Flat Is Where It's At

I've focused a bit on hills lately, which is totally good for me in every way. . .

This is EXACTLY how I look when I run hills.  See that look of joy? See the little kids in lederhosen?  

But for my dial-back run this week, I wanted something flat and easy. And pretty.  And so I chose the Towpath. I did five miles myself for the first hour, and because I didn't bring my earbuds, I did it without music!

Views of the Cuyahoga River from the Towpath

I love running in Merriman Valley; it's so beautiful, and the Towpath never looks the same from day to day.

After my first five miles, I met up with Kristin for the next ten. We agreed that the purpose was to relax and chat. We certainly chatted.  It was a surprise to both of us when the turnaround seemed to come so quickly, and it was definitely a surprise to Kristin (who has never run that section of the Towpath before) when I told her that we were in the home stretch.

Of course we had to take a picture:

Shiny, happy people

As a bonus I saw some fellow Turtle alumni who were coming in as I was going out. Ladies, you were looking strong today!

The sun was shining, the weather was perfect, the company was fabulous. All in all, I give this run an A+.  Thank you, Kristin, for being so awesome; you made 15 miles feel like 2.

I am almost at the 20 mile point for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, Peeps.  Won't you join me by registering here? 

Until then, run happy, Peeps!

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Running with Joy

And Happiness.  And Satisfaction.

Today I ran ten beautiful miles on the Towpath with my friend Joy, whom I haven't seen in weeks.  Joy and I used to run together regularly in the morning and on Sundays, but life got in the way for us, and it has been a while.  I was surprised and happy when she responded to my invitation to run with a "See you there!"

I've been worried about a bit of weight gain lately--food will always be a struggle for me--and I haven't run more than nine miles at a time in the past few months, so I wondered if today would be difficult.  It turns out that it was easy-peasy.  I felt like I could have easily put in a few more miles.

I attribute this to several factors:
1.  I ran with Joy, who is so easy to talk to.  Even after not seeing each other for weeks, we were able to slip back into our long-run conversations.  That is a true running peep.

2.  I haven't neglected my strength training, and I've tried to step up my core-strength training during my non-running days.  It's amazing what a difference weights can make.

3.  Believe it or not, I also credit trail running, which I have done about three weeks in a row.  I initially thought it might make me slower or more reluctant to run a longer distance since I walk the hills most of the time, but guess what?

We ran from Szalay's into Peninsula and turned around just a mile past Lock 29.

The Towpath coming back from Peninsula

One of the great things about living near the Cuyahoga Valley is that during fall I can randomly point my camera at ANYTHING and it will look artistic.  Case in point:

The Cuyahoga River from the Towpath

How could I not enjoy such a beautiful run?

On a final note, I would like to congratulate my running peeps who raced this weekend: Stacie and Cassie did the Buckeye 1/2, Teresa and Julie did the Buckeye 1/2 Relay, Heather and family did the Marine Corps 10k, and Jennifer and Steve ran the Marine Corps Marathon!  Well done, Peeps!

Gotta race coming up?  Yes? No?  Mine's in two weeks, but I'm definitely not stressing about it (I know--who is this person?).  Enjoy what is left of the fall leaves, and 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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Did I Beat the Train?

Let me set your mind at ease:  No.  I did not beat the train.

Today I ran the 10-mile Spring Training Race, sponsored by Western Reserve Racing.  It was an out-and-back course along the Towpath of the Cuyahoga River in Merriman Valley, Ohio.  The idea was to try to beat the train either to Lock 29, five miles out, and then take the train back or to beat the train both ways.  I chose the full route because I needed to get to the ten mile mark in my recovery-training.  It has been a rough road (with this horrible winter), and I thought this race would give me a little motivation.  Here is the recap:

The Good:  The best part about the race is that the proceeds benefit the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  The venue is great, too.  The Towpath is a beautiful route, fast and flat.  It goes through woods, farmland, and small towns (with good runner-friendly bars--Love you, Winking Lizard!).  It's great to see the river on your side as you run.  Normally, I would say it's great to hear the train whistle at you as it passes, but. . .

The Bad:  The train passed me the first time at the Mile 4 marker.  I didn't feel too badly because I knew that it wouldn't be a good idea in my training at this point to try to beat the train.  In fact, for the first three miles, I was running with the middle of the pack, and I noticed that my pace was 9:39, which I thought was too fast for sustaining ten miles for the first time in eight months, so I slowed down.

The train passed me the second time at the Mile 7 marker.  At that point I was resigned, and I tried to tell myself that it was a relief that I don't have to stress out about beating the train, but I'm not gonna lie.  I was pissed.  I TOLD myself (and everyone I talked to about the race) that there was NO WAY I would beat the train, but I really didn't believe it.

Curse you, Train!

The Ugly:  I am about the ONLY person who didn't beat the train.  There were some hard-core runners in this group, and I was definitely not one of them.  My stats were awful:  last in my age group, 39/52 in female division, 76/94 overall.  It's pretty demoralizing for me to see that the woman in my age group who took first place is my age and she finished at least twenty minutes ahead of me.  I stood shivering in a long, long line to get my 1/4 bagel and hot chocolate (there was no more pizza left by the time I got in), and then I stood in line for my time.  I watched everyone in front of me get a medal ("Congratulations!  You beat the train!"), and when I gave my time, it was, "Awww. . . so close.  Have a nice day!"

The Meh:  I got this coffee mug instead of a shirt.

Buck up, Happy Camper!  This is where I look at the bright side of things, so don't go away angry.

1.  I PR'd the 10-miler because the last time I ran a ten mile race was in 2012, the first year I ran.

2.  My pace was better than the first time I ran a half-marathon.

3.  My foot didn't snap in two.

4.  Getting the crap kicked out of my ego is actually a great thing.  This is an excellent opportunity for me to remember my attitude of gratitude.  Back in September, I thought I'd never run again, and today I ran ten miles.  I am SO LUCKY.  Now that I know that I can run a longer race without hurting myself, I can work on my speed.  And that is what I intend to do.

I am finished being a whiny, spoiled baby.  Thank you, Spring Training Race, for reminding me of what is important.

Next year I'm only running the five miler (so I get a ride on the train going back), and I'm going to beat the tar out of that train!

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