Sunday, 10/8/2017 - Empire State Marathon

I ran 26.34 miles today ... the Empire State Marathon
I took 41578 steps during the day according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 10/8/2017: 26.34 miles, 4:28:24, 10:11 pace, 73F, 78% RH, 14 mph SSW wind, mostly cloudy with a brief sprinkle.

Today's race with the Empire State Marathon. The race start/finish was at the NBT Bank Stadium (links here and here). The race course was kind of a Y and used a lot of the paved trails around Onondaga Lake, trail map pdf here. A 10K and half marathon was also being held. The 10K course was an out and back so the half and marathon runners would see the fast 10K runners. The half course veered off from the marathon course so we wouldn't see them come back at us but we would "catch" up to the slower half marathon runners much later in our race.

I woke up with the alarm at 4:30 AM. I had an OK night of sleep. I did wake up with the wind and rain at 2:40 AM. I got up and checked on things and also started the dishwasher. I thought I wouldn't fall back asleep but ... the next thing I knew the alarm was going off.

I went downstairs and started the coffee. I knew Christine would need some. Me? I don't drink coffee on race mornings. I made a muffin sandwich (2 slices of cheese for Christine and turkey and cheese for me) for breakfast. We both knew the drill ... quietly get ready, get our gear together and get on the road without any stress or drama. We were on the road for Syracuse at 5:23 AM. I was a bit apprehensive about how warm and windy it was ... over 70F with a gusty wind. The drive was uneventful. The sky to the east got slowly lighter with the coming dawn as you drove onward. We arrived at the race venue around 7:03 AM ... 96 miles from home. The backup due to everyone arriving was a couple of minutes at most and was well handled by the police who directed traffic and the volunteers with the lighted wands who were directed us to a parking spot.

I took my time getting ready. I remembered to put Body Glide on my nipples and put some sunscreen on my head and neck. I fired up my Garmin Forerunner 310XT and set it to the Virtual Partner (VP) screen which I had set to 8:45 pace (a BQ for my age group minus 5 minutes). I put two Hammer Endurolytes in the right pocket of my shorts along with my Hammer Gel flask ... a poor choice. I chose the amber lenses for my sunglasses ... a poor choice. I think I should have stayed with the dark lenses since the sun did come out later. A wet towel around my neck might have helped also.

Christine took a picture of me before ... all smiles!

I did make it up to a bathroom stall so I could take care of some urgent business before the race. I noticed that the temperature at the baseball stadium was 74F! So much for a cool October marathon! I went back to the Cruze and kissed Christine goodbye. I stretched a bit and took an unrecorded warm up run of less than 1/4 mile just to kill some time. Then I lined up in a bit of a Y shaped scrum about 100 feet from the start.

And ... we were off! It took at least 1/4 mile to get out and up to speed. There were a lot of slower runners in front that I had to make my way around or between. I didn't realize that I had forgot to send off an eCrumb to Christine and my kids until almost a mile into the race. I dug my Samsung Galaxy S5 out of my Nathan Zipster, carefully fired off my eCrumb, tucked it back in and ran onward without breaking stride .... nice! I realize now that I went out entirely too fast ... but I always do. This race had no pace groups or even a semblance of a start chute. But it was what it was ... an October marathon that I had signed up for in the hopes of getting a flatter and cooler chance at a BQ time.

The start ... photo courtesy of Pat Hendrick Photography

Two or three miles farther ... photo courtesy of Pat Hendrick Photography

The early miles passed. The wind was bothersome but it never seemed to be in my face ... always to the side. It was actually a bit refreshing. We were on a wide 4 lane highway (Route 370) for about 2 miles before we got onto the East Shore Recreation Trail along Onondaga Lake. I encountered the first 10K runner racing back before I had run 3 miles. There was a bit of a rainbow on our left over Onondaga Lake and I could see what looked to a shower up ahead. A light mist started to fall around mile 5 that lasted for about 5 minutes so I had to take off my sunglasses. My wife, Christine, had made it through the detours to be here to give me a bit of support. I was running well. My VP screen climbed up to minus 4 minutes.

These two pictures seem to be around mile 5 or 6 ... photos courtesy of Pat Hendrick Photography

I don't know what it is but I lose confidence in myself when I try any road distance above a half marathon. Today it probably was the heat plus I started to doubt myself. I should have modified my water and gel schedule to take in more water and nutrition due to the heat and humidity. I suck at race adjustments. I was hydrating like I usually do on practice runs every 2 miles and had Hammer Gel at miles 6 and 12 and 20 (I think). My Hammer Gel Endurolytes fell out of my right pocket when I dug my Hammer Gel flask out of my shorts at mile 6 ... oops!

Anyway ... I made it out to Hayes Rd around miles 8 to 10 when I started to slow. My left hip started to hurt ... was it an imaginary pain? Who knows? I saw faster marathon runners coming back towards me. I thought they were coming back with 8 miles to go ... I had forgotten that there was a turnaround only a mile or two ahead. My VP started to be less negative. I didn't see Christine at mile 11 at Long Branch Park where I had asked her to be. Then we were running on the West Shore Trail. The course went up a bit and I just lost my mojo. I walked for a bit. It hurt to run. I tried a couple of times. I took my shirt off to try to cool down. My VP went positive. I felt discouraged. I saw faster marathon runners coming back again from the turnaround somewhere up ahead. I walked a bit more. I finally set the 310XT screen to elapsed time. I knew my BQ attempt was over. I made it to the turnaround and headed back. I remember seeing my brother, Don (who lives in Syracuse not far from the back half of the course) as I came back. I called Christine around mile 18 to let her know about my lack of progress. I tried a run/shuffle and found that I could do that ... so I did that as much as I could.

Back on the East Shore Recreation Trail ... I finally got to mile 21. I came up on Christine and she asked "What do you need?" Well ... I needed some water. I expected her to have my bag right where she was ... she proceeded to cross the course to get to the Cruze. I followed her ... she had trouble unlocking the car ... I slapped the flask down ... I think I didn't swear ... I turned and ran onward. I was a bit pissed. I had run 21 miles and she wasn't ready? I had called her at least 20 minutes ago. Late she told that her shoulder ached, her ears were ringing and she had to pee. All understandable ... I was a jerk ... but I was already gone down the trail muttering to myself. I should have told her beforehand what to have with her when I came by. Better yet ... I should have packed it for her so she would have had it with her. Then ... no hassle or drama. I walked a bit. I got back to a run/shuffle. The sun was out and it was around 80F. I was stopping at the aid stations for water and Gatorade now because the water in my remaining water flask was almost gone and I didn't feel like cranking my head to get it all.

These two pictures were taken on the East Shore Recreation Trail on the way back around miles 22-24 ... photos courtesy of Pat Hendrick Photography

 I saw Don again at the Salt Museum (links here and here) around mile 24. He thought the race was over. I walked with him for a bit. I told him that the race ended at the NBT Bank Stadium and he said "Shit, that's two miles away!" (I paraphrased his remark). I ran/shuffled onward. The course was now on Route 370 again which was still closed. It was long, wide and straight so I dug down, mustered whatever I had left and ran as best I could. I wanted to get done. So ... I ran ... NBT Bank Stadium in sight ... can't go straight to it ... have to follow the course ... keep going ... finish chute ... clock under 4:29 .... and done in 4:28:24 according to my 310XT.

These two pictures were taken in the finish chute ... photos courtesy of Pat Hendrick Photography

I was beat. I gladly let someone put the finisher's meal around my neck. Someone gave my a pint of water which I downed quickly. I sat down and collected myself. Christine called me ... and we apologized to each other. She told me that she wanted to dump a bottle of water on my head for running off before she could fill my water bottle. My brother, Don, found me and we walked to the Cruze. Christine had parked it right against the finish chute so she had seen me come in and heard my name being announced as I finished. We all went up into the NBT Bank Stadium (the elevator helped immensely) where there was a free Coors Light waiting for me. We stayed until the band started up before we left. I had checked the online results from Leone Timing and was surprised to find that I was third in my M 60-64 age group. I found a nice man named Brett who gave me a Age Group Winner glass.

A smile at the finish masked the pain my body felt ...

We went back to the Cruze and talked for over a hour. I don't get out to Syracuse too often so there was a lot to catch up on. Christine drove home ... there was a lot of traffic on the NYS Thruway in the afternoon.

Overview: I survived. Officially, I finished in 4:29:08 gun time, 4:28:21 chip time, 127th out of 293, 3rd out of 13 in my M 60-64 age group, results link here. My splits were: mile 1 - 7:58, mile 2 - 8:00, mile 3 - 8:05, mile 4 - 8:14, mile 5 - 8:18, mile 6 - 8:20, mile 7 - 8:41, mile 8 - 8:27, mile 9 - 8:52, mile 10 - 8:38, mile 11 - 8:51, mile 12 - 10:25, mile 13 - 8:53, mile 14 - 12:44, mile 15 - 9:03, mile 16 - 11:13, mile 17 - 10:12, mile 18 - 14:12, mile 19 - 14:43, mile 20 - 10:40, mile 21 - 13:56, mile 22 - 11:48, mile 23 - 14:06, mile 24 - 12:45, mile 25 - 9:53, mile 26 - 8:47 and 7:48 over the last 0.34 mile.

Empire State Marathon bling

Analysis: my BQ attempt failed due to lack of planning, lack of changing my strategy during the race and lack of confidence. I should have driven out to Syracuse and ran the course a week before the race ... particularly the back half. I should remembered about the turnarounds. I had looked at the course but I didn't memorize it. I should have changed my hydration and nutrition schedule to better meet the demands I was under due to the heat. It might not have helped me BQ but I think it would have helped my overall time. I should have had an A goal (3:45), a B goal (4:00) and a C goal (4:10) ... not a BQ or nothing. I need to stop doubting myself somehow. Maybe I should have had music on my phone ... something ... anything ... to silence the doubts that start going through my head once I got past the half marathon distance.

Looking ahead: Right after the race I told Christine to "find a 4x4 and beat me upside the head if I ever think about signing up for another marathon". I believe that is a direct quote. But ... I should have amended that remark to add a time limit. Yes ... I probably will run another marathon ... hopefully I will plan, execute and have better weather for my next marathon. There ... I said (typed) it.

Sunday, 10/1/2017 to Saturday, 10/7/2017

I ran 2 times this week, 12.6 miles.
I took 50,746 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 10/1/2017: 1109 steps during the day, rest day.

Lot of athletes were out there doing what they do: the Hilton Apple Derby 5 mile race in Hilton, the Running with the Angels 5K/10K, the Autumn Classic Duathlon down in Mendon Ponds Park and the Wine Glass Half and Full Marathon down in Corning.

Me? I ... was a slug. The only reason I got over 1000 steps was due to going to Wegmans before the Bills - Falcons game. I think most of upstate NY was waiting for the shoe to drop and the Bill lose a close one ... especially with the Falcons driving in the red zone with time running out. But .. that 4th and 1 pass dropped incomplete and the Bills won 23-17, link here.

Yes, I am still watching the NFL. The athletes who kneel during the national anthem are kneeling, not to disrespect the flag or veterans but to bring attention to racial inequality and police brutality in this country. I personally don't like it but they have the right to protest and I support that.

Monday, 10/2/2017: 7109 steps during the day, rest day.

I thought about running but I'm glad I didn't. My darling wife, Christine, called me just as I was headed out the door to go home and asked me to pick up barbecue sauce ... she was cooking ribs! Mmm!

Tuesday, 10/3/2017: 16844 steps during the day, 7.55 miles, 1:03:56, 8:28 pace, 79F, 39% RH, calm, sunny.


It was Tuesday ... so I ran. I headed out to my usual starting point as of late, Greece Arcadia High School for my usual IC and Janes run. I just concentrated on being nice, steady and not heel striking as much. My splits were: 8:01, 8:22, 8:23, 8:32, 8:33, 8:39, 8:35 and 8:46 over the last 0.55 mile.

I thought about the upcoming Empire State Marathon. Christine and I will head out on Saturday for packet pickup, tour the Expo and to scope out the course. I have decided to wear my old Garmin Forerunner 310XT for the race. Reason? It's old school way of toggling between the screens so I can get to the Virtual Partner screen amnual pdf link here. The Garmin Forerunner 220 that I normally wear does NOT (at least that I can find here) have this feature! I want to set Virtual Partner for my desired 8:45 pace ... and just let the race happen. I plan to be ahead of my Virtual Partner when I finish the ESM!

Wednesday, 10/4/2017: 3133 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 10/5/2017: 12078 steps during the day, 5.05 miles, 41:43, 8:15 pace, 72F, 4% RH, 11 mph W wind, sunny.


I got out for my last run before the ESM on Sunday. I changed after work, went to Greece Arcadia High School, fired up my Garmin Forerunner 310XT, fired off an eCrumb and set forth. I kept my 310XT on the Virtual Partner screen. I kept a nice and steady pace as I just ran a short 5 miles. I finished 0.29 miles and 2:33 ahead of my Virtual Partner who was "running" a 8:45 pace. I know I can't keep a 8:15 pace pace for a full marathon but I will be happy as long as I don't finish behind my Virtual Partner's 8:45 pace. My splits were:

Friday, 10/6/2017: 5484 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 10/7/2017: 4989 steps during the day, rest day.

My darling wife, Christine, and I went out to Syracuse to the NBT Bank Stadium for the Empire State Marathon Expo. What a lame expo! I picked up my bib and my nice burnt orange ESM long sleeve tech shirt. But ... I guess I am spoiled by a Fleet Fleet Sports Expo where you have about 10 vendors. Here ... none and you can only buy more ESM merchandise. I am glad we went though because we learned that the direct route from the west (exit 38 from the NYS Thruway) to the NBT Bank Stadium was going to be closed at 6 AM tomorrow morning. So ... we scoped out a way to get there using 690 East and exiting at Hiawatha Blvd. Then we scoped out a way for Christine to get to Long Branch Park to see me at miles 5, 11.5 and 21 during the marathon. Hopefully I will see her. It would be nice to see a friendly face at an out of town marathon ... particularly at mile 21!

So ... all locked and loaded for the ESM tomorrow. I went to bed around 10 AM with my alarm set for 4:30 AM. I made sure that I had everything that I thought I would need in my running bag before I shut my eyes: Garmin Forerunner 310XT, 2 full flasks of Hammer Gel, shorts, 2 full Nathan SpeedDraw Plus flasks of water, a white Rochester Marathon short sleeve tech shirt, a pair of new Beluga socks and sunglasses.

Sunday, 9/24/2017 to Saturday, 9/30/2017 - Heather Boyum 5K

I ran 4 times this week, 24.46 miles.
I took 71,573 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smar twatch.

Sunday, 9/24/2017: 8632 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.15 and 3.01 miles, 70F, 83% RH, 6 mph SW wind, sunny.

Today race was the 5th Heather Boyum 5K held out at Center Park near the intersection of Turk Hill Rd and Ayrault Rd. I have run this race 4 out of the past 5 years. This race was the 9th GRTC Rochester Runner of the Year race of the 12 in 2017. I have run 7 of them (I missed the Pound the Ground 10K and the Oak Tree Half).

Heather Boyum (obituary here) was a triathlete tragically killed by a DWI motorcycle driver and then run over by his DWI girlfriend (who is regrettable not in jail) while she out on a training ride on Route 250 on 7/29/2012, original story here and updated 2017 story here. I didn't know Heather but it is a race close to my heart. This race was originally set up to benefit the education of her children left behind but now does to the Heather Frazer Boyum Iron Angel Foundation to benefit students at the Fairport High School and community members in crisis.

I set my alarm correctly (unlike yesterday) and was up at 6:15 AM. I didn't have any cereal (that I wanted) so I had an English muffin with turkey and cheese along with orange juice for breakfast. I dressed, kissed Christine goodbye and headed out. I also had clothing for after because I planned to see 2 of my 3 kids after since I was going to be so close to Macedon and Palmyra. I got a bit of a late start but I got down to the race venue around 8:15 AM in plenty of time for the 9 AM start.

It was a warm morning .... I joined others who were out for a really nice and easy warm up run of 1.15 miles at 9:36 pace, link here. I was sweaty already so I decided to go shirtless for this race (2nd time in 2017). Tom Butler ... also shirtless ... approved, lol!

Shirtless proof ... lol!

I had run my warm up run in my Brooks Transcend 3 road shoes and found the grass still damp from the dew and uneven. I knew that there were trail sections to this cross country course so I changed into my old Salomon Speedcross 3 trail shoes for more traction and stability.


I have run this race in 2013 (23:02), 2014 (22:54) and 2015 (23:15) so I knew what to expect. We were warned about the warm and humid conditions before the start so I started off under control. I slowed down for the one big hill (with its false top) just after mile 1. Then I tried held my position and pick off any slower runners. The long flats past the one big hill helped ... my long legs tend to eat up the flats. I got "chicked" by two women about a mile from the finish and couldn't catch them ... there were 20 years (or more) younger ... I don't mind. I finished in 24:43. I was handed a plastic bottle of water and downed it pretty quickly while I also ate a slice of breakfast pizza with sausage. I checked my results and saw that I was 2nd in my M 60-64 age group and that I was second in my old M 55-59 age group. I will be 59 all of of 2017 in the RROY standings ... so it looks like I will pick up 9 RROY points and erase the 3 points from race #1. The top 6 races are scored so I will start erasing points from previous races if I score better. I have 46 points in the RROY M 55-59 age group standings with 3 races (Grocery Run 5K, Finish Strong 15K and Race for Grace 10K) to go.

Monday, 9/25/2017: 6324 steps during the day, rest day.

Your normal rest day .. worked, grocery shopped and watched 'The Orville', 'The Last Ship', an old Battlestar Galactica episode and 95% of a live 'The Brave'. 'The Orville' is a pretty good show. 'The Brave' is good also but I don't know if it will make it into our schedule.

Tuesday, 9/26/2017: 5663 steps during the day, another a rest day.

I wanted to run but I needed to work on a printer that had been printing reams of garbage printouts from time to time for a couple of weeks. I believed ... OK, hope ... that someone was printing using wrong print drivers to the old IP address. Hopefully ... changing the IP address and then the print queue for that printer will solve that problem ... or not. It was best to change the IP address after normal work hours and post a sign for everyone to log out and log back in so that they can print to the new IP address in the morning. UPDATE: It seems to have worked ... no garbage printouts so far.

Wednesday, 9/27/2017: 12303 steps during the day, 6.25 miles, 51:36, 8:15 pace, 70F, 88% RH, 7 mph SW wind, clear.



I got out for an early morning 10K at 6:20 AM. It was still warm, humid and a bit dark so I wore shorts, a short sleeve tech and a reflective vest even though I was only on a road for about a mile. I took it nice and steady. It was kind of fun seeing the sun rise as I was coming back. My splits were: 8:37, 8:19, 8:09, 8:12, 8:14, 8:12 and 7:27 over the last 0.25 mile.

My darling wife, Christine, cooked up a roaster chicken, for supper ... mmm!

Thursday, 9/28/2017: 16368 steps during the day, 7.75 miles, 1:05:07, 8:24 pace, 63F, 52% RH, 9 mph NNW wind, overcast.

Summer finally ended overnight. There were 4 straight days in the 90s (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday). The high today was in the low 60s (maybe).

I got the pair of Nathan SpeedDraw Plus Insulated Flasks that I ordered from LeftLaneSports today. I shopped well ... I got them for $11.95 each and the MSRP was $35. So ... I saved $46.10. Paying $5.95 for shipping versus paying a retail 8% sale tax of $5.60 was a wash. So ... I will either pocket the difference or use it to run a race. Hmm ... Grocery Run (a RROY race) and/or Dirt Cheap Stage Race come to mind.



Anyway ... I had to take one of them out for a run. I went out on my 10K out and back ... and stretched it a bit. I thought that you have tilt the SpeedDraw Plus up to your lips and suck the water out ... added effort but I don't get myself wet like I was before when I squirted the water out my old water bottle into my mouth. So ... that is a plus. I took it nice and steady. My splits were: 8:20, 8:28, 8:20, 8:35, 8:19, 8:28, 8:19 and 8:28 over the last 0.75 mile.

Friday, 9/29/2017: 2909 steps during the day, rest day.

I spent half the day at my PCP having a physical with Dr Marc Lavender and his medical student, Jesse. My blood pressure was: 107/70 (I think) and my pulse was 47. I spent more than a bit of time talking about running. I only had a few concerns that I wanted to talk about. One of them was the psoriasis on my right elbow, both knees and scalp. I forgot to get any real answer on that so I guess I will to talk to him on MyCharts about it.

I spent the other half of the day wrestling with the print drivers of a Ricoh MPCW2200 plotter. The AutoCAD users were having problems sizing their drawings. I fought with my Harris laptop too. I ended rebooting and updating the PS drivers for the plotter from 2012's v1.0.0.0 to 2017's v1.3.0.0. I think the whole problem was the users updating their workstations from Window 7 to 10 and their version of AutoCAD not agreeing with the old PS drivers on their plotter. I think I will have to update a lot of printer drivers for the entire fleet of Ricoh printers at Harris since an slow upgrade of all the desktops from Windows 7 to 10 is ongoing.

Eric Eagan captured this picture.

A spectacular double rainbow was caught on Facebook by several people.

Saturday, 9/30/2017: 19374 steps during the day, 14.05 miles, 1:58:14, 8:25 pace, 54F, 77% RH, 12 mph N wind, overcast

I vaguely remember it being windy overnight. I slept in until 7:30 AM. I switched up and had a bit of Christine's breakfast delight for breakfast. I puttered around a bit. I waited a bit for it to warm up ... I haven't done that in months! I loaded up with both Nathan SpeedDraw Plus flasks (2 x 18 ounces of water) and a full flask of Hammer Gel. It was a bit chilly so I wore wore shorts, a white Freezeroo long sleeve tech, hat and light gloves. I was thinking of just doing a 15K when I first started out. I struck up a nice and easy pace. It felt a bit weird at first to run with 2 handheld flasks but I got used to it quickly. I hydrated every 2 miles with 2 mouthfuls of water and took gel at miles 6 and 10. I was running well so I decided to stretch the run. How far? I decided to head down Janes Rd for an extra 3 miles and down Beach Ave for an extra 2 miles. I felt pretty good ... though I was slowing a bit by the end. My splits were: 8:08, 8:15, 8:19, 8:17, 8:17, 8:17, 8:23, 8:22, 8:36, 8:30, 8:41, 8:31, 8:40 and 8:29.

My two SpeedDraw Plus flasks, Hammer Gel and post-run mug of coffee ... the tools of a good long run!

Well ... it's the end of September so it's stat time.
I ran 20 times for 160.75 miles, 8.04 mile/run. I believe that is the most miles per month since I ran 167.5 miles in May 2012 when I finished Sehgahunda 2012.
I ran 4 races (Summerfest 12K, Dirt Cheap #6, Rochester Half, Heather Boyum 5K).
I have run 170 times for 1241.50 miles, 7.3 miles/run.
Sadly, I didn't get out on my bicycle during September.
I took 357,387 steps during September.

So ... now begins the taper before the Empire State Marathon.

Monday, 9/18/2017 to Saturday, 9/23/2017

I ran 3 times in 6 days: 31.85 miles
I took 79543 steps during the 6 days.

Monday, 9/18/2017: 4421 steps during the day, rest day.

I took my heather gray Nathan Flipster, size L back to the Fleet Feet Armory and exchanged it for a heather blue, size M. I went it into a dressing room to try the new one on to make sure it fit. It felt snugger. I also got the pricing of my 4 Balega socks (Buy 4, Get 1 Free) fixed.

Tuesday, 9/19/2017: 13905 steps during the day, 6.25 miles, 52:35, 8:24 pace, 81F, 62% RH, 8 mph NE wind, mostly cloudy.



I got out of work a bit late so I went straight home. I knew I would be cranky if I didn't run so I went straight upstairs to change into my running gear. I told my darling wife, Christine, that I would be gone for a hour. My goal was a nice and easy run ... so I got it done. My left ankle and legs felt pretty well. I was tempted to stretch the run to a 15K but decided that 10K was enough. A nice and easy recovery run was accomplished. My splits were: 8:18, 8:18, 8:25, 8:28, 8:30, 8:34, and 7:78 over the last 0.25 mile.

Wednesday, 9/20/2017: 7997 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 9/21/2017: 18088 steps during the day, 8.15 miles, 1:07:21, 8:15 pace, 75F, 65% RH, 10 mph NNE wind, partly cloudy.


I had to go to Fleet Feet Armory after work to pick up my Four Season Challenge shirt. I had dropped it off on Monday to have Finisher heat transferred onto the back. It was Thursday so I had my running gear in the Cruze and changed into it after work like usual. The Pub Run down at the Char was having the Four Season Challenge awards but I didn't want to drive over so since I was dressed for running  I just headed out and ran loops at Cobbs Hill. I ran nice and steady ... 5 loops clock-wise on the road and 4 loop counter-clock-wise on the reservoir loop. My splits were: 8:50, 8:11, 8:03, 8:07, 8:19, 8:12, 8:25, 7:56 and 8:25 over the last 0.15 mile. Boom ... done.

I am slightly optimistic about the upcoming Empire State Marathon on Sunday, 10/8. My left ankle is starting not to ache. I am taking the full dose of Hammer Nutrition Tissue Rejuvenator every day (though I have forgot the evening dose the past two nights). I plan on doing my last long run on Saturday morning. I may not do the full 20 miles since I do have the Heather Boyum 5K coming up the next day, Sunday, 9/24. I would be happy with any long run that didn't involving any right hip pain.

Friday, 9/22/2017: 9453 steps during the day, rest day.

I learned from Facebook chatter that there were Four Seasons Challenge overall and age group awards given out during a ceremony at the Char last night. I found a PDF of the awards and I found that I had placed second in my old M 55-59 age group, link here. I was 16th out of 84 males overall, link here. So ... I headed down to Fleet Feet Armory to pick up my award.

Durand Eastman beach has beach!!

I decided to stop at Durand Eastman beach on the way home and found that there was a beach! I had stopped there back in July and there wasn't one due to the high level of Lake Ontario.

Saturday, 9/23/2017: 25681 steps during the day, 17.45 miles, 2:40:11, 9:11 pace, 63F, 77% RH, 8 mph WSW wind, sunny.

I thought I set my alarm early but I forgot to click Saturday on my phone. So ... I groggily waited around 6 AM ... and went back to sleep until after 7 AM. Oops! I had a bowl of cereal, dressed,  filled 2 20 ounce water bottles, filled my Hammer Gel flask and headed out. I had found my old Blueant T1 Bluetooth headset, charged it, paired it and tried it out on iHeart Radio. I fired off a RoadID eCrumb to my wife and kids and started a nice and steady run.


I stashed one of my 20 ounce water bottles at the intersection of the LOSP trail and Island Cottage like usual. The first 10 miles went without incident. I took a couple of squirts of water every 2 miles and a couple gulps of Hammer Gel at mile 6 (a minor Hammer Gel explosion ensued) and 10. I liked the music coming out of the headset but I put it in my pocket at mile 8 because it kept on trying to fall out of my sweaty ear. I refilled my handheld 20 ounce water bottle with my stashed water and continued on. It was getting warmer. I knew I didn't want to go down Jane so I went past Edgemere Dr and down Beach Ave almost to Dewey Ave instead. I knew I would run out of water but took another gulp of Hammer Gel at mile 14 anyway. I ran out of energy on the LOSP trail on the way back and lapsed into a run/walk. My splits were: 8:24, 8:38, 8:24, 8:30, 8:45, 8:26, 9:06, 8:43, 8:47, 9:57, 8:57, 8:58, 9:35, 9:27, 9:57, 10:41, 10:52, and 8:55 over the last 0.45 mile.

I found out when I got back that it had warmed up to 82F by the time I got back. The plus side is that my right hip didn't start hurting. But ... I don't know if I can hold 8:45 pace for a full marathon. I just hope for a cool morning on Sunday, October 8th for the Empire State Marathon. Training for a fall marathon during the heat of July, August and now September sucks!!

I didn't do much during the rest of the day. My darling wife, Christine, didn't feel well and didn't come downstairs. I mostly stayed downstairs. Positive note: my joints have been feeling better since I started taking Hammer Gel Tissue Rejuvenator a bit more than 2 weeks ago.

Sunday, 9/17/2017 - Rochester Half

An epic day deserves its own blog post! This will be a long post with lots of pictures. Everyone has a camera nowadays!

Sunday, 9/17/2017: 25736 steps during the day, 2 runs of 2.05 and 13.21 miles, 61F (start), 100% RH, 4 mph SW wind, partly cloudy.

Today's race was the Rochester Half Marathon, the last race in the Four Seasons Challenge (the link explains the 2018 version). I completed what will now be called the Road 52.4. I had signed up for way back in October 2016. SPOILER: I finished so I earned my third straight Four Seasons Challenge medal!

I was up with the alarm went off at 4:55 AM. I was glad that I had laid out my running gear the night before so I could just slip into it. I went downstairs and had my usual pre-race bowl of cereal and banana. I did smell the milk before I poured it ... I really should mark the date I buy it on the jug. I had given my darling wife, Christine, the morning off so she could sleep in. I geared up with a full 20 ounce water bottle, full Hammer Gel flask and heather blue Rochester Marathon short sleeve tech shirt (for later after I earned it), kissed her goodbye and headed out the door in the pre-dawn darkness at 5:50 AM. The sky was pretty ... Venus was next a sliver of the crescent moon aka the old moon in the new moon's arms. I wore Balega socks, yellow calf sleeves, black shorts and an old white Rochester Marathon short sleeve tech shirt.

A Rochester Police Department (RPD) car was at the intersection of Lake Ave and Maplewood Drive (the start was down there) and a truck was lying cones on Lake Ave. I was down to the finish line at Frontier Field around 6:05 AM. There really wasn't too much traffic for some reason.

The finish line at 6 AM waiting for finishers

I grabbed my sunglasses from my running bag and realized that I didn't remember to make sure that I had packed a bottle of water to drink after my warm up run. Luckily I rummaged through my running bag and found one. I hit the head at Frontier Field and then boarded a school bus for the 5 minute ride down to the start. I was down there by 6:30 AM just like I wanted. There were runners and volunteers bustling around with more runners coming by the busload and being dropped off by the minute.

I met up with Andy Ciaio who was running the full for the second year in a row and Prem Kumar who was running the half. I went out with Prem for a slow and easy 2.05 mile warm up run at 9:40 pace just to pass the time, link here. I learned that he had paced the 4 hour marathon runners down at the Erie Marathon last weekend and was going to run a difficult 10 mile race down in Virginia next weekend. He does get around! I downed my bottle of water. It was humid so I was a bit drippy with sweat.

It's all smiles before the race!

Ellen was doing her pre-race announcements and remarked about the sunrise so I went over and took a picture and a selfie of the start line.

The sunrise looking out over the Genesee River

I chatted with Roger Dahl as I lined up for the start. He was glad that I was leaving the M 55-59 age group, lol! I fired off my RoadID eCrumb app so that my wife and kids could track me and got my Garmin Forerunner 220 (DC Rainmaker review here) all ready. Then ... Ellen gave her usual boisterous "Goooooo!!!!" and off we went!


I got up to speed sort of quickly. There was one tight spot but everything opened up as we ran down Maplewood Drive. I ran with Roger for the first mile or so. The Rochester Fire Department had the large US flag hanging over the road just before Lake Ave.

Bridge View Drive passing under the Veterans Memorial Brige about 1/2 mile in ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

Running under the US Flag on Maplewood Drive at mile 1 ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

I tried to hold my pace back and succeeded with a 8:00 first mile pace. Then we ran down Lake Ave past the Holy Sepulchre and Riverside Cemeteries, mile 2. We took the entrance to the Genesee Riverway Trail and Turning Point Park. I crossed the 5K timing strip at 24:14, 7:49 pace (a bit fast). I was running well and it was a downhill so ... no matter. I don't think ... I just run.

A line of runners and their reflections on the boardwalk in Turning Point Park along with a seagull ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

We hit mile 4 just as we climbed out of the boardwalk along the Genesee River. I took shorter steps as I ran up Petten Street back to Lake Ave ... mile 5. Tom Butler yelled "Hi Doug!" as I passed him. He had run a 50K last weekend. Then it was over the O'Rorke Bridge and onto Thomas Ave. This was the first major hill. I was a bit demoralized when the 1:45 pace leader and his group passed me. I did walk for about 50 feet while I collected myself. I crossed the 10K timing strip in 49:44 (25:30 second 5K, 8:14 pace), 8:01 pace. I was doing pretty well. We turned onto St Paul Blvd and I heard the trombone player playing the "Theme from Rocky" ... always a favorite running song. The route on St Paul Blvd was a bit long with miles 7, 8 and 9. I remember seeing a kid holding a sign "Keep it up, keep it up ... That's what she said" ... I chuckled. I also saw a shirt with the logo "Sore Not Sorry".

The intersection of St Paul St and Titus Ave ... photo courtesy of John Brind'Amour

The Winoma Blvd section of St Paul St had their usual strong cheering sections. The theme this year was movies. I remember a Star Wars section ... I got a high five from someone dressed as a Jawa. I also remember sections about Disney and the 50s (maybe American Graffiti?). I ran/danced a bit to the 50's twist music as I ran by. I dug out my Hammer Gel flask from my shorts and had two gulps along with a couple squirts of water around mile 9. I was trying to hydrate every 2 miles. We turned right into the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County parking lot. I passed the 15K timing strip just as we neared the road to the Seneca Park Zoo in 1:15:30 (25:46 third 5K, 8:19 pace), 8:07 pace. Then back to the Genesee Riverway Trail. We ran down to, across, and back up from the pedestrian bridge across the Genesee River. Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester was down on the bridge taking pictures and yelled out "Happy birthday, Doug" as I passed! Yep, I was 60 years old plus 1 day!

The pedestrian bridge across the Genesee River ... photo courtesy of Game Face Media

The pedestrian bridge across the Genesee River ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

I was getting affected by the heat and humidity now. There was a 100 yard section where we saw the full marathon runners as they headed back out for their second loop. I slapped a sideways five with Chris Patterson as he ran. He seemed to be running fine and had a smile on his face. I walked a bit of the hill as we went back onto the Genesee Riverway Trail along Bridge View and Maplewood Drive back to the start. The finish was about 2.5 miles away. The trail here was a bit dusty and rooty so I took off my sunglasses to be sure of my footing. The full marathon runners turned at the Maplewood Rose Garden while the half marathon runners went straight across Driving Park Ave, mile 11. My shirt was drenched with sweat and my right nipple was a bit sensitive so I figured I would have blood on my shirt when I got done (I did).

Lower Falls ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

I could hear the Lower Falls on my left as we ran down a short hill and then across a bridge over the Middle Falls. I was running out of energy.

This was taken at 9:04 AM so I think it's Middle Falls ... photo courtesy of Game Face Media

I power walked up the entire Brewer St hill back up to St Paul St. Only 1.5 miles to go! I got back up to as much speed as I could. I passed a few of the runners that had passed me as I walked up the last hill. Mile 12 ... 1.1 miles to go! We crossed Bausch St ... ran past North American Breweries (where they make Genesee Beer) ... right onto Cataract St ... past the Genesee Brew House ... onto the Pont de Rennes bridge ... High Falls on the left (I didn't look or even hear it) ... focus on running (and not stopping) ... I could see the Finish arch ... Platt St ... cross State St ... up Morrie Silver Way ... cross Plymouth Ave N ... in the finish chute ... still 100 yards ... hearing Ellen call my name (priceless!) ... see the clock just past 1:49 ... done around 1:49:15! I took my Rochester Marathon finisher's medal and my last 4 Seasons Challenge medal and put them around my neck. I earned them!

High Falls as seen from the Pont de Rennes bridge ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

Looking down Platt St and the Pont de Rennes Bridge ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

Morrie Silver Way looking toward the finish arch and line ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

St Paul St before the intersection of Bausch St & Upper Falls Blvd ... photo courtesy of Game Face Media

Getting real close to the finish ... photo courtesy of Game Face Media

Grimacing on my way to the finish ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

Ellen Brenner ... the "voice of the Rochester Marathon" ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

Post race selfie showing off the bling

I gulped down 2 cups of water as I exited the chute and then made my road to the food tent. I picked up a piece of pizza, a bag of Fritos and another bottle of water while I pocketed an apple and 2 energy bars. I hit up the chocolate milk tent next door for a bottle of cold chocolate milk, a towel and free picture.

Their chocolate milk was COLD and DELICIOUS!!

I went to the results tent and found that I had finished in a chip time of 1:49:07 and had placed third in my new M 60-64 age group. So I hung around for a while waiting for an award announcement from Ellen. Her amplifier seemed to be cranked up to 11 so I could definitely hear her. I went out to the Cruze to change out of my wet tech shirt into the heather blue 2017 Rochester Marathon short sleeve tech shirt. I consider it bad juju to wear any race shirt before I have earned it. I was right ... my white Rochester Marathon shirt did have blood from my right nipple on it. I know the drill ... take it downstairs when I get home, spray it with copious amounts of Oxi Clean Max Force several times and wash it until it comes out. UPDATE: It came out.

I also retrieved my wallet and license from the Cruze ... but first I had to find it. It had been dark when I parked it. I used the license and a free beer pull tab from my bib to get a free LaBatt's Premiere Extra Light Lager (4% ABV, 92 calories). A young guy asked me where I got the beer. It turned out to be one of Barry and LouAnn Dingman's kids! LouAnn is my cousin on my mother's side (her father was my mother's brother) Two of their kids and two friends have formed a Mixed Open relay team named "Chafing the Dream!" and placed second, results here. I hung with them for a while until they left.

One woman crossed the finish line in style ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

I eventually found out where the age group award were being handed out ... just look for a gathering of runners with awards. I picked up mine and found out that they were giving relay awards to the winners only.

I learned from Tim Dwyer that Chris Patterson had a right Achilles issue and was having trouble in the Riverside Cemetery. I later learned from his Apex Performance Running blog that he was running well for 14 miles and then his legs simply couldn't run anymore. He finished in 4:00:02. His right Achilles tendon caused him to lose 2 months of training before the Rochester Marathon. I had a left Achilles tendon issue back in 2012 and it took several months to heal.

My 3rd place M 60-64 age group bling

All the Four Season Challenge (4SC) medals put together and my 2nd place in the M 55-59 age group 4SC series award

I was going to leave but saw Andy Ciaio come out of the finish chute. He looked a bit woozy so I led him over to the chocolate milk tent so he could have some cold refreshment. He told me that he had backed off to a 2 hour half but had gotten overheated during the second half. He finished in 4:28:29. He looked a lot better when I left him as he was going into the food tent. Then I went to the Cruze to go home.

Henry Rueden of De Pere, Wisconsin finishing in 6:27:33 ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

William Murphy who runs the half and full marathons put on by Mainly Marathons posted about Henry Rueden on Facebook. He remarked that this was Henry's 11th marathon in the 17 days of September! He had run 10 marathons during the Mainly Marathons NW Series and Center of the Nations Series. Wow!

Soon ... after a bit of grocery shopping at ... wait for it ... Wegmans ... I was home with my road shoes off, my feet up and drinking a mug of coffee. Ahh!! I looked up the results and uploaded my Garmin data. I did OK. I finished in 1:49:07 chip time, 1:49:16 gun time, 8:16 pace, 171st out of 1539, overall results here. I was 3rd out of 39 in my M 60-64 age group, age group results here. The timing strips were: 5K - 24:14, 7:49 pace; 10K: 49:44 (second 5K in 25:30, 8:14 pace), 8:01 pace; 15K: 1:15:30 (third 5K in 25:46, 8:19 pace), 8:07 pace. My splits were: 7:50, 7:56, 7:36, 7:41, 8:06, 8:12, 8:02, 8:10, 8:15, 8:32, 9:00, 9:30, 8:02 and 7:33 over the last 0.21 mile.

Yes, there was also a marathon going on. There were 288 individual finishers and 112 teams, results here. There were 450 finishers of the first Rochester 5K held the previous day, results here ... which just so happened to be my 60th birthday.

I did OK on the Four Season Challenge 52.4 Distance side also. I would have 15th out of 78 overall with 7:07:25 total time (assuming the Yellow Jacket Racing fixes the results), link here, and 2nd out of 8 in my M 55-59 age group, (assuming the Yellow Jacket Racing fixes the results), link here.

Some might say that I pay too much attention to the results. You might be right but there is a clock at the finish and I aim to not let it click too much before I get there. Yes, I value the experience and running with people I know but I do try to be competitive in my age group. Everyone who finishes or attempts to finish is a winner.

Rochester Marathon medals at the ready ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

The 2017 Four Seasons Challenge puzzle pieces all fit together like they're supposed to!

I have completed the 4 Season Challenge three years in a row: 2015 (Winter Warrior Half, Flower City Half, Shoreline Half and Rochester Half), 2016 (Winter Warrior Half, Flower City Half, Shoreline Half and Rochester Full) and 2017 (Winter Warrior Half, Flower City Half, Shoreline Half and Rochester Half).

Yellow Jacket Racing is adding three more variations to the 2018 Four Season Challenge. Besides the familiar (and renamed) Road 52.4 (4 road half marathons) and Road 65.5 (3 road half marathons and the Rochester Marathon); there will be a Road Short (4 5Ks), Trail Short and Trail Long. A new race named Cabin Fever out in Webster on 2/17/2018 will run 3 to 4 and 10 to 13 mile versions will be part of the Trail Short and Trail Long variations. Wow!

Sunday, 9/10/2017 to Saturday, 9/16/2017

I ran 4 times this week, 40.0 miles.
I took 90,009 steps during the week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 9/10/2017: 29066 steps during the day, 19.35 miles, 2:57:18, 54F, 88% RH, 4 mph SW wind, sunny

I wanted to try another 20 mile run so I set my alarm for 6:45 AM. I tried to talk myself out of it but I had my pre-run bowl of cereal and banana, dressed (shorts and an orange Charlie's Old Goat Run short sleeve tech, filled my Hammer Gel flask with (what else?) Hammer Gel, filled 2 20 ounce water bottles, put Body Glide on my nipples and groin (I know TMI), forgot to put on sunscreen and got outside before I could change my mind.



I fired off an eCrumb so my wife (still asleep) and kids (probably still asleep) could track me, fired up my TuneIn Radio app and headed out. My plan was to try my LOSP trail, Island Cottage and Janes route to see if a third 20 mile run attempt was the charm. I stashed one of my 20 ounce water bottles at the intersection of the LOSP trail and Island Cottage as I passed by. The first 10 miles went pretty smoothly, I took a couple squirts of water every 2 miles plus a swig of Hammer Gel at miles 6 and 10. I had set up a nice and steady pace. I think it was initially around 8:30 or so but did slow to around 9:00. Anytime I felt the urge to speed up I ignored it. I refilled my 20 ounce water bottle at mile 10. Just once more up and down Island Cottage,  then up and down Janes, and then back on the LOSP trail ... piece of cake, right?. Well, no ... my right hip pain started to ease its way into my head around mile 11. I tried to ignore it ... one foot in front of the other. I took Hammer Gel at mile 14 and kept on hydrating every 2 miles. It was a bit too painful to ignore by mile 18 ... plus I could tell that my left nipple was starting to bleed (joy). I did fall to a painful run/walk and gave it all I had. My splits were: 8:21, 8:18, 8:45, 8:29, 8:30, 8:24, 8:41, 8:53, 8:56, 9:53, 9:01, 9:04, 9:06, 8:54, 9:30, 8:59, 10:05, 10:44, 11:27 and 9:19 over the last 0.35 mile.

I tried to think of all the other athletes out there today. I knew about the Erie Marathon out in Erie PA, the Finger Lakes Tri down in Canandaigua and the Iron Man Lake Placid out in Lake Placid. Another guy was running the Crescent Trail out towards Victor from end to end and back for 36 miles. We all do what we can ... when we can.

I have given my left ankle some thought. It has been bothering me for months now but it has slowly got worse. It aches when I walk now most of the time ... not a sharp ache but rather a dull ache. It does loosen up the more I walk on it but it's stiff initially. I can run on it but I think it eventually throws off my gait and causes my right hip pain. I will not go to the doctor unless I absolutely have to so I am going to try some OTC medicine. I ordered a bottle of Hammer Nutrition Tissue Rejuvenator. It's basically designed for joint health. The 196(!) reviews are positive. I have taken something like this in the past from BJs, the usual glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM sort of tablets, but I stopped taking it several months ago. I will ramp up to the full dosage and not try to extend its life like I usually try to do. I need to have a healthy left ankle if I am to do well at the Empire State Marathon in 4 weeks.

I went downstairs and stripped right in front of the washer when I got home. I knew the drill ... spray liberal amounts of Oxi Clean Max Force on the blood of my tech shirt and then wash a couple of days later. I know my left nipple would have smarted if I took a shower right away ... so I didn't. UPDATE: It came clean.

Anyway ... I had my usual mug of coffee and 2 donuts (for nutrition, lol) as I sat down to watch the Jets play the Bills. It was the first game of the NFL season. I've been a downtrodden Bills for a long time and the glory days of Jim Kelly, Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas of the early 90s were a long time ago. But ... the Bills did win 21-12, links here and here.  Yes, the Bills are in first place in the AFC East since the New England Patriots lost on Thursday night 42-27 and the Miami Dolphins didn't play because of Hurricane Irma. The Bills ALWAYS have a hot September ... lol! Then reality sets in ...

Monday, 9/11/2017: 6938 steps during the day, rest day.

I watched Part 2 of the first night of the American Ninja Warrior (ANW) finals out in Las Vegas. Jesse Graff didn't make it, link here! She was almost all the way to end and couldn't catch the cargo net to climb up the hit the buzzer! I do love watching ANW! I wish I had the willpower to work on strength training ... though my 60th birthday is coming up and I could make a resolution. Hmm ...

Tuesday, 9/12/2017: 16865 steps during the day, 9.75 miles, 1:20:17, 8:14 pace, 73F, 57% RH, 7 mph NE wind, partly cloudy.


Yes, my left ankle was a wee bit cranky but it was Tuesday so I had my running gear in the Cruze. I had a choice ... either run my regular 7.55 mile route from Greece Arcadia High School or run my Bridges route from Herrema's. I didn't want to run the slightly longer Bridges route from Maplewood Drive (more driving). I hadn't run the Bridge route and the Rochester Half is only 5 days away so ... I drove to Herrema's. I took a swig of water, geared up and headed out. The Thomas Ave hill was a good wake up for my left ankle and legs but I powered up it and settled in. I don't like to do nice and easy so I didn't. I let the legs run on the second half as I ran down Lake Ave and the Genesee River Trail through Turning Point Park, link here. My splits were: 8:47, 8:02, 8:10, 8:22, 8:34, 8:05, 8:06, 7:58, 8:24 and 7:44 over the last 0.75 mile. I hydrated like usual every 2 miles. Boom. Done. I was drenched with sweat when I got done ... it felt good.

Wednesday, 9/13/2017: 4289 steps during the day, rest day.

My darling wife, Christine, called me up during the day and asked what I wanted her to make for supper. I had an one word reply ... "Ribs". Yeah, baby! I knew we had a package of Lloyd's Ribs in the refrigerator. Mmm!

Thursday, 9/14/2017: 18159 steps during the day, 9.75 miles, 1:20:01, 8:13 pace, 79F,



I had my running gear in the Cruze so ... where to go after work? I decided to not play it safe and do the 7.55 mile flat IC & Janes route out in Greece but to revisit the 9.75 mile Tuesday's bridges from Herrema's route. You gotta practice the Rochester Half route if you want to do well. I tried to go slow but ended up at my usual not so slow and steady pace. My splits were: 8:40, 7:48, 8:10, 8:03, 8:24, 8:19, 8:14, 7:49, 8:35, 8:00 over the last 0.75 mile. I was dripping with sweat after I got done. I had forgotten to put on Body Glide but didn't have an issue with my nipples ... this time.

Friday, 9/15/2017: 8009 steps during the day, rest day.

I picked up my bib and Rochester Half short sleeve tech shirt at Fleet Feet Armory. I looked through most of the deals at the Rochester Marathon Expo. I decided on 4 Belega Enduro socks (Buy 4 get 1 Free ... the cashier screwed this up so I will have to go back), a Nathan Zipster (10% off) and a red Rochester Marathon short sleeve tech shirt for $5.

Then it was off to BJ's after work and got plenty use of my coupon book. I bought 10 items and 8 of them with coupons. I saved $13.74 ... nice!

Saturday, 9/16/2017: 60th birthday, 6683 steps during the day, 3.15 miles, 26:47, 8:30 pace, 72F, 73% RH, 4 mph SSW wind, sunny.


The Nathan Zipster has 4 pockets and comes in sizes S, M, L and XL. I tried my L on and it felt a bit loose. I normally don't run the day before a race but I felt a little shakeout run with the Zipster was warranted. So I went for a short and easy run to find out. I guess I will be exchanging the L for a M. Anyway ... my splits were: 8:25, 8:26, 8:34, and 8:54 over the last 0.15 mile.

Yes, today was my sixtieth birthday. I could go into a chronology of my life to present but that would be boring. Suffice to say ... I've done stuff. Some of it was smart, some of it was so so ... some of it was stupid. I prefer to look forward and not backward. You can't change the past ... just learn from it and strive to not make the same mistake twice and do better. One of the best decisions I have made was to start running back in 2005. I have been keeping a running spreadsheet since 9/14/2006. I have run 2167 times (1512 - road, 641 - trail and 14 - snow shoe) for 13459 miles. run 424 races (237 road, 184, 3 Du) and gone through 20 pairs of running shoes. So ... I have aged up from the M 45-49 when I started, to the M 50-54, to the M 55-59 and now to the M 60-64 age group. I'm still running so let's see what I can do in the M 60-64 age group. Let's hope I can slow slower than I get older ... lol!

Presents? My boss at Ricoh gave me a cake. My darling wife, Christine, gave me three presents: a small gear bag (supposedly for my clothes when I need it but I'll put towels in it), a rechargeable hand warmer and a dry bag/phone holder (I don't know how I will use it yet). Then ... she made Lloyd's ribs along with mac'n'cheese for supper ... mmm!

I gave Christine the morning off tomorrow. I will run the point-to-point Rochester Half solo tomorrow morning. I'll drive to the finish at Frontier Field first and catch a bus to the start at the tennis courts on Maplewood Drive so she can stay home and sleep ... zzz. So ... my alarm was set for 4:55 AM.