Wedding, Party, Cedar Point, Running

The wedding went great. Nothing to complain about. The mariachi band was special. Oh and Dan got into Northwestern. That's really good news.

Monday we had a party for Barry. Sandy, the Zims, Dave and Carol and Dave and Jill all made it. We also gave small gifts to the other b-day people - Dave G. and Carol. It was a real nice gathering.

Today we went to Cedar Point. It rained the WHOLE TIME. Pretty durn miserable. We tried to make the best of it all, but it was pretty durn miserable. Did I mention the misery?

I've been suffering from a slight case of PF. It started after Friday morning's speed run, and I felt it all weekend. I think it was those shoes. Been fighting it with stretching and the boot.

Sunday I did 10 along the lakeshore again, this time to the north. Still nice, but south is better from Wacker. Slower than Saturday too. Today I didn't have much time, but still managed 4 x 1600 at the track, and then one more fast one on the way home. At the track: 6:29, 28, 28, 28, and then 6:39 for the run home. Not bad at all.

Wedding So Far, and Running

We're in Chicago for the wedding. Last night we went to dinner with Val and Dan, and Dan's parents and grandfather. Had a nice time. Their new furniture is great. Today's the big day. Debbie has it all planned out.

This morning's run along the lakeshore was wonderful. I ran along the Chicago river, and then south along the lake for 5.5 miles each way. Great sunrise. The run reminded me of the Chicago 50/50 run I did a few years back. It's also good to have all the other runners and support (gatorade, water, rest rooms) along the way.

Yesterday's run was even better. Got out early, before the drive out here and got over to the track where I did a Yasso workout: 10 x 800 in 3:06. Much better than expected. And it was really strong and consistent. Altogether I did 14 miles.

Today's Run - 2007-07-12

Just 2 on the mill and then later on 2 out in the hood. Still losing weight - 156 now!

We leave tomorrow.

Recent Running and other stuff

Debbie and Valerie have been very busy getting ready for the wedding. Friday we pick up Barry and Veronica and then head to Chicago.

I've been busy with work, so it's tough to get up early to run. But I did manage yesterday and today. Yesterday I got to the track but only had time for 4 x 1200 in a pretty good 4:44. 10 altogether. Felt good, even with the heat. Today I did 8 and felt good, until the humility got to me. It must've been 80 or more out. Supposed to cool down now after a wee bit of MUCH needed rain. I did 3 more on the mill later on.

Today's and Yesterday's Runs - 2007-07-08

Yesterday I did 3 on the mill and then 18 with Dave, Dena and Amy, almost all on the towpath. Since we stayed on the towpath, we managed to do a slightly better pace than when we hit the other trails. We averaged about 8:40 or so.

After the run Debbie and Nance came to meet me and we walked the Old Carriage Trail for another 6+.

Today, for the first time in a long time, I did back to back long runs. I somehow managed to do 20 on a very warm (70s) morning. I started to slow down a couple times, and almost quit, but I hit the track at 13.5, got some water, picked up the pace, and felt revived. 2:53. Really good going!

Yesterday's Run and Today's Race

I got up early yesterday and did 9 on the mill at a pretty durn good 7-minute pace before heading over to the towpath to do 10 with Dave and Amy. Not a bad day of running, even the towpath miles were slow.

Yesterday evening we parked half-way and walked to the Brunswick fireworks. They were really great.

Today was the North Canton Y 5-mile race. My 5-mile races have mostly been in the 32 to 33 minute range in recent years. This was in that range - the high side, but still ok. I averaged 6:35 to finish in 32:59. Good considering yesterday's 19, but the cool (70F) weather helped. 6th in AG in a large field. Steady pace.

Today we head to Robin's for her 4th party.

today's run - 2007-07-02

6 on the mill including 4-mile tempo. Not too bad. May do more later.

Today's Run - 2007-07-01 and some other stuff

I was gonna do another long run today. Got out early like I planned, but the miles got slower and slower until I just had to quit after only 8. Very disappointing. Some redemption came later on however. Debbie and I took a still-early walk on the towpath and saw the bald eagles, among other wildlife. Then I went to the track and did 6 x 400 in 85.5. First quarters of the year, and not too bad.

Yesterday we went to see Robin play in Westlake. Jen had picked Mom up, so we saw them there as well. Today it's over to Kathy and Mikes for some ribs. Can't wait.

Running - 2007-06-30

Yesterday I did 4 EXTREMELY tired miles on the mill. Wasn't pretty at all.

Today I did a quick 3 and then headed over to the towpath to run with Dave, Amy and Dena. We tackled the Old Carriage Trail and went up to Brandywine falls, but of course most was on the towpath. The hills were slow - especially according to my Forerunner, but the towpath was decent. Altogether 17 (may have been way more) in 2:38. That makes 70 for the week.

Today's Run - 2007-06-28

12 miles on the towpath today with Dave and Amy. It was pretty slow, but the weather was pretty oppressive. The humility was high!

today's run and other stuff

Monday we had Mom over for a visit. I also took stuff to Ed and Beth for their charity garage sale. Not a whole lot else going on - this lack of work is still driving me crazy.

Yesterday's run on the mill was on extremely tired legs. I did 7, but had to hold on a whole lot. It wasn't pretty.

Today I drove to station rd., did some hills, and then met up with Amy to run on the towpath. It was a nice run even though the hot weather makes it tough. When Amy was done I did a few more, some at a faster pace. I managed one at sub-7 pace. Altogether I did 14 in 1:58.

Michigan, Paint Creek and Today's Run

It was really nice to visit Greg and Dot. Went to a nice Mexican place Friday and had a good hearty breakfast Saturday.

It was fantastic to see my old EDS friends at the wedding. Nice wedding too.

Saturday morning I met Carl Shubitowski for a run - here's the drs post:

Paint Creek Trail Mini-Encounter

Carl Shubitowski mentioned that he'd never met another Dead Runner in person and wondered if they really even existed outside of cyber space. Since I would be visiting his Michigan neck of the woods over the weekend, we arranged to meet for a run on the Paint Creek Trail.

We did, and I believe we had a nice run together. Saturday morning was very nice and cool, and the deerflies stayed home - I didn't see any, but I'm sure they were there, shivering on the side of the trail.

Carl and I ran from Lake Orion to Adams Rd. and back - probably a short 6 miles. Conversation ranged from our personal running histories to kids and jobs. I couldn't linger much because I had to get back to visiting the friends we were staying with.

Nice meeting you, Carl.

ORN: A really tough 8 x 1600 @ 6:36. A year ago this would've been an extremely easy workout at this pace, but today I'm considering it a major accomplishment that I got through it at all. I had to keep reminding myself that I love this stuff. I just haven't been doing as much speedwork as in previous years. Need to correct that.

Altogether this amounted to 13 miles in 99 minutes.

anniversary and today's run

It's 32 today. We went to Mapleside and then to Cold Stone. Maybe fireworks tonight. Really. Tomorrow we go to Michigan to visit Worleys and then to go to Jenny Watry's wedding in K-zoo.

I ran with Dave on his old loop today for the first time in a long time. I was extremely tired, so we did about a 9-minute pace. Slow but enjoyable.

eaten alive

This may be good or bad, depending on the context. It occurs to me, however, that it’s almost always better to be eaten alive than to be eaten dead. Even so, the context in the case I’m thinking of is still a bad thing, with deerflies being the eaters, and me being the eatee.

Prior to a run on the towpath while back, friend Amy offered her repellant to me, explaining that it wouldn’t harm synthetics. And of course synthetics are all we run in these days. That’s funny, I said, I didn’t know that regular repellant did harm synthetics. Her stuff worked; the bugs stayed away.

Prior to a run on the Lester Rail Trail a week or so ago, I sprayed myself with my regular repellant. The stuff worked; the bugs stayed away. And as far as I could tell, it didn’t harm the synthetic clothes I was wearing. But it did harm my almost new Garmin Forerunner 305 wrist-piece and HRM strap. I noticed after my run that both had a kind of shiny film. I tried to wipe them off, tried harder to wipe them off, tried with several chemicals to wipe them off. The HRM strap now has a permanent sheen to it, with some areas where it looks like the plastic is melted. The wrist-piece also looks like it has areas where the plastic has melted (and this was from the deet, not the other chemicals). And some of the indicator lettering has been almost entirely cleaned off. At least it still functions.

So now I’ve got to watch it with that repellant stuff. Deerflies, however, can drive me completely insane. They did so the other day. I got out early, sans repellant, with the thought that I could get my run completed before they awoke. Since it’s nearly solstice, the sky was beginning to get light as early as 5 to 5:30 am, and I was only a few miles into my 11-mile run at that point in time. And that’s when they hit. I was on my usual semi-rural country roads and they were all over me.

Picture this: a country road, a peaceful summer morning. Off in the distance, a long-distance runner approaches. He seems to fit in just right with the environment; he’s just part of the scene. As he comes closer, however, we notice that this runner is making some wild-looking gestures. As he comes closer still, we can see him waving his arms like a crazy man. He’s even hitting himself on the head.

That was me. That was I. That was the author of this post. I wound up with big welts all over my neck and upper back. The thing is, this was a miserable excuse for a run anyway. It was hot and muggy already, and for whatever reason, the ‘ole legs were not moving as they should’ve.

Today’s long run was much better. I felt better, ran better, and I got out even earlier to beat those doggone flies to the punch. By the time it was getting light, I was done on the country roads and well into the subdivision part of the run.

Altogether today: 20 in 2:37.5.

Wedding, Tired Run and Dirt

Lily's wedding was really memorable. It was a unique event in rural western Virginia. The Bluegrass band, the barbeque, the scenery was all wonderful. We drove home Sunday via the scenic route through almost-heaven West Virginia.

I had done 4 on the hotel dreadmill before that trip. Yesterday I was going to run long, but got a slightly later than planned start, and wound up only doing 11. And that 11 was extremely poor. I was just plain tired from the 15 hours of driving the previous 2 days.

To make me more tired and sore, we got 10 yeards of sweet peat mulch yesterday. That's a lot of dirt. I'm taking a class, but after that I joined Debbie in distributing the dirt around the yard. This, on the hottest day of the year so far - mid-90s and humid.

Today's Tempo

The ole legs were tired and sore, and I sure started out slow, heading out to the track. Once I got there, however, the 4-mile tempo run went very well. Altogether 11 in 89.5 minutes. Legs *really* tired now.

Improvement

Today I weighed in at 160. That's relatively good - I think it's a tie for my lowest point this year. Still 9 pounds more than my lowest point last year though. Realistically, I'd like to get down below 155 and stay there.

Good speedwork today: 7 x 1200 in (4:49, 4:48, 4:47, 4:47, 4:47, 4:45, 4:42) for an average of 4:46+. That's a definite improvement. Like the weight, however, I still have a long way to go. At least it's in the right direction.

Today's Run 2007-06-13

I did 2 on the mill, then 7 with Amy on the towpath, then 2 up and down the big hill. All this was a bit discouraging because it seemed like I was moving much faster than I actually was.

Yesterday and Today

This lack of work is driving me crazy.

As always, it was nice to see the family at Char's wedding. It wasn't too very lively however. Not as many young people and most left early. Now we're worried that this may happen at Valerie's wedding too.

Went to dinner with Dave and Jill yesterday. Nice time, but worries about some of our mutual friends.

I did 10 very slow miles up to north park yesterday.

Today I did the rail trail 24 in 3:17. It was MUCH better than last week. It helped that the temperature was 10 degrees lower and that I ran fewer miles Saturday and Sunday. But this was a good one nonetheless. Decent strong finish - last 3 were sub-8. 6-mi splits: 51:56, 49:28, 49, 47:18.

Orrville 10k

It was a nice day and I ran a good steady pace. Not fast, but steady. About 2 minutes slower than last year: 42:01. I'll take it though. Maybe I'm improving just a slight bit. Maybe..

I met up with Dave, Amy and Dena for coffee. Wedding tonight.

Today's Run - 2007-06-07

I was so happy when my weight got down to 160 the other day. That's probably the lowest this year. But then yesterday and today it crept back up again. So I'm not going anywhere. But I gotta keep trying.

Did the 11-mile new subs route today at an 8:30 pace. Pretty steady going, with a decent finish. I wish I could do these things faster, but see the weight issue above.

Yesterday we took Mom to lunch and to get her new hearing aids.

Running Yesterday and Today

Yesterday I just managed 5 on the mill. Lucky to get that much in.

Today I felt pretty good, considering Monday's long one. Even so, I started very slow - 38 minutes for the 4 miles over to the track. The speedwork itself went fairly well: 7 x 1200, averaging 4:53. Slow compared to other times in my life. But it was tough, although at least consistent. Decent cooldown back home - <8's. Altogether 14 in 1:53.

Still More Recent Running and Funeral

Last Friday I did 3 on the mill in 22.5 minutes. Down to 161 pounds - the ww is working.

Saturday Dave and I skipped the possible WVa marathon and just ran long on the towpath, along with Amy. I did 4 on the mill ahead of time and then 16 on the old carriage trail and towpath @ a slow 9mpm pace. Afterwards we attended the funeral of Aunt Sue's mother. After that we (me and the ladies) went shopping for dresses.

Sunday I did a few around the hood at 9mpm pace, and then 2 on the mill after some weights.

Today I awoke early so I did my long run - the 24-mile Lester Rail Trail run. I had hoped to have each 6-mile segment get faster as I've done in the past. Not today. The 6-mile splits were: 52:03, 49:53, 48:40, 50:56 for a total of 3:21:30. Not that bad, and at least it was steady, but I don't know when I'm going to improve. And lose weight - I was back to 164 today.

Recent Running

I wanted to get some kind of speedwork in on Tuesday, even if it wasn't stellar. It wasn't, but at least I did get something in: 5 x 1200 in about 4:54. 9 altogether that day.

I took Wednesday off because I was dead tired. We had to get going early anyway - had to take Mom to the ear doctor.

For today's run I wanted to at least get down to 8 minute pace. I did, but only for the beginning and end of the 11-mile course. The overall time was 90. I was sweating buckets.

Gotta decide about the West Virginia Marathon today...

Recent Running

Yesterday I did 4 on the mill and then met up with George, Rob, Bob H., Tom B., Laura and company for a run at Rocky River. Good to see everyone. We did 6 there.

Today I was going to do 15-16, but as my legs were getting tired I changed it to the 11-mile Substation course. Although I had been slowing down, I managed to pick it back up for the last 2. Finished in 92.5 minutes. Not too bad.

After some chores, but before lunch, I got out again to do my 3-mile Presidents course. This was much better than expected - 22 minutes.

I'm still learning the nuances of this GPS thingie. Today I set lap on auto (so it takes a checkpoint every mile) and I ran a course for the second time (not sure I liked this)..

Medina 4-mile, Diana and Allissa

It was pouring rain for parts of today's 4-mile race, but that didn't slow me down too much. Being so fat and out of shape did. I did it in 27:51. Probably a pw for a 4-miler, but I'm too lazy to look it up.

Dave, Carol and Debbie and I went to the Pricess Diana exhibit at the Western Reverse Hysterical Society today. Then we went to Allissa's graduation party.

Lies, Damn Lies, and GPS Data

This is also a subtitle of a section of an article about measurement, but I think it applies to what I'm about to say. I had considered using "Sex, Lies and GPS Data, without the Sex" as the subject, but I like the Mark Twain thing better.

I got my Forerunner 305 toy a few days ago, and now I've had a couple runs with it. I'm still in the process of figuring things out, but I've noticed a few things and have a few questions right off the bat.

For one thing, based on doing some of my standard courses with the device, everything is shorter than I thought. Even the courses that I measured on gmaps pedometer. Even the ones where I drove the course. This may be because I cut tangents when I run. Or it's because I'm losing the signal under trees and the device thinks I'm cutting tangents when I'm not. Regardless, I find it mildly upsetting to learn that my 6-mile course is really 5.85 miles, and that my 11-mile course is really 10.87 miles.

Here's something weird: I've checked the distance from my house to the end of the street several times. I've come up with .28, .30 and .31 miles. I can imagine that it all depends on EXACTLY where I started and where I crossed the street, etc. But when I measured it walking, I came up with .34 miles. Everything else seemed longer by walking than running as well. These are just preliminary findings, but has anyones else experienced this?

Another thought: This may be a silly question, but does arm movement have an effect on distance?

One other initial finding: after determining that at least some of my courses are shorter than I thought, I figured that running at the track would come up with distances much shorter than I've logged. This is for a couple of reasons: 1) running four laps in the inside lane is indeed less than a mile, and 2) with all the turning, the forerunner may lose some distance and determine tangents. But here, the distance measured was *long*. The first 4 laps showed up as 1.04 miles. Subsequent miles were also long. What's this all about?

The main thing I'm doing here initially though, is gathering data. This early analysis (especially when I map it out) is interesting, but I can do more later. This applies to the HRM data too. That's another story.

ORN: Just my 3-mile course today. This one actually did measure out very close to what I thought. This was my most decent run of the week, since the marathon. Now I've got a 4-mile race tomorrow.

Recent Running

I did 10 yesterday, but it wasn't easy. Still sore and tired. Got over to the track to get some slightly faster stuff in. 86 minutes. Not too terrible.

Today's Run - 2007-05-23

I strapped the heart rate monitor on today and went out for my second GPS run. Once again, my course proved shorter than the GPS said, once again by the same amount - .13 Miles or so. This was for the 11-mile new subs route.

Once again, I ran slowly anyway - over 9 mpm pace. But it really wasn't all that bad. I'll come around. You'll see...

First Run with GPS

Of course I learned that I hadn't been running as far or as fast as I thought. I did my 6-mile "east" course and learned that it's only 5.85 miles. I could only manage about 9 mpm today. This is going to be interesting as I continue to use it.

Cleveland Marathon

I ran ok for a while, but then I got tired and slowed down.

Many of you recognize my standard race report, which applies to about 60% of my races and 80% of my marathons. It did last Sunday. But what did you expect? Let's consider the excuses:

<2007>
10) I have zero race experience for the year.
9) Cleveland was windy as usual, although it has been worse other years.
8) Temperatures were in the low 60s. Not bad, but I still would've liked 10 degrees less.
7) With all the traveling this year, training in general has not been where it should be.
6) With all the traveling this year, I haven't been able to do as many quality long runs as I wanted.
5) Since my last race (Columbus, last October), I've had several illnesses and at least one major injury.
4) I got home from Portugal only about 36 hours before the start.
3) With all the traveling this year, I have managed to put on a few pounds.
2) They've been more than a few pounds.
1) I'm old, bald, fat and ugly.

They had big numbers for this year's race: over 9,000 for the marathon, half and 10K. I think there were something like 2,800 marathoners. The start of the combined full and half didn't seem very crowded however. I didn't have any real plan, other than I wanted to run smoothly. To do under 8 minute pace would be nice. Negative split would be grand. So when I figured out that my first couple miles were at 7:30 pace, continuing at that pace seemed as good an idea as any.

It was nice talking with TJ Hawk and his buddies, as well as Mike George and his brother a good part of the first 11 miles or so. TJ mentioned that after the race he would clean up as much as possible and change in his car in order to get to church on time. I told him that God wouldn't mind the smell. TJ replied that he didn't think so either, but some of the people may mind. Paul Lane, running on TJ's other side, said that TJ may wind up with a pew all to himself.

The half marathoners peeled off, and things got lonelier as I headed east on Chester toward University Circle. The half-way point was 1:38 and change: still 7:30 pace. It was probably somewhere about the circle itself where I began to slow down. I wasn't watching each and every mile split like usual, but I figure those 7:30s slowly became 7:45s or so.

Even while slowing, I was still passing folks who were slowing more. I went by and talked a bit with Nancy Schubring, an old running acquaintance from Michigan. By the time I was heading back towards downtown on North Marginal (miles 19-24), I began slowing even more. Going up the short hill on West 3 was difficult for me - it felt like a mountain at that point.

So the wheels never came off completely, but there was a general slowing. The last mile was decent, and I finished in 3:22 and change.

This had been the 30th edition, and I'd been there for the 1st, 10th, 25th, and about seven others. This may have been my slowest. But now that I've got my 1st race of the year out of the way, they can only get better now. Right?

Getting Home, Saturday Run, other stuff

I got home from Portugal a day earlier than originally planned. This would help for the marathon. Mom would be staying with us for a few days, so she and Debbie picked me up.

Saturday I did 3 on the president streets. No big deal. I then went to the expo. No big deal there either. Actually kind of boring. Big, but boring. The course bus tour was interesting. No information about the race, but plenty about Cleveland. Saturday night we took Debbie out for her birthday - Olive Garden.

Stay tuned for the race report.

Dan in Iberia III - this time it's Portugal

I arrived in the morning on the Sunday before work. Since the afternoon was free, colleague David and I took a cruise on the Tagus River. It was nice and peaceful. The river opens up to a large bay, so it seems extremely wide. We saw many fine sights. I had seen many of the same things from shore during my previous trip, but it was nice to see them by boat as well. Some of them were:
The Parque Noches area, which has extremely modern architecture and is where my client's office is and where a triathlon was in progress. We could see the runners along the shore.
The Tower of Belem - a castle guarding the mouth of the river.
The 25th of April Bridge, a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Statue of Jesus Christ, a replica of the one in Rio de Janeiro
Other neat stuff.
Almost every day brings fish for lunch and then fish for dinner. Not that I’m complaining; the food’s great. Like the Spanish, the Portuguese like to have huge lunches, and then small dinners late in the evening. Of course this means that I have huge lunches AND huge dinners to go along with my huge breakfasts. Thank goodness the dinners aren’t quite so late as for Spain – I haven’t had to wait until 8:30 for dinner yet.

But back to the fish: here’s how it goes every time. They place a huge chunk of fish in front of me. It takes up the whole plate, and it looks and smells great. Without thinking, (my brain shuts down whenever there’s food to be had), I slice a big piece and get it into my mouth as quickly as possible. And then, “Aaaargh – what’s all this hard, sharp stuff?” And then I spit out the bones as delicately and politely as is possible, which it isn’t. I wish I had a euro for every fishbone I’ve eaten on this trip.

Once upon a time, a lady appeared to 3 children, told them she was the Virgin Mary, and made some predictions that may have come true, depending on your belief system, and where you heard about it. Each year many thousands of pilgrims converge on Fatima on May 13 to commemorate the anniversary of the first appearance. They actually arrive the previous day in order to take part in all the activities and to watch the procession that night.

So there I was, a pilgrim converging upon Fatima on May 12, just like the 500,000 other pilgrims. This wasn’t just any anniversary either; this was a special one: the 90th. I had signed up for a tour of Fatima along with some other places, and we arrived with all the multitudes. Most of the people were arriving on foot. Many were camping. Thousands attended a mass that overflowed into the basilica courtyard. Others were lined up to pay respects to a shrine at the exact place of the appearances. Many crawled or scooted on their knees. It was all quite a spectacle.

There were plenty of other sights to be had this day: a gothic cathedral and monastery in Batalba. Another one in Alcobaca. Lunch at a fantastic little seaside fishing and beach village called Nazare’. And finally, there was the walled medieval village of Obidos. Obidos is a bit like Rhodes, and perhaps Toledo, even though I’ve yet to go there. It was a stunning setting. I’d have liked to have spent more time there and in Nazare’.

Speaking of stunning settings, I spent another day in Sintra, along with another consultant I’m working with, Ravish. I’d been to Sintra as part of another tour last year, but all I did that time was walk around the village. It was ok, but I didn’t even know what the deal was about the palaces and castles in the area. Having enough time made a big difference.

Ravish and I took a train from Lisbon to Sintra, and then took a bus to the top of the Big Hill / Mountain. At the very top is Pena National Palace in a spectacular setting. The palace itself is like something out of a fairy tale, with fantastic structures, shapes and colors. And did I mention the view? It was great; we could see the sea many miles away on three sides of us (Sintra is in the middle of a large peninsula, which includes Lisbon far to the south).

Next we headed down, but not too far down, to the Moorish Castle. This was about 1,000 years older than the palace, but it was impressive in it’s own way. There were walls galore, and a steep walk to the top. The walls are built on the side of a cliff, so it appears to be a very high wall. In fact, it is a very high wall. As it was for Pena Palace, the panoramic view was wonderful.

Then it was down again. This time way, way down, back to the village. We toured the Sintra National Palace, which had only some very nice views. Some of the 16th century rooms were neat.
And that’s about all the ways you can cook shrimp, I mean… that’s about all the ways you can see Portugal from Lisbon.~

Running in Portugal

05-07-07
Today I wanted to run fast, so I stayed in the hotel and just did the dreadmill thing. Not bad - 10 x 1200 in 4:47. Altogether 13 in 91 minutes. Tomorrow I'll explore.

05-08-07
I ran over to the university today. It's close, and there's some trails there. I ran around, getting lost a few times. It's probably a mile and a half around. I'll check that when I run *only* around and time it. I spent a lot of time trying, unsuccessfully, to get into the 400 meter track. Maybe they open it later. Decent but slow run overall - 1:03 - I'll call it 7.

05-09-07
For some reason my quads were extremely sore last night. Must have been Monday's speedwork or elliptical running. Strange that it didn't hit later Monday or Tuesday morning. They were still sore today, but I went over to the university again and did the trail loop 5 times. I figure each one is about 1.6 miles and the times were: 17:31 (with some extra), 13:47, 13:00, 12:57, 12:13. Along with the run there and back and a bit more extra, I'm calling it 10 in 82.5. I need to recover these quads and get in a long run, some speedwork and then a taper. All in a week and a half.

05-10-07
I set out in a different direction for a change, and - I found my way over to the big green hill. Didn't have time to do much else. I'll explore more there later.

05-11-07
20 on the dreadmill. I didn't have much more time than that, and I wanted to ensure a good pace. I also wanted to get this one last long one in before the race. Decent enough of a run. The last 9 were at MP. Altogether, I did the 20 in 2:26.

05-12-07
More dreadmill running. Not so great this time, but I wanted to get 6 in to get 60 for the week. Just barely managed.

05-13-07
This was a really nice run. I felt good and strong, but a lot of it was slow because of the hills and trails. I found my way to Monsanto park, like I did the other day. This time I hit the hills and trails a lot. The hills are pretty durn big. It's a beautiful park. I managed to run for 2:09, so I'll call it 15.

05-14-07
I only did 6 today - tough to get out the door. Once I did, I started slow, but then got moving ok. I did 2 loops around the university in just over 12 minutes each - not bad. Altogether a decent run after all. Here's something from today's post to DRS:

After being such a strong proponent of measurement, I suppose it was time to
get a GPS. So I ordered a Forerunner 305 just before the deadline for the
rebate. It's bound to be oodles of fun to figure out. I'm mostly concerned
with getting too caught up in technology at the expense of running enjoyment
and running improvement. I hope that this will not be the case here. Stay
tuned... details at 11.
ORN: I'm in Lisbon and I did a few loops of the university grounds. Nice,
soft dirt trails. Only problem is that there aren't enough of them. I figure
the longest loop possible is just over a mile and a half. But this was
pretty nice.
I suppose I ought to write about yesterday's run as well. I'd been able to
see this Big Green Hill from my hotel room. It looked pretty inviting. I'd
been running at the university, which has some nice trails, but I only wish
there were more of them. So this time I found my way over, past the zoo, up
and across a pedestrian bridge over train tracks and a highway, and up the
Big Green Hill into so-called Monsanto Park.
What a great place to run. The hills are big and bad, but it was very quiet
- at least on a Sunday. There are well maintained trails galore. I had a
really nice, peaceful but challenging Sunday morning run there.

Dan Horvath, Brunswick, Ohio, USA, but currently in Lovely Lisbon

05-15-07
I wanted to get one more speedwork session in before the marathon. So I did 10 x 1200 on the mill once again. It turned out not too bad - I did them at about 4:46 (15kph) with the last one just a bit faster. Altogether 12 in 82. Now I'm ready. I think.

05-16-06
Feeling very tired, I didn't get out as early as I wanted. So with only an hour to work with, I made it over to Monsanto Park to explore a bit more. I did go past one area where I ran Sunday. Lotso big hills and trails again. But it was extremely slow going. I'm calling it 7 in 63.

05-17-07
My last run for this trip, and it was a good one. As always, the weather was perfect. I got over to the university and did 6 loops. Each one generally got faster, and I did a few faster than any before, so I'm happy with this run. Here are the splits: 13:16,12:31,11:49,11:53,11:30,11:04. Altogether, 10 in 78.

Today's Running - 2007-05-05

I'm finally feeling better. Still tired, but generally better. I did 3 on the mill and then 14 on the towpath with Dave and Amy. Not the greatest run, but I'll take it. Just happy to be (almost) normal again.

Taking off for Portugal today.

Jury Duty, Val's Visit, Recent Running, Etc.

Debbie has jury duty this week. She's involved with a civil suit.

Valerie came to visit for a day and I got to see her for a change. While Debbie was at jury duty, we took mom out to lunch and to the park. When Debbie got home she worked with Val to do the final alterations on the dress.

I've felt sick since Monday. Don't know what it is. No appetite (none!), extremely tired all the time. I felt a bit better yesterday and ran 6 with no problems. But today's 5 was awful. I'm hoping to get better soon.

Today's Run - 2007-04-30

My speedwork today was real work, coming after yesterday's 20. But it was a good one. It was warm (upper 50s) and there was a beautiful sunrise over Brunswick (yes, Brunswick) track as I managed 8 x 1200 in about 4:54. That's a good one.

Waylayed in Cincinnati and Limerick Pork

I had to spend a night in Cincinnati because of missed connections. This meant that I missed my morning run with Dave and Amy, but we met up at Brueggers later. Debbie gave Amy the quilt, and we expressed our simpathy for Puf who had been put to sleep. As a result, I had to do my long run Sunday, thinking of Limerick Pork. Read on:

Until I went to Ireland, I wasn't aware that there is an actual city called Limerick. I still had to chuckle a bit when I saw "Limerick Pork" on a dinner menu. I figured they meant that the recipe came from there or that's the way they prepare it there, or something. Even so, I still somehow pictured a pork chop spouting a dirty little five-line poem.
So during this morning's long run, I came up with this thought about Limerick Pork:

There once was a piglet in Limerick
Who thought: to escape would be mighty slick
He tried to run away
But the farmer held him at bay
And that's him on the dinner table; so much for that swine trick

orn: Besides thinking about Limerick Pork, I somehow ran 20 miles in decent fashion. I managed to generally get faster as I went on, with the last few being fastest of all. The only disappointment was not quite getting down to sub-7 minute pace for those last couple - it was more like 7:15 or so. Maybe next time.

Dan in Dublin

“I’m kind of tired. I was out celebrating my wife’s birthday until 4am. Boy was she mad when I got home!” That was just one of the stories from one of the drivers of the City “hop on, hop off” tour that I took here in Dublin. Another is, “My wife ran off with a policeman. Now whenever I hear a siren, I get worried. What if he’s bringing her back?” One more: “Here is the smallest pub in Dublin. It holds no more than 14 people, including the barman. It’s very safe, because you can’t fall down.” Yes, some of these drivers were pretty darn funny. One of them sang quite a bit. And quite well, too. I took this tour in order to see Dublin sort of on my own, but with a bit of guidance. Some of the memorable stops that I did were: Christchurch and St. Patrick’s Cathedrals, Phoenix Park (a very nice city park where a 10K race was just finishing), Trinity College and St. Stephens Green (a smaller, but still very nice city park).

The folks I work with are extremely friendly. It’s nice to work at a place where they like you. As usual, however, I’m out in the middle of nowhere, so I have to take a tram any time I do into town. But I’m managing ok. It’s a good thing that I took that tour when I arrived – most days all I see is what’s on the 400 or so meter walk from the hotel to the office. Except, of course, what I see on my daily runs.

Those daily runs have really been, to put it as an Irishman would, brilliant. No, I don’t mean the quality of the running; I mean the scenery and the sensory experience. From the suburb of Leopardstown, I head east on bike-paths and sidewalks along the not-too-busy road down (and I do mean down) to the sea. Even this part of the run is very pleasant. There are stonewalls, blossoming trees, flowering gardens, birds singing, and the village of Newtown.

Once I reach the sea, it gets even better. I turn south and run along the shore. There are more stonewalls and villages along the way, along with harbors and seawalls. I go through the village of Dun Laoghaire (pronounced dun leery, but you probably knew that), past Dalkey Castle and turn around at an abbey placed by God on the sea in the village of Dalkey. Heading back the way I came, I have to push it to get back up the hills, but I don’t mind; running doesn’t get much better.

I’d seen a lot of Dublin, and I’d certainly seen enough of Leopardstown, so for the weekend in between the workweeks, I made my way to the countryside in order to stay at the Marriott Johnstown House Enfield Hotel and Spa. Enfield is in County Meath, about 40 miles from Dublin. Might as well be 400. Friday evening, I got my laptop bag and two other small bags, walked 15 minutes to the tram, rode 30 minutes to Dublin city center, walked 30 minutes to Conolly Station, waited for and then took the train to Enfield (45 minutes), and finally walked 30 minutes from the village to the hotel. The things I do to earn Marriott points.

I thought my Ireland running couldn’t be much nicer than that run to the sea, but it’s really nice in County Meath as well. I ran to the village and then along a canal, where there was a path of variable quality – some mud, some rocks, some cow flops, some cows, some sheep, some crushed gravel, etc. But all of it very serene. The green Irish hills and pastures loom in the background. Trees line most parts of the canal. Maybe running did get a bit better.

So after nearly 2 hours and 40 minutes of slow trail running, I get back to the hotel and, for reasons that I can’t think of, went into the spa/gymnasium. There I saw a notice about the Spa’s annual triathlon. It was to take place that very same day. I somehow gathered that there were both individuals and teams, and then, of course, asked if there were any teams that needed a runner. Of course there was. Before I knew it, I was involved. Show up at half-past 11. “Oh yeah,” I said as an afterthought, “how far is this run?” 5.2 kilometers.

Could I go out and do it again after all that trail running? I figured I could probably make the distance. After breakfast and a cold bath to recover, I went back down to the spa. Do I owe any money? No. Who and where are my teammates? They’re around somewhere – don’t worry about them. Follow Liz to get started. But it’s only ten after 11. Doesn’t matter, we’re just starting everyone in groups of 3, and in this case, 2. You can go now.

So me and Jenny started running towards town, hoping to not get lost (the directions were pretty simple, and there was a biker on the course to help). I got ahead of Jenny and then saw the biker, who yelled some words of encouragement as I went by. He was escorting another runner in. Later on he caught up and rode along with me as I looped through town and began heading back to the hotel. He continued to encourage me, and at one point told me I was doing 10 miles per hour. I slowed a bit towards the finish because there’s a hill to overcome, not to mention strong winds. I finished strong with the biker almost alongside and with Liz and about two others cheering madly. Liz kissed me. You just don’t get this kind of running experience (at least by race officials) at home. My time was 20:26, a PR for 5.2 km. And better yet, by beating Jenny, I had “won” the third or so race of my life. The others were equally low-key. I wish I knew how I did in relation to the other runners. When will I know the official results? There will be a picnic in July where they will be announced. How did my team do? Who knows?
I thought that being in County Meath would bring me close enough to easily get to some historical and archeological sites. Close I was, but there was no easy way to get to any of them. I hired a taxi for 25 Euros each way, and went to Trim. Trim is a medieval village with a large historical castle. From the tour I learned that the castle was built in the 12th century. The keep is quite tall, but only partially intact. Same with the walls. From the top of the keep I could see all around the county, including the Hill of Tara, another famous site. Trim castle is where the movie Braveheart (which is about Scotland) was filmed.

One more thought - Limerick Pork:

Until I went to Ireland, I wasn't aware that there is an actual city called Limerick. I still had to chuckle a bit when I saw "Limerick Pork" on a dinner menu. I figured they meant that the recipe came from there or that's the way they prepare it there, or something. Even so, I still somehow pictured a pork chop spouting a dirty little five-line poem.

So during this morning's long run, I came up with this thought about Limerick Pork:

There once was a piglet in Limerick
Who thought: to escape would be mighty slick
He tried to run away
But the farmer held him at bay
And that's him on the dinner table; so much for that swine trick

Running in Dublin

04-16-07
For my first run in Dublin it was cool (about 50) and raining (mostly a light drizzle). This is usually a bad combination for me, but today I had a really nice run. The rain was actually refreshing, and I enjoyed running through Ireland. There are plenty of bike paths, but I didn't quite get to the sea as I wanted - maybe tomorrow. I'll call it 13 in 1:52.

04-17-07
After talking with some of my clients, I learned that I was indeed very close to the sea during yesterday's run - I just didn't know it. So I figured out how to go to get along the seaside road (about 2.5 miles) and then ran along the road for miles and miles. The sun was just beginning to come up. I went through Dun Lougri and past the Dalkey Castle, up to an abbey on the sea. It was really a beautiful run. It was tough coming back to the hotel with some challenging hills. I'm calling it 13 miles with splits of 56, 55 minutes.

04-18-07
I enjoyed yesterday's run so much, I did it again. This one was just as enjoyable, but a wee bit faster: splits were 54, 53 minutes. Not too bad because I didn't feel all that great. I do wish I could get down to below 8 minute pace though. I'll take it anyway.

04-20-07
Same route once again. This time was the fastest yet. The day off helped. My splits were 52.5 and 51.5, so I finally achieved 8 minute per mile pace. Woo hoo. It sure *felt* fast. And just as enjoyable as the other runs.

04-21-07
Here I'll take from my Dan in Dublin blog:
I thought my Ireland running couldn’t be much nicer than that run to the sea, but it’s really nice in County Meath as well. I ran to the village and then along a canal, where there was a path of variable quality – some mud, some rocks, some cow flops, some cows, some sheep, some crushed gravel, etc. But all of it very serene. The green Irish hills and pastures loom in the background. Trees line most parts of the canal. Maybe running did get a bit better.

So after nearly 2 hours and 40 minutes of slow trail running, I get back to the hotel and, for reasons that I can’t think of, went into the spa/gymnasium. There I saw a notice about the Spa’s annual triathlon. It was to take place that very same day. I somehow gathered that there were both individuals and teams, and then, of course, asked if there were any teams that needed a runner. Of course there was. Before I knew it, I was involved. Show up at half-past 11. “Oh yeah,” I said as an afterthought, “how far is this run?” 5.2 kilometers.

Could I go out and do it again after all that trail running? I figured I could probably make the distance. After breakfast and a cold bath to recover, I went back down to the spa. Do I owe any money? No. Who and where are my teammates? They’re around somewhere – don’t worry about them. Follow Liz to get started. But it’s only ten after 11. Doesn’t matter, we’re just starting everyone in groups of 3, and in this case, 2. You can go now.

So me and Jenny started running towards town, hoping to not get lost (the directions were pretty simple, and there was a biker on the course to help). I got ahead of Jenny and then saw the biker, who yelled some words of encouragement as I went by. He was escorting another runner in. Later on he caught up and rode along with me as I looped through town and began heading back to the hotel. He continued to encourage me, and at one point told me I was doing 10 miles per hour. I slowed a bit towards the finish because there’s a hill to overcome, not to mention strong winds. I finished strong with the biker almost alongside and with Liz and about two others cheering madly. Liz kissed me. You just don’t get this kind of running experience (at least by race officials) at home. My time was 20:26, a PR for 5.2 km. And better yet, by beating Jenny, I had “won” the third or so race of my life. The others were equally low-key. I wish I knew how I did in relation to the other runners. When will I know the official results? There will be a picnic in July where they will be announced. How did my team do? Who knows?

04-22-07
Another nice run in County Meath: 18 miles all on roads this time. But some along side the canal too. Narrow, winding roads with high hedge rows made it scary at times. I saw a fox crossing the road in front of me. Herons in the canal too. Another good one here in Ireland.

Afterwards, I did some weights and then it was back to Leopardstown. That means walk, ride train, walk, ride train, walk. I still had time to do some sightseeing that day, but I was so tired I just crashed for the whole afternoon.

04-23-07
Back in Leopardstown, I did the usual 13 once again. I took the camera, hoping for a nice sunrise. It stayed cloudy, but I had a good solid and enjoyable run. 1:43 - the fastest yet. I have a few more days - can I continue to improve these times?

04-24-07
After yesterday's good run, and after lots of miles in the last few, I was pretty worthless today. Too bad I couldn't have made it to the sea because it was a pretty morning. I did jog around Leopardstown a bit: over to the race track and then up to Sandyford and back for 6 total.

04-25-07
Today I felt revived after yesterday's easy one. I went out fast, and stayed strong the whole way. I did the usual Leopardstown to Dalkey run, this time fastest of all: 1:40:4x. There may even have been a tempo run in there somewhere.

It was another beautiful morning, with a few spits and spots of rain, but also a great sunrise.

Later in the day, I almost made it to another race:

Douglas Barry writes:
And to Dan who's in Dublin at the moment. Just up the
road from you at
Leopardstown is Three Rock Mountain (look to the west
and you'll see the
mountain with a mast on it). There's a short race on it
tomorrow (Wed 25th)
at 7.30. Go to www.imra.ie and you'll get the details.
Try it as I should be there too: my eldest son is
running in it.

I tried to catch Douglas a couple hours prior to the race to
ask if he could pick me up. He probably didn't check his email
before the end of the day, because I didn't hear from him. So
I thought I'd try to walk to the race. It appeared to be about
3 miles from my hotel. I can look out my window and see the
mountain. I made it about half-way and then I came to an
extremely narrow road without sidewalks where the traffic was
zooming by. There was no place to walk at all. So I turned
back. Oh well. I had already had my run for the day anyway.

I've probably got only got one more run here in Ireland before
heading home. I'll probably do the usual run to Dalkey and
back. Hard to beat that one.

04-26-07
I wanted to get 10 more in, and I wanted to run down to the sea for one last time on this trip. I was tired, slow and dizzy, but I was generally successful for these things. I got down to some paths right on the sea and went back and forth a bit. Then over to Blackrock and back.

Today's Long Run

I somehow managed to do 24 on the Lester Rail Trail this morning. It was a really good long run - each 6-mile segment got a bit faster. The only disappointment was not being able to get down to MP for the last 3 or 4. Maybe next time.

6-mile splits: 52, 50, 48, 47
overall time: 3:17
I'll take it.

Updated DRS Bio

Here is the bio I submitted in 1996, updated for 2007. It was kind of fun to do it this way.

Name:
1996-Dan Horvath
2007-Dan Horvath

City/State:
1996-Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA
2007-Brunswick, Ohio, USA

Phone:
1996-(810) 474-5765
2007-(330) 558-0418

Birthday:
1996-May 2, 1953
2007-May 2, 1953 (seems a lot further away now)

Occupation (Title):
1996-Senior Systems Engineer
2007-Senior Software Metrics Consultant

Occupation (What I actually do):
1996-I’ll let you know when I find out.
2007-ditto

System:
1996-Gateway 2000 Pentium
2007-Toshiba Notebook

E-Mail Addresses:
1996-au507@detroit.freenet.org
2007-runhorvathrun@hotmail.com

Family Life:
1996-Got one! 1 (one) wife. 2 (two) teenage daughters. And you wonder why I run. Actually got into the habit of (very) early morning running when the kids were small so that I could spend time with them. Now that they don’t want to spend time with me, I’m still in the habit.
2007-My teenage daughters are now in their 20s with lives of their own – Veronica lives in Connecticut, and Valerie is in Chicago. So now it’s just me and my wife, of 32 years, Debbie. And I still do that early morning running.

Education:
1996-BS Computer Science, MS Information Systems.
2007-ditto

My Obsessions:
1996-Food, running, reading, music(classical), maybe a little wine & beer to go with the food. In that order.
2007-Almost the same. I still like the food, books and music, but I no longer drink alcohol.

My Ideal Running Program:
1996-Perpetually training/recovering from marathons and other races. I copied this from another runner’s bio but it does apply to me too. In miles, I’d say 70+ per week (that’s somewhere around 111 Km for you metric folks). Included would be 2 speed sessions per week, (9x1600m and 8x400m) along with a tempo run.
2007-Perhaps a little moderation would be in order here. Not much, mind you. I’d still like to be doing 70+ mpw. And I’d still like to get those speed sessions in, but maybe only 2 per week.

My Real Running Program:
1996-I am doing a lot of marathons (a record 5 this year) and other races. But my mileage has dropped to about 50-60 per week. Usually get in the 2 speed sessions, but it’s been a while since I did 9x1600. Talks about killer workouts.
2007-My mileage this year has been 60-70 mpw – a bit less than last year. I did more speed work last year, but I’m ramping up now. I’ve done a few 8 x 1600s lately and some tempo runs. Even so, most of this has been pretty durn slow. I need to pick it up.

Shoe of choice:
1996-I generally like anything ASICS puts out but my all time favorites would be among these: Avia Meridians (2063 or so), Adidas Response, Reebok Graphlite Road. Starting to like the ASICS Gel DS Trainer. In my next life I want to be a namer of running shoes.
2007-I still generally like ASICS shoes best. Although I’ve really liked some of the DS Trainers over the years, lately I’ve been running almost exclusively in the 2000 series models (I think it’s up to 2120 now). They work really well for me.

My Paces:
1996-They vary a lot. Overall, according to my Excel Training Log, I average about 7:40 per mile. I’m not even gonna try to translate that into min per Km.
2007-Wow. 7:40?? It’s telling that 1996 was the last year that I broke 3 hours. Now then: 2006 was a very good year for me, and according to my Access running log, I averaged 7.98 minutes per mile. So far in 2007 I’m averaging a relatively pedestrian 8.12. I vow that this will change. There is still a fair amount of variance.

Goal:
1996-3000 miles (4800 Km?) in 1997. That would be a record. Also: Continue to improve every year until I’m 60. I know: that’s a tough one. I’ve got 16.5 years to go before I can slack off. But I generally have continued to get better as I’ve aged. So far...........One more goal: to actually win a road race. Don’t care if there’s as few as 2 people running, I WANT TO WIN ONE!
2007-That was funny, for a couple reasons. I’ve had no trouble at all hitting 3000 miles for many of the years since. Improving every year? Until 60? What was I thinking? 1997 was the year I started to slow down. And no, I don’t think it’s because of the increased mileage. I mentioned that 2006 was a relatively good year, and I ran 3296 miles – a goodly amount. My goal for the last 10 years or so has been to get back to sub-3 hour land. Yes, I still think I can do it.

Other Fitness Stuff:
1996-Weightlifting a few times per week with light weights. Walking with my wife.
2007-Weightlifting a few times per week with light weights. Walking with Debbie.

Outdoor interests:
1996-Anything that doesn’t involve yardwork. Or swatting bugs. Nice beaches work fine for me. Non-insect infested forests are great too.
2007-I can’t say it better than I did 11 years ago.

Indoor interests:
1996-Reading, movies. I know... I’m dull.
2007-Reading and movies. I have a sort-of movie theater in the basement. Spend a lot of time with that.

How did you find out about the Dead Runners Society?
1996-From Dead Person friend Pat Mitchell.
2007-Haven’t heard from Pat in many years. I keep in touch with friends Rita Cognion and George Ziga, and also with a few other local (to NE Ohio) Deads.

I Could Be a Really Good Runner If:
1996-I could hold my #@%%# weight down.
2007-DITTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That’s about it.

Recent Happenings

Sounds like Debbie, Kathy and Jessey are having a good time in AZ. They're going to the grand canyon today.

I'm off for Ireland tomorrow. All packed.

Did 3 on the mill today. My 1/2 marathon scheduled for tomorrow was canceled. I'll do a long run instead.

Speedwork Success

Since I couldn't even complete my last try at speedwork at the track, I approached today's session with trepidation. It was 35 and very windy. I told myself that I love this.

And it worked. It was extremely slow by last year's standards, but I did get through it. I wanted to do all 8 1600s in less than 6:40, and that did indeed happen. Here's the rundown:

6:37, 6:38, 6:38, 6:35, 6:36, 6:33, 6:32, 6:30 for an average of 6:35.

I did 3 more at lunchtime. Even that wasn't too bad.

Recent Running

Yesterday I was sooo tired - all I could manage was 4 slow miles on the mill. And they weren't pretty at all.

Today was different. I got out early and got my new subs 11 route in. And I did well - 83 minutes - one of my 3 fastest times on the course. I did a 3-mile tempo on Sleepy Hollow, and finished the last 3 in less than 22 minutes. Really solid running.

I still felt ok, so I did 3 more at lunch in 23.

New running store in Medina.

Got my 1/2 marathon on Saturday.

Easter Run

After yesterday's snowy 16, I managed to do 20 today. Not bad. I did 2 on the mill, then 8 outside (very slowly - 9 minute pace), and then 10 more on the mill. It was extremely bitter outside - I had planned to do it all out there, but couldn't get myself back out after a break. The mill was ok - it included 9 at MP.

Today's Run - 2007-04-07

After 80F one day last week, it was freezing and snowing the next. And the next. And the next. Yesterday we got about 5-6 inches, and the Indians Home Opener was snowed out after 5 innings - one out short of a full game.

Those 5-6 inches were fun to run in - especially since it was new snow and it was on the towpath. As much as I enjoyed it, I probably would've given up if I wasn't meeting Dave after doing 4.5 myself. Altogether 16 in 2:30. Tons of fun. Beautiful scenery too. I love that place (station rd area).

Family (Kathy/Mike, Dave/Carol) coming for Easter tomorrow.

More on the Mill - 9 today

I had to get 9 in to get up to 50 for the week before Saturday's long run. I was extremely tired, so this was a tough one. Glad to get through it. At least I got some hills in, and my ankle continues to improve. I did the 9 in 71 minutes, including 10 1/4 mile 6% hills.

Today's Run - 2007-04-04

I knew the temps would be falling, but it was still in the 50s. Just as I went out, however, the cold rain started. A *very* cold rain. I went right back in and down onto the mill. There I did 8 x 1600 @ 6:37 or so. Not too bad.

My left ankle has been in pain. I've had this before, but don't know the cause. It comes and goes. Today I tried the orthotic inserts and that helped a whole lot. I also have to remember to not tie my shoes too tight.

Today's Running - 2007-04-03

2 on the mill, and then 10 with Dave on his loop in 83 minutes. Not too bad, but I wish I wasn't so tired and sore all the time. Who knows - maybe I'll get out again today.

Today's Run - 2007-04-02

Yesterday wasn't the greatest running, but I had some high hopes for today's speedwork. It was a nice morning (55) and good to hit the track again after so many months. Thought I'd do 8x1600 in a conservative 6:40 - about what I'd done on the mill last time. Too bad my ole legs were still extremely tired and sore. I was shot after 4. I could only limp through 1 more for 5 total (average: 6:40) and 9 overall. I've got to do better than this. Much much better.

Recent Running

Yesterday I did 19 with Dave and Amy. Most was on the towpath, but we also went up to Brandywine Falls and back on the Old Carriage Trail. Nice trail running at a decent pace.

Today I couldn't run as much as I wanted - I was just too tired. I did 5 on the mill including 8 1/4 mile 6% hills, and then did the President 3 outside.

Linda, Bob, Iris and Mike came over for pizza and laughs last night. We played darts and dominos, watched basketball and talked.

Dan in Hungary

This would be my second time in Budapest, and I wanted to see and do some different things this time. I almost booked a one-day boat trip to the north, where there are supposed to be three scenic towns and a great castle or two overlooking the river. It’s called the Danube Bend area. I chose not to book it however, when I saw the weather forecast: cold and rainy. Cold (low 40s) and rainy it was. So I tried to do some indoor things.

I walked to and explored St. Steven’s Basilica. I’ve now seen a lot of old churches all over Europe, but this is one of the most glorious. It was as ornate as any, but more colorful than most.

I also went to Buda Castle, also known as the Royal Palace, to visit the museum inside. It’s the Hungarian National Gallery, with an extensive set of works by Hungarian artists throughout history. It was quite impressive. As usual, I liked the 19th century paintings the best. Budapest also has a Museum of Fine Arts, but I’ll save that one for my next trip.

The next day, Sunday, was very nice: it was sunny, with temperatures in the 50s. I couldn’t go the Danube Bend, however, because the tour only goes on Saturdays in winter. I could have tried to take a train or bus, but thought better of it; there were still other things that I haven’t seen in Budapest proper.

The day began with me on a metro to Hero’s Square. This square is the entrance to a city part called Varosliget, and is also home of the famous Millennium Monument. With great colonnades, statues galore, and a tall central column crowned by Archangel Gabriel, it is truly stunning. The monument was built to celebrate the millennium of the founding of Hungary, as well as it’s conversion to Christianity, lead by St. Steven. Among the statues is Prince Arpad, along with six other conquering Magyars. You gotta love these conquering Magyars.

Varosliget also contains a zoo, botanical garden, famous baths, and Vajdajunyad Castle. Since I continue to be self-conscious about taking them with people I don’t know, I skipped the baths. This castle, complete with a moat, looks like it’s straight out of a fairy tale. I walked around the interior grounds – it is really neat.

As I returned from the metro stop, I had planned to take Vaci street, a major shopping area, back to the hotel. Along the way is Mihaly Vorosmarty Square, where there was some sort of flea market or festival going on. I checked out the goods and the food (which smelled great) and watched first the little girls, and later everyone, do some folk dancing. They even had a puppet show. You just can’t get entertainment like this at home.

Having been to Old Town, in the Castle District before, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go again, but I wanted to do something with the time I had. So I climbed up once again – it took about 45 minutes from the hotel. And I did see some sights that I had missed: the view from the back of the Castle District hill is almost as spectacular as that overlooking the Danube. I also got to see the famous Vienna Gate.

Dan in Greece

For my second trip to Greece things would be different. This time it's a business trip, so I wouldn't have nearly the amount of time to see things as our trip a couple months ago. So after arriving, I spent my first day just walking around the Plaka district; nothing much new to report.

The only full day that I would have free would be Sunday. I booked a 3-island, 1-day cruise. And what a day. I was actually gone from 7am until 8pm. It turns out that the three islands are not quite as close to Athens as I thought; it took a long time to get from one to the other. And one other complaint: the boat was lousy - they packed too many people on board and the food was awful. (Woody Allen likes to talk about the Jewish Ladies complaining about food at a wedding. “The food is awful”, says one. “Yes, and there’s so little of it”, says the other.) But in spite of the long day and the not-so-good boat, it was a most worthwhile trip. Our first stop was Poros, where I walked around the picturesque harbor town. Poros is only about a quarter mile away from the Mycenae area on the mainland, but a long boat ride from Athens. Our next stop was the island of Hydra. It was even more picturesque, and there were some forts to explore in addition to the town itself. Finally we went to Aegina (aka Egina), where I booked an additional tour. I got to see the temple of Aphea, which rivals the Parthenon and Poseidon's Temple. (Also something strange: these three temples form an exact triangle - each is 25km apart. How, and why, did they do this?) We also stopped at an orthodox church that was cool as well. Finally, the Greek music and dancing on the boat was pretty entertaining. So yes, it was a good trip.

On the way to the boat I had met a father and his son. He asked where I live and when I told him, he asked, “is that near Strongsville?” When I told him, he asked if I’d heard of Beef O’Brady’s. I said that I’d just been there for the first time just in the past week. His name is Nick Voinovich, and he is the president of Beef’s and lives in Tampa. We talked a lot. I saw the two of them on the first island, but not afterwards. I thought it was strange that they didn’t get off the bus for the Marriott that night – I figured maybe they’d taken a cab. I saw Mr. Voinovich at breakfast the next morning. “You know when you were heading back to the boat and we were going away from it? My son said, ‘Dad, why’s the boat moving?’ We missed it and had to take a water taxi back to the third island, where we missed the boat again, and then had to get another boat back to Athens.” I had kind’ve wondered why they had been headed the wrong way, but didn’t say anything. I figured they knew what they were doing.

I can’t forget to mention Babis, my personal driver. I know this because he told me; he said, “I be your driver for your whole stay, boss.” That’s another thing: he calls me boss. Whenever I need a ride, anytime day or night, all I need to do is call Babis’ cell, and he comes. He’s from Crete, like Zorba – maybe they all call their clients “boss”. But he’s a wonderful guy. I’d recommend him to anyone coming to Greece.

For my last night I took a long walk up to a hill just below the Acropolis. I had a great view of the sunset and Athens at twilight.

Running in Greece and Hungary

Greece:
03-18-07
I did 13 on the hotel mill - 7 at MP. Altogether 1:34. It wasn't pretty - I held on a lot.

03-20-07
15 on the mill with 8 x 1600 at 6:40. More holding on, but not as bad. Caught a cold afterwards.

03-21-07
3 on the streets of Athens, trying, unsuccessfully, to find a park. Not good at all.

03-22-07
Finally a pretty good one. 24 on the mill in 3:00:30. Most I've done in a long long time. And 5 at MP. I didn't hold on too badly - some in the middle, but not much at all during the last 9, when people started to show up.

03-23-07
A really bad 5 miles on the mill. Could only make it to 60 for the week. Some were decent, but this was a bad way to finish it off.

03-25-07
Today I did 16 in 2:04, in Budapest. It was wonderful - beautiful weather and scenery, and a good solid pace. It was 3 time aound Margaret Island, which is a bit more than 5K. It's about 3 miles to and from the island, and I did a bit extra as well. Each loop got a bit faster.

03-26-07
I did the Budapest 12 route - to the island (a bit less than 3) two loops of about 3.3 miles each, and then back again. What a nice run this day. Very enjoyable. Solid performance too. I think this is long by about 1/2 mile. 94 minutes. I'll take it.

03-27-06
I did the Budapest 12 once again. Hard to believe, but this was even better than yesterday. And I was pretty tired, too. Tied for PR (92.5) on this course. What will tomorrow bring?

03-28-07
It brought a very good run. A 3-mile tempo, and a PR on the 12-mile course. I wanted to get a tempo run in, and I was successful, but it was tough. I'm happy with the result, but I wish these things were easier. A solid PR for this course. 91.5 minutes.

03-29-07
I didn't need the mileage, and I was fairly sore and tired, but thought I'd do my Budapest 12 course one more time, just for the joy of it. Predictably slower, but still a good one. Got better as I loosened up. 95.5 minutes. I'll sure miss this run.

Today's Long Run - 2007-03-16

Great long run today- 20 in 2:38.5. I did 8 on Substation, and then the 6-mile course twice. It was all extremely steady and strong. Best long run in a long long time.

I'm taking off for Greece and Hungary today.

Today's Run - 2007-03-15

Ides of March. I should beware because of my weight. 167! And I've been trying to be good this week. Yet I'm going the wrong direction.

Today's run was ok - 7 with 6 x 12oo on the mill at 9mph (5 min).

I messed something up at work - recorded some changes for the wrong application. It was a fairly honest mistake because of confusion by the SME, but it still doesn't look good.

Recent Running and a couple other things

Sunday I did 15 in 2:17. THAT's SLOW! I just started slowly and never got moving at all. At least it wasn't a total collapse.

Monday I did 4 on the mill before work.

Tuesday was a great day for running. The weather was extremely mild - high 40s in the morning, high 60s in the afternoon. I awoke early and did two 6-mile loops in 48 and 48.5 minutes. Pretty decent, but it would've been nice if they were faster. At lunch I went to Hinkley and did 2 loops there in 46 minutes. The weather at that point was gorgeous. I'm getting better myself.

Today I did 3 on the mill, then 3 slow ones on the Presidential streets.

Yesterday Debbie and I walked around Hinckley later in the afternoon (it hit 71 or so). Then we went to Dave and Jill's in the evening where we ate subs and helped Dave in the basement.

Today's Long Run - 2007-03-10

A pretty solid long run today in BVH with Dave and Amy. The weather was miserable - a cold off and on rain. But we kept a good pace the whole way. I'm calling it 20, but it may have been a bit short - hard to say.

Now I Know

That the weight is completely doing me in. I was at 166 the other morning, and then I went for an afternoon run at Hinckley. I used to be able, with some amount effort, to do the two loops in 43, 41, even 40 minutes. On Thursday the very best I could do, with some amount of effort, was 47.5 minutes. It was nice to hit that course again, but quite a reality check. I HAVE GOT TO LOSE THESE 12 POUNDS! And it won't be easy with this upcoming trip to Greece and Hungary.

Recent Running and Other Stuff

Met up with Iris and Mike and Linda and Bob for dinner last night. I also talked with Betsy and with Greg.

We're about to head over to Moms to clean the carpets. It's snowing though.

That 3" of new snow made for some fun running this morning. I tried to beat the ploughs. Also tried to do a few hills. It was tough going and predictably slow. 5 in 43.5. Then I did 4 more on the mill, including 7 1/4 mile hills @ 6%.

yesterday I did the 11-mile new subs route in 92 minutes - just a bit slower than I wanted. It was cold - about 10 with negative wind chills. I followed that with 2 on the mill.

Visiting Connecticut and Recent Running

I flew into JFK whilst Debbie drove in and we all met up with Veronica and Barry for Veronica's b-day. We went out to dinner and Debbie and Veronica fixed up some stuff around the condo. Also went to Ikea. It was a tough drive home at night.

While in CT I did the usual West Rocks, East Rocks run and a bit more - call it 14 in 1:51:30. Not bad at all considering the hills.

Today I did 6 on the mill including a 4-mile tempo.

Dan in Iberia II

This is my second trip to Iberia. The first was last September, when I spent only a couple days here in Madrid as well as Lisbon. This time it is to be 2 weeks in Madrid, so I went thinking I ought to be able to see and do more. The good news is that the hotel is only a short walk to the office. The bad news is that we're in the middle of nowhere on the outskirts of town. This area, north of town is hard to believe and even harder to describe. The word, stark comes to mind.

There are miles upon miles of multi-family residence buildings, office buildings, some restaurants built into the buildings, AND THAT'S ALL! No trees. No schools. No single family houses - I found not one in dozens of miles of running. No schools. Oh yeah. Plenty of construction. More construction than you can imagine.

Upon arrival Steve and I took the bus to the subway station, and the subway downtown. We did lots of walking, including a long stroll through one of the city parks, Parke Del Buen Retiro. There were many many folks out for their Sunday afternoon strolls. We also walked through the main train station (including the indoor arboretum), and a few other areas. You've got to enjoy the architecture here. The theory is that it's so nice here because Spain was not involved in either world war, and their civil war didn't cause much local damage. We ate dinner at an outdoor cafe, even though it was getting a bit cool. We laughed at our suffering there at an outdoor cafe, whilst the poor folks back home only have a couple feet of snow and cold to put up with.

Not much happened during that first week of work. Our client kept us fairly busy, but we did have some time for walking. We went to Hippercor (large discount store/supermarket) and El Corte Ingles (large department store chain) one time, and to a mall another night. That was about it for excitement, except this: We walked into the mall, which is quite exclusive, and almost immediately heard the fire alarm. Sure enough, we could smell and even see smoke, and it was coming from somewhere near the cafe I had been recommending for dinner. We got out in a hurry. Later that night we tried to walk back along side and in back of a golf driving range. We were "escorted" back. I thought the security guard was either being very helpful, or we were about to be arrested.

Eating here is a challenge. The food is great, but it's only available at certain times, and you'd better just get used to those times. Lunch is at 2 to 3 pm, we work until 6 or 7, and then dinner is at about 9pm. This doesn't sit too well with a guy who likes to go to bed at 9:30 or 10, and then get up to run at 4 or 5am. So Steve and I are always trying get an "early" dinner at 7:30 or so. But it's a real challenge to find ANYPLACE that's open.

Friday night Steve and I checked out of our middle of nowhere hotel (which looks like it was designed and furnished by Ikea), and into one in the middle of everywhere central Madrid. That hotel, the Best Western Atlantico, is beautiful classic European. The streets are truly alive with people. There are street entertainers, discos, theaters, you name it. And did I mention throngs of people? We walked to Templo de Debod, an ancient Egyptian temple moved here as a gift from Egypt to Spain for their help in retrieval of other antiquities. It was awesome. Then we walked around the renowned palace (it was closed) and through Plaza Mayor, the famous square.

Our friend and interpreter, Sergio, drove Steve and I to Salamanca, which is about 2 1/2 hours west, almost to the Portugal border. Salamanca is first and foremost a university town. The university is built into the medieval city center area, near the main square. I learned that Plaza Major means main square, so that's why multiple towns have squares by the same name. Duh. We walked around quite a bit and saw shell house, an ancient Roman-built bridge and the cathedral, in addition to the square. Sergio's friends from earlier years, Louda and Nikki, were visiting Salamanca from Brazil and the UK, so we all did some crowded tapas bars. We didn't eat much - only a bit of some of the famous jamon - but had lots of good conversation. It was a great day.

The next day Steve and I took a train for a half-hour ride to Alcala de Henares. It's another university town with more historical buildings. There were dozens of huge storks making gigantic nests on the tops of the buildings. We ate and toured the Cervantes (the author of Don Quixote - Man of La Mancha) Museum and an archeological museum. We also saw a quasi-military band playing music in front of the university.

Observations:
-Everyone I work with seems to be genuinely friendly and accommodating. Great folks, these Spaniards!
-When you sneeze, they say, "Jesus".
-When they dubbed Terminator 2 into Spanish, Arnold's "Hasta la Vista, Baby" was changed into "Sayonara, Baby". (I think that works just as well!)
-You don't find chicken on too many menus, but plenty of pork and jamon. -The Spanish have never heard of "Spanish Rice".
-Running here is so strange. When I head out at 5:30 or so, someone has to open the hotel door for me, and there is no one, not one person or vehicle, about. The streets are empty.

That was not the case for my one and only run from downtown. There were throngs of people everywhere, still reveling from the previous night. Of course they must have thought I was pretty strange. But that was mutual. Then I went into Casa de Campo, a very large park near the city center. There I encountered a plethora of prostitutes. I obviously wouldn’t be interested in their wares, but that didn’t stop them from making a few inquiries about my intentions.

Running in Madrid

03-03-07
For my last run before leaving, I did 15 in about 2:04. It was pretty steady - one of the better ones.

03-01-07
I went north again, and this time much farther into the open field area. I got onto some trails, but didn't do much of them because it was hard to see in the dark, and they were uneven. I went further north and west and made it to the university. Came back after 2 hours and finished with some faster stuff. 20 in 2:48. Not too bad for these days.

02-28-07
One of my worst runs of the trip. 6 in 54. But I did get some exploration done - Josechu had told me about a large open area to the north. I hadn't been able to find a way to get up there, but he showed me on a map. I did get up there, but not too far, and the traffic was starting to pick up, so I turned back.

02-27-07
Still tired, I only did about 8 in 66 minutes today. Going to try to do a longer run tomorrow.

02-26-07
We're back at our northern home. The running really isn't that bad here. I found a few trails and did 11 in 92.5.

02-24-07
Well this was a memorable run. We had moved to central Madrid, so I set out from there at 5:40am. Had to run around throngs of revelers from the previous night. Didn't like that. Had to run up and over a major construction area on a makeshift walkway. Didn't like that either. As I entered the park (Casa de Campo), I had to run the gauntlet through several prostitutes. Didn't like that too much. Then I finally found some nice trails to run on, but it was dark and scary. And there was *no one* around. I got lost. But I did thoroughly enjoy this part of the run. So yes, memorable is the word. Call it 16 miles in 2:21.

02-22-07
I was on my feet for 2 hours, fifty minutes, so I guess I can call it 20 miles. Most of it was pretty slow, but at least it was steady. Some nice areas here, some usual stark areas and some not-so-nice running along a highway.

02-21-07
Another run in Madrid. More of being dazed and confused in this strange area. More low traffic, wide streets, construction (of office buildings, apartment buildings) galore. After 25 miles of running this time and last, I have yet to find a park or a residential housing area. In fact, I haven't seen one single family home, period. Very strange. I'll call it 13 in 1:48.

02-19-07
Pretty nice 12 or so in 100 minutes here in Madrid. Although I've been here before, this is my first run here. Very wierd are here. Got lost a bit. I guess I'll get used to it.

Today's Run - 2007-02-17

A pretty solid 20 with Dave and Amy today after 3 on the mill yesterday. Today it was fairly cold (12-16) and there was some snow, and many hills (up the parkway), but it was a fairly solid run in 2:40. Starting from Dave's we did the subs for a while and then ran the parkway down to station rd. And (eek) back. Decent.

I'm taking off for Spain today.

Today's Running - 2007-02-15

3 in the tundra after shoveling (it was 0F and there was plenty of slush, snow and ice on the roads). It wasn't pretty.

So I followed that up with 4 on the mill, including 3 at tempo pace.

What I thought was bronchitis I now think is a sinus infection. I can feel it draining down in the back of my throat. No headache. I had this once before.

Went to Mom's today - we've been getting it ready for Debbie's paint project. We also had the range delivered today.

Gonna be doing the taxes tomorrow.

Snow and Recent Running

We got way over a foot of snow yesterday. Now the wind is making it drift. Clearing it is a major chore - I did it yesterday and Debbie today.

I did 8 on the mill yesterday, including 6 x 1200, and 7 on the mill today including a 3-mile tempo. Can't wait to get outside again. It'll happen this Saturday, and then again in Spain.

Made it home and Recent Running

No problems getting home. Kathy and Jessy picked us up, and then we went to dinner. Yesterday Dave, Jill and Mario came over and we went out to dinner. Today I went to their place to help Dave with his basement finishing project.

I ran about 17 with Dave and Amy yesterday in 2 1/2 hours. It was cold (8) but not so bad. Fairly slow and enjoyable. Today (prior to working in the basement), Dave and I did his 10-mile loop in 79 minutes. That was a really good time considering the cold (6) and yesterday's run. OTOH, I was huffing and puffing the whole way - especially up the hills. Glad to get this one in.

Running in Hawaii

For my first morning on Maui I met up with Rita and we ran to the end of the road. It was so nice to run that stretch - one of my favorites - with her. We made several pit-stops - a couple at the Maui Price Hotel and one to talk with some of her run club friends who we happened upon. The course is 15 miles, but I'm calling this one 17 with the extra I ran towards Kihei to hook up with Rita. Rita herself was pretty tuckered out by the ordeal; she had run even more than I.

But I was feeling fine, so the next day I did the same 15-mile route alone in the dark. Rita needed that time off for recovery. I enjoyed this run as well, but the mileage apparently did me in - my on/off cold came back with a vengence afterwards.

Rita and I hooked up for another run where we ran towards each other, and then ran back through Wailea and turned around. My legs were tired but I did manage to keep up and did 8.

That was it for a while - I was just too sick.

I was still sick when we arrived on the Big Island, but after 3 days off I did manage to run 4 around the Waikoloa resort area.

And then came the big one: the 20 mile run up and back down the mountain - Waikoloa road well past the village of the same name. I had been worried because I was still recovering from the cold, but this is an awesome run and I actually did fine: 1:35 going up and 1:19 coming back down. I only hope I didn't ruin myself further.

Although I wasn't feeling my best that day and next, I didn't. After a rest day I did 11 - over to the Orchid and back. Out in 49.5, back in 45.5. Took a while to loosen up, but this was an ok run.

2007 - Hawaii

"The winds are wrong." That, according to Rita, is what the long-time kamaina's (island residents) were saying. Instead of the usual trades from the north, these were coming from the south and were quite fierce, bringing damage and destruction. We got our share of rain over the 5 days we had in Maui, but also some nice weather as well. From our experiences, rain in Hawaii is never much of a problem, because it a) doesn't usually last real long, b) you can usually see and get to areas where the sun is shining and it isn't raining at all, c) it's liquid sunshine and you're in Hawaii to enjoy it and d) there's usually a rainbow to accompany it.

So after a day of lounging, we decided to drive up to the top of Haleakala to hike the Sliding Sands trail within the volcanic crater. It had been raining at our place in Wailea, but not to worry, I said. We would be above the clouds at the 10,000 foot summit and could laugh at the poor slobs getting rained on below. Sure enough, as we drove up the mountain, we did go through several layers of clouds. There was only one problem: they didn't stop. We didn't make it as far as the summit because the lady at the entrance to the national park told us it was cloudy and raining up there as well. The trip itself was neat anyway. Those rain clouds were pretty awesome, and there were plenty of rainbows in the places where the sun broke through.

We did manage to get a hike in though. Down past the end of the road (see the running description below), there's a trail over extremely rough lava flows with some great shoreline views. We had done it partway one other time, but this time we went farther, all the way to what I'll call a light beacon: a light-house without the house. It was on a cape at (I think) the very southern tip of the island. Feels like the end of the earth. The surf from those "wrong winds" was splashing all the way up to the top and over 50 to 100 foot sea cliffs. Although the footing is awful, this is a great hike.

Besides our usual 3-4 mile morning walk along the shoreline walk-way in Wailea, which we did a few times, we did one other memorable hike. It was actually more of a climb, down to the "olivine pools", so named by our guidebook. These are on the shoreline on the northeast side of West Maui - the back of the head. The pools are not unlike the Oheo Gulch, aka Seven Pools, but are much less known. They are tranqil pools almost entirely surrounded by rough ocean surf. We didn't get in for a soak, but they were neat to see. And we were the only ones around. After the climb back up to the road, we continued to circumnavigate West Maui. That drive is every bit as beautiful and harrowing as the famous ride to Hana. After a while we got tired of stopping to admire the view (ho hum, just another spectacular view) and just kept driving, dodging the occasional oncoming vehicle in the one-lane areas. And of course we didn't take the recomended clockwise direction. Going counter-clockwise as we did means that the cliffs are ALWAYS next to you on the passenger side. Seemed like only inches away.

It was great to see Rita during our time on Maui. She and I ran together a couple times, including once to the end of the road. (I did another solo run there.) Did I mention that it seems like the end of the earth? It really does - especially when the early morning darkness is still there. It's such a memorable running venue, and I'll never forget it. But back to Rita. She's such a great friend, and not just because she lives in paradise! We ate one breakfast (where she was beat-up from our just mentioned long run), and several dinners together. George couldn't make it - he was stuck in Cleveland with the flu. Too bad - we missed him, and Rita seems downright lonely there. Rita and George do have a wonderful condo in Kihei, and she even took us to her office. We couldn't find her desk though - there was only a huge pile of papers with a chair in her cubicle.

It was sad to say goodbye to Rita and to Maui, but it was on the Big Island. Lately we've been leaning more towards staying on one island because the trip between them takes so much time. This one sealed the deal: not only with time, but also stress. We thought we had plenty of time, but nooo: the wait for Hawaiian Air check-in was well over an hour. We did make it, but then they lost our luggage. And then we had to wait well over an hour JUST TO REPORT IT. They did deliver it to our hotel, but so late that night that we didn't actually get it till the next morning. One other problem that we were somewhat aware of coming in: construction at the Waikoloa Marriott. They have nice pools and the usual beach, but a makshift entrance and LOTS of construction noise. To top off the evening we thought we'd try the expensive hotel restaurant. The food was uncommonly bad. It was much worse than greasy spoon type stuff: they had to work at making these meals terrible. Such is life in paradise, I guess.

The best word to describe the Big Island is "sweeping". That's as in sweeping vistas. I'm thinking specifically of the coffee-growing area south of Kona, the Hamokua coast on the northeast side, and even in the Kohala region where we stayed (the Waikoloa Marriott). There are also probably more contrasts here than anywhere on the planet (at least for such a small area): rainforests, snowcapped mountains, deserts, black, white and green sand beaches, and, of course, lava flows galore. But it's those sweeping vistas that I think of first when I think of the place. There's been only one problem with these vistas: it's been more hazy than for our previous trips here. More on this "vog" later...

And the Big Island truly is big. It takes hours to get around or across it. We drove south of Kailua-Kona and toured the Bayview coffee plantation and bought a fare share of their beans. The scenery, gardens and coffee plantations make the area are as beautiful as any on the planet. But it's the Hamokua coast area where I've said before, and again on this trip, that I'd love to live. Once again, great views, and not too much development. It seems almost, but not quite, devoid of people. That's where we hiked quite a ways through the new World Tropical Gardens. Along the way we stopped at Umauma falls - a really beautiful triple tier waterfall and pools.

The running on the Big Island is as awesome as any running anywhere. Altough I've been sick with yet another cold, today I ran up the mountain past the village of Waikoloa, up to the area recently hit by the wild-fire. As the sun began to rise, I had great views of all the mountains around me: Mouna Kea, Mouna Loa, Huaalalai, Kohala, but not Haleakala - it was obscured by clouds this time. It's 10 miles up, and my legs felt it - I got slower and slower. When I turned to go back down, I picked up the pace, but even this quad-burning part of the run wasn't exactly easy. But the scenery made it all extremely memorable. I did this run once again on our last day on the island. It was even more awesome, with a great sunrise and mostly clear views of the mountains.

As my cold was beginning to get better, Debbie got it. So we spent a couple days lounging around the resort, where we did manage to get some walking and swimming in. We also made it to Kailua Kona for an evening meal overlooking the bay and the sunset.

It was also hazy at the Pololu valley up at the northern tip of the island. We'd hiked down into the valley before, but this time we were going for the whole enchilada: down into the valley, over to the next ridge and over and down that into the nearly inaccessible Honokana Nui valley. And, of course, back. After a very strenuous 90 minutes of hiking up and down the ridges, we finally got to a poit where we could at least see the Honokana Nui valley. It was a beautiful sight from the top, but we couldn't go any further: there was earthquake damage to the trail going down there. Not that we'd have been able to make it anyway -we were tuckered out and still had to get back. Which we did, somehow, manage to do. But those views of both valleys made this a really great hike.

We found out that the haziness is a "vog" - a volcanic fog. It's caused by the ash, dust, fumes, water vapor and other gasses being emitted from the volcano. It's usually blown away by the trade winds, but those winds have still been "wrong". We did wind up having a few beautiful clear days towards the end of our stay.

We spent a day at Hawaii Volcanos National Park, in part to find the source of the vog. (Not really - we knew what it was.) We listened to a talk by a ranger, did several walks including part of the Kilauea Iki trail (although not the part inside the crater), a short walk to the inside of Kilauea crater itself and a walk in "bird park", which was nice, but we only heard and didn't see too many birds. The exception was a couple of black frankolins. They're like grouse or wild chickens. We did see some bright red Hawaiian Honeycreepers while we were listening to the ranger. We intend to come back again some day (this was our third time here at the park) and do the entire Kilauea Iki trail.

And that's about it. We ...

today's run - 2007-01-27

6 on the mill in 46.5 before heading to HI. Not too bad, and the weight is slightly better too: 163.

20

Yeah, I made it. No small accomplishment with the way I've been running. And the weight is only back to where it's been - 164.

2:35. I've had worse runs. I made frequent pit stops and held on some. And I didn't even try to get down to MP. But overall, mission accomplished.

5MI Splits: 39.5, 39, 38.5, 38

Today's Run - 2007-01-24

Almost back to normal. Too bad I'm so fat and slow. I did manage to get out and do my 11-mile new subs loop in 91.5 minutes. OK, but I have a ways to go to get back in shape. At least my cold is really gone now.

Note to Dave - 01-23-07

More info about the illness:

I had big plans to run a lot in Florida, but they didn't quite pan out. Instead of 70-80 miles last week, I ran a bit less than that: Zero. Remember that hilly long run you and I did two weeks ago? Don't know if it was related, but I came down with a cold a day or two later. I continued to run that week, but my cold got worse, and by the time I got to Florida it was in my chest - maybe bronchitis or something. I'm just getting over it now, and have just started to run again. I now have big plans to run a lot in Hawaii next week. We'll see.

Illness and Recent Running

The cold I had 2 weeks ago morphed into bronchitis or some other kind of chest infection once I got to Florida. I spent last week coughing up some yucchy stuff. I'm still doing some coughing, but I'm almost all better.

Because of this, I didn't run at all last week. Not one mile. I started back again Sunday. Since then, I've stayed on the mill because I'm trying to prevent any kind of relapse by running in the cold. So I only did 3 Sunday, 4 and 3 (in the afternoon) yesterday, and 3 today. And am I ever sore! It feels like I've been doing speedwork and 20-milers.

The worst part is the weight. 168 Sunday; down to 165 today. Still ridiculous no matter how you look at it.

today's run

8 on the mill with 4 x 1200. Better than expected with how lousy I feel. Cold is still bad. Gotta go (to FL) now.

Cleveland Orchestra, Travel and Today's Running

We picked up Mike and Iris and then ate at Guarino's in Little Italy. Good food. Then we went to Severence Hall to see the Cleveland Orchestra play Beethoven's 9th. It was magnificent!

Getting all packed and ready to go to Florida. Today we go to Mom's to get her packed. Dave and Carol will meet us for lunch.

I didn't feel much like running today. The cold came back after yesterday's long run, and I was just plain tired. But I managed 5 on the mill and then 3 outside. It was 50. Supposed to cool down though. The running was slow, and I wanted to do more, but my legs wouldn't have it.

Today's Run - 2007-01-11

The good thing about treadmill running is that you can recover fast. I think that'll be the case after today's 20. I caught a cold immediately after Tuesday's 8 (which I blame on Saturday's killer run). Been fighting it, successfully, with Zicam. I only did 1 on the mill yesterday, but had the time for a long one today.

It wasn't the prettiest, but I've done worse. Some holding on, but I've done worse there too. 2:30 for a 7:30 pace. The miles generally got faster and the last 3 were at MP. I'll take it.

Recent Running - 2007-01-09

It hasn't been much prettier. A little, but not much.

Yesterday I did 6 on the mill at a decent enough pace, but with so much holding on it wasn't funny. Chaulk up another stinker. Maybe one that didn't smell quite so bad, but another stinker nonetheless. Yesterday before dinner I did the President's 3 at an 8 minute pace. That's a bit better.

Today, after <4 hours of sleep, I did the Substation 8 at an 8 minute pace. Once again, it could've been worse, but I should/could/would be getting some faster stuff in. At least once in a while.

Been a really difficult week. And it's just starting.

Buckeyes

Although I'm a died in the wool fan, the hype was way too much for me. But I thought I'd try to stay up to watch the game anyway. The Buckeyes didn't even bother to show up! I guess being told that you're the greatest every day for several months got to them.

I went to bed at the half. Couldn't sleep anyway, but at least I was spared the further agony.

A Stinker for the Ages

I thought about running on the mill because of the cold (29 or so and frosty), but that really isn't that cold, and it actually was nice out. I thought about doing 20, then 16, but settled on 11 when I wasn't making any progress whatsoever. What a slow slow run. I was so tired and weak. Worst in a long long time. I'll say I did the Substation 11 in 101 minutes, but with the walking it was much worse than that.

The good part is that I did enjoy the frost and the sunrise. It was a peaceful morning.

The really bad part is that my knee has been acting up again. It's really no better - it still doesn't hurt, but after some runs where it felt normal, it's back to making moves that it shouldn't be doing.

Today's Run - 2007-01-06

It was pouring all night so Dave, Amy and I stayed off the towpath, even while it was drying up. Instead, starting from Boston we ran up to the Bike/Hike and did that for a while, came back down that hill and then up Boston Mills to Black and back down Columbia. Mucho hills. About 2 and a half hours. I'll call it 17. Good tough workout. My knee complained a bit.

Today's Run - 2006-01-04

I was very tired, but I managed to get 9 in before my 6am meeting. 8 on substation and 1 on the mill. I also barely managed a tempo run in there, but it was slow and tough. The wind didn't help, but I was mostly just tired.

11-miler with 3 the hard way

I did the new subs 11 route in 83.5 minutes with a 3-mile tempo on Sleepy Hollow - always a tough one. Good overall, but slightly slower than last week's 11. I may not have been rested enough, but I'll take this one.

Our dishwasher is crapped out. Gonna look for a new one. Just paid a plummer $426 for something I coulda done if I'd had the parts. At least we have a nice bathroom now.

Today's Running - 2007-01-02

I was sooo tired today. Didn't run much or well, but I did get some miles in. 2 on the mill, work, 2 on the mill, breakfast, weights, 3 on the presidential streets.

Visited Mom yesterday. Debbie made roast pork for all of us. Today we'll take the decorations down.

2007 - 01 - 01

I did my Substation-20 mile course today in 2:43:30, and I'm quite happy with it.

A very good solid long run to begin the year right. Lots of stops, but a steady pace the whole way. Check out the 4-mi splits: 33, 33, 33, 33, 31.5.

Had the party at the Zims last night. Today we're headed over to Mom's for our good-luck roast pork dinner, made by Debbie.