New Nike Aurrs

I stopped by Vertical Runner after work today to pick up a new pair of Nike Air Pegasus I ordered last week. These shoes are great! This is my 11th pair and they always feel comfortable right out of the box.



So from Vertical Runner, I drove over to Happy Days to go for a run. I ran to Kendall Lake and did a No Frills loop around the hills and back to my car for 6 miles. My right leg hurt a bit on the shin from bruising it yesterday during the kayak incident. Having had two stress fractures in the past, the slight discomfort by the bone made me nervous, but I feel pretty confident it is only a bruise.

First Time Kayaking

Dan Bellinger, Beth Miller and I met today at 41° North Coastal Kayak Adventures in Lakewood to go kayaking. I've been wanting to try it all summer long. This morning it rained a bit, but stopped by the time we got going.

We started from the 41 North Yak Shack and headed up the Cuyahoga River to Lake Erie. I did well on the calm river, but I could tell it wouldn't take much to flip one of these with the little experience I had.

When we got to the mouth of the river, I knew we would be in for quite an adventure. The waves from the lake were a little intimidating at first. We paddled around and out a bit further into the lake. The waves were 1-2 feet, but quickly grew to 3 feet. The big waves really rocked the kayak and were a little much for a beginner.

In the distance, I saw Beth in the water. Earlier she had said she might go swimming, but I knew something was wrong when she was holding her paddle in the air and her kayak was flipped. She got hit by a big wave on the side and turned over. Dan and I paddled over there and tried to help her get back in to no avail. The best thing she could do now was swim back to shore. I took her paddle and Dan tried to drag her kayak, but this is a pretty tough task.

Dan paddled back to the Yak Shack for help and I paddled around to see Beth made it to shore. My boat was getting more and more unstable as more water got in from the increasing size of the waves. Just then, a wave hit the front of my boat and turned me over.

By now, a family who lived on the lake was helping us get ashore. I dragged my kayak to the dock and doggy paddled back. The one lady called 911 and a coast guard had arrived to make sure everything was alright. An officer also came in a car and ended up giving us a ride back to the Yak Shack.

Beth and I were a little shaken up, but mostly just tired! It's amazing how tiring it is swimming in a rough lake. The workers from 41 North went out to get our kayaks. One was on the dock and the other, along with a paddle, was still in the lake getting washed ashore. We found out later that luckily no damage was done.

I learned a few lessons about the danger of kayaking, especially on Lake Erie where conditions can change quickly. Despite the mishap, I had a great time today and plan to go again in the future.

Check out photos from today here.

Pine Lane Run

Tonight Brian and I met at 5 for a run starting from Pine Lane. Brian had already run 10.5 miles ealier this morning with Dan Bellinger, but decided to tough it out for another one. We kept the pace pretty easy and walked many of the hills. I drank a lot of water from a gallon jug on my way to the run, so I felt pretty hydrated despite the oppressive conditions. We ran to the Boston Store and back and ended up with 8 miles total.

I haven't been running consistently lately, but plan to start this week. With YUT-C 50K, Akron half, and Oil Creek 50K creeping closer, I would like to be in great shape for all three and have a chance to get some new PR's.

Goo Goo Dolls & Switchfoot

Tonight a few of us drove up to Cleveland for the Goo Goo Dolls & Switchfoot concert at Tower City Amphlitheater. We had bought tickets online during their one-day special for only $10! I had a great time and enojoyed listening to the Goo Goo Dolls play many of their hits from the 90s. The venue isn't my favorite acoustically and we stood the whole time, but hey, it was only 10 bucks.

Akron 10

I haven't been running much the past week due to the intense heat , so tonight I decided to run from my apartment to downtown Akron. I looped around behind my apartments on Turkeyfoot Rd. to S Main St. then took that all the way to Akron. The first tenth mile is a little busy with traffic, but there's sidewalks for the rest of the way.


As I neared downtown, I saw on a building it was still 81 degrees after 7 o'clock! Plus the humidity and extra heat from the concrete, asphalt and buildings made it even worse. When I got back and mapped it out online, I was pleased to see I had done 10 miles. I haven't run the roads for a long time and now I see why. It sure makes you appreciate the trails!

Family Run

This weekend, Jamie and her boyfriend Dave visited from Pittsburgh. This morning we met Brian for a trail run at Happy Days. All four of us are running Oil Creek this fall - Jamie, Dave and I running the 50k and Brian doing the 100 mile race.

Dave had never been to the CVNP, so we showed him the Ledges Trail, Ice Box cave, and the Kendall Lake area. The temperature wasn't too bad in the shade, but when we got out in the open at Kendall all of us were soaked in sweat! We ended up with 6 miles.

Pine Lane Night Run

Tonight I planned on meeting Shaun Pope at 8:15 at Pine Lane to run to Boston Store and back. When I got there, there was a green car with a BT50K sticker on the back that looked like his. I thought maybe he went out and did some extra before. So I waited about 15 minutes and still no Shaun. I decided to start running and maybe catch up to him if he had already left.

I ran a good pace out to the Boston Store. As I got closer to the turnaround, still no Shaun. I started running back and up the huge hill when I see Shaun running down with his dog. He got out of work late and I missed him at Pine Lane by 5 or 10 minutes!

So the three of us ran back, not walking any hills. By myself I would've been dead running all these hills, but tonight it felt easy. It was nice and cool out and we both had our headlamps on. He told me about his 100 mile race at Mohican and all the highs and lows you go through. I enjoyed listening to all the advice he had from his first 100 and mistakes he learned from.