Sunday, 7/8/2018 to Saturday, 7/14/2018 - Boilermaker 15K, Dirt Cheap #4 and Shoreline Half

I ran 6 times this week, 30.69 miles.
I took 89,896 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 7/8/2018: 20492 steps during the day; 2 runs of 1.1 and 9.44 miles, 61F, 82% RH, 3 mph SSE wind, sunny.

Today's race was my sixth Boilermaker 15K (chip times were 2013 - 1:18:07, 2014 - 1:13:41, 2015 - 1:11:54, 2016 - 1:12:25 and 2017 - 1:15:38). My alarm was set for 3 AM so I could get up to catch the 12th annual GRTC Boilermaker bus which was set to leave the Park'n'Ride lot next to St John Fisher College at 4:30 AM. But ... I was up at 2:39 AM when I reached over and checked my watch. I think I got 3.5 hours of sleep. I had set all my stuff into my small running bag the night before so I didn't have too much to do. I had my usual pre-race bowl of cereal and banana, puttered around a bit, kissed Christine goodbye and got out the door around 3:50 AM. It was dark and a bit cool with a quarter crescent moon. I decided to wear my running pants over my black running shorts, my orange 2013 Spring Forward 15K tech shirt and my yellow Brooks jacket. I planned on taking off the pants and jacket once it warmed up.

There wasn't much traffic out and I got down to the bus around 4:10 AM. It was already 80% full. I found a seat in the back very close to the bathroom. I put my running bag under the seat and settled in for the long ride to Utica. It was kind of pretty seeing the mist rise off the ponds as we sped east on the Thruway. It slowly got lighter as sunrise approached. Soon the sun was up. We arrived in Utica just before 7 AM. I debated whether or not to carry water as we slowed to a stop. I grabbed the water bottle and got off. The bus left us off at the corner of Pitcher St and Dwyer Ave. I followed the steady stream of people along Dwyer Ave and got my bib. My oldest son, Michael, sent me a text wishing me good luck and have a safe run. I think he thinks I will keel over one day while I am running a race. I could think of worse ways to go ... not to be morbid or anything.

I headed up to a truck park just above Dwyer Ave and got in a 1.1 mile warm up run at 9:24 pace, link here. I met up with Prem Kumar. He had done a 2 mile warm up run. We both had yellow bibs so we ambled up to our yellow corral up Culver Ave about 100 yards from Dwyer Ave. I had a bit of trouble getting my electronics started. The music into my left earbud started fine, my RoadId didn't start for a minute and I didn't get my RaceJoy app started before I had to tuck my Samsung Galaxy S5 into my Nathan Zipster for the start. I took my usual picture ahead and behind me before I started.

I didn't hear the start. Everyone ahead just started moving so ... first shuffling, walking, trotting and then running. The guy at the 0.1 mile marker was out like usual telling us that we had 9.2 miles to go. I got up to race pace but held back a bit ... lots of race yet to come. Culver Ave changed its name to Memorial Parkway just past the mile 1 mark, 8:21 pace. My RaceJoy app must have started since I stared to hear a current elapsed time, mile split and estimated time to finish in my ear at every mile. Some guy wearing earphones cut right in front of me to get to the water on my left at the first water stop. I had my own water so I just took sips when I needed it. Mile 2 at 8:11 pace. We turned left onto Valley View Rd just before mile 3, 7:57 pace. There was a small hill there that I powered up. Then it was right turn onto Steele Hill Rd with its windy hill. I could see a steady stream of runners going up and up the golf course hill. I just kept on going ... up and up. I knew that there was a good downhill afterwards. Mile 4, 8:18 pace, was right at the top, right onto Master Garden Rd with a good mile long downhill. I put on the jets ... I hit a 6:36 pace somewhere in mile 5. We made a left back onto Memorial Parkway ... mile 5, 7:02 pace. I felt a twinge in my left Achilles heel and hopped painfully for a few hundred steps. I was a bit fearful ... but it went away. There was a jog left onto Genesee St, then a right onto Shephard Place, a right onto Sunset Ave before a left onto Burrstone Rd .. mile 6, 7:29 pace. Then ... the mile long hill that I always forget about. It had a gentle curve to the left ... under the flag where the 5K starts ... then a gentle right and a right onto Champlin Drive before it levels over at mile 7, 8:04 pace. I took a tiny walk break in that mile. The crowd noise was getting louder. I honestly really couldn't hear the music that I playing into my left ear most of the time ... mile 8, 7:39 pace. I was getting closer ... a right onto Whitesboro St ... a right onto Court St ... mile 9, 7:48 pace. The finish line was close ... I saw Christine Antonio to my left ... she passed me for a few seconds ... not today ... I pulled up into a full sprint ... I went to the right side of the chute ... and done with 9.44 miles in 1:13:51, 7:49 pace (according to my Garmin Forerunner 220)! My gun time was 1:14:15 (so I really didn't hear the gun) and chip time was 1:13:21 (start line to finish line).

I made my way with everyone else and collected a fruit cup, cup of chocolate milk, a hand towel and a pint of water as I walked to the Saranc Brewery parking lot for the post race party. This wasn't my first rodeo so I knew to hit the line for the post race food first (a couple energy bars, bag of chips and a banana), skirt across the parking lot for the bag with the Boilermaker program and 2018 Boilermaker glass next before I had my first cold beer. Ahh! It did go down well! The music was loud so I made my way across the street to the Friends and Family Park. I went to the bus and changed my wet tech shirt for my slightly less orange 2011 Spring Forward 15K tech shirt.

A part of my post Boilermaker 15K tradition is just hanging out and people watching. There are all kinds of people just hanging out, drinking beer (or not) and having a good time. I saw a woman wearing a "You bet your dupa, I'm Polish!" shirt, a guy wearing "If you can read this, I'm not last" on the back of his shirt and a few wearing something about zip code 14580 (which is Webster NY). I sat on the ground with Prem for a while. He ran really well with a chip time of 1:07:31. He really jetted down that golf course hill with a 6:06 pace ... sweet! I got in on the Rochester Running Company's picture of all the Rochester runners at 11 AM. I talked with Tina Pellegrin for a while. She finished in a chip time of 2:13:13 and was determined to make up for lost time in her beer drinking.

I got in on this Rochester Running Company picture. I'm in the back a bit to the left. It's kind of like Finding Waldo.

A Boilermaker fan with a sweet BMW

The bus left on time around 12:15 PM and we were back in Rochester just before 3 PM. Its bathroom really needed some TLC. The lock didn't work on the way back and there wasn't any toilet paper. The women in the bus were not happy about the latter. So ... hitting the hole while standing, holding the door and trying to stay upright while the bus was swaying was a challenge both time I used it on the way back!

I wasn't in the best of moods the rest of the afternoon and night. I have no explanation ... I just wasn't. I did see my results from www.leonetiming.com. The gun time link is here, I was 1374th out of 11508, 41st out of 343 in my M 60-64 age group. The chip time link is here, 7:53 pace, I was 1526th out of 11508, 43rd out of 343 in my M 606-64 age group. The Relive link to Boilermaker 15K is here.

Monday, 7/09/2018: 5413 steps during the day, rest day.

The usual rest day the day after a race. I believe that it got to 90F in Rochester today. That's the 10th day 90F or above so far in 2018.

Tuesday, 7/10/2018: 5321 steps during the day, rest day.

The usual rest day the day before a race. So ... I guess I will be running only three days this week since I have (or had) races on Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Wednesday, 7/11/2018: 19893 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.25 and 5.02 miles, 79F,

Today's race was Dirt Cheap #4 out in Webster Town Park at 6:30 PM. I left right after work and got out there around 5:40 PM. Rush hour traffic on Ridge Rd West, then Ridge Road East and 104 East was just a treat ... but not so bad. I talked a bit with Andy Ciaio, Tom Dutton and Bill Sandow. Bill told us that he was running his first trail race. We offered him some pointers ... "pick up your feet, don't do anything stupid". I did notice that he was wearing road shoes while he noticed that my blue Salomon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes (780 miles) had holes in them. My trail shoes had a lot more traction than his road shoes though.

This race is one of the longest Dirt Cheaps so I carried water in my 20 ounce Nathan SpeedDraw flask. I also sprayed my legs with Deep Woods Off! before the race. I got out for a nice warm up run of 1.25 miles at 10:06 pace, link here. I was hot after the warm up run and though about changing my shirt but I didn't really have time.


And ... we were off at 6:30 PM! The ladies were starting 5 minutes behind us at 6:35 PM. My strategy was to pick up my feet and not do anything stupid. I succeeded. There were a LOT of roots between miles 0.5 and 2.5 along with lots of single track before the course turned more wide open. I started to pass a few runners here and there. The first female, a 12 year old by the name of Alia Spaker, passed me at mile 3.9. She just kind of floated by like it was no big thing. I ran onward ... soon I could hear Ellen at the finish line ... a few more hills ... down ... up ... dig up the last hill ... and done with 5.02 miles in 50:40, 10:06 pace according to my Garmin Forerunner 220. My splits were: 9:50, 10:11, 10:25, 9:54 and 10:10. The Relive link to Dirt Cheap #4 is here.

A Dirt Cheap #4 selfie

I was out of breath when I got done. It took about 30 seconds to get my breathing under control. I didn't much post race food: 3 or 4 cookies, a hot dog and a bag of Fritos ... or maybe I did. I didn't stick around long ... I needed to do some grocery shopping at Wegmans.

Yellow Jacket Racing had the results up quickly, link here. I finished 68th out of 302, 1st out of 8 in my M 60-64 age group.

Thursday, 7/12/2018: 6105 steps during the day, rest day.

The usual rest day after a race. My joints ached from the pounding that they took the day before.

Friday, 7/13/2018: 8664 steps during the day, rest day, high at KROC was 90F.

The usual rest day before a race. I picked up my bib and tech shirt for the Shoreline Half tomorrow. This year it is a yellow racer tank top. My newest favorite shirt ... but I won't wear it until after the race.

Saturday, 7/14/2018: 24008 steps during the day; 2 runs of 1.65 and 13.23 miles, 75F, 69% RH, 5 mph WSW wind, mostly cloudy, high at KROC was 93F.

Today's race was my 7th Shoreline Half (2011 - 1:56:13, 2012 - 1:36:21, 2014 - 1:45:26, 2015 - 1:47:04, 2016 - 1:44:24 and 2017 - 1:49:00). I set my lifetime half PR, a 1:36:21, at Shoreline in 2012. I was up before my alarm went off at 5:35 AM. My plan was to leave around 6:30 AM to make it to Hamlin State Park around 7 AM. I puttered around and didn't leave until 6:50 AM. I did have a cooler with some ice in it though. It was a 23 minute ride on the Parkway ... boom ... there. I pinned on my bib on an orange Shoreline Half tech shirt, loaded my Nathan SpeedDraw flask with ice and water and got out for a little 1.65 mile warm up run at 8:54 pace, link here. I was a bit sweaty when I stopped by the '14 Cruze for water so I pinned my bib to my shorts so I could take off my shirt if I got really sweaty. It was hot and humid ... though the sun wasn't out of the clouds yet which was a good thing. I took a pre-race picture in front and behind me.

I walked up to the start about 1/4 mile away with Prem Kumar. I told him that I would like to run a 1:45 but would be happy with less than 1:50. And ... we were off! I was right behind the 1:45 pace leader for a little bit ... about 1/2 mile.

Shoreline Half start ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

Long curve of the early runners. I am probably that runner in orange with the bib on the left leg in the distance ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

About mile 1. Facebook emailed me to ask me this was a picture of me based just on this tiny view of my face, wow! ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

I felt good ... 3 miles in before we even left the park. Actually ... I felt good until after mile 5. Then ... the wheels fell off. I ... was ... hot. It was really bad when we turned left onto Church Rd so we headed east when the wind at our backs. I started to dump water down my back and on top of my head. I lapsed into a run/walk ... I couldn't run more than 100 steps. I had some Hammer Gel at mile 9 which helped a bit. Mile 10 in 1;30ish. I needed three 10 minute miles to break 2 hours. I tried to pick up the pace ... but ... it ...was ... hot. Back to the shoreline at mile 12 ... shade. Another 1.1 miles. I heard someone mention that it was coming up on 2:00 ... I tried to sprint ... done in 2:00:01 ... rats. I forgot to turn off my Garmin for a 30 seconds or so. My splits were: 8:08, 8:12, 8:08, 8:18, 8:16, 8:56, 9:38, 10:07, 9:51, 10:10, 9:39, 10:30, 8:31 and a 7:37 best pace in the last 0.23 mile. The Relive link to Shoreline Half is here.

I was drenched with sweat and it took a couple cups of water to cool me down. Kevin Clinefelter walked by and told me that he had run his slowest half ... a 1:45:54, 2nd in our M 60-64 age group. Prem did well, 21st overall, a 1:41:56, 2nd in his M 40-44 age group. I wasn't really hungry but I did manage to do justice to the Texas Bar-B-Q Joint buffet line. A pulled pork sandwich, bacon and beans, pasta salad and a pickle disappeared quite quickly. I walked with Beth Deciantis to check the results. She told me that she had puked at the finish line. I was 5th so I didn't stick around and went home.

A Shoreline Half selfie with the bling

The official results were soon posted by Yellow Jacket Racing. I was 93rd out of 479, link here. I was 5th in my M 60-64 age group, link here. The guy directly in front of me at the finish was in my age group and took 4th! So ... my slowest half marathon ever. I just don't do well in the heat and humidity after 5 miles or so. Hey ... I finished and didn't stay home on the couch or asleep in my bed. There is that at least.

My darling wife, Christine, wasn't feeling well when I got home. I had just decided to clean the gunk in the bottom of the refrigerator when she woke up and came downstairs ... got in the act! I threw out the rotten food and heated up some leftovers for supper.

Sunday, 7/1/2018 to Saturday, 7/7/2018 - Irondequoit 10K

I ran 5 times this week, 26.05 miles.
I biked once this week, 13.87 miles.
I took 67,842 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 7/1/2018: 10061 steps during the day; a run of 5.15 miles and a bike ride of 13.87 miles.


I didn't get out for my Sunday run as early as I should have so it was already warm (81F, 74% RH, 7 mph SW wind, partly cloudy). I started at a really nice and easy pace. I had put ice cubes in my Nathan SpeedCross flask so I did have cold water. I was OK for the first two miles. Then I overheated a bit and went into a run/walk. I turned around where the LOSP trail meets Island Cottage and shorted my run to 5.15 miles. My splits were: 33, 21, 9:04, 9:52, 9:04 and 8:58 over the last 0.15 mile for a 8:58 pace run. It was hot! I was dripping with sweat and went straight upstairs to take a cold shower after I calmed down enough.


I am not much of a bicycle rider and decided that my bicycle (nicknamed "Black Beauty") needed some attention. It was above 90F outside as I headed back out around 3:30 PM (Actually 93F, 47% RH, 7 mph S wind, sunny). My bicycle needed air in its tires and I noticed that the '14 Cruze temperature reading was 105F as I ran my portable DC air compressor. I was sweating as I got ready. I had put ice cubes in my water bottle and sun screen on my forehead, nose and neck ... onward. It was hot and a hot breeze was blowing so I kept moving. I did a simple out and back to East Manitou Rd. My average speed was 13.2 mph with a maximum speed of 19 mph. I could have done an out and back on Janes Rd but decided to keep my first bike ride of 2018 relatively short.

Monday, 7/2/2018: 7127 steps during the day, rest day.

A hot and humid day in Rochester, 95F. I stopped by #Snap Burger on the way home and got a burger, fries and medium chocolate milkshake for our supper. It left both of us stuffed and bloated.

But ... big news on the NBA front. Lebron James declared to as a free agent and then signed with the Los Angeles Laker in less than 24 hours, link here. Lebron in LA ... wow! I think the Boston Celtics in the East were the biggest winners ... the Lebron led Cavs had bounced the Celtics from the NBA playoffs the past three years. Lebron will soon find out that the West is a LOT harder than the East.

Tuesday, 7/3/2018: 14256 steps during the day; 6.05 miles, 50:07, 8:17 pace, 90F, 38% RH, partly cloudy.


I stepped on the scale when I got up like I normally do ... up 3.5 pounds! Ugghh! I don't normally run the day before a race but ... I felt bloated all day so I did. It was a comedy of errors. I felt my Nathan Zipster after mile 1 ... no key. So I turned around to get my key that I had left on the top of the '14 Cruze. Then I went back out for a longer run than I really wanted (5 not 6 miles). I tried to go slow but ending up going my usual pace. My splits were: 8:18, 8:09, 8:16, 8:21, 8:23 and and 8:12.

Wednesday, 7/4/2018: 14268 steps during the day; 2 runs of 1.16 and 6.14 miles, 73F, 73% RH, 3 mph NE wind, partly cloudy

Oh ... down 3 pounds thanks to yesterday's run. I like to weigh around 165 ... not 168.5.

Today's race was my fourth Irondequoit 10K. It's the longest (but also the hardest) July 4th race in Rochester. It's probably why I picked it. My previous times were: 2012 - 44:09, 2015 - 45:14 and 2017 - 48:00. This race is actually two ... a 2 mile race at 7:45 AM and a 10K at 8:15 AM. So I woke up before my alarm went off at 5:45 AM, got ready and was at race start, the Saint Kateri School,  at 7:10 AM. I like to get to a race a hour early. I got my bib, cotton race t-shirt and then just chilled back in the 2014 Cruze. I ambled out to see the 2 mile race start and then got out for a nice and easy 1.16 mile warm up at 8:41 pace, link here.


I took a quick swig of water from the '14 Cruze and ambled back to the start for the 10K. And ... we were off! I was pretty close to the start line so I had no trouble getting up to race pace. I held back because I knew the first mile were rolling hills but mostly downhill to Lake Shore Blvd. I passed mile 1 in an announced time of 7:10 ... good. Lake Shore Blvd was mostly flat but had its share of rolling hills. Then it was into neighborhood streets for the 3 miles back up (and I mean up) to the start. I kind of melted here. My pace definitely slowed. I went through every sprinkler that I could and took tiny walk breaks. I did keep in the same group of runners. I saw a guy pushing a stroller up ahead. I stayed up near him and eventually passed him with 1/2 mile to go. I saw Bill Beyerbach at the finish line. And ... done with 6.14 miles in 48:38, 7:55 pace. My splits were: 7:20, 7:31, 7:37, 8:44, 8:24, 8:05 and 6:54 over the last 0.14 mile. The Relive link to Irondequoit 10K is here.

I was drenched with sweat. I took several cups of water to rehydrate before I could do anything else. I found Bill and talked him for a while. He had brought his tri bike. Wow ... was it light! He told me about the three times he had fallen last year while he got used to his clip-in bike shoes.

The 2 mile race had 236 finishers, link here. The other July 4th races were: the Brighton 5K (flat and fast) with 454 finishers, link here;  the Fairport 4 (rolling hills) with 752 finishers, link here and the Greece Freedom 5K (flat and fast I am told) with 148 finishers, link here. The Sodus Bay Lighthouse 5K is being held on Sunday, July 8th this year which is the same day as the Boilermaker 15K out in Utica NY. I have done all these other July 4th races before: the Brighton 5K in 2011 and 2016, the Fairport 5 in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010;  the Fairport 4 in 2014 and the  Sodus Bay Lighthouse 5K in 2013. But I think I will run the Greece Freedom Run 5K next year for a change of venue and pace.

PCR-Timing had its results up quickly. I did OK. I was 43rd out of 235, link here. I was 2nd out of 9 in my M 60-64 age group, link here.

I did a bit of grocery shopping at Wegmans and then went home for my usual 2 mugs of coffee. My darling wife, Christine, and I relaxed and spent an enjoyable July 4th. We heard fireworks going off around us as it got dark but we didn't go outside to watch.

Thursday, 7/5/2018: 5812 steps during the day, rest day.

A self declared rest day after two running days in a row. I'll run tomorrow, take a rest day on Saturday and race the Boilermaker 15K on Sunday.

It's been hot in Rochester! Here is a quote that I found "From Saturday through Thursday, Flower City's daily high temperatures were 93, 95, 95, 90, 96 and 95". There have been 9 days with highs 90 or above so far this summer.

Friday, 7/6/2018: 15754 steps during the day; 7.55 miles, 1:02:54, 8:20 pace, 73F, 43% RH, 15 mph NNW wind, partly cloudy.


I got out a bit early and out to the Greece Arcadia Middle School a bit before 4 PM. I had a bit trouble my stuff together. First, one of the 2 zipped pockets on my Nathan Zipster popped its zipper which irked me. Then I couldn't find my Bluetooth earbud for a bit. I practically emptied my running bag before I found it ... in one of 4 pockets of my Zipster. I couldn't go out for my new usual run of 8.15 miles so I settled on 7.55 miles. That's not much difference but I wanted to get done by 5 PM and I did. Anyway ... I set up a steady pace and got the run done. My splits were: 8:23, 8:24, 8:13, 8:30, 8:28, 8:16, 8:21 and 8:09 over the last 0.55 miles.

Saturday, 7/7/2018: 564 steps during the day, rest day.

A true rest day. I didn't leave the townhouse and just relaxed. I went to bed around 10 AM. My alarm was set for 3 AM. The 12th annual GRTC Boilermaker bus was set to leave from the Park'n'Ride lot next to St John Fisher College at 4:30 AM.

Sunday, 6/24/2018 to Saturday, 6/30/2018 - Charlie's Old Goat

I ran 4 times this week, 32.56 miles.
I took 82,108 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 6/24/2018: 16261 steps during the day; 11.45 miles, 1:34:29, 8:15 pace, 64F, 93% RH, 4 mph N wind, overcast.


I woke up at 5:52 AM. How do I know? Well ... I wondered why my M-F alarm hadn't gone off at 5:40 AM. My groggy mind thought it was Monday for a few minutes as I checked out my alarms and volume levels. I figured out before 6 AM (my weekend alarm) that it was Sunday ... yay! Another day of the weekend!

So ... I got out for a long run. I did putter around a bit but I was out a bit after 7:30 AM. It was a bit cool for June and quite humid. I set up a really nice and easy, "I could run forever" pace and did my best to keep it there. I went out of the LOSP trail like usual and then went around the 10K loop. I thought about extending it bit but I didn't since I had already pushed distance on all my runs by a mile or so last week. My splits were: 8:42, 8:18, 8:14, 8:10, 8:17, 8:05, 8:04, 8:14, 8:11, 8:11, 8:19 and 8:13 over the last 0.45 mile. Boom ... done. It certainly is weird that just running a nice and steady pace can yield a somewhat fast 8:15 pace. Now ... if I could transfer that pace to longer runs of say 16, 18, 20 or even 26.2 miles!

Monday, 6/25/2018: 5146 steps during the day, rest day.

Yada, yada, yada. A necessary rest day after running 10.35 and 11.45 miles on Saturday and Sunday. Prepping for the Empire State Marathon in October is going well. So far I am doing this by the seat of my pants ... like usual. It works ... mostly. I am slowly pushing my usual runs up but not pushing the pace ... now they are 8.15 miles on Tuesday and Thursday.

Tuesday, 6/26/2018: 18684 steps during the day; 8.15 miles, 1:06:37, 8:10 pace, 79F, 32% RH, 4 mph ESE wind, partly cloudy.


Well ... back to Greece Arcadia High for another 8.15 mile run on my 10K loop (Janes Rd-Long Pond-Edgemere Drive-Island Cottage). The school is out for the summer so I parked in the Middle school lot since it had 2 cars in it instead of 1. I set up a nice and steady pace and let the run happen. My splits were: 8:05, 8:16, 8:07, 8:03, 8:11, 8:14, 8:17, 8:12, and 7:50 over the last 0.15 mile. I need (will) convince myself that I can hold this pace (or something close like 8:25) for 18 more miles.

My darling wife, Christine, thought I needed pasta for supper ... she was right. We ate and then got out and voted in the New York 25th Congressional District Democratic Primary since we are both registered (and proud) Democrats. This seat was held by Congresswoman Louise Slaughter for 32 years until she died in March. I met her twice after running the Scarecrow 5K in Fairport. She always had a positive message after the race and for her constituents in general. Joe Morelle won the 4 way primary with 45% of the vote over Rachel Barnhart, Adam McFadden and Robin Wilt, link here. I could get on my soap box and let loose some politics ... but I will let the opportunity slide. Suffice to say ... #notmypresident and #resist (I couldn't resist LOL). I hope we all get the chance to vote (and that our vote counts) in November ... barring any October surprise that might cancel the elections or throw support in an unexpected direction

Wednesday, 6/27/2018: 5152 steps during the day, rest day.

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy decided to step during at the end of July today, link here.. Yeah ... the election in November will be even more important now. Yeah ... I look at cnn.com, washingtonpost.com, newyorktimes.com. msnbc.com, nbc,com, cbs.com, abc.com, pbs.com and bbc.com for news. You know ... sites that practice journalism and win Publitzer Prizes. I don't consider foxnews.com, brietbart.com or infowars.com to be news in the slightest degree.

Thursday, 6/28/2018: 17698 steps during the day; 8.15 miles, 1:08:20, 8:23 pace, 82F, 58% RH, 8 mph NNW wind, partly cloudy.


The weather has turned from warm to hot and humid for the next 10 days so I took it nice and easy on my run. My splits were: 8:31, 8:25, 8:26, 8:20, 8:13, 8:15, 8:26, 8:29 and 8:10 over the last 0.15 mile. Boom ... done. I was drenched with sweat when I got done. I stripped and went straight upstairs and took a shower when I got home.

Friday, 6/29/2018: 7236 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 6/30/2018: 11931 steps during the day; 4.81 miles, 48:29, 10:04 pace, 79F, 70% RH, 11 mph WSW wind, partly cloudy.


Today's race was my seventh Charlie's Old Goat Trail Run held out in Ganondanga State Historical Site in Victor NY. Charlie Sabatine has put on this time for a number of years with various lengths (2011 - 7.0 miles, 1:03:11; 2012 - 6.14 miles, 56:42; 2013 - 6.68 miles, 1:13:11, 2014 - 6.54 miles, 1:09:56, 2015 - 6.3 miles, 55:38 and 2016 - 5.99 miles, 58:53). It was forecast to be hot and humid so I was prepared with shorts, an old orange Charlie's tech shirt and my Nathan SpeedDraw flask. I wore my trusty blue Salomon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes. Yes, they have over 700 miles on them and have a few holes around the toes but they get the job done on the trail for short distances when I need the traction. I got down to the venue around 8: 15 AM and just lost out the last parking spot so I had to park on the grass nearby. You gotta get up early to get to a Charlie's!

I got my bib and short sleeve tech shirt at the table in front of Seneca Art and Culture Center. This year's color was blue. I ambled up the hill to the start line. I met up Prem Kumar and Andy Ciaio before the race as we stood under a shady tree before the race. It was hot so I did no warm up run nor did I stretch before the race.

And ... we were off! The course was advertised to "5-ish" miles this year. I took my time getting up to a trail race pace. Charlie had told us during the pre-race announcement that the boards could be slippery so I slowed down when I ran on them on the way out and back. I tried to remember to take a few sips of water every mile. The first mile was mostly down hill. There was enough water in the stream to get my shoes wet and then muddy as we climbed out of it. I took a cup of Gatorade both coming and going at the aid station just before crossing School Rd. I endured the switchback hill as I ran up it and thought about how nice it would be to run down it on the way back. I power walked up the big hill before the meadow and noticed that the course did not go all the way around. So ... back the way we came ... down the switchback hill ... across School Rd ... across the stream ... back up the hills ... past the longhouse ... finish line in sight ... and done with 4.18 miles in 48:29, 10:04 pace. My splits were: 8:46, 10:30, 10:07, 10:54 and 8:13 over the last 0.81 mile. Not bad! The Relive link to Charlie's Old Goat is here.

A Charlie's Old Goat Trail Run selfie

I was very hot and walked right back to the shady tree. There was a water sprinkler set up there and I made sure to go under it a few times. The post-race food was set up under a tent to the left of the Seneca Art and Culture Center at the bottom of the hill by the parking lot. There was a nice hot breeze blowing and lots of pizza and home made cookies ... mmm!

It was hot when I got home just before noon. I spent the rest of the day inside with the downstairs fan on me. Our townhouse has A/C but try not to run it ... I don't like getting the high RG&E bill. So ... I thought cool thoughts as I drank my usual mug of post-race coffee. Though Christine and I sometimes don't ... lol!

Score-this.com did the timing and their results were quickly posted. I was 37th out of 167 and placed 3rd out of 13 in my M 60-64 age group, link here.

It's the end of June so it's stat time!

I ran 22 times (3 were warm ups before races of 1, 1 and 2.25 miles and 1 was a cool down of 2.05 miles) in the 30 day of June for 127.5 miles, 5.84 miles/run.
I ran 4 races in June and 18 races so far in 2018:
 6/8 - McMullen Mile, 6.34.39. 4th out of 8 in my M 60-64 age group
 6/13 - Dirt Cheap #3 - 3.41 miles, 40:44, 11:47 pace, 101st out of 335, 2nd out of 11 in my M 60-64 age group
 6/17 - Medved "Almost 5K" - 2.94 miles, 20:55, 7:07 pace, 76th out of 402, 4th out of 18 in my M 60-64 age group
 6/30 - Charlie's Old Goat Trail Run - 4.81 miles, 48:29, 10:04 pace, 37th out of 167, 3rd out of 13 in my M 60-64 age group
I took 330,685 steps during the month of June.
I have run 103 times for 714.32 miles in 2018, 6.94 miles/run.
I have taken 1,957,474 steps so far in 2018

Sunday, 6/17/2018 to Saturday, 6/23/2018 - Medved "Almost 5K"

I ran 6 times this week, 33.89 miles.
I took 78,181 steps during the week according my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 6/17/2018: 13510 steps during the day; 3 runs of 2.25, 2.94 and 2.05 miles, 75F, 61% RH, 5 mph WSW wind, partly cloudy.

Today's race was my seventh Medved 5K to cure ALS (2012 - 20:12, 2013 - 21:26, 2014 - 20:59, 2015 - 21:28, 2016 - 21:47 and 2017 - 22:38). I like this race since it's downtown at Frontier Field, it's easy to get to, it has easy parking and has a flat course. I was up about 10 minutes before my alarm went off at 6 AM. I only had 5.5 hours of sleep but it was a race morning so I got up. I have run 450 races (451 now) so I know what to do ... eat a bowl of cereal, get dressed and kiss Christine goodbye. I did make a pot of coffee and brought a Contigo of coffee but forgot to put my wallet in my running bag.

I left a bit after 7 AM and got down to Frontier Field 17 minutes later ... easy-peasy. I picked my bib and my newest favorite Medved 5K tech shirt. I met up with Prem Kumar. He had run not one but two races yesterday, lol! He ran the first RH Kicking Hunger 5K in the morning (9th, 3rd in his age group) and the ROC City Run Against Cancer 10K (4th, 3rd male). We both groaned when we started out but we got out for a really nice and easy 2.25 mile warm up run at 9:30 pace, link here. We went slow but I was sweating when we got done. I hydrated at the '14 Cruze and then ambled off to the start.

Prem Kumar took this picture of me overlooking High Falls

High Falls

It was a bit congested at the start but we got off without incident. I got up to race pace but held back a bit due to the heat. Prem was ahead and stayed there. I passed Tony Gingello at about mile 1/2. He later told me that he had run a race for GVH on Friday night. "One Mile" Pete called out 7:10 when I passed 1 mile. I maintained my pace as well as I could. I stalked Christine Antonini for a while. I passed her for a little bit before she passed me back.

Mile 1 on State St ... photo courtesy of Margaret Baackes and tagged by Dave Farrands

Stalking Christine Antonini on Plymouth Ave ... photo courtesy of Margaret Baackes and tagged by Chris Patterson

I remember turning where I thought we shouldn't but I just followed everyone else and ran onward. Back to Frontier Field ... in the back entrance ... along the warning track from right field to left field ... down the 3rd base line ... under 21 (wow!) ... and done with 2.94 miles(!) in 20:55, 7:07 pace. I heard pretty quickly that we did turn too early onto Brown St instead of Jay St in the third mile so the course was 0.2 mile too short. Oh well ... stuff (or s***) happens!

I checked the posted results and found that I placed 4th in my M 60-64 age so I went out for a easy 2.05 mile cool down run at 9.04 pace, link here, to pass some time. I knew I wouldn't get out later. I made my way back to the post race food and grabbed a banana to eat and a couple of energy bars to stuff in my running bag. Officially, I finished 76th out of 402, link here. I was 4th out of 18 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. The Relive link to Medved "Almost 5K" is here.

I went straight home since I didn't have my wallet. A couple of mugs of coffee soon ensued along with a muffin coated with PB & J. Yum!

A nice Father's Day ... Christine and I spent it reconnecting. My oldest son, Micheal, messaged me on Facebook. My daughter, Karen, called me. My youngest son, David, texted me. I did learn that he has a "gf" ... no photos could be found on social media to collaborate this though (I checked).

Monday, 6/18/2018: 5495 steps during the day, rest day.

A good day to take a rest day. Tropical heat visited Rochester for a day ... it got to 93F and was quite humid before a line of thunderstorms moved through in the late afternoon.

Tuesday, 6/19/2018: 16278 steps during the day; 8.15 miles, 1:06:01, 8:06 pace, 73F, 38% RH, 11 mph NNE wind, partly cloudy.


I plan on upping my mileage to prep for the upcoming Empire State Marathon in October ... so today was a good day to do it! Not much ... just 0.8 miles today but I did end up pushing the pace. I concentrated on pumping my arms and pushing through on my stride. It did help push my pace down. My splits were: 7:55, 8:08, 8:04, 8:06, 8:04, 8:07, 8:15, 8:10 and 7:57 over the last 0.15 mile. Boom ... done.

Wednesday, 6/20/2018: 5198 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 6/21/2018: 18785 steps during the day; 8.15 miles, 1:07:34, 8:17 pace, 70F, 38% RH, 6 mph NE wind, partly cloudy.


I was a bit late getting up to Greece Arcadia High but I still kept to my plan of doing my 8.15 mile run. I did take it a bit slower. My splits were: 8:19, 8:14, 8:12, 8:09, 8:14, 8:18, 8:36, 8:19 and 7:55 over the last 0.15 mile. I did a bit of grocery shopping at Wegmans plus I picked up a prescription for Christine afterwards. Needless to say ... supper was a bit late. My darling wife, Christine, cooked up an excellent roaster chicken along with pasta and peas ... yum!

Friday, 6/22/2018: 4084 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 6/23/2018: 14831 steps during the day; 10.35 miles, 1:28:00, 8:30 pace, 66F, 83% RH, 7 mph SE wind, overcast.


I was up at 6 AM and so was my darling wife, Christine. So ... I didn't get out early while we listened to it rain outside ... and did some cuddling. I thought of all the Many on the Genny runners starting out at 6 AM down in Letchworth State Park. I ran this race last year (41.64 miles in 12:43:44) so I seriously thought about running it this year ... but didn't.

It was drying but still humid up by the time I got out after 8 AM. I plotted up a 8.566 mile new route using www.plotaroute.com that took me out to the Genesee River pier by Ontario Beach Park using the entire LOSP trail. I thought about doing 2 loops so I planted a jug of water by Greenleaf Rd and the west LOSP trail entrance. I set up a nice and steady pace and set off. But ... my left foot hurt a bit after halfway and I took a few tiny walk breaks. I didn't do the second loop but adding a trip through the neighborhood across Greenleaf Rd. My splits were: 8:49, 8:11, 8:16, 8:14, 8:32, 8:15, 8:40, 8:59, 8:57, 8:16 and 8:06 over the last 0.35 mile.

I checked out Facebook all day for Many on the Genny updates and pictures. The cell coverage down there is spotty. The results of 106 finishers, 3 DNF and 13 DNS were posted at 11:48 PM, link here.

Meanwhile, two runners did extraordinary stuff.

Jamie Hobbs finished Western States Endurance Run, a 100.2 mile point to point trail run from Squaw Valley CA to Auburn CA (with 18000 feet of ascent and 23000 feet of descent), in 23:33, male results here. An excellent link, here. Jim Walmsley, link here, and Courtney Dauwalter, link here, won in 14:30:04 (a course PR) and 17:27:00, respectively.

Denise Faligno attempted the Manitou's Revenge 54 Mile Ultra. I read her race report ... holy crap! Going down a class 5 descent with a bum knee where a slip could kill you? She dropped at the next aid station.

Sunday, 6/10/2018 to Saturday, 6/16/2018 - Dirt Cheap #3

I ran 4 times this week, 21.16 miles.
I took 69,020 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch

Sunday, 6/10/2018: 15335 steps during the day; 9.35 miles, 1:18:00, 8:21 pace, 70F, 53% RH, 8 mph ENE wind, partly cloudy.



I had a Redbox that needed to be returned so I combined that with a run ... two birds, one stone! So ... it was off to the 7-11 on Lake Ave and then out and about. The wind going out on the pier slowed me down some but helped on the rest of the run. It was quite a beautiful morning! My splits were: 8:17, 8:23, 8:21, 8:21, 8:12, 8:14, 8:16, 8:23, 8:39 and 8:04 over the last 0.35 mile. Another run of just a nice and steady pace. Now I have convince myself that I can hold that pace (or something close) for 17 more miles, take nutrition and drink water regularly.

Meanwhile ... other races were being held. The Keuka Tri was held down in Keuka College, results here. The Boulder IM was held out in Boulder CO. Rochester's Jim McLaughlin, Jeff Rose, Chuck Straub and Denise Kenyon flew out. The conditions according to Facebook posts were hot, hot and hot! Jeff Rose finished in 16:38, results here. Jim and Denise withdrew due to the head and Chuck had a minor bicycle crash. Kudos to all!

Monday, 6/11/2018: 5209 steps during the day, rest day.

My thighs complained when I went up and down steps ... must have been running four days in a row!

Tuesday, 6/12/2018: 5950 steps during the day, rest day.

The usual rest day before a race ... Dirt Cheap #3 tomorrow!

Wednesday, 6/13/2018: 14044 steps during the day; 2 runs of 1 and 3.41 miles, 77F, 61% RH, 16 mph W wind, mostly cloudy.

Today's race was Dirt Cheap #3 held down at Lucien Morin Park at the bottom of Irondequoit Bay next to McGregor's Grill and Tap Room off of Empire Blvd. It was my tenth DC #3 (2009 - 54:23, 2010 - 41:55, 2011 - 36:30, 2012 - 34:48, 2013 - 36:56, 2014 - 37:48, 2015 - 39:06, 2016 - 36:24 and 2017 - 37:44) so I knew the drill ... get there early to get a close parking spot. So ... I got there a bit after 5 PM and scored a back-in spot to the left against the trees.

The Dirt Cheap #3 of 2009 - 54:23 brought back memories. It was an epic mud fest after it rained all day and during the race! It was so slippery that I could barely make it up the hills. Going down hills was treacherous at best. I fell numerous times. I was fairly new to trail races and I remember wondering what the hell I was doing out there! Ellen (the CFO of Fleet Feet Rochester) ran the race and split her pants! She ended up walking around afterward with a long t-shirt. It is amazing that McGregor's, the bar where the post race food was held, ever let us back inside ... we must have made a mess!

Back to the present ... I browsed Facebook while I waited for the 6:30 PM start. I got out of the '14 Cruze around 6 PM. I met up with Andy Ciaio and talked with Bill Murphy. Bill is recovering from triple-bypass heart surgery. He looked pretty good. I could tell he wanted to be back out there but he told me that he was just watching. He said that he could walk a mile but then he would have to take a two hour nap. I got out for a little 1 mile warm up run at 10:20 pace, link here. It was warm, muggy and windy with a severe thunderstorm warning (that didn't materialize). The trails were as dry as a bone in spite of a brief shower in the morning.


And ... we were off! I didn't sprint down the stone road to the left turn into single track ... I just took it nice and steady along side Andy. I followed him into the single track and up, up and up the first set of hills. Boots was up almost at the top giving some encouragement. I let Andy go and ran my own race. DC #3 is the shortest of the 6 Dirt Cheap race but I think it is the hardest. It has lots of root and narrow single track so I was careful to pick up my feet. The first mile was OK. Then ... it got hot. I started to walk most of the hills and then ran the flats (if any) and all the downs. I took a wrong turn twice and got called back twice by runners who were behind me. I guess I wasn't looking out for the pink flags as well as I should have been! I knew it was a short race but I just couldn't get much energy to run any harder. Soon enough ... I was done; 3.41 miles in 40:44, 11:57 pace. My splits were: 9:40, 12:04, 13:45 and 12:55 over the last 0.41 mile. Not my best DC #3 but I finished and I didn't trip ... both good things. The Relive link to Dirt Cheap #3 is here.

I ate upstairs at McGregor's  next to Andy and across from Tom Dutton. We all agreed that it was warm, muggy and that this race seemed a lot longer than usual. I don't know about the other two but I just like racing.

Thursday, 6/14/2018: 6514 steps during the day, rest day.

I usually run on Thursday with long runs on Saturday and Sunday. But ... I am plan on switching to a long run on Friday afternoon, a rest day on Saturday and the Medved 5K plus a few miles on Sunday, Father's Day. Maybe I can get some sorting and gardening done on Saturday! I usually get up early so maybe I can get it done before noon!

Friday, 6/15/2018: 21061 steps during the day; 9.35 miles, 1:19:17, 8:29 pace, 79F, 23% RH, 6 mph WNW wind, sunny.


I forgot to pack my Brooks Ravenna 8 running shoes when I left for work so I had to head home before I could go out for this run. It was warm so I stuck with a nice and steady pace. I thought about pushing past my usual 9.35 mile route by turning left onto Janes but I went straight and "settled". My splits were: 8:28, 8:17, 8:24, 8:28, 8:26, 8:25, 8:34, 8:37, 8:44 and 8:16 over the last 0.35 mile.

Saturday, 6/16/2018: 907(!) steps during the day, rest day.

Yes, I purposely did not run on Saturday. I was a bit off all day and I think it was because I DIDN'T run. I should have gone out for a 5 mile run at the very least because ... well ... that is what I do on Saturdays! RUN! I did spend a bit of time up in the master bedroom straightening up my crap. I am not done but I did make progress. And ... I couldn't get to sleep right away when I did go to bed. I was still awake at 12:20 AM with a 6 AM wake up alarm and the Medved 5K at 8:30 AM. But what can you do?

Sunday, 6/3/2018 to Saturday, 6/9/2018 - McMullen Mile

I ran 6 times this week, 30.7 miles.
I took 80,578 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 6/3/2018: 14169 steps during the day; 9.35 miles, 1:20:02, 8:32 pace, 72F, 69% RH, 7 mph SSE wind, sunny.


I didn't get out too early but I did get out. I felt yesterday's track workout so I started out slow. I loosened up and did speed it a bit. I thought about just doing a 10K but was bullheaded and pushed it to 15K. But ... I overheated again at mile 6 and had to take a few walk breaks. I was hungry and I did have my flask of Hammer Gel so I took at few gulps at mile 7. Then I sucked it up and ran it in. Ehh ... my splits were: 8:30, 8:17, 8:05, 8:32, 8:25, 8:24, 9:25, 8:53, 8:37 and 8:18 over the last 0.35 mile.

I could have gotten up after my usual 2 mugs of coffee after a run to get some stuff done ... but I didn't. Christine and I caught up on the last 3 episodes of "Designated Survivor". We are slowly but surely trying to watch all the shows that are in our Spectrum DVR. Will we cut the cord and go with YouTubeTV (which I think we would need to have so we could still have a DVR, old review here) ... who knows?

Later, we watched the NBA Finals Game 2 between the Cavs and Warriors. The smart money favored the Warriors by 11.5 points. I could sense that the Cavs didn't have the same fire that they had in Game 1. The Cavs were down 15 at half. Christine went upstairs. I stayed until the bitter end but only had one eye on the TV. The Cavs lost 122-103, link here. So .. the Warriors at up 2-0 as the series moves east to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Friday. Hopefully the Cavs can regroup and make the series interesting again.

Monday, 5/4/2018: 7119 steps during the day, rest day.

Random sighting: There's this truck at B601 that I walked by every morning that a "13.1 Half Crazy" sticker on it. Well ... today there was a 26.2 sticker below it! I guess that person is crazy now ... lol!

Tuesday, 5/5/2018: 13814 steps during the day; 5.05 miles, 41:50, 8:17 pace, 63F, 59% RH, 13 mph NNW wind, overcast.


Back at the Greece Arcadia track after work. I decided to do 800m to try to get some more practice running hard. I did 4 x 800m: 3:38, 3:29, 3:19 and 3:22 along with a mile cool down. One thing about a track workout ... I tend to get it done quick.

Wednesday, 6/6/2018: 5551 steps during the day, rest day.

Today was "National Running Day". Fleet Feet Rochester and Yellow Jacket Racing held The Big Run 5K out at Genessee Valley Park with 632 finishers, link here. I thought about running ... does that count? I usually rest on Wednesday, run on Thursday and rest the day before a race. Though I may violate the rest rule for the McMullen Mile on Thursday. Maybe ... maybe not.

Christine and I watched the NBA Finals Game 3 between the Warrior and the Cavs. The smart money was on the Warriors with the line decreasing from from -5 to -3.5. It was a close game but Kevin Durant with 43-13-7 outdueled Lebron's 33-10-11, 110-102, link here. So ... the Cavs are down 0-3. It looks pretty dire for their hopes ... NBA teams that have fallen 0-3 in any playoff series are 0-131.

Thursday, 6/7/2018: 12687 steps during the day; 5.05 miles, 42:13, 8:21 pace, 75F, 39% RH, 9 mph WNW wind, partly cloudy.


Well ... I ran anyway even though I have a race the next day. The McMullen Mile on Friday is only a mile ... so running 5 miles today really nice and easy shouldn't be an issue. I set out easy and didn't push the pace at all. My splits were: 8:15, 8:25, 8:21, 8:23 and 8:25. Maybe I should take this pace out on a longer run ... say 26.2 miles at the Empire State Marathon (ESM) in October? Though I think I will try out this pace on shorter long runs this summer on my build up to the ESM.

I watched the last period of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 5 between the Washington Capitals and the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The smart money was on the Capitals and they won 4-3 to win the Stanley Cup, link here.

Friday, 6/8/2018: 12671 steps during the day; 2 runs of 1 and 1 mile, 73F, 41% RH, 7 mph N wind, sunny.

Today's race was my sixth McMullen Mile (2012 - 5:52 which is my mile PR, 2013 - 6:25, 2014 - 6:12, 2015 - 6:21 and 2017 - 6:36). It's a memorial race dedicated to Charlie McMullen who ran 3:56 mile in the mid 70's. Here is an obituary that I found on www.letsrun.com, link here. The race venue this year was St John Fisher College. It started at 6 PM and I arrived around 6:15 PM. I knew that my race wouldn't be until a bit later. I met with Andy and Laura Ciaio and we chatted for a while.

I got out a really easy warm up run of 1 mile at 10:12 pace, link here. I relaxed for a bit. I thought my race (Men between 5:00 and 8:00 pace) was 7 instead of 6. Luckily I was on the field talking to Andy when I learned it was race 6. Our race had a lot of runners so it was divided into 2 heats. Andy and I were in the slower 6:30 to 8:00 pace race. Coach Reif gave us instructions (a mile is 4 laps and 9 meters) and lined us up. I was out around lane 5 or 6.


And ... the gun went off! There was a bit of a scrum at the start. I had to run in lane 2 or 3 for about 1/2 to 3/4 a lap before I could finally drop to lane 1. Andy had taken off fast and was way up ahead. Lap 1 in 1:38, lap 2 in 3:18. I drafted a runner before on the backstretch on lap 3 and passed him, lap 3 in 5:00. I hiked up my pace a bit .. I drafted another run on the backstretch on lap 4 and passed as I pulled up into a sprint ... and done in 6:34 (according to my Garmin Forerunner 220). I think I was 6th or 7th in my heat. Andy told me that he finished in 6:05. The Relive link to McMullen Mile is here. I was parched and drank some water. I started to cough and cough and drank more water. I ended up coughing for at least 30 minutes after the race. I haven't ever coughed like that after a race that I can remember. I guess I must have gulped a lot of air during the race!

I stayed around for the rest of the races. The elite woman, Mackenzie Donahue, won in 5:13.54. The elite man, Isaac Garcia-Cassini won in 4:13:39. So no one still has ever run sub 4:00 in Rochester. Yen Timing soon posted the results, link here. I ended up 18th out of 24 in my heat with a 6:34.39. I found out later that I ran 2 seconds faster than last year. Take that Father Time!

Saturday, 6/9/2018: 14567 steps during the day; 9.35 miles, 1:17:55, 8:20 pace, 61F, 82% RH, 5 mph SW wind, partly cloudy.


Well ... I slept in until 7:36 AM. I needed the sleep. I had my usual pre-run cereal and milk and puttered around. I got out at 9 AM. I took it nice and steady like on Wednesday. I didn't push the pace like I usually do. I had classic rock tunes in my left ear like I have had for a couple weeks now. It does help a bit. There were some people out: runners, walkers and bicyclists. My splits were: 8:31,
8:20, 8:12, 8:18, 8:16, 8:17, 8:20, 8:21, 8:29 and 8:12 over the last 0.35 mile. Hmm ... running without pushing at 8:20 pace ... nice!

A couple of mugs of coffee soon ensued along with a viewing of "McClintock" with John "The Duke" Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. Later, Christine let me watch "Terminator 2" as a pre Father's Day present. "Come with me if you want to live", "Hasta la vista, baby!", "Trust me" and "I'll be back", baby!

Meanwhile ... lots of races today. The Airport 5K was held with 226 finishers, link here. The Beat Brain Cancer 5K was held in East Rochester with 398 finishers, link here. The Ontario Summit Trail Half and Marathon was held with 101 half finishers and 31 full finishers, links here and here respectively. The Tour de Cure was held in Webster. The Black Fly Challenge was held up in the Adirondacks. Barry Cherney finished in 2:40:30, results here. I saw another race, the Greece Gauntlet, taking place at the Greece Arcadia High School as I ran by.

Well ... the Rochester Knighthawks quest for a NLL title didn't come to pass. I didn't remember early enough to watch the entire game from Saskatoon but I did see most of the fourth quarter with Rochester only down 1 goal initially, 11-10. The Saskatchewan Rush ended up winning 15-10, link here.

Sunday, 05/28/2018 to Saturday, 6/2/2018

I ran 5 times this week, 26.29 miles.
I took 67,167 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 5/27/2018: 10191 steps during the day, 6.55 miles, 54:38, 8:20 pace, 73F, 73% RH, 7 mph WSW wind, overcast.



I should have got up and out earlier. So ... it was a bit warm and humid when I got out. I overheated at mile 6 and shortened my run from a 15K to an out and back 6.55 miles. My splits were: 8:09, 7:58, 8:09, 8:15, 8:20, 9:05 and 8:27 over the last 0.55 mile.

I should have gotten up after the run and got some stuff done that was on my "Things to Do" list but ... I didn't.

Later, Christine and I watched the NBA Western Conference Playoff Game 7 between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets. The Warriors had too many good shooter and Houston couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Houston went 0-27 from beyond the 3 point line at one stretch in the 2nd half which doomed their chances. Houston won 101-92 and advanced to the NBA Finals to face the Cleveland Cavs, links here, here and video highlights here. Yes, the Cavs would have matched up a LOT better against the Rockets. But instead it'll be the Cavs versus the Warriors for the fourth straight year which hasn't ever happened in NBA Finals history.

Monday, 5/28/2018: 13791 steps during the day; 6.55 miles, 1:01:09, 9:20 pace, 73F, 83% RH, 9 mph SW wind, partly cloudy.



I got up and out a bit early in an attempt to beat the heat and humidity ... not. I got about 3 miles before the humidity zapped me. So I lapsed into a run/walk. I felt what I thought was a cramp in the middle of my left calf. It slowly got worse until I limped a bit. My splits were: 8:19, 8:16, 8:31, 10:52, 10:04, 10:16 and 8:48 over the last 0.55 mile.

Well ... the "cramp" didn't go away. I was in moderate pain when I walked, went up or down stairs all days. And ... I did 6 loads of laundry so I was up and down stairs until evening. I didn't get as much as I wanted to get done during the Memorial Day weekend but I did get a few things done.

Tuesday, 5/29/2018: 3753 steps during the day, rest day.

That "cramp" still nagged me so I rested it. I didn't walk as much as I usually do either.

Wednesday, 5/30/2018: 13715 steps during the day; 5.05 miles, 43:32, 8:37 pace, 90F, 43% RH, 15 mph S wind, partly cloudy.


It was 90F at least after work. Saner people would have turned to the nearest AC unit but ... not me. I thought it would be cooler up near Lake Ontario so I headed up to a parking lot at East Manitou Rd and Edgemere Drive. The outdoor temp hit 100F as I drove up East Manitou Rd and settled on 97F when I got out of the '14 Cruze. Well ... the wind was from the south so it was just as hot as anywhere else. Oh well. I just headed out for a really nice and easy out and back on Edgemere Drive. I hydrated every mile and took a wee walk break after mile 4. It was hot! My splits were: 8:45, 8:40, 8:30, 8:17 and 8:53. My "cramp" didn't bother but I didn't push it either. Maybe it was caused by not enough potassium?

Thursday, 5/31/2018: 5219 steps during the day, rest day.

Yes, I didn't run. I thought about it and I had my running gear in the '14 Cruze but ... I just went home. My darling wife, Christine, and I spent a bit of time outside on the porch behind our townhouse just relaxing before we had leftovers for supper. It was nice outside so we ate them outside which is something we almost never do.

Then we went back inside to watch 3 of the 5 last episodes of "The Americans" that were saved on our DVR. The final season is building up to a climax. I have tried not to see or read any of the spoilers that I come upon. Then I watched the last quarter and OT of the NBA Finals Game 1 between the Cavs and Warriors. Lebron went for 51-8-8 and tried to put the Cavs on his broad shoulder. But ... the Warriors outscored the Cavs 17-7 in the OT to win 124-114, links here, here, here and video highlights here. The last minute of regulation, link here.

Well ... it's the end of May so it's stat time!

I ran 17 times in May for 143.03 miles, 8.41 miles/run.
I ran 4 races in May (14 so far in 2018)
 05/09 Dirt Cheap #2, 4.05 miles, 41:10, 10:11 pace
 05/12 Mind the Ducks, 52.52 miles, 11:57:44, 13:38 pace
 05/20 Lilac 10K, 6.2 miles, 46:25, 7:29 pace
 05/26 Sunset House 5K, 3.1 miles, 23:20, 7:32 pace
I have run 81 times in 2018 for 585.82 miles, 7.23 miles/run
I took 367,422 steps (most ever) in May according to my Pebble 2 HR smartwatch.
I have taken 1,627,089 steps so far in 2018.

Friday, 6/1/2018: 4877 steps during the day, rest day.

I just realized that the McMullen Mile is next Friday, 6/8/2018. Maybe I should do some track workouts?

Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys in The Americans (2013)

We watched the last 2 episodes of "The Americans". Christine and I watched all 75 episodes over the last 6 seasons. It was sad to see Phillip and Elizabeth back in Mother Russia.  I was surprised that Stan, the FBI agent who lived across the street, let them go. Is Stan's girlfriend, Renee, a Russian agent herself? What will happen to their kids, Henry and Paige, who stayed behind? Did you know that Phillip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth (Keri Russell) have been in a relationship since 2013?

Saturday, 6/2/2018: 15621 steps during the day; 2 runs of 3.09 and 5.05 miles, 57F, 82% RH, 10 mph NNE wind, overcast.



I headed out to the Greece Arcadia High track for an on-the-fly track workout. I just did 4 400 meter laps of 1:38, 1:35, 1:34 and 1:28 with a cool down lap in between and a mile cool down afterward. The wind was a bit bothersome when I was running into the wind but I pushed through it. Easy-peasy. Running track when you are trying to run fast is a lot different than just running steady on the road.


Then I ran a nice and steady 5 miles on the road. My splits were: 8:08, 8:14, 8:15, 8:09 and 8:06. Boom ... done.

Meanwhile ... lots of other stuff was going on with a race for everyone. First: The Fast and Furriest 5K and 10K was held down at Verona Street Animal Society for the road runners. The 5K had 321 finishers, link here. The 10K had 211 finisher, link here. Prem Kumar finished 1st in his M 40-44 age group and Andy Ciaio finished 2nd in his M 50-54 age group. Second: the Frost Town Trail Fest was held down in Cummings Nature Center for the trail runners. The 10K had 51 finishers, link here. The 25K had 52 finishers, link here. Third: the Rochester Duathlon was held out at Grace and Truth Sports Park for the duathletes.

Later, Christine and I headed down to the Blue Cross Arena for the National Lacrosse League Final Game 2 between the Saskatchewan Rush and the Rochester Knighthawks. The Hawks were down 0-1 in the best 2 out of 3 series after losing last Saturday 16-9 in Saskatchewan, link here. I had bought 2 $10 (regularly $15) tickets off of a Living Social deal that I saw earlier in the week. The game was at 8 PM. We left around 7 PM in the '14 Cruze. I dropped Christine off opposite the BCA around 7:20 PM and parked about 1/2 mile away up in Corn Hill. I though about how many times I had run down Exchange Blvd to the BCA as I walked back ... maybe 15? Later, I found that it was 17 (9 Flower City Half Marathons and 8 Johnny's).

I had printed off the tickets before we left and presented them with no issues. We found a row of just 2 seats at the very front of Section 209. They were about even with the right hand goal. We did have to lean forward to look over a bar but other than forcing good posture we had good sight lines and no one in front of us. The BCA was fairly packed for this game ... go Hawks!

A selfie from the first row of Section 209!

The game started with the Rush scoring the first goal in 50 seconds ... and then another one. Hmm ... but the Hawks evened the score and then pulled ahead 3-2 before the Rush scored to tie it up just before the end of the first quarter. The Hawks were ahead 8-4 at the end of 2 quarters and ended up with the win to tie the series, 13-8, link here. The joint really jumped after a Hawk goal for sure!

Hawks win!

Christine walked most of the way back to the '14 Cruze before she said "Pick me up" ... so I did. I took the scenic way home (Exchange Blvd, left onto Ford St, right on Mt Hope, I-390N to the Parkway) ... but one I knew like the back of my hand.

Sunday, 5/20/2018 to Saturday, 5/26/2018 - Lilac 10K & Sunset House 5K

I ran 6 times this week, 27.29 miles.
I took 78,526 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 5/20/2018: 18651 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.2 and 6.26 miles.

Today's race was my ninth Lilac 10K held in Highland Park on the last weekend of the Lilac Festival. My previous 8 chip times were: 2007 - 46:22, 2010 - 49:03, 2011 - 46:28, 2012 - 43:53, 2013 - 47:37, 2014 - 44:51, 2015 - 47:40 and 2017 - 46:29.

So you could say I know the course well. It's not an out and back but you do run back up that same mile long gentle downhill that you just a lot faster down 5 miles ago. So it is a test and a lot tougher test if it is hot and humid. Today's weather was a lot better: 61F, 88% RH, 8 mph WNW wind, overcast.

I was up at 5:30 AM for the same reason that most 60 year old men are ... I will let the reader figure it out. I knew I won't go back to sleep so I read Facebook for a bit and got up around 6 AM. I puttered around, had my usual pre-race bowl of cereal. I got dressed and kissed Christine goodbye. I was in and out of the townhouse a few times because of weather concerns ... it was a bit cool and there was a bit of a wind. I ended up wearing shorts and my 2017 Lilac 10K shirt. I brought my orange Empire State Marathon long sleeve tech, orange Fleet Feet hat, light gloves and my yellow/black Brooks jacket as back up just in case. I guess I am almost packing for winter races even in late May. I left just after 7:30 AM and arrived down near the Al Sigl Center just before 8 AM. I wanted to get down there before the Lilac 5K started. I knew the drill: pay $5 to park at the Al Sigl Center and walk up through Highland Park to the start/finish line ... easy-peasy. Been there ... done that and have the tech shirts to prove it. Meanwhile, the Lilac 5K at 8 AM was being held, the gun time results of 1076 finishers here.

I walked up with Dan Wimer and Jason "Jmac" McElwain. I got out for a nice and easy warm up run of 1.2 miles at 9:20 pace, link here. I talked with Bill Beyerbach for a few minutes before the race. He was going to riding in the pace car at the head of the pack. I settled into my usual spot at a start ... about 30 feet back and off to the right. I saw Prem Kumar for a few seconds. He had just ran Sehgahunda on Saturday in 5:13:42, results here. Heather Patterson was just ahead of me.


And ... we were off! I didn't have any trouble getting up to race pace. I tried to hold back but still ran a 7:04 first mile according to Pete who was yelling out the times (I had 7:02). I enjoyed running through the Rochester Running Company cheer section just past South Clinton Ave. A few runners cheering had run Sehgahunda the previous day. So ... out to Monroe Ave and hang a right. Mile 2 in 7:15. I swapped hands with Mort Nace before the right turn onto Winton Rd South. Then another right onto Elmwood Ave. Mile 3 in 7:11. The next 2 miles were on some neighborhood streets and back on Elmwood Ave. I stopped to drink a cup of water. Mile 4 in 7:43. There was a gentle uphill back to Highland Ave. I stopped to drink another cup of water. Mile 5 in 7:49. The RRC cheer section was a welcome sight! Now it was a gut check to the finish ... a gentle uphill (but not so gentle after 5 miles). I picked off a few runners on the way. Mile 6 in 7:32. There was a gentle turn so I couldn't see the finish but trust it was there. I let a runner sprint past me ... he was going much too fast to match. I heard my name called ... and ... done with 6.26 miles in 46:31, 7:29 pace according to my Garmin Forerunner 220. I had a 7:21 pace in the last 0.26 mile. I grabbed a couple cups of water. I was parched and sweaty. Heather finished ahead of me in a chip time of 44:33. Prem was behind me with a chip time of 48:14.

I wandered back to the '14 Cruze to change into my dry long sleeve tech. I was getting chilled in my sweaty short sleeve tech plus it has started to mist a little bit. I wandered into a part of Highland Park that I had never been in before on the way back ... the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, link here. I walked through it with silent reverence to the honored 280 men who had died from the Rochester area.

I found my way out of the memorial by hopping a broken part of fence and made my way for the awards. I had offically finished with a gun time of 46:30, chip time of 46:25, 105th out of 744, 5th out of 22 in my M 60-64 age group, gun time results here. The Relive link to Lilac 10K is here.

I made my way home and settled down with a mug of coffee for a bit before I had to change to go do my next task. I went out to Palmyra to put in an air conditioner for my daughter, Karen. She got a Sears 12,000 BTU A/C unit free when a next door resident had died. Her daughter didn't want it so Karen took it along with a coffee table. It was heavy and just fit in the opening. But it fit. I did have to make a trip to the Macedon Walmart to get some duct tape to seal the cracks around it. I had not brought any tools and had to rely on Karen's tools but I managed.

Monday, 5/21/2018: 6342 steps during the day, rest day.

Just a word about the NBA playoffs. Only the Cavs and Celtics are left in the East along with the Warriors and Rockets in the West. Each series is tied at 2. But ... who cares about the West? I am rooting for the Cavs. Yes, I know that the Cavs are pretty one-dimensional this year ... Lebron and the not named Lebrons. But ... Christine is from Cleveland and I am a Laker fan from the 80s. So ... I will not root for the Celtics.

I can still remember being in a bar in Nashua NH during a NBA Finals game between the Lakers and Celtics in the early 80s. I lived in Nashua from 1980 to 1986. What year? I can't recall (either 1984 or 1985). Google is no help; rivalry wiki here, 1984 stats here and 1985 stats here. More links here, here, here and here. It could have been 1984 Game 1 (Lakers 115-109) or 1985 Game 2 (Lakers 109-102). Anyway ... the game was held down in Boston and being in a bar was the only way to see the game. I quietly was rooting for the Lakers while I was in a bar full of Celtics fans. I did get more than a few glances when Byron Scott pulled up for a dagger 3 to put the Lakers ahead with under a minute to go. The Lakers won that game and I bid a hasty retreat out of the bar and home. So ... go Cavs! But .. if the Cavs do get out of this series I don't think they have a chance against the West winner. But ... never count out Lebron. He is having a monster of a playoff run this year.

Tuesday, 5/22/2018: 16738 steps during the day; 7.35 miles, 59:41, 8:07 pace, 70F, 83% RH, 12 mph W wind, overcast.



I was a bit bitchy during the day ... just normal stuff. I knew that if I didn't get out for a run after work I would be become even more bitch ... maybe even grouchy ... so I did. I changed just before I got out of work at 5 PM and drove up to my usual spot at Greece Arcadia High School. I set up a nice and steady pace and ran with tunes in my left ear (third time now). I did slow a touch in the latter half of the run (OK ... maybe not). My splits were: 7:49, 8:08, 8:09, 8:01, 8:09, 8:08, 8:09 and 8:43 over the last 0.35 mile.

Meanwhile ... lots of people were down at Frontier Field running the 3.5 mile Corporate Challenge. 7086 were listed as finishers. I ran this race way back in 2006 in 28:57 when it was held out at RIT. My impression back then was that it was a very disorganized, high priced and non-standard distance race with lots of walkers to dodge. So ... I have never run it again.

Wednesday, 5/23/2018: 4368 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 5/24/2018: 15114 steps during the day; 7.35 miles, 1:02:08, 8:27 pace, 82F, 27% RH, 8 mph NW wind, sunny.



I slipped out a bit early so I could enjoy the afternoon warmth. I was up to the Greece Arcadia High School around 3:45 PM. I set up a slightly nice and easy pace. I had ice and water in my Nathan SpeedDraw. I heard the ice clinking for about 3 miles. I overheated a bit at mile 6. The wind had become a welcome cooling breeze (when did that happen?). My splits were: 8:20, 8:15, 8:19, 8:20, 8:31, 8:29, 8:50 and 8:35 over the last 0.35 mile. I was dripping when I got done ... and probably will be after every run for the rest of summer!

Friday, 5/25/2018: 7880 steps during the day, rest day.

There was a MFAMTL (Maybe the First Annual Maybe the Last) 5 mile trail race held out at Durand Eastman Park, results here. It had sold out in a day and I had not signed up. I thought about just showing up and running it. I could have since 49 ran and 11 didn't start. But ... it was a good thing I didn't in hindsight since I usually have a rest day before a race.

Saturday, 5/26/2018: 9433 steps during the day; 2 runs of 2 and 3.13 miles, 70F, 64% RH, 8 mph SW wind, partly cloudy.

Today's race was my first Sunset House 5K. It was designated a GRTC Rochester Runner of the Year (RROY) race back in January. I signed up about a month ago since I run most of the 12 RROY races.

I was up early like usual. The race start was at the Irondequoit Church of Christ at 644 Titus Ave at 9 AM which is about 10 minutes away. It was warm and muggy so I wore shorts and my orange Spring Forward 15K tech shirt. I stuffed my running bag with a few extra shirts. I kissed my darling wife, Christine, goodbye and got out around 8 AM.

I got a close parking spot and ambled over to get my bib and cotton t-shirt. I met up with Prem Kumar. I remember meeting Prem several years ago when he had just run 1 or 2 races and just moved to Rochester. I must have had a big impression on him ... he has run many races since. In fact he was running his fifth race in 8 days (Sehgahunda on Saturday, Lilac 10K on Sunday, Corporate Challenge on Tuesday, MFAMTL on Friday and Sunset House 5K on Saturday). I laughed and told him that I had once run 4 races in 5 races but one of them wasn't Sehgahunda! We got out for a longish warm up run of 2 miles at 9:08 pace, link here.

I was dripping a bit when I stopped by the '14 Cruze and I had 10 minutes before the start. So ... I unpinned my bib and changed my shirt. I chose my white 2013 Sauerkraut 20K shirt. I felt a bit like a drama queen but it was nice not dripping before the start. But ... three people remarked about my shirt (1 before and 2 after). I settled in my usual spot before a race ... about 10 yards back and off to the right).

The start (I'm in the white shirt with sunglasses) ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

There were a few announcements before the race and ... we were off! I got up to speed quickly and settled in. A 5K is over quickly but not quickly enough that I don't suffer. The first mile was down Cooper and St Paul St to Pinegrove Ave. Mile 1 in 7:02 pace. Then ... it became muggy and my legs felt like lead. There were a few people that had put lawn sprinklers onto the road and I ran through four of them. Mile 2 in 7:35 as the course meandered through neighborhood streets. I just concentrated on staying in my current position.

Cruising into the finish ... photo courtesy of Ron Piazza

A guy passed me with 1/2 mile to go and I wondered if he was in my age group (he was in the 50-54) but I couldn't match him and let him go. I could see Tony Gingello in the 70-74 age group ahead of him about 200 yards away. Tony may be short but he certainly can move his legs fast! Mile 3 in 7:51 pace.

I pulled into something resembling a sprint. And ... I was done with 3.13 miles in 23:22, 7:28 pace. The last 0.13 mile at 7:05 pace. I was a bit disappointed by running over a 23 minute 5K but I did the best I could.  I was parched and got took a pint of water. Prem had finished ahead of me in 21:07. We talked a bit and had a piece of breakfast pizza before he left to do his fatherly duties. I checked the results and saw that I was 33rd out of 315, link here. I was 4th out of 10 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. Charlie Andrews and Kevin Clinefelter, who were in my age group, were there so I was happy to finish fourth. The Relive link to Sunset House 5K is here.

Another 5K in the books ... my 80th. I was soon home eating an apple fritter and drinking a mug of coffee. I wanted to get something done so I put a bit of effort in to clean a bit of the master bedroom. I boxed up my race bibs and medals from 2017 and 2016 ... then my gumption left me. I have so much to straighten up and throw away ... but I rarely get to it. Usually there is more to take care of by the time I get back to it. So it may be a never ending battle unless I get a gallon of gumption. Oh well.

Later, Christine and I buckled in to watch the NBA Eastern Conference Final Game 7 between the Cleveland Cavs and the Boston Celtics. This series has been an all home win affair ... split at 3-3. The winner went on to the NBA Finals. It was a close game ... but the "King" showed up to play. Lebron answered the call in his 100th game of the season with 48 minutes and a 35-15-9 (along with 8 turnovers) body of work, the Celtics didn't shoot well and Lebron got just enough help with his "Lebron-Nots" (Jeff Green with 19). Lebron AVERAGES 34.9 points in Game 7s over his career! His spectacular has become his norm.The Celtics were up 72-71 with 6:04 left but the Cavs went on a 16-7 run and the Celtics shot 2-13 ... game over. The Cavs won by 87-79, links here, here, live blog here and full video highlights here. So .. the Cavs are back in the NBA Finals for the fourth straight year and Lebron is back for the eighth straight year, link here.