Runnin’ of the Green 5 Mile

Another race, another cold day! I’m looking forward to not having to bundle up when running.

I love my Buff hats and neck warmer, but I will be glad to ditch them for the summer!

On Saturday, I took part in the Runnin’ of the Green in downtown Rochester. It’s a 5 mile (8 km) race along the Genesee River. Saturday was cold, but at least it was nice and sunny! Still, I’m looking forward to not having to bundle up when running. My Dad came out to cheer me on and hang out beforehand and afterwards — it’s always great having somebody there waiting for me at the finish line!

My knees have been bothering me a little lately, so I taped them and decided to take it a bit easier for this one. No sense doing something stupid and injuring myself!

My placement results aren’t quite as high as some of my recent races, but I’m quite pleased with my performance. Especially considering it was a longer (8 km vs 5 km) race.

I finished with a time of 41:04 (5:06/km; 8:13/mile), which put me…

  • 267 of 1156 overall (top 23%)
  • 26 of 71 in male 40 to 44 age group (top 37%)
I really turned it on for the last mile, and had to take off my hat, neck warmer, and gloves

Cupid’s Cup 5K

20°F/-7°C — sounds like perfect weather for a run, right? Well, at least it was nice and sunny!

Nix always ensures that my gear is safe and sound before every race

This morning I ran in the Cupid’s Cup 5K in nearby Irondequoit. My wife and daughter braved the cold to cheer me on, as did my mom and dad, who I was surprised to see there just as I was heading out to the starting line.

A red bib for me, as I am most definitely already taken!

A few of the side roads had some icy patches, but overall, the conditions were pretty decent.

I told myself that I was going to really push myself today. And, I did.

One second to go!

I finished with a new 5K PR of 23:13 (4:39/km; 7:29/mile), which put me…

  • 30 of 659 overall (top 5%)
  • 24 of 210 amongst all males (top 11%), and
  • 4 of 25 in male 40 to 44 age group (top 16%)

So close to being in the top three for my age group! I strive to achieve this in 2019.

Glad to be done… I didn’t feel like I had anything left in me!

This was a great start to the 2019 race season!

Upon Reflection, a Minor Inconvenience

Yesterday evening, a water main in our neighborhood broke, causing us to lose water pressure. It was repaired quickly, but we need to boil water for 24–26 hours, as there is a change that “untreated water and harmful microbes” could have entered the water supply.

Having to use boiled (or bottled) water not only for drinking, but for cooking, cleaning, and brushing teeth was really starting to annoy me. And then, as I was cleaning dishes, the phrase “first world problem” came to mind. First, as a joke. And then, it hit me just how lucky I really am. So many people across the world would love to have such a minor inconvenience as this with water. I can still turn on the tap in my comfortable kitchen to get what would pass as “clean” water, “freely” flowing. And, carry that water all of two feet to my electric stovetop to easily boil it, just to make sure.

So, I went to charity: water, a cause my daughter first brought to my attention a few years ago, and made another donation.

Four Years

This past October marked four years at Automattic for me. I got my custom anniversary laptop right before Christmas, and finally had a chance to set it up!

Now I just need to order some new stickers to personalize it even further. 🙂

Hiking

This past weekend, my daughter and I got out both days for some nice hikes on nearby trails (we do live in a Trail Town USA, after all). It was great to be out in the forest, away from everything else.

I hope that throughout 2019 we will make the time to get out on nearby trails throughout the different weather and seasons. There isn’t much better in life than spending time in nature.

2018 Running in Review

When I started 2018, I had no aspirations to become “a runner”. I had run a few times here and there, but had no plan to drastically increase my frequency/distance running or make it such an integral part of my life.

Somewhere along the way, in April I believe, I decided that I would train to do one of the runDisney Virtual Running Short 5Ks. And that kicked it all off!

Over the course of 2018, I spent 51 hours running 429 kilometers over the course of 126 runs.

Distance per month

I completed four local races, in addition to the runDisney virtual 5K mentioned above:

I also did two “fun runs” while down at Walt Disney World in the fall:

For 2019, I plan on competing in a number of 5Ks, and also will challenge myself with at least one 10K and a half-marathon! And, I’ve just started incorporating some trail running into my routine for variety (as the photos at the top of the post allude to).

Who knows what else 2019 has in store?!