Flower City Half - Sunday, 5/1/11

Sun, 5/1/11: 13.1 miles, 1:40:18, 7:39 pace, 50F, cloudy, calm, ran hard as I could, some walks, no pain.

CJ and I made it down to the Blue Cross Arena around 6:40AM ... plenty of time. I had contemplated wearing my Camelbak so I could have lots of water but I decided against it after lugging it there. I did put on my arm warmers, black ss tech shirt, racing singlet, light gloves and compression shorts. I definitely made sure that I put on BodyGlide ... enough said!

The Fleet Feet Racing team ... smiling before the race!

I went back to the car to ditch the Camelbak, could have done the same with the arm warmers.

Bill, Sean and I shoot the breeze before the race.

Flower City Half Marathon Start video from YouTube. I'm at 6:20.

I just stretched a bit and had a Gu before the start. The start was fast, first mile was 7:05, second mile was 7:00. I ran hard yet easy and the early miles passed; mile 3 in 7:15, mile 4 in 7:06, mile 5 in 7:19. I had another Gu at mile 5.5; mile 6 in 7:46. Then I started the climb up to Highland Park; mile 7 in 7:55. This is where I started to have trouble. My tank of energy was definitely below 1/4. I was still running under 8 min miles but I struggled. The hills in Highland Park and the early part of the Mt Hope Cemetery were not runner friendly for sure; mile 8 in 7:57. The two miles before I emerged from the cemetery were long; mile 9 in 7:32. Seeing the Mile 10 marker (in 7:59) just as I exited was a welcome sight ... only 3.1 more to go! I had my last Gu around mile 11 (in 7:39). I started to slow in Genesee Valley Park ... runners started to pass me. The 1:40 pace group passed me just before mile 12 (in 8:21), then the Ford St bridge. The gentle curve up to the bridge was much steeper because I was exhausted. I knew I only had a mile to go and that I was on a PR pace. I got back to running on the bridge and simply gutted it out to the finish. It was a l_o_n_g mile, mile 13 in 7:57, I could see the finish line! I didn't have anything left to sprint to the line ... I just grimaced and ran as fast as I could, last 0.1 mile in 6:50. CJ was in the finish chute taking pictures and put my finisher medal over my head.

Heather finishing in 1:37:06, a PR!

 I am almost to the finish line ...

 Nipped at the line! 1:40:18! A 6:25 PR!

Katie finishing in 1:40:29.

Robie finishing in 1:40:52

Hydrating post race.

My lovely CJ did the 5K that started 20 minutes after I started off and set a PR of her own! She walked with a few runs and finished in 52:19, 16:53 pace, 844th out of 895, link here. She finished 54th out of 61 in her age group, link here. Way to go!

After a bit of walking and downing some water, CJ and I headed into the Blue Cross Arena for some well deserved chow. The usual fare was there ... bagels, banannas, apples, cookies, pretzels, peanut butter, water and MVP energy drink from Wegmans. A welcome addition was some tasty pizza from Naked Pizza. CJ and I each had several pieces besides taking their snazzy free water bottles. I saw some other racing buddies and enjoyed catching up on their racing stories. A runner said that perhaps I should try negative split running where you start slower and finish faster. That would be very tough for me because adrenaline usually rockets me out with the faster runners. Maybe I could make it work with some effort but I would definitely have to practice on runs and races.

All in all, I did pretty well. I ran the race I set out to run except for the struggles in the latter stages. Perhaps I could have ran better but I did set a 6:25 minute PR. I finished 193rd out of 1839, link here. I finished 11th out of 97 in my age group, link here.

Here are some DemocratandChronicle.com articles about the Flower City Challenge: Flower City Challenge exceeding expectations, Rochester: Get into the running,
Flower City supports runners in Sunday's race and Flower City Half Marathon victory special for Andrews.

The swag!

Later, CJ and I lazed around ... not wanting to move. We watched the NBA playoffs, second round, both were game 1. Memphis surprised Oklahoma and Miami beat Boston. CJ made up some ribs and salad for supper ... yummy! CJ also uploaded the 280 pics that she took during the day ... which took the rest of the day. We went to bed early and didn't have any trouble falling asleep!

Sunday, 4/24/11 to Saturday, 4/30/11

I ran 3 times this week, 15.4 miles.
Month of April: 97.15 miles, 15 runs out of 30 days, 6.5 miles/run.

Sun, 4/24/11: Rest day.

CJ and I had a nice, relaxing breakfast and then headed out to Ravenna OH in a light mist. We had a nice Easter dinner with her father and her family. Then we headed back to Rochester.

We got back just in time so I could watch Game 4 of the Lakers - Hornets first round series. The Lakers lost 85-88, link here, to fall to 2-2.

Mon, 4/25/11: Another rest day.

I felt a bit of twinge in my right hamstring so I decided to rest. Plus it was raining ... like it has been for most of the month of April.

So I found enough of my tools to put up a spice rack for CJ ... like I had promised her several weeks ago.

Tue, 4/26/11: 6.7 miles, 50:12, 7:30 pace, 66F, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 5 loops

CJ is battling a sinus infection so I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Cobbs Hill run. I mixed it up a bit by doing 1 loop counterclockwise and then 4 loops clockwise. Going up clockwise is easier because it's a shorter but steeper grade. Then I picked up my packet for the Flower City Half and CJ's packet for the Flower City 5K. CJ had a nice pasta supper ready when I got home ... thank you, honey!

I saw an interesting Grand Am on the way ... purple with a Knighthawks.net logo, LAXCRAZY license plates and a Eat, Sleep, Breathe Lacrosse license plate holder. Nice!

I stayed up late (except for a micronap around 11PM) to watch Game 5 of the Lakers - Hornets first round series. The dunks by Kobe in quarters 2 and 3 were worth staying up for, link here and here. The Lakers won 106-90 to go up 3-2. Perhaps this is what the Lakers need to wake and take charge of their playoff run. The closeout game 6 is on Thursday night. I think I may be tired on Friday morning.

Wed, 4/27/11: Rest day.

It was a very warm day ... around 80F. Around supper time, a line of thunderstorms moved in with high winds and heavy rain. Just enough to push Rochester into the rainiest April on record with 5.81 inches of rain.

Later, I watched a bit of the NBA games. Miami and Oklahoma advanced past Philadelphia and Denver, respectively, joining Boston. Meanwhile, San Antonio needed a 3 at the buzzer to get into OT and then beat Memphis, link here. San Antonio is still down 2-3 and going back to Memphis for Game 6.

Thu, 4/28/11: Another rest day.

I tried to taper for the Flower City Half. Over 2000 are signed up for the Half and over 800 for the 5K. CJ and I headed out to Value City Furniture to look at reclining couches. We found a nice leather one we liked but still need to comparison shop. The various warranties, delivery and tax really pump up the price plus we need to get the old couch out before anyone delivers.

Lots went on in the NBA ... Atlanta, Dallas and the LA Lakers advanced to the second round. LA Lakers finished off the New Orleans Hornet in dominant fashion, 98-80, link here. The Lakers will face the Dallas Mavericks in the second round with Game 1 in LA on Monday night.

Fri, 4/29/11: 6.6 miles, 50:20, 7:38 pace, 44F, cloudy, a bit windy, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Backward Happy Hour run, 3 loops

I needed a final tune up run before the Flower City Half so I headed down to Fleet Feet. I wanted to buy the FF Racing arm warmers. I had the idea of runing while I was wearing everything that I would wear on Sunday. So I put on my Brooks hat, black ss tech shirt, arm wears, FF Racing singlet, Brooks compression shorts along with my Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10s. Yes ... almost everything I run in was purchased at Fleet Feet. Anyway, I went out and ran. I felt pretty good ... I tried to run soft on my feet, stretch out and pump my arms. I don't know how to run slow but I did run easy. I anticipate good things on Sunday!

Oh, West #8 seed, Memphis, closed out the West #1 seed, San Antonio, in 6 games. So the second round of the NBA playoffs are set.

Double Oh, I do order most of my running stuff from Fleet Feet. But I couldn't pass up a deal from Endless.com. I scored a pair of Salamon XT Wings 2 in black/bright red for $50 off. I got them the Fedex next day for free. I felt bad but ... I needed new trail shoes for the Sehgahunda Trail Marathon on May 28th. Now to break them in.

Triple Oh, I fixed my old electric razor ... a Remington MX2 370. One of the foil heads had a hole which definitely wanted to nick me. They no longer stock the heads at Walmart but I was able to find them at Amazon.com. There were in bulk packaging with no instructions but I was able to figure out that all you needed to do was to push them out from the bottom and push them gently in from the top. So ... that saved buying a new electric razor.

Sat, 4/30/11: 2.1 miles, sunny, calm, nice and easy, some walks, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Newark HS Track

After a nice restful morning I headed out to Newark to get my father's mail and out to the Wayne County Nursing Home to see my father. He was happy to see me. He is really hard to understand. I told me about my running exploits and what has been going on lately. Then I went out to my ex's apartment to see my daughter and my youngest son. My youngest son and I headed out to the Newark high school track for our first run together. It was his first run for several months. We did one fast lap, a slower lap, a walking lap and then another lap. What happened next was probably due to the fact that he hadn't eaten anything all day ... enough said.

After I got back to Rochester, CJ cooked up an excellent and scrumptious roaster chicken with green beans and salad. The roaster chicken, which only takes 2 hours to cook, is such a great deal at Wegmans, just 88 cents a pound. The rotisserie chicken is conveniently priced at $4.99 but with 2 pounds, 2 ounces is not such a good $2.35 a pound ... convenience has its price.

CJ and I laid out our clothing and gear for tomorrow's Flower City Half. I do anticipate good things ... I have been running really well. CJ is a bit nervous ... she has not been walking too much lately due to some health issues.

Sunday, 4/17/11 to Saturday, 4/23/11

I ran 4 times this week, 21.6 miles.

Sun, 4/17/11: Rest day.

CJ and I rested and listened to the wind howl. Later, we saw flakes of wet snow during Game 1 of the Lakers - Hornets game. Someone should tell the Pau Gasol of the Lakers that the NBA Playoffs have started ... the Lakers lost 100-109, link here. Then I watched most of Game 1 of the Celtics - Knicks game. The Celtics escaped 87-85, link here. I also finished my 2007 amended tax return ... joy, joy.

Mon, 4/18/11: Rest day.

I really should have run but I will be running Cobbs Hill on Tuesday and Dirt Cheap #1 on Wednesday.

I set up my cell to text me the Boston Marathon results of three area runners; Heather (3:22:31), Katie (3:27:12) and Darlene (3:22:10). It was kind of cool ... maybe one of these days I will qualify to run Boston. Which reminds me ... I should really sign up for the Rochester Marathon in September. I think it's high time that I find out if I can go sub 4 hours.

I attempted to believe that it was actually spring ... kind of tough when there was a light wet snow falling most of the day! It left a sugar coating on the ground that was gone in the morning.

CJ and I watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I via Time Warner On-Demand. A dark and twisty movie to be sure!

Tue: 6.6 miles, 52:53, 8:01 pace, 44F, cloudy, calm, 1 traffic stop, a bit of lower ab pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 5 loops

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Cobbs Hill run. I ran easy at first, then a bit harder. I felt a bit of lower ab tightness after loop 4 so I dialed it back and just ran easy. CJ walked up to Cobbs Hill and walked 1/2 Y. CJ made a nice Gatorade recovery drink and then a nice pasta dinner for supper, sweet!

Wed, 4/20/11: 4.6 miles, 42:02, 9:08 pace, 42F, cloudy, windy, walked just a few hills, no pain.

CJ and I headed down to the Devil's Bathtub area of our home away from home, Mendon Ponds Park, for the first Dirt Cheap. The weather was a bit spring-like earlier in the early afternoon ... not so really by 6:30PM! The race started out kind of dry ... just your usual up and down. After a bit, we started to find a lot of deep mud. The mud was just as deep as Muddy Sneaker. I just kept on slogging and then finished up the infamous stairs back up to Devil's Bathtub.

I did pretty well. I finished 58th out of 243, link here. I was 3rd out of 22 in my age group, link here.

The Lakers won Game 2 of their first round series against the Hornets, 87-78, to pull even, link here.

Thu, 4/21/11: Rest day.

A non-running day ... lots of laundry got done.

Fri, 4/22/11: 4.1 miles, 29:45, 7:15 pace, 44F, cloudy, a bit windy on Monroe Ave, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Happy Hour run

I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Happy Hour run. I started out a bit slow but quickly picked up the pace. I was following Steve and Sarah. I caught them on Cobbs Hill Drive, then kept on pushing. My laps were 7:07, 7:26, 7:21 and 7:08. So I guess I just don't take it easy ... always pushing.

The Lakers won game 3 of their first round series against the Hornets, 100-86, to pull ahead 2-1, link here.

Sat: 6.3 miles, 47:19, 7:31 pace, 70F, cloudy, a bit windy in spots, 1 long stop for hydration, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Towpath Trail in Independence OH

CJ and I headed out to Cleveland for Easter after a nice lazy morning. The drive was a bit hot, noisy and stressful since the AC in CJ's car does not work. We got to the Crowne Plaza South in Independence OH around 5PM.

I immediately went out for a run. I drove over the nearby Canal Rd entrance to the Towpath Trail of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, link here. I headed out 3.1 miles in 23:42, 7:39 pace. I took a couple minute break for water. Then I headed back 3.2 miles in 23:37, 7:23 pace. I just kept bringing it ... running a bit hard, keeping an edge to the run.

After I took a quick shower, we had a nice late supper at Dimitri's Restaurant in nearby Parma. CJ gave this place a well deserved high recommendation. Excellent steak and baked potato!

Sunday, 4/10/11 to Saturday, 4/16/11

I ran 4 times this week, 35.65 miles.

Sun, 4/10/11: 11.75 miles, 2:18:25, 11:38 pace, 50F, cloudy, a bit windy up on the road, no pain.

The informal start ...

CJ and I headed down to one of our "home away from homes", Letchworth State Park, for Sehgahunda Practice Run #2. This run was from Check Point (CP) #1 to CP #3. I was a bit nervous about this run ... this is where I fell last year. I ran carefully ... there was a lot of rocks, roots, mud, slippery creek crossings to look out for. I had to remind myself to look up to check out the yellow blazes to figure out where the trail was going next. I remembered to take my Gu's and hydrate. I slipped awkwardly on a downhill once ... my right knee didn't like how I bent it when I slipped on some mud. I got to CP #3, 8.39 miles in 1:39. I had a choice ... either run back the way I came or run back on River Rd to CP #1 where our car was and call it a day. I chose to run back on River Rd. I figured that I was running the Muddy Sneaker 20K next Saturday ... no need to push it.

Afterward ... chilling, eating, waiting for CJ ...

When I got back to the car at CP #1, CJ wasn't there. I figured out from a couple pics on my cell that she had gone down the trail. I changed my clothes and had something to eat. She came back about 40 minutes later, happy that she had gotten muddy. She went all the way down to the yellow trail and then left for about 4 creek crossings before she headed back ... perhaps 2 miles of muddy fun!

We did a bit of grocery shopping at Aldi's in Henrietta on the way back, then settled down to watch the wild finish at the Masters, link here; while reading the Sunday paper.

Mon, 4/11/11: Rest day.

I definitely needed a rest day. My stomach was unsettled after supper ... I definitely did not feel my best. The weather was different for April ... it got up to 80F but was very windy, a 66 mph peak gust in Rochester.

Tue, 4/12/11: 6.5 miles, 51:30, 7:55 pace, 45F, cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hills run, 1 Y, 3 loops

The weather was really different when I woke up ... 42F. After work, CJ and I went down to Fleet Feet for the usual Cobbs Hill run. I went out nice and easy. I decided to mix up a bit with 1 Y and 3 loops. CJ didn't have on her Nike+ but she went up to Highland Ave and back, about 2 miles.

Wed, 4/13/11: Rest day.

Just your average rest day. After an enjoyable pre-supper stretch, CJ made an excellent supper of roast chicken, green beans with a sweet potato ... scrumptious!

Thu, 4/14/11: 5 miles, 37:18, 7:28 pace, 50F, sunny, calm, a couple stops for traffic, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Remington's Run #1

CJ and I headed down to Remington's for the Thursday night Remington's Run. A big crowd turned out since Urban Fitness met there too. I found Steve J to run with who also ran my pace. The miles were covered quickly and easily, I was astonished at the pace when we got done ... sweet! CJ walked the 3 mile route and was sweating when she got done.

Fri, 4/15/11: Rest day.

A definite rest night since I was running Muddy Sneaker on Saturday.

Sat, 4/16/11: 12.4 miles, 2:15:01, 10:53 pace, 45F, cloudy, rainy, windy, no pain.

CJ and I woke up and made out way down to the High Tor Wilderness Area south of Canandaigua Lake (about a 70 minute drive) ... then up as we climbed up to the start area of the Muddy Sneaker 20K. It was a raw morning ... 45F (or less), cloudy, light mist to light rain and windy. I told CJ that trail runners are certifiably crazy ... she definitely agreed. 

The start ... note the muddy road ...

Before the start I was cold and wet. The start came at 9AM ... soon I was somewhat warmer, still wet and soon my feet were much wetter and muddier. After a start on the road, we soon made it to a couple miles of ankle deep (if not deeper) mud and streams along with roots and rocks. Then we went to miles of up and down double track ... easier but still challenging. Then a whole lot more slippery mud, roots and rocks ... scary going downhill or uphill when I was so tired. I reminded myself to make good decisions about my footing and not to take chances. More uphill and more downhill ensued ... a big stream crossing, then a long uphill climb along with a scenic waterfall sighting to the finish. I must say that Muddy Sneaker was the most challenging trail race that I have ever had the opportunity to run.

I grabbed some pizza and cookies along with a free tangerine sample of Vital Energy at the finish. I was wet, cold, exhausted and crabby by the time I got back to the car. CJ didn't make it out of the car after the start ... she was chilled to the bone. She did take some pics before and after the finish. I found some nice gifts in the goodie bag; a long sleeve Muddy Sneaker T-shirt and a pair of SmartWool trail socks that I immediately put on ... nice! Everyone got a Muddy Sneaker mason jar at the finish too.

I must say that I was utterly exhausted after the race ... an hour later I was still dragging. CJ says I need to Gu more. She is correct. I had only one along 2 cups of water and 6 cups of Gatorade during the race.

CJ drove home. We stopped by ... where else ... Fleet Feet so I could sign up for the Sehgahunda Trail Marathon and the Dirt Cheap Trail Series. This is probably TMI ... but my wet tech shirt left me with sore nipples, particularly the left. I really should put on BodyGlide before every race. I just didn't think of it when it was wet and rainy! I felt better after a nice, hot bath along with a nice lunch of salmon, rice and peas. The lovely CJ takes good care of me.

CJ says I looked even worse before I changed.

My Salamons and trail socks were totally drenched.

All in all ... Muddy Sneaker ... certainly lived up to its name! I finished 61st out of 136, link here. I was put in the wrong age group, but I did finish 13th out of 34 in the 50-59 age group, link here.

Sunday, 4/3/11 to Saturday, 4/9/11

I ran 3 times this week, 20.4 miles.

Sun, 4/3/11: 9.3 miles, 1:10:20, 7:34 pace, 45F, sunny, a bit of a chilly wind, 2 walks for water, some hamstring pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Spring Forward 15K (forgot to turn on for 0.8 miles)

CJ and I headed down to Mendon Ponds Park for the Spring Forward 15K and 2.5 mile fun run. We didn't get there as early as I would have liked but 22 minutes early is better than being late! I started out pretty hot. I could have sworn that I turned on my Garmin at the start but when I checked at 0.8 miles it was not. But I can see from the data that I was doing some pretty quick miles; 7:20, 7:04,  7:15, 7:11, 7:39, 7:51 ... the rolling hills of Mendon did take a toll plus my right hamstring felt a bit tight by mile 6; 8:26, 7:52. I took water and walked for 100 feet. I dialed back my pace and took water again at mile 7.5. We got back to the park at mile 8. I gutted it into the finish and tried to finish strong, 7:48.

Even with the hamstring pain I still PR'ed by 1:01 ... sweet! I finished 101st out of 514, link here. I was 11th out of 39 in my age group, link here.

CJ walked the 2.5 mile fun run in 42:59:59, link here. She is a trooper! She wasn't feeling her best but put one foot in front of the other!

Later, I headed out to my ex's apartment in Newark to upgrade their Trendnet G Wireless Router to a D-Link DIR-615 N Wireless Router. My kids were complaining about their download speeds of 1 Mbps. It didn't make any difference. I scratched my head and found that their cable modem was ancient ... it had a 10-BaseT connection! They will be calling Time Warner.

Afterward, I watched the Denver Nuggets end the LA Lakers 9 game winning streak, 90-95 , link here.

Mon, 4/4/11: Rest day.

I did my oldest son's and my taxes using TaxAct. Loads of fun (not so much) but still pretty cut and dried. I am getting a refund ... I needed to wait for a 1099. My refund has been accepted already. CJ and I will be getting a new leather reclining couch or loveseat soon!

Tue, 4/5/11: Another rest day.

I didn't sleep well last night ... so rather that going out and running 6 miles with a headache and what probably would be bad form I went to bed early. Eight hours of solid sleep is my goal! Tomorrow will be another running day!

Time Warner did get to my ex's apartment and replaced their ancient 10-BaseT cable modem ... their download speeds went from 1.4 to around 20 Mbps! They are quite pleased. Maybe I should try the same thing! My download speed is around 8 Mbps ... maybe a similar upgrade would help.

Wed, 4/6/11: 7 miles, 56:45, 8:07 pace, 40F, cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Out to Cooper Rd

I really needed to get out for a run. I finally got out around 7PM. I tried to strike mid-foot and went out nice and easy. The last time I ran I had some hamstring tightness but I didn't have any problems. All in all, a sweet run!

Oh, my Endurance Ultra bag from Endurancebags.com came. It's a nice bag with lots of pockets. It's nice to have my running stuff somewhat more organized.

Thu, 4/7/11: Rest day.

Fri, 4/8/11: 4.1 miles, 31:01, 7:34 pace, 48F, cloudy, calm, 2 stops for traffic, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Happy Hour run

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for our usual Friday night Happy Hour run ... after all, what else would we do at 6PM on Friday night? The usual small crowd showed up. I headed out nice and easy ... then picked it up, 7:34 first mile. I slowed a bit to 7:41 on Cobbs Hill Drive, then 7:35 and finished with a 7:26 down Monroe Ave. I tried not to heel strike, reaching out with my stride ... it seems to working. CJ walked 2.36 miles. She said she had worked up a sweat by the time I saw her at N Winton and Monroe.

Sat, 4/9/11: Rest day.

After a nice, slow morning, I did get out and got some stuff done. I changed the oil in both cars, my 1999 Grand Am and CJ's 2000 Cavalier. I practically had to crawl under the Cavalier to find and change the oil filter but was successful. Then I found a hardware store that had the O ring that I needed to fix our Black and Decker blender ... I accidentally chopped up the original O ring when I put it back together incorrectly.

CJ cooked a nice pasta dinner in preparation for the Sehgahunda Practice Run #2 tomorrow morning at 9AM.

Sunday, 3/27/11 to Saturday, 4/2/11

I ran 4 times this week, 24.3 miles.
I ran 101.95 miles, 15 days out of 31 days, 6.8 miles/run in March.

Sun, 2/27/11: 5.6 miles, 1:17:34, 20F, sunny, calm in the woods, a bit of walking, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Sehgahunda Trail Marathon Practice Run #1 - I forgot to turn off my Garmin when I got done until I was almost back to the start.

CJ and I headed down to the Mount Morris Dam Visitor's Lodge for the Sehgahunda Trail Marathon Practice Run #1. Yes, it was cold ... but what better way to spend a Sunday morning? About 30 or so trail runners showed up. The conditions were about 3 to 6 inches of crunchy to soft snow on the trail which made the running very strenuous. The stream crossings were icy. Twice I had to practically kiss the ground to get underneath a tree that had fallen down across the trail. The climb out to Check Point #1 was long. By the time I got there, 5.6 miles later, I was spent. I gladly took advantage of a ride back to the Dam. Meanwhile, CJ had walked 1.8 miles on the trail so she knew full well of the conditions. Kudos to the runners who ran back to the Dam ... wow! I really need to figure out a strategy for hydration and nutrition. I really tend to not do either as much as I need to on longer races ... like marathons.

After a short rest, CJ and I headed out to Newark to see my daughter and help her celebrate her 23rd birthday. CJ made a chocolate chip cookie cake with chocolate frosting that tasted yummy! Meanwhile, CJ had put a pork roast in the crockpot so we had a yummy supper with a sweet potato!

Mon, 3/28/11: Rest day.

Just your average day of work. I finally got my laptop back up and running the way I like it. It is amazing how much work it takes ... a full day to load XP, Office 2003, all the security updates plus all the other stuff that I usually use (Firefox, Chrome, PowerDVD, Foxit Reader, PopPeeper, Quicktime, RealPlayer, AVG, CCleaner, Spywareblaster, Malwarebytes, Zonealarm).

Tue, 3/29/11: 6.1 miles, 46:11, 7:34 pace, 40F, sunny, calm, 1 traffic stop, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 3 Y's

It was beautiful day, CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Cobbs Hill run. I headed out slow up, picked it up a bit for the 3 Y's, then a bit faster back down. I was a bit thirsty, I could have used some water instead of trying to swallow spit I didn't have. When we got back, CJ made the usual yummy pasta dinner.

Wed, 3/30/11: Rest day.

Just your normal rest day. I took CJ out to get her nails done at New Nails then we had a nice supper at Keenan's Restaurant. I had the Philly cheese steak sandwich with sweet potato fries and CJ had the Keenan's burger with regular fries. Mmmm!

Thu, 3/31/11: 8.5 miles, 1:06:12, 7:47 pace, 40F, cloudy, calm, 1 water stop, no pain.

Garmin Connect Connect Activity for Out to Colebrook Drive

I really wanted to get to 100 miles this month ... so I really had to get out. I started out easy ... then I concentrated on reaching out with my stride, still easy but fast. I just kept it going. I turned around at Colebrook Drive with a stop for water. Then I gutted it back ... trying to keep my form and reaching out with each stride. I just can't seem to run slow on the road.

Running 100 miles in a month is kind of a goal for me. I don't meet it every month but it is a nice round number that has a certain pull on me.

Later, I tried to stay up to watch the LA Lakers play the Dallas Mavericks in LA. I fell asleep on the couch and missed the 4th quarter where 5 players were ejected. LA won 110-82, link here.

Fri, 4/1/11: 4.1 miles, 30:18, 7:24 pace, 42F, cloudy, calm, 1 traffic stop, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Happy Hour run

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Happy Hour run. I really did start out easy but ... as usual that didn't last. I always push myself when I run ... it's just how I'm wired. CJ walked 2.12 miles according to her map on Nike+ but her Nike+ itself said only 1.64 mile. Her Nike+ definitely needs to be recalibrated for sure.

CJ went to bed but I found the LA Lakers against the Utah Jazz in Utah on ESPN. This time I saw the whole game from midway in the 2nd quarter to the end. The Lakers were down 16 but closed with a 10-0 run to close to 42-48 the half. Then the Lakers outscored the Jazz 29-14 in the 3rd quarter. The Lakers went on to win 96-85, link here. The Lakers are now 17-1 since the All-Star break and only trail the San Antonio Spurs by 1 in the loss column for the best record with 7 games to go.

Sat, 4/2/11: Rest day.

I really wanted to get some organizing done ... but today was no different. I really need to organize but can't seem to get started. Anyway ... after a nice long sleep (which I probably really needed), CJ and I got up on all the DVR'ed episodes of Fringe and Grey's Anatomy that we were behind. CJ made a nice rib, baked potato and peas supper.

Tomorrow, will be a long day. In the morning, I will running the Spring Forward 15K, CJ will be walking the 2.5 mile fun run. Then in the afternoon, we will headed down to Newark so I can install a D-Link DIR-615 N Wireless Router for my children. Hopefully it will speed up their old Trendnet G Wireless Router that is poking along at 1 Mbs according to Speedtest.net.

Sunday, 3/20/11 to Saturday, 3/26/11

I ran 3 times this week, 20 miles.

Sun, 3/20/11: Rest day.

My exercise today amounted to a short walk to get the Sunday paper. That's about all the energy I had due to my cold. Oh well, I had to do some work for my M-F job anyway. After I got that done, I watched the Syracuse play Maquette in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament. Alas, SU didn't take good care of the basketball and lost 66-62, link here.

Mon, 3/21/11: Rest day.

I went to work ... regardless of how I felt ... Day-Quil helped. I actually felt better as the day progressed.

Tue, 3/22/11: 6.1 miles, 48:04, 7:52 pace, 40F, cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 3 Y's

I felt better during the work day and my cold is on the way out so ... instead of staying home, CJ and I went down to Fleet Feet for the usual Cobbs Hill run. I headed out easy on the way up. I ran steady on the 3 Y's. Then I put the hammer down on the way back, running around 7:00 pace. CJ walked 1.8 miles. After a short supply run to Wegmans, CJ warmed up an excellent pasta dinner, yummy!

Wed, 3/23/11: Rest day.

Winter returned to upstate NY during the day ... about 4 inches of wet snow fell during the day. I stayed inside where it was safe after I got home from work. Driving was hazardous enough without adding my body out there too.

Thu, 3/24/11: 9.8 miles, 1:19:47, 8:02 pace, 30F, sunny, calm, 1 stop, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Up to the lake to dip my toes

I started work early so I got home early. It was a bit cold but the sky was sunny so I headed down for a long run to the lake. I ran easy but quick, 4.9 miles in 39:29, 8:03 pace. I stopped to take 2 pics and dunked my toes in the lake more than I wanted, brrr!. After a few minutes, I started back up. I was surprised to find out that I ran a 8:01 pace ... I had never run faster on the way back.

Fri, 3/25/11: 4.1 miles, 30:05, 7:20 pace, 28F, a bit hard, 2 traffic stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Backward Happy Hour run

As usual on a Friday, CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the Happy Hour run. Since it was the last Friday of the month, we ran it backward. I started out a bit slow but picked up the pace as I passed Elmwood. I just kept it steady all the way. CJ walked 1.6 miles. After a lengthy trip to Wegmans, we settled in for a late pizza.

Sat, 3/26/11: Rest day.

Just a taking care of business day. I tried to get CJ's car inspected at a Instant Oil Change place at Dewey and Latta. It failed because of a blown fuse which controlled the computer connector. I got a new fuse but couldn't get the car back before they closed. I have 3 days to get it back so they can reinspect it for free. I also have working on rebuilding a laptop that died. Hopefully the data on the old hard drive is still intact.

Tomorrow, CJ and I are headed down to the Mount Morris Dam so I can try out 6.1 miles of the Sehgahunda Trail Marathon. The Fleet Feet Endurance team is hosting a free "out and pick up" of 6.1 miles or "out and back" run of 12.2 miles so we can try out the first leg of the course. I have already run this part of the course numerous times. CJ says she wants to walk a bit of the trail for a couple hours while I am gone.

Sunday, 3/13/11 to Saturday, 3/19/11

I ran 3 times this week, 16.8 miles.

Sun, 3/13/11: 6.4 miles, 53:23, 8:20 pace, 34F, cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Out to Cooper Rd to get the Sunday paper

I woke up and needed to go for a run. I had forgotten all about the "Spring Forward" time change so I didn't get out until after 10AM. I took it nice and easy, just a nice recovery run. The run felt nice and sweet.

Mon, 3/14/11: Rest day.

Just your normal rest day with the pleasure of watching the Lakers beat the Magic live from the Staples Center. The Lakers were down by 5 at half, up by 5 at the end of the 3rd quarter, won by 13, link here. I was late to bed, of course.

Tue, 3/15/11: 6.3 miles, 48:23, 7:46 pace, 48F, sunny, calm, 1 stop for a kiss, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 3 Y's

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Cobbs Hill run. I ran up easy and on the 1st Y. I ran harder on the 2nd and 3rd Y. I ran a bit easier on the way back to the store. When we got home from a supply run to Wegmans, CJ made a nice spaghetti dinner.

Wed, 3/16/11: Rest day.

CJ uploaded her pics from Snow Cheap #6, Run around the Bay and Johnny's so I uploaded to the last two weeks of the blog. Kind of fun looking through all the pics she took. Got to bed later that I should have.

Thu, 3/17/11: Another rest day.

CJ snored during the night so I didn't get as much sleep as I could have ... coffee and constant movement was a necessity. CJ went to the doctors and learned that she has a sinus infection. While she slept, I went out to get her prescriptions. I will try to get to bed early ... we will see.

Fri, 3/18/11: 4.1 miles, 29:23, 7:10 pace, 45F, cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Happy Hour run

I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Friday night Happy Hour run. I wore what was the perfect clothing for the conditions: long sleeve half zip tech top, compression shorts, shorts, light gloves and hat. I started out pretty fast with a young guy who could run 7:07 pace. He peeled off at Highland Ave. I continued on. I concentrated on my form and just ran hard. My splits were 7:18, 7:25, 7:20 and 6:39. Lately, I have been running really fast lately ... concentrating on my form is paying off.

CJ stayed home with her sinus infection. She had a slight temperature around lunchtime. Hopefully, she will be on the mend soon. I did the dishes and CJ was kind enough to warm up some leftovers.

Later, CJ and I stayed up late to watch Syracuse beat Indiana St in the NCAA first round, link here.

Sat, 3/19/11: Rest day.

I so wanted to go for a long run this morning. But my body so didn't want to. I woke up every hour or so during the night with head congestion. Not so much sleep. Anyway, I headed out to Newark during the day to see my youngest son and gave him a new XP imaged hard drive for his laptop. We found out that their Trendnet G wireless router is dog slow. A lazy, sick night ensued ... both of us were sick and felt like roadkill. Maybe a long, slow run tomorrow ... or not.

Sunday, 3/6/11 to Saturday, 3/12/11

I ran 3 times, 20.5 miles this week.

Sun, 3/6/11: Rest day.

A well deserved rest day. When I went to bed it was 47F and sprinkling. When I woke up it was 24F  and snowing. Unbelievable! I had to put my boots on to get the Sunday paper. I trudged through about 3 to 4 inches of wet snow. CJ and I lazed around. Just a relaxing, romantic day.

Mon, 3/7/11: Rest day.

A Monday all day. It didn't start out so well, 20F outside ... the passenger wiper on CJ's car froze to the windshield forcing a trip to Pep Boys for a replacement. A long day at work ensued. I had a choice of resting or going out for a run. I chose to rest.

Tue, 3/8/11: 6.2 miles, 48:46, 7:52 pace, 36F, clear, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 3 Y's

Another long day at work. I definitely needed to get a run in after three days off. CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet on a beautiful night with a new moon in the sky for the usual Cobbs Hill run. I met up with Bill B who runs the same pace that I do. We ran a bit easy up Monroe Ave, then powered up and down 3 Y's. He pulled ahead a bit on the ups and I caught him on the downs. Then we ran fast down Monroe Ave back to the store. CJ walked up to the gate and back, about 2.5 miles. She was soaked when we met back up at the store. We enjoyed listening to Dean Martin on Legends 102.7 FM on the way home.

Wed, 3/9/11: Rest day.

Just a dreary, rainy, misty day. I decided to stay in for the night after work.

Thu, 3/10/11: 9.3 miles, 1:21:02, 8:43 pace, 46F, dusk to night, cloudy, a bit windy, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Zoo trail out to Thomas Ave, road back

It actually stopped raining so I decided that I needed to get a nice and easy run in before Johnny's on Saturday. So I put on my trail shoes and headed out to the Zoo trail. It was muddy and a bit icy in spots. I ran out to Thomas Ave thankful I had not fallen. I took the road back ... just nice and easy. I ran out of energy on the way back, I could have used a Gu or Gel.

After a sub supper from Wegmans, CJ and I settled down to watch the Lakers play the Heat in Miami. The Heat won by 6, link here. I went to bed early, before 11AM. I had a restless night, my lower abs hurt a bit.

Fri, 3/11/11: Rest day before Johnny's on Saturday.

CJ and I headed out to Johnny's on the Green for packet pickup. It was too noisy so we tried the Distillery ... too busy. We ended up at McGinnity's. A nice and cozy Irish bar. We had the Friday night fish fry with some Guiness while watching SU play UConn in the Big East semifinal. SU lost in just 1 OT, not 6 like in 2009 when these two last played in the Big East tournament, link here.

Sat, 3/12/11: 5 miles, 34:35, 6:55 pace, 40F, cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.

CJ and I headed down to the Blue Cross Arena for Johnny's Runnin of the Green 5 Mile, aka Johnny's. We were there in plenty of time. I stretched a bit, ran around the block, stretched a bit more and settled in about 10 yards from the start line. We were packed in a bit like sardines ... the start was welcomed. I headed out fast, 6:46 first mile. I stayed on Bob H's shoulder until I passed him a bit after mile 2, 7:00 pace. I was running pretty much flat out. I concentrated on stretching out with each stride, pumping my arms and good breathing. I thought I was going to flame out but I just kept going around the turnaround, didn't take water, then past mile 3, 6:57 pace. Mile 4, 6:56 pace, then over the Ford St bridge.

The start ... I was about somewhere 10 yards back

I did pretty well ... I was 133rd out of 1655, results here. I was 9th out of 116 in my 50-54 age group, results here.

  
 I always seem to be grimacing when I run ...

The Fleet Feet Racing Team cheering team about a quarter mile from the finish

The sprint to the finish line!

I kept the pedal down past Ellen and the Fleet Feet Racing crew who cheered me on ... then just floored it to pass another runner. I put it into a full sprint and tried to pass another runner at the line but he heard me coming and held me off. Last mile was 6:43 pace. I examined my Garmin data. Unbelievably, it says I was at 6:08 pace at 34:25 and 4:31 pace(!) at 34:32 ... when I was sprinting for the line! All in all, it was a great race ... very, very sweet!

Oh, I set an unofficial lifetime 5K PR of 21:24 on the way ... now I just have to find a nice, flat 5K so I can make it official!

Thanks to Chris W who suggested that I take off my jacket before the race. He said that I would get too hot and that I needed to keep my core cool so I would run faster. He was right. I probably could have taken another tech shirt off. Many thanks to my girlfriend, CJ, my beautiful, blonde girlfriend, who held my bag with all my spare stuff ... post race sweatshirt, gloves and water.

 

After a nice lunch and nap, CJ continued the Irish theme and made a nice supper of corned beef with cabbage, potatoes and carrots, washed down with some McCormick's Irish Cream. Mmmm! All in all, a very sweet day!

Sunday, 2/27/11 to Saturday, 3/5/11

I ran 3 times this week, 24.47 miles.
I ran 18 times in the month of February, 91 miles, 5.1 miles/run.
Total for 2011 to the end of February: 37 runs, 191 miles, 5.2 miles/run.

Sun, 2/27/11: Rest day.

CJ and I just lazed around. CJ cooked up a 5.7 pound chicken with baked potato, green beans and salad. The chicken that needed 2 hours to cook cost about the same as the 2 pound, 2 ounce rotisserie chicken that anyone can get at Wegmans. Ahh ... the price of convenience!

We watched the Lakers beat the Oklahoma Thunder in OK, 90-87, link here. Later, we watched the Oscars, link here.

Mon, 2/28/11: Rest day.

CJ and I got some stuff done after work. We took my winter coat into the tailors to get a new zipper. Then we took a 100 pack of 100 DVD-Rs back to Staples to get a refund. Then we went to Verizon to get my old phone, a five year old (to me) Motorola e815, replaced by my daughter's old, identical phone. It had stopped syncing to my bluetooth and the charger had trouble. Now, it works fine. Then we went to Six Pockets for supper. We used the $10 for $20 plus a hour of pool coupon that I had bought from LivingSocial.com. A night off from running ... I probably needed it.

Tue, 3/1/11: 6.2 miles, 52:27, 8:27 pace, 32F, cloudy, calm, no stops, mild ab pain

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Cobbs Hill run, 3 Y's

CJ and I headed down to Fleet Feet for the usual Cobbs Hill run. I had mild ab pain at the start which kind of subsided after the 2nd Y. I took it nice and easy but did not stop ... just stubborn I guess.

Wed, 3/2/11: 3.92 miles, 41:29, 10:25 pace, 16F, partly cloudy, windy, walked some hills, mild ab pain.

 

Before the race

Winning the No Snowshoe, Male 50-59 age group award

Nate, the Winter Warriors and Bumble!

CJ and I headed down to Cobbs Hill for the last Snow Cheap, #6. It was cold and windy, I put on 3 top tech layers (1 ls, 1 ss and my FF Racing tank), jacket, shorts, pants, warm hat, warm gloves. The snow was crunchy, sometimes icy, sometimes deep and hard to get traction on. The course was a double loop, I went through the first loop at 20:38. I felt pooped out on the second loop but held at 20:52. I finished 44th overall, 30th out of 87 in no showshoes, results here. 2nd out of 6 in my 50-59 age group, results here. I won my 50-59 age group out of 15 in the no snowshoe category, results here. I won a $10 coupon off toward any Yellow Jacket Racing event. Cold and sweet!

I didn't escape from Snow Cheap #6 unscathed. I had some mild ab pain and the top of my right foot has a twinge when I step just so. But ... the pain every now and then was worth it! CJ helped out by serving cake inside. She made sure I had extra helpings ... thank you, my sweet!

Thu, 3/3/11: Rest day.

CJ made a yummy supper, country chicken stew over garlic parsley potatoes. We so needed to go to bed early but didn't ... like usual.

Fri, 3/4/11: Another rest day.

Rather than heading down to Fleet Feet for the usual Happy Hour run, CJ and I took it easy. I know I would have pushed instead of running nice and easy. I am running the Run Around the Bay tomorrow morning so I wanted my legs to be fresh. I will be doing the long, hilly route. So CJ and I went to bed early, :-)

Sat, 3/5/11: 14.35 miles, 02:02:51, 8:34 pace, 42F, cloudy, light sprinkles, a bit windy by the lake, 2 tiny walks up hills, some moderate right hip pain.


CJ and I woke up at 6AM for the annual Run around the Bay run hosted by Gold Rush Runners. We got to the outlet bridge at the top of Irondequoit Bay just before 7AM. I didn't have much time to warm up because the group of 100 runners or so headed out just as I got up to them. I moved up in the pack until Bill B found me and we settled into a 8:20 or so pace. We ran well through the flat, then headed for the hills on the west side of the bay. I walked a bit up the two major hills. We got to the water stop at 7 miles with no trouble. Then came the long downhill and long uphill of Empire Blvd. I was able to run down and up easily. CJ met up with me around mile 9 so I could take off my jacket. I continued on up Bay Rd, pulling ahead of Bill B. My right hip started hurting around mile 11 or so, then got worse. I soldiered onward but I did have to stop to walk for a bit twice, slowing to around 8:40 or 8:50 pace. I made the turn on Lake Rd and gutted it out back to the outlet bridge. I was glad to finish, Bill B was about 50 yards behind me. A nice, long run for sure. I estimate that my half marathon was 1:52 ... not too bad.

Afterward ... do I look exhausted?

Bill B invited us down to the Starbucks at the Twelve Corners in Brighton where we met up the Fleet Feet crew who were finishing up their long run. CJ and I had Skinny Vanilla Lattes and talked for a while. A nap ensued afterward, then we headed out to Newark to see my two kids that were home and out to the Wayne County Nursing Home in Lyons to see my father. CJ and I ended up eating supper at Crosspark in Newark with the kids. I had the Baby Back Ribs and CJ had the Italian Salad. Pretty good and a good value.