Sunday, 6/8/2014 to Saturday, 6/14/2014 - Dirt Cheap #3

I ran 5 times this week, 22.27 miles.

Sunday, 6/8/2014: Rest day.

I felt like a slug by not running today. I read everyone's exploits on Facebook while resting my legs from yesterday's Mendon Mauler 12. The Keuka Tri was held, results here. 38 finished the Du, 170 finished the Intermediate Tri and 220 finished the Short Tri. Locals Dan Gilbin won his 50-54 age group in the Intermediate Tri, Dave Kudla finished the Short Tri in 1:21:30 and Bob Hamilton finished the Short Tri in 1:50:13. The Tour de Cure Rochester was held with over 2000 bicyclists rode in the various distances of 3, 15, 25, 40, 62.5 and 100 miles and rose close to 1 million dollars, news links here. here, and here. The Lake Placid Marathon and Half Marathon were held, results here. 318 runners finished the Full; Courtney Abeln finished in 5:53:53) and 1005 finished the Half; Jim McLaughlin in 1:38:57, Brian Andrews in 1:50:20, Jeff Rose in 1:56:27, Jady Simmons in 2:20:07, Ellen Boettrich in 2:35:42 and Beth Springar in 3:02:01  Lots of runners, bicyclists and multisport athletes were out and about!

Yesterday, Prem Kumar asked me after the Mendon Mauler 12 how I get motivated to race so much. A decent question which deserves a decent answer. Well ... I just love to compete. I do like placing in my age group which is easier because I am older and still kind of fast. This will get harder as younger guys age up into my 55-59 age group. But still I love to compete and see what I am capable of.

Monday, 6/9/2014: 2 runs of 3.1 and 5 miles, 73F, 61% RH, 5 mph ENE wind, overcast.

Mondays are usually a rest day but I took Sunday off instead ... so after a bit of couch time I got out there. I plan on resting Tuesday, then racing Dirt Cheap #3 on Wednesday.

Garmin Connect Activity for Just a 5K

I found that my thighs were tight for the first two miles. I guess the Mendon Mauler 12 on Saturday beat me up more than I thought. I knew I didn't have it to last at this pace for my usual 10K run so I stopped at 5K to rest, hydrate and stretch for a minute. My splits were: 7:51, 7:39, 7:37 and 6:52 over the last 0.1 mile.

Garmin Connect Activity for A nice and easy 5 miles

I was still out there and needed to get back home so I struck up a nice and easy pace to get more miles. I thought about continuing on to get another 10K but opted for 5 miles. My splits were: 8:07, 8:06, 8:15, 8:12 and 8:06. It was amazing how a 20 or so second pace difference felt so much easier.

Tuesday, 6/10/2014: Rest day ... per usual the day before a race.

Wednesday, 6/11/2014: 2 runs of 1.1 and Dirt Cheap #3 of 3.47 miles, 82F, 58% RH, 10 mph N wind, overcast and more.

It was Dirt Cheap #3 so it was down to Lucien Morin Park for my darling wife, Christine, and I on an overcast Wednesday night. There was a forecast of rain and thunderstorms. Christine threw in some Lloyds ribs into the crockpot before we left. We got down to MacGregor's Grill and Taproom next door a hour early so we found a parking spot easily.

I got out for a nice and not so easy 1.1 mile warmup run before the race, link here. I just went out 0.55 miles to the top of the first hill and back. Dirt Cheap #3 and #6 held at Lucien Morin Park are the shortest in length but the hardest of the Dirt Cheaps because of the constant ups and downs, narrow trails, roots, rocks ... plus it can become a mud pit if it rains like it did way back in 2009. I had some water, cooled down a bit, kissed my wife for luck, asked her to meet me at the finish line with some water and headed to the start line. I said "Hi" to fellow runners Bill Beyerbach, Andy Ciaio, Tom Butler, Amy Lord (who luckily decided on Salomon Speedcross trail shoes), Jim Roche, Jim McLaughlin and Todd Sappen Sr.

This Dirt Cheap went off in 3 waves: men 44 and under at 6:30, women 44 and under at 6:35 and everyone over 45 at 6:40. Soon it was everyone, 45 and over ... the "geezers" ... err, our turn. It started to pour for about 20 seconds just before the race before it subsided for a while.


And ... we were off! I wanted to blast out for the 1/4 mile down the stone road to the sharp left turn into single track but I held back a bit. I knew that the trail would soon leap uphill for about 1/4 mile.

Just into the single track - taken by Kim Smith

I started passing slower women at about 0.4 miles in and was in constant pass mode or just waiting to pass for a lot of the race. There were some areas where you just couldn't pass. Up, down, sideways with what seems very little level trail.

I swear I was going in the right direction! - taken by Kim Smith

One ... two ... three miles. It started to rain and then pour about midway into the race. The trail became muddy, slippery, dark and more dangerous. So I slowed way down to be safe and concentrated on safe passes if need be and safe footing. The downhill to the finish line was treacherous. And ... done in 37:48! Christine was more than a bit damp and waiting for me with her water bottle. Thank you, honey! Shortly after, it started to pour for 10 solid minutes. Most of the runners who finished took refuge under tents. We met up with Bill Beyerbach,  who finished in 35:25, after the race.

We left without going into McGregor's when it started to downpour again. Back at the apartment we had ribs and potato salad to eat while we watched "The Monuments Men" off of OnDemand. Tasty ribs and a nice movie!

I caught up on the results and Facebook. I did OK, I was 63rd out of 333, link here. I was 2nd (to Bill Beyerbach) out of 9 in our M55-59 age group, link here. I did count on the results page that I passed a lot of women 44 and under ... 94! One of the disadvantages of starting in the third wave.

Thursday, 7/12/2014: Rest day ... off, on like usual.

Friday, 7/13/2014: 9.6 miles, 1:15:18, 7:51 pace, 72F, 65% RH, 10 mph WNW wind, partly cloudy.

I seriously thought of just bagging this run. I had my customary cereal but just dawdled for a while. I didn't want to do a long run on Saturday morning with a race on Sunday morning, especially a Rochester Runner of the Year race so ... I just got up and got out there.

Garmin Connect Activity for A nice and easy run on the usual route

I stuck up a nice and easy pace on my usual 10K route. I didn't bring water but I decided to stretch the run but adding another loop down Titus Ave to Winona Blvd. My splits were: 7:56, 7:49, 7:48, 7:43, 7:46, 7:45, 8:01, 7:50, 7:53 and 7:56 over the last 0.6 miles. I was certainly thirsty when I got done ... but another run was in the books.

Saturday, 7/14/2014: Rest day

A nice and relaxing day. I puttered and tried to organize some of my stuff in the apartment along with doing 3 loads of laundry. My darling wife, Christine, and I enjoyed a nice, relaxing and a bit romantic day.

Sunday, 6/1/2014 to Saturday, 6/7/2014 - McMullen Mile and Mendon Mauler 12 Mile Trail Race

I ran 5 times this week for 22.29 miles.

Sunday, 6/1/2014: 7 miles, 1:09:23, 9:54 pace, 79F, 28% RH, 10 mph S wind, sunny.

It would have been better to run in the morning when it was cooler but my darling wife, Christine, had a two hour massage and facial appointment at MassageEnvy at 1PM. So ... I dropped her off and then proceeded down to Mendon Ponds Park for another day of running trail.

Garmin Connect Activity for Nice and easy miles at Mendon Ponds Park

I didn't have a lot of time so I just did a usual tour on the Green and Blue trail. I tried to run it counter-clockwise and got lost a bit just like usual. I can run it clockwise with my eyes shut but not the other way! I tried to run it at a not so easy trail pace but it was hot so I took some walk breaks on some hills. Still ... a 9:54 pace wasn't too bad.

I picked up Christine as she got out of MassageEnvy and we had lunch at the nearby Subway. We stopped by the Wegmans in Irondequoit on the way home. Man ... was it busy! Nascar drivers could learn from these shoppers with their grocery carts on a Sunday afternoon!

I did some Facebook browsing and caught up on other runner's exploits. The Pittsford Tri was held on Sunday morning, results here. The Cayuga Trails 50 was held down in Ithaca NY, results here. There were 176 finishers with 54 who dropped. I followed the runners that I knew via text. The elevation change chart on the CT50 is insane!

Personal note: I have had my new short haircut for exactly a month now. Christine reminded me of that as she wanted to give me a trim. I let her. I am still trying to get used to it. There are advantages and disadvantages like to most things. Advantages: no bad hair days, no need to comb, no combover, no hat hair, no cowlick, more aerodynamic when I run. Disadvantages: radical change, need to wear sunscreen or a hat if I am running long.

Personal Note 2: I am sporting a starter mustache for a bit while I am waiting for a power plug to arrive via Ebay that fits the Norelco 8500X electric razor that my youngest son, David, gave me. He had lost its power plug during a move. My old electric razor disappeared after Sehgahunda. The Alligiance Bed and Breakfast doesn't have it and all I can find in the apartment is its power cord. No, my old power plug did not fit the "new to me" razor. Update ... the starter mustache was gone by Saturday afternoon. My darling wife, Christine, did appreciate having her clean shaven husband again.

Monday, 6/2/2014: Rest day.

I really needed to wash all my trail stuff so I did 2 loads of laundry. Exciting stuff ...

Tuesday, 6/3/2014: 6.4 miles, 56:15, 8:47 pace, 81F, 45% RH, 20 mph WSW wind, sunny.

The McMullen Mile is coming on Thursday so I thought I really should get in one night of speedwork. Yeah ... I should have done a lot more than one but I felt that I needed to run trail for Muddy Sneaker, Medved Madness and Sehgahunda more than I needed to run speedwork. 

Garmin Connect Activity for A bit of hot speedwork at Cobbs Hill

So I headed down to Cobbs Hill to do 1 km repeats around the reservoir. Yes, it was hot. The time/temp clock on Monroe indicated 85F. Yes, it was windy. But ... I ran anyway. I took a 0.8 mile warmup. I did three hard 1 km runs of 3:53, 3:56 and 4:00 with a cooldown 1 km of 4:15. The 1 km course is clockwise on the road around the reservoir from the stone building to the crooked tree up the hill just past the entrance.  It was tough running in the heat plus I really needed to bring a larger water bottle. Then I did a really nice and easy 2.5 mile cooldown run at around 8:40 pace.

Wednesday, 6/4/2014: Rest day.

My darling wife, Christine, made a scrumptious dinner: lamb roast, french fries and coleslaw!

Thursday, 6/5/2014: 2 runs: 1.1 miles and the McMullen Mile

A cool Thursday night but the McMullen Mile was scheduled so down to the Nazereth College track for my third running of the McMullen Mile. I didn't run track way back in the day at Newark High School so it's still a learning experience.

I warmed up with a really nice and easy 1.1 miles on the outside lanes, link here. The weather conditions were ideal for running: 61F, 59% RH, 9 mph NNW wind, overcast. My race was number 4 for men under 8 minute pace but greater than 4:50 pace, Heat 2 so I had about 45 minutes to wait for the youth, high school and men over 8 minute pace and Heat 1 of my race to finish. 

I drew number 10 so I started on the outside of the first row. Up to the line and .... Go! I started out fast and when no one took the lead ... took it. I was in the lead!

The start!

Breaking for the lead!

 I could hear footsteps behind me and just took off like a rabbit. Soon I couldn't hear any footsteps behind me. I have never led a race on a track before so it was a totally new experience.

Running in the lead

What do you think about? Well, I did think about not tripping as I flirted with the metal rail that I was hugging as I ran around the track. Lap 1 ... people clapped as I came by in 1:27 at 5:56 pace. Lap 2 ... halfway done at 3:00 at 6:14 pace. I heard people yell for me and also Wilt Alston. Lap 3 at 4:38 at 6:21 pace. I started to get tired. More rooting for me and then Wilt. How far was Wilt behind me? I struggled on the back stretch. I so wanted the race to be done ... did I have anything left? Less than one half lap to go now. I started to hear footsteps, closer and closer. Wilt passed me with 1/4 lap to go. Suddenly I was 10 feet behind him! I swung into lane 2 and kicked as we came to the home stretch. I put everything I had left into catching Wilt. He heard me coming and did the same.

Wilt and I sprinting for the finish!

The yelling got louder as we got closer. I got within a foot as we hit the line. I finished in 6:11.92, Wilt was 0.09 seconds faster. I checked my Garmin later ... I got up to 4:41 pace! What a race! People congratulated us. I so wanted to win the race but I did my best and that's a good thing. Maybe I should have done more speedwork? Competition ... that's why I race!

Bill Beyerbach raced in a faster division and ran a 5:54.49. He placed 1st out of 6 in our M55-59 age group, Wilt, who just aged up, was 2nd and I was 3rd.

I finished 3rd in my M55-59 age group, Wilt Alston finished 2nd, Bill Beyerbach finished 1st.

The results are here and the age group results are here. Valuable Rochester Runner Of the Year (RROY) points for all three of us.

What to do if this happens again? Should I try to be a faster rabbit? Or let someone to let lead the way and try to nip them at the line? My money is on a smarter rabbit.

Friday, 6/6/2014: Rest day ... between two races.

Saturday, 6/7/2014: 2 runs of 0.5 and the Mendon Mauler of 12.69 miles, 59F at race start, 77% RH, 5 mph SW wind, sunny.

I had a restless night and woke up at 5:45AM, did the dishes from last night and woke up my darling wife, Christine. I quietly got ready while she oscillated between going with me or going back to bed. When I found her sneakers around 7AM, she said she was going and out the door we went at 7:09AM. We were down at the Beach parking lot at Mendon Ponds Park by 7:30AM for the 8AM start. I said "Hi" to Prem Kumar, Todd Sappen Sr and Tom Butler before the race.

This was my fourth time at the Mendon Mauler. This trail race is either 4, 8 or 12 miles. I signed up for the 12 so I had three loops to do before I was done. The weather was a bit cool and sunny at the start. I went out for a short 0.5 miles run to get my legs warm, link here. Boots and Ellen came up a bit late. Boots yelled his pre race instructions. The ever popular "Don't blindy follow the runner in front of you" and "If you get lost, it's your own fault" were two of them. And ... we were off at 8:03AM. 

The Mendon Mauler 12 start - taken by Susan Schneider

Boots and Ellen after we started ... runners on Facebook contemplated on what they said after we were gone - taken by Susan Schneider

Loop 1 ... I settled into a nice trail pace. What can I say? The only mud that I found was in the field that we ran in for the first two hundred yards. Then there was just roots, rocks, tree branches and horse poop to watch out for ... beside running uphills, flats and downhills as fast as you can while not falling.

After 1/2 mile in on Loop 1 - taken by John Simpson

A bit further on - taken by John Simpson

I ran about 30 feet behind Prem for a while and said "Hi" as I passed him. I thought he would soon catch me again but he didn't. I did get lost a bit on Loop 1. I went straight at one point instead of turning right. It was a shortcut so I caught up with some faster runners when I found the trail again. Up hills, flats, down hills ... onward. I ended Loop 1 of 4.17 miles in 40:41.

The signs at the aid station at the end of each loop

Loop 2 ... I continued onward. I slowed a bit on this loop.

Just after the start of Loop 2 - taken by John Simpson

Soon I caught up with the 4 and 8 mile runners who had started at 8:30AM. I was in pass mode on the left or right for a long while on the ups, flats and downs. I said "Hi" to the runners that I knew and didn't know as I motored by. I took the correct turn this time and just followed the flags on this loop. I examined my Garmin data and found that I only took a 0.14 mile shortcut on Loop 1. I completed Loop 2 of 4.17 miles in 44:00. The distance and time so far was 8.34 miles and 1:24:41.

Loop 3 ... I refilled my water and had a Gu before I started up again. It had warmed up a bit so I was a bit thirsty and hungry on this loop. There were fewer slower runners on this loop. I was a bit more careful but just motored onward. I did the usual ... walk the hills that I had to, run the flats and run the downs ... onward. I completed Loop 3 of 4.17 miles in 48:25. The distance and time so far was 12.51 miles and 2:13:06. Then it was a run across Douglas Road and down the field to Stewart Lodge for 0.14 miles and 1:18 to the finish.

Cruising into the finish - taken by Kim Smith

Running for the finish ... on fumes! - taken by John Simpson

And ... done! 12.69 miles in 2:14:24 for my second fastest Mendon Mauler. I was spent and really needed water at the finish. Luckily, Christine was there like a guardian angel and gave me Fluid and then water. I staggered a bit but calmed down and made it into Stewart Lodge. I had a most excellent and needed hot dog, banana and chips. I was sweating like a pig for a bit. Prem came over and we talked for a while. He had slowed.as he overheated and finished in 2:25:30.

I did OK. Officially I was 41st out of 110, link here. I was 5th out of 16 in my M50-59 age group, link here. Other runners that I knew: Todd Sappen, Jr ran the 12 and finished in 2:06:52, Rob Tyler ran the12 and finished in 2:19:01, Joe Muczynski ran the 12 and finished in 2:33:30, Tom Butler ran the 12 and finished in 2:51:15, Diana Kynaveza ran the 8 in 2:18:26, Jim Norris ran the 8 in 2:41:06, Tina Pellegrin ran the 8 in 2:59:29, Don Dow ran the 4 in 46:59, Becky Honecker ran the 4 in 1:05:25 and Amy Lord ran the 4 in 1:06:35. 66 runners ran the 8 and 137 runners ran the 4.

Soon ... Christine and I were home. She made pizza for lunch and soon took a nap while I drank coffee, ate pizza and caught up on Facebook. This was a major undertaking because it was a busy day for runners in and from Rochester.

I looked through hundreds of Mendon Mauler pictures. The Fast and Furriest 10K (220 runners, Wendy Abbot won Female Masters in 42:48, Andrew Claio won his 45-49 age group in 43:32, Steve Levitsky was 2nd in his 45-49 age group, Bill Beyerbach won his 55-59 age group in 44:34 and Charlie Sabatine won his 70+ age group in 1:05:09) and 5K (274 runners) were run. The Walk/Run with Me 5K had 63 runners. The RSD River Ramble 5K had 81 runners. The "Survive for 5" 5K had 98 runners (Jason "JMac" McElwain won overall in 17:35 and Bob Dyjak "won" his 60-69 age group of 1 runner in 26:37.

The Rothrock 30K was held down in Tussy Ski Are in Boalsburg PA near State College PA. 322 runners finished with locals Mort Nace in 4:54:09, Ben Murphy in 4:57:09, Mark Monachino and Tammy Abbe in 5:52:09.

The Ironman Boise 70.3 was held. Our Katie Myszka (aka Katie from Cali) rocked it in 5:20:40. 39:34 for the 1.2 mile swim, 2:54:28 for the 56 mile bike and 1:41:04 for the 13.1 mile run.

Eventually I went out to Wegmans to get our supper of roasted chicken and macaroni salad while we watched "Gravity" off of OnDemand. Nice supper and movie at home!

Sunday, 5/25/2014 to Saturday, 5/31/2014

I ran 2 times this week, 12.5 miles.
I ran 16 times (3 were warmups) during the month of May for 105.9 miles, 6.6 miles/run.
I have run 83 times so far in 2014 for 561.6 miles, 6.8 miles/run.

Sunday, 5/25/2014: Rest day

We woke up in the Fitzhugh room at the Allegiance Bed and Breakfast in Mount Morris on the day after Sehgahunda. I was a bit sore but I expected that. I moved slow and winced a bit going up or down stairs but I moved!

We eventually moved around enough to get out by 11AM and back up to Rochester by noon. Eventually we made it out to our new favorite local restaurant, the East Ridge Restaurant for a late lunch or early dinner. I had the hamburger platter and Christine had the liver dinner. Tasty, like usual!

I did read on Facebook that some Rochester runners ran or paced in the Buffalo Full or Half Marathon, results link here. Kiplangat Tisia won the Buffalo Marathon in 2:17:17, news link here.

Monday, 5/26/2014: Memorial Day

Just a usual rest day. Christine and I thought about going out and eating ribs at the Ribfest at the Genesee Valley Park but just got couldn't find the gumption or energy. I did make it out to Wegmans ... a sarcastic wow!

Tuesday, 5/27/2014: 3.5 miles, 28:49, 8:14 pace, 73F, 57% RH, 7 mph W wind, sunny.

Garmin Connect Activity for Post Sehgahunda run around the block

I wanted to see if my legs still worked so I got out there. My thighs and ankles were a bit stiff for the first mile. I did warm up but I kept it short for the first time. My splits were: 8:33, 8:16, 8:11 and 7:39 over the last 0.5 mile. Negative splits without knowing it.

Wednesday, 5/27/2014 through Friday, 5/29/2014: Rest days.

I decided to take some time off. My left hip and right ankle nagged me when I walked so I decided not to risk running again for a bit.

On Thursday I missed out on the Corporate Challenge with 10,900 runners at RIT and a Medved trail run with Chrissy Moehl at Lucien Morin Park.

A lot of the local trail runners showed up at Lucien Morin Park to see Chrissy Moehl - grabbed from Facebook

I would have loved to run trail with the Medved group at Lucien Morin Park but my body said "Not yet" and I listened. Chrissy, bio links here and here, was in town for the Cayuga Trails 50 which is this weekend.

Saturday, 5/31/2014: 9 miles, 1:46:11, 11:48 pace, 61F, 55% RH, 4 mph NE wind, sunny.

I heard chatter the Yahoo group page of the Relentless Forward Progress Group that there was a group trail run planned at 7:30AM. I managed to get up and down to the Beach parking lot of Mendon Ponds Park. I was the last of 16 to arrive but they waited for me before heading out. John Muoio took the lead and I mostly stayed on his shoulder. He struck up a really nice and easy pace to keep everyone together and I was happy to oblige him. We found some mud ... of course! Anzhela Knyaveza lost her sneaker in one of the bogs for a moment. We meandered onto some trails that I don't normally go on. Three people dropped early and I was one of four who branched off to end at 9 miles. The others ran onward for 15 miles. A nice run with nice friends!

The perils of not wearing calf sleeves. A pricker bush or branch reached out to my right calf ...

I met up with my youngest son, David, for a bit in the Beach parking lot to shoot the breeze and catch up. A side trip to Newark to see my daughter, Karen, ensued so I could drop off a laptop that I had imaged for a friend of hers. I showed her a way to lock her bicycle to the stairwell of her apartment. It looks to be a lot safer than her hauling it up and down the stairs every time she wants to use it. Then it was back to Rochester by 1:30PM.

Ten my darling wife, Christine, and I just enjoyed the rest of the day. I was geeky as I multitasked for a bit in the evening I watched the National Lacrosse League Championship game between the Rochester Knighthawks and the Calgary Roughriders through WatchESPN on my iPhone. The Hawks lost the first game 10-7 last week in Calgary but won the second game of the series 16-10 and the 10 minute mini-game 3-2 (since it was 1-1 in games) at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester to take their third consecutive title, links here and here. Go Hawks! I also watched a bit of Game 6 of the San Antonio Spurs - Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Conference Finals through TNT Overtime. The Spurs won and advanced 4-3 to the NBA Finals to meet the Miami Heat, link here. I had another eye on the TV as the latest Bond movie, Skyfall, played on EPIX. Nice!

5/23/2014 - Sehgahunda Trail Marathon and Relay

5/23/2014: 25.85 miles, 6:36:08, 15:14 pace, 55F at the start, around 80F at the end, 88% RH, calm, sunny.

Sit down, grab a drink ... this will be a long post. Sehgahunda deserves nothing but the best. For those who don't know  ... the Sehgahunda Trail Marathon and Relay is a grueling 26.3 mile trail run with over 2900 feet of elevation change from the Mount Morris Dam down to the Parade Grounds near Portageville. Why? Well ... why not?

My darling wife, Christine, and I woke up at the Allegiance Bed and Breakfast down in Mount Morris. We had arrived shortly before 9PM and I fell asleep a bit after midnight. Our windows faced the east so we were awake with the dawn around 5:30AM. We got out of bed at 6:20AM. Later Christine told me that she had not slept because she was worried about me and my history at Sehgahunda (more later).

The gear is all ready!

I had laid out my running clothes so I just put them on. I wore my CW-X shorts, Sehgahunda Training tech shirt from 2012, Darn Tough crew socks, Salomon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes and my lucky orange Fleet Feet hat. We left at 7:07AM and arrived at the Mount Morris Dam at 7:12AM. Nice!

I geared up with my cobbled together Salomon running vest and Camelbak water reservoir and 3 GUs. I walked around and say "Hi" to people I knew: Prem Kumar, Steve Levitsky, John Muoio, Frank Quattrone, Anzhela Knyaveza, Kathy Reardon, Bambi Jasmin, Joe M, Jim Roche, Jim McLaughlin, Laura Church and many more. The 2 Jims and Laura were members of the Brooks Endurance Team and were helping put on the event. Christine applied lots of sunscreen to my head, neck and shoulders.

The solo women went off at 7:45AM. I milled around, kissed Christine and got in with the solo men. I heard Boots tell us that the course was muddy. And .... we were off at 8AM.

The start - taken by Christine

Start to CP1, 6.1 miles: I started in the middle and was soon antsy. I was behind Frank and Steve before mile 1. Frank dared me to pass so I did. I soon found mud ... lots of mud. I started to pass the slower women around mile 3. I said "Hi" to the ones that I knew. Soon I saw high tension lines so I knew the climb to Check Point 1 (CP1) was soon. The tone was now set ... lots of unrelenting mud ... sticky, slippery, shoe sucking mud up and down to CP1 through CP6. Some of the people that I had put behind me real early passed me: John, Frank and Steve. I think I am destined to be a rabbit when I run long distances ... I start fast and finish slower. Anyway ... I managed to run a bit up through the mud as I said "Hi" to people that I knew coming down from CP1. I would see most of them at each CP. I saw Prem coming down from CP1 as I was going up so I knew he was ahead of me. Every time I saw him he always told me that Christine was waiting for me. Sure enough, Christine was at CP1. Leg1 of 6.1 miles was complete in 1:06:25, 10:55 pace. I had 2 Endurolytes, water and chips in the 2:27 I spent in CP1.

CP1 - taken by Christine

CP1 to CP2, 2.5 miles: I ran down from CP1 and said "Hi" to the people that I knew: Kathy, Bambi and others ... I would see them again and again. I turned left at the bottom and ran onward. Up and down, through mud fields. Faster relay runners would pass occasionally now. Soon up, up and up to CP2. I managed to run a bit through the mud up to CP2. Christine was at CP2. The CP2 people was insistent that I had enough fluid to reach CP3.

CP2 taken by Julie Schroth D'Ovidio

CP2 - taken by Christine

CP2 to CP3, 6.8 miles: This was a long stretch punctuated with the usual mud fields, long climbs, roots, rocks, descents into gulleys, ascents from gulleys, stream crossings, etc. I had a bad stretch for a bit around mile 12 to 13. I had a couple of GUs and soon felt a bit better. I remember looking at my Garmin and seeing it click over to 3 hours and saw that I had gone 14 miles. It had gotten hot. I walked most of the climb up to CP3 and ran just before I heard Christine. I changed from my black Sehgahunda Training tech to my white Flower City Half tech, had 2 Endurolytes, water, GU and potato chips. My trail shoes and Darn Tough socks were caked in mud. I was certain that I was getting a blister on my left foot somewhere. Leg 2 (CP1 to CP3) of 9.3 miles was complete in 2:10:29, 14:02 pace.  I spent 4:48 in CP3.

CP3 taken by Christine

CP3 taken by Christine

CP3 to CP4: 2.3 miles: I was slowing. A shuffle down through the mud field, turn left at the bottom and onward. I reminded myself to be careful of the roots. Same old, same old and back up. Christine was at CP4. I had 1 Endurolyte, water, GU and potato chips. I had several PB&J squares since I was getting hungry. Christine told me that she could not drive to CP5 so she would see me at CP6.

CP4 - taken by Christine

CP4 to CP5: 1.7 miles: Onward ... down through the roots and mud field, turn left at the bottom, onward. More roots and rocks to be careful of. This section had a really long climb and descent. I was now walking the ups and trying to run the flats and downs. My run pace was more like a shuffle ... Steve Levitsky later called it the Sehgahunda shuffle. Then the climb up to CP5 ... just mud, roots and mud. The usual water, PB&J squares and chips were consumed.

CP5 to CP6: 2.5 miles: Onward ... down through the mud and roots, turn left at the bottom, onward and back up to CP6. The climb to CP6 was brutal. Up for about 1/4 mile in a kind of dry streambed, then more mud fields. Christine was there waiting for me. I was in kind of bad shape at CP6. I teetered a bit, put my hands on my knees, had 2 Endurolytes, water, PB&J squares and chips. Leg 3 (CP3 to CP6) of 6.5 miles was complete in 2:03:09, 18:57 pace. I spent 4:45 in CP6.

Only 4.4 miles to go ... I told Christine that I would see her at the finish. There was no way I was not going to finish ... the motto "run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must" came to me.

CP6 - taken by Christine

CP6 to CP7: 1.3 miles: Onward, mind over matter ... down through the mud fields and rocks for the last time, turn left at the bottom ... onward for a mile that seemed like it would never end. RFP was my motto ... Relentless Forward Progress. I was careful not to trip, I knew I was tired. I made it to the stone road and CP7. I had water, PB&J squares and chips ... onward.

CP7 to CP8: 1 mile. The stone road had some hills that should have been easy to run up ... but.not so much after 23 miles. I struck a deal with myself: walk the ups, try to shuffle the flats and downs, look for shade. I had water, PB&J squares and water at CP8 ... onward.

CP8 to the finish, 2.2 miles. The path was the Greenway now ... relatively flat and level. So I struck up what I could that resembled a run. Onward for about a mile. I walked a tenth and then ran onward. I could hear the finish. I saw the stop sign at the Park Rd. I turned left, went up the hill. I had to walk a bit. I got back to a shuffle, then a slow run, I turned into the Parade Grounds, took a wrong turn in the parking lot, got back on course and headed to the finish. I saw Christine. I raised my arms and did a V for victory sign as I crossed the finish line in 6:32:56. Leg 4 (CP6 to Finish) was complete in 1:01:01, 13:52 pace. Done!

At the finish line - taken by John Simpson

The finish line!

Finish: I had some Lemonade. I sat down where Christine had put the chairs that she had brought at Dollar General when I was running between CP2 and CP3. She got me some food. I was really tired. Both our cell phones were dead so I asked Anzhela Knyaveza to take a few post race pictures.

Prem came over. He had run a real strong 6:01:59 just 2 weeks after running 53 miles at Mind the Ducks. Tina Pellegrin came over to talk. She told us that she had DNFed at CP3 because of a wasp sting she got on her butt around mile 12. She said she remained calm and walked herself out for 3 miles until she reached CP3. I saw a lot of people as I sat next to the finish line watching people finish. It's all a blur. Taking off my trail shoes and socks was not enjoyable. They were soaked and caked with mud. I got a bit of a cramp in my left knee, ouch. I was surprised to find that I had no blisters. I might have picked up a couple more black toenails to go with the 3.5 I already had though.

Mud! - taken by John Simpson

Someone did take a picture of the scenery ... I did look around occasionally and saw a bit

Christine wanted to drive back to Mount Morris but I jumped into the drivers seat first. She was a bit pissed. We carried our gear up to our room. We charged our phones and powered up the laptops. We took turns using the bathroom. She had the bathtub first. Then I took a shower and a bath. My feet and legs were filthy. I noticed that the bath towel was a bit dirty when I toweled off ... maybe I should have taken 2 showers and baths.

I pulled up the Sehgahunda results, link here. Officially, I finished in 6:32:56, 14:57 pace, 111th out of 164 solo runners, 8th out of 15 in my 50-59 age group. 32 solo runners DNFed, the highest of any Sehgahunda. Other people that I knew who ran the solo: Joe Ciecierega finished in 5:30:17, Yoshihiro Nozaki finished in 5:31:36, John Muoio finished in 5:40:11, Frank Quattrone finished in 5:55:04, Anne Esposito finished 5:55:19, Anzhela Knyaveza finished in 6:12:13, Steve Levitsky finished in 6:22:01, Rob Ganey finished in 6:52:51, Bambi Jasmin and Kathy Reardon finished in 7:08:06, Marilee Pryor finished in 7:18:13, Bob Lonsberry finished in 7:22:53, Tom Butler finished in 7:45:01 (and ran the Buffalo Marathon the next day) and Veronica Falkevitz finished in 7:59:18. The relay team results are here.

But Sehghunda is more than results and stats ... it's about the experience of earning the hoodie and the necklace! It's the opportunity to test oneself and see if you are worthy.

The aftermath ... muddy shoes, socks, calf sleeves and bib along with a well earned hoodie and finisher's medal.

I would like to thank Fleet Feet, the Fleet Feet Endurance Team, Yellow Jacket Racing, their staff, the volunteers, the Park Police, the ambulance crews and spectators for all their help encouragement. I would especially like to thank my darling wife, Christine, for crewing and helping me during the race.

I am now 2 for 4 at Sehgahunda. I fell and broke a rib on my right side in 2010 between CP1 and CP2, DNFed at CP3, blog post here. I overhydrated in 2011, DNFed at CP6, blog post here,. I finished in 2012, blog post here and now 2014. Will I be back for 2015? Maybe, maybe not. It might be time to experience the Buffalo Marathon instead.

I collapsed on our king sized bed back at the Alligiance Bed and Breakfast. I revived my phone enough and texted my kids and siblings to let them know that I was still alive and had finished. I listened to Christine snore for a while as I watched a bit of TV. Supper was Bugles and cookies. Soon ... zzzz!

Sunday, 5/18/2014 to Friday, 5/23/2014 - Lilac 10K

I ran 3 times this week for 13.99 miles.

Sunday, 5/18/2014: 2 runs of 1.4 miles and Lilac 10K, 52F, 66% RH, 7 mph W wind, sunny

I was up around 6:30AM for my fifth running of the Lilac 10K. I called Bill Beyerbach to let him know that I wouldn't need a ride to the race since Christine had come home during the night after a quick visit to see her father in Ravenna OH. I quietly got ready, kissed Christine goodbye, was out the door around 7:45AM and was down at the Al Sigil Center by 8AM.

It was a bit cool but I wore shorts, a short sleeve Medved Madness tech, Brooks arm warmers, light gloves and my lucky orange Fleet Feet hat. I didn't carry water.

Peter Francia won the Lilac 10K in 16:35.

I hung out for a while and then took an easy 1.4 mile warmup run at 8:33 pace, link here, to get my legs warm. I got a drink of water, visited the bathroom and lined up about 10 feet from the start line right next to Prem Kumar. He had run the Lilac 5K at 8AM in a sizzling in 21:14 which is awesome in my book. Bill Beyerbach was just ahead next to some GVH runners.


And ... we were off! I soon settled in a nice running groove. I wanted to hold back and ran a 6:47 first mile. I jockeyed back and forth with Bill and Prem during the first two miles. I passed Prem for the last time around mile 2 and Bill around mile 2.5. I saw Mort Nace of Medved and then the Fleet Feet cheering section at the corner of Monroe Ave and S Winton Rd. It was nice to see familiar faces! I was running well ... mile 2 at 7:06 pace and mile 3 at 7:05 pace. I took a cup of water on the run just after mile 3 ... didn't cough it back up. Now it was into the neighborhoods south of Highland Ave. Mile 4 was a bit slower at 7:18 pace. I was getting tired as we ran north on Hemingway Drive. The slight hill onto Highland Hill seemed much steeper as I really wanted to stop to walk ... but I didn't. I slowed a bit but didn't walk. Mile 5 was endured at 7:31 pace. I ran onward on Highland Ave on the gentle uphill back to the finish. I concentrated on keeping my position ... not catching the runners in front and not getting passed. Almost there .. mile 6 at 7:17 pace. I kicked it up at bit to 7:04 pace for the last 0.26 miles. Done in 44:54, 7:15 pace. I needed water right away. Prem came in at 45:34 and Bill came in at 48:21.

Soon I had a bit of post race grub ... a bag of potato chips, juice and a banana. I learned that I was 3rd in my 55-59 age group ... which I didn't expect. I hung around for the awards as I talked with other runners. I received a nice medal and a Brooks drawstring running bag ... sweet!

The bling!

So ... I did pretty well. I was 141st out of 1204 runners and 3rd out of 45 runners in the 55-59 age group. A link to all of the Lilac 10K and 5K results is here. I also placed 56th out of 84 in the USATF-Niagara standings. Here is a Democrat and Chronicle news article, link here. I did stop to take a few pictures of the lilacs.

Soon ... I was home waking up my darling wife and drinking coffee. A nice way to spend a morning!

Later Bill Beyerbach called and asked me out for a bike ride. I felt like declining but didn't since he really wanted to go. He rode over to the apartment around 4:30PM. We geared up and headed out on my usual both sides of Genesee River route. Christine yelled out "Billy and Dougie have fun!" as we left.

I did have a bit of trouble about halfway. My front brakes locked up after I had a brief excursion into some bushes. A person came off the porch of the house we were stopped in front of and looked at my brakes. He ended up unhooking my front brakes so just my back brakes were working. We had no trouble the rest of the way ... except I was careful since I only had back brakes.

Christine suggested that we go out to eat and I didn't resist. We ate at Salvatore's. I must have had a tape worm ... it took half a medium pizza with pepperoni, pineapple and bacon followed by 5 chicken wings to satisfy my hunger. Huh?

Monday, 5/19/2014: Rest day ... lots of DVR watching.

Tuesday, 5/20/2014: 6.33 miles, 1:04:27, 10:11 pace, around 70F, overcast, perfectly calm.

MapMyRun activity for Ran 6.33 Miles on 5/20/2014

I needed to get one last hill workout before Sehgahunda so I drove down to Cobbs Hill ... where else? I wore my CW-X shorts, Sehgahunda Training tech from 2012, Salomon Speedcross 3s and my Salomon vest with the Camelback hydration pack so I could simulate running with my Sehgahunda gear. I noticed that I had forgot my Garmin so I downloaded MapMyRun onto my iPhone and set out. I took it nice and steady but determined. I powered through 5 switchbacks and 5 grassy Vs before I stopped. A nice and satisfying run!

Wednesday, 5/21/2014: Sehgahunda taper day 1 equals rest.

Thursday, 5/22/2014: Sehgahunda taper day 2 equals rest

Friday, 5/23/3014: Day before Sehgahuna

I picked up my Sehgahunda hoodie and drop bag at Fleet Feet Armory store after work. We had already booked a room at the Allegiance Bed and Breakfast down in Mount Morris so we packed for a two night stay, the night before and the night after Sehgahunda. I had all my stuff packed in about 30 minutes. My darling wife, Christine, took ... a bit longer.

We got down to Mount Morris around 8:30PM and checked in. The Alligiance Bed and Breakfast was an old mansion. We had the Fitzhugh room with a king size bed and a nice sized bathroom that required 2 steps down to get into. Here are some pictures from their website.

We were hungry so we stopped by the Charred American Bar and Grill to eat. Service was slow but I had the pulled pork and Christine had the taco salad. I was asleep by midnight. Our phones were set for 6AM.

Sunday, 5/11/2014 to Saturday, 5/17/2014 - Dirt Cheap #2 and NCA 5K

I ran 3 times this week, 9.74 miles.

Sunday, 5/11/2014: Happy Mother's Day

I stayed close and romantic to my darling wife, Christine, most of Mother's Day. We made a chicken salad together for a early supper. Then we watched our latest Netflix DVD (that we have had for 2 months like usual), "Oz The Great And Powerful". Then we watched an OnDemand movie: "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug". I did venture forth to procure a pizza from Pizza Hut for a late supper. All in all, a relaxing day.

Meanwhile, 1010 runners and walkers participated in the BCCR Pink Ribbon Run Walk in downtown Rochester on Sunday morning, results here. The Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester (BCCR) raised $175K according the Democrat and Chronicle news article here.

And ... a local runner by the name of Bob Dyjak was down in Delaware to run the Delaware Marathon. This was his latest state in his quest to run a marathon in every state. He was 456th out of 517 in 5:42:26, 13:04 pace, results here. He thinks that his relatively poor (by his standards) time was the result of giving blood three weeks before. I did a Google search on "blood donation while running", link here. He is probably right judging from this link here.

Monday, 5/12/2014: 4 miles, 42:52, 10:42 pace, 73F, 41% RH, 5 mph NNE wind, partly cloudy

I attended the calling hours for Michael Shortley III, obituary here, in the morning along with other runners. It's sad that Michael's life, just three years older than I am, was cut short by cancer.

My darling wife, Christine, had supper ready when I got home. I ate a nice helping of beef and baked potato even though I was going to run hills a hour later. I met up with Bill Beyerbach who was training for the Mount Washingon Road Race on 6/21/2014. The running joke about Bill's upcoming race is that "It only has 1 hill".

Garmin Connect Activity for Hills at Cobbs Hill with Bill Beyerbach

Predictably I paid the price for having a full stomach. I was sluggish as I drudged up the first switchback and up and down the V. But I continued onward. The next two got better. We quit after 4 miles at 10:42 pace. I was thinking about a fourth but Bill has a GVH workout tomorrow night, then Dirt Cheap Trail Race #2 on Wednesday night (like I do) and another GVH workout on Thursday night so he needed to conserve his strength and legs. I didn't argue too much.

Tuesday, 5/13/2014: Rest day ... moving on!

Wednesday, 5/14/2014: 2 runs of 0.5 and Dirt Cheap #2, 60F, 71% RH, light NNE wind, overcast, light to heavy rain.

It looked like rain, there were rumbles of thunder and there was a severe thunderstorm watch. But it was a Dirt Cheap Trail Series Wednesday so the Lakeview Lodge in the Webster Town Park on Holt Rd was the place to go!

I got there around 6PM. It was definitely cooler up at Lake Ontario! It had been almost 80F during the day but it was a cool 60F. I debated on wearing gloves!

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before Dirt Cheap #2

I got out for a quick 1/2 mile warmup run, 8:41 pace, to warmup my legs and body. I settled in at the start and said "Hi" to Bill Beyerbach, Jim McLaughlin, Jim Roche and Prem Kumar before the start.


A light rain fell when the men started at 6:30PM.

I settled in and tried to hold my position as we splished and splashed through the mud ... lots of it! It started to pour about a mile into the race. I heard Bill behind me for the first two miles. The 100 yards through the creek was at mile 2.3. It washed a bit of the mud off our legs and shoes ... we soon found more! Bill had told me to shorten my stride and increase my turnover when I climbed hills. I tried that and I didn't walk any hills as a result ... sweet! This race is the longest of the three Dirt Cheap trail races. Up and down hills, round corners, slipping and sliding, splashing in and out of mud, keeping up with the guys in front of me, onward!

Eventually I could hear the sounds of the finish line ... only 1/2 mile to go with several hills in between. Up, up the last hill to the finish ... done in 48:36!



I got a drink of water and congratulated Bill and Prem when they came in. A hot dog and banana was a most welcome post race food. Yellow Jacket Racing knows what they are doing! I got a bit chilled so I brushed off most of the mud off my legs with what is now a dirty towel and changed into my dry tech shirt, socks and road shoes.

I did pretty well. I finished 39th out of 323 and was 1st out of 6 in my M55-59 age group, link here. Jim McLaughlin was 7th in 44:42 for 1st in his M40-44 age group, Jim Roche was 12th in 45:53 for 1st in his M50-54 age group, Bill was 63rd in 51:38 for 2nd in his M55-59 age group and Prem was 73rd in 53:08. Prem looked good after running 53.6 miles just three days ago!

Thursday, 5/15/2014 and Friday, 5/16/2014: Rest days ... nothing much happened.

Saturday, 5/17/2014: 2 runs of 0.6 mile and NCA 5K, 46F, 61% RH, 8 mph W wind, wind chill 42F, sunny.

I was up early at 6:40AM. I let my darling wife, Christine, sleep as I got ready for the NCA 5K. The temp was the mid 40s so I chose to wear shorts, Brooks arm warmers, a short sleeve tech shirt, light gloves and my lucky orange Fleet Feet hat. I left at 8:05AM and got down to the Northstar Christian Academy at 8:20AM. I parked next to Prem Kumar and hung out with him before the race.

Garmin Connect Activity for Warmup before the NCA 5K

We went out for a short 0.6 mile warmup run at 7:38 pace before the race to get our legs warm. I said Hi to Wilt Alston, Erik Juliani and Bob Dyjak before the race as we lined up.


The route was the same as the Freezeroo #1 in December 2013 so I knew what to expect. I started out hot at 6:34 pace for the first mile as we weaved in between buildings and parking lots in Lions Park, out Kentucky Ave and north Long Pond Ave. I tried to hold my position but some young runners passed me, then Prem and Wilt passed me around mile 1. I kept them in sight as I headed down Trolley Blvd to the turnaround. Back I went. I wanted to stop but I wanted to hold my position relative to Wilt and Prem so I continued onward through mile 2 at 6:56 pace and then mile 3 at 6:57 pace. I knew I was going to catch them but no one else caught me as I sprinted at 6:23 pace toward the finish line. Done in 21:23! Wilt caught Prem in the last tenth to finish in 21:03 and Prem finished in 21:06. Erik ran a 5K PR of 20:58 ... nice!

A pint of water tasted really good afterward. I congratulated Prem and Wilt on their races. I did OK. I was 18th out of 153, link here. I was 6th out of 15 in my fast M50-59 age group, link here. All in all, a great way to spend a Saturday morning!

Later, I kissed my darling wife goodbye around 2:30PM as she headed out to Ravenna OH to see her father. I thought that her plan was to spend the night at her daughter's house in Lakewood OH. I wanted to spend some time cleaning up the apartment in her absence.

Soon my youngest son, David, called and invited me out to Roncone's for some fine Italian food. He had the gnocchi and I had the chicken parm. A nice early supper! I did get the bathroom cleaned and 3 loads of laundry done before I got a phone call at 11PM that Christine was in Erie PA and headed home. She crawled into bed around 3AM. So ... she did an out and back of her own of 555 miles in about 12 hours.