Dress Code

A funny story from last night's run with Gina...

I had changed into a pair of my older running shorts and a long-sleeved shirt for our run. Gina came down from upstairs and said to me, "Dad, you have to change your shorts!" I asked why and she said "They are too short!". I said that they were fine and she said "put you arms down at your sides. See? They are too short! You would not be allowed to wear them in my school because they are not longer than your reach!"

jeesh...





I changed my shorts...

Dogs, Dad, and Daughter

Denise had a meeting to go to tonight so Gina and I decided to walk with the dogs though the woods. Both Gina and I were itching for a short run so we decided to jog a bit. Mia, our Golden, was a bit timid around the mud, but Tara, another Golden that we are dog-sitting this week, had no problems going through it. We had a nice time chatting as we ran and Gina enjoyed running the trail instead of walking it. She was amazed at how fast we got to the vernal pools.

We brought the bike path back to the grassy path where Gina ran hard to Glenwood. The dogs and I walked the path and met Gina as she jogged back. A very nice evening. I hope to be able to do it again soon.

Rainy monday

Started today with a sloppy 4 miles before work. It was just raining hard enough to be raining, but again, not enough to get you totally soaked. Very enjoyable and I like getting the run out of the way early.

I felt very tired today at work. I slept well last night, it just seemed like a short night...Maybe Mother's Day took its toll on me with the stress of planning, preparing, and cleanup of 3 meals. How do you mothers do that day after day after day???

I returned home from work to find Denise and the girls frantically preparing for what might have been Gina's "first date". Her friend called to see if she wanted to run with him on the Bike path. Now what could make two parents who run happier than that? I was invited along as well as the dogs, to ensure that everything went well. The kids ran, and we walked behind, like two doting parents. I am not ready for this....

I want to run again tomorrow morning and am starting to plan saturday's long run already. I want to park at the covered bridge and run portions of the Burning River 100 course. There is a 6 mile segment to Pine Hollow, a 4.1 mile loop, and a 3.5 mile segment to O'Neil Woods. Total distance would be 23.1 miles, making for a nice run. Pace will be easy and I am going to post on both the VR web site and BR100 sites for some company. A lot of people will probably be running the Cleveland marathon this weekend, but maybe I can get someone to join me to help pass the miles.

Mother's Day recap

Here is a photo of Abby, Denise, and Gina at the Botanical Gardens in Cleveland. We decided to go visit there since the weather was not very nice for an outdoor hike as we had originally planned. We are so glad that we ventured down there. They have a huge green house with a Costa Rica Cloud forest habitat which contained hundreds of butterflies and assorted colorful birds.

The butterflies were feasting on the nectar from the flowers that were blooming and it was amazing to be so close and observe them floating about.

We started the day with the girls making chocolate chip pancakes for Denise. Abby presented Denise with a poem and Gina, a collage of Adirondack photos. Both were a huge hit with Denise.

Off we went to the Botanical gardens for a great visit. We will return on a sunny day to enjoy the outdoor gardens this summer.

I prepared dinner and chocolate casserole for desert. (do you sense a chocolate theme??) It was a very good day and Denise had her wish of staying out of the kitchen for a day.

Like Mother, like Daughter...

Yesterday was the Run 4 Life event at Hudson Communtity Chapel. Gina and Abby had registered for the 1 mile run and Denise had registered for the 4 mile event. I was just spectating and Abby and I had plans to ride the tandem home from Hudson.

Gina and Abby started the race and at the 1/2 mile point, the police car leading the race made a wrong turn! Gina and Abby both got caught up in the confusion, but quickley got back on course. Gina finished looking strong and Abby was not far behind. Abby held on pretty well since she has only run a few times this spring...

The 4 mile race starts and Denise just wanted to use this as a recovery run from her 21 mile run on friday. This 21 miles was the last long run before San Diego and it went very well for her. Her goal for the 4 miles was to build each mile. She expected to go 34 minutes, I predicted 33 minutes. We were both wrong! Denise came in at 32:20 something... I told her at the finish "So much for taking it easy!"

Gina placed first in her age group and Denise also place first! Pretty cool to see the smile on Gina's face.

The men's winner set a new course record! 19:59 for 4 miles!!!! He was simply beautiful to watch run. He made it look effortless, like all good runners do, and I was simply amazed at how fast he was going without looking like he was going fast! The women also posted some smokin' fast times. ~25 minutes and change.... wow!


Abby and I then unloaded the tandem and started for home. We had a Starbuck's Gift card burning a hole in our pockets so we stopped at the Twinsburg store for cocoa and coffee. A great 12 mile ride together and even better conversation and laughs!


I then followed this up with a 6 mile run though the woods. Overall, a fantastic day for everyone! Now, it is time to spoil Denise for Mother's day!

Early morning

I love the early morning! I finally got my behind out of bed this morning for a pre-work run. I left the house at 5:30am and ran as the day began. The woods were alive with birds of all shapes and sizes. Lots of cardinals and I heard an owl off in the woods on the other side of the rail tracks.

I was able to turn off my headlamp after a while and was able to enjoy the sun rise. I saw one person running on the bike path as I crossed for a connecting trail. I made it home in time to say goodbye to Gina as she walked to the bus. She said that someone on the bus was telling her about some crazy nut they saw running one morning with a headlamp on. Gina did not say that it was probably me...

I took the girls out shopping tonight. It is always an adventure with them as I listen to the pre-teen jabber and with Gina constantly changing the radio stations. We had a nice time out together. I need to do these trips more often.

We are preparing the mother's day menu. I will not say what it is since Denise will probably read this, but I can say that it has been fun planning with the girls. It will be a great day!

Another run tomorrow morning. Did I mention that I like the mornings?

Rainy woods

I ventured back to the valley saturday for a lap of the Fool's FA course. There had been some rain and I was expecting a muddy mess on the trails but was suprised with how solid they were. Of course, the rain that was falling made for a wet trail, but footing was solid.

My main goal of the day was to keep moving and see how my leg feels. After my warmup, things felt ok. My pace was slow, but I really did not care. I just wanted to see how 15 miles would feel.

Suprisingly, there was no one else out in the woods except for a ranger near Happy Days! The rain was coming down just hard enough to keep me cool, but not too hard to get me soaked! The sky got real dark and the wind picked up just as I got to the Ledges Overlook and I thought to myself, "I am about to get soaked!" But, a few harder sprinkles, and it was over.

The woods were filled with song birds and wood-peckers! It was nice to run and simply listen to the birds singing and the rain hitting and dripping from the trees. Very quiet and relaxing.

The 15 miles went well and before I knew it, I was back at the van. A quick change into dry clothes and I returned home.

I followed up with 6 miles today. My leg is not getting worse, I think it is better... One thing is for sure, I am scared to death about 100 miles... But, fear is a good thing, right?