Sunday, 10/11/2015 to Saturday, 10/17/2015 - Finish Strong 15K

I ran 4 times this week, 26.7 miles.

Sunday, 10/11/2015: A DeWeaver family picnic

Christine and I decided to invite my children up for a indoor picnic. The logistics of this was a bit complicated by the facts the two of the three don't drive. So Christine and I headed down to Newark to pick up my oldest son, Michael, first and then over to Farmington to pick up my daughter, Karen. We got back just as the Buffalo Bills - Tennessee Titans game started down in Tennessee. My youngest son, David, arrived shortly after. Christine busied herself with getting the grill going, cooking the burgers and setting the table with salads and potato chips. We ate just around halftime. The game looked dire when the Bills were down 0-10. But the Bills scored 2 TDs in the 2nd half along with some large runs by their QB, Tyrod Taylor. The Bills won a nail biter, 14-13, links here and here. David left shortly after. I took Michael and Karen back to their respectively homes.

Meanwhile, runners were out and about being awesome. The Chicago Marathon was held, news link here. Tim Dwyer ran a 3:07:54, link here. The Mohawk Hudson Valley Marathon was held, searchable results of 1143 finishers here. The Towpath Breast Cancer Awareness Ride and Run was held down at Mendon Ponds Park with 10, 25 and 50 mile ride options and a 5K run. The Green Monster 50K was held down in Wellsboro PA, 25K results of 205 finishers here and 50K results of 58 finishers, line here. The GVH Pete Gjavin XC Series #3 was held in Northampton Park, results here. Lots of awesomeness went on for sure!

Monday, 10/12/2015: 9.3 miles; 1:17:55; 8:22 pace, 77F, 30% RH, 8 mph SSW wind, overcast

Garmin Connect Activity for A usual 15K

I needed to run so I got out and ran long after work. I didn't get out early so I put on my reflective vest. Even so I had iffy footing on the drainage culvert/road part of Edgemere Drive and the shoulder of Greenleaf Rd on the way back. I took it nice and easy. My splits were: 8:05, 8:11, 8:15, 8:23, 8:38, 8:14, 8:25, 8:34, 8:31 and 8:38 over the last 0.3 mile. I felt great after the run.

Tuesday, 10/13/2015: Rest day.

Wednesday, 10/14/2015: 6.2 miles, 48:08, 7:46 pace, 54F, 58% RH, 12 mph NNW wind, partly sunny.

Garmin Connect Activity for A quick 10K

I decided to keep this run a bit short. The smart money would have been on nice and easy but ... I went with the "pedal to the medal". It felt good to stretch out and just go for it. My race on Sunday is the Moore Than A Race 10K so this was a practice run for that. I have to defend my 2nd overall finish of 45:33 at 7:21 pace after all. My splits were: 7:44, 7:52, 7:57, 7:45, 7:34, 7:46 and 7:17 over the last 0.2 mile.

Thursday, 10/15/2015 and Friday, 10/16/2016: Rest days.

The usual rest days after a hard run and a race the next day. The weather turned colder for the weekend so I spent a bit of Friday night digging out my cold weather running gear of tights, heavy running gloves and mittens along with changing to my bigger running bag.

Saturday, 10/17/2015: 2 runs, 1.8 and Finish Strong 15K, 37F, 75% RH, 8 mph W wind, wind chill 31F, partly sunny.

It was up early for my second Finish Strong 15K. This was my third 15K race of the year (Spring Forward 15K and the Boilermaker 15K). It was 37F so I put on my CW-X tights, a long sleeve tech, a short sleeve tech, beanie, heavy running gloves and sunglasses.

I Googled the directions to the Grace and Truth SportsPark. It was only 11 minutes away but I still had to turn around and find the park entrance from the other direction. No matter ... I was 50 minutes early for the 9 AM start. I got my bib and met up with Mark Herberger for a bit. I got out for a nice and easy 1.8 mile warmup run at 8:36 pace, link here. I ran up N Greece Rd to Camp Northpoint and turned around. I noticed a flag for a Courage Run 5K that looked like it was also being held.

The race director had a bit of fun with us in his pre-race directions by telling us that there was a dome over Edgemere Drive. I chuckled along with everyone else ... we knew it wasn't true and that the wind always seems to come off of Lake Ontario straight out of Canada.


And .... we were off! I quickly got up to pace and settled in. I could see Mark Herberger about 100 yards ahead for most of the race. Mile 1 passed in 7:08 and mile 5 passed in 37:05. I was in the same group of runners for most of the race ... just going ahead and getting passed back from time to time, no worries. I had a bit of trouble just before mile 5 when I felt I just had to walk for a few seconds. I got back up to speed and just tried to keep the same pace the rest of the way. I noticed that the walkers from the Courage Run 5K were coming towards us when I was running on Frisbee Hill Rd. I had some water from one of their water stops in fact. I caught Mark with about 3/4 of a mile to go on Post Ave. Then it was back on N Greece Rd for 0.4 mile. The finish line was almost in sight ... and done in 1:09:41!  I was parched and had three cups of water before I made my way to the Equinox to change out of my wet long sleeve tech and into a hoodie and Brooks jacket.

This race has a good selection of food afterward. I passed on pizza and had sausage, breaded chicken breast, pulled pork and potato salad instead ... yum! I checked the results that were posted outside the tent. I did pretty well, 20th out of 83 in 1:09:38 officially, 7:28 pace, link here. I was 2nd out of 8 in my M55-59 age group ... a distant 2nd to Kevin Clinefelter's 1:02:02. My splits were: 7:08, 7:16, 7:28, 7:24, 7:49, 7:28, 7:32, 7:22, 7:20 and 7:11 over the last 0.4 mile. I did notice that I ran this race 13 seconds than last year. Take that, father time!

BTW, I checked out the results for the Courage Run 5K, link here. There was quite a battle between the first two guys at 18:03.1 and 18:03.2. Wow ... I wish I could have broken 20 minutes back in 2012!

I went home for some well earned coffee and lots of time putting my feet up. I had another race on Sunday so I rested. I did some looking at my race results spreadsheet and saw that it was my fastest 15K of 2015, I did this race 13 seconds faster than last year and only 28 seconds off my PR of 1:09:15 set at the 2012 Spring Forward 15K. Wow!

Sunday, 10/4/2015 to Saturday, 10/10/2015 - Scarecrow 5k

I ran 1 times this week, 13.5 miles.

Sunday, 10/4/2015: 13.5 miles, 1:52:14, 8:19 pace, 1:52:14, 8:19 pace, 50F, 82% RH, 9 mph E wind, mostly sunny

Garmin Connect Activity for A Sunday long run

There were a lot of athletes out there doing stuff. The Rochester Autumn Classic Duathlon was held down in Mendon Ponds Park. The Super Sprint results are here and the F1 results are here.  The St. Peters Episcopal Church Running with the Angels 5k/10K was held down in Henrietta NY; 5k results here and 10K results here. Out of town races were the Wineglass Half and Marathon; links here and here and the Maine Marathon; links for 1766 half finishers here and 850 full finishers here.

 so I went out too. I wanted to do at least a half marathon so I chose my 20K route on Edgemere Drive and then added some distance to get it above 13.1 miles. I took it nice and easy the whole. I had a HammerGel at mile 6. I did clip the inside of both my ankles so I had a spot of blood on both socks when I got done ... oh well. My splits were: 8:14, 8:13, 7:59, 7:56, 7:59, 8:02, 8:58, 8:12, 8:18, 8:22, 8:30, 8:36, 8:28 and 8:53 over the last 0.5 mile.

I had programmed the coffee maker before I left so coffee and relaxation ensued as soon as I got home. I had high hopes when I sat down to watch the NY Giants - Buffalo Bills. The NYG were 2-1, the Bill were 2-1 and the game was at the Ralph. But ... the NYG showed up to play and the Bill showed up to complain and get penalized 17 times with 2 TDs called back. They are most penalized team in the NFL after getting beat 27-14.

Monday, 10/5/2015: Rest day ... needed after a weekend of 9.3 and 13.5 miles.

Tuesday, 10/6/2015: Another rest day after a late night at work.

Wednesday, 10/7/2015: 6.2 miles, 49:04, 7:54 pace, 50F, 94% RH, 3 mph WSW wind, partly cloudy

Garmin Connect Activity for Squeezing in a Morning 10K

I didn't get a run in last night and I had a dentist appointment tonight so I set my alarm for 4:30AM. The alarm went off (shock), I got up, got dressed, had a few grapes and got out in 22 minutes. It was dark, quiet and calm. I started out a bit nice and easy and then picked up the pace. I just did an out and back. I saw three planets (from horizon up; Jupiter, Mars and Venus) and the moon, link here. My splits were: 8:04, 7:48, 7:45, 7:58, 7:56, 7:57 and 7:50 over the last 0.2 mile.

Thursday, 10/8/2015: 8.2 miles, 1:08:00, 8:17 pace, 59F, 59% RH, 8 mph NE wind, partly suny

My Garmin died just before 3 miles while on my 15K route. I started out really nice and easy for the first mile. Then I eased up the pace a bit. I cut the run a bit short onto Ling Rd. One thing happened twice: drivers that came flying up to a T intersection just as I am getting to it, barely look and either turn left or right in front of me. Some of them might not see me or some might not care I guess.

Friday, 10/9/2015: Rest day.

Saturday, 10/10/2015: 3 runs of 1.5, 3.11 (Scarecrow 5K) and 3.6 miles.

Today was a good day to run so run I did. Today was my eighth run of the Scarecrow 5K. It took 26 minutes to head down to Fairport. I parked in my usual spot in the parking lot of the Fairport Village Landing Mall. It was just a short walk across the lift bridge to pick up my bib and a sweet short sleeve tech shirt. Sweet! Usually I get a cotton shirt from this race. It was a bit chilly so I had on my short tights, a short sleeve tech, Brooks arm warmers, calf sleeves, light gloves and a hat. I went out for a short 1.5 mile warmup run to sort my legs and the weather, link here. I went out 0.75 mile from the finish and noted that the 31F bridge was 1/2 mile from the finish. The weather was 45F, 93% RH, 3 mph WSW wind, partly sunny. I decided to pull down my arm warmers, take off my light gloves and change to my beanie before the race.



And a short message from Maggie Brooks, Monroe County Executive, about domestic violence ... we were off! I settled into a fast pace and tried to hold it the whole way. I like this course and know it well. It's up 250 for 100 yards, left onto E Church St,, left onto Turk Hill Rd, left onto 31F and across the Erie Canal, a quick right onto Cobbs Lane, onto the Erie Canal Trail to the turnaround and then a straight shot back to the finish by the lift bridge. So it's a negative elevation course. Anyway, I ran well. I finished in 21:34, 6:54 pace and quickly had a couple cups of water. I noted on the results that I had won my M55-59 age group. Everyone got a water bottle and I got a first place ribbon ... OK.

I was 25th out of 318, link here. I was 1st out of 13 in my M55-59 age group, link here. My splits were: 6:48, 7:06, 6:51 and 6:14 over the last 0.11 mile. Update: This 5K was also my fastest 5K of 2015.

I visited the farmer's market that was being held about 100 yards from where I parked and bought some apples with what little cash I had with me ... gotta plan better next year.

I didn't go straight home but headed out to Center Park where the Heather Boyum 5K was held last week. I did a combination of 10 repetitions of the sledding hill for 1 mile and a 2.6 mile trail run with a combination pace of 10:04 pace, The weather had warmed to 52F, 71% RH, calm, sunny.




Other runners were out and about and being awesome. The CanLake 50 was held down in Canandaigua for the ultrarunners. The 50 Mile race ran around Canandaigua Lake, results of 76 fiuishers here. The 50K is the last 31 miles of the 50 Mile course with less climbs, results 0f 47 finishers here. The Ready, Set, Glow put on by TrailsROC was held at sunset in Dwyer Road Park. I ran this race last year. This park is designed for mountain bikes and is very twisty and turny. Oh ... and you run it in the dark with a headlamp. It was quite fun.

Anyway, I went home after all my running, brewed a pot of coffee and relaxed the rest of the day with my darling wife, Christine. She was just about over her cold so we actually enjoyed each others company more than we had for the past week.

Sunday, 9/27/2015 to Saturday, 10/3/2015 - Heather Boyum 5K

1 ran 5 times this week, 30.62 miles

Sunday, 9/27/2015: 2 runs of 1 mile and Heather Boyum 5K (3.02 miles), 59F, 82% RH, 6 mph S wind, partly sunny.

I woke up around 6:50 AM out of a deep sleep. Today was the third running of the Heather Boyum Memorial 5K. This race is a memorial for Heather Boyum who died on 7/29/2012 while on a training ride due to a drugged driver, news link here and obituary link here. Christine still has her cold so I got up, ate my usual pre-race bowl of cereal, got dressed, kissed her goodbye and got out but a bit late. I didn't go over to Center Park until 8:20 AM. Still ... there was plenty of parking. I got my bib and drawstring bag, then I got out for a 1 mile warmup run, link here. I had changed to my Salomon Speedcross 3 trail shoes for this cross country 5K and felt this was a good choice. The wet grass could have a bit slippery on my road shoes.



And ... we were off! There was maybe a little over 100 runners at this race. I surged up to speed and was soon holding my own. The course is a nice mixture of grass, trail with an up and down, more grass, a long hill (that I powered right up), more grass, more trail with an up and down, more grass and then the finish. I jockeyed back and forth with this younger girl and then passed her coming out onto the grass before the finish. And ... done with 3.02 miles in 23:17 by my Garmin, 7:45 pace (which isn't too bad for cross country).

The Heather Boyum 5K is timed by Score-This and I have had trouble with their timing chip at the past two years but not this time. In face, one of the Score-This people asked me if I was the one that they had had trouble with. I answered "No, not this time". I ended up 7th out of 138, 1st out of 5 in my M55-59 age group, link here. I have won my age group for three years in a row now. There were 98 walkers/runners in the 1 mile walk/run. Meanwhile, 724 runners in Rochester were at the Photofinish 5K held at the George Eastman Musuem in Rochester, results here.

I had a change of clothes in the Equinox so I changed and headed out to see 2 out of my 3 kids. First it was to Farminton to see Karen and then over to Newark to see Michael. David was out and about so I didn't see him.

Then it was home to see the Buffalo Bills the Miami Dolphins play the 4:25 PM down in Miami. The Bill kicked their butt, 41-14, link here. The Bills are now 2-1 ... don't say the "P" word yet!

Monday, 9/28/2015: Rest day.

I developed a mild head cold over the night and during the day so I tried to stay hydrated. I decided that it would be best to just stay in and rest. I guess I caught Christine's cold from her despite my best efforts to avoid it.

The 2016 Four Season Challenge was announced and will be active on 10/1, link here. The Winter Warrior is on 1/9 at a site TBD (I know it's 4 loops so I am betting RIT), the Flower City Half is 4/24, the Shoreline Half is 7/16 and the Rochester Half/Full is 9/18. Yes, the Rochester Full is part of the 4SC. You can sign up for either one for the same price which is $250 until 10/4.

Tuesday, 9/29/2015: 9.3 miles, 1:16:29, 8:13 pace, 72F, 88% RH, calm, light mist to light rain

Garmin Connect Activity for A damp 15K

It was a Tuesday, it was spitting run but I needed to run so I geared up and ran. I decided to go long and ran my 15K route. The sprinkles came, went and then steadied into a light rain during the last two miles. My first 5K was 25:05, 8:05 pace. My second 5K was 25:15, 8:09 pace. Then I felt a pain in the inside of my right knee so I eased off and shorten my stride. I endured the next couple of miles. My pain was a lot less by mile 9. My third 5K was 26:09, 8:43 pace. My splits were. 8:06, 8:03, 8:08, 8:05, 8:25, 7:59, 8:08, 8:42, 8:28 and 8:00 over the last 0.3 mile.

Wednesday, 9/30/2015: Rest day.

My head cold seemed to get worse during the day so I was happy that tonight was a rest day. Christine and I are both suffering. Sometimes we even touched each other but mostly not.

Here are the stats for the month of October and so far in 2015: I ran 17 times, 111.16 miles, 5.9 miles/run. I ran 5 warmups of 1, 0.5, 1, 02. and 1 miles before 5 races; Summerfest 12K, Oak Tree Half, Dirt Cheap #6, Rochester Half and Heather Boyum #6. I biked twice for 17.4 and 20.75 miles. I have run 190 times, 1028.8 miles, 5.4 miles/run.

Thursday, 10/1/2015: 8 miles, 1:05:34, 8:11 pace, 54F, 58% RH, 17 mph ENE wind, partly sunny

Garmin Connect Activity for A run to cure my cold?

It was a Thursday, I still had a cold but not too bad so I went out anyway It was a bit cold and windy so I put on a long sleeve tech. I could have used some gloves too but made due. I took it really nice and easy but steady. My splits were: 9:23, 8:17, 8:01, 8:09, 8:12, 8:13, 8:09 and 8:09.

My lovely wife, Christine, had been having trouble with her teeth and had gone to the dentist on Tuesday. She had a root canal today.

Friday, 10/2/2015: Rest day. Yada, yada, nothing to see here.

Saturday, 10/3/2015: 9.3 miles, 1:15:55, 8:10 pace, 43F, 75% RH, 13 mph ENE wind, wind chill 36F

I had thought about running a race on this day. First, the Photofinish 5K, results here, and then the Hilton Derby 5 mile, results here. I knew people in both races. I have already run 46 races this year with 14 (at last count) more to go. But I didn't so I felt like a fish out of water. So ... I ran anyway.

Garmin Connect Activity for A brisk and windy 15K

I got out around 9:30AM. It was a bit chilly and windy so I made a couple of times back inside to get the proper clothing. I ending up wearing my short tights, long sleeve and short sleeve tech along my beanie and light gloves. I didn't know what my route would be when I left the door. I just ran. When I passed the intersection of Edgemere Drive and Island Cottage Rd I made the decision to run my 15k route. I toyed with the idea of extending it by running down Janes Rd but I knew that I wanted to run even longer on Sunday so I didn't. The wind was coming out of the east so I was beat back a lot when I hit Latta but I pushed onward. I just it in my nice and easy gear and just ran. Boom and done,

After I rehydrated with plenty of coffee I tackled the laundry. Christine reorganized the closets ... and then I put my clothes back the way they were before. I am a man who likes things my way who don't like to change. I have changed a bit ... Christine convinced me to give up diet cola in favor of water.

Monday, 9/21/2015 to Saturday, 9/26/2015

I ran 2 times this during these 6 days, 13.5 miles.
I biked once for 21.85 miles.

Monday, 9/21/2015 and Tuesday, 9/22/2015: Rest days.

Yes, I rested after completing the Rochester Half Marathon. I still a bit gimpy on Tuesday. I thought I wanted to run but my lovely wife, Christine, convinced me to stay in and rest.

Wednesday, 9/23/2015: 6.2 miles, 51:30, 8:18 pace, 73F, 50% RH, 7 mph NNE wind, sunny.

Garmin Connect Activity for Easing back with a negative split 10K

I still felt a wee bit gimpy but knew I needed to get back on the horse. So I got dressed, had my usual pre-run bowl of cereal and got out there. I had done a bit of dabbling on mapmyrun.com and scoped out a new route that incorporated the Thomas Ave hill for last Sunday's Rochester Half Marathon. I had a choice when I got to the end of Greenleaf Rd ... turn left for tried and true or turn right for a new run. I still felt a bit gimpy and achy at that point so I turned left. I kept it a bit nice and easy pace and decided to just do an out and back 10K. The out 5K was nice and easy at 26:12, 8:27 pace. I picked up speed and ran the back 5K at 25:18, 8:10 pace. I negative split the run with splits of: 8:32, 8:24, 8:20, 8:19, 8:10, 8:09 and 7:43 over the last 0.2 mile. Nice!

Thursday, 9/24/2015: 7.3 miles, 1:00:06, 8:14 pace, 70F, 64% RH, 9 mph ENE wind, overcast

Garmin Connect Activity for A Herrema's Loop

I had to work a bit late, needed to run, get gas and do some grocery shopping ... so I dressed for a run at work and decided to go to Herrema's on Pattonwood Drive to do all three. I stretched and headed straight up the Thomas Ave hill ... it was just as long as ever. Then I just headed out and found more hills and some roads that I had never run on before ... which is always a good thing. My splits were: 8:57, 7:58, 8:18, 7:55, 7:58, 8:07, 8:33 and 7:42 over the last 0.3 mile. I was not as gimpy afterward ... which is also a good thing.

Friday, 9/25/2015: Rest day.

Gotta have them ... though I really should cross train. Some runners are out doing the Ragnar Relays Adirondacks, link here.

Fleet Feet Rochester posted the dates of the 2016 Four Season Challenge. The Winter Warrior Half will at be at a site TBD on 1/9/16, the Flower City Half will be held on 4/24/16, the Shoreline Half will be on 7/16/16 and the Rochester Half will be held on 9/18/16. There is no pricing yet and there are rumors that the Rochester Full will be allowed in the challenge somehow.

Saturday, 9/26/2015: 20.75 miles on the bike, 1:34:27, 13.2 mph avg, 30.3 mph peak, 61F, 72% RH, 4 mph E wind, sunny.



I slept in until just after 8 AM. I puttered around a bit before I had the idea to get out for a bike to test the padded shorts that I got in the mail from www.nomorerack.com this week. Christine has had a cold and woke up just as I went out. I gave her an eCrumb just as I left so she could track me. I headed out for about 100 yards before I came back to get my Brook Nightlife jacket. I forgot that you don't warm up much on a bike. Then I headed out, rode out Edgemere all the way to East Manitou Rd and then worked my way back. It was a nice ride ... man, did it hurt to walk a bit when I got off! The padded bike shorts did help a bit.

I lazed around afterward. Christine was sick so I was mostly downstairs while she was mostly upstairs. I ending up watching "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" and "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug". I remember reading "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" several times when I was a kid ("Books, Young man! Books!, ST-TOS link here) and even as an adult. The movies are a pretty good adaptation.

9/20/2015 - Rochester Half Marathon

Today was the Rochester Half Marathon, link here. This was my 7th half of 2015 and 45th race so far in 2015. I am signed up for 13 more races right now with more to come.

I woke up at 5 AM. My alarm was set for 5:20 AM. I used the extra time to make up a bagel for myself and brew the coffee for my lovely wife, Christine. I let here sleep for a bit more. I never drink coffee on race mornings since it makes me pee too much.

I dressed in what I laid out the night before: Brooks short tights with the light green stripes (I can't find the ones with the yellow stripe) and last year's Rochester Marathon short sleeve tech. I gently woke up Christine. She had signed up for volunteer duty in the food court. She reminded me to put on BodyGlide. put on my race bib and to bring my arm warmers and calf sleeves in case I needed them. I told her where to drop me on Lake Ave. The new version of the Rochester Marathon course was a point to point course, the half is here, the full course is here. The start was at the Maplewood Tennis Courts. The end was at Frontier Field. We left a bit after 6:30 AM. As we went south on Lake Ave we could see police flashers on the east side of Lake Ave at various spots. She turned right onto Seneca Parkway to drop me off. I put on my calf sleeves, kissed her goodbye and away she went onward toward Frontier Field. I didn't carry water and had 2 HammerGels in an Amphipod on my waist. I realized that I had forgotten to take off my glasses seconds after she left ... oh well. I ran with them.

I walked across Lake Ave and down to the Maplewood tennis courts where I could see lots of runners congregating around. A lot were queued up by the potta-potties ... so I got in line too. I did my business and then hung around. I met up with a few runners: Todd Dappen Sr, Andy Ciaio, Jeff Rose, Bill Sandow and Jim McLaughlin. Jim was pacing the 1:45 half pace group so I was lined up just in front of him near the front. I thought about joining his group but didn't. I got out for a really brief and fast 0.2 mile run at 7:30 pace just minutes before the start at 7:30 AM, link here.

Heading out for my warmup run - courtesy of Gameface

The start of the 2015 of the Rochester Marathon - courtesy of Gameface

Another shot of the start - courtesy of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

And ... we were off! I felt the usual surge of adrenaline at the start and ran with it. I always run too fast at the start. Sometimes I can hold back and sometimes not. The course went out Maplewood Drive to Bridge View Drive and back to Maplewood Drive before heading north on Lake Ave.

You can see the top of my head in this pic on Bridge View Drive - photo courtesy of Jim Strowe

The firemen put up a giant US flag on Maplewood Drive just before Lake Ave for us to pass under - courtesy of Robin Towers DeZutter

We took up two lanes of Lake Ave as we ran north toward Lake Ontario. Heather Danielson and John Muoio passed me. Heather told me that the 1:45 pace group was behind me if I wanted to be with them. I told her that I didn't. I thought to myself "I wanted Jim McLaughlin to finish behind me not in front of me this time". We passed by the Holy Sepulchre and Riverview Cemeteries. I passed up water at mile 2. Then we headed onto the Genesee River Trail. The group I was running with was still a bit packed. A couple of faster runners cut in front of me which made things interesting for a split second or three. I passed the 5K timing strip at 23:18, 7:31 pace. I took a cup of water at mile 4.

A long line of runners on the Genesee Riverway Trail boardwalk - courtesy of Barb Boutillier

Then it was onto the boardwalk right above the Genesee River in Turning Bridge Park. We turned left up onto Petten St, a short and steep uphill, to get back onto Lake Ave. There was a crowd of people at the turn onto Pattonwood Dr and across the O'Rorke Bridge. I heard someone call my name but didn't see them. I learned later that it was Roger Howe. Then we turned right onto Thomas Ave. A short downhill led to a gradual and long uphill. There was a sign that read "Make this hill your bi*ch!" ... so I did. I just put my head down and powered up it.

The long stretch of Thomas Ave - courtesy of Tracy Rericha

There was a long stretch of flat on Thomas Ave before a right onto St Paul St. I took a HammerGet just before the water stop at mile 6. I passed the 10K timing strip at 47:51, 7:43 pace, a 7:55 2nd 5K. The Winona Blvd area of St Paul St was phenomenal! There was so many people there cheering us! Santa was giving high-fives. I was told later that the Easter Bunny was there ... I didn't see him or Elvis (who wasn't there, lol) though.

My new profile picture taken on St Paul St by John Brind'Amour

I was probably in a bit of pain on Titus Ave  - courtesy of John Brind'Amour

We cut through the parking lot of 4-H club on St Paul Blvd just before the Seneca Park Zoo to get to the 15K timing strip. I passed at 1:12:54, 7:50 pace, a 8:02 3rd 5K. Then it was onward to the pedestrian bridge; down the east side, across the Genesee River and back up the west side.

Crossing the pedestrian bridge - courtesy of Gameface 

Coming up the west side of the pedestrian bridge - courtesy of Jim Strowe

That led to some trails on the Genesee Riverway Trail, back onto Bridge View Drive, Maplewood Drive, past the start, back onto more trails through Maplewood Park and its rose gardens and mile 11. Only 2.1 miles to go! The full marathoners curled back for another loop while the half marathoners, like me, crossed Driving Park Ave.

Lower Falls of the Genesee River just south of Driving Park Bridge - courtesy of Rick Russotti

Then it was down, down to the Middle Falls and back across the Genesee River on a narrow bridge. A nasty uphill awaited us on Brewer St back up to St Paul Blvd.

The view looking up the Brewer St hill ... not a nice sight to see at mile 12 of the Half or mile 25 of the Full!

I walked a bit of it. I saw a 40 km sign on St Paul Blvd and knew there was only 2 km or 1.2 miles to go. There was a high school cheer team on St Paul Blvd that read my bib and offered me encouragement by name. I wondered how they knew it until I figured it out by the tenth time. Onward to the Genesee brewery, right onto the Pont de Rennes bridge ... the finish arch was in sight!

The High Falls just north of the Pont de Rennes bridge - courtesy of Jeff Scheuch

Onward onto Platt Street ... just a couple of tenths to go ... dig deep ... push it to a sprint ... finish arch in sight ... realize finish line is 100 yards farther (ugh!) ... heard Ellen call my name (so sweet) ... done with 13.26 miles in 1:43:28 according to my Garmin! The last 3.8 miles took 30:32, a 8:02 pace. I accepted and put the finisher's medal around my neck ... yes!

Past the arch and heading for the finish line - courtesy of Gameface

Sprinting for the finish with the usual grimace - courtesy of Kim Smith

I got some water and stretched out a bit before I went into the food tent for a banana, granola bar and a kiss from my lovely wife, Christine. I found out that the fourth challenge medal was being given out inside Frontier Field so I went and got it plus a holder that holds all four ... sweet!

Christine was signed up to volunteer until 2 PM so I went home around 11:30 AM. I found her car and noticed that the trunk was open. It had been open since 7 AM ... everything was still in there, nice! I noticed that 3 lanes on Lake Ave were open for traffic (2 southbound and 1 northbound) now in the marathon areas instead of 2 lanes. I did a bit of grocery shopping at Wegmans (boy, did it hurt to walk!), puttered around, changed my clothes, drank some coffee and caught up on Facebook before I went back to Frontier Field to pick her up.

Then it was back home. I remember watching the Bills - Patriots game. It started well with the Bills scoring on their opening drive ... but didn't end well with the Bill losing 32-40. Brady passed for 466 yards and 3 TDs as he shredded the Bills D, link here. I frankly don't remember what I had for supper. I was wiped. I read Facebook and was inspired again by all the stories of runners meeting and exceeding their goals. Kudos flowed in aimed at Fleet Feet, Yellow Jacket Racing, the police who kept us safe, the volunteers and the spectators.

Personally, I did pretty well. I crossed the line in a gun time of 1:43:26, 7:54 pace. This was my 7th half of the year and the fastest one on the hilliest course no less! I was 161st out of 2186 finishers, link here. I was 8th out of 74 in my M55-59 age group, link here. My splits were: 7:23, 7:37, 7:24, 7:29, 7:49, 7:56, 7:50, 8:07, 7:52, 7:53, 8:16, 8:28, 7:38 and 7:01 over the last 0.2 mile.

What of the people I met up with and others in the half marathon? All times are gun time not net time. Anyway ... way up front was Bryan Morseman who won in 1:09:46 while Caitlin Gaughan edged out Karen Blodgett by 9 seconds in 1:34:15. Jason McElwain ran a 1:23:01. Kevin Clinefelter ran a 1:30:21 to win my age group. Kevin was the first finisher (enrolled in the 4 Season Challenge) in my age group in each of the 4. Bill Sandow ran a 1:36:31, 4th in our age group. John Muoio ran a 1:37:27, 9th in his M35-39 age group. Jim Roche ran a 1:39:02, 6th in our age group. Jeff Rose ran a 1:50:02, 4th in his M60-64 age group. Tom Hawkins ran a 2:15:50. Jim Norris ran a 2:26:37.

There were 444 finishers in the marathon, link here. How about people that I knew in the full marathon? Again all times are gun time not net time. Way up front was Kip Tisia who won in 2:33:21. Kenny Goodfellow was second by 18 seconds. Heather Patterson was 2nd woman overall in 3:21:45. Andy Ciaio ran a 3:47:59. Stacy Maier ran a 3:48:20. Todd Dappen Sr ran a 3:51:50. Tina Pellegrin did an unofficial 1 hour early start and ran a 6:10. Tom Butler ran a 6:03:29.

A meme from the Internet: this quote was about baseball but I think it holds true about running

Lots of posts entered social media like Facebook. I looked through hundreds of pictures that people uploaded to Facebook. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle covered the race, link here. A runner, Ben Jacobs, who works for the D&C, completed the Four Season Challenge, wrote a story, link here. Bob Lonsberry, ran the Rochester Marathon, and wrote a review here. Ellen, CFO of Fleet Feet Rochester, posted "Voiceless but not Speechless" on her blog in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, link here. She was the voice of the Rochester Marathon and might have been all talked out by its end. She tells of about this version of the Rochester Marathon came to pass. Boots, head of Yellow Jacket Racing, who laid out the course so it was within the city of Rochester limits, posted that the course had character ... which means that it had hills.

The Four Season Medals and Challenge medals altogether

What did I think? I liked the new course. We crossed the Genesee River four times and were greeted with nice views and great spectator support. Yes, it had hills. If you train for them, you can run them. I kind of train for them so I can kind of run them. The latter part of a long race is where I tend to break down. My pace got a bit slower as the race got longer (7:31 for the first 5K, 7:55 for the second 5K, 8:02 for the third 5K and 8:02 for the last 3.8 miles), . Yes, I power walked about 100 feet of the Brewer St hill but it didn't break me. I got back up to speed, gritted my teeth and got back on the horse to finish out the race. I have run 7 half marathons now in 2015 (Winter Warrior Half in 1:50:07, Lake Effect Half in 1:49:39, Syracuse Half in 1:47:53, Flower City Half in 1:46:08, Shoreline Half in 1:47:04, Oak Tree Half in 1:49:14 and now the Rochester Half in 1:43:26).

Today's half was my fastest of 2015 by far. How? Maybe it was my running by the seat of my pants training. I just get out there and run. My "go to" training distance is between 6.2 and 10 mostly flat miles. Maybe it was the perfect weather. Maybe it was familiarity with the course. I knew everything about the course except the decent into Middle Falls and the climb back up to St Paul Blvd. Maybe it was just a good day. I think it was just the knowledge of "been there, done that". I know I can run a half marathon so I just go out there and run it.

One of my goals is to run the Boston Marathon. My plan for 2016 is get out there and train for it during the summer. My goal time for a Boston qualifier raises from 3:40 (M55-59) to 3:55 (M60-64) when I turn 59 in September. Then I will find a nice Boston qualifier in October (Wineglass, Empire or Mohawk Hudson River) and to really hammer the race. I don't know if I can do it ... but that is the plan.

9/16/2015 - My 58th birthday ... why I blog

9/16/2015

Today is my 58th birthday. I thought I would step out of my blogging only about running and expand on why I blog.

Why? I have thought about that. I realize that blogging and posting on Facebook are largely "Yay me" types of activities. Many times I allude to the negative in my posts but I try to stick to the positive. Running helps me keep to the positive. I can't control the world but I can control my running.

Anyway, I blog to put down what I did, how I felt and what ran through my head when I run, how a race felt, what the course was like. I am competitive in my age group and just plain like to run a race as fast as I can. I have met some readers of this blog ... which always surprises me. Some found it when they researched a local race and read to think out what I thought of it. So that is why I make an effort to tell more about any particular race.

Why do I run? Well, I have been running for about 11 years now. I remember gasping during my first attempt at running. Someone actually stopped their car at the end of Wood Lane in Newark and asked me if I was OK. I kept at it. I remember losing weight from 195 to 170 pounds. How? I don't know ... it just happened. My runs got longer. I ran my first race, the Newark Turkey Day 5 mile Run on Thanksgiving 2005. I can't find the time on the internet but I bet it wasn't fast.  I ran some local races. Not many but enough to get the bug. I started keeping a spreadsheet of my running in September 2006 ... now it has just over 10,400 miles. Fast forward ... now I have run 349 races (186 road, 160 trail and 3 Duathlons). I have run any distance between 5K (64) and 50K (1). My yearly race schedule has expanded over the years with 57 races in 2014 and 45 races so far in 2015 with at last count 15 more scheduled. One goal I have for 2016 is to qualify for the Boston Marathon when I turn 59. So my long runs will be getting longer next year.

Stuff has happened during these years. I got divorced, was single for a while and got married on 11/30/2012 to my college sweetheart, Christine, who found me on Facebook back in August 2009. I moved from Newark up to Rochester in 2008. Christine and I just moved again to a two bedroom townhouse which is a 1/2 mile from Lake Ontario. I have helped all my kids move at least once. I have gotten injured (cracked rib during Segahunda 2010, hospitalized for overhydration after Sehgahunda 2011, tweaked my left Achilles tendon in July 2012) or had minor medical issues (hernia repair in 2009). Running has been a constant through all of this. I don't have a scientific plan ... I just get out there and run on road or on trail about 4 days a week about 25 to 30 miles a week. I run without music ... I would rather listen to my breathing and be aware of my surroundings.

If anyone sees me limp or grimace in pain after a run or race ... well that is what I do. I usually stop limping after 100 yards or so. I put it out there and sometimes my body complains about it. I would rather my muscles ache afterward than try to get through life without aches.

If this blog inspires anyone to increase their level of physical activity be it walking, running, biking, swimming or getting to the gym then my ramblings have served a purpose. One thing I really should do is cross train. I have tried to bike more this year. I really should get to the gym to work on my core and upper body strength. Well enough of this ... it's time for another run. There is another race to prep for ... see you there!

Sunday, 9/13/2015 to Saturday, 9/19/2015

I ran 3 times this week, 26.4 miles.

Sunday, 913/2015: 10 miles, 1:22:11, 8:13 pace, 55F, 88% RH, 13 mph W wind, overcast.



I thought I needed to preview most of upcoming (Sunday, 9/19) Rochester Marathon course, link here. I have already run the majority of this course many times since I did live in Rochester and ran in Irondquoit for almost 7 years before I moved to Charlotte this May. But I wanted to run it just to refresh my memory. So I drove over to Herrema's on Pattonwood Drive and parked there. This is the northernmost point of the course. My plan was to run up Thomas Ave to St Paul St, cross over on the pedistratian bridge, run up Lake Ave to the Genessee River Trail, cross the O'Rorke Bridge and been done. That is what I did a caveat: the west side of the pedistrain bridge was closed so I had to run up the stairs. Also note to self: DON'T run in the bike lane of Pattonwood Drive at the intersection of Thomas Ave ... it confuses cars and they are much bigger and faster compared to me. Anyway, my splits were: 8:42 (up the Thomas Ave hill), 7:56, 7:59, 8:06, 9:13 (up the aforementioned stairs), 8:01, 7:55, 8:01, 8:13 and 8:04. I did take my 20 ounce water bottle but only took a couple sips.

Meanwhile other runners/athletes were out being awesome. The Rochester Tri, results here, The Ossian Mountain Run down in Swain, 8 mile results here and 4 mile results here. Challenge Point 70.3 with Wendy Abbott, results here and 140.6 with Steve Levitsky and Kimberly Levitsky, results here, The Erie Marathon at Presque Isle with pacing by Chris Patterson and Prem Kumar, results here. The Ovarian Cancer 5K, results here. The Pete Glavin XC Series #1 was held in Syracuse, results here. Wow ... that was a lot of work!

Monday and Tuesday: Rest days.

Monday was the usual rest day after two days of running (5.3 and 10 miles). Tuesday was a case of my lovely wife, Christine, making pasta that was almost ready so we ate soon after I got home.

My 58th birthday, Wednesday, 9/16/2015: 8.2 miles, 1:05:58, 8:02 pace, 59F, 94% RH, 4 mph SW wind, clear.

Garmin Connect Activity for An early run on Edgemere Drive

I set my Droid for 4:30AM to make up for "missing" my run yesterday. It didn't go off(!?!) but somehow I was awake at 4:35AM anyway. I got up, got dressed along my reflective vest, had half a banana, a swig of water and got out there in the darkness. I was going to do my 15K route but switched to my 8.2 mile route on Edgemere Drive when I noticed that the one lane bridge was gone. I was happily surprised when I noticed that the road had swept also. The road still needs lane markings though. It was a beautiful and quiet pre-dawn morning with just the stars to keep me company. I saw a runner, 3 dog walkers and maybe 15 cars along the route. My splits were: 8:03, 8:04, 7:59, 7:57, 8:04, 8:01, 7:59, 8:14 and 8:02 over the last 0.2 mile. I have run 4 or 5 times this summer during the early morning before sunrise ... I am slowly starting to become a fan. It does get the run in but getting up around 4AM does still give me the pause of "What the hell am I doing up this early?" and my legs say "What are you doing to me at this ungodly hour?" ... until they get used to the idea.

Thursday, 9/17/2015: 8.2 miles, 1:06:59, 8:12 pace, 82F, 40% RH, 6 mph W wind, sunny.

Garmin Connect Activity for A nice and sweaty run

I thought I needed one more run before the Rochester Half on Sunday so out I went. My lovely wife, Christine, was dressed to go down to the fitness center in our complex but lost her gumption. Maybe next time, honey! Anyway, I thought about doing my 15K route by bailed onto Ling Rd to shorten the run to another 8.2 miles. Different route, a bit more mild hills and a bit slower. I was drenched with sweat when I got done and took a shower as soon as I got in. I am sure that Christine appreciated that, lol! My splits were: 8:14, 8:03, 8:06, 8:06, 8:23, 8:00, 8:0, 8:23 and 8:11 over that last 0.2 mile.

Friday, 9/18/2015: Rest and travel out to OH day.

I went down to Fleet Feet Armory during my lunch to pick up my Rochester Half packet and look over the Expo. I didn't see anything that I really wanted so I kept my wallet in my pocket.

My lovely wife, Christine, and I headed out to Streetsboro OH to stay at the Comfort Inn and Suites. It was an uneventful 4 hour, 8 minutes trip. We were both tired. I slept like a rock even with Christine's rhythmic snoring.

Saturday, 9/19/2015: Rest and travel back from OH day.

We went over to Ravenna OH to see Christine's father. He's 94 years old and looked a lot better than we saw him last month. He sure can tell some stories! Our trip back was uneventful. While I was driving back Christine was keeping me undated on all the Facebook posts on the Fleet Feet Rochester page. The weather had turned cooler and everyone seemed to be a tizzy about how to prepare for it.

Other runners were out being awesome. The Mighty Niagara Half Marathon was held. It's a point to point half which starts in Lewiston NY and ends at Porter on the Lake Park in Youngstown NY. The result are here. Rochester's Kip Tisia won in 1:07:43. UPDATE: Kip also won the Rochester Marathon the next day in 2:33:21! The Virgil Crest Ultras was held down in Virgil NY. The 50K results of 24 finishers and 10 DNFs are here. The 50 Mile results of 61 finishers (Michael Meynadasy in 14:42:00) and 25 DNFs are here. The 100 Mile results of 16 finishers and 29 DNFs are here.

Once we got home I got down to laying down my running stuff for tomorrow's Rochester Half, my seventh half of 2015. My feeling was short tights, last year's Rochester Half tech and calf sleeves. I thought about arm warmers and gloves so I found them just in case. Then it was to bed for what I was sure would be a short night. My alarm was set for 5:20AM. The Rochester Half and Full Marathon was set to start at 7:30AM.

Sunday, 9/6/2015 to Saturday, 9/12/2015 - Oak Tree Half and Dirt Cheap #6

I ran 6 times this week, 26.64 miles.
I biked once this week, 17.4 miles.

Sunday, 9/6/2015: 2 runs of 0.5 and Oak Tree Half of 13.16 miles, 70F, 78% RH, 5 mph SE wind, sunny

I set my alarm for 5:20AM for my second Oak Tree Half (2006 in 1:59:51). Oak Tree was my first half way back in 2006. I remember that I didn't like the dirt roads of the middle of the course. But I signed up because it was a Rochester Runner of the Year (RROY) race. My lovely wife, Christine, was still recovering from her head cold so I got dressed, loaded all my gear, had my usual pre-race bowl of cereal and remembered to put on BodyGlide before I left at 6:15AM for the drive to Geneseo Central School. I got there just after 7AM in plenty of time for the 8AM start.

I purposely didn't do much of a warmup. I had raced the Summerfest 12k yesterday. I just ran 0.5 miles up to the start, link here. I met up with Prem Kumar, Heather Patterson, Wilt Alton and Andy Ciaio before the start.


And ... we were off! I settled into a fast pace alongside Heather Patterson as we ran a short out and back to come back to the start. The 5K runners were there just about ready to start at 8:15AM, two minutes later. They cheered us on as we ran by. I stayed with Heather for 1.77 miles before I let her go on ahead.

It was a left turn onto the dirt roads at mile 3. Now ... miles of dirt road, looking for smooth lanes of mostly stone free road. Always looking at the road ... looking for hazards, looking for the next place to put my feet over and over. The next mile was a long downhill. I remember seeing 37:47 at mile 5, pretty fast! But it was all mostly level or downhill up to that point. I had my first Gel at mile 5 and then my second at mile 9. I was slowing down. It was getting hotter but the breeze did help. Andy Ciaio passed me and then Wilt Alston. The hill at mile 11 was the very one I had sped down at mile 4. Yes, I walked a lot of it. No one passed me during the last part of the hill so why not? I had taken water at every water stop. Now my hips really hurt on the last 1.5 miles. I just kept running, practically closed my eyes from the pain and ran onward. The course led back up route 39 and then onto the track for a 3/4 lap. I ran around the track the best I could. And .. done in 1:49:14! I must have looked a bit ghastly because I soon had a woman escort me to where I could sit down for a couple of minutes. I revived myself and met up with Prem, Andy, Wilt, Heather and Bill Beyerbach (who I didn't see before the start). All had done well and all agreed it was hot and the course was brutal.

I stuck around for a while to have a 1/2 banana, 2 pieces of pizza and three cups of Gatorade. I felt OK. The results were posted here. I was 76th out of 304 and didn't do too well in my M55-59 age group, 9th out of 23. My splits were: 7:22, 7:28, 7:38, 7:12, 7:53, 8:26, 8:40, 7:46, 8:20, 8:29, 9:08, 10:34, 8:09 and 7:33 over the last 0.16 mile.

Other people did well: Kevin Woodruff finished 2nd in my M55-59 age group in 1:37:28 to take over 2nd in the M55-59 RROY standings (48 to 43). Prem finished in 1:42:42. Andy Ciaio finished in 1:44:07. Wilt Alston finished in 1:45:13. I wished I had stuck around for the awards. Chris Patterson in 1:26:43, won his M30-34 age group. Tim Dwyer in 1:29:16, won my M55-59 age group, Heather in 1:37:33 was 3rd woman overall and first masters woman.  Bill Beyerbach in 1:41:22, won his M60-64 age group. The official Oak Tree summary is here.

I caught up on coffee, Facebook and generally lazed around for a while before we absolutely had to do something for lunch.

A half rack of ribs, fries and beans really hit the spot!

So ... we headed out to The Original Charbroil House which is conveniently located just 2.5 miles away. Mmm!

Monday, 9/7/2015: Rest day

A truly needed day off from running. We lazed, lazed and lazed some more ...

I cooked chicken on the Weber while Christine made rice and ratatouille inside

Tuesday, 9/8/2015: A bike/run of 17.4 and 2 miles, 79F, 70% RH, 5 mph SW wind, partly sunny.

I probably should have stayed in on my day off but ... I had this crazy idea of getting out for a bike/run so I did. The bike was 17.4 miles at 13.8 mph average, 23.9 mph peak. The run was 2 miles on sluggish legs, 8:34 pace. I should have run the road instead of around the complex parking lot ... it would have been safer. I tried to use the Multisport mode on my Garmin FR310XT but messed it up so it came in as one run. I chopped up the TCX file by hand using Wordpad to get a bike and run into Strava.


 I enjoyed having 4 days off but back to work for a short 3 day work week.

Wednesday, 9/9/2015: 2 runs of 1 and Dirt Cheap #6 of 4.74 miles, 77F, 57% RH, 8 mph NNW wind, overcast.

My third race in 5 days, the Dirt Cheap #6 down at Stewart Lodge in Mendon Ponds Park. I had all the gear packed in the Equinox when I went to work so I just went there after work. A line of thunderstorms had moved through with some heavy rain during the late morning / early afternoon ...  the mud was waiting for us.

My lovely wife, Christine, wanted to meet me down there but her GPS got her lost so she went home  I was down there at 5PM in plenty of time for the 6 PM start. I got out for a nice and easy 1 mile trail run to check out the trail around Stewart Lodge, link here. There was a bit of mud and standing water so I knew that there was a lot more out there. I met up with Prem Kumar, Jeff Rose and Mike Meynadasy before the race.



The race director, Ellen Boutillier, had some words before the race about FOLLOWING the pink flags instead of the runner in front of you. The last Dirt Cheap #5 results were thrown out due to runners not following the course. And ... we were off!

Going down the hill just after the start - courtesy of Kim Smith

Going up the first hill - courtesy of Kim Smith

The first 1/4 mile was a couple of hills to get your heart racing and also to spread us out the trail went into single track. There was a brief bottleneck but I soon got up to speed and settled down. I have run a lot of Dirt Cheaps (40!) and soon saw some familiar terrain ... and mud, water, roots and rocks to boot. I was in trail running mode ... run the flats, run the downs, run the ups as much as possible, run through the mud (not around it), pass other runners as needed, say "Eh" if you know someone ... have fun! There was one spot near Devil's Bathtub where the flags led through a creek or you could have bailed out and ran across a bridge 20 feet away ... I went through the creek.

Catching some air - courtesy of Kim Smith

My Garmin FR310XT chirped after 4 miles so I knew that the race was almost over. I picked up the pace a bit ... I could see Jeff Rose 100 feet ahead. I tracked him down and passed him with 1/4 mile to go. And ... done in 46:48! Prem had finished ahead in 46:31, Jeff was behind in 46:57 and Mike behind him in 47:00. I had some water right away since I was parched. My splits were: 8:33, 11:22, 10:26, 9:54 and 8:49 over the last 0.74 mile.

I finished 48th out of 251-ish (ish because Yellow Jacket Racing never updated the list with all the runners), link here. I was 3rd out of 11 in my M55-59 age group, link here. I did OK in the series (best 3 out of 5 scored races since #5 was thrown out). I was 50th out of 155 overall, link here. I was 3rd out of 11 in my M55-59 age group overall, link here. It was pretty tight between Mike Viteresie and me with a 0.3 point separation but we were way behind the incomparable Ed Housel.

I hung around outside and was rewarded by the sunset. I snapped a few pictures like some others did.

Sunset over Hundred Acres Pond

I stuck around for pizza and the awards before heading home. Another Dirt Cheap series under my belt ... sweet!

Thursday, 9/10/2015 and Friday, 9/11/2015: Rest day.

I took a couple of days off from running because my right hip hurt a bit when I walked. So ... I rested. Boring but necessary at times.

Saturday, 9/12/2015: 5.3 miles, 42:44, 8:04 pace, 63F, 94% RH, 3 mph ENE wind, rain

Garmin Connect Activity for A rainy run

The forecast was a rainy weekend ... and it started to sprinkle and rain in the mid morning. I was up around 8AM. It was sprinkling and I could have gone out for a run but didn't. I read on Facebook of other runners being out and being awesome running the Rochester Marathon course or running various races. I dilly-dallied around and watched it rain, rain and rain some more. It seemed to stop for a while but I didn't get out. Finally I got tired of watching the DVR and watching it rain. So I got dressed and went out in a light rain anyway. The thing about a warm rain is that once you get drenched you can't get any wetter. I just got out there and ran. Yes, it rained and yes, I was drenched. But I was out there running so it was all good. My splits were: 7:57, 8:02, 8:00, 8:06 and 8:14 and 8:00 over the last 0.3 mile.

Other runners were out and about being awesome. The Old Forge Half in Old Forge NY was held, results here., The Pound the Ground 5k/10K was held out at Mendon Ponds Park, 5K results here and 10K results here. The Heart and Sole 5K was held at Camp Eastman, results here.

Sunday, 8/30/2015 to Saturday, 9/5/2015 - Summerfest 12K

I ran 3 times this week, 17.84 miles

Month of August 2015
I ran 26 times for 127.6 miles, 4.6 miles/run.
7 were warmups of 2.1, 1.8, 2.6, 1, 1, 1.5 and 1.2 miles.
4 were cooldowns of 1.9, 1.5, 1, 1.2 miles.
I ran 7 races (even with 2 weekends off): Sauerkraut 20K, Young & Wyld 5K, Bergen 5K, Innovative Edge XC Race #2, Dirt Cheap #5, James Franis / Andrea Kofahl 5K and Dam Good Trail Race.
I biked 2 times, 12.6 and 23.3 miles.

Sunday, 8/30/2015: Rest day

Other runners went big ... the 18.12 Challenge up in Watertown NY, results here and the Mendon Trail Half Marathon, results here. Me ... I stayed in and felt like a slug.

Later, I went out to see my daughter, Karen, out in Farmington to look at her laptop. I encouraged her to use Hibernate instead of Sleep to solve her BSOD problem and set up her backup routine on her external hard drive just in case. Then I did laundry (again) when I learned that my lovely wife, Christine, had spilled coffee on the bed sheets while I was gone. I could have gone out for a run at any point ... but didn't unfortunately.

Monday, 8/31/2015: Another rest day

A bit too hot and humid when I got home. Plus, my lovely wife, Christine, was itching to cook hamburgers on the grill for supper. I am getting good at making up the buns and condiments while she grills. Well ... maybe I can wake up early and get out before sunrise tomorrow.

Tuesday, 9/1/2015: Yet another rest day.

I had wanted to get up early to run before the heat of the evening but didn't. I thought about running in the heat of the evening but didn't. So ... I went to bed early so I could try again.

The used Garmin FR310XT that I bought off of Ebay came in today. I was amazed. I purchased it on Saturday from a woman in Oregon and it arrived in 3 days! It looked like new. I charged it up so it will be ready to go for a run tomorrow morning.

Wednesday, 9/2/2015: 9.4 miles, 1:16:47, 8:10 pace, 66F, 94% RH, 4 mph SW wind, a bit foggy.

Garmin Connect Activity for An early morning run

I woke up just after 3AM to go to the bathroom and just stayed up. My alarm was set for 4:30AM and I knew I wouldn't have been able to go back to sleep anyway. My lovely wife, Christine, was still up. She sometime can't sleep and just pulls an all nighter. I was out the door by 4:30AM. It was dark, warm and humid. I wore shorts, a short sleeve tech and my reflective vest. Yes, no headlamp. The route I ran had streetlamps and the waxing moon provided enough light on the sections of Island Cottage Rd that didn't have them. It really wasn't too dark. It was quiet and peaceful. I saw maybe 20 cars and two people walking their dogs on the entire run. My splits were: 8:08, 7:59, 7:57, 8:06, 8:28, 7:58, 8:04, 8:41 (stopped to take off my sweaty shirt), 8:13 and 8:00 over the last 0.4 mile.

Thursday, 9/3/2015: Rest day.

My right hip twinged when I walked today. It really kind of hurt. I had to stop and hope it would go away. I even walked slow ... which is highly unusual for me. Usually I walk fast and pass slower people at work all the time.

Friday, 9/4/2015: Taper day.

Yes, a taper day. I have two races this weekend. The Summerfest 12K down in Mendon Ponds Park is on Saturday, 9/5/2015 and the Oak Tree Half down in Geneseo is on Sunday, 9/6/2015. I plan to run the Summerfest 12K at a nice and easy (Ha! ... during a race?) pace so I hopefully run the Oak Treek Half a bit harder since it is a Rochester Runner of the Year race. I am in a fight for second place in the M55-59 age group with 43 points. The third place guy has 39 points and has only raced 5 races (and beat me in all 5). The points from his next race will all count. I have to place greater than sixth in my age group to improve my points since I have raced in greater than 6 races. Not that I keep score or anything, right? Not.

Saturday, 9/5/2015: 2 runs of 1 and Summerfest 12K, 73F, 78% RH, 4 mph SW wind, partly sunny.
I was up early (with 2 alarms set) at 6:30AM for my seventh running of the Summerfest (12K - 2009 in 1:02:42, 2010 in 1:01:05, 2011 in 1:00:41, 2013 in 59:23 and 2014 in 58:47; 5K - 2012 in 22:02).

Sunrise over the finish line - photo courtesy of Kim Smith

My lovely wife, Christine, still had a touch of a summer cold so she stayed home asleep. I dressed quietly, loaded my gear and hit the road around 7:40AM for the brief drive down to the Beach parking lot of Mendon Ponds Park. How many times have I been here on a race day morning I wondered. Anyway, I got there around 8:05AM to find the parking lot 95% full already. But I found a nice parking spot quickly enough and in plenty of time for the 9AM start. I met up with Prem Kumar before the start. He said he was going to run nice and easy too since he was also running the Oak Tree Half tomorrow.  I got out for a nice and easy warmup run of 1 mile at 8:01 pace, link here.

Just after the start - courtesy of Kim Smith

Somewhere in the middle of the race - courtesy of Kim Smith

And ... we were off! I tried to run nice and easy the entire race. I walked and drank water at all three water stops but didn't walk any hills. The race was hot and humid. I had forgot to put on BodyGlide so I was happy that the race was only 12K. The hills of Mendon were never ending like usual but they ended soon enough. And ... done in 59:27!

About a 1/2 mile from the end - courtesy of Barb Boutillier

I had a couple of hot dogs and some watermelon as my post race grub. Yellow Jacket Racing always puts on a great race ... lots of practice. I did pretty well. I was 24th out of 245, link here.  I was 5th out of 14 in my M55-59 age group, link here. Maybe I will race this race hard next year. My 12K PR is a relatively "soft" 58:47. Prem didn't run too nice and easy ... a 56:11.

The rest of the day was a pleasant blur of coffee, relaxing, lazing around and enjoying the day with my lovely wife, Christine. Now that I think about it ... I did get out to get my hair cut at the Sport Clips (I have gone to a super simple 3/4" on top cut). I do remember going to bed early around 10PM with an alarm set for the ungodly hour of 5:20AM due to Sunday's Oak Tree Half down in Geneseo.