Big Schloss FA 50K

    

Yesterday I completed the 8th running of the Big Schloss FA 50K, which takes place on the border of Virginia and West Virginia, in 8 hours and 46 minutes.  Click here for complete results.  The course offers spectacular views, beautiful trails with lots of ridge running, and of course the opportunity to scramble on Virginia’s famous rocks!  Steve and Amy Platt do a tremendous job putting together this free, event each year.  The post-run food and partying is top notch and I look forward to seeing everyone here again next year! 

North Country Brewing & Moraine State Park

This afternoon I drove over to Slippery Rock, PA and had lunch at the North Country Brewing Co.  This was my first visit here and I was very impressed.  The food was delicious and their beer was just as good.  I enjoyed their portabello “shroomben”, which is a grilled rye bread sandwich topped with grilled portabellas, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and homemade Russian dressing.  As for beers, I had the Paleo IPA, Buck Snort Stout, and their cask ale selection. 

After lunch my brother, sister, and I then headed over to Moraine State Park for 2+ hours of hiking.  This was also my first visit to this park and I was very happy with what I saw – a large lake surrounded by 20+ miles of beautiful trails.  We hiked on the North Country Trail which is blue blazed just like the Buckeye Trail, has nice bridges, technical terrain, and some scenic views.  Can’t wait to come back to this park again for a run!

Click Here to view more photos from the day

15 in the CVNP

Headed over to the Cuyahoga Valley this evening and got in 15 miles on the Buckeye Trail and Valley Bridal Trail.  Great weather (sunny & low 60s), excellent company, and post-run nourishment at the Winking Lizard made for a very enjoyable evening!  Dogfish Head’s seasonal “Punkin Ale” is now on tap, which I enjoy having each year.  This is a full-bodied brown ale with smooth hints of pumpkin and brown sugar, topped off with brown sugar around the rim of the glass.  Yum!

Back to Back Weekends on the BT

Once again, I headed over to the Pine Lane trailhead this morning and ran another out and back 50K on the Buckeye Trail.  Kirk was thinking of joining me but he had a job interview to attend so I ended up running solo today with a stop at Heinen’s again for lunch.  Felt good during and after the run.  Much like last week the weather was cool and comfortable.

31 miles on the BT

This morning my brother and I headed over to the Pine Lane trailhead in Peninsula and ran the Buckeye Trail 50K course in reverse.  At the turnaround point we stopped and had lunch at Heinen’s in Brecksville.  A couple other runners eventually joined us… Kirk Harrison met us at the Boston Store (mile 4) and Dan Bellinger met up with us just before Snowville Rd. as we were on our return trip.  The weather was absolutely perfect for running today – sunshine and 60s with a strong constant breeze – and my body felt good throughout the entire run.