Deer Run

Brian and I went out to the Cuyahoga Valley today to do a run. We knew it would be a really cold one since the high was supposed to be in the 20's. The thing that made it really bad was the wind though. When we went down in valleys it didn't feel too bad, but up on the ridges it was very windy.

We started at Kendall Lake and headed up onto the trail towards Camp Manatoc. Right when we got on the trail, we saw a deer not too far from us. Then we saw another one and two more in the distance. We decided to go off-piste a little and try to follow the deer. We did for awhile, but then they got too far away, so we started running along the yellow-marked trail that the Boy Scouts made. We ran this with Jim and his son Heath on New Year's Eve, but it looked a lot different now with no snow on the ground. The valleys and hills on this trail are amazing. The only thing is that some of the trail is not kept up and has a lot of fallen trees and brush. Below is a video of a deer running away after Brian scared it.

Early on in the run, we heard some people yelling. We went up on a ridge and saw that there were some people at Camp Manatoc. We figured some scouts must be camping or having a get together but thought it was kind of funny considering how cold it was. We looped around on the yellow trail and ended up on the other side of the camp. We could see tents set up and a fire going. After that, we got to Rt. 303 and took some funny pictures with the big chief statue at the entrance of the camp.

After goofing around there, we headed out on Rt. 303 for a little bit until we got to the Happy Days Visitor Center. We got back onto the trail by the ledges and headed back towards Kendall Lake. We ended up with only 6 miles, but it was a very enjoyable run (other than the cold) and it was fun to see all the deer running around out there with us!

A Little Bit Of Everything

Tonight I decided to run inside at the rec since I really didn't feel like venturing out into the cold. I ran 4 miles around the track (which is 28 laps..ugh!) and listened to music on my mp3 player. I wanted to go farther, but the monotony got to me so I jumped on the bike. On the bike, I did 4 miles not really fast but just kind of cooling down from the run. Then I got off there and felt really ambitious, so I went down to the weight room to lift some. Kent just replaced all its lifting machines with new ones and it really looks nice. I was a little tired from the run so I just did some curls: 4 sets of 10 reps at 20 lbs. After that, I hit up the hot tub and sauna to relax.

Kent Bike Trail Loop

Tonight I decided to head over to the rec center and start my run from there. I headed out onto the bike trail near Kent State. It isn't very long and cuts off at some points, which gets annoying when you have to run on the edge of the road, but the mile and a half or so in the woods is pretty nice. Below I got a picture of a rabbit that was off the trail a little bit. Last time, I saw a deer staring at me not too far away.

I ended up doing a big loop around campus, eventually heading up the steep hill to the business building and back to the rec. The hill is a pretty good workout in itself and would be a great place for hill repeats. I always push it up the hill and try to impress the people driving past since there's a busy intersection at the base of it.

I noticed my time was only at 33 minutes when I got back to the rec, so I continued on to repeat part of the bike trail I did in the beginning. I have a few runs that I have marked out online on a map, but for the most part I just got by time and how fast I think I'm going to figure out distance.

It was starting to get pretty dark out when I got back to the rec, even at 6:00. Now for the fun part of the run, which has become a tradition after alot of my runs up here at school: the hot tub! Kent has a really nice rec center and it was rated one of the top in the country. It feels like a vacation resort and is a really good way to end a run. You can buy a day pass for $8 (which is a little pricey) but if you go on a weekend and make a day of it, it could be worth a visit. Below is a video of some of the highlights of the rec center.

City Night Run

Tonight I ran to downtown Warren for a night run. The temperature was really nice, cool but not too cold, at around 38°. I went through Courthouse Square and saw a bunch of people skating on the ice rink. Tomorrow is the last day it will be up this winter.

I ended up doing an out-and-back 7-mile loop that we have measured in the car. I decided to really push it the last mile and see how fast I could run. I sprinted all the way to the finish (our house), looked down at my watch and saw I ran it in 6:14. I was happy I decided to get out and run tonight since I really just wanted to stay in and be lazy earlier!

Sunny Day in January

Today the nice weather and high temperature was too good to pass up for a run. So I decided to do the usual 5 mile Imperial run to downtown Warren. The bank time & temp sign said 68°. It was a little windy but the breeze felt nice. My leg started to get sore by my ankle halfway through, but that happened last time the run after URINEO so I wasn't too worried. Hopefully we get some more days like this before spring!

Art Moore's FA 50K

This morning my brother Brian and I woke up around 7:15 to get ready for our 50K. I spent the night before so I wouldn't have to drive up to the Cuyahoga Valley this morning. We went to eat in Hudson last night at Dave's Cosmic Subs. It's a really cool place that has a real hippie atmosphere to it. They have 60's and alternative music playing pretty loud inside. You can even write your name or a message on the walls with a permanent marker.

We also went to Vertical Runner to pick up some supplies for the run. I got a Pure Energy Blue Blaze bar and a Spiced Pumpkin Pie and a Pear Apple Strudel Clif Bar. I thought I would take a chance with the Seasonal flavor bars and they both ended up being pretty good. I also had gotten a king-sized Snickers bar and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups earlier at Wal-Mart.

We decided to run our 50K for the Art Moore FA on the Buckeye Trail & do an out and back from Pine Lane to Brecksville. This is the summer BT50K course except in reverse. My last 50K, URINEO, was pretty tough being my first one, so I kind of knew what to expect coming into this one. However, I had somewhat forgotten the pain and wasn't very concerned about the long distance even with the cold I was getting over.

Brian and I did our usual tradition and went to the McDonald's in Streetsboro to get some Sausage & Egg McMuffin's (the breakfast of champions!!). We finished eating and were on our way to Pine Lane.

At around 8:30 AM we started our run. I had on Brian's fuel pack which carried one water bottle and had storage to hold my snacks. Brian had on his new CamelBak which was pretty cool. Along the trail between Pine Lane and the Boston Store, we saw a lot of groups of runners. We said hi to this man and woman at the parking lot at Pine Lane. They told us to go ahead since we were fresh. However, along the way they caught back up and we talked to them until the Boston Store where they finished. The man took the picture below of Brian and me running in between the pine trees.

Once we got onto the Blue Hen Falls trail, things became tougher with bigger and more hills. Also, there weren't nearly as many people out this way and almost no one as we got closer to Brecksville. Since there were less people, the snow was not packed down as much. The trails seemed to get worse and worse along the way. The cold temperatures (30's) formed frozen mud ruts along the trail that were hard to navigate. Everywhere else that wasn't frozen was slick and didn't allow for much footing, especially uphill.

The trails got so sloppy towards Brecksville at mile 12 that we decided to turn around and do the extra 7 miles on the Towpath by the Boston Store. Once we got there, though, we didn't feel like going out 3.5 on the Towpath and continued on back to our car at Pine Lane. At this point, we were both exhausted mentally and physically. We were talking about stopping at Pine Lane and just doing 24 miles. It sounded better and better the further we went along.

Finally after what seemed like forever, we reached the parking lot. We gave each other high fives for a good run. It felt great to be done, but we had come out here to run a 50K and it didn't feel complete. I had also thought about this blog post and did not want to write about how we failed to do the full distance.

So we sat down in the car for a few minutes and contemplated whether to stop or continue on and do the last 7 miles. After a lot of thought, we decided to head out 3.5 miles on Rt. 303. It was a mixture of running and walking, but I tried to push more running. We got out to the BP gas station and back to the parking lot. We still had 2 miles left though (according to Brian's GPS) so we headed out a mile. When we got back to the car, we were both so happy to be done! Our finishing time was 7:52.

This was definitely an experience I will never forget. I am happy that we did not quit and take the easy way out. It's amazing how you can push your body farther than you think.

Brian and I drove back to his apartment, got a shower and then headed out to North Olmsted to the party at Coleen's house. I saw a few familiar faces there and met some new people. Everyone was very friendly and fun to talk with. I hadn't really talked to Art too much last year when I went, but this year I learned all about his impressive running history. His friend Leo was also very impressive. He showed us a picture of himself with the worst black & blue eye I've ever seen. He got it at the beginning of an ultra, but still finished the whole thing!

All in all, it was a great day. I'll probably put the ultras aside for now and start training for Boston, but more ultras are sure to be ahead!

Mill Creek Rose Garden Run

Today my sister Jamie and I decided to go for a run at Mill Creek Park. We started at the Rose Garden and headed towards the Stone Bridge side first. The air felt especially cold due to a slight breeze during the run. Both of us were a little sick and didn't really feel all the great so we decided to cut it short and go have lunch at the Rose Garden. We probably ended up with around 4 miles, but I didn't want to do too much anyways since I'm running Art Moore's Cleveland FA 50k on the Buckeye Trail tomorrow. I don't know how my brother convinced me to join him (I think it was the food and party afterwards that conviced me) but anways, I will be attempting my second Ultra. Last year I ran part of the 50k with Brian and Bob and then went to the party afterwards. The food and company was great and I look forward to it again this year!

Below is a slideshow of our run, the Rose Garden and some pictures in the art gallery inside.