Running in the Rain

There was a steady rain as I went out the door for my 16-mile run Thursday. I managed to keep a steady, but fairly slow 8:45 pace througout. It wasn't pretty.

Yesterday it was raining and I didn't feel like fighting it so I stayed on the mill for 6. It wasn't pretty.

Today I met Dave and we ran on the towpath to Peninsula and back. That's 14 (in 1:57) but with the extra running around I'm calling it 15. Yes, it was in the rain. And on the towpath, rain = mud. It wasn't pretty.

The good news? I'm continuing (barely) to get 70 per week in.

Strength and Speed

A few posts ago I wrote about Speed and Strength, so this time it's the other way around. Sunday I ran 22 .9 mile laps on the NC24 route. I done good, averaging just under 8 minutes per mile. There were a couple stops however. So that was the strength.

After a couple shorter runs Monday and Tuesday morning I showed up for speedwork last night and also done good. I was able to (just about) keep up with Ladd and Frank as we did 6 x 800 in about 3:11 or so.

Things are looking up.

That's Not So Raven

“Nevermore” was a lie. Yes, I had actually spoken the word to a gaggle of three ravens sitting in a tree looking down at me. They didn’t say anything back – but they did have knowing gleams in their little black eyes. I had passed them once before, and at two hours, twenty minutes into my planned three hour run, I was headed back and figured I wouldn’t pass by this way again. Ravens are near the top of my list of really cool animals. They are highly intelligent, they get along fairly well with humans and they mate for life. The Native Americans in Northwestern North America revered them, consistently placing them atop their totem poles.

This run in Jasper National Park would be my long one for the week. I’d been running about 90 minutes per day here and in Canmore, near Banff, without a day of rest; remaining vertical for 3 hours would be a challenge. But the trails are so wonderful that it’s easy to forget being tired or beat up. I started out from our Pine Bungalows cabin along the Athabasca River at 4:20am. This far north and only a week away from the summer solstice, it was already fairly light. The sunset is also quite late – well after 10:30pm or so. We never see darkness.

I ran up the long driveway to my first trail – Bighorn Alley. I didn’t see bighorns or any other wildlife here. At the end of this trail I emerge onto the main road right by a bridge over the river. I take it and then immediately turn right onto trail number 7 which runs along the river heading west. This is a very scenic trail – the river is a beautiful aqua color, and the mountains were beautiful in the morning as always. Soon I come across a couple female elk headed over to the river. I stay well clear – I’d heard that they’re particularly nasty now that it’s calving season.

At 90+ minutes into my run, I’d crossed another bridge and was now back on my side of the river headed east into Jasper Townsite. Jasper is a nice town and there are trails galore here as well as everywhere else in the Canadian Rockies. I pass through town and then head back up some of those hilly trails to the north. After passing the ravens that second time, I still had more running to do. I went back to the north on trail 2a and witnessed more fantastic views before coming back around and unexpectedly passing under the ravens a third and final time. That’s why my statement to them had been a lie.

I made it back in exactly 3 hours. Then it was time to get ready for a long hike with Debbie. But that’s another story.

Running in the Rockies

That's the Canadian Rockies, by the way. We're spending a few days in Canmore, near Banff, and then a few more in Jasper, followed by one in Calgary.

Just before leaving I ran 7 on the mill and then 2 more on the trails in Heritage park. This was significant for two reasons: one because I saw two dead, decaying dear on the trail (kind of strange), and two because this enabled me to hit 70 miles for the week. That's the first of those in a long time. I'm gonna try to keep it going though.

Sunday's run goes under the category of "whoa, I didn't think I'd see that!". There are trails galore in Canmore, and generally all over the Canadian Rockies. I studied the trail maps intently before venturing out. As soon as I found the trailhead, I got lost on some dinky trails and thought: whoa, I didn't think I'd see that! Whilst I was lost, I looked up at the towering mountains that had been gray and misty in the early morning gloom, and I thought: whoa, I didn't think I'd see that--- The tops of the mountains were pink. BRIGHT PINK. It was from the sunrise, of course, but I certainly did not expect to see that color this morning. Then I saw and animal right in front of me on the trail. It was an elk, and it was as big as a draft horse. You can guess what I thought at that moment: whoa, I didn't think I'd see that! I eventually found my way onto the better maintained trails and got 90 minutes in.

Oh, the sights you'll see. Some of Monday's run was similar to Sunday's. A little lost, but not as much. More pretty pink mountaintops, but not as much. More elk, and this time they wouldn't get out of my way on the trail. I ran along the other side of the river for miles and miles. What a great place to run. Call it another 10 in 85 minutes.

Tuesday's run was not so good. It was raining and snowing, so I didn't use the dirt trails which would've been muddy. I therefore didn't see any elk. I was feeling tired and lousy anyway. But I somehow managed to stay vertical for 90 minutes. A miracle.

My first run in Jasper was a beauty: all along the Athabasca River. Like Banff and Canmore, there are trails all over the place. These were as fine as the others. I ran the ¾ mile up our road to the start of the Bighorn Alley trail. I took that to its end, near a bridge over the Athabasca River. After crossing it, I continued to follow it on the trail alongside. The return was a little faster: my splits were about 47 and 42 minutes.

My Thursday Run was a long one. See my separate post: That’s Not So Raven.

Finally I also got a run in on Friday before leaving for Calgary. It was also on the trails in Jasper, and at times I ran at a decent enough pace. Other times, of course, I ran slower. 85 minutes in all.

And that's about it for running on this trip. For more about the trip itself, including pictures, see Debbie and Dan's Travel Blog.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

To me this has running implications. When I'm doing speedwork, it means getting in the first part of a repetition at a good speed but without working very hard. Before my body figures out that, "hey, I'm working hard and I should be breathing hard and hurting!" When I'm doing a long run, it means getting out super early and getting the first part of the run in before my body even figures out that it's awake and running at all.

Of course there are other reasons for getting out early: it's cooler, there are no deerflies or other bugs before sunrise, There is less traffic, I can get finished earlier... I could go on. I have to get these early starts in even when I don't have any pressing work or other commitments. I realize that I'm insane about this, but there you have it.

For today's long run I managed to get out about a half hour earlier than I did for last week's disaster. I'm not sure how much difference that made, because it was cooler and I was better rested this week anyway. So I started my first of four six-mile laps on the Lester Rail Trail at about 4:20am. It was still very dark, and that slowed me down a bunch, despite my little flashlight. That 9++ minute per mile pace didn't matter too much for me; my goal is always to finish strong, not the other way around.

My goal, in fact, is always to run each 6-mile loop faster than the one before. It's fairly rare to be successful in this, but I try. I also used to try to get under 7 minute per mile pace for most of the final loop, but this hasn't happened in a long long long long time. Now it's tough to get close to eight minute pace. I wasn't too overly concerned about the numbers today. I just wanted to feel strong the whole way and thereby expunge last week's awful death march.

How did I do, you ask? After the first loop of 55:38 it began to get light, so I dropped off the flashlight and picked it up a bit. The second was much better: 51:34. Would I be able to pick it up yet again? I was and I did, but just barely: 51:09. Then came the final one. That's where I completely fell apart last time. Luckily it was still cool. And luckily I didn't feel too terrible - just a little tired and sore. As I headed east on the trail, I tried mightily to pick the pace up even more. It sure felt like I was running faster than before. Too bad the clock doesn't lie - I was right on almost exactly the same pace as I was for the previous lap. As I turned and headed back, I realized that I'd have to pick it up even faster. The funny thing is that I did. Barely once again, but I did: 50:53 (so each loop did indeed get faster) to finish in 3:29.

That's only a few minutes better than last week's time, but I feel way better about it.

Balance

Yes, life is a balancing act. Work, school, home life, family and social activities all need to be coordinated in a balanced way. Someone once said there are seven ports of life (not sure what they all were, but the above bunch are probably five of them), and your ship can only visit some of the ports at certain times. You can sail to more than one in a given period of time, but not all, and it's certain that you'll spend more time at some of the ports than others. Finally, the ones you concentrate on change at various stages of your life. All part of the balance. Makes you think about President Obama's job.

I'd have to say that for me, at least, running is one of the important ports of life. I devote a lot of time to reading, writing, planning (the 24-hour event) my running, not to mention actually pounding the pavement and trails. Even this time has to be balanced with the rest of my life, and even within itself. For example, I try to run some speedwork and something long every week. I know that I can't do these too close together - I've got to balance the weekly schedule so as to allow for rest time as well as all the running. The original plan was to do the usual Tuesday track with the gang, and then a longer run later in the week. In the process I'd try to keep the weekly mileage up in the mid-sixties. All a matter of balance.

Tuesday track didn't happen. I'd had a hamstring problem, and was called to work at the store anyway. So today (Wednesday) I did 7 outside before hitting the mill for 6 1200's. I could've hit the track, but I wanted a decent amount of mileage, and as the rain began, I decided to do the rest inside. I *think* I should be able to recover ok in time for a long run on Friday.

The hamstring? I got that whilst running on the North Park trails on Monday. Half-way through the run I tripped on a rock that was sticking out of the trail by 1/16 inch. I stumbled forward for several steps, but barely managed to keep my balance and not hit the ground. What I did do, though, was pull that right ham. Had to limp home. I'm a little better now, but I'll need to be very careful with my speedwork.

So Monday's run was a matter of balance too. I didn't fall, so I kept my balance. On the other hand, hitting the ground may have been preferable to this injury.

Weekend

Another wild weekend in Cleveland. At least the Cavs lost, so that's one less thing to be concerned about.

Friday we had Kathy and Mike over for pizza.

Saturday it was running on the towpath with Dave and Amy (12 or so at 8:45 or so pace). This was followed by work, then Austin's graduation party (good to see everyone), then Iris and Mike's for the final disasterous Cavs game (but good to see them too).

Sunday Dave and I did his 10 mile loop at better than 8:30 pace and then we worked on his deck for the rest of the day.

Speed and Strength

You guessed it: I need to work on both. It's tough to do both at the same time however. I usually like to have worked on strength throughout the winter, and then begin on the speedwork in the spring. This usually enables me to gradually work into the summer racing season, and then still do a marathon or two as they pop up. But with the injuries, sickness and travel, neither my strength nor my speed is where it should be. Not that I'm not working on them.

I showed up for Tuesday track determined to do better than last time. I should have been - I was fairly well rested this time. And I guess you can say it was decent. This time it was 200's with only a few seconds rest in between. I did ok, but of course I'm still the slowest, by far, of the faster group. I did about 17, but the rest of the group did 24. At least I'm moving in the right direction. I'm sure this Tuesday speedwork is or will be helping me.

This morning it was an attempt at strength: four 6-mile loops on the Lester Rail Trail. The only problem is that it wasn't very strong. At least the finish wasn't. The first three laps went swimmingly well: 52, 51 and 52 minutes, respectively. The fourth got to me though. It was as bad a death march as ever: 58 minutes and that didn't count some of the stops.. I should've quit after 18 instead of toughing it out. As it wound up, this was very nearly a PW on this course. Here are the numbers from my training log:


Date Distance Time Course ID
9/2/2005 24 207 Lester Rail Trail 24
9/6/2005 24 201.5 Lester Rail Trail 24
9/7/2005 24 199 Lester Rail Trail 24
10/19/2005 24 201 Lester Rail Trail 24
6/15/2006 24 186.5 Lester Rail Trail 24
7/7/2006 24 185 Lester Rail Trail 24
8/16/2006 24 185.5 Lester Rail Trail 24
4/14/2007 24 197 Lester Rail Trail 24
6/4/2007 24 201.5 Lester Rail Trail 24
6/11/2007 24 197.5 Lester Rail Trail 24
7/29/2007 24 209.5 Lester Rail Trail 24
8/29/2007 24 199 Lester Rail Trail 24
7/1/2008 24 202 Lester Rail Trail 24
7/14/2008 24 197.5 Lester Rail Trail 24
8/4/2008 24 213.5 Lester Rail Trail 24
9/21/2008 24 202 Lester Rail Trail 24
4/18/2009 24 212.5 Lester Rail Trail 24
5/28/2009 24 213 Lester Rail Trail 24

Other stuff going on: not much work, but I did join facebook. And --- I have lots of "friends"! There is also a great deal of activity surrounding the NorthCoast24 run. I talked to the Cleveland West Road Runners club about it last night.

I'll probably stay up to watch the Cavs one last time tonight. I guess..

Holiday Weekend

Lots going on. Valerie flew in on Saturday. After some middle eastern food, we went to Charles Elkins' wine tasting party to benefit the Colitis/Cron's Disease foundation. Besides Charles and Tara, we saw several other friends from the MCRR. And of course tasted some wine.

Sunday was barbeque day. But first, in the morning, Debbie, Valerie and I went to Hinckley to walk and run around the lake. Yes, Valerie is running again these days. The family came over in the afternoon and we had ribs and chicken amongst other stuff. All good, as always. That night was the Cavs game, and they lost. Bummer.

On Monday morning Valerie and I went for another mile run around the hood. Of course afterward I had to make the required banana pancakes. All too soon thereafter it was time to take Valerie to the airport for her trip back to Chicago. Debbie and I then walked a nice walk in the Wallace Lake area in Berea. In the evening we went to Kathy and Mike's for more visitationing.

Running wise, it was a good weekend. I've alredy mentioned the Wooster 5k in a separate post, as well as a couple miles with Valerie in this post. In addition, on Sunday I did my 11 mile loop at a little slower than 8 minute pace, and today I did the 12-mile North Park run in 95 minutes. That's a PR for that course, although I've only officially done it 4 times. Still pretty encouraging. Now I'm pretty tired and sore. I'll need a bit of downtime now. I'll go easy on myself until tomorrow's speedwork.

Wooster Wellness 5K

You knew this wouldn't be pretty. And it wasn't. But I was happy to just make it to the starting line - not to mention the finish. Why do 5K's seem so long?

It turned out to be a nice morning, probably in the low 60s. I did the first mile in 6:40+, the second hilly one in just over 7, and the last 1.1 in 7 and a half or so. I finished in something like 21:20. At least it's not a PW.

This was my first race in the Subway/Ohio Challenge Series. I won't be challenging too many folks this year - I was 5th or 6th in my age group. But I have to get 7 in, and this was a start.

Trails

Since my last post was called Track, I decided to name this one Trails. There aren't many trails within running distance, but I did get to some today. It's 4 miles to North Park, then 2 loops of 2 miles on the trails there before heading home. So only 4 out of 12 miles of dirt. At least it's something. I definitely need to start putting in a greater percentage of my miles on softer surfaces.

The 12 weren't bad at all - mostly at 8 1/2 pace or better. It helped that yesterday was an off day, and I'd only done 3 easy ones on Wednesday.

Still thinking about what to do tomorrow - probably a 5k in the race series.

Track!

Yes, two days after the marathon I was on the track. This after almost no speedwork all year. But peer pressure from Connie did it. As it turned out, it wasn't pretty, and I certainly didn't set any speed records. But I was happy to get out and do it anyway. It certainly beat the alternative.

Where Can I Find Payne?

I parked on Payne Street, east of East 13th street for today's Cleveland Marathon. It turned out to be a long way from the start, and a much longer way from the finish. Not that the start and finish are that far apart, mind you. More on this later.

The Medina County Road Runners met up at the Free Stamp for a group picture. I just made it after a good warmup run from my faraway parking spot. Good to see everyone. I also saw plenty of my other good friends at the starting area. I told everyone that I wasn't in shape and just wanted to finish. When pressed, I said that maybe I'd go out at 8:30 pace.

Well that didn't happen. I went out at just under 8 minute pace. And I felt good. The temperature, which was in the upper 40s and lower 50s was great. It was sunny and clear. The only problem was the wind. It was tough the whole way, and never felt like it was at my back. But I held that 8 minute pace through 23 miles before the wheels fell off and I started my death march. Those last 3 were simply awful. Nothing particularly wrong - I was just shot. I finished in 3:35 or so. SO... Better than expected - but I didin't like that march of death at the end.

As soon as I finished, I talked with a couple friends a bit and then had to get to the store. That's when I couldn't find Payne. As mentioned, it was a long way, and it doesn't go all the way through to downtown. There I was, limping around and asking anyone else I saw if they knew where Payne was. "Where can I find Payne?" I would say. (I actually did add "street"!) All they had to do was point to me.

I did eventually find it and get to the store. And now I'm still in Payne.

Yiannis Kouros, Bart Yasso, and other Stuff

I had a nice conversation with Yiannis Kouros. He happens to be the greatest ultramarathoner of all time. After Joe Jurczyk had initially contacted him, I was trying to get him to do the NC24. It was a nice conversation, but he needs his expenses paid as well as appearance money, and we're still a poor race without sponsorship, so it won't work for now. Oh well - maybe some day we'll get that sponsorship.

I had a nice conversation with Bart Yasso. This was actually part of his speaking engagement with the MCRR. It was a nice talk. I'll also email him about his take on sponsorship after talking about it during the meeting.

Other stuff going on:

I ran abour 4 miles with Ladd, Marsha and some of the other MCRR gang before the meeting. I also did 2 more this morning. Got the Cleveland Marathon tomorrow.

Speaking of the marathon, I'm just hoping to avoid a PW.

Also speaking of the marathon, I volunteered to help with packet pickup this morning.

Also speaking of the marathon, I have to work at the store immediately afterwords tomorrow.

I haven't been around there much for the last few weeks - first there was Hawaii, then Peru, and last week I was swamped with work.

Achieving Eightness

Oh, I do it now and then. It's fairly common on the dreadmill, and I've done it on shorter runs. I also do it for parts of longer runs. But it's still fairly rare these slow days, and it's even rarer to do it for an entire run of any decent distance.

So I was happy to do 10 miles in exactly 80 minutes today. Now that included a little light speedwork, but it was still a pretty decent accomplishment for 2009.

My speedwork was 4 x 1200 at about 5:25 pace. Pretty pedestrian, but any speedwork these days is better than none.

Egads, I've Got a Marathon in a Week. I'd Better Train

Yes, the rest theory will be put to the test for my run at the Cleveland Marathon on Sunday. Altough I tried to get moving yesterday, I could only manage 4 miles. Today I was actually able to run 20 - 10 out followed by 10 on the mill. Not one of my greatest runs, but I managed to get through it. I have the morning time because I'm working 10-7 all week. Good for finding time to run, but very bad for everything else in my life. At least I'm home.

Running in Peru – My Final Run for the Trip and Sort of a Summary

I’d had hopes of doing another long run this week - the Cleveland Marathon is looming. But those pesky Peruvian germs got me again - yesterday I caught a sudden cold. I wasn’t about to miss this final opportunity for a run during this trip, but I would probably have to do it slower and easier than I would’ve liked. So I start slowly down the hill from the hotel and then onto the now familiar road that loops around the golf course.

I can’t say that my running in Peru has been great. My post about my first run here chronicled my circuit along with the accompanying pollution and traffic challenges. I’d gotten some decent mileage in that first week, including a slow 20-miler. That’s when the germs got me the first time causing that major GI problem. By the time I recovered, I was in Cusco, where at 11,000 feet, all I could do was shuffle around for a couple miles. (The picture above is actually of me shuffling in Cusco.) When I returned to Lima, I was suddenly running better than before I was sick. Monday I did 4 of the 2.85-mile golf course loops in record times, and Tuesday I also ran well, logging a solid 9.

Yes, after 15 to 20 circuits, the old loop around the golf course is very familiar now. The golf course, like everything else in Lima, is surrounded by walls. Starting at 5:30am, there is very little traffic, and I can do some of the running on the asphalt roads. Later, as the traffic builds I have to move to the concrete sidewalks for the entire way. There are four places where I have to cross the road, and this gets more dicey as the morning wears on – the traffic volume reaches a crescendo by 7am, but I’m finishing up by then. I run by the walls, the armed guards at the gates, the other runners (Peruvian and not) and of course the increasing traffic. Today I do 3 circuits, each one a bit faster. The last two loops are under 23 minutes – pretty good for me in this day and age.

Now it’s light out and I’ve got between 8 ½ and 9 miles in. I’ve got a little more time but I don’t want to fight the traffic and exhaust on another loop of the golf course. Instead I finish up on a 2++ mile loop of the mountain road by the hotel. It’s not really up on top of the mountain – it’s really just built into the side of it. It’s winding and hilly, and the traffic isn’t bad. I finish this in a decent 19 minutes to give me 11 total miles in 90 minutes. With my cold, this was better than expected, and the best pace for any of my running in Peru.

For more on Peru, See the old travel blog, horvaths travels.

Running in Peru

Here is a chronical of my running during my trip to Peru in April and May 2009. It may not be as Exciting or exotic as you may think based on the subject. On the other hand, I don't want it to get too Exciting.

For more on Peru, see the old travel blog.

That travel blog will also help explain the sudden stop in my running (hint: it rhymes with food poisoning).

Tuesday, April 21
Eight miles in 2 loops of the golf course. See my separate post on my first run in Peru.

Wednesday, April 22
I did 3 loops for 9 miles total in 78 minutes. Each 2.8x mile loop was about the same: 24:4x. Not too bad. Don't like all the concrete on the sidewalks though.

Thursday, April 23
This time I got an early did 4 loops. Woohoo. The lap times got better with each one, and this is something I ususally try for. It's still a little discouraging that it's so difficult to run any faster. I guess I'm just an old fat bald guy who tries to run, and there's nothing I can do about it. So it wound up as 12 miles in 1:45.

Friday, April 24
Decided to try something new today. It appears that it may be possible to get up the mountain that the hotel is built into, but that the road is from the other side. I tried to find it by running around the mountain, and I think I did find it. I didn't go up, however, because it looked too dangerous - no sidewalks or any other place to run but the road. I did a bit more around the side of the golf course and headed back. Call is a slow 5.

Saturday, April 25
Waking up with nausea in the middle of the night? Diarrea in the morning? Not good omens for a long run. But it was now or never - I had to go. I suppose it could've been worse. It was certainly slow, but surprisingly steady, with most of the 2.85 mile lap times within a minute of each other - even the last few. It was getting very hot at the end, but I made it. Six of the loops and then extra on the mountain road. 20 in 3:02 or so.

Monday, April 27
I didn't feel well most of the weekend, but this morning wasn't so bad. I proceeded very slowly, however. I did some back and forth on the mountain road and then one loop around the golf course. 6 miles in 57 minutes or so.

Thursday, April 30
Finally feeling almost human, I went out and ran 2 miles on the mountain road. Slow, but at least I could run.

Saturday and Sunday, May 2 and 3
At 11,000 feet, running in Cusco would be a challenge. Especially for me, having just arrived and breathing heavily just while sitting around. And having just gotten over being deathly ill. So this wouldn't be my best running. In fact, all I did was shuffle around town, walking and running. You could hardly call it running at all, but I will. Call it a walk-run mile for each of the two days. Took the camera and some pics too.

Monday, May 4
I've heard that you need 3 weeks at altitude to begin to achieve positive training effects. I had 3 days. Did it help? Well, I did have an excellent run today - my best in Peru so far. But then maybe it was just that I hadn't done a serious run in a week. Anyway, 4 loops, 12 miles in 100 minutes. Pretty good going! Loop times were: 25:02, 24:00, 23:25, 22:27. The last two were PRs.

Tuesday, May 5
I was a little tired and just a bit sore. But I wanted another good run today. Too bad I had a later start and only had time for 9 miles instead of 12. I did it in 75.5 minutes, so I'm still doing well. Maybe 12 tomorrow. Two golf course loops of 24:24 and 23:17. For the last three I did the mountain road loop (about 2.5 miles) and some extra. All in all, things are looking up, running-wise.

Thursday, May 7
I did 11 miles in 90 1/2 minutes. Pretty good going. See separate post for more on this one. The 3 loops were: 24:11, 22:55, 22:50 and the last 2.5 was 19:17.

My First in Peru

"Don't run there. They'll kidnap you." That was the word from two of my coworkers who had come here before me. Since being held for ransom is not being high on my list of life's enjoyable activities, I naturally took notice. I did some research and learned that there is a lot of crime in Lima, but mostly robberies and non-violent stuff. I talked to a runner who sat next to me on the plane, who had run here before with no problems, and who also said that the area around my hotel, the Hotel & Spa Golf Los Incas, is safe. Finally, I talked with the hotel folks, and they also said it was safe.

So armed with that information, and my own, "I don't not run" attitude, out I went for my first run this morning. It may not surprise you that the Hotel & Spa Golf Los Incas is near a golf course. It's actually built into a hillside overlooking the links. I can see the entire course from my 14th floor room.

The first thing I notice is the smog. Lima is on the coast, and is shielded by mountains to the east. It’s not unlike LA. And like LA, the smog is trapped by the surrounding mountains. Also like LA, but maybe more like Phoenix, it’s hot and dry here. It’s been in the 80s during the days and upper 60s and 70s at night. This morning it was probably well above 70. So that morning warmth is the second thing I notice.

I run down the hill to the road that loops around the golf course. I can’t see the course from here. It’s entirely walled in. Most of the neighborhoods on other side are walled in as well. So there isn’t much to see, other than the sidewalk, the road(s) and traffic, and some pedestrians. The pedestrians, surprisingly, include several other runners. And they don’t appear to be touristas either. This is good to see. I wave and say, buenas dias to the oncoming runners. Most respond in kind.

I only have to cross a couple streets during my loop around. I did run through one shopping area and around one traffic circle. I finish the loop in a bit over 26 minutes, so it must be about 3 miles – just about what I thought. I loop around again, and this time the traffic is much heavier. I do this one in 24 minutes, so it must be shorter than 3. I finish going back up the hill to the hotel, and then another couple miles going further up the hill from there before heading back down. I’m pretty hot and sweaty by the time I finish.

No kidnapping to report. In fact, it was pretty much an average old run, except for the pollution. I’m just happy to be able to run. Here's a link to the map of one loop:

Map

Later in the day I mentioned my running to some of my clients, and one lady told me about a race here in Lima. The conversation went like this:
Liliana (and/or others in the group): Do you run marathons?
Dan: Yes I do.
Liliana: There’s going to be a marathon here in Lima on the 3rd of May.
Dan: The 3rd of May? I’ll still be here. I’m going to do it. Are you?
Liliana: I may. Some of my friends are doing it. It is for, how do you say it? Women’s rights.
Dan: Do you have to be a woman to run it, or can men run too?
Liliana (and everyone else): Lots of raucous laughter. (I hadn’t intended it to be a joke.) Yes, men can run too. There are two categories: runners and those who aren’t serious runners.
Dan: Oh, you mean walkers? It takes a long time to walk a marathon.
Liliana: Yes, five kilometers is a long way.
Dan: Oh. You mean it’s one of those 5K marathons?
Liliana: Yes.
Dan (a little dejected): I guess I’ll probably run anyway.

This conversation could have happened in the U.S. 25 years ago – before everybody and their mother started running the 42.2K type marathons. It may be fun anyway. If I do run the race, you’ll hear about it.

Solid Six

Six decent miles before heading out. It's all I had time for.

Twenty-Four

Yes, it's the number of hours in a day. It's also the number of hours that will be run for the NorthCoast 24-Hour Endurance Run that I (along with several others) have been working so hard on. And it's official now: our run is also the U.S. 24-hour run national championship. For more, see the website: www.northcoast24.org.

And twenty-four is at least one other thing: it's the number of miles I ran today. This is a big deal for me after such a terrible winter of running. I believe it's my longest run in about 6 months.

With temperatures rising from the upper 30s to the lower 40s as the sun came up, conditions were perfect for a nice long run. The Lester Rail Trail was as pretty as always. I did 4 6-mile loops.

It was slow, but steady - most miles were between 8:30 and 9. The last few were a struggle, but I made it intact. Very encouraging.

Week of April 12, 2009

Sunday
After yesterday's fairly long run, I had some grand plans of another one today. Didn't happen. I was EXTEMELY tired. Not sore, just tired. Almost sleeping on the run. I only made it 8 slow miles on Substation, followed by another 2 on the mill.

Tuesday
I was tired after yesterday's all-day trip to Amish country with Dave and Carol. So once again I had planned to do more, but wound up with only 10 very slow miles.

Wednesday
I was bound and determined that come hell or high water, I was gonna run 20 miles today. I took one step outside and realized that there was indeed high water - a cold rain. My favorite. So I stepped on the mill. And I done fairly good - 20 miles at a steady sub-8 pace (zero elevation). I didn't have to hold on too much and I even felt like I coulda done more.

Friday
20 minutes of old, tired running on a nice day at noon. Don't know why the old body's so tired today. Must be spring fever.

Saturday
24 on the Lester Rail Trail. See separate post.

Week of April 5, 2009

Sunday: After all that travel... I didn't feel all that bad. I even woke up early. So I hit the old 16-mile route. I started off at a bit better than 8 1/2 minute pace, and managed to hold that most of the way. I did slow some for miles 11-14, but then picked it up once more. Splits were 67, 68, so I finished in 2:15, the best in a while. Nice Ohio morning, even though it was cool. Nice sunrise.

Wednesday: There's been snow and cold lately, so I haven't been running. This was to change today, as I planned a 20 miler. Since it was still cold and yucchy, I just got on the mill. Turned out that I started a bit late and ran out of time. Not that it was a stellar performance anyway: after starting well and even doing some 7:30 miles, I hit the wall at about 12. After that I was just limping through. I got to 18 before calling it quits. This was a little disappointing.

Thursday: Yes, of course I was tired and sore. But I did make it through my 6-mile course at 9-minute pace. I'll take it.

Friday: 3 tired miles on the mill. Nuthin much else goin on.

Saturday: I met Dave and Amy in the valley for our usual Saturday run that hasn't been so usual lately because I've been out so much. Today was back to normal - at least for today - I'll be out some more starting next week. It was good to get on the ole towpath once again. We also ran up to Brandywine falls and did the bike&hike trail and the old carriage trail. All of it was fairly slow but nice. I'm calling it 17 to make 60 for the week.

Wailua Falls! Slowly I Turn...

I still remember the old Three Stooges skit. Someone inadvertently says, “Niagara Falls”, and another person (Moe?) goes bonkers, saying, “Niagara Falls! Slowly I turn. Step by step. Inch by inch…” and then he beats the bejeebers out of the first guy. Come to think of it, this routine may be even be something that was old when the Stooges got hold of it. Maybe it’s from the Vaudeville days.

Wailua Falls is taller than Niagara, but has a teensy bit less water. There was some discussion about this in my guide-book, and that’s what got me thinking about the skit. It’s one of hundreds, or perhaps thousands here on Kauai. Some are bigger, some smaller. Wailua is famous because you can walk-up, paddle-up or drive-up to it. In fact, the road goes right up next to the top of the falls. And this, of course, is the object of today’s run.

I venture out into the early morning darkness from the Kauai Marriott and onto Rice Street. I’m immediately faced with a huge hill that will take me up into the town of Lihue. There isn’t much traffic this early, but I know it’ll be getting busier about the time I return. When I do see some cars coming towards me, I head onto the sidewalk, and bleccch, face-first into some rather strong cobwebs that had been strung across the path, between some bushes. Strangely, I’d had this exact same experience whilst running this same course last Sunday. Even though I was going the opposite direction, it seemed like it was this very same spot. Hey, maybe it was the very same spider. If so, I’ll bet he’s mighty P.O.’d by now.

I make my way through town and down a big hill just before Ma’alo, the road to the falls. Based on my measurements when I ran this course four years back, I know that it’s 3 miles to this point, and then it will be 4 more to the falls at the end. When I ran this way the other day, I got here in 26 ½ minutes. Today it is 25 ½.

Relative to the volume and intensity of my running before coming to Hawaii, I’ve been running my ‘Okole off since then. It’s been two whole weeks of running each day, including a pretty solid mid-distance effort at least every other day. This run will be a solid one if my ‘ole legs can continue to handle this pace.

Now I’m on dark, dark Ma’alo Road. There are no residences the entire way, just shrubs, trees and an occasional happy cow-in-paradise. I brandish my little flashlight to see where the heck I’m going. The initial big hill slows me down for the first mile, but then I manage to pick it up again.

After 3 dark miles, I see some lights. They are coming from pickup trucks driving slowly and shining flashlights into the bushes on the sides of the road. I don’t quite understand – are they hunters? I’ve heard it’s wild boar hunting season. If that’s what’s going on, is it legal to hunt with flashlights? I do my best to not look boarish, or boaring. But I do try to be seen, and I say, “morning” as I pass by. I hear some response from a couple of the trucks, but I can’t quite hear what it is. I keep running.

Finally I reach the falls at the end of the road in 59 ½ minutes – 2 faster than the other day. Oh, what measurement and motivation can do. It’s barely getting light at 6am, and I stop to admire the falls and stretch just a bit. The wild chickens-in-paradise, of which there are many, have started to crow. Other birds have started to sing their exotic songs. I reflect a bit that Debbie and I have been to six out of the seven inhabited Hawaiian Islands. Kauai is fantastically beautiful, and full of bountiful wonders like these falls. Yes, it definitely ranks in the top six.

Now it’s time to go back the way I came. Down, mostly, into town, and then down to the Marriott. I pass by the hunters again, and there are even more of them now. Many are parked, but some are still “patrolling”. As I pass by the mile markers, I can tell that I’m almost achieving “eight-ness”. That’s no small feat for me these days, especially on these tired legs.

Going back up the hill into town slows me down, but once again I’m able to recover. I stop to admire the wonderful sunrise. The sky is aglow with pastel colors – blue, pink and peach to name a few. Now it’s back down the hill to the Marriott. My legs sure do ache, but I’m getting there. I reach the hotel in 57 ½ minutes – pretty solid.

Time to pack and return home to Ohio. With thoughts, of course, of returning yet another time.

Hawaii - 2009

ICan'tBelieveILiveHere.com
That's the name of Rita and George's imaginary website. They may actually register it yet, and I hope they do. We had the honor to stay with Rita, George and Chessie (aka Kitty in Paradise) for the first couple nights of our 2009 trip. We didn't plan anything big - just a visit.

Unfortunately, Rita had experienced a death and an illness in her family. It was a tough time to be visiting. She was in the midst of planning to go back to Ohio the same evening that we'd be leaving for Kauai. George was recovering (well) from his knee surgery. In spite of this, we had a nice visit. Rita prepared some nice meals, and we took a grand walk along all of the Kameole beaches in Kihei. A highlight was seeing a whale breach just as we took a rest at the farthest point. George said he could hear the thing flop back into the water. Dinner that night was at Cafe Ole - a wonderful place that we'd been to before.

Rita and I had a very nice run before we had to go on Sunday morning. Sad to go, but it was on to Kauai, and Rita had things to do to get ready for her own trip.

Nualolo/Nualolo Cliffs/Awa-awapuhi Trail Hike
This was some hike. We'd been planning it for months, and it was everything we thought and hoped it would be, and more.

The early part was extremely muddy, and extremely downhill. It was more of a climb than a hike. A climb through mud. After 3.8 miles of thick, slippery muck, and nearly four hours of hiking, we reached the Lolo Vista viewpoint. It was indescribable. Such grandeur to look out upon the Na Pali coastline from the top of the cliffs. It might as well have been top of the world.

After backtracking a bit, the 2.1 mile Cliffs trail was fine, except for one eroded section where we had to literally hug the side of the cliff to get by. Treacherous doesn't begin to descibe the feeling of being inches away from a 2,000 foot drop.

The lookout from the end of the Awa-awapuhi Trail was the most spectacular yet. Simply fantastic. Then it was time to go back up for 3+ final miles of the 9.8. It was a steady uphill hike, not as steep as the climb down. But we were extremely tired and had to stop often.

We made it out alive. It took us over 9 hours - that's about 1 mile per hour - and we were exhausted as I ran down to get the car. What a day.

The Lady Adventurer and I were pretty durn sore for the next day or three.

Island Cars
This was our car rental company. Hertz, Avis, National, etc. are all available, but I decide to save some money with this outfit. I did probably save about $150, but what an experience. We wound up driving a complete wreck. It was so bad it was funny. The guy did tell us that we could swap it for a better one in a couple days, and that we did. Even then we had a problem with the newer car over-heating. I found the loose coolant cap and replaced it after filling it up, and then it was fine. So I guess it all worked out, and we still saved the money.

General Sightseeing
We've been checking out some of the same stuff we've seen on other trips, and also some new stuff, like a waterfall we'd never seen before. The same stuff included home-of-the-magic-dragon Hanalei area (although we'd never before walked that particular beach), Kilauea Lighthouse and Haena/Ke'e Beach. Ke'e beach gets my vote as the world's most beautiful. (Trunk Bay on St. John is second.) We walked it and gawked at the nearby Na Pali cliffs all along. We couldn't believe that we'd actually been on top of them a few days prior. Whenever I see those cliffs I'm always amazed that such an other-worldly place exists. We also saw a couple endangered Hawaiian Monk Seals sunning themselves on the beach there.

Timeshare Presentation
Yes, we'll listen for money. $100 in this case. It was at the Marriott's Waiohai in Poipu. We'd stayed there 24 years back, before it was leveled by a hurricane. Interesting to see, but timeshares don't make no sense at all to me, no matter how nice they are.

Our Marriott
Speaking of Marriotts, ours in Lihue is as nice as ever. We've got a fantastic view of the ocean from our 11th floor room. As nice a home away from home as you can get. Great gardens too. You should see them feed the koi.

Other Hikes
Nothing as big-time as that first big time hike described above, but we're doing other stuff as well. Lots of walking around the resort area, and then some other dirt trail hikes as well. One was the Kuilau Ridge Trail, which was near the middle of the island. The very middle is Mt. Waialeale, the wettest spot on the planet. We weren't far - the mountain was, as always, shrouded in clouds only a few miles to the west of our trail. But we stayed dry for this very scenic and relatively gentle hike. I think I speak for both myself and the Lady Adventurer in saying that we'd happily do this one again.

The Pihea Trail to Alakai Swamp sounded like it would be great hike. Unfortunately, it was raining and very cold (54F) as we started out. And then there was the muddy downhill slope. Not this again. The mud, combined with the cold rain forced us to turn back. The view of the Kalalau valley along the way was awesome as ever, even in the rain.

Just a couple miles back down the road, it was sunny again. We started on a Waimea Canyon hike. The trail descended deep into the canyon, and we turned back after a half hour or so. The best views were from the top, but at least we got a workout coming back up.

The Weather
In general, it never got hotter than about 76 or so. Never colder than about 68 (except at the start of the Pihea Trail in the rain at 4,000 feet. I think that Kauai is best in the summer - for a tropical island, it feels pretty cool in the winter and early spring. And we've had some on and off rain. One day Debbie and I started off on a walk from the resort amongst very bright sunshine and perfect blue skies. Wouldn't you know it? By the time we were about a mile away, a sudden rain storm drenched us. A Marriott coutesy shuttle came by and courteously picked our drowned-rat selves up.

Another experience was sitting down to watch the movie, "South Pacific" on the beach at our resort - they had set up a screen, loudspeakers, chairs, etc. The movie was filmed here 50 years ago, so it was appropriate. After some earlier rain, the skies were clear and there was a pretty sunset. Just after the credits came an airplane scene followed by the song, "Bloody Mary", and with that, the rain. In we went, saying we'll rent it and watch it in our dry basement.

Debbie was really pissed. "Where are all the %#$^* rainbows?" We'd been here a week and hadn't seen a single one. And we'd had plenty of rain AND sunshine, often both at the same time. Last I checked, those ARE the main ingredients. Finally we did see a nice bright one from our lanai. Then another the very next day in the Kalalau valley. Maybe they've been around all along and we just hadn't seen them.

Sunsets have not been overwhelmingly beautiful; it's often cloudy in the afternoons and evenings. The sunrises, however, have been sublime. The whole sky has been taking on watercolor/pastel hues, much to my enjoyment during my daily morning runs.

Allerton Garden
$45 each for a garden tour? And it was worth it? Yes, and yes. The Allerton Garden was truly beautiful, and Wendy the guide made it an experience to remember. It shows what an extremely rich guy who likes plants can do. Also included were some of the areas filmed in Jurassic Park - watch out for those raptors!

The Ends of the Earth
We all know it's Polihale, the wind-swept, sun-baked 17-mile beach on Kauai's western shore. Looking west from here, there's absolutely nothing but blue Pacific Ocean for thousands of miles. That wasn't totally true for us this time, since we weren't able to drive to where the road goes through the park - it was closed. So we were actually facing southwest, and could see Ni'ihou from here. But this stretch of sand feels like the end of the planet no matter what. You can walk for miles and hardly see a soul.

We pulled into a parking area and began putting lotion and otherwise getting ready for our beach walk. No other cars around. After I closed the trunk I asked Debbie if she had the keys. You can guess where this is going: car open, keys locked in the trunk. After much consternation, Debbie was able, with me prying the seat away, to reach behind the back seat and use a hiking pole to snare her key-containing purse.

After our beach walk and picnic, we had shave ice for the first time. Not bad stuff.

Restaurants
Duke's is great. Portofino is ok. Roy's, which we remember as the best Hawaii restaurant chain, was good but not as great as we remembered. Buffets at our Kukui's were very good, but too much. Gaylords in Kilohana was the best all-around. Our last day we went to the hole-in-the-wall Lihue BBQ, and it was really great. And it was also a fraction of the cost of the other joints.

All in all, we had a great time. As always. Time to start planning our next trip back!

Running in Paradise

I'll chronical all of my running in Hawaii here. It'll be two weeks worth of running, some descriptive and some not so much so.

Running in Hawaii is like so many other activities in Hawaii. A true pleasure. Yes, it's running in paradise. We spent the first two nights staying with our friends Rita and George on Maui, and then the next twelve nights in the Lihue area of Kauai.

Saturday, March 21
After the previous day's long trip, I didn't feel too awful. I'd planned to do this run with Rita (George is still recovering from knee surgery), but Rita needed to sleep in. So I went out alone. Rita and George live in Kihei. When we used to stay at a Maui hotel, we weren't too far down the road in Wailea. So that's the direction I ran. It was like old times - almost like going home again, to run past the old Renaissance hotel that's now being torn down. I also ran on the Wailea ocean path for a while and looked for whales. An easy 10 miles in about 90 minutes. Great stars. Beautiful sunrise.

Sunday, March 22
This time I did manage to run with Rita. I did 2 on my own first, but then the two of us ran towards Wailea once again. We started at 9.5 mpm pace, and then picked it up to 8.5 pace for the return. So once again it was 10 miles in 90 minutes, this time verified by Rita's gps. Great stars. Beautiful sunrise.


Monday, March 23
Now in Kauai, I thought I'd do this 14 mile run that I'd done several times last time I was here (2005). It takes me up Rice street, through downtown Lihue, and eventurally up a dark deserted road to Wailua falls. Only problem is that I got lost trying to find the dark road in the dark. I did another road instead, and then accidentally made a good sized loop and then returned to Nawiliwili. I also ran up by the local high school looking for a track, but there isn't one there. Still another beautiful run in paradise.

Tuesday, March 24
I didn't run in the morning, and wasn't going to run at all- we had this big time hike planned. See my separate post about the hike, but afterwards I had to run back down the road to our starting point to get the car whilst Debbie waited. After 10 extremely tough miles of hiking in 9 hours, it wasn't easy to run, but I managed. Call it 2 miles in 19 minutes.

Wednesday, March 25
Extremely sore and tired from the hike, I managed to drag myself out for some extremely slow miles around the nearby golf course. They're also building a lot around there, so it's pretty interesting. Another beautiful sunrise. 5 miles in fifty (50!) minutes.

Thursday, March 26
I felt a bit better, and I explored a new road today. Can't think of the name of it, but it is deserted for about 5 miles and winds west and south, more or less parallel with the main road. Also goes by the Menehune Fish Pond. It was pretty durn dark out there. I cut over to the main road (Nawiliwili) for the last few miles, and I picked it up pretty well on that downhill section, even managing to get to sub-8 pace for a measured mile. Altogether 9 in 79 minutes.

Friday, March 27
Another gorgeous sunrise, but then aren' they all? (the answer is yes). I just realized that I haven't missed a day of running here yet. And today I was up early for a company conference call (that wound up getting postponed) so I was out the door early. I did 16 miles at about 9 minute pace, mostly on that same deserted road as yesterday, and some over onto Kipu road. This was a pretty good medium-long run for me.

Saturday, March 28
I dragged myself out and did about 4 miles around the resort, airport and golf course. I'd forgotten that the roads do make this loop. It's not the prettiest whilst running by the airport however. I also did some extra unsuccessfully trying to get into the nearby stadium track.

Sunday, March 29
It was time. I'd done the run to Wailua Falls a couple times last time I was here, and dad-gum it if I wasn't going to do it again. I like this run - it's challenging and beautiful. I run three miles into and out of the town of Lihue. This isn't good when there's traffic, so this run is best on Sundays or very early. No traffic today. Just to the north of town, a road leads 4 miles further to the falls. The road is almost entirely deserted. And it's dark! The payoff at the falls is really cool - the falls are really big, and the road is right alongside. I made it to the falls in 61 and a half minutes. This was mostly uphill. Then it was back down to the resort, and this I did in 58 and a half, reaching home in exactly 2 hours. I was exausted, but it was a really nice run. I'll do it again, probably Tuesday.

Monday, March 30
A streak is a streak, so I dragged my weary bones out and did 2 very slow miles around the resort.

Tuesday, March 31
I had measured the nearby deserted road that I'd been putting so many miles upon, and it's 6 to the end where it meets the highway. So of course that's what I did today. It's amazing what measurement can do. Suddenly I was running much faster than I did before when I didn't know the distances. Well, maybe not that much faster. 53 1/2 minutes going out (and that's mostly uphill), and then 48 and a half minutes back down. Another great sunrise.

Wednesday, April 1
For some reason I decided to try that same route again. 12 miles two days in a row? Can that happen? You're asking the guy who once did the Tahoe Triple, but who's only a shadow of that former runner. But I did manage to do this run a second time. And faster too! 52 minutes out, and once again, 48 and a half back. The ole legs really took a beating on those hills, especially the down hills.

Thursday, April 2
Another easy day. I only ran to the end of the Nawiliwili pier, stopped to admire the sunrise (best yet) and then back for 2 miles total.

Friday, April 3
I did the 14-mile run to Wailua Falls once again. 1:57. I've written a little story about this run as a separate post.

After Running 2 Miles in the Last 10 Days...

I decided I'd had it with sloth. It helped that I was finally starting to feel better. Yesterday I did my 6-mile course in 53 minutes, took a GU and some water, and then ran it again in 51 minutes. Felt like I was flying that second time. And that felt great. Yes, I'm a runner again. Albeit a slow one.

After yesterday's run Debbie and I hiked the Old Carriage Trail. This was our final preparation for the big-time hiking that we're planning for Kauai. Stay tuned for more on that topic.

Today I was tired, and it was tough to get out. But I did manage to drag myself out the door, even though the coffee had never really hit home this time. I wanted to get at least 8 in, so I did my 4-mile course in an extremely slow 38 1/2 minutes. Then, like yesterday, I did it a second time, this time in a faster 37 minutes. It was kinda like running through jello. But at least I was able to get in some real runs for two days in a row. Now I'm ready for vacation.

One more thing: The 24 hour run website is finally up and running. Lots going on. This is very exciting. www.northcoast24.org

I Ran a Mile Today

My injuries continue to compound, causing me to take yet another week off. My fall was about a month ago, and I was starting to feel a bit better, when I somehow displaced a rib last week. Indescribable pain. I almost couldn't function as a human being at all. I somehow did manage to get to my downstairs office and do some actual work. But even that was nearly impossible.

About that rib. At least that's what the chiropractor (Dr. Lisa) told me. She said she relocated it to it's proper position, and voila, I'm better. Really. So she did do something right. Now I'm still sore, but I can actually bend a bit once again without too much excruciating pain. Thanks Dr. Lisa.

So I made up my mind to go out for a run today. I ran a mile, and felt so good that I turned back and did another one. I even broke 10-minute pace for the final 100 meters or so as I sprinted it in.

It feels great to be a runner once again.

Week of March 8, 2009

Sunday: Cold rain. Did I ever mention how much I hate it? I had it yesterday, and today I'd planned to run with Ladd, Marsha and company. I was in the car, driving through the 40F driving rainstorm when I turned back and jumped on the mill. There I did 9 x 1200 in about 5 minutes each. Not a pretty one, but at least I got something in. Got another cold - probably because of yesterday's run in the rain. Taking Zicam again.

Egads, it's March!

Not only is it March, but I've got a marathon in May. Not only do I have a marathon in May, but I've got a half in April. Not only do I have that half (and probably other series races), but I haven't been running more than 50 miles per week, and those have been super slow. I could go on.

So yes, egads is the operative word here. As in, Egads, I'd better start to train.

I hadn't done a 20 (or even 18) all year. Blame the maladies. And the lousy weather. So Monday, when temps were in the single digits, I stepped on the mill and did a lousy 20. It wasn't pretty. I took yesterday off. Duh.

I hadn't planned to do another long one anytime soon; probably 15 or so on Saturday with Dave and Amy. But this morning I awoke very early and decided to go for one again, this time outside.

It's always a good omen to be out the door before four. Don't ask why. It just is. I didn't make it today; it was about 4:15 or so. And it was stil cold - in the lower teens. But it was clear and the stars were pretty. I did my 16-mile course for 15, and then zigged and zagged in the nearby to make it up to 20. Those last 5 were quite a struggle. I even had to walk for a good part of the last one. So I'd have to say that this was even less pretty than Monday's run. Maybe it was because of getting out so late.

So now at least I'm doing long runs again. Maybe I should do *only* twenties from now on. I've got a streak of two going.

Week of March 1, 2009

Monday: Took yesterday off to travel home. Today I stepped on the mill and banged out 20. First 20 in a long, long time. It wasn't pretty. Next time I'll try to do it outside.

Wednesday: Another 20 on the roads. See separate post (egads it's march).

Friday: It was a nice day. Temps were in the mid 50s. I hit the track for the first time this year. It was back to reality in a big hurry. I did 5 x 400, and never broke 90 seconds - I averaged 92. Being slow wasn't so bad, but the p___ was. It's so discouraging to know that I haven't really healed in any of the three areas (foot, back/leg, side) where I've been hurting. They weren't all that bad until this run, where I pushed myself a bit.

Saturday: I had thought about doing 2+ hours in the valley with Dave and Amy. The rain, continuing injuries and general lack of gumption made me quit after about an hour twenty. Dave and I did tackle some big-time hills going in and out of the valley within Brecksville reservation, so it was still a workout.

Visiting Veronica (and Valerie)

Debbie and I drove through a driving rainstorm all the way through Pennsylvania. It subsided by the time we got to New Jersey, but Valerie's flight into Newark was nevertheless delayed 2 hours. Probably because they *thought* about rain that may or may not occur some day. We walked around Ikea whilst awaiting the flight. After we picked her up, we had to drive through NYC on I95 at 5pm to get to Veronica and Barry's. Lotso luck. We finally made it in around 7pm - 12 hours after we started out.

But that's when the fun began. It was Veronica's birthday (a big one!) weekend celebration, so after pizza, we had the scrumpti-delicious cake that Debbie had made and brought in the trunk. We watched Meed the Robinsons. Saturday we went to Norwalk's Maritime Aquarium, dinner and a little shopping. Then of course it was more cake, and also some cupcakes.

Sunday we dropped Val off at Newark (no traffic this time) and drove home. Great to see the girls. Lotso fun.

Week of February 22, 2009

Sunday: My cold, side, back, leg, foot, etc, etc, are all not too bad. I did 4 on the mill, and then hit the weights for some reps. First time since the fall. Those were tough with my side still hurting. But I got through them.

Monday: 6 on the mill. Last 3 were at sub-7 pace. Things are better still.

Monday night I ran 40 minutes with the Medina County Road Runners prior to the meeting. That was fun!

Wednesday: I had some time, so I ran a bit longer than usual: 13 miles. Decent route: Substation, Hamilton, Plum Creek, Sleepy Hollow, and back across 42. I was extremely slow - about 9 1/2 mpm. But at least I did get through it.

Thursday: Went out at noon and did 4 blisteringly fast miles - in 33 minutes. That is actually pretty decent for these days. I'll take it.

Friday: Didn't have much time, but I managed to bang out 3 quick miles on the mill before heading out for Connecticut.

Saturday: We were in the Courtyard, not Veronica's place, but I was able to find my usual route from the other side. This usual route is a 5-mile extremely hilly route through New England neighborhoods on East Rocks and West Rocks roads in Norwalk. I used to do two loops and call it 11 miles, including the route to and from the loop. This time it was a bit farther, and I also did some extra at the end after the two loops, so I'm calling it 15. And it was a good 15. Sunny and cool (about 37), it was almost perfect for a run. I did the first loop in 43 and a half, and then picked it up a bit to do the second loop in... 43 and a half (a few seconds faster).

Details About my Colonoscopy

Just kidding - I'll spare everyone. But I will say that the preparation was worse than the actual event. Juma Ikanga is credited with saying, "the will to win is nothing without the will to prepare." I could probably change that around somehow to fit my experience of yesterday, but I'll spare everyone.

Oh, just one more thing. The results were negative. Just like when I went in for that brainscan - the results were negative that time too.

All of which brings me to today's run in Broadview Heights with Amy and Dave. I had to explain that the back/leg problems made me forget about the foot problem, the rib problem (from the fall) made me forget about the leg/back problems and now preparing for the colonoscopy made me forget about the ole ribs. Not that those other problems have completely gone away, mind you - they're still there. Just not at the top of my brain's priorities..

It was the first time I had run, or done anything at all, for a week. And my side still hurts - it's just that I couldn't stand to not run any more. I managed to keep up for an hour twenty-five or so. Just happy to be able to run at all.

On top of everything else, I'm now fighting off a cold (using Zicam). Must've been one of the nurses. Really.

Recovery (Maybe)

I know I said I would discontinue use of the "P" word (pain). But that was in relation to my foot and back problems. Now with my rib problems, I have bigger fish to fry.


I don't know if anything's broken, but it sure does hurt. It's funny that the nurse said I'd be in pain the next day (Monday), and on Monday I felt better. I had hope of a speedy recovery. For the early part of Tuesday I also felt better. But then the pain returned big-time yesterday afternoon and evening. Laying down to sleep last night was a real problem. Today I feel decent again. Of course the Aleve hasn't completely worn off yet.

Pride Goeth Before the Fall(s)

Another possible title might be, "Dan's Terrific but Terrible Tumble." I’ve taken a few, perhaps more than a few, memorable falls in my time. Today’s ranks up there with some of the best. Those others include, but are not limited to:

1) I was running down a grassy hill (ok, it was a grassy knoll) and onto a parking lot in the dark at Oakland Community College in Michigan. I caught my foot on a curb (who put that there?) and as I tried to roll with the fall, I couldn’t because my foot was still stuck. I semi-crushed my shoulder with a rotator-cuff injury that took a while to recover from. I also had a real lot of trouble getting up and getting home.

2) I was cutting through a small parking lot with a friend when I tripped and fell. I couldn’t figure out what did it until I found a plastic newspaper tie loop around both ankles. I didn’t get hurt, and I laughed a lot taking it off. I guess I caught it when one foot hit the ground, and it must have then stood up and caught the other foot, until both feet were inside the loop. What were the chances?

3) Also near OCC, I was running with a friend down a different hill that was covered with snow and ice. I landed on my butt, and slid for a mile or two. OK, it wasn’t quite that far, but it sure seemed like it. A real “Romancing the Stone” type moment. No injury – I’d landed on a soft spot.

4) Then there was the famous Maui incident. Far to the south, away from any civilization, I was running on a lonely, extremely dark road at about 5am. Heading up a hill, I was suddenly hit hard by something big that had been flying down the hill and right into me. I never saw the biker at all until after the impact. I was knocked down hard, but the biker fell harder. I got up and was in some pain, but it wasn’t too bad. The biker was almost incoherent, however. I helped him get up and onto his now crooked bike, asking all along if I should get help. He didn’t want any, and he continued crookedly on his way. Neither one of us had had any lights, and neither one of us had seen the other at all. Of course my reflective vest had been useless in this case. I sometimes wonder how that biker wound up.

Enough about the past. This morning I awoke extremely early, still being on European time. I plan to stay that way with my early calls next week. I was to meet Joe Jurczyk at Edgwater at 8:30, but had plenty of time before that, so why not go for an early run before meeting up with him? Light snow was falling, resulting in a dusting on the roads and lawns. I did my 11-mile loop at a steady sub-9-minute pace. That’s not bad for me these days. I even had time to do more before meeting Joe, but thought better of it.

Joe and I wanted to check out Edgewater as a possible site for the 24-hour run that we’re planning. He and Dan Fox had done so before, but I wanted to see it, and Joe didn’t seem to mind looking at it again. The snow was still falling, but still not accumulating too much as we started off on the lower .95 mile loop. We ran that loop once in each direction, taking still shots and videos as we went. We had to be cautious, as there were a few icy spots. I felt that that loop was a great option for our run.

Now it was time to check out the upper .67 mile loop. It was perhaps a ½ mile from our cars up the hill to the start of that loop. “Do you want to drive up?” asked Joe. “No” said I, “let’s just run up there.” That part of the asphalt trail turned out to be extremely icy. We had to run parts of it on the grass so that we could have any solid footing at all. The upper loop is a bit more scenic, more secluded, and partly sheltered from the wind. On the other hand, there was several twists and turns on the path, and at least one sharp turn. As nice as that upper loop is to run on, my preference for the event is the lower loop. But both are really great.

We’d seen what we wanted to see; time to quit. As we headed back down the hill on the asphalt trail, we passed a couple walking on the grass to avoid the ice and exchanged hellos. A couple seconds later, Joe went down. About a nanosecond later, I went down, hard! I’d been about 5 feet away and on a different patch of snow-covered ice. It’s amazing how many thoughts went through my head in such a short period of time. Here are some of them:

-Joe fell. Ha ha. (Something I’ve done since childhood is laugh at myself or others who fall down. I know that will strike many as mean-spirited, but it’s what all my friends did whilst playing baseball, football or basketball in our pre-teen and teen years. Don’t get me started on more falling stories from my more distant past. I am a little better about this now – I can usually catch myself from laughing out loud.)

-Dan Fell. Ha ha ha. (As noted, I do laugh at myself too.)

-Whoa. It hurts. It hurts a lot. All on my left side. Joe and the couple are asking if I’m ok.

-I’d better try to answer them. I don’t want them to be overly concerned. That would be the worst that could happen. I try to say that I’m ok, and I can hardly speak at all, making mostly only a pitiful wheezing sound.

-As the seconds pass, I am trying to say that I’m ok, and eventually I get that out. But it’s clearly not even remotely true. Breathing hurts too. I finally figure out that the wind was knocked out of me, and I say so in my wheezing voice.

-Joe was fine, but had stayed on the ground in sympathy. We got up and walked back, thanking the couple (the lady was a nurse – she said I’d be really sore tomorrow).

Hours later, my entire left side is still hurting. And I can feel the pain as I breathe deeply. So now I have yet another physical malady. Can’t wait until tomorrow when it may feel even worse.

A Run Along the Thames

This time I’m staying within a few miles of Windsor. I toured the castle during a previous visit. Today I decided that it would be nice to run in that general direction. I had a lot of time - I didn’t need to be at the office until about 10am.

It was a clear, cool, frosty morning, and the temperature was showing nothing at all (that’s zero Celsius, by the way). It didn’t feel nearly as cold as yesterday when it had been +2C, but windy and rainy. Today’s widespread frost was actually quite slick in a couple spots. Most of the paths were fine though.

I made my way down to, and alongside of the M4 motorway, until I found a footbridge that would take me over. Once on the south side I kept heading west, until I found a road going south from there. It was slow going, partly because it was tough to see where I was headed the black asphalt footpaths. As it began to get lighter, I no longer had this excuse.

Still heading south on a different country road, I crossed a bridge that went over the river Thames. I went down the adjacent stairway and ran on the “Thames Path” for a bit before heading back up. It looked to be a great path, but it was muddy and flooded in spots from all the recent rain and snow. And I didn’t want to get my shoes muddy; I have to get them home in my suitcase. The river itself was extremely high – maybe at flood stage. It was flowing fast. If I return here, I’ll definitely do some more running on the Thames Path.

There was still more running to be done for this morning, however. I continued south and came to Windsor. I wanted to go over towards the town center and possibly catch a glimpse of the castle again. I started that way, but the traffic in that direction was getting heavier and I didn’t want to fight it. Besides, the road was now going partially alongside the Thames, and it was mostly scenic and relatively quiet. Continuing along the river, I eventually turned back after another mile or two.

Whilst running back toward my hotel I passed a guy with glasses and a backpack. I figured he was going to work, but to my surprise he began running and was almost keeping pace with me. I didn’t notice whether he had running shoes on, or whether he had been running before I passed him. This caused me to pick up my pace a bit – he shall not pass… He followed me for a mile or so to the next town, where I lost him, but then was passed by him as I was dithering around on a couple side streets. Turned out he was headed for the train station, and only just barely caught his train.

I crossed the bridge over the train and continued on my way. There would be one more area of interest: a small park that I hadn’t noticed in the darkness on the way out. With the sun now well above the horizon, I ran across and around the field, on the frosty grass and the partially frozen trails. I might come back here to run around here again as well.

I got back after about two hours, twenty minutes. I’ll call it 16, but it was possibly less – I was moving so slow. But it was a memorable one.

Here is the route:
http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/gb/datchet/752207560983

Running in London - Week of February 8, 2009

I was too tired when I arrived Sunday morning. I slept too late to run Monday. Tuesday I awoke at 2am, but only got out at 5am after trying to get back to sleep. I did manage to get two hours in. Two extremely slow hours. I did find some decent running - first I went north into and around and through Langly, then I came back. With 40 more minutes to go, I ran west on A4/London Rd for 21 minutes and then came back. The running was a bit nicer in that direction. Did I mention that it was raining, windy and cold (+2 C)? It was so slow I'm only calling it 13 miles. There was a time when 2 hours meant 15 to 16. Not today.

I ran on Wednesday too. See separate post: A Run Along the Thames.

Today I ran along the Thames as well. But this time I decided to run right into the village of Windsor. After running the same first couple miles, I turned right instead of left. So this time I went right by the castle, and ran all over the town. I ran on the Thames promenade that I'd walked on a couple months ago too. I also crossed the bridge and ran a bit into Eton. It was another eventful and interesting 2 hour run. Too bad I'm running so slow - I tried to pick it up at times, but I always slowed back down again.

So besides the slowness, I was a bit bummed to only have 42 or so total miles for the week. 42 is good as an answer for everything (ref. to Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy), but bad as a weekly total of running mileage. At least for me, when I'd been in the 70s for most of last year, and even lately have tried to stay in the 50s.

But then an opportunity presented itself. I got out of work early. I could have done some touristy things with my couple hours of afternoon daylight, but instead I went for another run. I ran around the nearby park. Several loops. I also ran on a fairly long bike and footpath. All this was mostly to avoid traffic. I did almost bump into throngs of school-kids walking on the path. It was a beautiful afternoon - sunny with temperatures in the upper 40s. Of course I still ran slowly.

I didn't get 8 in - I had to head back to the hotel for a bathroom break. I'm calling it 6 in 52 minutes. Then I stepped on the mill and did 2 more at sub-8 minute pace. That "speedwork" really felt good after all the slogging.

So I got my 50 in for the week. I feel better now. Thank You.

In the UK Again

I'm back again. They're going to keep having me return until I get it right.

Upon arrival, I was dead tired as usual. But, also as usual, I had most of the day free, so I forced myself to drive out to Stonehenge. It's about an hour and a half from where I'm staying.

This are some pretty awesome rocks. I learned the entire history of the place: how the henge was rebuilt twice between 3000 BC and 1800 BC. About where the rocks came from (hundreds of miles away), and how they may have been erected. I also learned about the special location of some of the rocks to commemorate summer and winter solstice.

There was still plenty of snow around from Britain's now famous recent rare snowstorm. It's supposed to snow again in a couple days. Driving may get even more challenging.
Back to the henge, the place is mostly just wierd. Kind of erie. Even the wide-open general location is quite erie. I thought it was interesting that the narator on the ear-phone thought so too.

For more pictures and for other general travel information, see the travel blog. It is at http://horvathstravels.blogspot.com

Last Night's Play and Today's Run

Some of the usual getting together with family and friends is the theme here.

Last night Kathy, Debbie and I went to Nuevo Acupulco for dinner and then went to watch cousin Paul in the Berea community theater production of the Sunshine Boys. Good fun.

Today I ran with Amy and Dave for the first time in a while. The weather was great - 40s and breezy, but there is still tons of snow on the trails, so we hit the roads in Broadview Heights and Brecksville, including the parkway. I'm slow and old, but otherwise mostly p___ - free, so it was a good but tiring run for me. Good to be with the old gang, and also in the old hood.

Week of February 1, 2009

Sunday: When was the last time I could run a decent distance of 10 or more where I was feeling decent (notice: no "p" word), could keep a steady pace, where the weather was ok, the roads were clear, and there wasn't a lot of traffic? I dunno - it feels like it's been years. But the running and weather gods came together for me today, and I had a wonderful run on my 11-mile course.

It was relatively warm for a (big) change - upper 30s. The roads were mostly clear and dry. I got out early and beat the traffic. I ran a steady pace the whole way. It was all I could do to keep it under 9 minutes per mile, but I did. And to top it off there was a pretty sunrise. Running doesn't get any better. Well, maybe a little.

Monday: It was colder, but still not bad. The problem was that I couldn't wake up enough to get out the door at a decent time. So I only did 4 slow ones around the hood.

Tuesday: I started out at 8:30 pace and held it for the first six. But then I slowed drastically over the final four. At least the slowdown wasn't because of my injuries. I was simply tuckered out.

Thursday: It was below zero so I hit the mill. 15 miles, mostly at a decent pace, including a 5-mile marathon pace run. I'm not entirely pleased, because I'm still holding the railings too much. But overall not too bad. Last couple were slow.

Saturday: 14 in 2 hours with Dave and Amy. See separate post.

Cavs Game

Since Debbie is the number one Cavs fan on the planet, I thought I'd better actually take her to a game. So I bought $75 tickets and cashed in a free night at the Renaissance. That hotel is incredible. You just have to see it to believe the opulance. This is the first time we've actually stayed there, but we've eaten at Sans Souci many times, as we did again Friday. Had skate for the first time, and boy was it great. The game itself was a lot of fun, too. We mostly didn't want this to be the first home loss for the Cavs for the year. It wasn't.

Week of January 25, 2009

Sunday: Let's see. I ran hard last Tuesday, and haven't been able to do so since. I guess it's been 5 days since I last ran, and I was finally feeling (a little) better again, so when I awoke at 2:40am still on London time, I unpacked and then hit the mill. Unlike last time, I took it real easy. I started slower than 10 minute pace, and then did several miles around 9 minute pace, finally getting down to about 8:30 pace. It took me forever to do 12 miles, but I came out of it ok. My foot and back are still hurting, but at least they're no worse after today.

Monday: I've been working the Early (3am) hours this week. Just stayed on Europe time. Makes it tough for any evening activities. Like last night's MCRR meeting. But I managed. I also ran with the group before the meeting at Highland Library. A very nice 5 miles in the cold (19 or so). It was fairly hilly too. Marsha led us out on a slow 9 to 10 minute pace and then a fast 8 minute pace for the return. It was tough for me, but I did manage to keep up. Don't think I reinjured myself.

Thursday: You'd think that after several days off I would have a decent run. Nope. Wasn't to be. I've been extremely busy with work anyway, but I stepped on the mill just before dinner and did 6 weary miles.

Friday: I had some time between calls and went outside to do 8 at 9.5 pace. Sounds slow, but the footing was terrible. Tons of slush, ice and snow around. Glad I got out though. Pain's still there, but it's not so bad.

Saturday: Another run on the mill. This time it was at the Renaissance Cleveland, and I managed to get 15 in, including a tempo run. I'm not entirely pleased, however. I had to step off several times to catch my breath. It's hard to admit that I'm in such sluggish shape. Not to mention the pain. I think I'll have to wipe that "p" word out of my vocabulary.

That makes 179 miles for January, averaging eight and a half pace. It would sound much worse if it wasn't for the faster dreadmill miles. It's actually not as bad as I thought. Maybe I'm not totally down the tubes yet.

Injured Again

My injuries are back. They actually never left, but had been getting better. Now they're as bad as ever again. Not sure if it's the travel, the driving here (40 minutes each way) or Tuesday's hard run. Perhaps all of the above. I wasn't able to run at all today, even after taking yesterday off. I may need to take another week or two off once again. I say injuries and not injury because both my foot and my back/leg are acting up. Of these, the leg is the most painful.

I had been considering going to Boston with Dave, and maybe staying with Brian. It's three months away, and it's not inconcievable that I'd be better and able to train by then. My injuries are back. They actually never left, but had been getting better. Now they're as bad as ever again. Not sure if it's the travel, the driving here (40 minutes each way) or Tuesday's hard run. Perhaps all of the above. I wasn't able to run at all today, even after taking yesterday off. I may need to take another week or two off once again. So Id' have to say it's now highly unlikely that I'll go. I'll give it 5% chance.

Dress Like an American

I was in the U.K. on the day of the 2008 presidential election; I had managed to vote early. And now I find myself here once again on the 20th of January, the day of the inauguration. Last time I was overwhelmed at the interest and positive feelings about the election on this side of the pond. This time it’s the same, only more so. To underscore this point, here’s the story of the inauguration party I attended last night.

My client contact here, Kevin, invited me to an inauguration party at a friend’s house in Newbury. Newbury is about 55 miles west of London, and perhaps 15 miles west of the office location. He told me the theme was, “dress like an American.” I found all this a bit hard to believe, but I went along. After work, Kevin and his wife Allison took me to dinner and then to their house so they could stop to dress like Americans. Kevin came out with a Hawaiian shirt, sunglasses, shorts and a baseball cap, and Allison with a complete cowgirl look with boots, denim jacket and cowboy hat. I was starting to believe.

John and Caroline’s Georgian home was actually appointed with period furnishings. We were greeted by John, a former American who was dressed as Abe Lincoln. The lively group included another cowgirl, a football player, an airline pilot, a U.S. Marine (worn by another former American who last wore the uniform 24 years ago), a native American Indian and Joe the Plummer, among others. I believe I was the only one not “dressed like an American.” On the other hand, everyone kept telling me that I was fine because I was “authentic.”

We all laughed at the George Bush sayings posted all over. There were also American quiz questions – I think I got them all correct. The hostess explained the various American foods: celery and American Peanut Butter, cornbread muffins, Oreos, chocolate chip cookies, etc.

Then the place became quiet as we watched the speech. I think it was every bit as moving to the Brits as it was to me. Of course afterwards the party got loud again, but then it was time to say goodbye.

Running in London - Week of January 18, 2009

Sunday: It's never *that* bad a day if you can manage to get a run in. So having nothing else to do, and not the gumption to do any sightseeing, I decided to just take an afternoon run from my hotel. It was bright and sunny and in the mid-forties. That's much better than where I came from. And it's supposed to rain most of the rest of the week. All the more reason to run whilst I can.

I ran west from the hotel, on the walking path of Bath road. I was moving EXTREMELY slowly. My legs were stiff and tired from all the flying. I managed to go a mile plus, then turned left onto some side roads. I was eventually running through a quaint small village. I bit further on I turned back, too tired to do any more. I'm calling it 5 at a 9.5 minute pace. And that's probably being generous.

Tuesday: Now that I've had my one nice day here, it's now cold and wet. So I hit the hotel mill and banged out 15 miles. This was my best run since the Fall Classic Half - I averaged about 7:30, and even managed to get down to tempo (sub-7) pace for miles 11, 12 and 13. I almost feel like a runner again. I've never figured out why I do so much better on hotel dreadmills than my own.

Travel Troubles

There was a day when travel was adventurous, exciting and just plain fun. Even business travel was like that, although it's always better to be on vacation than not. Somewhere along the line things have changed.

I was going to fly down to Florida with Mom and then come back in 2 days. I'd just stay the weekend, and Mom would continue to stay with Beth and Ed. Then my travel plans changed when I learned I had to go to London to work. OK, I would still fly down with Mom on Friday, then I'd have to fly out from Orlando to London on Saturday, arriving Sunday for work on Monday. Not the best scenario, but the only one I could do. Even then, it was not to be.

(This could arguably be in our travel blog instead of this general one. But that one is more about places we actually get to and actually see.) Friday's flight from Akron Canton to Detroit, connecting to the one to Tampa had equipment problems, and Mom and I would've missed the connection. You'd think they could just get us there some other way. Fine, except there was no other way. Everything else was booked solid. So Debbie had to pick us up and we had to return home.

It's tough on Mom, and even me, to get through check-in and security and all that. I didn't want to do it again early the next morning. Debbie and I went through all the other possible scenarios, including cancelling the trip and having Debbie take Mom down later, driving her down later, letting her stay with us the whole winter, etc. If I wasn't going to be taking her, then how would I get to London? For that trip I was booked to depart from Orlando and return to Cleveland. I could keep my CAK-DTW-MCO-JFK-LHR itinerary, which I didn't want to do, or try to rebook. But although NW would refund our first trip (with Mom), they wouldn't do anything without a change fee for the London trip because it was separate. I tried explaining that this was their fault...

We wound up with me taking Mom to Orlando (not Tampa), having Beth and Ed pick her up, and then me flying on to JFK and LHR. By some kind of dumb luck, all of the flights were mostly on time, and I made all the connections. And of course, Mom got to Florida for the rest of the winter in one piece. All it would have taken is bad weather in any one part of the country, and I would've been shot. It *was* cold - -10 to -15 for the second morning in a row.

After arriving at my Renaissance London Heathrow hotel, I completely crashed. It's a shame, because I had almost a whole day to sightsee. I'd thought about going to Stonehenge, Bath or brighton, but all were over an hour away. I just didn't want to drive anywhere. I also could've gotten to central London somehow, but had no energy even for that endeavor. So it was a wasted day. I guess I'm getting old.

The one good thing, besides no further flight delays, was that I did manage to get outside for a run on a nice day. More about that in my next post.

Week of January 11. 2009

Sunday: Today it was "Running with Studs". I don't mean my running partners; I mean the studs I screwed into the bottoms of my shoes for traction. Never tried this before, but I'd heard enough about it. This winter's been one day after another of snow, ice and slush, so I finally did it. I put 10 3/8 inch hex sheet metal screws into each shoe. Here's the website that explains it best:
http://www.skyrunner.com/screwshoe.htm
Worked pretty good. Not perfect when the packed snow was really slick, but pretty good overall. I only did 3 slow, slippery miles around the hood.

Monday: About half of my slow 10 miles on the roads of Brunswick were snowcovered and slick again today. I had the screwshoes on again, and once again, they helped a bit. I'll keep using them.

Tuesday: The trouble with all this snow is that there is no room to run on the road. Got to get out *real* early to beat the traffic. I ran the most in a while: 13 miles. The first seven were decent - I was running 3/4 and 1-mile loops around Brunswick High school, still checking it out for the 24-hour run. These were at 8:30 to 8:40 pace. Decent for me these days. The last 6, on a circuitous route home, were much slower. This was because the new snow was adding to the poor footing, and also because I was just plain tired. Still a decent run. I later heard that the school district won't allow the run to be held there. Dang.

Thursday: I would *like* to be able to say that I'm now feeling way better, and that now it's just a matter of getting back into shape. Trouble is, I can't quite say that. I did 16 miles on the mill this morning (temps were around zero), the most for a long long time, but I still had pain. Actually, I'm happy to report that my back/butt/hip/leg really is better. It's the foot pain that's back. I guess it never really went away; it's just that I hadn't been feeling it since I haven't been running hard or long. Today I did, and I felt it.

Friday: 8 mill miles. Not too good - I wasn't fully awake. But I wanted to get these in to get back up to 50 mpw. And running outside isn't an option - it's -11 out there. Taking off for Florida and then London.

Week of January 4, 2009

Seems strange to type "2009".

Sunday: I wanted to get at least 10 in. I went south on Substation, into the strong wind. Turned east on Hamilton for another mile before turning back and heading home for 10. 9 minute pace going out, a bit faster coming back, but the last one was tough. It was tough because I was hurting once again. Very discouraging. It's gonna take more time.

Tuesday: The High School is always a decent place to run to. The traffic isn't bad until school's about to start. What to do after that? I can go south, north, or just back home. I wound up doing loops around the school. It's about 3/4 mile, and an extra 1/4 can be tacked on. I was scouting out a possible course for the 24-hour run, and it seemed pretty good. My running wasn't too bad either. Still slow: 9-minute pace. But at least it was steady for these 10 miles.

Wednesday: This was a frustrating day. There was freezing rain, so I hit the mill. Wanted to do 10 or more, and wanted something of substance. I did manage 3 x 1200 at 6:40 pace, but that was it. Only wound up with 6 miles total. The other frustrating thing was that I broke the mill for the first time in about 2 years. Now I'll take it apart, but I'll probably need to call for a repair person.

Thusday: Well, today makes three days of running in a row. Pretty decent. I'm still feeling about the same, which is better than a week or two ago, but no better than the last few days. There was about 3 inches of new snow on the ground, and I hit the trails in back of, and to the side of our subdivision. I also went across Laurel and ran on the all-purpose trails through the Laurel Glen subdivision, something I've never done before. This trudging was really slow. I'll say it was 8 miles at 10-minute pace, but even that's probably optimistic.

Other happenings:
-Still working on the 24-hour thing. Lots of excitement about it. Edgewater sounds good for a location at this point.
-Work has been slow. I've spent some amount of time in the store lately, but that's been *really* slow. I do expect to become more busy with my day job soon.
-Another day-job note: I passed my latest cfps (certification exam), so I'm good for another 3 years.
-Got a new scale. It measures heavier than the last one by 2 or more pounds. So now I'm 165! The worst news of all? This is probably accurate. Got a long way to go.

Friday: Drove to Buckeye Woods park to run in order to check it as a possible site for the 24-hour run. It's not suitable; one trail is too short, has small hills and sharp turns. The other (the longer, nice shady one) is dirt and has some hills as well. But I did have a really nice short run on top of the snow. A bit better than 9-minute pace - not bad for the conditions.

Saturday: We got pounded with snow, so there was no driving to run either on the towpath or with the MCRR folks. I did the mill thing for 10, and then snowblowed, and then actually ran in the deep snow for 2 more slow miles. I'll probably do something like this tomorrow too.

That makes 48 slow miles for the week. Not much for me, but more than the last few. I'm still feeling a bit better, but still far from 100%. At this point, running doesn't seem to make things worse, even though it did a few weeks ago. Not sure how much the Drs. Joe and Lisa helped; I had been improving anyway. For now I'll stop seeing them - got the Florida and London trip coming up - and see how things progress.