Day 149 - Fun hike

Tonight I asked my youngest daughter to go for a hike and look for salamanders and she said "yes" woohoo! We got some old sneakers on so we could get muddy and play in the running water - all my sneakers are mud ready so I didn't have to look to far. One thing I said to her if we go I am going to do what I have been doing for the last couple of years - carry her to the top and she said yes. I only do it about once a year - not every time we go for a hike. I was excited because I don't know how many more years I can do this. She is 55lbs plus my back pack, camera, phone, water and some candy I think it was closer to 60lbs. We drove up to the parking lot. She wore the pack on her back, started the watch, hopped on my back, locked my arms around her legs and we were off. My breathing was fine the whole time to the top which is about 1.45 miles from the gate to the last pole at the top. We stayed on the road that I use for hill repeats. She did ask to walk a couple times but she said it was ok to keep going. Once at the top we stopped the watch and gave a high five to each other. Just this little hike we really worked as a team and it was a lot of fun and her feet never touched the ground - yes I am very proud of this hike. From there we went over to check the view out at Pulpit Rock. I thought she would of wanted to go back down the road but she wanted to go on the AT which is a little longer. On our way down we saw a salamander and in another 100 yards we saw a porcupine. It was right in the middle of the trail. We had to detour around and make our own trial because it was not moving. After we made it around I said lets run for a little. Once we crossed the bridge we kick out 3 deer and they took off running to the other side of the road. One more salamander sighting on the way back to the car and we were done for the night. It was a great night on the trail with my little one. 15 days and 5 hours to go.

4-28-2011 - 1.45 miles - 26:13 - hike with extra weight

4-28-2011 - 2.50 miles - 1:04 - hike

The view from Pulpit Rock

The view from Pulpit Rock

The view from Pulpit Rock

Salamander

Salamander

Porcupine

Day 148 - Easy pace

Tonight I met my friend Donny for a trail run. We started at the Hamburg Reservoir parking lot. The run led us up to the AT and hopped on the blue trail down to the Blue Rocks campground. There was only one family that was camping. We power hiked up the yellow to the AT. We skipped the Pinnacle view tonight and headed back to Pulpit Rock. It was very cloudy and looked like it was going to rain but it never did. We ran down the road to the parking lot. Nice easy pace tonight and getting more time in the heat was great.

4-27-2011 - 7.50 miles - 2:00 - run/hike

Cloudy view from Pulpit Rock

Cloudy view from Pulpit Rock

Day 147 - Fast hike

Tonight I went for a fast hike on my usual 5 mile loop. I pushed it right from the start and if felt good the whole time without running a step. With the change in temps I need to get some heat training in with what time I have left.

4-26-2011 - 5 miles - 1:09 - hike

Hamburg Reservoir

Day 146 - Loon

Tonight I was planning on doing 15 miles. When I was out for about 5 or 6 miles I saw - what I was told - is a loon. I thought it was a big fish at first until I looked closer and its head popped out of the water. I watched it for about 10 min. The water was so clear you could watch it swim everywhere. Once I got moving again I thought I was going to cut it short and call it a night. After I made it home I got another mile and half with the girls while they rode their bikes. The heat is here just in time for the taper.

4-25-2011 - 9 miles - 1:40 - run

Day 145 - Easter runs

Today was a busy day but I did get my running in. I ran from my house and did a loop up around Pulpit Rock and back home for my first run. My second run after lunch I ran from my wife’s parent’s house on the road up to Pulpit Rock and back home. A great day with family.

4-24-2011 - 8.2 miles - 1.:30 - run
4-24-2011 - 15 miles - 2:30 - run

Day 144 - No run day

No running today! I went down to Reading to watch the Mt. Penn Mudfest 15k trail run.

Day 143 - Long run and then some

Today I headed out to the Buzzard course. My legs felt ok after last nights 5k. I arrived and was the only one there. Then my friend Bill and Stephan arrived. It was slow moving for all of us which was fine with me. I really wanted to get time on my feet - miles didn't matter. Bill ran with us until we hit the bridge - 5 1/2 miles - then turned around. We went left down the rail trail and took the water tank trail straight up to the top. Once we were up to the top a big helicopter flew over top. After it passed us the sound never really got that far away. It actually got louder after about a 1/2 mile. We looked through the trees and it was right on the other side in an open field. It was really cool to see a helicopter that close just hovering there. From there we headed down the road to the rail trail and back to the bridge. This was a long flat section that never seemed like it was going to end. My legs were tight and Stephan's IT band was giving him some problems. We hit the bridge and walked off and on the rest of the way back to the car. It was nice to just take it easy there and have some good running talk. After we got back to the cars for awhile another friend Randy was just finishing his run. Good times out there today and we missed all the rain.

Tonight the rest of the family went to the movies. I thought I would try another run to see if the legs were still tight. They felt a little better and I ran up to Pulpit Rock and did a loop around town. It rain a little off and on but nothing like the down pour last weekend. It was Good Friday to get in some long runs in.


4-22-2011 - 21.70 miles - 4:42 - run
4-22-2011 - 13.40 miles - 2:00 - run

Day 142 - 5k with family

Today I got out of work early so I headed right home to get some work done and then went for a hike. I did my normal 5 mile route. Not to much action out on the trail but it was a nice hike.

Tonight I decided to do a 5k. The family and I went to pick my dad up around 6 to go to the race. It is the first race of 6 in the series. One each month on the third Thursday of each month for 6 months. Tonights run had 300 finishers. My first mile was fast at 5:32, the 2nd mile was 5:55 and the last was 6:02 for a final time of 18:08. That time tonight was good for first in my age group. I really don't know how to pace myself in 5k's. I just go out fast and see what happens an just try to hold on. I really like jumping in these races because there is always someone to chase and you have to dig deep the last mile to keep moving. After I finished I ran back to my day and ran the rest of the way in with him. He is 67 and finished with a smile in 41:16. It was great to have family and friends at the finish.

4-21-2011 - 5 miles - 1:14 min. - hike
4-21-2011 - 6 miles - 46 min. - run

The view from Pulpit Rock

The view from Pulpit Rock

Day 141 - Colorful bird

Time is really flying by. Every time I look at a calendar it seems like another day is gone. Right now there is less than 24 days to go. That gives me another 2+ weeks of training. After that I will be hiking the rest of the days - maybe;-) I'm not a big taper fan but I won't be running real hard if I do.

Tonight I went for a hike. The last 4 days I had 66 miles and I needed a break from running. I loaded my pack up with two water bottles and carried two bottles to get some more weight. I posted the 5 mile loop below that I have been doing on days I don't run. I really like this hike and the sites you get to see and tonight provided that. After taking a picture at Pulpit rock I hiked about 50 yards and I see a very colorful bird on the trail. I knew this bird should not have been here and I don't know how it got there. I quickly dropped my pack and bottles to get some pictures and some video. I later find out it was a Chinese Pheasant. It was really cool to see a bird with all that color up on the mountain. There was a lot of water on some parts of the trail heading back down to the reservoir. A great night for a hike and the weather was perfect for a hike.

Below I also posted all my mileage for the last 20 weeks. This month as of right now will be my biggest month so far. I also added my total hours for the last 10 weeks.

4-20-2011 - 5 miles - 1:11 - hike

View from Pulpit Rock

Chinese Pheasant

Chinese Pheasant

Sunset 4-20-2011

Week 11

Walk = 16.1

Run = 80

Total Miles = 96.1

Total Time - 17 hrs. 25 min.

Week 12

Walk = 13.5

Run = 60.9

Total Miles = 74.4

Total Time - 13 hrs. 24 min.

Week 13

Walk = 9

Run = 41.4

Total Miles = 50.4

Total Time - 9 hours 8 min.

No more walks at work.

Week 14

Run = 40

Total Time - 6 hrs. 6 min.

Week 15

Run = 71

Total Time - 12 hrs. 16 min.

Week 16

Run = 78.25

Total Time - 13 hrs. 17 min.

Week 17

Run = 67.2

Total Time - 11 hrs. 40 min.

Week 18

Run = 82.2

Hike =8

Total Miles = 90.2

Total Time - 18 hrs. 20 min.

Week 19

Run = 65.5

Hike = 10

Total Miles = 75.5

Total Time - 12 hrs. 37 min.

Week 20

Run = 77.6
Total Time - 13 hrs. 2 min.


First 10 weeks below:

Week 1
Walk = 4.5

Run = 72.25

Total Miles = 76.75

Week 2

Walk = 10.6

Run = 68.7

Total Miles = 79.3

Week 3

Walk = 14

Run = 69.5

Total Miles = 83.5

Week 4 (Disney 3 days off of running)

Walk = 5.8

Run = 21.35

Total Miles = 27.15

Week 5 (Disney 3 days off of running)

Walk = 5.6

Run = 38.75

Total Miles = 44.35

Week 6

Walk = 14

Run = 68

Total Miles = 82

Week 7

Walk = 11

Run = 56.75

Total Miles = 67.75

Week 8

Walk = 15.4

Run = 62

Total Miles = 77.4

Week 9

Walk = 15.8

Run = 61

Total Miles = 76.8

Week 10

Walk = 15.6

Run = 51

Total Miles = 66.6

Day 140 - Legs were heavy

Tonight my legs were heavy and a little sore. The last 3 days really tired my legs out which that is what I was trying to do. Tonight was a nice slower run. I met my friend Donny out on my run and we did a loop around town and by the river. I think I am ready for an easy hike night.

4-19-2011 - 10.40 miles - 1:33 - run

Day 139 - Monday longer run

Today I woke up and my legs were feeling really good after all the hills I ran yesterday. I wanted to get more miles in yesterday but I ran out of time and felt tired when I was thinking about a second run. I got dressed and ready to go but never made it out the door. It was a good decision because tonight I had energy.

I left the house around 5:45 and wasn't coming home until I hit 15 miles. When I go for a distance over 10 I usually head up to Pulpit Rock. It gives me one big hill and slows my pace down. It was cloudy up there tonight. I passed a couple of people but mainly I had the mountain to myself. After running back down I hit the road down to town. Baseball is in full swing and more people are around at the park. That is great to see because it has been a ghost town all winter. The river is up high after all the rain. I made it home hitting 15 miles in an 8:23 pace. What a great night of running.

4-18-2011 - 15 miles - 2:06 - run

Sunrise 4-18-2011

Day 138 - Hills and then some

Today I left the house around 11 a.m. to do hill repeats. The sun was in and out all day and the wind never stopped. Sometimes I had gloves and a winter hat on. Then when the sun came out from behind the clouds it got warm. I felt pretty good today and pushed them more then I usually do. I drank 3 full bottles of Gatorade, 4 gels and 4 electrolytes. There were a lot of people hiking today and that is always good for a conversation or two in passing. One girl was hiking with her family and rolled here ankle running down the hill. She seemed to be walking ok after I passed them later on. I ran everything but a 40 or 50 yard section on the last couple of laps. On those I tried to power hike the steep sections as fast as I could. The last lap I really worked hard to keep moving. After finishing my 10th hill I went over to Pulpit Rock to get a couple of quick pics and head back down to the car. If I stay to long I really get tight and cold. It is also quite painful to run the last 1.6 miles back to the car that way. 26 more days until MMT and a lot of work to be done.

4-17-2011 - 21 miles - 3:43 - run - elevation 6,720ft up/6,720 down

The view from Pulpit Rock

The view from Pulpit Rock

Day 137 - A lot of weather

Today I met a group of runners at the Hamburg Reservoir at 8 a.m. We headed up the left side of the reservoir to a trail we don't run a lot. A little bit of  bushwhacking was a fun way to start the run off. The trail doesn't get used that much so the growth was a little higher. From there we head down towards Eckville and then cut back up to the Port Clinton fire tower. We all grouped back together and then decided to run the power line trail. It goes straight down a very rocky section which was very slow moving because you could fall in between rocks. Then we went right back up the other side and that was one of the steepest trails I think I ever went up. Everyone was glad to be up at the top and it was cold so we had to keep moving. We ran the Appalachian Trail back to the parking lot from there. It was another great day with friends on the trail.



I went for a second run around 4. It was raining when I left. Splashing around town was a lot of fun. Then with around 3 miles to go I saw a flash and it was lighting. That made me run a little faster. Then the rain started to fall and the thunder started. I kept moving forward and made it home safe and soaking wet. It was a lot of fun out there before the lighting came. It was a good day of running.


4-16-2011 - 11 miles - 2:40 - run
4-16-2011 - 9 miles - 1:10 - run

Day 136 - No running

No running today.

4-15-2011

Day 135 - Great weather

Tonight I didn't have much time to run. I left the house with plans on running the road from my house up to Pulpit Rock and back. The legs are feeling good so I was moving a little faster then the rest of the week. With the great weather there were a lot more people hiking tonight. After reaching Pulpit I thought I would run the downhill at a faster pace and the legs held up. Making if home in 57 min. I was happy with the run.

4-14-2011 - 6.4 miles - 57 min. - run

Day 134 - Club run

Ran with the running club tonight. It was fun night running around the trails down in Reading. A little mud, bushwhacking and a fence climb. Then off to supper for some running talk.


4-13-2011 - 4.80 miles - 53 min - run

Day 130 - Bull Run Run 50

First off I want to thank my family! They are the ones that are a big part of my running. Without their support my training runs or races would not be possible. To leave on a weekday for 3 hours or 6 hours on a weekend to run knowing that I have their support makes training a lot easier. Thanks! :-)

Shoes, Bib# and empty gels!

The day started with an early 4:30 a.m. wake up for me and my roommates Phil, Stephan and Donny. There were another 24 running club members from the Pagoda Pacers scattered around the area doing the same thing. Yes that is right we had 28 people from one club running 50 miles – amazing – and they all finished!!! I had my breakfast ready to go when I woke up. It included 1 bagel(no cream cheese), 1 banana and a small can of Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso. I was going to use a back pack to carry all my gels but decided to go with a smaller waist pack instead. I loaded my pocks up with gels and safety pinned them shut so they won’t fall out and shoved the rest of them in a waist pack. I had 9 electrolytes ready in a plastic bag in my hand held water bottle holder pocket. I also had all my clothes ready to head to the showers after the race so I would not have to do a lot of thinking after I was done. The main thing I wanted to concentrate on after the race was making it up the little hill to where the showers are located. I think that is the hardest hill of the day. It is not that long maybe 30 yards but after you finish and sit down for a while and try to go up that little hill it can be painful. That is where a lot of pictures should be taken;-) After we all had our stuff packed we head down and loaded the car up with all are bags. We waited for some other runners and drive over to the start. When we get to the parking area there is a line of traffic. I think after we parked the car we only had about 10 min. until the start of the race.

At the starting line I talked to some of the other runners and in no time all 344 runners were off and running. Looking out at the front there was one runner that went out crazy fast. That was Matt Woods and he went on to set the course record with a time of 6:08:14 – smoking fast. My friend Stephan and I ran together for some of the first part of the race. It was nice to talk a little with someone you know. I went out at a pace I could breathe and my legs were not getting tired. If my legs started to burn on the hills I started to power hike and I stayed with that strategy the whole race. If someone tried to pass I let them go. Racing my own race is what works best for me. My plan for the day was to drink Gatorade, take a electrolyte every hour and take a gel every 23 min. I set my watch to beep every 23 min. as a reminder. Not sure where I came up with every 23 min. but it seemed to work. I hit the Centreville Road aid station 7.2 miles and topped my bottle off. There is always tons of people here cheering everyone on. The aid station volunteers are an amazing part of this race. They always ask to take your bottle so you can go and eat and when you are done they give your bottle back filled and send you on your way. From here the course runs out 2.2 mile to a turn around and come right back to the same aid station which is now mile 11.6. Topping off my bottle again and head down some steps and head back to where we stated in the morning.

I came into Hemlock aid station mile 16.6 and the clock there said 2:18 something. This is where we started in the morning. I topped my bottle off and start running down the trail. Our car was right near the trail and that is where I had the rest of my gels in my waist pack. I picked them up and headed out for the last 33 miles. Wow! That does that sound far when I write it down. You have to break these races up in smaller blocks or it can get overwhelming. In the next couple of miles I passed and got passed by Dan Rose. We did that the rest of the day. Dan ran with another one of our club members Anna Piskorska at the 2010 24-Hour Run World Championship in France. It was really nice to meet him and he gave me some great tips out there. Thanks Dan for the encouragement! I made a pace chart on Thursday and I’m not sure why. I didn’t use it until I wanted to know the distance after I was out of the Do Loop 35.5 miles. Once you hit mile 35.5 you feel a little better because you are heading back to the finish.

When I hit the Wolf Run Shoals aid station 39.9 miles I topped my bottle off and I heard people calling my name. It was a lot of friends/club members that came down to support all the runners we had there. I handed my gloves to Beth and glared over at everyone said hi and ran into the woods. It really gave me a boast but this next section was my hardest. I just felt like I couldn’t move my legs a fast as I wanted to. Then when I hit the Marina aid station 44.9 miles and I looked at my pace chart it said I had to be at 6:43 to run a final time of 7:30 my watch read 6:20. From there I just had to keep my legs moving. I caught back up to Dan and we ran most of the last section together. Right before we crossed the finish line he let me go ahead of him. It was a victory for both of us and I hope to get to run with him another day. This was a big PR for me. My best time at this race was here in 2008 and I ran an 8:20:24. This year I ran a 7:15:27. With more consistent training this year it is paying off but I still have a lot of work to do in the next couple of weeks before MMT.

After getting all cleaned up and eating I got to watch a lot of my friends/club member’s finish. It was really cool seeing them cross the line. What a day out there and I can’t wait to do it next year. Below are some pictures of my running club and me from the race.

4-9-2011 - 50.4 miles - 7:15:27 - run

Pagoda Pacer runners. Photo: © 2011 Bobby Gill

Photo: © 2011 Robert Fabia

Photo: © 2011 Robert Fabia

Photo: © 2011 Robert Fabia

Photo: © 2011 Desiree Williams

Photo: © 2011 Bobby Gill

Day 133 - Dreadmill run

Today I was going to take the day off but then I read a post by my friend Ken. It gave me a push to run and I thought I would try the treadmill. I started with 5mph at a 10% grade for maybe 10 or 15 min. Then went up to 5.5, 6 and finished the last 5 min. at 7 mph all with the grade staying at 10%. For some reason it went good. I was looking at the"red" stop button and the "green" go button to start or stop the treadmill and it got me thinking. The more you stare at the red button the more you want to stop it. Just like the discomfort in a race the more you focus on it the more you want to stop. But if you can find a way to focus on something else and keep looking for the green button you can go a little further.

4-12-2011 - 4.25 miles - 45 min - run

Day 132 - Recovery hike #2

My legs are feeling a little better today. I went for another hike and it was very warm today. I could move the legs a lot faster today. Should be running soon.


4-11-2011 - 5 miles - 1:18 - hike

Day 131 - Recovery hike

Today was a day to move the legs. I went for a 5 mile hike and my hamstrings were very tight and sore. Trying to take long strides was not that fun on the downhills but I made it and will keep moving forward. 


4-10-2011 - 5 miles - 1:11 - hike