Chaney Family Dot Com

Gadgets

2010-04-08T14:56:00.003-05:00

I found this on the Garmin Connect website. Very cool technology. There is no display on it. It wirelessly connects to my GPS watch or to my computer. Automatically transfers lots of data. A little pricey but at some point will be mine.

Here are the details

Speaking of data. I recently was reviewing some of my runs last year on the Garmin Connect site. Looking at my Burning River 100 information reminded me of how 5 miles out of 100 can deeply impact the overall results. Check out the splits for miles 43, 56, and 61. Miles 82 to 86 were the Perkins Trail at night.

Running Update
I am treading water between the National Marathon and Cleveland Marathon. Good news is that I am very fit and marathon paced miles come easy. The hard part of the training is the motivation. Good weather helps and it is getting lighter earlier each day. It just has been a long training period since December.

Chaney Events Update
We are finally getting into the season. Weekends are becoming busy....which is good news. I will be taking on more races than I originally planned. Look for a few cool and unique events this Fall and Winter.

Round 2

2010-03-21T16:18:00.002-05:00

Well things almost went as planned at the National Marathon. Jo and I had a very good trip. Got to see the sights. Got to rest. Got to meet up with a few great friends. Race morning was perfect. I felt amazingly fresh and good up to mile 18. For the first time ever I started to develop a cramp in my right foot.....between my arch and my toes. It felt like a sharp stabbing pain. I stopped at the next water station to try to stretch it out, which seemed to work for only a minute or so before the pain returned. I backed my pace down and did a combo of stop - stretch - run continuously until the end of the race. I wish I knew the cause. Shoes...maybe, gait...maybe, freakish issue...maybe. I do know that by the afternoon following the race my legs were still pretty fresh. I ran this morning before we left town and no issues seem to linger. I feel like I just did a standard long run workout....which is great news. I have put together an 8 week plan in prep for Cleveland and will give it a go there. I hate seeing opportunities go by but maybe this is a good thing.

I am also going to try to perform double run log duty with Running2Win and Daily Mile. R2W has been my base since 2004 and my running groups are there, so I won't give that up. Daily Mile can take my Garmin data directly so a once or twice a week update will probably happen.

National Marathon Week

2010-03-14T19:47:00.002-05:00

The National Marathon in Washington DC is this Saturday. The weather looks very favorable and I am really ready to go. Full race report in one week.

Mon: 5 miles

Tue: 2 easy + 2 @ marathon pace + 2 easy

Wed: 8 group miles

Thu: 4 easy miles

Fri: 2 easy miles

Sat: 26.2 National Marathon

Sun: off

Total = 52 miles

Wacky Weekend + Training

2010-03-08T08:46:00.002-05:00

Friday Maddie had a sleep over with 6 other girls. We did Laser Quest which was fun. I kind of wanted to smack one of the teenage boys there as he kept running into me. Next time for sure. After that we went back to the house for cake and pizza. The girls were very noisy but good for most of the night. I think they finally fell asleep at 4am. Unfortunately I had to wake up at 4:30am.

Next I timed the Green Jewel 50K. Standing outside from 5:30am until 2pm can take a toll. I would have been better off running. By the time I got home at 3:15pm...I was beat. At 8:30pm I was in bed until 8:30am on Sunday.

Sunday I ran the Shamrock 15K. My body was beat from the beginning. The first 4 miles were way too fast and the final 5 miles were way too slow. I will take away that it was a good workout on tired legs and mind. Fortunately I was still able to win my age group....but my time was far from what I had hoped to run.

The bib numbers for the National Marathon have been posted. I was assigned number 40. The good news is that I get to be up in the 1st corral with the elite runners. I have looked at my competition for the day and there are 10 of us, in the masters group, who have predicted our average pace between 5:30 and 6:30 per mile. I am trying to decide if I write these numbers down and have Jo keep me posted as to my position within the group. Maybe. Maybe not.

Training this week (less than 2 weeks to go before the marathon)
Mon: 10 miles with Matt
Tue: 4 x 1200 repeats
Wed: 8 group miles
Thu: 6 easy miles
Fri: 8 easy miles
Sat: 4 easy miles + timing a 5K
Sun: 10 easy miles with 2 @ marathon pace
Total = 53 miles

Rockin' in the Free World

2010-03-04T13:31:00.001-05:00

America Rules. Enough said.

Summit Attempt

2010-02-28T15:44:00.005-05:00

I am now in the final three weeks of my training for the marathon. With my last long run out of the way today (more on that in a moment) I am left with 3 speed sessions, 1 race, and a bunch of maintenance miles. It will be good to pull the miles back while maintaining the intensity of speed.

I "participated" in the Last Chance for Boston marathon in Columbus today. The goal was to work my 22 mile workout within the 26.2 mile event. If the conditions were perfect I would run the extra 4 miles and finish the race. If not...I would decide the distance on my own terms. I hit the segments of the 22 mile run faster than planned and felt great. I tacked on 2 more then called it a day.

I am 46 years old. I am trying to hit a Personal Record (PR) for the marathon distance. This is not an easy thing to do at my age. The window of running these things relatively fast is closing quickly. I have approached my training a little like a mountain climber trying to reach the summit. It takes days and weeks to move from base camp up the mountain. Each camp along the route is established. Days are spent acclimating to the environment before moving up closer to the top. If all goes well and the conditions are right...the successful climber will reach the summit after a few attempts. Reaching the summit doesn't always happen. Climbers have turned away literally tens of yards from the top due to unfavorable conditions, smartly retreating for another summit attempt on another day.

My run in Columbus today was like that. I stopped with two miles to go. I had accomplished what I came down to do and did not get greedy by going for it. I am saving that for Washington DC. Could I have pushed it? Sure. Would it jeopardize the National Marathon. Yes. As one of my good friends always tells me..."plan your work then work your plan". So far so good.

Training Week March 1st to 7th
Mon: Cross training. No running.
Tue: Kent State Track - 4 x 1200 meters
Wed: 13 group miles
Thu: 8 easy miles
Fri: 4 miles with striders
Sat: 4 miles with striders
Sun: Shamrock 15K race

4 weeks to go

2010-02-21T17:48:00.003-05:00

I am now inside of 4 weeks before the marathon. I actually feel really good about my progress and where things stand right now. I have my final 22 miler this Sunday. I had considered wrapping it inside of the Last Chance for Boston marathon in Columbus....but with a crazy $85 price tag (you get a high quality $4 shirt) I will just go solo again.

The Shamrock 15K will be the only race I run. I am pretty sure I am past my course PR days...but I hope to run the most complete race I have ever run there.

We had a nice club get together on Saturday. I am a little bummed that the club (and I) didn't take the opportunity to thank everyone who attended, promote our club by using all of the blank LCD's hanging on the wall, or at least make a few announcements and pass out race applications. Captive audiences are rare and you really have to take advantage when you can. Enough said.

Training Schedule 2/22 to 2/28
Mon: either off day or something easy
Tue: Repeats at Kent - 3 x 1 mile, 3 x 1000 meters, and 3 x 400 meters. All intense.
Wed: 13 group miles
Thu: 9 miles
Fri: 8 miles
Sat: 8 to 12 miles
Sun: 22 miles with 2 warm up + 4 marathon pace + 10 easy/medium + 4 marathon pace + 2 cool down

Total = 76 miles

Friday will also be Maddie's 12th birthday. She is having a sleep over party....so once again not much sleep that night.

Enough is Enough

2010-02-17T09:34:00.002-05:00

Winter please be over. There is a growing rumble within the running community that happens almost exactly at the same time each year. The drudgery of Winter running seems to reach it's peak around mid-February. I know that I am really tired of running in multiple layers of clothes in the dark. I am tired of wearing the same basic clothes each day. I am tired of doing the additional laundry necessary to keep the stink to a minimum.

I have tried to mix it up a bit by hitting the Kent State track on Tuesday nights. I have also done a few treadmill workouts. These are all temporary actions to avoid the simple truth that Winter running is a drag.

My only race prior to the National Marathon will be the Shamrock 15K - hosted by the Summit Athletic Running Club. It is a tough tough course where times really skewed because of the hills. I am looking to run close to my best time there. I won't be as fast in the beginning downhill sections, but I hope my hill strength can even things out a bit.

Here is my schedule for the current week. Things are going well.

Mon: 4 easy
Tue: 9 miles with 6 x 1000 meter repeats + strides
Wed: 13 miles
Thu: 9 miles
Fri: 3 easy miles
Sat: 13 miles
Sun: 24 miles with 6 easy/6 marathon pace/1 tempo/6 marathon pace/1 tempo/ 4 easy

Training 02/08 to 02/14

2010-02-07T16:31:00.003-05:00

A solid week of training behind me. 77 more miles in the bank. I had two confidence boost workouts this past week. Tuesday I was able to hit my marks with 3x1 mile repeats - 3x1000 meter repeats - 3x400 meter repeats. All good numbers. Sunday called for a 22 miler with 4 mile pace work at the beginning and end. The pace for those segments hovered around 6:10 for each with the final sub 6. I felt pretty fresh most of the way. It will be good to get out of the Winter gear for some of these runs.

Weekly Schedule
Mon: 5 miles easy
Tue: 2mE+4x(5minT+5minE+4minT+4minE+3minT+3minE+2minT+2minE)+2mi
Wed: 13 group run
Thu: 8 miles
Fri: 10 miles
Sat: 2mE+4mMP+10mE+4mMP+2mE
Sun: 12 miles
Total = 87

Training Boost

2010-02-01T23:19:00.002-05:00

National Marathon
I received an email today indicating that I will be placed in the elite group for the National Marathon in Washington DC on March 20th. This means that I will be given a low race number and will have access to the front of the starting area. During the online registration process I submitted my expected finish time (an honest estimate), and based on the results over the last few years my time predicts that I should be competing for the top 3 Masters spots. I really appreciated the gesture and will use it as a boost to my training and commitment to the race.

My friend Al let me borrow a book called "The Competitive Edge" by Richard Elliott. I have read several books that address the mental approach of racing, but this book is the first to really strike a chord with me. It contains a few gems that I will begin using in preparation for the marathon.

Workout Schedule
Mon: 8 easy
Tue: AM 4 easy. PM 2 mile warm up + 3x1 miles with 3 min recovery + 3x1000 meters with 2 min recovery + 3x400 meters with 1 min recovery + 2 mile cool down
Wed: 13 group run miles

Publish Post

Thu: 10 miles
Fri: 10 miles + striders
Sat: 5 miles easy
Sun: 2 miles easy + 4 miles tempo + 10 miles easy + 4 miles tempo + 2 miles easy

Chaney Event Management
I have added a few more races to the schedule and look to be busy this Summer. Next up is the Chase Your Shadow 5K....a new race in Portage Lakes State Park.

Stress + Training

2010-01-28T14:47:00.002-05:00

Stress
Until May of 2009 I had worked with the same group of people in the same industry for nearly 22 years. There is a lot to be said about being in a comfort zone for your profession and with the people you work with. Over the years, I know times bordered from comfort zone to taking things for granted. It's not until you are out of your comfort zone that you realize how stressful something new can be. While I am back in the industry (after an 8 month hiatus), it is with a new company and EVERYTHING falls solely on my shoulders this time. No margin of error here. Today is one of those days where little things that go wrong get MAGNIFIED and weigh on me like a ton of bricks. I know things will settle down over time. I just hope I recognize the tipping point.

Training
The miles are building and the marathon is not too far away. February promises to be a big month and will dictate my marathon success. Jo and I are in for the National Marathon. I want it to be my "one and done" marathon for 2010, but will hold the Cleveland Marathon as a backup if things don't look to be on target.

General
I revamped the www.copleycc.com website. I had a tough time deciding if I should bag the website and rely on Facebook, but in the end I think there is a place for both.

Maddie will be going to Ohio U for siblings weekend in February along with one of her friends. She will stay with the friends sister rather than with Logan. Hopefully he makes time to see her while she is there!

Wish I could find a way to make Chaney Event Management a full time gig.

Parents are in Aruba once again. I hope they have an uneventful and fun time.

Training 01/04 to 01/10

2010-01-03T22:05:00.002-05:00

A good solid week of running in the bank. I ended up at 91 miles which is pretty good for me. A few highlights included the New Years Day run and the Nakel Doughnut run. Temps have been pretty low and clearly Winter is here.

Mon 1/4: AM 8 easy miles
Tue 1/5: AM 2 mile warm up + 4x1 mile repeats + 4x400 meter repeats + 2 mile cool down
Wed 1/6: AM 13 with Damon / Matt / Rich / Nilesh / Ed
Thu 1/7: AM 8 easy miles
Fri 1/8: AM 10 miles
Sat 1/9: AM 20 miles
Sun 1/10: 14 miles
Total = 72 miles

My race schedule is starting to fall into place as well. I will do races each weekend for a month leading up to the marathon. Some will be marathon pace, some will be workouts, some will be all out. Here they are: Last Chance for Boston Half Marathon, Shamrock 15K, Malachi 5 miler, National Marathon.

Logan is back at OU for Winter Quarter. At the moment he has a single room. His roommate decided to move out. Hopefully he either keeps the large single or at least gets a good roommate.

Maddie starts back on Monday. I know it is going to take a few days to get back in the groove of things. Time to buckle down!

National Marathon Training - 12/28 to 1/3

2009-12-27T20:31:00.002-05:00

I have been pretty good about following my training plan for the National Marathon, but have had a few schedule conflicts disrupt it a little. This is the first week where I will really lock onto the schedule. I will only hit 90+ three times during the cycle...so this week is important.

Mon 12/28 - 10 miles easy
Tue 12/29 - 2 mile warm up + 4 miles @ 6:30 pace + 4 mins easy + 3 miles @ 6:20 pace + 3 mins easy + 2 miles @ 6:15 pace + 2 mins easy + 1 mile @ 6:15 pace + 2 mile cool down
Wed: AM - 8 miles with Damon / Matt / Rich. PM - 9 miles with Seymour and Dobos.
Thu: 10 easy miles
Fri: 10 easy miles @ Boston Store with Ed and group
Sat: 10 miles with Nakel at doughnut run
Sun: 2 miles easy + 4 miles @ 6:00 pace + 10 miles easy + 2 x 2 miles @ 6:15 pace with 2 min easy between + 2 miles cool down
Total = 95 miles

I have to remember that easy means easy!

+ Logan heads back to Ohio U on the 3rd. I think he is really ready to get back!
+ Maddie got a guitar for Xmas. I hope she stays interested in it. If so....lessons will start in the Spring.
+ Jo will hopefully be running the half in DC while I do the marathon. We will be staying a block from the Capitol. I am really looking forward to the trip.

Plan in Place

2009-12-05T15:09:00.002-05:00

Well my 18% chance for Western States may have well been 0%. I didn't get in, which is too bad because I really doubt I will run another 100 just to qualify for Western again. So the table is set for the National Marathon in DC on March 20th. This gives me enough time to train and not overtrain. It also gives me a second chance should the National not go according to plan. I can always regroup and do either the Flying Pig or Cleveland.

Congrats to the Burning River 100 miler. It has been selected as the 2010 USATF Trail 100 National Championship. I am timing / webcasting / helping this race...so national exposure to Chaney Event Management is on the way.

Got a good 18 miler in today. Final pace was around 6:54 which is not that big of a deal. What was important was that I ran miles 2-5 around 6:20 pace with no impact on the rest of the run. I backed it down on the carriage trail then picked it back up on the way back. The 6:45-6:55 remainder of the run seemed pretty relaxed. This is a good starting point. The key will be to hook up as much as I can with people who run faster than me.

On the clock

2009-11-29T22:09:00.002-05:00

The Western States lottery is in 6 days. I have an 18% chance of getting in. It would be very cool to make it as this was one of my "bucket list" items, but if I don't I don't. I have also been waiting for December 5th to decide on which marathon to run. Originally it was going to be the day I signed up for Boston....but it closed in record time. The economics of Boston prevent them from making the qualifying standards tougher (which they should to). I will just have to enter next year on the first day of registration. Anyway my choices are down to two different marathons. I will more than likely run the National Marathon in DC. I ran the half two years ago and enjoyed the course. Jo and I can stay with Dave and Liz as well which makes it nice. Liz is a rising star in Washington. Maybe one day I can run this marathon and bunk at the White House! My backup plan is the Flying Pig in Cincinnati. I will make my final decision on the 5th.

Plan B

2009-11-13T20:07:00.002-05:00

Well I sat on my rear end and thought I could sign up for Boston in December. WRONG! It sold out in record time! I will keep my eyes open on any opportunity to jump in....but I will now have to find a plan B. I would like a destination type marathon for Jo and I to get away. Any suggestions?

Club XC Nationals is in a month. I will most likely be slow at that race. I really am not motivated to race well as much as I am to just participate.

December 5th is a big day. The Western States 100 lottery drawing is that day. 1,600 applicants vying for 300 spots. Fat chance I will get in. If not an ultra may be out for 2010.

John N is getting the Hood to Coast team together. I would like to be in top shape for that.

Blog updates have slowed down due to this thing called Facebook. Instant gratification always wins.

What's Next?

2009-10-19T18:34:00.003-05:00

I paced the 3:20 group at the Columbus Marathon this past weekend. I really had a nice time and all went well. Running slower does not always translate to running easier. Holding a super steady pace for 26 miles has its own challenges. Here is a photo Jo took around the 12 mile mark.

My work with the Copley Cross Country team has pushed me over the edge to hook up once again with my Masters friends and hit the USATF Club Cross Country National Championship in December. I have put together an aggressive 8 week program to follow. The good news is that I have a huge base and many of the workouts are really extensions of what I have been giving the HS team this year. Should be fun.

Random Update

2009-10-12T22:01:00.004-05:00

I have been blog slacking lately. I don't expect things to pick up anytime soon, so I will post general updates from time to time. Once November rolls around I will really really try to journalize my Boston training. So...on with the show....

Thanks to Jo for everything. She was sweet enough to come down and watch me practice pace at the Towpath Marathon. She will also come down to Columbus for my real pacing duties. I have the 3:20 group. I am looking forward to it. It definitely carries a different kind of pressure, but I think it will be fun. Hopefully the winds are kind and the balloons I am carrying don't carry me away.

Jo and I saw KISS a week or so ago. They played everything from ALIVE...their live breakthrough album. It was great as I expected. A few too many indoor fireworks for Jo. Thanks for hanging in there dear!

Cross Country has been much more rewarding than I expected. The team has really come together and have improved nearly every week. I really hope they can pull a rabbit out of the hat and move through Districts to Regionals. It would be a great team experience.

I am hoping to go back to work soon. I will detail everything once it is finalized. Stay tuned...

My second job is also about to start. I have decided to officially start a Race Event Management company. I hope to provide a service that will complement what SARC does and will be viewed as something unique. I should have the launch set by November 7th.

My recent timing gig at the North Coast 24 National Championship was a real experience. Plans are in the works for a bigger and better structure in 2010.

Maddie is getting through the 6th grade pretty well. Math continues to be a hurdle for her. I wish I could help her more but I have learned that being a helicopter parent is not the best thing to do!

Logan is coming home this weekend from Ohio U. I think he is enjoying Athens and his grades are very good.

That's it for now!

Akron Marathon Video

2009-09-27T21:52:00.002-05:00

Footage from Scott Dudek

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5shRGxp6FaQ – Mile 1.2 & 1.9 (Y-Bridge)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7yFlOUITOI – Mile 8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YS0ObO_gBk – Mile 8 (Cont’d)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZjKKeqGKr4 – Mile 14.5 (Towpath Trail, Big Bend)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xOQ-HHu6c0 – Mile 23 (Portage Path)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ0Fv37MPM4 – Mile 23 (Cont’d)

My weekend went as follows. Thursday with Bill Rodgers. Friday run with Bill then expo all day. Saturday ran the half at various paces with various people and had fun along the way.

Chaney Update 08.31-09.06

2009-08-31T14:19:00.004-05:00

Life
Yes indeed folks. Got my Kiss tickets for the September 28th show. They are on their Kiss Alive 35 anniversary tour. I saw them in 1977 on the Destroyer tour and pretty much every tour after that until they took off the makeup. I may even have some of my old tour programs somewhere around here. Old...Fat...and Rich. Sounds good to me. Jo will have to put up with me at the show.

School starts this week. It will be nice to get into a groove. Summer was good but I like structure. I am going to start helping out at Vertical Runner soon. Stop in and say hello.

Cross Country
A fantastic weekend invitational on my birthday. Everyone ran well including my varsity boys team. Five out of the seven hit PR's. Hopefully a sign that the training I am putting together for them is and will be paying off. The girls team has fewer people and they are a little farther apart from each other. I need to focus on their improvement this week.

Training
Good week of training behind me. Test week ahead. I need to hit my numbers this week if I have any chance of running a decent marathon for a 46 year old guy. Stay tuned...

Mon: 8 easy miles
Tue: 12 miles with 8 tempo in the middle
Wed: 13 group miles
Thu: 8 easy miles
Fri: 23 miles as follows-> 8 easy + 8 marathon pace + 1 tempo + 4 marathon pace + 1 tempo + 1 marathon pace. A great workout.
Sat: 6 recovery miles
Sun: 10-12 group miles

Weekly Update

2009-08-23T15:02:00.004-05:00

Running
Had a pretty good week. First higher mileage week since the Burning River. I have jumped into my Pittsburgh Marathon plan at week 9. I will follow this plan to Columbus. First priority was getting the miles in....and I did that. Next week I incorporate the pace specific workouts. Here is what is in store...

Mon: 7 easy miles
Tue: 2 mile WU + 8x1000 meters w/3 min recovery + 2 mile CD
Wed: 13 group miles
Thu: 8 easy miles
Fri: 10 easy miles
Sat: 12 miles with 6 at marathon pace
Sun: 17 miles

My only concern is my left calf. I pulled or tore a muscle at the 2 mile mark of my 21 mile run on Sunday. It mostly feels like a charlie horse at this point. I will be careful over the next few days.

School
Final week of vacation ahead for both of my kids. Maddie starts on Sept 1st and I take Logan to Ohio University on Sept 3rd. The challenge for both kids (and me) is to get back into a school like sleeping routine.

Cross Country
The team had a good week of practice. We finished phase II and will begin phase III on Monday. Our first meet is on Saturday. A good showing would be a nice birthday gift for me.

Misc
Jo and I will be escorting Bill Rodgers around town again over the RRAM weekend. For being one of my running idols it is pretty cool that he even remembers me. We should have fun while he is here.

A Few of my Favorite Things

2009-08-18T18:25:00.004-05:00

TV Show - True Blood. Nothing cooler on the air.
Technology - Garmin 310XT.
Running Route - Mingo Trail. I often forget how much fun this loop can be.
Workout - 6x400 meters followed by 8x200 meters. All up hill.
Quote - "The thought of Brett coming out of retirement yet again makes me want to Favre." - Shawn Bolender
Beverage - Mountain Dew Voltage. Bring on the sugar and calories!
Activity - Coaching High School Cross Country.
Website - www.worth1000.com
Retro Album - Combat Rock by the Clash
Memorable Photo - Maddie on the first and second day of 1st Grade. Love it day 1. Hated day 2!

Training Update 08.14.09

2009-08-14T09:55:00.003-05:00

I know I said I would write a recap for the Burning River 100...but honestly I just don't have the motivation right now to document a blow by blow account of the day. I will say it was good, then very very bad, then very good. Jo kept me in the game and is the sole reason I finished. I can't thank her enough.

Moving Forward
I have two remaining targets in 2009. The first will be the Columbus Marathon. I have come out of the 100 with little to no residual issues. I feel great and am able to run at a good pace. The second target will remain private for right now. First things first.

Training Schedule - August 17th to 23rd
Mon - 8 miles easy
Tue - 19 miles with a few tempo-ish bursts.
Wed - 9 group miles
Thu - 6 easy miles
Fri - 10 easy miles
Sat - 22 miles total. 2 easy + 4 tempo + 10 easy + 4 tempo + 2 easy
Sun - 12 group miles

Cross Country
We had our time trial last night as part of the Heideman XC race. I was very pleased with the performances the kids turned in. Most ran faster than I expected and they even brought home some hardware. It will be interesting how the training plan I have put together for the season shakes out. Hopefully well.

XC Team Photo

2009-08-05T19:05:00.000-05:00

-- Post From My iPhone

XC Camp

2009-08-04T13:56:00.000-05:00

Recovering from the 100 while at the Copley HS Cross Country camp. I am even running! Full BR100 report when I get back.

-- Post From My iPhone

Burning River 100 Webcast

2009-07-31T11:18:00.003-05:00

Last year I built the webcast site for the Burning River 100, not knowing that I would be running it this year. Below are the links if you are interested. See everyone on the other side!

Web Browser Access
http://www.burningriver100.org/webcast.html

iPhone Access
Bring the below up in your iPhone browser...then click the + sign...add to home screen.
http://www.anglebar.com/chaney/br100res.nsf/vwbasic

Thank You

2009-07-29T10:31:00.003-05:00

Three days until the Burning River 100. I will be starting with 160 other runners at 5am...but dozens of people got me there.

Thank You Jo. She has been my support and inspiration the entire time. In addition she will be my crew. A tougher job than running in my opinion.

Thank You Rich and Ed. My pacers for the day. Not only will they get me to the finish line...they shared a large part in my training.

Thank You Matt and Damon. My competitive running buddies have provided support and pushed me on the days when I needed to be pushed (although they didn't know that).

Thank You Nilesh. Got me through my Spring injury and into rehab. Graston works!

Thank You Vince. Kept me motivated throughout the training cycle and always there when I needed a run / advice / equipment.

Thank You Joe and Tracy. The Joe Klett series constantly reminds me what fun running is when you let it.

Thank You Nick and Brandon. These guys rock and always inspire me to push myself as they do.

Thank You Joe J and the BR100 group. Kept me in the game and provided the motivation to do this again.

Thank You SARC for constantly supporting the running community and handling the Pine Lane Aid Station.

Thank You to my family for supporting me along the way.

Thank You to everyone else who I failed to mention. I have appreciated everyones guidance, camaraderie, and friendship.

Lastly Thank You Karl. I have deeply appreciated your advice and approach to running this 100 mile race.

See you on the other side!

http://www.burningriver100.org/webcast.html

The Final Week

2009-07-24T15:48:00.003-05:00

One week to go before the festivities begin at the Burning River 100. We have completed the final bout of testing of the webcast site. I am thinking of taking the process and product that I built and marketing it to other Ultra's. Stay tuned.

You can see the webcast here on Race Day.

My final week of training looks like this:

Monday - Off Day
Tuesday - 7 miles
Wednesday - 8 miles
Thursday - 7 miles
Friday - Off Day / Load Webcast Site with final data and runner photos
Saturday - 101 miles
Sunday - Walk 2 miles

I immediately leave for the hills of Pennsylvania following the completion of the BR100 for 5 days of cross country camp. Living in a tent and running / walking trails isn't the ideal recovery week but it will do.

Here is a picture of my new best friend. He has a battery life of 20 hours which will hopefully be enough to get me to the finish line. If I go past 20 hours I really won't care if the watch is working or not.

Taper Time

2009-07-19T12:01:00.003-05:00

I had a very good Buckeye Trail 50K over the weekend. I treated this run as my last tempo type run before the BR100. I did go a little faster than the plan called for though. My target at the turn was 2:22 and I got there at 2:12. I have to admit that it was difficult throttling it back as many runners I know were competing that day. The good news is I really felt relaxed and had a nice long run. No damaging fatigue, no blisters, no bruises....nothing. I really felt great the entire time. Here is video from the day.

Starting Line | Aid Stations | Finish Line

Next is the Burning River 100 Endurance Run. I will post my thoughts and strategy over the next two weeks here on my blog. In between I have Logan's Freshman orientation at Ohio University...a few cross country practices....and preparation for cross country camp which begins the same day the BR100 ends!

Update July 6th to July 12th

2009-07-12T10:36:00.003-05:00

A very good week in the books. Running went according to plan. A few nice uptempo runs during the week then back to back 16 milers over the weekend. Got caught in the wicked rain and thunder on Saturday. Totally soaked but a great run. Very nice run on the BR100 course today with a few guys. Felt super easy and strong towards the end. Three weeks and counting. Next weekend will be a steady pace run at the Buckeye Trail 50K followed by a hilly 12 on Sunday. Taper and rest after that for the BR100.

Due to road construction we made a few course changes to the BR100 this week. I ran and measured the new section from Station Road Bridge to Ottawa Point. I really like the new route and hope others do as well.

I am on the fence about what shoes to wear for the race. I really have had good luck with my Adidas Adizero XT's and will probably go with a new pair of them on race day. I have also been running in Inov-8 265's and like them.

Ohio U is closing in fast on Logan. He doesn't really realize this is it. Truly leaving the nest and moving to the next major chapter of life. We go down for orientation on 7/26 for a few days. I am going to go over the Lambda Chi house while we are there and pitch in on the house renovations. The guys (I am old) will get 1 day of solid work from me.

The day that the BR100 ends is also the first day of the Copley Cross Country camp in PA. I will drive out there early that evening for the next 5 days. I will probably be totally wasted and of no use to them on the trails, but I will give it my best effort.

I believe I am officially the new head coach for the Copley High School Cross Country team. I received the paperwork last week and sent it in. I am really looking forward to coaching the boys and girls program. We have alot of work to do...but we also have alot of young talent that should show signs of success late in the year.

Lastly congrats to Coach Karl for racking up his 3rd 100 miler win of 2009. He smoked everyone at Hardrock (www.hardrock100.com) by running smart and steady. Impressive to say the least. Great job Karl.

Final Month

2009-07-06T09:31:00.002-05:00

The Burning River 100 miler is in one month. I am really looking forward to running this event. Registrations are up over previous years and there are several top notch runners coming into town for the event. My preparation has been going very well and I hope to be close to my time goal. The main goal is to finish. This will at least get me into the lottery for the 2010 Western States Endurance Run. I plan on running smart for the entire 100 miles. It is easy to get sucked into competitive mode early on....but I have to put all of that away for most of the race. I will go through the highs and lows like everyone else, but really hope to maintain a steady run inspite of how I am feeling.

A friend of mine was recently in Gary Indiana and took this photo of the Jackson Family house after Michaels death. Can you imagine raising a family that size in a house this small?

4th of July Weekend

2009-07-03T10:02:00.002-05:00

* Nice recovery trail run with 5 others today. Ran from Pine Lane to Blue Hen Falls and back. Ran hard the last 1.5 miles. Felt super fresh. Good sign.

* Rained most of the run. What is better than running in the rain and mud?

* New bed arrives today. Finally got my big boy bed. Going to start getting real sleep now!

* Timing the Hudson Firecracker 5K in the morning. No one responded from the club to time this event, so this will be a bail-out favor. I am sure one or two in the club will slam me for donating my time to do this while they sit at home and think of more things to gripe about. Too much energy spent on nothing in my opinion.

* Make sure to thank a firefighter, police officer, doctor, nurse, or any other public service professional for their time over the weekend.

* Got my marching orders for the Buckeye Trail 50K. Good plan rolling into the Burning River 100 miler.

Random Thoughts Wednesday

2009-07-01T13:34:00.002-05:00

* Had a really good run with Damon and Matt yesterday morning. I am learning to hate waking up so early to run...but am very thankful for the company and time it saves later in the day.

* Ran with the XC team at Oak Hill this morning. Good run. Ankles a little sore for some reason.

* Ran a SIMS 3 update for my daughter. I have never seen a tech note like this before...

Fix to story progression on/off selection toggle.
Fix for a possible crash with audio code.
Fix for babysitter routing off lots with babies.

...I guess babysitters are an issue in the virtual world as well!

* Picked up the ChampionChip equipment for the next two weeks races.

* Heard once again some rumour about me wanting to win the Burning River 100. I don't know how this started...but is far from the truth. I have a time goal this year. If 174 people run faster than my time goal...good for them. I have only run one 100 mile race and it seems to me that it is not a race until you get to the last 10 miles. Would I like to be the top Master? Of course...who wouldn't? Will I be competitive towards the end? If I make it that far yes. I have been training towards a finish time. Period.

* Race #2 in the "Joe Klett" series is tonight. I can't wait until it is my turn. I have something brilliant planned.

Old Man Monday

2009-06-29T12:08:00.001-05:00

Each Monday I run with the high school cross country team. Although I can still run faster than most of them, it takes me their entire workout to get warmed up. I will probably start 30 minutes early to equalize things.

Spending the day at the pool.

-- Post From My iPhone

General Updates

2009-06-28T13:17:00.003-05:00

I have been a blog slacker since the trip to Utah. We had a great time and I met some really cool people during our race. I have also been pretty busy since my return. A few days of getting the XC team on its feet, a few days at Cedar Point, then a busy running weekend (31 miles Saturday / 22 miles Sunday). All in all a good span of 10 days.

July is now upon us and the fun does not end. This will be the final 30 days of training for the Burning River 100. All systems are go at this point. I am finally feeling strong again - like I did in March. The fueling plan is in place, the timing system is ready, and I am looking forward to running a smart race.

Logan and I will head to OU on July 26th for orientation. Summer will be over before I know it. I am still weighing my employment options following my "Summer Hiatis". It appears that I will be the head Cross Country coach at Copley High School. It will be a fun challenge...but clearly does not pay the bills.

Regular reports will begin again tomorrow!

Ragnar Relay Recap

2009-06-21T23:06:00.002-05:00

Words don't describe what a great adventure this was. Leg 1: 3.8 miles. Mostly flat. Started around 9pm. Ran it a little faster than I wanted. Got a boost when I was passed by Van 1 enroute to the next exchange. Great support from van 2 along the way. Averaged 6:08 per mile. Leg 2: 7.7 miles. Gradual and rolling climb. Started at 6:15am. Tried to back it off and run even. Leg 3 was on my mind. Got rid of the headlamp and vest 2 miles into the run. Very scenic as the sun came up. Beautiful running towards the mountains. Again great support from my van-mates! Averaged 7:05 per mile.Leg 3: 4 miles. All uphill on a soupy mud road. 8% steady grade beginning at 7500 feet and ending at 9500 feet. Started at 3pm. I knew the altitude would be tough on my lungs…but it killed me. Air getting to my lungs just wasn't going to happen. I decided the key here was steady forward progress. I used a combination of power walking, running, and walking backwards (stretch legs and ease my back from the leaning forward bits). Felt like I was carrying a piano on my back for the entire time. Made solid progress to the finish. Passed many people during this stretch. Not for the timid! Amazing views on the way up. Averaged 11:15 per mile

Other highlights – Van downtime 1 - Sleeping for 2.5 hours on the cement at the ski resort while the winds whipped and it got really cold. Watching Souci watching the naked guys change their clothes in the field. Meeting up with van 1. Van downtime 2 - Sleeping under the skateboard ramp to avoid the rain. Seeing Econo bring it home! Staring at the mountains all around us.

Words and recaps just can’t capture the amazing adventure we had. Thanks to everyone for the trip of a lifetime.

MCBeer

2009-06-20T17:32:00.001-05:00

Mile 6

-- Post From My iPhone

9,500 feet

2009-06-20T17:07:00.001-05:00

4 miles uphill. 2,000 foot climb. DONE.

-- Post From My iPhone

Elaine to Jeb

2009-06-20T15:21:00.001-05:00

-- Post From My iPhone

Barb to Elaine

2009-06-20T14:17:00.001-05:00

-- Post From My iPhone

Mountains Ahead

2009-06-20T13:43:00.001-05:00

-- Post From My iPhone

Wind and Rain

2009-06-20T13:07:00.001-05:00

The last 6 legs will see some weather. We also have the 3 toughest segments. Think good thoughts!

-- Post From My iPhone

Last Sleep

2009-06-20T11:59:00.001-05:00

I am taking a nap under a skateboard ramp at the school. We start the last round of legs in an hour or so.

-- Post From My iPhone

Morning

2009-06-20T08:45:00.001-05:00

We are progressing nicely. Sun is up and the temps are rising. Still tough to breath at altitude.

Sans Souci

-- Post From My iPhone

Sunrise

2009-06-20T08:13:00.000-05:00

-- Post From My iPhone

4:30 am

2009-06-20T05:33:00.001-05:00

Elaine is running her 7 mile leg while we mess around with glow sticks!

-- Post From My iPhone

3am

2009-06-20T04:15:00.001-05:00

MC and JJJ

-- Post From My iPhone

Better night photo

2009-06-19T23:33:00.001-05:00

-- Post From My iPhone

Van 1 done

2009-06-19T23:27:00.000-05:00

Everyone hit their times. Now sleep.

-- Post From My iPhone

Elaine 1st Leg

2009-06-19T21:21:00.001-05:00

Sun is beginning to set

-- Post From My iPhone

Rose

2009-06-19T20:44:00.000-05:00

Running her 1st leg

-- Post From My iPhone

Waiting for Van 1

2009-06-19T19:37:00.001-05:00

-- Post From My iPhone

Ready to go

2009-06-19T13:09:00.001-05:00

-- Post From My iPhone

Van Prep

2009-06-19T12:28:00.001-05:00

Almost ready

-- Post From My iPhone

Van Prep

2009-06-19T12:01:00.001-05:00

Millbot

-- Post From My iPhone

Van Prep

2009-06-19T11:58:00.001-05:00

-- Post From My iPhone

Race Day

2009-06-19T08:54:00.003-05:00

I went out early today and got 2.5 "warmup" miles in. Ran to the starting line to check things out. Looks like it is going to be a blast. I can clearly feel the altitude in my lungs when I am running....should be interesting. SeeMomGo has brought and oxygen tank! Maybe a few hits of O will put me over the top.

Had a great dinner last night with everyone. La T and MC were missing, but the rest of us had a really nice time. Mike (millbot) handed out a few awards of thanks prior to the event.

I will be posting fairly often once the race starts at 1:30pm local time. The cell reception will be the key as to how much gets posted. Stay tuned!

Firehouse Pizza

2009-06-18T19:58:00.000-05:00

-- Post From My iPhone

4/6ths of Van 2

2009-06-18T14:28:00.001-05:00

Jeb, Elaine, Chris, Jim

-- Post From My iPhone

Van Pickup

2009-06-18T11:18:00.001-05:00

Waiting for the group

-- Post From My iPhone

Landed

2009-06-17T23:03:00.001-05:00

Bumpy ride to Salt Lake

-- Post From My iPhone

CLE to SLC

2009-06-17T14:55:00.001-05:00

Jo and I should arrive tonight around 9:30pm

-- Post From My iPhone

Florida - Home

2009-06-16T17:27:00.001-05:00

Got home this afternoon after a nice hot weekend in FL. The mountains of Utah are now calling! I will be posting frequently during this event.

Photo: Olivia, Evan, and Maddie at Sea World.

-- Post From My iPhone

Sea World

2009-06-15T12:42:00.000-05:00

-- Post From My iPhone

Florida Day 1

2009-06-14T14:41:00.001-05:00

Hot. After a late night of travel I arrived I Orlando. I am renting a Honda Insight. Very cool car. Today is a typical Florida day but too hot for me. Good thing Kevin has a pool and water toys.

-- Post From My iPhone

Travel to Florida

2009-06-13T16:57:00.000-05:00

I just loaded the blogger app for the iPhone. I will post more frequently this week as I visit my brother then head to Utah to run.

-- Post From My iPhone

Wax On Wax Off

2009-06-10T11:43:00.003-05:00

Training for a 100 mile race is unique. For anyone who has trained for distance events, whether it is the mile or marathon, you typically follow a pattern of timed running. Training to sustain race pace is the name of the game in 99% of all distance events. Not so with a 100 miler. The key is simply to maintain without falling apart physically and mentally. I keep asking "when are we going to get to the pace workouts?". Well folks it ain't happenin'! My training plan is based on time on my feet and repetition. I truly feel like the karate kid right now. I seem to be in a holding pattern of "wax on wax off" and "paint the fence" while impatiently asking why am I doing this? I enjoy running the miles of trails...but man I have no speed. How did it disappear? Recently five of my friends had an informal 10K race. I ran as hard as I could...but came no where close to my potential. I have become Mr. Tree Trunk Legs. Strength but no speed. I know in the end it will serve me well at the 100, but it can be frustrating from time to time.

Over the next three days I will have run 50 miles of trails. Like Daniel-son I will have moments of impatience and question the methods. Fortunately I trust my Mr. Miyagi and know that the payoff will be worth the effort in the end.

Lookout Cobra Kai!

* Maddie is in Florida with my Mom and my niece hitting all of the theme parks. I head there on Saturday for a few days to join the fun.

* After returning on Tuesday from Florida, Jo and I turn right around and head to Utah on Wednesday for the Ragnar Relay.

* Logan heads to Myrtle Beach on the 20th until the end of the month.

* I had a very good discussion about my future employment plans with a potential business partner. Once I get through June and July the goal will be to sharpen the pencil and pick a career direction. Things are bright on the horizon.

* I am waiting to hear about my potential coaching opportunity and things could be finalized by early July.

True Blood

2009-06-07T14:23:00.002-05:00

When I was a young kid my mother used to watch a "daytime drama" called Dark Shadows. I used to watch it as well. I have fond memories of that show. Well...I caught wind of a series on HBO called True Blood. Thanks to HBO On Demand I have finished watching the first season of this series. It was created by Alan Ball, who also created one of my favorite HBO Series called Six Feet Under. Great writing, great acting, and dark story lines. The premise is basically about Vampires as a community / societal class wanting to integrate with mainstream human life. It is pretty intense and I highly recommend it. Season Two premiers on HBO June 14th.

My running has been picking up. I did the No Frills All Hills run and covered roughly 34 miles in just under 5 1/2 hours. I maintained my 100 mile goal pace...which was my target. A good day.

I hit 104 miles last week. That is the most miles I have had in several years. I am feeling really good these days and seem to be well ahead of my 2007 fitness. June and July will be intense training months.

Next week I head to Florida for a quick visit with my brother and his family, then I am off to Utah for the Ragnar Relay. I really don't have my racing legs right now...but it will be a fun trip to take with Jo.

Coach Tolle

2009-06-01T19:34:00.003-05:00

A great guy that I wish I knew better. Touched many lives. What better way to live and be remembered.

Popular Copley High School coach Stuart Tolle passes away at age 47

Posted by Tim Rogers/Plain Dealer Reporter June 01, 2009 11:31AM

About 200 high school football players and female track athletes gathered in the Copley High School fieldhouse around midnight Sunday to mourn the assistant football and girls track coach Stuart Tolle, one of the most popular teachers at the school.
Tolle died of an apparent heart attack after mowing the lawn at his house in Akron's Firestone Park neighborhood on Sunday. He was 47. Tolle played at Alliance High and went on to star at Bowling Green before spending parts of three seasons with the Detroit Lions, the Browns and the Arizona Wranglers of the U.S. Football League.
"This is a total shock," said Ed Robinson, a former assistant coach at Copley and a close friend of Tolle's. "I am devastated. Stuart was one of the greatest guys I know. The kids just loved him. The staff loved him. We all loved him."
Tolle, 6-3 and 245 pounds during his playing career, played in one NFL game, for Detroit in 1987. Twice he was one of the Browns' final cuts and spent time on the reserve squad. Tolle, a science teacher, was known for keeping himself in shape.
A bachelor until recently, he jogged regularly and spent time in the weight room. He also owned the most popular pet in Copley Township, a yellow lab named Claire, who went everywhere Tolle went. She even had a special spot in the school, where she patiently waited for Tolle's day to end.
"This is a real tragedy," said Copley Assistant Principal Jim Borchik. "Stuart had the gift. He connected to kids from all walks of life. I can't begin to tell you how many children he has reached and touched."
Tolle attended Copley's graduation ceremonies on Sunday before going home to do yardwork.
"He was a low-key guy who always had a smile on his face," said Robinson, now an assistant principal at Polaris Vocational School in Middleburg Heights. "Stuart kept to himself but he was always willing to help someone out."
Funeral arrangements were pending.

Graduation

2009-05-31T08:20:00.002-05:00

Today my son Logan graduates from High School. I clearly remember the first day I took him to Kindergarten. Time really does fly as you get older. For those with children...take advantage of the time you have with your kids when they are young. One of my favorite moments was when Logan was in first grade. He had a cycling t-shirt that said "Europe" on it. He once asked me what his shirt said as I was getting him ready for school. I said "It says Europe". He paused and said "yep...I'm up." Classic. Logan is heading to Ohio University this Fall, and our relationship will surely change as he gets older. I am looking forward to our next chapter together. Great Job Logan. You earned it!

The No Frills All Hills fun run is over. I ended up running 33.75 miles in 5 hrs and 28 minutes. This was an excellent test for me as my 100 miler training really begins in June. The course was tough and I really got a workout hitting the Sound of Music hill repeatedly. Thanks to Rich and Matt for running a few hours each with me.

The Cavs lost last night. I couldn't watch it. They have got to find a new generation big man for the middle. Z is fine but his time has passed. Bigger Better Stronger is the name of the game.

I will be timing my first solo race next weekend using the ChampionChip system. I have been able to learn the system over the last two weeks and look forward to using it at the Race for the Parks in Hudson on the 6th.

Tuesday Trail Report

2009-05-26T13:52:00.003-05:00

I met Wild Bill and Chef Bill this morning to map out a possible revision to the Burning River 100 course. It rained for more than half of the run, making it a fun day in the mud and rain. I like the route that we did and it is almost the exact distance as the current course route...so I am giving it a thumbs up!

Speaking of Thumbs Up. My buddy Ben is having a Glasnost Movie party the same weekend I am in Utah. K sozhaleniyu, ya poka ne govoryu po russki. Bummer. It looks like my comrades will have a good time.

A No Frills All Hills Week

2009-05-25T18:49:00.004-05:00

Monday is here and I have a bit of a recovery week ending with a test. As with any test there is an urge to cram in order to do your best, but that won't be the case this week. Tuesday I will be running easy with Wild Bill from Station Road Bridge to Ottawa Point. There seems to be a general concern about my course correction for the Burning River 100 in that section. Bill has an idea that we will explore and map out. Wednesday will be the normal "let's run easy but not really" group run at 4:50am. Always a good time to catch up and complain about who is not feeling good (while picking up the pace). Thursday will be another EASY trail run with the 6:30pm group. Friday is still up in the air. Saturday is test day. I will be running the "No Frills All Hills" event at Kendall Hills. It is a continuous 2 mile loop over the course of 6 hours. The deal is that you see how many of the 2 mile loops you can do within that time period. There are no rules other than you cannot cut the loop. I am going to practice my BR100 pace and fueling plan for as much of the 6 hours as possible. The only variation I will make is reversing the loop every 4 miles. I want to make sure that I don't get too bored, as well as mixing up the terrain. Thanks to Brian Musick for arranging this deranged run.

Buckeye Trail Sundays

2009-05-24T12:35:00.002-05:00

Our Run with Ed group was looking to hook up with a larger group for some trail miles today. I sent out an invite to the Wednesday morning group to join us. We met at the Jaite parking lot at 7am. Our group ended up being me, Ed, Vince, Damon, Matt, and Kyle. We started easy then picked up the pace to Ottawa Point. We decided to continue to Oak Grove...then made the turn and doubled back. Overall it was faster than I had planned, so I skipped tacking on my final 5 miles. I will be meeting a small group later tonight to do 7-8 miles starting from Pine Lane.

* Much to his surprise, Logan had fun at Prom last night. I'm glad he ended his High School experience on a positive note. Ohio University is the next stop.

* I will be timing the Tallmadge Memorial 5K tomorrow morning. It is a good event and I kind of wish I was running rather than timing, but I am in no shape to crank out a good 5K right now.

Return to the Carriage Trail

2009-05-21T21:02:00.003-05:00

I had a solid workout today. Started at Station Road Bridge and ran the mile 30 to 36.4 section of the Burning River 100 course. This is the Carriage Trail Loop....the same loop where I ran out of gas two years ago...with the same bench where I sat for 15 minutes and wondered what I had done to myself and why I was there. The loop is somewhat sacred ground for me. I ran very easy with Glenn and Dan to the bottom of the loop. It is always nice to run with others. I had warned them that I was doing a workout and would be pushing it once we arrived at the bridge. I picked it up and pushed it the entire loop. This is the first hard run I have done in about 6 weeks and it felt awesome. I hit the bottom of the loop I headed back on the towpath at a pretty good pace. Once I made it back to Station Road Bridge, the Thursday trail group had assembled and was going to do 4 miles. I jumped in with them and ran a nice cool down 4 with David P. Each day that I run I feel stronger which is key right now.

* I received my training plan for the next two weeks. I have a test on May 30th at the No Frills All Hills 6 hour run. I really hope to run the entire 6 hours at my BR100 pace. It is a two mile loop at Kendall Hills, and because it is a Fat Ass event...there are no official rules. I will probably reverse direction on the loop every 4 miles to keep me sane.

* For the first time in a long time I did not listen to the radio or watch ESPN at all today. The loss last night by the Cavs was reminiscent of the Browns losses in the 1980's. I know it's only a game...but painful none the less

* Logan has his Senior Prom on Saturday night, which means I probably won't get much sleep worrying about him. Can you say Parachute Parent?

* I may have a running related opportunity for this Fall. Stay tuned.

7x9 is not equal to 9x7

2009-05-20T13:02:00.002-05:00

Today was one of those days where things were just right. I met the Wednesday morning group at our usual 4:50am start. I was fully expecting a sluggish run after Damon, Nilesh, and Matt had just run the Cleveland Marathon 3 days earlier. A nice run down to Portage Path and back. 7 or so miles at 9 minute pace would have been right. I should have known better. We started easy enough, but once everyone got their legs back...we decided to do the 9 mile loop. Once we got up Merriman the pace dropped below 6:50 per mile. We actually averaged about 7:10...but my math had it at 9 miles @ 7 minute pace. Oh well.

I had a second run with Vince on the trails from Pine Lane. It was a nice easy pace fortunately since I had about 2.5 hours rest between the runs.

I had an I Like My Life moment today. I stopped at a gas station to get gas. Inside there were three sales reps for some cigarette company getting chewed out by the low hourly wage employee working, saying that they are losing business because the ciggy guys weren't delivering enough smokes. It was her moment to dump on someone...and their moment to take it. What a way to live.

Don't Shoot (I'm A Man)

2009-05-18T15:05:00.002-05:00

DEVO will be releasing their first studio album since 1990 this coming Fall. After seeing and meeting them last year I am expecting it to be good. Here is the first video from the upcoming release.

"DON'T SHOOT" - DEVO from DEVO Channel on Vimeo.

Sub 3 Club

2009-05-17T18:39:00.002-05:00

Injuries bite. After missing any chance of running the marathon in Pittsburgh due to my quad injury, I "watched" my training partners all go under three hours today at Cleveland via text updates. I really wish I could have been there to run or at least watch. Matt earned a new PR of 2:37. Damon nailed a 2:40 on a very short training time table. Nilesh collected a 2:55 as well. My PR window is closing soon....so it's probably this Fall or bust.

BR100 training is well under way. Karl won the MMT 100 this weekend. I feel that we have a good relationship going now and look forward to the challenge he is about to throw my way.

Logan's graduation party was this weekend as well. We did have fun and I managed to stay dry until the very end. Once again Jo deserves the MVP for weathering the storm I call family.

Five in a Row

2009-05-15T12:46:00.002-05:00

I have now run five consecutive days on the trails. Each day I have felt more and more like myself. This is great news! We are off to Southern Ohio for the weekend for a graduation party for my son Logan. There are plenty of hills in Southern Ohio...but I will be hitting the road for two long runs. I am really looking forward to seeing how I feel on pavement.

Good luck to everyone who is running Cleveland. I hope the runner tracking actually works.

Happy Days to Kendall Lake

2009-05-12T13:33:00.004-05:00

Perfect morning for a trail run. Hoped to be a little lighter on my feet...but felt sort of sluggish for most of the run. Weather and solitude made it worthwhile. Happy Days to Kendall Lake and back on the BR100 course. I know the lower part of the course very well. I think I will spend some time on the northern part during this training cycle.

May 11 - Up the Hill

2009-05-11T11:38:00.002-05:00

Ran 7 very easy miles this morning then headed to the Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium. Felt good most of the run. Did my minimal weights workout and decided to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes, of which 15 minutes was at a 15% grade. I may weave in a few running at severe grade runs before the Ragnar Relay race in June. One of my legs is 4 miles with a total of 1800 feet of climb.

* Went to the mall with Logan yesterday to pick out his tuxedo for prom. Half of the tuxes looked nice. Half looked "Gangsta". We went with the traditional look.

* The shuttle heads up today. My mom is in Florida with my brother Kevin. I hope she gets to see it.

May 10th - Pine Lane to Boston Store

2009-05-10T08:26:00.002-05:00

First official entry for the BR100 training program. Ed Goubeaux, Rich Wisneski and I did the Pine Lane to Boston Store and back route. Great to be back on the trails. Today was the first time I have felt like myself since March. Up on my toes...no sore spots or stiffness...good effort. Trails were dry with a few muddy spots. Soaked my shoes to get the mud off near Pine Lane. I am really looking forward to the next few months of training.

Weather: mid-40's and mostly sunny. Perfect conditions.

* Logan's graduation party is next weekend in Waverly, Ohio. I plan on scoping out some new trails while we are down there.

* Cavs looked strong last night.

Let the Games Begin

2009-05-07T11:29:00.002-05:00

I just received my first two weeks of training from Karl. We are going to ease into the training so I don't blow my leg out again. Smart approach. I am really looking forward to getting started, but I am also a little timid right now. My running gait is still out of whack. One month of limping around has brought about more knocks and pings than I care to recognize. Another few weeks of running and I should be back to my old self.

Last weekend was the Pittsburgh Marathon, an event I trained most of the Winter for. I ran the half after one solid month of minimal running (total April miles were 70 and I gained 10 pounds). It was the farthest run and fastest pace I have sustained in over 30 days. Starting over sucks....but it is a starting point so it is upward and onward from here.

Logan, Maddie, Jo, and I are heading to the Cavs game tonight. It should be a blast.

I am officially one week into my unemployment. I will no longer refer to it as unemployment as I know I am lucky in being able to take this time off to spend with the kids and train. Many opportunities lie ahead...so stay tuned.

Prologue - May 1st

2009-05-01T17:17:00.003-05:00

As I have stated before, this blog will be the vehicle in which I document my Burning River 100 training experience. I will also be throwing in tidbits of info, advice that I find beneficial, and notes about my weight/diet/etc. So....on with the show!

My official start day will be May 11th, but since I have only run a grand total of 70 miles in the month of April, I am going to need to work up to training condition over the next 10 days. What better way to start than to run the Boston Store to (almost) Pine Lane parking lot and back! I met Nick Billock for 3 miles as he finished up his 30 mile run in the mud. I am glad I jumped in at that point of the run. I am out of shape and stiff as a board. The great news is that my leg feels totally healed. I know I can get my shape back...but when your brain and body are not in sync it can be a drag. I was able to slowly loosen up and chopped 8 minutes on my return trip to the car. I will be running a Personal Worst (PW) this Sunday in Pittsburgh...but so what. It should be a fun trip and I am looking forward to running with the mid-packers.

I also bought a new car today on my first official day of being unemployed. This has eliminated any fear of my vehicle breaking down or needing major repair for the next couple of years. The car is a Kia Rondo and should be much better on gas and getting around.

I also stopped in to visit Vince at Vertical Runner. The new space looks great! I am looking forward to becoming more involved with VR over the next year.

RTYP

2009-04-29T08:15:00.003-05:00

Summer Event #1
Jo and I will be headed to Utah towards the end of June to participate in the Ragnar Relay. This is a Hood to Coast type event where you are a member of a 12 person team and run a total of about 180 miles. We are on a mixed masters (all over 40) team and it should be a lot of fun. The race starts in Logan, UT and finishes in Park City, UT. The route takes us around, over, and through the Wasatch Mountains in Utah. I am hoping that the views are great. It is also a historical route. The Donner Party was a group of California-bound American emigrants caught up in the "westering fever" of the 1840s. After becoming snowbound in the Sierra Nevada in the winter of 1846–1847, some of them resorted to cannibalism. We are following part of their route through the mountains.

Our team name is RTYP which stands for Run 'Till You Puke. I hope we don't.

Next Chapter

2009-04-27T07:42:00.003-05:00

It has been quite a week. I found out on Friday that my last day at Anglebar Solutions would be Thursday April 30th. I have been at Anglebar from the very beginning. I have also worked with the same group of people for many many years, and have been associated with some for more than 20 years. I knew this would be happening for some time so it is not a total shock. We had a great run at Anglebar and the possibilities were always there, but like anything in life it was time for it to end. So begins the next chapter...

My running is on to its next chapter as well. The injury I have been battling has taken me out of the Pittsburgh Marathon and any thoughts of the Cleveland Marathon. I continue to slowly get my legs back. It is frustrating when just a few weeks ago I was in nearly the best shape of my life...now I am a slug with a bad wheel. I am still heading to Pittsburgh to support my friends in the marathon. I will tank my way through the Half Marathon and use it as a long run. Anyone have a Team in Training singlet I can borrow?

The next adventure will be the Burning River 100. I plan on writing about my training and journey in this blog on an almost daily basis. If for no other reason than to document three months of my life for my kids to read decades from now. Maybe when their kids look at Grandpa Jim they will have a better understanding of who I was as a younger man.

So it's time to turn the page, move on to the next chapter. How will the story end? Stay tuned.

Facebook Manners And You

2009-04-22T15:22:00.000-05:00

Take Two Point One

2009-04-19T19:35:00.002-05:00

OK....after my last post I had a relapse. I still could hardly walk let alone run. Another week off from running. The good news is that my scar tissue broke free Wednesday night and I am now pain free. I told the PT that I would not run until the 20th. I have also modified my training / racing schedule to go at Cleveland. I will still travel to Pittsburgh and run the half as an easy run. I have always enjoyed Cleveland in spite of the poor race organization and course presentation, but that is another story.

Good luck to everyone running Boston. I wish I had gone.

Training Schedule
Mon: 5 easy miles
Tue: 8 easy miles
Wed: 13 group miles
Thu: 6 easy miles
Fri: Damon Tempo - 2 mile warm up + 8 mile tempo + 2 mile cool down
Sat: 8 easy miles
Sun: 22 easy miles

Take Two

2009-04-12T09:17:00.003-05:00

After a week off of running I am ready to get back in the saddle for Pittsburgh. I ran with a group on Saturday and gimped my way through 10.5 miles. I now know it will take a few days to shake the rust and get back to normal. I also start Physical Therapy on Monday. Hopefully with an aggressive PT schedule, stretching, compression, and an easy running plan this week I will be at full strength by Pittsburgh. I considered not running Pittsburgh and going for Cleveland, but we have a graduation party for Logan in Waverly that weekend....so it's Pittsburgh or bust. Burning River training starts right after that. I plan on blogging / documenting my entire journey from the first day of training to the finish of the 100.

Thursday night Logan and I head down to Cincinnati for a campus visit on Friday. He is almost a month away from prom and graduating. Yes I am old.

Training Schedule

Mon: 8 easy miles

Tue: 10 easy miles

Wed: 9 easy miles

Thu: 4 easy miles

Fri: 8 easy miles

Sat: 12 easy miles

Sun: 2 mile warm up / 2x6 miles @ marathon pace w/1 mile fartlek between / 2 mile cool down

Dodged a Bullet

2009-04-08T11:26:00.003-05:00

I have been hampered with a nagging left quad since the Green Jewel 50K. It came to a head over the past weekend at the Athens Half Marathon. I could hardly walk the rest of Sunday and the pain was intense. I was convinced I had a stress fracture and that was it for the racing season. I saw the good Dr. Shah early Monday and was shuttled to the MRI unit that afternoon. Results came back today. No stress fracture, but most likely a deep muscle strain. So that means no running the rest of the week and PT starting next Monday. I should be OK for Pittsburgh and more importantly Burning River 100 training. I will be undergoing treatment using the Graston Technique. Should be interesting.

Training Schedule
No running until next week

Week of March 30th to April 5th

2009-03-31T08:48:00.005-05:00

Lots going on this week. Logan and Maddie are looking forward to Spring Break, which starts next week. We will be traveling to Ohio University for the weekend. I am running the half marathon on Sunday morning. It will be good to see the campus again. I still consider Athens a home away from home. Logan will then be continuing on to Florida for the week.

I am feeling the effects from the Green Jewel 50K still. A few twinges in my legs remain.

I am getting a little anxious about the Pittsburgh Marathon. This usually happens as a race gets close. One month to go and I want to race now. Only a few more key workouts remain.

Here is a blast from the past photo with the infamous Coach Buck shouting the commands "Uh...Ready Ready Go!" - Thanks to Marc Morrison for the photo - There is no way a sane coach would have people run on this stretch of road these days. We used to always run on the road and just avoid the traffic.

Fall of 1982 - Coach Buck, Tom Geiger, Marc Morrison, Craig Kisinger, Dave Pelyhes, John Chaney, Bob Koch, Greg Mengal

Training Schedule
Mon: 6 miles easy
Tue: 2 mile warm up / 6x1000m repeats / 4x400m repeats / cool down
Wed: 9 mile group run
Thu: 8 miles
Fri: 6 miles w/striders
Sat: 5 easy
Sun: Athens Half Marathon

Week of March 23rd to 29th

2009-03-24T11:52:00.002-05:00

Feeling good after the 50K. I am glad I did the 23 mile workout within the 31 mile run. I will probably use the relax - race - maintain strategy at Pittsburgh. The week ahead should be fun as my schedule below shows. Vertical Runner is having the annual Boston Preview run on Sunday. Once again I will take my normal weekend workout and wrap it within that run.

Training Schedule
Mon: off day
Tue: 8 easy
Wed: 9 group run
Thu: 2 mile warmup + 6x1000 meters w/ 2min rest between + 4x400 meters + 2 mile cool down
Fri: 10 easy miles
Sat: 12 easy miles
Sun: 2 easy + 4 tempo + 10 easy + 4 tempo + 2 cool down (Boston Preview Run)

I am about 90% sure that I will run the Athens Half Marathon on April 5th. Hopefully my and my kids schedules sync up so I can go down to OU that weekend.

Green Jewel 50K

2009-03-21T18:27:00.004-05:00

Very happy with my effort during this workout. Basically met my goals. Matt and I stopped at each aid station for a minute plus I hit the bathroom once. Course was more difficult than I expected. A few good downhill stretches, but it always seemed to be going uphill. A few tough climbs along the way.

8 miles easy for a warm up + 8 miles marathon pace + 1 mile tempo + 5 miles marathon pace + 1 mile tempo + 8 miles cool down.

Click here for the PDF of our day. It includes the map, elevation, and pace chart. You can see the aid station spikes at miles 5 / 10 / 15 / 19/ and 24.

March 16th to 22nd

2009-03-15T14:09:00.002-05:00

A good week behind me. Ran a nice even paced race at Malachi. Time was 3 seconds slower than last year...but everyone else seemed to be 15 to 25 seconds slower...so maybe I ran better?? Felt in control and steady. No real kicking speed, but no kidding. All marathon paced stuff to date. Nice to see everyone again.

Pittsburgh has been overwhelmed with entrants so they are going to put a cap on the race. Glad we got in when we did.

Kudos to Akron and Cleveland State for getting in the NCAA tourney. Will be fun to watch.

Shuttle goes up tonight. We had passes to see the launch from NASA last month before all of the delays. Hope all goes well.

Green Jewel 50K is on Saturday. 23 miles of a planned workout..then going to either chill or stay steady to the end.

Mon: Rest Day
Tue: 2 mile w/u + 8 mile tempo + 2 mile c/d
Wed: 9 miles group run
Thu: 4 miles easy
Fri: 5 miles easy
Sat: 50K (31 miles) - 8 miles easy + 8 miles MP + 1 mile T + 4 miles MP + 1 mile T + 1 mile MP + finish it out.
Sun: 12 miles easy. Probably crawl on the trails.

Training Recap March 9th

2009-03-08T19:12:00.002-05:00

First time in two years I hit 100 miles for the week. Very happy. Back down the intensity this week but keep up the mileage. Mile repeats on Tuesday then a race on Saturday. No expectations there.

Schedule
Mon: 7 miles easy
Tue: 3 x 1 mile then 3 x 1000 meter
Wed: 13 miles
Thu: 10 miles
Fri: 8 miles
Sat: 5 mile race / 12 miles total
Sun: 22 steady miles

Love this commercial

2009-03-06T21:16:00.000-05:00

How to be a Good Wife

2009-03-04T09:56:00.001-05:00

Hard to believe this was in a text book.

HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE
Home Economics High School Text Book, 1954


Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal, on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.

Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so that you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.

Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the home just before your husband arrives, gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.

Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad he is home.

Some don'ts: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he is late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.

Listen to him. You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.

Make the evening his. Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.

The Goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

No Sleep Friday / Training Update

2009-03-01T15:16:00.003-05:00

Friday night was Maddie's 11th birthday party. We had 11 friends (11 years old...11 friends) over for a party at Amazone. The laser tag was pretty lame but everyone had fun at the arcade and playground. We then went back to the house for the sleepover. I now know that 11 year old girls are loud. They all try to talk over each other! Around 2:30am I made the rounds and turned off the televisions. I had to get up 2 hours later and meet Matt for my marathon pace workout. Fat Chance!!
Training Update
Good week in the bank. Struggled on Saturday with the marathon pace workout - no surprise there with 2 hours of sleep. Another peak week ahead. I may try for 100. Let's see how it goes.

Mon: 8 miles easy
Tue: Tempo - 2 mile warmup / 5+4+3+2+1 miles tempo with 5+4+3+2+1 min recovery between / 2 mile cool down
Wed: 13 group miles
Thu: 6 easy miles
Fri: 10 miles
Sat: 2 mile warmup + 4 tempo miles + 10 easy miles + 4 tempo miles + 2 cooldown
Sun: 12 easy miles

Feb 23 to Mar 1

2009-02-23T10:16:00.004-05:00

Much better week of running behind me. Had issues with the lungs early in the week, but hacked out the crud by Wednesday. Very nice Saturday run with the group for 20 miles. Here is the schedule for the week ahead.

Mon: 9 easy with the group
Tue: 2 mi w/u + 10 mile tempo + 2 mi c/d
Wed: 9 with group
Thu: 8 easy
Fri: 8 easy
Sat: 2 mi w/u + 6 mi marathon pace + 1 mi tempo + 6 mi marathon pace + 1 mi tempo + 2 mi c/d
Sun: 12 easy with the group

Random Thoughts

The weather is slowly getting better. It is hard to see when we have snow and wind, but the frigid temps are pretty much gone

Shamrock 15K is in two weeks. I will be timing this one. Hardly anyone has signed up yet. I know it is the same day as the Mill Creek Half Marathon. My feeling is that it just hasn't been promoted well.

I am going to watch the Amazing Race this season. I never really watched it before, but it looks interesting.

Busy week ahead. Pick up parents from airport today, teach RunScore to SARC on Wednesday night. Maddie's b-day on Thursday. Maddie's b-day party on Friday night with a sleep over at my house. She will be 11 this year. Below is her 4 year old party. Time flies....

Week of Feb 16 to 22

2009-02-16T10:24:00.002-05:00

Well last week just sucked. I was sick the entire week and my running was crap. Jo and I did have a nice time in Florida and it was good to see Kevin's family, but I felt awful the entire trip. I will just stick with my plan and get back into it this week.

Mon: 8 easy
Tue: 2 mile warmup / 4 x 1 mile repeats / 4 x 400 meter repeats / 2 mile cooldown
Wed: 13 group
Thu: 8 easy
Fri: 10 miles
Sat: 20 miles
Sun: 12 miles

Peak Week Ahead

2009-02-08T11:57:00.003-05:00

A nice "down" week behind me as I head to the first of my "peak" weeks. When I selected the Daniels plan to follow, the first thing you had to do was determine your peak mileage. Based on my life and work schedule...I went with 91. I know several people who go over 100. My 45 year old body is not built for 100....so 91 it is. I will be traveling down south to warm temps on Wednesday so my Thursday to Sunday runs will be in shorts and no shirt. Lucky timing.

Mon: 10 miles easy
Tue: 2 mile warm up. 4 mile tempo / 4 min rest / 3 mile tempo / 3 min rest / 2 mile tempo / 2 min rest / 1 mile tempo. 2 mile cool down.
Wed: 13 miles group run
Thu: 10 easy miles
Fri: 10 miles
Sat: 2 miles warm up / 4 miles tempo / 10 miles easy / 2x2 miles tempo with 2 min rest / 2 miles cool down
Sun: 12 miles easy

Random Thoughts

A great turnout at the Frostbite 5K. Watching / timing races is tough because I want to jump in and run.

My aquarium is filthy. I hate cleaning it.

The shuttle launch was delayed, so we won't see it go. Bummer.

Cavs vs Lakers will be a great game. I hope the Cavs make a statement.

The warmer weather here is a bonus. Snow storms still ahead. I will not take the warmer days lightly.

Chicken Fried Rice Rocks.

Tomorrow Never Knows by The Beatles is my current favorite song.