My final trail run

"There will come a day when you can no longer do this. Today is not that day." It's an old saying, but now I need to modify it, as it applies to me: "There will come a day when you can no longer do this. Today is  that day." 

I already knew that I wasn't a trail runner and that I had no business whatsoever being out there, but a friend asked me to join the fun, and I couldn't say no. I should have. Although the Run with Scissors Half Marathon was indeed fun for a while when said friend and others left me in the dust (I should say, mud), the fun suddenly ended and the misery began.

Did I mention mud? There was gobs of it on the Cuyahoga Valley National Park trails, but also rocks, roots, steep hills, creek crossings, and hairpin turns. All with light rain falling. All were hidden by fallen leaves. Have I ever mentioned that I like trails, but just not for running? Or that I like trails, but they don't like me?

I found myself alone after about mile 5. Only 8 or so to go - what could go wrong? In short, everything. I couldn't wait for the misery to be over with. By and by, I began looking for a way to drop out and get back to my car. This isn't an easy thing to do in the middle of a trail race. I could have possibly cut over to a road or two and run back from there.

But I didn't. Finally, at about 9 1/2 miles, I came to the final aid station at Pine Hollow. Although I could have probably hiked the final four miles on the Salt Run trail, I opted to run straight back and around Kendal Lake, thereby cutting the course and dropping out with only 10 1/2 miles. (I should say that I did get 13 miles in today, considering the warmup I did on the Towpath.) But by and large, I can't remember the last time I was so miserable during a run.

Although I may still do The Buckeye Woods 25K (those trails are fairly gentle), I think I'm truly done done with trails.

My run with Jenny

It was an honor and a privilege to run eleven miles with Jenny Hoffman today. RunJennyRun is attempting a world record crossing of the continent from San Francisco to New York. She is well ahead of record pace, doing around 60+ miles every day for the past 41. I was with Jenny from Windham to Warren, Ohio. She’ll be entering Pennsylvania by this evening. Thanks to Larry and CJ Orwin for logistical help. For more, see Jenny's run page, RunJennyRun.

Me, Ward Freman, Larry Orwin, Jenny Hoffman

What I found during my run today, Part 387

Brand new running shoes! Some of you may be aware that I've been known to find strange items on the run, often during out-of-town runs. (I have no idea why - maybe I look down more?) Before you go any further, PLEASE read this post from 2020. I will be here, waiting patiently.

Hope you enjoyed that. Now, on to today's find.

I'm staying in Horseheads, New York. Fun fact: Horseheads was incorporated as a town before the Godfather came out. It's near Elmira and just down the road from Corning. Even Watkins Glen isn't too far. Debbie the Lady Adventurer and I are here in the Finger Lakes region once again to sample some wine and see the sights. The new running shoes are indeed quite a sight. 

Before I came across them, I had emerged out of the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Elmira Corning (I guess they don't want to use 'Horseheads' in the name) and into the early morning darkness. As wonderful as the Finger Lakes area is, this part of Horseheads seems a little more like the other end of a horse. It's a freeway stop with a four-lane road and gobs of strip malls and car dealerships. But nowhere to run. I go by all the usual joints: Walmart, Texas Road House, Red Robin, Target, Michaels, CVS, Panera, and so on. It's when I find myself on a street that's more like an alley behind Kohls when I spot the shoes.

They're right there in the middle of the road. They're not in a box; they're just lying there. I look to make sure no one else is around before I pick them up. Yes, they're brand new and still stuffed with paper. Yes, they're some sort of running shoe, although I don't recognize the brand. Yes, they're about my size. I suppose I ought to get out of here before someone else does show up and... 

Now I'm running with a shoe in each hand, trying to decide what to do with them. I determine that it would be best to take them back to someplace close to the hotel so I can hide them and continue my run. But first, I examine them a little more. This is a bit of a challenge in the dark and while I'm running, but hey, I've done this sort of thing before. The brand is still unrecognizable. I look for the size on the underside of the tongue. It says '4A' or something like that. I'll still take them and try them on. Even if they're not top-notch running shoes, I've been known to use some strange ones. (Remember the Aldi shoes?)

Having run with them for a little while, I am surprised to see that one shoe is sliced open along the side. Why didn't I see that before - it would have saved me a lot of careful consideration.

Now, I have to find a place to throw them away. I don't want to just return them to the back of Kohls - I don't think they accept store returns that way. Besides, I'm further along now. What do I find now? An Aldi store! Better yet, it's an Aldi store with a trash container. And that's where they wind up.

How appropriate.

The Will to Win

You have probably heard it before: The will to win is nothing without the will to train. The original quote was from a Tanzanian runner named Juma Ikangaa, who actually said, "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." 

Ikangaa was well known for his hard training regimen. Unfortunately, he finished second at some big marathons in the late 1980s, including multiple times at Boston. What did he do? He doubled down, of course. He trained even harder. Did the perseverance pay off?

Juma Ikangaa finally won his biggest race: the 1989 New York City Marathon. He talked about his hard training, and how he simply trained even harder to finally win. His will to win, perhaps in question after the second-place finishes, was not as important as his will to prepare.

You have to

The way I remember it, in the movie, No Country for Old Men, the bad guy, played by Javier Bardem, tells his victims that he will flip a coin. "Call it right, you get to live, call it wrong, you don't." One guy replies the way I think I would have: "I don't want to play." But Bardem tells him (in his deep bad-guy voice), "You have to."

I'm not sure that's entirely correct, but I like to think that it is. But sometimes that "You have to" phrase can be applied to running. I don't mean that in the way you might think. You may think I'm thinking of, "You have to run." Nope. (Well, okay, you do have to run. But that's not what I'm sayin'.) Here, I mean you have to prepare. Remember the Juma Ikangaa quote: "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." (I've just decided to write an entire blog post about that.) But today, I want to talk about how unprepared I was for the run.

You have to prepare for your training runs. That means the usual stuff, like eating right, getting enough sleep, and not doing too many hard running days without rest. It's even more important to prepare for the long variety of training runs. Double down on everything I just said if you have a long run on the morrow. 

This week, I didn't do that. I procrastinated because of a myriad of options and because I try to work around the weather forecast to get the best running done on the best weather days. The thing is, said forecast kept changing. When I awoke Friday morning, I'd been planning to run on Lester, but not especially long. Long runs could be done either Saturday on the Towpath, or Sunday at Hinckley. But the forecast now said Friday morning is okay, Saturday will see cold rain. 

That's when I called the audible; the long run would be today! The preparation, oh the preparation. Take a quick snort of beet juice powder mixed in V8 (Yeah, I'm back to experimenting with that). Get extra caffeine inside me as quickly as possible. Even mix some pumpkin in the coffee. And pack extra stuff I'll need during the run: extra water, gels, etc.

How did it go? It wasn't pretty, but I got eighteen miles done. So it wasn't awful, either. Last week's run went better, but for today, I'll take it. 

I have to. 

Best since August

Keen readers of this blog will have noticed more than one lament about how out of shape this runner has become since he ran his August marathon. Danny Boy is happy to report that he is now on the upswing. Upswings beat downswings every darn time. Today, he ran his first legitimate long run since that race. We say legitimate because he did run an illegitimate, wimpy, eighteen-miler on the dreadmill last week.

By contrast, today's run, done with friends on the Lester Rail Trail, was for real. Yes, it was eighteen good miles. And at a fairly steady pace. It sure felt good.

One additional thought: you have to take these things seriously. It's simply not practical to try to do a long run without adequate preparation and concentration. Today, he had it.

4 x 1

This will be in backward order, by the way. There's a good reason for this, but I don't know what that is.

~

Now, I'm done done. That's what we project-oriented people used to say at work to indicate that something was really and truly done, and no further effort would be forthcoming. Just plain done didn't have the same connotation. Done done in this case means that I've finally completed my one-mile intervals and am doing my final cooldown, which is two slow and easy laps. And another thing: woohoo, I'll get over ten miles in today.

~

This fourth mile is not going so well. That extended time since the last one may have been a factor. It couldn't possibly be that I'm out of shape. Nope. Not at all. But somehow, I manage to finish this one in a very pedestrian time of 8:37. I suppose I should be happy that I could do it (a fourth one) at all.

~

My friends are all getting ready to leave. They've done their workouts and jogged their cooldowns. I, of course, joined them for their cooldown laps, light stretching, and talk-talk. I've done three of these one-mile thingies and I've got eight-plus miles in. Should I try to run some more? Maybe even do another (relatively) fast mile? Maybe, baby.

~

This third one-mile repeat is the best one yet. I'm doing better than eight-minute pace for the first time in a long while. I suppose it helps that my friends are all nearby, doing their things as well. My plan had been to do what I had suggested for everyone else: 1600, 1200, 800, 400, but I called an audible. Having already done one 1600 early and then another one with Chadwick as he started, I decided to keep all of today's repeats at the one-mile distance. Of course, I had to explain this strange behavior, but my friends understand. My (somewhat speedy) time for this one is 7:58.

~

This time, it's only a half-lap recovery between intervals. Why? Because that's what I suggested in the Facebook post. Why did I do that? Who knows? I make this stuff up as I go along.

~

My second repeat is with Chadwick Sunday. That's being generous; he's way ahead. But at least we started together. According to my plan, I could call it at 1200 (since I've already done a 1600), but I don't. I do the whole one-mile enchilada. My time of 8:04 isn't too awful.

~

Everyone is here. They're warming up and I'm cooling down, since I've already got one under my belt. This interval between repeats (I think I actually stated that correctly) is extended a little, but that's okay - we need to catch up on all the latest running news. And there is a lot.

~

I'm doing it! Running fast (relatively speaking) before anyone else even arrives (Although Michelle and Andy are already warming up on the roads). I consider it a good thing if I can get started early, and an even gooder thing if I can get my fast running started early. This first super-fast mile is completed in eight minutes and eleven seconds.

~

It's 4:25, and I've even beaten Michelle and Andy Wolff, and that's something. I begin my slow and easy warmup around the track. It's cold and dark, but that's all okay. The main question is, how will my speedwork go today?

More observation

After one day of spectating, I thought I'd do it all again. The Canal Corridor 100-mile run was still going on when I awoke. My plan was to drive to Akron to watch some of my friends finish.

But that didn't work out so well - Larry Orwin ran much too fast, and I wasn't able to get there in time. After altering my plans a little, I did manage to catch up with Doug Rafalski. He was at the Ira Trailhead, mile 90, and it was still dark and rainy. Luckily, he had his sister, Karen, to pace him. She got him through that cold rain during the night and was getting him through now as well. I tried to help a little.

After I saw them and walked with them some, I went out for my own run. It was slow going, but I almost never fail to enjoy a run on the old Towpath.

Then, I realized that I might possibly be able to see them yet one more time. I drove to Akron to catch them at mile 94. Slow going, but it was light now, and we all knew Doug would make it. He did.

Although it was indeed inspiring to watch Doug and all the other 100-milers, I'm still not inclined to make another attempt. But if I ever did, Canal Corridor would be the place to do it.

You can observe a lot, just by watching

Today's run didn't feel quite so bad. I could kinda even keep up with people. A little. Maybe this downward spiral of a training cycle is finally beginning to turn around. Then again, maybe not.

I would have probably registered for last week's Akron Marathon had I known that our planned out-west trip would be canceled due to concern about a possible government shutdown. You know. The one that didn't happen after all. So there I was, all dressed up and not registered to run. Of course, a few weeks past my August Marathon, I wasn't in what you'd call tip-top shape anyway. What to do? Get a run from home early, then drive to Akron to watch all my friends finish. I would at least be able to help them celebrate and share their joy!

The road closures got me. Two (2) freeway closures, and I was in Akron proper. But then I had to get past all the roads that were closed due to the race. And this number was legion. My Google Maps app kept warning me that such and such road may be closed, but then took me that way anyway, just (I guess) so that I could confirm that it was closed. So of course, I did. After an awful lot of evasive maneuvering to get around people, traffic, barriers, etc. I finally found myself not too awfully far from the finish area. 

But then, I would still need to find a place to park. By this time, I was so tired and frustrated, that I turned around and went home, sorry to have missed the experience altogether.

Spectating for today's Canal Corridor 100-mile run was a little better. I found my way to Canal Fulton, mile 35 on the course, where Towpath goes right on through. I was able to find my friends who were running and to cheer them on. It was a beautiful, cool, cloudy and sunny, sharp fall day. Who would have thought that spectating for a 100-mile run would be smoother than doing so for a marathon? Not me. I may even go and watch the finish early tomorrow morning. 

Who knows? Maybe I'll get inspired to run another 100.

Nope. I'm being reminded that a lot can happen during a day's worth of running. And only a small few of those are good.

Today's run with my friends, by Eleanor Sunday

Editor's Note: This is a guest contribution by a very special friend.

Chadwick and me (I don't know what he's trying to prove here. We should be running.)

Hello! My given name is Eleanor (I was named after Eleanor Roosevelt) but my friends call me Ella. Everyone whom I have ever met in my entire life is my friend, so you too should feel free to call me Ella. Even if you haven't met me... yet.

Stephanie primped me all up last night like she usually does. I like it when she does that. I like to look pretty when I'm going for a run. It's still early as Chadwick gets his shoes on and begins to open the door to his Mini Cooper. I have this timed just perfectly. I start my leap into the car even before the door is completely open. Today, it's another perfect four-point landing onto the passenger seat.

At first, I don't know where we're headed, but I soon realize with delight that it's Lake Medina! I like Lake Medina! Of course, it's the same with the Lester Rail Trail, the Medina Square, and everywhere else Chadwick brings me. I like them all!

As Chadwick opens the door, I jump out, ecstatic to see our running friends. They're all right here! And we will all be running together! What could be better than this? I try to jump-hug some of them (Chadwick pulls me back so that I don't knock them over), and for others, I just hug them by rubbing up against their legs. Yes, I know, I know. I run with these guys almost every day. But I have to ask again: what could be better than this? I greet Katherine and Harold and Shannon and Debbie and Dan and Kelly, and Athena and the rest of them. I love them all! And we're all going to run together! (Oh yeah. I said that already. Sorry.)

As we begin running, I can tell that Chadwick isn't too sure about which way to go; he never is. But I know the way; he should just let me lead. Chadwick sometimes does a run without me. I understand that he occasionally goes to some places where I cannot. But those are sad days for me. Not happy days like this one! Of course, I wonder how Chadwick can possibly find his way anywhere without me to guide him. Dan lets Chadwick know the direction by pointing it out to me. Yeah, if Chadwick would only listen and pay attention more often. I suppose it doesn't matter; I love him anyway. (Editor's Note: Ella probably added this paragraph just to illustrate the fact that Chadwick is directionally challenged. It may or may not have actually occurred in this instance.)

We are on the trail, and I choose the right side. Chadwick had tried to get me over to the left, but today, right smells better. Dan suggests that Chadwick just move over to the right as well. Chadwick wisely does so. Everyone else is talking and running. I don't know what they're saying - probably some gossip about the ones who didn't show up today - but it doesn't matter. I'm running! With all my friends!!

Squirrel! I know that Chadwick has the harness around me (it works much better than a normal leash) so I need to pull hard and fast to chase the critter. Chadwick simply has to follow or else let go. He needs the extra little sprint now and then. It's the same for rabbits, by the way.

Now we're back to normal running with the group. I like it when we all run together. This is GREAT!

Puddle! It's on the opposite side of the trail, but I pull Chadwick over so I can run through it. That's what puddles are for! I like puddles! My tootsies thank me. Chadwick doesn't seem to mind that my paws will be full of wet mud when I climb back into the car. He's pretty good that way.

We run together some more. Shannon and Katherine think they're pretty fast, but I know I can out-sprint them. Today, we're just staying together. Dan is slowing down behind us. Poor guy. He can't help being old and slow.

Time to pee! Chadwick almost takes a tumble when I make this sudden stop. Sorry, buddy. When you gotta go, you gotta go.

Eventually, we get back to the car. I hope, I hope, I hope... Yes! We are going to do it all a second time! This is Great!!

It's a little sad when we finish for good. Time to get home, rest, and get ready for tomorrow's run. I think that one will be great as well!

The Hinckley 9, Number 282

You probably think that Dan is kidding about this being his two-hundred-eighty-second running of the Hinckley Nine. Think whatever you like. But he does have them all documented. Dan can be pretty scary sometimes.

Katherine Kinsey had set this one up, and Dan thought that it would be just her, Chadwick Sunday, Ella, Julie Boggs, Theresa Wright, and Dan himself. This group runs together a lot, and everyone is fairly reliable, especially Ella. But this time, said small group unexpectedly becomes part of a much larger one as Connie Gardner and a bunch of her friends show up. The more, the merrier.

And is quite merry. Until the hills start. Of course, if you're familiar with the clockwise running of the Hinckley Nine, you are well aware that said hills begin with the first few steps. Katherine, Chadwick, and Ella zoom on up Bellus Road, whilst the rest of us have slightly more difficulty. Connie and several of the other smart ones walk most of it. Not Dan. Dan tries to keep running, yet he's not able to keep up with the walkers. Dan hates it when this happens.

Dan struggles mightily to catch up with everyone as the big hills give way to slightly smaller rolling ones. Between huffs and puffs, he is barely able to carry on snippets of conversations. Then comes Effie. This time, Dan does have to walk, a little. But of course, he falls further behind again, anyway. Evidently, it doesn't matter whether he runs, walks, or crawls, he's going to fall behind.

Several runners unexpectedly turn into the trails for the rest of their run, and now Dan is really alone. He sets out to try to catch Julie. By the time she is hitting the final downhill miles on Kellogg Road, he does manage this feat. He informs her, between huffs and puffs, that now that she's caught, she has to stay caught. Dan begins telling stories that Julie has heard before. Just like everyone else has.

They turn onto Route 606, run down some more hills, and then turn onto Bellus. Julie finishes strong; Dan transitions to a slow saunter as soon as he hits the entrance to the parking lot. Chadwick, Katherine, and Ella are waiting patiently. Some (the ones who have issues) jog around to try to get their GPS watches to say ten miles. It's a good thing Dan doesn't have issues such as this (ignore the fact that he ran some before the start of the nine).

It's been one of Dan's better Hinckley runs. Too bad it nearly killed him.

Somethin' heavy hit me like an atomic bomb - redux

Meanwhile back in the jungle

The boys in the jungle had me on the run
When something heavy hit me like an atomic bomb
When I woke up and my head started to clear
I had a strange feeling I was with cooking gear
I smelled something cookin' and I looked to see
That's when; I found out they was a cookin' me
Great Cuckoo let me outta here...

These are some of the lyrics from Stranded in the Jungle, the 1950s song by the Cadets. That line, something heavy hit me like an atomic bomb was front and center in my mind today, as it was in April when I posted something just like this one. That time, it was about a final mile I struggled with. This time, it's been every mile I've tried to run since I returned home a few days ago. The problem this time is a sinus infection that I picked up whilst I was away.

It's been nasty. I just feel lousy, even as most of my congestion is now going away. My strength, such as it was, has not returned. I've been telling myself that eight miles is the new ten (since I used to run about ten a day, and now eight just about kills me) and that ten is the new twenty (because the ten I did the day after I got home felt like a marathon or more). 

At least I don't have any upcoming races to be concerned with. I'm registered for the Veterans Marathon in November, but I already know that I can't make it to that one. Time to start thinking more about next year instead.

Ship happens

The 18-day cruise from Rome to Lisbon produced the expected results: much less running than usual (about half) and much more eating than usual (about double). This, in turn, resulted in the usual gain of a pound a day. Now let me see... a pound a day for 18 days... How many is that? Oh, never mind. I'll figure it out sometime, and/or I'll weigh myself.

Although there were a few days where I managed to run on dry land, those were few and far between, because we were busy with other stuff most of the time. In addition, those runs were short - only a few miles for those same reasons, as well as this one: I often had already gotten my early morning run in for the day. If you've concluded that my running for this time period was somewhat less than optimal, you would be correct.

Here's a rundown of a typical Dan run on the MS Sirena.

The fitness center doesn't open until 6:00 A.M., and here it is, five-something. What to do? Run in circles on deck 10, of course. Running in circles, you ask? Isn't that awful, you ask? Maybe. But not always so much. I have options, you see... I can:

a) Run the 13 laps per mile recommended route. Yes, that's a lot of turning. But even here, there are options within this option. You see, I can run counter-clockwise (the usual direction, though I'm not sure why) or clockwise. See? All types of variations. I do a mile in each direction, but can only run clockwise when no one else is about. Today, I'm alone up here. Regardless of direction, I can only handle so much of this, so there's option b.

b) When I get tired of all that turning, I can do something else: add the two short aft hallways to the route. When I do this, it's only about 8 laps per mile. Another advantage is that I now (assuming that I'm going the accepted counter-clockwise direction) do two left-hand turns and two right-hand turns, and I don't even upset any fellow walkers or runners. The only disadvantage is having to do 180-degree turns at the end of each hallway. When I get tired of this, I can graduate further to option c.

c) This one only works when no one else is about. I can start in one direction, say clockwise, run one aft hallway, then turn and change direction all the way around the other way, in this case, counter-clockwise. When I get to the end of the other hallway, I turn 180 degrees and reverse direction one again. Now it's only five laps per mile, at least for each complete - going each way - circuit. The advantage here is that I'm constantly changing direction and my turns are completely evened out. Of course, I can only do this when I'm completely alone. 

d) By the time I get a few miles sorted out as described above, it's 6:00 and (Bob's your Uncle) the gym is open. I hate that mill, but it prevents me from running in circles or U-shaped thingies (c). I can only take so much milling around, so I will often revert myself back to option a again. 

And that's it. I will say that running outside has the advantage of being in the fresh sea air, watching the sun rise, and observing our visitation to a port or two. My running will, I hope, not take too very long to get back to normal. Then it will be time to travel again.

A rare run on dry land. This one is on Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

Drake Well Marathon Race Report

First of all, Dan would like to point out that he developed three goals for today's race:

A) Sub 3:50 would be very nice. He ran a 3:49 three years ago, B.S. (Before Surgery). Such a feat would very much be a stretch, however.

B) 3:55. Dan would like to point out that he ran this time in Tallahassee, about eight months ago.

C) 3:59. Or, at least, just finishing in a vertical fashion (okay, maybe that's a D goal).

The alarm had gone off at 2:30, and after some coffee and beet juice, Dan was in the car by 3:30. He arrived a little after 6:00; plenty of time to check in, stretch out, and get ready to go. Dan would like to point out that after this and some similar experiences, he may decide to stop using the beet juice. It may work, a little, but it also seems to work in other ways. Ways that forced Dan to make a stop along the way, and another as he arrived. Hopefully, his tummy has now settled down as the race is about to start.

Dan would like to point out that Titusville, Pennsylvania, home of the Drake Well Museum and Park to celebrate the first successfully drilled oil well, is incredibly scenic. Dan couldn't see much during his dark ride in, but now the sun is coming up as the 7:00 race start approaches, and it's gorgeous. The museum and park are surrounded by huge hills, and the misty fog is rising between them as it begins to warm up.

Dan would like to point out that warming up is not necessarily a good thing. It's in the 50s right now - cool and comfy. It won't stay that way. Dan struggles to run nine-minute miles for his first few. It should be easier, he thinks. But somehow, by the time he completes the in-town loops (miles 1-7), he settles into a little bit of a rhythm. 

The Drake Well Marathon is a cupless race. Runners are provided with a collapsable cup that they are to carry in order to receive refills at the aid stations. Dan is extremely focused on environmental factors, including litter. Thousands of cups all over is not a good thing, so Dan gets it. However, he still does not like carrying this dumb cup thing. He tries to stuff it in his pocket, but then spends gobs of time getting it in and out, and even drops it once. He finally decides to just carry it and eventually gets the hang of using it. It STILL forces him to stop completely for the refills, however.

Miles 8-26 are on the Oil Creek Bike Trail. What a beauty! The trail is mostly above and alongside the creek, and it's about as scenic as you can get. Dan loves every minute of this. It's a small race, and everyone is friendly. Dan says hi, and good job to everyone coming and going. The half-marathon turnaround is at mile 10, and the full turnaround is at mile 16.5. But before we get there,,,

Dan would like to point out that the beet juice wasn't done with him. He begins debating the pros and cons of stopping in the woods, when a wonderful thing presents itself: a porta-john! After powdering his nose, Dan realizes that he's lost several minutes. That's not all that big a deal for a marathon, but it causes Dan to reach the 13-mile mark in right around two hours. It would have been at least a couple of minutes faster, otherwise.

At Tallahassee, Dan ran the first half in around two hours, and the second half in about 1:55. Could he repeat that today. It is getting warmer and warmer as he reaches the turnaround. But Dan would like to point out that his mile splits have improved, Now, they're mostly in the 8:40 range.

Dan begins to slow down a little with about five miles to go. Maybe it's the heat, or maybe just general fatigue from trying to pick up the pace. Even though it's warm now (mid-70s), the trail is very well-shaded, and that surely helps. Dan passes a handful of other runners, but it's mostly pretty lonely out here. One of the guys he passes is even north of Dan's own advanced age. Imagine that. Another is a high-school kid who winds up finishing the final couple miles together with Dan.

Dan would like to point out that this race is about as good as it gets for scenery, fun, and overall joy of running. Dan's time, 3:55:34, is within a second or two of his time at Tallahassee. He's first in his ancient age group. Now, all he has to do is drive two and a half hours back home.

Dan would like to point out that he actually had a cheering section for this race: his peeps back at Hinckley sent him some good vibes. It worked.

All dressed up, nowhere to go

Danny-boy shows up at the Lester trailhead at 5:00 A.M. as usual for a Friday. He runs the first six-mile loop with his friends as usual. At this point, he's finally fully awake and ready/able to run some more - more six-mile loops - ... as usual.

But he doesn't! Instead, he says goodbye to his friends, stretches for a minute, fixes up his anti-sweat car seat cover, gets in his car, and heads home. This, and it hasn't even gotten light yet. He arrives back home at 6:30, and the sun has still not yet risen. This isn't too usual. Not usual, at all. Danny-boy will need to figure out what to do with himself considering all this extra time he has on his hands.

It was just a week ago when Danny-boy ran his final long run to prepare for this upcoming marathon. On other occasions, he's written about the Hay being in the barn. That analogy certainly applies here as well. Now, the famous Drake Well Marathon is just two short days away. 

Yes, everything is ready to go. Except for the weather. The forecast is for hot (80s) weather in Titusville this Sunday. Danny-boy obsesses about that. He shouldn't.

He should chill.

Last Long One

Should you do your final long run two weeks, or three weeks prior to your marathon?

How about one week? Okay, one week and two days, to be exact. I'd originally planned to keep today's mileage somewhat south of the eighteen-mile long-run barrier. I failed. But hey, I had my reasons. The main one being that my friends, Michelle Kelly-Daum, Shannon Barnes, Chadwick Sunday, and Ella were doing all or most of it with me. Another reason is that I had just looked up my just-prior-to-marathon training in my running log for recent races. Turns out, I always do this. I just forgot.

How did the run go, you ask? While I did not set the world on fire (it already is), I'd have to answer, not half bad. Lester Rail Trail was the venue, and I and my friends (except for Speedy-Shannon, who finished very strong) mostly stayed at a pretty steady pace. It felt good, so I'll take it. What other choice was there?

Hofbrauhaus Half Marathon Race Report

It isn't ideal conditions. Low 70s and humid at the start, and upper 70s and humid by later on in the run. At least the sun is not out. I suppose it's okay; this isn't an 'A' race anyway.

Walking for hours around the Cleveland Zoo to witness the Asian Lantern Festival and not getting to sleep until close to midnight was not optimal. But I suppose it's okay; this isn't an 'A' race anyway.

Running a challenging 18-miler with my friends two days ago (they were the ones who made it challenging, by the way) wasn't the best idea for today's race. I guess that's alright; this isn't an 'A' race anyway.

I didn't even don my Nike Alphafly magic shoes; just the Saucony Endorphin Pro 2 nearly magic ones. Shouldn't be too big a deal; this isn't an 'A' race anyway.

By now, you get the picture that this is more of a 'B'-ish type of race. I only want to run a steady pace. AN average of 9 minutes per mile would be nice. I was thinking about such goals, modest as they are, during my drive downtown this morning, when the radio plays, You Can't Always Get What You Want, by the Rolling Stones. I wondered whether I should be concerned. Maybe the morning's shot of beet juice will help.

I manage to find my friend, Larry Orwin before the race. We warm up a bit. but it's already pretty warm. We agree to try to find each other afterward. As the race starts, I fall into an 8:45 or so per mile pace. Suddenly, my goal of averaging 9 minutes per mile morphs into keep all the miles faster than 9 minutes. That is a little more challenging. Actually, much more.

The course takes us along Chester Avenue and eventually down through the Cleveland Cultural Gardens of Rockefeller Park. It's similar to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame course. I love it. As I reach half-way at around 57 minutes, my main concern is whether I can hold it together, especially with miles 9 and 10 being slightly uphill.

Although those miles are indeed slower than the rest, they're still under nine minutes. Now back on Chester, I can push it for the final three miles.

Pedal to the metal, here I go. I do pick it up, but I can't say I'm setting the world on fire; just 8:30-ish pace. I manage to cross the finish line in 1:52:47. 

First in my ancient age group. Not bad for a B race.

The Beet Goes On

My friend Chadwick Sunday sent me a comprehensive article about beet juice, Using Beet Juice to Improve Performance in TrainingPeaks. Besides, of course, my recent blog post, I think it's the best information about beet juice yet. 

Here is an update about my own experimentation. I've taken the reconstituted beet juice powder a few times now. Although the stuff appeared to work well for a particular long run, I wondered what it would do over a week or so. I'm now taking a tablespoon a day, at least most mornings. Would the buildup over several days or a week be helpful? I noted that some of the studies had participants take the stuff for one to two weeks. I'm not sure that I'm making any improvements yet. But I have a long run tomorrow and a half-marathon on Sunday, so we'll see.

One other thing: the taste. After mixing a tablespoon of the powder in a glass of water and trying to gulp it down first thing in the morning, it's all I can do to keep the stuff down. Someone mentioned that although it definitely tastes like beets, it also tastes like there is plenty of dirt and grass included in the mix as well. I think that's a fair description. But, this morning, I tried mixing it with vegetable juice. Guess what? It ain't so bad this way. In fact, it tasted like vegetable juice.  I'll keep at it.

Mugrage Morning Moonset

Just like yesterday. Just like several times in recent weeks. Just like five billion other times in my life, it happens again this morning. My friends have completed their running, and they've gone and left me all alone. And here I am, trying mightily to get a few more miles in. Most of the time when this happens, said extra miles are pretty darn awful. They may possibly be doing me more harm than good. But I am a numbers guy, and I generally aspire to more mileage.

Regarding how unpretty these miles truly are, there can be rare exceptions, and sometimes I'll post about those. Today is not one of them, however. Even though the first few loops around Mugrage Park were not super fast, these last few are surely super slow. Eventually, I decide to stop at the car and get my phone to photograph the nearly full, setting moon. Being photography-minded is a worthy distraction from poor running.

It works, sort of. Here are a couple pics.

2 x 5K

Danny Boy has completed his initial 5K track workout with moderate success. Said workout is made up of ten 400-meter repeats, with 100-meter recoveries. Add that up, and it makes 5,000 meters, AKA 5K. The idea is that you run the repeats at about 5K pace, but of course, slower for the recoveries. Although you can track the 400 times, they're not all-out. You also consider the overall time for the 5K. This would probably be slower than a road 5K, where there are no recoveries, but perhaps not all that far off.

'Moderate Success,' in this case, means that Danny Boy averaged around 1:54 for his 400s, and that his overall time was 26:40. 

Danny Boy is keen on talking about how he used to do a version of this workout that entailed twenty 400s, rather than ten, That added up to 10,000 meters, a 10K workout. Not that his running partners care all that much, but Danny Boy no longer feels up to this much speedwork. 

Or does he? Now that his friends have wisely finished for the day, he starts back up again. A short ten minutes ago, he wasn't so sure he'd be able to run anymore at all, much less another intensive set of ten 400s. The mid-workout coffee may have helped him get (re)started.

The first 400 is well North of two minutes, and the next couple are only slightly better. But then something funny happens. Danny Boy picks up the pace to nearly that of those first ten. Perhaps the coffee kicked in even more. He winds up with an average 400 time of 1:58, and 27:41 for the 5K. That's a minute slower than the first set, but still not bad.

Although his running was by no means outstanding, Danny Boy is feeling pretty good about himself right now. He had better watch out for that reality hammer about to club him on the head.