The Shadow knows

"The Shadow knows" is a famous catchphrase from the old-time radio drama The Shadow, posing the question, "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?". The saying also refers to the Jungian psychological concept of the "shadow," which represents the hidden, often denied aspects of one's personality.

L to R: Shadows of Theresa Wright, Julie Boggs, Dan Horvath (Julie smiled for the photo)

You may be wondering what this has to do with running. It was a cool, clear mid-September Sunday morning. That means Hinckley, and it means an intrepid bunch of Hinckley Harriers were on hand to handle the hilly 9-mile loop. By the time we finished, the sun was beginning to rise, and it was time to run a 3-mile circuit of the un-lake. (It's an un-lake because it's currently under construction and is, at the moment, more of a river.)

Also by this time, we were more than a little bit tired. Julie Boggs indicated that even her shadow looked tired. Theresa Wright and I agreed that ours weren't doing so great, either. Watching our long, tired-looking shadows kept us entertained as we made it around and back.

Jogging through Georgia (and Armenia)

We visited Armenia and Georgia, and I did a tiny bit of running. I tried to get out for at least one jog in every location. The key word here is, ‘jog’.

Yerevan, Armenia

Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia, and we were smack dab in the middle of it. My jog was around some squares and pedestrian walking areas. It wasn’t bad.

Goris, Armenia

Goris is in the Southern part of Armenia. I ran down into this quaint town, then back up. I managed to not get too very lost.

Dilijan, Armenia

Dilijan is a quaint mountain resort village. It was very vertical, so this was my slowest jog yet. I went down, then up on the busy road. Then up and down some more on much quieter mountain roads. A bunch of small puppies followed me until they got tired. Mom didn’t seem to mind.

Tbilisi, Georgia (Part 1)

It was a rainy night as the lights went out, and Georgia was on my mind, when the Devil went down there. Bustling Tbilisi is the largest city. It was tough to get across several busy streets to get to the riverside walking trail, but I managed. The Kura River flows through the middle of town, and although traffic was rushing by, the trail was good for running. I went across the famous Pedestrian Peace Bridge, past the statue of Ronald Reagan, and then North on one side and back South on the other. There were dozens of ladies sweeping and raking the sidewalks of fallen leaves and other debris. They were wearing orange reflective vests just like mine. Maybe they thought I was one of them. It turned out to be a nice 5-miler, the best outdoor run yet on this trip.

Kura River in Tbilisi

Another Tbilisi trot wasn’t quite so spectacular. I went South along the river this time, but wandered away from that trail a little to continue through a small park. That’s where the German Shepherd decided to adopt me. He followed me all around town, until I returned to the hotel. Normally, this would upset me, but it’s normal life around here. Yes, Dan abides.

Tevali, Georgia

There are not as many loose dogs here. But there are enough. I did five on the hotel dreadmill, then a couple more on the medieval roads in this small town. I found a soccer field to run around a little; that part was nice.

Tbilisi, Georgia (Part 2)

We returned to Tbilisi for a couple more days, and I finally got a decent run done. Ten miles along the river, at a decent pace. That completed my overseas running in a nice way, although both the mileage and intensity have been much less than usual. When I return, look out!

Okay, I get it. You want to learn more about our trip to Armenia and Georgia. If so, check out our travel blog post.

Peer Pressure

"C'mon," I'll say. "Everybody's doing it." That's about as sophisticated as it gets when I'm applying peer pressure to my running friends. Sometimes, it works. But I did not like it when Julie Boggs turned the tables the other day and applied peer pressure back at me. "You said you wanted to do two Hinckley loops, so are you gonna do it Sunday?" She asked. She may as well have added (with a Dirty-Harry accent), "Well, are you, punk?" "Wait," I said. "I'm the peer-pressure-er. I'm never the peer pressure-ee!" But my protest went nowhere. I was hooked. 

Now, it's time to get going on the adventure. Theresa Wright is starting with Julie and me, but is only doing one loop. It's warm and humid as always. We chat for a while until the first hill takes its terrible toll. It gets quiet as we transition from running to walking. Eventually, we can run again. Our pace matches the constantly rolling terrain.

Traffic is heavier than usual. A Jeep goes by a little too fast. A quarter-mile later, we see the vehicle off the road and into a ditch with some weeds. We ask if the driver is okay, and they say they are. They are on the phone, asking for help. As we resume running, we see a police cruiser heading over, presumably to help the driver.

That was tough. We finish that first nine-mile loop covered with sweat. It's time for Theresa to go home, and also for Julie and me to begin loop number two. It hurts. What hurts, you ask? Everything. I'm still feeling Friday's long run on Lester. That had gone well, about the same as last week's long, loping Lester run. Today, not so much. Maybe I need more than one day between long runs? Hmm. I'll have to think about that.

Julie, Dan, and Theresa between loops

Traffic is worse now. The sun is higher and hotter. Julie and I are both tired. But at least we're moving forward. Surprisingly, the car had already been removed from the ditch and was gone. We're both feeling sort of gone ourselves. We finally get past Effie and over to the downhill section of Kellogg Road and Route 606. We're gonna make it!

Second surprise: Loop 2 was nearly the same pace as Loop 1. I'm grateful that Julie peer-pressured me into this. But I'd never admit that to her.

Long on Lester, August 2025 Edition

It's quite probable that two of the most common words in the post titles are "Lester" and "long." It therefore makes sense that they would be used together for many a post. This is one of them.

It's Friday, and my friends and I had decided that today would be the day of a long run for this weekend. Works for me. Oh, it may be tough to run 18 miles after sitting in the car for six hours (driving home from Chicago), but it may work out. Or, it may not.

After ingesting plenty of caffeine, I am able to keep up with the early (5:00 AM) group. A few folks join and leave, but the pace actually gets even faster as the run goes on. My Clif Bloks and hydration drink appear to help, but it's mostly the good company that makes the run successful. 

Yes, successful. We complete the run in less than three hours, although there were a few stops. I'm always happy when I am able to keep up with everyone, and today, I can.

Selfies by the shore in Chi-town

We were in Chicago to visit our daughter Valerie, so of course I had to run along the lakeshore. It was as cool as ever, even on this warm morning. The sun was rising, and thousands of runners, bikers, and swimmers were about. But mostly runners. You know, my people.

Anticipating a pretty sunrise, I brought my phone. I wound up taking photos of the sunrise itself, the stunning city scenery, other runners, and, of course, myself in the way of selfies. I decided to include only one of the latter ones here. That's enough for anybody. But you will see a few of the others as well. What a great place to run.

Creatine

According to my AI overview, creatine supplementation can enhance athletic performance, particularly in activities requiring short bursts of high-intensity power, like sprinting and weightlifting. It works by increasing the amount of phosphocreatine in muscles, which helps in the rapid regeneration of ATP, the primary energy currency of cells. This leads to improved strength, power, and work capacity during exercise, as well as faster recovery between intense bouts of activity. Even though my activity does not require short bursts of high-intensity power, this article informs me that there may be benefits for distance runners. I thought I'd give it a try. What could go wrong?

One side-effect is bloating and/or water-weight gain. Now that I've been taking the stuff for a week, I can testify that I've been hit with this one. I have been feeling like crap, and this could have been a factor in Saturday's less-than-stellar race. 

I'm hoping that the bloating will subside after a few more days. If not, I'll have to quit the experiment.

Goodyear Half Marathon Race Report

 

The Goodyear Half Marathon has it all: hills, heat, humidity, and a good dose of humility. This is not to mention heavy legs. Even though it's a fabulous event, I have to say that for me, they can't all be gems.

I carpool with veteran Akron Marathon Series runners Julie Boggs and Theresa Wright after a 5:00 A.M. meetup. Prior day packet pickup, day of race parking, crowded and narrow start, and other logistics make participation in this race a complicated matter. Julie and Theresa know the ropes. Fortunately, the race starts early, given the warm and humid conditions, which are only going to worsen with the sunrise.

Julie, Dan, and Theresa just before the start

The start at the Proving Grounds is unique and spectacular. Although the road is narrow, the waves make things go smoothly. I begin too fast, just as I did at last week's race. I don't expect to run as fast; I just want to hold my own. The humidity takes its toll early on, and I slow a little bit more for each mile split. 

By the time I reach the middle miles, I start to slow down even more, and I become discouraged. Michael Juppe, who is in my age group, passes me and pulls away. At the halfway point, my time is about 56 minutes. That is slower than last week, but not downright awful. If only I could duplicate it for the second half, I'll feel like the run was semi-successful, even without an age-group win.

It's getting warmer, and the sun is beating down on me. I slow down even more going up hills (of which there are many), but I manage to pick the pace back up heading back down. I take a gel at mile 9, and it does the trick. Mile 11 is slow because it's uphill, but 10, 12, and 13 are some of my best of the day.

Just before the finish line, I spot Michael Juppe up ahead of me. Can I catch him? The final quarter-mile is downhill, so you betcha. He had beaten me by seconds at the Erie Marathon last year, but this time I pass him just before we cross the line. The results show that my 1:52:22 is just seconds ahead of his time.

It's a full five minutes slower than Hofbrauhaus, but with the AG win, I'll call it semi-successful. And the burgers and beer with Julie and Theresa (at 8:40 A.M.) made it all the more fun.

History of the Half

I've run a lot of half-marathons, but I've done more marathons. Here is a list, but it's not complete. I am sure that I missed a bunch from the time I lived in Michigan. 

My latest one, Hofbrauhaus, is the best in 8 years.

2025 Hofbrauhaus Cleveland Half Marathon Race Report

When I was living in Michigan, one of the state's best runners once told me that in order to run fast, you have to start fast. This went against my usual mantra of start slow, then ease up. But it worked for him, and perhaps even a bit for me on a few occasions. But not lately. Definitely not lately. After telling my friends (who sometimes actually listen to me) that my goal was to break 1:50 for a half-marathon this year, I provided this recent update: yes, the weather should be good for the Hofbrauhaus Half, but I am just not feeling it. I'm not at my sharpest point right now. I'll just try for something approaching that goal, and hopefully get it done once I'm in better shape.

I see some friends before the start, and it's all good. Once the race begins, all my easy-does-it plans go out the window. This is typical, but I'm probably starting too fast. Still, I'm feeling fine, so why not go with my fast friend's advice? 

Egads. The first mile split is under eight minutes. That's not just a little too fast; it's much too fast. I ease up a little, because that all-out speed is just too all-out. The next few miles, heading East on Euclid Avenue, are at a low eight-minute pace. Even that is still too fast. I can't maintain it, can I? Eventually, we head down to Cleveland's Cultural Gardens. I always like running down here, and I'm still doing well, but will I still be able to still run fast when I have to head back up to Euclid?

Coming back through the Start/Finish area at Mile 1

Halfway goes by in 52 or 53 minutes, and I'm still scared. Chadwick Sunday comes up from behind and runs with me for a while. He had been helping to pace Ladd Clifford and had been sent up ahead to determine if it was truly me that they had been following. It was. The turnaround is at Mile 7, and I get to see Ladd and Chadwick, as well as several other friends. 

And then comes the dreaded Mile 9. This is the hill I'd been worried about - it takes us back up to Euclid Avenue, and it seems to go on forever. Although it's my slowest mile of the day at 8:24, it's still not bad. The next couple of miles are back in the low eight-minute range. Chadwick chases me down and passes me in the final miles as he often does. I wonder where Ladd is, and then I see him directly in back of me as I finish. Those guys started way behind me, so they actually had better gun times.

At the finish, I also see Larry Orwin, who had run much faster, as usual. His son Troy, and several old and new friends also did well. The celebratory beer and brat sure taste good.

It was a good day for all, and a lot of fun. But now that I have achieved my sub-1:50 goal, what the heck do I do now?

High Humility

Humility levels are high once again today. It's all very uncomfortable. You might even say, stifling. I'm almost to the point of taking a day off from running. Think I will? Nah.

Call it the summer doldrums. It starts with the weigh-in: 163 &!^*$# pounds! I'm not sure, but I think that's the most in, like, years. Then, I get to the track and I realize that I can't breathe the thick, cut-it-with-a-knife air. It's pretty much the same as it's been for days and days now.

Some of my friends are doing some workout or another, while others are just running in circles. I start running circles as well, but then realize why I'm here: to do something, anything, of substance. I try to get up to speed. It's not easy.

I wind up with five 800s. That's not as good as ten (my usual goal number and what I did last week), but it's better than zero. 

Come to think of it, I suppose we can say that about all of my running in the past couple of weeks: better than nothing.

Barely.

Today's "run"

I was going to meet some friends for a group run today, but we decided to cancel due to rain. At some point, the rain appeared to be subsiding, so I went out for a few miles in the hood on my own. I got wet; it wasn't pretty. And I moved slowly. You could hardly even call it a run. That's why I put the word in quotes.

Yesterday's "run" wasn't quite so bad. My friends and I stayed together for nearly 15 miles in and around Chippewa Lake, before they all had to leave. At that point, I only needed 3 more to make it up to 18 miles for the day. That's when my run became a "run". It was slow, but not as bad as today's "run".

I can only hope that tomorrow's run or "run" will be better.

Let's get the flock out of here (Guest post by Grayson Goose)

Why are we here? It's a large, open area, surrounded by a metal structure that we can see through. There is black, bouncy stuff that you can't eat, but it's fun to poop on. Inside that is the "grass". It's the worst-tasting grass I've ever tried. Yet our leader, Gabriella Goose, led us in here. Maybe it was just because we could. Usually, there are no openings, and we have to jump or fly over the metal structure. But today, there's an opening, so we could simply walk in. Since the grass tastes so awful, we just stand on the black part and poop away.

Garrett Goose begins honking. I quickly discern why. One of those big human things is coming toward us on the black surface. He (I think it's a male because he isn't wearing a shirt. And because human females are too smart to be out here on such a hot morning) seems to be "running" between the white lines, even where the black surface curves around. "Everyone, he's not stopping. Better get out of the way!" I honk. We do, but a few of us hiss as he goes by. I wonder if he knows what we're saying in goose-hiss talk. I suggest to Gabriella Goose that perhaps we should vacate this area and go somewhere with edible grass. "No, she says. Instead, let's poop on the black surface some more."

A couple of minutes later, the human comes at us again. This time, he's "running" a little bit faster. It's still not what we would truly call "fast", but I suppose it's all relative. Once again, we honk and hiss and reluctantly get out of his way. I get a better look, and I notice that he doesn't have any hair on top of his head like most humans. He also seems older. And slower.

Gabriella Goose finally begins to guide us back out through the opening. I guess she satisfied herself that we had pooped enough. Tasty grass, here we come! But not before that human comes by yet again. Now we've already begun to filter out, but Garrett Goose and Gavin Goose fly up and over the metal structure.

It feels so good to get away from that guy. "Hey, Gemma, pass the clover."

Grayson Goose

Brunswick Half-Marathon and Run for Roseann

Roseann Peiffer (formerly Roseann Perchinske) ran with us before she moved away about fifteen years ago. I remember that she was training for her first marathon, along with several other friends. She was recently killed in a tragic accident - hit by a car while she was doing something she loved, biking with friends. Today, we held a Run for Roseann event to remember and honor her, for those who knew her as well as for those who did not. I decided to combine the Run for Roseann with the Summer edition of the Brunswick Half-Marathon. 

Roseann's family and close friends showed up, even a couple from Toledo. Together with a bunch of us local runners, we wound up with a huge turnout. Most folks ran around Brunswick Lake, but some of us ran the Brunswick 1/4 Marathon course down to Plum Creek Park and back. There were fewer of us (five in all) who ran a second 6.55-mile loop to complete a half-marathon.

Dan Stock ran fast, and he knew the route, a dangerous combination. He finished first. Chadwick Sunday was just in front of me most of the way. Until we got to the second 1/2-mile loop around Plum Creek. He ran counter-clockwise, whilst I did it clockwise. I spotted him halfway around and tried to give clear directions for getting back. Alas. He got slightly lost anyway. This enabled me, Dan Number Two, to finish second in the race, just under 1:56. Chadwick came in a couple of minutes later, with some extra mileage on his Garmin. Maureen Oblander and Katherine Kinsey completed the race by tying for First Female honors.

Fun stuff. Now, I've got to get serious about this half-marathon stuff. I have four to go before the end of the year.

I may not be my usual speedy self today

I warned the group about the demise of my speed as we were beginning the Hinckley 9-mile loop yesterday. The reason was that I've been running a lot. When you run a lot, you can't always go as fast as you'd like. Why have I been running a lot? I'm trying to whip myself back into shape after getting fat, slow, bald, and ugly during my recent travels. I hope there are no more questions. We have to talk about today's run.

About a year ago, Brunswick Middle School began opening its track to the public on Sundays. I've occasionally done some Sunday running there. Today is Monday, but, I thought, maybe the track will still be open from yesterday. Guess what? It was!

After a few very slow warmup miles, I started my 25 or 6 2 4 workout. It entails 25 laps total to add up to 10,000 meters or 6.2 miles (the 6 and the 2). The 4 means... I dunno, but I'll think of something. So that's 20 x 400 with 100 recoveries to make up the 10K. The 400s aren't all out; they are at about 10K pace. The recovery 100s aren't totally slow - you have to keep moving. When you add it all up, your overall total time should be worth noting, at least as much as the repeat splits.

Several years back, I began to realize that I don't do many 10K races anymore, so there isn't much sense in training for them. But I do still run 5Ks. Thus, I cut this workout in half. It's now 10 x 400, instead of 20. Everything else is the same. I do several such workouts a year. Today's (27++ minutes) was extremely slow, but at least it was something. 

Something of substance.

The second time I was attacked

It was the second attack in a week. This time, I had taken advantage of an early arrival into Skagway by hitting the roads in the small, Alaskan panhandle town. Once again, I heard the raven ruckus (they may have been crows; I'm not sure), but mostly ignored it. Until, that is, it became louder and more menacing. That's when, once again, one swooped down at me, causing me to wave my arms and yell at it. It flew away, but the ruckus continued. Another runner (we were the only people about at 6am) witnessed the attack, and we talked about it as we ran together for a while. "Where I live, they get out of your way," he said. I agreed. The ravens just sat back and said, "Nevermore will this bald guy again bother us."

The other time, I was in Vancouver on the morning before embarking on our Alaska-bound cruise. The same darn thing occurred. I wish I could understand why they didn't like me. Maybe it was something to do with a bald head jogging by? 

My running on board the Sapphire Princess was less eventful. The Promenade Deck goes most of the way around the ship, and there are around 3 laps per mile. I say almost, because you have a choice whether to go up and down a flight of stairs (which are sometimes closed) to make a complete loop, or turning around to make a big 'U,' which is what I mostly did. It wasn't the greatest running, but at least I got a few early-morning miles in. Nothing spectacular.

Once the cruise was completed, I did some running in the Denali National Park area. The scenery was awesome, especially along the Nenana River. The running was only so-so, though.

After Denali, it was back to Anchorage for the first time. This trip was complicated, with several return stops to this beautiful city with many fine all-purpose trails throughout. This was my best land run so far, but it was only six miles. Had to get moving on, you know.

In Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, I did some excruciatingly slow running back and forth on the only road around. I also did some hiking and running to and from the car parking area. I was glad to feed the mosquitoes some of my DNA. They needed it more than I.

Then, there was Kotzenbue. We only spent one night, but I managed to get a North-of-the-Arctic-Circle run in. It's not a large town, and I ran the length of it before heading up the small hill to the East. That's where the skeeters got me. Nice view up there, but I quickly came right back down to town.

Kotzenbue

By the time we arrived back in Anchorage for the third time this trip, I knew my way around fairly well. Had some time, so I finally got a long run in. I've already mentioned what a wonderful city Anchorage is for running, and I still feel that way. Except more so. This run was 18 miles at a half-way decent pace. Most was on the Chester Creek Trail and the Coastal Trail. Seen along the way: homeless people, a black bunny, numerous attacking seagulls (yes, now they are after me), a bald eagle, a train at the station, bunches of skeeters, no sighting of Denali, no hassles.

Long run in Anchorage

I did three additional runs in Anchorage, all on these same trails, but none were as long as that 18-miler. 

If you would like to learn more about this here Alaska trip, check out the travel blog post. 

It will be good to get home and to get serious about this running stuff.

Ladd's 5K

Ladd Clifford has had weekly 5K races from his house for the past couple of summers. I finally made it to one of them. The reason I haven't gone earlier is that I'm fairly worthless as an evening runner. Oh, you say? Just evening?  I do believe that it's a good idea to race often, even in a relaxed and fun setting with friends. I think it's a great opportunity to improve.

There were around twelve of us at Ladd's place. At 6:00 PM, we did a one-mile warmup before returning to his house to start the main event. We went south on Ryan Road a short distance before turning into a subdivision. At the end of that road, we entered onto the Chippewa Trail, an all-purpose asphalt trail that took us further south, all the way to Chippewa Road, which we crossed over and continued on for a couple hundred more yards into the woods. It all adds up to a shady, accurate, gently downhill 5K course.

It was a warm June evening. I was out of breath right from the start, forcing me to moderate my pace just a little. That worked. For a while. I ran fairly well for the first half, but slowed further in the second. I finished in the lower tier of the group with a time of 25:31. 

I'm not disappointed. Not thrilled, but not disappointed. Next time, I'll try to improve on this.

The Gang after the run at Ladd's place   photo credit: Ladd Clifford

Healthy, wealthy, and wise, my foot

"Healthy, wealthy, and wise" is a well-known idiom that emphasizes a fulfilling and successful life that encompasses physical, financial, and mental well-being. It's not just about having riches; it's about possessing the wisdom to make sound judgments, manage finances responsibly, and prioritize health. The more complete saying, "early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise," attributed to Benjamin Franklin, also reflects this idea, emphasizing the importance of good habits and discipline for overall success. 

Back in the early years of Earth's formation when I was young, my friends and I would negate a sentence or phrase by adding the words "my foot" to the end of it. By and by, I got older and the words were changed to "my ass" before (to the best of my knowledge) leaving the lexicon entirely. 

Now, we have the complete picture. Most who know me believe it when I say that the early to bed and early to rise part applies. So much so, that I ought to be the healthiest, wealthiest, and wisest bloke around. But am I? My foot.

Yes, my foot. It's acting up again. It hasn't been right since my Achilles Tendonitis surgery four years ago. Don't get me wrong. I'm still glad I did it. Since my recovery, I've been able to run again, mostly pain-free. But due to the lasting nerve damage, my right foot has been numb. This has caused other problems, including strange pains and injuries. For the past month, swelling and toe pain have increased. I don't think it's slowed me down much. Yet. 

Recently, I began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. It's hard work for an old guy like me, but it's also rewarding, and I'm happy to do it. But being on my feet for hours and working hard in the heat is not working out so well for that right foot. Now, besides the numbness, there's swelling as well.

For today's volunteer gig, the swelling was particularly bad. I'm sure that waking up at 2:19 AM to run eight miles on the mill before meeting friends to run ten more at Lake Medina was not a factor here. Hey, I really wanted to get a long run in today. I didn't really intend to wake up quite so early, but it was a case of, I'm awake, I may as well run longer. All this before starting work at the build site at 8:30 AM. So no, it wasn't the running, just the H for H physical labor that's causing the problems.

My foot.

Schedule This!

The half-marathon and marathon schedule is set for the second half of 2025. I don't usually plan this far ahead. But think of all the money I saved with early pricing. Of course, if I miss any of the races, all those savings will go down the drain. Naturally, the worst thing that could happen is for me to get injured and miss more than one of them. I'd better start doing daily prayers and sacrifices to the knee, hip, and ankle gods.

• August 2: Hofbräuhaus Cleveland Half-Marathon
• August 8: Goodyear Half-Marathon
• September 27: Akron Half-Marathon and Team Relay (both)
• October 4-5: Northeast Ohio 24-Hour Run (as a volunteer)
• October 19: Columbus Marathon (overnight stay)
• November 2: Veterans Marathon in Blairsville, PA (overnight stay)
• November 23: Fall Classic Half-Marathon
• November 30: Buckeye Woods 25K/50K (probably the 25K)
• December 27: Brunswick Marathon

One more thing: if I do complete all of these, I will have run seven half-marathons for the year. That would be the most ever. The five full marathons is not; it's fairly typical.

Highland Hornet Dash 5K Race Report

Looking back, I think my biggest problem was that I wore all red to an all-green race. 

25:27, 26:19, 26:53. Those are my times from 2023, 2024, and this year. This year's pace was slower than that for the recent Medina Half-Marathon. I would be disturbed by this trend if I truly gave a piece of excrement. What excuses do I have, you ask?

• First, thanks for asking. It rained the entire time. I'm sure that slowed me down some. Yeah. Sure.
• The grass was high. The race takes runners around several grassy areas, and those were not so recently mowed.
• I been running a lot lately. Maybe I should've tapered for this.
• My friends were there, and we all had a bunch of fun. You can't have fun and run well, can you?

I mentioned the fun factor. This is a friendly community race to benefit Highland Schools. There are gobs of kids and lots of family fun stuff going on. My friend Julie Boggs is the de facto race director. She has taken over from Theresa Wright, who continues to help. What's not to like?

Tale of two tremendous training trots

Last week: It's Friday, and for the five millionth time, it's Lester Rail Trail. The weather is great, and I had been having a wonderful time running with my friends. Until they all left. Now I'm alone with six miles to go. 75% of the time, I slow way down at this point and struggle mightily to get up to the required mileage. Today, that number is 18 miles. And today, for a change, I manage to not slow down; I complete the run in an excellent (for me) time of 2:54. 

This week: It's Friday, and for the five million and oneth time, it's Lester Rail Trail. The weather is not so great (the humidity is extremely high), and yet I had once again been having a wonderful time running with my friends. Until they all left. Now, I'm once again alone with six miles to go. There's a better chance than last week that I might struggle mightily to get up to the required 18 miles. Yet today, like last week, I once again manage to not slow down; I complete the run in an excellent (for me) time of 2:56. Yeah, that's 2 minutes slower, but given the difficult conditions, I'll take it. What other choice is there?

I'm not sure what's going on here. It's a good thing, but it probably won't last.

Sign-in, sign-out

Dan's friends, especially Katherine Kinsey, seem to get a kick out of my sign-in, sign-out list. Here's the deal.

Debbie wakes up early (but not as early as Dan) and wonders, Where is Dan? Of course, she knows that he's out running, but where, with whom, and when will he be back? Voila, the Dan Horvath sign-in, sign-out list. Dan got the idea from his friends, Larry and Christine Orwin, who both run and needed to let each other know where they were. Ironically, Dan recently learned that Larry and Christine no longer use a list. They now have a whiteboard instead. Perhaps it's time for Dan to catch up with the times.

Quickie Race Report

No, this is not a race report that's a Quickie. This is a report about a Quickie race. What exactly is a Quickie, you ask? Well, take it from me: don't google it. It's something my female running friends in particular have been asking for. Why me, I ask them back? I suppose they feel that if Dan doesn't do a Quickie, a Quickie doesn't get done. To be a little more specific, in this context, a Quickie is a two-mile prediction run. We Medina County Road Runners used to do one every year at Roscoe Ewing Park on Memorial Day. 

Dan decided to organize a 2025 Quickie at the last minute. Five brave two-legged runners and one four-legged one showed up. This is not to mention an intrepid race timer. The runners predicted their times and placed their watches in the holding box. Unlike the practice in years past, no money was put down.

Quickie Start

It was quite the exciting race, and it lived up to its name. The fastest runner was Marko Dravenstott, who dragged Alan Davenstott to victory as the first two-legged finisher. But Dan, yes, Dan, was the overall Grand Champion. His predicted time: 18:00. His actual time: 18:00. Now, every day for the rest of his running life, Dan will lament not putting money into a pot.

Ladd Clifford, Chip Jenkins, Harold Dravenstott, Alan Dravenstott, Theresa Wright, Dan Horvath, Marko Dravenstott (not shown)

2025 Medina Half Marathon Race Report

It's a race where everyone knows your name. Mine, at least. I'm not sure why this is; maybe it's because I've walked the Earth a few years too long.

I get by with a bit of help from my friends. L to R: Chadwick Sunday, Maureen Oblander, Julie Boggs, Christy Gnat, Frank Dwyer, Sharon Sibilski, Harold Dravenstott, Dan Horvath, Katherine Kinsey. Photo: Julie Boggs

Christy Gnat, Sharon Sibilski, Chadwick Sunday, and I start close to the 1:55 pace group. This seems aggressive to me, considering that the Cleveland Marathon was only six days ago. I had only been hoping to run this race at about a 9-minute-per-mile pace like last week. I'd be happy with anything just under two hours today.

For some goofy reason, the pace seems slow. After a couple of miles, Chadwick and I move ahead of the rest of the group. I thought I was old enough to know better. I'm not. Chadwick is running smoothly and having a ball. I am just huffing and puffing. "Tell me another story," I ask between huffs, knowing full well that I'm usually the one doing all the talking.

Somehow, I manage to continue to cling to my friend until he spots Ella on the side of the road at mile 11.5. Ella does her jump-hug. Chadwick stops for it, and I can finally get ahead of him a little. Of course, he catches and passes me - the cheerleader did her job to inspire him.

Like last year, Chadwick pulls further ahead during the final wonderful downhill mile.

I finish in 1:52. This is much better than expected. I'm sure it's my fastest on this course.

All of my friends gather again at the finish. I love seeing them all. This, This is as good as running can get.

Mychart

Like numbers? I do.

MyChart is known as an online tool used for medical communication, billing, and data. The Mychart I'm referring to here is that of my marathon times. A friend asked how my recent time compares with others over the years, both recent and not so recent. It was my kind of question.

Marathon Times by Age

I'm not particularly fond of that upward trend. 

Here's some more data: 

• Average time for my first 100 Marathons (1978-2013): 3:21 ((3:18 if you throw out the two slow trail marathons))
• Average time for my most recent 32 Marathons (2013-Present): 4:07
• Average time for all 132 Marathons (1978-Present): 3:32

My good side

2025 Cleveland Marathon Race Report

It's time for The Long Walk. I have managed to finish the Cleveland Marathon, then attempted to have a celebratory beer, and now I am walking back to my car. This walk, all one mile of it, is long and arduous. Not quite as long and arduous as the marathon, but I can't say that I'm enjoying it.

My finishing time was 3:56. That's about par for me these days. I haven't beaten 3:55 in a very long time, but I can still go sub-four on a good day, like today. My time is faster than I've done at this race in a few years. We experienced hot weather in many instances, but today was nearly perfect. Oh, there was some wind, but it was from the Northwest and mostly at our backs for the final miles. I also won my age group, which is due to the dearth of older, faster runners.

I would like to be able to say that it felt good to run so well. But it didn't, so I can't. My splits were even, but those last few miles were Tough with a capital T. I should be happy to finish at all, and even to have made it to the start. My right big toe had been acting up. Luckily, I soaked it and taped it, and it wasn't a factor today.

One final thought. In two years, they will be celebrating the 50th running of this race. I was there for the first one, and for twenty-something others. I plan to be there in 2027. Maybe 2026 as well.

I can't walk

I'm in the car, driving to the RTA parking area, where I'll catch the Rapid Transit that will take me downtown. That's when I first notice that my right foot hurts. This is the one that is always numb due to the Achilles Tendonitis surgery four years ago. That numbness has led to other problems, especially around my big toe. And it's my big toe that hurts the most right now.

Once on the train, I take my shoe off and rub my foot a little. It's a relief, but when I arrive at Tower City, the shoe has to go back on so that I can walk down to the Convention Center. Now, it hurts even more, and I can hardly walk. I wander around the Expo, pick up my shirt and bib, and then walk back to Tower City. 

As soon as I'm back on the train, I take my shoe off. Again, it's a relief. But again, I've got to get it back on to walk to my car once I arrive back at Puritas Station. By now, I can hardly walk at all. After stumbling into the car, I remove my shoe again for the ride home.

At home, I soak it for most of the afternoon and evening. I determine that my big toe is infected. It's painful, reddish, and enlarged, so I suppose that's what's wrong. I put antibiotic cream on and bandage it up for the night. I'm not sure what could have caused such a thing. Wish I knew. 

It isn't lost on me that if I can't walk, running 26 miles on Sunday may be difficult. It's also not lost on me that I've been posting positive thoughts lately, jokingly asking things like, what could go wrong? Well, I've found something.

Will I make it to the starting line? I'm workin' on it.

Nasty tow porn

Dearth of excuses

The Cleveland Marathon is now only a short couple of days away. Today, I ran with friends on Lester Rail Trail, and I cut the run short at only six miles. Although I had some slightly challenging runs last week, this week has been taper-city. As already posted, I could be doing more, I just don't want to. The weather looks like it will be favorable on Sunday. 

Of course, the question is, what can and will go wrong? I wish I knew. I suppose my biggest concerns are my weight (it could be lower), and my long run distances (they could have been longer). We shall see. 

I just don't want to.

During Friday night's race, I kept thinking: I could catch Sharon Sibilski, but I just don't want to. Of course, I didn't. But it was fun anyway. In fact, 'fun' was in the name. Last week's speedwork went well, but it was fairly all-out. Today's speedwork was also good, but this time, I could have done more (more speed, more reps). But, thought I, I just don't want to. 

Regarding this Sunday's Cleveland Marathon, the weather looks like it will be favorable. I hope to have a good race. The reason is that I just want to.

Run4Fun race report and other stories

26 minutes and change. Not my fastest 5K. But here's the good news: it went better than last year, it came sandwiched between twelve-mile runs that morning and the next one, and, best of all, it's done. Since I can't remember the last time I ran twice in a day or even in an afternoon or evening, I was out of my comfort zone. It's good to get out of one's comfort zone, now, isn't it?

And those twelve-milers? Not too awful. The funny thing about running a lot like this is that although none of the runs were at what I'd call top speed for the day, they were still pretty good. I guess I'll take them.

Cleveland is now less than a week away. I suppose I should think about tapering.

Somebody stop me

"I can't help myself; I'm just fast."

"This is easy-peasy"

"I could do more. I just don't want to."

"I could run faster. I just don't want to."

"Somebody stop me."

Such is the self-talk heard from Dan this morning. Oh, he wasn't saying this stuff out loud, mind you. But he was thinking it.

Seems funny, right? Well, guess what? It really works. It did today. In what will likely be the final full Yasso workout before Cleveland (a week and a half away), Dan finally got all of his 800s below the four-minute barrier. This doesn't necessarily mean that Dan will go sub-4-hours in Cleveland (there are plenty of other factors in the mix), but it does mean that he can. And (the converse is important) if he could not do the workout, you could bet that he couldn't run the race in the goal time.

I hear that rain a-comin'

Amidst all the miles in recent days and weeks has been the nearly ever-present rain. Yesterday's 20 miles (mostly with Julie Boggs) were pretty darn soggy. Other recent runs have been wet as well. The good thing, however, is that they did get done. Now, there are two weeks left before the Cleveland Marathon, and I am almost where I want to be. I've done several long runs, and they've mostly gone fairly well. 

Yet to do: some more speedwork, including at least one Yasso workout.

Julie Boggs, Sharon Sibilski, Shannon Barnes, Theresa Wright, and some old guy during a recent Hinckley run

Not Half-Yassed

It's Tuesday, time for track. A Half-Yasso is done, and everyone else is leaving. Now, Dan is all alone. Just him and the track. And a second Half-Yasso. 

Last week, Dan did only a Half-Yasso, so this week it's time to get serious. Yes, it will be a full Yasso, or bust. Most likely, the latter. 

Had you asked, Dan would have said that all of the 800s need to be under four minutes in order to indicate readiness for a possible sub-four-hour marathon. Cleveland, you see, is less than a month away. But things aren't going quite as well as that. Some of the 800s had been over four, and others had been under. That trend continues for this second set of five. At least he finishes strong.

Dan's average? 3:59. He still has a way to go. Hey, here's an idea: more Yassos!

Never been closer

The business manager asks the project manager about the status of the project and when it will be completed. "Never been closer {{to being done}}," comes the smart@ss answer. And so it is {{also}} with Dan's race fitness. He has never - at least in the past few weeks - been closer to being in tip-top race shape. Based on Dan's last post about a long run, things were beginning to look somewhat not-so-great. But Dan has since started to claw his way back.

It started with an eighteen-miler on the Towpath with Larry Orwin last Thursday. The pretty-good pace caused Friday's run to be not-so-great. But Saturday's seven was okay, and then came today.

Today's route is the newly completed Brunswick Marathon course. Dan arrives at 5:45 and runs his first 6.55-mile loop. Luckily, Rick Roman had shown up and run with him for part of it. That kept Dan honest. The second loop is with Sharon Sibilski and Julie Boggs. These two keep Dan even more honest. Now comes the most honest part of all: the third 1/4-marathon loop. This time, it's only Sharon and Dan. 

Guess what? It goes okay. Surprisingly, they pick up the pace some more, and Dan winds up with a decent long run. He and Sharon even go one more mile around the lake so that Dan can call the run a 20-miler.

Cleveland is three weeks away. Is Dan ready? That's unclear, but he's definitely never been closer.

dol·drums

Doldrums is defined as a spell of listlessness or despondency. When capitalized, it can also refer to a part of the ocean near the equator abounding in calms, squalls, and light shifting winds. The latter definition surely gave rise to the former. And that's the state that I've been in for the past few days. Or should I say, decades? Hard to say, but I sure felt like I didn't have much mojo for my past few runs.

It was the same today, except worse. And worse yet, it was Tuesday, and time for Tuesday Track. Not in the least what my lazy body had in mind. 

Time for running friends to the rescue. This is also known as peer pressure to the rescue. Anyway, I had to get moving. Everyone else was doing it. The workout was only a half-yassed Yasso, five eight-hundreds, rather than the ten that's required in order to call it a full Yasso. A Half-Yasso is better than no Yasso, so I'll take the win today.

Zone 1.2

The multi-heart-rate-zone approach to training is quite popular. Here is one typical description of the different zones:

Zone 1 (recovery/easy)	55%-65% HR max	Used to get your body moving with minimal stress and exertion. This zone might be used for an easy training day, warming up or cooling down.
Zone 2 (aerobic/base)	65%-75% HR max	Used for longer training sessions, you can sustain this basic-effort zone for many miles, yet still chitchat a little bit with your workout partner.
Zone 3 (tempo)	80%-85% HR max	This is a zone where you push the pace to build up speed and strength; conversation is reduced to single words.
Zone 4 (lactate threshold)	85%-88% HR max	In this zone your body is processing its maximum amount of lactic acid as a fuel source; above this level, lactic acid builds up too quickly to be processed and fatigues muscles; training in this zone helps your body develop efficiency when you're operating at your maximum sustainable pace.
Zone 5 (anaerobic)	90% HR max and above	This maximum speed zone (think closing kick in a race) trains the neuromuscular system—your body learns how to recruit additional muscle fibers and how to fire muscles more effectively.

The percentage of HR Max can be determined using various wearable products, physically checking heart rate the old-fashioned way, or by perceived effort as I do. Modern approaches often recommend spending 60 to 85 percent of your training in Zone 2. When Zone 1 is mentioned at all, it's usually lumped in with Zone 2, often resulting in an even greater amount of time in these easy zones. The time spent in higher zones becomes progressively smaller.

I am firmly in favor of employing a large amount of Zone 2 training. For me, the percentage is probably on the order of 80%, but it can be higher or lower depending on where I'm at in my training cycle. Here's the thing about my Zone 2 training: a lot of it is about as slow as you can go. In fact, my Zone 2 should probably be reclassified as Zone 1. Or maybe, it's something in-between.

But closer to 1 than 2. Maybe about 1.2.

I'm NOT shuffling. And don't call me Shirley.

Surely you're shuffling, Dan tells himself. His retort is, of course, I'm NOT shuffling. And don't call me Shirley. It's a lie. Shuffling is as shuffling does.

Today's Good Friday Lester Rail Trail run had begun fairly well. Dan had been joined by around ten of his best friends, several of whom had run with him for twelve miles. Too bad Dan still had six more to go. On some occasions, Dan manages to continue running well even after everyone else leaves. Today is not one of those days. 

Dan's pace becomes slower and slower. By mile 15, he's barely moving forward. He takes a gel in hopes that it will help him get through the final three miles. Three ain't so bad, right? Anyone can do three. And the gel ought to help. Or will it?

~ Brief Interlude: My First Time ~

Remember your first time? Of course, you do; everyone does. Mine occurred in the early 1990s. The occasion was the Detroit Free Press Marathon. It was late in the race, and I needed a pick-me-up, something to see myself through to the finish. Lo and behold, some volunteer hands me a gel packet. It was probably Gu, since there weren't so many different brands at the time. I wasn't sure what to do with it, but I soon figured out that you tear off the top and shoot the stuff down your throat, followed by some water. And guess what? It worked! My pace improved enough for me to finish strong and have myself a pretty good race.

~ End Interlude ~

But would a gel work its magic when Dan is this far gone? There have been times when it didn't. As the shuffling gets progressively worse, Dan begins to understand that today, nothing at all is going to work. 

He does manage to get eighteen miles in, but only twelve of them were decent. Not a very good Good Friday run. 

2025 Towpath Half-Marathon Race Report

Ooey Gooey. Indecisive Dan's gloved fingers are sticking together. The gel that he'd been holding had unexpectedly opened, and now it's a mess. Not to waste valuable gel - you guessed it - Indecisive Dan licks some off the gloves before wiping the rest on his shorts. Now he's even more of a mess. 

Why is this incident significant, you ask? It probably isn't, but it does mark the time and place (about mile 8.5) when Indecisive Dan realizes that he may not achieve his 'A' goal of sub-1:50 at today's Towpath Half-Marathon. And why, you also ask, is Dan being referred to as 'Indecisive Dan?' Because even though he'd registered for this race, he had almost skipped it, nearly opting instead for a group run with friends in Medina. Yesterday, he changed his mind for the last time, and drove to Cleveland to pick up his bib and shirt. Sorry, Medina friends.

Dan doesn't usually over-dress for races, but he did for this one. Early morning temperatures were in the low 30s, but as the sun rose, it warmed up quickly. The race takes place in the Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation, starting in Cuyahoga Heights. After the first screaming downhill mile, the course takes runners onto the towpath, which is entirely paved here in the North. It's not entirely flat, either; there are some hills, including two high foot-bridges. But what a beautiful Spring morning!

Dan abides. He didn't consider himself in very good shape (to the point that he almost didn't start), so he had only been hoping to break two hours today. Dan's stated goal for the year is to break one hour and fifty minutes in a half. That hasn't happened in a while, and it wouldn't, he reckoned, happen today. Until, that is, that he determined that he was running quite well; faster than expected.

How fast, you ask? It's hard to tell. The race mile markers are off, and Dan's Garmin watch is slightly haywire as well, possibly because of the woody, windy valley course. Let's just say that he hit halfway between 55 and 56 minutes. That's on the order of around 8:30 per mile.

Now, at mile 8.5, runners get to the Rockside Road aid station and turn back towards the finish line. Dan takes his time to ingest a gel, but he had grabbed a couple of others. One went into his pocket, but the other is now all over the darn place. Dan slows some more to get himself back together. The episode most likely doesn't cost Dan all that much time, but he now understands something that he should have done earlier: that he ain't gonna do a 1:49 or better today.

Dan tries to pick up the pace, but the two footbridges, traversed for the second time, slow him down some more. The final two and a half miles are flatter. He hits mile ten with a time of about 1:26, and then runs the final 5K in about 26 minutes. He crosses the finish line in 1:52. He wins his age group, and the award, a photo print of Cleveland from the Cuyahoga River, is pretty cool.

Uncancel

When you cancel your scheduled appearance for a run, then change your mind and actually attend, that's an uncanceling. I think more than one person did this today. The one that I'm sure of is Michelle Kelly-Daum. Frank Dwyer has been known to be on the fence for some runs as well, and he was a maybe for this one as well, but I'm not sure whether he officially canceled and uncanceled. Let's go ahead and add him to that latter category (the uncancelers) anyway, just because he deserves it. Chadwick and Ella Sunday and Sharon Sibilski were very solid maybe-attendees. It turned out that all those listed, and even yours truly, did indeed make it to Hinckley to start today's run.

There was a good reason to cancel today. The weather was particularly nasty. For anyone who would listen, I stated that thirties and rain is not high on my list of favorite running conditions. But once we got moving, things didn't seem quite so bad, especially as the rain and cold wind subsided. Or maybe we were simply lost in conversation and no longer noticed how miserable we all were.

As folks were leaving, I jogged around for another mile. That's when the rain resumed. Along with some sleet and freezing rain, just for fun.

Running Out West, March, 2025

The Lady Adventurer and the Old Geezer spent a couple of weeks visiting national parks in the Southwest. Here’s a brief story about Mr. Geezer’s running during the trip. There wasn’t a lot of it, since we were quite busy and always on the move. The runs were outside the parks, since that’s where we were staying. The exception was Big Bend National Park, where we stayed at the park lodge in the middle of everything.

In order to visit White Sands National Park, we stayed in Las Cruces, NM. I did a little four-mile jog there, but I didn’t do such a great job of finding a good running location. I was mostly on main roads, and the traffic began to build as my run progressed. I’m sure there are nice places to run here, but I just didn’t find them.

In Big Bend N.P., the location was stunning: it was in a basin, surrounded by the Chisos Mountains. There’s only one road, and I ran on it, stopping at times to enjoy the dark skies. I ran up and down a couple of more times in order to get us started on the Lost Mine Trail Hike. Everything was vertical. And slow. With all the jogging and hiking, I did spend over seven hours on my feet that day. Good ultra training for this former ultra runner.

So far on this trip, most of my runs have been “runs.” By that I mean just shuffles. But in Roswell (en route to Great Sand Dunes N.P.), what began as a “run” turned into a real run. I’d been looking for a track at New Mexico Military Institute. I found one, but it was locked up as tight as a drum. But there was another one across the street. Remember cinder tracks? Me neither. But this was similar, except it was dirt and sand rather than cinders, and it was ½-mile, rather than 440 yards. A few circuits later, I was really running. Too bad I only had time for five miles.

Alamosa, Colorado, is the town closest to Great Sand Dunes National Park, so that’s where we stayed for a couple of nights. It’s the home of Adams State University, nationally known for being cross-country champions. Little wonder – the elevation is above 7,500 feet. In the nearby park, it’s above 8,000. Also no wonder that my run here was not all that fantabulous. I did eventually get into a rhythm, although the whole 3 miles were still pretty slow. It was unexpectedly nice however - I found some great trails along the Rio Grande River.

Sunrise during Alamosa run

Alamosa run

I made another pleasant discovery in Montrose. There is a series of trails along the Uncompahgre River, and they start just down the street from the Fairfield Inn that we were inhabiting. Even though I stayed on the main paved trails, I still managed to get a little bit lost a few miles South. There are some nice parks here, and it turns out to be a nice place to run.

Uncompahgre River

In Cortez, Colorado, I started my run on the hotel treadmill. This wasn't a whole lot of fun, but at least I got 5 miles in. Then, it was time to go outside for another 5. Or so I hoped. I wound up running so darn slow that I only managed 4. So I continued to be unable to get up to ten miles. Oh well. Nice sunrise, anyway.

Finding myself on a roll (not as in running well, but in finding good places to run), I found a nice trail to explore in Show Low, Arizona. Once again, it was cool and the elevation was a factor, but there was a nice sunrise. Once again, I ran slow and not very far (four miles), but I enjoyed it.

Our last stop was Albuquerque. After warming up on the hotel mill, I ventured out into the cold. This time, I didn't find any place wonderful in which to run, but the area around the University of New Mexico and some nearby neighborhoods were okay enough. I didn't get lost too much, but if I did, I would have been able to say, "I knew I shoulda taken that left turn at Albuquerque." That's a Bugs Bunny slogan - he would say that whenever he became lost. This turned out to be my only double-digit-mileage run of the trip. Even so, it was as slow as the rest of them.

For the trip, I managed to run in each and every location. Unfortunately, I didn't run very well or very much. Blame it on the elevation. Or perhaps sloth, my favorite deadly sin. Upon returning home, I'll have some getting-back-into-shape to do.

 For the real story about the trip, check out the travel blog post about it.