Boston Store Night Run

Pinball, Slim Jim, Kurt OPod, Little Pebble, and me

(photo courtesy of Brian) - I need to get a nickname

Tonight I met Brian at the Boston Store parking lot at 7 to go for a night run. The plan was to run towards Slim and Heath Harris who were running out towards Pine Line. We ran a mile out until we met with them, then turned around to head back to the parking lot. On our way back, Kurt Osadchuk was running towards us. He turned around and joined us.

From the parking lot, we headed out towards Snowville Rd. on the Buckeye Trail. Heath drove separate and had already done 13 miles, so he split. The trail was in decent shape in most spots. However, some downhills and sections of the trail were pretty sloppy. It started to get pretty dark on the way back to the parking lot with 5 miles to go. I had borrowed Kurt's hand light since I didn't bring one. Kurt decided to take the road back since it was getting late, so I gave him his light back. Bad decision! It was really tricky running without a light in the pitch black forest. I ran between Jim and Brian who both had lights and made it back without any problems. I haven't done a long run for quite awhile, so it felt good to get out there on the trails for a long night run.

We finished the run with 12 miles. Afterwards, Brian played some Reggae music and Jim had brought some Pizza Hut and drinks. It was great...Supreme AND Meat Lover's together!

Running Limerick

I was up late tonight and decided to make this running limerick. Enjoy!

Running through the wind, breaking through the walls
Sprinting up the hills, busting your balls
Running to escape to another place
Keeping up an ungodly pace
Breaking a record by a margin so small

We run and we run
We run in the sun
Through the rain and the shine
Through the forests of pine
The goal to have fun

Training through hell
On Nikes with gel
Digging in deep
Up mountains so steep
Boy I am sorry for how nasty I smell

The training complete
It feels so sweet
To feel like a cheetah
There's nothin' bettah
Ready to do an awesome feat

Race day is here
So never fear
All the miles will show
Everyone will know
That you're ready this year

The anthem is sang
The gun goes bang
You're off in a hurry
No need to worry
Because you hydrated with Tang

Halfway through you hurt in your side
You slow down a bit and shorten your stride
Then you begin to wonder
Was the gallon of Tang a real blunder
But you push through the pain, you will not be denied

You reach the conclusion
And think it's an illusion
You've gone so far
But got a PR
Now you're ready for a blood transfusion!

Humid Days

About a week ago I bought a Camelback Mini Mule at Dicks Sporting Goods. I used the $20 gift certificate that I won at the Vision For Veterans 5k as well as the 10% off coupon that they gave us at the race. So the $40 pack only cost me about $17. It holds 50 oz. which isn't huge but definetly good enough for 10-15 milers. Below is a picture of it.


So tonight I decided to test it out on a run. It was a perfect night to use it since it was hot and sticky out. I started at Happy Days Visitor Center and ran by the ledges to Kendall Lake. When I got to Kendall Lake, I did the two-mile No Frills, Just Hills loop. I wasn't sure if this was a good idea with the heat, but went for it. I hit the split button on my watch so I could see how fast I did the loop in. When I got to the top of the hill by the bathrooms, I smelled something horrible. I turned the corner and saw the septic tank was overflowing. Yuck! When I got back to the start of the loop, I was suprised to see I ran it in about 18:30. The Camelback was awesome and helped out alot when I got thirsty.


By the time I got back to the Happy Days parking lot, I felt like I just took a shower (not clean, just drenched in sweat!). I ran for an hour and was happy with the effort tonight.

Headless Horseman?!

I went out to Hinkely Reservation again tonight and decided to turn left down the Bridle Trail this time and see where that went. It was a nice sunny day with pleasant temps. I haven't been running too much with work, but I'm hoping to get back into it.

As I was running down the trail, I heard "click clock" and turned around immediately. I saw a lady on a horse coming down the trail towards me. I was surprised by this, but then remembered this was a Bridle Trail made for horses not runners. When the lady came closer, I told her I thought the Headless Horseman was chasing me. She laughed and then warned me that two other riders would be coming down the trail on their horses in a bit.

I had planned on running to the Buzzard Roost, but couldn't find it. I guess I'll have to study the map more. I ended up running a good 5 miles and really picked it up towards the end.

Hinckley Reservation

Well, yesterday I found this reservation close by me on a map and decided to go find it and run. I couldn't find it, so headed back without a run since it was starting to get late. Tonight, I studied the map again and found the reservation this time.

I parked at Judge's Lake and didn't really see any trails. I ran on this dirt path made from car tracks that was covered in weeds. I was surprised when it turned into a gravel trail and I saw blazes on the trees. I turned right and took the Bridle trail to the Buckeye Trail. I then turned left and ran until I got to Whipp's Ledges Picnic Area (I think??). The trails were very scenic with some rolling hills. I even saw some buzzards since Hinckley is home of the Buzzard's Roost and the famous "Buzzard Sunday" when the birds return from their winter vacation down South. I didn't get to see the roost, but will have to check that out another time. You can read more about the buzzards here.

I was impressed with all the places to run in the reservation. There are a total of 8 different trails that cover 26 miles. Maybe we could make a Buzzard Trail Marathon?

I ended up running 53 minutes for about 7 miles. To view a map of the reservation and the trails, click here.

2008 Vision for Veterans 5k

I hadn't really planned on running the Vision for Veterans 5k, but figured I might as well since I was home anyways for Father's Day and my sister Jamie was running it. I thought it was pretty cool that it was a night race (starting at 8:00). Josh Boggs and his girlfriend were the race directors. They donated all the money from the race to the Fisher House at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

When we got to Firestone Park, I remembered running there in high school. It's a really nice park with a small stadium and track, swimming pool, tennis courts and alot of area to run. We saw Matt Folk at the registration table and talked for a bit. My hopes for winning the race were crushed!

I felt pretty good the first mile of the race even though there was a decent size hill halfway through. I went through the first mile in about 6 minutes.

The rest of the race was pretty flat. I ran with this guy for a mile and a half, but then pushed ahead around mile 2. The finish was cool because it finished on the track in the stadium. I came through the line in 19:24 finishing 8th overall and 1st in my age group. Jamie came in close behind around 20 minutes and was the 2nd female overall.

At the awards ceremony they raffled off some prizes. I got a $20 Dick's gift certificate. I also really liked the age group awards which were dog tags with a cross country shoe on one side. Other than a little confusion with the results, it was a great race and course and I hope to do it again next year.

Storm!

Tonight, with the hot and humid conditions, some strong storms were expected to come through the area. I took this picture as the storm was blowing by. We ended up only getting a little rain and a few gusts of wind. Darn! I guess I'll have to wait a little while to see a good storm.

No Frills, Just Hills FA

Today, my sister Jamie and I headed over to Kendall Lake for the first No Frills, Just Hills FA. The event started at 8:30, but a few people started early. When we pulled into the parking lot, I was surprised to see a whole group of runners there since I was only expecting 4 or 5 people.

Everyone started and ran the first couple loops together. Each loop was 2 miles and the idea was to run as many as you could. The course went over many of the gigantic hills by Kendall Lake.

It was good to have other people to run with not just for conversation, but also to pace me with the hills. Usually I don't realize what the hills do to your legs until it's too late to slow down.

Towards the end, I ran mostly with Brian and Jamie and had a fun time goofing off with them. Brian and I contemplated stopping early at 8 loops, but Jamie was set on running 10 and convinced us to continue on (glad we did!).

On the last loop, I wanted to bust my butt and see how fast I could run it in. I had been averaging anywhere from 22-30 minutes for the previous loops. For this loop, I ran the downhills fast and ran a few of the uphills. I saw Slim sitting in a chair by the cars and sprinted in to the finish. I looked at my watch and saw I ran a 15:28 loop!

Afterwards, Brian, Jamie, Jim, Lloyd and I relaxed and rehydrated. I had a great time today and met some new runners. I'm already looking forward to doing this event again! Click here for pics and results of the run.