Category: Running

Welcome back old friend

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It’s that time of year again for the Classic at Mastick, probably my favorite race. I’ve run this so many times in high school and college, it was a great way to see how I would start off the season. But it’s always been a love/hate race. And as long as I live in the Cleveland area, I will always try to run this race. This year the race surprised me and came up a little sooner than I expected. I am in no way ready for 5k’s. With the brutal heat and schedule, I haven’t been focusing on speed, just trying to get runs in when I can. But once this weather breaks, I’m hoping to get more workouts in on the track. If you get a chance, try to sign up next year. I’m not going for a PR, just going out for fun. Here’s my thoughts on the race before going in:
Pros:

  • The race takes place in Rocky River Reservation (Mastick)
  • Scholarship money is given to students for a college fund, great way to help students out
  • The race is at night, my favorite time to run
  • The goodie bags are fabulous, I’ve never not liked what they’ve given out
  • It’s a great race for high school students to do a little test run….but watch out, they’re fast and can put times to shame
  • Same course every year, so you know exactly where to run, which includes lots of shade

Hesitations

  • Those high school students are fast, many are teams that go to state. You can’t feel bad when they beat you by 6 minutes or so…
  • Because it’s a night race, its usually really hot and humid, so hydration is key all day long
  • Parking is tough, get there as soon as you can, even if you’re rushing out the door after work you may need to park a distance away
  • The course is a bit long, and for some reason I’ve always run it slow, so I try to keep that in mind when checking out my times at each mile

All in all I love this race. I enjoy running it even if I know I’m going to have a slower time like always. But with cooler weather in the forecast, there could be a change in how this race ends up. Hopefully I’ll have a good race report later in the week.

Runner Needed, Apply Within

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Looking into my race calendar, I may need to make some changes. I was supposed to do the Winking Lizard with Darren, the two mile event, but he found out this weekend that there happens to be a bachelor party the same day as the race. I don’t blame him for picking the party, I’m even jealous he gets to go white water rafting. This means I won’t have anyone to do the two mile event with. So if anyone would like to be my partner, it’s only two miles, let’s get started! 🙂

I’m also looking at how my July races are shaping up. Changes, which of one I’ll reveal later on will be making July super busy for me. All of my free time will be spent packing, something I hate doing. July is my moving month, woohoo! Pretty sure I’ve been waiting for this for some time. This shouldn’t change too much, but it could put the July 9th race as a day of decision. Good news is that the rest of the races on the calendar should be staying put.

Small post, but nothing too exciting. This weekend was Columbus part two, actually Marion. Great time and I’m looking forward to heading back down again. Also for all of you that love food, there’s a place in Waldo (near Marion) that has famous bologna sandwiches. So next time you happen to find Waldo, pun intended, check out the G&R Tavern.

Andddd this time next week I’ll be on my way to North Carolina! Countdown begins….

Change of Scenery

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I’m in the habit of running in the same three places each week, and as much as I love them, they can get tiring. I love finding new places to run, so I wanted to share some of my favorites, in hopes that it will be your new favorite someday. I’ve grown up running these routes, and couldn’t imagine having a love for running without them.Warning- they’re not road runs, I’m a sucker for the metro parks.

1. Bur Oak, Black River Reservation, Lorain Country Metro Parks-Absolute favorite place to run. Located in Elyria, it’s perfect for all seasons with beautiful views. It recently went through a facelift and had two more sections added on, the middle being my route of choice. Perfect course for an out and back jog.

2. French Creek Reservation, Lorain Country Metro Parks-I grew up running here. Located in Sheffield Village. There are multiple paths that intertwine and connect to two different entrances, creating multiple options for a run. Also included is the Nature Center, which is fantastic.

3. Sandy Ridge Reservation, Lorain County Metro Parks- Located in North Ridgeville. This is a great place to get your feet on some soft ground. It’s a smaller loop, but takes you through the nature reserve. It’s a good place for mile repeats, nothing too long.

4. Carlisle Reservation, Lorain Country Metro Parks- Located in LaGrange. This is even a long drive for me, but its worth it. This was the home of many cross country meets, and shared by horses. It’s peaceful, shaded and has winding trails with two separate loops.

5. South Mastick, Rocky River Reservation, Cuyahoga County Metro Parks- If I had to, I would drive over an hour just to run here. Home of the Classic at Mastick 5k. This is one of my favorite spots to start in the CCMP because of the trails next to the river or the pavement path that goes along the road. This place has my heart

6. Mill Stream Run, Rocky River Reservation, Cuyahoga Country Metro Parks- I’m biased because I lived a stones throw away from the path for this section of the park. But, it’s beautiful, and includes Wallace Lake, and Berea Falls. There are multiple paths that branch off, so you never have to run the same path twice.

7. Salt Fork State Park- Located in Cambridge. Ok, so this is a bit of a drive, but I spent four wonderful years running through this park to get ready for cross season. There is more to do than just running, so it’s the perfect weekend getaway! Major hill training as well 🙂

The 25 Challenge

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Between my love for traveling and running, I’ve given myself a new goal, The 25 Challenge. This is not something I plan to do before I turn 25, I don’t think it would be possible, but something I plan to do over the next couple of years. One of my high school coaches had a goal of running a marathon in every state. She’s always been a big inspiration to me so I blame her for giving me the idea.  Scale it back to something I would want to do, run a half in half of the states. This isn’t a new concept, and I’m sure many people have tried or want to do this as well. I’m not setting a time limit, but I would like to average between 3-4 half marathons a year. Ran one and now I can’t stop. Yes, I could be crazy, but when I’m passionate about something, I tend to be an over achiever. This is where I need your help. I’m in need of 24 states to cover, and I only have a few in mind. So if you know of any races out of state that would be fun to run or states to see, let me know. I’m hoping to compile the list in the next couple of weeks. Here’s what I have so far, not much, but it’s a start!

1. Maine-Mount Desert Island YMCA Half Marathon

Reason: I have a slight obsession with lighthouses and my favorite (Bass Harbor Light) is actually in Acadia National Park located on Mount Desert Island. I’m doing this one next September.

2. Colorado-Need your help!

Reason: Within the next year or so I’ll be taking a trip to Colorado for some snowboarding and I need a half to run, anything between Jauary-March?

3. Arizona-Rock & Roll Arizona Half Marathon

Reason: When I went to Phoenix in April, I fell in love with the area. I’m already looking forward to going back in the fall.

4. Nevada-Red Rock Canyon Half Marathon

Reason: As if I’d need a reason to go to Vegas again!

5. California-13.1 Los Angeles

Reason:  One of my oldest and closest friends lives outside LA and runs marathons, so I might be able to convince him to run the half with me.

6. Washington-Seattle Half Marathon

Reason: I’m on a search for McDreamy, but since he’s leaving Grey’s 😦 I’ll just load up on Starbucks instead

7. Illinois-Chicago Spring Half Marathon

Reason: I love Chicago, I’ve never ventured into the city, but driven past it. I am determined to get there

8. Wisconsin-Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon

Reason: Green Bay Packers, Start and finish at Lambeau Field. No other reasons needed.

Yes, these won’t all be accomplished within the next year, but it gives me something to look forward to and work towards. I appreciate any ideas of states and races. I love a good vacation, and when I can run, it makes it so much better!

A love affair…

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I was looking forward to having a long weekend to get plenty of miles in, but I cheated. I cheated on running with my bike. And I have to admit, I enjoyed it.

Back track, Friday after work I went out for what I thought would be a relaxing run,  I ended up doing more of a tempo run. I felt great, and since I can do the distance, I need to work on a quicker time. Saturday, after my morning class, Darren and I headed up to Eddy’s so he could finally get his bike. This is where it began. After numerous suggestions of things I think he may have needed, we got out of there and headed to South Mastick in Rocky River Reservation, my fav place in the parks. 12.5 miles later we were in love, with our bikes. I feel much better biking this summer compared to last, because I’m actually in shape, running and biking have turned my legs into beasts. Starving and energized we met up with my friend and her bf at Bonnie’s Lounge in Fairview Park later that night, good food and good company.

Sunday, usually a day I dread, was welcomed for once. We went and saw the Hangover 2. Good, still can’t decided if the first was better or not. Couldn’t waste the beautiful day, so we were out on the bike path again, this time south of Berea and into some not so populated areas. I won’t be going out that way alone any time soon. Only able to do 6. 5 miles, trying to beat the storm, but it still felt good to be out there.

Monday was my recovering day, I haven’t caught up on sleep since the Cleveland Half, leaving me exhausted, and my apartment starting to grow dust kittens. Ok, it could just be the fact that my cat sheds as much as I do, but I had a ton of things I needed to clean. Regardless, I had planned a productive day, until I found a stack of Runner’s World magazines and the Sex and the City marathon on tv. I did come up with some ideas for future races, more to come later this week! But an evening run was on the schedule and there was no way I could skip it after not running since Friday. Hello humidity! Probably one of the worst runs this year, overall I felt good, but couldn’t breathe. I was able to sweat out all of the bad food and drinks I had consumed this weekend.

Looking forward, this is pre-race week! The Girls with Sole 5k is Sunday. I’m hoping the humidity will calm down and the weather will cooperate. As of now it will be a low of 63 and a high of 77 with no rain 🙂 Right now, it’s just carbo load, not a problem, and some easy mile the rest of the week.

Slowly becoming a runaholic…

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Words can’t describe how excited I am for this summer and racing. But after taking a year off of running, I may have bitten more than I could chew. As I’ve mentioned, doing the Cleveland Half Marathon, was exactly what I needed to get back on the horse. I had originally planned four races between now and September. I won’t lie, I’m easily persuaded, and now have six, and looking for more. My aunt suggested the Columbus (Half) Marathon after I crossed the race in CLE. After looking into it, and loving the fact it is a fall race, I’ll be running that just five weeks after the River Run Half. Thinking I’d get bored in between and wanting to stay in shape, I was easily persuaded to do the Akron Marathon Relay with fellow Muskie alums (@mollyberries, @kimikay, @lilypea, @jess_rowland)

The gap between the Girls with Sole 5k and Duathlon is too much for me, so I’m looking into the Winking Lizard Shot in the Dark on July 16th, as well as possibly a race on July 9-10, any suggestions for races? And while all of these races I’ve lined up are great, I’m really looking forward to the River Run Half Marathon. Last year I rode in the Tour de Cure, a great experience for many reasons. This year I wanted to do something on my own, and call me crazy, but I prefer running a half over biking 30 miles. I’ve decided to run the River Run Half Marathon and raise money for Diabetes. The main reason I’m doing this is because my better half has Type 1 Diabetes, but he never lets that stand in his way. He lives life to the fullest and will let you know he’s always “having more fun than you.”

River Run Half Marathon, ADA Donation

So here starts my training for what seems to be an endless summer of races, but I’m looking forward to it.

Asics over heels

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After a busy weekend, I’m looking forward to doing easy miles, and finally running after a week off. Saturday was filled with morning class and a wedding in PA, the night was filled with good food, good alcohol and a pretty handsome date. The downside of the night was my feet were not a fan of three inch heels, causing my left calf and arch to cramp up all night long. Lesson learned, don’t wear heels 6 days after running a half.

Luckily Sunday my feet recovered and I was looking forward to enjoying an evening work out. Made a stop at Eddy’s Bike shop in North Olmsted, looking for bikes for Darren, and I was sucked in to at least browsing the collection of items I would love to have. I ended up getting a CamelBak to take on the long, hot rides I plan on doing this summer. Can’t wait to try it out.

Then came the moment I’ve been waiting for, slipping on those muddy Asics and lacing them up to go for a run. Much more comfortable than heels. Legs felt great, and my body felt fully recovered from the half. Only thing I wasn’t used to was the humidity, what happened to spring? Looking into the forecast, I couldn’t let the good weather slip and headed out for a bike ride. Unfortunately the roads in the metro parks are filled with potholes and cracks. Looks like I’ll be sticking to the pathway until the roads are fixed. Next item I need to invest in..new biking shorts. The lack of padding doesn’t make for a comfortable ride.

>What’s Next?

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>It’s a weird feeling coming home from work and knowing that I didn’t have to do anything. No workout, no stretches, no ab crunches. For the first time since January, I came home, put on sweats, drank hot chocolate and caught up on shows. It felt great, and I wasn’t guilty because I knew I deserved a day off. I’m still sore today, which I expected, but not as stiff as I was yesterday. Yesterday my lower half felt like I had standing in an ice bath for hours, today I just feel blah. The lack of sleep, and mixed up eating schedule from the weekend has caught up, hopefully not breaking down my immune system too much. Good thing I don’t have to run all week, I think it would make me feel worse.

As I mentioned, I already picked out a half marathon. But I’ve researched some more and found some races I’m interested in doing this summer.

Girls With Sole  June 5th, Located in Rocky River, this race features a 5k and a 1 mile family run/walk. Any race in Rocky River, I will gladly sign up to do. This is my only free weekend in June, and what better way to spend it than running for a reason.

Huntington Duathlon  July 24th, Located in Bay Village, this race features a triathlon- 1/4 mile swin-12 mile bike-5k run and a duathlon-5k run-12 mile bike-5k run. I’m opting for the duathlon, and hoping it will be a success. This will be my first duathlon, but I’m sure not my last, and it’s a great way to make sure I get use of my amazing road bike.

Classic at Mastick August 10th, Located in Rocky River Metroparks, this race is a 5k and personal favorite of mine. I ran this in high school and college and even now that I’m old. It’s on a Wednesday night and you run through the metroparks, always motivation for me. It’s a good time and a great way for cross teams to see where they stand before season officially starts.

River Run Half Marathon September 11th, Located in Berea/Cleveland Metro Parks, this race is a half marathon through the metroparks, starting in Berea and going north. I picked this because it’s far enough away to give myself better training, it’s in the fall so it shouldn’t be too hot, and the elevation maps shows it is a consistent down hill, making for a quicker time.

With these four races, I’m hoping not only can I get into a quicker pace, but really enjoy running again. They’re spread out to give enough recovery time, but also I won’t feel bogged down each weekend with a race. I’m looking to do a race every month, but I’ll just have to see how the summer goes. My ultimate goal is to run a half marathon in every state, but I’m not trying to rush it. I’d like to do a half each spring and fall, but who knows, maybe I’ll get one in the winter, just have to find a warmer state to run in.

>Speed is good for the legs, and good for the mind

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>I did my first track workout yesterday….in about a year and a half. I used to do these probably twice a week during college and high school. Once I graduated and controlled my own training schedule, I didn’t seem as excited for this and brushed them off to the side. But one thing I miss is 200’s. It was a beautiful 80 degree day, something I am not used to, at least not since August.

We got 6 200’s in and it felt great. My thighs and calves were burning, but it is such a great feeling getting the speed workouts done. Even though I don’t get the mileage in, I know I worked hard. Speed workouts are also a great way to get your mind off anything. I honestly don’t think of anything while I’m sprinting. Compared to other days when I have miles of things to think about. These next few days will be runs in 2 or three miles. Then comes Sunday!

>It all comes down to this

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>I can’t believe that the past four months have gone by so quickly. I feels like just yesterday it was 20 degrees and snowing. Ok, more like two weeks ago it was 40 degrees and raining. But the time has come. I’m about to start my last four workouts before the big race. I have to say that I’ve tried to get my mind off of it. I’ve also been taking a few days off to make sure my legs will be alright come Sunday. These next few days will be easy workouts and just getting my legs relaxed and ready. The weather is looking at a high of about mid 60’s and rain. It’s Cleveland, you can’t expect anything less. I’m also starting to get my delayed allergies, but I’m hoping with the rain the next few days, all of the pollen will be washed away. My aunt who is running the half as well, contacted me and would like to run the race together. This makes me feel much better, we’ll be able to pace and push each other to the end. Well, four days left. I hope all of this will pay off. I can’t wait for the feeling of accomplishment at the finish line.