23 Miles in the Heat

This morning I drove over to the Boston Store in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park around 10am. When I arrived I saw Kellie Truesdell, who was finishing up a hill workout. We talked for awhile as I gathered my gear for the day and then I was off. My plan was to head north towards Brecksville on the Buckeye Trail and do an out and back in preparation for the Burning River 100. The temperature was already in the mid to upper 70s at the start and ended up getting into the upper 80's later in the day with high humidity. Underneath the trees it didn't feel too bad though, especially when the wind would pick up.

Just before I reached the power lines near Snowville Road I came across a neat looking turtle that was sitting in the middle of the trail...

Usually I have a running partner with me but today I was by myself, so I started off listening to my iPod and it got me into a good groove. My legs and body were feeling pretty good and I was enjoying every minute of this gorgeous day. There's something to be said about solo runs. Lots of thinking time to yourself, the silence of the woods, the wind blowing through the trees, and every once in awhile you get startled by an animal. As I approaced the Brecksville Stables I came across a fairly large deer...

I stopped for a moment and began walking towards it. Apparently it wasn't too happy with me and made a pissed off sound and then ran away.....

Soon I arrived at the Oak Grove picnic pavilion, which is the start & finish for the summer Buckeye Trail 50K. I went over to the water fountain but for some reason there was no handle on it so I continued on towards Brecksville.

I decided to take the park road out and stop for lunch at Heinen's. When I got inside I saw Lloyd Thomas' girlfriend, Andrea, who was shopping. We talked and then I sat down to enjoy half of a turkey panini and some potato chips. This was a great break and allowed me to re-fuel for the second half of my run.

After about 15 minutes or so I stepped back out into the heat and headed towards the Boston Store. The 2nd half of the run was definitely tougher but I made it back without any soreness or issues and finished with a total of 23 miles in 5 hours (after subtracting time stopped for breaks).