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..

Looking for loping long on Lester

Hello Lester, my old friend. I've come to run on you again. Because a vision softly creeping. Left its seeds while I was sleeping. And the vision that was planted in my brain. Still remains. Within the mound of limestone. 

It's still very dark, but I find Michelle Wolff wandering on Lester Rail Trail. She is looking for Andy and muttering that he must have gotten lost. That's a tough task on LRT, which is only three miles in each direction. We run together for a while, then I take off a little faster.

But not too fast. In fact, I go so slow at this early hour that I begin to doubt my ability to do a long run today. As anyone who knows me will tell you, a long run is 18 or more miles. 17.9 - not a long run. 18.0 - long run. My hope is that Shannon Barnes will help me get up to that mileage.

Shannon shows up at 6:00, and I only have five of the planned six in by that point. We put in eight solid miles together, but then I'm alone again. I still have five to go, and this is the point in the run when I often start slogging.

But today, I don't. I actually speed up a bit, and make it (barely) to the 18-mile mark. It turned out to be a decent long run. Two weeks till Akron, and one week since Erie. Giddyup.

Looking to Literally Lope Long on Lester

It's Friday, so of course, it's Lester. Lester Rail Trail, that is. This three-mile stretch has been traversed many times by Mr. Horvath. How many would there be today?

Horvath starts out with the 4:30 A.M. crowd. They don't get too far before having to return to meet with the 5:00 A.M. bunch. This group stays together for another half-hour before some of the early bunch needs to leave. They will be driving to Salt Fork State Park today for a Saturday trail run. But Horvath and the others soldier on.

Finally, an entire six-mile loop is completed, and one other person plus his doggie, Ella join. Unfortunately it's also time for everyone else to leave. It seems that work is an issue for some of them. Not Horvath; he's retired.

After one more six, the boy and his dog need to leave, and Horvath finds himself alone. He's got nearly 15 miles in, but needs more to be able to consider this a long run. And a long run is something he desperately wants.

Horvath slows down for these final miles. But thankfully, not too much. He finishes at around 8:15 A.M. with twenty for the day. Not too shabby. But where does he go from here?

Wholly Unholy: a First Breakfast

Brown rice, cinnamon, canned pumpkin, plain greek yogurt, honey. These are a few of my favorite things. It may sound awful to you, and believe me, it actually looked even worse. But... (and it's a big butt) I did indeed like it. That was first breakfast today. You know, the one before the run. Second breakfast is what comes after. And no, I did not forget elevensies. 

If I eat anything at all before a run, it's often just an apple or some other fruit. But when the run will be a long one, it's good to have something more substantial. (Debbie would refer to this as needing some 'substinance.') Today's unholy mess of a breakkie would surely do the trick. Wouldn't it?

It was just two days ago that I got my long run for the week done: eighteen miles on Lester Rail Trail. First breakfast before that one consisted of a couple leckerli (Substantial Swiss cookie) bars. Fast forward to today. I was thinking of doing another lone ong, this time on the treadmill due to the 0F temperatures and ridiculous wind chills With the leckerli now gone, it was time for the rice-pumpkin-yogurt concoction. 

It wasn't pretty, and it was even slower than Thursday's Lester run. But (most importantly) it's done. Now, it's time for second breakfast.

Long on Lester

Danny Boy has done a whole lot of long runs on Lester. Today, running gods willing, will be yet another.

 A thought occurs to him. Maybe it would be better to do 19 miles, rather than the usual long run total of 18. Wouldn't that be crazy? 19 seems like a good number today because: 1) 18 doesn't seem like quite enough, and 2) 20 would be too much. Sound reasoning, right?

A good way to do 19 would be to do one mile before the rest of the gang arrives. That way, he'd only have to worry about the last 18, and much of that running would be with friends. But even though he arrives ten minutes early, he's unable to get that first mile in. It seems that one of today's companions, Katherine Kinsey, has also arrived early, and Danny Boy winds up spending the extra time kibbitzing with her. Oh well, he thinks; if he does only 18 today, it won't be a total failure.

Within a few minutes, Shannon Barnes, Chadwick Sunday (and Ella), Julie Boggs, and Kelly Parker arrive. Yes, it's four tough and accomplished runners (plus Ella), and Old Danny Boy. We do one 6-mile loop in the early morning gloom, return back to York Township Municipality Park, and pick up yet two more friends: Harold Dravenstott and Debbie Hicks. Now we have seven (not including Ella). And it's getting real.

The humidity makes it tough but we get through another loop. People begin dropping off (Katherine has run her longest ever), but Julie, Chadwick, and Danny Boy soldier on. Somehow, the number 19 arrives on their watches, and they can stop.

Been a good one. Let's keep it going, thinks Danny Boy. He's thankful for his friends.

Peer Pressure

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

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

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

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

Julie, Dan, and Theresa between loops

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

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

Change of Venue

Notice that there's no day-number as part of the post title. That's because I'm done with GVRAT, Except for trying to make the distance with running miles only. I'll keep track of that and report back by the end of August.

It's cool, crisp, and clear as I begin my long run on the Lester Rail Trail. For the first time this season, I spot Orion rising in the east. This is about as good as it gets for mid-summer running. I didn't run long or hard the last two days. I've got no injuries to speak of. In short, I've got no excuse for not running well today.

Except that I'm not. I'm moving slowly. Too slowly. The bathroom stops don't help, but I've dealt with those kinds of problems before. Mostly, I just can't seem to wake up. This, despite my usual gallon of coffee this morning. So I'm having a lousy run for no reason at all. 

I'd thought about running 24 here this morning. I often do that, but more often, I wind up settling for 18 as a long run total. Today, I am beginning to doubt that I can even do that. I may need to quit altogether. It's too bad that I don't even have an excuse. Other than quitting early, there's only one possible option left for me: a change of venue.

I like the Lester Rail Trail, and I do a great many of my long runs here. But once in a while, it just doesn't work out. Too bad it's not working out today during this beautiful morning. At least I get eleven in before I decide to drive over to the track. But I don't know whether the Buckeye HS track will even be open. It's been locked up lately, and I haven't been there since last year. I suppose that if it's locked, I can go to another track, or truly quit altogether.

Buckeye track is open. Even so, I begin this part of the run at a speed no faster than what I had been doing. Perhaps I really and truly should quit. I try to run a little faster, and I manage to do that. Somehow. Then I go faster and after. Each mile is better than the last. Some soccer or cross-country high school girls begin showing up. The sun is higher and warmer now. And I keep running. And my miles continue to improve.

Until I get eighteen and change, at which point, I'm done. The change of venue worked.

Done, Done, or, Longing for Lester

We now have to park for our Lester Rail Trail runs at the corner of Fenn and Route 57. It seems that certain members of our clan were busted for parking at the York Township Municipality Lot too early in the morning. So I announced that today's run would begin and end at the new location with loops at 5, 6, and 7 AM. Those times are kind of typical for me and for me and for everyone else. 

The final 6 miles are often, although not always, pretty lonely for me. Most of my friends, it seems, work for a living and these runs are often on weekdays (today's run was on a Friday). They usually need to be done and on their way home by 7 or earlier. That loneliness often, but not always, translates to a poor finish to my long run.

Today was slightly different. Although I'd planned to be there for each start time, and although I did want to get 18 miles in, I decided to begin super-duper early (4:15) with Michelle and Andy Wolff, and thus have only about 2 miles left when everyone else finished at 7:00 AM. Surely, 2 miles alone wouldn't be so bad.

Things didn't go quite as planned. Other friends (Shannon Barnes, Chadwick and Ella Sunday, and Julie Boggs) showed up at 5 as planned. As we began talking, I learned that Julie had been planning on doing all three loops - the ones I had promised to be there for. Now, I couldn't let Julie run those last miles alone, so even though I had nearly 4 in to begin with, I agreed to accompany her for the 7 AM loop in its entirety. This would put me at close to 22 miles, which is 10-20 percent longer than my usual long runs. But if I say there will be a 7AM loop, dad-burn it if there won't.

Those final miles were indeed slower for me, but the good news is that they got done. Or, as I used to say as a Project Manager, they were 'done, done.'

Long Likely Lester Longing

Okay, I'll admit that this post's subject don't make much sense, but I'll try to explain. I hadn't run on the Lester Rail Trail for a few weeks, and I was longing to do so. And today's run was to be a long one. At least, it had seemed likely that I'd get the desired mileage. Capisce? Okay, forget it. I'll just move on to tell the story.

It's my last, or possibly next-to-last long run before the Tallahassee Marathon. I arrive a bit before five, enough for an initial mile. I needed to do that because I seem to require more and more time and miles to wake up lately. The first mile is always the slowest, so I may as well get it done early. At 5, Michelle Wolff shows up, and she and I run the initial six-mile double out-and-back loop. It's cold (around 30F) but not windy. We hardly notice, since we're talking and sharing stories.

At 6, Sarah Joan and Harold Dravenstott show up to join the fray. We do another six (all while talking and telling more stories) before it's time for everyone to leave. Everyone except me, that is.

Now, at about 7:30 and about thirteen-plus miles in, I'm on my own. After a slowish start, I decide that it would be better all around if I can run faster for these final six, rather than slower. That's a big IF, of course. But somehow, I do manage to pick it up a little. The last two miles are my best. That's a good sign.

Long on Lester, August 2025 Edition

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

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

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

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

Every Hour, On the Hour

Instant Relief! That's what I felt as I started the fourth six-mile out and back loop on the Lester Rail Trail for the second time.

The first time hadn't gone so well; the PF pain had gradually gotten worse during the third loop, and it was excruciating at the first start of the fourth. As I returned to the car, I changed from my Montrail Mountain Massochist's to my Hoka OneOne Stinson Evo's. I'd also been thinking about quitting altogether; Nineteen miles wouldn't be all that bad after that half-marathon 48 hours ago. But dad-burn it, I'd never failed to complete a 24-miler here on the Lester, and I didn't want this to be the first time. Even so, it'd been a while. Quite a while.

The Hoka's, with the Powerstep insoles, provided the instant relief from the PF pain that I'd hoped for. This truly amazed me. It's too bad that the rest of me was in pain as well, and I had a long way to go.

The first three laps had gone quite well. I arrived at 4:00 AM, in order to get a loop in before Jack Reilly showed up at 5. Jack only did one loop with me, so I was back on my own for the third loop at 6. All this running had been at close to nine minutes per mile, and I was pleased as punch about it.

But then came those final six. Even without the PF pain, they weren't one bit pretty. Can you spell 'ten thirty miles?' Somehow I made it though.

This had been a test; a test to see if I could/would do the full 50K at Buckeye Woods in December. I guess I passed. This means that as of now, I may consider going for it. But I got a long way to go.

Aftermath

Yeeeoww! I stopped and yelled this out during this morning's run on the Lester Rail Trail. The cause of this joyous noise was a sudden excruciating pain in my groin. It must have been what they call a groin pull. The pain went down my entire right leg.

The run - four 6-mile out-and-back loops on the Lester Rail Trail - had been going fairly well up until that point. It's too bad that that point was only about 150 yards into the run. What to do? I nearly walked back to the car in order to drive home and call it a day (at 5am). But no, I decided to try to gut it out, at least for a while. Sure enough, after some slow shuffling, I eventually got to a point where I could run again.

And speaking of pain, most of it went away fairly quickly in the days following Mohican. I say most because the pain in one particular body part (my heel) decided to linger longer. Yes, my PF continues to be as bad as ever. I wish I knew the exact moment in the race when it occurred, but I suppose it really doesn't matter.

Although I knew that Mohican would be a watershed for me, at least for 2011, I had in fact been running better (read: a bit faster) in the weeks leading up to the race. So it's not too surprising that I'm running relatively fast once again. I've got some tempo runs and speedwork sessions under my belt. It's just too bad that these types of runs hurt my PF the most.

Now I'll have to try to make something of the July 4th Twin Sizzler races in Medina. With a groin pull now to go along with the PF, it should be interesting.

I managed to get through today's 24. I even managed to run fairly well - under 8:30 pace, for the middle two laps. The fourth lap proved difficult, however. This may have been a result of all the other follies.

Long on Lester, Achieving Eightness, and Other Stories

After Saturday's 14 on the towpath I hit the trail again on Sunday. This time it was the Lester Rail Trail for my usual four loops of six miles. I say usual because that's usually what I do run there. It has, however, been a while since I've run there. It's much simpler to just run from home, but I like the softer surface of the trail as well as the lack of traffic. The goal was, as usual, to run each loop a little faster, and this time I succeeded: the approximate times were something on the order of: 54.5, 51.5, 50, 47.5 minutes. Good trend. I'm reasonably happy with it.

It took a lot, however, to get down to eight minute pace for that last lap. This has been the case quite a bit lately: it's just tough to run the kind of speeds that used to be routine a couple years ago. In fact, it wasn't so far back in the past when I would average eight minute pace for the entire year! This year my average pace per mile has been hovering around 8 and a half. Is it any wonder that my race times are also slower?

How was the rest of the week, you ask. It's been going ok, and I'm reasonably happy with it. Slow going Monday morning and then evening with the MCRR gang prior to the meeting (and it was a good meeting, with Mark Croghan as the speaker). A little better for Tuesday's twelve, and then better still today (Wednesday): I just barely managed a tempo run as part of the 11-mile course, which I completed, along with an additional three, at exactly eight-minute pace.

I signed up for the Fall Classic Half this Sunday, and then just yesterday learned that there's a little 5k in Brunswick on Saturday. Now running the 5k would probably slow me down to some extent for the half. But I'd like to do the 5k, and I really don't know how much slowing would occur. Decision time.

Day 16: MCRR Virtual Medina Marathon and COVID 19-Miler

There was a change of plans. This here MCRR Virtual Medina Marathon and COVID 19-Miler was going to happen tomorrow (Sunday, May 17) and it was going to be done on a track. So much for planning. Instead, I did it today, and I did it on the Lester Rail Trail. Smart decision? Probably not, but you know how it is when those voices in your head get talking.

I’ve had good runs and bad runs on the Lester Rail Trail. I’ve done a lot of 24-milers here, but lately, the runs have been closer to the 18-mile range. Today the goal is four of the six-mile out-and-back loops, plus a little extra to make 26.2. Here’s the hour-by-hour play-by-play. Or should I say, blow-by-blow?

5:00 AM: I’m off. I’ve run in the dark here before, but today is a little different. The fog and gloom are thick, so the light from my headlamp reflects back and nearly blinds me. I turn it off within the first mile; it’s no longer completely dark anyway. After only a couple slower miles, I’m settling down to a ten-minute per mile pace. Had this been a non-virtual marathon (one that I’d tapered properly for, one that had other competitors, and one that is not in the middle of the Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee), I would instead be shooting for a nine-minute pace.

6:00 AM: I am returning to the car every loop to get water and gel. Since I can’t stop my watch (this is a race, you know), I have to make these stops fast and efficient. I suppose they are, but it takes more time than I’d like to get the stone out of my left shoe.

7:00 AM: Another stone. This is happening because I didn’t tie the laces tight. I didn’t tie them tight because I had that foot pain from running a long run here a couple weeks ago. Now that I’m near the half-way range, I manage to pick the pace up a little. Now, most of the miles are clocking at about 9:30. The fog is lifting a bit as the sun is rising.

8:00 AM: Over three hours in. I lament how I used to do a complete marathon in this amount of time. In more recent years, I’ve at least gotten to mile 20 by now. Today? I manage to hit mile 18 before the clock strikes three. But only barely. The good news is that I’m feeling well. Maybe I’ll be able to finish strong. There’s a stone in my shoe, but I’m getting proficient at taking it off, dumping it out, and getting it back on in a short amount of time.

9:00 AM: Only a couple miles to go, and I’m feeling just fine. Except for that newest stone, that is. This time I leave it. I’ve only got two to go.

9:15 AM: I finish in 4 hours and 15 minutes. My final two sub-9 minute miles were the best of the bunch. Still feeling pretty good, I get in the car and drive home, where I dump the final stone from my shoe.

General Info about The Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee 1000K
Info about my own participation in GVRAT

Forever 21

21 miles on Lester today. I was even able to run miles 18, 19, and 20 at about marathon pace (sub-9-minute miles). I tell anyone who will listen that this is a good thing to do. It's too hard to run all 20-ish miles at marathon pace (except, hopefully, during the race itself). But if you can at least finish your training run at that pace, then you're on your way.

So, am I on my way, you ask? Not quite. 

Forever 21 is a chain of stores that sell clothing and other fashion accessories. I believe that they target their marketing toward people who are somewhat older than 21, but who would like to stop time to appear younger. And that was me today: stopping time to appear (in my case) faster. You see, I stopped my watch for the places Lester Rail Trail intersects with the road, but also, near the end, after every mile, to catch my breath.

Yes, I am on the upswing, but I still have a way to go. You might say that "I have promises to keep, / And miles to go before I sleep."

Day 2: Due for a Stinker?

The birds are singing. The stars are bright, but the predawn light is already forcing them to begin to wink out. I'm on the Lester Rail Trail, one of my favorite locations for long runs. I've posted many a story about these runs; here's one from fifteen years ago called, I Squashed a Yellow-jacket in my Singlet Today.

Lester Rail Trail (from the Medina County Parks website)

I am pretty sure I won't have time to run 24 miles today. It will probably be closer to the lower end of my long-run threshold of 18 miles. Even so, I'll have to maintain a half-way decent pace throughout, especially considering the several pit-stops that I'm necessarily making. How am I doing? Best not to know, so don't look at the watch. Don't look at the watch. Don't look at the watch. Oooops... I look at my watch. Aargh! - my pace is too darn slow.

It's getting lighter, and now I'm at mile five of the first six-mile out and back loop. I am still going so slow that I'm beginning to think this run may wind up being a complete stinker. I may not even make it to eighteen. Then I look behind me, and the sunrise is spectacular. There are reds, oranges, yellows, blues, and purples, and everything in between. The sight inspires me. But will said inspiration be enough to get me moving?

At the ten-mile mark in the second circuit, I guess I am finally running at the expected pace. Maybe I will make it to eighteen after all.

With only a couple miles to go, I am heading back to the car. I'm moving at my best pace yet. This is surprising, given that poor start. I am thinking about how I miss my running friends. I thought it possible that I may even see Michelle and Andy Wolff, or perhaps some of the others. But no, they must be socially distancing someplace else today. I do see a few other folks walking and running. Ahead of me, I see a guy with silver hair and green shorts. Could it be Tom Bieniosek? Thinking about it, I determine that it couldn't be anyone else.

I catch up and talk briefly with Tom, staying, of course, at the social distance of the width of the trail. I hadn't seen Tom for quite a while. He seems fine.

I move on and finish up. I wind up with nineteen and a quarter miles today. I'll walk for a few more later on.

This is day two of The Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee 1000K. I'll try to continue to do these daily posts about my experiences.

General Info about The Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee 1000K
Info about my own participation in GVRAT

Tale of two tremendous training trots

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

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

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

I Squashed a Yellow-jacket in my Singlet Today

Doesn't quite have the impact of "I shot an elephant in my pajamas today", but it's the best I could come up with. First, the Yellow-jacket’s perspective.

It was a beautiful late-summer morning, and the sun was just beginning to rise. My sisters and I (all eighty-three of us) decided to get out of the nest early for our daily foraging. We knew of some luscious rotten apples laying on the ground not too far away.

Any foraging trip may have certain hazards. Crossing roads can be very dangerous because fast-moving machines can smash into us as we're flying by. Humans, large, disgusting creatures, sometimes swat at us (we just get out of the way and then buzz them a few times), but sometimes spray some terrible stuff at us to knock us down and kill us. Crossing over the Lester Rail Trail is usually not a hazard, because the humans moving on it are usually slow-moving and don't bother us. But today was different.

I was leading the group across the trail on our way to the apples. Suddenly I heard, "Gertrude, LOOK OUT!!". It was my sisters warning me, but it was too late. One of the slow-moving (certainly no faster than most) humans on the trail had come along and I somehow (don't ask me to explain it) got sucked between its skin and its garment. I was scared, confused, and a little angry. So I did what any self-respecting yellow-jacket would do: I lowered my stinger. In that split second, I managed to find a great spot. It was on a soft, damp furry area, just on the edge of a darker, hairless area that had a bump in the middle.

Then, and I realize that this is hard to believe, I felt strong pressure from the other side of the garment, and I was pulled away from the skin. I saw a huge, ugly face looking down at me. Gave me the willies, but I was too concerned about getting crushed. I managed to wiggle out to freedom. That was a close one. I somehow made it back to the nest, where my sisters took care of me. We're all vowing a jihad for revenge.

Now the human side:

The good thing about starting at eleven minutes a mile: When you ratchet down to nine or eight, it feels like you're flying. The bad part? By the time you ratchet your pace down, a whole lot of time has gone by.

Why so slow to start? Because it was extremely dark and scary out there on the Lester Rail Trail at 5:15 am. Good thing I didn't start any earlier. The plan was to do the 6-mile round trip four times, getting a bit faster with each one. And to hopefully do the last few miles at better than 7-minute pace.

After the first extremely slow loop, the sun began to rise and I started out again. About half-way, I felt a sudden stinging sensation on my chest, under my singlet. Not much pain for a half-second, then, EEEEEEEK!, did it hurt! I grabbed at my singlet and figured out that I had somehow acquired a yellow-jacket and somehow got it out of the singlet after only half-squashing it. Luckily I'm not allergic to those stings, but as it was, my breast swelled up a bit and continued to hurt. Hey - this may be the next big thing: a new "natural" method of breast enlargement.

I somehow managed to get through the other two and a half loops. Each one did get faster, but I never got anywhere near 7-minute pace. Gonna have to work on that.

Six-mile Splits:

58:49 (it was dark)
50:47 (big bad sting)
49:40
47:42 (finish in 3:27)

Day 70: Not Uranus

I did not see Uranus today. Or Neptune. But I did spot Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Oh, yes. And part of Earth. I think that accounts for all of them. At least all the currently designated ones.

Fireflies lit the sky today as I began my run on the Lester Rail Trail. Fireflies, and the Moon and the stars. And the planets.

I got eleven miles in, and it was a nice run. Until the deerflies began to wake up.

All dressed up, nowhere to go

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

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

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

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

He should chill.