Inland Trail Marathon

Sub-3 is still the gold standard. It’s been 12 years, but I still haven’t totally given up; I still have sub-3 as a goal, albeit an increasingly unlikely one. Once upon a time, achieving this gold standard wasn’t so unusual. I got there seven times, sometimes two or three times in a row.

3:00 to 3:05:59 is a near miss. Don’t ask why it isn’t 3:00 to 3:04:59. 3:05:59 is the upper limit here, and that’s just the way it is. At some point over the last couple eons the near miss became a more realistic goal than the gold standard. Without a doubt I’d get back to sub-3 land, but for the time being a near miss would be fine.

As the near misses became more and more difficult, there had to be a new category. 3:06 to 3:10:59 is a near, near miss. Still respectable, and still a chore, this standard may now be slowly slipping away too, however. I did a 3:09 in 2006, and I was on sub-3 pace for 20 miles later that year before becoming injured and walking in for a 3:18.

Now I need a name for 3:11 to 3:15. Near, near, near miss just doesn’t sound that great. Yet this time still isn’t all that bad, especially as a stepping stone back to near, near misses, near misses and sub-3’s. I did manage a 3:14 in 2007. And this year I weigh less and have recorded faster times in all non-marathon distances. The cards just haven’t been there for a sub 3:15.

Until today, that is. By gum, today would be the day and Inland Trail, site of last year’s 3:14, would be the event. It’s do or die. Well, let’s just say it’s do.
I make the short drive to Elyria in a half-hour. Destination marathons can be exciting, but how can you beat sleeping in your own bed, eating your own food, and driving a half-hour to your race? Not to mention not having to pay more than $55 for the race, with no expense at all for any other travel.

The weather, a negative factor for so many of my marathons, is perfect today: low 40s for the start with a few clouds, light breezes and only slowly rising temperatures. It would be about 50 by the time I finished.

I arrive and talk with Dan DeRosher, who would be doing the half, Greg Dykes, who wanted a 3:10 BQ very badly, and my arch-enemy, Vince Russo. Make that double-arch enemy. Vince is a good friend, but he also happens to be in my age group, and he also sometimes comes across the finish ahead of me, so that’s how he achieved double-arch enemy status. I also said hi to Lloyd Thomas, who just finished MCM in his first sub-3 time. I’m jealous, but of course congratulatory. I don’t find Ladd and Marsha before they hop on the bus to the start of the half. Those of us doing the full wait around for another half-hour before the gun goes off. I talk with Vince some more.

It’s a small, friendly bunch who toe the line. I do the first 5 or so miles with Greg and a few other guys. The Inland Trail is a rails-to-trails asphalt bike trail, where the scenery is very nice, but almost always exactly the same: colorful trees on both sides, with an occasional bridge, fence, or road crossing. Some runners miss the crowds and excitement of big city marathons, but not me. This, and the towpath are almost heaven. Marathoning just doesn’t get any better.

Eventually the half-marathoners are coming in the opposite direction. I see Dan, Ladd and Marsha, all looking great along the way. Greg and those other guys are getting ahead of me, but the 7:15 to 7:20 miles are fine with me for now. Who knows, maybe I’ll be able to pick it up in the second half and finish strong?

The mile before and after the turn-around is on a road that provides the only slightly rolling hills. couple guys had passed me before the half-way point. Before I turn, I see them, as well as Greg, Vince, who’d gone out very fast, and several other familiar faces. I reach that half-way mat in just under 1:36. Perfect. If I can only do even to slightly negative splits, I’ll have a great finish time today. But as I turn back onto the trail, I get a strange and unexpected sensation: wind in my face. I’d been aware that there were some gentle breezes about, but I wasn’t aware that they were at my back. Now I know differently. It’s ok, I tell myself. This little bit of wind won’t slow me down.

I do pass a few folks in the next couple miles. I start to take a Gu every two or three miles. It seems to help, but I think I’m slowing just a bit as I reach mile 20 in 2:28. I’m working harder and slowing more, and I’m starting to figure out that 3:14 to 3:15 may be the best I can hope for today. Even so, I still pass a couple more, some of them walking. I hope to catch double-arch enemy Vince, and I think I see him up ahead. I do pass the guy in the late miles, but it isn’t Vince. By mile about mile 24, I realize that I probably won’t even make the 3:15 standard. My foot (the one with the Morton’s Neuroma that had been feeling better) hurts. In fact, everything hurts.

As the trail is nearing the point where we turn onto the road and back to the school and finish, I see Ladd, who runs those last ¾ of a mile in with me. It’s a tremendous help. I probably would have slowed much more without this companionship.
I cross the line in 3:17:05 or so. I immediately get my second place in age group award, a second medal. You’ve got to love a race where the awards are this quick. I see Marsha, who’d run a P.R. in the half, Greg, who’d gotten that BQ by 15 seconds (!), and Vince, who’d run 3:12. I wasn’t even close!

I’m in great, general pain. I’d given it all I had, but still came up short. Yes, it was my best time in my four 2008 marathons, but I still wanted that sub-3:15. I go inside to get some food. They have Chicken Paprikash! Beat that, Boston, New York and Chicago!

As is often the case for my marathons and ultras these days, I find myself on a plane a few hours later, this time off to London. It’s a painful flight.

151

Lowest point in years! Now if I can only stay down here.

Week of October 26, 2008

Sunday: I somehow thought I could get a decent run in today. Don't know why - I didn't sleep much the night before, and Dave and Carol had stayed over. Still, I wanted something of substance. I didn't get it. Best I could do on my 11-mile loop was 91 minutes. It only felt like it was faster. Much faster.

This was my first run in my new $165 (minus discount) Saucony Progrid Paramount shoes. They feel wonderful - especially with my neuroma problem.

Monday: Had to take Kathy to the airport at 5:30, so I did 6 on the mill before going and then 4 more along with weights after I got back. Not bad for a dreadmill run - I included 3 at tempo pace.

Tuesday: There was a cold rain, so once again I stayed on the mill. Feeling a bit better, I did 6 miles, 5 of them at marathon pace. I guess the vitamin I (ibuprofen) is doing the trick for both my back and my foot. We'll see how tonight's speedwork goes.

Both the middle and high school stadiums were in use, so Marsha, Brittany and I ran to and around Reagan park. I put in a few beforehand, and then 4-5 with the ladies. It was cold and blustery, but an enjoyable run. My foot continues to improve.

Thursday: News bulletin: Almost no pain today. Yes, my back still aches. And yes, my foot is still tender. But it's so nice to be able to say that both have improved a lot. So I got out for just a 6-mile run this cold (sub-30) morning and did well: 4 of the miles were at sub-7 tempo pace. Just what I wanted to do.

Friday: I weighed in at 151 today! Nice noontime run - 3 in 22 minutes. Felt pretty good, but a few sore muscles for some reason. The foot is much better now.

Clambake

Friday's Classical Mystery Tour concert at Severance was fun - even more than I'd thought it would be. We went with Mike and Iris and went to eat at Lemongrass in Cleveland Heights prior to the concert. All good.

My Achin' Back

At Friday night's Classical Mystery Tour (Beatles) concert my right leg was killing me. It hurt to just sit still. At the time I thought it was a slight hamstring pull because that's where most of the pain was. But I don't feel it at all whilest running. Today the real cause hit me. I was moving the extremely heavy tables along with the chairs for the clambake. We picked them up and set them up on Friday, and returned them today. The more I think of it, I'm sure that this is the problem. Now my back as well as my leg are sore.

Morton's Neuroma II

It's really just being continued. The pain is pretty bad these days, and it doesn't seem to subside the way it used to. I'm going to try something drastic and run easy for a few days.

The gel pad feels weird. It actually seems to hurt more for the early miles - maybe because it makes the whole shoe tighter. But then it seems to feel much better. I only wear it sometimes. Don't know whether it really helps or not.

Week of October 19, 2008

Sunday: A slow painful 3 miles at (gasp) nine and a half minute pace. May try a long one tomorrow.

Monday: This was to be my only long run between the Towpath Marathon and the Inland Trail Marathon. A good quality one would be great, but barring that, any measure of 20 or more miles would suffice. I was still pretty beat up from Stomp the Grapes. Seems like more so than I was after the Towpath. I had a tough time even getting out the door. No problem, thought I; once I get moving, things will be fine. They weren't. I did my 11-mile route at a 9-minute pace and never really felt good the whole time. I almost quit, but instead ate some food and did 9 more on the mill at 8-minute pace. Even at that I stopped to eat some more. So not a pretty long run at all. And my neuroma still hurts.

Tuesday: I showed up for the evening speedwork exceedingly sore and tired. So were Dan and Jim. So we took things really easy on ourselves. 4 x 400, all in the upper 90 seconds.

Wednesday: I was still beat up of course, but of course I headed over to the track for more speedwork on 10 hours rest just like I did last week. And also like last week I did better than expected: 4 x 1200 at about 4:55. Slow, but fast enough to call it speedwork. I limped home, foot and body hurting.

Friday: I took Thursday off because I was so sore. I thought I'd feel better today, and I did. But not that much better. Not as much better as I wanted to feel. I managed to do 6 miles at 9-minute pace. Running's a chore these days. Maybe tomorrow will be better. Naaah.

One positive thing: my weight. It had been good anyway - in the 154-153 range. And now the last few days it's been pretty consistently at 152. Tomorrow's clambake will take care of that.

Saturday: 14 on the towpath with Dave and Amy. Easy does it - 9 minute pace going out towards Peninsula, about 8:20 coming back. I feel a wee bit better.

Ninety... (Race Report for Stomp the Grapes Half)

Why can't I break ninety minutes for a half-marathon any more? That's easy; it's because I can't even break ninety-one. Sad but true: my last three have all been above 91 minutes. Not that any of them were without excuses, mind you. At last year's Stomp the Grapes I'd run four or five miles as a warmup (a bit much) and it was hilly and I was still recovering from the Chicago Marathon warmth. At this year's New Philly 1/2 the weather was absolutely abysmal - tremendous wind, rain, sleet and snow, all at the same time. And most recently at the Wooster Half it was hilly and I was still recovering from the Erie Marathon warmth.

So I wasn't overly hopeful for this year's Grape Stomp. It's only been a week since the towpath, and the hills there in Navarre haven't gone anywhere. On the plus side however was the weather - cloudy with light breezes with temps in the 40s. Absolutely perfect. Also on the plus side was the fact that I really wasn't feeling all that bad, all things considered.

It's called Stomp the Grapes because it begins and ends at a winery in Navarre, OH. It's a very scenic location, and most of the race is very pretty. Most of the first few country road miles are very hilly, and are mostly downhill. After the village of Navarre, the middle part is fairly flat, and miles 6-10 are on the towpath. 10-13 are back on those same hills, up, up, up and back to the winery.

I hit mile 5 in 34 minutes and mile 10 in 68. I'd picked up the pace some before half-way, but then slowed a bit on the towpath. Although it wasn't steep, I'd swear that we were going uphill on that towpath trail. I'd been following a few folks on the towpath, and caught a couple before we got back on the road. Once on the road for those last three I knew that I'd slow at least a bit. The goal was to not go much slower than seven minute pace. Those first 10 had all be sub-7.

So mile 11 was 7:03. The good news was that I passed one more in here somewhere, and he (Don Cassidy) was in my age group. I hadn't beaten Don since... ever as far as I knew. Mile 12 seemed to be more down than up, but it was nevertheless slow at 7:06. Mile 13 was very up. The last few feet leading up to the winery driveway seemed like a mountain. Those last 1.1, hilly as they were however, weren't too bad: 7:15.

This all added up to a 1:29:20 by my watch. Since I beat Don and Vince Russo, I may have possibly captured first in my age group. Chuck and Ladd are picking up any award I may have won, so I'll soon find out.

What's next? I may do the Cleveland Fall Classic 1/2 in late November to see if I can improve on this time. Of course I'm also thinking more about the Inland Trail Marathon. That's two weeks away so it's time to rest and recover and then start training again before the big taper.

Week of October 12, 2008

Sunday: Towpath Marathon - see separate post ("catch a falling leaf").

Tuesday: I managed to do some speedwork on the Tuesday after the last marathon, so I showed up for the Tuesday evening thing. I was extremely tired and sore, but it sure helps to have others around. Bob and I were coming down from our race and Dan was tapering for his. We also had some newbies. Slow running was in order. We did some striders and then 3 x 400. That was it. That was enough.

Wednesday: Ten hours and one Aleve later, it was time for more speedwork. After a slow run to the track, I did 4 x 1200 in (4:54, 4:53, 4:57, 4:49). This was much better than expected, so I'm happy with it.

Thursday: I wasn't expecting much, and it was raining, so I hit the mill. Turned out not so bad: 7 miles with 5 at MP. I'll take it.

Saturday: Stomp the Grapes Half-Marathon. See separate post.

Catch a Falling Leaf ** Towpath Marathon

Ever try to catch a falling leaf? While running? It’s not nearly as easy as it seems. I did today on my first try. This was during the first mile of the Towpath Marathon, one of the most beautiful marathon courses in this part of the solar system. I thought it was a good sign.

Another good sign was the weather. I had some trepidation when I heard the forecast high of upper 70s. This would be too hot, but the good news was that nights in the Cuyahoga valley are often very cool. This morning’s temperatures were in the upper 40s for the bright and sunny 8am start. If only they’ll stay this nice for a while, I said to everyone around me. Many agreed, but others couldn’t wait for the inevitable warm-up.

So things were boding quite well with the cool start, the gorgeous foliage and my ability to pluck that leaf out of the air. The towpath is my home turf; I run on it weekly and love it to death. In mid-October, the leaves are at their prettiest, and the entire valley is ablaze in glory. I’ve done this marathon several times and I never get over the wonders of it. It’s as different from other marathons as night is from day. With all this good boding going on, I decided this would be a good solid race performance for me. I’m in 3:15 shape, but I just haven’t done a 3:15 since last November. At least that’s what I’ve been telling anyone who will listen. Now, unlike my last couple thons, I’d have no excuses.

A 7:30 pace it would be. The whole way. Maybe I’d even be able to pick it up for the last few. Wouldn’t that be grand? The early and middle miles felt pretty darn easy. We went south for 8 miles to Ira and then turned back north. I hit half-way in 1:37. Perfect. I think we went by the Boston start/finish area at about 16 or so, and things were still going quite well.

It was not long after this that things did become more difficult, however. I was working harder to keep the same pace, and that pace started to slip towards 8-minute miles anyway. Things were warming up fast, but that wasn’t a factor. Yet. I hit the 20-mile mark at exactly 2:30, which is still 7:30 pace. But I’d been slowing already, and this trend would continue.

That 20-mile area was just north of Station Road, where I usually start and finish my Saturday runs with my training partners. So this was really home turf now. Too bad I wasn’t feeling so strong at the moment. Between 20 and 21, we turned and headed south, back past Station Road, Red Lock and toward the finish at the Boston Store. The sun was now directly in my face (I suppose we must have been headed a bit southeast, and not due south for much of this part), and it was getting quite hot.
Even though the miles were taking their toll, I continued to pass a few folks. Two passed me the final, painful mile. The finish in Boston doesn’t match the finish in that other Boston, but this one was exciting for me.

I finished in 3:21. I’m not sure if I placed anywhere in the geezer division. I wish I knew why I slowed down. Maybe I never recovered enough from Erie? Didn’t taper enough? I refuse to believe that I’m not in 3:15 shape. Now I’ve got to decide whether to do another one in a couple weeks (Inland Trail). We’ll see how I feel by Tuesday or so.

Week of October 5, 2008

Sunday: I was headed down to the Fox River 5k/10k, a low key race. I made a low key effort to find it (it's south of Medina) and got there with 5 minutes to spare. Or so I thought. Turned out I was late - the race had started 15 minutes earlier. As I was driving out of the subdivision, I saw all the runners coming back in.

So I went to the Clagett track for a speed workout. And I done pretty good. It was a beautiful October morning. I did the old 20 x 400 / 10k workout. After a shakey start, I consistently hit the 400 times, and didn't take too much time resting during the 100s. First 5k in 22, second in 21. Altogether 43:09. Almost as good as a race. Maybe better.

94(35),91(37),92(39),91(40),92(39),90(37),91(39),91(40),90(38),89(38),91(39),93(37),89(43),91(36),91(37),92(38),90(40),89(39),90(40),86(25) - average about 90.

Monday: Just 5 on the mill - all I had time for. Weight is still at 154.

Tuesday: After work and then work, I managed to get to the Tuesday speedwork location. Only Dan showed up, but he's a good partner for me - we're pretty close in speed. Actually, he's way faster, but I think I may have some advantage in distance. Dan's getting ready for Columbus - a week later than the towpath. We did 6 x 800 in: 3:13, 3:13, 3:11, 3:07, 3:10, 3:06. An average of 3:10. Pretty solid.

One thought: I told Dan that we should leave the track feeling like we could do more. Then I started wondering where I heard such a thing and who it applied to. I suppose it was advice from some coach to recreational runners who hit the track once a week or so.

Wednesday: After 10 hours rest, I was out running again early in the morning (had cancellation). It wasn't one of my fastest or best, but 10 miles at 8 1/2 minute pace wasn't bad on tired old legs. I then did some weights and 3 more on the mill.

Looks like Sunday's marathon weather won't be so great: mid 70s. Could be worse, but generally, yucch.

Thursday: 2 on the mill, then some work, then 3 slow ones outside. So-so running. The good news? My foot is generally better, and my weight is down to 153.

Saturday: I was in the valley anyway; I'd volunteered to represent the MCRR at the towpath expo. So I arrived a bit early and went to Station road almost like a usual Saturday run. Except this time I was tapering, so I only did 4. They were a good 4 however - the first mile was 8:30, and the rest were 7:30, which is my intended race pace. Not bad.

I'd be much happier if the cool weather would continue into Sunday for the race, but instead it will be warm. High will be in the upper 70s, but maybe the morning hours will be at least decent.

Week of September 28, 2008

Sunday: I figured I'd be tired and sore and so I was. My foot hurt a lot. I tried a bunga gel forefoot pad and it seemed to help a bit. But there was still a lot of pain for the first 8 or so slow miles. The pain subsided for the last 3 miles, but I got more tired and slowed down even more. At least I go the 11 in. Averaged about a 9-minute pace.

Monday: Work is busier than ever, and I'm trying to get enough sleep. 10 tired terrible treadmill miles today.

Tuesday: Work is even more busy. Woke at 2:45 to run 5 on the mill. 3 at tempo pace. Maybe more with the run club tonight. I did get out a second time, but not with the MCRR and not with the speedwork group. Greg was coming over (we went to dinner) so I got out about 4:30 and did 6. It was a steady 8 minute pace but not the speedwork I wanted. Got caught in a sudden gully-washer.

Thursday: There was a brief respite in my workload, so I went out for a long run. The conditions were perfect: just under 50F, with a slight breeze. I did my 16-mile course in about 2:13 at a fairly even pace. This was good, but not fantastic. After a gu and a drink I went out for another four. Now I wanted to hit these hard, and I did. The last 3 were all under 7 minute pace. Just what I wanted. My foot (and the rest of me) doesn't feel too bad.

Friday: I was surprised that I didn't feel too bad today. I could've taken the day off, but instead did 3 on the mill at tempo pace. I felt fine and could've kept going.

Saturday: 15 on the towpath. Not with Dave (he and Jill are busy with their gaggle of kids), and not with Amy (we missed connections but saw each other for coffee later), but with Lloyd and Janet. Pretty solid 8-minute pace. Looking for something faster tomorrow.

Morton's Neuroma

After some extensive web searches, I've determined that that's what I have. I'd thought it was plantar fasciitis. But Morton's Neuroma is more in the front of the foot, in back of the toes, exactly where my pain is. It's an inflammation of a nerve, and that nerve is - guess what - connected to the plantar fascia.

Morton's Neuroma is caused by any one of a number of causes, including too tight toe-box shoes, too much running in general, and high heels. I plan to stop wearing the heels right off the bat. I plan to keep doing the strengthening and stretching that I've been doing for PF. It seems this is good for Morton's Neuroma as well. Another thing I might try is a gel pad. I have some.

The pain continues to come and go. It's really here after today's half. And it had just been feeling better. Oh well.

Wooster Heart and Sole Half-Marathon

90 minutes. It used to be such a no-brainer for me. If I didn't do mid eighties, something had to be wrong. Even for some occasions over the last few years I've managed 86, 87 or so. But more recently it's been even tougher. And I've slipped into 91 territory.

But this had been mostly a half-way decent year. Even though I still haven't recovered from Erie and yet have been training hard again, I thought I'd have a very good shot today.

There were only 60 of us. Everyone else was running the Akron Marathon or half. The weather was decent enough with temps in the 60s.

It was the hills that did me in.

The hills and the lingering soreness. But mostly the hills. There were several small to medium ones, and some long grades. It was mostly up in the first half, and then mostly down for the second. Negative splits seemed like the order of the day.

And they were. They just weren't negative enough. The early ups proved themselves too much to overcome in those last few. Here's the breakdown:

6:49
6:48
7:20
6:55
7:17
6:31 (maybe about 46 at the half)
7:14
6:47
6:43
6:50
7:06
6:50
7:33 (last 1.1)

Final time was 1:30:50. 6th overall. I almost caught Jim Wilhelm for 1st in the 50-59 age group. He had gone out real fast to try to get more points for the 10K time that was scored for the series.

Now my foot hurts some more, and I'm beat up again. Just when I was starting to feel better.

Week of September 21, 2008

Sunday: After yesterday's debacle, I was scared. I wanted to get a long one in sometime, and I wanted it to be on dirt so it would be like the towpath marathon. The obvious choice would be my Lester Rail Trail 24-mile course. On the other hand, I was still tired and sore - probably still from a week ago. Could I even get through it at all? I started early, and it was a nice, cool autumn-like morning. I started at an 8:30 pace, and managed to maintain that the whole way. The last four miles were a bit faster at abour 8 minute pace. I'm very pleased and encouraged now. It wasn't my fastest run on this course, but it certainly was solid. Here are my 6-mile splits: 51:31, 50:54, 50:12, 49:24. Altogether, I did the 24 in 3:22. Solid. One problem though: My left foot's been hurting more again.

Monday: I am beat up, and my foot hurts a lot. I'm also busy with my two jobs. Only had time for 2 on the mill.

Tuesday: I am beat up, and my foot hurts a lot. Tried to squeeze in some miles today. After 3 quick ones on the mill, I went out and did 7 more on the roads. Started ok with a sub-8 pace, but petered out and could only do them in 57 minutes. Was going to do the speedwork tonight, but I'm just too beat.

Wednesday: I am beat up, and my foot hurts a lot. OK, maybe the foot's a wee bit better. I wanted to get that speedwork in today, but it didn't happen. I ran out of time, and when I DID get some time, I was unable to run fast at all. The good news is that I am still at 154 pounds. Gotta stay there. And hope that my beat-upness subsides. As it was I did 3 on the mill in 28.5 and then 9 outside in 72.5. 3 of those were at the track, but once there I couldn't even manage to get under 7 minute pace.

Thursday: 6 more tired old miles on the mill today. At least I wasn't quite so sore. And the weight's still at 154.

Saturday: heart and sole half marathon. see separate post.

Mr. Horvath Goes to Washington

I went for the company meeting and IFPUG conference. It was a real pain to stay at my Marriott Courtyard and get to the host hotel - had to ride two metro trains and catch a hotel shuttle through National Airport. I guess I managed.

The highlights were the National Archives and the Spy Museum. At the Archives I got to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Magna Carta. Turns out that there were four original copies of the Magna Carta on parchment from the 1200's, and we wound up with one. It was the precursur to the Bill of Rights. The Declaration was badly faded. The Spy Museum was very interesting and lots of fun.

Not much to report about the conference and meeting. I ate a lot.

Saturday, Debbie, Jessy and I worked with folks from the city to clean up the streams around Brunswick Lake. It was good clean, dirty fun.

Week of September 14, 2008

Sunday: Erie Marathon - see separate post.

Tuesday: Speedwork 2 days after a thon? I sure didn't feel like it. I did the usual: 7 x 1200. Of course they were super slow - slower than I wanted. It was tough and slow, but I managed to get through it. I averaged 5 minutes flat for the 1200s and did the entire 13 in 1:46. Now I'm really really beat. But it's good that this one's done.

Wednesday: I'm in Alexandria, VA. Lots of traffic and busy roads around here, but I found a really small park to run around. The path is only about 3/4 mile - I did several loops. Very tired loops. 5 in 44.

Thursday: Not much time, so... 10 on the hotel mill. 9 at MP. Not too bad.

Saturday: I wanted to get 15 in to make 70 for the week. I wanted to run them at a decent enough pace. I wanted to feel recovered and strong throughout the run. Instead I felt tired and sore from the outset. Not sure if this is due to Sunday's thon or the week's training. I had thought that taking yesterday off would help. It didn't. I had a stinker of a run, and only managed 8 in 71 minutes. Now I'll try for a better run tomorrow.

Erie Marathon

I did this race in 2000. It was hot - very hot. I started too fast for that kind of heat, slowed down a lot and finished with a very poor time. Up until that point, it was one of my worst marathons ever.

I did this race in 2003. It was hot and extremely humid. I started way too fast and was hurting badly by about mile 11. Since it was so easy to drop out at the half-way point of the two-loop course, I did so. It was my only DNF and of course my worst marathon ever.

I did this race in 2008. It was hot – probably even more so than the other times. Would it end in disaster as the other two had? Or would I somehow atone for those races and post a good effort?

The previous night was so uncomfortably warm that I hardly slept, and awoke well before the 3am alarm. At 3:40 I started out. Picked Dave up a bit after 4, and Bandon another 45 minutes after that. By 6:15 or so, we had arrived to find a good-sized parking related traffic jam at Presque Isle, PA, the site of the Erie Marathon. Presque Isle (meaning "almost an island" in French) is a large peninsula in Lake Erie.

By the time we checked in and got our packets, there wasn't much time left to warm up. Not that we needed much warming. Temperatures were in the upper 70s, and the humidity was oppressive. The only saving graces were the breezes, which felt nice, and the lack of sunshine - it was just rising as of the 7am start.

Bound and determined not to repeat the mistakes of my previous two runs here, I had decided to run conservatively. Although I felt capable of half a minute per mile faster, 8 minute pace sounded about right for this day. The early miles were indeed at that 8 minute pace. I ran with Brandon and a fellow from Berea named John. We had some nice conversations, but even this “easy” pace wasn’t so easy for me in the heat. Thank goodness the sun was still low in the sky and there was a good amount of shade for most of the first half.

Brandon dropped back, but I stayed with John for most of that first half. John turned out to be an unbridled optimist. While I could only grumble, he was thrilled with the “pleasantly warm” early morning sunshine and the beautiful scenery. All right, I do have to admit that Presque Isle is a wonderful place. As he pulled away from me just before the half, two thoughts came to my mind: 1) Maybe there really is something to this “positive thinking” stuff, and 2) When a runner drops back from a lead pack, the announcers always say that he’s done – he’s out of the running. Now this wasn’t a lead pack, but I wasn’t doing all that great. Besides the heat, there was the concrete. I would say that about three-fourths of the race is on concrete roads; the rest is on asphalt roads and trails. After about 11 miles of this, everything hurt from all that pounding. In fact, every step seemed to hurt.

Just before the half, however, I inexplicably started to feel a little better. I’m not sure why, but this better feeling seemed to coincide with a gel packet that I took. I know that the gel provides energy, but relief from pain? That’s a new one. Thusly energized, I crossed the half-way point in 1:44:30 or so – exactly as planned - and actually feeling the best I’d felt all morning to that point. Now there was only the small problem of doing it all again, not to mention putting up with the rising sun and rising temperature.

I passed optimistic John and several others by about mile 16. Taking a gel every 3 miles or so really seemed to be helping. Not to mention the conservative pace. I was still in some pain from the concrete, and I was now suffering a great deal from the heat. Mile 20 went by in a time of 2:38:45 – I was still feeling and running strong. I wasn’t passing too many people any more, except for some who stopped to walk at the aid stations.

It would have been great to pick up the pace at this point. 7:30’s the rest of the way would be neat. But as the sun, now much higher in the sky, bore down on me, it was all I could do to maintain the 7:45 to 8 minute pace that I had been doing. I even slipped to a little slower that 8 minute pace for the last three, but never crashed completely. The heat (upper 80s now) at that point was almost unbearable.

I crossed the finish line in 3:28:39 by my watch. This was almost exactly even splits; they were perhaps negative by a couple seconds. I found Dave and we immediately walked over and jumped in the cool lake. This was, by far, the best part of the day.

Learning that I was second in my age group was a pleasant surprise. We didn’t wait around for the award however; they said they’d mail it. Erie is a nice, friendly, well-run little marathon. The scenery really is great, too. Maybe it’s just me that gets snake-bit by the heat up there, but now with the demons of the past exorcised, I don’t feel the need to do it ever again.

This of course means that next year they will have a cloudy, calm, low-humidity 45 degree day.

Week of September 7, 2008

Sunday: I signed on to volunteer at the Buckeye Half Marathon. As such, I didn't have much time to run; I squeezed in 3 on the mill before heading out, and then 2 more on a stop on the way home. I'm hoping tomorrow will be better. I didn't run the race because I'm trying to taper just a bit for next week's marathon: Erie.

Monday: I was in need of some encouragement. I felt like my times have been slipping higher, and that my weight has as well. That bout with PF didn't help, but I've also been eating more. Today I weighed in at 158. This after being 156 for several days, and bottoming out at 154 a couple weeks ago. Gotta work on all this. But today I did get some encouragement: A good speedwork session. I did 7 x 1200 at a pretty decent, and progressively faster pace. This was just that I wanted and needed. Here are the split times: 4:48, 4:47, 4:46, 4:44, 4:39, 4:39, 4:29 for an average of 4:42. Not bad. The entire 13 miles took me 1:41.

Tuesday: I hadn't planned on much, so I only did 4 at mid-day in 33 minutes. Felt like much slower, so maybe that's good. Weight's back down to 154 - that's good too.

Wednesday: Today's goals were to get a tempo run in, and to do the entire New Subs 11-mile course in a decently fast overall time. I exceeded expectation for both. The weather was perfect (low 50s), the weight was good (154), and the stars were aligned (Orion is rising). I did the first mile in 8:40, then the next three in 20:36, then the NEXT three in 20:26 (for a 6-mile tempo run in 41:02), then the last 4 in under 32. Overall time was 81 and a half. 2nd best ever on this course. Too bad I won't have weather this good for Sunday's Thon. It looks like it'll be awful at this point. If that's the case, it'll be a long training run.

Thursday: Funny thing. I did one on the mill, and then went out to do the 10 miles to and around North Park and back. I'd done it a couple weeks ago and it sounded like a good one for today. Didn't sound like it'd stress me out too much. The funny thing is that it isn't 10 miles, it's 12 miles! It's 4 to the park, and then I do two 2-mile loops, and then head back for the official course. I didn't realize until about mile 7 that I wouldn't be back in 10! It was another fantasticly beautiful cool fall-like morning. There was a mist on the lake, but the sky was crystal clear. I managed about an 8 and a half minute pace. A bit faster heading back, but I was generally pretty durn tired. Legs are sore too.

Saturday: I'm tapering for Sunday's thon, but I'm not going to run it hard; it'll just be a training run. The weather is going to be horrible once again. I refuse to kill myself there, only to die anyway. Today it was 4 tired miles on the mill due to the rain. Good pace, but some holding on. I'm calling it a 3-mile tempo.

Labor Day Weekend

Dave and Carol came, and along with Mom (who's been staying with us) we went to the Hungarian Festival Sunday. Good food, but had to wait HOURS for the chimney cakes. Had fun anyway.

D&C stayed the night because Kathy and Mike invited everyone for a barbeque for Monday. Great food and fun.

Alliance Rotary Castle 10K

Last year I did 41:44, this year, after 2 41 minute 10k's, I was hoping to beat 41 minutes, and maybe approach 40. It didn't happen. I started conservatively enough, and I ran a fairly even pace, but I never had it when I needed it. Final result: 41:28. Disappointing. I watched Dave's back the whole time, but couldn't catch him.

Week of August 31, 2008

Sunday: On the theory that I the neutral, cushioned shoes were causing the PF, I did my first run in the Nike Air Structure shoes and I think it helped. I'm hopeful... Today it was four very easy ones at 9 minute pace.

Monday: Rotary Castle 10k race. See separate post.

Tuesday: 7 on the mill at a good pace. Included a tempo run. Couldn't get myself outside though.

Wednesday: The goals were to do the 20 in about 2:40, with the last few at marathon pace. Things were going quite well - I did 8 in about 66 minutes, then 6 in about 49. I had high hopes.. Then After about 2 more miles the chafing started. It was terrible, and it may have been the reason the wheels fell off. I think it affected my gait such that my entire body hurt. Those last six were in a painful 53.5 minutes, to finish in 2:48. Not so awful, but the way it happened couldn't have been much worse.

Friday: I took Thursday off. I was so tired and sore it was impossible to even walk. Today was a bit better, but not much. I almost didn't make it out the door for a run. Once I did, I ran very slow, but it wasn't so bad. The first mile was at about 10 minute pace, but then the rest (of the five) were a little better. I hope I'm getting better. One thing is for sure: the PF is definitely on the mend.

Saturday: I was tired and slow at first, but this medium to long run turned out ok. It was all on the wet and muddy towpath and mostly with Dave. Done a mile in 10, then 7 to Peninsula in 62.5, back in 57.5, then 2 more in 7:20 and 6:20. Been a bad week for running (62 total miles). But...Alls decent that ends decent.

PF Update - as of 08-30-08

I've been doing the boot and the exercises. I think these both help a lot. No pain at all getting out of bed. I can't help but think that this was all caused by the ASICS Nimbus (cushioned) shoes. I bought some Nike Air Structure Triax shoes, which seem to have a lot of stability, and a pair of Keen Sandals, which feel great. I'm working in them - they're wonderful for standing.

I ran in my 2130s today, and it was definitely better than the runs in the Nimbus'. Maybe there's hope.

Week of August 24, 2008

Sunday: I did 12 miles along the Chicago lakeshore in about 92 minutes, with negative splits. Nearly down to tempo pace. Some of the miles were on the dirt next to the all-purpose trail. Very nice running there. If I lived there, I'd be on that path all the time.

Tuesday: I have to work tonight, so I did my speedwork in the morning. And a good speedwork session it was! I ran to and from the track, and whilst there I did the old 10K training run - the one where I do 20 x 400 with 100 recoveries to make 25 laps total. It'd been a while for this one. I watch both the 400 meter times as well as the overall time. So today the overall time was a solid 44:18, and the 400 meter times averaged 92 seconds. It was a good steady workout with consistent quarters. I hope I can improve on this further, but it'll be tough.

Wednesday: 12 miles in 100 minutes. OK, but nuthin spectacular. The good thing, however, was the course. I wanted to do some dirt, and there just ain't that much around. By heading up to North Park for four and going around on the trails twice for two each and then getting back, I got my 12 in, but four of them were on the dirt trails there. It was a very nice course. I think I'll make it a keeper.

Thursday: It was cool and very damp (we severely needed the rain), so I stayed indoors and did more mill work. It wasn't too bad - 11 x 1200 at 4:44 (9.5 MPH). Buckets of sweat. I held on, but not terribly so. I weighted in at 154.

Saturday: This was the day for a long run on the towpath with Dave and Amy. Too bad it wasn't one of my better ones. Maybe it was the weather - warm in the 70s and extremely humid. I was hurting, big time, after 20, then Dave made me do one more. So we got 21 in, mostly at about 8:30 pace. Not the greatest.

The bad news is that I'm beat up pretty bad and I have a 10k coming up. The good news is that my PF isn't any worse. Maybe it's just the overall pain.

Chicago

Debbie and I visited Valerie and Dan for the weekend. We went to the Greek festival (good music and food) and also attended the Jersey Boys performance. Everyone loved it. I thought it was pretty good. Good weekend overall.

PF

The good news had been that my running has been going well and, not coincidentally, my weight is down. I could elaborate, but it's all there in the blog. The bad news is that the ole plantar fasciitis appears to be back. The bottom of my left foot had been hurting, but not in the same area. Me achilles area had been nagging me a bit on and off, but I didn't think much of it.

But then yesterday I really felt the classic PF. This is bad news. I'm fighting it with extra stretching and strengthening as well as the boot.

News Items

Here is a note I sent to Dave, Amy and Dena. Since it contains a few news items that I had not necessarily mentioned here in the blog, I'll paste it in here.

Hi folks:


1) I did the Perfect 10-Miler yesterday in a decent 66:10. I've now done this every one of the five years they've had it. If you want to read more, go to: http://danhorvath.blogspot.com/2008/08/perfect-10-miler.html.



2) I recently joined the Medina County Road Runners, and I've run with them a few times, mostly for their Tuesday evening speedwork sessions. Friendly group.



3) Since my day-job type work is slow, I started working at the Medina Second Sole store in my spare time. If you're ever driving by, stop in to say hello. By the way, I'll keep you posted about sales and stuff. I should be even better informed now than ever.



4) I won't be there for Saturday's run once again. We're going to Chicago to visit Valerie and Dan. I DO plan to run with you guys the following Saturday (the 30th). I also plan to do a 10k in Alliance the following Monday. I need this break from racing...



5) But speaking of racing, I guess I should decide about Presque Isle on September 14. I'm sure Mr. Dave won't decide till the last minute, but I'll need to make up my mind myself pretty soon.

Week of August 17, 2008

Sunday: The Perfect 10-Miler. Check out the separate post on this. Jim F. and I did a cooldown run of over 4 miles, so combined with other cooling down and warming up, I'm calling it 17 altogether today.

Monday: 3 tired miles on the mill. I actually didn't feel as bad as I thought I would.

Tuesday: My first run of the day went well: 10 miles in 77 minutes, including a 4-mile tempo run at the track. The 3 miles to the track were slow ones, but the tempo run felt pretty easy. I think I could've kept it going. But I had to think about tonight's speedwork, so I stopped and headed home at 8 minute pace.

Tuesday night's speedwork went really well, despite my bout with PF (see separate post). Besides some striders and other warmup and cooldown stuff, we did 1600 (6:16), 1200 (4:28), 800 (2:55), 2x400 (85, 83), 2x200 (39, 36). That's movin'!

Wednesday: I took the day off. We did go for a nice long hike at Mohican State Park.

Thursday: Twenty-Six (26) solid miles today!. I started well before 4am and did the 16 mile course in 2:17 (just over 8.5 minute pace). Then after a short pit stop, I did ten more. It was three slow ones over to the track, four at the track (including 3 at under 7 minute pace), and three slow tired ones back again. Altogether this works out to 3:38 for the whole thing. Not my fastest 26, and I wanted a longer MP portion, but I was happy to have it under my belt.

Friday: 7 on the mill at a decent pace to complete the week. PF is marginally better.

Perfect 10 Miler

The Perfect 10 Miler has been run for the last 5 years now, and now including this one, I've done each of the 5. Here are my times for the first 4:

2004: 66.5
2005: 67.5
2006: 64
2007: 67

2006, of course, was my good year in recent history. 2008 has been shaping up fairly well recently. I've lost some weight and am down in the 154-155 range. My times are better than last year, with a couple 41 minute 10K's. With the tuesday speedwork sessions to boot, I feel like I'm on the upswing. This race would be a good test.

On the downside, I feel pretty well beat up much of the time. And the bottom of my left foot has been aching even more than the rest of it, and me. I tried to get some amount of rest before the race. But even so, I felt a little sore during my warmup.

With starting line temps in the 60s, it was warm, but not really hot. I'm fairly sure that I've always done negative splits at this race, and I wanted to do the same. So I started conservatively.

The first three miles were at 6:25, 6:39 and 6:35. Some of us missed a turn on the next mile but probably only lost a few seconds, but I'm not really sure. The split was 6:44. The next two miles (5 and 6) are on an uphill grade, and are usually slow ones for me. It turned out that they weren't as bad as I anticipated: 6:48 and 6:47. Half-way went by in 33:13.

At this point I was hoping to really pick the pace up. I'd been able to do that for past races, and I thought I could today. Sure enough, Mile 7 was my best at 6:07. But Mile 8, which is also downhill, was a disappointing 6:44. I had remembered that mile 9 was slow and tough, and it didn't disappoint. It was my slowest at 6:50. The overall time at this point was something like 59:45 Now I had to really turn it on to try to come in at 66 minutes or better. The best I could do was a 6:25 to finish in 66:10.

I believe this put me in 12th or 14th place overall. Something like that. And more importantly, 1st in my age group. Got a canvas duffle bag for that.

So this was my 2nd best of these, but nowhere near my first best. Still, it was a good indicator of my fitness. We'll see where it goes from here.

Mom's Here

We've had Mom for the weekend. Did a picnic at North Park Saturday, and then went to dinner today (Sunday). Been watching a lot of the olympics.

Week of August 10, 2008

Sunday: It was the day after a race, so I didn't have my hopes up high for a great long run. But I decided to meet some folks from the MCRR that I'd met for a run on the trails at Hinckley. For some reason I arrived early and did two loops around the lake. Those were MUCH faster than expected, with loops of 23 and 20 (tempo pace) minutes. Then we (me, along with Ladd, Marsha, Chuck and Lilly) took to the trails. They were slow miles, but that was to be expected on the rough and hilly terrain. 2 hours, 44 minutes. I'll call it 17.

Monday: This was another one of those days when I almost didn't get out the door. I was just sooo tired. I finally did manage to get out to run 4 in 33, but had planned to do something more like 10 or 11. I got out again at lunch time for another 4 in 31. The bottom of my left foot hurts again.

Tuesday: I didn't want to run much in the morning, with the evening speedwork looming. But then I did wake up early enough to catch the Perseid Meteor show, so I went out to the 11-mile course. And I stunk up the joint. Could not get better than 9-minute pace, and even then I stopped to walk several times. Just never woke up. I did see 5 or 6 meteors.

In the evening I met up once again with the MCRR group for Tuesday speedwork. This time we just did 6 x 800. I averaged 3:05. Not too bad, but I'm still one of the slow guys in the group. These sessions are good for me though.

Wednesday: I thought this would be tough, and it was. I only wanted to bang out 4 on the mill. But I was, once again, sooo tired. I somehow did manage, and did weights too. I'll be better tomorrow. Weight at <155!

Thursday: The goal was to do a solid 11 with a tempo thrown in. Mission accomplished. My legs were still tired, but I managed just fine with the tempo and everything, completing the 11 in 84 minutes. The only thing was that I sort of tried to include a second tempo run for the last 3, and that didn't happen. I'll take it anyway.

Saturday: I met up with Rita, George, Bob, Laura and Bob at the usual haunt - the Rocky River Nature Center. We did the usual 6-mile run on the trails to Cottonwood and back. Nice day for it.

Green Carribbean 10K

I wanted to do something around 41 flat - about the same as last week. And I did. 41:04 - within 5 seconds. Better than last year but not as good as the one before. Good for 2nd in my age group and 11th overall. Not bad. Now if I can only improve on this..

More good news: I weighed in at 156 this morning. It was 155 yesterday.

Week of August 3, 2008

Sunday: Medina Double Trouble 10k. See the separate post.

Monday: 24 miles on the Lester Rail Trail. Felt like I was running through jello. I was tired, but not especially sore. I just couldn't get moving! Seems like this is always the case the day after a race. At least I got the long one in for the week. 6-mile splits: 54:42, 54:21, 52:40, 51:55. Total time: an agonizingly slow 3:33:40.

Tuesday: 3 slow, tired morning miles on the mill. Maybe I'll be able to do more later. The MCRR speed work is today.

Yes, I did show up for the first time for the MCRR speedwork at Claggett Middle School at 6pm. I figured that I'd be one of the fastest there, and the opposite turned out to be the case. But then, I was tired from all the previous running, and I did do better as the night wore on. We did a mile of striders, 4 x 200 @ 40 (as a relay race with teams of 2), and then 4 x 800 @ 3:11. It was good to get in with the bunch there. I think it'll help me.

Wednesday: 5 very tired miles at 9 minute pace. Couldn't be much slower.

Thursday: OK, this was a pretty good one. 14 miles in 1:48. Most of the miles were @ 8 min. or better, and I did a 3-mile tempo run at the track. A lot of good and bad (tired) running this week - lots of yin and yang.

Saturday: Green Carribbean 10K. See separate post.

Geneva On-the-Lake

We spent the day there on the beach, walking, and hanging out at the resort town. Cool place, even though it's a bit dated. The beach is small compared to Headlands, but it's nicer.

Medina County Road Runners Double Trouble 10K

I joined the MCRR. Gonna be part of an organization in spite of the fact that they will allow me to be a member. I'll try to show up for their Tuesday Track workouts.

The reason I signed up is that I participated in their race today. It was called Double Trouble because it is also a 2 x 5k relay. Of course I just did the 10k. It was nice and close.

It was a nice morning - fairly cool and not very humid. I probably started too fast, but I did feel fine. I did the first mile in 6:21 - right on for a 40 minute 10k. By the 5k half-way point, I was at about 20:15 or so. I thought I might still have a chance for a 40 minute day.

But alas. I was getting tired and slowing down just a bit. I hit 5 miles in about 33 minutes and then came in at 40:59 by my watch - 41 flat by theirs.

Yeah, 40 would've been great, but it certainly wasn't in me today. Even so, this was my best in 2 years, so I'm happy with it. Oh, and I placed well too. I think 6th or so. There were also some teams ahead of me. I was 1st in my AG, but not the first master.

Week of July 27, 2008

Sunday: We were at the hotel in Norwalk and I was about to head out the door when the thunderstorm hit. Big time. So I stayed on the mill and did 10 x 1200 in 4:44. Not the greatest run though - I held on some.

Monday: I was tired, but I did manage to do 10 on the mill, with 9 of them at MP. Then I did 1 more outside just for the heck of it. Quads were really sore afterwards.

Wednesday: My quads were constantly sore, and it was a rough ride home anyway. But even so I still did manage to run ok this day. I did the 4-mile course twice (34.5, 31.5) and then did 2 more in 16. Hoping the quads improve for tomorrow.

Thursday: My long runs had been getting better and better. Until today. I wasn't feeling that great and the weather (70s, very humid) wasn't very good. So my run wasn't the greatest this time. I had only planned on 20 instead of the usual 24. Even so I was feeling very tired after the initial 16 (in 2:17). Then I had some GU and stepped onto the treadmill for the last 4. I did manage sub-7 pace, but I held on, so it still wasn't so great. Maybe I'll get back into it next week.

Saturday: I did about 18, maybe more, on the towpath with Dave and Amy. Most of it was at about 8:30 pace, but some was slower. All in all not that bad. It was exciting to see the Burning River 100 going on.

Connecticut

We drove with Dave and Carol to visit Veronica and Barry. Had a nice but busy weekend. Saw 3 movies: Little Miss Sunshine (on a DVD), Journey to the Center of the Earth (in 3D) and Batman. All lots of fun. We also drove to Mohegan Sun Casino for an afternoon. We'd had plans to also go to the beach and hang around the Mystic Seaport, but the rain and traffic put a damper on things. Oh well. The next day we did manage to get out to Stewart's Island. Had a nice easy boat ride and picnic.

Not much else happening. Had a nice visit with the kids though.

Other Running for the Week of July 20, 2008

I'm going to begin doing weekly posts for the normal training. I think that will make more sense. Too late for this week, but here is a summary of the last couple days:

On Thursday and Friday I did 8 and 11 respectively, but they were very slow miles - in the 9 minute range. Friday's run was a disappointment.

Saturday was a different story. I HAD to run fast - we were taking off for Connecticut. And I did - the 6-mile course in 42 minutes and change. A 4-mile tempo in there somewhere. Good going.

Today's Long Run

Things were going ok during today's long run. Not great, just ok. It was warm (about 70) and very humid. Most of my miles were steady at about 8 and a half minute pace, or just slightly better. My hamstring is still tender, but I don't think it's a major tear. I'd just better watch my speed. I'd decided to run from home rather than the rail trail, but I was still gonna do 24 no matter what. I was just hoping not to die at the end. A fast finish would be really nice.

After doing 9-mile and 11-mile loops at that steady pace, I now had 20 miles completed in 2:47:30 or so. Pulling out all the stops, I took a GU on top of the usual liquids. The last 4 would be on the president streets. I did the first of those in 8 flat, and then I was actually able to pick it up. It's been a real long time since I've been able to finish one of these long runs at marathon pace, but that's what I managed to do today. I did the last 3 in 20:45, and the whole run in 3:16. That's improvement.

Hamstrung

I was going to try to duplicate last week's excellent speedwork session. I didn't care to exceed/surpass it; just duplicate it. Even though I was tired, I did start out fast. Maybe too fast, as it turned out. I did the first two 1200s in 4:39 and 4:38. That's when my left hamstring started to hurt.

My lower left leg, ankle and foot had been hurting for a while anyway. I've been running through the pain. But this hamstring thing is different. Same leg, different area. Other hamstring injuries have been more sudden, but I didn't feel any immediate pain, just general pain that came on gradually. Not good.

I did run the next one in a decent 4:42, but by then I knew I had a problem. I was going to quit, but decided to run slowly for a while. The next slow 1200 meters were in 4:56, so I decided to complete the session by doing two more. Those times, 4:53 and 4:52 were slow, but at least I was doing it. I averaged 4:48 and did the 12 miles in 94 and a half minutes.

I'm icing the ole hamstring.

Sunday Slog

I did manage to get my 10 miles in today, but they were slow - about 9 mpm. I did include some hills.

Dave and Clairol spent the night due to Mikey's party last night.

BT and TP

I volunteered to help with registration at the BT50K before my run today. It was great to see everyone. Ultras are like reunions, and the N.E. Ohio group is a really good one. I sure wanted to go with them.

But, as I've said before, I'm not much of a trail runner. I met with Dave and Amy and we did the usual towpath thing - 15 in 2:08.5. That's a decent pace considering the heat and humidity. At 158, I had a decent weigh-in too.

Speaking of weigh-ins, today is Mikey's college graduation party. I'll be off the diet for the day. Maybe it won't be too much of a toll.

Today's Speedwork and The Western Reserve Hysterical Society

Good speed session on a hot day today. Trying to cut back on my running related driving, I ran to the track, did 6 x 1200 in (4:42, 41, 41, 41, 39, 36) an average of 4:40, and ran back. Altogether that's 12 in 92.5. Good progression on the speed too.

Now if I can only continue improving. And lose this weight. Then I might become a good runner again.

Debbie, Mom and I are heading to the Western Reserve Hysterical Society today to see the Vatican Splendors exhibition.

Achieving Eightness

I used to know that I was in shape when my mid-week, mid-mileage, mid-effort runs were at 7:30 pace. Nowadays I have a great deal of trouble getting to 8:00 pace. Takes a real effort. But I did it today - the ole 11-mile course in 88 minutes. Felt good. And Monday's long run wasn't bad either. Now if I can keep this going.

Today's Long Run

I got out and did 24 on the Lester Rail Trail again. The last time was two weeks ago. I'm seeing progress. This one (3:17.5) was 5.5 minutes better than last time. The weather was very nice both times. Here are my 6-mile split times: 50:55, 48:59, 48:33, 49:07. As with my last run, it would be nice if my last 6 were the fastest, and even nicer if I could get down to marathon pace for some of those miles.

But at least it's slow steady progress, with no meltdowns. Not to mention room for improvement.

Sunday Running and Weight

Yes, it was another tough Sunday morning. I did manage to get my 10 in today, however, so I'll call it a successful Sunday. It wasn't easy though. 7 on the mill and then 3 outside in the pouring rain.

The good news is that the ankle is a bit better today. No sharp pain.

I lost those 7 pounds initially, and have been in the 159-160 neighborhood ever since. At least the fluctuations are gone. But dad-gum it, I'm starving myself and not getting anywhere. Just gotta keep at it.

Tired Running

Yesterday was an off day, but Debbie and I walked the Old Carriage Trail. Nice hike, as always. But I was dead tired afterwards, and I had a long nap. Then I couldn't sleep in the middle of the night, and then I was tired again all day today.

That tiredness carried over into this morning's running. I did 3 on the mill and then went over to Station Rd. and did trails with Amy. Dave had to work. During that first hour with Amy, and then for another hour of trails, I just couldn't wake up. I was dead tired in every sense of the word.

Another problem: my left ankle hurts. Sometimes the pain is very sharp, but then it goes away just as quickly. I've had this before - loosening shoelaces helps, as does my PF stretching and strengthening.

For today, call it 12 slow trail miles in 1:51.

Slow Speedwork

I wanted to get at least 15 miles in, but I also wanted to do something of substance. It's a bit dangerous to combine speed and distance, especially when not in tip-top shape, but I went for it anyway. The plan? Run to the track (3 miles), then run one more warmup mile, followed by 8 x 1200 at a decent pace, then run the 3 miles back home. I didn't want the 1200's to be superfast, just steady.

So what did I do? 3 miles to the track, 8 x 1200, and 3 miles back. And the 1200's were slow, but at least steady. And check out this progression:

4:59, 57, 56, 55, 54, 54, 51, 47.

No all I gotta do is get faster and stronger. And leaner.

Today's Tired Run

I was very tired, but I stepped on the mill and did 4 there. Then, still tired, I went outside and did 6 more. Just what I wanted, but did I say I was tired? Well I was.

Olympic Trials, Broken GPS, Work, Today's Running

I watched, and thoroughly enjoyed, every minute of the Olympic Trials, except for the final night. I'll see that today. I just love track and field.

My GPS is broke - it won't turn on. Gotta decide what to do now. I'll research it. Meanwhile, I'm back to running the old way.

I've been busy with work all year. And I will be this week, too. But after this I believe it will slow down. I just hope not too much. There's some hope for business later on, but I've got to wait and see.

Speaking of old ways, I did the 11-mile loop for the first time in a while. About 92 and a half. Not too bad. Then after a break I did 3 more in 25 and a half. Once again, not bad for this warm, humid morning.

Sunday Morning Blahs

I had a long string of Sunday mornings where I just couldn't wake up and get myself running. Sometimes this results in no running at all, others I just run much less, and much slower than planned. All this is mostly due to running fairly long on Saturday, I am sure. I usually do want to do something of substance on Sundays - especially when it will be a busy work week.

But those Saturday runs aren't all that strenuous. They are usually in the neighborhood of 16 miles, and usually not all that fast. Maybe the Sunday Morning Blahs are all in my head?

The last few Sundays have been different. I've been able to either do some speedwork, or some decent (10 or so) distance.

But today the Blahs were back. I wanted to do 10 or 11, but could only manage 7. I wasn't sore from yesterday; only very tired. At least I did get faster as the miles went on.

16 On the Towpath

Dave, Amy and I started on the towpath slowly, but then picked it up very nicely in the second half, doing several sub-8 miles. Altogether 16 in 2:14. Not bad.

North Canton Y 5-Mile and fireworks

I did 33:45. Not that good, but as well as can be expected these days. Maybe a slight bit of improvement over my last races. I think I ran similar times here on hotter days when I was in much better shape. But I'm still not especially proud. I've gotta improve.

Dave and Carol came over and we saw Mom and did the Brunswick Fireworks. Not much else happenin.

159

Terrible dreadmill run today (I did 6) but look at that weight!

24

Not a bad long run today. I did that 21 last Wednesday, so today I went and did 24 on the Lester Rail Trail. The 6-mile splits were: 50:48, 50:16, 49:46, 51:21. Total time was 3:22. It wasn't my fastest 24 on that course, but at least it was steady. One of these days I hope to get back to running MP for the last few miles.

It was a great morning for a run - cool and not humid. It did get a bit warmer as the time went on. After having no trouble on the first 3 laps, the deerflies ate me alive on the 4th. That was the only problem at all. Except maybe that slight slowdown that also occurred on the final lap.

Kelleys Island

Dave and Carol and Debbie and I took the ferry there yesterday and spent the day. We had our car, so we drove all around the island. The glacial grooves were interesting and the beach was ok, but with the rain and everything it wasn't a real exciting day. I would think that even when there are more people about, the island is a quiet place. That's not so bad a thing. I think it would be a good place to get away from it all.

161

Still not good, but much much better. Now I only have 8 or so to go.

And today's speedwork session was very good. Best in a long time. I did 3 x (1600, 1200, 800) in times averaging 6:33, 4:50 and 3:05. Strong and consistent.

167

That's 167 pounds. I think that's the most in about 25 years. I think it'll come down fast now that I'll watch it. Also I had tons of pizza last night. I'm hoping for 162 or less tomorrow.

Today we did our usual Saturday morning towpath run. This time it was Dena instead of Amy, who had sciatica problems. It was warm and humid, but we did ok - about 15 or possibly a bit more. We gradually did faster miles until we were near 8 minute pace. Not bad.

That's 70 for the week. The most in a while. And considering the weight, things can only get better - right?

What Was I Thinking?

Not having to be at work until just before 11am here in Philly, I had time to spare. So I thought I'd do a medium-long run. 15 or so would do. Maybe even 16. The most I've done in the past month and a half (after Prague) has been 17. This would be a challenge for me.

It was another beautiful sunny morning as I went down the hill from the hotel and then onto the scenic Perkiomen Trail. Yesterday it was in a southernly direction, this time it was north. There had been only about a mile of crushed limestone for yesterday's run, with the rest being asphalt. Going north, it's mostly limestone.

After the usual slow start, I settled into a 8:20 to 8:30 pace. For some strange reason, I went past 7.5 miles out. I turned back at a nice park at 8+ miles. I guess I had started thinking of 16 miles rather than 15. But now it would be even longer than 16. On the way back I went out and back on an additional trail spur. Now it was looking like it would be more like 18 miles total.

So there I was, still feeling fine, still running that same pace, and I started thinking some more. 18 is *almost* 20. Why not go for the whole enchilada? As I got to the point where I was to extract myself from the trail and back up the hills to the hotel (about a mile more), I just kept going south.

Now I was on the part of the trail that I had done yesterday. I went a little over a mile and then turned back. I hit 20 just before the really really big hill up to the hotel and turned off my GPS. 2:49 and steady. Not bad. I was going to walk that last 1/2 mile.

I did walk for a few steps, but then I started jogging. Back on went the GPS. I did some extra and am calling it yet another mile.

What do you know?

Perkiomen

That's the trail here in Collegeville, PA that I run on. It's been a while - almost 2 years. But it's a very nice run. I did 10 in 87 today, and hope for 15 or so tomorrow.

Running in the Shadow of the Rainbow

The sun was just rising, but clouds were forming in the west. Before long, a rainbow began to appear. Even as the sun began to shine, the rain began to fall, and the rainbow became brighter and brighter. Soon the rain was pouring, but the rainbow remained. It was so bright that it was double, with additional, lighter rainbows inside the big one. It seemed almost bright enough to cast a shadow. It remained with me for over a half hour.

This all occured during my soggy speed session this morning. I managed to do seven 1600's. This isn't quite up to my goal of eight, but I'm happy to have done more than I have in a while. They were pretty steady too. Difficult, but steady. I averaged 6:35. Took several breaks too. Altogether I manged 12 in 93.

At least I'm seeing progress.

Racing and Then Some

Friday night I did two races: Wadsworth 4-mile at 7pm, and Jackson Night Glow at 9:45pm. I was slow for Wadsworth (26 and a half), and much slower for Jackson (just under 22). I only did this because the race series would give me 25 bonus points for doing both. Otherwise, I'm doing pretty lousy this year.

After about 10 hours I was out running again, this time with Dave, Amy and Chis on the towpath. I only did 10, but altough I was a little shaky at times, I managed to finish feeling fine.

Today I did 10 more at 8 and a half minute pace. Once again, I was happy to be able to complete the run at all considering the last few days.

We went out to dinner at Sweet Mango for our 33rd anniversary yesterday.

Running Today

I got out early again and this time I headed over to the track. I did 5 x 1200 @ 4:54. Still not fast, but at least they were steady. It's been a tough road, and those last couple were really tough. My HR got up to 171. Altogether 11 in 91. After a couple hours I hopped on the mill and did 2 more.

I did some running yesterday

Zoo yesterday. It was hot and surprisingly difficult to do all that walking.

13 miles today after waking early. Not the greatest - 9 minutes per mile. I did 10, took a call and then did 3 more. Tired sore legs. No good reason.

I've been eating too much. Way too much.

I Usually Run Really Lousy on Sundays, but

But this one was a keeper. I decided to do some speedwork for the first time in a long while, and it went ok. Not real fast, but at least I did it. 5 x 1600 @ 6:38. First 4 were about 6:36, and the last was slower, but I'm happy to have done any at all. Now I've got to improve. And there's a lot of room for that. Altogether 13 in 1:47.

Today's Long Run and other stuff

Debbie took Carol and Mom to visit Jill and the kids the other day. Everyone loved little Mario and Toni. Beth and Ed just dropped Mom to stay with us for the week.

I did the usual Saturday long run on the towpath with Dave and Amy today. It was raining and warm, so I was pretty well soaked. But we went ever so much farther (17) and faster (sub-9) today.

Today's Run, and Yesterday's

After Sunday's debacle, I did 5 on the mill Monday, 10 on the mill yesterday, and then 16 on the roads today. The mill runs were nothing to write home about, but today's 16-miler wasn't half bad.

Well, maybe it was half bad, but it was also half good. About 8:45 pace, with only the first mile over 9 minutes. This would've been awful not too long ago, but today, I'll take it.

I've been busy with work, but this should ease up in a couple days. Kathy and Mike will come to dinner tonight, and Mom is coming for a week starting on Saturday.

One Lousy Run

After being sick and not running much, I'd hoped to begin getting back into shape this week. Hasn't happened yet.. I slogged, and I do mean slogged, 12 miles at about 9:30 pace yesterday in the heat. It was oppressive, but the problem was mostly that I was so durn tired that I couldn't get moving. I had planned to run at least 15, but my body just wouldn't do it.

I may hit the mill for a couple yet this afternoon. It's still in the 90s outside.

Today's Long Run

I'm feeling better, even with the additional travel to the UK. It probably helped to take those few days off from running completely. I got in last night and went out to run this morning with Amy and Dave. It was a fairly usual towpath run - out and back for about 16 miles at about 9 minute pace. It was hot - in the upper 70s and 80s and very humid. I was just happy to finally run a decently long run again, and feel decent doing it.

A few days in the UK

I didn't do much at all. No sightseeing, not even any running. I did spend one of the three short nights at a resort of sorts - the Millenium Copthorne Reading, which is situated all along a pretty lake. But other than that, nothing much. Next time I'll try to get out and see more.

A Bit Better

It's happening, slowly but surely. I'm getting over this sinus infection. I only did 4 miles in the hood today, but I coulda done more. Debbie and I went to walk and then eat breakfast with George, Bob, Laura, Dan and Jessy M. Beautiful day for the walk.

Dan's Rant

Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 11:28:31 -0400
From: runhorvathrun@HOTMAIL.COM
Subject: DanH's Rant, was: Buffalo marathon report
To: DRNEO@LISTSERV.KENT.EDU

Dan Fox wrote:

> I hadn't realized windmills were such killing machines. It's a bummer that
> our energy production has such adverse effects on one population or another.
> Maybe we can figure out a way to keep animals away from the blades.

I was going to let Tom's original comment slide right on by, but then Dan had to go and bring it up again, so I feel like I gotta weigh in.


I understand that there is a concern about our fine feathered (or otherwise winged) animal friends. I'm not really sure if much can be done, except for one thing: locate the turbines correctly to avoid such creatures as much as possible. Perhaps there are indeed other things as well. So yes, it's a concern, but I'm much more concerned about these and other excuses (such as esthetics) used for the purpose of *not* moving toward renewable energy.


Tom, I'm not saying this was the motivation for your original comment; I'm just having my rant. Feel free to ignore me completely.


How long have they been "studying" the concept of placing wind turbines in Lake Erie? I know what some are thinking: what's the hurry? All the study and hesitation would be fine, if we weren't still building %$@# coal-fired plants, including some in Ohio. We should all know that this is just plain wrong. And don't get me started on "clean" coal.

I've spent some amount of time in Europe lately. I was informed that Germany has 50,000 wind turbines. I didn't doubt it - they're everywhere. Holland, Austria and a few other countries have gobs of them too. Observing this, I could only think: why the heck can't we do that? Lack of collective will?

How many birds and bats die from pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels? How many die or will die from (this should bring on some comments) climate change caused by human activity?


OK - I'm done now. Have a wonderful green day.

By the way, nice report, Tom.

Still Sick, Still Trying to Run

I did 6 more on the mill yesterday, and 15 on the towpath today. I'm sure that it's a sinus infection now, and am trying to deal with it accordingly. I'm a tiny bit better, but need to make lots more progress - especially before my next trip next week. Running is tough. It was very warm and very humid today and that made it tougher. I'm happy to have gotten through it though.

Still Sick and Weak, But I Ran Today

I've gotten incrementally better each day, but I'm still not well. I wish I knew what hit me - all my physical systems appeared to be affected. At least I've been sleeping ok after some trouble in that area over the weekend. My only real remaining problem is my sore throat and ligering weakness.

So I did manage a run today - the first since Saturday. I did 6 on the mill. Felt like 20. But I did get through it.

We all (Dave and Carol, Beth and Ed, and Mom) went to the Warsaw Grill today. It wasn't bad, and there was a cultural experience to boot.

Good movie the other day: Black Book. Best I've seen in a while.

weakness

I've been sick. I felt fine when I returned home Friday, and I was even fine, although a bit tired, on Saturday. Then Sunday and Monday I felt really lousy. I caught a cold and have been weak - too weak to run at all. So I've been trying to get better with rest and zicam. Today I finally feel a little bit better.

Sunday we had the family over for a backyard barbeque. Monday we went to Mike Zielinski's mom's funeral. I'm supposed to be working right now, but things are moving slowly.

Back to running: maybe tomorrow I'll have my strength back.

Medina Heroes 4-Miler

The weather was perfect, but my running shape wasn't. I'd gotten off the plane at 6pm yesterday after flights of 3, 8 and 1 hour, not to mention airport time. So that's the excuse. Not to mention that I'm still recovering from an ultra followed by a thon.

I had figured that if I could do 7 minute miles, I'd be happy. Well I did slightly better than that, but only a bit. The first mile was fine at 6:18, but the rest were slower. I finished in 26:47, good for 3rd in my AG. I think I won it last year, but my time was slower then because of the rain.

After the run, Debbie and I met up with Bob Hart and Rita and George, who are visiting Ohio from Hawaii. It was great to see them again!

Running in Romania

Tuesday, May 13, 2008
I had to get out and back early because of an early work schedule. Thought about 10, but could only manage 5. I did do a bit of exploring here in Bucharest. I mostly wanted to find the metro station. This I did manage to do. The run itself felt MUCH faster than it actually was. It was almost as slow as 10 minutes per mile, but I thought I was going at a smooth fast pace. Oh well, I’ll try again tomorrow.
The running around here really isn’t that bad. There are plenty of parks, paths along the river, and of course the route around the HUGE palace of parliament.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
This run was pretty much like yesterday’s. I had a very slow start so early, and it just took a while to get moving. Once I did, it wasn’t so bad, but I still only did 6 miles at about 10 minute pace. Not so great.

I ran along the small river, this time further west than I’ve been before. There is a big lake and park there at the end, but I had to turn at this point as I was running out of time. Some time I’ll try to run around there once I reach it.

Even thought the running ain’t bad, I’m having trouble with loose dogs. They’re all over, and they’re scary.

Thursday, May 15, 2008
This run was even more like yesterday’s than yesterday’s was to the day before. I ran along the river in the same direction, but went a bit further at the lake. I saw a dam, but still no lake – I had to turn back because of running out of time once again. Today I ran faster, but still slower than 9 minutes per mile. At least each one got faster until I was at 8 minute pace for the last one.

Still feeling beat up. Don’t know whether to rest more or to run more.

Even with that beat-up feeling, I also feel the need for speed. Especially with all the slow miles I’ve been doing. Since the fitness center doesn’t open till 6am, I can’t use it in the morning. I have to eat and then go by 6:30 each day. So today I went down there at 5pm and stepped on the mill. It was hot in there, so I didn’t feel well. But I did get in 4 x 1200 @ 4:45; 6 miles altogether. A bit of speedwork is better than none at all.

Saturday, May 17, 2008
I thought about not running because I’m so beat up (I took Friday off), but I woke up early and what the heck. I did the usual run along the river, but went on a bit more – it took a while to get over to the lake (I did a roundabout route), but I finally made it. It wasn’t a beautiful lake, but it was big. The biggest problem was the dogs. There were even more there any other places. Altogether 8 miles in 72 minutes. The miles generally got faster as I went on.

Sunday, May 18, 2008
This time I was tired and sore from all the walking yesterday and not from running. But I was determined to run 15 or so, and I did. I got out a bit later than usual, and boy was it warm. I ran along the river on the other side of town – heading southeast rather than northwest. After a while I turned around and then did the usual part again, followed by a bit more around Izvor park near the hotel. The miles generally got faster as I went on – the last few were my best. I did the 15 in 2:12.

Still got to get faster. I think I’m gaining a lot of weight.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008
I was determined to pick up the pace. One problem is slow starts. Others are the dogs and darkness. Today, I thought I’d just run loops around the Palace of Parliament and adjacent Parcul Izvor. It turned out to be only about 2.25 miles around, but it was enough to help me get moving at a half-way decent pace. After a couple 9-minute miles, I got down to blisteringly fast sub-8 minute miles. I was really flying! (wink). I did 3 laps, each a bit faster than the last, and a bit extra to make it 7 miles in 59 minutes. Boy am I good (wink). The best part was not having to stop or worry about dogs or open manholes. I may do this one again.

In the late afternoon I hit the hotel dreadmill for some speed. I did the same workout as I did last week – 4 x 1200 in 4:45. Why is this so difficult for me? 1) I’m still beat up. 2) I ran in the morning. 3) It’s bloody hot in there. 4) I’m old, slow, bald and fat, not necessarily in that order. But as with last week, I got through it. 6 in 42 and a half. Swim afterwards.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008
I started a little slow, but this time I didn’t get moving until late in the game. In the middle I felt dizzy. I ran in familiar places – the river and Izvor park. I find that I do go slower along the river – probably because it’s darker and I’m less sure about the footing. Also there are more intersections. Not the greatest. 6 in 55. Only one more day of running here in Bucharest – tomorrow. Then it’s back to running at home.

Thursday, May 22, 2008
This would be my last outside run for this trip. I wanted good quality and decent amount of distance. Turned out to be so-so in both aspects. I mainly ran the usual loops around the big house because I can usually run the fastest doing that. I managed 8 in 69.

Well I did do one more run – late in the afternoon on the mill. Same as the last two of these – 4 x 1200 in 4:45, altogether 6 in 42.5. Once again it practically killed me. Now that was really it for the trip.

PIM

It seemed like such a great idea at the time. Training partner Dave Gajewski had told me that he’d talked to Mike George, and that Mike would be doing the Prague International Marathon (PIM). Mike had mentioned his plans to me months earlier, but I’d forgotten. That’s when the wheels began to turn. I’d be in Europe, and traveling from west to east that very weekend. In fact, I’d probably be flying right over Prague, if I didn’t decide to stop there anyway. So decide I did, and after some extremely complicated travel planning, I found myself trying desperately to get myself into the correct mindset on the day before the event.

It’s not just mental; the other half is physical. What was I thinking? That running 100K, immediately sitting on airplanes for the next 12 hours, putting up with jet lag whilst in Portugal and then trying to run a marathon in Prague a week later would be no big deal? Did I think I’d no longer be feeling the effects? Did I think, 100K one weekend and a marathon the next one – what’s the big deal? Unfortunately, the answer, evidently , is yes.

The event itself ought to be a big deal for all the participants. Prague is the most beautiful city on the planet, and I’d heard generally good stuff about the marathon. There are many who strongly believe that a marathon is a great way to see a city. What a fantastic idea: combine running a marathon and travel. I myself am not so sure, but I do know a bit about Prague, having been there twice. I think its fine to just walk around on my own time to see things at their own speed. But I suppose I signed up because I was most interested in the experience. The experience of running in this wonderland, the experience of running an international race, and the experience of doing something different and interesting in between work weeks.

But my heart, not to mention my legs, didn’t seem to be into it. That previous week in Portugal wasn’t a banner week of running for me. Even though Lisbon is great for running, I wasn’t able to do much at all. I was tired and sore, but mostly just didn’t have the gumption. Call it post-ultra depression. It’s interesting that poor Mike wouldn’t be able to do the PIM due to an injury. Here I am complaining, and he would only be able to watch.

Maybe a miracle would happen. Maybe I’d feel fine, run well, and thoroughly enjoy the experience. On the other hand, miracles are called that because they rarely happen.

Before the start, Old Town Square was buzzing with activity. Announcers making announcements in a variety of languages, the crazy Brazilians marching around, flaunting their half-nakedness (make that three-quarters), being made to line up in a narrow corral 35 minutes before the start. No liquids of any kind, except some that were for sale (where the heck was I going to have money, up my… oh never mind). Did I mention the porta-johns? I counted ten. That’s 10 for maybe 10,000 runners counting all the events. One per 1,000 – you gotta like those odds if you’re a porta-potty.

Prague is at her most beautiful when it’s bright and sunny, especially early and late in the day. This would be one of those days – not a cloud to be seen. Unfortunately, along with the sun came warm temperatures. It felt about like it was in the low 70s at the start, and maybe about 80 by the time I was coming to the finish. Enough for me to call it a scorcher.

I had met Mike and his family at the expo the day before, and we did dinner together. Call it a mini-Dead Encounter. I mentioned that I’d start running at about 8 minute per mile pace and just try to hold it. Mike said that they’d be on the course, cheering me on as I passed by several times. And so they were. After a spectacular but narrow start at the square, we took a few turns before going over the famous historical Charles Bridge. This was even more spectacular than the start. Mike somehow picked me out of the crowd during those early miles, as well as a few other times. It was great to have my own cheering section so far away from home.

The course is pretty flat. It runs almost entirely along the Vltava River; the only hills are the bridges and underpasses. So we began running north on one side before coming back south on the other and returning through Old Town. From there we went south along the river some more, turned back to the north at the half-way point, and then crossed a bridge and did the same thing on the other side. By mile 20 we were back to old town one more time, and then repeating the north part of the course before coming in for the finish.

The person who invented cobblestones was not a runner. In my humble opinion, the (say about 3 total) miles of these babies – mostly around Old Town, but other parts as well – were more of a factor than the heat, or any of the hills. We runners quite literally went through great lengths to avoid them when such a thing was possible at all.

I did begin at 8 minute pace, but many of the miles were just a bit faster. I was informed that there’d been about 4,000 marathoners last year, but maybe they exceeded that for 2008. The crowds never let up. And even though I ran a steady pace, many were passing me for much of the way. Many of these may have been relay runners however. I’m not sure where the half marathoners were.

Somehow, I managed to keep that pace the whole way. The one thing I didn’t want to do is to die, in any sense of the word. I’d been thinking that 8 minute pace would bring me in at about 3:30, so this wound up being a goal. After half-way (about 1:44), I was still on pace, but it seemed to be getting more difficult. By about 30k, the heat really began to get to me. By 20 miles (about 2:38), I saw Mike and family for the last time, and it was downright hot. But I wasn’t going to die. And die I didn’t. Suddenly no one was passing me anymore. I did the final 10k in 49 or 50 minutes; about the same as the first 10k. I finished in 3:28, pretty durn pleased with myself. I guess it was a miracle.

I never saw Mike and family this last time into Old Town. Now at 12:30pm, Old Town Square was absolutely filled to the brim with people. So many that I could not for the life of me get to the metro station. I wandered around for 45 minutes until I stumbled upon a different one. Yes, you guessed it. I had to get to the hotel and shower before heading to the airport. This time it was Bucharest or bust.

Running in Portugal

Monday, 05-05
I really had to force myself, but I managed to get on the mill and do 3 miles. It wasn't easy on those extremely tired, sore legs and feet. But I actually felt better afterwards.

Tuesday, 05-06
I went over to the City University Park / Trail system. My legs were still tired and sore, but I sure needed to get moving. I've run here many times before - the longest route is 1.55 miles around the perimeter. There are other trails in the center. It's a nice run - I always enjoy it. The only thing is that one can get tired of doing so many multiple loops. I did 4, and then a bit more in the center for a total of 8 miles. Each loop was a bit faster, until I got down to 8 minute pace.

Wednesday, 05-07
Two goals today: get finished early because of an early (9am!) start at work, and also to do something of substance. Another problem is that for some reason it doesn't get light until later on in these parts and I didn't want to run around the park in the dark. So I hit the mill. I did 9 x 1200 at 4:45 for each. It wasn't a bad workout - I'm still sore, but I did fine.

Thursday, 05-08
Very slow going today. I'd hoped to feel good and do 12 or so, but I went so slow, I only had time for 10 (98 minutes!. The huge hills in Monsanto park were tough, but my legs were so tired that I couldn't get going in the flat areas after the hills were done. After running around Monsanto, I headed back to the University to do a couple more miles on those flat trails. Just didn't have it today. On the plus side, however, it was a beautiful run.

Friday, 05-09
Just 3 miles on the eliptical trainer. That's it for Portugal. Too bad I didn't have the ability to run more during this stay - it's such a great place to run.

But now it's on to Prague and then Bucharest.

Next: Prague

My work schedule was not changed, so I am going to run Prague. I've never done an international marathon before, except for Detroit, which ventures into Canada. And Prague itself is truly wonderful. So I ought to be extremely excited.



But after the emotional and physical smorgasbord that was known as the Green Jewel, my heart and head just aren't into it. This is not to mention my legs and feet.



It's early Tuesday morning here in Lisbon (another great place, by the way) and I'm going to try to head out for a run.



I'm taking this one baby step at a time.

3:45

When I first began running in the 1970’s, I’d meet up with friends to run in the Cleveland Metroparks. At about this time, I looked at a map and thought: wouldn’t it be cool to run the entire chain of parks that form the “Emerald Necklace” around Cleveland? It never occurred to me that the distance involved – 70 to 80 miles by my reckoning back then – would be a problem at all. I hadn’t yet run my first marathon at this point; distance was no big deal. The main reason I never attempted such a run is that I simply never got around to it. I figured the day for this would come, however.

Time passed. I moved away. I moved back. I ran marathons and dabbled in a couple ultras. As I found myself running in the metroparks again, I began thinking of running the Necklace again. But I still never got around to it. Perhaps the day would still come. Then I received the email about the “Green Jewel” 50k and 100k runs from Vince Rucci and Joe Jurczyk. That’s 31 and 62 miles for the metricly-challenged. This was what I’d been waiting for my entire running life that spans 33 or so years. Someone – guys who know how to put on races such as this – had finally gotten around to it.

So of course I was ecstatic. There was only one very small, itsy bitsy little problem: I’d have to fly to Lisbon, Portugal for work on that very same day. I picked the latest possible departure, 5:50pm, even though this would make for a more circuitous route – through Memphis and Amsterdam. 5:50 would give me ample time to finish, would it not?


• How late can Dan leave from North Chagrin Reservation and still make it to the airport in time for his international check-in? Figure 4pm, assuming a 45-minute trip, and the fact that international check-in in Cleveland really doesn’t require the two hours they say it does. Arriving at 4:45 ought to give me enough time.
• What time would Dan need to finish, in order to leave at 4pm? Say, 3:30 if Dan stops at a nearby friend’s house for a shower, or 3:45 if Dan was to attempt to clean up with baby-wipes, towels soap, and a couple gallons of water. Going home for a shower is so far out of the way that this idea was eliminated from the list of possible options. Add to the mix here that Dan would also need to bear in mind that the parking area was a half-mile away from the finish.
• Would Dan be capable of beginning the 5am race on time, and completing the 100k by 3:45pm? Now we’re getting to the meat of the matter. Here’s the math: Dan did two 50-mile runs in just about the same time: 8 hours, 25 minutes or so, roughly 10 minutes per mile. If Dan ran this same pace (not a sure bet), and then managed to run the final 12 miles at 10 minutes per mile, or two hours (also not a sure bet), that gives Dan a possible finishing time of about 10 and a half hours. And this would bring Dan in at 3:30pm. Cutting it a bit close, wouldn’t you say?
• Would any other alternatives be worth considering? Yes, but.. The most obvious and practical alternative was to run the 50k and call it a day. But Dan really wanted to do the whole enchilada. Another possibility was to begin 60 to 90 minutes early. Since it was a “fun run”, Vince said this would be ok. The only problem is that I’d have no support unless Debbie did it, or until I was slowing enough for the late aid stations to become situated. Thus the answer to this story problem is: Naaah.


The number of starters was somewhere in the teens. Among them was several very accomplished ultrarunners, some of whom I already knew. This didn’t matter too much to me; after all, I wouldn’t be contending for the win or anything of the sort. No, I only had to finish by 3:45. After a brief delay (causing me to think about running a second or two faster per mile), I kissed Debbie goodbye and away we went.

The run would be mostly on all purpose asphalt trail. There would be some roads and about 3 miles of towpath. The start was at the Rocky River Marina, and we were to proceed south through Rocky River and Mill Stream Run Reservations and then eventually east to Brecksville Reservation, Northeast through Bedford and South Chagrin Reservations before finally turning due north along Chagrin River Road to finish at North Chagrin Reservation. Debbie was to drop me off at the start, head home for a while and then meet me at the 49-mile aid station and support me from there until the finish. At that point she would, of course, drive me to the airport. This way, I would be able to stop and quit if 3:45pm was to occur before I arrived at the finish. I didn’t want to DNF, but I would if I had to in order to make my flight. Sound like a plan?

As of the start, the predicted rain seemed to be holding off. It did begin to drizzle after an hour or two. And then it almost never stopped. But early on it was light, and the temperatures were in the 60s, so it didn’t bother us much. I ran with the lead pack, generally Dave, Lloyd and Kevin. I was running much faster than necessary – about 8:30 to 8:45 per mile - but I felt fine and I didn’t think it would hurt me. Would it? Lloyd dropped back, and later on, Dave did as well. I ran several miles with Kevin, who’d done only one other ultra. He hadn’t even planned to go as far as 50k, but was only trying to do a long run in preparation for the Cleveland Marathon. I think he did manage to finish the 50k, but I’m not sure because he dropped back at about mile 26.

Now I was running alone, and a thought occurred to me: I could quit at 50k in Brecksville, and be the winner; the 50k champion! Although I’d won one other low-key ultra, another long-time goal of mine has been to actually win a race of any kind. No matter whether it’s some small fun-run; I just want to win! And I could do it by simply quitting as I came to the Brecksville aid station. The temptation was very strong. But so was the desire to do the whole Necklace. So whereas I was sure a couple of those ultra legends behind me would pass me up in the second half, relegating me to some kind of top-5 finish, I still wanted the whole enchilada.

So on I went. I had felt fine at that half-way point, and my time, something like 4:40, was downright good. This is just over 9 minutes per mile. I’d been running faster than this, but as always I’d lost a lot of time at the aid stations. I knew I’d slow down in the second half because the hills were much tougher there.

And so I did and so they were. Getting up into Bedford Reservation was tough, and my pace slowed considerably. I walked a couple of the very steep sections. But I was still moving forward, and I still saw no sign of Dave or Lloyd or anyone else except Vince and Joe. These guys worked their butts off, leapfrogging each other to set up the aid stations. Along the parkway past Bedford, Joe stopped to let me know that there would be none of the planned aid at mile 49 (Harper Rd), but that there would be aid at the last station at the Polo Grounds. I said this was fine because Debbie would be around to help me by that time.

The rain was making it tougher, and my miles slowed even more on the parkway. Now I was doing 9 and 10 minute miles, with a couple even slower. I still wasn’t worried – I told Debbie at 49 that I thought I’d make it, especially now that she was there to support me. 50 miles went by in 7 hours, 50 minutes. I picked up the pace going downhill through South Chagrin, but then slowed for some of the rolling hills along Chagrin River Road. I’d be on this beautiful but narrow and dangerous road for about 9 and a half of the final 11 miles. Debbie stopped every 2 or three miles to give me water and food. It was rolling terrain; I’d slow down or walk the uphill sections, but then run at a still decent pace for the downhills.

Just when I was starting to become really optimistic – about not only finishing, but possibly even winning – something really funny happened. Debbie disappeared! We’d agreed that she would meet me in the quaint village of Gates Mills for more aid, and I ran right through without seeing her at all. Oh well, I thought, maybe she’s just on up ahead. I went up an extremely long, tough hill; one that I hadn’t expected. I was walking in the now-driving rain when Vince drove by. We exchanged a couple words and agreed to see each other at the finish.

The big hill finally ended, and I crossed Mayfield Road, but one thing didn’t seem quite right. The sign there indicated that I was on Old Mill Road, whereas I thought I was to stay on Chagrin River Road. But I had certainly not made any turns, and surely Vince would have told me if I was off course. So I continued on across – I knew I was heading north, so things couldn’t be that bad, could they? Yes, they could. About a mile later I came to a “no outlet” sign. The only option was to turn left, but I knew that wasn’t correct either. I was at mile 59, and possibly nowhere near the finish! Worst of all, I didn’t have the slightest idea of what to do. Knock on someone’s door to ask directions? At that point God sent a cop down the road, so I flagged him down to ask directions. I knew I needed to get to North Chagrin Reservations just north of Wilson Mills Road. There was no easy way, but I could take the left back down to Mayfield Road, then take SOM Center road up to Wilson Mills and find the finish from there.

I knew that this was miles and miles out of my way. But, thought I, it’s the only sure way to get there. At least I was familiar with it. The skies opened up for the hardest rain yet. It came down sideways, and it now felt cold. But I was running fast. I was only doing 9-minute miles according to my GPS, but they were much faster than the previous 10 or so and they felt like some sort of land speed record. Would I make it in time? Where in the world did I go wrong? Would I even find Debbie?

At least the last answer was yes – she saw me as she was driving along SOM Center. We were both very surprised to see each other. I told her to park at the pool as instructed, and that I’d go and finish and then come back and we’d leave. I still didn’t know if I’d make it, but, eventually, I did. My GPS told me I’d done 64.5 miles in 10 hours, 25 minutes. I didn’t really expect a huge throng of people; this wasn’t quite like winning the Boston Marathon. But there was no one; not one person around. No one to acknowledge that I’d won. Very strange. I looked for a while, but eventually had to get going. It was 3:34 pm, and I still had to run the ½ mile back to the car. I started doing the baby-wipe thing at 4:40, doing some changing in the car as Debbie drove me to the airport. We called Vince to report my winning time; he was heading over to the finish.

Debbie and I figured out how I’d gotten off course: in Gates Mills Chagrin River Road turns right, goes across a bridge, and then continues north. In the rain I didn’t see the sign and just went straight. This was then Old Mill Road that took me up the hill. Debbie had parked and was walking over to the bridge to tell me about it, but I must’ve come by before she could get there from where she’d parked the other side.

I made it to the airport in time and I don’t think I smelled too bad. Baby wipes are wonderful. However, of all the suggested post ultramarathon recovery procedures, such as ice, rest and massage, spending 13 hours in airplanes and traveling through 4 airports immediately after the run is not one of those that is high on the list.

something of substance

After yesterday's long dreadmill run, I still wanted to get something of substance (read: speedwork) in for the week. But I also wanted to not do too much, and to get it done early in the week to give the ole legs time to recover for Saturday. I didn't feel too bad, so I ran to the track and did 4 x 1600 in an average of 6:28. Not bad at all. But it was tough. Glad to have this under my belt.

20 on the mill

I was watching the Boston Marathon tape and running at the same pace... almost. This wasn't a bad one, with the last 10 at marathon pace. 2:24 altogether.

simple steady solid speedwork

After Monday's really long run, I rested Tuesday, and then only did 2 easy 3-milers yesterday. So today it was back to hard running. I hit the track, and didn't do half bad. Mind you, these times are still slow, but the 'ole legs are still tired and sore, and at least things are going in the right direction. Yes, it was better than last week's speedwork by a bit.

It was the same 3 x (1600, 1200, 800) in the following times:

6:29, 4:52, 3:07, 6:31, 4:51, 3:06, 6:31, 4:48, 3:06