New Year's Eve Trail Run

Me, Jim, my brother Jeff, and Heath

This morning Jim and his son Heath picked up my brother at my parent's house in Warren and drove over to meet me at the Happy Days parking lot in the Cuyahoga Valley for a trail run at 7:30 AM. When I got to the parking lot about 5-10 minutes early I noticed they were there which surprised me. It was already getting pretty light outside even though the official sunrise time wasn't until 7:50. This was going to be a good day to run as the temperature was around the freezing mark and the skies were clear for the first time in I don't how long.

After getting our clothing and gear ready we headed out onto the trail behind the Happy Days Visitor Center. I knew I was going to get a good workout in today since all 3 speedsters were present. We took off at a pretty quick pace but luckily we were headed to the hills over by the ledges which would slow everyone down some. At the first intersection we took a right and followed the trail with the ledges on the left side of us. These rock cliffs are steep and pretty awesome looking. At the next turn we made a right and started heading to the Kendall Lake area. However, when we reached the intersection at the Pine Grove trail we took the trail to the right and eventually continued over to explore the trails at the Boy Scout camp - Camp Manatoc. While searching for the camp website I also came across a mountain bike race and event that I didn't even know existed. It's called "The Big Valley Race" and it features clinics, group rides, open riding, races, a swap meet, demo test rides, and the chance to win over $8,000 in bike swag. Pretty cool stuff...

On our way to the Boy Scout camp Jim was looking around at the valley we were running by and noticed all the sweet drainages that existed. So before you knew it we were off-piste and climbing up hills and sliding down them. Here is a photo that I took at the top of one of the tougher hills we did. You can see the stream that passes through this area...

Once we were done playing around in this area we then headed over to the trails near Camp Manatoc which I don't think we've done much running in before. These trails, which I assume are maintained by Boy Scouts, were marked with small yellow, orange, and blue markers. Click Here for a great map of the area. We were pleasantly surprised by how cool these trails were. They're not the most groomed trails like the ones that the Cuyahoga Valley takes care of, but they're pretty good and pass through some neat places. As we got closer to the boy scout camp the trail followed along a high ridge that overlooked a small lake near the camp. The views here were pretty sweet, especially with the sun getting higher...

As we ran downhill towards the lake we came across a couple Indian totem poles. I believe that these are some of the same ones that my friend Mike ran into on his "Indian Run", which you can read about if you click here and scroll towards the bottom.

Everyone admiring Chief Wahoo

Is this guy choking himself ? (notice the hand on the bottom)

Cool picture of us by the lake

Looking across to the other side of the lake we noticed something that looked like Thomas the Tank Engine so we decided to run over there and check it out. As we got closer we noticed it was some kind of gas tanker that was next to a big army truck.

Thomas the Tank Engine on drugs

From here we went back to the trail that runs along the high ridge by the lake and then followed the boy scout trails back to the Pine Grove trail. We then crossed over Truxell Rd. and made our way over to the Kendall Hills area. We went up and down a few steep hills and then turned around to head back to our cars the same way we came. At this point everyone was pretty tired and we were happy when we finally made it back. Our total mileage for the run according to my GPS watch was 13 miles.

Hope everyone has a Happy New Year and enjoys some Cristal tonight!!

New Gear

Today I headed over to Appalachian Outfitters in Peninsula to use a couple gift cards that I received from Christmas. The 2 main items that I was looking for was a new hydration/backpack for long unaided excursions in the woods and some new underwear that will eliminate any chafing problems caused from sweating. First I looked at the backpacks they had available for running and talked with a couple workers. I learned that besides Camelbak (which is a leader in hydration packs) they only had 1 or 2 other brands that weren't really that good. I was hoping that they had some packs made by GoLite since I had tried on one that my friend Jim bought (I think this is the one he has - click here) and liked it. Oh well.. they did have a Camelbak M.U.L.E. though, which is one of their larger packs. I borrowed this pack from my friend Bob to use on the 70 mile run I did last month on the Laurel Highlands trail and liked the way it felt and the ability to carry everything you need. The only other pack I was considering was the Camelbak LOBO which is similar to the M.U.L.E. but carries less stuff and doesn't have as many compartments. Plus the M.U.L.E. was only $10 more than the LOBO so I figured I might as well have the extra space to work with and ended up buying the M.U.L.E. --->

Just as I was about to leave I saw Patagonia had an area for briefs/boxers so I went over and checked them out. One pair of briefs was $40. I couldn't believe it. I mean, I did want to get something that will work for long, sweaty workouts but I'm not going to pay that much for a pair of underwear. I did see a pair of men's active briefs though that were made out of lightweight 100% polyester with reversed-out stitching to prevent chafing and they were only... yes... ONLY $19.50! So I decided to get a blue pair.

This store has a ton of outdoor stuff and you can easily spend an hour or more looking at things you might not even need but find interesting. At the checkout counter I was still looking for more things to buy and noticed that ClifBar has a new hot apple cider electrolyte & hot chocolate recovery drink mix for the wintertime, so I picked up a packet of each to try out. This is a pretty good idea. Hopefully they taste good!

More speed work

After looking out the window at another cold, wet, gloomy day I decided to head over to my fitness center again this afternoon. I started off with a 7 mile, 20 minute ride on the recumbent bike and then hopped on the treadmill for a run. For the first couple miles I kept the speed on 8. When I reached the 3rd mile I realized that I didn't feel like being on the hamster wheel any longer so I kicked the pace up to 9 for the entire last mile and even increased it to 10+ for the last half mile or so, giving me a finishing time of 20:30 for 3 miles. I was pretty happy about that since I was originally planning to go longer and made the adjustment during the middle of my run. I finished my workout with some situps, pushups, and dumbbells.

Witch Run

My brother Jeff and I were looking forward to heading over to West Branch State Park tonight for the 1 year anniversary of our witch experience. If you want to read about it - Click Here

Bob, Stacy, and his son Taylor also joined us for the fun. As we arrived at the west boat dock parking lot I was greeted by Stacy jamming to Rob Zombie's "Dragula" song. In the lyrics he says "Dig through the ditches, burn through the witches". I thought that was pretty funny and took this video of Stacy getting pumped up...

The flat and wider trails were still pretty soaked tonight but the rocky, single track trails we were on for most of the time were in decent shape. The temperature was just above freezing with a clear sky. Later on as darkness took over, the stars shined very bright and we stopped a few times to admire them. Weather conditions were very similar at this time last year but with the exception of some snow and fog. Along the way everyone poked fun at Jeff and I for our experience from last year and would say "Did you hear that?" or "Did you see that light up there?". It's ok though... we both know what we heard last year was not something you would normally hear, even in the woods.

Later on towards the end of our run Bob said he needed to head home so Stacy, Taylor, Jeff, and I continued on towards the mountain bike trail marked with the "Experts Only" sign. This is where my brother and I heard the unusual scream last year so we thought we'd check it out again. We walked this entire half mile section because there are so many large rocks and because Taylor's batteries in his light had died. After coming to the end of this trail we turned around and headed back to our cars to complete our 7.5 mile run. Unfortunately there was nothing strange for us to report on. It was almost too quiet in the woods tonight. Maybe that's a good thing... or... is it??

Merry Christmas

Tami and I headed over to my parent's house in Warren today to celebrate Christmas with my family and exchange gifts. The night before we always go to her parent's house in North Royalton. It was a great Christmas again as always... Lots of food, wine, and good company. Here's a picture of the live tree that my family picked out for this year. It's a lot smaller than the ones we used to get in the past (if you can imagine that) but still a very nice one...

I got a lot of nice running stuff that I can put to good use. A new Patagonia capilene base layer, a couple long sleeve tech pullovers, a sleeveless Nike tech top, some gift certificates to Appalachian Outfitters, and some money that I'll most likely spend at Vertical Runner.

Later in the evening I went outside and noticed that everything was really bright due to the almost full moon. Tonight would've been a great evening for a night run.

Well, I'll leave you with a video from the History Channel that explains that we're actually celebrating the birth of Mithra, not Jesus? Hmm... Click Here to take a look back at how the tradition of Christmas came to be. Kind of interesting...

The Dreadmill

My apt. complex fitness center which consists of 1 eliptical, 1 recumbent bike, 3 treadmills, free weights, a tanning room, and a nice flat screen TV)

Well, after laying around for most of the morning I decided to head over to my apt. complex's fitness center and get a workout in. I don't like being inside much but sometimes it does come in handy. I started off on the recumbent bike and did 7 miles in 20 minutes for a warmup. Then I hopped on the treadmill and ran 4 miles in 30 minutes. Towards the end of my run I made sure to push the treadmill to its max speed of 11... It's always fun to challenge the machine! Then I concluded my workout by doing 50 situps. Afterwards I felt pretty good and hope to continue integrating some cross-training and speed work into my weekly training.

Merry Christmas to all my friends and their family!

West Branch Trail Run

My brother and I met at West Branch State Park today for an easy 5 mile trail run. The temperature was great - upper 40s. However, the trails were pretty soaked in a lot of areas and it didn't take long for us to get our feet wet. Along the way we messed around a bunch, swinging on vines and throwing snowballs.

Before/After our run

We took our usual route which starts on a wide trail, turns into a more narrow and technical trail, and then eventually meets up with a very technical mountain bike trail. This section is very difficult to run on and has many rocks scattered throughout (as you can see from the picture below).Halfway into the run we came across some members of CAMBA who were placing flags to mark a section of trail that they were planning to work on in the future. These guys do a great job of establishing new trails and maintaining existing ones. After talking to them for a bit we then decided to follow their markings for as long as we could to see what they were planning on doing. We soon realized that the markings didn't go on for too long, but they did take us to a neat area which overlooks this stream running through a valley (see video below). Jeff and I didn't think that we've ever been to this area before, but it might just be unfamiliar to us now since the water level is up due to the snow melt.

Before getting in our cars to head home Jeff decided to take a few shots at hitting this stop sign with a snowball that was about 15-20 yards away. He was successful... See the video here.

On my way home I stopped on the bridge overlooking West Branch's large lake to get a quick photo. The sun coming through the clouds made it look pretty neat...

The Story of Stuff

Please take a second and watch "The Story of Stuff" - It's good!

Warren Night Run

The road that circles around Packard Park

Tonight I did a 4.5 mile neighborhood run in Warren with Bob and his son Shames, who rode his bike ahead of us. He always seems to do a good job pushing us to run faster than we had originally planned... which is a good thing I guess!

Blizzard

Here's a photo I took of the apartments directly across from us during the snowstorm today. As you can see, white out conditions were in effect....

URINEO FA 50 Miler

Last night after work I stopped over Bob's house to screw another pair of my shoes for tomorrow's run, not knowing whether or not the trail would be icy (it turned out that the trail was dry and leaf covered so I actually didn't need screwed shoes, but it never hurts to have them). I then headed over to my parent's house in Warren, which is just down the road from Bob, to spend the night. Before I knew it the alarm was going off at 5:20 and my brother Jeff and I got ready to drive over to Mill Creek Park in Youngstown for the 2nd Annual URINEO FA 50 Miler, which consists of six 8.3 mile loops and is organized by the NEO Trail Club. I was planning on heading back home to Streetsboro right after the run since there was a winter storm expected to arrive later in the day, so we drove seperate vehicles.

On our way to Mill Creek we stopped at McDonald's and I picked up 2 sausage McMuffins to eat on the way. Maybe not the healthiest food in the world, but I always enjoy having a couple of these before an ultra since I know it won't take long for me to burn off the calories. As we exited onto Belle Vista Ave. I noticed that the SUV in front of me had a BT50K sticker on the window so I knew right away that this was a runner also heading to Mill Creek Park. As we both pulled into the same gas station I would learn that it was Kurt "oPod", Mike and Josh in the car. We all made a bathroom stop and I bought 2 gallons of water for the run. We then arrived at the Lily Pond parking lot and I could see a bunch of cars there already with their lights off. I got out of my car to get my gear in order and not long after I saw a few headlamps heading towards us on a high ridge over to the right. It could only be 3 people... Bob, Jim, and Mike Dobies, who all started a couple hours early in order to get one loop out of the way. I yelled at them and they hollered back with their turkey calls.

Once they arrived, Bob announced that there was 10 minutes left until the 7AM start. Lights went on immediately and everyone hopped out of their cars to get ready. After a quick group photo we were off.

From left to right: Myself, Mike Keller (standing), Kurt OPod (kneeling), Josh Dillingham, Kim Love-Ottobre, Dan Fox, Rita Barnes, Bob Combs, Frank Dwyer, and Joe Novicky

As everyone headed onto the trail I noticed another car pull into the parking lot. It was my friend Dan Kuzma. He was ready to go upon arrival, so he joined my brother and I for the start. My plan today was only to run 4 loops for a 50K since I had just finished a 70 miler a month ago. Dan and Jeff were also planning on doing the same. This was my brother's first attempt at the 50K distance. This course is never easy though no matter what distance you do. This is mainly due to the "monkey trail" hills on the east side of Lake Cohassett, which are a set of many short but steep climbs. As soon as you reach the top of these hills you immediately head back downhill, which gradually tires out your quads and calves as the run progresses.

I wore my headlamp for the first 1/2 hour or so but was suprised to find out I wouldn't need it anymore as the sky began to lighten up faster than I thought it would. The trail was dry and in pretty good shape but there were a lot of leaves covering up all the roots and rocks. The scenery would definitely change later in the day though. On the high side of Lake Glacier we caught up with the rest of the group and we all stuck together for most of the loop. Somewhere along the first loop Jeff went ahead of me and ran with Dan and Josh for awhile.

Joe "Moose" Novicky running past us

As we reached Lanterman's Mill (the turnaround point of each loop) it was awesome to see how much water was flowing over the waterfall. It hasn't looked like this for some time with our dry summer and fall...

The first loop felt pretty good, as it usually does. I was surprisingly a little bit hungry though towards the end of it. Back at our cars I stopped to pick up my waistpack & water bottle (which I didn't wear for the first loop), grabbed a couple small things to eat, and then headed back on the trail with Jeff and Dan. On this 2nd loop I would also end up spending some trail time with Dan Fox from Cleveland and Rita Barnes from Columbus, both very nice people.

Jeff and Dan

Dan Fox

As we neared Pioneer Pavillion we ran past Mike and Kim....

Onward we went past another beautiful waterfall section on the course and one of my favorite spots. This section of trails can be found on the west side of Lake Cohassett and is only run on the third loop of the YUT-C 50K course...

As I got closer to the Lily Pond parking lot I ran into Jim and Mike Dobies near the steel staircase, who both stopped for a photo with Rita and Dan.

I thought I was going to see Jeff running towards me on the trail as he started his 3rd loop. However, I was kind of surprised when I reached my car at the Lily Pond and didn't see him. I asked Josh, who was eating/drinking at his vehicle, if he had seen my brother and he said that he was using the outdoor restroom. So, I waited around for a bit and then he showed up. Before we left for the 3rd loop I drank a bottle of Ensure, had a Clif Bar, and ate a Reeses Cup. Once Jeff and I were done warming up in the car we then headed back out. He told me that his legs were starting to feel a little sore and that this was going to be more difficult than he had first thought. Since this was his first ultra marathon I told him we could stay together, if he wanted, for the last 2 loops. He agreed and we continued on. Before leaving our cars we saw Moose heading back onto the trail, so we made an effort to catch back up to him. He was moving pretty good today and we didn't catch up to him until a little bit past the Old Log Cabin (start/finish of YUT-C). We chatted for a bit and then moved ahead of him just before the Stone Bridge. After going a little bit past Pioneer Pavillion we then saw Dave Peterman on the trail who did a nice fake pose for the camera...

At this point Jeff and I were both dreading going up and down the monkey trail hills for the 3rd time today. We were tired and started mixing in more walking but made it a point to continue our steady forward progress. Once we got back to the Lily Pond again, Bob was sitting in a chair outside of his truck, waiting on Jim to finish his 5th loop. We talked for a bit and then Bob said "Get your stuff and get out of here!" It's a good thing he started early and was done in time to yell at us, because it would've been very tempting to waste more time at our cars.

On the fourth loop my left quad was pretty sore, especially on the downhills... but I knew we were on our last loop now and getting close to being done... so... we continued the death march. As we got close to the steel bridge that the park had just finished refurbishing I could hear people talking ahead. I told Jeff it sounded like Mike and Kim so we decided to hide behind a large rock and yell at them as they went past. All of a sudden we jumped out and I seriously thought they were both going to have a heart attack from the expression on their faces. It was pretty funny... Sorry guys... it was hard to resist. Before leaving them, they informed us that they were also only doing one more loop to make it a 50K for the day.

Jeff and I continued to work our way up to Lanterman's Mill for the final time and were very happy to make the turn back north. Not happy to have the monkey trail hills coming up again... but happy to almost be done. Once we finished these hills I noticed that it was starting to snow some. It started out very light but quickly turned more steady. By the time we reached the Old Log Cabin to make the final turn back to the Lily Pond there was already an inch of snow on the ground. It made the leaves covering the trail pretty slick and I was wondering how bad it would be for Mike, Kim and Dave, who would still be out on the trail when we finished. Here's a photo that Mike took when they reached the Mill. What a drastic change from earlier...

As Jeff and I reached the last turn to head downhill to the Lily Pond we ran into Bob who was walking backwards on the trail to look for us. We all walked together and then made a final sprint to the cars as we got close, finishing in 8:18. Jim was standing in the parking lot and gave us a cheer. I am very proud of my brother for pushing through the pain and discomfort today and am glad that I was able to share in the experience of his first ultra finish. Good job Jeff!

With the snow coming down heavy now, we hurried to clean off our cars and then put on a change of clothes for the ride home. There was only one problem... When I turned the key to start my car nothing happened! I thought, man.. this is great. I finish running 33 miles with a winter storm on top of us, and now I can't get home. Luckily Bob had a set of jumper cables in his Suburban so we hooked them up to Jim's van and it got me going again. Thanks again Bob! On my way home the roads were getting pretty bad, but fortunately I was able to make it back to Streetsboro to buy a new battery at AutoZone. Mike and Kim ended up finishing their 50K and Dave Peterman put up an excellent effort to run a sixth and final loop in the blizzard to complete 50 miles. For complete results and other race reports visit - www.teampr.info/urineo.htm

Everyone had a great time this weekend and I'm already looking forward to the next trail run I can share with my friends!

Warren Night Run

After work I stopped at my parent's house in Warren for another night run through the neighborhood and city parks with Bob. The weather was perfect for a winter run tonight. Upper 30s, no wind, and actually a litte bit of light in the sky since we didn't have complete cloud cover for once!

When we start these runs we're never sure how long or far we will go, but we usually try to get in at least an hour on our feet. On Monday we ran a steady pace for 6.5 miles. I was a little tired towards the end of that run, but I was hoping that this evening would be better. Tonight, Bob's son Shamus joined us on his bike and he ended up being a pretty good pace leader. He helped to pull us along and we found ourselves picking up the pace a lot throughout the run without even noticing it.

If you check out the following link you will see 2 red flags. One shows where we began our run tonight, and the other shows where we turned around in Courthouse Square and headed back. Along the way you will also see the 2 city parks that we ran through (Perkins and Packard Park) - www.runningmap.com?id=30125

Here are some pictures of Perkins Park and the "Riverwalk" path that follow along... you guessed it.... the river! www.warren.org/riverwalkphotos.htm

I didn't stop my watch everytime we slowed up or came to a stop tonight, but when I got back to my parent's house it said that we had run about 7.5 miles in about an hour. So... overall, a pretty decent training run. The next 2 days I'll most likely either take off or do some kind of light cardio, in preparation of the URINEO FA 50 Miler. As of now my plan is to do 50K (31 miles) of the total distance unless I really feel into it and then maybe I'll attempt the entire 50. Looking forward to seeing a lot of familiar faces on Saturday!

West Branch Trail Run

Jamie, Jeff, Bob and I

Last night my sister told me that her and my brother were planning on going for a trail run at West Branch State Park this morning. So I decided to join them, especially since the weather forecast for Sunday and the rest of the week shows a mix of rain, sleet, and snow with highs in the upper 30s... yuck!

Shortly after waking up I gave Bob a call and left him a voice message. I figured he was probably still sleeping but would just wait and see if he would happen to show up at West Branch. Sure enough he was there at the parking lot ready to go! The weather today made for a great winter run. Started off cloudy around the freezing mark but then eventually the clouds broke free and we enjoyed some peeks of sun.

At the beginning of the run I stopped to practice writing my name in the snow in preparation of the URINEO 50 Miler, which will take place next Saturday the 15th.

Today we were planning on running the approx. 10 mile loop that goes counter-clockwise through the woods and then circles back to the lake and eventually back to where we started. The beginning of the run starts out on a flat, grassy path that is wide enough for about 2-3 people. Upon entering the woods you then have a couple expert mountain bike trails to pick from. These sections are highly technical (as you can see from the picture below), especially when there are leaves or snow covering them.

Continuing on our run we then came across the infamous "Toilet Bowl Trail" which is one of the many trails established here by CAMBA, a local mountain bike association. My sister decided to pose for the camera this time. Brrrr... that seat looks cold!

About midway into the run you come across a very scenic portion of the trail that includes a stream crossing and some pretty neat rock shelves down in the valley.

A view of the trail before we make fresh tracks

Around this area there were also a lot of long sturdy vines to play around on. Here's a picture of Jeff up in a tree and a video of Bob bouncing around like a monkey...

A little bit later we were on a trail that we weren't sure where it went. Eventually it looked like we could see the Michael Kirwan lake, which is near where we parked, but it ended up being a very large open field with some farming. As we got close to the backyard of someone's house we decided to turn around and head back to the trail we were originally on. These last 3-4 miles of trails back to the car always seem to last forever since there are so many switchbacks. Just when you can see your destination and feel like you are close, you head back into the trail for some more. Today was a tough day of running with all the fresh snow on the ground but definitely a good strength builder for the legs.

Getting close to the finish

Snow Angel

Jeff busting a move to Rod Stewart

On the way back home I stopped on the bridge to take this photo of the lake...

What a great day of running and a good week overall of running for me. Earlier in the week Bob and I started our neighborhood runs again that we used to do when I lived at my parent's house in Warren. Basically its a 5-6 mile road run through the Warren park system that we hope to do at least once or twice a week to keep ourselves training during the winter months. On Wednesday our N.E. Ohio Trail Club had its monthly group night run in which we travel off trail, climbing up hills and sliding back down them. That was a solid 3 hour effort and my body was still feeling the effects on Friday. I made it a point though to get over to my apartment's fitness center the next day to bike 10 miles and walk for a half hour to keep up the training. Then today's run which capped things off. Tomorrow I'll probably take a day off, but then get back at it on Monday.

Boston Store Trail Run

Don't let this picture fool you... it was cold out!

This morning around 7:45 I arrived at the Boston Store to run some trails on a very cold winter morning. Well, at least it seemed cold because we're not used to this stuff yet. The temperature was in the low 20's. At least the sun was out though... That doesn't happen very often in N.E. Ohio once we hit November.

I was planning on meeting my friend Derek somewhere around this area since he was starting from Lock 29 at 7:00 and then running down Rt. 303 to hop onto the trails near Pine Lane and head north. However, as time went by without me seeing him, I realized that he must have changed course or already had passed me. I learned later on that he followed the group he was with over to the trails on the other side of Rt. 303 by the Boy Scout camp. No worries though... I followed the Buckeye Trail until I came up to the Turnpike overlook...

After admiring the view for a bit I started running again. As soon as I did I saw 2 runners heading towards me. I said hello (their names were Dan Lisy and Lindsey Loftus I believe) and asked them where they were heading. They told me they were going past the Boston Store towards Snowville Rd. Since it's always better to run with other people I told them I'd join them. From that point on we were moving at a pretty brisk pace and I was wondering if this was a smart move since I am still recovering from my 70 miler a few weeks ago. I tried to stick with them though and only walked here and there on a few of the hills. They made a quick stop at the Boston Store and then we continued up towards Blue Hen Falls. As we passed Blue Hen and neared the top of that hill they said they would be turning around. Since I could feel my legs getting a little heavy I figured I should probably head back as well.

It's a lot of fun once you reach the top of these steps though because it's all downhill back to the car. Once I got back to the Boston Store I saw Maria, Roger, and Debi, and talked with them for a bit. It was kind of a surprise to see Maria since she has been off due to an injury for awhile, but it was nice to see her back out there on the trail. I probably only got in about 5 miles or so today, but they were quality miles and helped to loosen up the legs some more.

On a side note... I'm excited to announce today that Matt Folk was added to the list of guest speakers who will be chatting in the TeamPR chat room. He will be speaking on Tuesday, January 22nd at 8 PM. Matt is one of the country's best road runners/marathoners and lives right here in our backyard in Canfield, OH. His most recent accomplishment was a 39th overall finish at the Olympic Marathon Team Trials on Nov. 3rd in New York with a career-best time of 2:19:47.