Turkey and Shenanigans

So, I wrapped up my racing season with the Homerun for the Homeless 4 mile race on Thanksgiving day. I was wondering if I would race it or run it, and when I saw my friend Jennifer at the start, I decided I would be much happier running with her, so I did. It was great. Poor Jen. I vented about my life for about 40 minutes as we ran through the hills of Glendale Cemetery. When I apologized for talking so much and said I'd shut up for her, she responded, "No! Just keep talking so I don't think about these hills!"  I'm so glad that my messed up life could help someone.

I saw many friends at the race.

Crooked River Trail Runners at Home Run for the Homeless: Damn, we are a good-looking bunch!

Of course I took a pic with Pam and Steve, per our tradition. Pam and Steve each won a turkey, and Steve won a gift card! I won nothing.

Me, Steve, Pam. We are happy that it is over.

On Sunday after Thanksgiving, I ran the Tryptophan Run sponsored by Vertical Runner. I love this free event. A hundred runners or so show up at Vertical Runner Hudson on the Sunday after Thanksgiving and run 1, 2, 3, or 4 mile loops for two hours, dropping tickets into a tub after each loop for a chance to win prizes. This year, I ran ten miles with Marta.

Me, Mark, Marta, Wendy post 10 miles (for me)

For the first time EVER, I won something!

I won this awesome hat!

Thanksgiving weekend was a wonderful running opportunity for me because the weather was nice. In fact, the great weather continued through the next week, so I was able to run some trails at night with Crooked River Trail Runners, and I had a fun morning exploring Hinckley Trails with the Trail Sisters. As usual, shenanigans ensued:

There are faces carved into the ledges in Hinckley. Check it out, Peeps!

I have significantly cut down my mileage lately, but it's all good. I am taking this time to do other things that I like (or don't like. I'm talking about you, swimming.): I am doing more Tae Bo, walking, dancing, and yoga than I normally do.  I know I will have to step up my mileage pretty soon. Why?  I'm not going to tell you this week, but I will give you some hints:
1. I did something stupid.
2. Peer pressure was involved.
3. Alcohol was possibly involved.
4. It seemed like a good idea at the time.


Ok, this is the most important part of the post. What spring race will you train for this winter? Will it be the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon or any of the races associated with it? If so, I have a code for you! Use SI2019 for 10% off registration for any race, including the series!

How are you handling the holidays? No matter the weather, I hope you run happy, Peeps!

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20 Miles on the Blue Line

I did it! 20 Miles on the Blue Line--13 of them with Marta, Angie, and Jeanine, and the remaining 7 by myself. Without crying. Without music. I f--ing did it.

In the past two weeks I've gone back to school (officially--I actually started work two weeks before that), figured out my kids' schedules with school and marching band (hell, basically), continued my training in the best way I could, and lost a LOT of sleep.

This is EXACTLY how I look before teaching first period each day.

This getting up at 4:30 is for the birds.

Nevertheless, I persist, and slowly but surely I am starting to get back in the swing of things.

This Saturday was the big 20 miler before the Akron Marathon. It's called the Blue Line Run, and Vertical Runner and NEOFit sponsor it. About 300 runners meet at 7AM to run 20 miles of the marathon route or 12 miles of the half marathon route. It's a great event, and it's completely free.

This is a partial picture of the runners before the run. Do you see me?

Marta and I found each other right away and took a selfie while we were still alive and pretty.

The weather was perfect; it started in the 50's and by the time I finished it was about 70 degrees. It was definitely better than last year's run.

Marta and I ran with Angie and Jeanine, and I saw lots of peeps along the way. Everybody looked strong and happy.

Here we are looking strong and happy.

After 13 miles, Marta peeled off to finish on the trails, and I continued on alone because I was afraid I would lose my will to live. The run started in front of Canal Park, and the 12 mile water stop was in the starting place. From there I moved to W. Market St. and then down Merriman to look at the gorgeous houses. I was pretty much alone most of the time because I am not the swiftest distance runner, but I did run with a Kent State professor that everyone (except me) seemed to know. He was older than me, but he was kicking my ass all the way down Merriman.

On the way back to downtown Akron, I ran through a Pride parade in Highland Square and a Pokemon Go tournament around Cascade Plaza. How great is it that on a Saturday morning in late August there were three separate events going on to involve diverse interests? I am truly happy to live here.

The water stops were at miles 6.5, 12, and 17, and I was grateful for each one. Thank you to NEOFit and Vertical Runner for supplying water, Powerade, gels, and Swedish Fish!  At the mile 17 stop, I joked that I was hoping to get hit by a car so I wouldn't have to finish the run, but the fact is that I felt so much better at that stop than I had last year. I think much of it had to do with the weather, but I would like to believe that my training has paid off.  Last year I felt defeated after the Blue Line--like I would not be capable of running 6.2 more miles--but this time I was tired, but I knew I could do this. It may and probably will hurt, but I can finish.

Victory is mine! The end of the Blue Line and I am still alive.

I was pretty wrecked for the rest of the day because I had not slept much all week, so I recovered in the best way possible:

This is EXACTLY how I recover from the Blue Line!

I'm not gonna lie; there may have been some Pumking and pizza involved that day, too.

I'm pretty proud of myself. I finished this run without drama, and I feel good. I think my training has been very good so far, and now I just have to trust that I put in the miles and the hard work.

I have four weeks until the marathon, which is a little too long to taper. Next week I will run the Leave No Trace Half Marathon and the week after will be my last long run before the taper. Will we all survive the taper? Stay tuned to find out!

Will you join me at the Akron Marathon? How will you handle the extra week before taper? No matter what you do, I hope you run happy, Peeps!

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Tryptophan Run

Last Sunday I ran off some Thanksgiving weekend irresponsible eating.  The Tryptophan Run, sponsored by Vertical Runner Hudson, is held the Sunday after Thanksgiving every year in Hudson.  The weather was perfect--not too cold and a bit sunny.

The Tryptophan works like this: There are three routes you can run in any combination during the two-hour run.  You drop a ticket with your name in a bucket for each mile of your run.  At the end of the run there is a drawing for cool prizes--t shirts, shoes, and race entries.  I didn't win anything, but I sure had fun.

My first fun surprise was my reunion with Joy, with whom I haven't run since our Ragnar Trail Appalachians race.  She messaged me the night before and said she was coming with me.  Yay! Here are some pictures of our running history in case you've forgotten:

We ran with Jen, and I was so happy because I haven't run with her in forever either.

Jen and I are at the Natatorium 5k here.

My second fun surprise was a playground on one of the routes.  We climbed up a cool rock wall and went down the slides:

Joy didn't get the memo that you aren't supposed to land on your dupa.

It was great to run nine miles with my peeps:

And I really appreciate the generosity of the businesses and race directors in our running community:

This is Jim Chaney, Race Director for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon, Half-Marathon, and Relay.  He was offering STEEP discounts plus giveaway entries at the Tryptophan.  Check out this race, Peeps!  The swag is amazing and the event is a good time.

Seriously, Peeps, think about the local business owners when you do your holiday shopping this year.  Our money goes to people who in return support our community. I can't think of a better way to make a direct difference in our local economy.







I'll leave you with one last picture from my run this Sunday with Shelby and Mandy.  We ran on the Towpath, and we had a great conversation.

Post-run.  10 miles for me

The weather is starting to get cold, and I figure I have maybe one good long run left before I have to take a short hiatus for some minor surgery.  I'm sure you are eagerly anticipating how crabby I will be when I'm not running, since you remember how gracefully I waited out my broken foot a few years ago.   Get those runs in now while we aren't freezing our butts off.  Until then, run happy, Peeps!

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Blue Line 20 Miler!

The moment I have been dreading anticipating had finally arrived this morning: my first 20 mile training run.  I saved this moment for the Vertical Runner/NEOFit Blue Line Run, an annual tradition in Akron where about 300 runners follow a shortened version of the Akron Half or Full Marathon by running the Blue Line painted on the course.

It is literally a blue line painted throughout Akron.

It is really a wonderful event.  Vertical Runner raffles an entry to the Akron Marathon, and NEOFit mans the fluid stations on the course, and it's all free!

I was nervous about this run because the longest run I had done previous to it was 17 miles.  I thought I would feel confident after completing the Ragnar WV Trail Relay, but actually I felt worse because I was worried that I might have jacked up my foot on the trail.  Plus, I had the most exhausting week EVER: three open houses + my daughter's first football game in the marching band.  I didn't go to the game, but I waited up until she got home around midnight.  I don't think I got more than four hours of sleep on any given night this week.  All of these factors combined made for a very anxious Stephani this morning at 7:00.

Do you see me in this picture?  You shouldn't because somehow I missed the photo-opp.

I ran with Shelby and Sydney for the first ten miles.  We took it nice and slow, stopping to fuel at the first NEOFit aid station at 6.5 miles.  We kept up our predicted marathon pace for a while, and at mile 10 Sydney decided to drop back.

Honestly, I felt great up until mile 15; then I started aching, and I could feel a lot chafing in areas where you really don't want to feel anything at all.  It was hot, and the hills were starting.  Shelby could sense that I was shutting down, so she tried to distract me by talking about food, which normally works.  This time, though, I just couldn't concentrate enough to talk or even think about anything.  I needed to "go dark," which is my way of shutting down and concentrating on my breathing and my body.  I told Shelby what I was doing, and luckily she understood.  I just concentrated on making it to the mile 17 aid station, where I would allow myself to fuel and stretch.

One of my goals for the marathon is to only walk during fueling, and today I failed.  There were three short hills in miles 16, 18, and 19 where I just needed to walk a bit.  In mile 16 I needed to stretch my hamstrings, so I walked to take long strides. In miles 18 and 19 I was in a lot of pain and I needed to take some walking breaks.  None of them lasted more than a quarter mile, but there it is.

We finished twenty miles in 3:35:54.  Not bad, really.  I felt terrible when we finished--dizzy, lots of pain in my calves and my chafing areas.  Shelby and I stretched while I drank a protein shake, and then we celebrated with a selfie:

Post 20 miler on the Blue Line with Shelby. Everything hurts and I'm dying. @akronmarathon @verticalrunner03 #akrun

A photo posted by Stephani Itibrout (@itibrout) on Aug 27, 2016 at 9:28am PDT

I would like to say that this run gave me a lot of confidence for the marathon, but it really hasn't.  The whole day I've been wondering how I can possibly do SIX-POINT-TWO MORE MILES than I did today.  Shelby reminded me that the weather will be much better at the end of September, and it is true that my runs are pretty much bound by the weather.  The responses to my social media posts have also shown me that others (who are much more experienced than I am) were in just as much pain, so maybe it isn't just me, and maybe this is a typical experience.  If so, I hope it bodes well for the marathon.

I have spent the day alternating between moving around and resting:

Recovery from my first 20 miler with my @bondi_band compression socks. Want some of your own? Discount with my code TroubleRun.

A photo posted by Stephani Itibrout (@itibrout) on Aug 27, 2016 at 9:23am PDT

And I finished my day with a dirty martini:




I'd like to thank Vertical Runner and NEOFit for a great event.  The volunteers were so great, and the water was cold! Now I'm going to "go dark" and stop analyzing everything I do. I've got four weeks until the race, and I will continue to do my best to train for it.

Until then, run happy, Peeps!

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Big Miles!

This week was my Spring Break.  My kids were still in school for most of the week, so I got a lot of alone time.  What did this teacher do during her Spring Break?

This is EXACTLY how I look when I take a grad school class during break.

But wait!  That isn't all I did!  I set a personal weekly mileage record with 36 miles!

On Tuesday I did my intervals (12x 400s + 1 minute recovery).  Wednesday was lifting day, and I did lift weights and do ab work, but not as much as I normally do.  This is because I powerwalked a hilly neighborhood with Sheila--6 miles of hills, Baby.  My butt STILL hurts, so you know it was a good workout.

On Thursday I decided to do the tempo run, which I usually do on Friday, but the temperature was in the 60s with the prediction being in the 30s the next day.  Ya gotta get it while it's good, Peeps, so I did.  This time I added another mile to the run, and I DIDN'T PASS OUT OR DIE!  So proud of myself.

Something I believe strongly is that I shouldn't be running every day--that way lies injury--so I took Friday off and cleaned the house.  I'm really glad I did because the recovery time gave me the energy on Saturday to do the Chocolate Bunny Run, sponsored by Vertical Runner Hudson.  Joy and I ran 6.5 miles through Hudson with a taste of trail at Hudson Springs.  It was chilly but overall a good run.

Joy, Shelby, me, and Elizabeth inside Vertical Runner

The whole group just before we took off

Afterward there was CHOCOLATE and a raffle drawing for fabulous prizes at Vertical Runner.  I won a chocolate bunny!

See those Dove bunnies?  I won one of them!  I gave it to my kids, of course.

Today I ran Sand Run TWICE.  That's twelve miles of hills, Peeps.  Shelby and I took our time (except at the end when she smoked me, as she always does), and we enjoyed talking to Jen, who did the first out and back with us.

I'm really satisfied with my running this week because I feel like I played it smart--lots of recovery, lots of stretching.  Tomorrow I will definitely enjoy my yoga session.  

Next week I look forward to testing my training with a 10k, my first race since January.  Will the speedwork pay off?  Stay tuned to find out!

What is in your Spring racing plans, Peeps?  Why don't you join me for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon? I hope you blow away your goals!  Until then. . . 

Run HOPPY, Peeps!  (See what I did there?)

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2015 Home Run for the Homeless

Ah, Thanksgiving morning.  The day one can sleep in, have a lazy breakfast in pajamas, read the paper, smell turkey cooking. . . unless you are a runner.  Let's try that again.

And watching the Macy's parade.  Who doesn't love that?

Ah, Thanksgiving morning.  The day a runner gets up extra early, fuels and digests, downs some coffee, and heads out in running gear to shiver her way through a Turkey Trot or some such race.  And so it was for me.

This isn't AT ALL how I look when running a Thanksgiving race.

This was my second time running the Gennesaret Home Run for the Homeless in Akron.  Gennesaret helps homeless people with all of the details that go into getting housing--deposits, furniture, appliances.  Home Run for the Homeless is a four mile run and a one mile walk, and it is their only fundraiser all year. Many businesses (donations came from Giant Eagle, Mustard Seed, and Papa Joe's, among others)and people in the running community (Jim Chaney, director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame race series is one) devote their time and talent to this race. This year about three thousand people participated, and one of them was me.

The weather was fantastic, starting in the forties and rising.  I got really hot after the first mile, which is quite different from last year.  There were people running in ugly Christmas sweaters and elf and Santa outfits; I don't know how they did it.  The race winds through a VERY hilly cemetery for miles two and three, so I was extremely proud of myself when I bettered my time.

This is EXACTLY how I look when I'm proud of myself because I bettered my time.

After the race there were lots of door prizes from the donors. I didn't win any of them.  I don't care; I just wanted to run in the nice weather and then eat a bunch of pizza and chicken wings for dinner.  What?  We don't eat turkey, ok?

Between this race and the 2015 Tryptophan Run sponsored by Vertical Runner of Hudson (which I ran today), I have a lot for which to be thankful.  Running sometimes with my friends and sometimes alone at this fun, free event reminded me that I don't have to train for anything in particular to be a runner.

Jen and me warming up in Vertical Runner before the run

Jen, me, Renee, and Carrie just before starting the run (in the dark)

Thanks for enjoying the run with me, Peeps!  Run Happy!


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Blue Line Training Run

After an exhausting week at school, I dragged my butt out of bed at 5 am on Saturday to prepare for the Blue Line Run, hosted by Vertical Runner.  This is an annual free event in which runners practice for the Akron Marathon and Half Marathon by running 12 or 20 miles.  The Blue Line is literally a blue line painted on the roads to show runners the route.  This year there were about 400 or so runners who showed up at 7 am for a fun morning of running and socializing.

Group shot (well, what the photographer could fit in).  Can you see me?  NO??
Photo Credit: Christy Wilmoth

TORN Peeps before the run.  Can you see me now?

We started our run by leaving downtown and crossing the Y-Bridge.  I'm sure the drivers were not pleased to see hundreds of runners crowding the bridge, sidewalks, and streets.

Coming across the Y-Bridge.
Photo Credit:  Jim Blake

The routes for the marathon and half-marathon are completely changed from last year.  I ran the half-marathon route, and I'm TORN (see what I did there?) about my feelings for it.  There are some hills, more like inclines, which are kind of nice to break up the run, especially since there are downhills after every hill.  I felt like I got through the course pretty quickly because I wasn't bored.  On the other hand, there isn't much to see in the first nine miles.  I hope there are bands in some of the more secluded areas because I don't think there will be much crowd support.  The full marathoners said that they liked the second half of the route because it was in residential areas, and our Akronites on the Blue Line know how to throw a PARTY.  I just wish I could see it.  Well, maybe next year when I train for the full. . .

There were photographers along the route--how nice is that?  For once I was able to see pictures of myself running.

Photo Credit: Christy Wilmoth

Me, Mandy, and Joy.  See the Blue Line?
Photo Credit:  Joseph Kiggans

I put the smack down on Mandy and Joy: I told them there would be NO sub-10 minute miles on this practice run.  I wanted to slow down, relax, and enjoy, and we did just that.  I saw so many of my friends:

Shelby and Elizabeth are training for the full.  It's Shelby's first road marathon!
Photo Credit: Christy Wilmoth

Debi Glinsek, who is my hero.  I don't know how many marathons and ultras she's run.
Photo Credit: Christy Wilmoth

Since our cold snap last week, I've rediscovered my pace and my endurance.  Last Tuesday morning it was in the 50s, and I was finally able to run sub 9:30 miles without wanting to die.  Thank God.  It was the heat and the humidity.  This week is supposed to be in the 90s and humid, but I'm not going to panic about it.  Now that I know I haven't lost my mojo, I'm just going to stay the course.  I may or may not PR this year, but I'm going to give it my best shot.

I've got two 5Ks to run before Akron: the Natatorium 5K, in which I will attempt a PR, and the Race with Grace, which I will NOT attempt to PR because I will run it with my husband.  That's right--I signed my husband up for his first 5K!  I'm so excited to run it with him!

This morning he and I ran an easy three miles after breakfast, and although he hasn't trained in over a month, I think he'll do fine.  By doing fine I mean that he will not stop running and he will not drop dead of a heart attack.  Please, God, I can't take any more heart attacks.

Were you on the Blue Line?  What did you think of the course?

Run Happy, Peeps!

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Celebrating the Running Community

If you know me, you know that I really don't like people.  I used to really enjoy being in a crowd, but being a teacher has taken its toll on my enjoyment of social interaction.  Plus, I'm grumpy.


This is EXACTLY how I look when I am a loner, a rebel.

You would think that I would avoid group runs like the plague, but I happen to like them very much.  I also really like the group atmosphere at races.  There is nothing quite like being crowded into a starting corral with a bunch of like-minded people, all intent on accomplishing a personal best.  The running community is awesome.  For the most part, runners are supportive, kind, and sometimes crazy as hell (the part I to which I can relate).  I love the fact that I can show up at any running event in NorthEast Ohio, and I will recognize somebody there, and that person will actually BE NICE TO ME.  Remember; I'm a teacher, and I'm not always used to that.

Thanksgiving Day I participated in my first Turkey Trot, Home Run for the Homeless, a four-miler in downtown Akron.  It was a benefit for Gennesaret, an organization that provides housing for homeless families.  Gennesaret doesn't take any government funding, and the Home Run is their only fundraiser for the year.  This year 3,000 runners and walkers participated, and many more people donated time, money, prizes, and food.

I had heard of the Home Run for the Homeless, but I had never run it before. . . and I really don't know why.  Yes, it was cold; yes, it was hilly (VERY hilly), and yes, it was FABULOUS!  To see that many runners gathered together to benefit the homeless. . .it was very moving.  Plus, the giant piece of coffee cake I stuffed in my head after the race wasn't too shabby either.

Today I ran the Tryptophan Two Hour FREE Group Run sponsored by Vertical Runner in Hudson, an event I have been eagerly anticipating since I last ran it in 2012.  In the Tryptophan, runners and walkers can run/walk a two-mile and three-mile loop in any combination for two hours.  For every loop, the runner drops one or two tickets into a bucket for a drawing after the event.  The drawing had super prizes, such as fleeced-lined shirts from Vertical Runner and race entries.  Additionally, Saucony had a booth there, and they allowed runners to try their shoes for the run.  Jen, Shelby, and I got our picture taken at the Saucony booth, and I sent it to my email, but I never got it. : (

About three hundred runners showed up for the run, and I recognized many of them.  It was so nice to spend the morning running and chatting with my peeps.  Vertical Runner even supplied coffee, donut holes (which I DIDN'T eat), chocolate, and protein bars!

The Ohio Runners Network represents at the Tryptophan.

Vince Rucci, owner of Vertical Runner Hudson, is one of the reasons why we have such a strong, supportive running community.  I've seen him (and the Vertical Runner truck) out and about at different running events, and I know that he realizes the importance of giving back to the community.  Small Business Saturday is over for 2014, but I believe that every day we decide to consume, we should consider any local businesses first.  That goes double for the running community.  Let's thank Vince with our spending dollars.

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Deer, Turkey, and Goats OR Run While You Can.

In my first year of teaching, I was in the middle of a lesson on Comparison/Contrast with my sophomores.  They were very giggly, unusually giggly for 8:00 in the morning.  As I taught, I cautiously checked my fly, my hair, my nose, anything that I thought might be the reason for the mirth.  Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.  "What?  WHAT?!  What are you laughing at?" I demanded.

"We thought you did it on purpose," they said.

"WHAT DID I DO ON PURPOSE?"

"Look down," they said, and then the whole classroom lost their minds.

I was wearing two different shoes.  One was brown; one was black.  One had a buckle; the other didn't.  They had two different heel heights.  I had been wearing them since 6:30 that morning, and the only way I noticed was after the class told me.

I would like to say that I have grown since then, but this morning, as I got out of the car to meet my running peeps, Shelby took one look at me and said, "Are those two different shoes?"

Jen said, "I wasn't going to say anything.  I thought there might be a reason."

I looked down, and this is what I saw:

I meant to do that.

At least they are the same kind of shoe this time.  Sigh.

This did not stop me from having a fantastic morning run with Shelby and Jen.  We started on the Bike and Hike and quickly changed our minds when we saw the ice coating the path.  The roads in Peninsula were perfect for an eight mile run in 40-something degree weather.  We all agreed to take our time, and we were rewarded with plenty of sights, starting with some deer on the Bike and Hike.

Our next stop was to look at these turkeys:

I wanted to tell them, "Fly!  Fly for your feathery lives!"  Then I remembered that turkeys can't fly.

It was really cool to make gobbling sounds at the turkeys until we noticed that they were pecking at a downed turkey, and then it turned really creepy when we realized that turkeys are cannibals.

Then we saw some adorable goats:

After owning goats as a child, you would think I'd be immune to them because, really, they are nasty, but just look at them! LOOK AT THESE GOATS!

We spent the time talking about future races and catching up with our lives.  I loved my run with Jen and Shelby.  It's so good to be out with other runners during the long run.  I often convince myself that I'm better off by myself, but when I can find a group where I feel I belong, well, that is incredible.

This is EXACTLY how I look when I feel I belong.  Also, we look like we just finished an 80's Jazzercise video.  I promise we aren't wearing leg warmers.

Up next week:  The Home Run for the Homeless on Thanksgiving Day and Vertical Runner's Tryptophan Run on Sunday.

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Blue Line Test Run

I voluntarily woke up at 4:45 am on a Saturday to run the Akron Blue Line with a couple hundred crazy runners.  The Blue Line Training Run is a free event sponsored by Vertical Runner where runners can check out part of the course for the Akron Marathon and Half Marathon.  Other contributors were Northeast Ohio Fit, the Towpath Turtles, YMCA Marathon 101, and New Balance.  Thanks to these sponsors, runners had aid stations with water, Gatorade, and PowerBar Gels along the mapped out 12- and 20-mile routes, as well as goody bags with PowerBars.  Some lucky ducks even got free socks!

Runners starting to gather for the start.  I am in the bottom left corner in the pink shorts.  Photo credit:  Vertical Runner

David and I meet up at the beginning. 

I didn't get to run this event last year because of my broken foot, but I did run the aid station for the Towpath Turtles, which you can read about here.  I was so excited to run with my peeps: Joy, Mandy, Carrie, and Renee.  Even the sucky weather (soooo hot and muggy) couldn't keep us from having a great time.

I'm not gonna lie:  it wasn't easy.  I thought I was going to have a leisurely run through Akron, but the  Badasses I run with had different ideas.  I was just happy to be able to hang with them (even though, as I reminded them, I am MUCH older than all of them).  I definitely dropped back in the last mile and a half, but I am ok with that.

PreRun Fuel:  Panera Blueberry Bagel and cream cheese, coffee with Thin Mint creamer, water

Fuel during Run:  Chocolate Outrage GU (1).  I probably should have taken a second around mile 9 or 10.  Lots of water.

Post Run Fuel:  1/2 cup milk with two tablespoons Carnation Instant Breakfast Drink, fried egg and cheese sandwich, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 tomato, spinach, 3 radishes.

Right now I am starving.

The Blue Line Training Run is one of the big events that make Akron such a great place to live.  I love that our local running stores are so involved in the community, and I especially love that we have such a large and supportive running community.  Everywhere I turned, I saw runners talking, laughing, and encouraging each other.  While it wasn't the easy run I envisioned, it was definitely a great time.  AND. . . I treated myself to this medal as a reward for last week's tempo run from hell and this week's test run.

Two tough twelve milers = 1 Tardis medal!

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Community Running Stores: The Best Small Businesses

Today was the Tryptophan Run, sponsored by Vertical Runner in Hudson, Ohio.  It is a free social running event in which runners have two hours to run a two-mile loop as many times as they wish.  For each loop, the runner drops a number in a hat, and at the end of the two hours there is a drawing with lots of free prizes.

Post by Vertical Runner.

I wanted to walk a few loops this year, but I was afraid of damaging my broken foot.  Last year I ran five loops, and then I took a break for coffee in one of the local coffee shops.  After the running, we all gathered in the store for the drawing, and while I didn't win anything, many of my friends did.  It was a great time.

Runners are a close-knit community.  Many of us know each other from running groups, races, or just passes on the road or trail.  There are many runners I recognize on Facebook whom I would never recognize face to face (well, maybe with running gear on).  We know about each others' injuries, race victories, and digestive problems.

Runners are weird, right?

A good running store is a part of the local running community.  Vertical Runner is a chain, but the owners are all local runners who encourage the community.  Vince Rucci, owner of Vertical Runner Hudson, has no idea who I am, but he makes sure to invite me to every Vertical Runner event.  I have seen Vince on the Pine Run trail, I have seen him among groups of runners, and I have seen his back-end as he blew by me numerous times on the Tryptophan Run last year.  He has provided water, Gu, and Gatorade on practice race runs, and he gives out awesome prizes in the Tryptophan drawing.

When you see this truck, you know something fun is going on.

Sure, I can go online and order Saucony Guide 6s (not anymore) for a small discount, but the question is, why would I?  Vertical Runner gives a ten percent discount to my running club (The Ohio Runners Network), and I can get great service there.

American Express started a tradition of supporting small businesses the Saturday after Thanksgiving, called Small Business Saturday.  While I don't own an American Express card, and I rarely step out of my house for at least two days after Thanksgiving, I would suggest that we can support small businesses at any time of the year.  Running stores like Vertical Runner (and Second Sole) invest in the community, so I would like to return the favor.

Thank you, community businesses.  Thank you, Vertical Runner!  I'll be running with you at the Tryptophan Run in 2014!

Shoes

Runners are weird.  They are a mysterious tribe with their own customs, language, and traditional clothing.  I've wanted to join this tribe ever since, ten years ago, I started cheering on the runners who passed my house during the Akron Marathon.  I've learned from the experience of living three years in France that complete immersion is the way to go when one wants to experience a new culture.

If you dress like this guy while in Paris,
French people will mock you.

In other words, you want to be a runner?  Dress like a runner.  It all starts with the shoes.

The first piece of advice I received from tribal elders was to go to a real running store to buy shoes.  The mall will not do.  DSW will not do.  It must be a store that caters to runners.  Considering I wore the same pair of New Balance running shoes for over five years, I found this advice puzzling, but I ran with it (see what I did there?).  My store of choice is Second Sole Akron.  Vertical Runner is another good store, but it's too far away for me.

When I visited Second Sole for the first time, I was apprehensive.  My mind flashed back to the days of mall record stores where cooler-than-thou kids with multiple piercings would sneer at me when I tried to find the newest Duran Duran album.  Not so here.  The owner of the store was very welcoming, and when I told him that I wasn't really a runner yet, his reply was, "Nonsense.  Of course you are a runner."

The twenty minutes it took for me to find a pair of shoes was incredibly therapeutic.  I have never learned so much about my feet as I did that evening.  I had to take off my socks, walk, run, and grip with my toes.  Each time I performed one of these actions, the gentleman would give me a new piece of information about my feet and walking/running styles.  At the end of our session, he brought me a pair of  Women's Guide 5 | Saucony.

I've never looked back since!