell Museum are good for a year ... as long as we don't lose them. We took the scenic (what scenery there was until it was dark) route home up 414N to Watkins Glen, 14N to the NYS Thruway and home.

Tuesday, 3/7/2017: Rest day.

I could have ran but ... I was a bit tired from lack of sleep plus the need to do a bit of grocery shopping. A rest day is a good thing I have been told.

Oh, the Lee Rd - Lexington Ave intersection near B601 where I manage Ricoh printer for Harris was finally open after being closed for 6 days due to 12 downed power lines.

Wednesday, 3/8/2015: 7.05 miles, 57:00, 8:05 pace, 52F, 40% RH, 20 mph WSW wind, mostly cloudy.



I needed to run. There was a high wind warming for later in the afternoon so I ran before lunch. There was already a stiff wind that tried to blow me back several times but I "got 'er done". My splits were: 8:30, 8:04, 8:22, 8:19, 7:55, 7:55 and 7:35.

Thursday, 3/9/2017: 7:05 miles, 57:16, 8:07 pace, 37F, 44% RH, 19 mph W wind, wind chill 27F, mostly cloudy.

Well, Christine and I didn't get blown away by yesterday's winds. There was a gust of 82 mph at the Rochester International Airport and sustained winds of 50 mph for 5 hours. There were a lot of downed trees, power lines (S Winton Rd in Henrietta and Long Pond Rd in Greece). traffic lights either out or blown down and lots of people (RG &E - 98K as of 6 AM) without electricity. We didn't lose power but my Facebook feed had plenty who had downed trees, lost power or both, news links here and here.



It was Thursday ... so I ran. The power poles that were down last week for 6 days around the intersection of Lee Rd and Lexington Ave took a beating. 5 of them were leaning and braced by RG & E trucks as I ran by. The intersection of Lee Rd and Emerson St was still without a traffic light or even a portable stop sign. Someone is going to get hit there for sure. It wasn't me today. It was colder, the wind was a bit lighter and I survived. There were more twigs and branches down on the Erie Canal path. My splits were: 8:14, 8:04, 8:27, 8:32, 7:49, 7:52 and 7:56.

Friday, 3/10/2017: Rest day ... the usual before a race the next morning.

Saturday, 3/11/2017: 4 runs of 0.52, 1.25, 5.06 and 0.52 miles, 16F, 67% RH, 7 mph NNW wind, wind chill 6F, overcast with light snow.

Today's race was my seventh Johnny's Runnin' of the Green (2007 in 37:34, 2011 in 40F, 34:35, 2012 in a lifetime PR of 55F, 33:58, 2013 in 26F, 36:23, 2015 in 39F, 36:18 and 2016 in 36F, 35:40). It was the kickoff race for the 12 race Greater Rochester Track Club's Rochester Runner of the Year series. It does appear that today was the coldest Johnny's I have run and it was definitely colder than any of the six 2016-2017 Freezeroos (the coldest was 23F for Freezeroo #3 on 1/14). Brr! I wore the usual for under 20F weather: my CW-X tights with a pair of shorts over, red Freezeroo long sleeve tech, yellow Brooks 1/4 zip pullover, yellow Brooks jacket, balaclava, yellow Brooks beanie, ski mittens and sunglasses.

There was a real light snow for the 20 minute drive down to the Blue Cross Arena (BCA). The parking lot on Exchange Blvd and Court St where I (and a lot of other runners) usually park was closed so I had to park 1/2 mile away ... hence a 0.52 mile warmup run at 8:50 pace to the BCA, link here. When I removed my mittens inside the BCA I discovered that I had somehow cut my left thumb knuckle. It bled and I got a bit on my pullover for sure and probably some on my jacket. It hadn't stopped when I went out for my second warmup run of 1.25 miles at 8:20 pace, link here. I didn't have a nearby car to stash any clothes so I just wore what I had ... it was certainly cold enough. This St Patrick's race had the usual runners in colorful costumes! I heard an announcement about a course detour due to a downed tree on Wilson Blvd before I headed out to the start line.

I lined up in the usual spot ... a bit back from the start line and off to the right. I bumped fists with Andy Ciaio before the start .... and we were off!

The start ... photo courtesy of https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

I got up to speed quickly and settled in for the usual 5 mile out and back course down Exchange Blvd to Ford St, across the Ford St bridge, right on Wilson Blvd for 1.5 miles before the turnaround and back. I had a good first mile at 7:04 just after we turned onto Wilson Blvd. I could see the tree up ahead but it didn't block the whole road and there was no path leading off. We just moved a bit to the left. Boots and Barb Boutillier from Fleet Feet Rochester were there along with a sign that said "FF loves you!". I later learned that Boots took a chainsaw to some of that tree to clear a path for us. I had a bit of trouble in the miles that followed. It wasn't enough to stop and walk a bit but just enough to slow a bit. I realized this and just let the run continue onward. I tried to keep up with the group that I was with and for the most part did. Andy passed me and then Prem Kumar. So ... up Wilson Blvd to the turnaround and back. Now I could everyone behind me as we ran back to the start.

The way on Wilson Blvd was cleared by Boots and his trusty chainsaw ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

Around nmle 3.75 on the way back ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

Back down Wilson Blvd, left onto Ford St and the Ford St bridge, right onto Exchange Blvd. A mile to go ... don't speed up yet ... too soon. I could see the Freddie-Sue bridge ... the I-490 overpass ... keep going ... the stop light at Court St and Exchange Blvd ... a little faster. I could see the finish line ... I didn't have much left but I put it out there. I saw the timer click past 37 ... a bit disappointed ... and done in 37:10, 7:26 pace. I bumped fists with Andy and Prem. Then straight into the BCA ... it was cold and I was a bit damp. I grabbed and guzzled down a bottle of water. There wasn't any bagels because the place where Johnny's gets the bagels didn't have power. I checked out the results and saw that I was 90th and 8th in my M 55-59 age group. I didn't stay long and slowly ran the 0.52 mile back to the Cruze.

A post race selfie

I passed about ten Central Maine power trucks as I drove home. There are still lots of homes without power. I went straight to the shower. My fingers were white for a white like usual until I warmed up. PCR Timing soon had the results up: I was 90th out of 876, link here. I was 8th out of 61 in my M 55-59 age group, link here. My splits were: 7:04, 7:22, 7:34, 7:31, 7:17 and 7:10 over the last 0.06 mile. So ... I ran my second slowest Johnny's. I have raced enough in the past 12 years to know that some races are better than others. I went out there and ran the best I could. That's all you can do.

Christine and I watched a couple of movies. One called "Water for Elephants" with Reese Witherspoon was quite good. She found for FREE off of Time Warner's OnDemand. The other called "Arrival" from Redbox was so-so. It was a bit boring.

Sunday, 2/26/2017 to Saturday, 3/4/2017

I ran 4 times this week, 37.93 miles.

Sunday, 2/26/2017: 7.35 miles, 1:02:38, 8:32 pace, 28F, 74% RH, 14 mph W wind, wind chill 17F, overcast with light snow.


I slept in a bit before getting out for a nice and easy run out on the LOSP trail and half of Island Cottage. My darling wife, Christine, had given me a bit of incentive to come home quickly but my right hip hurt a bit so I kept it at a relatively easy pace. The weather had changed ... again ... for the colder. The light snow that felt did look pretty. My splits were: 8:25, 8:24, 8:22, 8:34, 8:47, 8:33, 8:39 and 8:16 over the last 0.35 mile.

I kept busy for a bit afterward doing three loads of laundry. I discovered that there was benefits of having Christine help fold ... we got it done faster, :-).

Monday, 2/27/2017: Rest day.

Tuesday, 2/28/2017: 10.68 miles, 1:31:05, 8:32 pace, 57F, 31% RH, 5 mph SE wind, overcast.


The last day of February and I ran for the fourth(!!) time in shorts. My Facebook feed told me that I ran in -2F, wind chill -17F weather two years ago! Other crazies rode their bicycles ON Irondequoit Bay two years ago! So I took a hour of vacation and got out for a long run from Greece Athena High School. I took it really nice and easy. I almost regretted not taking my headlamp but got back before I needed it. My splits were: 7:59, 8:27, 8:30, 8:36, 8:29, 8:34, 8:33, 8:39, 8:45, 8:33 and 8:47 over the last 0.68 mile.

My running stats for the month of February: I ran 18 times for 136.9 miles, 7.6 miles/run. Two of these run were warmups of 2 and 1.05 miles. I ran 2 races (Freezeroo #5 and Freezeroo #6).

Wednesday, 3/1/2017: 5.05 miles, 42:14, 8:21 pace, 64F(!), 56% RH, 18 mph WSW wind, overcast.


I don't usually run on Wednesday but the forecast called for the temperatures to tumble into the 20s overnight so ... I did. I brought all (almost again) my running gear to work so I could run before lunch. I started to change and realized I didn't have any running socks. What to do? Run in my dress socks, of course! I soon discovered that my thighs didn't appreciate running so I cut the road short a bit and stayed at a nice and easy pace. I did enjoy being out in shorts and my yellow 2015 Phelps Sauerkraut tech shirt with no gloves and no hat! My splits were: 8:27, 8:31, 8:41, 8:26 and 7:46.

A light rain moved in just as I got home and the wind really start to blow during the night ...

Thursday, 3/2/2017: Rest day ... thankfully.

I know that a true runner runs in any conditions but ... I am glad that I ran yesterday. It was 23F when I woke up and the wind was still blowing around 20 mph. The peak wind gust was 64 mph at the Rochester Airport and I saw news coverage of blown down gas station awnings (Rochester and Batavia), numerous downed trees and power outages. There was at least 11 downed power lines near the intersection of Lee Rd and Lexington Ave. This had an impact on me since I support the Ricoh printers at a Harris building (B601) right near there.

Friday, 3/3/3017: Rest day ...

Saturday, 3/4/2017: 14.85 miles, 2:14:01, 9:01 pace, 18F, 67% RH, 18 mph NNW wind, wind chill 3F, overcast at the start to mostly sunny at the end.

Today was the "official" Round the Bay run. I have done this run every year since 2009. It's not a race just an gathering of runners from the Oven Door, Gold Rush, Bagel Bunch and anyone else that start at the Swing Bridge in Irondequoit and well ... run counter-clockwise around the bay. There are two different routes that take in all the hills on the west side of Irondequoit Bay. The first goes up 590 (which saves 0.85 mile) and the second goes up Culver Rd. I took the second to get the full mileage (go big or go home).

But first ... let's back up. I set my alarm for 5:30 AM. A couple of inches of fluffy snow had fallen overnight plus it was cold and windy. I had my pre-run bowl of cereal and banana along with a glass of OJ while I questioned my sanity. I looked outside while my lovely wife, Christine, slept peacefully and questioned my sanity. I thought about bagging the run ... the wind chill was in the single digits or less. The roads were going to be crappy. But ... I knew I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep and I would regret not getting out ... so I started to get dressed. I wore my CW-X tights along with shorts, my red long sleeve GRTC Freezeroo tech, my yellow Brooks 1/4 zip pullover and my yellow Brooks jacket. I brushed the snow off the Cruze and headed out. I got down to the Swing Bridge in Irondequoit at 6:50 AM. There weren't as many cars as usual ... odd (lol). I sat in the car and put on my balaclava, yellow Brooks beanie and mittens. I tucked my Hammer Gel flask with what was left of my Apple Cinnamon Hammer Gel in an AmphiPod in my waist and filled my 20 ounce hand bottle with water. I also changed my running glasses to the clear lenses and put them on to protect my eyes from the wind. I didn't stretch at all and just walked over to where everyone was gathering ... maybe for warmth. The wind was really blowing from the north off Lake Ontario ... or maybe the polar icecap. Matt Kellman took a selfie of the group before we started. I guess maybe 30 to 40 runners took part. There have been years when there were over 100.

Matt Kellman used a selfie stick to take several pictures before we started out

Anyway ... we started. The run up the hill on Culver Rd was slow. The shoulder was snow covered so I ran in the road and only moved over for oncoming traffic when I had to. The footing was variable and changed between OK to slippery. Sometimes the snow was kind of changing to slush or a bit of ice so I had to be careful and not push off so I just set up a really nice and easy pace. Yes, it was cold in the first few miles but I warmed up. The wind was mostly at my back so it was really a factor. The hills on west side were the usual ups and downs. Thankfully, there weren't too many cars or trucks out yet. I walked the usual parts of the two major hills. This is the third time I had run Round the Bay this year and 12th time in total so I knew the route. I walked at mile 7 so I got suck down some Hammer Gel and drink some water. I noticed that the water in my hand bottle was starting to ice up. I ran down the Empire Blvd hill and passed Tom Butler. He wasn't shirtless but he was wearing shorts! He must have started early! The wind was my left and then started to be in my face as I turned kind of north to head back up the long hill into Webster. Empire Blvd and Bay Rd was a bit dangerous because it was later and there were more cars out. I was glad to get off of Bay Rd onto Volk and Dewitt for miles 11 and 12. Back onto Bay Rd ... Lake Ontario was in sight. A left onto Lake Rd. The wind was really blowing from the right now. I was in "get 'er done" pace while running on a narrow shoulder as cars came off the Swing Bridge. And ... done with 14.85 miles in 2:14:01. I was cold and tired so I went straight to the Cruze. I usually stretch after a run or wait for other runners but not today. It was just too cold.

A selfie to prove that I was there. I guess I had my balaclava on a bit crooked the whole way.

I went straight home. I did stop at the Herrema's parking lot where I tried to open my 20 ounce hand bottle to get a drink of water. The top of the water had iced over and I heard a snap as I opened it ... I broke the plastic nozzle. Arrgghh ... I won that hand bottle in a Dirt Cheap raffle several years ago. Christine was up when I got home. I went in, said "Hi, it was cold" (or words to that effect), dumped my running bag in the kitchen and headed straight up to the bedroom. I stripped and then took a hot shower and bath. My fingers were starting to turn white and I think my toes were too. Then it was time for hot coffee and a couple of donuts. I uploaded my Garmin and found that this was one of my slowest Round the Bay runs ... undoubtedly due to the weather. My splits were: 9:04, 8:37, 8:39, 8:23, 9:29, 8:18, 9:26, 9:11, 10:08, 9:38, 9:07, 8:54, 8:44 and 8:31 over the last 0.85 mile.

Later, I took Christine out to have her nails done at New Nails. She decided to have them cut back ... but there are still sexy, :-)!

Sunday, 2/19/2017 to Saturday, 2/26/2017 - Freezeroo #6

I ran 5 times this week - 28.4 miles

Sunday, 2/19/2017: 7.35 miles, 1:02:22, 8:29 pace, 46F, 71% RH, 10 mph W wind, wind chill 42F, sunny.



I slept in and didn't get out until after 9 AM. But I did get out. It was a bit warm but decided to go with my CW-X tights, a long sleeve tech, a short sleeve tech, my yellow Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I probably could have gotten by with shorts. I decided to let my body dictate the pace and length of this run. My thighs were still tight from yesterday's 15 mile Round the Bay run so I went nice and easy and shortened the run from 15K down to just over 7 miles. My splits were: 8:26, 8:36, 8:29, 8:33, 8:30, 8:35, 8:20 and 8:08 over the last 0.35 mile.

A couple of mugs of coffee soon ensued along with a LOT of episodes of "Star Trek Voyager". The DVR had a lot more episodes because BBC America is playing all of the episodes. A lot of these episodes are new to Christine and I. She had worked nights back in the day so she missed them. I had missed them because it wasn't broadcast on cable for a few years back in the late 90s so I couldn't tape them. Yes, I taped all the Star Trek episodes that I could (ST TOS, ST TNG, ST DS9, ST Voyager) back in the day. I don't think I taped many ST Enterprise episodes.

Monday, 2/20/2017: Rest day.

My youngest son, David, took Christine and I out to dinner at The Distillery on West Ridge Rd. He caught us all up with what has been going on with his new job as Cash Room Lead at the del Lago Casino. He works 6 PM to 2 AM but doesn't usually get out until 5 AM or so. So ... he is raking in the OT.

Christine went straight to our respective bedrooms once we got home. It is sad to say that we don't sleep together too much. We were both tired. I guess getting only 6 hours of sleep catches up to me after a while.

Tuesday, 2/21/2017: 8.6 miles, 1:10:31, 8:12 pace, 48F, 37% RH, 9 mph S wind, wind chill 44F, overcast.



The forecast was for mid 50s today and 60s through Friday so I wore shorts today. I didn't feel 100% for some reason but I just motored in my "get it done" mode all the out to Elmgrove Road and back. My splits were: 8:22, 8:04, 8:17, 8:16, 8:30, 8:13, 8:26, 8:03 and 7:10 over the last 0.6 mile.

Wednesday, 2/22/2017: Rest day.


Thursday, 2/23/2017: 7.05 miles, 54:45, 7:46 pace, 64F, 68% RH, 15 mph WSW wind, overcast.


I got out a bit early for my pre-lunch run so I could do a 8.6 mile run out to Elmgrove Rd but ... I decided to do a "pedal to the medal" 7 mile run instead. The weather was in the mid 60s with a stiff wind somewhat out of the south. I don't particularly like out and back runs but it's the route that I have so far. Anyway, my splits were: 7:59, 7:43, 7:54, 7:59, 7:44, 7:41 and 7:26.

Friday, 2/24/2017: Rest day ... the usual before a race the next day.

Saturday, 2/25/2017: 2 runs of 1.05 and 4.35 miles, 52F, 87% RH, 17 mph W wind, overcast.

A word about the weather that I report at the start of each run. This weather is picked up by Garmin from the Rochester International Airport, call sign KROC. This is NOT where I was running today. It was closer to 60F at race start and probably colder than that when we finished. A cold front went through during the race. It was low 40s by nightfall and snowed during the night.

Today's race was Freezeroo #6, aka the White House Challenge. This was another new race location, the third of this year's six race Freezeroo series. The venue was the Webster Town Park and the race headquarters was the White House shelter across Lake Rd from the two parking lots at the corner of Holt Rd and Lake Rd at the White House ... hence the race name. The course was 2 loops of the old Polar Cat 2.2 mile course, link here. I looked it up (well, Strava did) and I ran a 32:21 in 12/19/2010 and a 30:23 in 12/18/2011.

I got to the race venue around 9:15 AM in plenty of time for the 10 AM start. It was warm, around 58F, with a light rain that ended about 15 minutes before the race started. I just wore my Brooks shorts and a yellow 2015 Phelps Sauerkraut short sleeve tech shirt. I got out for a nice and easy warmup run of 1.05 mile at 8:19 pace, link here. I stopped to go to the bathroom, take a swig of water and cross the street to the start. This course is all right turns so the traffic was at our back ... which I don't think any runners like but it was the course so we raced it.

The start ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shutterfly.com

And ... we were off! I started fast and just tried to hold the pace the entire way. This course is a bit brutal with some rolling hills on the second mile and an uphill back to the start that we hit not once but twice. Andy Ciaio passed me at mile 1 and said "I don't feel so good" (or something like that). I told him "You look fine to me". I did keep him in sight. It started to sprinkle as we finished the first loop.

Running up the last hill before the end of loop 1 ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shutterfly.com

Running up the last hill in a light rain before the end of the last loop ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shutterfly.com

The rain come harder during the second loop. I didn't have a hat so I had to blink a lot. I was drenched by the time I got done with 4.35 miles (a bit light in distance) in 31:20. I walked over to the White House and had a couple pieces of delicious pizza, a donut and a couple cups of apple cider ... nice! I stayed for a bit and talked with Andy and Prem.

My next stop was to see my daughter, Karen, in Palmyra. She was having hard drive along with overheating issues with her Toshiba Satellite P752-5102. I decided to give her a "new to her" used Dell Latitude E6420 with Windows 10. I had some issues connecting to her wireless router which I fixed by connecting to it via a network cable and changing its security and password. The transfer of her 200 GB data took about 3 hours. I got lucky because the destination hard drive was only 250 GB. So ... I guess I should look for a bigger hard drive for her. She paid me with delicious cookies ... mmm! I work cheap, lol!

My last stop was to see my oldest son, Michael, in Newark. I took him out to supper at Parker's Grille. We had a nice table for two in the back where we caught up on stuff.

Then it was back to my lovely wife, Christine. We spent a quiet evening together. I didn't talk much and she didn't ask much about my day. I uploaded my Garmin and checked the results. I finished 24th out of 119, link here. I was 6th out of 14 in my M55-59 age group, link here. I placed 5th out of 15 in in the series M 55-59 age group, link here.

Sunday, 2/12/2017 to Saturday, 2/18/2017

I ran 4 times this week: 35.9 miles.

Sunday, 2/12/2017: 7.05 miles, 59:39, 8:27 pace, 30F, 93% RH, 7 mpph E wind, wind chill 23F, overcast with light mist/sleet.



Today was a travel day to OH but I got out in the morning. It was cold and windy with a light mist that stung my face. I wanted to do my Greenleaf 15K on the LOSP trail and Island Cottage but the LOSP trail was kind of crusty so I exited it at Dewey Ave and just ran around until I got 7 miles. My thighs were sore from yesterday's Freezeroo #5 so I ran really nice and easy. My splits were: 8:26, 8:40, 8:22, 8:28, 8:36, 8:31 and 8:08.

A leisurely rest of the morning ensued with coffee and a bit of a nap with my darling wife, Christine. But then it was up and at 'em. We left for Lakewood OH to spend the night at the Glaude's (Christine's daughter, Beth, and her husband, Nick) at 1 PM. The trip was uneventful until we got into Lakewood. All of a sudden, the Cruze reported that the right right tire was 24 psi. It was dropping fast. We quickly had to stop at a gas station to pump up the tire. The tire was at 5 psi when we got to Beth's. Nick had to put air in the tire to move the Cruze closer to his garage so he could work on it. We could hear the air hissing out of the tire and saw a bolt in the bottom of the tread. Luckily, Nick had tools, an air compressor and the talent to put a "slim jim" patch in the tire and pump it back up. We hoped it would hold.

The bolt that found the right rear tire of the Cruze

Then Beth and Nick took us out to a fancy pizza parlor in Rocky River named the Mellow Mushroom. The pizza that I had (the Maui Wowie - Pesto base with ham, pineapple, jerk chicken, banana peppers, Applewood smoked bacon and mozzarella cheese), was a bit too spicy for my taste but I was hungry and ate my fill.

Beth and Nick Glaude were camera shy

Then we went back and watched a thought provoking episode of Black Mirror on their Kodi. The episode, "15 Million Merits", links here and here, was about a world where everyone seemed to exist by riding an exercise bike to accumulate merits that they had to use to buy anything. They were exposed to advertising 24/7 that they had to watch or incur financial penalty. The only way out was to try out for a game show (ala Who's Got Talent) that cost 15 million merits (thus the title). One girl got urged into soft porn because "there were already enough above-average singers" and one guy got out by becoming "An Angry Guy" who ranted with a pane of broken glass at his throat for 15 minutes twice a week. Definitely British.

Monday, 2/13/2017: Birthday and travel day.

I was up around 7:30 AM and had some coffee with Beth before I went out to check the air pressure in the patched tire ... 19 psi. So ... it didn't hold. Christine suggested that I take it a local Chevy dealer named Pat O'Brien Chevy West, link here, about 4 miles away. So I pumped up the tire to 35 psi and drove over. They said that they had bigger patches and would try to patch it else replace it. Well ... an hour later I had a patched tire. Then Christine and I bid Beth good bye and thanked her for her hospitality. We drove over to Ravenna. I didn't follow her instructions and we took the scenic route. Luckily, the traffic wasn't too bad and I got back on track ... though some "discussions" did ensue.

We got out to Ravenna around 1:30 PM and went to the food bank where her father, John Wisniewski, volunteered. He had already had a 96th birthday party there and was getting out at 3 PM. So we had a bite to eat at Subway and then went to see Christine's sister-in-law, Patty. She was caring for two of her grandchildren, Michael Jr (who is 4 almost 5) and Genevieve (who is 15 months). They were incredibly cute!

Christine with Michael Jr and Genevieve

Then we went over to see her father for a while and listened to his stories. He is a spry guy who volunteers at The Center of Hope food bank, link here, 3 days a week.

Christine, her father and I

Christine's father made the local paper. The picture was emailed by her brother, Bill.

We left for Rochester around 5 PM and got home just after 10 PM. I drove both ways. It's the way I roll ... I guess I like to be in control (Christine is shaking her head yes). Christine was glad that we went out to see her Dad since we didn't on Christmas due to my cold (and then her cold a couple of days later).

Tuesday, 2/14/2017: 6.25 miles, 50:05, 8:01 pace, 41F, 56% RH, 11 mph W wind, wind chill 34F, overcast.



It was Tuesday so I brought almost all my running gear to work so I could either run before lunch or after work. It was busy during work so I decided to run after work. I found almost everything that I needed to run ... except my tights. It was 43F and windy ... a close call for shorts. I think I could have done it but I chickened out. So ... I went home and got my tights. I thought about an 8 mile run but decided to do a fast, out and back 10K on my Edgemere Drive and Island Cottage route. My splits were: 8:04, 8:02, 8:05, 7:56, 7:57, 8:06 and 7:41 over the last 0.25 mile.

My darling wife, Christine, and I spent a low key St. Valentine's Day. She cooked up Tony Roma's spare ribs for supper (that fell out the bone ... mmm!) along with yams and mixed vegetables. We had her father's birthday cake for dessert. Cake ... mmm! He had insisted that we take some home with us yesterday.

Wednesday, 2/15/2017: Rest day ... like usual.

Thursday, 2/16/2017: 7.55 miles, 59:46, 7:56 pace, 27F, 58% RH, 17 mph WNW wind, wind chill 14F, overcast


I brought ALL my running gear to work this time and succeeded in getting dressed and getting out to run right after work at the Greece Athena High School on Island Cottage and Janes Rd. Sure ... it was cold and windy but it was Thursday and I run on Thursdays. I ran hard because it was cold and I wanted to get the run done and over. My splits were: 7:53, 8:12, 7:57, 7:46, 7:52, 8:03, 8:07 and 7:57 over the last 0.55 mile. You can tell which miles were into the wind. But ... boom and done.

Friday, 2/17/2017: Rest day ... naturally.

I went to bed early since I was going to get up early to run long.

Saturday, 2/18/2017: 15.05 miles, 2:08:59, 8:34 pace, 37F to 48F, 70% RH, 7 mph SW wind, wind chill 32F, sunny.

I succeeded in get up at 5:45 AM. I proceeded to do the dishes from the previous night, had a bowl of cereal and banana, got a bit overdressed and got out the door. I got down to the Swing Bridge at 7 AM to find no other runners ... just fishermen. So ... I geared up solo. It was 34F so I had on the usual ... CW-X tights, a long sleeve tech, my yellow Brooks 1/4 zip pullover, balaclava, yellow Brooks beanie and my ski mittens. I also brought a flask of Hammer Gel and my 20 ounce hand bottle of water. I knew that forecast was for 60F in the afternoon but I didn't think it would get there by the time I got done.


I decided to do the long version of the Round the Bay route, all 15 miles of it. I took it nice and easy to start up Culver Ave and just let the run happen. I sped up on the downs and didn't walk as much on the ups on the west side of Irondequoit Bay. I walked just past mile 7 so I could have a couple of gulps of Hammer Gel and water before I headed down the Empire Blvd hill and into Webster. The up on Empire Blvd was just as long as usual ... just like Bay Rd, Volk Rd, DeWitt Rd and Lake Rd as I ran back to where I had started. I set my running gear on "nice and easy" and just motored. I was a bit tired and my form probably sucked during the last two miles but I "got 'em done". Boom. My splits were: 8:59, 8:24, 8:17, 8:01, 8:53, 7:47, 9:32, 9:31, 9:14, 8:34, 8:03, 8:25, 8:19, 8:29 and 8:05.

The temperature had warmed to 48F according to the Cruze by the time I got done at 9:20 AM and skyrocketed to 61 F by noon. Spring fever, baby!

Christine and I just lazed the rest of the day. We did a whole lot of watching the DVR as we caught up on the past 6 episodes of "Rosewood".

Sunday, 2/5/2017 to Saturday, 2/11/2017 - Freezeroo #5

I ran 5 times this week: 33.37 miles.

Sunday, 2/5/2017: 10.35 miles, 1:28:18, 8:32 pace, 30F, 64% RH, 10 mph WSW wind, wind chill 21F, overcast.

I knew I needed to get out again to clear my head (never mind) so I did.


I put in a "really nice and easy" gear and just ran. The LOSP trail was a bit icy than yesterday so I looped onto Edgemere Drive out to Loyden Point. I saw 5 runners during my run and lots of ice fishermen on the frozen Long Pond.

Later, I watched the Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. It looked like the Pats were down for the count when they were down 28-3 with 8:31 in the 3rd quarter. Then the Pats came storming back with 25 points to tie it up. So ... a TD with a missed PAT, a FG and a TD with a 2 point conversion to get within 8 points. All Atlanta had to do run the ball but they passed the ball, got a holding call that put them out of FG range and punted the ball back to the Pats. So ... just 91 yards for Brady. 10 plays in 2:33 to tie it up with an incredible catch en route. The Falcons couldn't move the ball with no timeouts and 57 seconds. The first OT game in Super Bowl history ensued. The Pats got the ball and Brady led them down for the game winning TD. Links here, here and here. I could have posted a lot more links from CNN, Washington Post, the New York Time and the Boston Globe. The Boston Globe made an instant collector's item when their Monday early edition had front page coverage of a Patriot loss printed before the game ended.

Monday, 2/6/2017: Rest day.

I wish I had off Monday like 40,000 employees of Heinz, link here. But ... I also stayed up to watch 24: Legacy which didn't end until midnight. So ... I was a bit bleary eyed in the morning.

Tuesday, 2/7/2017: 7.05 miles, 58:11, 8:15 pace, 34F, 64% RH, 9 mph E wind, wind chill 26F, light rain at the end.


The forecast told of rain in the afternoon so I thought a pre-lunch run would allow me to escape it. Wrong. A few drops were falling when I set out on my 7 mile run out and back from B601. It had progressed to a light rain before I got back. I was not drenched when I got done but I wasn't dry either. The 2.5 miles of the Erie Canal path west of Lee Rd had about an inch of snow with a few tiny patch of easily avoided slick spots. I just took a really nice and easy pace, no problem. My splits were: 8:08, 8:20, 8:14, 8:23, 8:19, 8:32 and 7:53.

It was dark, dreary and raining when I got home so I made the right call about going out when I did. I wouldn't have gone out otherwise.

Wednesday, 2/8/2017: Rest day.

Thursday, 2/9/2017:7.05, 56:47, 8:03 pace, 19F, 57% RH, 16 mph NNW wind, wind chill 5F, sunny.


It had warmed up on Tuesday night (54F by midnight) and then gotten colder again. So I thought that the Erie Canal path would have less snow. It did but the sun wasn't warm and the wind was bitter. There was only a dusting of snow so I could speed up which was good because I needed to keep warm. My splits were: 7:13 (?), 8:01, 8:18, 8:13, 8:11, 8:07 and 8:18.

Friday, 2/10/2017: Rest day ... naturally with a race the next day.

Saturday, 2/11/2017: 2 runs of 2 and 7.97 miles, 37F,

Today's race was Freezeroo #5. The race length was 8 miles on a new course. This was the second time on this course but the first time we had actually run it because the race was canceled last year due to subzero wind chills. The race venue was Braddock Bay Park which was only 10 minutes away via the Lake Ontario State Parkway. I was there by 9:10 AM.

I met up with Andy Ciaio and Prem Kum. We got out for a really nice and easy warmup run of 2 miles at 9:36 pace, link here. It was warm so I changed from a long sleeve tech to a short sleeve tech under my usual yellow Brooks 1/4 zip pullover. I'm a creature of habit ... I had on my usual CW-X tights, yellow Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I carried a 20 ounce water bottle (but didn't drink any of it).


I lined up in my usual spot ... a bit to the right and a bit behind the start line. And ... we were off! I got up to speed ... and started a bit too fast. It felt good so I stayed with it. I slowly passed both women that I was keeping pace with around mile 4. The wind kicked up a bit as we turned onto Edgemere Drive. I would have been surprised if it hadn't of, lol! What is a Freezeroo #5 without wind on Edgemere Drive? Andy Ciaio tracked me down and said "Hi" as he passed.

Running on Edgemere Drive after Andy Ciaio had passed me ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shutterfly.com

There were at least 20 people ice fishing on both Long Pond and Buck Pond as we ran by. I was getting tired. The road surface changed to about two inches of slushy snow as we made a short jog onto Braddock Rd and Second Ave. The runners who wore trail shoes had more traction for sure! I had to slow down a bit since I wore road shoes. I got back to as much speed as my body could muster as we turned right onto East Manitou Rd ... a bit more than a mile to go. I could see Andy about two hundred yards ahead. The road curved to the left ahead and eventually led to the park entrance. It was still 0.35 mile to the finish. Time to just gut it out until the finish. I could see the timer get to 1:00:00 ... and done with 7.97 miles in 1:00:21, 7:34 pace, by my Garmin.

I slowly walked to the Cruze and put on my yellow Brooks jacket. I ambled over to the lodge and had a bagel with butter along with some water. I looked at the results. 1:00:20 officially, and saw that I was 30th.  I headed home for a mug or two of coffee to upload my Garmin and check the results. My splits were: 7:26, 7:32, 7:25, 7:33, 7:32, 7:42, 7:51 (I guess I didn't slow down by much) and 7:21. I was 30th out of 131, link here. I was 6th out of 16 in my M 55-59 age group, link here. I found another runner's take on this race, link here.

After a bit of a nap, I took my darling wife, Christine, out to get her nails done at New Nails. She had to wait a bit but the results were well worth it ... trust me!

Sunday, 1/29/3017 to Saturday, 2/4/2017

I ran 4 times this week, 36.3 miles.

Sunday, 1/29/2017: 9.35 miles, 1:17:23, 8:16 pace, 28F, 59% RH, 13 mph WSW wind, wind chill 18F, mostly cloudy.


I had contemplated doing a Round the Bay run this morning but my body needed sleep. So I slept in until around 8:30 AM. I puttered around a bit and then decided that I would not be a slug. I dressed and got out there. I decided to do the LOSP trail and IC 15K route. There was about a 1/4 inch of snow on the LOSP trail on the way out but it was melting already on the way back. I thought about adding a run down Janes Rd for an extra 3.1 (or so) miles but the idea of running into wind didn't appeal to me ... so I didn't. I just took it nice and easy as I thought about life and all the Beast of Burden (25 mile, 50 mile and 100 mile) runners out in Lockport.

I got back, made some more coffee and brought it along with some donuts up to my darling wife, A shower soon ensued along with uploading my Garmin. My splits were: 7:57, 8:26, 8:25, 8:21, 8:29, 8:12, 8:13, 8:25, 8:17 and 7:28 over the last 0.35 mile. Boom ... done and not a slug.

Meanwhile, runners out in Lockport were running the Winter version of Beast of Burden (25 mile, 50 mile and 100 mile races). I saw on Facebook that Mike Meynasdasy finished the 100 mile in 26:16:18, Sean Storie finished the 100 mile in 28:22:37; his wife, Kristy Storie finished the 50 mile in 11:26:39. Awesome!

Mike Meynasday (on the left) ... grabbed from Facebook

Sean Storie .... photo grabbed from Facebook

Kristy Storie ... photo grabbed from Facebook

27 runners finished the 100 mile, results here. 32 runners finished the 50 mile, results here. 20 runners finished the 25 mile, results here.

Monday, 1/30/2017: Rest day.

Tuesday, 1/31/2017: 6.8 miles, 55:37, 8:11 pace, 30F, 74% RH, calm, overcast.


I didn't want to back into the end of January without another run so I brought my running gear to work, dressed there and found that I had left my Garmin at home. So ... since I didn't want to run "naked" I went home and got it, put it on and got out there. I thought of just doing my "The LOSP trail and IC 10K"  route so I set out. I found that some bits of the LOSP trail had some black ice. I slowed my pace so I wouldn't slip and fall. I didn't feel like taking a chance and heading back the way I came so I continued on and made a loop. No worries plus I could run faster on road anyway ... boom. My splits were: 8:08, 8:25, 8:17, 8:09, 8:17, 8:05 and 7:51 over the last 0.8 mile.

So ... the stats for January 2017:
I ran 22 times for 134.66 miles, 6.12 miles/run. five were warmups (2, 0.65, 1.15, 1.5 and 2 miles) and one was a cooldown of 2.15 miles. I ran 4 races: Freezeroo #2, Winter Warrior Half, Freezeroo #3 and Freezeroo #4.

Wednesday, 2/1/2017: Rest day ... like usual.

Thursday, 2/2/2017: 7.55 miles, 1:00:55, 8:04 pace, 25F, 54% RH, 10 mph W wind, wind chill 15F, partly cloudy.


Yep ... I am certifiable. I knew it would be cold ... I felt the wind out of the west while I geared up (put on my balaclava, yellow Brooks beanie, reflective vest, headlamp and fired up my eCrumb) at the Greece Athena High School. It was still light so I didn't turn on my headlamp right away. But I run on Thursdays ... so I ran. I had on my old black/yellow Adrenaline GTS shoes with 650 miles on them since that was what I picked up this morning ... but either they adapted to me or I to them after a mile. Yep ... it was cold when I turned into the wind on Janes Rd but I soldered onward ... get 'er done. My pace slowed due to the 10-20 mph cold wind. I saw a slower runner heading in the same direction on the sidewalk on the other side of road. I made the turn back at Long Pond Rd and told her that "It's easier this way". She laughed. Yep ... you can tell the splits that were in and not into the wind. I turned north on Island Cottage to Edgemere Drive ... turn back south on Island Cottage back to where I started ... boom, done. My splits were: 8:01, 8:24, 8:14, 7:47, 7:50, 8:02, 8:09 and 8:01 over the last 0.55 mile.

Friday, 2/4/2017: Rest day ...

Saturdya, 2/6/2017: 12.6 miles, 1:47:26, 8:31 pace, 21F, 62% RH, 13 mph W wind, wind chill 9F, sunny.

I had thought of doing a Round the Bay run but I got involved in trying to getting all my thousands of emails from Yahoo and Gmail into one email program, Outlook 2007. It was a struggle which involved a more than few Google searches for a few error messages and then how to get the Yahoo emails to stay deleted. Both Yahoo and Gmail use IMAP but I already had Poppeeper working so I was able to get the gist of what I needed to set them up. Then I set out deleting a few thousand emails before I went bed at 2:43 AM.

So ... I didn't get up until 9 AM. I puttered around a bit, had a pre-run bowl of cereal and banana, got dressed and got out there.


It was cold and windy so I knew it was going to be tough running into the west wind. But I just put in into the "nice and steady" gear. I headed out the LOSP trail (there was a bit of snow at times so I had to slow up), up Island Cottage until Edgemere Drive, ran back on Island Cottage to Latta, ran back Island Cottage to Janes, ran down Janes to Long Ponds, back on Janes to Island Cottage and back on the LOSP trail. But ... boom, done. My splits were: 8:19, 8:37, 8:21, 8:29, 8:34, 8:25, 8:39, 8:44, 8:38, 8:29, 8:34, 8:44 and 8:06 over the last 0.6 mile.

While I ran I thought of all the runners out at Black Creek Park that were going to tackle the Cast A Shadow snowshoe/trail run. This year it was a trail run due to lack of enough snow. The format was run a 2.5 mile loop as many times as you want in six hours (1 PM to 7 PM) either solo or as part of a relay team. The results are here: men's solo here, women's solo here and team results here. Awesome!

1/22/2017 to 1/28/2017 - Freezeroo #4

I ran 5 times this week, 26.93 miles.

Sunday, 1/22/2017: 6.25 miles, 51:41, 8:15 pace, 43F, 100%, 3 mph ESE wind, overcast with light fog, where is the sun?

I slept in until 9:27 AM which is really late. So ... after puttering around I didn't get out until after 11 AM. It was still foggy so I put on my reflective vest and a RoadID blinker even though it was almost noon.


I thought about doing a 15K on the LOSP and Island Cottage route but settled for a 10K at a really nice and easy pace instead. My justification was running 38.5 miles last week ... and my thighs were a bit tight. My really nice and easy pace ended up to be 8:16 pace anyway. One of these days I just put the pedal down on this route and see what happens. My splits were: 8:04, 8:09, 8:14, 8:28, 8:21, 8:24 and 8:05 over the last 0.25 mile.

The usual mugs of coffee ensued. Later, Christine cooked up some Tony Roma's ribs that I got at BJ's with a $3 off coupon ... mmm! I watched the NFL games between the Packers - Falcons and then the Patriots - Steelers. Both were boring blowouts that were over before halftime. So ... it's the Patriots and the Falcons in the Super Bowl in 2 weeks.

Monday, 1/23/2017: Rest day ... nothing unusual after a 38.5 mile week.

Tuesday, 1/24/2017: Rest day ... due to wet snow and crappy conditions.

I was greeted this morning by the Withings scale, link here, saying that I had gained 2.8 pounds. Well ... I did have 5 pulled pork buns the night before. I had been down to 163.7 pounds on Monday morning. Damn! So ... when 4 inches of wet snow and crappy conditions canceled my run I felt like a slug. Yes, I could have gone the treadmill down at the Greenleaf Meadows fitness room but didn't. So ... I felt like a slug all evening.

Wednesday, 1/25/2017: 7.55 miles, 1:00:16, 7:58 pace, 37F, 87% RH, 6 mph SSE wind, wind chill 33F, overcast.


I was resolved to running after work, had my gear, dressed after work at the RTP, headed to Greece Athena High School, parked, geared up and set forth. I pushed it a bit. I did have a couple miscues. I had to stop about 1/2 mile to tighten the laces on my left shoes. Then I had to stop to pick up my RoadID blinker around mile 5. It had dropped to the ground when I tried to turn it on and then I couldn't get it reattached to my reflective vest. I gave up and ran on. The second stop did stop me down a bit. I was getting tired a bit from pushing the pace. But I got it done. My splits were: 7:27, 7:52, 7:53, 8:19, 8:02, 8:01, 8:07 and 8:11 over the last 0.55 mile. Boom, done.

Thursday, 1/26/2017: 6.25 miles, 51:08, 8:11 pace, 36F, 93% RH, 8 mph NW wind, wind chill 29F, overcast with a bit of light rain.

My Garmin heart rate monitor had stopped working so I have been running without it. I got some CR2032 batteries off of Ebay and replaced the battery ... it didn't work. I tried a second battery ... still didn't work. I Google it and found this link. I ended up shorting out the battery contacts for a few minutes with a bent paperclip. The link also said something about flipping the battery but I didn't like the sound of it. It took a few tries but I was able to sync the heart rate monitor with my Garmin Forerunner 220.


I wanted to get back on the Thursday run schedule so I had all my running gear ready ... or so I thought. I changed at RTP after work and had everything except my running shoes. So I went home and headed out from there. I was a bit stiff for the first 1/2 mile but I loosened up and picked up the pace. I decided to just do the out and back LOSP and IC 10K route. My splits were: 8:39, 8:16, 8:06, 8:08, 7:56, 8:07 and 7:35 over the last 0.25 mile.

Friday, 1/27/2017: Rest day.

Saturday, 1/28/2017: 2 runs of 2 and 4.88 miles,

Today's race was Freezeroo #4, the Hearnish. This was my seventh time running the Hearnish. I have raced 3 previous versions of the Hearnish and today was the fourth. The original Hearnish was 6.385 miles (48:22 in 2011, 27:07 in 2012, 50:11 in 2013 and 50:43 in 2014,), then 5.9 miles (44:04 in 2015), then 6.34 miles (47:21 in 2016). All these previous races were held out at Powder Mill Park. Today we raced a new 5-ish  mile course in Victor. The race venue was the Victor Municipal Park Lodge.

Geeky aside: I should sent the directions to my cell because I drove by this park twice before I found it. I expected the park to be a right off of Brace Rd not a right and then a quick right 100 yards later (I was looking for Parapone Drive not Bradhurst Drive). I researched this and found that a Bing Maps aerial view of this area showed that Bradhust Drive doesn't connect with Parapone Drive and fewer houses on Bradhurst Drive. The Google Maps aerial of this area shows that Bradhurst Drive connects with Paprpone Drive and has more houses. Thus, the two aerial views were taken in two different years. I have never seen this before.

Anyway, I did get to the venue about 50 minutes before the race start at the usual 10 AM. I got out for a nice and easy 2 mile warmup run at 8:34 pace, link here. I had 8 minutes before race start so I took out my Brooks jacket, took a swig of water and walked to the race start. I lined up in the usual spot ... a bit behind the start line and to the right.

The start ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews from https://runnerpics.shutterfly.com

A couple of seconds later ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews from https://runnerpics.shutterfly.com

 And ... we were off! I started a bit too fast ... since I kept pace with Kevin Clinefelter for 100 yards. So I backed off. This course elevations was your basic hump ... uphill for the first 2 miles, then some rolling hills and then a downhill finish. The first hills in the first mile sucked a bit, then the hills in the second mile sucked a bit less. I warmed up and ran well the rest of the way. I said "Hi" or offered encouragement to the early start runners that I passed.

About a mile from the finish ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews from https://runnerpics.shutterfly.com

I did enjoy the downhill miles to the finish ... I sped up. Soon I could see the finish line ... over 36 minutes ... and done in with 4.88 miles in 36:29, 7:29 pace, by my Garmin Forerunner 220.

I was a bit winded and went straight to the lodge. I had a banana and a bagel with jelly ... mmm! Then it was off to see my daughter in Palmyra to deal with her laptop. Its issues were that it randomly turned off and it booted slow. I had Googled the issue of her Toshiba Satellite P745 S4102 and found this link. So I disconnected the keyboard connector to her ON/OFF switch (now she needs to press her Play switch). Then I stopped Skype and Ccleaner from starting up on startup which helped a lot with her startup time. I also advised her to not keep so many files on her desktop.

Then it was back up to Rochester for a bit. I uploaded my Garmin and found out the results of Freezeroo #4. My splits were: 7:29, 7:52, 7:32, 7:19 and 7:10 over the last 0.88 mile. Not bad. I was 34th out of 134, link here. I was 5th out of 15 in my M 55-59 age group, link here.

Last on the list for the day was the GRTC Annual Banquet. This time it was held at the Burgundy Basin Inn out in Bushnells Basin instead of the Diplomat Banquet Center in Rochester. The food was better for sure. I won my 2016 GRTC Rochester Runner of the Year (2017 is already posted) M 55-59 age group with 53 out of 60 points by running 8 out of the 12 races in the series. I also received a 2016 platinum mileage patch for running 37 races for 318 race miles. Bill Murphy race/walked 70 races for 740 race miles and Tom Hawkins ran 71 races ... wow!

The GRTC Annual Banquet swag ... 

All in all, a nice week.

Sunday, 1/15/2017 to Saturday, 2/21/2017

I ran 4 times this week, 38.5 miles.

Sunday, 1/15/2017: 9.35 miles, 1:17:21, 8:16 pace, 28F, 74% RH, 5 mph W wind, wind chill 23F, overcast.


I was up around 8 AM which is kind of late for me. I puttered around a bit and thought a couple of seconds about bagging a Sunday run but knew I would feel like a slug if I did. I found my freshly washed running gear and headed out. I took it really nice and easy due to racing the Freezeroo #3 the previous day. I decided to go out on the LOSP trail and then up and down Island Cottage. I thought about doing an out and back on Janes Rd to add another 3.1 miles but decided to not push my left hamstring any further. My splits were: 8:34, 8:22, 8:21, 8:15, 8:17, 8:14, 8:10, 8:10, 8:13 and 7:52 over the last 0.35 mile. I relaxed with the usual mugs of coffee as I recovered. I didn't feel like a slug.

Later I watched both NFL playoff games. Both were exciting. The Green Bay Packers barely beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-31, link here. Then the Pittsburgh Steelers out-FGed the Kansas City Chiefs 18-16, link here.

Monday, 1/16/2017: Rest day.

Tuesday, 1/17/2017: 6.25 miles, 51:15, 8:12 pace, 39F, 93% RH, 8 mph SSE wind, wind chill 34F, overcast, really light mist.



I almost bagged this run. It had rained all day but it had stopped momentarily. So I got out and got it done. A really light mist started on the way back. Boom. My splits were: 8:11, 8:08, 8:02, 8:21, 8:20, 8:17 and 7:45.

Wednesday, 1/18/2017: Rest day.

My darling wife, Christine, got out during the day to get her nails done at New Nails and her hair cut at the nearby Shear Ego International School of Hair Design.

Thursday, 1/19/2017: 9.35 miles, 1:16:01, 8:08 pace, 37F, 81% RH, 5 mph WNW wind, wind chill 33F, overcast.


My boss at Ricoh brought in delicious donuts while she visited me. We each had three. So .. I knew I needed to run after work. I found out that an average donut equals 250 calories, link here. So I just figured one donuts equals running 5K. So 3 donuts would equal running 15K. So I got home, got dressed and got out there. I pushed it a bit to a not so nice and easy pace. My splits were: 8:18, 8:16, 8:03, 8:05, 8:06, 8:01, 8:05, 8:09, 8:14 and 7:57 over the last 0.35 mile.

Friday, 1/20/2017: Rest day.

Political rant: I tried to avoid thinking or watching Trump's inauguration today. DJT's inauguration speech was just like he was still on the campaign trail, link here. The "American carnarge"? I believe America was already great and made greater by the Obama presidency even though he faced Republican obstruction every step of the way. We will see ...

I left work 2 hours early. I have about two weeks of vacation that I have to use before the end of March. I went to get my hair touched up at the OK Barber Shop in Irondequoit. My darling wife, Christine, cut my hair last Sunday. Let's just say it's not her calling.

Saturday, 1/21/2017: 13.55 miles, moving 1:52:38, 8:18 pace, 45F, 93% RH, 3 mph W wind, overcast.


I went to bed early so I could get up early to get to the Swing Bridge by 7 AM to do a Round the Bay run. I met up with 5 other runners and Wilt Alston. I just followed everyone when we started out up the 590 path (the shorter route). I decided to move up a bit and then kept up the front three (Russ, Mike and Patty). I kept up on the flats and downs and fell back on the hills (I walked a bit) on the west side of the Bay. We stopped for about 5 minutes before we turned left to go down Empire Blvd to the Bay. I took off my top layer and tied it around my neck. Then it seemed to be about 10 degrees colder as soon as we started down the hill. Brr! But I warmed up and got used to it. The hill back up Empire Blvd was just as long and relentless as ever. I sped up on the Bay Rd flats. My thighs were screaming as I gutted it out when I turned onto Lake Rd and back across the Swing Bridge. Boom ... done in a moving time of 1:52:38, 8:18 pace. My splits were: 9:17, 8:27, 8:06, 8:45, 7:48, 9:24, 9:30, 9:14, 8:22, 8:09, 7:59, 8:02, 7:56 and 7:57 over the last 0:55 mile. Not bad, but I did walk a portion of all the hills so there is room for improvement.

I stopped at Herrema's on the way home for some comfort food ... a bag of Estenmann's donuts, link here. Mmm ... tasty. Oh, I lost 2.6 pounds during this run and 0.6 pounds by the next morning even after eating half the bag and downing two mugs of coffee.

A dense fog rolled in during the afternoon and stayed for about 24 hours. It seemed just to be around the lake because my brother, Don, rode his Honda 750 out to the East Palmyra Cemetery to visit our parents grave and posted a sunny picture. There were sunny pictures of the Women's march in Seneca Falls and a report of a sunny trail run in Scottsville on Facebook. Yeah ... lots of people marched in Washington DC, around the US and in all 7 continents the day after Trump was inaugurated. He brought the country together ... just not the way he thought he would.