Random Thoughts

1. I have a son-in-law, our first. Kind of strange to think of having a new member of our family.
2. Congratulations to our Sal's Rochester Runner of the Year representatives, Jennifer Katz (2nd age group), Jan McCullough (3rd), Pete Leonard (1) and New Roger (4th)!
3. Finding a xmas tree two days before xmas is not easy.
4. Portland Oregon is a neat city, Oregon an interesting state. Someday we will visit there when it is warm.
5. I'm still not into snowshoeing this year, despite our 50" of snow.
6. Stacy and Chris made neat wedding cake toppers.

7. Jan, Amanda and I will try our best to never fly United Airlines again, unless they give us vouchers towards future flights. Short version of story is they canceled our connecting flight from CHI to ROC on the way home, saying it was weather related. Wouldn't get us a seat the next day or tell us when we could fly out for sure. Wouldn't give us food vouchers or a place to stay. Weather related? They flew out to Buffalo, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. We caught the flight to Pitt, not sure what we would do when arriving at 1am, but knew we were closer to home. Lucky for us Avis rented us a car, one-way, for $150 and we drove home, arriving at 6:15am.

Locate a Race by Brewery Location!

Amazing what people do with Google Maps now. This link will take you to a blog site that has flags of some world countries. Select a map and locate breweries to visit. Simple.
For example, someone planning to run the Dublin Marathon would have to do less searching for a place to grab a Guinness after the race by using this site. What could be better?

Ironman Training

Interesting article on Ironman training from some of the top pros, from Universal Sports. Amazing the kind of hours they put in.

This interview with Ironman Canada female winner Meredith Kessler made me feel a little better. She turned pro this year at the age of 32 and works full-time, fitting in 15+ hours of training a week.

Still, you need to be able to recover from the days and weeks of training.

Oh, and for some more IM news, Chrissie Wellington, currently considered the world's best female Ironperson, set a record by completing IM Arizona in 8:36, running the marathon in 2:52. It used to be men winning Kona IM in 9 hours or so, now the male winners commonly finish in 8:10+.

Bill Rodgers

The following article is about a race Bill Rodgers completed recently. I especially liked the last paragraph and think it relates to many of us. I'm kind of glad a former world-class athlete shares some of the same feelings as us regular folk.

From the Sun Sentinel newspaper, December 05, 2010,By Craig Davis

WEST PALM BEACH — Being a four-time winner of the Boston and New York City marathons made Bill Rodgers a legendary figure in American distance running.

It entitles him to celebrity status at races throughout the country. He made appearances in all of the events of this weekend's Palm Beaches Marathon Festival and held the finish line tape for marathon winner Ronnie Holassie. But being a living legend earned him no favors in Sunday's half marathon.

"I raced one woman for two or three miles. She was tough as nails," Rodgers said. "I was surging, giving it everything I had. It was like the Boston Marathon. I finally put the white flag up. In the end, she beat me."

He faired better against the other men in the 60-64 age group, winning in 1 hour, 39 minutes, 39 seconds. It was the third fastest half marathon of the year for Rodgers, 62, who has run about 30 races in 2010.

"I ran harder than I planned. You get caught up in it," he said. "The challenge for me is I have so many miles on my body, maybe 160,000 miles of running. … "I love going to races. I've always been a competitor, but it's getting tough. Father Time is for real."

Why Snow is Good?

Snow on December 1st in Rochester, how appropriate. Fortunately we only got 2-4 inches, not the 35 inches in West Seneca, NY. If we got that much I would have cleared a spot in the front yard and placed the "For Sale" sign up, put the Explorer in 4-wheel drive and headed south!

But, there must be some good things about snow, right? How about Ten Reasons?

10. Buffalo was shut down for two days. Who wants to go to Buffalo anyhow?
9. Time to really think about snowshoe racing season. I run just as fast wearing snowshoes as I do on clear roads, so why not?
8. I made snowmen that look like Mike and Lou in my front yard. Scares the neighborhood kids.
7. People can't drive. Expressway traffic gets backed up more than usual. This gives me more time to reflect on life while stuck on I390.
6. The Fleet Feet Snowcheap series begins on December 15th at Cobb's Hill Park. Lots of fun on the dark trails of Rochester!
5. Snowshoe racing throughout New York state. Check these three websites, ESSRA, USSSA and Roads are Poison.
4.Jan loves to shovel the driveway.
3. What could be more fun than wearing boots, gloves, thick socks, heavy winter coat, goofy hats from snowshoe racing, a scarf and snowpants?
2. Who doesn't love to slip and slide while running on the roads?
1. Another reason to run on my treadmill in the basement and catch up on all the wonderful television programs available through cable tv.

Improving VO2 Max Quickly

Many scientists consider VO2 max the most important factor in determining success in an aerobic endurance sport. Here are two methods to improve your V02 max in an 8 week period by 5-7%.
1. 15second running at 90-95% max HR with 15second recovery @ 70% HR (repeat 47x)
2. 4x4 minutes @90-95% max HR with 3 minute recovery @ 70% HR

Either method should increase your V02 significantly over the two month period. Do these workouts 1-2 times per week, with a 10 minute warmup and cooldown.

This study ("Aerobic High-Intensity Intervals Improve V02 max more than moderate training", Medical Sports Exercise Journal, 2007) compared long slow distance (45 minutes @ 70%HR, the two methods above, and Lactate Threshold running-85%HR for 24 minutes). Forty athletes were in the study and ran on treadmills set at 5% incline.

The recommendation is to use the 4minute hard/3 minute easy session, as the 47x 15 seconds is difficult for most of us to count up to while sprinting. 95% effort is 15-30 seconds faster than your 5k pace (8minutes per mile for a 5k=2 minutes per quarter, so for the four minutes you would go through each quarter in 1:52-1:56, meaning you would ideally complete more than 1/2 a mile). 90% effort is closer to 10k race pace. It might be wise to begin the interval just under 10k pace and picking the pace up a bit for the last 1-2minutes if you can. Finishing strong is always good.

A workout I always found useful and similar to the two above and equally tough, was 15x 45 seconds at 1 mile pace with 15 seconds jog recovery. Again, I would do this 1x per week as one of my "fast" days. It's easy to time the minute, which I liked. It always took a couple of weeks to get to the 15 reps, if I was really running as hard as I was supposed to be. I always did this workout by feel, not distance. But if you do the same route, say five miles, with a 1 mile warmup, then the 15 reps, then cooldown, you can check the overall time for the workout and/or see how much further you covered in the fast phase than the week before and see the improvement.

Thanksgiving

Top Ten Great Things about Thanksgiving!

10.Several hundred runners at the inaugural Downtown Rochester Thanksgiving Day 8k Race
9. 3,000+ runners at the Webster Turkey Trot
8. 1,000 or so runners at the Race with Grace(which I have run 14 years in a row)
7. Football, between college and pros - four days in a row
6. Four days of not working at MCC
5. Beating all Sal's runners at RWG (maybe)
4. My birthday is always near or on Thanksgiving
3. Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy
2. Jan's cinnamon rolls
1. Family time

Dance Lessons

Do you need some cross-training ideas? Have a wedding coming up and don't know how to dance (like me), well, here is the Fox Trot style, demonstrated simply and so maybe even I can learn it.

Reincarnation

When I die I've decided to be reincarnated as a dog. If I have a nice owner it seems like being a dog would be a good second life. Here are ten reasons to be a dog;

1. Free food prepared by someone else every day.
2. A warm bed next to a fire.
3. Get to watch tv with my owner, hopefully he/she likes sports.
4. Can poop almost anywhere and my owner has to clean it up.
5. I don't have to groom myself, my owner does this or takes me to a dog spa.
6. When the owner is gone off to work the couch is all mine.
7. No more work, unless work is considered looking out the window and barking when a stranger comes to the door.
8. My owner will take me to parks for walks and runs.
9. I could be a duathlete still, swimming and running.
10. Kids would love me.

Now the question is, what kind of dog would I be? A Labrador or Golden Retriever seem obvious choices. They are above average size, like me, don't need a lot of grooming (almost bald as a human has advantages), need exercise and are good with other dogs. A Belgian Sheepdog would be another good choice, except they are really good watchdogs and I think I would fall asleep too much for this duty. A Treeing Walker Coonhound, unusual variety, but a possibility, except they are extremely agile and elegant in movement - not me!
Then I found my perfect match! An Australian Cattle Dog.

This dog needs lots of exercise, easy to groom, trustworthy, courageous, and is exceedingly devoted to the duties they are given. (not sure if I'm really courageous-maybe in my second life?), loyal, and affectionate, the Australian Cattle Dog is protective of their family, home, and territory. They thrive on human interaction and activity but are easily bored which can lead to serious behavior issues(sounds more like me). Australian Cattle Dogs do not respond to harsh or heavy-handed methods of discipline (definitely me)finally, this breed has an inordinate amount of stamina and requires a great deal of exercise -a long-distance runner!

Find what breed of dog you should be at NextDayPets.com

Cubism

I now work in a cubicle. There are three other staff members in the office with me, each with their own cube. I used to have my own office...with a door and two desks. Now I have a cube. Librarians should not be in cubes. We need to be surrounded by books. I love ordering new books, opening the boxes, being the first to touch them, open the cover and browse. Maybe that's why I was sent to a cube, someone was jealous I was touching the books first?

I do have three chairs. They all have issues, or, really, I have issues with them. Two are twins, nice purply color cushions for my butt and back. As a normal chair they are okay, but for an office/desk chair, not so much. They don't adjust, there are no arm supports or wheels. Not good for computer ergonomics.

Then I have the "office chair". It has grey cushions, which match the grey walls of my cube. It also has armrests. Except the arms don't adjust. The chair leans to the left. Really. It does have wheels, but three of the five don't work. It groans whenever I switch position. My officemates think this is me, but really, it's the chair.

How about the space of the cubicle? Maybe 6x6 with the "door" opening four feet wide so I am on display whenever someone walks in the office. I'm thinking of making a fancy sheet to hang across the opening, but the bosses might not appreciate my sense of privacy.

You may be asking what this all has to do with running? Well, these chairs destroy my right hamstring. If I don't get up to wander around every thirty minutes, or be weird and stand inside my cube (forget the stretching when officemates are here, that would really freak them out)by the afternoon my leg barely moves. I miss my old office and chair.

Some other things I've learned about cubism:
1. Body sounds and smells - it would be rude to burp, pass gas, crunch food with officemates so close.
2. Talking on a phone. No matter what everyone in the office area can hear you. There is no such thing as a private conversation.
3. Germs. Does a four-foot wall really suffice?
4. Changing clothes - in my private office at DCC I used to change into my bike or running clothes in the office. It was nice. Now, this wouldn't be welcome by the three women I share the office with. Well, maybe it would, but I'd be uncomfortable. This is where my privacy curtain could help?
5. Watching. At least three people know when I come, when I go. Be ever vigilant.

Governor Cuomo!

Well, my choice for new governor, my real choice, Andy Cuomo, won in convincing fashion. The unfortunate part of this is the mayor of Rochester, Robert Duffy, who himself is a multi-marathon and 13.1 mile finisher, will be the Lieutenant Gov. Why is this bad? Because Duffy believed in Rochester, turned things around, or at least got them headed in the right direction, and worked tirelessly to promote the city and surrounding areas.
The odds of us getting someone as good as the Duffman are low. His support helped get the Snowcheap series of races, the Flower City Challenge (duathlon and half-marathon) and other events off the ground. The Duffman, a former police chief, was able to help get police to support and understand the importance of these events.
He will be missed. Let's hope he doesn't forget Upstate now that he is moving on up to Albany.

Governor of New York?

No, I'm not turning this into a permanent political blog, but after watching the recent New York State Gubernatorial debate, I have to comment.

This show was the most entertaining debate I have ever seen! It was better than any SNL skit or reality show. From the right wing comes Carl "I hate gays" Paladino, from the left, our self-proclaimed protector, The Kid, Andy Cuomo. Throw in a southern speaking Green Party candidate, backed by none other than Ralph Nader (how can he still be alive, he was running for office when I was a mere child?), Howie Hawkins, the former Madam Kristin "I love fake tans, facelifts and cue cards" Davis, Jimmie "The Rent is 2 Damn High" McMillan, Warren Redlich of the Libertarian Party, Charles Barron of the Freedom Party and we have a circus like no one has seen, except possibly California.

The media's current topic of choice seems to be the Frederick Douglass lookalike, Jimmie McMillan.








But my choice may be Kristin Davis. Let's examine her credentials;
1. millionaire businesswoman who started with nothing and created an empire - I believe in entrepeneurship.
2. based on her business choice, must be a good communicator one-on-one or small groups, so she could handle the backroom politics of Albany.
3. Strong supporter of the medical profession based on the facelifts and body part adjustments.
4. Only candidate who won't cut jobs to save our state. In fact, she will create jobs and money by making gambling and pot legal.
5. We don't have to worry about a sex scandal ruining her credibility.
6. She can read well, obvious by the use of cue cards in the debate. This bodes well for libraries!

So, who is your candidate?

Racing Fears

Hammer Nutrition's September 2010 magazine has an interesting and well-written article called, "Embracing the fears of racing" by Shane Eversfield, a Total Immersion Master Coach. Here are some quotes from the article, along with my own comments;

"If we knew ahead of time exactly how the race will turn out, or how our lives will progress and end, we probably would not bother training-let alone get out of bed each day".

"...we are drawn to racing-at least in part-by the wonderful elements of mystery and uncertainty".

"on race day, a great asset for transforming fear into acceptance and peace is gratitude". Be grateful for ..."family, health, this day, arriving at the starting line safe after training for however long to complete this distance".

The other common fear in racing is pain. Through your training there is self-discovery that takes place in whether the pain felt during hard sessions is detrimental or a stressor that will make you stronger. You also learn how to deal with the pain that may develop during a race, hold the pace longer through some distress and carry on to the finish line. Pain can be an ally in a race, ..."remain calm physically and mentally in the presence of pain, without complicating it. It is a powerful asset for our most challenging races and our lives".

Let's see if I can remember some of this for the rest of my races this fall.

Chicago Marathon

Our Chicago Marathon heroes, Jennifer and Lou Katz, finished the 26.2 mile tour on Sunday. Temperature at start time was about 60 and rose to 80 by mid-day. Jennifer finished in 3:53:13, good for 1594/15,997 females (top 10%) and 183/1548 in her age group.
Lou completed the course in 4:26:24, 9754/19,777 men and 309/865 in his age group. Congratulation to both.
The overall winner was Sammy Wanjiru of Kenya in 2:06:24 and the top female runner was Liliya Shobukhova of Russia in 2:20:25. Joan Benoit Samuelson, Olympic champion in 1984, qualified for another USA Olympic trial with a 2:47.

Upstate NY XC @ Beaver Island State Park

MW kicking butt, about 120 yards ahead of me, 2+miles into race.

About 2.3 miles into race and I'm suffering. Terry went on to beat me by 7 seconds.
Our Fleet Feet men's vet team earned one point in the series. A nice flat course, perfect day for cross-country running. Complete results are here.

Chicago Marathon

Best wishes to Lou and Jennifer Katz who are competing in the Chicago Marathon on Sunday!

Top Reasons to Run the Chicago Marathon:

1. You get to run with 45,000 of your closest friends.
2. The 10k water/food stop has slices of Chicago Style Pizza
3. The 20k water/food stop has Chicago Hot Dogs-fully loaded
4. At 30k you get Chicago brewed beer in a collectible Bears Mug.
5. The finish line post-race food includes a Chicago style grilled steak.
6. When you come home you can brag to co-workers and friends about competing with Joan Benoit Samuelson, Steve Jones, Melissa White, Ethiopians who run 2:06 for a marathon, and other world class runners.
7. It's going to be 55 degrees and partly cloudy at the start, perfect weather to run 26 miles!
8. You'll finish the race, get recovered in the hotel hot tub, take a nap and be ready to watch the Yankees beat Minnesota at 8pm eastern time.

XC Team Results

GVH (link to Word document for team results)

FF managed to sweep last place in all four categories we were entered in. But, at least we scored points in those divisions, which further on in the series could make a difference. Always tough when you move runners down in age group to fill out a team, which we did for the women's open and men's masters teams.

Also on an individual basis the following people scored points (top 15 in each division score, then totals are added for year end awards):
Keri Baker 30-39, 9th and Sarah Kimball 13th
Therese Christo 50-59 5th
Emily Schmeling 20-29, 9th
Christine Klein 40-49, 8th, Carolyn Privitera-Gage 10th
Jim Roche 50-59, 15th

Pete Glavin Upstate NY XC Series

A beautiful day to run marked the first race in the xc series. The course, a 5k jaunt around some of the trails of Mendon Ponds that Pete Glavin used to like to run on, included a taxing climb up Cardiac Hill.
Complete individual and age group results are available here. I will post team standings as soon as I can find them.
Our Open women's team was lead by Keri Baker in a time of 21:50. James Roche was our first male finisher in 19:50. We had a nice tight team finish for the men's 50-59 age group, with John Benson, Al Vasbinder and Frank Quattrone within 21 seconds of each other.

Role Models

A thought popped in my brain a moment ago that I should live my life more like our professional athletes, our role models. To that end I am:

1. Taking performance enhancing drugs and when I get caught denying it all. When the proof is too overwhelming I will blame it on my trainer who must have been spiking my drinks.
2. Punching any photographer, or at least his/her camera, that gets in my way.
3. Kicking any dogs who bark at me when I'm out running.
4. Getting drunk and running over people with my car.
5. Okay, I'll just get drunk and at 4am, with four friends in the car, drive around the city, an accident waiting to happen.
6. Throw my helmet into the stands, not thinking that I might injure a person.
7. Calling my supervisors/coaches/fans etc. idiots in public, on the radio, tv, twitter, in a newspaper article and then wonder why they turn against me and I get traded.
8. Beat or verbally abuse my wife and hit her father.
9. Gamble away more money on one visit to a casino than most people make in a year.
10. Keep my boyz around me, even though they are lowlife drug using slime, cuz, well, their my boyz. Yeah, they may shoot someone outside the bar I'm visiting, but can you prove it?

A verbal apology will take care of all this right? Seems to work for our "role models". "If he would just apologize it would be so much better." NO, no really, it doesn't make up for you being an ass. Really, it doesn't. How about behaving like a decent human being from the beginning?
What would happen if you or I behaved like this in the real world where we work? Fired? In jail? Sure wouldn't get to sign another longterm contract for millions of dollars with another organization.

Triathlons

Congratulation to Terri Christo and Patty Pirnie for completing the Syracuse 1/2 IM on Sunday!

Sunday, September 19 was also the Finger Lakes Triathlon. It was a close battle between Macho Man Weinpress and the Princess, with Macho Man squeaking through with less than a minute victory. Eileen did finish first in her age group, however, demolishing the competition by 3 minutes. MM was an honorable fourth in his group.

In the Olympic distance, Queenie (Jan) won the swim, transitions were close, but I took the bike and run. Queenie finished third in her age group.

Roger Howe finished second in his age group.

Once again it was made clear that I am a very average triathlete, at best. The most nerve racking part of participating in a triathlon is packing for the event. I've been on week long vacations with three kids that involved less stress.

Things I learned at the Finger Lakes Triathlon:
1. Sunday morning is a busy time for Amish (Mennonite?) families riding in their buggies. I saw at least 6 out on the bike course. Did you know car seats aren't required in buggies? Don't they get cold in the winter, there's no heat in those things? Maybe thinking about this stuff when on the bike is why I bike slow?
2. Evidently suitcases are okay to have in transition?
3. I still cannot swim in a straight line unless in a pool with markers.
4. Flat tires stink. I didn't have one, but saw 10 people out of the race, at least temporarily, with one.
5. Spit in your goggles before the swim. Foggy goggles do not help with sighting.
6. Canandaigua Lake has really tall weeds growing up from the bottom, even at 800 yards out. I thought I was in the Goblet of Fire/Harry Potter movie.
7. Transitions are a great place to rest and be laid back. Not really, but it seems to be a habit of mine.
8. 4:30am comes early.
9. Hammer Nutrition works for me and Jan in a race of this distance/time.
10. I can beat Jan when she is not in triathlon shape.

Triathlon Showdown!

The FingerLakes Triathlon takes place on Sunday, September 19, with the swim start in Canandaigua Lake.

In the sprint race (.5mile swim, 13 mile bike, 5k run) Mike "Macho Man" Weinpress takes on Eileen "Petite Princess" Weinpress. The bookies are giving EPPW the swim and bike legs, meaning Macho Man has a scant 3 miles to chase her down and keep his honor. This race may be decided in the transitions. If Macho Man can stay away from eating a sub between the bike and run he may pull off a victory.

The Olympic distance (1500m swim, 22.5m bike, 10k run) has Jan "Queenie" McCullough versus Mike "Muffin Top" McCullough. Though Queenie is a much better swimmer, the wetsuit seems to negate her speed advantage. Swim is a tie. Bike will be close, the hill out of Rushville may decide this one, then Muffin Top has to hang on during the run. Transitions, again, could be the ultimate victory decider. Will Muffin Top have to wrestle an octopus getting out of his wetsuit? Let's hope no one has to see that show!

You May Not Be Racing If...?

1. You carry and drink from a coffee mug while in the race and don't spill a drop.
2. You are wearing the same clothes for the race that you wear to the office for work.
3. You have been out there for 3.5+ hours for a 13.1 mile race, are about 35 years old and your mother/grandmother who is cheering for you can keep up the same pace.
4. A mother pushing a two child baby stroller, while walking on the sidewalk, is beating you.
5. Average marathoners, who ran double the distance, are beating you as you complete the 13.1 mile race.
6. Spectators only know you are a race participant because of the race number you are wearing.
7. You are not sweating. At all. In fact you probably don't even need to bother showering that day.
8. You can eat a take out meal while participating in the event.

Muffin Top

Cute name, right?
Or maybe it's the name of a new bakery, ala Elaine from a Seinfeld episode? "Elaine: Oh yeah. It's the best part. It's crunchy, it's explosive, it's where the muffin breaks free of the pan and sort of does it's own thing. I'll tell you. That's a million dollar idea right there. Just sell the tops."

Actually Muffin Top is what Jan is calling my belly, because apparently I've put on a few pounds and am now shaped like a muffin top. This is not a complement. A zipper broke on a pair of my Dockers last week. For awhile I thought this was a defective pair of pants, but now I'm wondering, was it my muffin top belly breaking free and doing it's own thing, stretching the pants beyond limits?

Since I'm not opening a bakery anytime soon, I guess the cookie consumption has to drop, the alcohol cut to 2 or 3 days a week and the running mileage boosted upwards. Who knows, maybe I'll actually be able to run fast again.

TrailRunner?

For reasons I do not understand, once you become a member of the U.S. Snowshoe Association, you receive a complimentary year's subscription to TrailRunner magazine.
I haven't read a magazine that makes me feel so inferior since browsing through a Muscle & Fitness issue at the car repair shop a few months ago. I'm a toothpick, always have been, evidently always will be and seeing these airbrushed, tanned, men with bulging muscles is not good for my ego.

One might ask, "Mike, you're a runner, how could a running magazine make you feel inferior"? A logical question.
Evidently one is not a "real" trail runner unless you do a 100 mile race. But, not just any 100 mile race, as if that isn't a ridiculous enough distance. Nooo, my friends. Maybe you opt for the Vermont 100 as your race? 100 miles, that is my house in Spencerport, NY to Rich stadium (home of the world famous Buffalo Bills)in Orchard Park, NY and back again! Vermont has "little" hills and dirt roads with climbing totals of only 14,160 feet (similar to climbing Pike's Peak). 70% of entrants complete this baby of a course.
No, if you really are going to do 100 miles why not try the Hardrock 100 in the Silverton Colorado area, 33,992 feet of climb and 33,992 feet of descent for a total elevation change of 67,984 feet with an average elevation of 11,186 feet - low point 7,680 feet (Ouray) and high point 14,048 feet (Handies Peak). Then maybe, just maybe, you will be considered an ultrarunner.
Hardrock is one example, there are many other races available. Perusing Trailrunner, reading the descriptions of running at night, temporarily losing your mind after 15 hours of being in the deep forests, walking/running/jogging over boulders, down steep ravines, across streams probably isn't my cup of tea.

I do like wearing trail shoes though, they are damn comfortable while I'm sitting at my desk in the library.

Performance Enhancing Drugs

Nineteen football players from an Oregon high school are hospitalized and found to have high levels of creatine kinase, a protein that can harm the kidneys. Several also had unusual soft tissue injuries. School officials are puzzled. NY Times 8/23/10.
Puzzled? Really?
The offense of SUNY Brockport's football team is expected to be built around the running game. Why? Well the linemen average 286 pounds! Average. I'm sure they all just worked out hard and ate buckets of wings every night. Yeah, that's it.
I had a friend who started at center on Brockport's team in the late 1970's. He built up his weight to 220. He wouldn't even be a big running back now.

Sure, training methods have changed some. Kids begin training harder, earlier. But this isn't all natural. And it isn't just football, obviously.

Do you really believe every masters runner, even local phenoms, have kept their speed due to genetics? Well, I don't.

Do I have an answer, no. I don't see how you stop it, especially substances like creatine, which aren't illegal, just dangerous if used improperly. Comments appreciated.

Tour De France Film

Gripped Films has released a new movie about the Tour de France, called "Chasing Legends", with a premier showing in Pittsford, August 26 at 7 and 9pm. The movie lasts about 94 minutes and is a documentary following the HTC-Columbia Team through the 2009 Tour De France.

Included in the film will be commentary from Eddy Merckx, Jens Voigt, Lance Armstrong, George Hincapie, Mark Cavendish and many others. The film crew used high definition cameras mounted on bikes, motorcycles, helicopters and team cars.

The movie includes historical race footage, artistic travelogue of the European countryside and villages with narration from the voice of cycling for the USA, Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen.

Cross-Country Racing

Time to start gearing up for the fall cross country season. The Pete Glavin Cross-Country series begins September 26 with a race at Mendon Ponds Park.
The other race dates are:
10/10 at Beaver Island Park on Grand Island
10/31 at Watkins State Park
11/7 at Longbranch Park, Liverpool
11/14 at Centre Park in Fairport (the championship)

Cost is $50 for the series, but it may cost a few bucks more for the FF team and shirts. I will find out soon.

A couple of key changes, there will be 30-39 age group teams and the women 40-49 and 50-59 age groups only need 3 finishers each to qualify for team points.

More information forthcoming.

Fall Marathons

Did I miss the memo on the renewed interest in marathons? Jan has been training and me, semi-training, for the Wineglass Marathon in October. We found out last week that registration closed, a first for this marathon.
Looking for alternates, I discovered today, August 9, that the Mohawk-Hudson marathon and half-marathon are closed. Two weeks ago Steamtown closed. These are three marathons that never sell out.
Are baby-boomers checking off items on their bucket lists? Are the times allotted for marathon "running" too long (up to 7 hours) so more people find finishing doable?

The search continues, with cost also being a consideration, for example Philly, is up to $125. Still a few bargains out there that are open, such as Harrisburg at $55, Columbus Ohio at $75. Richmond Suntrust in Virginia is also open, but is currently $90.
It will be an interesting decision on which to run.

Baseball Junk

Baseball has some strange names and a weird culture.

a. Why a "walkoff" home run, or "walkoff single"? How about something more normal and obvious, like Game Winning?

b. Sacrifice fly. What, they killed a goat in the field? Where's the barbeque?

c. They touch themselves entirely too much in areas I don't want to see them touching. People made a big deal out of Michael Jackson grabbing his crotch during songs. Watch a ball game and this is a common occurrence. Just keep your hands where they belong, which is to say, not in your pants during a game. And why do the tv cameras always have to show this? That's a bit weird too.

d. Spitting. Stop showing the dugout, please. Especially the managers. I don't want to ever have the job of cleaning a dugout and will never walk in front of one. Gross.

e. Do you really need to chew THAT much gum? Good, tobacco use seems to pretty much be done, but c'mon, can't you just have one piece of gum in there instead of the pack! Save some for others you hogs.

f. Seeds. Okay, you aren't a tobacco or gum chewer so you eat some kind of seed that involves spitting out the shell. Are you a pidgeon? Enough with the spitting already, again always on tv. If you are hungry go get a hot dog.

g. A-Rod is going to hit his 600th homerun soon. The media says no one cares because he admits to using drugs for a few years. I don't believe this argument. Everyone loved the battles between Bonds, Sosa and McGwire. Maybe A-Rod isn't getting the attention because he only has about 20 homers this year? I bet if he were up in the 40-60 range, or had a legit shot at that, the interest would really be there.

h. I hate this play; A possible base stealer is on first base and the pitcher lobs the ball to first so the runner doesn't take such a big lead. If you are going to throw to first, throw darnit, don't lob it like a tennis ball. The game could be sped up by giving a penalty to the pitcher for making a such a ridiculous toss.

i. How come the tv cameras don't scan the crowds and show all the beautiful women watching the game? Every other sport does this. Are there no women there? If not, maybe it's because they don't want to see the spitting or crotch grabbing?

j. Cheerleaders, where are they? Football and basketball, our two biggest sports, have cheerleaders. Why not baseball? That would give the cameras something to focus on when the pitcher takes too long to throw or there is a big meeting at the mound.

k. Which brings up my last point. Do you really need to hide your mouth behind your glove? Who in God's name is reading your lips? Just stop the insanity.

Shoreline Triathlon

"The sea was angry that day, my friends, like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli."

"So I started to walk into the water. I won't lie to you boys, I was terrified. But I pressed on, and as I made my way past the breakers a strange calm came over me. I don't know if it was divine intervention or the kinship of all living things, but I tell you, at that moment I was a marine biologist."
Actually the starting horn sounded and I began swimming through the waves. About 30 yards later I stood up, having swallowed a gallon or so of fresh, clean Lake Ontario water, choking, wondering if I could continue. It was definitely a struggle for me to make it to the second buoy where we turned and no longer had to fight the current. My swim time was 4 minutes faster than two years ago! Still middle of the pack, but hey, you are really only competing against yourself.
I also saved another two minutes in transition. But I gave over three minutes back on the bike. Struggled against the wind on Church street, though it seemed other athletes didn't have the same problem.
My run was 30 seconds better than 2008. Overall about a 2 minute improvement in race times.
I don't think I'll grow up to be a really good triathlete, even in my age group, but it was mostly fun (except the lake swallowing). The shorter distances seem better for me also, in the 1:30-2:00 hour range.
Thanks to all my family and friends who showed up, cheered and volunteered.
Now it's all about Jan and marathon training.

Race Results Archive

As mentioned on the Rochester Running Page, Don Mitchell has posted results from Buffalo and Rochester area races he timed dating back to 1984.
Runtime Services Race Archives.

It was interesting to take a look back at my own results. I ran the 1984 Lilac 10k in 37:15, 8 seconds off my all-time best 10k and remember being disappointed. I ran the first 5k in 17:50 and faded. Man I wish I faded like that now. I was 26 years old and remember having to run up to Wegman's before the race, about a mile from the start, to buy diapers for my 3 month old daughter Stacy, because Jan and I forgot to bring enough. I finished 133/2279 overall (top 7%) and 33/358 in my age group. Jan didn't race, probably some excuse like 3 children under the age of 6 to watch?

The 1985 Lilac I finished in 37:27, again in the top 10%, again disappointed I couldn't break 36 (actually my goal was sub-36). What an idiot.

Though I didn't know it at the time, that was pretty much the end of my "fast" running days. I didn't race again at Lilac until 1994, finishing in 40:31, but still 164/1253 overall. Flash ahead to 2003, now in the 45-49 age group, and I ran a 44:22. What an amazing decline in speed! But, I finished 170/1220 overall, so I guess the entire running population got slower? Jan ran her first Lilac, in 46:07, too close for my comfort.

This year, 2010, we ran Lilac again. I ran a 47:14, melting in the humidity, but was 218/1258. Jan, coming back from injury, ran a 55:54, but was 635/1258. I was 10 minutes slower than in 1984, but finished in the top 20%. Ridiculous.

So, why have race finishing times slowed so much? More people ran Lilac in the mid-80's and posted faster finishing times. Why have I slowed by so much? It doesn't seem like age should be the only reason. That's too big of a decline. Maybe I just don't have the reckless, go all out attitude in training and racing to produce times even semi-close?

If you have the answers, let me know. I'll be out on the roads, still running, though slower I guess.

Utica Boilermaker 15k

Congratulations to Roger O'Dell for his 1:13:39 and third place age group finish at the Boilermaker race Sunday! Also, Pete L. was close behind, in fourth place, with a 1:16:39! Nice to have two of the fastest age group runners honor us with their presence on the canal paths most Saturdays! A national class race and they take 3rd and 4th, that is awesome.

Also Jennifer K. kept her father's ego intact by letting him squeeze by with a 9 second victory. That's a nice daughter. Jennifer finished in 1:18:41 to Lou's 1:18:32.

Marathon Swim

Scanning the television channels while home on vacation Tuesday, I came across the Running and Racing show from NYC. They covered the Manhattan island Marathon Swim, 28.5 miles around the island of Manhattan. Yes, 28.5 miles of swimming!

Swimmers begin at Battery Park and the Hudson River, swim the East River to the Harlem River, back to the Hudson. The average water temperature is 68, not too bad, wet suits are not allowed. From the course website, here are some "warnings"..."There can be a substantial amount of chop in the water from wind, tide action, and boat traffic. The waterways are salt water and there is shipping traffic. There may be random jetsam and flotsam in the waterways."

The first swimmer (a female) finished in 7:53:54, five seconds ahead of second place. I cannot imagine spending almost 8 hours in the waters around Manhattan. I couldn't sit in a tub for 8 hours. Twenty-four people completed the solo race, taking up to 9 hours.
Swimmers do get the current up the East River and down the Hudson, but still, this is amazing. They also have a kayak for each swimmer, but if you touch the boat you are disqualified. Other warnings include looking out for seaplanes landing, normal boat traffic and dealing with the tides.

I can see Lou trying this on one of his future NYC visits. After all, it beats waiting for a taxi or finding a parking spot!

RROY Standings

Sal's runners are doing pretty well in the Rochester Runner of the Year series. Jan moved up to 7th place in the 50-54 age group (top 5 get awards), Al zoomed into 14th after his 5th place finish in the Medved 5k for the 50-54 group. I finally got on the board after three non-top ten finishes and am 26th place! Yea for me!

MikeidontcareaboutrroythisyearW is tied with Loooiiiiee for 22nd in the 55-59 group and Cousin Ken Katz is in contention in the same group for a top five finish! Jen K is in 21st place in a tough group, but no one in that age group has completed four races yet so the field is wide open.

PickleJuicePete took over first with an age group victory in the 65-69 division. New Roger is holding on to fourth place.

There are two keys to doing well in the RROY series; Be fast and run as many of the races as possible because you never know who will show up race day and the more RROY races you run the better chance you have at scoring points. Four is the minimum to be eligible for prizes but your best six races count for total points.

Next race is July 3rd, the Fairport 5miler. I will be working the race so come out and run, maybe I'll pull your timing chip off at the end?

Open Water Drafting

Several of us will be doing triathlons with open water swimming this summer and can use all the help possible to save energy and swim faster. The following technique is from :Steven Munatones The Daily News of Open Water Swimming

Cyclists, race car drivers and open water swimmers all know the benefits of drafting and positioning.
As swimmers take off in an open water race or triathlon and go from buoy to buoy, they create a conga line with seemingly everyone chasing after the person in front of them. Where ideally should you position yourself?
It helps to know a bit about water movement.
The Ideal Draft
A swimmer in the open water is essentially a displacement vessel. The bow wave created by a swimmer has forward and lateral movement. These waves move at an angle relative to the direction of the swimmer and are based on the swimmer's speed and size.
There are three key facts to keep in mind:
1. The faster the lead swimmer, the better your draft will be with all other things equal.
2. The physically larger the lead swimmer, the more beneficial the draft is for those behind.
3. The closer you are to the lead swimmer, the better your draft.
The Perfect Position
In a fact known by world-class swimmers, drafting between the ankles and hips is more beneficial that drafting directly behind the lead swimmer's feet for various reasons:

1. When the drafting swimmer reaches near mid-body of the lead swimmer, the lead swimmer's wake (i.e., spreading of the bow wave) has moved laterally, so the drafting swimmer can take maximum advantage of the bow wave. That is, the drafting swimmer has reached the center of the complete wave created by the lead swimmer. Basically, the drafting swimmer is surfing a bow wave.
2. The bow wave cannot extend beyond the length of the swimmer who creates it. The bow wave lifts up at the end of the swimmer's body. The most efficient swimming is when a drafting swimmer cruises in that wave. The most efficient drafting is achieved if you cruise at the same speed in the wake of the lead swimmer off to the side—but away from the eddies caused by their kick.
3. In the middle of a race, when the kick of most swimmers is less than the end of the race when they are sprinting, the optimal drafting position is slightly different. At the end of the race when the kick increases, swimmers create swirls by their kick. The more swirls, the more drag. So if your opponent's kick increases, move up higher alongside their body to utilize their bow wave, but far enough away from the swirls and eddies caused by their kick.
4. Combine your speed with the speed of the lead swimmer. If they speed up, you speed up. If they slow down, you slow down. If you are directly behind them, lead swimmers make the water smoother, but you are not efficiently utilizing their bow wave.
5. If you swim alongside a lead swimmer, you do not have to lift your head so often to navigate. This saves energy that can be utilized at the end of the race. If you swim directly behind a swimmer, you must often lift your head to confirm your direction and position behind the lead swimmer.
6. Even if the water is clear and you can easily see the lead swimmer under the surface of the water, your head is in a sub-optimal position. The most optimal head position is when you are looking straight down. This creates a more streamlined and efficient body position, saving you energy and creating less drag.
7. When you swim parallel to the lead swimmer, you can effectively navigate off them when you breathe. The need to lift up your head to sight is significantly reduced and your head is positioned in the most streamlined position.

Pickle Juice

We should always trust the wisdom from fellow Sal's runner Father Time. For years Pete has promoted the use of pickle juice as the fluid replacement drink of choice during long runs or races. Now there is scientific proof to back up Father Time's homespun knowledge. An article in the New York Times summed up the results of a study:

"Pickle juice had “relieved a cramp 45 percent faster” than drinking no fluids and about 37 percent faster than water.
The pickle juice did not have time” to leave the men’s stomachs during the experiment, Mr. Miller points out. So the liquid itself could not have been replenishing lost fluids and salt in the affected muscles. Instead some other mechanism must have initiated the cramps and been stymied by the pickle juice.
Something in the acidic juice, perhaps even a specific molecule of some kind, may be lighting up specialized nervous-system receptors in the throat or stomach, he says, which, in turn, send out nerve signals that somehow disrupt the reflex melee in the muscles. Mr. Miller suspects that, ultimately, it’s the vinegar in the pickle juice that activates the receptors."

This ultimately means that we need to be diligent about saving the juice from our pickle jars and having pickle stops during our long runs on the canal path.

Mayor Bob

This story has almost nothing to do with running, but I just found it in some files I was browsing through and thought it was funny and should be shared. It is all true and happened in Myrtle Beach a few years ago. Mayor Bob lived a few trailers down from my father-in-law and was a friend of his.

We came back from the hospital to Dad's double-wide trailer around 6 pm ready to run, then eat dinner. Unfortunately we discovered the hot water tank supply line had burst, yet again. This time the bathroom was flooded as well as the master bath carpet, and a moat had formed around the trailer outside as water was spewing forth. Christ! Is this really what we need with Dad in the hospital?

I went over to ask Mayor Bob for help, since he did a lot of maintenance around the park. Mayor Bob's wife gave me the number of a 24 hour emergency plumber who I promptly called. It's Saturday night and he doesn't want to come! This is an emergency plumber? He wants to come on Sunday. Let's see, rooms in the trailer are flooded, there is no water supply at all, since the last repair person installed the h2o tank and supply lines improperly, sending all water to the heater first somehow, and the yard is flooded, including under the trailer. I would call this an emergency, but apparently plumbers are different in SC.

Mayor Bob, an eighty-one year old man with 3 brown teeth in separate spots in his mouth, six feet two, 220 lbs, using a walking stick, comes to check out the problem himself. Mayor Bob sits in the bathroom while I turn the water supply back on. In a split second a geyser shoots up inside the trailer and he and J.R. (my brother-in-law) are screaming, "turn it off, turn it off!" Well, a bit too late as the Mayor is soaked. He takes his unexpected shower in stride and begins to completely understand our problem.

J.R. is pissed the last repair we made didn't hold. He storms off to buy more parts, just as mad about the plumbing as the fact I won't go ride with him to Home Depot again. J.R. buys a wetvac in addition to some plumbing parts. Jan, Andrea (daughter) and Bethanie (niece) begin soaking up water using towels.

Mayor Bob sits in the dining room, dripping wet. He tells me the girls can use his bathroom, but J.R. and I can't. "After all, we are men and can pee anywhere, it's not so easy for females". Then the Mayor tells me, "if you have to shit, just pull out some paper towels, shit in them, roll it up and throw it away". Mayor Bob says, "you know, I had this camp out in the woods in the Adirondacks. One weekend years ago I was up there all by myself. The temperature had been averaging minus 20 for days. I couldn't go outside for fear of freezing and I had to shit so bad. No way could I hold it any longer. So I took some ashes out of my wood stove and poured them in a cardboard box. After squatting down and doing my business I put the box outside to freeze the shit so it wouldn't stink. I just couldn't go out and pull down my drawers, he said, my ass would have literally froze. Who wants frostbite on their ass?"

The Mayor leaves us to fix and clean up the mess, and is sorry about all our problems. J.R. and I let the plumbing joints seal for 2 hours, then after everyone cleans up for bedtime, he turns the water off for the night. We didn't need any repeat disasters!

Weekend of Races

Dick W. and Frank Q participated in the Spring Classic Duathlon at Mendon Ponds on Saturday. Frank won his age group and Dick finished second in the Formula 1 distance, 2m run/10m bike/1m run/10m bike/2 mile run. They were led around the bike course by an excellent lead driver (me).

Saturday was also the Aurora House 5 mile race in Spencerport. Mike W and Al V. finished way up in the standings with 46 runners in the race. It was a tight race between the two training buddies until MW stopped for a Barton's Hot Dog at the 3 mile point. MW still came close to catching Al but had some indigestion from the extra hot sauce he lathered on his dog.

Sunday was the third race in the RROY series, the Lilac 10k. New Roger (Roger O'Dell) won his age division with Pete in second place. Jen K. picked up a few points and finished in the top 10% of her age group, 6th place. Jan finished 9th in her group and got 2 points. I finished the race. So glad I didn't work as much as usual at the Duathlon on Saturday so I could run 4 minutes slower than expected. I was able to continue my streak of non-scoring in this year's RROY series with my 12th place age group finish.
I think the heat (70+ degrees at the start) and high humidity effected many runners. Going up Elmwood Avenue felt like running inside an oven, no shade, little breeze, hot roads. I thought it would never end.

Survey Says

I'm right.
Hey, it's my blog.
Four people agreed the treadmill was a more difficult workout, 3 said the track, and 2 sane people said don't do either.

Solo Pool Swimming

An advantage to the semester ending at SUNY Brockport is that the pool is less crowded. Last week I was the only swimmer for about fifteen minutes until 5 or so people straggled in. Having my own lane is nice and a luxury you don't get in most open swim time pools.

A new "season" began yesterday (Monday) so I arrived at the college early to get our swim passes for the summer (May 17-August 27). Jan was still at work, so I was flying solo. At $35 per person (alumnus rate) I think this is a bargain. The lifeguard was in the office and said she would see me at the pool in a few minutes.

It turned out I was the only swimmer, and I use that term loosely. Yes, two years ago I couldn't swim a lap without stopping and 200 yards was a long night for me. Now my longest swim is 2400 yards (still miniscule for real swimmers working out). But, like running, the effort for me to swim a mile is probably the same as a talented swimmer going at least two miles.

The poor lifeguard dutifully sat there watching me slog back and forth, legs dragging behind/below me for 35 minutes while I swam. I apologized a number of times and can only imagine how she felt watching some old, balding, skinny man struggle across the pool. I tried to use imagery and think of myself as Michael Phelps, but it didn't help. After 800 yards I used the pull buoy, which sped me up to being able to do 50 yards in the time a swimmer can do 100. Of course I don't do flip turns, which speeds up laps for some people, but would only cause me to begin drowning.

After 1500 yards I crawled out of the pool, the lifeguard handed me my pass, and I profusely thanked her for letting me swim. I think she mumbled something about needing to go out and have a drink and get the mental image of my hairy, lanky body out of her mind, but I could be mistaken.

I remember my grandfather leaving me in the boat while he swam for awhile in the middle of Canandaigua Lake, or at least at 8 years old it seemed like the middle. He glided effortlessly along while I watched. No life vest, pull buoy, wetsuit, just swim trunks, I'm not even sure if he wore goggles. Grandpa swam in lakes and the Y until his late 70's. It's an example I would like to follow. Maybe someday I won't swim like an upside down V.

New Poll

Yesterday afternoon I ran my workout indoors on our treadmill. One mile warmup followed by 10/.5 mile @ 10k goal pace with 1 minute jog at 10min/mile pace (though I did get off the treadmill for an extra minute after the 5th interval to adjust the fan and catch my breath a bit more).

I used the treadmill because I wanted a true measure of the distance. The high school track was unavailable, dump road isn't marked accurately right now and I didn't want to keep checking my Garmin if out on the roads or canal path. Also allergies, a big problem this time of year for me, don't affect my breathing indoors.

About the 6th or 7th interval I began to wonder if I really was doing myself as much good as if I had ventured outside? The treadmill is constant, it's not going to slow down or speed up unless you press a button, there is no relaxation during part of the interval and then picking it up at the end to try and hit your goal time. But, there is no wind, except for the little breeze from my fan. I did not do any elevation change either (but a track wouldn't have this).

On the track or road there is a tendency to slow down too much, maybe even walk more than you should or stop for fluids. There was none of this on the treadmill, I drank while running.

Please take a minute and answer the poll on the right, or comment on this post about your feelings on this. Thanks.

Deena Kastor

Deena Kastor completed the 2010 London Marathon, a race she won in 2006, in a disappointing (for her) 2:36. She had many issues, including travel problems due to the Iceland volcano and allergic reactions during the race for unknown reasons. But, she continued on, vowing not to drop out. Deena dropped out of the 2008 Olympic race, but I guess if you break a bone in your foot during the race that is an okay race to call it a day! She didn't want another dnf.
The following quote is one reason Deena is an all time favorite racer of mine.

"Although disappointed, Kastor chose to take a philosophical approach to today's setback. The marathon, she agreed, is a monster which can never be fully tamed.

"I think that's why we come back to the marathon over, and over, and over again because we feel like just tweak something in our training, or change our race strategy that we can get there a little more brilliantly the next time. It keeps us coming back."

Pittsburgh Marathon

Our Sal's boys had diverse results at the Pittsburgh Marathon. Pete "The Ageless Wonder", qualified for Boston and finished 6th in his age group! Mike W. was on BQ pace for over 15 miles before fading due to the warm, humid, wet conditions. Lou was up most of the night with stomach issues, which continued through the race as he strategically raced from one port-a-john to another. Let's just say Lou left his mark on the Pittsburgh course and intelligently ran the 13.1 mile race instead of the full marathon.

Pittsburgh Marathon

Best of luck to our three Sal's marathon participants, Lou, Mike and Pete. All three are in great shape and have put in the training for a legitimate chance of qualifying for Boston in 2011 or 2012.
Let's hope for good weather, low wind, little or no rain, cool temps for the race.

As The Sports World Turns

1. Big Ben, QB of the Steelers, is on a 4-6 game suspension for questionable behavior in a bar with a girl. He must have been tutored by Tiger Woods. Now they can go to treatment together.
2. The Pittsburgh Marathon sold out, at 16,000 runners, an increase of 6,000 over last year! It must be the influence of our Sal's group deciding to participate that made other runners think this is the race to be at.
3. The first annual Flower City Challenge 13.1 mile race doubles its' predicted number of entrants, with over 1,200 registered! This is going to be so cool. The race course is really nice and the support of Mayor Duffy is a huge help.
4. The NFL draft goes to a 3 day format and at least the first round is on prime time tv. This is a sign the apocalypse is upon us. How many of these draft choices really make it in the league for more than a couple of years? Experts spend weeks, no months, looking at game film, giving physical and psychological tests to the athletes, and still many of the players have no impact on their team.
5. The price of an Ironman race has increased to $550, yet most of them still sell out within an hour or so. Why didn't I think of this as a business venture?
6. You can enter an Iron Distance race for about half that cost. Everything is the same except for naming rights. I guess you couldn't get an IM tattoo either? Oh, and you wouldn't be eligible for qualifying for the Hawaii IM race. Would you still tell people you did an Ironman? I say yes, normal people wouldn't know the difference anyhow.
7. The Bills will draft a lineman, pay him lots of money, develop him for three years, then not re-sign him and he will become all-pro on another team.
8. The NBA bores me. I've been a Celtics fan since the late 1960's and I can't even watch a complete one of their games anymore.
9. A big congratulations to the Sal's finishers at the Boston Marathon; Roger O'Dell, Mike May, Lance Calvert and Andy Arnold.

New Career?

Swedish scientists have begun transferring body heat generated by rush hour commuters to heat nearby office buildings.

"downtown Stockholm and a sea of Swedes are flooding Central Station to catch a train to work. The station is toasty thanks to the busy shops and restaurants and the body heat being generated by the 250,000 commuters who crowd Scandinavia's busiest travel hub each day. This heat used to be lost by the end of the morning rush hour. Now, however, engineers have figured out a way to harness it and transfer it to a newly refurbished office building down the block. Unbeknownst to them, these sweaty Swedes have become a green energy source: "They're cheap and renewable," says Karl Sundholm, a project manager..."

Due to my known propensity for generating heat and sweat, the Swedes have offered a substantial sum of money to assist in this endeavor. After many calculations the scientists figured my running and biking indoors for a couple of hours a day replaces the need for several thousand commuters. I will be responsible for heating three office buildings. If you don't see me running on the canal path for awhile, just assume I'm in Sweden working out.
I knew one day I would be a pro athlete and this is as close as I'll ever get.

Mindless Ramblings

Predictions:
An American male will not win Boston this year (big surprise, though Ryan and Meb will make a race out of it and finish in the top ten).
A male Kenyan (Elijah Keitany-pr 2:06) will win. I just like the name Elijah.
Madai Perez (pr 2:22) will win the female division. There are no elite American women racing.
New Roger will win the Sals division, followed closely by LanceIlovehelicopters, Mike May and Andy.

Congratulations to: "Joan Benoit Samuelson, 52, the 1984 Olympic marathon gold medalist, ran 60:52 to finish 18th in her first Cherry Blossom race. She beat all 40-year-olds and set a U.S. age-group record for 10 miles, shattering the mark of 62:01 set by S. Rae Baymiller in 1994." Washington Post. Jan and I ran the the Cherry Blossom race two years ago. It is a great race.

Why do the rudest drivers on I490 have large NY Yankee stickers on their SUV's?

Pittsburgh Marathon

Lou, Mike W. and Pete are running the Pittsburgh Marathon on May 2. (Eileen may also run, depends on an injury healing).
Top Ten Things That Will Happen at the Pittsburgh Marathon.

10. Jan and I will get lost or stuck in traffic on our way to spectate (we are going to Pittsburgh for a wedding Saturday night)and miss our three amigos.
9. After arriving at his hotel, Lou will drive around in circles in the parking garage until he gets just the right spot.
8. MW will be able to watch a Yankees game on cable tv the night before the marathon, but fall asleep during the second inning.
7. People will cheer for Lou more than anyone else in the race (Lou is such a natural name to shout out, LOUUUUEEEE, GOGOGO LOUIS, LOULOULOULOU).
6. Lou will take a scale to measure the calories in each Gel package he uses during the race.
5. Joanne, Eileen and Yolanda will enjoy three hours of big city shopping and wear out their charge cards.
4. Water stop volunteers will be confused when Pete keeps asking for pickle juice.
3.MW will finish in 3:39:22, Lou will run a 3:44:08, Pete a 3:56:18 and all three will qualify for the 2010 Boston Marathon!
2.MW will eat a greasy cheeseburger (or two) for a post-race celebration meal.
1. The group will end up off the expressway, heading towards Ohio on a dirt road, listening to Country & Western music from the 1960's on the radio when trying to drive home to New York.

Top 10 Ways to Beat D.M. in a Triathlon

DM=Famous triathlete - Dennis Moriarty

10. Don't wait 30 seconds after the gun goes off to begin swimming (time saved -30sec)
9. Swim in a straight line (save 3 minutes)
8. Learn to get out of my damn wetsuit! (save 3 minutes)
7. Bike faster (in 2008, my first Shoreline Tri I avg. 19.3mph which I thought was pretty good - DM averaged 23.8mph and beat me on that leg by 8:55!)DM likely won't get faster, he is already one of the top Tri guys, I, being quite average, have lots of room to improve - time saved - 5 minutes
6. Not have some fool move my stuff on the transition racks while I'm biking so I can locate it when I come off the bike (save 1 minute)
5.Run faster? Maybe I can, but DM is just much better at this. (time saved 0)
4. I'm experienced at tri's now, having completed 3 sprints, 1 du, 1dnf 1/2 IM compared to DM's national rankings, hundreds of tri races,IM's, overall Shoreline/Hamlin Beach wins, age group wins. Well, okay, maybe this tactic isn't that great?

If learning to swim, bike and transition don't work, I'll try the following tactics:
4. Line up behind Dennis for the swim and loop a weight on his ankle just as he begins his first stroke (save 1 minute)
3. Hire Hooters girls to distract DM. They will be stationed at the swim exit and transition area. I'll pay extra if they "help" him remove his wetsuit. (save 3 minutes)
2. Spike his water bottles. (save 2 minutes, possibly much more if the alcohol makes DM be friendlier to the Hooter gals).
1. Use proven Mike W. race tactics, plenty of elbows, "accidental" foot tripping and bad jokes (save 2 minutes).

In 2008 Dennis won our age group in a time of 1:19:35, I finished 7th in 1:43:05 a 23:30 difference, or as some people like to say, "DM cooled down, was on his second beer, changed clothes and was eating a hot dog as you finished".

I need to find other ways to close the gap, the 10 ideas above save me 20 minutes and a couple may be considered illegal in some circles. Suggestions are welcome.

Spring Forward 15k

Photo courtesy of Barb Boutillier from FF.

A crisp spring day greeted runners at the Fleet Feet Sports Spring Forward 15k on Sunday, March 28.

The hilly course is always challenging, at least for slugs like me. I always think training on the old 10k kick course in the village of Spencerport is great for hill running. Then I get to a race at Mendon Ponds and learn what hills really are! Maybe I'm just getting too old?

New Roger, Roger Odell, had the race of the day from our Sals group. He won the 65-69 age group in 1:11:35, a 7:42 pace, picking up 10 RROY points. Lou, after running about 18 miles the day before, cruised through the race in an 8:13 pace and got 2 RROY points. Jan, beginning a comeback from injury, received 3 RROY points.

2010 Snowshoe Nationals

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ESG 2010 Movie

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Wet Suits

Why are they almost entirely black? Two thousand people in the water and I'm supposed to pick out my wife, daughter, or a friend, when all of them are in a black outfit? With today's technology it seems a company could produce wet suits in any color.

It's nice age groups have different colored swim caps, at least in the larger races, but that only narrows the group down to 200-400, not nearly enough. If my wife had a pink wet suit and a white cap for her age group, then I might actually see her swimming, even with a crowd.

Another benefit of multi-colored wet suits is that they would help safety and race personnel locate swimmers in the water.

Sal's Runner of the Year

The annual Sal's Gala was held this year at the Weinpress All You Can Eat and Drink Buffet. It was impossible to give out only one award for 2009 due to the amazing accomplishments of our group.

Prizes were awarded to Joanne K for Rookie of the Year (completed her first five mile race in March and 10k race in the Marine Corp Marathon 10k race, Washington, DC in October).
Mike W., Eileen W., Pete L. and Lou K. all received honorable mention awards. The four of them finished in the top five of their respective age groups in the RROY series. Mike and Eileen also won medals at the ESG snowshoe races in February.

Runner of the Year went to Jan M., who won 2 medals at the ESG snowshoe games, completed the Walt Disney World 1/2 Ironman, the Lake Placid Ironman race in July, and topped the year off by finishing the Marine Corp Marathon in October.

National Snowshoe Championship

Five days after the event and I'm finally ready to discuss it. Highland Forest had plenty of snow on the course, 90% of it ungroomed, which did not make for fast times. The organizers wanted a tough, challenging course and they got it. The mile plus long single track was difficult to maneuver through, at least for me. I needed about another 6 inches so I could plant my foot. I was trying to figure out a stride that would work and never really came up with one.

Looking back, basically my race came down to the fact that I ran scared. I started too slow, had problems in the snow, used that as an excuse to go slower and got passed by many people. I took myself out of the race more than any competitor did. Afraid of the hills in the middle, at about mile 4.5, and the ridiculous climb up the sledding hill at the end (which was actually triple the sledding hill and steep as hell) I never really ran to my limit. Idiot, chicken crap.

The average female 10k runner was 10 minutes behind their qualifying time at Mendon Ponds. The average male was 15 minutes slower (we ran after the females and the snow was more torn up). I "ran" 23 minutes slower. Just absurd. Maybe I am too fat for single track! LOL.

Eileen had a great race, finishing 4th in her age group, just missing the podium by a minute or so! Mike W. struggled much like me. But we all have a national championship experience and finish, which is good.

The facility and organization was excellent. Now the shoes are put away for a couple of seasons as we move to running and maybe a tri or two.

Highland Forest -National Championship

Pre-race smiles

Men's Start



This hill hurts!

All uphill finish

Snowshoe Racing

"Think easy, light, smooth, fast."
An appropriate quote from the book, "Born to Run" about the Tarahumara Indians, that can be applied during the upcoming USSSA National Snowshoe Championship race, or most running races regarding your stride and form is..."start with easy, cause if that's all you get that's not so bad, then work on light, make it effortless, don't give a shit how high the hill is or how far you've to to go. When you've practiced that so long that you forget you're practicing, you work on making it smooth. Don't worry about the last one-you get those three and you'll be fast."

ESG Results!

How many gold medals can one person possible want? Apparently 5 is enough, because that is what Eileen won in a fabulous performance over the weekend at the Empire State Games snowshoe races. Her sprint races on Saturday, over a track that was similar to snowshoeing on quicksand, were all quite competitive, but Eileen prevailed in all four of them (100m, 200m, 400m and 1500m). She came back on Sunday to take another gold medal in the cross-country 5kish race (long course, more like 3.35 miles).

Lou and I battled it out in the 1500m race with 5 other guys in our age group and the race ended up with me earning the bronze and Lou finishing fourth. Overall in the masters groups (ages 30+) I was fourth and Lou fifth out of 13 competitors.

The cross-country race is in a beautiful setting at Mt. Van Hoevenburg just outside of Lake Placid. I managed to grab the silver medal and Lou ran well, with 4-6 places finishing within 9 seconds of each other!

We couldn't have raced so well without the marvelous support crew of Mike, Jan and Joanne. A big thanks to all three of you!

More photos to be posted soon!

How to Win an ESG medal?

ESG (Empire State Games)-are held annually in the Lake Placid and Saranac Lakes region of New York in mid-to-late February. Competition is held in many events, but so far Sal's has stuck with snowshoe racing. In the future the executive committee may make us try bobsledding or the luge, but so far we have been able to avoid such extreme sports. No, we just strap $200 oversized shoes to our $70 running shoes and enjoy all that wilderness has to offer.
It wasn't until my third year of attending the games, and Jan's second, that we won a medal. We were happy, shocked and proud of ourselves. This year, though, with the state instituting a $40 entry fee (used to be free) and a convoluted on-line entry form, registration has dropped by about 50%.
Without further ado, here are secret race strategies:
1. Pick an age group that has no one else entered, or no more than three so you are assured a podium position.
2. Snowshoes are large, the track is small, is it really your fault the shoes collided and the person in front went down?
3. The woods are deep in the 5k xc race, a little elbow here and there may send a competitor flying off course and no one will be the wiser.
4. Wear racing flats to save weight. Better yet, just strap your bare foot into the snowshoe, a little frostbite won't kill you.
5. If your wife is injured and can't race (Jan), or has too much common sense for this nonsense (Joanne), position them around the track. They can throw snowballs at your competition and yell mean things, like, "my husband has more snotcicles than you!".
6. Don't name yourself the Flower City Friendlies. This is not an intimidating sounding group of snowshoers from western New York.

Other Empire State Game tips:
1.The vaseline you bathe in to stay warm in the 5 degree weather should be removed before going out to dinner after the race.
2. Those silly hats given out to participants may be okay in the frozen tundra of Lake Placid, but really are quite ridiculous to wear around Rochester. Ah, I'm so old what difference does it make, I'm wearing mine everywhere.
3."80 percent of success is just showing up" — Woody Allen

Snow Cheap Racing

Per usual I arrived early to Cobb's Hill and snowshoed the course before the race began. It's a great way to become familiar with the course, which changes for each race, as well as get in more miles on my snowshoes. The Snow Cheap series is every other Wednesday, with races beginning at 6:30pm, so headlamps are required for each racer. People choose to enter as a trail runner or snowshoe runner.

There are methods to making your race more successful. The following are a few things NOT to do.
1. While on the course alone and going down a ridiculously steep, thirty yard, slightly snow-covered ice hill, don't go slow. Just let it rip and hope to hang on or slide down on your butt like you are riding a sled. There is no in-between. Somehow I never fully learn this lesson, or, more likely, I'm scared.
I was frantically grabbing branches, trying to maintain control, not able to dig in with the snowshoes and going faster and faster. I finally got hold of a large branch, which promptly came loose and was, in fact, about 6-8 feet long! When I hit the bottom of the slope my momentum carried me towards Monroe Avenue, which had normal traffic and runners on it. As I was screaming FUUUUUUUDDDDDGGGGGEEEE!, except it wasn't really Fudge, several onlookers looked petrified. Here was a madman, dressed all in black thrusting a large branch back and forth, screaming at the top of his lungs. Do not try this at home.
2. As you finish the warmup run ("shoe") don't take off your hat and shake it, since the headlamp is on there and may accidentally hit the pavement and break, with 8 minutes to go before the race!
Frantically I put it together, only for the lamp to fall apart at the 1 minute to go announcement. A kind soul assisted, but with 20 seconds go we couldn't make my lamp work. I ran to the YellowJacket trailer and Boots came through with one of their lamps. Of course this will forever be held against me and I will be the butt of their jokes. I joined the back of the pack as the horn sounded the start.
3. Beginning one of these races in the back is not good strategy if you are trying to be competitive in your age group. The line gets long quickly and with lots of single track through woods, making up ground becomes impossible. Snaking up hills you are at the mercy of the pace of the people ahead of you.

Despite my troubles these races can be fun and an interesting method to get a good workout midweek for low cost. 130 people can't be wrong and the view from the top of Cobb's Hill is always amazing.

Two races left in the series, but I will be in rest mode for the ESG and USSSA races.