Sunday, 9/2/2018 to Saturday, 9/8/2018 - Dirt Cheap #6

I ran 3 times this week, 29.9 miles.
I took 73,677 steps during this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.
Common abbreviation: OMEP is Orange Mud Endurance Pack

Sunday, 9/2/2018: 3865 steps during the day, rest day.

Just your normal Sunday. It was hot and humid all day. My darling wife and cook, Christine, put together a menu for the next week along with a grocery list. My job ... hunt and gather the items on the list. I ended up going to Herrema's and Wegmans. She cooked up a wonderful calzone for supper.

Oh ... the Oak Tree 5K and Half Marathon was held this morning. I totally forgot about this race until I read Kevin Clinefelter's race report on Facebook. He was 16th overall in 1:36:41 and won our M 60-64 age group. Tim Chichester won the half in 1:10:53 by a 3:35 margin. Tim Dwyer was 12th overall in 1:29:40 and won the M 55-59 age group in 1:29:40. Heather Patterson was 35th overall in 1:47:11 and won her F 40-44 age group. Prem Kumar was 38th overall in 1:48:24. Andy Ciaio was 46th overall in 1:53:26. Christine Antonini was 57th overall in 1:54;23. Wilt Alston ran a 2:35:37. Tom Butler ran a 2:53:43.

Here is an interesting race recap here. 248 runners finished the half, results here. 251 runners finished the 5K, results here.

Monday, 9/3/2018: 17073 steps during the day; 11.05 miles, 1:42:29, 9:18 pace, 75F, 89% RH, 7 mph wind, sunny.

I was up at 6 AM and out the door around 7:30 AM. I had 1600 ml of ice cubes and water in my OMEP. My earbud wouldn't turn on so I ran without music. It was humid (again) so I adjusted my pace and distance to match. This was not the weather to attempt an 18 mile run by no stretch of my imagination. I just headed out to Lowden Point Rd and back ... 11 miles. I set up a really nice and easy pace ... that lasted about 7 miles before I lapsed into a run/walk. My splits were: 9:02, 8:41, 8:51, 8:55, 9:01, 9:08, 9:09, 9:50, 9:59, 10:14 and 9:34. I went upstairs to take a cool shower as soon as I got back to the townhouse.


My darling wife, Christine, and I lazed around for the rest of the day. A Harry Potter marathon was on the Syfy channel so we watched the Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, the Half-Blood Prince and most of Deathly Hollows: Part 1 before retiring for the evening.

Tuesday, 9/4/2018: 5760 steps during the day, rest day.

Wednesday, 9/5/2018: 15596 steps during the day; 3.84 (actually 4.7 miles), 39:22 (actually 47:31), 10:16 pace (actually 10:07 pace), 91F, 53% RH, 10 mph wind, sunny.

Today's race was Dirt Cheap #6, the last of the 6 2018 Dirt Cheap Trail Race (DCTR) series. Tonight's venue was Mendon Ponds Park at the lodge next to the Beach parking lot. I took a hour of vacation so I could get down around 5 PM in plenty of time for the 6 PM start.

It was hot and humid ... like the South hot and humid. I didn't bring my OMEP so I made due with my 18 ounce Nathan SpeedDraw flask filled with ice and water. I talked with Andy Ciaio before the race. He had ran the Oak Tree Half Marathon down in Geneseo on Sunday and took 3rd in his age group. He said it was "stupid humid" and that he was dripping with sweat by mile 1. Well ... it was hotter and probably just as humid tonight. I didn't take a warm up run and just lined up with everyone else at the start flags.

And ... we were off! I had read on Facebook that Boots had shortened the course a bit. I did see evidence of that when we didn't climb the second grassy hill after the start but other than that not so much. I set up a nice and easy trail pace and just soldiered onward. I sipped water and squirted water on top of my head about every mile or maybe less. I ran into a branch or tree stump at one point when I followed the person in front of me and went off course. Somebody yelled at us and we made our way back on course. Then ... I ran out of water with about a mile to go ... which sucked. Oh ... there was a woman sunbathing somewhere in the last mile. She was right by the pond and the course took a right about 10 feet from her. I only gave her a glance but I am pretty sure she was lying on her back and was topless. But ... I kept running. I have run this course many times so I knew I was close to the end. And ... done with 3.84 miles in 39:22 according to my Garmin Forerunner 220. I was beyond drenched with sweat. I quickly had a bottle of water and a piece of pizza.

I met up with Andy Ciaio and Chris Barry. They told me that their Garmins had the course at 4.7 miles and wondered if I had cut the course. I was wondering if I had so I checked the results. It said that I had finished in 47:31. So I figured that my Garmin had been paused somehow during the race ... which had never happened during a race before that I can remember. I didn't see my Garmin trace until I got home and it looks like it just stopped a mile before the end. Weird. My splits were: 9:16, 11:17, 10:32 and 9:49 over the last 0.84 mile that the Garmin record before it just shut off. The Relive link to Dirt Cheap #6 is here.

Post DC #6 ... drenched with sweat

DCTR series bling - Darn Tough socks and Once Again peanut butter

Anyway ... I finished 46th out of 223, link here. I was 47th male out of 125 over in the DCTR series, link here. I won the M 60-64 age group in the DCTR series, link here. The swag was good: a jar of Once Again peanut butter and a pair of Darn Tough socks ... sweet!

Thursday, 9/6/2018: 5409 steps during the day, rest day.

Yeah ... I usually run on Thursday. But ... my right hamstring felt a bit gimpy and I was tired.so I called a rest day. I think that Dirt Cheap #6 took more out of me than I cared to admit. I guess I should play the long game and not try to kill myself by sticking to my schedule.

Friday, 9/7/2018: 6399 steps during the day.

Saturday, 9/8/2018: 19575 steps during the day; 13.15 miles, 1:53:15, 8:37 pace, 63F, 65% RH, 15 mph NE wind, overcast.

It has turned cooler so I didn't have to try to get up before the crack of dawn and get out. OK ... I slept in until around 6:45 AM but I didn't get out until after 9 AM. It was cooler and there was a stiff breeze out of the NE. I set up a nice and steady pace. How long? Well ... I knew that the Webster Trail Classic and the Old Forge Half and Marathon were being held. So ... I decided to just head out to East Manitou Rd and make sure that I ran a half marathon. I was pleased that the section of Edgemere Drive between Lowden Point Rd and East Manitou Rd was freshly paved ... nice! I passed a Monroe County Sheriff's work detail bus. I joked with the flagmen that I was glad that I wasn't running north into the wind today. Well ... I couldn't have anyway since I was right next to Lake Ontario. It kind of sucked that my right hip started ache around mile 9 ... like usual. I just lapsed into a run/walk and got the run done. It sucked. My splits were: 8:28, 8:22, 8:22, 8:33, 8:30, 8:11, 8:26, 8:29, 8:46, 8:55, 8:52, 9:20, 8:43 and 8:25 over the last 0.15 mile. The usual two mugs of coffee ensued afterward along with a late lunch.

My darling wife, Christine, must have had enough of my Saturday and Sunday complaining about my feet, knees and hip after long runs since she insisted that I go to Fleet Feet Armory to get fitted for a new pair of running shoes. My Brooks Ravenna 8 road shoes only had 435 miles but I went because I was sick and tired of pain after just about every long run. We got there around 3:40 PM. The fitting area was full but Cheryl was there in a few minutes to help me. She measured my feet using their new Fit ID system and told me that I should wear a size 12 (not 13), that I had a high arch and a slightly narrow foot. Hmm! I tried on a Brooks Transcend 5, an Asics Kayano 25 and a Hoka Arahi 2. I took each for a run out in the parking lot. The Hoka felt weird on my feet so that was a no. I couldn't feel a difference between the Brooks and the Asics. I went with the Brooks Transcend 5 because I put 681 miles on my old Brooks Transcend 3 road shoes plus I do have a lot of Brooks clothes. Gotta be brand coordinated you know ... lol! I also bought a pair of green Run Comfort SuperFeet insoles to support my high arches. Well ... I should say Christine bought them ... she said it was my birthday gift. Maybe ... I will be able to do a long run without pain once I get used to everything!

A brand new pair of Brooks Transcend 5 shoes with green Super Feet insoles

I caught up on Facebook. I learned that Prem Kumar ran a 3:30 at the Old Forge Marathon.

Sunday, 8/26/2018 to Saturday, 9/1/2018

I ran 2 times this week, 20.1 miles.
I took 59,985 steps during this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 8/26/2018: 2282 steps during the day, rest day.

A needed rest day since it hurt to go up and down stairs for a bit of the day. My lovely wife, Christine, and I spent some time relaxing before we made it out to eat brunch at the CharBroil Restaurant on Island Cottage. I had the steak and eggs while Christine had a BLT. It was OK.

Well ... the seventh Black Diamond Express 5K and Half Marathon was held out in Mendon. I ran this race back in x when it was just a 15K. There were 149 finishers of the half, link here. Jason "Jmac" McElwain was 4th in 1:23:52, Wendy Abbott was 11th in 1:38:53, Prem Kumar was 13th in 1:40:50 and Bill Sandow was 25th in 1:47:29. Speedy times on a flat course! There were 70 finishers of the 5K, link here. Maybe next year!

Later I watched the third Buffalo Bills preseason game versus the Cincinnati Bengals. Ouch ... the Bills offensive line sucked and their secondary wasn't much better. They gave up a touchdown on the first Bengals play! It was never competitive. The Bills lost 13-26.

Monday, 8/27/2018, 6268 steps during the day, rest day.
Tuesday, 8/28/2018, 4108 steps during the day, rest day.
Wednesday, 8/29/2018, 7734 steps during the day, rest day.

What can I say? A combination of just needing to take a bit of time off combined with some really hot and humid "dog days of August". I don't think my running fitness will suffer much.

Thursday, 8/30/2018: 16665 steps during the day; 8.05 miles, 1:06:46, 8:17 pace, 68F, 68% RH, 7 mph wind, overcast.

A Thursday run after 5 days off. It was cooler but just as humid. I set up a nice and steady but a bit faster pace on my 8 mile loop. I was kind of dripping with sweat when I got back to the '14 Cruze. My splits were: 8:20, 8:16, 8:17, 8:11, 8:22, 8:14, 8:19 and 8:21. A pretty steady pace.

Friday, 8/31/2018: 3401 steps during the day, rest day.

I took today off as a floating holiday. I went down to see my daughter, Karen, in Palmyra. She had hurt her back bending down to unleash her dog, Pooka, and needed some help cleaning her apartment. So I did. Her dog had discovered chewing cardboard so her place was quite the mess. But I got to work and soon it was better than when I came. I also took out the garbage and recycling. I also put together a Bissell Power Lifter Powerbrush Upright Carpet Cleaner and cleaned a section of rug in her bedroom. It seemed to work but I don't know if it took away the urine odor. I also learned more about her mother's upcoming move to Hickory NC next month.

A sunflower that I saw by Karen's recycling bins

Fleet Feet Rochester and Yellow Jacket Racing had their first First Responders 5K out in Webster tonight. Boots had a lengthy Facebook post about how this race was on his bucket list for several years since he knows a lot of fire fighters and first responders, link here. A charity named FRST (First Responders Special Treatment ) Agency was formed to help Monroe County first responders with PTSD. It was a great success with 604 finishers, link here. Maybe next year ...

Well ... it's the end of August and time for the stats of the month and so far in 2018.

I ran 15 times for 132.1 miles, 8.8 miles/run.
I ran one race in August:
 Dirt Cheap #5 at Black Creek Park, 4.53 miles, 9:38 pace.
I have run 144 times so far in 2018 for 991.6 miles, 7.2 miles/run.
I took 336,758 steps during August and 3,043,783 steps so far during 2018 according to my Pebble 2 HR smart-watch.

Saturday, 9/1/2018: 19527 steps during the day; 12.05 miles, 2:04:34, 10:20 pace, 70F, 94% RH, 4 mph wind, sunny.

Well ... this run really sucked. It's been a long time I have had a run like that. Why? Well ... I slept horribly so I pushed my wake up alarm from 5 AM to 6 AM. I had a bowl of cereal like I usually do. My earbud wouldn't turn on. I forgot to drink much of any water before I headed out at 7;30 AM. It was warm and humid ... joy. I wanted to do another 18 mile run ... but I just couldn't. I lasted until around mile 5 when I began a run/walk. It was just humid AF. I decided to turn around and head back at East Manitou Rd. I walked for about a mile. I did make a try at a run/walk but didn't have the gumption for that either. I saw a group of 5 runners on Beach Rd just before Greenlead Rd. I walked all the way up Greenleaf Rd and right back into the townhouse. Whatever ... this run sucked ... a run best forgotten! My splits were: 8:32, 8:20, 8:23, 8:12, 9:21, 8:27, 11:30, 13:00, 9:18, 9:52, 11:44, 17:02 and 18:24.

Christine and I watched the John McCain funeral, YouTube link here. The eulogies by Meghan McCain (PBS link here and transcript link here), President George W Bush (PBS link here) and President Obama (PBS link here) were poignant. Renee Fleming sang "Danny Boy", link here. Trump wasn't invited (he tweeted and went to his Bedminister golf course according to Trump Golf Counter) but he was referred to but not named directly. By the way ... I roll way to the left on the political spectrum so I enjoyed it. Some might say that the eulogies should have avoided politics but McCain was a politician so it was to be expected.

Christine and I watched a lot of TCM. We just let the movies wash over us ... The Time Machine (1960) with Rod Taylor, The Black Swan (1942) with Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara along with Captain Blood 1935) with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Old time movies for sure!

Sunday, 8/19/2018 to Saturday, 8/25/2018

I ran 3 times this week, 35.45 miles.
I took 74,377 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.
Common abbreviation: OMEP is Orange Mud Endurance Pack

Sunday, 8/19/2018: 2424 steps during the day, rest day.

It was a bit painful going down the stairs in the morning but I loosened up in the afternoon. I made it to BJs to pick a double rack of spare ribs (a $5 off coupon helped). My lovely wife, Christine, cooked both racks up. She put on a dry rub of Penzey's Galena Street Rib and Chicken Rub, cooked 1 side for 1.5 hours, flipped them, put on more rub and cooked them for another 1 hour along with some potatoes. OMG ... were they good! Mmm! The perfect meal before settling in to watch Sharknado 5: Global Swarming and the premiere of Sharknado 6: It's About Time. Fin, April, Nova, Skye and Bryan save the world from Sharknados!

Monday, 8/20/2018: 6327 steps during the day, rest day.

Spare ribs yesterday ... so leftover ribs, leftover mac'n'cheese, potatoes and salad ... mmm!

Tuesday, 8/21/2018: 17253 steps during the day; 8.05 miles, 1:08:22. 8:29 pace, 75F, 83% RH, 11 mph wind, overcast.

I headed out to Greece Arcadia High School for yet another GAHS run. How long? 5 or 7.5 or 8? I opted for the longest, 8 miles. I had on my OMEP with 1200 ml of ice and water. A bit over of overkill but I have gotten used to having my hands free. The wind was from the south so I was hot when I headed north to Lake Ontario and fought a head wind coming back on Island Cottage. I just put it into "get it done" pace and got it done. My splits were: 13, 28, 26, 18, 26, 44, 46 and 41. Boom ... done. I was dripping with sweat when I got done.

Wednesday, 8/22/2018: 8275 steps during the day, rest day.

The usual rest day. Leftover chicken, mac'n'cheese and salad for supper. I thing my darling wife, Christine, is upping my protein since I always complain that I'm hungry. I'm cutting my running down to 3 days a week but keeping the same mileage more or less. I need that extra rest day on Sunday to recover from 18 miles (or more) on Saturday. Another 18 (or 20) miles is on tap for Saturday.

Thursday, 8/23/2018: 17990 steps during the day; 9.25 miles, 1:18:44, 8:25 pace, 77F, 47% RH, 13 mph wind, sunny.

A Thursday run ... but how long? 5, 7.55, 8.05 or longer? I wanted longer so I went home and ran my 15K route from the townhouse. I filled my OMEP with 1 liter of ice and water and set up a nice and steady pace. I saw that woman runner with her husband or boyfriend tailing her twice plus a couple of bicycles. My splits were: 8:22, 8:28, 8:28, 8:26, 8:22, 8:23, 8:16, 8:34, 8:34 and 8:04 over the last 0.35 mile. Boom ... done.

Friday, 8/24/2018: 8255 steps during the day, rest day.

The usual rest day before a long run on an early Saturday morning.

Saturday, 8/25/2018: 13853 steps during the day; 18.05 miles, 2:37:00, 8:42 pace, 63F, 83% RH, 3 mph wind, mostly cloudy.

I got up when my alarm went off at 5 AM. It was dark'o'clock but I wanted another 18 or 20 mile long run. I puttered for a bit. It was still dark at 6 AM so I puttered a bit more. I got outside around 6:30 AM. I had a bit of trouble when I put on my OMEP (filled with 1600 ml of ice cubes and water). I put my arm in the left side first and then tried to shrug it on through the right side. Well ... the right side slid against my Pebble 2 HR smartwatch and torqued a side of the watchband off ... $%&#! I tried to put the bandpin back in its tiny hole but I couldn't. Well ... no matter. I stuffed it into my Nathan Zipster and got going around 6:45 AM. I set up a nice and easy pace and settled in. I saw Phil Alesio on Old Edgemere Drive between Long Pond Rd and Lowden Point Rd. I saw a couple of lady runners on East Manitou Rd. I took Hammer Gel at miles 6, 10 and 14 like usual. I did encounter an asshole driver on Edgemere Drive just west of Long Pond Rd at mile 12. I was running about 3 feet of the shoulder when the driver of a gold(?) car took a swerve for a second onto the shoulder before he got back in his lane. It wasn't accidental ... it was on purpose. I gave him a yell and probably a few curse words but I'm sure that they were unheard. Well ... I kept running. I kind of fell apart at mile 15 like I usually do ... just not as bad as last week. It's damn difficult to get it out of my mind that I need to keep running when my legs start just getting sore and tired. I would have 10 more miles to go in a marathon with the clock ticking against me! Whatever ... my splits were: 8:18, 8:16, 8:22, 8:17, 8:37, 8:21, 8:54, 8:30, 8:36, 8:53, 8:43, 8:32, 8:44, 9:04, 8:47, 9:07 and 9:32. I wasn't as sore as I had been after 18 mile so I guess there is that. Oh, I am very sure that my Pebble 2 HR smartwatch steps were off since there were only 13K steps instead of 27K steps like last week. I guess it didn't like being stuffed in my Nathan Zipster.

I saw on Facebook that the 2nd Midsummer Night's Madness was held down in Mendon Ponds Park. There were 78 finishers in the solo 13 mile run, link here. There were also relay teams with some really interesting names and with their names listed, link here.

All in all, a pretty relaxing day after a long run. I had a nice and big cinnamon bun after the run. I lost weight down to 161.2 after the run but I gained it back to 165 by Monday morning.

Sunday, 8/12/2018 to Saturday, 8/18/2018 - Dirt Cheap #5

I ran 4 times this week, 32.68 miles.
I took 82,086 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.
Common abbreviation: OMEP is Orange Mud Endurance Pack

Sunday, 8/12/2018: 458 steps during the day, rest day.

My thighs ached and didn't want me to run ... or move very much so I didn't. My lovely wife, Christine, and I got sucked ... willingly ... into the Hallmark Channel. We watched Unleashing Mr Darcy, Marrying Mr Darcy, A Summer to Remember with Katherine Bell of The Good Witch, Eat, Play, Love with Lee Majors of The Six Million Dollar Man and Lindsay Wagner of The Bionic Woman, Love at Sea with Audrey Landers (Afton Cooper of Dallas). Older actors and actresses may not get the lead but I do like seeing them work!

Other trail runners were down in Letchworth running the Dam Good Trail Race. 114 runners finished, link here. I have run this trail race 7 times in its 10 year history and have fond memories of it. A nice, low key trail race with an excellent post-race line up of pizza and homemade treats. Mmm!

Monday, 8/13/2018: 6709 steps during the day, rest day.

My lovely wife, Christine, texted me that she had steamed lobsters chilling at home ... so I went home instead out for a run. She was more than a bit beat but she managed to peel the lobsters and microwave the potatoes before she got tuckered out. Mmm!

Tuesday, 8/14/2018: 12305 steps during the day; 5.05.miles, 42:09, 8:21 pace, 77F, 79% RH, 4 mph wind, overcast with an occasional sprinkle.


I don't usually run the day before a race but today I did. Two reasons: I hadn't run in 3 days and a steady trail pace is a lot slower and easier than a steady road pace. So out I went. It was a bit muggy and it sprinkled a bit so my tech shirt was soaked when I got done. My lovely wife, Christine, had bought a couple of flowers (40% off) so I dug a couple of holes out in front of the townhouse before I went up to take a shower. Anyhow ... my splits were: 8:13, 8:18, 8:27, 8:28 and 8:19.

Wednesday, 8/15/2018: 15308 steps during the day; 4.53 miles, 43:39, 9:26 pace, 82F, 66% RH, 9 mph wind, mostly cloudy.

Tonight's race was Dirt Cheap #5 held out at Black Creek Park. This race supposedly to be Dirt Cheap #2 but it was flip flopped because of poor trail conditions back in mid-April. I headed out right after work and arrived around 5:25 PM. I had plenty of time before the 6:30 PM start. I talked with Andy Ciaio, Tom Dutton and Tom Butler before the race. Andy told me that this was his first run since Sunday's Dam Good Trail Race, results here, and how he had face-planted at mile 11. His left shin did bear the scabs of a fall.

I didn't do a warm up run before this race. It was hot and muggy so I didn't want to get all sweaty before the race. I knew I would have more than enough of that after the race started. Thankfully there was a nice breeze and it wasn't sunny! So ... I just chilled. I ambled over to the Start arch with about 7 minutes to go and waited with Andy. I just had my 18 ounce Nathan SpeedDraw Plus flask filled with water. I kind of wished that I had my OMEP but I thought it was a bit of overkill for an under 5 mile trail race.

The start and finish before Dirt Cheap #5

And ... we were off! The starts leads straight up a 100 foot ski hill and then to lots of double track. I took it slow up the hill and settled into a nice and easy trail pace. I knew that there would be plenty of time to pick up the pace when I needed to. I was near a couple of gabby women ... I suffered through it until they got separated from each other. I watched for roots and reminded myself to pick up my feet. Then ... came lots and lots of twisty single track trail. I just stuck behind the runner in front of me and only passed if I had to. I caught up to Joe Ciecieraga for a bit before he passed someone. Joe was nowhere to be seen when I broke out of the single track. Then ... over to and up the ski hill again ... left into some more twisty single track trail. I had to really careful here ... I was tired and knew to keep on picking up my feet or else take a tumble ... out unscathed ... 1/4 mile to go ... Andy gave me a "You're almost there" yell .. Ellen called me in ... and done with 4.53 miles in 43:39 gun time, 43:36 chip time. My splits were: 9:10, 8:45, 8:47, 9:13 and 11:54 over the last 0.53 mile. I don't remember going that slow over the last 0.53 mile though. The Relive link to Dirt Cheap #5 is here. I did OK, 71st out of 259, 1st out of 7 in my 60-64 age group, link here.

Post Dirt Cheap #5

I was drenched with sweat and drank the rest of the water in my flask right away and chowed down a couple hot dogs and cookies. I talked with Andy and Tina Pellegrin for a bit. Tina was unhappy that her Garmin Forerunner 930xt had given her an "INVALID" error when she had hit "Save" on her last two runs. Bummer! I Googled her error when I got home but couldn't find a definitive reason other than a year old post about firmware. So ... another Dirt Cheap done. I didn't trip but I did pick up a few scratches from pricker bushes on my left legs. All in all ... a good time!

Thursday, 8/16/2018: 13624 steps during the day; 5.05 miles, 44:10, 8:45 pace, 88F, 55% RH, 6 mph wind, mostly cloudy

It was kind of a bitch day today. I picked a fight over nothing with my darling wife, Christine. I definitely needed a run so I took a hour of vacation ... and ran in the heat and humidity when didn't do too much for my mood.


I set up a stubborn, slow and steady pace. I didn't have my OMEP ... just my 18 ounce Nathan SpeedDraw Plus flask which was thankfully filled with ice and water. I think I dumped more on my head, neck and shoulders than I drank. It was hot and humid! But ... I got it done. My splits were: 8:45, 8:45, 8:47, 8:32, 8:42, and 8:20 over the last 0.05 mile. I went straight home and right up to take a cool shower when I got home.

Then ... I went out to supper with my youngest son, David, and his friend Titiana out to the Pasta Villa on East Ridge Rd in Irondequoit. I was told that they are just friends, not boyfriend and girlfriend. First, it poured on the way there as a front moved through. Second, Christine would have liked to come along but David was extremely nervous and wanted to keep the first meet simple. Of course, Christine thought that was disrespectful to her. Third, Pasta Villa was super busy and loud so Christine would not have liked that due to her tinnitus anyway. Fourth, we ended up eating at Olive Garden out on West Ridge Rd instead. Titiana was 20, quite nice, 5'7" and petite. I had the lasagna, Titiana had the shrimp scampi and David had the Taste of Italy. I brought Christine home a take home bag of Cheese Ravioli with Marinara sauce and a couple of bread sticks as a peace offering for being an ass. We kissed and made up before we went to sleep and again in the morning so we are all good there. I do love her but sometimes life and my reactions to it and Christine can just get in the way of a loving relationship.

Friday, 8/17/2018: 6495 steps during the day, rest day.

The usual rest day before a long run on Saturday morning. My alarm was set for 5 AM.

Saturday, 8/18/2018: 27187 steps during the day; 18.05 miles, 2:40:20, 8:53 pace, 68F, 94% RH, 8 mph wind, overcast with light sprinkles or rain for miles 0-9.


I got up when my alarm went off at 5 AM. It was dark but I could hear that it was raining outside. The weather forecast said it would clear so I puttered around a bit while I ate a bowl of cereal and checked Facebook and email. Facebook showed me the start of the Twisted Branch 100K Trail Run. Awesome! So ... my 18 miles on tap didn't seem so long. I got my gear ready ... my Orange Mud Endurance Pack (with 1600 ml of ice and water), my Hammer Gel flask and applied Body Glide. I also found a hat to wear. I got outside just at 7 AM. I checked Storm Radar on my cell and it appeared relatively clear so I left my hat in the mailbox. I set up a nice and easy road pace. My thinking was that pace wasn't important. Getting this run done without pain was more important. Well ... it started to sprinkle almost immediately. It was a steady light rain between miles 2 and 4. I didn't really mind. It kept my mind off of running. I took a Hammer Gel gulp at mile 6. I saw a group of 4 women runners around mile 7. The sprinkles started around mile 9. I had another Hammer Gel gulp at mile 10 and mile 14. I started to get a bit of mile thigh pain at mile 15. I did push it and went into an easy run/walk. I think I could have pushed through it. I got done just as I heard the coffee get done inside the townhouse. My splits were: 8:47, 8:49, 8:41, 8:30, 8:44, 8:30, 9:01, 8:35, 8:42, 8:46, 9:05, 8:47, 8:40, 8:49, 9:15, 9:27, 9:16 and 9:29.

OK! 18 miles in the books without hip pain! I did discover that I had another place to put Body Glide before a long run. I put it on my nipples, shoulder but not my groin. Hopefully I will remember next time! I was a bit stiff the rest of the day but it wasn't really too bad.

Oh .. the Twisted Branch Trail Run, results here. 110 runners finished and 23 did not finish. I read on Facebook that the conditions were not that great in the morning with a three hour rain around dawn making the footing muddy and slippery. Bambi Jasmin in 18:28:07 and Mort Nace in 18:40:58 were two runners that I knew who finished. Awesome! 100K on hilly, muddy trails is a long ways!

Sunday, 8/5/2018 to Saturday, 8/11/2018

I ran 5 times this week, 34.45 miles.
I took 84,075 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.
Common abbreviation: OMEP is Orange Mud Endurance Pack

Sunday, 8/5/2018: 8299 steps during the day; RBR run of 2.05 miles run1, 11 miles bike, 2.05 mile run2.

I puttered around for a long time but I finally got out. What to do? It was the day after 15.25 miles so I didn't want to run very far. It was warm so I definitely didn't want to run very far. So ... I decided to do the DeWeaver Du of 2 mile run, 11 mile bike and 2 mile run. I got everything ready ... my OMEP filled to 1200 ml of ice and water, my bicycle locked to a tree outside and my Garmin Forerunner 310XT strapped to my wrist. I guess I started around 9:30 AM. I took a nice and steady run1 at around 8:30 pace. It was hot so I took my time in T1 ... about 3 minutes. My FR310XT died on the bike. It was warm but the breeze felt cool. I was tempted to quit after the bike but ... a Du isn't a Du if there isn't a run2. So ... I went out for the run2. I took it really nice and easy since it was even warmer ... around 9:00 or 9:30 pace. Boom ... done. My cranky, old and somewhat trusty FR310XT hasn't uploaded any data yet ... so the run1 and part of the bike are still inside it.

I lazed around the rest of the day. My darling wife, Christine, is still a bit weak from her 5 days stay at Strong Memorial Hospital so I made leftover chicken along with salad for me and warmed up some leftover soup for her. I am not the world's best cook by any stretch of the imagination.

Monday, 8/6/2018: 5571 steps during the day, rest day.

I made up a 18.4 mile route on www.plotaroute.com, link here. It doesn't have many due east stretches. My aim is to get out early (6 AM!) and get it done on Saturday.

Tuesday, 8/7/2018: 15260 steps during the day; 6.05 miles, 51:50, 8:34 pace, 82F, 70% RH,


It was very muggy when I got out of work. But ... it was Tuesday so I ran. I should say I shuffled and imitated a run. I put my pace at "get it done" and got it done. I thought about 7 miles but wisely didn't. My splits were: 8:35, 8:25, 8:35, 8:18, 8:35 and 8:37. I was drenched with sweat when I got done. Yes ... I wore my OMEP filled with 1200 ml of water and ice (which quickly melted). I am getting better at filling it without making a mess.

Wednesday, 7/8/2018: 8490 steps during the day, rest day.

I read on Facebook that Bill Murphy who suffered a heart blockage at Dirt Cheap #3 (?) is back! He finished  the Hot Summer Night 5K tonight along with 556 others, link here. Go, go, go ... Bill!

Thursday, 7/9/2018: 14207 steps during the day; 6.25 miles, 52:44, 8:26 pace, 81F, 58% RH, 6 mph W wind, mostly cloudy.


I got involved with stuff right until 5 PM so I ran once I got home. It was stupid muggy just like Tuesday just not as bad. I set up a "get it done" pace and got a 10K run done. My splits were: 8:28, 8:30, 8:20, 8:35, 8:25, 8:27 and 7:47 over the last 0.25 mile. Boom ... done! I was drenched with sweat when I got done and went straight upstairs to take a cool shower. I also put on the A/C (only the fourth time this summer) for a while before bedtime. My darling wife, Christine, warmed up some ribs and made a delicious spinach and bacon salad. Mmm!

Friday, 8/10/2018: 5860 steps during the day, rest day.

Just your typical Friday ... a rest day before a long run on Saturday.

Saturday, 8/11/2018: 26388 steps during the day; 18.05 miles, 2:40:40, 8:53 pace, 55F, 100% RH,

I was awake a few minutes before my 5 AM alarm went off. I puttered around for a while I ate my usual bowl of cereal and checked out my email and Facebook. I did get out around 6:15 AM.


It was nice and cool out. I set up a nice and easy pace. I saw a woman runner with a guy tailing her on his bike right away on the LOSP trail. I had seen them a few weeks before. I was up on Edgemere Drive between Long Pond Rd and Lowden Point Rd when I felt alternating pockets of warm and cool air. There was stretches where the wind was warm and then the wind was cool. I felt them as I ran down East Manitou Rd too. I was running Lowden Point Rd when I came suddenly upon a group of 3 runners ... one knew me. Then there were a group of 2 more runners ... I thought I knew one. I took a slug of Hammer Gel at mile 6 and just as I neared Long Pond Rd. I almost kept going east on Edgemere Drive to cut the run shorter but I turned right on Long Pond Rd instead. I was feeling tired but I ran all the way down Long Pond Rd to Janes Rd. Now ... my right hip started to hurt. I tried to ignore it but I was forced into a run/walk on the LOSP trail. My left Achilles heel started to ache too as I adjusted my gait. Anyway ... I got a 18 miler in and it wasn't pretty. Mp splits were: 8:20, 8:12, 8:11, 8:22, 8:18, 8:26, 9:06, 8:18, 8:42, 8:25, 9:11, 8:52, 8:25, 8:51, 9:13, 9:46, 10:53 and 10:43. Marathon training sucks!!! Maybe I am too hard on myself but trying to convince myself to keep running past 13.1 miles is tough mentally and just as hard physically.

Sunday, 7/29/2013 to Saturday, 8/4/2018

I ran 4 times this week, 41.6 miles.
I took 104,415 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Common abbreviation: OMEP is Orange Mud Endurance Pack

Sunday, 7/29/2018: 22450 steps during the day; 13.55 mile, 2:05:32, 9:16 pace, 66F, 73% RH, 7 mph W wind, sunny.

Well ... Christine was still at Strong Memorial Hospital (SMH). But ... I needed to get out for a long run first. I didn't get out as early as I wanted. It was 30 minutes later than yesterday, around 8:30 AM, in fact. It was nice and cool at first. I set up a nice and easy pace and clicked out some miles. I gulped a few mouthfuls of Hammer Gel at mile 9. I slowed a bit. The full sun hit me as I ran east on Janes Rd. My right hip started to ache at mile 11. I tried a run/walk but didn't push. I didn't want to do anything stupid so I mostly walked the last 1.5 miles. It was definitely hotter when I got done around 10:30 AM. My splits were: 19, 16, 18, 20, 29, 27, 12, 26, 14, 29, 9:46, 10:10, 13:25 and 15:41 over the last 0.55 mile. Takeaways: I should have gotten out at 6 AM and put on sunscreen.

Not exactly the best beginning to a month or two of long runs to prep for my upcoming Empire State Marathon on October 14th. I am sure that I will question my logic and sanity soon. Pushing past the half marathon distance does give you plenty of time to do that! I think I will put the longest run of the weekend on Saturday next weekend. My legs seemed to be tired from running 11.05 miles yesterday.

Then it was time to head to SMH to see my darling wife, Christine. She was still in ED Observation, bed 73. Her ear and cheek were more swollen than yesterday. I was told that she has a skin infection. It seems to be resistant to antibiotics but the doc said that the swelling most times gets worse before it gets better. She was admitted to SMH and will be in a different room tomorrow. I helped as much as I could when she got up to go to the bathroom. She has to unplug her IV machine and adjust her gown, shuffle off to the bathroom and then reverse the process on the way back. I tried to brush her hair but it was full of snarls. I have a list of things to bring tomorrow: an emery board, chia seeds and a spray to unsnarl her hair. Oh ... and hard candy. The doc said that sucking on hard candy will help get out the infection in her salivary glands. I got lucky when I left the SMH parking garage ... there was no one taking money!

Monday, 7/30/2018: 8945 steps during the day, rest day.

I took off at 2 PM (though I didn't really get out until 2:45 PM) to go see my darling wife, Christine, at Strong Memorial Hospital (SMH). I saved $6 by parking in the nearby free College Town parking lot near Mt Hope Ave and Elmwood Ave. I did shop at CVS and looked in on Rochester Running Company so I was there for a legitimate purpose ... I just took a long walk afterward. SMH is about a 1/4 mile walk away down Elmwood Ave. I got up to see her a bit before 4 PM. Her right ear looked a lot better but it was still swollen. Her glands were also still swollen. She said that she is going stir crazy and joked about it to the medical people who looked in on her. Her supper was lost for a bit but I did score a free supper when someone who had been discharged didn't need their supper. I was hungry so the fish, green beans, mashed potatoes with gravy and lemon meringue pie disappeared quickly. Hey ... it saved me going to Wegmans for rotisserie chicken. There are no leftovers left in the refrigerator back at the quiet townhouse. So it's either buy something or eat sandwiches every night now.

Tuesday, 7/31/2018: 17258 steps during the day; 6.55 miles, 54:56, 8:24 pace, 82F, 55% RH, 3 mph W wind, partly cloudy.


I took off at 2 PM so I could get in a run before I went to see my lovely wife, Christine, at Strong Memorial Hospital (SMH). I used plotaroute.com to map a route from the College Town parking lot but decided to park by the swimming pool at Genesee Valley Park (GVP) and run a loop in GVP and along both sides of the Genesee Riverway Trail up to Court St to avoid traffic altogether. It was really muggy so I wore my OMEP filled with ice (which didn't last long) and water. I took it really nice and easy. The trail around Court St and South Ave was a bit dodgy with construction but I managed to find my way around. I was more than happy to stop when I got back to the '14 Cruze. My splits were: 8:33, 8:19, 8:19, 8:29, 8:24, 8:16 and 8:19 over the last 0.55 mile. I was drenched when I got done and it took a while to cool down enough to drive over to the College Town parking lot for its free parking (4 hours after 4 PM).

Christine looked a lot better today. Her right ear and glands were almost back to normal. Her color looked a lot better. Internal Medicine switched her meds from IV to oral. She will probably be coming home tomorrow assuming that there is no adverse reactions to the oral meds.

It's the end of July ... so it's stat time!
I ran 19 times in July for 133.14 miles, miles/run.
I ran 4 races in July:
 Irondequoit 10K on 7/4: 48:38, 7:55 pace
 Boilermaker 15K on 7/8: 1:13:51, 7:49 pace
 Dirt Cheap #4 on 7/11: 5.02 miles, 50:40, 10:06 pace
 Shoreline Half on 7/14: 2:00:01, 9:04 pace
I have run 22 race so far in 2018.
I biked twice in July, 13.87 miles on 7/1 and 15.82 miles on 7/15
I took 354,574 steps in July and 2,312,048 steps so far in 2018 according to my Pebble 2 HR smartwatch..

Wednesday, 8/1/2018: 8199 steps during the day, rest day.

Christine got the OK to get out of Strong Memorial Hospital (SMH) around 11 AM but had to wait a while for the Outpatient Pharmacy to fill her medicine order. I picked her up at the Outpatient Pickup Area at 1:30 PM. We went straight home. The first thing she did was take a shower ... it had been a while. She and I relaxed the rest of the day. She did complain that she gained water weight due to all the IVs that SMH had pumped in her. I was glad to have her home ... the townhouse had been too quiet.

Thursday, 8/2/2018: 17328 steps during the day; 6.25 miles, 52:35, 8:25 pace, 81F, 58% RH, 5 mph SSW wind, mostly cloudy.

I went home during lunch to check on Christine ... a good intention but poor result. She was cranky when she thought I was being her up her lunch but instead just ate my lunch. We both were cranky to each other instead.


I got caught up with work so I didn't get out from the townhouse until 6 PM. It was muggy! I set up a really nice and easy pace. I struggled to hold it but I did succeed. Other people would have stayed inside in their A/C but ... runners tend not to do that. Anyway ... it felt like I was swimming not running! My splits were: 8:20, 8:21, 8:25, 8:26, 8:36, 8:27 and 8:05 over the last 0.25 mile. I was drenched when I got done. I marched straight up to take a cool shower when I got done. Then I treated Christine and I to 3 hours of A/C comfort before we called it a night. We have had the A/C on for about 6 hours so far this summer.

Friday, 8/3/2018: 6256 steps during the day, rest day.

The usual rest day. I mapped out a 16.16 mile route, link here, on www.plotaroute.com. So ... my alarm was set for 5 AM. My plan is to get out at 6 AM to get the run done before the sun gets high and it gets warm.

Saturday, 8/4/2018: 23979 steps during the day; 15.25 miles, 2:12:12, 8:40 pace, 66F, 100% RH, 4 mph WSW wind, mostly cloudy.

I woke up early ... when I finally checked the clock it was 4:12 AM. Joy. I got out of bed at 4:30 AM. But ... did I get out early and run? That would be ... no. I puttered around for longer than I should. I did get out before 7 AM. I decided to wear one of my Phelps Sauerkraut 20K tech shirts since that race was being held at 8 AM. I filled up my OMEP with ice and 1200 ml of water and headed out. I set up a nice and steady "get it done" pace. I almost turned around when I got 6 miles in at the corner of Edgemere Drive and East Manitou Rd but I turned left and headed down East Manitou Rd ... no turning back now. I had a mouthful of Hammer Gel at mile 8 and 12. I had a bit of trouble past mile 11. All my roads heading east (Frisbee Hill Rd, Kuhn Rd and Janes Rd) were directly into the sun and it was getting warmer. I had a choice to make the run shorter if I took the LOSP trail. The LOSP trail had shade so I took it. Boom ... done with 15.25 miles. My splits were: 8:25, 8:23, 8:23, 8:30, 8:25, 8:54, 8:26, 8:29, 8:35, 8:44, 8:43, 9:01, 8:57, 9:38, 8:32 and 8:14 over the last 0.25 mile. I didn't really hurt too much afterward. Maybe next week I can get out at 6 AM and get over 16 miles.

I tried to take a nap around 11 AM but couldn't. I never could nap when I was a kid and I still can't. I got out to go see my daughter, Karen, in Palmyra and my oldest son, Michael, in Macedon. There was rain when I headed east. A storm drain was clogged on 490E which delayed me for a few minutes and then there was a torrential downpour between Perinton and Macedon. I had to drive slower with my wipers on double time. It was the heaviest rain I have ever driven in!

Oh, the numbers at the Phelps Sauerkraut 5K and 20K were down this year. 106 finished the 5K, link here. 59 finished the 20K, link here. I was kind of sorry that I didn't run it (2006 - 1:44:56, 2008 - 1:35:48, 2010 -1:39:12, 2011 - 1:37:08, 2013 - 1:40:51, 2014 - 1:42:27 and 2015 - 1:38:14) ... but $45 not spent there is $45 I can spend on Rochester Runner of Year races like the Heather Boyum 5K and the Grocery Run 5K. Oh, I somehow set my lifetime 20K PR of 1:35:48 in 2008 on that hilly course.

Another Oh ... the last Bergen 5K was held. There were 175 finishers, link here. The winner, Garrett Kenyon from Beaver Dams NY, ran a 14:43! That's a 4:44 pace!

Sunday, 7/22/2018 to Saturday, 7/29/2018

I ran 3 times this week, 30.25 miles.
I took 75,124 steps this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.
Common abbreviation: OMEP is Orange Mud Endurance Pack

Sunday, 10/22/2018: 15666 steps during the day; 10.75 miles, 1:27:24, 8:08 pace, 70F, 88% RH, 13 mph ESE wind, overcast.

I didn't get out as early as yesterday but I did get out a bit after 10 AM. Just a simple out and back to Lowden Point Rd. This was my second run with my new Orange Mud Endurance Pack (OMEP). The bladder had 1200 ml of water and I carried 16 ounces of water in my Nathan SpeedDraw Plus flask. The OMEP felt lighter on my back with 1200 ml vs yesterday's 1600 ml of water. So ... I guess I ran faster! I stopped three or four times on the way back. I cleared a few tree limbs off of Edgemere Drive twice. I looked at the waves crashing into shore off of Lake Ontario. I also stopped to take a picture of a swan that was hanging out alongside Edgemere Drive.

I gave this swan a wide berth when I ran west on Edgemere Drive and it was still there on the way back. Did it made it across the guard rail?

I paused my Garmin each time ... and even remembered to resume it. My splits were: 8:36, 8:05, 8:03, 8:01, 8:00, 8:01, 7:54, 7:58, 8:28, 8:12 and 8:04 over the last 0.75 mile. I plan on hiking up my long run mileage next weekend towards 14 miles on Saturday. I just have plot a route and get out early!

The usual mugs of coffee ensued after the run. I bored my darling wife, Christine, by watching the British Open. It was interesting to see Tiger Woods in the hunt for a major ... it's been a long time. He had the lead for a few moments after the 10th but had a double bogey on the 11th and a bogey on the 12th. He did finish in a tie for 6th at -5. An Italian by the name of  Francesco Molinari won by 2 strokes at -8, ESPN link here.

Meanwhile, other runners were out there doing awesome stuff. The Candlelight 12 hour was held overnight down at the Honeoye Falls EquiCenter. It rained on them. The Cayuga Trails 50 miles and Marathon was held down in Watkins Glen, results for the 125 finishers in the 50 mile here and the 153 finishers in the marathon here. The Lake Placid Ironman was held. Jim McLaughlin finished his 18th Ironman in 13:22:56.

Monday, 7/23/2018: 5116 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 7/24/2018: 17560 steps during the day; 8.45 miles, 1:12:16, 8:33 pace, 79F, 84% RH, 5 mph SSE wind, mostly cloudy.

It was definitely a bit muggy but it was Tuesday so I ran. I wore my OMEP filled with 800 ml of water and carried a 10 ounce water bottle in the left front pouch. I used the water bottle to dump some water on my head every couple of miles. It was like running through a wall of water after mile 5 so I slowed down. My splits were: 8:15, 8:23, 8:37, 8:20, 8:21, 9:03, 8:41, 8:37 and 8:48 over the last 0.45 mile.

Wednesday, 7/25/2018: 4982 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 7/26/2018: 5833 steps during the day, rest day.

Life just got in the way as sometimes happens. I got out of work late and then I had to stop by Fleet Feet Ridgeway to exchange my Nathan Zipster with a blown zipper for a new one (which is $30 MSRP). I may buy my next pair of running shoes at Fleet Feet to thank them!

Friday, 7/27/2018: 6834 steps during the day, ER day.

No, not me. My darling wife, Christine, texted me during the afternoon to tell me that had a 102.8 fever and had a doctor's appointment at 4:15 PM. I offered to drive her ... good thing it turned out. I took 2 hours vacation and we got to the doctor around 3:30. The doctor took one look at her ear and 102.6 fever. She took us to go to either a Ears-Nose-Throat doctor or to the ER. It was late so off we went to the Strong Memorial Hospital (SMD) ER.

Well, it was 4:45 PM on a Friday night ... the ER waiting room was full. I left Christine at the door while I parked the '14 Cruze in the parking garage ... remember 4 Blue (I thought). So ... we wait for Christine to be called. Eventually she is (after a couple of hours) and we head back to 47A. Christine got a lounge chair with curtains. Our area is maybe 10 feet by 5 feet. There are 5 other patients in this room (ours was against a wall at least). Her BP and temp is taken. Her blood is drawn and she is given an IV. More waiting. A med student came in and took her history. Christine told me that she was cold so I went out and scored her a blanket. A medical doctor came and said that she would be getting a CT. Then a young ENT doc came in and examined her ear (finally) ... it hurt her. He didn't think a CT was necessary. He thought it was an inflammation of the cartaridge in the ear lobe. He prescribed an antibiotic to be given via her IV. Christine told me that she was hungry. I asked and after they found that she could eat a nurse brought both(!) of us a turkey sandwich and apple juice ... heaven! Well ... it was after 10 PM. They told us that Christine would be staying the night under observation. So ... I left to go find the '14 Cruze around 11 PM. Yes, I had to FIND the '14 Cruze ... with key fob in hand ... pressing it and trying to figure out which direction the car horn was actually coming from ... it took me about 5 minutes. Luckily there wasn't much traffic or many cars in the parking garage. The guy at the ER exit who validated my parking ticket told me about the key fob trick. I was home by 11:30 PM ... a long day. I am sure that Christine had a longer one being prodded all night somewhere in SMH.

Saturday, 11/28/2017: 19133 steps during the day; 11.05 miles, 1:30:50, 8:13 pace, 66F, 83% RH, 6 mph WSW wind, partly cloudy.


Yes, Christine was still at SMH but I wasn't going to do her any good at 8 AM without a run. I was up at 6:45 AM and out at 8 AM. I should have done a longer run than 11.05 miles but it was was it was. I thought I needed to be elsewhere. But I got it done. I decided to just go out to Lowden Point Rd and back. My splits were: 8:04, 8:04, 8:10, 8:19, 8:07, 8:20, 8:11, 8:23, 8:19, 8:12, 8:17 and 7:25 over the last 0.05 mile.

I had my usual 2 mugs of coffee while I caught up on email, Facebook and uploaded my Garmin data. Plus I did 3 loads of laundry. Then ... it was time to head out t SMH to see my darling wife, Christine. She was in room 73 in the ER Observation Area. She looked worse. Her left ear was redder and her cheek was more swellen. The plus was that she had more room ... about 10 x 10 feet. I sat with her. She was a bit cranky and I helped her navigate when she had to go to the bathroom while she was trailing her IV.  I left around 8 PM and headed home. I had some leftovers for supper.

Sunday, 7/15/2018 to Saturday, 7/21/2018

I ran 3 times this week, 25.05 miles.
I biked once this week, 15.82 miles.
I took 73,059 steps during the week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.
Common abbreviation: OMEP is Orange Mud Endurance Pack

Sunday, 7/15/2018: 3291 steps during the day; 15.82 bike ride, 11.1 average speed, 27.7 mph maximum speed, 82F, 62% RH, mostly cloudy, the high at KROC was 91F.

I was a bit cranky all day which did lead to a tiff between my lovely wife, Christine, and I. It was totally my fault. I was a bit miffed that I was doing the laundry (yet again) while all she did was complain about the heat. I may complain but I usually get what needs to be done ... it may not be perfect but it gets done. But ... we are a team. We each have our strengths, challenges and weaknesses. Together, we are stronger.


I did get out for a 15.82 mile (according to my RoadID eCrumb) bike ride. I forgot to turn my Garmin Forerunner 310XT back on after my last water stop. Anyway, I just biked around. I rode slowly by the Ontario Beach Park. A beach volleyball tournament seemed to going on. This bike ride was not a hammerfest ... just a nice and easy ride to pass the time in the heat. I stopped three time to drink water. I also got a nice gash on my right shin when I missed the pedal once when I was starting back up ... ouch!

Monday, 7/16/2018: 6719 steps during the day, rest day, the high at KROC was 94F

I have included the temperature at KROC (Greater Rochester International Airport) recently off and on. Rochester has had more than of its share of 90F or better days lately. The Channel 8 weather had a graphic this morning that Rochester was going to have its fourth day in a row of 90F today, that it was the 2nd heat wave (3 or more days of 90F or better), that 10 out of the 16 days in July so far have been 90F or better and there have 15 days of 90F or better so far in 2018 so far.

Tuesday, 7/17/2018: 15764 steps during the day; 5.35 miles, 45:15, 8:27 pace, 82F, 37% RH, 16 mph NW wind, partly cloudy.


Today's run was brought to you by the word blah. I got up the parking lot by the Greece Arcadia High track by 4 PM ... just in time for a run but not a long one by 5 PM. I needed to run but just couldn't get into it. The forecast was for it to be cooler ... not very much though. There was a hot breeze out of the wind which pushed me back as I ran west on Janes Rd. Then it was behind me and didn't cool me off as I ran back east. So ... I just put one foot in front of the other and got it done. My splits were: 8:20, 8:33, 8:41, 8:18, 8:27 and 8:21 over the last 0.35 mile. Not a very auspicious start to my Empire State Marathon training. But ... then I am not going to do long runs on week day evening either am I?

Wednesday, 7/18/2018: 5608 steps during the day, rest day.

I was glad that I happened to turn on the ESPY's and caught most of the introductory video about Jim Kelly and all of his speech after he received the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, ESPN link here, Buffalo Bills link here, NY Post link here (entire speech video). He is such an inspiration throughout his Buffalo Bill career, his fight for his son Hunter and his fight with oral cancer! Chis Berman, longtime EPSN commentator, said "In my opinion, the phrase “Kelly Tough” is an understatement. Even doctors have said, we’ve never met a patient this tough. The stuff you think of as a slogan is real life. Jim has faced this three times, beating cancer head on. He’s a Hall of Fame quarterback, a Hall of Fame person and a Hall of Fame cancer survivor" - quote from BuffaloBills.com. The last of his speech deserves special notation: "So I just urge everybody out there, if you have somebody out there who is suffering -- it doesn't have to be cancer -- it could be somebody not having a good day. It could be your mom or your dad. It could be your grandparents. What you say to them, the smile that you have on your face, that could be the difference in them making it to the next day. Remember that. Always, always persevere. Like Jimmy V said, never, ever give up." - quote from ESPN.com. Kelly Tough!

Thursday, 7/19/2018: 18662 steps during the day; 8.15 miles, 1:07:05, 8:15 pace, 84F, 35% RH, 6 mph W wind, partly cloudy.

The benefit of shopping locally at Fleet Feet Rochester manifested itself today. I have been looking at the Orange Mud line of hydration vests (either the Gear Vest with its 1 liter bladder or the Endurance Pack with its 2 liter bladder). I had looked at Fleet Feet Ridgeway and they only had Nathan hydration vests. So I emailed info@fleetfeetrochester.com about it. I received an email from Boots, the owner, two minutes later saying he would check inventory at the Armory and Buffalo stores. I got an email from Kelly seven minutes later saying that they carried the Endurance Pack at the Armory and asked if I wanted to see it at Ridgeway if that was more convenient. It was and I will try it on tomorrow after 4 PM.


Another Thursday run from Greece Arcadia High school. Their parking lot had one truck in it when I parked just before 5 PM. It was a wide open parking lot visible from Island Cottage so I felt pretty safe leaving the '14 Cruze there while I went off running. It was a bit warm but I had my Nathan SpeedDraw Plus full of ice and water ... and I needed it. I set up a steady but a bit hard pace and kept it there. I started to dump water down my back and head by mile 4. But I pushed on and got it done without stopping. My splits were: 8:08, 8:16, 8:17, 8:15, 8:13, 8:13, 8:20, 8:14 and 7:34 over the last 0.15 mile.

Then ... I had a bit of a mishap with my glasses. I went to Wegmans after my run and changed from my sweaty tech into my dry tech shirt before I went in. Well ... I took off my glasses and put them on the rear window by the trunk. Then I tried to close the trunk. Clunk! Luckily my glasses were pretty strong. Only the right lens popped out and the frames seemed unaffected. I tried to put it back in before I went into Wegmans without success. I found a set of small screwdrivers once I got home. It was a bit tough seeing the tiny screw without my glasses but I managed to put my right lens back in ... then the left lens popped out. So I put that one back in too. My lenses had all sort of fingerprints on them for some reason, lol! Once I had them all cleaned then it was time for supper ... ribs, fries and salad!

Friday, 07/20/2018: 5747 steps during the day, rest day.

I headed over to Fleet Feet Ridgeway after work to look at the Orange Mud Endurance Pack (OMEP) with its 2 liter bladder. Cheryl was waiting for me and had me try it on. She adjusted it so it fit me. It was as light as feather (without water). She told me that she used it too. Well ... I bought it was the help of an expired (shh ... don't tell anyone) Fleet Feet $15 gift certificate. I also showed her a Nathan Zipster that had a blown zipper. It still had one good zipper pocket so I was still using it. Well ... she has a new heather blue Nathan Zipster coming to Fleet Feet Ridgeway on Tuesday!

Saturday, 7/21/2018: 17268 steps during the day; 11.55 miles, 1:38:52, 8:33 pace, 70F, 69% RH, 9 mph SE pace, sunny.


Well ... time to find out how that OMEP feels like. So ... I was up at 4:49 AM (when I first looked at my cell). My alarm was set for 5:30 AM. I puttered at bit and I was out the door by 7 AM barely. But ... not before I spilled most of the 2 liter bladder on the kitchen floor. Note to self; a 2 liter bladder does NOT sit up by itself while you are trying to fill it! I mopped up the mess, changed my socks, refilled my bladder to 1600 ml and got out the door. I set up a steady pace and set forth. I always set a slower pace when I feel a hydration pack on my back and today was no different. The pack felt light and high on my back. I burped it before I headed out and I heard no slushing sounds. It was humid and I started sweating at mile 1. I remember seeing a swan near the water on Edgemere Drive as I ran past. I saw about 10 Bagel Bunch runners heading north on Long Pond Rd as I ran south. One runner knew me as I ran east on Janes Rd. I thought about extending the run a bit but I kept to my 11 mile route with its 10K loop. My splits were: 8:23, 8:33, 8:44, 8:35, 8:30, 8:25, 9:04, 8:29, 8:31, 8:36, 8:27 and 8:16 over the last 0.55 mile.

First run with my Orange Mud Endurance Pack with its 2 liter bladder. I went old school with my Rochester Marathon 26.2 tech shirt.

Lots of relaxing soon ensued with the usual mugs of coffee. It was somewhat interrupted by a power outage for half of our Greenleaf Meadow complex for a couple of hours but we just sipped coffee, surfed the web with our cells and it came back on by 10:30 AM. I watched a lot of the British Open and the womens 2018 World Cup Rugby Sevens. Rugby ... an interesting game with no pads.

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.