Turtles and Taper

Today was an eleven mile run on the Towpath with Joy.  I didn't tell her we were doing eleven miles until we reached the turnaround at 5.5 because I'm sneaky that way.

Despite the fact that I am enormously suffering from seasonal allergies, I am really enjoying this weather.  Normally April in Ohio blows. . .usually literally.  It is so nice to run in capris and a tshirt and soak up some vitamin D.

This is what we saw while running on the Towpath:

Hello, leetle friend!

If you look closely at the brown blob in the middle of the green sludge, you will see that it is a beaver.  This was about a quarter of a mile away from the Beaver Marsh, where they hang out, but it is right next to one of the many beaver dams on the Towpath. (A quick digression--This week I was teaching my students about Oscar Wilde's use of the pun as a satirical device, and I had to share this example with you, Peeps:  Two fish swim into a wall.  One turns to the other and says, "Dam!")  The family next to us on the Towpath told us that this is in fact a river otter, but I don't think so.  I'm going with beaver.

Bale of turtles

I always know that warm, beautiful weather is coming when I see turtles sunning themselves on logs in the river.  It just makes me so happy to see the sun shining off their silver backs.  We must have seen at least fifteen today, and that was without really looking.

The last two miles of this run were particularly difficult, and I realized why when I checked the Garmin and saw that Joy had pushed us to doing our fastest miles in the last two.  She is a tricky one.  This officially starts our taper.  Joy and I are both running the Canton Gold Jacket 5k on Saturday, and we are each running a 10k leg on our relay team for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon, Half Marathon, and Relay on Sunday.  This will be my first time running a relay, and I'm excited.  By the way, Peeps, keep your eyes peeled for a Gold Jacket 5k giveaway on this blog.  It's coming up soon.  For information about the Gold Jacket 5k and/or the Pro Football Hall of Fame Races, check my other blog, From the Sideline.

I haven't run a 5k since September 2014, so I will be interested to see how I do in this one.  No matter what, Joy and I are going to have lots of fun, especially with our team, Beast Mode 5.  Does our name intimidate you?  NO????

This will be a great way to test my legs for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon.

Until next Sunday, run happy, Peeps!

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All by Myself

My Easter Sunday run was eleven miles on the Towpath.  The weather was fabulous--in the forties--and for once I didn't overdress and get irritated.  Also, because I didn't run on any roads, I got to wear all black, which makes me feel like a badass.

I started my run at Botzum Trail Head, which is also a stop on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad line.

Botzum Depot

I continued on the Towpath towards Peninsula, passing by the Beaver Marsh.

No beavers today

Today is a day for gratitude, and I've got a lot of blessings to count.  As I ran, I thought about my week of Spring Break, which I was lucky to get during the same week as my kids' Spring Break.  Unfortunately, the three of us passed a bad cold/bronchitis around all week, but nobody had to miss school, so that is a plus.  We did get one day of good health, where we hiked Whipp's Ledges in Hinckley.

My son conquered the Ledges like a boss.

I was able to run outside this week, and I was able to do it whenever I wanted.  On Wednesday I ran five miles in the evening with Shelby, and while I was grateful to run with her, it reminded me why I'm a morning runner, but there was no running at 4:30 AM this week, thank goodness.   I even re-visited my favorite training grounds and saw a harbinger of better weather:

You know it's Spring when the water fountains are back on Sand Run.

As I ran today, I took time to take pictures and reflect on how lucky I am to live near these beautiful trails.  The next pictures are all of the Cuyahoga River, taken at points between Peninsula and Hunt Farm.

At one point, when I started feeling tired around the eighth mile, a deer bounded across the path, just in front of me.  It was gorgeous, and it gave me the strength to continue with a smile.

All in all, this has been a great Spring Break, full of running and family and joy (and mucous--lots and lots of mucous).  Right now my legs ache (in a good way) and I'm looking forward to legs-up-the-wall, a nap, and some good eats.  In that order.

I am confident that my training is going well for the Rite Aid Cleveland Half Marathon, and I look forward to meeting up with the other RunCLE Ambassadors soon.

Count your blessings and run happy, Peeps!  

See what I did there?

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Back on the Towpath!

Today I ran eleven miles, which I haven't done in a looooong time.  I was initially reluctant to go through with all the miles for several reasons:

1.  I have a cold.  Or allergies.  Or something that only lets me breathe through one nostril at a time.  Grrrrr.

2.  My daughter and I saw The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee last night at Copley High School (GREAT job, kids!), and then we had ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery afterward.  The point is  that I got to bed a bit later than I normally do, and I ended up taking some nighttime cold medicine, which finally knocked me out.

3.  Because of said cold medicine, I had a difficult time getting around this morning.

4.  Once again, it is freaking COLD out there!  Thanks, Ohio.  Thanks for nothing.

Well, because I have taken the opportunity to learn about myself through running, I knew the above reasons were merely excuses, and I had to get off my butt and run.  Keep in mind that  you need to learn what works for you.  I know that if I have a stuffy nose, running will help it. . . well, run.  This rule may be different for you, and you may have to give yourself a rest day.  I know that I can function very well on little sleep (I had 6 1/2 hours last night, which is not enough for me on weekends), especially when I can compensate later with a nap (I hope). These rules may not apply to you; learn what your rules are.

I'm glad I ran because the company was so nice (thanks to Stacie, Daniel, and Erin), the cold air felt good, and it felt great to get my heart pumping.  After about eight miles,  I peeled off from the pack and continued the rest of the way on the Towpath, which was terrific.

This is the Beaver Marsh after the Ira Road Trailhead.

This is the Boardwalk around the Beaver Marsh.  Notice how pretty the clouds are!

In the last two miles of my run, I was behind an older gentlemen who invited me to keep pace with him.  Actually, he heard me sniffling and coughing and asked me if I was ok, but I don't need much encouragement, so I started running with him.  His name is Jim, IRONMAN Jim, and he is amazing! I asked him what he is training for, and he said a triathlon.  I gave the typical response most people give, "Wow!  That's cool.  I can't ever do the swimming part of a triathlon, so I really admire those who do it."

He replied, "Don't say 'ever' because you never know.  I didn't learn how to swim until I was fifty.  Now I've run three Iron Mans, some Half-Iron Mans, and lots of other races."  Three Iron Mans!!!!  Holy Shmoly!  He even told me that he ran his most recent Iron Man at the age of 62!

I love meeting new people on the running path.  There are so many places for inspiration, and runners are just the best group of people ever.

Can you tell that I'm on a runner's high right now?

Five weeks until my Pro Football Hall of Fame relay (read about the relay here), and eight weeks until the Rite Aid Cleveland Half Marathon!  I'm so excited to meet the other #RunCLE Ambassadors and run through my favorite Cleveland neighborhoods.  Will I see you there?

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