One Last Long Run

The last long run I'm referring to is my final 20 mile run before Columbus. And it so happened to have occurred on the day after the Akron Half. That's right, 15 miles on Saturday and 20 miles on Sunday! It wasn't until about yesterday that I realized I took care of my birthday run split between the two days last weekend.

After talking about a Sunday long run at the Legends get together, Ladd decided to join me. It would be his final long run going into this weekend's 24 Hour Run at Edgewater. I was originally thinking of running trails in Hinckley, but chose the Towpath instead for it's combination of flatness and crushed surface.

We were able to start around 8:00 in the morning when it was not only cool but incredibly humid from the rain we had Saturday and overnight. In fact the humidity was near 100%, making breathing a little tough. It also caused me to start sweating buckets eventually. Fortunately I came equipped with the maximum amount of fluids I could carry.

We had a nice relaxing run, seeing various wildlife including a Great Blue Heron and a deer that scared the crap out of us because we didn't see her until she was right next to us. We also met up and ran with a fellow named Matt from Solon who was also doing his final long run in preparation for Columbus. He started from a different parking lot so we parted ways when it was time for us to turn around at 10 miles. Running from Peninsula, we made it all the way to Pleasant Valley Road before we hit our turnaround point.

I felt pretty good. My knee wasn't giving me any problems at all and I wasn't experiencing any fatigue from the hard 10 miles the day before. I probably should have taken another sports drink concoction to try out, but I'll do that tonight at the track. It's cold and windy and sometimes rainy. Not my favorite weather to do speed work in, but we run in what we get.

2009 Road Runner Akron Half Marathon

Saturday morning came early. 3:30 AM early! Akron has a 7:00 start and you need to arrive early enough to find a decent place to park, so we were up proportionately early. The weather people had been calling for rain that morning, but to our surprise it held off for most of the race. What we ended up with was cloudy skies, a gusty wind out of the south, and temps in the upper 50's to low 60's. Just great to run in!

I was not planning on doing either event this year as I'm training for Columbus, but I was able to run in Joe's place as he messed up his knee this last week during a training run. My training schedule called for a 10 mile pace run on Saturday so that's what I wanted to do during the race: a 3 mile warm-up and a 10 mile pace run.

I started out with Frank, as we lost the rest of the group in the crowd before the start. We caught up to them within the first mile and a half and had a nice little group within the larger mass of people. Ladd and Rachel were pacing Jeannine in her first marathon and Frank was running the first three miles before heading out to his relay position later in the race. It was a tight bunch of people as we made our way through the northern loop and back across the Y-bridge. I prepared to shift gears as the 3 mile mark approached coming back through downtown Akron. I also twinged a muscle in my lower back as I got tripped up on a traffic cone in the road that I didn't see coming.

                                     

The MCRR gang before the start.

Having said my good-byes and wished everyone luck, it was time to speed up. We had been averaging 9:15 miles and I needed 7:26 or below. The crowd was still very thick and I needed to carefully make my way forward, dodging around people left and right. As luck would have it, I would miss the mile 4 marker, so I had no idea what my pace was. Mile 5 brought me a 14:40 split, but I didn't know if the miles were evenly paced or one was faster than the other. I wouldn't have a good idea of my pace until mile 6, which turned out to be a 7:20. Turns out, that's where I wanted to be.

Miles 7 and 8 were both around 7:30 but mile 9 went sub-7:00 at 6:59. It was nice to turn out a quicker mile and not get too tired. Of course, we were heading downhill, but that's the best time to try to make up some time. Mile 10 was 7:09 but mile 11 was back under 7:00. And I felt really good running that too. I could feel a tugging behind my kneecap, but it wasn't hurting so I kept up the pace. Mile 11 was the steep downhill into the valley. I held back and descended carefully but could have gone much faster on that stretch had it been race day.

I was now approaching unfamiliar territory. The end of the half marathon course had been changed from previous years and I didn't know what to expect other than an uphill section. But what an uphill it was! I'd say it was a 1/2 to 3/4 mile climb back out to the top along the crushed surface of the Towpath. I thought it was tough but enjoyed the workout as well. My split for mile 12 was 7:41, which isn't far off of my pace considering the difficulty of the hill. I was actually pleased when I got the split at the top. For the final mile, I don't remember picking up the pace too much, but my split for mile 13 was 6:23. Pretty darn fast for the end of a half marathon.

My final time was 1:40:30. Not a PR, but not a PW (personal worst) either. And I wasn't racing it anyway, just sticking to my plan to use it as a training run. I felt good after finishing and shortly left to go back out and look for Mrs. P. I found her about 3/4 mile from the finish, and she wasn't in good shape either. Her hamstring was cramped and she was trying to power through it to a new half marathon PR. She was WAY ahead of her pace from Rite Aid in May but quickly slowing due to the cramp. I ran with her and tried to get her mind in a better place: focussing on finishing and not on the pain. She was hurting but kept moving. She ended up finishing with a two minute PR. Not an easy thing to do on that course.

After the last of our half marathon troop finished, we headed for home. But it wasn't until that afternoon and evening that we began discovering how many people we knew were sick. Vomiting sick. Either during the race or afterward. Mrs. P. began feeling really bad later in the evening. I felt fine, but about half of the people in the group photo above came down with some type of gastro-intestinal issues. Somehow I was not one of them. We discussed possible sources and the only thing we could come up with was the water on the course. I drank at every aid station, but I had Power Aid at every one except for two: The aid station just after mile 8 and the very next one. They use water from fire hydrants for this race and are supposed to flush them in advance. I don't know if that was it, but it seems like the only common link involved. I'll update as more information becomes available.

A few of the MCRR club members at Legends Saturday night for a celebratory dinner and a drink or two!

Congratulations to all those who finished, particularly first time marathoners Roseanne, Janet, Jeannine, and Debbie! And to those who started but ran into enough troubles to cause their days to be shorter than hoped for. It happens.

Testing the Knee

Well, the test run Monday night went fine. I ran three miles at about 8:00 pace. Mile one was slow, mile two was the quickest, and mile three was a cool-down. I felt the knee twinge a little in that first mile but it seemed to settle down after that. Because of my positive result I decided to head into last night's speedwork with some gusto.

Unfortunately, just about everyone there was tapering heading into Saturday's Akron Marathon or Half Marathon. But did that stop us from pushing too hard? Heck no! Alternating 200's and 400's were on tap after a nearly 2 mile warm-up. Splits were: 39.9 / 1:26 / 38.7 / 1:27 / 35.9 / 1:22 / 39.2. I was huffing and puffing pretty hard after some of those reps.

But as I was hoping to run a bit more than that I added on a pair of 800's, clocking in at 3:07 and 2:58. And if that weren't enough, I finished it all off with a 7:00 mile. That last one felt really good. Most of the bug storm was gone by then, and although I was still dripping buckets of sweat due to the humidity, I finished strong and injury free. I'm hoping the injury free part sticks around for a while.

Now I need to decide whether or not to run the Akron Half Marathon Saturday morning. Joe's knee is bothering him pretty bad and he's decided not to run even though he's registered and paid in full. So I have the chance to run with his number if I want. I had a 10 mile pace run planned for later on Saturday anyway, so I could start out with a 3 mile warm-up and bump my times down to 7:15-ish for the rest of the race. I'm leaning towards running it, just not completely sure yet.

An Easy Weekend

After running Erie hard last weekend, this weekend was supposed to be a little easier. Not quite time to taper, just running a little less. An "off" week. The plan was to run 6 easy on Saturday and 12 easy on Sunday. Saturday's run was going well, until about nearly the 6 mile mark. Running back down Huntington I missed seeing a drop in the sidewalk and hit it wrong on my left leg. You know, when you "know" your foot should be landing on something, but instead it keeps going! Well it jarred pretty hard, but I was able to keep running on it just fine. The pain in my knee didn't start until another 200 meters or so down the road. It was bad. Fortunately I was approaching an intersection with a light and I got to stop. It wasn't the knee pain I used to get, but painfully similar. I was able to run home OK, but it felt weak the rest of the day and it's still popping whenever I bend it.

Sunday I cancelled my running plans in the hopes of getting a little extra rest before this final big week of training. This week is the last push before my taper starts for Columbus. Now that I think about it, it is a three week taper. I could push everything back one week if I needed to and just do a two week taper. I'm going to have to consider that if tonight's test run doesn't go well.

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

2010

That's right. I will be competing in next year's Ford Ironman Wisconsin. I was able to claim my spot on Monday shortly after online registration opened. The race is now full. 2500 people full. And I will be one of them. I'm going to finish out my running season this fall, but as soon as the Bobcat Trail Marathon is over, all my focus will be on training for three events: 2.4 mile swim / 112 mile bike / 26.2 mile run. 140.6! I did half that in August and felt great doing it. Hopefully this one will go just as well. I anticipate doing many other races along the way next year, but the countdown clock will only be set upon one event: Ironman!

Post Marathon Recovery Run

Recovery run? Yeah, right! I was hoping for just a couple-three easy miles but ended up being talked into mile repeats by Connie. After a nearly two and a half mile warm-up (during which I actually felt pretty good), we started. Mile one was around 7:00 or so. I don't know for sure because I hit the buttons in the wrong order on the GPS and it got all messed up. I didn't feel bad during that first mile. I was able to keep the pace, which left me pleasantly surprised.

The pack took off again with only a 200 meter recovery, which I forgot about and missed because I was talking with Dan, who was doing his own set of 800's. So I began my second rep half a lap behind everyone else. I was able to close the gap a little, but I never caught them. Just maintaining an even distance behind them was all I could muster.

Another short recovery and we were off again. With one important difference: There was nothing left in my legs. They just wouldn't do what I wanted them to do. Post-race exhaustion raised it's ugly head and won. I finished the mile, but at a very slow pace. Cool-down pace. And then I was done. Six miles in just under 50 minutes was the total. I wouldn't even call it a speed workout.

I should rest tonight but we're hitting the trails instead. You can bet I'm just going to take things easy though.

2009 Erie Marathon

The week leading up to Sunday's Erie Marathon at Presque Isle was fairly interesting. As far as running goes anyway. With the 20 mile Blue Line run on Saturday completed, it was time for a one week taper leading into the marathon. I still wasn't sure how hard I wanted to run the race, which made me unsure just how much to cut back on training. During Tuesday's speed work session I cut back on the number of 800 repeats but I didn't skimp on the pace. Starting at 3:15, I sped up till my last repeat saw a time of 2:45. That's pretty darn fast for me.

My mini-taper saw me skip a few days as I was trying to get things done around the house. (I won't even get into having to replace the hot water tank on Thursday). I was able to get out for an easy three miles Saturday morning after an unexpected rain shower went through. I didn't feel great and was really worried about maintaining 7:30 miles on Sunday. So I put off making the decision a little while longer.

We stopped at Ferrante Winery for lunch on the way to Erie. The wine was great and so was the food. After that it was just a short drive across the PA border and into Erie. We made our way to the park and picked up our race packets. After that it was time to check in at our hotel and make dinner plans. We ended up at The Brewerie in downtown Erie. It was located in the old Union Station train station. The food was good but we've had much better beer. Unfortunately, beer is what makes a brewery, not the food, and I wouldn't return for a second visit.

I had a hard time sleeping so I found myself watching the entire USC/OSU game. I thought we were going to win that one... After about three hours of sleep I was up and getting ready to run, still not knowing what I was going to do: run comfortable and enjoy myself, or run hard and attempt to qualify for Boston. As it turns out, I wasn't going to make that decision until a couple miles into the run!

The marathon and half marathon started together promptly at 7:00, nice and early. Although temperatures were around 60 degrees, there was enough humidity in the air to make it feel warmer. And warm is exactly what things began to get once the sun was up. As for the start, I don't think that I'm starting too far back, but there sure do seem to be an awful lot of people I have to pass in the first mile or two. Once I was free to run my race without having to make awkward passes around people, I noticed that my pace was just shy of my goal race pace. That's when I decided I would go for it. Everything was prepared for an attempt: gels, fluids, and finally me, mentally.

The course was two loops around the Presque Isle State Park which is a peninsula which sticks out into Lake Erie. We ran on the parkway which was mostly tree lined and shaded. But that also meant not much of a breeze. We had sun on the south side but managed to pick up a little of the lake breeze along sections on the north side. Regardless, I was sweating. A lot! Fluids would be important today. The sports drink of choice for the race was HEED, which I'm not a big fan of, so I planned ahead by mixing 8 bottles of Gatorade Endurance for my Fuelbelt. As a multiple loop course, I would be able to swap out empty bottles for full when I passed Mrs. and Jr. P.

Here I am at the half-way point preparing to trade three empties for three fulls.

I felt pretty good through the first 21 miles, maintaining a pace about 30 seconds behind my goal time. I alternated between Gatorade and water with gel at the aid stations, which were awesome to have every mile. I needed the Gatorade because of the extra sodium and the gels for the concentrated calories and caffeine. While I made if farther than at Rite Aid before experiencing problems, the problems, they did arise. The cramping began in my toes, moved to my calves, and then eventually on to my interior quads. I slowed with each wave of cramping and was able to run my way through them. With four miles left I accepted the fact that I wasn't going to qualify for Boston that day, but if I maintained my pace without getting any worse, I would certainly set a new PR. To hit 3:15 I would need to run four 7:15 miles while I was cramping and that just wasn't going to happen. What I was able to do was piece together four just over 8:30 miles and finish with a 2:00 PR, 3:20:39!

My race splits were: 8:05 / 7:30 / 7:32 / 7:32 / 7:37 / 7:13 / 7:12 / 7:24 / 7:22 / 7:23 / 7:20 / 7:22 / 7:19 / 7:21 / 7:28 / 7:28 / 7:39 / 7:20 / 7:44 / 7:28 / 7:49 / 8:02 / 7:55 / 8:25 / 8:43 / 8:49 / and 1:26 for the final .2 miles. Like I said, I was trailing goal pace by a very consistent 30 seconds at every mile. At one point, mile 19 I think, I was right on goal pace to the second! There was enough slop built into my pacing schedule to get me to the line with some time to spare. But alas, it wasn't to be.

Oh well, this wasn't supposed to be the qualifying race anyway. That has always been planned for Columbus. I just needed to come through without injuring myself and maybe learn some things for the future. Well, I didn't injure myself and I learned that I'm going to have to figure out how to prevent the cramping. How? I don't know yet.

Almost to the finish!

As far as stats go, I finished 6th of 22 in my age group and 42nd of 484 total finishers. Not too bad! That's all for now, but stay tuned for a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT in the very near future. Bigger things are in the works for next year!

Blue Line Run and Being Chased by a Bear

Well, not in that order.

And not together either.

And it wasn't a bear, per se.

Nor, a wild animal at all really.

And calling it being chased is sort of misleading as well.

But in my mind I was being chased by a big ole hungry bear. Or maybe a wolf. Or something else with big nasty teeth. What I'm referring to is my solo trail run in Reagan Park last Wednesday evening. The running club was meeting for a group trail run Thursday that Mrs. P was interested in attending, so I decided to head out on my own a day earlier so she could run with the group. The weather was great and everyone was out that night. Especially the mountain bikers. There were a few groups out as well as solo riders. The largest group numbered 8 to 10 riders. It was that group I was running from, or racing against, should you choose to look at it that way.

The trail loops in the park are narrow and for the most part, one way. So I can hear when a rider is approaching from behind. They tend to make a lot of noise. Some of the trails even switch back on themselves so you can see who's coming up on you. I was on one of those trails when I heard and then saw the riders coming. I didn't know exactly how far I had to go to reach the end of the trail, but I knew I wasn't more than a mile. So I picked up the pace. I was running that trail as hard as I could. My ears would hear guys yelling to each other, but my mind translated that into animal snarls that wouldn't let me ease up. By the time I reached the end of the trail I was completely out of breath and drenched in sweat. But I reached the end ahead of them!

I continued running that night, logging 10 miles of trails and averaging 9:34 per mile. That's amazing for me considering the technical difficulty of those trails.

Saturday morning brought with it the annual Blue Line run on the Akron Marathon course, sponsored by Vertical Runner. I did this run last year where I met some runners I've been training with since. It's a great run on a great course with a great turnout. We probably had about a hundred or so runners starting out in pre-dawn downtown Akron. The weather was just about perfect too. Just a little chilly at the start, but warming very fast once the sun was up.

Dan H. and I ran together for the entire 20 miles, seeing others occasionally from time to time. We averaged just over 9 minute miles and maintained a nice comfortable chat-friendly pace throughout. I like the hills on this course and I'm a bit sad that I won't be able to run Akron this year. Maybe next year? We finished in just under 3 hours and I was back home by 11:00. After a little time to rest, we were off to Oktoberfest for the rest of the day. But that's an entirely different story...

The Erie Marathon is Sunday which will affect my training this week. As this isn't an "A" race, and just a long training run, I'm not going with a full 3 week taper leading up to race day. I'm just going to scale things back a little instead: Speed work tonight, not full blast, but not sandbagging it either, and another middle distance run on Wednesday or Thursday. And that will be all till Sunday. On Sunday, the Gauntlet begins.

Time For Some Cross Country Training (again)

It would seem that I should have stayed on my Wednesday speed work schedule, as my return to Tuesday night was met with full tracks. Soccer on one and pee wee football on the other. So Chuck, Charles, and I headed over to the park to run a half mile cross country loop. I was surprised to see Dan H. there after his long 100K on Sunday, but he even did a couple laps.

Our course consisted of beginning on the further end zone of the football field, up the sledding hill, around the baseball diamond, around the parking lot, past the playground, down the hill, past a second baseball diamond, and back to the end zone. It's actually a little over half a mile at .53 mile or so. After two warm-up laps we began 8 repeats. The splits were: @ 4:00 / 3:43 / 3:43 / 3:25 / 3:28 / 3:26 / 3:27 / and 3:21. We walked/jogged a 200 yard recovery down and back on the football field between each repeat.

Although the long uphill run left me feeling weak and out of breath at the top, I found I was able to recover quite rapidly after leveling out. That is a great cardio workout that left me tired but not beat up. We should really do that more often.

The weather is still great so I'm thinking of hitting the local trails tonight so that Mrs. P can join the group trail run tomorrow night. Looks like the weather is supposed to hold through the holiday weekend as well. Let's hope so. I have a long run planned for Saturday and am thinking about taking the bike out for one more long ride too. We'll see how I feel after attending Oktoberfest!

A Cold Run in August

You don't hear that very often. August in Cleveland is usually unbearably muggy and oppressively hot. But for our run this morning I donned gloves and an ear band in addition to an outer layer long sleeve shirt. It was downright chilly! And getting colder. The front that is preventing us from warming up has gone and wiped all our humidity away, giving us a wind chill. IN AUGUST! Oh well, it made for a comfortable long run.

Meeting at the McDonald's out Rt. 3 at 6:00, eight of us braved the unseasonable temperatures to get 18 to 20 miles under our belt. The run started out cold before proceeding to chilly. The sun wasn't even up yet to begin warming things. I had on my headlamp as much for lighting the ground in front of me as for letting drivers see us. We wound through the dark and quiet streets of a housing development on our way to pick up the Chippewa Trail. I could smell skunk remnants in a couple spots and hoped we would not surprise their producer. The streets were deserted and the trail appeared to be something out of a spooky movie: long and straight with trees lining both sides, disappearing in the distance into the early morning gloom. Even Rt. 162 was quiet. A nice time to run.

After a lap inside Buckeye Woods Park, with only the eyes of the ducks, geese, various other wildlife, and an old man and his dog to affirm our presence, we headed down the Chippewa Inlet Trail. There we saw a blue heron and some white cranes perhaps. East on Chippewa Road and back to the first trail to lead us back into Medina. Eventually we made it to the Square, where we made our turn back south. Here we broke into two groups. One heading straight back to McDonald's, and our group, taking the zig-zagging, rolling, hilly route back in. Funny, our two fastest mile splits were during two of the final three miles, which were the most uphill and windy miles of the run.

Final numbers: 20.2 miles in 3:05, averaging 9:11 per mile. Our fast splits were during mile 17 (8:47) and mile 18 (8:12). Maybe that will explain why we were so out of breath!

Right now my energy level is still trying to come back up. But I would like to wish the best of luck to Dan H. who is running a 100K today and to all those competing in Ironman Louisville to our south. Hope some of this more comfortable air is reaching them down there. But not the wind.

2009 Walt Disney World Vacation - Part 1

It has been a couple weeks since we've returned from our long trip to The World. I've been so busy getting things back in order, catching up on work both at home and at the office, and most importantly, getting back into a regular training schedule, that I have had to put off starting my posts about our trip. Until now. So grab a refreshment, sit back, and relax as I present a visual tour of our vacation.

Friday began early at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. We had the first flight out on Continental to Orlando so we needed to arrive pretty early and get up even earlier.

Jr. P couldn't decide if he was happy or not about flying.

As it would turn out, the flight went great with only some minor turbulence. Jr. P actually enjoyed the experience, except for the the whole ear-popping thing. Taking off and landing were the most interesting as we could try to look for places. Our cruising altitude was too high to see much during the flight.

After landing, all we needed to do was make our way to Disney's shuttle bus area. We were using their Magical Express service, which meant they would handle our checked luggage and transport it to our room later. It was just us and our carry-on baggage. It wasn't hard to find the correct spot, and we soon found ourselves on board our bus.

Mrs. P and Jr. P got to sit together.

I had to sit by myself.

I had to amuse myself as well!

The bus ride went smoothly enough. There was a little video that was activated by GPS once we got onto the highway. It was cute and distracted us from noticing all the sprawling development we were passing. The first stop to unload was at Pop Century, where a few families got off. We were to be next, followed by Animal Kingdom Lodge. When we arrived at Caribbean Beach there were already many people in line ahead of us, as another shuttle bus had just unloaded before we got there. While standing in line to check in, I really wished I had been able to check us in online earlier in the week. I had tried the day before, but the website was having trouble. Eventually more cast members arrived and the line began moving quickly.

Our room was in Barbados, one of the six groups of building "islands". It was just a short walk to our room, which we found ready and waiting for us.

The bright Nemo comforters matched the border near the ceiling. This photo is from just after walking into the room, before we moved in and began trashing the place.

After settling in just a tiny bit, it was time to head out and start seeing stuff. And to get some lunch. We weren't planning on visiting any of the parks this day so we headed to Downtown Disney. There were a couple restaurants on our list over there.

Waiting for the Downtown Disney bus at the resort.

The next three photos are of some feathered guys hanging out in front of the Rainforest Cafe.

They all look like they were posing for me!

The Lego store had a new construction out front.

Which matched perfectly to the new restaurant next door.

The T-Rex is a new dining concept by the makers of Rainforest. We wanted to check it out but were secretly hoping the food would be better. And guess what? The food here was great! Not at all like Rainforest. I was surprised that we got right in. I was half expecting an hour wait to be seated, but we were in immediately.

A giant T-Rex greeted us just inside the door.

This was the ceiling area over the shopping side.

Looking over at the bar. It rocked!

Everyone was happy with the menu offerings.

I didn't realize until we sat down that there was a giant octopus over the bar. Don't ask how I missed it!

The drinks were great! Jr. P handled a chocolate smoothie while I enjoyed a rum runner. We both enjoyed them so much, we ordered another round with the food.

The level of detail throughout the restaurant was amazing!

All the big dinosaurs were animatronic.

They would just carry on with each other.

Some of the one's by us were a little annoying.

At Northfield Park, every 19 minutes "the place goes crazy", but at T-Rex, every 19 minutes the place gets hit with a meteor shower leading up to "the big one". The colors change and all the dinosaurs freak out.

I guess the insects would have been the only ones to survive.

Fortunately for us, they got a little smaller.

After splitting the Supersaurus Sampler, which contained quesadillas, nachos con queso, onion rings, and bruschetta, between the three of us, it was time to head to the one store Jr. P had been looking forward to visiting: The Lego Store!

He went right to it, stuffing a container with as many misc. pieces from the bulk wall.

I thought they made for some interesting shape and color contrasts.

Hundreds of mini-figs hung behind the checkout, all in rows.

The monkey's magnifier brought them into view!

Back out front, the Sea Serpent has been there since at least the time of our honeymoon.

But now it has to deal with some new neighbors.

Pluto looking down on us from the World of Disney store.

And a pirate sailing by the door.

I wasn't used to the heat yet, so I needed to make a margarita stop.

I don't think Reese's and margaritas would go together very well. But the Grand Patron Margarita was just fine all by itself!

The view from our dockside table. The balloon ride is new but costs extra. It's not hot air, but a giant helium filled balloon connected by a cable to the ground. I would have liked to have gone for a ride on it but we never got around to it.

After the drinks were done we caught a bus back to the resort where we hit the pool for a bit. It was hot. Unfortunately so was the water. Too warm to stay in for very long. We had dinner reservations for that evening so we needed to get cleaned up and changed, and then make it over to the Wilderness Lodge. We traveled by bus to the Magic Kingdom and hopped a boat over to the Lodge.

We were able to ride in back where we could catch a breeze.

We have a picture of Mrs. P and Jr. P in front of these falls from every trip.

We had a nice corner table that looked out over the Lodge's courtyard. We both ordered the wine flight for the meal and let them pair our wine's with our food.

And of course we had to both order the Smokey Portobello Soup. It's one of our favorites! We've even managed to get some in the lounge before, though they don't make a habit of doing that very often.

The soup was amazing as always and I was very pleased with my main course selection. Something new this time, the Buffalo Sirloin Strip Steak. It was served over goat cheese polenta with golden beets, topped with cherries in a dark chocolate red wine reduction. Wow, that just made my mouth water! We followed that up with Double Chocolate Cheesecake and a complimentary dish of their Berry Cobbler. We were stuffed!

A nice reflection of the lights inside with part of the Lodge still visible outside while I finished my glass of port.

And so ends day one. The rest of the trip went pretty much along the same lines with us moving from one place to another, eating and drinking lots, and trying to survive the heat and humidity. Look for Day 2 in the near future.

Back To Reagan

Second week in a row that we ran the mountain bike trails in Reagan Park. I just can't get over how great those trails are and how close they are. And that I've never been on them until last week!

This week I met up with Ladd and Chris, who were already running when I got there, for some off road miles. It took a few minutes for us to meet up once I arrived, but then we were off. The trails were easier to run this week because they were dry. No slip sliding in the turns.

Chris left after a few miles and Ladd and I ended up crossing Reagan Parkway and running the loop over by the soccer fields. It felt like we ran that loop MUCH faster than last week. Maybe we did. Maybe it just seemed that way.

Ladd headed for home with nearly 12 miles, but I stayed to run solo to get my 10 miles in. We didn't see quite as many deer this week, but that could be because there were a lot more people out on the trails. Especially mountain bikers. Most of whom were not wearing helmets. That's just plain dumb, folks. There's way too much to hit, like narrow diameter tree stumps, when you fall to not wear a helmet on those trails. And as they say, if you haven't fallen yet, you will. Back to the wildlife. What we did have this week were groundhogs. Groundhogs, woodchucks, whatever you want to call them, they were out and about. One crossed the trail about two feet in front of me. I could hear the rustling approaching the trail but couldn't see what it was. Then it just burst out of the underbrush, hightailing it across the trail and back into the ground cover on the other side. Hightailing it as only a big fat groundhog can! That encounter was close enough to be considered a near collision. At least it wasn't a big buck.

And speaking of deer, as I was finishing up my miles the trail I was following did a looping turn around this small meadow/clearing of sorts. As I'm watching the ground about a meter or so in front of me, I don't get to enjoy much of the scenery. But out of my peripheral vision I think I see a deer standing, looking right at me. So I glance up and sure enough, there she was. And there was another, much smaller one laying down on the ground behind her. I assumed it was mother and daughter so I just kept running the direction I was going without changing anything about my pace or the sounds I was making. I didn't have any interest in a protective mother!

It's raining today. Nice day for a rest day! Which I need as I'm planning on 10 more tomorrow with another 20 on Sunday. Lots of running...

Speed Work, Solo Style

While I wasn't exactly "alone" at the track last night, I arrived after the ladies were already into their workout, so didn't join them. So I was running solo on the track, something I haven't done since last fall or winter. Maybe one of the snow runs in the dark in December or January. Either way, I wanted to get in a total of ten miles. So, as I'm doing my warm-up I try to do the math as to how many 800's I should do, combined with an adequate warm-up and cool-down. Oh, and don't forget the recovery laps!

So what I came with was a 2 mile warm-up, 8 X 800 meter repeats with 400 meter recoveries, and a 2 mile cool-down. I completed the slow warm-up in 19:09, which I thought was slow, but still caused me to get out of breath and begin sweating profusely. What I was to figure out eventually is that the humidity was about 70%! I just couldn't cool off last night.

The 800 repeats went well with times of: 3:13 / 3:16 / 3:09 / 3:06 / 3:09 / 3:10 / 3:12 / and 3:01. I put everything I had left into that last one. I didn't want anything coming home with me. And I felt it during the two mile cool-down. I was ready to stop after the first mile but pushed through to get my mileage in.

I'm looking to hit the trails again tonight, probably locally, just to get some off-road miles in. Then an off day tomorrow with runs of 10 and 20? this weekend. Just have to wait and see how those days shape up.

Busy Weekend

This weekend was indeed busy. Coming off a very relaxing vacation, I have been worried about having lost running fitness. But worry I need not, for I ran back to back days this weekend, which I normally do not do.

Saturday I had a scheduled 9 mile pace run, which means running at race pace. For me, that means running 7:30 miles in order to hit my 3:15 Boston qualifying time. I wasn't sure I could maintain that kind of pace for nine miles, but that's exactly what I did. Except for the first mile, during which I was still warming up. I ended up with 10.7 total miles when my cool-down is added in. Run splits were: 8:03 /7:26 / 7:30 / 7:18 / 7:29 / 7:25 / 7:16 / 7:23 / 7:06 / 8:58 and 8:15 for the cool-down. Right where they need to be. I was very pleased considering how humid the morning was and how much time off I had taken from running hard.

Later on Saturday we had the privilege attending our neighbors' wedding and reception. The wedding ceremony was held at her parents' house in Avon. We rode on Lolly the Trolley to the house where we found a very large tent erected in the back yard. As she is from a musical family, some great live music awaited us including guitar, violin, piano, vocals, and harmonica. The ceremony, though not being what I would term "traditional", certainly had more meaning to it than any I've attended in a church. The reception was held down at Progressive Field at the Indians/Mariners game. While it rained a bit during the ceremony, the rain held off during the game. We were out in right field on the Party Deck. What a great view from out there! The table we chose to settle at had a view right down the first base line, just to the left of the foul ball pole. I expected to have foul balls landing around us but nothing came close till the end of the game. The Indians tied the game at three, sending it into extra innings. In the bottom of the eleventh, after Mrs. P asked if we really needed to stay till the fireworks, Luis Valbuena hit a walk-off solo home run to win the game for the tribe. We all saw it coming our way. I thought for sure that it was going land in the opponents bull-pen (where Bailey was lucky enough to get a ball from one of the Mariners' Pitchers) but it didn't. That ball kept curving around and hit just inside the railing, bouncing off the ground and maybe something else, grazing my arm, and sailing over the heads of the bride, groom, and family. Fortunately no one was hit and hurt. That ball came screaming in! I'm still a bit miffed at myself for not having the presence of mind to catch it. I was right there. I just wasn't expecting the ball to be there. I'd have taken it in the face had I been sitting down! Oh well. Better luck next time, right?

Sunday morning saw us just arriving home after watching an amazing fireworks display and waiting for traffic to clear enough for us to leave downtown. The Browns were playing the Lions just a few blocks away, you see. Getting home so late, I decided to sleep in and run later in the morning. So at 10:30 I hit the road for a 19 mile long run. I was slightly concerned running that long the day after running hard, but it worked out just fine. I completed my run in 2:43, averaging an 8:30 pace. I had no problems during the run, just a little sore after finishing. My run took me to the southern part of Medina where it gets a little hilly. They slowed me a little, but not too much, and made for a great work-out.

Even with some doubt lingering in the back of my mind, I think I'm where I need to be right now. I have two more long runs before the Erie Marathon, and then 5 weeks till Columbus. I refuse to put the pressure of qualifying for Boston on myself at this point, and look forward to having some fun runs. If it happens, it happens. Only time will tell.

Track and Trails

First, the track. Tuesday both Clagget and the high school were in use and we didn't want to drive to Root to check there, so we headed home. Mrs. P went out for a run and I tried to get caught up on stuff. Bummer. Wednesday I was able to meet up with a small group for some 800 repeats. They were doing 9, but started before I arrived so I only managed 5. I was worried about what kind of times I would be able to maintain after a long vacation and was pleasantly surprised to land 3 out of 5 under three minutes. My splits were: 3:14 / 2:55 / 2:58 / 3:05 / and 2:53. Not bad at all considering the time I had taken off and how hot and humid it was that night. I plan on getting in a longer workout next week.

After speed work was over, we met up at Fiesta Jalapenos for dinner and margaritas. I can't say no to margaritas right now. They're my new favorite drink. These were tasty, but a little too sweet. I might need to try the next level up next time. I can do without the sweet-and-sour mix. A good margarita shouldn't need any mix at all. Just juice and alcohol.

Last night was trail night and I was all ready to head up to Hinckley to run for a couple hours. The problem came in the afternoon when the line of storms finally arrived. I was watching it approach for a couple hours, but it really sped up around 5:30. It hit us pretty hard with driving rain and gusty winds. Fortunately not much lightning and no hail. Still, I was glad to be in the house and not caught outside in it.

So a change of plans was in order. Ladd and I decided to meet in town at Reagan Park and run the mountain bike trails there. I knew of their existence but never considered running them before. I'm glad I tried them out on foot first before hitting them with my bike. They are very advanced trails and have more ups, downs, and turns than the single track in Hinckley. They were also pretty slick in spots, making planting a foot in the turns hazardous at times.

I ran for about 20 minutes before Ladd arrived, getting in only about a mile and a half. Then we ran for over an hour and a half on both sides of Reagan Parkway, getting in a little over 9 miles. All told I had 10.8 miles in 2:02. Those were some hot, humid, and tough miles. My right foot began giving me some problems about an hour and a half in. I don't know if it was the socks, the shoes, or just not running on trails in a while. I also noticed my ankles were bothering me. Those trails were so rutty and hard, maybe I was just getting beat up a bit. Although, I'm not terribly fond of the Brooks Cascadias above a certain amount of mileage, so I may have to look into finding some trail shoes that feel more like my road shoes. And I'll need to do that before the Bobcat Marathon.

Vacations Are Nice

Vacations are so nice, I wish I could make a living as a professional vacationer. While still training, of course. Ten days in the Happiest Place on Earth. No cell phone. No Internet. No blogging. No social networking. It was actually refreshing to get away from all these modern conveniences. To not "need" to text anyone. To not be in constant contact with the outside world.

Ah, but it's over. We had a long run, but it ended on Tuesday. Now it's back to other long runs! I've got some marathons to train for and their sneaking up on me. I was able to get three runs in at our resort in the heat and humidity of pre-dawn Orlando. 6 miles, 8 miles, and 10 miles. They were tough and hard to get motivated for, but I got up and ran anyway. Plus a half hour swim one morning before anyone else hit the pool.

Here's a photo of us at the Barbados bus stop at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort waiting for the bus to Disney's Animal Kingdom one morning. I struck up a conversation with the cast member there about photography and he offered to take one of us. Look for more trip photos in the future, but for now I have to get back to work.

2009 Whirlpool Ironman 70.3 Steelhead

I know this is more than a couple days overdue and I apologize. I really would have liked to have gotten it done Sunday upon returning home, but that was not to be. But it's here now. So, without further ado, I would like to present for your viewing and reading pleasure, my Ironman 70.3 Steelhead race report!

Pre-Race

Race weekend began on Friday as we needed to travel to Benton Harbor and pick up my race packet, get body marked, and put my bike into the transition area. I was looking forward to actually sleeping in Friday morning, but a persistent project at work required me to head in there for a couple early hours. Once back at home it was time to pack, load, and hit the road. We were underway by 1:30, which turned out to be a little too late for my comfort. I never actually checked how long the drive was going to take, and things got a bit tight that evening. Our GPS brought us right to Lake Michigan College, where packet pick-up was being held.

There was a decent expo with all things tri to look over. After getting my packet I found my new vacation hat: A 2009 Steelhead running cap. It's by HeadSweats, which is the same maker of my old vacation hat, except that it's nice and clean and new. Body marking followed. It was nice to get all this minor stuff out of the way the day before.

After body marking it was time to find my swim wave start. I was hoping to go early, thereby giving myself as much course time as possible. Remember, I was worried about making the time cutoffs for the swim and bike. 35 - 39 year old's went off in Wave 15. There were only 18 Waves. OK, I'll just need to swim faster. And that was the last I worried about it.

After finishing up with the Expo, it was time to find the park and get my bike into transition. Once again the GPS brought us right where we needed to be. Although we did drive through some very undesirable neighborhoods on the way. I wasn't expecting to find the whole urban blight thing happening here. Oh well. Jean Klock Park was PACKED. I was worried about finding a parking space within decent walking distance. But upon rounding a bend there were quite a few parking spaces available. My biggest trouble that day turned out to be deciding where to mount the bike number. Because I was carrying a seat bag with tire repair materials, it made mounting the number on the seat post awkward. I finally decided to leave the bag on overnight and have the number partially wrap around it.

With the number taken care of and my orange race participant bracelet on, we headed towards the transition area. Bikes needed to be in by 8:00 PM. We had plenty of time but it was getting late. We were very hungry and still needed to check into the hotel.

On our way to the transition area.

As I'm walking along the sidewalk, notice how calm and inviting the waters of Lake Michigan look.

The finish line: My target destination for the following day.

Again, notice how nice the water are, and remember that when you see the photos from Saturday morning!

The Transition Area was HUGE! You don't even want to try to imagine how much money is invested in all the bikes. Mine was one of the less expensive ones.

Still calm.

Here I am, done and making my way out. Will I have the same look on my face when I cross the line the following day?

Back at the Jeep we were ready to leave when we were temporarily blocked in by a classic car cruise. Who in there right mind scheduled two major events for the same time and place? I mean, really?

But there were some really nice cars, so we enjoyed the parade.

There were some restored oldies.

And lots of muscle!

Starsky and Hutch were even there!

And then there was this guy. Would someone please tell him there is a distinct a point when the rims get TOO large!

We eventually made it to the hotel, the Courtyard by Marriot which was about 15 minutes away. After checking in we went down the street to gas up at the Meijer's and stopped for dinner at an Applebee's. The restaurant turned out to be the worst major chain restaurant we've ever eaten in. The customers were a mix of locals and athletes in from out of town. The locals were loud, rude, and very disruptive. The service there was horrible, with some of the employees making an attempt at good service and others not caring, like our waitress. Don't eat there if you ever find yourself in Benton Harbor, MI. In fact, don't stay at the Courtyard either. For what they were charging per night, the condition of the room and location should have been much nicer. Having never stayed at a Courtyard before, I don't know if they're all this way or if it was just this particular location. We will not be staying there again.

Race Day

Race morning began with me waking up around 3:00 AM. To be honest, waking up was what I was doing all night. I didn't get a good night's sleep. But I didn't expect to, so I wasn't upset about it. Shuttle buses were running from an off site parking area to Jean Klock Park from 4:15 to 5:45. After finding the correct parking area, we climbed aboard a crowded shuttle for a short 1 mile ride. Upon unloading (and having the driver close the doors on me as I was stepping off the bus) I made my way to my bike in the transition area. Things on the to-do list included inflating the tires, loading water bottles, mounting and resetting the cyclometer, and arranging all my various transition area articles. That took maybe 20 minutes. Maybe longer because it was still very dark.

The flash gives a better perspective.

Bailey might look wide awake, but he really wasn't.

I like this photo!

An overview of the beach and transition area. The giant water bottle and arch on the left is the swim exit. Transition is to the right where the street lights are. It's about a 75 meter run from the beach to the pavement through deep sand. That's going to be tough coming out of the water.

All done getting things ready. Now all we do is wait. The pro's went off at 7:00. My wave? Not until 8:28!

The rising sun gives a little extra definition to the scene. Bailey occupied himself playing in the sand.

Eventually it was time to stop relaxing and get back to work. Sunscreen would be necessary today. At least for part of the day.

Then it was time to don the wetsuit.

And begin to make our way 1.2 miles down the beach to the start. The sand was cold to bare feet, but the 68 degree water felt great.

Not the same calm lake as Friday. The flag at the hotel and those at the race site where all unfurled. The swim was canceled at last year's race due to rough surf. This wasn't that bad and I didn't want it to be canceled. But it was getting worse.

A really cool house on the beach and an even cooler driftwood fort.

Someone was kind enough to offer to take a photo of the three of us. Note that Heather has wrapped a towel around her waist for warmth.

Scenic? Yes. But I have NEVER swam in surf before. The other two tri's were held in much smaller bodies of water with no waves.

Time to head in for a warm-up and get a feel for the water.

It actually wasn't bad. The water here is much clearer than in Erie, was warm, and I was able to get a feel for the waves. There were the occasional rogue waves that let out an incredible crash when they broke on the beach, but they weren't bad for the most part.

A look at the swim starting area from behind. The green swim caps are the wave set to go.

And there they go!

These lighthouses sit on a wall where the St. Joseph River empties into Lake Michigan. The race used to start on that wall with a dive into the water. The beach start is what is used now.

Swim

The swim start came pretty quickly. I was able to get in two warm-up swims before lining up at the starting area. What caught me by surprise was how many other guys were edging toward the back of the field. That's a tactic to evade the jostling for position that happens up front. No one wants to get dunked or popped in the face unless they think they have a shot at winning the age group.

Pink caps. That must mean my wave. I'll be one of the one's towards the back.

At the gun, there was more hesitancy than I expected. I must not have been the only one worried about the distance.

There we go!

My best times for swimming a half mile in the pool are around 22 minutes. One of my last training sessions saw times of 23, 22, and 22 minutes back to back. I was hoping to do at least that and finish in around an hour. The buoys we needed to swim outside of were located pretty far from shore. I had no idea exactly how deep the water was, and tried not to think about it once I got out there. The race info stated 12 feet of water, but there were large boats anchored there on Friday closer to shore than we were swimming.

I started to the immediate left of the buoys but somehow managed to make my way further out towards the line of boats that formed the outer line of the course. After a while I began having real problems spotting where I was going. And I had NO clue how far I had gone. Out where I was swimming there were no white caps. But there were big rolling swells. The kind that if you tried to spot between swells you couldn't see over the top. So I would time my attempts to coincide with being on the crest of a wave. But then, the rising sun combined with my fogging goggles prevented me from seeing anything. I was swimming blind. But I wasn't panicked. I was feeling good. Every once in a while I would spot the outline of what looked like a boat and I would swim to the right of it. I would occaisionally see a buoy after I had passed it. I knew I was going straight so I just concentrated on keeping it up.

Eventually I spotted a yellow buoy. That was supposed to be the last one and mark the turn towards the beach. But it seemed like I had come upon it too soon. There was a young lady in a kayak there, so I asked if it was indeed the final one. It was! So I turned towards the shore. I'm really going to need to buy some good anti-fog goggles!

Here I am, having surfaced and trying to unzip my wetsuit.

I was a little tired.

Trying to get the top off while running through the surf.

This is a good one. Check out the expression on my face. My swim split from beach to beach was 50 minutes. Way faster than what I was expecting.

Here I am crossing the timing mat for a swim split of 51:47. That run up the beach was horrible! The sand was so deep. There was no footing to be had.

Bike

Transition went smoothly if not quickly. 5:12 to be exact. But I found myself ready to hit the road for 56 miles, back in one of my comfort zones.

Heading out of T1.

Heading north on M-63. This route paralleled the coast and we would see many miles on it both going out and coming back in.

Still heading out of town.

What can I say about the bike? I'm not as big a fan of it as I used to be. It's uncomfortable and hurts my ass. It's long. It sucks to be passed by someone going MUCH faster than I am. The bike leg was OK. The roads were in good condition, except for one spot where someone trenched across the road and filled it in with gravel. At least they warned us about it. It was a rolling course that wouldn't have been too difficult except for the wind. That is what I will remember about this ride. There was a wind out of the southwest that was killer. It just sucked the energy and hope from your soul. A triathlon dementor of sorts. Going out you didn't notice it too much because it was kind of going in the same direction. But once we passed the point when we started heading back in, you noticed it. It was impossible not to. You could feel it pushing against you. You could hear it. And when the gusts came, the noise would get louder. And the resistance would increase. An all-out assault on the senses. But what amazed me was that guys were not riding in the aero position, but tall in the saddle. That just increases the area for the wind to hit. So I rode smart. Knowing the bike was not my strong event, I just tucked as low as I could and pedaled evenly, not over doing it. I didn't want to blow my legs out trying to gain a few seconds to minutes on the bike. My time would come later.

It was the low and easy recipe that brought me back to M-63 from the countryside. But the winds were worse closer to shore. And so were the hills. Ups and downs, no flat sections. But I was passing people. I really didn't understand what was going on. Then, I had a pain in my stomach. Not internal, but on my skin, like a hair had gotten caught in my shirt. Pulling my shirt away didn't relieve it, so I ran my hand across the area. I felt a lump. Something had flown down my shirt and was now biting or stinging me. Finding the lump again I squeezed it hard. I never did see what it was, but I had a welt forming and it hurt. I didn't see a stinger and it wasn't large enough to be a bee anyway. That thing hurt the rest of the day and into the next! Once the pain left it began to itch like a mosquito bite. In fact, the thing's still red tonight!

Not far from the bike finish.

So, the wind and the bite were the two most eventful things from the bike. I saw many an athlete repairing a flat tire and was glad to not have to do that. It was still sunny arriving back at transition, but the clouds were on the doorstep. And they didn't look too nice. Total time for the bike: 3:25:38, averaging 16.34 mph. I was hoping to ride better, but considering the wind, I'll take it.

Run

Heading out onto the run course, with a gel in hand, giving my best Forrest Gump wave.

Bailey fell asleep waiting for me. I guess I took too long on the bike.

Heather found our new summer home!

I guess he didn't sleep as well as I thought last night.

I wouldn't be lying to say the run went well. I didn't overdo the bike so I was in very good shape for the run. Much like the previous two triathlons, I was passing people. I was passing people like a madman! The aid stations were awesome. I was carrying Gatorade, water, and gels, but didn't need them. Everything was on the course. They had ice and sponges to cool off with. I was able to stay cool and loose for a good while. I drank a lot and took three of my four gels. There was only one guy who passed me, and he was a lap ahead of me on the two loop run course. I kept passing guys with wave 15 on their leg, and it made me push harder. There was only one spot where everyone was walking, including me. A hill that we needed to climb twice along the course. Learning from running the trails, it wasn't worth the effort to run up.

I had a really nice run. I was tired, but not in pain. Not yet, anyway. The pain hit around mile 11 when I tried to pick up the pace a little bit. The leg cramps set in. But they weren't as bad as the one's at Rite Aid so I just pushed through them.

Rounding the last corner and onto the home stretch.

Crossing the line! No, my expression isn't the same as the previous day.

Not glad it was over, just happy to be done!

My run time was 1:48:01 averaging 8:14 per mile for the half marathon. Not my best time, but certainly not my worst! I knew I was feeling better out there than 90% of the other athletes. My finish time was 6:13:58. I was happy.

The tiredness caught up with me later that afternoon.

We stopped by Notre Dame on the way home Sunday.

We found a swarm of angry bees while searching for the Grotto. Yes, all the little spots are bees and they were shooting all over the place!

We finally found the Grotto.

Thanks to Heather for taking just about all of these photos!

Now what? Are there more half Ironman's in my future? Yes, I think so. Would I like to go longer? I'm thinking yes about that as well. 2010 might be shaping up to be a very interesting year.