the·o·ret·i·cal en·dur·ance

Quickly Touching Base

2011-08-31T12:59:00.003-04:00

Today marks one month since I finished the Burning River 100 Mile Endurance Run, but I have yet to write anything about it. That will change, in time, when I find enough time to do the whole experience justice. Until then I will just note that my finishing time was 27 hours, 6 minutes, and a handful of seconds.

I should also note that I haven't been doing nothing in these four weeks. I recovered for a week, went on vacation to Bar Harbor, ME for a week, and have raced two 5Ks, one cross country and one road. The cross country race was held at Buckeye High School here in Medina. I finished in 22:43 and was the 2nd male in the Open Division. The road 5K was this past Sunday, also here in Medina. I finished that in 20:40 and was 2nd in my age group. Afterward I ran with a group back into town for nearly 9 more miles.

I've been battling some aches and pains since BR, but they're slowly getting better. NC24 is 2 1/2 weeks away and I'm hoping to be healed and ready to go by then. Time will tell.

It's Almost Time

2011-07-30T01:37:00.002-04:00

In less than 3 1/2 hours we're starting. All the gear is packed, except for the coolers. I slept pretty well considering the usual night before race jitters. I'll be making breakfast soon, something big to keep me full for a while. This is going to be a long one.

The LIVE race day Webcast can be found HERE. As of right now, before the start, it looks like I'm in 12th place overall! And I haven't even begun sweating yet!

Hopefully I'll have some good news to post sometime tomorrow about finishing, but until then, I'll see you on the trails.

And Then There Were Four

2011-07-26T06:06:00.002-04:00

Four days, that is. Race day is almost here, tapering is coming along nicely, and I'm ready to just get out there and get this one started. I feel good. Not perfect, but good. No aches or pains save one: a painful area at the front of my left heel nearest the arch. This is a new one and I'm not sure if it's my first case of plantar fasciitis or maybe just a bruise from some hard trails in the recent weeks. It mostly hurts to touch, not while standing, running, or walking. If that's my only problem this weekend, I will be thankful!

It's gotten hot recently too. REALLY hot. And humid. So I've been trying to get in some heat runs. They've not been terribly long, or comfortable, but I've felt decent, and they've given me a chance to nail down my hydration.

I've also found some new shoes in the last two weeks: Hoka One One. They're fairly new to the market and are the anti-minimalist shoe to end all shoes. These things have some cushion! And the comfort! Don't get me started about how comfortable they are! It's like riding in a Cadillac. Not one of the new one's, but one of the old boats from the 70's or 80's. My feet have been the weak point during my super long runs and I'm hoping these shoes will help me solve that problem.

My last run will most likely be tonight, just some easy miles at the track. Then it's just a matter of getting all my gear together and organized. That's a job in itself. So much stuff. I'm glad this is a summer race and I won't have to worry about cold weather. Lots more gear involved with cold weather running. But right now I'm focusing on the heat!

Mile Repeats

2011-07-15T20:14:00.002-04:00

Just a quick one tonight. I had a decent outing back to the track last night. The running club was meeting for possibly a 15K relay but with Heather out of town, I had too much going on to spend that much time away from home. So... I went to the track instead.

It was still warm, about 80 degrees, full sun, but less humid than Tuesday. The run would still be a warm one though. As I arrived at the track I still wasn't decided on what workout to do. I had been toying with the idea of mile repeats on the drive over, and that's what I decided on.

There was a group of either USMC recruits or ROTC students having a workout on the field when I arrived. And let me just say, I was glad to be running. I don't think I would have lasted very long with the drills they were doing! After a mile warm-up I was ready to get started.

Cutting to the chase, I did 3 X 1 mile with 400 meter recovery between. I felt good, to a point, and pushed when I felt I could. I was hoping for sub 7 minute miles and that's what I hit: 6:42 / 6:37 / and 6:32. I wasn't planning on the progressively faster thing, but that's a good sign. With about a mile and a half cool-down, I was done in 46 minutes. Much faster than going to the club run.

Running fast mile repeats has nothing to do with Burning River. I'm thinking beyond already to Columbus. I was hoping to run super-fast there so I need to work some speed back into the high mileage base I have prepared. Running in the heat was good training though. It should still be hot at the end of the month.

Good luck to everyone running the Buckeye Trail 50K tomorrow!

50 Mile Weekend

2011-07-13T21:28:00.004-04:00

Originally, I had 4 to 5 of these really big weekends planned, but somehow I managed to miss each and every one of them. Except for this past weekend. On my last high mileage weekend before beginning my taper, I got my 50.

I was thinking of 30 Saturday and 20 Sunday, but as I was running Saturday, I was thinking about the possible routes in Hinckley, and how they are all divisible by 3 not an even number. So because of that, I modified my mileage to 29 Saturday and 21 Sunday. A mile easier one day and a mile harder the other.

For Saturday's run, I wanted to get back down onto the course and run some sections that I haven't yet. I wanted to see what the trail conditions were like and begin to fine tune my race-day strategy. Parking at the Boston Store, I headed north on the Buckeye Trail, the reverse direction of the BR course. What I noticed immediately was how dry the trails were. Completely recovered from the sloppy mess I encountered on Mother's Day.

I made my way up to the Piano Keys and made a mental note that climbing these steps is going to really suck at nearly 50 miles into the run. At least there's a handrail!

The Buckeye Trail was a busy place early on in my run. Now, granted, I did get a late start and the folks I met had been out there for a while already. My 10:00-ish start time wasn't intentional, but it would put me out there in the heat of the day. Good training.

Blue Hen Falls was relatively quiet, with no one climbing around and getting in my photo for once. The lack of rain has caused the creeks to become tiny little things. I didn't encounter any difficulty at any of the water crossings and the muddy patches were merely soft spots. No trouble at all. I could go for some softer trails for race day, but I'll take them dry over wet.

The day was hot so I carried three 16 ounce bottles with me. I had a rough plan of where I wanted to run and the route I wanted to go. I knew where I could refill my bottles. My only regret is not carrying Gatorade mix with me. I took only Nuun tablets. They worked for hydration, but I could have used the extra calories. In the heat I didn't have much of an appetite for the Clif Bars I was carrying.

I followed the BT into the Brecksville Reservation, through Ottawa Point, eventually picking up the APT. Stopping at Oak Grove I refilled a bottle before continuing on my way. I jumped back onto the BT before the last big descent along the parkway and popped out of the woods at Riverview Rd.

Passing quickly through Station Road, I was on the Towpath still heading north. This section is race course, and will be hot on race day. Fortunately for me, it was hot this day too. At the Frazee House, I turned back onto Buckeye trail and had some real peace and quiet. I didn't take the trail all the way to the Bike and Hike, but for the time I was on it I didn't see another soul. I decided to turn around when I hit an overgrown field and I didn't feel like pushing through more leaves and grass.

Reversing course, I made my way back down to the Towpath and eventually back to Station Road. There I refilled more empty bottles and had something to eat. I had a few miles of hot Towpath ahead of me and I wanted to be prepared. It was hot. And crowded. The cyclists were out in force! For the second time this year, I couldn't help but wonder how many of those bikers weren't going to ride as far that day as I was going to run.

I stayed focused and survived the heat with no problems. I even managed to notice some of the sights along the way! As I was pushing through the heat, I had two things on my mind: 1) I would need to go back out for a little bit after getting back to the Boston Store in order to get my 29 and 2) I needed the can of Coke I had in my trunk! I could taste it and I intended to down it before finishing my run.

The Coke was one of those small cans and didn't take long to empty. Then I was off for a short mile and a half out-and-back. This time I went south along the Towpath, took the left where the Valley Bridle Trail veers off, and climbed back onto the Buckeye Trail. More uphill. This section was pretty quiet with only a few others out there with me.

It was just me and nature. And this little guy I managed to hear rather than see. I know one of these days I'm going to run into one a little larger. After what wasn't too long it was time to turn around and head back. I was very tired and dehydrated by the time I finished. And it was nearly 5:00. That's a long time in the woods. My complete run data can be found HERE.

Sunday's run was much less adventurous, was harder, and had more company. I met up with the Sunday morning Hinckley group at 7:00. I just wasn't going to make the 5:30 start. I had no soreness or foot problems so I started out with the hopes of having a decent run. It didn't take me long to realize though, that my legs were pretty shot and I wouldn't be able to maintain a very fast pace. But that's kind of what I was hoping for. That was one of the possibilities for Rite Aid: Run Saturday and then run the race tired. Not only would Sunday's run be a physically training run, but a mental one too.

The big 9 mile loop kicked my butt and I walked the major climbs, including Effie. I really didn't want to go back out on that loop again, so for the rest I stayed in the park. Ladd ran with me for the first of my four 3 mile loops, then I was on my own. Two more loops on the APT and then I switched to the Lake Trail. 21 miles done! All the Hinckley data can be found HERE.

A big weekend for a big race. I hope it will all be enough to get me to the finish line in under 30 hours. Tapering has begun. I'm reducing mileage but maintaining intensity. As an example, we were at the track last night running 800 meter repeats in the sun and heat. I pushed hard and managed to be only a little slower than what I would have liked.

Race day is getting close. Less than 2 1/2 weeks now.

2011 Twin Sizzler 5K and 10K

2011-07-07T09:53:00.003-04:00

After running Friday night/Saturday morning, I didn't know if I would be capable of turning out a race-worthy performance for either of the pair of July 4th runs. I rested the entire day on Saturday and took Sunday off to recover as well. When we began making margaritas late in the day on the 3rd, I began to doubt if I would even be able to get up early the following morning. But while watching Medina's fireworks display from the sidewalk around our little development that night, I felt pretty good. Good enough to go straight to bed afterward, get up early, and give it a go.

I ran up to the Square from home with money to register because it was a nice morning and I didn't feel like driving such a short distance. The 1.8 miles made for a very nice warm-up and I was literally dripping sweat as I struggled to fill out the registration form. I must have looked quite the mess. Soon enough I was back outside to bide my time until the start of the 5K. I would be running both, with the 5K as another warm-up. I wanted my miles!

Rather than race all-out in the 5K, I started very slow and way in the back of the pack. The start was downhill and I wanted no temptation to go out too fast. My 10K PR was 20 years old and if I were going to make an attempt on one of the two times, it would be that one. Once the field spread out, I settled into a comfortable pace and concentrated on maintaining good form and breathing. It wasn't really hot out, and we had solid cloud cover, but the humidity made for harder breathing.

The race was uneventful and I saw a few people I knew. We wound our way back to the Square and had a nice uphill finish in front of the Courthouse. My official time was 23:46. Not horrible, but not that good either. But it didn't bother me as I wasn't running hard. Race data for the 5K can be found HERE.

After finishing, I had about a 45 minute wait until the start of the 10K. I took this time to rehydrate and consume an entire pack of Clif Shot Blocks, a gummy version of a sports drink. I also took a gel to help with calories. I found an empty park bench and relaxed for a while. Yes, I had a good shot at beating my 10K PR because it was so old, but I didn't want to dwell on it. No pressure. Just a 6.2 mile run with effort.

The start of the 10K was the same as the 5K only a little smaller. Fewer people wanted to run the longer distance. I also lined up further forward, but not far enough that I would get caught up with the fast guys. Downhill we went, turned, and the long climb up Rt. 57 began. I settled into a solid pace and found myself working my way up through the field. "Not too fast," I would think to myself. I wanted to save any speed for the second half.

I didn't know the course, so I was in for a treat when I saw that we would run up the big hill off of Lexington Ridge. It's a great training hill so racing it would be even better! Again, I just maintained a steady pace and climbed. Pretty soon it was over, we leveled out, and then it was time to descend. This was the first real downhill with open space, so I just let the legs spin. Not pushing, just cruising downhill. At the bottom would be a turn, followed by another large uphill. I knew there was another downhill coming so again, I pushed just hard enough going up. The rest of the race would continue like that: pushing conservatively on the uphills and nearly hammering the downhills. And my mile splits were getting faster!

Pretty soon we were at the bottom of the hill to the finish. Time for one final push, so I switched into a faster gear. I like to kick at the end, but I wasn't too worried about getting the best possible finish placement. If someone wanted to kick and pass me going uphill, they were going to have to hurt and earn it. I was catching up to two men ahead of me, but we were so close to the finish chute, only an all-out sprint on my part would have put me past them. I had it in me, but decided not to pull the trigger. We finished one behind the other going into the chute. It would turn out, the first fellow was in my age group and took 2nd. I took 3rd. I didn't find out until Tuesday about placing, and just today about the placing. Anything can happen in a race. For me, I am happy with my performance. I had a good, solid run and achieved a new PR at 45:39, but left TONS of room to beat it again in the future. 10K race data can be found HERE.

I am 23 days out from Burning River and I'm racing short stuff. And it was FUN! That's what I've been hoping to experience. 100 miles is a long way and needs to be taken seriously or it will mess someone up. But for me, it needs to be fun or it's not worth doing. I hope I can continue in this direction and show up ready to have a grand time for 100 miles!

Firecracker 40 FA

2011-07-03T09:13:00.002-04:00

Big thanks to Cyrus for forwarding the info for this run to me a week ago. I was aware of it's existence, but didn't know it was going to be this weekend. What it is, is a loosely organized group night training run on the last 40 miles of the Burning River course. Was it something I needed to do? Yes!

I was familiar with the BR course from just past Shadow Lake to the Perkins Loop with just a random hole here or there. Now I'm familiar with the entire course with the exception of the road section at the start and the trails (which I've heard are mild) leading up to Shadow Lake. And not only that, I've done the night sections in the dark. And they weren't too bad! Granted, the Perkins Loop is much more scenic and enjoyable by day, but I was expecting it to be a nightmare in the dark. And although I had company for the entire run, my concerns about what I might run into in the CVNP at night have been allayed. If it came down to it, I could push on down the trail by myself without hesitation.

Most of us met down near the finish line in a parking lot across the street from the Sheraton in Cuyahoga Falls. Thanks to Zack for offering me a lift to the start at Lock 29 in Peninsula. We had a large group, well over the 43 that were definitely attending, which made for an almost party-like atmosphere. There were a few people I knew, many faces I recognized, but mainly lots of new people to meet. We must have been some sight running down the street to 303 while everyone else was trying to either get to the Winking Lizard or returning home from a day at the Boston Mills Artfest.

On race day, there will be an aid station at the Pine Lane Trailhead, so that's were we ran to get onto the course. We take an old brick street to get there, paralleling 303, up and out of the Valley. Eventually it narrows down to a single wide path through the brush as nature reclaims another section of abandoned road in that area. A photo of the street is HERE from a previous run. Now, I've been through Pine Lane quite a few times, and I've never known there is another trail there. It's a section of the Valley Bridle Trail and it was awesome! Hilly, scenic ravines. It was great to run it with the sun still breaking through in spots. I will return there again for photos.

We followed the bridle trail until we hit an old section of Akron Peninsula Rd. Then it was some road miles until we joined up with the Bike and Hike Trial. While on the road section, I met a fellow named Mike. Our paces were very similar so we decided to stick together. From the Bike and Hike, we took a short path to join up with the Boston Run Trail, which we almost missed. Once on the Boston Run Trail, we had a decision to make: right or left. As that trail is a loop, it didn't really matter which direction we chose. We would eventually end up in the same spot. I suggested left because I had studied the map section earlier in the day and I thought we ran for a bit along 303, which would put us running clockwise.

The Happy Days aid station would be in the parking lot on race day. This night Dan B. was crewing us and had a roving aid station waiting for us. I was carrying much of what I needed on me, not wanting to have to depend on anyone else. All I would technically need was water, but I couldn't pass up a cookie or two. After Happy Days we looped around the east side of the Ledges, where the shadows were long and deep. Bats were already out and about in the darkness and I considered turning on my headlamp. We both waited on the additional light and enjoyed running in the restricted light that is sunset under a heavy tree canopy. There was one fork in the path where the Pine Grove Trail loop splits from the connector trail. Both Mike and I thought the loop was part of the course so we ran it. I'm not sure if everyone else ran it though. Once we were done and back on the main course we had a groups of runners "materialize" both in front and behind us.

Crossing Truxel Rd., we made our way around Kendall Lake and onto the Cross Country trail. I think it was along this section that we met up with the four other runners we would spend nearly the rest of the night with: Kyle, Mikaila, Suzanne, and Tim. A great group of runners! Every one's lights were on as we climbed the Sound of Music Hill on our way to Pine Hollow. Dan was there waiting for us with food, water, and Gatoraid. Good Gatoraid too! I'm usually leery of drinking sports drink that I don't mix myself, having had bad experiences doing so, but Dan did a good job mixing up something that was more than tolerable.

The Salt Run Trail loop was next on our journey. It's a hilly, rooty course by day, with long sections of steps going both up and down. By night, it really slowed us down. I could really understand how it defeated people so badly during BR as it falls around mile 70. We all made it through just fine. The Cleveland Orchestra concert (I think) at Blossom was just finishing and their fireworks going off as we wound our way through Salt Run. I'm curious if anything could be seen from up above because we could barely see the headlights of cars driving by on Akron Peninsula or Quick Rd the foliage was so thick.

After re-fueling again, we were off to find the Wetmore Trail to make our way to the Covered Bridge. I've gotten turned around on this section by day and was worried we might have problems in the dark, but Tim and Suzanne were up front leading us forward. It looked like the Lagnes Run trail was closed for re-building so that helped us have fewer decisions to make. I couldn't help but let my imagination do it's thing as we made our way back down into the Valley. My thoughts would range from what I would like to be eating, to how nice a margarita would taste, to "when will I see some coyotes", to "I wonder what would happen if a minotaur popped up in front of us". I was getting mildly delirious due to the late hour and that was just fine with me.

We reached the Covered Bridge and Dan was there, all set up. I've been around the Perkins Loop many times. It was the location of my first 50K just two years ago at Bills' Bad Ass. This would be my first time around in the dark. Surprisingly, I could recognize most of where we were, only getting disoriented in a couple spots. It definitely took longer to run at night, but we all made it through OK. Stubbed toes on tree roots being the worst injuries. When we returned to the Covered Bridge we learned the "sweeper" group had bypassed Perkins and was ahead of us. This was for the best as it allowed Dan to move on sooner and get set up for more runners. This also meant we were now the sweeper group. We would need to pick up anyone we might come upon and make sure no one got left behind. Safety first.

As we made our way down Oak Hill Rd at 2:30 in the morning, I would be on all new terrain, except for a couple sections of Towpath Trail. The road was deserted so we spread out. Mike even took his shoes off and ran barefoot, as he had done a little earlier on Akron Peninsula and Bolanz Roads. As the night wore on we took more walking breaks. Not everyone was feeling good either, so our progress slowed. The section of Buckeye Trail into O'neil Woods took it's toll. From that point we did a lot of walking. Stomachs were acting up and blisters forming. Things were really beginning to hurt.

Dan was again waiting with aid at Botzum. I had to use the restroom here. It just wasn't going to wait. I felt better but not everyone else did, so we still made slow progress. There was much humorous speculation as to why the City of Akron needed to build a barbed-wire-topped-ten-foot-tall-concrete-wall around their composting facility. Was it to keep people out or to keep something in?

As we kept moving south on the Towpath the birds began singing. 4 AM already? Sure was. And with that the sound of something moving toward us through the heavy vegetation to the side of the Towpath. My brain slowly tried to think of what it could be and decided upon a deer. I hoped it wouldn't hit one of us as runners seldom come out on the winning side of human VS. deer collisions. Fortunately or unfortunately, it was no animal. It was the sound of big ole fat rain drops beginning to fall. Just lovely. They let up but the lightning and thunder began. Something was brewing and I really began hoping we would be done before it hit. The only problem was I didn't know the remainder of the course or exactly how much further we had to go.

It was light out as we left Dan's aid station for the final time at Memorial Parkway. This is where we left the Towpath, following some streets to Cascade Valley Metropark. As the rain returned I was glad to be in the trees and on a trail. We followed the trail along the banks of a still small Cuyahoga River, making mostly correct course decisions. By this point our group had split with Mike, Tim, and Suzanne going ahead and Mikaila, Kyle, and I bringing up the rear. We missed only one turn, having to double back when the trail we were on ended.

Through slow but relentless progress we eventually made our way back to the parking lot across from the Sheraton. We had been out there for over 12 hours. Slow? Yes. But it was good training to just be on our feet for that long. We covered 43 miles by my Garmin. Data HERE. This will be the hardest part of the course due to it being the second half of the run. Hopefully I will be able to run that section at Burning River.

I did learn some things while out there. Like, I can't wear compression tights or calf sleeves for long runs. The lower elastic band rests right on my retinaculum, causing me swelling and pain. This is probably what caused my left leg problems earlier this year. My right leg was aggravated during this run. I combined bottles of my Gatoraid/Nuun mixture with a bottle of just Nuun and my hydration was not a problem. No dehydration. I ate three Clif Bars and could have used some more. I need to learn to eat before I get hungry. I ate most of the energy chews I brought with me. Not only were they beneficial nutritionally, but they gave me something to snack on. I like to think of them as "Energy Candy"! I think I've made the decision that I can't run long in the Brooks Cascadias. I wore less constricting socks, but my feet still got beat up. I think multiple shoe changes, including road shoes, will be a necessity on race day. And I still have an unanswered question: How the hell did I get ants in my gaiters? I couldn't feel it at all, but when I changed into clean socks and shoes for the drive home I saw ants and that they had decided to bite me all over my ankles. Stupid ants.

So, a fun time and a great run. I'm glad I went as I got to meet some new people. And most everyone there will be running the race, so I will get to see them again. HUGE thanks to Dan B. for crewing everyone all night long and for his concern that every runner be accounted for. I don't know how he fit all that gear into his Honda Fit! We're less than a month out now and I think that will be my last super long training run. Now it's time to heal up and taper down.

Burn-Out

2011-06-30T09:34:00.003-04:00

I was going to write about how change is the only constant and all that stuff as my training has fallen apart the last couple weeks, but the real culprit hit me last night: I am burnt out. No motivation. No drive. No desire to run or compete in anything. I fight with myself about what I should be doing and running doesn't fare well.

Now that I actually think about it, REALLY think about and analyze it, I think Ironman and all it's training caused this. I had high goals for this year and my winter training never happened. Spring fell flat. And now summer isn't materializing the way it should have. My fitness level is well below what it should be by this point. And the more I dwell on that fact, the worse my motivation gets.

It's time for some goal changes because of this. What I need is zero pressure and to just enjoy running again. So, because of that, I'm changing Burning River from an A race to a B. That means I'm not setting out to finish. I think finishing is going to be beyond me. I hope to just have a decent run through the woods for as long as possible. No goals. No expectations. I'm not going to continue tracking my weekly mileage here in specific posts, although I will continue to tally my mileage on the sidebar as I always have.

This change will help me adjust the remainder of my 2011 schedule. I was at one time hoping to try for a 3:05 in Columbus. That's not going to happen this year. If I can run a sub-3:30 again I will be happy. The Northcoast 24 Hour, however, is the race I think I will focus on. I think I can still approach the 100 mile mark during that one in September. I think I will look at some 5K's too. Just some short fast races. Maybe that will help to get me back on track for next year.

I knew the magic of the 2009 season wouldn't repeat, but I didn't expect to become so dis-enchanted with everything. Kudos to those who can do all these big events repeatedly and not lose their mental focus.

2011 Yankee Springs Double Trail Marathon

2011-06-06T12:51:00.014-04:00

The plan was for me to come into this trail double marathon with a 50 miler already under my belt. That plan wasn't to be. Yankee Springs would be my first test of this type of distance outside of a 24 hour format.

We left for Grand Rapids, MI on Friday afternoon after everyone arrived home and as soon as the car was packed. The drive up was relatively swift and incident free. Knowing we would be arriving late at the hotel, we planned to have a decent dinner on the road. As we are not strangers to Rt. 23 in Michigan, we thought we remembered seeing an Olive Garden around Ann Arbor. We were almost right. It was in Brighton. The parking lot was full (go figure) but we were seated immediately. Dinner was tasty and filling and we took a piece of tiramisu to go for later.

The drive was going just fine until we hit a stretch between Lansing and Grand Rapids. That's where we hit a 40 minute delay as 3 lanes of traffic merged into 1 and we exited and re-entered the highway as a bridge overpass was being constructed. We were sailing smooth again after that point. We found the hotel, the Hilton Grand Rapids Airport, easily enough and checked in. I began to suspect something was up when I had to sign a noise policy agreement. And there were an awful lot of high school age girls hanging around. It turns out there was some girls volleyball tournament going on and the hotel was booked. It also turns out the hotel was old and needed to be upgraded. Badly. The doors were steel but not insulated for sound. Every sound from the hallway and from the connecting room next door was transmitted. Heather and Bailey seemed to sleep OK that night, but I only managed about an hour. That's OK. I'm only going to try and run 52.4 miles in the morning. An hour of sleep will be just fine.

We arrived at the park early Saturday morning, giving us enough time to find where we needed to go, pick up my packet and bib, haul my gear in, and get the car parked in the appropriate area. First, it was DARK! I mean pitch black dark in the trees. Second, there were bugs. LOTS of bugs, mostly attracted to the headlamps of both the car and me. Third, were the mosquitoes. I didn't notice them right away, but I have 15 - 20 itchy bites to prove they found me.

The race was small and personal, much nicer than a big city marathon. We pulled up a picnic table and set up right at the start/finish area. Time passed quickly and I was nearly caught unprepared to start. My bottles still needed mixing. Heather helped get that solved for me with about 3 minutes to go while I listened to the pre-race instructions.

Nearly two dozen runners lined up for the 6:00 start of the double marathon. There would be many more starting an hour later running the half and full marathons. I didn't expect to see many of those runners. In fact, I was hoping to finish my first loop without being caught by any of those runners.

With a simple count down, we were off and on our way. Who knows what the day would bring. I was unfamiliar with the course and the shape it was in. How much elevation change would there be? How hot would it really get? The forecast high for the day kept creeping upward. Anything over marathon distance really puts a runner at the mercy of the elements. I would just need to stay aware and make adjustments as necessary.

The field spread out immediately. I never saw the fast folks again. I settled into a small group, which also slowly spread out. I didn't want to start too fast, but I felt good, so when I could get a pass in going up a hill, I did. That put me in front of a couple running together and behind a fellow in a blue shirt. As the sun wasn't really up yet, I had a hard time seeing the course markers, so being able to see the blue ahead of me reassured me I was staying on course. I made a quick stop at the first aid station for water and passed the fellow in the blue shirt. For the rest of the first loop, I was pretty much running solo. In the woods. In the quiet. Just how I like it.

I really enjoyed running along in the solitude of the early morning. The course was variable and scenic. The hills weren't bad at all. There were some walkers, that's for sure, but nothing too extreme. What I wasn't prepared for was the sand. I'm familiar with how sandy the land is in Michigan, but didn't expect it this far south and west. Running in it wasn't bad, it only slowed my pace a little in spots, but it was getting into my shoes despite my gaiters. As it would turn out, the sand was sifting in through the mesh on the tops of my Cascadias. It was then going through the thin tops of my Balega trail socks and getting stuck under my toes at the thick bottoms. That was new. I've never run in sand before to find out this problem.

I felt really good on that first loop and just ran. Not racing, but not running cautiously. When I came upon a section beckoning me to run fast, I ran fast. And there were some fast sections, especially on the mountain bike trails.

What I was really enjoying though, was running on DRY trails! The northeast Ohio trails have been so wet and muddy they ceased to be enjoyable to me. I don't know if I will do much on trail training until they dry out. But these Michigan trails were a dream to run on. Not too rocky, soft and without many roots. We ran through forest and grass. There were only a couple muddy sections, and they were mostly a soft dry, though thick, mud.

In fact, the wettest spot on the whole course was just before finishing each lap on a spur that was added to get the course mileage up. Two spots that needed to be leaped over to avoid wet shoes. And after running almost the entire way around with dry shoes, I wasn't going to let two little spots get me.

The bugs on the first loop weren't too bad, until the deer flies woke up, that is. They were horrible. I made a mental note to switch to my curtained hat when I reached the start/finish. I've had good results defeating deer flies with that hat.

Refilling my bottles was also on my mental to-do list. I had to stay on top of my hydration. My Gatorade Endurance + Nuun combo would be put to the test this day.

The only non-trail section of the course was along a dirt road. I was thinking "country dirt road" but it turned out to be "dirt access road" and eventually "jeep trail." That was fine with me. There were a couple climbs on this road, allowing me time to rehydrate, and this low spot that was flooded. There was a narrow trail on the right side we used to get by.

I was worried about being in the sun, but almost all the course was shaded, even the road section. That was a very good thing as the temperature just kept climbing all morning.

While I was out running my first loop, Heather managed to get some additional photos of the course. We had bought a canopy tent just for this race, but decided not to use it because were were under all these large shade trees.

The course was marked with these little orange flags at all the turns and along the trails. I thought the course was very well marked, but I heard that a few runners ahead of me managed to get off course. I guess it happens.

One of the few mud sections, this one shortly after the start.

Yes! Please! Thank you! Although I did see many shotgun shells along some sections of the trail.

I actually snuck up behind Heather as she was walking back to base camp. She had been out waiting for me and I must have took too long to return.

Potty break. I didn't see many other facilities out on the course.

Smiling here because I was feeling good after my first loop. Not too hungry yet, just thirsty.

I have to run how many loops? (Don't know what provoked this look)

Going out on loop #2.

A section of twisty turny boardwalk awaited us shortly after the start area.

Some of the sand. And roots.

With all the things on my mental to-do list, I neglected to switch hats. So I got my bandanna out and put it on under my hat to make a curtain. I got the coverage I wanted, but the flies actaully got worse. To the point that I was fighting off a small swarm of them for a few miles without a break. It occurred to me that my BLACK bandanna was contrasting with my WHITE hat and shirt and actually attracting them more. After removing the bandanna the flies became tolerable again. From that point I used the bandanna as a fly swatter of sorts, flapping my shoulders when necessary.

The wildlife of the area was mostly heard and not seen. I saw this little garder snake and got a photo for Shannon since she loves snakes so much. There were many flutterbyes (butterflies) and tons of ants. The occaisional lumbering bumble bee would make an appearance as well.

I thought I saw a pack of groundhogs running through the woods at one point, but that could have just been a halucination. This guy was just sitting in the middle of the dirt road as I was approaching. He took off with enthusiasm when he noticed me.

Bailey ventured out on the course a bit to explore to pass the time while I was away. He said the flies were annoying.

Here I come in after loop #2. I slowed down quite a bit as the heat was beginning to take a toll on me. I had a decision to make too. Do I drop down to the full marathon and finish? Or do I go out on loop #3 and see what happens. If I didn't switch races at this point and I couldn't finish, it would be a DNF. After getting some fluids and food, and being talked to by my crew, I went back out. I would walk more. LOTS more. I told them to give me up to around 4 hours to finish this looop.

I pressed on. I began to get very uncomfortable on this loop. Nothing was cramping but my legs were just exhausted. My feet hurt, from my toes through my arches. I don't know if that was a sock or shoe thing. I might have to have more shoe options for BR. I knew that when I finished this loop it would be my last. I was done. Even if I went out for #4, I don't think I would have finished within the time limit of 15 hours.

I was able to thank the aid station workers on my last time around. The potato at aid staion #2 tasted really good, though I put too much salt on it. A handful of animal cookies at aid station #3 helped get me through the final 3 miles or so. I was going from not hungry at all to starving and back again. I knew I was dehydrated. Just how bad was the question. My sweat rate had slowed down and when I would run a section my heart rate would jump too much.

So I just took my time coming in. The day was nice and I would just enjoy my time out in the woods.

I did try to pick up the pace as I got close to being done. I didn't want to look like too much of a slacker. I could at least finish running.

With only a few runners still out on the course at 10 hours + into the race the crowd had thinned considerably. I finished loop #3 and officially withdrew from the race. The day had beaten me and I felt like I had been beaten. I hurt.

Back at the hotel I peeled off my shoes, socks, and gaiters to see the damage. Just dirty toes and the usual sore spots on the bottoms of my feet. Not bad at all.

Note to self: Don't wear those Balega trail socks in sandy conditions.

After a nice shower and sitting in some air conditioning I felt much better. My worst injurie was some chaffing in spots. A little Aquaphor helped me get around the rest of the day. We went to dinner at the Grand Rapids Brewing Co which was down the street. We should have known something was up when the place was nearly empty. The beer and food was sub-par, the AC wasn't working right, and there were fruit flies everywhere.

If you ever go to Grand Rapids, don't eat here and don't stay at the Airport Hilton. Aside from those two disappointments, the rest of our trip was enjoyable. I would like to return to this race in the future, as I now have unfinished business with it. For an innaugural race, I thought it was very well run. It's the kind of low key small race that I prefer these days. Congrats and thanks to the race directors for putting on a great event. I hope it becomes an annual thing. And thanks to Heather and Bailey for crewing me and sitting in the woods all day for me. While their job probably wasn't as tiring, I'm sure it seemed to last longer than mine. Anyone intersted in viewing my Garmin data can do so HERE.

Memorial Day 50K - 2011

2011-06-02T20:35:00.003-04:00

Well, not quite on Memorial Day, but the day before. I wanted to get a long road run in and had an idea. I would park in Strongsville at Bonnie Park and run north through Berea to Rocky River along the All Purpose Trail. Basically out and back on the same path the Green Jewel is run on. How long I would run for would be determined by where I turned around at. The shortest I wanted to go before turning around was 10 miles. The furthest I thought I could go and make it back without major problems was 15 miles. I still felt pretty good when I hit the ten mile mark, so I just kept plugging away. By the time I hit mile 15, the clouds had gone away, the sun was out, the humidity was still there, and it was getting HOT. The trip back would be a long slow slog, as much a mental day as a physical one.

In the end, I made it back just fine. A little overheated and a little dehydrated, maybe, but otherwise just fine. It was nice to see all the groups and families out having cookouts along the way. Lots of walkers, runners, and cyclists were out and about on either on the path or the road too. I know I ran further than any other runner I saw that day, and I'm curious as to how many cyclists stopped short of 31 miles. Motivation!

Here are just a few photos from my trip. I really didn't take too many, and these are the best from the day.

The scenic overlook just north of Bagley Rd. Big difference from the raging rapids we had during the Green Jewel!

That spot at the Fairview Bridge where Aid Station #1 was located during the Green Jewel that was flooded... is still flooded.

The Rocky River was muddy and moving, but not too bad.

Some wild flowers along the way. These were in Rocky River.

A long hot run, but well worth it. I need to log some long hot runs and if I need to do them on the road because the trails are too muddy, so be it. Next up this weekend: The Yankee Springs Double Trail Marathon on Saturday. The weather forecast so far is for low 60's to low 80's and a chance of scattered thunderstorms. I'll take that forecast. I feel for the folks running Another Dam 50K near Dayton Saturday. They are supposed to top out in the mid 90's!

BR100 Training - Week 21

2011-05-31T21:40:00.002-04:00

Well, to make up for a lackluster week 20, I went and overdid things just a bit again. (I tend to do that a lot). I felt a couple things. First, I needed some miles. Second, I decided I would lay off the trails until they dry out some. There's only just so much sloshing through mud and standing water I can take. I enjoy it from time to time, but when the entire run is like that, it's not so much fun. Plus, I've been battling this poison ivy every since the Mother's Day run. My foot has just recently cleared up, the original reaction site, but it has since spread all over. Dan B. was just telling me yesterday that it can get into the bloodstream? Maybe that happened to me because I have little isolated itchy bumps located in spots that were just fine until recently.

This Tuesday marked the return to a true interval workout at the track. We had decent, though very warm and muggy, weather, and a good turnout. All folks serious about pushing it on the track. We did a ladder workout, up and back down: 200, 400, 600, 800, 1200, 1200, 800, 600, 400, and 200. The rain that was threatening, and that would have felt really good during those 1200's, finally began as we were finishing up. The second set of times weren't as fast as the first, but I gave it what I had.

Wednesday I was able to work the legs out again with Kevin. He had me add deadlifts instead of getting on the leg press machine. They were a little different and felt awkward. I have a hard time doing squats due to my back, but these didn't bother me.

Thursday I wanted to go to Hinckley, but incoming storms kept me inside. Instead, I hit the treadmill again for 5 miles. This time I added in an upper body strength training set every .25 mile. I was pretty exhausted by the time I finished.

The big run for me this week happened on Sunday. I couldn't run Saturday because we took a drive down to Dayton to visit the Air Force Museum. I've been there a few times before, but they've really done a lot of work! Perhaps I will post some pics from our visit. Anyway, I wanted to get a long, slow, long run in the week before my double marathon. Since I'm trying to avoid the trails, I decided to run on the All Purpose Trail in the Metroparks. Basically along a portion of the Green Jewel course. Starting in Strongsville at Bonnie Park, I ran north toward Rocky River. I wanted to make it at least 10 miles before turning back, but I went 15 since I felt so good. Unfortunately, by the time I turned around the clouds had cleared and the heat really cranked up. I was carrying enough supplies with me, but it was still very tough making it back. I was dehydrated and overheated when I returned to the parking lot with 30.4 miles. Of course I would make the decision to run a little bit extra so I could finish with an even 31 miles. A self-supported 50K in hot and sunny weather. That was a first, but I'm thinking it won't be the last!

As I mentioned, I'm running a double trail marathon this Saturday. It's in Michigan so hopefully it will be a little cooler there. I don't know what the course is like: how hilly it is, or muddy, or groomed. It's a 13 mile loop I get to run four times. Should be fun!

Monday - Off
Tuesday - 8.0 miles Speedwork
Wednesday - 1 hour leg strength training (PT)
Thursday - 5.0 miles treadmill with upper body sets
Friday - Off
Saturday - Off
Sunday - 31.0 mile road run

Weekly totals = 44.0 miles

BR100 Training - Week 20

2011-05-31T21:24:00.002-04:00

Another late one. As Linus said, "I'm doomed." I need Staples to make a "pause" button like their "easy" button. I could get so much done with one of those!

Week 20 was more or less a recovery week. I had a first! Monday, the day after the marathon, I ran 3 miles on the treadmill. I've never, ever run the day after a marathon before. It didn't hurt either. My legs felt fine when running. It was while walking or climbing or descending the stairs that I could really feel them. To make things interesting, I worked in a set of pull-ups and push-ups between every mile during the run.

Tuesday at the track was a near wash-out with more rain. Michelle and I ran a very easy 5 miles and traded Rite Aid stories while trying to dodge the raindrops.

Wednesday I worked the upper body again with Kevin at the gym. At first I was worried about bulking up above the waistline, but I don't think I have to worry about that happening. It's helping, but definitely not hurting.

Saturday was the Judgement Day run. It was really nice to get out on some mostly dry trails for a change. I over-did things just a tad, not eating enough and heading out onto the Salt Run Trail without any calories, and paid for it the rest of the weekend. Instead of getting a Sunday run in, I was toast.

Ten weeks out from Burning River and I'm fully aware I'm not putting in the mileage I should. I'm doing a lot, but I don't know if it's going to be enough. Worries are beginning to creep in.

Monday - 3.0 mile treadmill recovery run
Tuesday - 5.0 mile easy at the track
Wednesday - 1 hour strength training - Upper body (PT)
Thursday - Off
Friday - Off
Saturday - 16.27 mile trail run
Sunday - Toast

Weekly mileage = 24.27 miles

Judgement Day Trail Run - 5/21/11

2011-05-22T15:51:00.010-04:00

According to Mr. Harold Camping, our self-appointed modern day prophet, yesterday was supposed to be Judgement Day, when the true believers would rise to Heaven, leaving the rest of us to fend for ourselves until the end of the world. The fact that I'm writing this (and YOU are reading this) on May 22 tells you that either A) I wasn't (we weren't) one of the chosen few, or B) Harold Camping is full of shit. I will let you decide for yourselves. May 21, to me, was a beautiful day to go for a run. We haven't had too many days like this so far this spring. My destination this week: Pine Hollow and the trails of the Fools 50K.

I really enjoy running the trails around Kendall Lake: Ledges, Haskell Run, the Cross Country Trail, Pine Grove, Salt Run, Boston Run, and the Lake Trail. They all basically loop out from wherever you parked so you don't get too far from aid, are scenic, and decidedly not easy. AND... they're all part of the Burning River course! So I set out from Pine Hollow and went wherever my feet led me.

Climbing up the Sound of Music hill after leaving Pine Hollow.

The view from the top of the Sound of Music Hill.

Looking toward Kendall Lake.

Looking back toward the Pine Hollow parking area, where the aid station will be located for BR.

On the Lake Trail.

On the way to the Ledges.

The Scenic Lookout at the Ledges.

See, I was actually there!

Heading around the east side of the Ledges.

Yes, this is really in Ohio!

Although it was still quiet, hikers were arriving to enjoy the nice weather.

Taking the east side of the Haskell Run Trail, I noticed a headstone to the side of the trail for the first time. More about this in a bit.

From the Boston Run Trail.

The steep hill climbing out of Boston Run if you're running it counter-clockwise.

Looking back down that hill.

Pedestrian tunnel underneath Route 303.

So, I found that headstone on the way out, but I found the rest of the graveyard on the way back. How could I never notice this before? It's right next to the Happy Days Visitor Center! Of course I had to take a stroll through it.

A graveyard would be the last place I would want to be if the Rapture were about to happen, what, with the possibilities of zombies and everything. But since the dates on the headstones were so old, I wasn't too worried.

Along the Haskell Run Trail on the way back.

It says Dana, not Dan. I didn't scrawl it on there. But it's along the west side of the Ledges.

The Ledges rock! I definitely need to run there more often. Or better, bring the family with me!

Along the Lake Trail, heading toward the Cross Country Trail.

I made it back to Pine Hollow with two empty bottles. The temperature was rising and the humidity had me sweating profusely. I refilled before setting out for Salt Run. My mistake was not eating anything and only bringing water and Nuun with me. I bonked pretty bad going through Salt Run and really could have used some calories.

Salt Run is literally either up or down. At mile 70 something during Burning River this section is going to be a slow one for me. It's only three miles, but it's going to take a while to complete it. I usually see deer through here, but none yesterday. Lots of chipmunks squeaking at me though. And an unseen bird chirping a call I've never heard before. It's really hard to explain, but it had a reverberation to it, like a delay. It was impressive.

Finally climbing out from Salt Run to the parking lot at Pine Hollow. The hills certainly were alive with the sounds of bumble bees, birds, and a hawk soaring high overhead. Although I will probably run the sections again before race day, it won't be long until I'm running those same trails in the dark with only my headlamp giving me illumination.

May 21, 2011: A great day for a run!

2011 Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon

2011-05-22T11:18:00.003-04:00

I had all these mental notes about how I simply dislike (hate is too strong a word) the Cleveland Marathon. I said two years ago I would not run it anymore, and didn't last year. I was still stuck driving up there last year because the Mrs. went and promised to run with someone, as she did again this year. I signed up for this year's race thinking it would be a decent way to have a long run the week after a 50 miler. There would be aid, motivation, and a SAG wagon if needed.

I'm not going to lambaste the race or the organization as I had planned, but I am going to vent a bit. Yes, the course is less than desirable. No, there aren't nearly as many spectators on the course as at other big races. Yes, moving the expo to East B-F Euclid was a horrible and embarrassing decision on their part. No, they don't serve a decent sports drink on the course. Or gels. And no, I don't know when I will run Cleveland again or be involved with in any way. OK, rant over.

We had a large group running one of the three races Sunday morning, plus others running the 5K on Saturday. Most of us made it to the big wind turbine at the Science Center for the group photo, but like last year, some were stuck in traffic. Why is traffic such a problem here? It looks like rain in the photo, but it was just a heavy mist/fog. The flash reflected orbs of moisture to give an interesting effect.

Much as I decided on Saturday what my plan for the day would be, I also decided what my race day attire would consist of: Tropical! If Mother Nature wasn't going to provide sunshine and dry skies, I would radiate what I could. Actually, the cloud cover was a good thing, keeping temps from creeping too high. The humidity caused more sweating than mid to upper 50 degree temps would normally bring about, so I hydrated at every aid station. I should have ran with fluids on me, but opted instead for just a gel flask. The miles were warm with the wind at our back, and chilly running into it. With the wind out of the east, that meant we had a tailwind finish. That was nice!

Without going into too much detail, my plan was to run 8:00/miles and see how long I could last. That's a 3:30 pace, so I lined up with the 3:30 pace group. I lost them after the start for a couple miles, but found them again before we turned around on the west side. I was able to stick with them for the entire first half, even finding Debbie S. on the other side of the pack from where I was running. Around mile 13 or 14 I began to pull away a little. My mile splits were dipping under 8:00 and things still felt good so I kept going.

I pushed as best I could pretty much all the way down MLK Blvd. Hitting the lake though, is when my body began pushing back at me. Nothing too severe. I just began getting really tired. And running an 8:15 pace took as much effort as running a 7:35 had done just a few miles before. I took the last of my gel and gulped water, fearing dehydration setting in. At the remaining aid stations I would take the Poweraid, needing calories and sodium. The little games in my head evolved from nailing my mile splits to seeing how long I could hold off the pace group from catching me. The answer to that would be mile 26! They caught me with just .2 to go. I finished with the pacer carrying the sign, about as close to 3:30 as you could get without going over: 3:29:47.

You know, it's fun finishing a marathon when there are still half marathon walkers finishing! Even with all the things I listed to gripe about, I enjoyed myself at this run. I didn't know what to expect or how I would hold up. I haven't been training to run a hard marathon. This was a pleasant surprise and tells me that I have maybe been underestimating my fitness. That's a good thing! I don't want to head in to these next two long races with an inflated view of what I can do. I would much prefer to toe the line and surprise myself.

So, Cleveland was a success for me this year. It was my best marathon since Boston last year. I may, or may not, return. I had every intention of divorcing myself from this race, but I'm going to settle for a temporary separation. There are so many great marathons in Ohio. I think I will stick to running them and not worry about this one for a while.

For what it's worth, I think Cleveland is capable of hosting a world class event. Just not where it is currently being produced. Let's look at starting it out in the suburbs somewhere and run into downtown. A point-to-point course like Boston. A net downhill! Our suburbs are beautiful, would be pleasurable to run through, and give out-of-towners something more to look forward to than blighted inner city neighborhoods and industrial sections of town.

BR100 Training - Week 19

2011-05-22T08:39:00.003-04:00

A little late, I know, but better late than never. I know I don't have many followers so there aren't too many folks sitting on the edges of their seats awaiting my next post. My blogging is more record keeping for when I'm no longer spry enough to go out and do it any more. Hopefully this here Internet will still be around then or I'm going to be screwed!

Week 19 is a good example of how having a plan doesn't really mean much. With me missing the 50 miler the previous week, I was questioning what I wanted to do at Rite Aid. The original plan was to run it tired, simulating an ultra. More of a mental training day. A learning day. But coming off a lower mileage weekend I began contemplating racing it. Racing it at least to the constraints of my fitness level. But all week, I couldn't make up my mind what to do. It wasn't until Saturday afternoon that I decided: I would run it hard. 8:00/mile pace. That would be hard for me as I haven't been doing much fast roadwork or speedwork at the track. The week ended up being a taper week. I manage to cut running way down when approaching a race. Turns out that's a good thing for me.

Monday - Recovery
Tuesday - 6.0 miles at the track
Wednesday - Upper body strength training (PT)
Thursday - Rest/off
Friday - Rest/off
Saturday - Rest/off
Sunday - Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon - 3:29:47

Weekly Mileage = 30.2 miles

A Muddy Mother's Day in the CVNP

2011-05-18T11:45:00.000-04:00

This post is over a week late and I have one to write about the Rite Aid Marathon yet, but I wanted to get this published first. The week leading up to Mother's Day this year were trying and I really needed to get out for a run. Fortunately Sunday was supposed to be warm, dry, and actually spring-like! I had to hit the trails!

My choice was the Buckeye Trail parking at the Boston Store. South first, toward Pine Lane, and Peninsula. Back for any necessary refills, then off on the Brandywine Falls loop and back. One last stretch for a couple miles heading north, turning around at the Blue Hen Falls. The sun was out (for the most part), the day was warm and dry, and the trails were mud. The photos don't tell the entire story, for I took most of them on solid ground. Approximately 65% of the run was through either mud, soft mud, or standing water mud. It was a mess!

Despite the cool wet Spring, life is returning to the woods.

Along the Buckeye Trail.

Heading into Pine Lane.

I love running through Pine Lane.

A very green section.

The old brick road.

The Climb!

This is what most of the trail looked like. Seriously.

Pine Lane on the way back.

Sliding!

There were some tiny little flowers of varying colors here and there.

Dandelion.

Brandywine Falls was impressive! The next day, however, someone died here trying to walk across the top of the falls. They put the warning signs here for a reason, folks.

The bridge across the Brandywine Creek.

The Brandywine Creek.

The Piano Key Steps: Going down...

...and looking back up.

On the bridge above Blue Hen Falls. There were too many folks climbing around the falls to get any decent photos.

From the field by the Summit County Engineers complex on the way back down to the Boston Store.

Done. Lots of mud. Shoes and socks were trashed. And a bonus... I developed an itch on the top of my foot up by my little toe. Then I noticed all these little bumps. A rash? Something bit me? It feels so much like poison ivy. I don't know if it grows this early or if someone can catch it through mud, but I got into something on this run and it has been driving me crazy! Other than that, I really enjoyed my dirty muddy little 18 mile run!

And the Winner Was...

2011-05-17T11:15:00.003-04:00

... Option Number 1!

I decided to just run and see what would happen. Based upon how I've felt at the track, I thought I could maintain an 8:00/mile pace. At least for the first half. I would start with the 3:30 pace group and hang on as long as I could.

Well, I managed to hang on. More than hang on. At one point I pulled out a couple minutes in front of the pace group. But, running out of gas with just a few miles to go, they caught me in the last .2 miles. My finish time? 3:29:47. Right where I was hoping to be.

More details to come.

Rite Aid Decisions...

2011-05-12T09:10:00.000-04:00

Well, the Rite Aid Marathon is this weekend. And once again, after having decided to have nothing to do with it, I will be running it. Though this race is close to home, I've not been happy with it for a long time. The whole experience is hassle filled: from packet pick-up (which is even worse this year), to a very crowded race morning, to routing us through some really crappy parts of the city. Those of us who live on the south or west sides of town are really getting hosed this year as they've moved packet pick-up and the now obligatory-big-marathon-expo out to Euclid in a former Super K-Mart. Why do I keep signing up for this one? I have no (good) answer.

What I do have however, are some decisions to make as to what I will run this weekend. Here are my options:

1. Taper down the rest of the week and run the marathon as hard as I am able to, just to see where my fitness level is.

2. Run to the start of the marathon from Medina, an extra 26 miles, giving me a double road marathon for the day with the second marathon being fully supported.

3. Run on Saturday, up to marathon distance, so that I come into Sunday tired.

4. Run hard but smart during the race, then run long on Monday, giving me the chance to run tired.

The whole reason for my interest in running much more than 26.2 miles this weekend is to help simulate what I will be feeling during Burning River. If I'm not going to race Rite Aid, and I know I'm not in a position to try for a PR, then I might as well use it as a fully supported training run, which was probably my intention when I registered to run in the first place.

Cinco de Mayo 2011

2011-05-11T10:01:00.003-04:00

Originally, I wasn't planning to run Thursday, preferring to rest instead for my 50 miler two days later. Once I learned I wouldn't make my race however, I decided to head up to Hinckley for the Thursday night trail group. A Cinco de Mayo run! Esta un trio de fiesta runners: Roy, Shannon, and myself. (Don't mind my mangled Espanol. It's been a while.) The weather was gorgeous! Possibly the nicest Thursday night to run so far this year. I shot a few photos during our nearly 13 mile run.

The greening is well underway. And with all the rain we've been getting, it's about time!

Roy and Shannon

Me and my shadow.

The water crossings weren't bad this week. The feet stayed dry until we reached the big field between Parker and the Ledges.

Up on the Ledges.

Sunset across Hinckley Lake.

Hinckley Dam Spillway

A wonderful night to be out on the trails. We saw some horses, deer, and even quite a few blue herons. I suppose that since I'm thinking about running Rite Aid tired that I'll be back out on the trails tomorrow night. Hope the weather is just as nice!

BR100 Training - Week 18

2011-05-11T08:21:00.003-04:00

You know, from time to time, life happens. And when it does, I've learned it's best to just roll with it. We may make plans to run certain races up to a year in advance, but when a major life event happens, that doesn't matter much. I had to cancel my plans to run the 50's For Yo Mama 50 Mile Trail Run, one of my two major training runs for Burning River, on Saturday so I could instead attend my grandmother's funeral, who passed away peacefully earlier in the week. There are always other races. Other runs. We only get a finite number of family members.

I went for a long muddy trail run on Sunday to get some miles, and felt really good. I think I'm ready for 50. Although I got tired eventually, slogging through shoe-sucking mud and puddles and carrying all that extra weight on each leg would eventually take it's toll, it was nothing a Power Bar Gel wouldn't have solved. My run took me out and back along the Buckeye Trail as well as around the Brandywine Falls trail loop. Look for photos coming in another post.

Mileage for the week was down slightly, as I began the week planning a mild taper, only changing plans once I learned what day the funeral would be on. The Rite Aid Marathon is this weekend and I'm mulling some ideas over in my head which would allow me to run double that distance this weekend. I have four more weeks until the Yankee Springs Double Trail Marathon but I don't want to wait that long to run that far. I have some thinking to do on this weekend.

Monday - Rest/Recovery
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - Strength Training (PT)
Thursday - Legs and Core AM / 12.65 mile trail run PM
Friday - Off
Saturday - Off
Sunday - 18.2 mile muddy trail run

Weekly mileage = 30.85 miles

20.5 on the Towpath

2011-05-03T12:58:00.011-04:00

While running on the Towpath Saturday, I envisioned the photographs I was capturing as black and white images rather than color. Little did I know how these simple austere images would fit my mood as I publish them today, the day I learned of the passing of my grandmother. I don't get too personal on here, and I'm not going to start now, but I regret not acting on one of our many thoughts: "You know, we should probably go visit her." I know she has been battling illness lately and I hope she is at peace.

There isn't much story to accompany the photos. I simply felt like running long on the Towpath and these are some of the things I saw. There's actually quite a bit to see down there before the jungle begins to fill in the gaps and everything turns green. There was green here and there, but mostly browns. And browns just don't make very interesting images.

I was actually very pleased with how they turned out. Some of them are keepers! All images were shot between the parking area south of W. Bath Rd to about 1 mile north of the Boston Store.

BR100 Training - Week 17

2011-05-01T20:08:00.004-04:00

Wow. Week 17 means there are only 13 more weeks till race day. That's really not much time. I mean, how much time does it take for someone to be prepared to run 100 miles? I don't know if there is an answer to that, but 13 weeks sure isn't enough. Now is the time for me to be putting in the miles. And that's what I'm trying to do.

This was my biggest week in a long time. After taking Monday as a "lazy" day (I really didn't want to go out in the rain that evening), I hit the track on Tuesday in very nice conditions for some decent 200, 400, and 800 meter repeats. An extended cool-down found Bob P. and me ratcheting up the intensity level well beyond your typical "cool-down."

Strength training went well on Wednesday with me working my legs again. I don't remember what the numbers were, but I know I was working to get in my reps.

Thursday was a soaker of a run in Hinckley. I was slammed at work, stressing and worrying all day, leaving late, that I needed to either run or do some shots. Run it was! It was just the de-stresser I needed.

Saturday was going to be the "nice" weekend day so I went long on the Towpath. Normally I don't exactly enjoy running on it. It's just so flat and crowded. I grabbed my camera and just went out to log some miles.

And today, Sunday, I went back to Hinckley to run the Lake Trail loop a few times. I thought a decent 10 mile run the day after doing 20 would be a low impact way to really tire myself out the weekend before my 50 miler. And judging by the fact that I took a two hour nap after I got back home, I think that was a correct idea!

Monday - Lazy day off
Tuesday - 10.3 miles, track and cool-down
Wednesday - Leg strength (PT)
Thursday - 9.3 miles, trails
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 20.5 miles, Towpath
Sunday - 10.0 miles, trail

Weekly total = 50.1 miles

Two Snake Run

2011-05-01T19:35:00.005-04:00

Two Snake Run, AKA my 20 miler from 4/23/11, wasn't anything special. This happened to be Holy Saturday and I needed a long run for the weekend. Easter would be out as we usually travel to Columbus, so Saturday was my day. Everything is so wet around here that I was beginning to tire of running muddy trails. I thought 20 miles on pavement would be a nice change of pace. So with that in mind, I headed to Buckeye Woods Park to begin my run.

My course was simple: South along the Chippewa Inlet Trail to Chippewa Road, head east to pick up the Chippewa Rail Trail, up and down that a couple times and back to Buckeye Woods. I returned to my car with 15 miles done and wanting to stop. I was tired and both hot and cold. The day was extremely windy and would be chilly running into the wind, but very warm running with it at my back. I took a gel and set out on the big field loop in the park. After 3 laps I calculated I had run far enough to hit 20 at or near my car, and I made my way back.

The reasoning for this run was that I have been training for my trail runs without doing any hard pavement training for Rite Aid, which is now only two weeks away. The following photos chronicle the terrain, conditions, and my journey around central Medina County.

Frequent visitors should recognize the abandoned piece of machinery along the Inlet Trail.

The Inlet Canal went from really moving up by Rt. 162 to just really high as I got closer to Chippewa Road.

There was much debris on the trail. As it had rained heavily overnight I could only imagine that the entire trail was under water at some point before I got there.

Some sections were still under water. So much for dry shoes!

The sun was trying to come out, but having limited success. It wouldn't be for another five miles or so that the clouds would clear completely and things would begin to warm considerably.

The water was draining from left to right and looks to be a little farther than it actually was. However, there was no getting through there without getting wet.

Looking down from the Chippewa Rail Trail. Lots of runoff.

Snake #1 of the "Two Snakes". I found this garter snake along the Rail Trail as I was making my north for the second time.

"Snake eye view" of the not-so-little guy. He was about 12"long.

Back on the Inlet Trail heading back to Buckeye Woods.

Still wet, but a little less gloomy with the sun out.

I wish I would have had my camera out when this Great Blue Heron came swooping in directly overhead to land in the marsh. These birds are much bigger than you can sense from the photo. It sounded like a glider of sorts sailing past.

Snake #2. I almost missed this tiny little guy on the field loop. He was only about 6" long and blended in perfectly with the fallen branches and twigs the wind had taken down.

So, I had a good sub-3 hour 20 miler in windy conditions. I won't be going for a fast time at Rite Aid, but it was nice to run something a little different. Yesterday I hit the Towpath for another 20 miles, also with my camera. Look for that post sometime this week.

BR100 Training - Week 16

2011-04-27T08:26:00.002-04:00

Water. Water everywhere. That has been the theme for April and Week 16 lived up to that moniker. I've been hesitant to get back out on the pavement since coming back from my injury, fearing the pavment may have helped to cause it in the first place, but I returned to the hard stuff this week in the hopes that a good pounding would help with strength and conditioning. Not to mention I have the Rite Aid Marathon coming up in two weeks and need some road miles.

Having taken Sunday off due to the high winds (I really didn't want to go run in that), I ran roads Monday after work. I was pushing, but not going very fast. I just don't have any speed right now.

Tuesday was nearly a complete washout at the track. A sizable thunderstorm came through canceling the track meet and literally flooding one end of the track. I waited for the lightning to pass the the rain to lighten somewhat and headed out for some wet miles in my raincoat. Eventually Dan H. joined me and the rain stopped, giving us quite a nice evening to run.

Wednesday strength training continued this week, moving to the legs where I need it most. It was a good workout that left me mildly sore. That soreness would grow considerably both during and after our Thursday night Hinckley trail run. But that's a very good hurt! We had a long run and finished in near dark. It was almost time to turn the headlamps on.

Saturday I stayed close to home, running the Chippewa Inlet and Rail Trails as well as around Buckeye Woods. I'll write more about this "2 Snake Run" in a separate post. Sunday, being Easter, was an off day. But after another decent week, I needed it.

Monday - 6 mile run, road
Tuesday - Elliptical and core work AM / 6 mile run at the track
Wednesday - Strength Training (PT) Legs
Thursday - 12.77 mile trail run
Friday - Off
Saturday - 20 mile run, road (some trail)
Sunday - Happy Easter!

Weekly totals = 44.77 miles

BR100 Training - Week 15

2011-04-20T20:30:00.002-04:00

Half way. Half way there and finally feeling GOOD! There was running and more this week. My long run has reappeared as well as some mid-week runs including speedwork. And in addition to the miles I began a weekly meeting with a personal trainer for some strength training. Stuff I have the ability to do at home (in the basement) but never will. Getting out in a real gym with someone telling me what to do next makes the difference.

I'm relieved to be running pain free and to be able to get my mileage back up somewhere near where it needs to be. In response to a question I recieved regarding weekday mileage VS long weekend runs: my mileage is low on both counts. The plan I was hoping to follow calls for more mileage during the week than I'm doing, with runs T,W,T. Monday and Friday are rest days. I'm good at running one long day each weekend but the plan calls for long runs both days. My problems are time, motivation, and rest. I don't have enough time to do everything I need to do as it is, let alone running one more day during the week and both days on the weekend. I also suffer from lack of motivation from time to time that I can't shake. I'm hoping to have kicked that now that I'm healthy again. The rest is self-explanatory. There was a time when I couldn't run back-to-back days. I can, and do, now, but with mileage creeping higher I worry about over-training. There is an old addage: It's better to be under-trained than over-trained. Honestly though, if I was able to run more I would.

It was nice to be back on the track this week for some speedwork. There were quite a few people either recovering from a race or preparing for a race, so we took it easy with 3 miles worth of 100 meter striders. Wednesday I had a great upper body strength workout. Thursday was a nice run around the Hinckley trails. But the big day of the week belonged to Saturday, when I joined a few others for 27 miles on the Burning River course. We ran north from Station Road along the course to near Shadow Lake, where we turned around. This was all in the wind and rain that dogged us that day. The water crossings were all deeper on the way back. So much so that I didn't recognize them. Patches of blue sky and sunlight were few and far between but it was an enjoyable run.

So far Week 16 is plugging right along and I am pleased. We'll see how Easter affects my mileage this weekend.

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 6.12 mile run - Track
Wedesnday - Strength Training (PT)
Thursday - 11.22 mile trail run
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 27 mile trail run
Sunday - Strength Training

Weekly mileage = 44.34 miles

BR100 Training - Week 14

2011-04-12T06:55:00.002-04:00

With more miles during Week 13 than I've had in a long time, and no pain, it's time to start ramping up my long runs and weekly mileage again. Not only am I counting down to the 100 miles of Burning River, but I have a 50 mile training race in about a month and a double trail marathon to run in early June. Gots to get my runnin' on!

Monday - 15 minutes Elliptical + 10 minutes ab work
Tuesday - 5 mile run
Wednesday - off
Thursday - 12 mile trail run
Friday - off
Saturday - Really busy
Sunday - 20 mile trail run

Weekly mileage = 37.0 miles

Pine Hollow to the Perkins Loop and Back

2011-04-11T10:37:00.007-04:00

With 80 degree temperatures predicted for Sunday, I couldn't help but plan a long trail run. The question was: Where do I want to run? Hinckley would be close, but I wanted to get back down into The Valley. There was one problem going into Friday, however: The government had yet to agree on a budget for 2011 and there was the possibility of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park being closed. I was among the vast majority of trail runners who were going to run there regardless, so in the end it was just a matter of where I would be parking. In the end, the knuckleheads in Washington came to an agreement, so I could legally run my (not their, MY) trails this weekend. My run began well enough, with me leaving the Pine Hollow parking area for the Wetmore Trail. This section of trail I've only run during the Run With Scissors races. This would be my first trip down them without trail markings or other runners to follow. As a result, I took a wrong turn and got a little lost. I was on unfamiliar trail for a while, but it was the large water crossing above and below that made me turn around and try another route. After a short backtrack I found a fork in the trail which led me to the Wetmore trail head. I studied the map provided and decided my course. The course I chose was also unfamiliar, but it was taking me where I wanted to go: down to Akron-Peninsula Road. From there I could at least find the trail crossing and get back on track. This section of trail was wet. Really wet. And muddy. Upon coming around a bend, I found the little guy below. At first I thought it was just a garter snake, but it went into a coiled defensive posture. After some research online and talking with a co-worker, we're guessing it's a DeKay's snake (city snake). About the size of a garter snake but more aggressive. I shot my photo and went on my way. I eventually made my way to the trail crossing Akron-Peninsula Road and was back on track. I saw where I should have come out and made a mental note to head back the other way. For this section I was running on the Valley Bridle Trail. Super wet and super muddy! In the photo below you can see the puddles, but you can't see that all that grass is sticking up through either deep mud or water. No dry shoes were getting through this section, not that mine were anywhere near dry. Plus the thorny branches alongside the trail kept you from skirting too far to the sides. Past the chicken farm, through some muddy farm fields, and across the Cuyahoga, on and right back off the Towpath, across Riverview Road, I crossed the CVNP Scenic Railroad tracks. The train had passed while I was still about a mile away so I couldn't get any photos of it coming or going. On to the Everett Road Covered Bridge and the Perkins Loop I went, finally coming upon some other folks out on the trails. No runners, just some hikers. I guess the other runners were out earlier in the day. Perkins Loop was tough, as usual, and I began having some problems with my Peregrine trail shoes. I must have accumulated a layer of mud between my sock liner and the in-sole because on the steep descents the sock liners would slide forward and bunch up painfully under my toes. Twice I needed to stop and fix the problem. I'm now second guessing purchasing another pair of those shoes.

I was finally hungry by the time I crossed back over the covered bridge and quickly ate a Clif Bar. I was also through one of my two bottles. It was a little warmer than I expected. That's OK I told myself. I'll just refill one at the restroom at the Hunt Farm Visitor Center. The water was on, but only the hot water. Yuck! But wet is wet and I needed some extra fluids.

The mighty Cuyahoga River, above, and some signs of spring (finally), below.

Upon crossing Akron-Peninsula Road on my way back, I chose the other route and immediately recognized the way from those Run With Scissors races, so on I went with at least no worries about getting lost. I was becoming exhausted and was worried about running out of fluids though.

The wind was really beginning to whip up and the sounds it made passing through the stands of pines was impressive.

Below is a sign I haven't noticed posted before. I'm glad I'm a trail runner and not a trail hiker.

I have no need to try and make a dry crossing!

I reached Pine Hollow and immediately mixed another bottle of Gatorade. With just over two more miles to go to hit 20 I was going to need it! I was prepared to run the Salt Run Trail if I needed three or more miles but was relieved to see I didn't need to head down that section. It's tough and I knew I would be walking most of it. Instead I climbed the Sound of Music Hill and did the two mile loop around Kendall Lake. The photo below is from the short section of Salt Run on the way back. A nice finish to a tough run.

The above photo doesn't do justice to how muddy I was when finished. It was pretty bad and I didn't even want to touch those shoes! Glad I brought two towels! Anyway, yesterday was THE day I've been waiting for all winter. It was sunny and warm, the trails weren't crowded or noisy, and I ran PAIN FREE! A great day all around.

BR100 Training - Week 13

2011-04-10T08:10:00.003-04:00

Well, that last post worked out somehow. I switched to Edit Html mode from Compose and it seemed to keep my spacing. Guess I'll continue that way.

I had high hopes for running during our week at Disney. We were staying at the WDW Swan Resort which is in the Epcot resort area directly behind the park. With walkways to both Epcot and the Disney Studios, there are plenty of places to run. Alas, I only took advantage of our location twice during our stay. With early park openings requiring me to get up even earlier and late nights to recover from, it's definitely not a training location. We did walk a lot though!

Monday - Walk @ 5 miles
Tuesday - 4.1 mile run / @ 6 miles walking (in the rain)
Wednesday - Walk @ 6 miles
Thursday - Walk @ 5 miles (in the rain)
Friday - Walk @ 3 miles / pack and travel
Saturday - Travel
Sunday - 9.2 mile train run (in the mud)

Weekly mileage = 38.3 miles!

BR100 Training - Week 12

2011-04-10T08:04:00.003-04:00

This is getting annoying now. This will be my fifth attempt to recap week 12 and Blogger is screwing up my formatting. It's running everything together as one paragraph, deleting my returns and spaces.

Monday - Dr. Joe
Tuesday - zero
Wednesday - zip
Thursday - Dr. Joe
Friday - Pack and travel
Saturday - Travel
Sunday - 3.44 mile run / @ 4 miles walking at Disney

Weekly mileage = 7.44 miles

Updates ARE Coming!

2011-04-08T09:06:00.002-04:00

No, really they are! With vacation last week I didn't have computer access and surprisingly enjoyed that fact. I am trying to get caught up but I'm having some formatting issues with Blogger from this daytime computer so I will do it this weekend. One hint of things to come: mileage is back up!

BR100 Training - Week 11

2011-03-24T10:41:00.002-04:00

I felt like I was starting over this week. And, in a sense, maybe I was. I had reached the end of my rope. Completely flustered with the lack of recovery in my shin, I went to see the expert, Dr. Joe. My running up until that point was dwindling to nothing. Walking hurt. I had to try something different. And so far, it seems to be doing the trick! Whatever was going on in my leg required some serious work and that is what it is getting.

Hand in hand with the injury is a lack of motivation. I've made my way into the vicious cycle of skimping on my training. It began in Week 10 when I was sick, developed last week, has continued this week, and won't change next week. April holds my chance to leap from this revolving door and get back on track. Hopefully after a little spring break vacation I'll be able to make that leap firing on both mental and physical cylinders.

Monday - 1.0 mile walk
Tuesday - off
Wednesday - 2.0 mile walk
Thursday - Shoulders and Arms / Dr. Joe
Friday - off
Saturday - 3.0 miles, track
Sunday - 10.13 miles, trails

Weekly totals = 16.13 miles

2011 Buzzard Day 50K FA

2011-03-20T19:22:00.004-04:00

When Roy and Shannon announced the Buzzard Day 50K I was excited to run, thinking I had a good chance to PR the distance on the course. However as the day crept closer and my bum leg began taking a toll on me, my training, and my fitness, I knew going the distance, let alone achieving a new PR, was pretty much out of the question. So I arrived ready to run an easy loop, maybe two, and call it a day.

The morning was crisp compared to the last few we've had, and winter wear was in order. Bummer. As the official Buzzard Day festivities were taking place in the park today, I decided to park away from both the race area and the Buzzard Roost and run to the start, about a mile and a quarter. Puddles along the trail were frozen and the mud was yet to become mud as I made my way to the Exchange Cabin where the run was based out of. It was still quiet with only the chirping birds and scattered woodpeckers creating a soundtrack for my frosty run.

The sun was just beginning to show itself above the horizon, casting a faint glow upon the clouds. It would be a very nice morning to run. After signing in and mingling for a few minutes, we were off. I wasn't worried about hanging on to one of the three formal pace groups as I am intimately familiar with the course, having run it many times including by headlamp only.

The park had yet to welcome the bulk of it's visitors for the day, but there were already plenty of people out and about. The wildlife was definitely present and accounted for. At least the birds, as I didn't spot anything that wasn't sporting feathers today. A very fitting sight for the day celebrating the return of the buzzards was, in fact, a large wake of those very birds circling above the Hinckley Lake Spillway.

The trip around the lake, up the ledges, down Parker, and back along the bridle trail went well and was uneventful. My shin began bugging me after a few miles and my calves were still sore from yesterday's run in the Newtons, but I got along just fine. Running on the soft surface of the trails was a huge relief from all the road running I've been doing so far this year and I was just glad to be back on them. I called it a day as we finished our first loop. Dan, who had already run for about 3 hours before the start, was done also. I'm not sure if Becky continued for another loop, but as she's about to begin tapering for Boston, she really didn't need to go around again. Suzanne, who has been running incredibly strong this year, did continue on for another couple loops.

I wish I could have continued. Could have done the entire distance today, but I have realized when it's time to call it a day. I had my mile run back to the car, where I changed into some warmer clothes. I intended to head out onto the course to photograph the remaining runners as they would come by, but I wimped out. The cold got to me and I ended up going home early. I managed to get a couple shots from the top of the Whipps Ledges but that's about it.

Thanks to Roy and Shannon for organizing this event! I hope we get to try it again next year and that I'm in shape enough to really give it a go. Running through Hinckley is a real treat and to have a race there is even better. I'm having thoughts now about running loops there on my own as some BR training. Maybe a self-supported solo 50K? We'll see.

A Saturday Trip to the Track

2011-03-20T16:54:00.002-04:00

So, after taking Friday off and missing the great weather we had in the hopes of healing some more, I couldn't let Saturday pass me by. I went up to the track in the afternoon to A) See how the leg felt and B) Try out the Newtons. I decided to wear calf compression for both support and so I could wear shorts. I don't know if that was the best idea.

I did three miles. Beginning with a one mile warm-up I then proceeded to run a mini interval session: 1600m - 6:41 and 800m - 3:20 with a quarter mile recovery and a short cool-down after. My shin felt fine throughout the session. No pain. However, I did develop some minor swelling just under the elastic band of the calf sleeve. I'll have to mention that to Dr. Joe tomorrow during my follow-up appointment. This thing is really puzzling. I just can't figure out what's going on there and it's driving me a little batty!

As for the Newtons, I liked them. They're pricey but hopefully I can coax a ton of miles out of them. If the only place I wear them is at the track, I should be able to run in them for some time to come. I'm going to have to get used to the different running position though. I've never been much of a ball-of-foot runner and these force me to be. My calves were a little sore by the time I was finished.

A Visit to Dr. Joe

2011-03-19T08:21:00.004-04:00

For the first time in 14 seasons of running over the course of 23 years, I admitted defeat in treating myself for an injury and sought the help of a professional. And I'm glad I did too! Thursday afternoon I paid a visit to Dr. Joe Herbert at Wadsworth Chiropractic, co-founder of the Medina County Road Runners. I just couldn't manage to shake the pain radiating from the area of the Superior Extensor Retinaculum of my left leg. He treated that area, along with the muscles and tendons extending up the shin, and also found some tenderness on the inside of the shins of both legs that I wasn't aware I had. Shin splints. I guess when you run long enough with a minor pain you take it for normal and dismiss it.

Now, any runners reading this who have had a case of shin splints know what they feel like. They hurt. Compression feels good, but pressing and poking can be torturous. Dr. Joe practices A.R.T. or Active Release Technique. It's ALL about pressing and poking! From what I understand, the extreme pressure helps to realign the fibers of the injured area promoting healing. From my experience, I know it HURT LIKE HELL! Working the injury I originally went in for was hard and hurt, but when he began working the inside of my shins I thought I was going to start screaming like a little girl. I kid you not. Sweat was beginning to soak my clothes by the time we were done. And I was just sitting there!

After the hard part was done, he hooked me up to an electric-shock-muscle-stimulator-gizmo-with-electrodes-wires-buttons-and-beeps. That thing really got thumping! I'm sitting there watching my toes contract like they had a mind of their own. After turning it down a notch I received 15 minutes of treatment. It wasn't exactly painful, but rather uncomfortable. I needed to constantly check that nothing was laying across my leg as the tips of my toes would repeatedly get that blood-cut-off tingle in them during each cycle.

For all the discomfort I went through on Thursday, I've been enjoying comfort since. I haven't gone for a run yet, but the pain I would get from just walking hasn't returned. Yet. (Knocks on head with knuckles.) Hopefully this was what I needed to get me back in the game. I was beginning to worry about what was going to happen with my schedule this year if I didn't get back on track soon. Scrapping the whole thing wasn't out of the question. So, here's to logging some pain-free miles this weekend. Thanks, Dr. Joe!

A New Arrival

2011-03-17T17:52:00.005-04:00

Not THAT kind of arrival! Sheesh! A new BLOGGING arrival! I've created a new blog called Through-The-Lens which will be my photography specific blog. I thought the 2011-365 project was beginning to clutter up Theoretical Endurance. Now I will be able to focus on training and racing, or more likely this year, INJURY, here and go all artsy-fartsy picture posting on the other site. Regular visitors will see that I've already transferred my photo-a-day project over to the new site. Boy, did that take a while!

So, look for me to stay more on topic now. I hope you all enjoy both blogs, will visit them often and tell all your friends about them! Happy St. Patrick's day! I'm going to go enjoy my Conway's Irish Ale now. Cheers!

BR 100 Training - Week 10

2011-03-13T15:23:00.002-04:00

What is there to say about Week 10? Let me think. Recovery. Sick. Injured still. That about sums it up! Sunday was a recovery day from Green Jewel. I wasn't planning on doing much of anything that day. I began Monday with a morning strength workout, but fizzled out in the evening. Tuesday I went to the track to test out my leg, now referred to as shin. It hurt so I cut my run short at 2.5 miles. Wednesday I woke up not feeling well and that has carried through to today. My congestion is just now beginning to break up and I can breathe through both nostrils. I'm hoping for a better week this week.

Regarding my shin. I'm on the verge of having a professional look at it, but I'm still pretty sure it's just an overuse injury. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a type of shin splint that I haven't been afflicted with before. I used to get them on the upper inside of my shins, both legs. This is one leg, down low on the front side. I can feel the tendons and muscles moving when I flex my foot. On the right leg it's nice and smooth, while on the left I can feel a creaking from inside. Like a door hinge that needs some oil. The swelling has been down for a couple days now, but the pain is still there, although slightly less in intensity.

Monday - Chest and Back AM
Tuesday - 2.5 miles at the track
Wednesday - Sick
Thursday - Sick
Friday - Sick
Saturday - Sick
Sunday - Sick, but feeling good for Monday

Weekly mileage = 2.5 miles

2011 Green Jewel 50K

2011-03-13T12:05:00.000-04:00

What can I say about this year's Green Jewel? Water comes to mind. Water, water everywhere! That I ran it is another. Last year, lingering injuries from my first 24 hour run and over training combined to give me a DNS. Over training almost put the kibosh on me running it this year too. And now, over a week later, as I'm still hurting, I'm wondering if I should have run it. But that's a topic for another post.

Running 31 miles is a challenge, but there's a certain draw for me when the course starts in one spot and finishes in another with no repetition of loops. Akin to a journey, or life, it's what happens along the way that's important, not just the destination at the end. And I must say that even though I was cold, soaking wet, in pain and just generally exhausted, I enjoyed my journey from Rocky River to Brecksville. It's a course I've ridden quite a few times by bicycle, but never covered by foot before. I hope my recap will read a bit faster than the nearly 6 hours it took me to finish!

Most of us Medina runners met to carpool to the start early Saturday morning. The drive over to Brecksville was dark and wet, but we managed it just fine. Check-in was quick and easy and we were soon aboard a comfy motor coach to transport us to the start. As the drive was about half an hour in length, it afforded us much time to chit chat and moan about the weather. Fortunately, since this wasn't the bus to Hopkinton, the stress level was dialed WAY down and I didn't encounter any butterflies or pre-race jitters.

Although we were all on the bus together, somehow we lost some folks just before the start when we snapped a quick group photo. Thanks Charles for taking the pic! Pictured L to R are Ladd, Dan D, Michelle, Debbie, Jack, myself, and Suzanne walking past in the back. Dan H must have been lining up in the front row already as he was planning on tearing up the course!

I didn't know what to expect from myself, so I lined up toward the rear of the field, behind just about everyone else. I was either going to have a decent day or a really bad one. I didn't want to head out too fast or too slow either. On the word GO, we were off, with only a limited stretch of roadway on which to sort ourselves out before turning onto the All Purpose Trail (APT). Passing was limited on the trail for a mile or so due to it's limited width, but we all managed just fine. There was evidence of the flooding that occurred the previous week with some obvious damage: trees down, standing water, mud covering the trail, flooded trail, washed-out sections. Seeing an entire chunk of asphalt, with the painted center line and all, laying off in the trees was an eye opener!

The first aid station was around mile 5 at Lorain Rd. I was carrying plenty of fluid so I grabbed a Fig Newton, said hi to Roy and Shannon, and was about to quickly move on when I saw how flooded the trail was between theaid table and the road crossing. My shoes were already completely soaked so it didn't matter to me if I ran through all that water. In fact, I though it might be fun! I asked Roy how deep it was. His reply: "Knee deep!" Knee deep was a little too deep so I detoured around the edge like everyone else.

I had been running for a few miles with a fellow named Angel, a Cleveland firefighter. We talked running, marathons, ultras, and of course, the current anti-union political movement that is unfortunately sweeping the midwest. We stayed together for another mile or so after the aid station, but he was feeling stronger than I was, so I let him go on ahead of me. We were together however, on the trail sections that literally had rivers of runoff streaming over them, and amazed at just how much water there was. In all the years I've been along those trails and the parkway, I've never seen anything like that! I thought about stopping to get some photos, but since I was feeling good, I wanted to just keep moving forward.

Aid Station 2 was at the Rocky River Nature Center, another 5 miles or so from the first. My leg was getting tight and I was feeling it, but I was maintaining about 9 minute miles so I was pleased. I was the first into a package of Oreos here. Grabbing a couple for the road, I was back on my way. More rain. More water. LOTS more water. In fact, there is a water crossing just past the nature center a park ranger just closed due to rising water. The APT crosses via bridge but the roadway has a ford, and that sucker was going underwater! I could watch the level rising as I ran by. Amazing! Ladd caught up to me shortly after that and we ran together for a couple miles. I had passed by him while he made a pit stop. I could tell he was running stronger than I was but I tried to hang on for a while. We made the climb up that short, really steep hill together, commenting on how that would be the ONE place there would still be ice on the trail!

We stayed together until we reached the end of the Rocky River Reservation, when I stopped to get a picture from the overlook of the river. Ladd said Dan and Charles, who was running with 45 pounds on his back, were just ahead of me and I should catch up to them soon. When I jogged out onto the overlook platform, I knew the water would be high, but I wasn't prepared for just how much of a "river" it would be. Water just doesn't flow like this in northeast Ohio!

For comparison's sake, here is a photo from last year's GJ at the same spot. This is the normal, picturesque quality of the Rocky River. I'm among the many who have made the trek to the bottom to climb upon the rocks.

From the overlook, it's about a mile to Wallace Lake in Berea and Aid Station #3. This is where Heather decided to come out and find me, cheer everyone on, and take some photos.

The view from inside the car looking out. Looks wet, doesn't it?

Here I am arriving at the aid station. On the outside I may be smiling, but inside I'm really crying. Not really. That's a great Moody Blues lyric though. I was wet, obviously, but otherwise in good spirits.

This was a good time to grab my first Coke of the day and some munchies. I was disappointed there was no chicken noodle soup waiting for me as was promised the night before. I really could have used something warm. Speaking of warm, the only way to stay warm was to keep moving, so I didn't stay long.

Leaving the Wallace Lake Aid Station, about mile 14.

I hit an outhouse down the trail and realised for the first time how cold my hands were and how soaked my gloves were. After literally wringing water from them it was back to the grind. Too bad I couldn't stop and wring out my socks and shoes. After splashing through this flooded section of trail my feet started to go numb. That water was COLD!

The view from the bridge on the trail of the flooded ford on the parkway. Lots of water. I was thankful for the bridge!

Just as my shoes were nearly drained of water as I ran along, there was another flooded section that was just as cold as the other, if not colder. Fortunately I had a dry pair of socks and shoes waiting ahead for me.

Bonnie Park in Strongsville has a wetlands area. It ALL looked like wetlands that day! Soggy and wet but much better looking than the last time I was through there. Everything had been covered in snow, there was a layer of ice on the trail, and the wind was blowing snow creating near white out conditions.

Dan and Charles running along the parkway, nearly to the next aid station.

Ladd arriving at Aid Station #4 at the Chalet.

Last year the aid tables were set up down by the sign, but were moved this year due to the rain to underneath the I-71 overpass. Brilliant!

Being under the bridge gave me somewhere dry to sit to change my socks and shoes. Which was good because it took a while due to my numb fingers. Off with the Saucony's I wore in Boston and Cincinnati and on with the new Brooks Launch.

Thank you, Jan, for volunteering. Here she is pouring me some of the high octane stuff!

Doing the Dew! I was dragging and needed sugar and caffeine.

After some munchies, it was back out into the elements.

I tried to keep up a positive outward appearance. A little practice for July.

Heather captured some really good shots of the day.

It was only a matter of time till I had to splash through deep water in the new "dry" shoes. I made out alright through this big puddle.

Jack caught me just before crossing Rt. 82 and we ran together for a mile or so.

This was his first 50K and he was doing great!

My legs were exhausted and beginning to cramp and my shin was hurting so this was what I did a lot of during the last 10 miles of the run.

But just like Heather doing her first marathon in Columbus last October, I had to run when I saw a camera up ahead!

Blowing a kiss through the rainy windshield, about mile 23.

Just movin' on.

I actually look like I'm having a good time here. I don't know what was up with that. Ridge Road and Effie 2 were nearby. Not fun.

Sinkhole along the trail in North Royalton just before Effie 2.

Walking up Effie 2. At 25 miles into the run, that's all I could muster. My respect to all those who ran up her that day.

My head isn't down in shame, but rather against the wind that was flipping the brim of my hat up all day. The fifth and final aid station was at the top of the hill and I was happy to reach it. This is also where Heather was going to leave to go home and I needed to make a decision: Do I drop here and get a ride to the finish to get my car, or do I press on? Since I hadn't fallen down or dropped dead, it was an easy decision. I would keep going.

The final five miles were a combination of walking and running. I would run when I could, walking up hills and when my legs would cramp. As there was no trail for much of that section and we were on the road, I would run on the gravel shoulder when I could. It was soft and felt much better than the pavement. The downhill sections really bothered my shin and I had to take them slowly. I walked that edge between cramping and not cramping. I've been there many times and know how to do it. A few other runners passed me, but that was OK. I was just out to make it to the finish line. And eventually I did, finishing a couple minutes after Suzanne in 5:47.

My post-run recovery consisted of a bottle of Muscle Milk and a Reese's Egg. I didn't have much of an appetite. Mostly I was concerned about changing out of as much of my wet clothing as possible. I didn't want to get sick. What ended up happening? I got sick. A bad head cold that is only now beginning to break up a week later. So, between being sick and having a nagging pain in the leg, I haven't done much of anything this past week.

I love the Green Jewel course. It showcases some great parts of the Cleveland area. I'll have to think hard about doing it again in the future. Being so early in the year it's hard to be physically prepared to run it. I would still like to run the course again as a training run sometime when the weather's nicer, but we'll see. For now, I need to heal up and be ready for when this weather eventually breaks for good. It has been teasing us lately with nicer weather, but only for a day here or there. There's an FA 50K next weekend that I'm considering running. It's on the trails, which is exactly what I need. I don't know how much more pavement running I can take.

BR100 Training - Week 9

2011-03-09T06:20:00.000-05:00

Week 9 turned out to be a better week than others I've had recently. I was still nursing my leg injury over the previous weekend, but felt good enough to head to the track on Tuesday to try it out in some action. After a mile warm-up, which felt really good in my new pair of Brooks Launch, I rolled right into a timed 5K to see how things really felt. Not running all out, but pushing things, I finished with a 21:46. Not bad at all! Splits were: 7:05 / 6:59 / and 7:42 for the final 1.125.

With that run under my belt, I was comfortable making the decision to run the Green Jewel on Saturday. Up until that run, it was really a 50/50 decision. Surprisingly, weather didn't play a role in me deciding to run or not. As it was going to be a soaker of a day, it easily could have been. I'll get into much more detail in a separate race report, but I finished, tired and in not too little pain, in 5:47 for 31 miles. That is a road 50K PR for me and a PR of nearly an hour compared to my first 50K, the 2009 Bills' Bad Ass Trail 50K.

More details on my rainy day in the Cleveland Metroparks to come soon...

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 4.5 miles at the track
Wednesday - Back and Biceps
Thursday - Off
Friday - Off
Saturday - Green Jewel 50K
Sunday - Rest/Recovery

Weekly Mileage = 35.5 miles

BR 100 Training - Week 8

2011-03-04T06:14:00.003-05:00

Move along, folks. Nothing to see here. Seriously. No running miles, just 2 miles walking on the treadmill this week that hurt a bit. Rest, rest, rest. But cross-training. Now that's something I could still do. Green Jewel is one week out and it's 50/50 if I'll be running it at this point. Only time will tell.

Update: Went to the track this past Tuesday and felt great! Will definitely be starting the Green Jewel in the rain and mud. Finishing is another story. Stay tuned...

Monday - Chest, Shoulders and Triceps AM / 30 minutes elliptical PM
Tuesday - 30 minutes shovelling snow
Wednesday - 2 miles walking on the treadmill
Thursday - Legs and Back
Friday - 60 minutes shovelling heavy wet snow / Labored in the basement all day
Saturday - Basement work
Sunday - Basement work

BR100 - Week 7

2011-02-24T06:13:00.004-05:00

And week 7 is where everything fell apart. The tendon pain in my lower left leg recurs whenever I run or walk. Elliptical too. I took the week off from running until Sunday, then went out to do some fairly flat easy trails. No better. I ended up running the entire distance up on the balls of my feet, which is completely foreign to me. No pain, but lots of stress elsewhere. Switching my running style is not something I'm interested in doing nor something I'll be able to pull off for longer runs. I think I would end up straining something else and making the whole problem worse.

Green Jewel is very questionable at this point. I'm not worried about running 31 miles having not run much in the three weeks prior. That would be just a long taper. I'm worried about the course being point-to-point without any SAG support. If I need to drop, there's no one to give me a ride. It's all pavement. At this point, I hate pavement. Give me my trails back already, snow! The Buckeye Woods trails were extremely treacherous in spots. Very slick ice. I'm so tired of this winter.

Beyond the GJ, I'm re-evaluating my entire 2011 schedule. Fortunately for me, I haven't registered for a ton of events yet. Unfortunately for me, only one event offers a refund, and that's the one event I want to do the most. I suppose I will take a wait and see attitude and just take each race one at a time and hope for the best.

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - Shoulders and Arms AM / Elliptical 60 minutes PM
Wednesday - Off
Thursday - 2.5 mile walk
Friday - Off
Saturday - Off
Sunday - Yoga AM / 5 mile trail run PM

Weekly mileage = 7.5 miles

Changes Coming to Boston...

2011-02-17T12:36:00.003-05:00

New changes were announced yesterday for both registering and qualifying for the Boston Marathon. All the details can be read about HERE, but in a nutshell:

Beginning this fall, for the 2012 race, the fastest runners will have first dibs on entry. Those running 20 minutes or faster in their qualifying races are able to apply first, followed by those running 10 minutes faster, followed by those running 5 minutes faster. These runners are able to apply during the first week registration is open. Beginning the second week, everyone else who has met their qualifying time will be able to apply for entry, with the fastest runners among the week two applicants being accepted. If there is still space available, applications will be taken beginning in week three on a first come first served basis until the race is full. This registration change will allow the possibility that just because someone can meet their qualifying time, doesn't mean they will necessarily have the chance to register. The race may fill with fast runners during the first week. My thoughts? A good and necessary change. Boston is an elite and fast marathon. The fastest runners should have the first shot at entering based upon what happened with registration last fall for the 2011 event.

Beginning next year, for the 2013 race, qualifying times for each and every age group are being reduced by five minutes. That means I will need to run a 3:10 (which I did last time) in order to qualify until I turn 40. I LOVE this! Actually, I thought that the standards were a little on the "easy" side before and this shows that the race organizers are interested in keeping the race as something that is hard to achieve. Running Boston is a "bucket list" event for many runners, but it shouldn't be something runners are entitled to run just because they can go the distance.

If you want to run a marathon, go run a marathon! There certainly isn't a shortage of them right now. If you want to run Boston, RUN FASTER!!!

BR100 Training - Week 6

2011-02-16T12:50:00.001-05:00

Six weeks was all it took. Injury. I went and aggravated a tendon in the front of the left ankle. Same injury as a year ago. Everything was going fine until Saturday, when I ran 18 in the new Saucony's. Whether it was the new shoes, the ice and snow we were running in, or a combination of the two, I don't know. The pain was minor after Saturday's run but had me limping around after 12 in Hinckley on Sunday. That's when the swelling was most noticeable too. Still is, actually. It's an overuse injury and rest is the only option at this point. So no running for a while. Which is hard because we're finally getting some spring-like weather this week. I will have to cut my mileage down for a while and reduce the number of runs I've been doing and see what happens. Three weeks out from Green Jewel means I need to make sure I'm in good enough shape to finish. There won't be any sag wagon support available. I missed the GJ last year because of injury and I don't plan on doing that again.

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - Chest and Back AM / Run 3 miles treadmill PM
Wednesday - Run 2 miles treadmill
Thursday - Run 4 miles treadmill
Friday - Off
Saturday - Run 18 miles road
Sunday - Run 12 miles road

Weekly total = 39 miles

BR100 Training - Week 5

2011-02-07T11:18:00.003-05:00

Week 5 already? This is going fast! The fifth week was a scheduled "recovery" week with less mileage on tap. That's not to say I didn't entertain thoughts of putting in another 40 mile week, nor to say I wasn't on the verge of doing just that. I made the mistake of wearing VERY worn shoes for yesterday's run and was really starting to feel it. So... I let my experience take over and I shut the run down short, running 10 shushy miles instead of 14 or so. I wore my trail shoes thinking the extra tread would give me superior tread over my road shoes. While that may have been the case, the lack of cushioning left in the shoe after 660 miles really beat me up. I would have been better off slipping and sliding more than I ended up doing anyway.

I may still need new trail shoes, but I took care of the new road shoes problem on Friday. New Saucony Ride 3's and trying out Mizuno Wave Rider 14's. I feel like I need to break each pair in a bit before taking them out for a long run, but I'm excited to have some new soles between my feet and the road!

Monday - 20 min elliptical PM
Tuesday - 2 mile treadmill run PM
Wednesday - Scraped thick ice from driveway, 1 hr AM
Thursday - 6 mile treadmill run PM
Friday - Scraped thick ice at work, 1 hr AM
Saturday - 17.01 mile run AM / 90 min yoga PM
Sunday - 10 mile run AM

Weekly mileage = 35.01 miles

CONGRATULATIONS PACKERS!

BR100 Training - Week 4

2011-01-31T15:52:00.000-05:00

Week 4 was a big mileage week, even though I missed my run on Tuesday. This was a mini ramp-up week and next week will be down a hair. Which might be a good thing considering the inclement winter weather we're supposed to get. I've been slacking on my cross-training somewhat and need to re-focus. Maybe staying inside the next few days will afford me the opportunity to do just that! Also this week, as can be seen in one of my photo-blog images, my alcohol fast ended. 24 days is a record for me, but it wasn't any fun and wasn't motivating me the way I thought it would. Having been away from it for so long however, I've found that I am appreciating it more. The plan now is to enjoy in strict moderation. There's a balance somewhere for me to find.

I picked up a new headlamp this week on the recommendation of Ladd. The battery life is less, but it puts out a ton more light. And that's what I'm needing: MORE LIGHT! I've also officially determined that I need new running shoes, both road and trail. I'm down to one decent pair and that's just not enough for the kind of mileage I'm doing. I'm looking forward to shoe shopping soon!

Monday - Off
Tuesday - Off
Wednesday - 9.4 mile snowy run PM
Thursday - 5 mile treadmill run PM
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 20 mile snowy run
Sunday - 12.38 mile run

Weekly mileage = 46.78 miles

BR100 Training - Week 3

2011-01-27T07:29:00.002-05:00

Once again, a little late. But... better late than never! Right? This week was a little rough as I had to travel to Chicago for two days. Between travelling, meetings, and dining, my workout time on Tuesday and Wednesday was limited. Fortunately I managed a decent run Wednesday morning, but it required me waking up at 4:30. Mileage for the week was scheduled to be down, so I don't feel too bad.

Monday - Abs PM
Tuesday - Travel day
Wednesday - 8 mile treadmill run AM
Thursday - Off
Friday - Off
Saturday - 16 mile indoor track run AM
Sunday - 11 mile snowy run AM

Weekly mileage = 35 miles

Running in Circles

2011-01-23T05:18:00.003-05:00

Literally! I was running in circles yesterday at the Rec Center. Weather.com was showing Medina at -5° F and I made the decision that THAT was too cold! I needed 16 miles, so the treadmill was out. What was left? The 1/10th mile indoor track at the Rec. It wasn't so bad, really. I charged my iPod so I had some tunes. The miles actually pass pretty quickly up there if you're not paying close attention. The worst part was all the people! Lots of traffic. Things got gummed up at times. The worst offenders where the people who thought it was OK to stay two and three abreast so they could talk. Hey, Einsteins, when the track is busy, it's time to zip your conversations and go single file!

Anyway, 16 miles in the outside lane on that track is 160 laps. I've already been asked how I keep track of the laps. I worked out a simple system that works well for me. I count on my fingers! As I finish each lap, I move another finger under my thumb. When the right hand is done at five, I switch to my left hand. When ten laps are complete, I take a split on my watch and start over.

I averaged sub 8 minute miles, which I wasn't expecting. Mile splits were: 8:07 / 8:11 / 8:12 / 8:09 / 8:01 / 8:00 / 7:57 / 7:54 / 7:45 / 7:45 / 7:53 / 7:56 / 8:00 / 7:51 / 7:43 / and 7:38. That last mile was supposed to be a cool down, but it doesn't look like it turned out that way. Oh, well, back outside today. It's 10°!

BR100 Training - Week 2

2011-01-22T14:26:00.002-05:00

This update is a little late, but there's been a lot going and thing's have been busy. I have a nice afternoon today to catch up on things. So here goes:

Monday - Legs and back AM / 30 min elliptical, Abs PM
Tuesday - Chest, shoulders, and triceps AM / 4 miles treadmill PM
Wednesday - Cardio workout AM / 6 miles treadmill PM
Thursday - Rest AM / 4 miles treadmill PM
Friday - 45 min elliptical AM / .5 mile swim PM
Saturday - Rest AM / 4 miles treadmill PM
Sunday - 21.45 mile run AM / Rest PM

Weekly mileage = 39.45 miles

BR100 Training - Week 1

2011-01-11T15:12:00.004-05:00

Training has officially begun! Well, it actually began on New Year's Eve with a nice warm 16 mile run on the APT in Strongsville and North Royalton. But "OFFICIAL" Burning River training began on Monday 1/3. And it was a REST DAY! How good does that get? Training is off to a fantastic start. I'm hitting my daily and weekly mileage goals, eating better, and I haven't had a drop of alcohol since New Year's Eve. Resolutions are sticking. Another resolution of sorts is to keep better track of my training on here. I think a daily update is too much, but a weekly update will be just right. So here is my BR100 Week 1 (of 30) training update.

Monday - 30 minutes elliptical AM / Plyometrics workout PM
Tuesday - 15 minutes elliptical, Ab work AM / 6 miles speedwork PM
Wednesday - Shoulders and Arms AM / 4 mile run PM
Thursday - Core work AM / 5.5 mile run PM
Friday - Rest AM / Back and Biceps, Ab work PM
Saturday - 14 mile long run AM / Rest PM
Sunday - 9.2 mile run AM / Yoga PM

Weekly mileage = 38.7 miles

2010 Year End Review

2011-01-01T14:23:00.002-05:00

The final numbers for 2010 are in. No change in swimming and cycling since September, but running edged up a little.

Swim - 46.7 miles

Bike - 1,284.33 miles

Road - 939.83 mi

Trainer - 299.5 mi

Run - 1,140.37 miles

Road - 734.29 mi

Trail - 391.08 mi

Treadmill - 15.0 mi

Those are some decent numbers, especially the swimming and biking. This may possibly be the first year that I have logged more miles in the saddle than by foot in a while! For 2011 I expect run mileage to be WAY up, cycling to be down considerably, and hope swimming won't drop too far. Time will tell...

Although 2010 wasn't the kind of year 2009 was, I'm still very pleased. I was running in pain for much of the winter/spring and had some horrible races as a result. But somehow I managed to get past that, log some serious summer mileage, and go on to finish Ironman Wisconsin. Then the next week, I ran in a 24 hour event! Something had to be going right there! All that training burnt me out so the end of the year pretty much fizzled. Now that I'm refreshed from a break, I can hit the ground running for 2011 and try to avoid some of the things that got me down last year.

Happy 2011!

2011-01-01T09:52:00.002-05:00

2010 is over, as 2011 will be in 364 more days! I was able to get one final run in for the year on New Year's Eve. I joined a nice sized group for a run out and back from Bonnie Park in Strongsville to the top of the Ridge Rd. hill in North Royalton for just over 13 miles. Then we did a two mile cool-down in the other direction. We were blessed with a warm front which proceeded to melt all the snow and give us 40 degree temps to run in. SHORTS! That was nice. Running in December in shorts! The temps rose even more later in the day so we took advantage and removed the Christmas decorations and washed one of the cars. Winter weather is supposed to return to normal tomorrow.

2011 is going to bring some changes. All for the better, but changes none the less. As I will be attempting to finish my first 100 mile race this year, my approach to training and diet is going to be more focused than ever before. I'm more worried about what this event will bring than anything else I've ever tried, including Ironman. So, having said that, here are my New Year's "Resolutions":

1. Cutting out all alcohol consumption. This is going to be tough at first, but I think it will get easier over time. I will have special times when it will be permissible for me to drink, like on my wedding anniversary and spring break, but otherwise I'm cutting out these empty calories.

2. Cutting out much of the junk I've been eating. As both the Mrs. and I will be following a better diet, this won't be so hard. The focus will be on consuming more protein as I need to add muscle, as well as also eating more whole foods and less processed foods.

3. Making the time to get my miles in. I have a training plan and I feel I need to follow it as closely as possible to give myself the best shot at finishing within the 30 hour time limit.

4. Making the time to cross train. This includes cycling, swimming, and weight training. I'm still considering getting a personal trainer to help guide me and keep me focused on hitting the weights.

One additional change doesn't affect my training at all, but rather my blog itself. Today I'm going to be starting a 365 photo series. One photo a day for the year. I've seen many others do it and it's something I've been wanting to do for a few years. This should be fun!

I will have some key words for the year too. They include:

Focus

Sacrifice

Effort

Motivation

It's time to get my "eye of the tiger" back. I didn't really have it last year. This year I need to get lean and mean. Any short-cutting will only lead to failure. This should be an interesting year!

Race History 2010

2010-12-28T12:45:00.003-05:00

2010 - Season 14

Feb. 28, Last Chance For Boston Marathon, Dublin, OH, 3:55:07

Mar. 7, S.A.R.C. Shamrock 15K, Cuyahoga Falls, OH, 1:07:11

Mar. 28, Fools 50K, CVNP, 6:35:03

Apr. 19, B.A.A. Boston Marathon, Boston, MA, 3:19:50

May 2, Flying Pig Marathon, Cincinnati, OH, 3:41:45

May 29, No Frills Just Hills 6 Hr FA, CVNP, 20.9 miles

Aug. 22, HFP Great Buckeye Challenge Half Iron Tri, 6:29:28

Sept. 12, Ford Ironman Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 15:22:31

Sept 18-19, NorthCoast 24 Hour Endurance Run, Cleveland, OH, 62.15 miles

Oct. 17, Columbus Marathon, Columbus, OH, 5:23:44

Oct. 31, Run With Scissors Trail Marathon, CVNP, 4:40:52

Dec. 5, Buckeye Woods 50K FA, Medina, OH, DNF

How to Make Rum Balls

2010-12-24T07:44:00.000-05:00

1. Find someone to make the Rum Balls. (Heather)

2. Find a taste-tester who will also double as a photographer. (Me)

3. Acquire a Rum Ball Recipe. This particular recipe is short on details, but it works!

4. Ingredients: Vanilla wafers.

5. Cocoa powder

6. Pecans (Note: We didn't have pecans, so we used walnuts)
(Don't worry. People won't care they're not pecans. People would care if there wasn't any rum!)

7. Confectioners sugar

8. RUM!

9. Chop the vanilla wafers

Make sure they're good and chopped!

10. Deposit the wafer bits into a large mixing bowl.

11. Measure the nuts of choice.

12. Chop the nuts.

13. Add the chopped nuts to the chopped wafers.

14. Add the cocoa powder to the mix.

15. Add the powdered sugar.

16. Mix the dry ingredients together.

Time for the rum!

Have you ever noticed how rum rhymes with yum?

17. Start with 1/2 cup and see how well that works.

18. Pour the rum into the dry ingredients and mix well.

19. Not enough rum? Try another 1/4 cup!

20. After the consistency is perfect, form the balls one at a time and then roll in a small bowl of powdered sugar.

21. Don't forget to smile. There's RUM in there!

22. Place the completed balls in an air tight container for storage.

23. Ponder the fact that there is still rum left!

24. Taste test!

Me too! Note: What looks like powdered sugar all over the front of my shirt is actually sugar caught mid-fall by the flash. After I took the photo I noticed a large area of powdered sugar on the floor in front of me, but it wasn't until going back through the images on the computer that I saw they were captured in time!

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

We're Not Getting it THAT Bad

2010-12-09T14:57:00.003-05:00

REALLY! We're not! That last satirical post of mine was directed at weather that is NOTHING compared to what others have been getting this season. Our snow was spread out over three days and gave us somewhere in the neighborhood of 17 inches. The snow was bad enough overnight Monday into Tuesday to cancel school here in Medina. But even that was a dusting compared to what parts of New York and Ontario have been receiving. All photos courtesy weather.com.

While the lake effect snow we received in Medina managed to skip right over the communities along the lake shore, downtown Cleveland hasn't been totally left out of the party. A snow squall line formed yesterday afternoon and hit the area during afternoon rush hour. Horror stories abounded as it took folks hours to make what would normally be a 20 minute commute.

Now there's word of another major snow maker heading in for the end of the weekend and early next week. Depending upon the track of the storm we may be graced with more of the ice crystals. Yeah! I'm glad I don't have far to go on a daily basis and we will manage to deal with whatever is thrown our way. I am still a little grumpy though. All the snow sure does make it hard to run!

2010 Buckeye Woods 50K FA

2010-12-05T15:36:00.004-05:00

In lieu of a "traditional" race report. I've decided to write a complaint letter to Mother Nature concerning the weather conditions we faced this morning.

Dear Mother Nature,
(or as I'm going with today, You Frosty Hearted Witch)

I'm writing to you today about the winter-like weather you served up for the inaugural Buckeye Woods 50 this morning, the 5th of December, 2010. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT SHIT? I distinctly recall ordering a sunny day with highs in the 50 to 60 degree range. Now, I don't know what planet you're from, but around here, mid 20's with wind gusts that push the wind chill into the teens and SNOW that falls SIDEWAYS is NOT the same thing as mid 50's and SUN! Yes, I know that it's December and Christmas is coming and all that, but it still says AUTUMN on my calender and that steaming platter of frozen-weather excrement we had to endure today is decidedly one that occurs in the WINTER.

Do you know what? Maybe you should get your bitch-ass outside and try running for more than an hour in this windy-ass polar cold! How would you like that? I'm guessing you wouldn't. Oh, I'm sure it looks positively lovely from inside, next to a crackling fire. But by about mile 15 your thoughts will begin to change from "winter wonderland" to wondering if your going to freeze one of your testicles off because there's not enough room for both of them to retract into your body cavity. Let me tell you, THAT is an unpleasant thought to ponder when you're out on a trail at the absolute farthest point from the aid station. And that's another thing. What was the deal with the excessive wind gusts at the aid station? I suppose you may have found that humorous? Well, it WASN'T! Of all the locations on that 5 mile loop, the ONE place it would have been nice to have a little respite from the elements was at the aid station. We stopped in. Got a little fluid. Ate something. Maybe even ate some hot noodles! Would it have been too much to ask to have the wind NOT blow so hard my fingers numbed in the time it took to eat 1/4 of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?

I'll have to hand it to you Your Royal Frostiness. You beat me today. You managed to sap all the energy I had. Reduced me to walking. Your icy talons pierced my soul and left me little choice but to cut my run short! Sure, I was sick all week and hadn't ran in 8 days. But when I woke up this morning I still thought I could manage 31 miles. Congratulations, along with my strength, you sucked from my body what mental fortitude I was using to keep putting one foot in front of the other, leaving me only able to manage 26 miles (27 with that last mile I ran with Kenny). I salute the others who were able to persevere in the face of such a meteorological assault. They, THEY were the true victors. You may have beaten me into submission, but you didn't win. I have that to comfort me.

In the future, I suggest you treat us runners with the respect and dignity we deserve. Deliver us with weather conditions a little more suitable to running comfortably. Worrying about frostbite in our nether regions is NOT comfortable. I don't expect a refund for today's debacle, but I would appreciate a couple muggy 85 degree partly cloudy with a chance of scattered rain shower days next year to make amends. Say on the 30 and 31st of July to coincide with the Burning River 100? Yeah, that would be nice! It's the National 100 Mile Trail Championships again, you know. Hot and muggy would be SWEET!

Affectionately yours,
Mr. Pythagoras

P.S. I also suggest you do not overstep your bounds. Remember what happened to the White Witch in Narnia? She got a little full of herself and thought she could make it winter all year long and look what happened. Aslan put her back into her place. We might not be four English kids, but we Medinans roll like that. I would hate to see something like that happen to you. I'm just saying...

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

2010-12-01T12:45:00.001-05:00

11/28/10

Quicken Loans Arena

Cleveland, Ohio

The TSO concert was Sunday night and absolutely spectacular! Bigger, brighter, and more amazing! After dinner at Chocolate Bar (review coming in another post) we made our way to The Q and found our seats in the SECOND ROW!!! I had my small Pentax with me and captured the night the best I could in the difficult lighting conditions. So now, if you will, please enjoy a review of the concert through photographs.

Suspended above the stage during the opening song!

Derek Wieland, Keyboards

Joel Hoekstra, Guitar and Dave Z, Bass

Bryan Hicks, Narrator

Chris Caffery, Guitar, Joel, and Roddy Chong, Violin

Bryan Hicks

Chris Caffery

Chris introducing the Vocalists

Two catwalks descended from the ceiling directly over us.

One of the singers, turned dancer!

I wasn't able to get enough light to freeze the action, but I think the blurs add a sense of how energetic the concert was.

Dave Z. The girls sitting to my right kept going nuts for him.

Paul O'Neil playing a duet with a 17 year old who will be starring in their new Broadway musical.

She was born in 1993 and she ROCKED it!

Tim Hockenberry performing his solo.

According to Paul, this was the ONLY show on the tour where he would be singing the 2010 re-make of Dream Child, which was just released the day before.

Looking toward the back of the arena, Chris and I'm not sure who else made their way to a small stage and were playing for everyone on that end.

Jeff Plate drum solo.

They finished with the traditional last song for Cleveland, Cleveland Rocks!

And they did! They played straight thru without an intermission and the concert seemed to end too soon. We almost decided to stick around for an autograph signing, but being a work and school night, we thought that would make for a very rough Monday morning. Maybe next year!

Thank you TSO for putting on yet another top notch concert! I think we've already agreed to come celebrate Christmas with you again next year. After five concerts, it's kind of a tradition at this point!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T08:07:00.002-05:00

It's not Thanksgiving without a helping of Alice's Restaurant! I'm sharing a serving this morning, just follow the link here. Happy Thanksgiving!

Being Thankful

2010-11-23T12:51:00.003-05:00

It's nearly Thanksgiving, and as the "official" day of thanks approaches, I'm keenly aware of just how much I have to be thankful for. I am thankful that I'm able to reflect upon life and appreciate it and all it involves not on just one day in November, but every other day of the year as well.

In today's modern world, Thanksgiving isn't just about being thankful anymore. It's about the commercial Christmas season: Shopping and spending. It marks the traditional start to the winter holidays, though much of retail has already begun. It's this commercialism that nearly ruined my Christmas spirit last year. But I still love this time of the year. It is, perhaps, my most favorite time of the year. I know it certainly holds the most magic.

And speaking of Christmas and magic, there is absolutely no better way to combine the two than to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra perform live. I'm thankful (and lucky) to have attended four of their concerts so far, all Christmas shows save one. My fifth TSO concert is approaching this Sunday and I'm looking forward to taking the family and doing the show right with seats in the 2nd row! What a start to the Christmas season!

To help ramp up my pre-concert excitement, I've already begun listening to the Christmas CDs. Although I could listen to TSO year round, I force myself to put the holiday music away for the other 10 1/2 months of the year, relying only on their two non-Christmas albums when I need a TSO hit. Just yesterday, while listening to the Christmas trio at work, I was re-appreciating the quality of the talent they have in that band, and remembering seeing them perform on previous visits to Cleveland. I know the touring lineup changes from year to year, and those on tour aren't necessarily the same people who record on the albums. As someone who isn't a "know it all" TSO fan, some of the faces on stage are different from year to year. It made me wonder what happened to some of the faces, and voices, that had touched me in the past.

I was stunned to learn that one of TSO's most powerful voices, a man who would hold the attention of entire arenas when he sang, had fallen silent.

Daryl Pediford was amazing to hear live. As vocally awe inspiring as any of the TSO performers are, Daryl stood out among them. I still get chills just remembering him perform. His passing was not recent, it was in 2004, though I just learned of it. I don't know how I went for six years without hearing about it.

At this time of thanks, I'm thankful to have heard him perform not once, but twice. Two times. Two concerts. Two nights. They may have been seven and eight years ago, but some memories don't fade as quickly as others.

For anyone not familiar with the voice of Daryl Pediford, here is a You Tube video from a 2003 performance in Toronto, which is also the last tour on which I was honored to hear him sing. May the voice of "The Prince of Peace" rest in peace.

Running in the Sun...

2010-11-14T13:40:00.000-05:00

...in November! What a fantastic weather day Saturday was. For November 13th, a perfect 10! Bills' Bad Ass 50K was taking place, there was a group run planned for the Towpath, but I needed to get a peaceful, quiet, long trail run in to help deal with everything that's been happening recently and running solo was the only option.

I made base-camp in the Pine Hollow parking lot with all sorts of things to refuel on in the trunk. With all the trails in that area I had many loops available to me and I could stop whenever I needed to. Plus, having a restroom with running water is indeed a nice benefit.

The "Sound of Music" hill was first on my list and I wasted no time running down from the parking lot only to slow to a walk when the grade really set in. I would revisit that later.

I had no distance or time goals. I really only had a vague plan of where to go. After cresting the Sound of Music hill, I turned and followed the course we ran for No Frills Just Hills. While the sun was warming things up on top, the dips and valleys were still frosty in the shady spots. The temperature fluctuations early in the run were dramatic!

After rounding Kendall Lake, I decided to follow the trail up to the Ledges, thinking the lighting on the rock formations would be more dramatic earlier in the day. It was too! Just me, the sun creeping over the top of the Ledges, the squirrels, some birds... and a noise in the distance I just couldn't place.

The noise was constant, and getting louder the further along the Ledges I travelled. At first I thought maybe it was a loud generator up at the shelter.

But as I got closer I began to recognize that incessant whining. A leaf blower! Actually, it was more like half a dozen! With someone to rake and another carrying extra gas too! There was a group of folks blowing the leaves off the trail! That was really the last thing I expected to see that morning. I'm sure it was the safe thing for them to do, to make sure the less than sure-footed wouldn't get tripped up, but it was annoying at the same time. They were travelling the same direction as me and it took me a few minutes to work my way through them all.

Once around them, I followed the signs for the Happy Days Visitor Center and left the noise behind. The Fools 50K goes this way, but I took a right when I should have made a left and ended up going a different direction to get to the Center. No matter, it was where I wanted to get to anyway.

Continuing to follow the Fools course, I passed through the tunnel under Rt. 303 and picked up the Boston Run loop. The parking lot was surprisingly full of cars so I prepared myself to be weaving in and around hikers.

But I never came upon any large packs of people out enjoying the nice November morning. Just a few here and there. I don't know where they were. It was out on the Boston Run trail that things began warming up enough for me to ditch the long sleeve tech shirt I was wearing. I was glad I decided to leave the gloves at the car. They would have just gotten in the way.

Finishing Boston Run, I passed back underneath 303 and ran across the big lawn in front of Happy Days to pick up the trail I had wanted earlier, which I followed back to the Ledges.

There were more folks out exploring the trails now, kids running in and out of the caves and nooks along the Ledges. There were also some amazing patches of breaking sunlight to run through. I could almost imagine following these trails many years ago, before the noise of cars in the distance or airplanes flying overhead.

Once I rounded the other end of the Ledges I began to hear those lovely leaf blowers again. I was wondering if I would catch back up to them. I did. They were just on the other side of the building in the photo below. I took my time approaching them, knowing I would have to work to get past them again.

After finally weaving through them again, tapping the last fellow on the arm to let him know I was there, I picked up the Pine Grove trail. Again, another trail loop we ran on the Fools 50K, but one I hadn't been back on since. This is where I encountered something very interesting. Something I've never experienced, although I've put myself into situations where I might have the opportunity to experience it. The unexplainable.

I was running along, minding my step with all the leaves on the trail, when I heard a child ahead of me on the trail. Looking up, I even saw a kid dressed in grey colored sweats running after what must have been another kid. They weren't right near me, but rather ahead and aside. I assumed the trail did a switchback ahead and I would soon be where they were. Making a mental note, I prepared to make room on the trail as we would pass each other, or to make a pass if we were traveling the same direction. I never passed anyone as I reached the spot I thought I saw and heard them. So they must be ahead of me still. I knew they weren't running faster than me and I would soon catch up to them. I'm not the fastest trail runner, but I was moving pretty good, and kids like to run stop-and-go style.

I never came across any kids. There were no other trails to follow, and I was close enough to hear someone running through all the fallen leaves if they had left the trail. They could have been hiding I suppose, but there were no giggles as I passed that spot in the woods. Nor was there any noise behind me. I could have imagined it, but I doubt it as I'm very tuned in to my surroundings when I'm out on the trails. I can't explain it. We weren't far from the Boy Scout camps that are nearby, so it could have been some boys goofing around. Or it could have been something I simply can't explain. The curious thing is that the thought of having a possible paranormal encounter didn't alarm me one bit. In fact, it felt perfectly normal.

Upon crossing Truxell Rd., I followed the Lake Trail until it met with the Cross Country Trail, which I turned onto. Now I was following the Run With Scissors course. It looked different in the light!

The Cross Country Trail comes out back at the Kendall Hills, and so I found myself back at a crossroads of trails. Decisions, decisions.

Back onto the Lake Trial, I went past the Lake Shelter, through the parking lot, and turned left, following the No Frills course. I went past the spot where the tragic car crash occurred on Halloween morning. While I didn't see any memorials, just knowing what happened at that spot created an eerie feeling.

Once past the lake I picked up the Salt Run Trail. This is a tough little trail with lots of ups and downs, roots, and whatnot. At Fools the trail was mud and standing water. Not so this time. The surface was perfect!

There were more than a few hikers going around Salt Run, but it was still quiet. Just what I had been hoping for. No deer though, and there are usually plenty to see through that section.

After finishing Salt Run I was back out of the trees and climbing the hill to the Pine Hollow parking lot. There I ditched my hand bottle and shirt, re-filled my Fuel Belt, had a bite, and headed back out for more.

Back to the Lake Trail for another loop.

There's an interesting story about this tunnel. You need to walk the trail to find out it's history!

Once more around Kendall Lake and back to the parking lot.

I decided to stop after 20 miles, but I still had a mile and a half to go, so it was back down and up the Sound of Music hill. This time I ran it, digging and pushing myself to the top. That hurt. Then I went down the other side, turned around, and ran back up. Nothing like a little hill work after 18+ miles! That last climb was what did it. I was spent and so decided to use the remaining distance as a cool-down. Back to the lake, but around it to the left instead of the right, onto the little Salt Run section and back out onto the grassy hills.

I was hoping for a little more than 20, but that was all I had in me. Time to cool-down and head home where I might get a little work done outside while the weather was still fine. We did get some work done too. Our wreaths and garlands are now hung for Christmas! I finally saw my deer too. On the way down Quick Rd. a young buck with a short rack stepped out of the trees and right up to the road. I saw him well ahead so I slowed down. He just looked at me. I'm getting closer and going slower and he's just standing there. So I hollar, half to myself, "What ya' gonna' do?" With all the windows down he might have heard me. I guess he decided what he wanted to do because he turned right around and went back into the woods.

2010 Run With Scissors Trail Marathon

2010-11-04T06:28:00.007-04:00

My second time running the Run With Scissors proved to be much more fun than even last year. It was held upon Halloween, you see, and we were encouraged to dress in costume! I had just run as Waldo in Columbus but decided that trails required something a little bit less tame. Something a little more... prehistoric!

But before I get into my run report I need to mention the tragedy that occurred just a couple hours before the scheduled start of the race. A horrible car wreck on Truxell Road claimed the lives of two young men early that morning. A third survived. The way the accident occurred and with all of us runners arriving to the Ledges Shelter that morning it's a wonder no one else was involved. More information about the accident can be found here.

Back to the run. The start was pushed back 1/2 hour to allow extra time for everyone to arrive due to the road being closed from one direction. We started promptly, and darkly, at 5:30. I was familiar with the course and held back, unlike last year where I went out hard at the start. I wasn't racing so I had no need to try to run fast in the dark. I found a few groups to run with as the combined lamp light helped illuminate the ground better.

Upon reaching Pine Hollow and the first aid station, I headed straight to the plumbed restroom to take care of some business I couldn't before the start. With that weight off me (literally) I grabbed some PBJ and headed off down the course. One of the guys in the group I joined up with tripped on a root and went down hard. He was OK and was back up and running in the blink of an eye. Luckily I didn't snag any bad enough to send me down.

It began getting light enough to see by without lamps by the time I was approaching the Covered Bridge aid station. There I stowed my flashlight in my drop bag, grabbed some more PBJ, was handed my pair of scissors, and began the two mile climb up the Reading Run Trail and the Perkins Loop. This is a hard loop to run counter-clockwise, but it's even harder from this direction. I ran by myself for most of the loop, which is fine by me. I was enjoying being out in the early morning with mostly silent woods to accompany me.

The scissors we were given were to cut a page from a book that would be hanging somewhere along the course to prove we had actually run it. Last year the books were positioned in the middle of a water crossing, making us stand in the water while we cut. This year I was beginning to wonder if I might have passed it, when we came upon it at almost the end of the loop. Quickly cutting a page I made my way back to the aid station. This stop would be another quick one. I grabbed my powder Gatorade/Nuun mix from my drop bag, spilled a portion of it before a volunteer offered to do it for me, gobbled down some more PBJ, chugged down a cup of Coke, grabbed some fig newtons and my bottle, and began making my way back toward the finish.

Of course this direction is slightly harder as it is mostly uphill. As I had hit mile 13 right at two hours and thirty minutes, I knew I was on the bubble for finishing at or under five hours. I would need to keep pressing. But after the hills of Perkins my legs were definitely getting tired. I pushed as best I could on the flats, walked the uphills, and took the downhills slow to prevent any nasty falls. I made my way back without incident but took the time to admire the rising sun's light falling through the trees in spots. I was carrying my camera, and had yet to use it, but was content to just enjoy those moments for what they were, moments.

Eventually the seemingly endless climbing stopped and I exited the woods to make my way to the Pine Hollow aid station once more. They had a grand fire burning to stay warm and I recognized more people than during my first visit in the dark that morning. I got some more PBJ and a Mountain Dew, said my hellos and goodbyes, and was off on the final leg of the race. Below is the view of the Sound of Music Hill from the aid station.

That final leg was short and quick. A little too short and quick I think, as my Garmin read the distance as 3 miles shorter than last year, but uneventful. We passed close to where they were still working the accident scene. A crane had been brought in to lift what was left of the vehicle onto the back of a flatbed truck. I was quickly past and began to see runners heading back out on the course to complete the double. Maybe next year I'll attempt the double but not this time. No, for 2010, the single marathon was plenty for this Caveman!

That's right! I ran my Halloween edition of Run With Scissors as a Caveman! Full flowing hairdo and all! I was surprised more folks didn't dress up. It made it much more fun! Some of the other costumes I recall were an escaped prisoner in black and white stripes, Robin Hood, King Arthur and his servant Pansy from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a cat, and a strapping young man dressed as Connie Gardner running this year's Badwater! All good stuff!

I made my way inside to grab some Caveman chow provided by Chef Bill and warmed up by the fire. My time was 4:40-ish, which put me in 17th place overall for the single marathon. I was happy to have a much faster time than last year, but kept in mind how short the course was. I'll count it as a marathon, but not as a PR. Now I'll look forward to possibly running the double next year, and for an occaision to bust out Caveman again!

CVNP Fall Color Run 2

2010-10-29T12:55:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday I had the chance to run another marathon. This time it would have been a hard effort just to see where I'm at and to finish 2010 with one last go at it. After some deliberation I decided to skip heading to Elyria to run the Inland Trail Marathon and instead head to the Cuyahoga Valley to run some Buckeye Trail and enjoy what was left of the fall foliage.

As you'll see, there was still plenty of color left on the trees. I was so happy with my decision too. The weather was unseasonably warm with full sun. It was unquestionably a perfect late fall day here in northeast Ohio and one I will remember for many years to come.

I was fortunate to realize just how nice a day it was while I was running which allowed me to enjoy the warm breezes, the sounds of the leaves rustling and of the acorns dropping to the ground, the smell of decaying leaves already on the ground, and the sight of leaves softly landing in slowly meandering creeks and lazily floating away even more.

My 18.6 mile run took me from the Boston Store north along the Buckeye Trail to Jaite, where I turned around and returned. After refueling I headed south on the Buckeye up Pine Lane and down into Peninsula, where I returned along the Towpath. I preferred being up on the BT but I was ready to finish so I put up with the "bicycle freeway" that is the Towpath. Enjoy the photos!

2010 Columbus Marathon

2010-10-28T12:50:00.001-04:00

I know this run report is a little late, but I've been waiting to see if I would have access to higher resolution images from the race course photographers. As of today, I don't, so I will just go ahead and post with the images I do have, courtesy of my own camera, which I carried in my hand for the full marathon. As you'll soon see, the images are of great importance!

Most, but not all, of the MCRR runners made it to the designated picture spot before race start. It got crowded quickly along Broad Street and just trying to make your way through the crowd was nearly impossible at times. What a collection of runners! We had some looking to PR, some looking to BQ, others just looking to have a fun run, and a recent qualifier to the women's Olympic Marathon Trials! And then there was Mrs. P and I, or as we were to be known on this day: Wonder Woman and Waldo!

That's right! This was Mrs. P's first road marathon and we were going to have fun with it! Even though I was able to line up in corral 1, I would be starting back in 4 with her and we were going to have a 26.2 mile good time!

Here's Mrs. P with Ohio Governor Ted Strickland. He's up for re-election next week and I wish him the best of luck!

We eventually met up with Angie, who was also running her first marathon. I needed to catch her in the act of updating Facebook while on the run!

I'll say this for race day: It was another Central Ohio beauty! We started just a little bit on the chilly side in the 40's, but with a clear sky the sun warmed things nicely. The ladies did a great job staying on the 5:00 pace for quite a while. That was their goal, to try to finish around 5 hours. Mrs. P had a side goal of beating my IM Wisconsin marathon time of 4:59.

We found the Great Pumpkin in German Village. I've seen him down there in previous years and high-5'd him.

Here we are at the point where the half marathon runners split off to finish at mile 13. They were each wondering what it was going to feel like to know the finish line was right there but they still had 13 more miles to go before reaching it. They were looking great so far!

As we made our way up High Street the sun was really beginning to warm up things. I was getting hot in my long Waldo sleeves but Angie was beginning to have some stomach problems. She was soon to fall behind us and we wouldn't see her again. She got pretty sick but still managed to push through it all and finish!

One gentleman we were leapfrogging with was a fellow Ironman. He did Louisville just two weeks before I did Wisconsin. He also ran the Indianapolis Marathon on Saturday, the day before Columbus! He was hurting and tired, but kept his smile on. This race was going to be his 40th marathon! I didn't catch his name, but he was nice enough to snap this photo of us as we headed into the Ohio State University Campus. We may also see him again at NC24 next year as we were telling him all about it.

President Obama was going to be here later in the day for a big rally so of course we needed to stop and pose with the sign!

We did a lot of walking, mostly walking, through Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights, and back down into Columbus, running only when there was a race photographer coming up. I would get to speed things up a couple times, mostly catching back up after taking a potty break, and those times would feel really good. But I didn't mind the slow pace at all. It was a nice day and we were able to waltz right down the middle of the streets!

Mrs. P on her way to the finish line! She tapped into some energy source that was until that point hidden, because I was having a hard time keeping pace with her! We finished in 5:22 and some change, neither of us sick or injured. She was going to get a little sore and a lot stiff but nothing too bad. I wouldn't have thought that running a PW (personal worst) would end up being so much fun!

Race History - 2009

2010-10-25T10:00:00.000-04:00

2009 - Season 13

2/7/09 Tackle the Tower Stair Climb, 37 Stories, Cleveland, OH - 5:19
3/14/09 St. Malachi 5 Mile Run, Cleveland, OH - 33:48
3/21/09 Around the Town 5K, Medina, OH - 21:36
4/4/09 CWRRC Spring Classic Half Marathon, Strongsville, OH - 1:32:36
4/26/09 NCN Buzzard Duathlon (Team), Hinckley, OH - 1:50:26 - 2nd Mixed Teams
4/30/09 Crime Victims' Awareness 5K, Medina, OH - 21:39
5/1/09 Schoolhouse Run For Fun 5K, Medina, OH - 19:44 - 1st AG
5/17/09 Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, Cleveland, OH - 3:22:45
6/14/09 Wendy's Int. Triathlon, Lewis Center, OH - 1:48:42
6/28/09 Fat Rabbit Int. Sprint Duathlon, Lewis Center, OH - 1:15:06 - 2nd AG, 6th OA
7/19/09 Fat Rabbit Racing Columbus Int. Olympic Distance Triathlon, Columbus, OH -
8/1/09 Whirlpool Ironman 70.3 Steelhead Triathlon, Benton Harbor, MI - 6:13:58
9/13/09 Erie Marathon at Presque Isle, Erie, PA - 3:20:39
9/26/09 Road Runner Akron Half Marathon, Akron, OH - 1:40:30
10/18/09 Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon, Columbus, OH - 3:10:44 BQ
11/1/09 Run With Scissors Trail Marathon +, CVNP - 5:15:00
11/8/09 Bobcat Trail Marathon, Glouster, OH - 5:16:51
11/14/09 Bills' Badass 50K FA, CVNP - 6:46:11
11/22/09 CWRRC Fall Classic Half Marathon, Strongsville, OH - 1:33:15
11/26/09 Flying Feather Four Miler, Dublin, OH - 53:18
12/31/09 - 1/1/10 Freedom Park New Year's Ultra 24 Hour Endurance Run, Morganton, NC - 78.88 miles

Race History - 2008

2010-10-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

2008 - Season 12

2/9/08 Tackle the Tower Stair Climb, 37 Stories, Cleveland, OH - 5:48
3/15/08 St. Malachi 5 Mile Run, Cleveland, OH - 36:09
3/29/08 Around the Town 5K, Medina, OH - 23:11 - 2nd AG
4/12/08 Capital City Half Marathon, Columbus, OH - 1:38:28
4/26/08 Hermes Cleveland 10 Miler, Cleveland, OH - 1:15:09
5/2/08 Schoolhouse Run For Fun 5K, Medina, OH - 23:43 - 1st AG
5/18/08 Rite Aid Cleveland Half Marathon, Cleveland, OH - 1:37:45
6/22/08 HFP Maumee Bay Sprint Duathlon, Oregon, OH - 1:27:24 - 3rd AG
6/29/08 Fat Rabbit Int. Sprint Duathlon, Lewis Center, OH - 1:16:58 - 2nd AG
7/4/08 Gladstone Kiwanis Firecracker 5 Mile Run, Gladstone, MI - 34:31
7/20/08 Fat Rabbit Columbus Sprint Duathlon, Columbus, OH - 1:24:25 - 1st AG
8/3/08 HFP East Fork Sprint Duathlon, Bethel, OH - 1:27:41 - 1st AG
8/17/08 HFP Vermilion Harbor Sprint Duathlon, Vermilion, OH - 1:23:50 - 3rd AG
9/7/08 HFP Portage Lakes Sprint Duathlon, Portage Lakes, OH - 1:27:53
9/14/08 Mizuno Columbus 15 Miler, Lewis Center, OH - 1:58:22 - 1st AG
9/27/08 Road Runner Akron Half Marathon, Akron, OH - 1:33:59
10/19/08 Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon, Columbus, OH - 3:34:08
11/2/08 NCN Inland Trail Half Marathon, Elyria, OH - 1:34:55 - 3rd AG
11/23/08 CWRRC Fall Classic Half Marathon, Strongsville, OH - 1:39:58 - 3rd AG
11/27/08 Flying Feather Four Miler, Dublin, OH - 26:26 - 7th AG, 29th OA
12/6/08 Tour de Ashland Half Marathon, Ashland, OH -

Race History - 2007

2010-10-21T08:30:00.000-04:00

2007 - Season 11

2/3/07 Tackle the Tower Stair Climb, 37 Stories, Cleveland, OH - 6:35.06
4/28/07 Hermes Cleveland 10 Miler, Cleveland, OH - 1:20:55
5/4/07 Schoolhouse Run For Fun 5K, Medina, OH - 23:50
5/20/07 Rite Aid Cleveland Half Marathon, Cleveland, OH - 1:46:40
6/3/07 HFP Deer Creek Olympic Distance Duathlon, Mt. Sterling, OH - 2:39:56
6/17/07 HFP Maumee Bay Olympic Distance Duathlon, Oregon, OH - 2:38:10
6/24/07 Fat Rabbit Int. Sprint Distance Duathlon, Lewis Center, OH - 1:18:02
7/4/07 Gladstone Kiwanis Firecracker 5 Mile Run, Gladstone, MI - 36:13
7/8/07 HFP Caesar Creek Olympic Distance Duathlon, Waynesville, OH - 2:46:59
7/15/07 HFP Buckeye Lake Olympic Distance Duathlon, Buckeye Lake, OH - 2:33:28
7/22/07 Fat Rabbit Columbus Int. Olympic Distance Duathlon, Columbus, OH - 2:32:14
8/5/07 HFP East Fork Olympic Distance Duathlon, Bethel, OH - 2:45:52
8/26/07 HFP Buck Creek Olympic Distance Duathlon, Springfield, OH - 2:42:33
9/9/07 Hermes River Run Half Marathon, Cleveland Metroparks - 1:46:23
9/16/07 HFP Portage Lakes Olympic Distance Duathlon, Portage Lakes, OH - 2:48:23
9/29/07 Road Runner Akron Marathon, Akron, OH - 4:15:06
10/21/07 Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon, Columbus, OH - 4:20:52
11/4/07 NCN Inland Trail Half Marathon, Elyria, OH - 1:45:58
11/22/07 Flying Feather 4 Miler, Dublin, OH - 29:52

Race History - 2006

2010-10-20T08:30:00.000-04:00

2006 - Season 10

10/8/06 Towpath Half Marathon, Peninsula, OH - 2:02:50
10/15/06 Columbus Half Marathon, Columbus, OH - 1:52:59
10/29/06 Highland Health Run 15K, Medina, OH - 1:19:22
11/19/06 CWRRC Fall Classic Half Marathon, Strongsville, OH - 2:02:15
11/23/06 Columbus Turkey Trot 5 Miler, Columbus, OH - 39:01