Running with Eric

May 27, 2025

Fastest Marathon Ever

On sunday morning I ran the Buffalo marathon in 4:17:07 for my quickest marathon ever. This was my tenth time finishing the Buffalo marathon and I was able to show a 93 second improvement over my previous PR from two years ago.

Coming into the race I was feeling undertrained and planned to run conservatively staying with the 4:30 pace group and perhaps trying to get a negative split. That plan went out the window as soon as I lined up at the start and wanting to push ahead, so I decided to ignore the pace groups and just run on vibes.

I ran the first 5k in 28:20 and the second 5k in 28:20 (for a 10k time of 56:40). I was feeling very good through the first quarter of the race, and the cool temperatures made the run feel easy.

I reached the half marathon mark at two hours and one minute and was feeling surprised at how good I was feeling. Initially I was concerned at how much my quick start was going to catch up with me, but at this point I was feeling really steady and confident that I could at least hold until 20 miles before anything went too wrong.

I ran the segment from 20k to 25k in a time of 29:02 which is only slightly slower than the pace I had started out the day with. Unfortunately the temperatures were starting to climb, and I began having to focus on keeping my body temperature down. Thirty minutes later I hit the 30k mark and was shocked at how easily I got up the hill just after this checkpoint. At this point in the race I knew I had a very real chance of challenging for a PR.

Around mile 20 I was staring to struggle, but I did my best to maintain a steady pace. Following last year’s Buffalo marathon this was only the second marathon distance I have ever covered without slowing to a walk for at least a portion of the course. This time it paid off. The final two and a half miles were very challenging, but I pushed though and finished with my fastest marathon ever.

I am not sure when my next race will be, but with a course PR in two straight weeks I am feeling good and looking to keep my speed up.

May 18, 2025

Top 5 finish in Letchworth

On sunday morning I ran the Vail of Three Falls 10k in Letchworth park. I finished in a time of 53:26 which was a course PR, and quick enough for a 5th place finish.

The first mile and a half of this course is downhill, and I absolutely bombed down the hill. I was the fifth runner to reach the bottom of the hill, but I assumed that once the course got more challenging that a few other runners would pass me by.

The next mile is rolling hills, followed by a half mile climb to the turn around point. Remarkably I reached the turn around still in fifth position (and close to fourth) with two runners on close behind me.

The return trip was a back and forth with the sixth place runner, but I took the lead at the start of the final climb, and I refused to slow down and fall out of the top five.

This was a course PR, and the first time that I have placed in a race in forever. My next race is the Buffalo Marathon next sunday.

May 5, 2025

A longer run through Mendon

On sunday morning I ran the Medved Madness trail race at Mendon Ponds Park. I finished in 2:28:53 for the long course which was around 14 miles? I last ran this race in 2023, but the course changed significantly since then.

The race had most of the hills right at the front. While it is nice to be able to attack the hills with fresh legs, I probably went out too aggressively. While none of this park is flat, on the middle section where there was a bit less climbing I felt like I was getting passed by many other runners.

The weather was a slight rain, and the trails were significantly worse than my race last week. The main problem I had on the muddy trails was that I had to slow down a lot for the downhills. The worst section of the trail was the northwest corner of the park where I was in mud up to my knees at one point. However I made it through the race without falling which means I was either extremely lucky or too cautious.

With the course having almost no resemblance to the last time I ran this race and the distance of the long course being a bit of a mystery, I never knew when I was approaching the end of the run. The good news is that I felt fairly strong even over the final few miles.

I hope to run one more race before the Buffalo Marathon which will be a 10k on the 18th at either Highland Park or Letchworth Park.

April 30, 2025

First Trail Race of the Year

On tuesday night I ran my first trail race of the year at Mendon Ponds Park. This was the first race of the 2025 Run Our Trails series, and I ran the three miles in 29:57. I came into the race on tired legs, so combined with the many hills that Mendon Ponds always has, I was actually pretty happy with my time.

The race came shortly after it had stopped raining, but the course was in surprisingly good condition. Mendon Ponds is always steep and technical, but knowing that the race was short I tried my best to push the pace. I was more steady than fast, but on trails I will take that. The final mile leveled off a bit, but without knowing exactly how far was left to run it was hard to determine when to kick for the finish.

My next race will be right back in the same spot (but over four times the distance) as I will be running Medved Madness on sunday.

April 28, 2025

Running around Seneca Lake

On sunday I was part of a Seneca 7 relay team that ran all the way around Seneca Lake. It took our team 10:51:18 to encircle the lake. This was 22 minutes quicker than we were last year despite this year’s course being slightly longer.

This year I was runner number 6, and started the day with a 4.6 mile run of rolling hills. The second leg was 4.9 miles and was my toughest run of the day. It had no dramatic moments, but was one of the longer sections of the course and was mostly a slow and steady uphill. My final leg was only 2.5 miles but it felt like my pace was pretty consistent with what I ran the first two legs.

Overall this was a fun race to do and one that I hope to return to next year. My next race is the start of the Run Our Trails Series on tuesday.

March 16, 2025

Running of the Green

On saturday morning I kicked off the 2025 running season with the five mile Running of the Green in downtown Rochester. I ran the course in 42:40 which was both not terrible, but also still a little slower than I had ran it the past two years.

The weather for the race was excellent, and I ran with the 8 min/mile pace group for the first mile and a half. After that I slowed down a bit, but given that my final pace was an 8:32 min/mile pace I was staying quicker than 9 minute miles all the way to the finish line. As much as I would have liked to be quicker, I knew that I went into the race a bit undertrained and that the ice of the past few month has kept my weekly mileage below where it should be.

This will probably be my only race in march, but I hope to run a few races in april.

March 5, 2025

2025 Racing Calendar

With the racing season starting next week, here is a preview of some of the races I plan on running in this year. Hopefully I will add some more August and September races (and perhaps a fall marathon), but the spring looks to be mostly set.

January 2, 2025

Seven and a half miles to start the New Year

On January first I ran the Freezeroo New Year’s Resolution Run in Mendon Ponds. It took me 1:04:43 to finish the 7.5 mile course with an honestly rather quick 8:38 per mile pace.

It perhaps shouldn’t be surprising for a race called the Freezerro, but it was freezing cold with the weather alternating between snow and rain throughout the race. It was a tough day and a hilly course for my longest race since last June.

My first mile had a split of 8:15 which felt far too quick for the number of hills on this course, but given that my pace didn’t actually drop off too much may have actually been more reasonable than I thought at the time. Despite not being on trails, the roads of Mendon Ponds are also not flat and I could feel myself slowing down at times, but my time felt really good for the weather and the terrain.

2025 is off to a quick start. There will be many more races throughout the rest of the year.

December 29, 2024

Running through 2024

In 2024 I ran 20 races (two more than last year), including two full marathons. I ran in the Buffalo Turkey Trot for the 13th year, but also ran some new races such as the Seneca 7 (which I will be returning to next year).

While I did not manage to get a marathon PR this year my two finishes were the second and fourth fastest marathons that I have ever run. Additionally I finished the year with some quick times in the 5k, 10k, and 5 mile that were my lowest times since 2015.

Hopefully 2025 sees more races, and even faster finishing times.

December 16, 2024

A Wonderful Run through Seneca Falls

On Saturday afternoon I ran the It’s a Wonderful Run 5k in Seneca Falls. I finished the race in 26:22 averaging 8:30 miles which is a pretty good pace for the number of stops that I made.

The weather was colder than the past few years, but the streets were clear and easy to run on. The main area where I lost time was in waiting for three others for the shot-ski.

As the weather gets cold, this will probably be my last race for the year.

November 29, 2024

A quick turkey trot

On thursday morning I ran the Buffalo Turkey Trot for the 13th time. I finished the five mile race in 39:10, which is my fastest time since 2015, and the second fastest of my 13 finishes on this course.

The weather for the race was not great, with a cold rain that left me bundled up running in a hoodie and gloves. Still I managed to have a fast per mile pace of 7:50 which is just a tad faster than my last run at the start of the month. I have been feeling very good about my pace in these shorter races at the end of the year.

My next race is the It’s a Wonderful Run 5k in Seneca Falls.

November 2, 2024

An extremely fast 10k

On saturday morning I ran the East Ave Grocery Run 10k in 49:19. I believe that this is my second fastest 10k run ever, coming just behind my PR from 2015. Just two weeks after a very quick 5k, I have been feeling extremely good about my running lately.

My plan coming into the race was to run 8 minute miles. My first mile was quicker at 7:48, and I didn’t slow down too much over the course of the run, averaging a 7:56 per mile pace over the ten kilometers.

The weather was a bit cool, but a perfect day for running. The course was a mixture of roads and paved river trail that did a good job of showing off the city and didn’t have too many hills.

This will probably be my final race until the Buffalo Turkey Trot on the morning of Thanksgiving.

October 21, 2024

Fastest run of my 30s

On saturday morning I ran the Scare Brain Cancer Away 5k in East Rochester. I finished the race in 23:18 which is a 7:30 per mile pace. I believe that this is the fastest 5k that I have ran in the past nine years.

The morning of the race was freezing cold, but that is actually an ideal temperature to run at. Once I got going I had no idea what my pace was, but did my best to keep pushing and trying to not slow down. Given that this was my fastest run in years I must of have done a fairly good job at not running out of steam.

My next race will be the East Ave Grocery Run 10k in november.

September 25, 2024

Running the Trails of Mendon Ponds

On tuesday night I once again returned to the trails of Mendon Ponds for a short trail race. I finished the course in 30:11 which was quick enough for 21st place.

While it had rained earlier in the day leaving the course a bit muddy, the course avoided the muddiest parts of Mendon Ponds and was for the most part very runnable. Knowing that this was going to be shorter than most trail races I took off with a fairly fast pace. It was not entirely sustainable, but I am glad that I didn’t try to hold off for a slower pace. There was only one hill (about half a mile from the finish) that required me to slow down and really climb, but coming off the top of it was really a fun run down to the finish.

With some busy weekends coming up, I am not sure when I will run next, but I hope to get some races in during October.

September 14, 2024

10k in the Finger Lakes

On saturday morning I ran the Mill to Mill 10k along the Keuka Outlet Trail in Penn Yann. I completed the course in 54:00, and finished the race in 10th place overall. My time was almost exactly the same as my last 10k earlier this year.

While technically a trail race, the course was smooth and mostly flat unlike most of the trails I run on. I spent the first third of the race with a pair of runners who would finish as the top two female runners, but after that was alone on the rest of the course. However, the course was an out and back so I had the opportunity to see the full field on the turn around, and even caught up to some of the slower 5k runners towards the end.

My next race is the final Run Our Trails race which will be back on some more technical trails in Mendon Ponds.

August 22, 2024

Yet another run at Mendon Ponds

Apparently all I run these days are short trail races, because on wednesday night I ran the Dirt Cheap trail race at Mendon Ponds park. I ran the course in 36:09 which is roughly a 9:30 pace for the 3.75 mile course. With all of the hills and mud, I am happy with that result.

At the start of the race I was a little unsteady, but fell into a good pace once the course started hitting the single track trails. The course had a lot of hills where I felt strong, but didn’t have much of an opportunity to increase the pace.

This will probably be my only race in August, but I hope to run more often in September.

August 1, 2024

Another run at Mendon Ponds

On Tuesday night I ran the July series of the Run our Trails race at Mendon Ponds. I finished the 5.2 mile course in 51:26, which is just below 10 minute miles and a pace I am happy with on these hilly trails. I was able to finish 30th overall.

While Mendon Ponds is always full of hills the opening mile on tuesday night had more elevation than most. The course flattened out a little on miles two and three, but my legs were still too beat up from the opening mile to really take advantage of it. The final two miles were more of a mix, but it was actually a bit of a relief to return to the hills as it better matched the pacing I had going on in this race.

I am not yet sure what my race calendar looks like for august, but hopefully I can find some fun things to run.

July 19, 2024

A short 2k in the park

On wednesday night I ran the ON XC in the Park race at Cobbs Hill. I believe that this is the first 2k race that I have ever run, and I finished in 10:13.

The decision to run this race was made a bit last minute, but as the shortest race that I have run in years, there was very little downside to not doing any specific training. I decided to do my best to take the course a full speed, but the uneven grass and the giant hill in the middle of the course slowed me down a bit. I feel like I finished with plenty still in the tank, but I am unsure of which section I could have reasonably increased my speed.

My next race will be the Run our Trails series in Mendon Ponds at the end of July.

July 5, 2024

Four Miles on July Fourth

On the morning of the Fourth of July I ran the Fairport firecracker four mile road race. I ran the course in 32:45 which is a full four minutes quicker than when I last ran the same race in 2022.

The run (like every fourth of july race ever) was extremely warm. I got out to a real quick start despite most of the hills being on the first half. By the second half of the race the heat and the hills began to take their toll and I slowed down a bit. Even with a race as short as four miles, apparently you can’t just go all out the entire way. Still and 8:11 pace is a good amount quicker than I usually run or train at, and almost as fast as my pace for St. Greg’s which was a shorter race in better running weather.

Four miles is an unusual racing distance, but I do believe that this is my fastest four mile race ever.

June 26, 2024

Running Mendon Ponds

On tuesday night I ran a five mile trail race at Mendon Ponds Park as part of the Run our Trails series. I finished the course with a time of 48:42 which was good enough for 25th place.

After feeling like I held back my pace a little too much in last saturday’s trail race I was determined to put together a more aggressive start. While it may seem to be an odd comparison, my per mile pace was quicker even as the course was occasionally muddier.

I ran solo for most of the final two miles of the race, but felt like I continued to do a good job of pushing myself. Then towards the very end of the race I made a wrong turn and found myself at the start of the race instead of the finish. Given that I was confident that I had made the course longer instead of shorter, I just cut back across and headed straight to the finish. Had I not missed the turn, my time could have been even quicker.

My next race will be the Fairport Firecracker Four Mile on the fourth of July.

June 22, 2024

10 miles through the woods

On Saturday morning I ran the Webster Trail Classic, taking 1:50:55 to run the 10 miles of trails. This race has moved from September to June which makes it much warmer, but the weather was fairly nice the morning of the run.

I ran the first two miles fairly quickly before falling into a steady pace. In hindsight I kept to the steady pace a bit too long and should have pushed things during the flattish section in the middle and through some of the quicker section the second time through Whiting Park. I did pick up the pace for the final two miles of the race and finished feeling good and strong.

For my next race I am staying on the trails and doing the run our trails race next tuesday in Mendon Ponds Park.

June 15, 2024

A much shorter race

On friday night I ran St. Greg’s Great Race, a little 5k that is much shorter than most of the races that I have run this year. I finished the race in 24:21, finishing two seconds quicker than my last 5k, and 12 seconds faster than my last time at St. Greg’s.

Coming into the race I was unsure of how things would go because all of my training has been focused on marathons. In the first mile I was rather worried about how things were going, until I heard that my first mile split was 7:15 and I was actually running at a pretty good clip.

I slowed down a little in the final two miles, but overall I am still very happy about how the race went. Twenty-four minutes puts me very much in line with how my 5k races have gone the last few years, so it is nice to see that I can hit that pace even on a race that I decided to run last minute.

My next race will be back on the trails next week at the Webster Trail Classic.

June 10, 2024

A Marathon in the Adirondacks

On Sunday morning I ran the Lake Placid Marathon in the Adirondack mountains. I finished the race in 4:33:27, which is my fourth fastest marathon time. Given how hilly the course is, I was fairly happy with how I did and felt good in this race.

Weather for the race was overcast and cool with a slight rain, which was perfect for a marathon. The race had no pacers or clocks, and I run without a watch, so I had no idea what my pace was until I reached the finish line.

The first 5k runs through the town, and while it is downhill my split time of 27:47 means that I started a little quicker than I should have. Coming out of town was one of the bigger hills on the course, but I was still feeling good and went to my first out and back along river road. While not even a little bit flat, the river road section of the course is all rolling hills on a twisting and turning mountain road where no individual hill sticks out.

I ran back up the hill into town and reached the 14.3 mile turn around to begin the second loop at 2:20 which implies that I ran the first half of the race at exactly the pace that I wanted to.

At mile 17 the light rain turned into a bit of a downpour, which was annoying but didn’t really impact my race at all. By mile 19 the cumulative miles and hills had started to catch up to me and I really had to dig deep to keep going. There is a hill just before mile 24, and this was the only section of the course that I walked. The final half mile of the race is another uphill, but given how close I was to the finish I pushed through, and got to the end feeling pretty good about how the run went.

Between the Lake Placid and Buffalo marathons I had two races where I came out of the event feeling pretty good about how I did even if I fell just short of setting a PR. I don’t know when my next marathon will be, but my legs are feeling pretty good.

My next race will be the Webster Trail Classic later this month.

May 29, 2024

A run through the woods

On Tuesday night I ran the second Run Our Trails race of the year in Mendon Ponds Park. I ran for 52:33 to cover the four mile route.

With this race just two days after the marathon, the only reason I even ran is because I had signed up for the full series of races, so my expectations were pretty minimal. I found that I could do ok on the uphills, and on the flat sections I had no top speed but that almost doesn’t matter on trails. My main issue was with the downhill portions of the race where I had to short step everything and couldn’t really enjoy what were supposed to be the easier parts of the hilly course.

For my next race I am going back up in distance and running the Lake Placid Marathon on June 9th.

May 28, 2024

26.2 miles through Buffalo

On Sunday morning I ran the Buffalo Marathon for the ninth time. I finished the course is 4:20:41, missing my PR from last year by just two minutes.

Coming just shy of my time from last year was a disappointment, but this is still my second quickest marathon ever, and overall a fairly good morning of running.

I was a bit late getting to the start line, and consequently took an extra six minutes to begin the race. This ruined my plan of staying with the 4:10 pace group as they had presumably started four minutes ahead of me. Still I had a decent idea of how quick I wanted to run, and felt pretty good the first few miles.

I caught up to the 4:20 pace group near mile four and was conflicted if I actually wanted to catch the faster pace group. The plan was to run with them, but closing the deficit within the first half probably also would imply running a far quicker opening half than I had planned. While I never did quite catch up with them, I think I did run the first half very close to 2 hours, which is a quicker start than I had planned.

The weather for the race was a bit warmer than I would have liked, but was tempered by an overcast sky that made it a good day to run. The sun didn’t really come out until the final hour of the race, by which point I was on a more shaded part of the course.

By mile 15 I was starting to feel tired, and was worried that my time was going to be a bit slow, however by mile 19 my optimism had turned around and I was thinking I might be able to finish alright with holding onto slightly better final 10k than last year. In the end I split the difference, never slowing to a walk but also seeing my average speed come way down in the race’s final few miles.

This is the first marathon where I ran from start to finish, and while I am proud of that I just wish I had been three minutes quicker.

My next race is a low key trail race on tuesday night that I am not quite going to be recovered in time for.