Sunday, 8/13/2017 to Saturday, 8/19/2017 - Dirt Cheap #5

I ran 4 times this week for 31.1 miles.
I biked once this week for 20.02 miles.
I took 72335 steps during the week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 7/13/2017: 2967 steps during the day, 20.02 miles on the bike, 13.4 mph average, 20.0 mph peak, 70F, 73% RH, 7 mph NNW wind, mostly sunny.



I definitely wasn't going to run but I thought all the trail runners down in Letchworth running the Dam Good Trail Race as I biked 20 miles on the LOSP trail, Island Cottage and Janes Road. I saw 8 runners and lot of bicyclists. I guess I missed the memo that today was a much better day to run than yesterday! Or ... maybe it felt better because I was bicycling instead of running? Anyway ... it was a nice ride!

I settled in with a nice mug of coffee and had a bite to eat before I showered and make my way out to my daugheter's apartment in Palmyra for a quick visit. I delivered and set up a cat tree that she had bought off of Amazon and had sent to our townhouse. She was afraid that she wouldn't have been able to get it up her stairs since it was 33 pounds. It went together quite well ... and with no parts left over!

Karen's cat, Hermonie, did warm up to this cat tree after I left

Then it was back home after a side trip to Wegmans for groceries. My darling wife, Christine, roasted a chicken along with a sweet potato for our supper while we watched Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. She went upstairs while I watched Doctor Strange. The ringing in her ears during loud movies bothers her.

Monday, 7/14/2017: about 5000 (? ... see Tuesday) steps during the day, rest day.

I had my running gear in the Cruze and I toyed with the idea of running ... either before lunch or after work. But ... I hadn't slept well so I was tired all day and my left ankle felt weird. I definitely need new running shoes. I have gone away from the Brooks Adrenaline for my last two pair of road running shoes ... the Pearl Izumi and now the Asics GT-1000. I tolerated them but I was (and am) not a fan of either. So ... I am looking at searching the web for the best online shoe deals that I can find for a good running shoe for a medium distance runner who over pronates. I am looking at going back to Brooks for either the Ravenna 7 or the Transcend 3. Yes ... last year's models but it's what I can afford not what I want that ends up feeding my running habit. I have the Empire State Marathon in less than 60 days ... I need new running shoes!

Tuesday, 7/15/2017: 4000 (estimated) steps during the day,

Well ... today is that day where my tech hit the fan. My Droid (personal cell) which had been presenting problems (locking up, random reboots) went down with the "Droid stuck at red eye". I Googled it, link here.

It's a thing where a Droid locks up on bootup with the red eye. Any reboots just get stuck at the red eye. I figured out how to flush the cache memory (which isn't easy) but it went back to the red eye ... which kind of looks like the "Evil Eye of Mordor" when you think about it. Then ... it gets better! I managed to lock my Samsung Galaxy S5 (Ricoh cell) and Pebble 2 HR smart watch in a locker at RTP B5 outside a secure area where that tech is not allowed. I must have locked it and scrambled the lock before I noted the combo which is the wrong way to do it. I felt like taking "I'm pissed at the world" run after work but ... didn't since I had Dirt Cheap #5 on Wednesday.

Wednesday, 7/16/2017: 12000 (estimated) steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.35 and 3.95 miles, 73F, 53% RH, 7 mph NNE wind, mostly sunny.

I (and a guard) retrieved my Samsung and my Pebble 2 HR smart watch from the locker opposite the RTP B5 secure area in the morning. Then ... I forgot to link the two back together which prevented me from know exactly how many steps I took during the day. I remember looking at it before I went to bed.

Anyway ... tonight's race was Dirt Cheap #5 held at Durand Eastman Park off of Lake Shore Blvd. My running gear had been in the Cruze since Monday so all I had to do was add my underused (but with 660 miles) blue Salomon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes. I dressed after work, put ice in my 20 ounce water bottle and went straight to the venue. I arrived at 5:30 PM so I got a great parking spot within 100 yards of the finish. I struggled a bit but I put on my calf sleeves and changed from my road shoes into my trail shoes. I got out for a really nice and easy warm up run of 1.35 miles at 10:20 pace, link here.

My wife will be astonished that I looked up. saw this swan on Eastman Lake and took its picture!

I took a swig of water when I got back to the Cruze. I thought I was all set for the start of the race ... but I didn't leave enough time to set up my Garmin for the Wave 1 start at 6:30 PM so ... I was running for about one tenth of a mile while I got it finally started. Luckily I was running on even ground so I didn't fall flat on my face!

A bit after the start ... photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier of Fleet Feet Rochester

I settled into a nice and easy trail pace and let the race progress. Up, down, sideways ... I talked with Joe Ciecieraga for a bit during the first mile. I told him that I was going to do Empire and he told me that he was doing xx. I almost tripped so I slowed down and let him go on ahead. The trail was dry with just a very few damp spots and no mud to speak of. I almost choked on some water that I tried to breath in instead of swallow at about mile 3. I told Boots about it, "You can't breath water, Boots!", when I saw him just as I turned up the long last hill before the finish. He chuckled. I had concentrated on staying upright and taking it easy but I still didn't have much left in the tank when I crossed the finish line in 41:54. I went to the Cruze to take a long swig of water before I headed to get some of the post race food. I chose 2 hot dogs, 2 pieces of watermelon and 4 cookies.

Then I headed straight home ... my darling wife, Christine, had taken care of the necessary shopping at Wegmans. I did OK. My splits were: 8:57, 10:46, 11:03 and 10:23 over the last 0.95 mile. I was 76th out of 332, and I was 3rd out of 10 in my M 55-59 age group, link here.

Thursday; 7/17/2017: 14129 steps during the day, 6.55 miles, 53:15, 8:08 pace, 72F, 61% RH, 4 mph ESE wind, partly sunny.



I wanted to get back to my schedule so I got out for my usual Thursday run. I ran before lunch on my new usual 6.55 mile route. It's a bit shorter than it's not an out and back so it's a wee bit less montonous. I took it as a not so easy pace so I was absolutely dripping when I got done. My splits were: 8:19, 7:54, 7:58, 8:22, 8:09, 8:15, and 7:48 over the last 0.55 mile.

You gotta love Hammer Gel! I ordered another 26 serving bottle of Hammer Gel in my go-to Apple Cinnamon on Tuesday and got it plus another Hammer Gel 5 serving flask (free and very useful) and 2 sticks of Fully Charged as a free sample! I love this stuff!

Friday, 8/18/2017: 2239 steps during the day, rest day.

Just your typical Friday. The usual rest day before a long run on Saturday. I have given more thought to this run than usual. I loaded the TuneIn Radio app to my Samsung so I can play some music out its speakers when I run tomorrow. I am going to stash a jug of water at the intersection of the LOSP trail and Island Cottage so that I get to it when I go there twice. I am going to wake up at 5 AM and get started at 6 AM. Lots of "I am going to" for tomorrow ... let's see if I can do them. So ... it's going to be an early bedtime.

Saturday, 8/19/2017: 32000 (estimated) steps during the day, 19.35 miles, 3:15:57, 10:08 pace, 68F, 83% RH, 8 mph WSW wind, mostly sunny

I lied in bed for a couple of minutes after the alarm went off at 5 AM. I checked out Facebook while I had my usual pre-run bowl of cereal and banana. I saw that the 101 trail runners down at the Twisted Branch 100K (a grueling point-to-point trail run between Naples and Hammondsport with around 10,000 feet of elevation gain/11,000 feet of elevation loss and a 20 hour time limit) had started at 4 AM.

Time to head out myself. I filled one of my Hammer Gel flasks with Hammer Gel, filled my 20 ounce water bottle with ice and water, filled my water jug (an old 2 liter juice container) with water and got outside. I remembered to put Body Glide on my nipples (and forgot ...) and put my sunglasses on top of my head. I started up my newly installed TuneIn Radio app and tuned it to Legends 102.7 (60s, 70s, and 80s) and adjusted the volume so I could hear it when I ran. I needed something to overcome the boredom .. why not music?


I headed out around 6:15 AM. My original plan was to carry my water jug to the intersection of the LOSP trail and Island Cottage and stash it there. I found out within 1/4 mile that my plan for stashing water sucked. I should have stashed it there last night. But ... I ran 2.55 miles with that water jug before I got rid of it as planned. I ran at a nice and steady pace up Island Cottage (IC) to Edgemere Drive (ED), turned around and back down IC to Latta. The sun had come up but I didn't need my sunglasses yet because I wasn't running east. I had Hammer Gel at mile 6. Then back up IC and turned left onto Janes. There was a headwind heading west on Janes to Long Pond (LP).  I turned around at LP and headed into the sun so I put my sunglasses on. They were a bit sweaty and foggy but cleared up. I ran back to IC, turned left, ran up to the LOSP trailhead and hit my water stash ... 10 miles in. Just one more loop but I was slowing. So ... up IC to ED, back down IC to Latta, up IC to Janes, down Janes. I got about 2/3 down Janes when my right hip started to hurt. I usually ignore a lot of aches and pains but this pain I didn't ignore. I tried a run/walk ... not good. I turned around and heading home. I tried a shorter run/walk ... not good. Plus I forgot to put Body Glide around my groin region. I know TMI but it's the truth. I have never had any problem down there except for today! I must have been the humidity and my short choice. Anyway ... I gave up and walked home ... which was a long 4 miles.

So ... my second 20 mile run attempt didn't go so well. My splits were: mile 1 - 8:34, 2 - 8:11, 3 - 8:38, 4 - 8:27, 5 - 8:42, 6 - 8:18, 7 - 8:32, 8 - 8:40, 9 - 8:49, 10 - 8:38, 11 - 9:15, 12 - 9:28, 13 - 9:08, 14 - 8:37, 15 - 9:44, 16 - 11:31, 17 - 15:18, 18 - 16:15, 19 - 15:17 and 16:46 over the last 0.35 mile. So ... I was the pace I wanted for the first 10 miles, 8:33 pace and kind of OK for the first 14 miles, 8:43. But ... definitely trending upward. I have to maintain a 8:45 pace for a 3:50 marathon, link here.

What did I learn? Well ... music worked, Hammer Gel worked, hydration every 2 miles worked. Hmm ... I think my wonky left ankle caused my gait to change and that along with my Asics GT-1000 running shoes having 539 miles caused my right hip pain. I'm cheap so I try to stretch my running shoes as far as I can and then add on some string to get them to last even longer. My blue Salomon SpeedCross 3 trail shoes have about 680 miles on them. Anyway ... I have a pair of Brooks Transcend 3 (last year's model I know) running shoes coming from Holabird Sports next week sometime. I found them when I was searching on shoekicker.com and also Googling "cheap running shoes overpronation" (I think). I hope they work better. I have read that this model is cushier than the Adrenalines but do take a bit to break in, link here. I prefer to look at the positives. I still have plenty of time for successful 20 mile runs. But the Rochester Half on 9/17 and the Empire State Marathon on 10/8 do loom large in the future!

I was a bit sore and tired afterward. I lost 3 pounds according to our Withins Smart Scale. I recovered outside with a mug of coffee and a banana before I went back inside for another mug of coffee and 2 donuts. I caught on Facebook and stalked Danielle Feligno's progress down at Twisted Branch. I was rooting for her to complete it this year after taking a learning DNF last year.

I kind of waited for my darling wife, Christine, to make the spare ribs that I had pulled out of the freezer around noon. But ... she wasn't feeling like cooking so I gave up at 6:40 PM and just headed downtown to see the Rochester Crit, link here. I got down there quickly and parked on State St. I walked over and got there in time to see the Amateur Mens 1 mile run, the Elite Women 1 mile run, and the Elite Men 1 mile run right away. I knew one of the male runners, Chris Patterson, and congratulated him on his fifth place finish of 5:02:26.

The Amateur Mens 1 Mile Running Race finish
The course was blocked off with crosswalks that only opened up when nothing (runner or bicycle) was coming. There was a bit of break before the pro mens bicycle race. This race lasted about two hours. These guys were going about 30 mph lap after lap so they would make a lap of the course about every 2:10 or so. They were hauling! They were preceded by a pace car beeping its horn and then by a pace motorcycle. They were tailed by a pace motorcycle.

The Pro-1 Men whizzing by!

I eventually got hungry and had a chicken, bacon and avacado salad from the Effortlessly Healthy food truck along with a couple adult beverages. Mmm! I wandered around a bit. The riders got quite close when they leaned into the corners! It was dark and a bit windy when the race ended.

The Pro-1 Mens finish!

A rider by the name of Curtis White won, results here. The announcer, music and people by the start/finish line were quite loud and I had a bit of a headache by the time I headed home. I don't think Christine's tinnitus would have liked it. I saw Ellen Brenner and Barb Boutiller of Fleet Feet trying out a couple of Rochester Bike Share bicycles to get back to their cars as I walked back to the Cruze.

Not a bad day! I try to look on the bright side of things! Oh ... Danielle Feligno finished the Twisted Branch 100K in 19:24:21, 68th out of 74 finishers. The opensplittime.org results link here and the ultrasignup.com results link, here. She started at 4 AM and finished at 11:24 PM ... awesome!! 74 runners finished out of 101 who started ... a testament to how tough this race is.

Sunday, 8/6/2017 to Saturday, 8/12/2017

I ran 5 times this week: 41.25 miles
I biked once this week: 20 miles.
I ran/walked 75,765 steps during the week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 8/6/2017: 10054 steps during the day, a Du of 5K, 20 miles, 5K, 2:27:28, 66F, 73% RH, 6 mph WSW wind (it felt a lot stronger), mostly sunny.



I didn't want to run long so I settled for a longer Du than last time: 5K, 20 miles and 5K. I set up like before by chaining my bicycle to the tree outside the townhouse. I filled my 20 ounce water bottle and half filled a flask with Hammer Gel. The 5K was accomplished by running on the LOSP trail out to Dewey and back. I struck up a nice and easy pace. I was dripping by the time I got back. I toweled off as best and as quickly as I could as I unlocked my bicycle, put on my gloves and helmet and set forth. I headed out the LOSP trail again and then onto Island Cottage and Janes twice before I headed back. I saw Wilt Alston running the second time I was on Janes. He saw me first ... then I recognized him (he was out on a 8.11 mile run according to www.dailymile.com). I found that I was lagging and hungry as I fought the wind while on Janes the second time so I stopped for a couple gulps of Hammer Gel and some water. It was pretty painful to get off the bike after so long but I managed to lock my bike back up, take off my helmet and gloves and set back out for the second run. Ouch!!! I felt like I was running in molasses the whole way ... I even took a couple of walking breaks. I was more than happy to stop when I got done. The stats for my second Du: the first 5K was 25:27 at 8:13 pace, T1 was 2:26, the bike was 1:30:55 with an average speed of 13.2 mph, T2 was 2:23 and the second 5K was 25:48 at 8:20 pace. I thought the second 5K was a LOT slower!

It was already past noon since my Du took almost 2.5 hours. I got my obligatory mug of coffee and plopped my butt down in front of the TV. It was Sharknado Sunday! I watched most of Sharknado (it had already started at noon), and then all of Sharknado 2: The Second One, Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! and Sharknado 4. The Fourth Awakens. Yes ... my darling wife, Christine, and I are Sharknado fans. Somehow we got up long enough to make a pizza so we had enough energy to watch the world primerie of Sharknado 5: Global Swarming! It didn't disappoint ... the one-liners ("London Bridge is falling down", "I swear something was inside" by Geraldo Rivera, "Oh, the humanity!", "The hills are alive", "Tell me about it, stud!", "Forgive me Father for I am Fin"), the D-List cameos (Bret Michaels, Fabio, Charo, Geraldo Rivera, Olivia Newton John,Gilbert Gottfried), the Shark Sisterhood in tight black leather, semper paratus ("Always Prepared"), the "Back to the Future" tie-in, the implausibilities, the ridiculousness of sharks in tornadoes! Here are some links, here, here and here. Long live Fin, April, Nova and Gemini!

Monday, 8/7/2017: 3544 steps during the day, rest day.

Yes, a full rest day. I took a look at the calendar. It is definitely time to schedule some hill and long runs for the month of August and September! Time to build my mileage up past 40 miles per week. Time to look for sales on running shoes!

Tuesday, 8/8/2017: 15184 steps during the day, 11.75 miles, 1:40:05, 8:31 pace, 75F, 36% RH, 9 mph WNW wind, sunny.


Tonight's run was brought to you by the need to start preparation for the upcoming Rochester Half on 9/17. There is nothing like running the course! So ... I took a hour of vacation, dressed after work and then drove out to the Maplewood Rose Garden. I carried a 20 ounce water bottle and a flask filled with Hammer Gel. I had done a bit of due diligence and had found that a Mapmyrun had put my route at 11.82 miles ... hence the flask of Hammer Gel. I set out at a nice and easy pace. My left ankle protested for a bit but I ignored it as I headed south. I thought about how crowded this race route would be for the first miles or so until everyone spread out. I suffered through the Thomas Ave hill and took a swallow of Hammer Gel at the top. The long stretch on St Paul seemed quite long. I encountered a dirt bike on the pedestrian bridge across the Genesee River. Then I had to wait for 3(!) dirt bikes before I could cross under the 104 bridge on Bridge View Drive. Then I suffered through the climb on the path back to the Maplewood Rose Garden. I was a bit tired and thirsty when I got done. My splits were: 8:09, 8:18, 8:07, 7:56, 8:18, 8:35, 9:19 (Hammer Gel), 8:35, 8:34, 8:38, 9:37 (waiting for the 3 dirt bikes) and 8:22 over the last 0.75 mile. Boom ... done. I think I will make this a regular Tuesday run for the next month. It's good for both half and full marathon training.

Oh ... don't wash your heart rate monitor accidentally and expect it to work the next time you put it on. Luckily I have some extra CR2032 batteries lying around. Now ... I just have to find a itty-bitty screwdriver to take it apart so I can get to the battery and remember to actually do it (and not just type it). Also ... my Pebble 2 HR smart watch step count was probably low since it was off when I got done with my run. It did say that I had one more day remaining ... I guess I am hard on it!

Wednesday, 8/9/2017: 6451 steps during the day, rest day.

No, I didn't run the Pound the Ground 10K which was a Rochester Runner of the Year (RROY) race. 92 people did run the Pound the Ground 10K, link here.

 I just didn't have the money to spare to race it. I am already over my self imposed budget for 2017 races. I signed up for the Empire State Marathon in October so I can't race as much. The chopping block was littered with the Pound the Ground 10K ($25-$35) tonight, the Dam Good Trail Race ($36) this weekend, A Mid-Summer's Trail Race ($30 initially - $40 now) on the last weekend of August and the Oak Tree Half ($50 - hate the course anyway) on Labor Day weekend. I have to start doing 20 mile runs for the ESM ... which should keep me out of trouble. I still have races that I would love to sign up for ... the Dirt Cheap Stage Race and either just the Grocery Run 5K, the Grocery Run 5k (a RROY race)/Mendon Trail Run 30K combo (8:15 AM and 9:30 AM start times) or just the Mondon Trail Run 50K at 8 AM (all on Saturday morning, 10/4).

Thursday, 8/10/2017: 12200 steps during the day, 6.55 miles, 53:27, 8:10 pace, 75F, 61% RH, 7 mph SW wind, mostly sunny.


It was hot, hazy and humid but I run on Thursdays. I wanted to do a pre-lunch run because I wanted to get home relatively on time since my darling wife, Christine, wasn't feeling well. I regretted not having my cooling towel within 100 steps but I wasn't going to turn around and not run. I struck up a somewhat not so nice and easy pace and held it until after mile 6 when I got a bit overheated. My splits were: 8:09, 8:04, 8:01, 8:17, 8:12, 8:24 and 7:52 over the last 0.55 mile. I was absolutely dripping when I got done. I took a cold shower but still was a bit overheated when I tried to dress afterwards.

Friday, 8/11/2017: 3647 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 8/12/2017: 24685 steps during the day, 16.75 miles, 2:32:27, 9:06, 70F, 78% RH, 8 mph SW wind, sunny



I woke up during the night around 4 AM, who knew that I should have gone out then? I went back to sleep and got up at 6: 30AM. I had my usual pre-run bowl of cereal and banana, got dressed and got out a bit after 7:30 AM. I had on my hydration pack with 1.76 liters of water and a flask of Hammer Gel in the pocket of my shorts. I had wanted to do my first run of 20 miles. It was just too humid. The weight of the hydration pack on my back slowed me down to between 8:30 and 9:00 pace at the start. I just didn't have it. I let fear, pain and self-doubt creep into my head. The heat and humidity just got to me. I like to think that miles 8 and 9 were OK but my pace says otherwise. My splits were: 8:41, 8:30, 8:29, 8:34, 8:54, 8:44, 8:44, 9:50, 8:55, 8:49, 9:16, 9:38, 9:49, 8:53, 9:35, 10:18, and 9:04 over the last 0.65 mile. I was absolutely dripping and beat down when I got down. Three things ... I definitely started too late. I definitely don't like wearing my hydration pack and I need new running shoes. My Asics GT-1000s have a bit over 500 miles on them. I think it's time to start scoping out running shoes deals on shoekicker.com, roadrunnersports.com and 6pm.com. Plus I need another 26 ounce bottle of Hammer Gel from hammernutrition.com.

I could barely walk all day. Luckily, Syfy.com was playing all the Sharknado movies in order. I got in around the mid point of Sharknado 2 and watched them again. Ahh ... Fin, April, Nova, and Gemini!

Sunday, 7/30/2017 to Saturday, 8/5/2017

I ran 4 times this week, 38.5 miles.
I biked once this week, 15.04 miles.
I took 90,253 steps during this week according to my Pebble 2 HR smart watch.

Sunday, 7/30/2017: 14489 steps during the day, A run of 9.35 miles, 1:23:38, 8:56 pace and a bike of 15.04 miles, 1:12:18, 12.5 mph average, 20.4 mph peak; 81F, 54% RH, 5 mph NNE wind, mostly sunny.

I slept in until almost 9 AM and then relaxed for a bit with my lovely wife, Christine. We were a bit hungry so she made me a delicious egg and cheese muffin ... mmm! I had to wait for my breakfast to digest so ... I didn't get out for my long run until after the heat of the day had set in.



I tried to prepare myself by putting ice in my hydration pack along with about 55 ounces of water. I also put sunscreen on my face and stuffed a hand towel in a pocket of my shorts before I headed out. The hydration pack slowed me down as I plodded onward. I had wanted to do maybe 11 miles or so. I was OK for 6 miles. Then ... I was overheated and began a run/walk on the way back. My splits were: 8:38, 8:15, 8:25, 8:32, 8:45, 8:50, 9:23, 10:01, 9:36 and 9:11 over the last 0.35 mile. I was drenched when I got back. I couldn't find the towel that I had in my shorts so silly me decided to go out on my bike to look for it.


Well ... I ended up taking a nice and easy bike ride when I looked for my lost hand towel. I didn't push and enjoyed the breeze in my face. There were certainly a lot of bicyclists on this route! I must have seen 20 if not 30! Oh, I didn't find my hand towel out on the ride ... I found it on the kitchen countertop in the townhouse. Lol ... but I did get in another exercise activity!

Monday, 7/31/2017:  2737 steps during the day, rest day.

Stats for the month of July:
I ran 19 times for 118.9 miles, 6.26 miles/run.
I have run greater than 100 miles in a month for 19 months in a row.
I ran 4 races (Irondequoit 10K on 7/4 - 48:00, 7:47 pace; Boilermaker 15K on 7/9 - 1:15:38, 8:08 pace; Shoreline Half on 7/15 - 1:49:00, 8:16 pace, and Karknocker 5K on 7/28 - 22:25, 7:14 pace)
I biked 4 times (7/2 - 20.26 miles, 7/16 - 18.35 miles, 7/16 - 13.65 miles, 7/30 - 15.04 miles) for 67.3 miles.
I walked/ran 302,636 steps (this is the first full month that I have worn my Pebble 2 HR smart watch).

I have run 131 times so far in 2017 for 934.5 miles, 7.1 miles/run.

What's up for the month of August? Not too much. I have only Dirt Cheap #5 on 8/16 scheduled. I passed on the Pound the Ground 10K on 8/9, the Dam Good Trail Race (one of my favorites) on 8/13 and A Midsummer's Madness (a new summer version of the Medved Madness held at Mendon Ponds Park in early May) on 8/26 to pay for the Empire State Marathon (ESM) on 10/9. I guess I will spend August and September slowly building up to 20 milers for the Rochester Half on 9/17 (the day after my 60th birthday) and the ESM. I don't scientifically plan my running ... I just do it by feel. My long run pace is probably too fast but I just can't go slow.

Tuesday, 8/1/2017: 17971 steps during the day, 7.55 miles, 1:04:20, 8:31 pace, 81F, 70% RH, 4 mph SSE wind, partly sunny.


It was going to a hot and humid day but the question was not whether I was going to run but when? I kind of knew I was going to busy before lunch and didn't want to sweat a lot into my nice clothes after taking a pre-lunch run. I sweat for a while even after taking a shower when it's hot out. I resolved to take a post-work run. So ... I dressed after work and drove up to the Greece Arcadia High School like usual. I had filled most of my 20 ounce water bottle with ice before I left work so it was pretty cold when I filled the rest of it up with water. I wet my cooling towel down with water and wrapped it around my neck. All set ... I struck up a nice and easy pace and just let the run proceed. I hydrated with 2 squirts of water, 1 squirt on my front and 1 squirt on my back every 2 miles. Boom ... no troubles. Yes, it was a little hot. My splits were VERY consistent: 8:33, 8:34, 8:33, 8:32, 8:30, 8:31, 8:29 and 8:25 over the last 0.55 miles. I went upstairs to take a shower as soon as I got home. I think my darling wife, Christine, appreciated it ... lol!

Wednesday, 8/2/2017: 8915 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 8/3/2017: 15298 steps during the day, 7.55 miles, 1:02:54, 8:19 pace, 81F, 58% RH, 9 mph ENE wind, mostly cloudy.


I didn't feel like running before lunch so ... it was run after work. I dressed after work and made a beeline for Greece Arcadia High School. It was a bit hot but didn't seem as muggy as Tuesday. I made sure my cooling towel was wet anyway, tugged it around my neck and took along my 20 ounce water bottle (no ice this time). I struck up a bit hard than a nice and easy pace and let the run happen. I hydrated every 2 miles with 2 squirts to my mouth, 1 squirt to my front and 1 squirt to my back. My splits were: 8:15, 8:16, 8:17, 8:20, 8:17, 8:22, 8:23 and 8:26 over the last 0.55 mile. Boom ... done.

I was thinking of pasta during my run ... my darling wife, Christine, must have read my mind because pasta with homemade sauce was almost done when I got home. Mmm ... it was delicious!

Friday, 8/4/2017: 7293 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 8/5/2017: 23550 steps during the day, 14.05 miles, 2:00:44, 8:35 pace, 64F, 77% RH, 9 mph SW wind, mostly cloudy.

I didn't get out as early as I wanted (cough ... Christine ... cough) but I did get out. The temp and humidity had done down overnight. It was quite refreshing. I almost thought of wearing a long sleeve tech shirt ... almost.


Anyway ... I have to start training for the Empire State Marathon coming up in 2 months so I pushed my long run to 14 miles. I took 2 20 ounce water bottles and a couple of half full flasks of Hammer Gel. I struck up a nice and easy, "get 'er done" pace. I stashed one of the water bottles at the end of the LOSP trail where it intersected with Island Cottage. I kept on running. I found that I needed that extra water bottle as I was running back. I was dripping when I got done. My splits were: 8:31, 8:26, 8:34, 8:20, 8:27, 8:19, 8:21, 8:40, 8:49, 8:30, 8:49, 9:13, 8:42 and 8:39.

I took my darling wife, Christine, out to New Nails to get her lovely nails relined, filled and sharpened. Then we drove around for a bit. We ended up out by the swing bridge in Irondequoit and walked out to the pier.

We stopped for a light snack at Vic's Place before we headed home. Christine cooked up a lamp roast and sweet potatoes for supper. Mmm!

Sunday, 7/23/2017 to Saturday, 7/29/2017 - Karknocker 5K

I ran 5 times this week, 14.76 miles
I biked once this week, 13.65 miles.
I took 56,874 steps during the week.

Sunday, 7/23/2017: 7528 steps during the day, A Du of 2.05, 13.65 miles, 2.05 miles, 70F, 83% RH

I was up just before 7 AM. It's getting easier to sleep in with the sunrise getting later. First I had my usual pre-run cereal and banana while I read on Facebook that the Candlelight 12, results here, was done and that the Ironman in Lake Placid (IMLP) was just starting. I wanted to do something different so I decided to do a duathon. I put on my padded bike shorts, black short on and an orange Charlie's Old Goat Run short sleeve tech shirt. I backed up out my bicycle and locked it to a tree. I wore my Garmin Forerunner 310XT and put it in multisport mode (run, bike, run with transitions).



So ... I set forth. My left ankle was a bit cranky but I set up a good pace out on the Lake Ontario State Parkway Trail (LOSP) for a mile and back. I remembered that I hadn't locked the front door just as I got to the one mile mark ... oops! When I got back I toweled off, locked the front door, unlocked my bike, geared up for a bicycle and set back out. I decided on riding my usual bike route of LOSP, Island Cottage and Jane Rd at good clip. I chained the bike back to the tree, took a swig of water and set back out for my last run. My nipples felt a bit raw so I took off my shirt. My legs kind of hurt but I kept on running. Boom ... done!

My 310XT uploaded pretty readily once I figured out how to turn it off. It was stuck in multisport mode for a bit. But I was unimpressed with its data. It brought up just my run 1 pace of 8:13 (no distance except if you look at the time my heart rate dipped at mile 2.05, bike average of 14.0 mph (no distance (maybe 15.69 - 2.05 or 13.64 miles or max speed), run 2 pace of 8:08 (no distance but a guess of 17.77 - 15.69 or 2.08 miles). But I did execute the 310XT multisport part correctly. All you have to do is press the lap button to advance from Run to T1 to Bike to T2 to Run.

Monday, 7/24/2017: 4188 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 7/25/2017: 5575 steps during the day, another rest day.

I took today off because my left ankle felt weird. It just ached and I didn't want to do anything stupid to it. I stopped by Wegmans to do the usual grocery shopping. I picked up Kong: Skull Island from the Redbox. My darling wife, Christine and I made it a hot dogs, chips and a movie night.

Wednesday, 7/26/2017: 12,738 steps during the day, 6.55 miles, 52:16, 7:59 pace, 70F, 64% RH, 5 mph S wind, mostly cloudy



My left ankle felt so I decided to make use of my running gear that I still had in the Cruze. So .. a pre-lunch run ensued. It was a bit warmer than yesterday and not very humid. I struck up a nice and easy pace to start ... and then pushed it up a notch. I was drenched when I got done ... sweet! My splits were sweet too: 8:16, 7:52, 7:56, 8:01, 8:01, 7:53 and 7:48 over the last 0.55 mile.

I picked up another new move at Redbox when I returned yesterday's Kong: Skull Island. This time it was Ghost in the Shell with Scarlett Johansson It was certainly different with heavy sci-fi action.\

Thursday, 7/27/2017: 8,350 steps during the day, rest day.

We watched another sci-fi move that my darling wife, Christine, had downloaded onto the DVR, Oblivion. It was an interesting movie with Tom Cruise with an excellent plot twist at the end.

Friday, 7/28/2017: 15,553 steps during the day, 2 runs of 1.0 and 3.11 miles, 70F, 53% RH, 11 mph ENE wind, partly cloudy.

Today's run was a rare Friday race, the Karknocker 5K. It was also the same day as the East Rochester Fireman's Carnival. This was my fourth run of this race (2012 - 20:18, 2014 - 21:34, and 2015 - 21:54) held on the same course as the Scare Brain Cancer 5K (2014 - 21:06, 2015 - 21:08, and 2016 - 21:46). So I knew the course well. Since I don't do speed training I didn't expect I would do as well as I would like but it was a Rochester Runner of the Year (RROY) race so I had signed up.

I got down to the East Rochester High School around 5: 30 PM in plenty of time for the 7 PM start. It was a beautiful night for a run. I had just back from picking up my bib and sweet short sleeve tech shirt when I encountered Prem Kumar. He told me that he had ran from his house after he had spent all afternoon on a plane flying back from Miami with a stop in DC. I talked with him for a bit before I got out for a 1 mile warm up run at 8:28 pace, link here.

Why thank you! ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shutterfly.com

I lined up pretty close to the start line next to Prem and a bit behind Tony Gingello. Tony is an older runner and plenty fast so I thought I would try to stay close to him and hope for the best.

The start of the Karknocker 5K ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shutterfly.com

And ... we were off! A 5K race is just a controlled sprint ... I got up to speed and tried to stick to Tony. The first mile passed in around 7:00. I just tried to hold on. I could feel myself slow down and I let Tony got a bit farther ahead.

I'm pretty sure that this guy took 3rd in my age group ... photo courtesy of Tim Matthews of https://runnerpics.shutterfly.com

A guy with gray hair passed me with about 1/4 mile to go ... I could see the finish ... over 22 minutes ... done in 22:25.

I was parched and quickly got a couple cups of water. I found the results and saw that the guy who passed was also in my M 55-59 age group and got third so I was fourth. I knew I should have tripped him .. lol! I have found that to do well in 5K races you have to PRACTICE running fast ... which I don't do. I used my food and drink coupon for a cheeseburger and a Labatt's Bud Light beer. Mmm ... tasty!

I bundled all my gear (work and run related) onto my arms and into my hands as I made my way into the townhouse. One of my Contigo coffee mugs dropped onto concrete and broke. I guess they aren't indestructible!




I checked the PCR-timing.com results. I was 55th out of 272, link here. I was 4th out of 10 in my M 55-59 age group, link here. My splits were: 7:03, 7:21, 7:20 and 6:46 over the last 0.11 mile.

Saturday, 7/29/2017: 2,942 steps during the day, rest day.

Some days I just have to take off. Today was one of them. I went out  to Palmyra to delivery a "new to her" Windows 10 laptop to my daughter's friend, Shannon that I had prepared over the past couple of days. I had a bit of initial trouble starting up the data transfer from her old laptop due to a loose connection but it was easily fixed with a needle nose pliers that Karen provided. Then the 100 GB or so of data transferred easily. Shannon seemed pleased and paid me for my efforts ... sweet! Then we went up the street to Nima's for some deep dish cheese pizza deliciousness! Then it onward to see my oldest son, Michael, in Macedon. I enjoyed talking with him. Our conversation was wide ranging. Then it was back home to my darling wife, Christine, with a stop first at Papa John's to pick up a free (via a email giving me temporary 25 point Papa John's bonus points) medium pizza with extra sauce, pepporoni, and pineapple).

Sunday, 7/16/2017 to Saturday, 7/22/2017 - Dirt Cheap #4 (DNS)

I ran 3 times this week, 23.25 miles.
I biked once this week, 18.35 miles.
I took 70,091 steps during the week.

Sunday, 7/16/2017: 3603 steps during the day, 18.35 miles on the bike, 1:23:56, 13.1 mph average, 24.9 mph max, 77F, 85% RH, 6 mph N wind, mostly sunny.

I needed to get out since I knew if I stayed in I would feel like a slug. There were so many athletes out there being awesome! The Musselman (a half Iron) was held down in Geneva. The athletes I knew of the 414 finishers: Bill Beyerbach with a 5:14:46. Jim McLaughlin with a 5:49:10, Megan Hammersmith with a 5:56:16, Barry Cherney with a Half Iron of 6:34:49 (a huge 42 minute PR), Score-This results here. Blake Landry was out in PA at the Presque Isle Half Marathon doing a 1:24:57 PR (results here).  Bambi Jasmin was out in her native Vermont finishing the Vermont 100 mile in 29:12:51, 265 finishers in the 100 mile with results here and 61 finishers in the 100K with results here. The Jungle Jog 5K was held locally at the Seneca Park Zoo with 671 finishers, results here. Whew!



So ... with a hard (on me) half marathon the previous day, I decided to get out on my "Black Beauty" bike and take it relatively easy. "Black Beauty" is what I nicknamed my bike in Strava. I wore almost the summer usual: padded bike shorts, cargo shorts over that, an orange long sleeve tech top, bike gloves and my trusty helmet. I was a bit hot on the top but I thought that then I wouldn't have to put sunscreen on my arms. So ... six of one and half a dozen of the other. I went on my usual 18 to 20 mile route ... nothing too exciting. I did see Tina Pellegrin on her bike for a second. She was out on a 43 mile bike ride to celebrate her 43rd birthday!

A lazy rest of the day ensued. Christine and I did celebrate National Ice Cream Day though!

Monday, 7/17/2017: 12,225 steps during the day, 5.05 miles, 41:29, 8:13 pace, 77F, 68% RH, calm, partly cloudy.


I got out before lunch for a short 5 mile run. I decided to cut it short because it was very humid. I set up a nice and easy pace and kept it going (except for traffic). I was drenched with sweat after I got done. I had to sit for a bit after I took my cold shower so that I won't just sweat through my work shirt (I did a bit anyway). My splits were: 8:17, 8:06, 8:21, 8:12 and 8:11.

Tuesday, 7/18/2017: 8504 steps during the day, rest day.

I had a headache most of the afternoon. I did a bit of grocery shopping at Wegmans on the way home, and sat outside for a bit. I went to bed before 8 PM and was alseep by 8;30 PM. I haven't done that in a long time.

Wednesday, 7/19/2017: 7195 steps during the day, picnic day instead of Dirt Cheap #4

I fully intended to run Dirt Cheap #4 out in Webster tonight instead of attended a hastily planned (2 days notice) Ricoh picnic at Cobbs Hill Park. But ... I just had to think of an excuse. I learned that it was going to be sparsely attended plus it was really humid ... so since I don't run well in the heat I decided to go to the picnic. I left work a hour early so I could swing home and pick up my darling wife, Christine. But ... she decided she wasn't up to it.

I was a bit miffed and I almost bailed on the picnic too but ... decided that I needed to put in some face time with the higher ups at Ricoh and headed down to Cobb's Hill Park. I ended up attending a small (8 people max) picnic (right behind the basketball courts) with lots of food and not enough people to do the food justice. I took home 2 hamburger, 2 hot dogs, a zucchini, a yellow squash and a bag of Wise Barbecue Chips. One boss gave me two Perfect Cooling Cooling Towels.

I also have a yellow one.

So ... bottom line ... I bailed on Dirt Cheap #4. I felt bad but life sometimes gets in the way of running races. There were 343 finishers in what I was sure was a hot and sweaty Dirt Cheap #4 out in Webster, results here.

Thursday, 7/20/2017: 14,056 steps during the day, 6.45 miles, 53:04, 8:13 pace, 79F, 70% RH, 5 mph SSW wind, overcast.


I needed to run ... it was Thursday plus I didn't run Dirt Cheap the night before. I wanted to run before lunch so I would get the run done. It was just as humid as Tuesday so I decided to try out one of the cooling towels that I had got last night. I wet it down, wringed it out a bit, tucked the ends into my shirt and set out with a 20 ounce water bottle at a nice and easy pace. I took in a couple of squirts of water, squirted some on my front and some down my back at miles 2, 4 and 6. My splits were: 8:14, 8:06, 8:14, 8:25, 8:22, 8:11 and 7:43 over the last 0.45 mile. My impression of the Cooling Towel was incomplete. It seems to help. I think I will need another test run on another hot day.

Friday, 7/21/2017:  6509 steps during the day, rest day.

Saturday, 7/22/2017: 17,999 steps during the day, 12.25 miles, 1:47:18, 8:46 pace, 72F, 85% RH, 5 mph SSW wind, overcast

I slept in until almost 7 AM but didn't get out early. I puttered around until after 8:30 AM. It probably wouldn't have made any difference. It was ungodly humid. I wanted to do at least 11 and maybe 17 (a single or double loop of Island Cottage - Edgemere, Long Pond - Janes). I set off at really nice and easy pace. My left ankle ached for about 1/2 mile. I changed it up a bit and just did an out and pack to Lowden Ppoint Rd. The humidity really affected me past mile 8 or so. I just trudged onward. I did do a couple of run/walks. I was totally drenched when you got done. My Droid's eCrumb app locked up tighter than a drum so I posted the results to Facebook manually. Someone posted that a 8:45 pace is fast to some people. I usually run about 15 to 25 seconds/mile faster. The humidity really cooked me. My splits were: 9:12, 8:19, 8:23, 8:24, 8:27, 8:33, 9:20, 8:42, 9:11, 8:45, 8:57, 9:02 and 8:10 over the last 0.25 mile. It took a while to calm down afterward.

Ribs, sweet potato and salad ... mmm!!!

My darling wife, Christine, knows I like ribs so she cooked up a double batch while we watched a movie, Serenity, that she downloaded onto the DVR. I had always wanted to see this Joss Wheldon written and directed movie from 2005 but had never gotten around to it. It wasn't bad. It was nice seeing Nathan Fillion (pre-Castle), Morena Baccarin (pre V and pre Gotham), Adam Baldwin (pre Chuck and pre The Last Ship) and Summer Glau (pre Dollhouse and pre Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles).

Monday, 7/10/2017 to Saturday, 7/15/2017 - Shoreline Half

I ran 4 times these 6 days, 30.74 miles.
I took 66,987 steps during these 6 days.

Monday, 7/10/2017: 8605 steps during the day, rest day.

Tuesday, 7/11/2017: 14898 steps during the day, 7.5 miles, around 8:30 pace, 81F, 66% RH, 6 mph NE wind, mostly cloudy.

I brought my running gear to work so I could go out right after work. So I did the usual: dressed after work and drove out to the Greece Arcadia High School. I was gearing up when I found out something ... you can make your nose bleed. I put a dab of sunscreen (my darling wife has gotten me in the habit of putting on sunscreen) on my left index finger and vigorously went to apply it to my nose. Well ... I missed and jabbed it up my nose instead. Ouch! I didn't think much of it until ... I started sniffing and realized that my left nostril was bleeding. I had to take care of that before I could start up. I also had to set up my Ricoh cell for RoadID before I could start out.

Then ... I forgot to start my eCrumb until about a mile into the run. So ... the route was 7.5 miles but the pace and splits were from a 6.5 mile run. It was a bit humid so I was totally drenched when I got done. My splits were: 8:16, 8:24, 8:24, 8:38, 8:40, 8:34 and 8:30 over the last 0.5 mile.
I was still dripping with sweat when I got home so I went upstairs straight away to take a cool shower. I cut my toenails and noticed that I had four (yes, four) old blisters on my feet. Two around my left heel (from Many on the Genny), one on my left 2nd toe (from Sunday's Boilermaker) and one on my right big toe (from who know what). Lovely ... but what can a runner who runs do? Just keep on running.

Wednesday, 7/12/2017: 8346 steps during the day, rest day.

Thursday, 7/13/2017: 15736 steps during the day, 9.3 miles, 1:15:17, 8:06 pace, 66F, 88% RH, 7 mpn ENE wind, overcast.

The usual run out towards home after work. This time I started out on Janes Rd. It was cooler since a cold front has pushed through and given Rochester a not so necessary burst of rain. I started out a bit slow and then decided to push it longer and harder. I was definitely feeling strong at the end. Now if I could just do that during the Shoreline Half on Saturday. My splits were: 8:02, 7:54, 8:04, 8:05, 8:14, 7:59, 8:14, 8:11, 8:12 and 7:54 over the last 0.3 mile. OK ... maybe I didn't start out so nice and easy.

Friday, 7/14/2017: 4250 steps during the day, rest day.

The usual rest day before a race. I stopped by Fleet Feet on Ridgeway to pick up my bib and olive short sleeve tech shirt for tomorrow's Shoreline Half. The lady who took care of me told me about the course changes in the last mile. The last mile of the old course was along the paved paths along Lake Ontario. Well ... the high lake levels "ate" some of the paths so the course was changed. She told that the last mile was a bit "twisty and turny". I do know that I like the last mile of a half course to be straight so I just gut out the finish. Oh well ... I got my gear together and set my alarm for 5:45 AM.

Saturday, 7/15/2017: 23,757 steps during the day, 2 runs of 0.75 and 13.19 miles, 64F, 88% RH, 8 mph W wind, overcast.

Today's race was my sixth Shoreline Half Marathon (2011 - 1:56:12, 2012 - 1:36:21, 2014 - 1:45:26, 2015 - 1:47:04 and 2016 - 1:44:24).

I was awake a bit before the alarm. I went downstairs to put away the dishes from the dishwasher, make the coffee and have my usual pre-race bowl of cereal and banana. I woke my lovely wife, Christine, up at 6:15 AM (which was not early enough). She had signed up to volunteer and needed to be there at 7 AM. I got ready quickly. I wore my usual: black shorts and an old green Shoreline Half short sleeve tech shirt. Christine took more than she needed. We left at 6:57 AM for Hamlin State Park which is about 19.5 miles away. We encountered a few sprinkles on the way. I begun to wonder if my clothing choices were wrong. We arrived at 7:20 AM.

Then ... Christine got "stuck" in the car and couldn't fulfill her volunteer duties. I knew enough not to inflame the situation. I found the volunteer tent and told them. They had already reassigned her duties since it was 7:30 AM. I went back to the Cruze and told her. I got out for a nice and easy warm up run of 0.75 miles which ended up at the start line. I had decided to carry my 20 ounce hand bottle filled with water and maybe a bit of ice along with a 5 ounce flask of Hammer Gel. I tried to fire off a RoadID eCrumb so that Christine and my kids could track me but I was unable to get a strong enough cell signal.


Ellen reminded us about the course change at the end before letting us go with a boisterous "Goooooooooooo!" I had a clean start except for some idiot with ear buds in front of me hopping from one side to the other side to a clearer lane. I changed my step to avoid him and yelled "Hey, watch it!" but I doubt he heard me.

The start  ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

This girl was also around mile 1, I touched the lightning bolt for more power ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

I set up a sensible pace around 8 to 8:10 pace. It was overcast and very humid. We got to mile 3 just as we left the park. The race progressed. I had water at miles 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 and Hammer Gel at miles 6 and 8. I developed a pain in my right cramp. It wasn't a hard cramp but enough to bug and slow me down ... which I did. I went into a run/walk past mile 10 or so. Mile 11 ... back in the park ... the new course was on the park road ... mile 12 ... the new twisty and turny course at the end (not a fan) ... I was still running but felt like I was in quicksand ... it hurt to run ... I had nothing left ... last left ... I heard Ellen call my name ... push ... the finish line just as the clock turned to 1:49 ... done!

Somewhere around the end ... photo courtesy of Kim Smith of Fleet Feet Rochester

Two ladies put the Shoreline Half and 4 Season Challenge medals over my neck. I was parched and quickly downed 2 cups of water. I took a few minutes to rest and then walked over to the Cruze to tell Christine that I was done.

A post race selfie ... you can barely see the 4 Season Challenge medal

Shoreline Half swag

I sat with Christine in the Cruze for a bit. Yellow Jacket Racing had contracted with Sticky Lips  BBQ to serve our post race food. I stood in line for about 5 minutes before it was my turn. I talked with a woman who told me that at mile 9 she had stayed with a guy who had fainted. Someone called 911. She and I hoped that he was OK. The pulled pork on a bun, beans and pasta tasted excellent.

I went to the beach and watched the waves come in for a bit.

I checked out the results when we got home. I finished 95th out of 639, link here. I was 6th out of 21 in my M 55-59 age group, link here. My splits were: 8:08, 8:10, 8:12, 8:20, 8:14, 8:16, 7:59, 8:11, 8:09, 8:24, 8:36, 8:13, 8:29 and 8:25 over the last 0.19 mile. There was 175 finishers in the Shoreline 5K, link here. So .. out of six Shoreline Half races this was my second slowest. Oh well ... it's what I could do today. I guess I have to race against who I am today ... not 5 years ago in 2012.

Meanwhile other athletes were out there being awesome. Trails ROC held their 5th 0 SPF Trail 1/2 Marathon out in Victor with 127 finishers, results here. The Musselman Mini was held out in Geneva. The athletes I knew of the 614 finishers: Jim McLaughlin in 1:24:59, Tom Dutton in 1:33:01, Bob Hamilton in 1:35:30, Jeff Rose in 1:39:06, Sarah Hardy Strossman in 1:39:23, Ellen Boettrich in 2:02:18, Frank Colavecchia in 2:14:21

Sunday, 7/9/2017 - Boilermaker 15K

Sunday, 7/9/2017: 20522 steps during the day, 2 runs of 2.1 and 9.44 miles, 61F, 82% RH, calm, sunny.

Today was my fifth (chip times - 2013: 1:18:07, 2014: 1:13:41, 2015: 1:11:54 and 2016: 1:12:25) running of the Boilermaker 15K in Utica NY. I will try my best to put down in words the Boilermaker experience. My alarms (yes, I set 2 alarms) went off at 3:05 AM. I was sound asleep when they went off so I was bolted awake. I got about 4.5 hours of sleep. It would have to do since I can't sleep on a bus or airplane. I have tried. I let my darling wife, Christine, sleep. She wasn't coming to this race unlike the previous four. We had deemed a $35 bus trip as a frivolous expense. I suggested that maybe she should consider running or walking next year's Boilermaker. She is signed up for the Race with Grace 10K on Thanksgiving. I set up the coffeemaker for 8:50 AM so she might have some coffee once she woke up. I dressed quickly and had my usual pre-race cereal and banana. It was going to be a bit cooler in Utica with a high around 70F but humid. I chose my Reebok shorts and an orange 2015 Shoreline Half short sleeve tech shirt. I applied BodyGlide on my nipples just in case. I packed my small running bag with a 20 ounce water bottle, sunglasses, another pair of shorts, another short sleeve tech shirt, some small towels, some protein bars and a long sleeve tech shirt (just in case).

I took the Cruze and left at 3:51 AM. I arrived down at the Park and Ride lot next to SJFC for the 11th GRTC Boilermaker bus at 4:12 AM. Strangely there wasn't much traffic on the Ontario State Parkway, I-390 or I-490, lol. This year there was only one bus making the trip. The bus was already almost full. I sat in back next to a woman named Jackie.

The bus ride was uneventful. Soon it got light as we rode eastward to Utica. I ate a bagel after we made a short pitstop at a rest area on the other side of Syracuse. I decided not to carry water or wear a hat ... but I did put on sunscreen. I do tend to be a minimalist runner that doesn't carry much. I know that if I carry a water bottle during races that I tend to stop less at water stops but don't drink as much water. I also know that if I don't carry water that I do stop at some water stops to make sure that I drink all of the water in the cup. I guess it all depends on my mood, how hot it is and the length of the race whether I carry a hand bottle of water or not. The Boilermaker 15K has lots of aid stations so you can usually get a cup of water when you need one.

The bus dropped us off around 6:50 AM. The bus drove onward to the Saranac Matt Brewery since the Boilermaker is a point to point race. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun was quite bright. I started to walk about a 1/4 mile up on Dwyer Ave to the tent where the bibs were being given out. There was a long line for the A-D bibs but it moved along. This year I had a green bib which entitled me to a corral about 1/10 mile from the start. I saw some runners warming up in what looked to be a trucking company parking lot above Dwyer Ave. I met up with Prem Kumar (who was running his first Boilermaker) and ran a 2.1 mile warm up at a really nice and easy 9:19 pace, link here. I really ran just to pass the time. I took care of some business in the bushes (like a lot of runners, male or female) since the line for porta-potties was quite long. With about 30 minutes to go before the race start at 8AM I started to make my way through the crowd of runners to my green corral and made my way up to stand next to Andy Ciaio and Prem.

The view ahead before the start

The view behind before the start

The long line of runners was absolutely silent while a trumpet player played the Star Spangled Banner. I started up my RoadId eCrumb with about a minute to go before the start. Christine does like to track me during my races.

Two versions of the race: Garmin and Strava.



And ... we were off! I could see runners moving in front of us. Soon I was walking ... trotting ... and running slowly and then running on Culver Ave. I would say that it took at least 45 seconds to get up to the start line. I slowly got up to speed. The house at the 0.1 mile mark had the same music and a guy announcing that we had 9.2 miles to go. It did amuse us for a couple of seconds! It was a bit of scrum for the first mile with faster runners trying to get around. I almost tripped twice by a couple of idiot runners who tried (successfully) to get through openings that were not wide enough. I didn't get tripped from behind either so it was all good. The road ahead was a solid sea of runners. Culver Ave turned into Memorial Parkway just after mile 1. The mile 1 clock flashed 9:05 as I ran past. I had the urge to hit the bathroom but the two porta-potties at mile 1 were occupied. I remember seeing a funny sign ... "Run Daddy! My diaper needs changing!" which made me laugh. We turned left onto Valley View Rd just before mile 3 as we made our way out to the golf course. Then it was a right onto Steele Hill Rd into the Valley View golf course. This is the "big" hill. It's a long and winding hill and is longer than it looks.

I could see a line of runners going up and up. So I did too. I slowed a bit as I made my way up. Soon I was at the top. The Strava map shows that this hill was 107 feet in elevation over 0.7 mile. I saw a porta-potty and made a beeline for it. Unoccupied! I quickly took care of business ... out and back to running! Now .. down a long downhill on Master Garden Rd at mile 4 (best pace of 6:34 according to Garmin!) and then back onto Memorial Parkway. A jog onto Genesee St, Shepard Place, Sunset Ave and then on Burrstone Rd led to mile 6. A long slight uphill started and led past the 10K mark, which doubles as the 5K start and continued on ... and on .. and on ... until a right onto Champlin Ave just past mile 7. The Strava map shows that this was 93 feet of elevation in 1.0 mile. A mild incline but just on ... on ... onward. I was determined to not stop on this stretch but I definitely was not running as fast either. I shortened my stride to deal with this. I started to walk into some (I think about 3) water stops to make sure that I downed all the water in the cup. The crowd about both sides of the streets started to swell and get louder. I remember the guy on stilts between mile 7 and 8 giving out low fives for him but high fives for us. I also saw the person in the T-Rex costume waving at us. I was definitely ready for the race to end but kept on running as best I could. I just put my head down and kept running. A right onto Whitesboro St between mile 8 and mile 9. Then a right onto Court St just before mile 9 ... getting there. There were bells and clapping and yells from both sides ... getting there. A nice downhill ... I saw Christine Antonio with her green Rochester Running Company shirt to my left ... finish line in sight .... sprint ... taking the right side of the wide chute ... finish clock around 1:15 ... done!


MarathonFoto was taking pictures .. here are a screen capture of the best three.

I was parched but kept on walking ahead with other runners. I didn't get any liquid for a while ... which would have been bad if I had needed some. The fruit cup stand gave out fruit cups that tasted heavenly. I was given a free hand towel and a small chocolate milk. Then I arrived at the Saranac Matts Brewery parking lot. I got in the food line where I picked up a banana, chips and a couple of small protein bars. I made my way across the parking lot to pick up my swag bag with its Boilermaker glass. I brought cash this year so I actually bought some Boilermaker merchandise.

A post race selfie

The 40th anniversary Boilermake medal was a bit pricey at $10.95 so I took a pic instead

Top left to bottom right: free sticker, 40th bumper sticker, DVD, bib and 40th glass

I passed on the 40th anniversary medal but did buy a Boilermaker bumper sticker and DVD. I stopped at a beer truck for a nice and cold free cup of Saranac beer. Mmm ... tasty! The parking lot was populated with runners but walking was easy. I met up with Matt Roberts for a bit. He was quite happy that he had broken the 1 hour mark for the 12th year in a row. He reminded me that only elite runners need to care about gun time and that everyone else can use chip time for their times.

Then I went into "people watching" mode in the park as the parking lot got more and more crowded with runners of all kinds and just took in the scenery. I had a few more nice, cold and free cups of beer from time to time. There was a lot of see. The one thing that I remembered was a woman's shirt that read: Looks like walking, feels like running. I can relate. My running during the last three miles felt like walking too. Just getting it done, man.

My stats were: gun time of 1:16:35, chip time of 1:15:38 (57 seconds to reach the start mat), 8:07 chip time pace, 1683th out of 11711, link here. I was 75nd out of 489 in my M 55-59 age group. My splits were: 8:32, 8:12, 8:08, 8:46, 7:54, 7:37, 8:05, 7:45, 8:03 and 7:04 over the last 0.44 mile. It felt like I was crawling for the last 3 miles! There was also a Boilermaker 5K with 4082 finishers, chip time link here.

So ... of the 5 Boilermakers that I have done this is my 2nd slowest ... oh well! I know I can go faster ... maybe next year or not. My faster days may be behind me but I'm still out there getting it done. The bus departed Utica a bit after noon and arrived back at where we started around 2:57 PM. I picked up pizza from Papa John's on the way home. I synced up my Garmin Forerunner 220 and caught up on Facebook. Later, Christine called me upstairs even before the sun went down ... once we dozed off I slept for about 11 hours!

 All in all, a great day!!