Scoutin' Routes: Phelps 20k

The "folk art" official Phelps 20k course map (left) and another made using Mapmyrun.com.

Four weeks ago, my son, Jack, and I ran the 2016 Utica Boilermaker. I had been coming off a four month layoff from training, so prepared in 2 1/2 weeks with a goal of finishing the race by using a run-walk training plan and strategy for completing the 15k run. In training long runs  as well as the race itself, I adhered to a pattern of 3 minutes running followed by 1 minute walking and repeat until completed. Following this approach I did ultimately cross the finish line in 1:26.31 for a mile pace of 9:17. The following Tuesday, Jack and I registered for the Phelps Sauerkraut 20k. For Jack, Saturday's race is just another run building to what will be his first full marathon in mid-September and for me it provides the opportunity for me to both challenge myself and to (briefly) run with my son.

To train, I continued running four days a week (Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday), running complete shorter distances Tuesday and Thursday from 4-6 miles at a moderate pace, while committing to longer runs (7-10 miles) using a run-walk ratio of 5 minutes to 1 minute. Sundays were for easy 3-4 mile recoveries, often on a treadmill. On "off days" I would walk for 45-60 minutes early in the morning. While not the most rigorous training approach, given a variety of factors (aches, pains, wear-and-tear), I am hopeful it will be enough to put in me the position to finish the 20k in two hours.

As a runner, I rely on visualization to help me get through longer races... and for me at 48 with many miles under my belt, 20k is long. So, when possible, I travel to courses in advance of running hem to get a sense as to what to expect. Last week, Jack and I went on a short roadie to Phelps to scout the race route. At that point, the potential challenges became clear: not the course, but the weather conditions. Though it would be unfair to label the terrain as a whole "hilly," there are a few interesting features. In addition to a few manageable rolling hills, there are 2 extreme, short inclines. The primary possible challenge, just as was the case at Utica, will be the weather. The temps in July at the Boilermaker actually turned out to be fairly favorable this year, and the race organizers did a tremendous job having a myriad hydration stations along the course. The Phelps 20k course is also very open, with zero shading from the sunlight during the course of the race. With a start time of 8 a.m., barring a change in weather projections, the entire race will be run in direct (rising) sun, with a strong likelihood of high humidity.

Here's what Jack and I saw, with a few caveats: the picture quality is somewhat inconsistent as it is difficult to take shots from a (mostly) moving vehicle through the windshield, and distances noted in the captions are my estimates based on reviewing the maps.

Race starts at (roughly) the corner of Main St. and William St.,
in the image above, the start goes to the left.

Other than a quick pass through town, the first 2 miles is fairly flat and open road.

At m the 2.5 mile point the course continue straight, though you veer to the left in the
"fork" where Rt 96 turns to 13.

Flat country roads take you past Midlakes High School on the left.

The first turn, at 3.6 miles, comes after a pass through residential Clifton-Springs
at the corner of Main St. and Pearl.

Continue south, passing through the town of Hopewell, until Pearl ends. To the
right is Taylor Rd., but take the sharp turn right onto Waddell Rd. onto...

The first incline of the day at almost exactly the 5.5 mile mark.

The course flattens again following the ascent and one mile later the
course crosses 488 and Waddell becomes Railroad Ave. for less than a quarter mile.
Over half way to finish!

You'll pass a small-ish water tower on your left and shortly come to the end of Railroad
Ave. Turn left at County Road 23 and onto...

The second "major" hill of the race, starting exactly at the 7 mile mark.
Warning: this one is a long one.

At approximately the 7.3 mile mark, take a left onto Wheat Rd. where
you'll be for just about 2 miles.

Rollin', rollin', rollin'... on Wheat Rd. where you'll come across fields
with bales of... wheat. Really beautiful scenery throughout!

At Case Rd. take a right. This is nearly the 9 mile mark... it's all downhill from here!

Case Rd.

At Toll Rd. take a left, where you'll be on this road for a cup-of-coffee;
 you've made it 9.5 miles, hang in there!

Time for a right onto Griffith Rd. Halfway down, just past the
intersection with Melvin Hill Rd., you'll hit the 11 mile mark!

This left on Fort Hill Rd. means you have less than one mile to go;
you can probably hear the cheers!

Back into Phelps and a little downhill. Fort Hill Rd will turn into S. Wayne Street as
you move into the residential area...

You'll take one final left onto Park St. leaving only about 200 meters to go! 

As you approach the finish on Park St. the gazebo above will appear to the left.
The finish is parallel it on the street.

At the very least we'll be running through some beautiful, classic, Western New York country.
Ideally, the weather on Saturday will be very much like the day we went out to Phelps: overcast. At least in the morning. For the sake of the 50th Phelps Sauerkraut Festival, I hope it's super sunny and pleasant after the race for the remainder of the weekend.

2016 Utica Boilermaker 15k

Post-race party at Saranac Brewery in full swing. (7/10/16)

Weather: Showers followed by clearing, 65°F, 90% Humidity, Wind: W @ 8 mph.
Route: Utica Boilermaker 15k
Time (Pace): 1:26.31 (official), 9:17 min/mile.

Pre-Race Observations: Heading out very early this morning to participate in my fourth(!) Utica Boilermaker 15k. Despite being the fourth time I've run the course, and the second consecutive year, I come into this run with my lowest personal expectations. As previously shared, I committed two weeks ago to following through with running it "with" my son. While my son, Jack, has been diligent in training toward this race (as part of a larger effort to complete this first marathon in September), after too many weeks away from formal training, I needed to choose an alternate path to competition.

I have in the past two weeks followed through on my "get fit(-ish) quick" scheme consisting of multiple run-walk "workouts" ranging in distance from 3 to 8 miles with the occasional 3 to 4 mile ez runs mixed in for good measure. As one might expect, there are some challenges with run-walk, th most significant being the necessity of disciplining oneself to adhere to the 3 minute run-1 minute walk schedule, even when feeling as though you could continue on through the entire thing at the run pace after suitably warming up. The need to honor my plan, while maintaining my breathing and mantra has been challenging to do when running alone, and will be even more difficult in the context of 11,000 other folks running the race. I am embracing both the challenge of the new race plan (whcih means accepting a slower finishing time than in years past) and finding the joy in simply participating with my son (who will only be held back if he chooses to stay with me).

An unanticipated added benefit is that my brother happened to be in town this weekend (he lives and teaches in Monterrey, Mexico) and will be making the two-hour drive to Utica with us...

Post-Run Reflections: This was the fourth Boilermaker I have "run," and despite being the slowest time I have put forth, it was the best one I have been part of. Beyond my finishing the course it was great to have have my son run the course for his first time (and doing well) and to have my brother make the trip with us. The logistics of meeting up aside  (FYI: it is not easy to find one person among 13,000 of your closest friends at the post-race party!), celebrating having finished with your family is definitely the way to go.

While waiting in our assigned pre-race starting coral, my son and I talked quite a bit about how incredibly well organized the Boilermaker weekend is. The Utica community once again did a fantastic job making what could have been a nightmare (and what I have experienced as a hug pain in the butt in races of significantly smaller scale), very easy. From parking at the finish to picking up post-race swag, the entire experience was very smooth... and dare I say it, enjoyable!

My run-walk approach, at a ratio of 3 minutes running followed by 1 minute walk, worked well. I did vary slightly at the beginning however. Given the 11,000+ participants, I did need to run the first two miles at a pace of about 8:50--to stop to walk would have been much too disruptive to those around me. By about two miles in, it was much easier to find my way to the outside lane without impeding others. from that point forward I faithfully fell into my desired pattern. (My son, ever the optimist, suggested at the beginning that I could run the whole thing; while true, I reminded him that I needed to "trust my process" despite the impulse to attempt to hang on.) I did need to ficus while walking to resist the cheers from spectators to "keep going, you can do it!" because I sensed to do so woudl result in my ultimately having to walk at the end. In the end, I finished 3,670th of 11,359 15k finishers, which was good enough for 216 of 562 in my 45-49 Male age group, with an official time of 1:26:31 (9:17 min/mile).

Complete results for all Boilermaker Weekend events are searchable HERE.

Summer Runnin'

After a three month break from training, I decided to take some of my own recently dispensed advice and stop living like time won't run out. In March, after a pretty nice morning run in the local St. Patrick's Day five-mile Running o' the Green, I signed up for the July 9 2016 Utica Boilermaker 15k. To raise the level of personal significance to the race, my son also signed up with the intent of "running it with me." Of course, now that the race is two weeks away, I find myself needing to quickly catch-up, just to put myself in a position to finish.

Finishing 2008
Boilermaker 15k.

When speaking with friends at work about the probability of still running the race despite a lack of preparation, I reminded them that at this point it would be an issue of whether my pride would allow me to participate in a race I knew I would not be competitive in. It has been a long time coming, but after a few years of being a "pretty good" weekend runner, it is time to admit that the PR days may be behind me. (Yes, I am fully aware that were I to commit to a formal training regime, including speed workouts and repeats etc., I could be faster--but my own recreational interest in running is a matter of "therapy" rather than any desire to be an Olympian.) I have zero delusions that I have a 15k PR in me for 13 days from now, I am hopeful that I can finish in two hours, which while an absolutely terrible personal performance, could still be seen as a victory of sorts as it would represent a completed race.

This past Saturday morning, the first day of my summer break from teaching, I put in 3 workman-like treadmill miles (despite fairly pleasant weather outside) just to get jump started. This was followed by a miserable 1.5 miles of a planned 5 easy miles on Sunday. I walked the balance of the planned run, feeling a little demoralized. When I made it home, I decided to do my best to persevere and change focus slightly. Moving away from my standard training model, I looked up a Run/Walk Half Marathon Training Schedule, with the intention of picking up the plan at the seven week point. I have used a run-walk training plan before, and to pretty good effect, when preparing for the Finger Lakes 50k Trail Race wa-a-a-ay back in 2009. Given my current fitness level (I could handle a plan requiring a 10-15 mile weekly base), my new-found purpose, and the timeline, it seems my best bet to prepare for a 9 hazy, hot, humid and hilly miles.

This morning, I finished the first day of week seven, which calls for 4 miles in the following pattern of exertion: run for 3 minutes, walk for 1 minutes and repeat until the distance expectation is met. It went fairly well, and allowed me to feel a small sense of accomplishment after the prior day's aborted 5 miler. The mile pace was consistent with what I might hope to do on July 6, but over the course of 9 miles I may need to adjust expectation even more.

The desired optimal 10 min mile pace is much slower than I have run in past Boilermakers, but would result in a (literally) pedestrian 1:45 to 2:00 hour finish time. For reference, my prior Boilermakers (including last year's run after a seven year hiatus from the race are:  2015 1:19.40 (8:33 min/mile), 2008 1:07:27 (7:15 min/mile), 2007 1:08:52 (7:24 min/mile). The hilly and crowded course accompanied by potentially difficult weather (humidity and heat) make for a notoriously challenging race. The intent is that dialed-back and reasonable expectations will help avoid defeating myself mentally before crossing the finish line. For me, this year (in addition to being a small part of what I am confident will be a good run for my son) is about finishing. And, a finish is a finish.

2015 Boilermaker 15k

Weather: Mostly Sunny, 68°F, 85% Humidity, Wind: W @ 3 mph.
Route: Utica Boilermaker 15k
Time (Pace): 1:19.40 (8:33 min/mile)

The 15k course.

Pre-Race Observations: As with most road races I am planning to run this year, this is my first Boilermaker in  few moons. I've run this race twice previously, once in 2007 and a second time the following year. The second time I improved upon the first by exactly a minute (from 1:08 to 1:07), but this time, seven years later, I do not envision another drop. My goal in entering this year was to use the race as an opportunity to challenge myself in tough conditions (the weather is usually humid) and to simply get out of the neighborhood for a faster paced run. This is by no means a "PR course," and my target time is the same as the time I gave for purposes of being placed with like runners: 1:20. Seven years ago I'd have thought this time slow, but now, I'd gladly write that down as the finish.

Another Boilermaker beer glass added
to the collection: I much prefer this to a
finisher's medal!

I had also envisioned having my wife or son come to help with the driving (it's a little over two hours each way), but that never materialized, so I'll be waking up at 3:30 a.m. to get to the finish area to find a parking spot that will allow me to skedaddle after finishing the race. Much of what the Boilermaker is about is the tradition of hanging out afterwards and "partying," something I am not inclined to do without my family. (I did hangout with friends following the 2008 race, when I took a charter bus from the area--while much fun was had, I'd rather head home this year). The race will also be my last "serious" key run prior to a taper week in advance of next Saturdays half-marathon.

Post-race Reflections: Upon arriving at the finish line at 6:00 a.m., I was fortunate enough to find what would ultimately be the best possible parking spot. Because I arrived in town early, and needed to shuttle to the start and pick up my bib number, I had plenty of time prior to the race to continue hydrating and use the pot-a-johns. As has been my previous experiences, the Utica Boilermaker was tremendously well-organized and run by the army of volunteers  from the community. The weather at the start was very near perfect, with the only real mis-step in my pre-race planning was my choice of attire.

The nmaster of teh crappy selfie
with his deadly cotton tee.

Never forget that cotton kills. I have heard and used this aphorism many times as a coach, but failed to take my own advice by wearing a cotton tee over a running shirt. Normally this would not be such a big deal, but the high humidity did make for a war run. I was very lucky that there were many water stations and sprinklers set-up throughout the 9.3 miles that in the end the biggest issue was the weight of the wet cotton.

I felt strong during my run, engaging the three primary inclines head-on and "coasting" on the downhills. I met my goal of 1:20, crossing the finish line with a net time (I didn't cross the start line until almost 7 minutes into the race!) in 1:19.40. The time much slower than my previous Boilermakers, but I was proud to have finished without stopping and to have maintained my composure fairly well given the humidity. The only consultation as that my result looks good in the context of the larger race (though many of the runners should have been in a corral at the start for "walkers." Overall I placed 2,635th of 11,575 total competitors, good for 2,403rd place among all 6,201 male finishers. In my gender/age group (Male 45-49), I placed 176 of 594 finishers. My average mile pace of 8:33 is consistent with the pace I have been training at, but I feel as though on a latter curse I could improve upon that significantly.

Next Saturday, I am registered for the Shoreline Half Marathon, so with any luck, I will be able to prove the accuracy of that hypothesis!

Full results for the 2015 Utica Boilermaker 15k are available by clicking here.

Reading, Racing & Running Plans

As my summer break from school begins at the end of the week, I am working toward avoiding whatever fitness momentum I have built up over the past two months. Without consulting the numerous books on the subject, I realize that nearly all training literature suggests two things: 1) have a training plan and 2) work toward specific goal races. Given this, in addition to adding yet another book to my personal summer reading list, that is just what I have done.

Just realized I'm still wearing the same
 running gear I had back in 2008 when
I ran the Boilermaker!

After following the successful completion of the April 26 Rochester Half Marathon, followed soon thereafter with a last-minute decision to give the May 17 Rochester Lilac 10k a try for the first time in a long time, the "plan" I have been training with has been a slowly evolving entity. Initially I slid into an ambitious training plan that would have me preparing for a possible ultra in late-August, a concept that while attainable (I'd run three ultras in the distant past), was in retrospect something of a reach at this point.

I have a tendency to over-do things, such as making unusual jumps in logic when it come to race selection... consequently I've learned not to fill out my training log too far in advance lest I commit to copious amounts of white out. What was necessary, though, was to solidify my commitment by signing up for a race or two. Going into Summer 2015, I now have two things on the docket.

First up is the 2015 Utica Boilermaker 15k on July 12, a challenge race I'd run twice many years ago (2007 and 2008). Due to the HUGE number of entrants, participants are assigned corral starts based upon their projected finishing time. I used a projection based upon my April half-marathon finish ensuring I'll be wa-a-a-ay back. I used a similar strategy during my first attempt in 2008 and regretted it as I was in the final corral and was pretty sure the winner of the race finished before I'd even crossed the start. This is a challenging 15k course and there is a likelihood of serious heat, so it is definitely not a PR course. As is the case with my "competitive" efforts of late, the initial goal is to first, finish, and second, to improve upon a pre-determined target time. (The time I enrolled with is about 13 minutes slower than my finishing times 8 years ago.)

This weekend, I also signed up for the local Shoreline Half-Marathon on Saturday, July 18. The goal here would to be to better the time I ran in May. This half-marathon race is the Saturday immediately following the previous Sunday's Boilermaker.

Three weeks ago I took that plan and modified it slightly to create a four-day-a-week plan, similar to one I'd used in the past to prepare for a marathon. This past weekend, I further modified my plan to consist of three key runs with cross-training sprinkled in with rest days. I had previously followed the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training (FIRST)'s three-a-week plan, when younger, and now that I have a few more miles on my legs it seems to make sense. In addition to the plan's goal of "limit[ing] overtraining and burnout while producing faster race times." Another benefit is that it will help me avoid the bugaboo of settling into a single pace with no variation (which will result in little eventual improvement). Years ago, the FIRST Training plans were available online (and in Runner's World magazine where I first came across it), and while still can some be found on pdfs, I purchased Runner's World Run Less, Run Faster.

As I read and continue to run, with some "races" on the horizon and a series of successive plans taking hold, I am confident that I will stay the course and continue having fun with this new phase of my running life.

Spring Forward Distance Run 15k Wrap-Up

The picture above is from yesterdays FleetFeet Spring Forward 15k Distance Race, taken by one of the fine folks from the Greater Rochester Track Club (GRTC).

The complete results are available here care of YellowJacket Racing and my specifics are as follows: 68 of 378 total finishers, 59 among 250 male finishers, and eight from a group of thirty M35-39 year old finishers.

Not bad, if I do write so myself!

Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!

Spring Forward Distance Run 15k

Run: 9.3 miles in 1:06:23 min. @ 8:30 a.m. + 2.5 miles
Weather: Fair, 34°F, 81% Humidity, Wind: W @ 10 mph; feels like 26°F.
Pace: 7:11 min/mile
Course: "The course is hilly and a great tune up for late spring marathon or 1/2 marathons. Three Water Stops on course with water, gel and Electrolyte Drink at mile 6. The Start is on Douglas Road and the Finish is on the dirt road next to Stewart Lodge."~ from the race website
Official results: Here courtesy of YellowJacket Racing.

This morning's run marks an anniversary of sorts; the first road race I registered for and begrudgingly got over my insecurities and actually showed up, was the 2005 Spring Forward 15k. That year I finished with a time of 1:17:45 (split: 8:21). The following year, 2006, I improved significantly and made it in 1:06:46.849 (Split: 0:07:11). Though I could swear I also ran this race in 2007 (the results prove me wrong each time!), I purposely did not register for the 2008 edition due to other commitments.

Pre-Race Ruminations: This April 2009 road race marks the start of my fifth year of road race running (holy alliteration!), something if you'd have told me six years ago I would still be doing, I would never believe... but here I still am.

Perhaps the most significant change in my approach from that man who signed up in 2005 (or from even two years ago) is that I now don't feel as "obligated" to run in every single 5-15k that appears on the racing calendar--which once March picks up is at least 2-3 a weekend. Some folks do, I just don't. For me, running has become more of a personal pursuit or challenge than a matter of "me" versus "them," or fulfilling some imaginary requirement of the running community to be at every "big race." Every race is a big race for someone, so props to evryone who crosses the Finish Line.

For whatever reason, this year I've signed up and picked up my number (and perfunctory t-shirt) at the local FleetFeet for the Spring Forward Distance Run 15k and have committed to be at the back of the pack when the bullhorn goes off this morning.

Let's see what happens, shall we?

Post-Race Observations: Due to the benefit of having as friend to run the course with, I believe I may have PR'd at this distance and certainly put together my best run in this particular race, finishing with an approximate time of 1:06:20. The only downfall was that my chest did start aching badly at about mile seven, but I held on until the finish. All-in-all it was another quality
YellowJacket Racing event, that started with a cool wind but ended awash glorious sun!

Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!

2008 Boilermaker Photo Wrap-Up!

As previously posted, last Sunday's Utica Boilermaker was a relative success for yours truly in that I improved upon my time from the previous year. The highlight was the bus trip down and back (organized by our friends at GRTC), and the wonderful conversation and camaraderie that occurred. Brightroom.com has finally posted some images from the event, just a couple of which I'll share with you (with very little editorializing):

Here I am in a picture taken at roughly the same time as the one at the top of the post... the start. Notice how I am still smiling and happy... it was after all the beginning of 9.3 humid miles.


Here I am, no longer smiling, but (trust me) really pretty happy on the inside... I felt that I ran well within myself and competently, despite the seductive clouds which gave me a false sense that it was cooler out than it actually was.


Ah... the Finish Line. By the time I eked out a feeble kick through the chute I was looking for a Popsicle, or orange wedge, or anything!


Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!

Utica Boilermaker 15k

Weather: Cloudy with Scattered Thunderstorms, 75°F, 80% Humidity, Wind: WSW @ 6 mph; feels like 79°F.
Run: 9.3 miles in 1:07:27 min. @ 8:00 a.m.
Pace: 7:15 min/mi.
Course: Boilermaker 15k--this is a very challenging course, especially note the dramatic changes in elevation; the first half of the race is primarily uphill, while the remaining half is downhill!


Pre-Run Ruminations: Since the GRTC bus leaves at 4:30 a.m. tomorrow morning, I thought I'd share some pre-race thoughts the nigth prior... I'm remain apprehensive about how things may go tomorrow, especially with the ganglia on the top of my left foot literally resurfacing with a vengeance, making it impossible to lace my running shoe up completely.

Additionally, it has become clear that it may well be time for some new training shoes. But, whining aside, I'm hoping for a better finishing time from last year (1:08:29), or at the very least to feel better afterwards.

Post-Race Reflections: What appeared at first to be very favorable weather conditions (cloudy, a little wet) turned into a very humid and warm morning run, despite the continued (fortunate) lack of sun. Though my finishing time was not much stronger than last year's, I definitely felt better about the race I ran and the effort I put forth. I was spent by the time I came through the chute, but quickly regrouped and did not utter those words I have said after my previous two Boilermakers... "I'll never do this again!"

UPDATED--Official(-ish) results were posted and I actually did better my time from last year by almost a minute! Here are the down-and-dirty details... my time was 1:07:27,(7:15 mi/min), I placed 814th of 9770 finishers overall, and 64th out of 637 in my age group (M35-39). There was, however, some sort of snafu with the timing chip so this is "gun" rather than "chip" time... I would guess that the difference would be between 20-40 seconds, but I think the recorded time is "official" enough for em. ;)

Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!

Rochester Autumn Class 9 Mile Trail Run

Run: 9 miles in 1:09:50 min. @ 8:32 a.m.(+1 mile warm-up/cool-down)

Pace: 7:46 min./per mile avg.
Weather: Partly Sunny, 60°F
Course: The two 4.5 mile loops are the same as the PowerBar Trail Race Course, just backwards.

Pre-Race Observations: I am looking forward to running today’s race as a training run for the trail ultra. While the Rochester Autumn Class Trail Race is only nine miles in distance (or 4.5 if I don’t feel so well!), it will provide me an opportunity to try a few new things, the least which is not my new pair of trail running shoes. I bought them this past Wednesday, but have been unable to “test drive” them until today. These are the first air of legitimate trail runners I’ve purchased that haven’t been Montrail shoes, the brand I had become accustomed to wearing. After looking for the make and model I prefer, I came up empty so opted to go with a less expensive offering from a reliable brand, the ASICS GEL-Kahana.

Today’s run will also be the first during which I’ll be wearing my hydration belt and loading it with an electrolyte replenishment drink rather than water. As a rule, I’ll use Clif Shot Blocks on very long runs, and supplement their use with regular H20. Following some recommendations I’ve read, I’m going to try some “stronger” fluids during my ultra and want to test out some flavors in advance...

Post-Run Reflections: The run itself went well, although I did screw up on the course by first, stopping to assess if I (and another runner) had gone off course because we hadn’t seen a pylon in nearly a mile, and secondly when I followed the wrong colored pylons (yellow instead of orange) at the end of loop 1. We had been directed at the start to follow yellow on the second loop, but what had been intended is that we follow the yellow after finishing the second loop. C’est la vie…

In the end, I did (I think) PR at the distance and surface, knocking almost a full minute from my previous best effort. I am comfortable with the knowledge that, while I could have done better (relative to my time), I did feel very strong, had a great opportunity to practice with fluids and blocs, and also reinforced for myself the need to find a better fitting hydration belt. I love the one I have now (a gift from my wife when I started running regularly), but between it’s being used loyally for almost three(!) years and my somewhat slimming gut, the combination of lost elasticity and bony ribs has rendered it somewhat ineffective… I seemed to spend quite a bit of time adjusting the bet when I ran—this is just one silly thing I’d rather not think too much about.

Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!

Utica Boilermaker 15k

Weather Report: Partly Sunny, 81°F, 46% Humidity, Winds: From WNW @ 6 mph; feels like 86°F.

Run: 9.3 miles in 1:08:29 min. @ 8:00 a.m.
Pace: 7:22 min./per mile avg.

Pre-Race Observations When I woke up at 3:00 a.m. this morning to take the roughly 240 mile drive to Utica, NY, I immediately wished I had gone to bed, or rather to sleep, much earlier than I had. I was already tired. Last night I had attempted to sleep at 10:00 p.m., but after an hour of restlessly tossing and turning, I returned to read more of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. If I couldn't sleep, I wanted to be productive. Eventually I nodded off at around 11:30 p.m., until I woke up, shuffled downstairs and began my routine of drinking two cups of joe.

I packed my junk into the Super Car (which is what we call my Scion [pictured from another race, below]--mostly because its small size makes it useful for fitting into tight spaces), and left the house at just before 4:00 a.m. The ride itself was enjoyable, if for no other reason, than I was able to listen to music on the radio, which while primarily out of necessity, is something I generally don't do.

Post-Run Reflections: The pre-race camaraderie was immensely enjoyable, although I arrived at the start via the shuttle bus, I failed to properly warm-up. Truth be told, I did not arm-up or stretch hardly at all--well, not at all, save some prefunctory toe touches. Big mistake.

I was so busy (happily) chewing the cud about running and school and blah, blah, blah... that when the race began (and i was actually very close to the start by virtue of my anticipated finish a prediction I would later regret as I ran terribly.

In the final analysis, looking at my time, I did not do as poorly as I initially thought, but I was definitely psychologically defeated, when, legs in concrete and sweating like a 300 pound in a sauna, I observed other runners whom I recognized passing me by with little effort. My deduction: they, as runners, are getting faster, and I am staying same or--GASP!-- getting slower! UPDATE: Official results showed that did not place as poorly as I initially thought, 1189 out of 10882 finishers, 1030 of 6388 men, and 94 out of 759 in my age group (M35-39).

What this all means is next time I'll eat more earlier in the day to better build my energy stores, stretch and warm-up more completely so that I feel looser and lighter, and, finally, continue to try and run my own race rather than being discouraged by the advances of others. HUZZAH!

Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!

P.S. Thanks to SuperCar, I avoided being trapped in the parking lot by some idiot in a truck who blocked the exit... another nice lady who also needed to vamoose after the race found another gentlemen who could move his car and we could drive over the sidewalk and curb to escape the lot... YEAH SUPERCAR!