Sunday, 3/8/2020 to Saturday, 3/14/2020 - Running of the Green (Deferred)

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 3 times for 15.77 miles this week.
I took 56,227 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 3/8/2020

8369 steps, 48/140 resting/peak HR, 8:40 hrs sleep, 169.3 lbs, 8 floors climbed
run: 4.85 miles, 43:14, 8:54 pace, 105 ft elevation gain, 130 avg HR, 159, avg cadence, 43F, 45 % RH, 14 mph W wind, wind chill 36F, a few clouds

Today's run was done because I was stubborn and knew that I would be cranky if I didn't run on a Sunday. I knew my legs were tired from yesterday's Round the Bay run of 14.65 miles. I groaned when I got off the couch. I groaned when I went up or down the stairs ... but I got up, puttered around, got dressed and got out. It was above freezing and close enough to 40F so I wore shorts! It was windy as well so I did my "Out to the pier" route at a nice and steady pace. My "just get it done" pace of just put one foot in front of the other. There were icicles on the guide wires on the pier that I knew would be gone by the afternoon. The temperature was forecast to be in the mid 50s in the afternoon. It was actually in the mid 60s! Anyway ... my splits were: 9:14, 8:37, 9:11, 8:58 and 8:28 over the last 0.85 mile.

Monday, 3/9/2020: 6028 steps, 53/108 resting/peak HR, 6:37 hrs sleep, 170.9 lbs, 1 floors climbed
Tuesday, 3/10/2020: 4854 steps, 51/102 resting/peak HR, 6:08 hrs sleep, 174.0 lbs, 3 floors climbed

Wednesday, 3/11/2020

14669 steps, 50/140 resting/peak HR, 6:56 hrs sleep, 172.8 lbs, 8 floors climbed
run: 4.85 miles, 42:19, 8:43 pace, 92 ft elevation gain, 132 avg HR, 159 avg cadence, 39F, 45% RH, 14 mph NW wind, wind chill 31F, mostly cloudy

I was tired after work but I dragged myself out for a tired run. I could have bagged it but I am stubborn. I just set up a nice and steady pace. Then I pushed past the feeling that I wanted to turn around and head back inside before I even got out of the Greenleaf Meadows complex. It was a bit tough running into the NW wind when I heading out on the pier but I knew it would be better when I turned around and had a tailwind. I got it done. My splits were: 8:57, 9:12, 8:34, 8:34 and 8:15 over the last 0.85 mile.

Thursday, 3/12/2020:  8252 steps, 47/106 resting/peak HR, 7:21 hrs sleep, 170.1 lbs, 0 (!) floors climbed

Today ... a lot of America came to a halt due to the Coronavirus. The DJIA crashed 10%, the Rochester St Patrick's Day parade was cancelled, the Running' of the Green on Sunday was cancelled, Yellow Jacket Racing cancelled all its races up to the end of April, March Madness and all conference games were cancelled, the NHL and AHL cancelled, the NBA suspended its season, the NCAA cancelled all winter and spring seasons in all sports. You name it ... it was either cancelled or suspended. Christine and I had tickets to see Jay Leno at the Del Lago on Saturday night ... I got our money refunded even though it had been rescheduled to September. We still have a non-refundable reservation to the Microtel in Waterloo on Saturday night.

Friday, 3/13/2020: 4400 steps, 49/131 resting/peak HR, 6:18 hrs sleep, 171.1 lbs, 6 floors climbed

Christine went out to Aldi's to get groceries. Her reaction? Lots of people, lots of items that were out or almost out (meat, bread, toilet paper, cleaning supplies). There were various news and Facebook articles about "social distancing". Luckily ... I will be off next week on vacation from Ricoh. Ricoh has a "use it or lose it" vacation policy. Their fiscal year ends at the end of March. I get 4 weeks vacation and 5 personal days per year. I have 6 days to use so it's time to use them.

Trump (or Dumbass as we politely call him) declared a National Emergency ... after weeks of calling it a "Dem Hoax". So ... any reader of this blog now knows our political leaning. Let's just say that we don't listen to "Faux" News and prefer CNN. Yes ... we are liberal. We voted for Obama, Hillary and Cuomo. and are proud of it. VOTE BLUE!

Saturday, 3/14/2020

9655 steps, 51/139 resting/peak HR, 8:40 hrs sleep, 169.1 lbs, 11 floors climbed
run: 6.07 miles, 51:54, 8:33 pace, 144 ft elevation gain, 132 avg HR, 162 avg cadence, 34F, 64% RH, 12 mph WNW wind, wind chill 26F, overcast

Well ... no Running the Green 5 Mile race this morning ... so no hurry. I puttered around for a bit checking email and Facebook before I got up, got dressed and got out. I just struck up a steady pace and got it done. My splits were: 8:37, 8:37, 8:38, 8:22, 8:36 and 8:34.

More Coronavirus news. Monroe County had its 2nd case. It was a mid 60s year old woman who works at the Greece Arcadia Middle School ... I run past this school. The result was that all Greece Central School District were closed ... and then all Monroe County schools were closed later in the day.

Sunday, 3/1/2020 to Saturday, 3/7/2020 - Polar Cat #3 & Round the Bay

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 4 times for 24.27 miles this week.
I took 72,561 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 3/1/2020

10944 steps, 47/150 resting/peak HR, 8;32 hrs sleep, 171.2 lbs, 7 floors climbed
run #1: 1.15 miles, 14:04, 9:04, 120 avg HR, 156 avg cadence, 32F, 51% RH, 13 mph W wind, wind chill 23F, sunny
run #2: 3.12 miles, 23:55, 7:40 pace, 143 avg HR, 167 avg cadence, 34F, 47% RH, 8 mph WNW wind, wind chill 28F, partly cloudy

First off, my Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale recognized me this morning after 3 days. I stepped on it, it read me at 171.4, DOU (it's name for me) and then gave me my Fat % and HR. It read that I gained about 8 pounds though. The whole thing started on Wednesday when I fed it fresh batteries and it claimed that I lost 6 pounds. It didn't recognize me on Thursday, Friday or Saturday when my weight was actually a bit over 170 pounds. Life back to normal between Withings and me.

Today's race was Polar Cat #3 at noon. I know that Rochester Running Company probably set the time to not conflict with church services but a noon start feels like the day is half over. I was so tempted to go out for a run at 7 or 8 AM. But ... I puttered around instead. I had a bit of mishap though ... I reached for a small chopper that had fallen out of a box and sliced open my right index finger on its blade. It bled quite well for 20 minutes before it stopped enough to put a bandage on.

The race venue a pavilion in Lion Park which is off of Kentucky Ave (off of Long Pond Rd down near Lyell Ave). We actually run by this pavilion when we run Freezeroo #1 in December. I never even knew it was there so I was glad I looked at the course PDF before I left to know where I was headed.

The temperature was about 20 degrees warmer than yesterday so I didn't have to dress like "Nanuck of the North". I chose my CW-X tights (thought about shorts), short sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I got down there about 45 minutes before noon so I chose to park at the nearby church (that we ran by twice). I got out for a little 1.15 mile warm up run at 9:10 pace, link here. I was a bit warm so I took off my short sleeve tech layer.

I paced around a bit to bleed off a bit of excess energy before the start. And ... we were off! Another 5K ... up to race pace quickly ... winding through neighborhood streets ... mile 1 at 7:24 pace ... slowed down a bit ... mile 2 at 7:46 pace ... suck it up ... mile 3 at 7:58 pace ... finish arch in sight .... rest of the way at 6:53 pace. And ... done in 23:48 chip time, 23:52 gun time at 7:40 pace. I gave it my best.

I headed to the lodge after I went back to the 2019 Trax to retrieve my coffee and to change out of my wet Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover. I had a couple pieces of pizza and a banana while I waited for the awards. I did OK. I was 31st out of 122 and 3rd out of 7 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. I also place 2nd in my M 60-64 age group in the race series. I received a $10 gift certificate to Rochester Running Company. I asked the owner(?) if I could buy a pair of Polar Cat sweatpants for Christine to go with her 2010-2011 Polar Cat sweatshirt and he just gave them to me. So Christine and I both could wear Polar Cat attire from head to toe!

Monday, 3/2/2020: 7392 steps, 48/96 resting/peak HR, 7:58 hrs sleep, 170.4 lbs, 2 floors climbed

Tuesday, 3/3/2020: 3523 steps, 47/98 resting/peak HR, 7:19 hrs sleep, 171.9 lbs, 1 floor climbed

Wednesday, 3/4/2020

13251 steps, 49/139 resting/peak HR, 6:43 hrs sleep, 172.0 lbs, 13 floors climbed
run: 5.35 miles, 46:17, 8:39 pace, 131 avg HR, 159 avg cadence, 38F, 73% RH, 12 mph W wind, wind chill 30F, mostly cloudy

The temperature was iffy and it was windy ... did I have my CW-X tights? I only had my shorts in my running bag so I went home to change before I went out for my run. I didn't want to run into the wind on the LOSP trail so I chose my "Out to the pier" loop. Boom ... done. My splits were: 8:50, 8:26, 8:41, 8:42, 8:35 and 8:37 over the last 0.35 mile.

Thursday, 3/5/2020: 3603 steps, 45/115 resting/peak HR, 6:44 hrs sleep, 170.0 lbs, 4 floors climbed

Friday, 3/6/2020: 10809 steps, 47/93 resting/peak HR, 6:20 hrs sleep, 171.9 lbs, 5 floors climbed

I read on Facebook that the "official" Round the Bay run was on Saturday so I held off from running on Thursday. I went to bed somewhat early on Friday since 5 AM does come early and whether you are rested or not.

Saturday

23039 steps, 46/143 resting/peak HR, 6:02 hrs sleep, 171.1 lbs, 51 floors climbed
run: 14.65 miles, 2:15:02, 9:13 pace, 696 ft elevation gain, 132 avg HR, 159 avg cadence, 24F, 65% RH, 7 mph N wind, wind chill 16F, a few clouds

Today's run was my 17th Round the Bay run. I have run Round the Bay every year since 2009. Twelve have been "official" and five have been extras (one in 2016, three in 2017 and one so far this year). I like running from the "official" start at the Irondequoit swing bridge more than I like running from the Bay Front restaurant down on Empire Blvd. I like getting the hills on the west side of Irondequoit Bay out of the way in the first half of the run not the second half.

Anyway ... I was up at 5 AM and puttered around like usual. It was chilly so I dressed accordingly: CW-X tights, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I did remember to bring my flask of Hammer Gel but ... chose poorly on my running shoes. I grabbed my old pair of Brooks Transcend 5 running shoes that I retired with 614.29 miles back on 3/21/19 (AND have been using for my walking shoes besides!) when I headed out the door. I didn't notice my error until I got down to the swing bridge at 6:50 AM. I thought about driving back home to change into my Brooks Adrenaline GTS19s and then back to the swing bridge but ... decided to run onward in old shoes. I kind of figured that my joints would not be happy with me.

There weren't as many runners as usual for the 2020 edition of Round the Bay ... about 25. Matt Kellman took the usual selfie with us in the background before he headed us off.

I decided to take a nice and steady approach. I hooked up with Bill Sandow and the woman he was running with through the hills on the west side of Irondequoit Bay. It was pretty down there with snow clinging to the trees. I did run up most of the 2 major uphills in this section before I walked up the rest of them. There wasn't any ice on the roads or on Irondequoit Bay. I took three gulps of Hammer Gel at the water stop just before the downhill on Empire Blvd. I endured the long uphill on Empire Blvd without a stop. I just kept my nice and steady pace ... one foot in front of the other. I sensed that the drivers on Bay Rd weren't too happy with so many runners when we didn't have any shoulder to run on but we all made due. My right hip started to nag me ... onward ... left onto Lake Rd ... I saluted like I always do when I passed where two firefighters died ... across the swing bridge ... done with 14.65 miles in 2:15:02, 9:13 pace. I stretched and had some gulps of warm coffee before I headed home. I stopped at Herrema's on the way to get something sweet to eat ... I had earned it! My splits were: 9:10, 8:49, 8:42, 8:33, 9:45, 9:14, 10:00, 8:35, 9:42, 9:24, 9:18, 9:13, 9:11, 9:12 and 9:36 over the last 0.65 mile.

Sunday, 2/23/2020 to Saturday, 2/29/2020

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 3 times for 25.49 miles this week.
I took 66,748 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 2/23/2020

23302 steps, 48/136 resting/peak HR, 7:16 hrs sleep, 171.1 lbs, 51 floors climbed
run: 14.39 miles, 2:16;16, 9:28 pace, 129 avg HR, 153 avg cadence, 33F, 49% RH, 10 mph SW wind, wind chill 25F, mostly cloudy

Today's run was my 16th Round the Bay run. I had talked with Prem Kumar about running with him last week at Freezeroo #6. Now ... in hindsight I will admit that it was a stretch for such a long run.

The plan was to meet down in the public parking opposite the Bay Front restaurant at the bottom of Irondequoit Bay at 8 AM. It was around freezing with a forecast in the 40s later in the day. So I wore my winter usual: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, short sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve tech, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I got there around 7:50 AM.

It turned out that 5 of us were there. Andy Ciaio, Prem, and 2 other guys whose names escape me. We set an easy pace up the 1.25 mile long Empire Blvd hill. I began to lead. I did set a faster pace when the shoulders began to get narrow on Bay Rd since I was nervous about the traffic. I was running well. The miles began to click off. I stopped for a couple of gulps of Hammer Gel at the swing bridge at mile 6.5. Then ... the wheels began to fall off. I was tired. I couldn't hold a good run pace all the way down Culver Ave and Titus Ave. Then it was down and up the hills on the west side of Irondequoit Bay. I walked up the 2 major hills. Then a slow run down Empire Blvd back to the 2019 Trax. Everyone was waiting for me. It seems that they had taken the shortcut of running up the I590 path. I was beat!

I didn't take a post run selfie since I didn't want to scare my kids. I felt like death warmed over and I am sure that I looked it too. My splits were: 10:33, 9:10, 8:45, 8:20, 8:23, 8:11, 10:19, 9:37, 9:38, 9:30, 9:15, 10:38, 9:47, 10:58 and 8:07 over the last 0.39 mile.

What should I have done differently? I don't run easy well. Maybe I didn't have my mind set on running more than just to the swing bridge and the thought of the hills to come just bothered me. I do like the "official" Round the Bay where you start at the swing bridge and get the hills out of the way first. Who knows? I got it done ... but felt like crap the rest of the day.

Monday, 2/24/2019: 3269 steps, 57/98 resting/peak HR, 5:47 hrs sleep, 168.9 lbs, 1 floor climbed

The number 2 and 24 ... 2 for Gigi Bryant and 24 for Kobe Bryant. The Staples Center held a Celebration of Life in LA, Staples Center link here. I looked at the CNN live link here during the ceremony. Lots more here, here, here, here, here and here. I must admit that I sobbed a bit in private ... so sad that Kobe, Gigi and the other 7 people were taken from this earth. The Mambamambacita Sports Foundation plans on furthering their legacy through charitable endeavors in sports, link here.

I was more than a bit tired today. I think yesterday's 14.39 mile run and not getting enough sleep caught up to me. My darling wife, Christine, wasn't feeling 100% and left me to put in 2 baked potatoes and Lloyd's Ribs in the oven. I fixed her tomato soup when they were done. She came down to the kitchen to make sure that they were done. Mmm ... so delicious along a glass of milk. I was in bed by 9 PM and asleep by 9:30 PM.

Tuesday, 2/25/2020

12920 steps, 54/145 resting/peak HR, 7:42 hrs sleep, 3 floors climbed
run: 5.05 miles, 43:56, 8:42 pace, 136 avg HR, 157 avg cadence, 36F, 79% RH, 10 mph NE wind, wind chill 29F, overcast

I needed to get out tonight since I had a Ricoh event at Dave and Buster's after work on Wednesday. I clocked in and out 15 minutes early so I could get up to Greece Arcadia High School and out on my run by 5 PM. I set up a nice and easy pace. My legs told me in no uncertain terms that they hadn't forgiven or forgotten my 14.39 miles on Sunday so I held the pace easy and the run short. My splits were: 8:36, 8:50, 8:45, 8:42 and 8:39.

Wednesday, 2/26/2020: 5723 steps, 50/95 resting/peak HR, 6:48 hrs sleep, 163.7 lbs, 7 floors climbed

I had to change the 4 AAA batteries in my Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale. I lost about 6 pounds instantly ... who knew that was the secret to weight loss!

Thursday, 2/27/2020: 4583 steps, 49/125 resting/peak HR, 7:19 hrs sleep, 0 (??) floors climbed

OK ... not so funny, lol! My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale with the day old batteries told me I weighed about 173 pounds (back to normal) but refused to recognize me as Doug. I think it thinks that no one can gain almost 10 pounds in a day so ... who is this person stepping on me! The LED lit up FAT, HR X. I hope it was saying that it didn't recognize my fat % or heart rate.

Friday, 2/28/2020: 5442 steps,  52/93 resting/peak HR, 7:00 hrs sleep, 8 floors climbed

I thought about running but it was cold so I bagged it.

Saturday, 2/29/2020:

11509 steps, 54/134 resting/peak HR, 5:58 hrs sleep, 24 floors climbed
run: 6.05 miles, 59:11, 9:47 pace, 129 avg HR, 157 avg cadence, 16F, 71% RH, 12 mph NW wind, wind chill 3F, partly cloudy

It was cold, breezy and 2 to 3 inches of snow had fallen overnight ... but I knew I was going out for a run ... but where? I decided on staying off the road and on the LOSP trail instead. It was in the teens and the wind chill was in the single digits so I wore a lot: CW-X tights, shorts, Craft long sleeve, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve, balaclava, Brooks beanie, sunglasses and ski mittens. I wore my Salomon SpeedCross 4 trail shoes also. I took it real nice and easy. The snow was unbroken (except by animal tracks) between the hole in the fence by our Greenleaf Meadows townhouse and Island Cottage. I didn't use any music so it was just me and my footsteps crunching in the snow. My splits were: 9:57, 9:19, 9:50, 9:41, 9:57 and 10:01.

It's the end of February so it's stat time!
.
I ran 18 times (4 were warm up runs before races) for 88.3 miles, 4.91 miles/run
I ran 3 races in February:
 02/08 Freezeroo #5, 7.98 miles, 1:06:05, 8:17 pace
 02/16 Polar Cat #2, 3.07 miles, 23:27, 7:33 pace
 02/22 Freezeroo #6, 3.12 miles, 23:55, 7:40 pace
I took 271,782 steps in February and 518,520 steps so far in 2020.

Sunday, 2/16/2020 to Saturday, 2/22/2020 - Polar Cat #2 & Freezeroo #6

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 5 times for 17.94 miles this week.
I took 60.780 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 02/16/2020

8168 steps, 54/150 resting/peak HR, 6:10 hrs sleep, 169.7 lbs, 7 floors climbed
run #1: 1.15 miles, 10:24, 9:01 pace, 117 avg HR, 155 avg cadence, 35F, 78% RH, 10 mph W wind, wind chill 27F, overcast
run #2: 3.07 miles, 23:44, 7:44 pace, 142 avg HR, 165 avg cadence, 35F, 78% RH, 10 mph W wind, wind chill 27F, overcast

Today's race was Polar Cat #2 at noon. I almost got up to go out for a run in the morning but I got a text alert from Rochester Running Company about Polar Cat #2. So ... I didn't and just relaxed until 10:45 AM. It was 32F warmer this morning (3F yesterday vs 35F today) so I wore a bit less: CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. I probably could have just gone with the Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover.

The course venue was unusual: the Elmwood Ave entrance to the Mt Hope Cemetery. The course turned out to 2 loops inside the Mt Hope Cemetery. I parked at the College Town parking lot on Mt Hope around 11:25 AM. I ran over to the registration tent, picked up my Polar Cat series swag: a pair of Polar Cats sweatpants, ran back to the 2019 Trax and back for 1.15 miles at 9:01 pace, link here.

I talked with Prem Kumar before the race. I had not run before the race. Prem thought about running around the Bay, running 10 miles or running 5 miles before the race. He choose to run 5 miles ... what a guy!

We had to wait a couple minutes after noon but ... we were off! I was a bit cold and the first 1/2 mile was tough. I chuckled to myself when I saw a mile 2 sign on the first loop. "I wish" I said out loud. I settled in, ran as well as I could through loop 1 ... mile 2 ... keep going ... mile 3 ... turn left into the finish arch. I forgot to turn off my Garmin for 15 seconds. I ate a bagel, grabbed a banana, a pint of water and walked back to College Town.

I took a side trip to BJs on the way home for gas and a bit of groceries. The results were up on runsignup.com when I got home. My official time was 23:27, 7:38 pace. I was 29th out of 135, 3rd out of 8 in my M 60-64 age group, link here.

Monday, 0217/2020: 3819 steps, 50/104 resting/peak HR, 6:35 hrs sleep, 170.5 lbs, 0 (!) floors climbed
Tuesday, 02/18/2020: 4217 steps, 50/107 resting/peak HR, 7:09 hrs sleep, 172.5 lbs, 3 floors climbed

Wednesday, 02/19/2020

17426 steps, 50/145 resting/peak HR, 7:34 hrs sleep, 171.7 lbs, 11 floors climbed
run: 8.15 miles, 1:10:21, 8:37 pace, 136 avg, 159 avg cadence,

I so needed to run tonight. I took a half hour lunch so I could punch out at 4:30 PM. I got up to the Greece Arcadia High School and got out for my run by 5 PM. It was chilly so I wore: CW-X tight, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. My clothing choices were spot on except for the heavy running gloves. My fingers were cold for the first 3 miles before they finally warmed up. Ski mittens would have been a better choice. Oh well ... I chose my "Loop from GAHS" so that I couldn't turn back and make the run shorter. Even so I thought about just heading out 3.1 miles and then heading back. But ... I kept running north on Long Pond Rd to make it a full 8 mile run. Boom ... done! I should have brought my headlamp instead of just my Noxgear Tracer360 lighted vest but ... I was lit up at the very least. It was only just getting dark when I got back to GAHS. My splits were: 8:22, 8:37, 8:40, 8:36, 8:28, 8:33, 8:49, 8:53 and 8:50 over the last 0.15 mile.

Thursday, 02/20/2020: 11116 steps, 48/103 resting/peak HR, 7:08 hrs sleep, 170.5 lbs, 5 floors climbed

Friday, 02/21/2020: 5965 steps, 42/95 resting/peak HR, 7:25 hrs sleep, 173.7 lbs, 5 floors climbed

Saturday, 02/22/2020

10069 steps, 49/147 resting/peak HR, 7:45 hrs sleep, 171.4 lbs, 16 floors climbed
run #1: 1.15 miles, 10:35, 9:10 pace, 120 avg, 155 avg cadence, 32F, 59% RH, 10 mph WSW wind, wind chill 24F, sunny
run #2: 4.32 miles, 34:46 (34:15 officially), 8:03 (7:56 officially), 142 avg HR, 164 avg cadence, 34F, 55% RH, 12 WSW wind, wind chill 26F, sunny

Today's race was Freezeroo #6. This race was another which has had various venues and various distances. This year was the fourth at the White House (Lake Rd in Webster near Holt Rd) and 2 loops of 2.2 miles. My previous times were: 2017 - 31:20, 2018 - 32:31 and 2019 - 33:46.

I got out to the race venue early enough to get a good parking lot at the White House. I got out for a nice warm up run of 1.15 miles at 9:10 pace, link here. I met up with Prem Kumar and Andy Ciaio like usual. Andy wanted to draft off me but I knew he would be ahead of me shortly after the start.

I don't particularly like this course since we run with traffic instead of against it but ... it's tradition so GRTC runs it that way. The original Polar Cat series ran by the late Bill Kehoe ran it that way too. And ... we were off! I got up to race pace quickly ... and held on as best I could. The race progressed ... and done!

The start, loop 1 and loop 2 ... photos courtesy of  Christina Darlak Ruhland

My official time was 34:15, link here. I was 3rd out of 14 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. The post race food was excellent. I had 2 pieces of pizza and a donut. I was also 3rd in my M 60-64 age group in the 2019-2020 Freezeroo series, link here and received $10. My splits were: 7:48, 7:56, 8:04, 8:06 and 8:54 (off because I forgot to turn off my Garmin for 31 seconds).

Sunday, 2/09/2020 to Saturday, 2/15/2020

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 3 times for 13.96 miles this week.
I took 59.410 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 02/09/2020

6709 steps, 48/138 resting/peak HR, 7:35 hrs sleep, 169.9 lbs, 8 floors climbed
run: 4.06 miles, 35:51, 8:50 pace, 129 avg HR, 159 avg cadence, 20F, 92% RH, 3 mph SW wind, partly cloudy

I slept in until 6:35 PM and puttered around like I normally do. I wanted to wait until it got warmer but the temp just stayed in the high teens or low 20s during the morning before warming up to above freezing in the afternoon. I finally got out at 9 AM. My legs were tired and I didn't want to push so I just did an out and back 4 miles on a rarely used route (Greenleaf Rd to the end of Beach Ave and back). My splits were: 8:48, 8:46, 8:53 and 8:48.

Monday, 2/10/2020: 9696 steps, 40/109 resting/peak HR, 6:37 hrs sleep, 168.7 lbs, 4 floors climbed

I got a call from my daughter, Karen. My ex, Nancy, fell and broke her foot on Sunday. She hoped it would get better overnight but saw her doctor the next day and got a X-ray. She is now is a walking boot for a month or more. I expect that I will have to take over the grocery shopping duty for my oldest son, Micheal and Karen.

Tuesday, 2/11/2020: 5900 steps, 48/95 resting/peak HR, 7:08 hrs sleep, 170.6 lbs, 2 floors climbed

I took a blood test as part of my annual physical last month. One of the tests came back with a high TSH (thyroid). Christine told me that it could be why I am so tired most of the time. I need to get a confirmation TSH and T4 FREE test.

Wednesday, 2/12/2020

15366 steps, 47/144 resting/peak HR, 6:16 hrs sleep, 170.8 lbs, 5 floors climbed
run: 5.85 miles, 50:22, 8:36 pace, 137 avg HR, 158 avg cadence, 37F, 44% RH, 5 mph SW wind, wind chill 33F, overcast

I was determined to get out so I only took a half hour lunch. I got up to the Greece Arcadia High School and got out at 5 PM. It was around 40F which felt warm. I wore my winter usual: CW-X tights, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 long sleeve pullover, Brooks beanie and heavy running gloves. It was still light but the sun was going to set in 30 minutes more or less so I wore my Noxgear Tracer360 lighted vest (set to blue). I set an easy pace. I thought about going to 7.5 miles but settled for almost 6. My splits were: 8:20, 8:31, 8:36, 8:39, 8:40 and 8:53 over the last 0.85 mile.

Thursday, 2/13/2020: 5056 steps, 45/89 resting/peak HR, 7:28 hrs sleep, 169.9 lbs, 3 floors climbed

Friday, 2/14/2020: 2410 + 4000 steps, 47/113 resting/peak HR, 7:08 hrs sleep, 170.5 lbs, 3 floors climbed

Why add 4000 steps? Well ... I forgot to charge my Garmin Vivoactive HR and it died at 10:16 AM.

Saturday, 2/15/2020

10273 steps, 48/139 resting/peak HR, 6:52 hrs sleep, 170.0 lbs, 10 floors climbed
run: 4.06 miles, 36:14, 8:56 pace, 132 avg HR, 159 avg cadence, 3F, 68% RH, 7 mpn SW wind, wind chill -8F, sunny

It was cold, sunny and the forecast was that it was going to be warmer in the afternoon. But ... I had places to go so I got up, got dressed to the conditions and got out there. I chose my CW-X tights, shorts, Darn Tough socks, Kraft long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava, Brooks beanie, ski mittens and clear googles. The only thing that wasn't covered was my nose. My "winter" beard did keep my chin warm, lol! I was only cold for about 1/2 mile. I chose my "Out by the pier" route so I would be running in one direction for too long. There were only two other people out: a photographer on the pier and a guy on the boardwalk. It was OK out if you were dressed for it. My splits were: 9:16, 9:01, 8:57 and 8:33. Hmm ... negative splits!

Well ... I had places to go. First, it was out to see my daughter, Karen, in Palmyra. She had bought a new 17" inch HP laptop from BJ's so my task was to transfer her data from her old laptop. It took a bit to figure out how to take off the back. It took about 2 hours from start to finish. We took out her cardboard and milk jugs while her data was being transferred. Then I took her to the Macedon Walmart for grocery shopping. Her mother has a broken foot. Then it was over to Macedon to see my oldest son, Michael. We talked outside for a while. Then it was back up to Rochester.

Sunday, 2/2/2020 to Saturday, 2/8/2020 - Freezeroo #5

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 4 times for 24.88 miles this week.
I took 76,890 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 02/02/2020

15436 steps, 47/145 resting/peak HR, 8:20 hrs sleep, 169.5 lbs, 11 floors climbed
run #1: 4.05 miles, 35:15, 8:42 pace, 132 avg HR, 159 avg cadence, 32F, 88% RH, 8 mph SW wind, wind chill 25F, overcast with light snow
run #2: 5.65 miles, 48:49, 8:38 pace, 136 avg HR, 162 avg cadence, 31F, 92% RH, calm, overcast

Super Bowl Sunday ... what to do before the game? Why not run twice? So ... I did. I slept in until 9 AM ... unbelievable but true.

I got out at 10:30 AM for the first run. I had a Redbox DVD entitled Terminator: Dark Fate (with Arnold and Linda Hamilton) to take back to the 7-11 on Lake Ave so I stopped by there and continued onward. My splits were: 9:04, 8:27, 8:50 and 8:30.

The usual 2 mugs of coffee ensued along with an early lunch. Then Christine treated me and let me watch the bikinis in the 2017 Baywatch movie with the Rock along with cameos from David "Hoff" Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson. The movie was actually quite funny with all the usual raunchy adult jokes.

I got out for my second run around 4:30 PM. I stayed on the LOSP trail for a full out and back. It was kind of amazing that in 5 hours how the snow that had fallen during the first one had melted and that the ground was softer and muddier. I took it longer and a wee bit faster. My splits were: 9:09, 8:27, 8:19, 8:29, 8:51 and 8:33 over the last 0.65 mile.

Then ... Christine and I settled down to watch the Super Bowl between the San Francisco 49ers vs the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs spotted the 49ers a 20-10 lead into the 4th quarter before rolling off 3 TDs to win 31-20. Unfortunate if you were hoping for a 49ers victory like I was, link here.

Monday, 2/3/2020: 4969 steps, 51/99 resting/peak HR, 6:15 hrs sleep, 167.9 lbs, 4 floors climbed

Tuesday, 2/4/2020

12489 steps, 50/145 resting/peak HR, 7:32 hrs sleep, 169.3 lbs, 2 floors climbed
run: 5.65 miles, 48:44, 8:37 pace, 138 avg HR, 160 avg cadence, 36F, 67% RH, 9 mph NW wind, wind chill 28F, overcast

I got out for a run after work while Christine cooked up some Lloyds ribs. It was dark and around freezing so I wore my winter usual of CW-X tights, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, beanie and running gloves. I wore my Noxgear Tracer360 and headlamp from eBay. I just took it nice and easy while I let the run happen. No worries. My splits were: 8:57, 8:33, 8:38, 8:32, 8:41 and 8:12 over the last 0.65 mile.

Wednesday, 2/5/2020: 8778 + 5000 steps, 52/94 resting/peak HR, 6:11 hrs sleep, 170.4 lbs, 6 floors climbed

Why did I add 5000 steps? Well ... I have to put my cell phones and smartwatch HR is a locker whenever I go into a SCIF. I have to crawl all around not 1 but 2 SCIFs when I put on new signs and stickers on almost all the printers. Christine surprised me by suggesting that I pick her up to take her out to supper. We round up at our old standby ... the Char Broil on Island Cottage. I had the shaved prime rib sandwich and Christine had the triple-decker turkey club Mmm!

Thursday, 2/6/2020: 1498 steps, 48/124 resting/peak HR, 7:55 hrs sleep, 170.6 lbs, 1 floors climbed

Ricoh has a "use it or lose it" vacation policy. Their fiscal year runs until the end of March and I have 7.5 days left. Christine enjoyed some time together and went out to a late lunch at Bill Gray's at the port. We had the Thursday's cheeseburger special, split some fries and enjoyed some Labatt Blue Lights.

Friday, 2/7/2020: 7340 steps, 49/136 resting/peak HR, 6:20 hrs sleep, 170.0 lbs, 4 floors climbed

I did have this day off but my boss called me up on Thursday night to ask me to come in. There was a lot of snow forecast for Friday and the guy who was going to cover me was going to have to drive in from Buffalo. So ... I went to work.

Saturday, 2/8/2020

21380 steps, 50/147 resting/peak HR, 7:20 hrs sleep, 171.2 lbs, 6 floors climbed
run #1: 1.55 miles, 13:47, 8:53 pace, 128 avg HR, 158 avg cadence, 16F, 79% RH, 7 mph N wind, wind chill 7F, overcast with light snow
run #2: 7.98 miles, 1:06:05, 8:17 pace, 143 avg HR, 164 avg cadence, 16F, 79% RH, 6 mph N wind, wind chill 8F, overcast with light snow
run #3: 2.08 miles, 31:05, 14:59 pace, 128 avg HR, 129 avg cadence, 16F, 71% RH, calm, partly cloudy

Today's race was my eighth Freezeroo #5. This race is also one that have changed venue but not the  distance of 8 miles. I ran 2011 - 1:01:36, 2012 - 59:41, 2014 - 59:29, 2015 - 1:01:56 from the Greece DPW on Long Pond Rd. The race was cancelled due to too much snow in 2013 and sub zero wind chill in 2016. The race moved to Braddock Bay Park on East Manitou Rd in 2017. I ran 2017 - 1:00:20, 2018 - 1:00:57 and 2019 -  1:03:35. Both races still ran on Edgemere Drive (and its always in your face wind off of Lake Ontario) ... just different parts.

I was up early at 5:25 AM and puttered around like usual. The race venue was close so it only took a 10 minute drive on the Parkway. I got there around 8:20 AM. It was cold and brisk so I wore: CW-X tights, shorts, Craft long sleeve, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava, Brooks beanie and ski mittens. I was a little undecided about my footwear choice so I took a 1.55 mile warm up run at 8:53 pace with my Salamon SpeedCross 4 trail shoes, link here. I decided that I didn't need them so I changed back to my Brooks Adrenaline GTS19 shoes.


I wasn't quite ready when the start was given. It took about 5 extra seconds to get my left mitten on after I started up my RoadID (so Christine could track me) and my Garmin Vivoactive HR. I had to pick through about 30 to 40 runners during the first 1/4 mile before I got up to where I usually am during a Freezeroo.

Exiting the Victor Town Park about 1/2 mile into the race ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shuttlefly.com

I picked up the pace and just kept my position as we all stretched out from each other. The wind was in our face on Edgemere Drive like usual.

Vickey Beaver snapped this pic as I was passing her on Edgemere Drive around mile 5

Heading into the finish ... photo courtesy of Christina Darlak Ruhland

The snow and ice on the jog of Braddock Rd and Third Ave at mile 6.5 slowed me down. It was difficult to get back up to my race pace. But ... I managed. I could see that the clock was going to go past 1:06 ... done in 1:06:09. I was more than happy to stop.

I headed into the lodge after I retrieved my mug of coffee from the 2019 Trax. I was happy to sit down with a bagel and coffee for a bit. I saw someone put cream cheese and peanut butter on her bagel. She said it tasted good so I tried it ... it did taste good. I would have never thought of this pairing! I headed home but I did Ricoh business off the clock. I stopped by L3HarrisB601 to pick up a MPCW2200 ink collector that I then took out to a needy MPCW2200 at RTP-B6. Then I went back to B601 where I pulled a MPC307 hot swap from a conference room, rolled a SP8300 to the dock for pickup on Monday and took home a MPCW2200 magenta ink so I could deliver it to RTP-B6 on Monday.

The Hourglassworks.com results were already up by the time I got home. I did OK. I finished in 1:06:09 and was 37th out of 106, link here. I was 3rd out of 7 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. My splits were: 8:05, 8:00, 8:09, 8:19, 8:14, 8:21, 8:42 and 8:27. I rested with a mug of coffee and a bit of lunch. But ... it was cold, there was snow on the ground and I had a pair of Dion snowshoes in the closet.

Why to do? Get out for my third run of the day before the sun set! Luckily my balaclava, Brooks beanie and ski mittens were 90% dry. I headed out just as the mailman delivered our mail. I ran around the perimeter of the Lake Shore Country Club. The snow was just deep enough. It was a bit icy on the top. I took it really slow since I knew that snowshoeing is harder than it looks ... especially when you run while wearing snowshoes. My splits were: 14:42, 15:02 and 18:00 over the 0.08 mile.

My impromptu running calendar that I keep told me that a couple other running events were held today. The Little Rodent (a 4 mile snowshoe race) and Cast a Shadow (a 6 hour snowshoe race/relay) were held out at Mendon Ponds Park by Roadsarepoison.com/castashadow. The Beast of Burden 25M/50M/100M ultra was held out at Lockport.

Sunday, 1/26/2020 to Saturday, 2/1/2020

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 2 times for 11.8 miles this week.
I took 37,950 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 1/26/2020

12174 steps, 47/141 resting/peak HR, 7:55 hrs sleep, 6 floors climbed
run: 7.77 miles,1:06:26, 8:33 pace, 134 avg HR, 162 avg cadence, 36F, 82% RH, 15 mph W wind, wind chill 27F, overcast

Well ... today was the 62nd birthday of my darling wife, Christine. I managed to get my pulse up to 124 helping her celebrate it. We are on an external honeymoon you know, lol! .Then ... I went out for my morning run. I wanted a long run so I went to Island Cottage on the LOSP trail and then looped back to the "By the pier" route. The LOSP trail was a bit icy in spots but the roads were OK. I just went by the Ontario Beach Park on Beach Ave and Lake Ave. I was getting a bit tired and sluggish in the last mile. My splits were: 8:24, 8:43, 8:20, 8:17, 8:24, 8:41, 8:59 and 8:34 over the 0.77 mile.

The usual 2 mugs of post run coffee ensued along with a pizza for lunch. Then we headed out to England .. well we watch 2 movies set in England. The first was The Initiation Game set in WWII about breaking the Enigma code. The second was Downton Abbey.

A damper was put on Christine'birthday was the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter and 7 others in a helicopter crash, link here.

Monday, 1/27/2020: 4534 steps, 51/107 resting/peak HR, 6:35 hrs sleep, 170.5 lbs, 4 floors climbed
Tuesday, 1/28/2020: 433 steps, 54/85 resting/peak HR, 8:32 hrs sleep, 2 floors climbed
Wednesday, 1/29/2020: 452 steps, 48/86 resting/peak HR, 9:08 hrs sleep, 171.6 lbs, 2 floors climbed
Thursday, 1/30/2020: 7429 steps, 50/124 resting/peak HR, 7:34 hrs sleep, 173.7 lbs, 6 floors climbed
Friday, 1/31/2020: 4974 steps, 50/107 resting/peak HR, 7:17 hrs sleep, 172.8 lbs, 4 floors climbed

So ... why no runs? I came down with a cold on Monday and stayed home from work on Tuesday and Wednesday. I suffered through work on Thursday and Friday.

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

I ran 16 times in January for 64.57 miles, 4.04 miles/run.
I ran 4 races in January:
 1/1 Freezeroo #2 7.55 miles, 1:02:34, 8:17 pace
 1/5 Polar Cat #1 2.98 miles, 22:38, 7:35 pace
 1/11 Freezeroo #3 5.07 miles, 40:42, 8:01
 1/25 Freezeroo #4 4.88 miles, 38:33, 7:56 pace
I took 260,738 steps during January.

Saturday, 2/1/2020

7954 steps, 49/137 resting/peak HR, 6:44 hrs sleep, 6 floors climbed
run: 4.05 miles, 35:57, 8:52 pace, 131 avg HR, 159 avg cadence, 28F, 89% RH, calm, overcast

I was still not 100% but I dragged myself out for a real gentle run. I chose my "2/3 of the LOSP trail" route and just took it nice and easy. I got it done. My splits were: 9:19, 8:36, 8:49 and 8:49.

Sunday, 1/19/2010 to Saturday, 1/25/2020 - Freezeroo #4

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 3 times for 15.07 miles this week.
I took 60,361 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 1/19/2020

10072 steps, 48/137 resting/peak HR, 5:39 hrs sleep, 170.9 lbs, 8 floors climbed
run: 5.66 miles, 56:06, 9:55 pace, 127 avg HR, 153 avg cadence, 27F, 78% RH, 17 mph W wind, wind chill 14F, overcast with light snow

I was up early and puttered around like usual. But ... I got out for a run. I chose the LOSP trail to keep out the road. A snowmobile and an ATV had broken a path on the vast majority of the paved LOSP trail and my Salomon SpeedCross 4 trail shoes made easy work of the rest. I just took an easy pace and chose my path carefully. I chose my clothing better today with my standard CW-X tights, shorts, Darn Tough socks, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover, balaclava, Brooks beanie and ski mittens. The W wind was there but too much of a bother. My splits were: 10:05, 9:44, 10:14, 9:58, 9:56 and 9:54 over the last 0.66 mile.

I must say that watching romance movies like the Hallmark Channel do work well for romance ... just saying! Christine and I are still on our honeymoon as we both like to say!

Later, I watched the AFC Conference Finals (Tennessee Titans vs Kansas City Chiefs, xx-ss, link here) and the NFC Conference Finals (xx vs San Francisco 49ers, xx-ss, link here). The favorites won handily so it wasn't a good day if you were rooting for the underdogs as I was.

Monday, 1/20/2020: 10449 steps, 45/106 resting/peak HR, 6:52 hrs sleep, 170.9 lbs, 4 floors climbed
Tuesday, 1/21/2020: 5624 steps, 47/93 resting/peak HR, 6:22 hrs sleep, 171.0 lbs, 3 floors climbed

Wednesday, 1/22/2020

13964 steps, 45/140 resting/peak HR, 6:53 hrs sleep, 170.1 lbs, 11 floors climbed
run: 4.55 miles, 42:22, 9:18 pace, 131 avg HR, 156 avg cadence, 26F, 56% RH, calm, cloudy

I dragged myself out for a run after work. It was around freezing. I had a hope of just running back and forth between Latta and Greenleaf but it was just too rutty and icy on the LOSP trail. So I headed out to the "By the pier" route to get in some road miles. I got it done. I really have to put in fresh AAA batteries into my Noxgear Tracer360 lighted vest. It lights but I don't think it is as bright as it could be. (UPDATE: Fresh batteries do make a difference). My splits were: 10:04, 8:56, 9:08, 9:06 and 9:17 over the last 0.55 mile. I did speed up once I got to the road.

Thursday, 1/23/2020: 6202 steps, 46/98 resting/peak HR, 6:27 hrs sleep, 170.4 lbs, 2 floors climbed
Friday, 1/24/2020: 5634 steps, 44/105 resting/peak HR, 7:08 hrs sleep, 171.4 lbs, floors climbed

Readers may note that I am only running 3 days a week as of late. Yes ... sadly that is true. My mind wants to get me out there but lately I have let my body got the shots. Plus sometimes the weather (especially in the dark of winter) or life just gets in the way.

Take Thursday for instance. I got out of work late and wouldn't have gotten out until almost 6 PM. I wouldn't have had supper until at least 7:30 PM after a hour run. So ... no run on Thursday.

Saturday, 1/25/2020

8416 steps, 48/149 rest/peak HR, 6:34 hrs sleep, 170.6 lbs, 10 floors climbed
run: 4.86 miles, 38:33, 7:56 pace, 138 avg HR, 163 avg cadence, 35F, 85% RH, 12 mph SE wind, wind chill 27F, overcast with light rain / ice pellets

Today's race was my tenth Freezeroo #4. This race is one of the Freezeroo's that has moved around in venue and distance. It used to known as the "Hearnish 10K" (a joke that it was around a 10K but just a bit more at 6.385 miles) when it was held out at Powder Mills Park. I ran that distance in 2011 - 48:22, 2012 - 47:07, 2013 - 50:11 and 2014 - 50:43 This course had a beast of a hill around mile 5. Then the course was changed to 5.9 miles in 2015 - 44:04 and 6.34 miles in 2016 - 47:21. The race became the "Hearnish 5M" as it moved to Victor Town Park in 2017 - 36:26, 2018 - 37:21 and 2019 - 37:52.

I was up early and puttered around like usual. I left around 8:35 AM and got almost to Culver Ave before I realized that I had left my Freezeroo bib on my dresser. I didn't want to pay $5 for a replacement bib so I turned around since I had plenty of time. Then ... I got behind a slow poke that went 33 to 37 mph all the way to Herrema's before I could get around him. I had called ahead and Christine had the bib waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. I yelled up "Love you" and headed out again for the 34 minute drive out to Victor Town Park. I arrived there at 9:30 AM. My Garmin Vivoactive HR was on 10% so I didn't go out for a warm up run.

I met up with Andy Ciaio at the start line. The temperature was just above freezing and there was a light sprinkle. Andy was in shorts and I was in my CW-X tights like usual. And ... we were off!

Andy and I exiting from the Victor Town Park ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews from http://runnerpics.shutterfly.com

I got up to race pace quickly ... perhaps too quickly since I had no warm up run. The first 1.5 miles of this course was rolling hills. I had to stop to take a tiny walk break before mile 1. Joe Ciecierega and Jeanette George both passed me. I got my breath back and soldiered onward. The light sprinkle changed to light ice pellets for about a mile. It did help that the last 2 miles were mostly downhill. I caught up to and passed Bill Crowe in the last mile. And ... done with 4.86 miles (i.e. the Hearnish 5M title) in 38:33, 7:56 pace. Not bad ... a race under 8 minute pace is always good in my book. Andy finished in 36:25. Jeanette finished in 37:44. I was the next person behind Joe's 38:13. Bill Crowe was right behind me at 38:39.

I headed into the lodge and had a PB&J rollup and 2 slices of pizza. I changed out of my wet upper 2 layers (old Freezeroo long sleeve tech and Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover) and put on a dry long sleeve tech. I left ... and forgot my heavy running gloves. I have reached out on Facebook but have not heard any word about if anyone has found them. I hope they will be at Freezeroo #5. I like those gloves ... sniff, sniff.

Oh well. I did OK. My official time was 38:32. I was 48th out of 128, link here. I was a distant 2nd (behind Tim Dwyer's 31:03) out of 8, link here. Tim was drinking a Guiness, "the breakfast of champions" he said, when I left, lol! My splits were: 8:08, 8:18, 8:03, 7:38 and 7;28 over the last 0.86 mile.

Sunday, 1/12/2020 to Saturday, 1/18/2020

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 2 times for 10.9 miles this week.
I took 56,061 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 1/12/2020

9364 steps, 49/141 resting/peak HR, 6:29 hrs sleep, 169.4 lbs, 13 floors climbed
run: 5.05 miles, 42:42, 8:27 pace, 135 avg HR, 160 avg cadence, 30F, 72% RH, 18 mph NW wind, wind chill 20F, overcast

I woke up during the night as a burst of rain passed through. Then I woke up around 6 AM when the wind came. It wasn't unexpected since the forecasters had predicted it for 2 or 3 days. The National Weather Service Observed Weather for past 3 days at the Rochester airport recorded at 58 mph wind gust at 5:54 AM. The max wind gust was 63 mph sometime during the morning.

So ... I chose to stay in and start doing laundry while I waited for the wind to die down. I started feeling like a slug so I got out in the early afternoon for a 5 mile "By the pier" route. The waves were crashing across the pier about 100 yards out so I stayed off the pier. My splits were: 8:32, 8:14, 8:44, 8:20 and 8:18.

Later, it was football time. First was the Houston Texans - Kansas City Chiefs game. The Texans jumped out to an early 2nd quarter lead of 24-0 (while they must have said "hold my beer" to the Bills losing a 16-0 lead the previous week). Then ... they were down 24-28 by halftime and lost 31-51, link here. The second was the Seattle Seahawks - Green Bay Packers game. I didn't watch but the Packers won 23-28, link here.

Monday, 1/13/20: 4517 steps, 51/107 resting/peak HR, 7:22 hrs sleep, 169.2 lbs, 3 floors climbed
Tuesday, 1/14/20: 7162 steps, 50/117 resting/peak HR, 7:30 hrs sleep, 171.2 lbs, 6 floors climbed

Wednesday, 1/15/20

15692 steps, 508/144 resting/peak HR, 6:51 hrs sleep, 171.4 lbs, 9 floors climbed
run: 5.85 miles, 51:04, 8:43 pace, 135 avg HR, 158 avg cadence, 40F, 55% RH, calm, overcast

Tonight't run was needed ... just because and just to get out before winter (cold, snow and wind are forecast for the next week). So ... 40F and calm condition were ideal conditions for an after work run on the LOSP trail. I had forgotten to charge my headlamp so I was glad I was on the paved LOSP trail. The light was sort of dim when I started and got worse as I ran. So ... my splits kind of reflected that: 9:10, 8:28, 8:22, 8:35, 8:45 and 9:04 over the last 0.85 mile.

Thursday, 1/16/2020: 4322 steps, 49/99 resting/peak HR, 6:45 hrs sleep, 1701 lbs, 2 floors climbed
Friday, 1/17/2020: 8271 steps, 48/107 resting/peak HR, 7:10 hrs sleep, 171.1 lbs, 3 floors climbed

Saturday, 1/18/2020

6733 steps, 47/139 resting/peak HR, 7:41 hrs sleep, 171.3 lbs, 10 floors climbed
run #1: 0.84 miles, 7:47, 9:14 pace, 125 avg HR, 152 avg cadence, 16F, 65% RH, 13 mph SE wind, win chill 6F, overcast
run #2: 3.15 miles, 27:08, 8:36 pace, 131 avg HR, 159 avg cadence, 16F, 65% RH, 13 mph SE wind, win chill 6F, overcast

Well ... the weather had turned way colder with a wind chill in the single digits. So ... I broke out my Kraft base layer that I rarely wear along with a long sleeve tech, CW-X tights, shorts, balaclava, Brooks beanie and ski mittens. I had a NetFlix DVD to mail and a Redbox to take back to 7-11 so I chose my "By the Pier" run.
It was cold so I set up a nice and easy pace. I paused my Garmin when I dropped off the Redbox at 7-11. My mind was a bit foggy and I pressed OK to end the run instead of Continue. Hence 2 runs instead of 1. Whatever ... I continued onward. The pier had ice on it about 100 yards out so I head out that way. I thought about heading out Beach Ave instead of turning left on Greenleaf Rd. The run felt like a struggle so I turned left and headed home. So ... just a 3.99 mile run today. My splits for the 2nd run: 8:33, 8:50, 8:28 and 8:15 over the last 0.15 mile.

A couple mugs of coffee soon ensued. My darling wife, Christine, and I somehow got sucked in more than a few Hallmark Winter Wonderland movies. Later she had a headache. I applied my patented headache medicine ... it disappeared ... lol!

Sunday, 1/5/2020 to Saturday, 1/11/2020 - Polar Cat #1 & Freezeroo #3

My left IT band appears to be healed. I stretch before and after each run ... usually.
I ran 5 times for  13.56 miles this week.
I took 63,305 steps this week according to my Garmin Vivoactive HR (VA-HR) smartwatch.
My VA-HR gives me steps, heart rate, hours slept and floors climbed (take those last 2 data points with a grain of salt).
My Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer scale gives my weight.

Sunday, 1/5/2020

9191 steps, 51/157 resting/peak HR, 4:52 hrs sleep, 168.2 lbs, 8 floors climbed
run #1: 1.05 miles, 9:38, 9:08 pace, 131 avg HR, 157 avg cadence, 34F, 58% RH, 6 mph NW wind, wind chill 23F, cloudy
run #2: 2.98 miles, 22:38, 7:35 pace, 148 avg HR, 169 avg cadence, 34F, 58% RH, 6 mph NW wind, wind chill 23F, cloudy

Well ... I signed up for the new Polar Cat Winter Race Series around 8 AM. The series gift is a Polar Cat branded pair of sweatpants. They should go well with my Polar Cat sweatshirt (that I have to find first). Anyway .. it is a 3 race series with dates of 1/5 at Seneca Park, 2/16 at Mt Hope Cemetery and 3/1 at TBD. I last ran a Polar Cat back in 2012 when the late Bill Kehoe was the race director. A Democrat & Chronicle article on Bill's death, link here. So ... still changing things ... running different races.

The race start time was noon so I had plenty of time to putter around, get ready ... and still forgot my Nathan water bottle along with my earbud and MP3 player. It was around freezing so I wore my CW-X tights, long sleeve tech, Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeve pullover and Brooks beanie.

The race venue was the Wegman Lodge in the park below the Seneca Park Zoo. I got there around 11:15 AM and had to park 1/4 mile away. I got out for a nice and easy 1.05 mile warm up run at 9:08 pace, link here. I was a bit warm so I took off my inner long sleeve tech layer before the race. So ... I was a bit chilly as I stood around with about 150 other runners before the race. It was a laid back group ... I knew Prem Kumar, Steve Levitsky, Tom Hawkins, Tina Pellegrin and Bill Murphy. Oh ... this was my 500th race too!

And ... we were off! The course was around the park, up to St Paul and back. I got up to a hard race pace ... and held it as best as I could. It hurt a bit but I managed. I desperately wanted to stop to take a tiny walk break but ... I didn't. It was nice heading back down the hill just past mile 2. I could see the finish arch .... and done in 22:38 but only 2.98 miles. I did hold a 7:35 race pace and I was quite pleased at that. I had a cup of coffee and a couple of donuts afterward. The second donut was not the best idea but ... oh well.

I wasn't in the results but an email quickly to the timing group quickly fixed that. My official time was 22:36. I was 22nd out of 141 and 2nd out of 6 in my M 60-64 age group, link here. My splits were: 7:41, 7:44 and 7:21 over the last 0.98 mile.

Monday, 1/6/2020: 6645 steps, 53/103 resting/peak HR, 6:24 hrs sleep, 169.3 lbs, 4 floors climbed

Tuesday, 1/7/2020: 4867 steps, 50/118 resting/peak HR, 6:06 hrs sleep, 171.8 lbs, 1 floor climbed

Wednesday, 1/8/2020: 6325 steps, 47/100 resting/peak HR, 7:54 hrs sleep, 172.1 lbs, 3 floors climbed

Thursday, 1/9/2020

10373 steps, 47/150 resting/peak HR, 7:23 hrs sleep, 172.0 lbs, 11 floors climbed
run: 3.85 miles, 34:31, 8:57 pace, 133 avg HR, 158 avg cadence, 27F, 51% RH, 10 mph SE wind, wind chill 18F, overcast
I just had to get out so I wouldn't feel like a slug. I just kept to the LOSP trail. There was abut 1/2 inch of crusty snow but my Saloman SpeedCross 4 trail shoes made easy work of it. My splits were: 9:16, 8:37, 9:02 and 8:53 over the last 0.85 mile.

Friday, 1/10/2020: 12953 steps, 48/116 resting/peak HR, 6:48 hrs sleep, 171.2 lbs, 0 (!) floors climbed

Saturday, 1/11/2020

12951 steps, 49/157 resting/peak HR, 6:58 hrs sleep, 170.0 lbs, 4 floors climbed
run #1: 0.61 miles, 5:26, 8:58 pace, 122 avg HR, 154 avg cadence, 57F, 70% RH, 17 mph SSW wind, overcast
run #2: 5.07 miles, 40:42, 8:02 pace, 146 avg HR, 163 avg cadence, 57F, 70% RH, 17 mph SSW wind, overcast

Today's race was my tenth Freezeroo #3. Freezeroo #3 (site and distance) has changed around over the years. Here are my previous Freezeroo #3s (Camp Eastmond 5K - 2007 - 22:34, 2011 - 22:24; Casey Park 10K - 2013 - 40:06; Pineway Ponds Park - 2014 - 37:04, 2015 - 36:43, 2016 - 36:18, 2017 - 37:42, 2018 - 41:46 and 2019 - 38:42). Today's Freezeroo #3 was different ... first it was 57F and windy, second ... I changed over to my smaller running bag. So ... I left stuff behind (filling up my water, my personal cell, charging my earbud and filling my water bottles). But ... it wasn't my first race (501st actually) so I made due. I got to the race venue a bit because I stayed a bit later to make sure that my honey, Christine, had her morning coffee. I got there just before 9:40 AM. I could see that the early start runners were assembling just as I parked. I got out for a wee 0.61 mile warm up run on the way to the start line, link here.

I said "Hi" to Andy Ciaio before the race. He said that he wanted to draft off me since it was windy. He does that ... I can usually only run with him for less than a mile ... lol! And ... we were off!

The start ... photo courtesy of Christina Darlak Ruhland

I got up to race pace easily. Andy moved ahead after about 1 mile. Joe Ciecierega and I passed and repassed each other before he moved ahead after mile 2. I had a bit of trouble during mile 3 as the course turned into the wind. I had to take 2 or 3 tiny walk breaks to catch my breath. I got back up to race pace ... and pushed it ... only a mile to go ... push ... timer was over 40 ... and done in 40:40 or so!

Cruising in the finish ... photo courtesy of Christina Darlak Ruhland

Done! Photo courtesy of Vickey Beaver

I headed back to the lodge. I couldn't stay long so I had a mini-muffin, mini-bagel and chocolate chip coffee. I had time to check on email, Facebook, check on Christine and a shower before I had to head back out. The results at hourglassworks.com were up before I could sit down though. I finished in 40:40, 51st out of 164, link here. I was 4th out of 13 in my M 60-64 age group, link here.

I headed back out to take my daughter, Karen, and her dog, Pooka, to PetSmart in Victor so Pooka could get a trim. We wandered around Eastview Mall while we waited He did look like he had less hair when she picked him back.I was back up to Rochester by 6 PM.