Sunday, 3/25/12 to Saturday, 3/31/12

I ran 4 times this week, 29.15 miles.
Month of March 2012: 150.93 miles (most ever in a month), 21 runs in 31 days,7.2 miles/run
2012 so far: 345.35 miles, 54 runs in 90 days, 6.4 miles/run

Sunday, 3/25/12: Sehgahunda Review Run #1, 2:18:56, 11.96 miles, 11:32 pace, 44F, cloudy, a light mist at times.

Christine and I woke up around 6AM. After a fast stretch we got up and at them ... again. I thought that the Mount Morris Dam was 70 minutes away so we started out at 7:30AM. Well, it's only 50 minutes away. So even not hurrying, we got there early at 8:20AM. I had plenty of time to get ready. I was just wearing compression shorts and socks, long sleeve zip T shirt, hat, light gloves and my slightly used Brooks Adrenaline ASR GTX trail shoes.


We started out just after 9AM. The Sehgahunda Preview #1 route was the Finger Lakes Trail from the Dam out to Check Point 1 (CP1) and back. It was a route that I knew well after having partially done two Sehgahundas (I got that far at least) and 3 Dam Goods. I settled into a nice, easy, slightly fast pace that kept up and even led the lead group for a bit. The trail was muddy but not too sloppy ... initially. A light mist started soon after we started. The lead group left me behind at a hill at mile 2. Two of them told me that they were avid readers of this blog before they passed, lol! Then I was running by myself. The trail became muddier and sloppier at times. A guy quietly came up behind me around mile 5. We got to the high tension power lines that indicated that the turn for CP1 was just ahead. We turned left and up for the 3/4 mile uphill run to CP1. We definitely found lots of sloppy, ankle deep mud on the way up. I hydrated and took in 2 GUs at the turn, 1:04:54, 5.98 miles, 10:51 pace.

I was by myself the whole back. I said "Hi" to all the other runners still running to CP1. The light mist stopped on the way back. I thought that either the mud was more slippery or stickier. Maybe I was more tired? I almost lost my left shoe in the mud at mile 8.2. I just motored along, trying to keep upright and not trip. I was successful except for having to put my hands down once to keep from falling when I couldn't get any traction as I was climbing out of a water crossing. I was glad to see familiar landmarks on the way back knowing that I was almost done. My darling Christine was at the finish when I broke through the trees into the Dam parking lot, 1:09:04, 11:33 pace. She did take some pics but I will have to find them.

Coming back

My right leg is clean ... the left leg not so much ...

I was very surprised that with all ankle deep mud and water that I encountered that the inside of my Brooks Adrenaline ASR GTXs were still dry ... wow! I changed into dry clothing, shoes and socks before we started back home. Christine drove while I read the Sunday paper. We stopped at McDonald's in Mount Morris for a bite and coffee. Once we got back home, we relaxed with a nice, long stretch. Then I took a well deserved, long nap. Christine was a darling and made some luscious, fall off the bone spare ribs for a late supper using Sylvia's Ribs Recipe, yum! We were watching Bizzare Foods America before ... not exactly the best show to watch while you are starving.

Monday, 3/26/12: Rest day.

Thank goodness for a rest day. My right ankle hurt for a bit because of being jammed more than once yesterday but that soon went away. I felt tired all day. Christine made up some Wegmans pizza for supper along with some cherry pie for dessert, yum! I fully intended to go to bed early but we ended up catching up on the latest episodes of Missing and GCB off the DVR. We just started watching both shows. Missing has Ashley Judd as a ex-CIA operative whose son goes missing. GCB is about some good old Christian B****es from Texas. Kind of like Dallas only about women minus the oil. We did go to bed somewhat early though ... maybe 30 minutes.

Tuesday, 3/27/12: Sehgahunda Training, 48:54, 4.79 miles, 10:09 pace, 44F, sunny, a cold wind, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Sehgahunda Training at Cobbs Hill

Christine and I were preoccupied for a bit after I came home from work but I did make it down to Sehgahunda Training down at Cobbs Hill only 15 minutes late. I stretched quickly and headed up the switchback to join the group. I met up with Mark who told me the workout: the switchback, 3 mini loops, then up and down the diagonal. I did three loops plus another switchback before running a 10 minute cooldown. Then I headed back to Fleet Feet Brighton for a Brooks Racing Team meeting. I resigned up for the next year. This year we will have to do more to help promote the Fleet Feet brand ... like volunteer at 4 races and do 2 race reports. I will certainly be doing one about Sehgahunda!

Wednesday, 3/28/12: Sehgahunda Training, 43:03, 5.5 miles, 7:50 pace, 54F, cloudy, a cold wind, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Sehgahunda Training - Tried to find hills

Christine and I headed out to Fleet Feet Ridgeway where her No-Bo run was being held. My Sehgahunda Training workout called for hills. I went and tried find some ... but the pickings were scarce. I found a bit of a hill on Old Erie Trail so I ran up and down it 4 times. No worries, just my usual "a bit hard" pace. Christine went out for 42 minutes but her Garmin died en route.

We caught up on a Private Practice and Hawaii Five-O off of the DVR before hitting the hay a bit early. The Hawaii Five-O episode, Kalele , had Ed Asner reprise his role as August March from the original Hawaii Five-O episode, Wooden Model of a Rat, back in 1976, 36 years ago. A very good episode!

Thursday, 3/29/12: Rest day.

Just a well deserved rest day. Christine cooked up a nice pasta supper. I tried to stay up to watch the LA Lakers host the Oklahoma City Thunder. I did hear that the Lakers lost by 9, link here. I read that Kobe jacked up 7 for 25(!) for 23 points. Meanwhile Bynum was 10 for 15 for 25 points. Maybe Kobe should shot less??

Friday, 3/30/12: FF Ridgeway run, 6.9 miles, 1:04:31, 8:10 pace, 40F, cloudy, a cold wind, no stops.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Ridgeway run - Triple Pickdale

Christine and I had a quick stretch after I came home from work. We made it to Fleet Feet Ridgeway with time to spare. The temp was 40F with a cold wind. I think I was a bit underdressed but out we went. Christine went out for a 3 mile run. My Seghahunda Training called for a one hour run, nice and easy. I tried ... really. I did a double Pickdale and noticed that I still had time so I went out another. My left side started to hurt a bit so I slowed a bit. I think I could have used water and nutrition on this run.

Saturday, 3/31/12: Rest day.

My Sehgahunda Training called for a 75 minute run ... but I just didn't feel it today. I got up early enough ... but just couldn't get my butt out the door. But Christine and I did get out to get my hair cut and her nails done. Then a quick bite and out to the Blue Cross Arena for an afternoon Knighthawks game against the Colorado Mammoth. The Hawks lost 12-16, link here. They were behind or tied the entire game and were tied 12-12 before Colorado pulled away. John Grant Jr, ex-Hawk, had a "Mammoth" game with 3 goals and 8 assists. The Mammoth surely did pass better than the Hawks. Then it was back home where we watched the Final Four games; Kentucky beat Louisville, link here, and Kansas beat Ohio State by 3 in a close game after being down 13, link here.

Meanwhile, Kobe continued his rim clanking ways by opening 0-15 (worst game ever) when the Lakers hosted the Hornets. He finished 3-21 but the last one was a 3 with 20 seconds left for the game winner, link here. Even a 104 year old woman who he met in a "meet and greet" before the game told him "you need to play better".

Sunday, 3/18/12 to Saturday, 3/24/12

I ran 5 times this week, 32.4 miles.

Sunday, 3/18/12: 6.75 miles, 1:02:35, 9:16 pace, 75F, sunny, calm, 3 stops for water, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Mendon Ponds Park - Blue and Green trail

I don't usually move too fast on Sunday mornings. This Sunday was the usual. I did get out around 1 PM down to my favorite trail, the Blue and Green down at Mendon Ponds Park. I could not believe the warm and sunny weather. It is March 18th, not June 18th? I just ran a bit hard, just stopping 3 times for water. I motored up and down the trail, enjoying the day and just getting my running endorphins, sweet!

I stopped by Fleet Feet Brighton and signed up for Sehgahunda Trail Marathon. It's only logical since I do the Sehgahunda Training.

I didn't move too much the rest of the day.

Monday, 3/19/12: Rest day.

Christine and I did our laundry. While she was minding the laundry, I went grocery shopping, did the dishes and then came back to help her fold our clothes. Just an ordinary rest day ... and we actually got some stuff done!

Tuesday, 3/20/12: Sehgahunda Training, 1:03:30, 5.91 miles, 70F, sunny, calm, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Sehgahunda Training at Cobbs Hill

Christine and I headed down to Cobbs Hill for my Sehgahunda Training and for Christine to do her No-Bo run from Monday. My group headed out for a 10 minute warmup in Washington Grove, 5 loops of the switchback with a meander over to and down the diagonal, followed by a 10 minute cooldown. It was a beautiful evening with lots of people out enjoying the park. Christine headed out with the intent to run the Pumpkins in the Park 5K course. She cut out the loop around the reservoir and ran 2.38 miles.

My monthly mileage just went over 100 miles, probably the earliest it has ever. I still have 11 more days until the end of the month.

Wednesday, 3/21/12: Sehgahunda Training, 47: 12, 6.0 miles, 72F, sunny, calm, 1 stop, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Sehgahunda Training at Fleet Feet Ridgeway

Christine and I headed down to Fleet Feet Ridgeway for her No-Bo run. I went for my Sehgahunda Training run. I had a bit of trouble with my Garmin so I reset it and picked up 2 minutes of warmup, an out A-B of 2.3 miles of 19 minutes, 8:16 pace, a rest of 2 minutes, a back B-A of 2.3 miles of 16.5 minutes, 7:10 pace, then a cooldown of 5 minutes. Sweet! The only downer was a kamikaze bug that flew into my left eye on the way back. Man, did that smart! It took a bit before I got it out but I didn't stop running!

Christine rocking her own blonde ponytail!

Meanwhile, Christine had gone out for a run of 2.48 miles. She said that she felt good and ran well. Doubly sweet!

Thursday, 3/22/12: Rest day.

A nice rest day. I put my IT hat on and replaced our D-Link G wireless router. A few weeks ago I had purchased a NetGear RangeMax N150 wireless router along with some NetGear N150 wireless adapters from 1saleaday.com. I even read the instructions since these refurbs came with no CDs. I scratched my head a few times but soon succeeded in upping our download speed from 10.5 to 16 and our security from the weak WEP to WPA2-PSK. I also rehooked up our Canon Pixma MX860 wireless printer. Meanwhile I was also trying to watch the Sweet Sixteen matchup between Syracuse and Wisconsin. Ok ... not so much but I did catch the moments that mattered. The last 15 seconds was not so pretty for Wisconsin as SU hung on to win 64-63, link here.

Friday, 3/23/12: Fleet Feet Ridgeway, 5.75 miles, 44:19, 7:42 pace, 60F, cloudy, a bit windy, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Fleet Feet Ridgeway - Pickdale + Pickdale

Christine and I drove out to Fleet Feet Ridgeway for our usual Friday night Happy Hour run. The weather was nice, but a bit cool compared to the last three nights where it was 70F. Ok ... so I am really spoiled with all this hot March weather, lol! My Sehgahunda Training called for 45 minutes at nice and easy. Me ... I don't do nice and easy when I run road by myself. I just ran ... I tried to hold back but I just can't. I am what I am. Christine wanted to do 3 miles but her knees bothered her so she did 2 miles. So ... doubly sweet!

Saturday, 3/24/12: Genesee River trail, 8 miles, 1:08:19, 8:32 pace, 50F, cloudy, calm.

Garmin Connect Activity for Genesee River trail from Blue Cross Arena

I set the alarm for 6AM. Christine needed to be down at the Blue Cross Arena for her No-Bo 5K run at 7:30AM. We both so wanted to just roll over and go back to sleep ... but what fun would that be? So ... after a couple minutes of listening to the radio we got up and at them. We made it downtown around 7:15AM. My Sehgahunda Training called for a nice and easy 1:30 run. I stretched and just headed out south on the west side of the Genesee River trail at a really nice and easy pace. My joints hurt a bit but I kept plugging onward. I went out for 3.75 miles at 8:26 pace before I stopped for 2 minutes. Then I headed back, soon I crossed over to the east side of the Genesee River trail and plugged onward, 4.25 miles at 8:09 pace.


Ellen caught on the left trying to get out of the picture as I came back.



Christine out on her Flower City 5K preview run

I got back just a few minutes before Christine came back in from her 5K. We hung around for a bit before we headed home for some nutrition and a nap. I headed out to Newark to wish my daughter a belated happy 24th birthday, then out to Lyons to the Wayne County Nursing Home to see my father for a bit.

Once I got back I settled down to watch Syracuse play Ohio State. Alas, Ohio State solved SU's 2-3 zone and won 77-70, link here. We did keep up with the latest Battlestar Galactica episodes off of our trusty DVR. Then it was to bed relatively early ... we are headed down to Letchworth for the Sehgahunda Preview run #1 tomorrow. Ok ... not so early!

Sunday, 3/11/12 to Saturday, 3/17/12

1 ran 5 times this week, 30.67 miles.

Sunday, 3/11/12: 8 miles, 1:07:12, 8:28 pace, 54F, sunny, a bit windy, 1 stop, left achilles pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Up St Paul and back

It was Spring Forward last night. So I woke up a hour later at 9AM and had to set our clocks a hour ahead.

What a difference a day makes! It was 41F at 9AM, then 44F at 9:30AM as I puttered around. I was scheduled for a run so I put on the usual clothing for a run around 40F. When I got out at 10:30AM, it was sunny and 51F so I had to go back inside to change into short sleeves!

I headed out nice and easy, downwind towards the lake. My plan was to run to the lake and back. Well, my left Achilles started aching at mile 3.6 so I turned back at mile 4. My pace up until then was 8:05. I started for a minute then headed back really nice and easy, 8:48 pace. I think I upped my mileage way too fast. Last week was 43 miles.

I stopped to get the Sunday paper and a couple of Apple Spice donuts from DunkinDonuts. Later, Christine and I watched the LA Lakers beat the Boston Celtics in LA, 97-94, link here. Also, SU got the East #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Go 'Cuse! We also caught up on the latest Battlestar Galactica episodes off of the trusty DVR.

Monday, 3/12/12: Total rest day.

I definitely needed this rest day. My left leg just had a soft ache all day. I definitely did not move fast. Plus I was tired from not getting enough sleep.

Tuesday, 3/13/12: Another rest day.

I was scheduled for a Sehgahunda Training session down at Cobbs Hill but I decided to bag it. I just wasn't feeling it. Christine made a most excellent supper of roasted chicken with garlic and sage, homemade stuffing with celery, onions, apples and raisins along with fresh broccoli .... mmm, yummy! We just chilled ...

Wednesday, 3/14/12: Sehgahunda Training, 1:41:02, 10.5 miles, 9:37 pace, 52F, sunny, calm, 2 stops, a bit of pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Cobbs Hill - lots of loops

I really needed to run. Tonight's Sehgahunda Training plan was for a 1:15 run, mostly on trails. So Christine dropped me off at Cobbs Hill while she went on to Fleet Feet Ridgeway for her No-Bo run. I just up and ran. I did 4 Mark's loops on trail, 4 loops around the reservoir on the road, 3 loops around the big field and 2 loops around the pond. I found that my left Achilles hurt a bit when I ran on the road and a whole lot less when I ran trail. Interesting. Meanwhile, Christine was running 2.5 miles on her No-Bo run. I just ran until I saw her pull into the Riley Lodge. A perfect evening ... for anything on Cobbs Hill. I ran by people playing tennis, running, walking their dogs, playing basketball, cooking out and fishing.

Thursday, 3/15/12: Rest day.

Just an average rest day. Christine and I just lazed around. We watched some Unforgettable episodes off the DVR. We also rooted for SU as Syracuse beat UNC-Asheville, 72-65, link here. They did have some favorable calls down the stretch.

Friday, 3/16/12: Another rest day.

My Sehgahunda Training plan called for a nice and easy hour run. But I really don't like to run the day before a race. So I just took it easy.

Christine outdid herself when she whipped up Shrimp Creole Pasta for supper. She did substitute some ingredients for what we had ... scrumptious!

Saturday, 3/17/12: 3 runs of 12.17 miles (2, 5 and 5) with Johnny's in the middle.

Pre Johnny's, 2 miles, 50F, cloudy, calm, no stops, no pain.
Garmin Connect Activity for Pre Johnny's, Just nice and easy to get the kinks out.



I was very loose as I lined up about 10 minutes before the race. Over 2400 were registered so the start line was packed. I was about 50 feet back next to Heather Danielson. Heather said that she wanted to run sub 33. Bill Beyerbach was about a yard behind.

And they are off!

The start was chaotic as every runner tried to find some space to run. The first quarter mile was a bit slow but we soon got up to pace. I stuck with Heather for at least 2 miles, then Beth for about a mile. I did slow a bit in mile 4 before I picked it up with the finish line in sight. I saw the clock with under 34 minutes so I sprinted for the line and clocked in with a 33:58, a 20 second PR! Yeah, baby!!! My splits were: 6:51, 6:38, 6:47, 6:56 and 6:41. I walked for a bit and then headed out for a post run.


I appear at about 1:50 ... with my orange Fleet Feet hat.


Just after mile 4 ... I appear around 8:17

Steve Levitsky, Frank Quattrone, Heather Danielson and I about a 1/4 mile after the start.

Going out over the Ford St bridge (about 0.8 miles)

Note ... the usual grimace!

My darling Christine on her way back

After Johnny's in the parking garage

Post Johnny's, 5.17 miles, 60F, sunny, calm, 2 stops, no pain.
Garmin Connect Activity for Post Johnny's

I just headed out a really nice and easy run to catch up with Christine. My joints were hurting for sure. I didn't catch up with Christine until mile 4.75. Yes, she finished last but she made the effort and lapped everyone who was on the couch!

We just hung around the Blue Cross Arena for a bit when we chowed down with some water and bagels. We caught up with some fellow runners. Bill Beyerbach won 2nd in his M55-59 age group, Matthew Roberts was 1st in his M25-29 age group. I did OK, I was 159th out of 2297, link here. I was 9th out of 167 in my M50-54 age group, link here.

We caught the last half of Syracuse - Kansas State game. SU was up at half by a point 26-25. SU ended up winning 75-59, link here, to advance to the Sweet Sixteen! We watched the latest episodes of Battlestar Galactica live, too tired to move. Then we just lazed around ... too tired to move again.

Sunday, 3/4/12 to Saturday, 3/10/12

I ran 6 times this week, 43.0 miles.

Sunday, 3/4/12: 11.1 miles, 2 runs, sweet!

Garmin Connect Activity for Russell's house to home

Our car needed some service: an oil change and the muffler was hanging. Our auto mechanic is named Russell and lives 3.5 miles away by the most direct route. What to do if you have only one car? Run there of course! So ... after a bit of stretching and breakfast, I dropped off our car at Russell's house and ran home. It was kind of pretty, 28F with a light and fluffy snow. I stopped en route to get the Sunday paper. Just a nice and easy run, 34:00, 4.2 miles, 8:06 pace.

I lounged around and watched the Boston Celtics beat the New York Knicks in OT, 115-111, link here. Russell had called and the car was ready. I didn't really want to go back out but ...

Garmin Connect Activity for Home to Russell's house

So I ran to ESL and took the long way to Russell's house. It was a bit windier and colder. I definitely felt it! Again I ran nice and easy, 57:06, 6.9 miles, 8:16 pace. I felt a twinge in my left hamstring about a mile out so I walked a bit before starting up again. Still ... sweet! I picked up our car and drove home to take a nice, warm shower. My fingertips were white and numb in the shower before I warmed back up. That has been my norm this winter. It is a bit of a bother ... but they do turn back pink.

I lounged around and watched the LA Lakers beat the Miami Heat, 93-83, link here. Kobe looked a bit weird with his new mask to protect his broken nose. He has been on a tear since donning the mask: 31, 38 and 33 points in the last three games.

My lovely Christine made up some luscious BLTs for a late supper. Mmmm!

Monday, 3/5/12: Rest day.

Just your normal rest day. My darling Christine blonded up her hair with Loreal Excellence ... nice! We finally watched our Netflix DVD, Drive Angry, that we have had since mid January! I think NetFlix made its money off of us on this one!

Tuesday, 3/6/12: Sehgahunda Training at Cobbs Hill, 5.45 miles, 57:09, 10:32 pace, 40F, dusk to night, sunny, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Sehgahunda Training, Switchback + Diagonal V

 I headed down to Riley Lodge at Cobbs Hill solo. The workout was a warmup to the big tree at the base of the grass hill. Then we went behind the tennis courts to the beginning of the switchback and up to the top, down the stone path to the big tree, around and up and down the diagonal V and repeat for 40 minutes. Followed by a 10 minute cooldown run. I did 4 repeats. Steady effort, I did not walk on the switchback.

Wednesday, 3/7/12: Sehgahunda Training at FF Ridgeway, 7.55 miles, 1:02:19, 8:13 pace, 60F, dusk to night, sunny, calm, 3 walks, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Sehgahunda Training: Hard, Harder, Hardest

Christine rans her No-Bo run out at Fleet Feet Ridgeway on Wednesday night ... so out we went! She did her run, I did my Sehgahunda Training workout. I headed out nice and easy as a warmup run onto the Canal path. My run was supposed to be 10 minutes each of Hard, Harder, Hardest. It kind of turned out to be Hardest for 8 minutes around 7:00 pace, 2 minute walk, Hard for 8 minutes around 6:50 pace, 4 minute walk and Hard for 19 minutes around 7:00 pace with a 10 minute cool down. By the time I got back it was dark and I forgot to wear my headlight.

My perceived effort always tends to be hardest first. I tend to rabbit and go out too hard. I have worked on that but it's a work in progress. Still ... a nice run out in a 60F March evening in shorts with a full moon!

Thursday, 3/8/12: Rest day.

Just your average rest day. We just lazed around. We tried to watch Fringe off of the DVR but it rebooted for no reason ... so we just went to bed.

Friday, 3/9/12: FF Ridgeway run, 5.4 miles, 42:00ish, 7:47 pace, 28F, light snow, windy, no stops, no pain.

Christine said she needed to run and so did I ... so off to Fleet Feet Ridgeway we went. We chuckled at the weather ...28F and windy. Two days ago, it was 60F and we ran in shorts. Tonight, we dressed in cold weather gear ... and wished we had more after we were done! My Garmin died about a mile into the run so I just ran nice and easy but hard enough to keep warm which meant I wasn't dawdling. Christine selected the 3 mile route. I backtracked at Weiland and Long Pond to come back to walk back with Christine. It was dark and the wind whipped the snow into our faces ... brrrr!!!

Saturday, 3/9/12: Round the Bay run, 13.5 miles, 1:55:50, 8:35 pace, 20F, cloudy, real light snow, a bit windy, ran/walked 3 hills, left Achilles pain in the last half.


The alarm clock went off at 5:40AM ... my body wanted to stay in bed. But the runner in me got us up and out the door. First we checked the weather. It was 19F with a "Feel Like" of 6F, brr!!! So we dressed warmly for the weather. Runners run! Joe picked me up around 6:35AM. Christine left for the Blue Cross Arena shortly after. She walked the Flower City 5K course.

There seemed to be about 150 runners in the west parking lot by the Swing Bridge by 7AM. Off we went! I took a different route out, up and up the path which turned into Sea Breeze Drive. Eventually I warmed up which seemed to take a long while! Soon we headed down Bay Shore Blvd and back up (hill #1). About here I found that the water in the tube of my Camelbak had frozen. Luckily I was not too thirsty.


I run through at about 6:40.


Then down to the Irondequoit Bay level on Glen Haven Rd and S Glen Rd at mile 5. We ran down there for a bit then back up on Bay Front St (hill #2). The water stop at mile 6.3 was much appreciated! Luckily my Gu had not frozen, though it definitely didn't flow fast. The run down Empire Blvd was quick, the climb back up was much longer (hill #3). My left Achilles started bothering me around here so I slowed down a bit. I just put my running into economy mode around 8:30 to 8:50 pace and ran Empire Blvd, Bay Rd and Lake Rd back to the Swing Bridge.

I was happy was my effort. Kudos for the the water, cookies and brownies at the end! Christine met me and I rested in the car until Joe made it back so I could get my gear from his car. All in all, what a sweet way to spend a morning!

We both just lazed around, drank coffee, and ate a late lunch before we took a relaxing nap. As Christine says ... "We know how to have fun"!

Sunday, 2/26/12 to Saturday, 3/3/12

I ran 5 times this week, 36.78 miles.
Month of February: 99.88 miles, 17 runs in 29 days, 5.9 miles/run

Sunday, 2/26/12: Sehgahunda Training, 10.24 miles, 1:38:59, 26F, sunny, calm.

Garmin Connect Activity for Sehgahunda Training - Hell on Hills

I met up with the Sehgahunda Training group in the big parking lot at Ellison Park at 9:30AM. It was beautiful ... sunny , around 24F. We ran a slow mile for a warmup, then ran over to the bottom of Rich's Dugout ... which is a 5/8 mile hill of 150 feet elevation according to my Garmin.

Back down Rich's Dugway ...

Boots explained the workout ... hill repeats, consistent effort on the up and recovery on the down. We were to run up, note our time and try to beat our time on each repeat else we were done. My first repeat was 5:00, then -0:05, -0:15, -0:08, -0:05 and -0:05. Ellen showed up around the 5th repeat. Boots told me to stop after the 6th repeat. Then I went out for two cool down runs. We talked a bit then it was more than time to head home. Sweet!

Curiously, I was very tired and hungry the rest of the day. We finally managed to head out to get a Redbox DVD, Contagion. It was quite good.

Monday, 2/27/12: Rest day.

A scheduled rest day. The only thing ... I walked over 10,000 steps according to my Casio Commando.

Christine and I did some excellent cross training after work. Then laundry night ensued followed by a late supper. I watched a bit of the first prime time Daytona 500. I saw the crash at lap1, the fire and the finish at 1AM. Kind of wild, link here.

Tuesday, 2/28/12: Sehgahunda Training, 5.26 miles.

Garmin Connect Activity for Sehgahunda Training - 5.5 V's at Cobbs Hill

Since we only have one car, Christine had skip her No-Bo run at Genesee Valley Park so I could meet with the Sehgahunda Training group for our Tuesday night hill workout at Riley Lodge. No worries for Christine though ... she ran over to join everyone doing the regular Cobbs Hill workout and did 1.5 Y's for 3.0 miles.

Two new things for this workout, Brooks Cascadia trail shoes and a Black Diamond Icon headlight along with the NRG rechargeable battery. The new Brooks Cascadia trail shoes felt nice compared to my old Salamon XT Wings 2 with 450 miles. The Icon put out a new bright circular spot ... though not very wide.

Anyway, our workout was a 15 minute warmup run, 30 minutes of doing V's and a 15 minute cooldown run. A V is running up the left and right side of the grass hill from the Monroe Ave side. I did 5.5 V's before we ended with a full sprint up the hill. Not a bad workout with 1000 feet of climb.

Wednesday, 2/29/12: Snow Cheap #6, 3.58 miles, 34:56, 10:02 pace, 38F, night, walked a few hills, no pain.

I started off at Fleet Feet on Monroe Ave for a 2 mile warmup run, 7:56 pace.
Garmin Connect Activity for FF Monroe Ave up to Riley Lodge



The weather was cool again so I just wore pants, short sleeve tech, light gloves along with my Brooks Racing Team arm warmers and singlet ... kind of my "go-to" apparel for 30-40F. I would rather be too cool at the start.

I am the third runner.

The Snow Cheap #6 course was 2 loops which made it longer than usual. I didn't bring my Yaks ... and man, did I need them! There were slick spots that I definitely could have have used more traction. So I had to be careful and paid for it as runners passed me. I heard the name of Bill Beyerbach mentioned 45 seconds before I headed out for loop 2, loop 1 time was 17:16. By this time, the headband of my new Icon headlight had come loose so I had to run the entire second loop with it in my left hand which affected my balance. I didn't fall but I did slip a bit. I turned in on once I got to the flat before the finish with a 5:20 pace and was only 12 seconds behind Bill Beyerbach at the finish, loop 2 time was 17:41, total was 34:57 I did OK, 34th out of 136 in the No Snowshoe, link here. I was 2nd out of 13 in my M50-59 No Snowshoe, link here.

I went out for a mile cool down run ... just really nice and easy, 10:03 pace.
Garmin Connect Activity for Snow Cheap #6 Cool down

Christine and I ate pizza and hung around like usual. Bill Beyerbach won our Snow Cheap M50-59 No Snowshoe. I was ahead of him by 2.34 points coming in to the last race and finished behind him. I won 3 races and he won 3 races. Hey ... I won last year, it's his turn. The Winter Warrior awards were next.



L-R (David Dilgard, Colleen Vorndran, Tina Pellegrin, Cheyenne, Duane Basch, Beth Spingar)

The champion was a 10 year old girl named Cheyenne and the top male was Duane Bausch (for the 2nd year in a row). I collected my swag for 129 Winter Warrior points: a button, a bottle opener, a Winter Warrior long sleeve T-shirt and a red Puma water bottle ... sweet!
Thursday, 3/1/12: Rest day.

Just your much appreciated average rest day. Christine went out to Planet Fitness to run 3 miles on the dreadmill. She overdressed and was drenched when she came back. I just did not do too much.We watched an episode of Fringe off of OnDemand.

Friday, 3/2/12: FF Ridgeway, 6 miles, 47:00, 7:50 pace, 40F, dusk to night, a bit windy, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Ridgeway run, Pickdale + Pickdale

I headed down to Fleet Feet Ridgeway for my usual Friday night run. It was cool again so I wore my usual cool clothing. I headed out a bit fast but settled into a nice and easy pace. It's kind of cool that I really didn't need my headlight until halfway through the run.

Saturday, 3/3/12: FF Ridgeway, 8.7 miles, 1:18:46, 9:01 pace, 38F, sunny, windy, 2 stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Ridgeway run with the 9:00 group

We woke up at 6:50AM and could hear the wind howling ... we thought about curling further under the covers. But we are runners ... so out we went! Christine and I headed out to Fleet Feet Ridgeway again for her No-Bo run. We got there 14 minutes early and there must have been 100 runners in the store! Christine headed out for her 2.4 mile run and I hooked up with the 9:00 pace group looking to go 9 miles. They were all going for 12 miles but told me that I could branch off when I needed to. There was just 4 of us and we struck up a nice and easy pace around 8:40 or so. The route mostly took us north into Greece. The wind was whipping but we were mostly protected by woods or houses so it wasn't too bad. I branched off to head back to the store when we crossed Long Pond Rd on English Rd. The run south on Long Pond wasn't too pleasant since I was headed into the wind. I did walk a few times. I just put one foot in front of the other. I have really amped up my running this week and I can feel it in my legs. They are a bit tired.

Later I headed out to Newark to see my daughter. She just moved into her new apartment and wanted to show it off. Plus she needed some help hanging pictures. Next I headed to Palmyra to see my youngest son before heading back home. They both appreciated the pot holders that Christine had bought them for house warming gifts. Later, Christine and I caught up on the latest episodes of Castle and NCIS: LA off of the DVR.

Sunday, 2/19/12 to Saturday, 2/25/12

I ran 5 times this week, 25.93 miles.

Sunday, 2/19/12: Polar Cat #4, 3.1 miles, 22:14, 7:10 pace, 28F, light snow, calm, no stops, no pain.

Christine and I headed down to one of our homes away from home, Mendon Ponds Park, for the Polar Cat finale. We were at Stewart Lodge this year so the course was modified to be an out and back from the exit of the Beach parking lot on the rolling hills of Douglas Rd which is a bit simpler. We didn't get there too early so neither of us had any time to stretch.

Bob Haas, Marty, myself and Bill Beyerbach

My darling Christine

So the race started out creaky for me. So the mild uphill south on Douglas Rd was a bit painful. It took a bit to get into race speed but I did manage a 7:06 first mile. Bill Beyerbach and I raced side by side for the first 1.4 miles or so. We turned at 1.65 miles and started to come back. I opened it up and started to pick off runners, mile 2 at 7:15. I saw Christine on the way back when she was at about 3/4 mile. I kept it cranked, mile 3 at 7:04. I hit the finish at 22:14 which isn't too bad for such a rolling road. I finished 12th out of 65, link here. I finished 2nd out of 7 in my M50-54 age group, link here.

Sprinting for the finish!

Bill Beyerbach sprinting for the finish!

I headed out for a nice and easy 5k cool down run on the course after a couple of minutes. I saw Christine on the way out and told her she was 1.05 miles from the finish. I came back upon Christine when she was 1/4 mile from the finish and told her that the finish was in sight. I took a pic of her at the finish. Yes, she finished last but she wants to get faster. She is a trooper and lapped everyone on the coach!

Christine at the finish!

I went out with Bill Beyerbach for another cool down run after a bit. We headed out with our Garmins turned off. Later I mapped it out on runningahead.com as 2.3 miles. We wanted to go out nice and easy ... which didn't happen. I think we went out 1.25 miles around 8:00 pace and came back around 7:30 pace or faster. We just don't run slow together. But it felt good!

We all went out to breakfast/lunch at the Liberty Restaurant. Then we went to Bill's house when we showed him how to upload his Garmin. We had some misadventures with not knowing his username or password, plus we had to soft reset his Garmin. But he did manage to upload his 244 runs successfully.

Once Christine and I got home, we just vegged and vegged some more.

Monday, 2/20/12: Rest day.

A rest day for me and a rest day for Christine from her No-Bo. We watched the latest episode of Fringe and and the season finale of Pan Am. Will Pan Am be back next year?

Tuesday, 2/21/12: Sehgahunda Training, 5.33 miles, 1:01:33, 11:33 pace, 38F, night, light snow, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Sehgahunda Training in Washington Grove

Sehgahunda Training ... so it begins. We met up with Boots outside Riley Lodge at Cobbs Hill. We went up into Washington Grove where Boots laid out a loop course in the dark with no flags, just landmarks. He took us through it once real slow. Then he set us loose on it ... so I got lost once before I memorized it so I could concentrate on the footing. I looped it five times before Boots let us stop. Our lessons were: check our batteries before we run in the dark, pick up our feet and pay attention to our surroundings to pick up landmarks. I could have sworn that I turned off my Garmin before I got in the car but ... I guess I didn't. I had to use the Garmin Player to figure out the mileage and time.

A bit of Wegmans shopping ensued afterward. Christine ordered Pizza Hut delivery which soon calmed my hunger.

Oh, I got a new BlueAnt T1 Rugged Bluetooth. It is really cool. It uploaded my contacts so it can tell me who is calling. Plus it can actually understand me and do my bidding ... like call my contacts, send texts, etc.

Wednesday, 2/22/12: FF Ridgeway run, 5.7 miles, 44:28, 7:48 pace, 34F, night, calm, light wet snow, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Ridgeway run - Pickdale + Pickdale

Christine and I headed down to Fleet Feet Ridgeway for her No-Bo run and my Sehgahunda Training "slow, easy" run. There were the usual crew of No-Bo walkers/runners so I headed out early. I just did my usual Pickdale - Pickdale route kind of nice and easy. The light wet snow became heavier which made me wish I had worn a hat instead of ear warmers. Christine had her own troubles ... blocked in by a bunch of walkers that would not move over, walkers wearing no reflectivity, fogged up glass, a headlight that needed batteries. The net result was that she fell on her left side. Luckily it was into a muddy lawn. She was kind of pissed. Her back started to spasm later. She wants to get out tomorrow on her own so she can pound out her frustrations.

The LA Lakers were on the road playing the Dallas Mavericks ... the result was a win, link here.

Thursday, 2/23/12: Rest day.

Christine didn't make it out during the day or after I came home. USPS delivered an Amphipod Micropack Satallite. It will be good for clipping to my shorts in the summer for holding my cell, money and gels.

I settled down for an evening of NBA basketball. Christine tolerated it. The first game was the NY Knicks with Jeremy Lin at the Miami Heat. The Heat manhandled the Knicks, link here. The second game was the LA Lakers at the Oklahoma Thunder. The Thunder won, link here. 

Friday, 2/24/12: High winds = rest day

I had some major excitement at work. Around 3PM I rebooted the PC that runs my printer scanning software ... the PC died. It wouldn't even count its RAM. I tried different RAM in different slots but nada. So I found a similar PC and switched the hard drive. I crossed my fingers ... it booted and I went home. I will have to get a new license key on Monday.

I got some more toys via USPS. I really needed a brighter headlight for night running so I bought a Black Diamond Icon Headlight along its NRG Rechargeable Battery Kit. I had a bit of trouble putting it all together. It would have helped to have instructions in bigger type. I can't wait to test it out!

I thought about going out for my prescribed run but a high wind warning from 5PM to 2AM cut that out. I felt bad but ... I don't think it would have been safe.

Saturday, 2/25/12: Freezeroo #6, 6.2 miles, 46:35, 7:31 pace, 28F, light snow, windy, no stops, no pain.

Christine and I got up and out early for her No-Bo run at Mendon Ponds Park. She headed out early for her 2.15 mile run. It was the same route that Bill Beyerbach and I ran on Sunday. She came back, got back into the car and off we went to Churchville for Freezeroo #6. The roads were variable ... tending towards bad the closer we got to Churchville. The drive took 50 minutes.

The start of Freezeroo #6

I appear around 1:50.

I didn't warm up at all before the race. Luckily, the heavy snow became light snow in time for the race at 10AM. The course was an out and back. The start was downwind on Bromley Rd. This road was mostly clear with a bit of slush so I started out pretty well, mile 1 at 7:04, mile 2 at 7:12. The footing on Attridge Rd road was more snowy so my speed fell, mile 3 at 7:41, mile 4 at 7:51. I saw someone fall in front of me twice within 50 feet. The turn back onto Bromley Rd put us into the wind ... and it was brutal, gusting to around 20-30mph. I just put one foot in front of the other, told myself that I was not going to walk, started counting my steps, didn't look up, anything to keep moving, mile 5 at 7:43, mile 6 at 7:51. I thought I was running faster going in ... but the Garmin says differently. I think I picked it up at bit too soon after I crested the hill at mile 5.3. I had nothing left in the last 0.5 mile into the finish.

Running toward the halfway point on Attridge Rd

But still ... I ran a 46:35 which is a 7:31 pace under not so great winter conditions. It's all good. I finished 40th out of 175 hardy runners, link here. I was 7th out of 23 in my M50-54 age group. GRTC Freezeroo series wise, I was 35th out of 175 males overall, link here. I was 5th out of 30 in my M50-54 age group, link here, and finished out of the money. We sat, ate pizza, swapped running stories and talked about our upcoming races ... sweet!

Christine and I headed home ... but not before a side trip to BJ's. Later Christine cooked up a nice and filling beef stew for supper while we caught up on the lastest episodes of Castle, NCIS and Hawaii Five-O off of the trusty DVR.

We went to bed early, believe it or now! Tomorrow is more Sehgahunda Training ... Hell on Hills in Ellison Park. Sounds like fun!

Sunday, 2/12/12 to Saturday, 2/19/12

I ran 4 times this week, 17.8 miles.

Sunday, 2/12/12: Rest day.

Snow made a return to Rochester this morning. We woke to light fluffy snow that continued until around 1PM. My ex had called and was afraid to drive down to Houghton to pick up my daughter so I had agreed to do it. I came pretty close to calling her to cancel. But ... I went out, cleared 8 inches of snow off our car and south we went. Christine and I saw about 10 accidents on I-590S and I-390S as we made our way south. At one point on I-390S we were behind a congo line of 4 slow moving snowplows which were plowing the entire width. The snowplows exited at Lehigh Station Rd, then the road became completely bare about 2 more miles farther south like a switch was flipped! The rest of the drive to and back was uneventul except for the occasional wind blown snow on the road from an open field. Oh, except when we were about a mile from home when a trooper's lights warned us of a car in the median and slowed us down before we got that part of the fast lane ... a good thing.

After a late supper, we watched the latest NCIS and NCIS: LA served up from the DVR.

Monday, 2/13/12: Up & down Seneca Ave, 4.65 miles, 36:51, 7:55 pace, 30F, night, a bit windy, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for Up & down Seneca Ave - 2 loops

Christine needed to run and I kind of needed to run. So I suggested just up and down Seneca Ave. It's a busy street with a shoulder so Christine felt safe plus there was no ice on the shoulder. She did 1 loop and I did 2 loops. She said she felt good and so did I. So it was all good.

Tuesday, 2/14/12: Happy Valentine's Day, 5.25 miles, 40:47, 7:48 pace, 34F, night, calm, no stops, a bit of right knee pain.

I was a little sneaky this morning ... and sneaked a bottle of White Shoulders perfume into Christine's running jacket before I left for work. She used to wear that perfume back when we dated in college. I love you, honey!

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Ridgeway tempo run, 8 loops, a bit lost at times

Christine and I headed out to Fleet Feet Ridgeway for her No-Bo run and my Tuesday night temp run. I didn't have much time to stretch but out we went. I had a pain in my right knee for about a mile. I was a bit concerned but I went onward. The pain went away and I started to pick up my pace as I went round and round, 8 loops. I got a bit lost and ended up on Ridgeway Ave out by I-390 so I had to run back on Ridgeway Ave, oops! Christine was really stoked about running 2 miles. So it was doubly sweet! I downloaded the Pizza Hut app onto my phone. It was used on the way home to pick up a medium thin crust, Pepperoni Lovers' pizza on the way home, nice!

Wednesday, 2/15/12: Snow Cheap #5, 2.41 miles, 21:45, 9:01, 36F, night, no stops, no pain.



It was a Snow Cheap Wednesday so Christine and I headed down to Riley Lodge at Cobbs Hill. It was relatively warm so I just wore pants, a long sleeve tech shirt, light gloves along with my Brooks Racing Team and arm warmers. Some people wear a lot more but I have found it best to be a bit cold at the start since I warm up quickly. If you overheat your body will stop you ... which is not a good thing during a race. Christine talked me into wearing her ear warmer ... which was a good idea.

The start

I am the third runner

I started out a bit hot. I was happy that the course curled to the left. We had done this course before and it didn't have any steep ups. I was surprised by the depth of the snow in the woods and definitely surprised by the slush and water that we slopped through at one point. It was early in the race so I knew my feet would be wet the rest of the way ... but it's called trail racing, baby! I took a wrong turn for a bit and led some people the wrong way but very shortly got back on track and finished the race. I was pleased that I did not walk at all during the race.I did OK. I finished in 21:45, 34th out of 174 overall. I was 24th out of 139 in the No Snowshoe, link here. I was 2nd out of 9 in my M50-59 No Snowshoe age group, link here.

After a bit of grocery shopping at Wegmans, we ate a very late supper (10PM) of yummy rotisserie chicken and salad. Definitely a great day!

Thursday, 2/16/12: Rest day.

A definite rest day for Christine and I. Christine from running Monday and Tuesday. Me from running three days in a row. We ate leftover chicken and watched the latest Battlestar Galactica episodes off the DVR.

Friday, 2/17/12: FF Ridgeway run, 5.49 miles, 41:54, 7:48 pace, 32F, night, calm, light snow for a bit, 1 stop, bit of pain.

I had a running dream this morning ... I dreamed that I slept through Johnny's 5 mile run (I think), only it was held in Newark, and I was going to run it twice. Hmm ...

A brief burst of winter came back to Rochester in the late afternoon. Some fat, fluffy, wet snow fell along with one clap of snow thunder! Later, it snowed during the Friday night happy hour run.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Ridgeway run, Pickdale + Barbara

Christine was still on a rest day so I headed out to Fleet Feet Ridgeway solo. I started out a bit late so I started to pick off runners, 19 total. Not as many runners run from Ridgeway. I felt some minor left hip pain at mile 4.25 so I stopped to walk for about 100 feet before I started back up a bit easier. Still it was a sweet run!

Saturday, 2/18/12: Rest day.

I was feeling sleepy still so Christine went out to her No Bo workout solo in the morning. I really didn't get back to sleep until after she came back. Then I slept until noon.

Christine and I just hung out. I got out to Tops where I picked up 4.5 lbs of spare ribs at $1.99/lb. I got home and Googled "spare rib recipe". I picked Sylvia's Ribs from allrecipes.com and told Christine the ingredients. About 2.5 hours later ... we had some really tasty ribs!! It was 10PM before we ate again ... but they were well worth the wait!

Sunday, 2/5/12 to Saturday, 2/11/12

I ran 4 times this week, 20.55 miles

Sunday, 2/5/12: Fleet Feet Gives Back 4 miles trail run, 4.23 miles, 39:38, 9:22 pace, 30F, cloudy, a pretty fine snow, walked the usual hills, no pain.



Christine and I had a couple of pre-race stretches but still managed to get down to Mendon Ponds Park for the Fleet Feet Gives Back. Since there was no snow, it was a trail race. Christine was going to run her first trail race. I was a bit worried since she didn't have any breakfast. I ran the 4 mile (2 loops) trail race, Christine ran the 2 mile (1 loop) trail race. I headed out a bit hard and saw the first three runners ahead of me. I went through the twisty, turny bog area with 2 runners on my behind. They both passed me soon after we got out. I soon got into a rhythm. I ran the flats and downs and walked the steep ups. I went through the finish at 18:55 and started the second loop. Soon after the 2nd time through the twisty, turny bog area I came upon Christine. I stopped to give her a long smooch. The first woman, Jessica, passed me while Christine and I were occupied. We traded positions the rest of the way. She would pass me on the ups and I would catch her on the flats and downs. Soon the race was over, loop 2 in 20:39, she finished 11 seconds behind me.

I took a couple of drinks of water and then headed back onto the course for a cool down run ... and to catch Christine again. I was thinking that the rest of the loop would be easier for her but she still had to get up Cardiac Hill.

Garmin Connect Activity for Fleet Feet Gives Back - Cool down run

I headed out nice and easy. I caught up to her about 50 yards from the finish. She had conquered Cardiac Hill! She was super happy that she had finished. She got muddy since she tripped on a root and fell about 1/4 mile from the finish. I changed into warmer clothes and we hung out a bit before heading home. Christine's muscles might be a bit sorer on Monday! I am proud of her ... her first trail race!

I did OK. I was 6th out of 61, link here. I was 2nd out of 10 in my M50-59 age group. Christine finished in 1:02:45, link here.

We just lazed around all afternoon, waiting for Super Bowl XLVI to start between the NY Giants and the New England Patriots. Christine was amazed at such a long pre-game show (6 hours). She took a nap and still got up before the game started at 6:20PM. We had spare ribs, mixed vegetables and salad for salad while we watched the game. The game was a bit slow at times but it got more exciting. The Giants won, 21-17, links here and here. A Patriots Hail Mary was in the endzone but fell unanswered.

As far as we can figure it, Christine and I first met 35 years ago on either Saturday 2/5/1977 or Saturday 2/12/1977. She was going to Ursuline College in Pepper Pike, OH and I was going to CWRU in Cleveland. I belonged to the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity. We were having a party. She decided to accompany one of her friends who went with one of the brothers. I was tending bar and saw her when she came down the stairs. I served her a Tequila Sunrise and told her that I wanted to talk to her later. We did ... and then we went out for about a year. Years, marriages, kids and divorces separated us. She friended me on Facebook in August 2009 which led to online chatting and phone calls. We met again 9 days later on 9/5/2009 after I ran the Spring Forward 15K. It was like we had never parted ... sparks flew! She moved in two months later. We got engaged on 9/3/11 after we ran Summerfest (I ran the 12K, she ran the 5K). Life has seemed to come full circle and I am so happy!

Monday, 2/6/12: Rest day.

Christine left me to do most of the laundry while she got her nails done. This led me to sort the laundry, load the washers and dryers. Well ... I didn't check her pockets. One of her pants had a tub of lip balm which eventually caused spots on the clothes that were in that washer. Christine did come back and help me fold the clothes.

Tuesday, 2/7/12: 6.2 miles, 46:34, 7:30 pace, 26F, night, calm, 1 stop, some upper right hamstring pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Ridgeway tempo run, 8 loops

Christine and I headed down to Fleet Feet Ridgeway for the Tuesday tempo run. I had never run from Ridgeway on Tuesday night so it was new. It is basically a 3/4 mile run out to a 1/2 mile loop which you can loop as many times as you want. It was a bit chilly so I wore my Brooks jacket. I wanted to do 10 loops but my upper right hamstring started to hurt a bit so I cut it to 8 loops before I headed back. We stayed around for the Sehgahunda Training Program talk. It was quite informative ... I was used as an example several times. After all, Sehgahunda and I do have a history. Year 1 was physical (broken rib), Year 2 was nutrition or hydration (blood chemistry). Year 3 ... I want to finish. I think the Sehgahunda Training Program would help.

Wednesday, 2/8/12: Rest day.

Christine and I just chilled. I watched #2 SU play #11 Georgetown at the Carrier Dome. SU won in OT, 64-62, link here.

Thursday, 2/9/12: Another rest day.

I had thought of doing a long run but ... again Christine and I just passionately chilled. During a late leftover dinner of spare ribs and baked potato, Christine and I watched the LA Lakers play the Boston Celtics in Boston. I had to get a bit creative after the DVR took over both tuners (The Mentalist and Private Practice). I ended looking at the NBA Companion for the game off of NBA.com. Anyway, the Lakers won in OT, 88-87, link here and a look at the retooling coming for both the aging Lakers and Celtics, here.

It was kind of cool to watch replays of last night's Duke-NC game. Duke was down 10 with 2:10 to play ... Austin Rivers had 29 and the buzzer beating 3 to snap NC's 31 game home winning streak. His father, Doc Rivers, the Boston Celtics coach, was there to see it ... link here.

Friday, 2/10/12: FF Ridgeway, 5.3 miles, 42:35, 8:02 pace, 30F, night, calm, no stops, no pain.

Garmin Connect Activity for FF Ridgeway run, Pickdale + Barbara

I have had a bit of trouble finding my running mojo lately. I thought I really needed to get out for a run even the tough Freezeroo #5 was the next morning. So ... I headed out to Fleet Feet Ridgeway for a nice and easy tuneup run. So ... I headed out nice and easy. I certainly did not want to run my usual 7:25 or so. It felt good so I was happy.

Later I watched the LA Lakers play the NY Knicks. It was kind of nice seeing the Lakers play two nights in a row without having to stay up late. Unfortunately, the Lakers on a back to back night ran into the Lin show, link to Linsanity here and here. Lin scored 38 points and the Laker lost 92-85, link here.

Saturday, 2/11/12: Freezeroo #5, 24F, hard, a north wind, no stops and no pain.

Winter returned to Rochester overnight ... an inch of snow and a north wind greeted us. Christine had her first No Boundaries 2.0 workout at Genesee Valley Park at 8AM so we were up early. They timed her on a 2 mile run. I waited around until she was done, then we headed up to Greece for Freezeroo #5.



It was certainly chilly when we got out of the car up at the Greece DPW. I had my doubts about what to wear ... it was about 24F with a north wind plus the route headed up to Edgemere Drive before heading back on Long Pond. I was wearing my tights, heavy gloves and hat, short sleeve tech shirt, long sleeve tech shirt along with my Brooks Racing Team armwarmers and singlet. I thought about wearing my jacket but didn't.


Poor quality from across the street, I very briefly appear at 1:59.

The race started, I started hot ... like usual. Hey ... it was cold! I needed to run fast to warm up!

I hit the first mile up Long Pond at 6:56. The footing was OK. We made the turn east onto Janes Road where footing was a bit loose. I had a bit of trouble with my breathing so I covered my mouth with my neck warmer for a bit. The miles continued, we turned north onto Island Cottage Road, then northwest onto Edgemere Drive. Luckily the wind was from the north so only the right side of my face froze. The footing was a bit variable with bare spots and sloppy spots.

Along Edgemere Drive

Karen Kryder

Charlie Sabatine

Becky Duberry

Bill Murphy

Heather Danielson

Matthew Roberts

Tina

Tom Butler ... with his shirt on!

Wilt Alston

Then we turned downwind onto Long Pond but the footing was sloppy for miles 5 to 7 which brought my pace down. But the group of runners I was with and I could sense the end was near so we picked up the pace a bit. I could tell that I was on a PR pace. I was pretty happy to see 59 and change when I crossed the finish line. I ran a 59:41, 7:28 pace, a PR from last year by 1:55, sweet!

Digging for the finish

Karen Kryder

A determined Charlie Sabatine

Becky Duberry

Matthew Roberts

Tom Butler ... with his shirt off!

So I thought I did pretty well.  I placed 51th out of 196, link here. I was 9th out of 23 in my M50-54 age group, link here.

The post-race growl of Matthew Roberts

Christine and runners

Christine and I socialized a bit before we were kind of chased out by warnings that the roads were getting worse ... which they were. We proceeded carefully home. After a nice nap and lunch, we watched the latest DVR'd episodes of Battleship Galactica, The Mentalist, Hawaii Five O and Private Practice before heading to bed.